Earthquake

Yesterday (Tuesday) there was an earthquake, brief but scary as the buildings move so much, I remember the first time that I felt one when I was on the 20 something floor of the Waterfront hotel in Cebu, it really scared me as the floor was moving in my room, I looked out the window and you can visibly see the horizon move, I rushed into the hallway to ask the staff what to do but they were scared also.... so no help there. I quickly got down to ground level as most people but after a few mins it was all forgotten, the good thing is that most people didn't seem to care so it sort of takes away the panic aspect of it all.

MANILA, Philippines (AP) - A moderate earthquake shook the Philippines' main island of Luzon on Tuesday. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

Buildings across Manila shook for several seconds. Panicked residents ran out into the streets, including some staffers at the Malacanang presidential palace and workers in the capital's Makati financial district.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake had a magnitude of 6.0 - upgraded from a preliminary estimate of 5.8 - with an epicenter 195 kilometers (120 miles) north-northwest of Manila and at a depth of 62.5 kilometers (38.8 miles).

The Philippine archipelago lies along the Pacific Ocean's "Ring of Fire," where volcanic activity and earthquakes are common.

For my family and friends that think the Phils is a very dangerous place, please realise that most of my posts are about things that may be interesting or current news, there is more good things happening here than bad. There isn't someone waiting around every corner to rob and murder me, if you lived here you would have a better perspective and understanding.

I watch some British news here and see lots of things from the internet regarding Britain, if I didn't know better I would be terrified of living there ( whichI am in some ways), I see youngsters in the streets with hoods on most corners (TV perspective).. never see that in the Phils. I see people fighting at football matches (unheard of here), bars full of young guys and girls behaving in a lewd and drunken manner ( NEVER see that here ), gangs of young guys fighting in the streets after clubs turn out (NEVER see that here). I could go on and on, the main point is that here people generally are extremely well behaved, 100 times moreso than in the UK. I'm even sure that if someone was going to rob me at gunpoint, they would probably say " excuse me sir but I am about to rob you so would you mind giving me any money that you may have.. thank you for your cooperation"... yes....tongue in cheek but people here are just so friendly and respectful.

Of course there are also bad guys here but they are few and far between, I'm talking about violence, there is lots of scams, bribery and corruption but I can deal with that... it isn't life threatening. Yes there are lots of political murders but they are far from my doorstep unless I get caught in the crossfire.
Living in any major city can be dangerous, here unfortunetly as in the US it is common to own a gun which obviously adds to murder/crime rates, they are trying to bring in a restrictive gun law which would help.
I can honestly say that I would feel safer walking home in most parts of Manila at any time rather than use the tube late at night in London.

After saying all that I am going to the cinema tonight to see a violent film called "the Kingdom", I have been waiting for it to premiere here.... the cost is £1.50 and that is an extra charge as it is the first run..... not bad eh !!

I hope after that you will all have a safe and enjoyable Wednesday