When turbulent times put their lives in danger, "safe areas" or spaces is a "must" . Child-friendly spaces would somehow help to  alleviate emotional and psychological distress on children, which are the usual impact and long-term effect of disasters to victims.

Below is a youtube video created by WVDF.

[vodpod id=ExternalVideo.674732&w=425&h=350&fv=%26rel%3D0%26border%3D0%26]

I truly and terribly missed the social service life. Nothing felt more rewarding than what I was doing as a Donor Care Specialist for World Vision- Philippines. It is where I've known passion. Well, poetry is another passion of mine, but my humanist heart will always crave for action intended to contribute in making life better for most people.

For the meantime, writing about it keeps me going. Using my passion in creative writing for information campaigns and awareness through blogs somehow fills that empty space within me when it comes to my passion for children.

I'm no saint, that I must say. Far from it. I am just a regular young woman who was lucky to find where her passion lies....

It must be the tough but fulfilled life that I missed the most, :-)

]]> http://svtoxics.wordpress.com/?p=49 Wed, 27 Aug 2008 21:50:35 +0000 svtc2008 http://svtoxics.wordpress.com/?p=49 Hi everybody. I’ve been interning with SVTC this summer and was lucky enough to be invited along for the journey to Hong Kong and India.

Unfortunately Typhoon Nuri, which – at it’s peak – carried a storm warning sign of 9 (A 10 means the whole city is shut down) cancelled our plans with Greenpeace in China.

After touchdown in India this Monday we had some incredibly good food with Bharati Chaturvedi, the founder of Chintan – an environmental research and action group in India - and a very passionate woman.

Talking to Bharati, you could tell that she really cared about the e-waste dismantlers and wants to make a difference in their lives. She has a very realistic and thorough understanding of the issues and people involved.

Being in India is very different. The heat still takes me by surprise every time I venture out of the hotel and crossing the street can be a challenge. There’s no crosswalks, you just jump into the traffic foray anytime you see a clearing.

-Serena Mau (Intern at SVTC)

果然是很強的颱風，香港五年來第一次掛九號風波。不過來得快也去得快，轉眼天氣又變得晴朗，沒有到外面拍照有點浪費。

Nuri caused a LOT of damage. For example: This tree trunk fell on our neighbour's car. The back window was completely shattered.

We had about 5 leaks in our house and a mini flood in the storage room...

And in the morning we found:

Dressed in shorts and a t-shirt, dad and I went out to clean up. After being soaked by the rain and blown dry by the wind for at least four times, we finally turned the mess into this:

OMG. That was sooo annoying.

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=18127

To past the time, Yet-unnamed-bunny read the story of Melisto:

9J also demonstrated her new protective pouch:

For the meantime, I'll be holding up at the mall. It is, in point of fact, a work day. Unfortunately, my notebook battery has drained itself down to just 19%. Can't wait that I'll be headed back to my guesthouse any time soon. It's very clean and my hosts are gracious, but I can't say that $HK 200 go very far in Kowloon. My single room consists of bed and enough space to open my door and then shuffle my body inward. That said, the room is equipped with a hot-water dispenser, loose leaf tea, a television suspended from the ceiling (with Russian programming to boot), and one last luxury, a private washroom where the shower runs hot water on demand. Further to that, I can't really complain about toilets that not only have seats but also don't require self-operated flushing (i.e. me and a bucket of water).

]]> http://chinadtr.wordpress.com/?p=59 Fri, 22 Aug 2008 06:31:07 +0000 chinadtr http://chinadtr.wordpress.com/?p=59 [/caption]

We're all camped out in the dorm because the Hong Kong Observatory has issued a Typhoon 9 warning signal, which means that we are being held captive at CUHK and filling our day with lots of cards and snacking.  The city pretty much shuts down when this high of a signal is issued with limited public transportation.  Typhoon Nuri is due to make a direct hit at some point this evening and should blow through overnight, but the winds are really strong right now and the rain is pouring down.  We still have orientation, but it's pretty informal today because all of our guest speakers are unable to make it to campus and all of the campus buildings are closed except for the dorms.  As I said before we're playing lots of spades and there are plans to teach some bridge later today.  We may also try to find the most recent episodes of Project Runway on YouTube to pass the time. 

