: : I’m OK!!! : :

Hi all! This is a quick note to say that I’m fine and so is Granny. We’re not hit by any tidal waves and are quite a bit of distance away from where it struck. I’m not in Kuching at the moment, am back home in Miri. Granny is, however, in Kuching. Both of us are not facing or nearby the epicenter of the quake which occured off the coast of Sumatera Island. We’re on another island, the island of Borneo which is facing the coastal line of Vietnam, Taiwan, Cambodia. We’re not facing Sumatera Island at all and are block by Peninsula Malaysia. The areas in Malaysia that were affected by the tidal waves was Penang and the west coast of Peninsula Malaysia. Tremors were felt in KL but not sure about other parts of Peninsula.

Needless to say, we’re checking on friends and family in Penang. Thankfully, they’re all alright and are doing fine. Some of them have felt some tremors but nothing was damage so far.

To let the readers know, Malaysia is not within the earthquake belt. This belt is nearby though, running through the islands of Indonesia (Sumatera, Java, Bali), so we’re just outside the border of this belt. Occasional tremors can be felt in Sarawak, in all cities and towns but luckily no major damage has been felt. However, I did hear from Dad that a road did crack in Berkenu or somewhere on the outskirts of Miri, indicating a major quake happening. Houses and high-rise buildings in Malaysia are not built to withstand earthquakes. However, I’m sure that would be changing really soon. Don’t think they can build houses to withstand tsunamis though.

Watching CNN today, saw the devastation happening to a lot of the areas : Sri Lanka, India, Thailand. Saw pictures of what’s happening in Penang from the local newspapers. It’s bad.

So, Kuching is safe. Miri, on the other hand, is dealing with torrents of rain and flash floods. I got caught in one yesterday with the heavy downpour from the hills. The town area was totally flooded as well as some of the roads were totally submerged. Luckily, I made it home safe and sound in my Sina’s (mum) little Proton Wire which made it through the high waters safely. Got very wet getting out of the car but after a quick hot shower, everything was fine again.

Having said that, I’m suffering from a cold and fever with a running nose to boot. Guzzling loads of orange juice and getting plenty of rest. Also, catching up on DVD movies that I didn’t quite managed to catch throughout the year.

Cheerio all and have a Happy New Year!