I am reposting this. READ THE MESSAGE BELOW. This really explains why we need to take this seriously. I have been saying this since the virus first came out. But people still acted that it was not a big deal, and some people are still the same, and those people only care about themselves. Actually now I decided to stay longer, at least a few weeks, where I am now, considering that my next booking was cancelled due to the coronavirus. I am taking part in the social distancing effort. Anyway I have two more months with my visa here. The message below is very easy to understand, so please read and pass along to the ones who are still in denial about the severity of this situation. And if they still consider this as something not serious after reading this, fuck them and stay away from those people. They don't care about you. All they care about are themselves. Dear Friends, So much confusion, misinformation and denial is bouncing around on social media about the coronavirus that I thought I would try to explain, in plain language, why the experts see this as such an emergency. You will see the claim online that this virus is a lot like the viruses that cause colds, and that if you get it, it will probably just seem like a bad cold and you are very unlikely to die. Depending on who you are, these statements are probably true. But they are incomplete, and the missing information is the key to understanding the problem. This is a coronavirus that is new to the human population, jumping into people late last year from some kind of animal, probably at a wildlife market in Wuhan, China. It is related to the viruses that cause colds, and acts a lot like them in many ways. It is very easy to transmit through the respiratory droplets that all of us give off. But nobody has ever been exposed to this before, which means nobody has any immunity to it. The virus is now moving explosively through the human population. While most people will recover, about 20 percent of the people who catch it will wind up with a serious disease. They will get pneumonia that causes shortness of breath, and they may need hospitalization. Some of those people will get so sick that they cannot be saved and will die of the pneumonia. The overall death rate for people who develop symptoms seems to be 2 or 3 percent. Once we have enough testing to find out how many people caught the virus but did not develop symptoms, that might come down to about 1 percent, optimistically. This is a large number. It is at least 10 times higher than the mortality rate for the seasonal flu, for instance, which in some years kills 60,000 or 70,000 Americans. So just on that math, we could be looking at 600,000 or 700,000 dead in the United States. But it gets worse. Older people with existing health problems are much more vulnerable, on average. The mortality rate of coronavirus among people over age 80 may be 15 or 20 percent. It appears to have 7 or 8 percent mortality for people aged 70 to 79. Here is the terrible part: If you are a healthy younger person, you can catch the virus and, without developing serious symptoms yourself, you can pass it along to older people. In other words, as the virus spreads, it is going to be very easy to go out and catch it, give it to your grandmother and kill her, even though you will not die yourself. You can catch it by touching a door knob or an elevator button. Scientists measure the spread of an epidemic by a number called R0, or “R naught.” That number is calculated this way: for every person who develops the illness, how many other people do they give it to before they are cured (or dead) and no longer infectious? The R0 for coronavirus, in the absence of a control strategy, appears to be a number close to 3 – maybe a bit higher or lower, but in that ballpark. This is an extremely frightening number for such a deadly disease. Suppose you catch the virus. You will give it to 3 other people, and they will each give it to three others, and so forth. Here is how the math works, where you, the “index case,” are the first line: 1 3 9 27 81 243 729 2,187 6,561 19,683 59,046 177,147 531,441 1,594,323 4,782,969 14,348,907 So, in just 15 steps of transmission, the virus has gone from just one index case to 14.3 million other people. Those 15 steps might take only a few weeks. The index person may be young and healthy, but many of those 14 million people will be old and sick, and they will likely die because they got a virus that started in one person's throat. The United States is not at this point yet, with millions infected, as best we can tell. We don’t really know, because our government has failed us. We are many, many weeks behind other countries in rolling out widespread testing, so we don’t really have a clue how far the thing has spread. We do know that cases are starting to pop up all over the place, with many of the people having no known exposure to travelers from China, so that means this virus has escaped into our communities. We do not have approved treatments, yet. We do not have a vaccine. The only tool we really have now is to try to slow down the chain of transmission. This can be done. In other words, R0 is not fixed – it can be lowered by control measures. If we can get the number