A Meteor's Flash and Boom in Metro Vancouver

Some residents were able to capture a shot of the meteor

Last night just after 9pm, I heard a muffled boom and some minor vibrations.

I knew it wasn't an earthquake but it was very unusual.

Lots of other people on social media thought so too.

People reported seeing a bright flash

Turns out it was a "fireball" meteor about the size of a soccer ball that flew into Earth's atmosphere, causing a bright flash in the sky, followed by two booms in quick succession.

The fireball was seen as far west at Comox, British Columbia, as far east as Merritt, and as far south as Seattle, Washington.

Johanna Wagstaffe, a CBC meteorologist and science reporter said local seismographs showed a spike at around 9.10pm, and that the sonic boom is "classic evidence" of a meteor travelling through the atmosphere.

She noted meteors don't often appear in western North America. "But it's always a big deal when we can visually experience something falling from space."

Wagstaffe explained a sonic boom occurs when an object travels through the upper levels of the atmosphere so fast -- from between 20 to 70 kilometres per second -- that it compresses the air ahead of it and heats up. In this case, the meteor was traveling 33 kilometres per second, or around 119,000 km/h.

A seismograph registered the boom at 9.10pm

The American Meteor Society also confirmed the meteor sighting, and described it as a fireball, as the duration of the flash was too short to be human-made debris, and that it was a natural fireball made of stone, metal, or a combination of both.

It is believed the meteor landed tens of kilometres north of Coquitlam in a heavily forested area, so the chances of finding the fragments are extremely slim. Maybe one day years from now a hiker will discover the fragments? You heard it here first.

Earthquake Prediction in Japan Scares HK Tourists

An earthquake prediction has scared HK tourists to Japan

Last year a friend told me about a prediction that there would be a massive earthquake in Japan on July 5 -- an exact date.

Luckily I had already planned to go to Tokyo in March -- and was perhaps even luckier to miss the 7.7-magnitude earthquake in Bangkok by two weeks. 

The March 2011 prediction did come true

The prediction, which was published in 2021, is from a manga artist, who had forewarned of a major disaster on March 2011, which was when an earthquake caused the Fukushima nuclear accident.

As a result of the upcoming July date, a lot of Hong Kong tourists did not plan to go to Japan these few days, and bookings for flights and hotels were down.

Because of this, Hong Kong Airlines has cancelled flights to two Japanese cities in July and August, citing sluggish demand.

However, there are some tourists in Japan who had no idea about this prediction and shrug, while others take no stock in what a manga artist thinks will happen with no scientific evidence.

And people who study earthquakes say it's impossible to predict them, while the Japanese Meteorological Agency has warned of an 80 percent chance of a large-scale shock measured at a magnitude of 8 or 9 would occur along the Nankai Trough running along the country's east coast in the coming 30 years...

HK tourists plan travel to Japan after mid-July

But things are looking up -- Hong Kong travelers are looking to visit Japan from mid-July onwards.

"Travellers may consider that it will be safe after that date," said Tommy Tam Kwong-shun, managing director of a travel agency. He believed the demand would soon recover, as Hongkongers love going to Japan and people will come when they feel it's safe to travel there.

The Japan National Tourism Organisation's figures show overall foreign arrivals increased by 21.5 percent, a historic high for May, though Hong Kong was the only place that had fewer visitors to Japan in that period.

The organisation attributed the drop in Hong Kong visitors to "information that an earthquake was occurring in Japan spreading on social media".

Shocking Myanmar Earthquake Hits Bangkok

A building under construction in Bangkok came crashing down

At around midday in central Myanmar, there was a shocking 7.7 magnitude earthquake that was felt as far away as Bangkok. It was horrific to see the initial videos coming out of the Thai capital, such as a tall office building that was being constructed came crashing down, water pouring from the top floor of the InterContinental Bangkok from the rooftop swimming pool, and a construction crane collapse and crash to the ground.

As I was just there over two weeks ago I immediately contacted people I knew in Bangkok. One told me that she and her colleagues had evacuated from their office building and were waiting outside. She said they were in complete shock.

Water pouring from rooftop pool during the quake

Chef Tonn, whose two restaurants I had visited, the Michelin-starred Le Du and highly acclaimed Nusara, posted a message on Instagram saying: "We are safe now in Bangkok. It was the biggest earthquake we experienced in our lifetime. Hope everyone is safe. We still [sic] on high alert for aftershocks. Thank you for all overwhelming messages and love. Me and my family ok for now."

He had just returned from Seoul where he attended the Asia's 50 Best Restaurants awards, where Le Du was ranked no. 20 and Nusara at no. 6.

