Whisper In Your Ear

[wicked_g]

Just a quick announcement-

This Swine Flu H1N1 thing going on? Is serious business people.

Where were you when SARS was around? Or Bird Flu? I imagine most of the people on my flist were continents* away from the main source, Hong Kong/South Central Asia.

I of course, was in Hong Kong, wearing a mask during exams, having to take my temperature every

Comments

[wicked_g]

Oh my god, I have no idea what a Global House is. Unless it's in the shape of a globe. In which case, do it! That'd be cool.

Where are you right now? I see that you've been in the UK, but IDK anymore...

[wicked_g]

Ok, here's the thing-in a way, I was kinda lucky that I ended up living in the Ghetto Corner on campus with all the graduate housing because it meant that our RA(resident advisor) was pretty, well...not organised, and doors were never left open, which meant that the grand total of me participating with the other students was a pitiful 'once' at Halloween.

You *will* have to do group bonding activities, but I'm thinking, mostly in the first month or so, and from then on it'll be mainly parties and get together's from then on. Of course, there will be meetings that are mandatory (like housekeeping, rules etc), but those are few and far between.

I think.

Although, I'm looking over these activities, and damn, some of them look pretty fun. I say go for it! And just for the sake of going to a Western school, try out the stuff that sounds lame sometimes. I didn't do any of this while I was at school, but at other times I did, and it was a blast to be had.

[cheekanzoop]

Ugh, people make jokes about everything, regardless of how serious it is, or who is actually being harmed. Those people suck.

[radon_]

(Does being stuck on another small island that's 4hrs south-west by plane from the small island in the South China Sea count?)

Urgh SARS. I remember the two-month-long(ish) school holidays we got and the temperature screenings and the masks and the paranoia. Oh, and my mum working at the A&E wing in the hospital telling me horror stories. It was bad.

I guess people make jokes to lighten severity of the situation? Although, I wish it was taken more seriously. :/

[wicked_g]

It's not that I don't like the jokes, it's the fact that when it was Super Serious for you and me? The rest of the world treated it like nothing, and ignored it. I've asked around, and the most people can remember about it was seeing people in Hello Kitty masks.

But then once it reached the Western World via Toronto, the world was suddenly all 'OMFG SARS IS GOING TO KEEEEEL USSSS!!!!' when it was slowly working it's way through us already! It's so stupid, how in this day and age of instant information access, how no one seemed to understand what we were going through.

[radon_]

Well, it's probably because to the Western World, Asia is like this un(der)developed Third-World country that consists of strange people with weird cultures and practices and is practically another world altogether? Also because, the situation never seems dire until it shows up on one's doorstep. Or maybe the idea was that Asia was making a mountain out of a molehill (which was so untrue).

Of course, when all hell broke loose (ty, Toronto), all fingers pointed to Asia and China/HK and demanded to know about the coverups (which I admit, happened, but still! Warnings!). D:

[wicked_g]

Freakin' China made us look SO BAD. And we were demanding answers as well! My dad had gone up there for a business trip, and he reported back that they were pretty much ignoring the whole situation and refused to name it. Jeez.

It's true that unless it's RIGHT THERE we all tend to ignore it, and think it can't be that horrible, but for people to be as ignorant as they are about it? Just last month people were going bat shit about swine flu over in the states, and now it's like it doesn't exist anymore.

[wicked_g]

I enjoy satire, and I don't mind poking fun, but when it's come to this point in the game? That's when I start to sit up and pay attention, because by not being there? It's easy to miss, and I refuse to become one of those people who think it's just a small thing because it's over there in Asia (which includes India, btw), which apparently doesn't count even though it's pretty much the largest continent around, with a massive population.

[wicked_g]

Umm, snap? That's what I was saying, kinda. Or rather, what I meant. Just because we can't see it, doesn't mean it isn't a problem, when it really, really should be

[jaded_chord]

Oh man, SARS. I was in Hong Kong during the time too, and I remember how school was canceled for about a month before we all went back. It was definitely such a HUGE deal for us, and I remember hearing about the climbing death toll on the news every day, whereas it was far from being taken as seriously in the rest of the world.

[wicked_g]

I KNOW! At one point they were talking about just giving us our predicted grades in lieu of taking our actual exams (couldn't have that many people in a room at the same time), but no. That was probably the only time I felt annoyed at SARS slowly retreating, because I totally could have gotten better marks! Superficial, yes, but it would have been nice to have gotten my predicted B's.

Same thing with the Tsunami, I found as well. One special on Oprah, and ta dah! It's over, move along people. We held so many charity raising events at our school, and even sent students there with the money during CNY to make sure they got their new boats.

I miss Asia : (