桜

Blog's looking a little dead so thought I'd liven it up with some sakura flowers that were in bloom last week. The thing about sakura flowers is that they only bloom for about 2 weeks and everyone comes out of their homes to sit under the sakura trees in the park in large groups to drink sake and have dango together, a really heartening and lively affair. Yet shortlived as once the petals fall off and the trees turn green again, everyone disappears as suddenly as they came. Ahh such shortlived beauty that reminds one of the transience of life and the importance of making the most out of everyday just as we are thankful for everyday eh? :)

love,

Kat in 日本

.love.life.

hi all,

be touched.

love life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KA5dPKUpK6g

i have these lines in chinese translated for those who understand english words better.

here they are:

如果你的生命只剩下一點點， 你會用什麼態度去面對？
if your days are numbered, what will your attitude be towards life?

他們的癌已經擴散到全身上下了...但是他們對生命的愛，卻是 永 無 止 境。
though their cancer cells have spreaded over their bodies... they still hold a strong passion for life.

在人生當中，難免遇上失敗與挫折，但跟這些孩子所面對的狀況比起來，你是否應該 更珍惜生命...
in life, we often meet with failures and obstacles, but when compared to these children, shouldnt we cherish life even more?

" 如果生命可以交換的話，你願意跟我換嗎？ "
"are you willing to exchange your life with mine?"

當你覺得寂寞孤單，你的心將要破碎... 要記得這些孩子 正在為你禱告。
when you feel lonely, your heart is broken... please remember these children; they are praying for you.

" 請你幫我們好好活著，好嗎？ "
"please help us by living well, alright?"

the celebrities participating in this campaign spearheaded by 陳建州 a.k.a 黑人 in this clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liKcEOJKNk8

the girl who asked, "are you willing to exchange your life with mine?" in the first clip, passed on in febuary, according to this following clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ng4BSBG9tIo

chunquan

.we.should.read.

UN sounds warning after Antarctica ice shelf rips
AFP - Wednesday, April 8

PARIS (AFP) - - The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) said the breakway of a Jamaica-sized ice shelf from the Antarctic peninsula could accelerate global warming in this already vulnerable region.
Satellite pictures show a 40-kilometre (25-mile) ice bridge that was the Wilkins Ice Shelf's last link to the coast had now shattered at its narrowest point, about 500 metres (yards) wide, UNEP said.
The Wilkins Ice Shelf once covered around 16,000 square kilometres (6,000 square miles) before it began to retreat in the 1990s, and by last May the ice bridge was all that connected it to Charcot and Latady islands.
The loss of the bridge "may now allow ocean currents to wash away far more of the shelf," UNEP said.
Christian Lambrechts, a policy and programme officer with UNEP's Division of Early Warning and Assessment, said this would expose more of the sea's surface to sunlight, rather than reflect it, in turn "contributing to continued and accelerated warming."
The Antarctic peninsula -- the tongue of land that juts up towards South America -- has been hit by greater warming than almost any other region on Earth.
In the past 50 years, temperatures have risen by 2.5 degrees Celsius (4.5 degrees Fahrenheit), around six times the global average.
Ice shelves are ledges of thick ice that float on the sea and are attached to the land. They are formed when ice is exuded from ice sheet on land.
The Antarctic ice shelves do not add to sea levels when they melt. Like the Arctic ice cap, they float on the sea and thus displace their own volume.
But the loss of an ice shelf means that the glaciers that feed it may flow out straight to the sea, as if from an uncorked bottle.
"Although the Wilkins ice bridge collapse will have no direct consequence on sea level rise, it might have an indirect impact, as the decay of the ice shelf will reduce the stability of the glaciers that are feeding it," said Lambrechts.
In the past 20 years, Antarctica has lost seven ice shelves.
The process is marked by shrinkage and the breakaway of increasingly bigger chunks before the remainder of the shelf snaps away from the coast.
It then disintegrates into debris or into icebergs that eventually melt as they drift northwards.

.blood.

hi all,

this is a comic strip sent to us by lijie.

at first, i thought it meant something else, but it didnt appear to be.

somehow, i found some hidden meaning.

please allow me to share.

well, when the boy demanded the girl to pay him back his blood, i thought of Jesus.

we all have taken Him for granted in one way or another and what if one day, Jesus were to want us to return the blood He shed for us back to Him as He deems that we, sinners, are unworthy of His precious blood?

just a deep thought on it.

happy easter!

chunquan

.blood.

