Mountains can be evil. Yes, they're usually beautiful, but they're often as seismic as they are scenic.
My cell phone ringing on April 20, jarred me awake. It was Luo Gang, a survivor of the 8.0-magnitude Sichuan earthquake that destroyed his hometown Beichuan on May 12, 2008.
April 20 was my deadline for finishing all the interviews for the fifth anniversary of the destructive Wenchuan earthquake.
I have two birthdays - one is the date celebrating my birth, and the other is May 12, in remembrance of the day I didn't die in the quake.
It was my original plan to write about the reconstruction miracle on the fifth anniversary of the May 12 earthquake in Sichuan.
Knowing I am covering the earthquake in the epicenter, a lot of friends have shown deep concerns for me, and I really appreciate that.