In other news, earlier this week we finished a week's worth of TEFL training and I have become so paranoid about the English I use.  Training was actually pretty great.  Our teacher, Don McKay, has taught English all around the world and is currently teaching at a university in Dubai.  He spent time in China with the Peace Corps in the 1990s, so he's also somewhat familiar with the country.  But at times training was frustrating because we were learning all of this theory that comes with teaching English as a second language, but we had no real situations to which to apply that theory.  We did prepare mock lessons and give them to a mock class, which was made up of other fellows, but it was not the same as I would imagine it would have been if we had real students to work with for our lessons.  Nevertheless, I definitely learned a lot and it has made me really thoughtful about how I say things, as well as more aware of what will and will not work once I begin studying Mandarin again when I get to Guangzhou.

As for getting to Guangzhou, I was just informed that I am going to have to wait two more weeks to get my visa.  Apparently the provinces have been very slow to issue visas because of the Olympics, so the Guangdong provincial authorities have been sitting on my paperwork for the past few weeks and they should get to it by early September.  What this means for me is that I will have to get a tourist visa that will allow me to get to Guangzhou and set up house, but I am not able to do any official work for the university and I definitely cannot begin teaching.  I guess it will be a week of exploring Guangzhou, shopping at Ikea for the apartment, sitting in Starbucks and using their free wireless, and doing some informal lesson planning so I can hit the ground running when the visa situation is resolved.  With a tourist visa, I will have to come back to Hong Kong to get my permanent visa.  It's not too much of a hassle since the trip is so short, but it's frustrating that I cannot start teaching at the same time as the other fellows and I am going to miss any official university activities during the first week.  However, the upside is that I will have a week to get acclimated and to begin making Guangzhou my home for the next year or so.

或者女友一早意料到打風我家會斷糧，所以將昨晚蛋糕班的製成品拿了兩份給我。難得足不出戶可以有這麼一頓豐富的早餐。:D

And now for a closer look:

This new Typhoon is headed straight towards Hong Kong, so "fasten your seat belts, Dorothy, 'cause Texas is going bye bye" (The Matrix).

Previous typhoons hitting Hong Kong this year were Kammuri (early August) and Fengshen (late June), although their path was a little further away from Hong Kong, so they were technically only "Severe Tropical Storm", rather than full blow typhoons.

The Typhoon signal was raised from level 8 to "Storm Signal 9" early on Friday afternoon, meaning that winds are expected to increase significantly as Nuri moves closer to Hong Kong.

Precautionary Announcements:

1. Do not go outside. If you are reasonably protected, stay where you are and keep well away from all windows. Close all interior doors and make sure children are confined to the least exposed part of your home. On no account should you touch electric cables that have been blown loose;
2. If the eye of the typhoon passes directly over Hong Kong, there may be a temporary lull lasting from a few minutes to several hours. This will be followed by a sudden resumption of violent winds from a different direction. Remain where you are if protected and be prepared for destructive winds and the change in wind directions. Listen to broadcast warnings;
3. Since seas are very rough, you are advised to stay away from the shoreline and not to engage in water sports;
4. Flights at Hong Kong International Airport may be affected by the weather. Please contact your airline for the latest flight information before departing for the airport.

1. You are advised not to delay in taking all precautions
to protect your home or property. Make sure now that all
loose objects are secure. Porch furniture, flower pots and
other objects likely to be blown away should be taken
indoors. Check again and make sure all windows and doors
can be securely locked.

2. Since seas are rough, you are advised to stay away from
the shoreline and not to engage in water sports.

3. Fishing vessels not yet in typhoon shelters should seek
shelter without delay. Check again that all deck fittings
are firmly fastened. If available, heavy anchors should be
prepared and used in addition to regular anchors.