below 1, the epidemic will die out. This is the point of the quarantines and the contact-tracing that you are hearing so much about in the news. But the virus is exploding so fast that we will not have the labor available to trace contacts for much longer, so we have to shift strategies. This has already begun, but we are not doing it fast enough. It is now likely that the majority of Americans will get this virus. But slowing it down is still crucial. Why? Because the healthcare system has limited resources. We only have about a million hospital beds in America. We have well under a million ventilators. If millions of Americans get sick enough to need treatment, we will have a calamity on our hands. What will happen is a form of battlefield triage, where the doctors focus on trying to treat the young and allow the older people to die. This is not theoretical. It is already happening in Italy, where people over 65 are being left alone on hospital gurneys to suffocate to death from pneumonia. They basically drown in their own sputum. There is simply not enough medical capacity to take care of them. The United States appears to be about two weeks behind Italy on the epidemic growth curve. What do we need to do now? We need to cancel all large gatherings – all of them. You have probably seen that the N.B.A. has postponed the rest of its season. Other sporting events, concerts, plays and everything else involving large audiences in a small space – all of it needs to be canceled. Even if these events take place, do not go to them. No lectures, no plays, no movies, no cruises – nothing. Stay at home as much as possible.Stay out of restaurants. I would cancel any travel that is not absolutely essential. Work from home if you possibly can. You may have to go buy groceries and medicine, of course, but make the trips quick and purposeful. Wash your hands assiduously after you have been in public places, for a full 20 seconds, soaping up thoroughly and being sure to get between the fingers. Sunlight and alcohol will kill the virus. And please stop passing around statements on social media claiming that the situation is not serious or is being exaggerated. This is a national crisis, and conveying misinformation to your friends and family may put their lives in danger” #coronavirus #covid19
Covid-19 Coronavirus, Is This just a Media Hype?
For those who think this virus is just media hype. This is what Hype means. It is "the use of a lot of publicity and advertising to make people interested in something such as a product." The virus is not a product. No one will become rich from it (well, maybe the companies that make toilet paper, masks, sanitizers and soap or the pharmaceutical companies that will make the future vaccines if they start charging for it). If the WHO and CDC tell us this is a big deal. It is a big deal. Their job is to make sure the virus does not spread all over the world or control it from spreading some more to the point that it starts to mutate, becoming much more powerful that even if they come up with a vaccine, it will be useless. And if it becomes more powerful, then it would have the capacity to kill the healthiest of us too. And if you look at the info from both the WHO and CDC, they're still learning about this virus. They even admit that their info can change since this is a new virus. No one is an expert on it. They still keep doing research about it. Besides even if you don't die from it, think about the long term effects on your body. Based on some findings from a reliable source, it can damage your lungs for good. And I believe it since my Chinese friend did mention about her friend who got the SARS, that after she got it and recovered, her health was never the same. She's always been suffering from debilitating pain. And she told me about this even before this news came out. I am not trying to create a panic, but just take this thing seriously. You see, even despite what's going on, I CONTINUE TO TRAVEL (I just found out that my next destination has its first case of the Coronavirus, but it won't stop me from going there tomorrow) because we should not be fearful of it and still continue to live normally. From what I see, this could be with us for months (in case the hot weather does not kill it) or even years. And in the future, more different kinds of virus will come, not just China but from other parts of the world. That's why don't fucking blame China. This is not even as deadly as the Ebola virus which came from Africa and no one got racist with the Africans as much as this one did with the Chinese and other Asians. Anyway this virus is just one of the viruses we are going to have. More will come and they could even be deadlier than this such as MERS and Ebola. Just follow the rules on how to contain this and how not to get it, and please don't make this look like a media hype. The way I see it, the ones who are saying that this is just a media hype are the same people who are making this a media hype for themselves just to create publicity around them or their websites or their companies, making themselves more of an expert than the CDC and the WHO. Your life might not matter to you, but how about the lives of other people you are trying to influence?