My friend and I were thinking we were so lucky we were not in Bangkok during the earthquake -- imagine what it would have been like being on the top floor of the Empire Centre where Le Du Kaan, a bar/restaurant and Chinese restaurant K by Vicky Cheng are located.

Not to mention being on the 77th floor of Mahanakhorn which was reportedly swaying during the earthquake!

However there are some silver linings... an American chef I know who has three restaurants in Bangkok told me that because people cannot return to their hotels or condos in tall buildings, his dining establishments are packed tonight. Wonder if they will have to stay the night in his restaurants too!

So far around 117 people are missing, five confirmed dead in Bangkok, while the military government in Myanmar says 144 people have died, and 732 injured.

Hope survivors will be found, and that aftershocks won't be too severe...

Tremors this Morning and Post-Oscars Thoughts

A 4.1 magnitude quake shook just after 5am

For some reason I woke up at around 4.40am and could not get back to sleep. At 5.02am I heard a muffled deep thump and felt some shaking! Another earthquake that was measured at 4.1 on the Richter scale, 42km east of Sidney, BC.

Again I was annoyed to find there was no public alert about it, but that's because it was below magnitude 5.0. So I turned to social media posting about my experience and others replied they had felt it too. 

Needless to say I couldn't really get back to sleep after that!

Anora swept five awards last night

Last night I caught the last part of the Oscars to see Adrien Brody win Best Actor for The Brutalist, and watch Anora sweep for Best Director, Sean Baker, Mikey Madison for Best Actress, and Best Picture.

Anora is about an exotic dancer who marries the son of a Russian oligarch, and when his parents find out, they are outraged to say the least.

Baker's wife, Vancouverite Samantha Quan had a great quote of the evening: "We made this film with very little money but all of our hearts," she said. "To all of the dreamers and the young filmmakers out there: tell the stories you want to tell. Tell the stories that move you. I promise you, you will never regret it."

It seems like indie films got big recognition by the Academy this year, not just Anora, but also the Best Documentary Feature No Other Land, which barely had any distribution in the United States because it was about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict before October 7, and Best Animated Feature, Flow, made in Latvia.

Flow features various animals on a boat

Flow was the only film I'd seen of all the Oscar contenders! But was very pleased to see this one win, beating out Disney's Inside Out 2 and The Wild Robot, Memoir of a Snail, and Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl.

The Latvian animation is universal -- there's no dialogue except for the animals making their meows, barks and chirps. The story, about a group of animals surviving a post-apocalyptic world on a boat is beautifully told with a lot of imagination with a touch of humour, making it fantastic viewing for all ages.

"We are all on the same boat and we must find ways to overcome our differences and work together," said Flow director Gints Zilbalodis.

Indeed. 

Earthquake Felt in Vancouver!

Earthquake was near Sechelt, about 50km from Vancouver

At around 1.26pm, I was in the kitchen washing dishes, when I felt the floor rumble. It felt as if a massive truck was passing by our street, except there wasn't one -- it was an earthquake!

I could hear the glasses in the cupboard clinking. Instead of the procedure -- drop, cover and hold on -- I was standing there, frozen.

"Earthquake! Earthquake!" my dad said upstairs.

The shaking lasted about 10 seconds before I rushed up to see if my parents were OK before going on Bluesky to post, "Just felt some minor shaking in Vancouver... was it an earthquake?"

Two other people responded, so I was not alone.

When I turned on the radio at 1.30pm, CBC Radio Vancouver had jazz playing -- which meant they were not on the air, or technical difficulties. It turns out everyone in the building had to be evacuated in the rain before being allowed back in.

Just before 2pm Kathryn Marlow from Victoria took over the CBC airwaves to anchor a quick radio special to give out essential information, that yes indeed there was an earthquake, first reported as 4.8 on the Richter scale near Sechelt, about 50km from Vancouver; then it was reported as 5.1 and then hours later back down to 4.7.

There were no reports of injuries -- apparently people who were walking outside in downtown Vancouver didn't feel anything, while others reported being jolted from their sleep or were terrified by the shaking. Many reported the same feeling as me -- as if a giant truck was driving by.

On the radio we were encouraged to report our experience to Earthquakes Canada where there is a quick online survey which allows them to crowd source data.  

Before this tremor, we had started (slowly) putting together our emergency kit but now this experience has motivated us to get it together quicker! It includes having water, first aid kit, clothing, documents, cash, non-perishable food, medication and other necessities to survive on for at least the first few days. 

Another good tip is to avoid standing in door frames -- they are not going to protect you. Best to get under a table or desk!