4. Listen to your radio, watch your TV or browse the Hong
Kong Observatory's web site for information on the tropical
cyclone.

so really unless you are an extreme surfer, balcony gardener, sampan driver or window cleaner on ifc 2, there's not a lot changing for you at the moment.  the typhoon signals in hong kong tell you how strong the wind is.  there are actually five levels of storm signals - 1, 3, 8, 9, and 10. these pertain to the strength of the wind and proximity of the storm. in the last few years we've been here, we have experienced a handful of 8's and quite a few 1's and 3's. 9 and 10 are really destructive, and i have yet to experience those (and will be happy not to).

the last signal 8 we had a few weeks ago created some serious howling in the building. you can imagine a city full of extreme high rises getting slammed by high winds.  not a great time to relax in your 80th floor penthouse.  the gusts can get strong enough to break windows, and that's where things really start to fall apart.  normally the power stays on, offices shut down and people go home, and everyone takes a little break.  actually the last part isn't totally true - the internet slows to a crawl and the phone lines get all jammed, since people are still frantically working to connect with the rest of the world unaffected by the typhoon.

it looks like we're on track for a direct hit tomorrow afternoon by typhoon nuri.  i figure i should put this up now in case we lose access.   will keep you posted on how things shape up around here.

update:  as of 7:40am, we are at signal 8.  i woke up to some howling gusts (and blueberry muffins!).  it's looking pretty grey and wet.

update 2:  as of 1pm, we are still at signal 8.  i'm now aware of every non-sealed part of the flat, each of which is advertising itself to me by a high-pitched whistling sound.  a friend trying to fly out was invited to the airport by cathay pacific, and his flight was cancelled on his arrival - sounds like the airport is pretty much shut down for the next 12 hours.  water dripping off the roof flies down the side of the building very fast, only to fly up the side of the building second later.  this results in a curious flotation of droplets right outside the window.  like rain in space.  there is a large construction crane i can see that is swinging around - i guess it's working like a weathervane so that it doesn't come crashing down.  no people/cars in sight outside.

update 3:  as of 1:40pm, it is now signal 9.  my first ever.  we are now being warned to stay away from windows.  we are not that high up, but high enough that it makes me nervous to hear small rocks bouncing off the windows.  still on track for a direct hit.

update 4:  as of 6pm, we are in the eye of the storm.  it is eerily silent outside, with a misty rain falling and no wind.  the storm is pretty much directly on top of us at the moment.

update 5:  as of 7:30pm, the bottom half of the storm came in with a bang: two flower pots on the balcony (sheltered!) blew over with a smash.  will need to clean that up later.  winds are not as steady but stronger gusts.  nuri has several hours more to blow based on the timing of the storm's first half.  i wonder where the birds go during these things?

update 6:  as of 10am, we are back to signal 1.  just a light drizzle now, but lots of debris on the road, in the pool, on the balcony, etc.  total damage consists of two broken flowerpots.  there were some injuries as a result of the storm - a surfer went missing, a man had a glass ceiling fall on him, and around 70 other people were treated for injuries.  this was the first signal 9 in five years.

[16-18 august 2008]

Rodnei Mts. [ Dealu Stefanitei (670m) - Rebra peak (2119m) - Laptelui Mare peak (2172m) - Gargalau peak (2159m) - Ineu peak (2279m) - Rodna (525m) ]

Route:

Day 1: Dealu Stefanitei – Setref pass (817m) – Posiusiu peak (1125m) – Muncelul Raios peak (1703m) – Pietrii pass (1196m) - Batrana peak (1710m) – Gropilor peak (2063m)

Day 2: Gropilor peak (2063m) – Rebra peak (2119m) [ – Buhaiescu Mic peak (2221m) - Buhaiescu Mare peak (2268m) - Pietrosu peak (2303m) ] - Rebra lake - Obarsia Rebri peak (2052m) - Intre Izvoare saddle - Puzdrelor saddle - Laptelui Mare peak (2172m) - Galatului peak (2048m)

Day 3: Galatului peak (2048m) - Galatului saddle - Gargalau saddle - Gargalau peak (2159m) - Claii peak (2121m) - Omului peak (2134m) - Cisa peak (2036m) - Coasta Neteda peak (2060m) - Ineu peak (2279m) - Curatal peak (1815m) - Curatel saddle - Lazului peak (1001m) - Rodna