A False Sense of Security Is Very Dangerous
Here are some facts about the Covid-19 coronavirus. It's fatality rate is at least 2 percent. It could be more. Flu's fatality rate is .02 percent. So the Covid-19 is twenty times deadlier than the flu. And if you think about it, if you get one million people infected, 2 percent of one million is 20,000. So does anyone want to take a risk being one of those 20,000? As for flu, we have the flu shot, so that's also the reason why less people get the flu than if we didn't have the flu shot. Covid-19 has no vaccine, and it is more infectious and mutating. The more it mutates, the more powerful it becomes. And by the time, a vaccine gets developed against it, it would probably too powerful for the vaccine to go against it. Also there were instances in which some who recovered got infected again. In addition, my friend told me that she had a friend who got the SARS, and after that, even though she recovered, her health was never the same again. She was constantly in pain. Maybe this virus is not as bad as SARS, but would you take a chance? Or maybe your body is quite strong and will be able to fight this virus, and you will recover in no time. Well, how about the other people you will infect as you go around. Maybe their bodies are not strong enough to fight this virus. By the way, how about the medical cost? I am sure most medical insurance does not cover everything. Some or more will come out of your own pocket. Or how about your time away from work? Do you have enough sick leave just in case it stays with you for a while. How about your employer? Would he wait for you until you are healthy enough to go back to work? So for those who just take this lightly and give others a false sense of security. Well, don't. Of course, you can take the risk like I do as I continue to travel, but don't pretend you know more about the CDC and WHO. They're experts when it comes to this. Not you.
Eating in Asia Is an Adventure
So many different kinds of food to eat and to try here in Asia. There's always something new to try. So everytime I eat, I always discover a new dish I've never tried before. For the most part, most of these are quite delicious 😋 Even eating here is an adventure by itself. I am such a foodie.
Is the Flu Worse than the Covid-19 Coronavirus?
There are still some people who think this is not as bad as the flu. By doing this, it is giving people a false sense of security. It is better to be safer than sorry. I think governments won't be doing a lockdown or doing a travel ban if this is just another flu. One thing for sure, what if the governments are not really telling everything since if they do, it would more chaos and panic. Or affect the stock markets, which is happening now. Actually there was supposed to be an opportunity for me in Hong Kong that pays a lot of money, but now the prospective employer has changed their mind. And one friend of mine, who is supposed to start a business in China with some partners, just got the news that their business is not gonna go through anymore. At the same time, she might not have a job anymore too. And another friend in Hong Kong, his work hours was cut down in half and he is now getting paid half his salary, considering that Hong Kong is a very expensive city. And another friend found out that he has no job anymore after going on vacation for the Chinese Spring Festival. I hear more stories like this. And as this virus continues to spread, it is not just the health of the people which will be affected. It will be a lot more. It is not about going into panic. It is about taking it seriously.
They say its fatality rate is 2 percent. Some people think that it is not a lot, but look, 2 percent of 1 million people is 20000. So 20000 out of 1 million people who get this virus will die. Now that's a lot of people. And for poor countries with no good health care system, for sure, the fatality rate will be higher. And if this continues to spread and possibly mutate, making it more powerful (if it mutates, any vaccine, that gets developed, which can take months, would be useless against it), a lot more people can die, and there is no vaccine against it. In addition, even the scientists are still learning about it. First they were saying it could hibernate for nine days and infect other people without any symptoms, but now it is 21 days or more. Also there is a finding that some of those who recovered, after a few days they were tested positive again. For me, I don't rely on one source. The truth is no one really knows anything. Even the so called experts don't know anything. China and other countries won't do a lockdown and affect their economy if this is just like a flu, in which the fatality rate is 0.2 percent, and that is with a vaccine, which is the flu shot. My friends in China haven't been allowed to go outside of their homes for more than a month now. They are only allowed every two days to go to the grocery. Everyone has a QR code so that the government can monitor everyone. They haven't started work and school. A lot of businesses are closing down for good in Hong Kong because the effect of this on the economy is tremendous. In addition, this preventive measure that all these governments are doing costs a lot of money to implement and at the same time, it also affects the economy. So for all we know, the governments, not just China, are not fully transparent with the information about it. One thing, I know, in East Asian countries, they have what is called "Saving Face" Even if they make a mistake, they won't admit it. That is to "save face." What if the fatality rate is higher than 2 percent? Maybe they just won't admit it in order to "save face." Also why would all the governments go in a panic mode if this is just like flu? Governments won't do so much if this is not a big deal. I am not trying to create fear, but you gotta be realistic. And even if you don't die after contracting this virus, just think how many days you will be incapacitated. This can affect your work and your life because they would have to isolate you so you don't infect other people. Why risk it? It is better to be safe than sorry. So for those who think this is just like another flu, think Spanish flu that killed millions of people. On the other hand, of course, don't be too paranoid. Wear a mask if you have it. Wash your hands all the time. Don't touch your face. Try not to be in a crowded place. All we have to fear is Fear itself.
