Limbo.
02 September 2008 @ 18:07 ; 0 CommentsStuck on you.
I was browsing through YouTube (wonderful source for entertainment, don't you agree?) for decent fan-shot videos of Madonna's latest tour when I stumbled upon the video above. A man trapped in an elevator for nearly two days? I was deeply intrigued. With my interest piqued, I decided to click on it and let it load.
Needless to say, the revelation that unfolded before my very eyes left me in a pensive (and somewhat unsettling) state- what would I do if such a similar situation were to strike me? The very thought of being stuck in a elevator cab for over forty hours with no food, no water, no handphone and no watch strapped on your wrist? It just send shivers down my spine. Thank god I'm not entirely claustrophobic.
But really- what would you do if it were to happen to you? I think I will probably be safe for a bit, because for the most part I try to carry my handphone with me wherever I go. Now, some people would perceive that as an unhealthy attachment to technology or whatsoever but really now, why buy a handphone and subscribe to a line/prepaid if you're not going to be around to answer calls or reply messages instantaneously? In the words of my rebellious friends (and this is roughly translated so bear with me here), "What's the point of having a phone if you don't bother to answer it or whatever? Might as well just throw the phone away lah!" Toot toot. And thank god that my handphone is the iPhone, so there's at least some entertainment to while the time away as I await for my rescue. Though with its questionable battery rate, perhaps it's better off I just kill myself of boredom in the damn cab itself.
As for the food/drinks part, I'm not really sure I will survive at all. Knowing myself, and the rate my metabolism burns (read: too quick), I will probably be going hungry within the first hour of my being trapped there. And subsequently perhaps even die of starvation? Oh dear. How macabre! For what I remember after repeated CSI viewings (I think this was shared during the fourth season of the show), while you may be trapped in an enclosed space you can survive for three hours without air, three days without water and three weeks without food. Or is it the other way around? Or different altogether? I don't quite recall. My memory has not been serving me well at certain points of the day.
I recalled reading somewhere that this group of people, who were trapped in some offshore island - or was it a cave? Can't really remember - without anything to survive on unanimously decided to pee into a bottle and consume it. Okay so the thought of drinking your own pee may seem disgusting but if it helps in delaying hunger pangs and quench your thirst, why not? I'm not saying I would indefinitely propose the idea if I were to be caught in such a situation, but it's good to know we all have options. Although I am definitely drawing the line when it comes to cannibalism. Eww.
So tips! It's good to be aware of such things because who knows? As I mentioned yesterday life can be funny. If you ever thought that these things will never happen to you then stop it. Because who knows... dun dun dun (Twilight Zone theme song plays in the background at this point.)
_ Always carry your handphone with you. Ideally the battery that comes with it should be fully charged or at least can accompany you for half a day?
_ Once you realize you are stuck in such a situation, call the police first and foremost. Very. Important. So that they can notify the proper authorities. And it's good to annoy them with such random incidents.
_ Leave text messages for whoever you wish to inform. For me, texting > phone calls because I don't really like to hang on the phone that much. It just consumes time and energy. Plus it's a good idea in doing so because it helps ration your phone battery just a little bit more. Like they say a little bit goes a long way!
_ It's okay if you don't have any food/drinks on hand because duh- who knew you'd be trapped in an elevator??! Perhaps carry some sweets along though, just in case.
_ Oh, and if you need to go, then just go ahead and do it! Ahahaha. At least you have an explanation for it, right?
Thank god that the Singapore system is efficient. You rarely hear people getting trapped in the elevators, and even if they did, rescue missions are executed as soon as possible. Now that's what I call... erm, efficiency.