Transport:

· Cluj-Napoca – Dealu Stefanitei: accelerat Timisoara – Sighetu Marmatiei (5.54am – 8.58am)

Pret: 22 Lei

· Rodna – Cluj-Napoca: personal Rodna – Salva (6.31pm – 8.23pm) + accelerat Sighetu Marmatiei - Timisoara (8.30pm - 10.08pm)

Pret: 26 Lei

Individual equipment:

· Rucksack

· Sleeping bag

· Sleeping mat

· Hiking boots

· Waterproof jacket

· Torch

· 3x 1L Water bottle

· Stainless steel cup

· Spoon

· Fork

· Swiss Army knife

· 2x Pepper spray

· Hygiene Kit: soap, toothpaste, toothbrush, deodorant, toilet paper, small towel

· 2x Karabiner

Team equipment:

· Vango Typhoon 300 tent

· Stove

· 2x Gas cartridge

· Pot

· Ladle

· Sponge

· Dish detergent

· Matches

· Lighter

· Compass

· Shovel

· First Aid Kit

· Repair Kit: duct tape, needle, string

Clothes:

· One pair of trousers (preferably waterproof)

· One pair of shorts

· 3 pairs of pants

· 4 pairs of socks

· Sweater

· Pullover

· 3 T-shirts

· Pajama (sweater,trousers,a pair of socks)

· Cap

· Hat

· Gloves (optional)

· Garbage sacks (used as dry sacks)

Menu:

Day1: (breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, supper) sandwiches and whatever else

Day 2:

· Breakfast: Cheerios + powder milk + hot water / black tea

· Snack: 2 pack Snickers

· Lunch: cheese + dried bread + halva + nuts + dried peaches + dried bananas + dried plums

· Snack: 2 pack Snickers

· Supper: soup / rice + tuna

Day 3:

· Breakfast: Cheerios + powder milk + hot water / black tea

· Snack: 2 pack Snickers

· Lunch: cheese + dried bread + halva + nuts + dried peaches + dried bananas + dried plums

· Snack: 2 pack Snickers

For you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.

Psalm 56:13

New International Version Bible

Can you believe we have yet another typhoon on the way? They seem to be coming far too frequently for my liking. Nothing registering yet, but there's a stillness in the air that's almost like a pause before the storm. Our local weather bureau has erected the No.1 signal but that's nothing to be alarmed about. It just tells us that the typhoon's about 750km away from us. They've predicted that it's likely to hit us some time tomorrow or Saturday, but most likely to end up at neighbouring Gunagdong province. Considering the next two days happen to be my days off, I'm none too impressed! Will keep you updated as and when it happens...

Landing in Sydney at about 8:00am in the morning and looking out the plane window I could have been forgiven for thinking I'd landed in Belfast. It was grey and overcast, and it was raining. This was actually quite a relief to be out of the stifling humidity of Hong Kong to be honest. The last time I'd flown into Sydney I'd not needed to clear customs and immigration as I had an onward flight to Cairns and would clear there. I can now see that this was a bonus. Sydney immigration and customs was not quick. Not helped by a Chinese couple at passport control who spoke little, if any, English having one passport between them. How you can get on an international flight without a passport is a mystery to me. Fortunately, another counter was opened allowing me to change queues so I was no longer being held up watching an Aussie immigration official battling to communicate with a non-English speaking Chinese couple. It at least provided me a bit of early morning comedy though. As I passed through without a hitch I saw the Chinese couple being taken to one side, but notably not through immigration. I expect whichever one was missing the passport didn't get very far, as the Aussies aren't noted for a lax immigration policy.