#coronavirus #covid19
How the Coronavirus (Covid-19) Affected my Travel
I've been traveling for a while now, and for sure, the coronavirus covid-19 affected my travel. At first I was supposed to go back to Hong Kong on January 25. Good thing I was not allowed to board the plane since I did not have a visa for Vietnam where I was supposed to have a two hour layover and then transfer to another plane that would eventually take me to Hong Kong, so this unfortunate event was blessing in disguise. And after I came to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from Bangkok, Thailand, I had a plan to go to South Korea after a month of stay here, but I had to change my plan as soon as I found out about the rising cases of the virus over there. Also a few days ago, my Mom told me that I should go home back to the US because it was safer over there according to her. Well, I knew the virus would eventually spread in the US. Days later, the cases of the Coronavirus has increased dramatically in the US as well as in other parts of the world such as Iran and Italy as I had predicted. Now I do think this is getting worst. I think US might have to do a lockdown just like in China before it is too late. There is a possibility that this might not just be a pandemic but an endemic which means it will be a part of our lives for an extended period of time since I heard that some who recovered from the virus became positive again after a few days. For sure, no one really knows what this virus is capable of. I am sure the World Health Organization is also just learning about it as we do. Just a few days ago, now they're saying that you can get it even if you are six feet away from the one who has it. This information was not known before until now. There's also this info that the ones who are more likely to die from this are older people and with preexisting medical problems , but no, based on the news I've been seeing from China, there were also lots of young people who died from this virus. One of them was the whistle blower. The Chinese doctor who has become a hero for being the one to discover and to reveal about the virus on the internet in China. Their ages were around twenty-something to thirty-something, so that is quite young. In a way, I think the governments all over the world do not want to say so much about this too because it would definitely create panic that might cause some civil disturbances and also affect the stock markets, which is now happening as we speak, and the economy, not just one country but the world. Anyway let us just pray that this does not get really bad like the Spanish Flu and the Plague, which killed millions of people. As for me, I would continue to travel because the way I see it, the only thing I have to fear is fear itself. All I have to do is just protect myself. And follow my intuition in which so far, has made me avoid going to countries where the coronavirus is on the rise. Maybe someone out there is looking out for me. Well, I won't say, maybe. I am sure there is. Anyway I hope everyone is protecting themselves. There is not much we can do but pray. Thank you, and make sure to subscribe to one or more of my social media channels such as Facebook page, Youtube channel, Instagram, Twitter and finally Tumblr (from this, and all we can do now is to pray that it doesn't get worse than what it is now.
My First Podcast Episode Is Now Up.
Check out the first episode of my podcast and make sure to subscribe. Since it is my first one, I felt a little nervous and awkward, but I am sure the more I do it, the better I get. Thanks for your support 😀
https://anchor.fm/chrisrevon/episodes/PhotographerFilmmaker-Traveling-All-Over-Asia--Sharing-His-Experience--Photography-and-Filmmaking-eav1kh
Time and Experience Are the Most Valuable Commodities in our Lives.
