Faced with Fire this is what I found out.

My apartment building just had a false fire alarm.

These are the things I learnt about myself

1) I ignored it for five minutes thinking it would be turned off.

2) I looked out at all the windows and didn’t see smoke so I ignored it for another two minutes.

3) I thought, if all my things got burnt down, at least I can afford brand new computer/filming/stereo equipment with the insurance money

4) When I saw my neighbour waiting for the lift, I didn’t tell him he shouldn’t. I just walked into the fire escape. I think I am a bad person.

5) When I met an old lady walking up, and she said, “It’s a false alarm” I asked her who told her and she said, “The guy from the third floor.” And I decided that we should check it out for ourselves. I do not trust other people’s facts.

6) The government has secretly implemented a cheek bone test for potential firefighters. It’s not the uniform, they really are cute.

Published by Yan Sham-Shackleton

Yan Sham-Shackleton is a Hong Kong writer who lives in Los Angeles. This is her old blog Glutter written mostly in Hong Kong from 2003 to 2007. Although it was a personal blog, Yan focused a lot on free speech issues and democratic movement in Hong Kong. She moved to the US in 2007.

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