Most of Friday was spent to the west of Sydney at Katoomba to walk round (some of) the Blue Mountains, a place I'd not had the chance to visit when I'd previously been here. They get the blue name because the haze given off by the eucalyptus trees is a definite blue colour. The mountains aren't very high but formed a significant barrier to the early settlers when they tried to explore further west of Sydney. It seemed quite strange being able to look out upon miles of what is really just wilderness having just arrived from Hong Kong (and to a lesser extent the UK) where everywhere has been discovered, explored, and populated. The weather had cleared and there were even had blue skies and sunshine which made the views (with no rubbish air pollution either) all the better. The Blue Mountains is the location of the much photographed (and now by me also) Three Sisters. If you follow the link you'll even get to read about the slightly odd Aboriginal story behind the name. There should be some of the pictures I took available via the flickr link on the blog, or for the lazy, you can just click here.

The following day was all about the rugby match. I was hoping for an Australian victory, and not just because I was in Australia and surrounded by Aussies. With the Bledisloe Cup being played over four matches this year, the forth match is in Hong Kong in November. It would be a shame if the Cup was already won by the time the teams reach here. I know I'm now writing this blog after the first two games, but I did fully expect the All Blacks to win in New Zealand. Ideally, if Australia are 2-1 up coming to Hong Kong, then it's a winner takes all match. But even if the All Blacks are 2-1 up they won't want to tie the series, and the Aussies of course will. The match was taking place at the ANZ Stadium, formerly the Telstra Stadium and before that simply the Olympic Stadium. There are some similarities to London here, in that the Olympic Park is outside of the Central Business District of Sydney and is reached via a relatively quick and reliable overground rail link. Cleverly, if you buy a ticket to the match your public transport is free (this is buses into Sydney, trains to Olympic Park and out again). The stadium is now a little smaller than it was for the Olympics - it now only holds 80,000 people. There was apparently a crowd of ~78,000 on the Saturday night I was there. The atmosphere within the ground was fantastic and having arrived just in time to see the All Blacks perform their pre-match haka there wasn't long to wait for the kick off. As with most sports events you don't get to see quite as much being there as you do on television, but being at the event more than makes up for that. This was, of course, helped with the Aussies Wallabies going into an early lead (sadly at the opposite end of the ground to me for the first half). If anything you get to appreciate the sheer physicality of rugby by seeing it live rather than on television, as well as being able to see how plays progress and where there is space which isn't always visible on television. Australia led narrowly at half time only to fall behind early on in the second half to an All Blacks try. This set the rest of the second half up nicely with a couple of converted tries and a drop goal for Australia, this time at the end I was sat at. Plenty of good photograph opportunities from this game as well - as ever available via flickr.

The Olympic Park in Sydney is really well done, and an object lesson for London. London's organising committess really should just say to the people who designed/built the Sydney Olympic Park 'we'll have one of those, please'. The following day was pretty relaxing and spent wandering round Circular Quay - where you can view both the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. You can see the somewhat ominous clouds in the background. It was shortly to start raining really quite heavily. Quite a contrast to the last time I wandered round Circular Quay when it was in the 30s in Celsius and there was hardly a cloud in the sky. Makes for good photographs though. If I had a bit more time/skill with PhotoShop I could probably tidy them up a bit more.

And finally ... I flew to Australia via Cathay Pacific one day before this flight arrived. There's another typhoon on the way to Hong Kong, expected to hit either tomorrow or Saturday. We're currently at a T1 warning with this one (Typhoon Nuri) possibly being classed as a T10. That could prove very interesting. As it's known the British like to talk about the weather, you can follow it's progress here.

I'll look to write another entry about all things Olympic in the next day or so.

"It is an open secret that if Tranche 3 is delivered to the RAF, up to a hundred British Typhoons will never fly, sitting in storage hangars for decades before being scrapped..." [...] "This sort of outrageous wastefulness looks even worse nowadays, with British troops fighting and dying in two combat theatres overseas, hamstrung by the lack of comparatively cheap helicopters, light armour and transport aircraft."

LINK

What is the reason behind for the change in skies color??

Cosmic irony FTW.

Isn't it sort of sad how we're all wishing for rain when hundreds of people could be drowning and dying in the ensuing landslides and floods? Hm. And apparently the last storms named Karen were an Atlantic hurricane in 2007 and a supertyphoon in 1962. The latter devastated Guam.

Signal numbers are based on wind velocity. Sort of odd, given that people associate the storms with the rain and flooding, and not the wind.