Illegal Fireworks

When I was reading the news, my first thought was that the New Year celebration should be cancelled in light of all these deaths and people in pain. The day after, the paper actually wrote that the Prime Minister had given orders to all states to cancel NY plans and fireworks permits. Kudos to the PM! Instead, he ushered all state mosques, churches, Buddhist, Hindu and Taoist temples to hold NY prayers.

One of my coursemates, a Penangite, was back home in the Island. He was fine 'coz his family lives in the southeastern section. But when the tsunami hit the Island, he could feel the whole car was shaking like mad as he was on the road with his friends.
I was relieved to hear he was okay.

A lot of my friends hadn't the mood to celebrate NY. Including me. Most of them went to churches or stayed at home. I was at home in my room with boyfriend as the midnight approached. 100,000 lives were lost and thousand millions worth of properties were gone with a single wave. With dead things lying everywhere, all kinds of deadly diseases are killing people each day. In western Sumatra, many settlements are still isolated and aid were difficult to get to them. Starving and sicken Sumatrans were actually picking grains of rice washed into mud and wastes. But I still hear illegal fireworks combusting at my neighborhood.

My prayers to all.

;-( >> GT <<