Thursday, May 15, 2008
SZ08
It's wonderful to be in PRC. For the most part, I can download anything without fear of being caught (at least to my best of knowledge). Maybe I'm in SZ, also an immigrant city like Singapore, that's why I feel like I'm in Singapore occasionally. The subway is efficient and clean, the malls are adequately maintained, and the people seem to be friendly most of the time.
The Chinese are also a bunch of patriotic and sympathetic people. This is apparent in the way Chinese all over the world supported the Olympic torch relay. I felt fortunate to witness the SZ leg of the relay. It was initially scheduled to begin at 7am or 8am on that day, but due to some circumstances (foreseen I think) it was postponed to 12noon on the morning itself... What the hell was the city governor doing...
Anyway, as the slated leg of the relay went on under the unusually clear sky and scorching sunlight, I witnessed Chinese people's enthusiasm and patriotism! I think it's pretty obvious that the route was flooded with people on the sides, some eventually breaking through the substandard road barriers, and some climbing up trees just to peep at the torch bearer. I was mildly amused by the tree climbers. Almost all the trees tops along the route were occupied by people. People jostled and pushed and ran with the runner. Later in the evening when the torch bearer bypassed SZ again (can't really remember why they ran for hours in SZ), it was reported to be tailed (chased/followed/etc.) by approximately 1000 people.
I revelled in the Chinese's enthusiasm for their country's biggest event of the year. Although I did go down to the streets to take a peep, and possibly some shots (which I couldn't, obviously), I didn't cheong like my colleagues. We got separated eventually and I ended up looking lost and confused in the midst of the crowd. When I got back, someone commented why I didn't run like them... I was supposed to run like them, huh?
On a sadder side, the earthquake in Szechuan was terrible. The death toll mounts with each passing day, and as I'm typing away now, as more bodies are found. The Szechuan colleague in my office was freaking out when we got the news. Luckily, her family was safe and sound, except that they had to sleep on the streets. My initial response was "oh". I think being Singaporean has made me less aware and less concerned of the monstrosity of such catastrophes. I had never experienced earthquakes or typhoons (touch wood) before. How would I know how it geninuely feels to know that I have a friend buried in a pile of cement fragments and bricks with only a hand sticking out? But when I read the news and the photos splashed on websites and from my PRC colleague's laptops, I think about nothing. I just stare blankly into the photos.
Over the past two days, more casualties and fatalities were reported. Suddenly the office has news broadcasted from laptops. Live telecasts and/or radio broadcasts inundated the whole office. Gradually, in these two short days, I realised I find myself immersed in and following the news as well. Well, that's also because my workload is still quite little, hence the free time... In anyway, my PRC intern friend is fanatically following the situation there, constantly updating me and coercing me to look at new photos he has sourced from somewhere. I think it seriously affected me.
It affected me in some ways. First, I truly feel the pain and lost when I look at the photos of crying mothers and dead children. Well, at least I still have empathy. Second, the way my friend has become engrossed and emotionally affected by the disaster is having a slight adverse effect on me. I'm beginning to feel more morose, yes, as well as annoyed.
At first, I think being Chinese, he felt truly sad for his people. But with each passing day, whenever he reads of the rising death toll, he gets slightly agitated and moody. It's become a routine to log on to the Internet all the time to look at new photos, forums and news. Then he would gently force me to look at some of the gory photos. If some unruly idiot wrote on the forum libeling Wen Jia Bao's visit to be unsincere, he would harp on that "baseless and senseless" libel for some time (Quote from him: How can that - you know what - country still seek independence when 15000 people were killed!). I think it's okay that he feels for his people and country, but I think he should know that there are morons who still type without thinking 5000 times before, that detractors are everywhere, and critics are ubiquitous.
Perhaps he's only 20? So I guess I should cut some slack on my ranting. I mean not to bitch about him, but I guess it's just what they always say: Singaporeans are so indifferent to their surroundings but complain too much; the Chinese talk politics but know not what politics is (sometimes).
I'm going to donate to the Red Cross for the needy in Szechuan. The entire office donated. But I'm not doing it out of peer pressure. I really think that the Red Cross need the money for the victims. It's not much, but it's what I can provide with my paltry monthly allowance.
I have heard that 2008 is a year of catastrophes. Surging food prices, earthquake in China and cyclone in Myanmar... Hmmm, I was wondering, how come no one in the office talked about the 100 000 victims of Myanmar?
Comments:
Post a Comment