Right now, there's so much I have to do for the photography and video projects I have been working on in addition to other things, but it feels like there's not enough time in the world. Time is definitely the most precious commodity. You can never take it back when you lose it. That's why it is so important to focus more on what really matters. I just realized that I think I focused on my relationships with people more than on myself. Now I am just focusing only on myself and what really matters to me, where I want to go and where I want to be. As long as you take out fear out of the equation, you can pretty much do whatever you put your mind to. It is all about choices, and never limit your choices, thinking it will never be possible and be willing to go out of your comfort zone. Thinking that staying where you are because it is safe will not get you anywhere. It is better to be a little unsafe and to experience life fully than to be safe and to have a monotonous experience day in and day out. Wouldn't it be great to experience every day of your life as if falling in love for the first time over and over again, or feeling the excitement of your first day at school or at work. What I want is to be curious and to learn something new everyday. To taste and eat a different dish every day. To see a new sight every day. To do something I've never done before everyday. Relationships fail. Friendships end. Money goes out of your pocket all the time. Pretty much, everything is not stable. You owe it to yourself to really do what you really want to do, not what the society thinks you need to do. Time, experience and passion, I believe, are the most important things in this world.
I Just Started My Podcasting Channel
I just started my Podcasting Channel and here is the link to it:
My podcast is on Spotify. https://open.spotify.com/show/7EaedqG95PMpUVj4jkMztq
My podcast url
www.anchor.fm/chrisrevon
Right now, I haven’t uploaded the first episode yet, but I will do it soon. More likely, the topics I will discuss in this podcast will be the same topics I will have both in my blogs and vlogs.
Please subscribe to my Podcast and if possible, to my other Social Media Channels too.
Try to Do or Make Something Great
Now I am gonna try to do or make something great everyday. That includes at least conceiving/writing scripts for two videos, shooting and editing them (which will be at least three minutes long each), writing a blog, of course creating or capturing at least one photograph, possibly making a podcast, continue working on some of screenplays, continue working on my photography and video projects, working on my biz. This can include anything for my personal growth and well being such as physical fitness, healthy eating if possible, reading a good book or a good article that would be beneficial and positive for me. My daily goal is to do something positive, not destructive. To progress, to grow, to experience life fully and not to be held back by fear and not to be surrounded by negativity
“Guanxi” and How We Can Learn From Each Other's Culture
Even though I don't live in China or South Korea anymore, my friends in those countries always help me when I need it, and I do the same thing for them. Like what I am doing now with this friend in China and another friend in South Korea. A Chinese friend bought a South Korean - made face mask to protect herself from the Coronavirus, but she wasn't sure if it is enough protection since the packaging is in Korean, and she could not read Korean. So I asked my Korean friend to translate it to English, so I could tell my Chinese friend if it is enough protection. This is called "Guanxi" which is almost like "connections" in the Western world. It is based on Confucious. You don't get this unless you get their trust, and it is difficult to get it. That's why if I go back to any of these East Asian countries, I won't have any problems with getting a job or any other opportunities. But "guanxi" involves full trust. No backstabbing or being "two-faced." Every country I go to, I really learn about the culture and am able to assimilate quite fast. That's because I respect every culture. Of course, there are some cultures which can be like "it doesn't make sense," such as turning your head to the side when having a toast with someone older or your superior (boss) in South Korea or not talking too loud when speaking to a Thai. But no one should question it. It is called compromise and respect. Don't ever think your culture is better than other people's cultures. It is not. From what I see, everyone can learn from each other's cultures.
Let's Stop the Blaming Game. The Virus Could Come Anywhere.
