Hello peoples of not this part of the world :)
First, I would like to say that, yes (if the thought crossed your mind anytime in the past couple days), Labuan and I are both safe. I feel sad for the people in Japan who were owned by the 30 foot tall waves from tsunami, though. It reminds me (on a much smaller scale) of the 2004 tsunami that killed hundreds of thousands of people in ten countries, around here, the majority being from Indonesia.
Last year I took a Geography of Natural Disasters class and we discussed how something became a "disaster" because volcanos, tsunamis, earthquakes, mudslides, tornadoes, and massive forest fires occur every year and there is nothing that we as humans can do to prevent them. We came to the conclusion that a "disaster" only occurs because humans are involved. WE are the ones that cause disaster, not the random 70 mph tornado. We choose to build our homes on the banks of rivers, edges of oceans, sides of mountains/volcanos, in flood plains, and near active fault lines. Then we are shocked and devastated when our houses, belongings, and family members are lost in them. Is this preventable? To some degree, if you can actually choose to live someplace else, I would say yes, it is your own fault if you choose to build your house on the side of a mountain and then it is destroyed in an eruption or landslide. It is also your own fault if you don't heed warnings from weather and government officials telling you to evacuate until it is too late. However, my goal here is not to say that the people in Japan deserved to be part of a tragedy, because this isn't true. They were raised and have lived there for many years without horrible things happening. The same is true for many tragic situations. And a lot of people in this part of the world especially are extremely poor and are trying to live in severely overcrowded situations. They really don't have a lot of choice about where they live, and what they live in. Also in poor countries people are afraid to leave their houses due to the fear of looting, or the fact that tsunami shelters in Muslim countries might not have separate sleeping or bathroom facilities for men and women, so the women stay home. It is always a complicated and multi-faceted situation. However, going back to disasters : sometimes I think how funny it is, that if no one lived on that island, those huge waves and tremors would be just that; a really cool natural occurrence. It's too bad.
On another note, the reason you will never need to worry about me being swept away by a wave in Malaysia is because Malaysia is naturally protected. I believe this contributes to the country being so politically and economically stable. Malaysia is protected from the surrounding open oceans and active tectonic plates there by Indonesia, Philippines, and Southern mainland Asia. It's like we're the small kid in the middle of a bunch of other kids, protecting us from the bullys on the outside. This means that these countries also act like barricades, taking the brunt of any massive natural hazard, and often losing a lot of people in the process. There are also no volcanoes, or tectonic plates in Malaysia, so we can feel tremors from Indonesia sometimes, but very rarely. Due to the blessing of being protected, the most we were expected to have after the tsunami was elevated seas and some rough water. Plus, Iive on the highest point of Labuan, so I'm good. :)
Ok, Pineapple Tarts!! The Chinese shop keeper across the street had random recipes that his supplier (a hotel) gave him, and yesterday he photocopied it for me and let me have it. I am so excited because it contains a pineapple tart recipe that I've been searching for since last fall. Hopefully I will not ultra fail while trying to create them this evening. Also, it is a huge recipe, so I'm going to have to do some cutting down to start with. I will try to take pictures and post them, but I am still not sure how to do that on here. Wish me luck!
Finally, I got my yarn on Thursday and have been crocheting madly ever since. I can't help it! Crocheting is therapeutic and relaxing. I really really miss getting to do it and I am so glad I found that Hobby Lobby ships overseas. Currently I am working on a granny square quilt that is made of squares that have layers of purple, gray, and black in them. It is for my friend and former (awesome!) housemate who lives in Chicago. I will try to take a picture of my progress there and post it as well.
I hope you are all sleeping well.
Becca
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