.time.

'time is such a good healer.

it quietly takes the pain off you without you knowing it.

sometimes, you just want time to pass quicker than it can.

at times, you wish it will take its time.

time is something we all cant control.

and after so long, time has eroded my hatred away.

and i am glad to move on.'

-chunquan

hi all,

i would like to thank those who are concerned over my work, whether i would be affected by the recent press release from my company.

so far, i am still given quite a normal roster.

the company has been adopting cost-cutting measures so as to save staff from being laid off.

it is pretty a sensitive issue to enter my company's name openly on blogs, thus we shall just keep to it as you-know-who.

i bought some lindt easter chocolate from zurich on my last trip. hopefully the 500g is enough for all on friday!

attached is a picture i took with the mascot just outside the factory.

see you all on friday!

chunquan

Brief catch up

Thanks for the brief catch up guys, the look of shock on your faces in church was priceless! Hehe, wish I had more time though, I really felt so so comfortable to be in church that Saturday I was back. ;)

*hugz*
Kathy

.she.is.yes.she.is.

.感.恩.感.动.

.gan.en.gan.dong.

hi all,

indeed, the departures is not-too-bad a movie to catch. it is worth your 2hours. i had the privilege to watch it when i was 'paxing' up to shanghai on saturday evening.

thanks lijie, for recommending it to us!

paxing means i need not work, but just travel as per any paid passenger, to sit and enjoy the flight.

i only worked on the sector from shanghai back to singapore last night.

as i was returning this very morning, i looked out of the window at my crew seat.

i must say that i am very grateful to be placed in this job.

i was lost and God provided me a way in 2007.

as i gazed down, the well-lit streets and buildings, the place where i call my home, i am proud.

dont get me wrong, i am not proud in the arrogant way, i am really thankful that i belong to this company which all singaporeans should be proud of.

more importantly, i am just happy and proud that God is so amazing.

simply, God is wonderful beyond our limited knowledge.

this explains my title, gan en, gan dong - appreciative and touched.

chunquan

.move.it.with.the.movies.

hi all,

just to help lijie promote this show, here are the synopsis as well as the poster, which i ripped off from golden village website.

presenting departures...

Its a story about a cellist(Daigo) ho loses his job and must move back to his hometown. Once back there he reconnects with his past, and comes to terms with his life, love and dreams. Desperate to find a job, he answers an ad listed under departures, which turns out to be misspelled. It was supposed to say the departed, the job pertains to dressing, washing, and putting makeup on the deceased before the funeral. It is a job that most people look down upon because you earn money when someone dies. At first Daigo, does not like his job but little by little he comes to a new understanding of it. The process of prepping the corpse is shown in detail within the context of the story, and little by little we too as an audience get sucked in. it is an incredible ceremony to witness.

another film to reccommend, but not as deep as it is purely a comedy which will tickle your laughing points, confessions of a shopalcoholic, which opened yesterday.

personally, it is a show about spending and shopping, but it also tells us how one will want to be on his own feet, away from the success of his parents. this is yet another show which is pretty realistic as when one is able to earn money on her on, she will want to spend on things she desires and which can bring her happiness, though it has become a compulsive and addictive act for rebecca in the show.

its poster is above and here is the synopsis:

In the glamorous world of New York City, Rebecca Bloomwood (Isla Fisher) is a fun-loving girl who is really good at shoppinga little too good, perhaps. She dreams of working for her favorite fashion magazine, but can't quite get her foot in the dooruntil ironically, she snags a job as an advice columnist for a financial magazine published by the same company. As her dreams are finally coming true, she goes to ever more hilarious and extreme efforts to keep her past from ruining her future. Based on the novel by Sophia Kinsella.

thank you, lijie!

chunquan

Departures...

Hello friends!!

I'm here to introduce you to a movie too!! The movie title is "Departures". Personally, I like the show a lot and felt that it has a number of learning points. If you can afford the time, go for it.

Just a thought: sometimes what we dream of may not be what we are destined for.

Junquan, thanks for your sharing! i'm very happy for you that you get to fly again. keep seeking.

friends, continue to seek, cherish and live!!


Lijie

Katherine's wedding photos!

-Jocelyn-

Ops..too slow.. Chinese new year ... ops

In Action!Games Time!

Sentosa!! Gourmet Sandwiches!