For the past two weeks, I have been just staying inside. I only went out twice just to buy groceries. It is not because there is a lot of cases of Coronavirus here. It is because I am quite busy working a lot on my laptop. The number of cases of Coronavirus here is not as high as in other countries. But I can see the sacrifice my friends are doing back in China. Not going out for more than a month now. Just staying inside their homes. They are only allowed to go out every two or three days to buy groceries and necessities too. Now that it seems that coronavirus is spreading all over the world. Are other people willing to do the same sacrifice? Is it still going to be "we against them?" Then let's stop the blame game. There were also viruses that came from other countries: the Spanish flu, the swine flu, MERS, Ebola virus, the plague, the bird flu, AIDS, etc, but no one started criticizing those countries and posting videos that made those people look bad. This is called schadenfreude, which means the pleasure derived by another person from the misfortune of another person or group of people. Now maybe it is time to unite instead of criticizing and attacking other groups of people. Use common sense. Just because you see a video of one person doing one bad thing, it does not mean all the people in that group or race are the same, that they're all bad people. Do you think your country can handle this situation better? Does your country have enough medical supplies and hospital beds and staff to handle thousands of patients and thousands of deaths? Think about that before doing any criticism.
Compare the Coronavirus and Influenza
Compare Influenza which kills more people than coronavirus. Check the link below. There's so much criticism, racism, xenophobia, negative videos and pictures, and conspiracy theories out there, but no one is showing anything positive things about the coronavirus situation such as what is being done to stop the spread of the virus. People are unfair and have no empathy. I've spoken to a lot of Chinese friends and my foreign friends who live both in Mainland China and in Hong Kong, and they all think that how the Western Media is dealing with this, and how the people are reacting to this with their racist attitude is very unfair and unjustified. As for other Asians, who are going against the Chinese, you are also Asians. You are not of different race. If you go to another Western country, it is more likely that you will be labeled as Chinese rather than another Asian, such as Korean, Japanese, Thai, Indonesian, Filipinos, etc. Just so you know, a lot of Asian economies are booming due in part because of the Chinese economy. For the Filipinos, hundreds of thousands are employed in Hong Kong as domestic workers. Don't tell me if that doesn't help the Philippine economy. In Thailand as well as other Asian countries, the Chinese tourists bring millions of dollars to the economy. And a lot of products are also now being imported from Asian countries to China and Hong Kong as well. A lot of Japanese and Korean as well as US and European companies have stores in Mainland China and in Hong Kong. We are all connected. Be grateful. That's the reason why the Mandarin language is now the language to learn in addition to English to remain competitive. Some of you might not like the Chinese government. That's understandable, but for what it is, with what they're doing right now, doing its best to treat thousands of patients with limited facilities and medical supplies and to contain the virus from spending some more, I think they're not doing a bad job. I know this, not from the news but from my friends, both Chinese and foreigners, in China, whom I keep in touch with. As for your country, especially the poorer country, can your country do much better? I think we should have empathy ( which means putting yourself in other people's shoes). It is a very important trait that everyone should have in order to understand other people and other cultures. Your religion does not make you a good person. Your words, no matter how colorful they are, don't make you a good person. Your action does. Donate some medical supplies. Send some positive encouragement. Thank you. #coronavirus #christopherrevon
https://www.facebook.com/trendinginchina/posts/2170110533092418
Insular Attitude. Why We Should Look At Beyond Than What Is Just Around Us.
Insular attitude is just not the right way to approach life unless you want your life to be boring and full of monotony. To open up and to see yourself as only a speck in a world that is populated by billions of people makes you realize that there is more out there than what's only around you. Life should be progressive, and it should be. To assimilate, to adapt, to learn, to be curious. It is what makes life much more exciting. Too many people are so focused only on themselves, on their neighborhood, on their country, on their own circle of friends. Life is so much richer if you go out of your own comfort zone, out of your fears.
The Coronavirus Is Not an Excuse for Racism
These past few days, I've been keeping in touch with all my friends in China and they are doing fine. And just so you know, when I asked them about how they were, they seemed to be more concerned about me, telling me not to go to some certain countries such as Japan and South Korea because the cases of the virus are also on the rise over there. Also when I mentioned about going back to Hong Kong and Mainland China, they told me to stay away. I mean, just think they're more in danger than me and yet they're more concerned about me. They even gave me instructions on how to protect myself when I am in a place in which a chance of getting the virus is so much less than they are.
