Series of Unfortunate Events

So no doubt you have all heard about the Tsunami that has devastated lots of countries bordering the Indian Ocean. We heard about it the other day but didn't realize the extent of what had happened. One of our houseguests over Christmas Sara left on Monday to head over to Thailand (not knowing what had just occured there). Last night as we watched the news and saw what happened, particularly in Phuket and the islands off the coast such as Phi Phi all of us in the house were pretty shocked and horrified. See the backpacker trail takes nearly everyone who leaves Australia up to Thailand and particularly to Phuket and the islands off it's coast. So as we sat watching news report after news report about it (lots on about it here since Australia also borders the Indian Ocean) all of us were racking our brains thinking who do we know that's in Phuket right now, then we start naming them off well so and so has just left and what about that guy when was he going and all of us began to realize and me particularly that something like this a disaster in a third world country has for the first time really hit home for me, that I probably know someone who was there and I can also picture the mood..no one having any clue this horrible thing was about to happen. Really makes you think..two of my friends from work were set to go over there in 2 weeks and no doubt will their plans as many others will be cancelled...can't imagine what it's like for those who are there but for the first time I actually have the slightest inkling what it's like for something like this to be real and not something that you just see on the news.