Cats and an Earthquake

After the hard week I stayed home ALL day. I woke up early (especially for a weekend)--9 AM, but then took an afternoon nap for around an hour at 2 PM. When I woke up I had a little energy. I made friends with the new tenants in the building across from me. I don't know if they're kept out there all the time or just when the human isn't home, but there are two beautiful cats on the veranda. One looks a little like my memory of Dean Dean--gray and fluffy, but with the scariest eyes. I meowed at him and he stared at me, almost as if he didn't see me, or maybe he was just trying to figure out why I look different than all the other people he's seen! Later I saw the other cat, also a grayish color, but a lighter color gray. It also responded to my meows, but its eyes are milder. I kept looking down and up to make sure no one was "eavesdropping," as it was, on our conversation. It's so unusual for a Korean to have cats as pets! I'm sure it's a Korean because of the clothes hanging to dry: military and a private security company uniforms. A dog barked ALL day long and into the night--what was its problem?!

What's up with all the earthquakes? A big one hit Iran, then two in Asia. From news reports:

TOKYO - An earthquake registering an estimated magnitude of 5.9 on the Richter scale hit Iwate, Miyagi and other nearby prefectures in northeastern and eastern Japan on Saturday afternoon, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage from the 12:47 p.m. quake. No tsunami warning was issued.

I've been wanting to talk to Nic. I think I'll call him and compare earthquake stories. However, I'm pretty sure he's on a different island so might not have felt it.

South Korea Jolted by Strongest Earthquake Yet
SEOUL, May 29 (Yonhap) -- The strongest earthquake to ever hit South Korea took place Saturday evening sending minor tremors across the country, with its epicenter in the sea off Uljin, the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said.

Measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale, the quake occurred at 7:14 p.m. Saturday about 80 kilometers east of Uljin, KMA officials said. Uljin of North Gyeongsang Province is about 330 kilometers southeast of Seoul.

The tremor was felt across the country, including Seoul, but no damage was reported, they said, adding that jolts were particularly strong in North Gyeongsang Province.

"Buildings were shaken across South Korea. But casualties were not reported as the epicenter was very far from the mainland," a KMA official said. "A complex of nuclear power plants located in Uljin sustained no damage."

The East Sea earthquake was the 20th one to hit South Korea this year.

In 1978, a 5.2-magnitude earthquake was reported at Mount Songni of North Chungcheong Province, about 180 kilometers south of Seoul, while a 5.3-magnitude quake occurred near the North Korea-China border in 1980. Most earthquakes reported in South Korea are weaker than 3 on the Richter scale.

I was lying on my bed watching TV when I felt slight vibrations, more along the lines of a passing truck or construction work. It was a little different than anything I'd ever felt before, but it stopped and I didn't think about it again until I got on the internet for my nightly "checking out who's updated their blogs today" and came across Joel's entry. He (or one of his readers) had found a link to a single website (the one quoted above) about the earthquake. I looked on other websites and CNN, but no coverage of it. With no damage or fatalities, it wasn't worth reporting, I guess. Until today I didn't even know Korea HAD earthquakes. What an exciting day!