Of course, because of the lockdown and the quarantine, everything is not convenient for them since they are only allowed to go out every two or three days depending on the city, and everyone has a card with a QR code, so the government can keep track of their health and where they are. Some started just working at home instead of going to their workplaces. And they do feel bad about the racism and xenophobia, and some of them, of course, have something bad to say about their government in handling the situation, but for the most part, for what it is, it is not as bad as the Western Media portrays it to be. There were other viruses that happened in other countries too these last few years, but they were not blown out of proportion by the media. And not a big amount of racism and xenophobia happened during those times.What we need is empathy and common sense. What if your country happens to be the one that gets this problem, do you think your country can handle it better? Should we be racist against you? For example, if the next virus comes from Brazil, should we say Brazilians are these and that, that's why this is happening.
Decades ago, the big plague and the Spanish flu happened, yet no one got racist and xenophobic during those times just because those did not come from Asia but from Europe and America. Also just so everyone knows, in every country, there are bad people and good people. Just because one Chinese does something bad, it doesn't mean all or most of the Chinese people are bad. I mean, in the US, when an American goes on a shooting rampage, why doesn't anyone say "Oh the Americans are bad people. We should avoid being with the Americans?" One of my friends and I were talking about this, and she mentioned this is the reason she doesn't want to have a kid in this world. Despite the technology and the internet that's supposed to bring us together, there is not really any progress in this world. It is still the same as it was long time ago.
Check out the link to a video below. This girl on the video is right on the spot. I was about to do a video about this, and I am glad that she made one already. People don't seem to have empathy and common sense 🙄these days.
Video about racism, xenophobia, rumors, conspiracy theories and misconception about the Coronavirus
I Am On TikTok
Well, I've been on TikTok since when it first came out in China. Almost everyone in China had the their app on their phones. But then, like the rest of them, I was only a watcher. But now I am starting to get a little serious about creating content for it. Anyway I've been doing short versions of my videos for WeChat, Instagram Stories and IGTV anyway, so I might as well upload those videos to TikTok. I do have two TikTok profiles. One I installed in Mainland China, so it's mostly Chinese content, and one I installed in Hong Kong, so it's mostly Western content with Chinese and other Asian content. But the profile I upload my videos to is the one I installed in Hong Kong. Anyway if you have TikTok, please follow me. Just scan the QR code below or just look for chrisrevonphotofilm on your TikTok app. I am even thinking of making videos just for TikTok exclusively, so for sure, it would be worth it. Thanks 😊.
Coronavirus - Based on My Conversation with My Friends in China and WeChat Postings
I lived in Hong Kong when there were protests almost every day and everyone thought it was a war zone over there. No, it wasn't. Everyone was still working everyday and doing everything normally (watching movies, eating at restaurants, going shopping, etc) but everyone outside of Hong Kong thought life over there was hard and dangerous yet it wasn't. As for the coronavirus situation, I have been keeping in touch with my friends, both Chinese and foreign friends in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Chongqing and other parts of China. There is no genocide going on like what some people are posting on the internet. They are just staying inside their homes and only one person is allowed to go out to go shopping for food and necessities every two days. Everyone has a QR code, so they can get monitored if they are sick or break the rules of being quarantined in their own homes. (If this happens in another country, I am sure some people would get bored and escape being quarantined) And some of them do try to escape from being quarantined over there. That's the reason sometimes the police have to force them to be quarantined. Just like in any other countries, there are people who would try to break the rules even at the expense of other people. I am sure if this happens in another country. There will probably be a riot, and people will probably loot the supermarkets and other stores. But in China, there have been no riots. Everyone falls in line for hours just for face masks, toilet paper, and other necessities. At the same time, with a very big population, expect to have a shortage of medical supplies and spaces and rooms for patients in the hospitals. I am sure if this happens in a country that is way too poor and with not enough resources, I don't think that country will do better. And the doctors, nurses and other medical personnels are also risking their lives with not enough medical supplies such as masks, gloves and protective gear and have to work 21 hours with three hours of sleep since there is not enough manpower to handle the enormous number of patients. So we should at least focus on this rather than dwell on the negative stuff spreading on the internet. This is my own analysis based on the news inside China which I have access to through friends and my Chinese apps and also the news outside of China. I also look at the postings of the thousands of WeChat and Wiebo friends I have so I have more of an overview of what's going on over there than just the news you hear from the Western news outlets. Right now, maybe you don't like the government of China, but this is not about the government. This is about the people and the land. What they need right now is understanding. You all need to have empathy which I think most people lack. I don't know if you've heard of MERS, bird flu, swine flu, ebola, the plague and the Spanish flu which originated from other countries. Consider how other countries dealt with it. For instance, the Ebola virus was so lethal, they had to burn the dead bodies right away despite the African traditional way of burying their dead. In a situation like this, what's normally done has to be broken. Now I am now considering to go back there to document the life over there during this situation and at the same time, try to help out. I feel obligated to do something after seeing all the racism, the rumors, the negative stuff being spread around instead of helping out by donating some medical supplies or just showing the positive things which are happening over there despite this situation.