.my.pastorised.passengers.

hi all,

this is my first time seeing somebody, in fact, 2 individuals from church on my flight!

guess who they are?

they so happened to be in the zone i was working in, economy class, aft, on a flight to seoul, icheon, korea.

read my title and make a guess.

well, let me 'active'-vate this blog by making it a quiz.

so, make a guess, will you?

options are:

a) canon daniel tong;

b) pastor chi shyan;

c) pastor john sim;

d) reverend joshua ( those who were from malan road will know him better, he used to be called pastor sham?)

hahaha...

the title is just a clue. it may or may not be hinting that only those with the appointment pastor are eligible.

i was surprised that they did recognise me as a member from cor.

indeed, i had the privilege to serve them on board.

thanks to all who are supportive of my return to flying.

well, i really hope to complete the bond without much disruption by the recurrence of my back pain and i will have to plan my route once again after i leave the company.

where next?

i dont know.

God knows.

chunquan

.happy.birthday.

hi jia wei,

happy 27 from terminal 3 for tomorrow!

chunquan

.God.is.good.

hi all,

just to keep all of you in the loop on my current situation.

i am back to flying.

i must say that it is indeed God's plan to put me through all the interviews in 2007 so that i can be in this job.

though i may not be in this line for long, at least it gives me the great opportunities to see the world and to fulfill the longing to travel overseas since young.

a little secret to share, which i used to be very protective over.

my first time to travel abroad on an aircraft was just one month before i commenced my training at my training centre in november 2007, that is october 2007, when i first took a plane!

it was also a fully sponsored trip to chiangmai, thailand by my respected elder, mr victor wee. he used to be an economics tutor in sajc till he retired a few years ago.

the trip was made available so that i could put my mind at ease, to understand God's love once again as i was putting up in the orphanage/childcare/God's dwelling place for those who need God/church.

it was such a great experience that i would definitely want to return there to have a wonderful time with the children there.

yes, along the way, i have lost the touch.

i am still chasing after the material needs and wants.

why is that so?

i am not afraid to share as i am not a confident person, due to the failures i have had.

setbacks, who dont experience?

it depends vastly on the individual, on how his/her threshold is for pressure from his/her environment.

frankly, i have yet come out of the biggest setback i have had.

the part where i failed as a student, still lingers.

this job, though it allows me to earn much, it doesnt satisfy me as a person, as a whole.

somehow, there is always a void.

somewhere, there is always a fear.

i may be decked in labels and colourful covers, this is to make me feel worthwhile, to cover up the failure which i am ashamed of.

to all young and budding boys who just received their amazing good a levels results, dont lose sight and do well in your studies

as a student, do your part as one to honour God, for He has already have His plans for you when you are blessed with good grades.

those who are working their heads off in offices and in schools, dont you dare to lose your focus too!

take care, my dear friends.

i should be really thankful, for i never dreamt to be travelling so much, as boarding a plane seemed such a distant idea when i was younger.

dare to dream. dream big.

by the way, do catch 'marley and me' before it closes, as it is a simple but very realistic and touching show.

alright, i did feel the 'sourness' when the main character started to age.

hahaha... who says a grown-up man cant tear?

i didnt cry, just a little wet in my eyes.

chun quan

Hey Kathy,
Thanks for the song, I like it too. Haha, will attempt to translate :p (must make use of what I've learnt) Hope it's correct :)

その日全世界が
That Day the Whole World Will　
作詞・作曲　長沢崇史わが神主よ
　
見させたまえ　偉大なるその計画天が開き
Before we have seen, 　the great plans that heaven reveals
光が満ち　シオンの上にとどまる救いの御業　
light fills 　On top of Zion rests (abides) salvation (?)
全地をおおい　喜びの歌響かせその正義は平和を呼ぶ　
Over the whole earth (there are) songs of joy, righteousness calls peace (??)
主の御霊が流れる
(The) Spirit of the Lord flows

その日全世界が　
That day the whole world will
主の御名高く掲げる
Lift high the name of the Lord
叫べ　王の王イエスにハレルヤ　
Shout King of kings Jesus Hallelujah
栄光とわにあれ王の王なる主イエスに
In glory, Lord Jesus will be the King of kings　
全能なる主イエスに勝利者なる小羊に
The Almighty, Lord Jesus will be the victorious Lamb　
栄光永遠にあれ
There will be glory forevermore

I think there's another verse but yay... I can understand the song (I hope!)
--Jasmine :D