平息好一陣子的地震，最近又開始了，可能是被人民罵怕了，最近幾次地震，地震前，手機都會開始嗡嗡叫，手機都會收到地震警報，雖然沒有太大幫助，因為收到的當下，多半已經開始地震了，不過，至少有把態度做出來，算是安全下莊，應該不會有人緊咬著這點，汪汪汪的亂吠了吧。
可能是從小到大的經驗吧，雖然周邊此起彼落的警報聲嗡嗡作響，不過，大家一如往常地躲入桌底，或避到牆角，或甚至是乾脆地不避不閃，正常行動，至少，我是沒有看到有人慌亂亂竄，都是外表冷靜，內心輕鬆，畢竟，這是小島的日常一環，其實，我是剛好在室內，不是在尷尬危險的地方，如電梯間，假如，地震的當下，我剛好在行進間的電梯的話，我應該會驚慌失措，因為，前幾次地震時，剛好，有位朋友卡在電梯上，等到他脫困後，立刻在臉書上，發表一篇長長的心得文，最後，是用感謝上帝結尾。
不過，這次算是少數的有感地震，已經比前陣子的頻繁地震好很多，前陣子真的是被震到有點神經過敏，而地震都是那種又大又猛，會搖到頭會暈的那類地震，而地震也是對建築物的大考驗，萬一有偷工減料的建案，往往在大地震的檢驗下，無所遁形，假如是建物真的過於老舊，讓它藉由地震機會，更新重建，對於人民的生活及生命，也是更有保障。
話說，我現在住的地方，已經是屋齡超過四十多年的老房子了，在年初的強震下，已經有些地方被震壞了，很多鄰居的室內空間，也看到裂痕，說實話，我也蠻擔心這間房屋還能撐多久，要重建的話，也不是那麼好處理的，光是要處理土地或房屋產權，所有人的意向，可能就要搞個十來年，都搞不定，總之，車到山前必有路，船到橋頭自然直。
After a period of calm, the earthquakes have started up again. Maybe the authorities got scared of the public backlash because now, before every earthquake, our phones start buzzing with alerts. Although the warnings don’t help much since the quake has usually already started by the time we get them, at least they're showing some effort. It's probably enough to keep people from complaining too much about it.
I guess it's just something you get used to growing up here. Even with all the alarms buzzing around, people still do what they usually do—hide under tables, move to a corner, or just carry on like nothing's happening. I didn’t see anyone panicking; everyone was calm on the outside and pretty relaxed on the inside. After all, earthquakes are just part of daily life on this little island. Luckily, I was indoors and not in a risky place like an elevator. If I had been in an elevator during the quake, I’d probably have freaked out. A friend of mine got stuck in an elevator during a previous earthquake, and after he got out, he wrote a long post on Facebook, ending it by thanking God.
This time, the quake was one of the few that we could really feel, but it’s still better than the frequent, intense quakes we had before. Those were so strong that they made your head spin, and they were a real test for buildings. If there were any construction projects that cut corners, a big earthquake would expose them. And if a building is really old, maybe an earthquake is an opportunity to rebuild, which would ultimately make things safer for everyone.
Speaking of which, the place I live in is over 40 years old. During a strong quake earlier this year, some parts of the building were damaged, and many of my neighbors noticed cracks inside their apartments. Honestly, I’m pretty worried about how much longer this building can hold up. Rebuilding isn’t easy, though. Just dealing with property rights and getting everyone on the same page could take a decade. But, as they say, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.