Let's Stop the Hate (It Is Spreading Much More than the Coronavirus)
Let's stop spreading hate, rumors or showing the bad side of what's happening with the Coronavirus situation. Instead help out by donating medical supplies such as gloves, surgical masks and protective gowns or showing the positive side such as the sacrifice the medical people in China are doing to treat the patients, risking their lives along the way. We are one human race. This is not a question of race or another country. One thing I've noticed. When other countries had their own tragedies such as flood, fire and other catastrophe, no one posted anything that's full of hate and just negative stuff. Most people posted positive messages such as stories about heroes. For example, a man giving water to a kangaroo. But this time, the postings are mostly negative stuff. You might hate the government, but the people are not the government. I am lucky enough to meet so many different kinds of people from different parts of the world, and they're just like you and I with the same dream, the same pursuit of love and happiness, etc. I've seen the good and the bad in every race and in every country, but for the most part, I've seen a lot of good from people. And I am not just talking about Christians. I've met nice Moslems, Hindus, Buddhists and even non-believers. Your religion does not make you a good person. Your words don't make you a good person. Your action does. Do something good instead of saying something bad. #coronavirus
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Kuala Lumpur just Became One of my Favorite Cities
Kuala Lumpur is definitely one of my favorite cities in Asia. It is not as crowded as Hong Kong and Seoul. Very multi-cultural. It is like being in three countries in one place. It has the Malay culture, the Chinese culture, Indian culture and some Arab culture, so this is like the US, a melting pot with different kinds of people, the Malays, the Chinese and the Indians and with different religions, Muslim, Buddhism and Hinduism. Despite these differences, they get along so well. Of course, because of these different ethnicities, when it comes to food, you have so much varieties, Malay food, Chinese food and Indian food, not to mention other kinds of food such as Japanese, Korean and Western food. That’s why Malaysia’s slogan is “Malaysia Truly Asia.” One thing I love about Kuala Lumpur is its great public transportation. Almost as good as Hong Kong's and Seoul's. Also life here seems much more laid back, not as stressful as Hong Kong, Seoul, or any other major cities. During rush hour, I am surprised that the Metro system does not get as crowded here compared to other cities. It is maybe it has less population. And if you can’t find a train or a bus to go somewhere, they also have Grab, the Southeast Asia’s Uber, which originated from here. So to go from one place to another, it does not cost much. Anyway I will talk more about Malaysia in my future vlogs and blogs, so just make sure to subscribe to/like/follow my Social Media profiles to get updated with future content, both in photography, filmmaking, writing, travel, and anything about life in general (my own opinion, my experience and observation).
The Biased Western Media and Its Racist Views
When the swine flu or the mad cow disease and virus, which came from the West, happened and killed thousands of people, no one attacked and criticized where it came from, but this... It is not fair. I am not into politics, but people should realize that the government and the country are two different entities. But who am I kidding, this could definitely be a deep-rooted racism that was just subdued and hidden in the name of political correctness, but now it is open and widespread in all its glory, especially when the leaders of the free world are showing what their true colors are.
