YOGAYUGA

2008 is supposed to be a good year in Chinese eyes. “8″ should bring luck and fortune, but not quite means what it is supposed to be this year. Again, natural disaster…..Coincidently, it all happened in 2008, started from the snow storm during Chinese New Year in up north China, cyclone of Myanmar, and now developed to earthquake in Sichuan. It was horrible wild fire in Southern California last year. Such natural disaster happens from place to place and from time to time.

It’s definitely not a smooth good year to China. The news of Tibet issue is just over, then the news is totally covered by the shocking scene of earthquake. It’s so sad to see people crying badly on TV. Mothers cried for their lost children. Children cried for their lost parents. Elderly parents cried for their entire families being buried under debris. People are looking for their lost family members around the collapsed buildings. Over 10,000 of people have gone missing, but over 100,000 of people are estimated to be killed in the earthquake. 60% of population had been killed in some villages. It’s so horrible when you heard those figures. However, good news has been announced just now on the news.

Rescuers announced a piece of good news Wednesday, hailing the rescue of an eight-months pregnant woman as a “miracle,” AP reported.

Hopes are still around…..It does happen. Same miracle happened in 921 earthquake of Taipei. No matter how bad it is, there must be sunlight shine through the dark cloud I always think. So…..believe in miracle, it does happen. Miracle does happen when you don’t give up your hopes.

Chinese government is in good communication with international media about this tragedy. They are more opened up to the public about the actual figure of death. It’s a good improvement.

Very peaceful with small groups of protesters holding pro-Tibet placards, the torch relay went smooth as expected. Part of it was on the dragon boat. It’s the first time that the torch being run on the dragon boat. Everyone felt excited and happy to welcome the torch. Many went to watch the torch though it was raining in the early morning.

China’s recent crackdown on Tibet inspired several of the torch relay protests in major cities such as Paris, London and San Francisco. Many Chinese were still upset about an incident in Paris in which a pro-Tibet protester tried to grab the torch from a wheelchair-bound Chinese athlete. This is the event for Olympic Games, not the event directly related to any political issues. Chinese government does express their current world position through the Olympic event but it doesn’t mean that they do deflect the human rights. This issue shouldn’t be mixed up with Olympic Games.

Anyway, the torch relay went smooth in Hong Kong. It was great! I think Macau will be the same.

The do-not-call register has been set up in Hong Kong eventually.  I have been waiting for it. I always feel annoying by getting all those unnecessary calls and messages sent by promoters of local companies. However, this service doesn’t cover against cold calls made by individual promoter of commercial companies. You can only register for fax messages, pre-recorded telephone messages and short messages. The following is what the Office of the Telecommunications Authority (OFTA) stated.

The provision of do-not-call registers is an important measure in the UEMO to protect the public from receiving unsolicited commercial electronic messages sent to their telephone or fax numbers. The do-not-call registers aim to strike a balance between the interests of recipients and senders of commercial electronic messages. The do-not-call registers will be made available to senders of commercial electronic messages for them to ascertain whether the user of a telephone or fax number does not wish to receive unsolicited commercial electronic message at that telephone or fax number. By registering his telephone / fax number to a do-not-call register, the user in effect has opted out from receiving further commercial electronic messages at this telephone / fax number from all senders. Similar registers have been set up by the USA, UK, Australia and India governments.

Hope that they can cover against individual cold calls made by local companies.

The Olympic torch relay has been going through obstacles, and disturbed by the pro-Tibet protesters in both London and Paris. The Olympic torch flew to San Francisco on Tuesday. I doubt it will be a smooth event. The torch relay will be in Hong Kong next month, and guess it won’t be a smooth event either.

Anyway, I got a little gift that sent by my sister. She went to Beijing for exhibition last week. It’s a Chinese fan shape mobile strap and a magnet with a gymnastic logo.

It’s such an exciting news that Ma Ying-jeou became the new president of Taiwan. He won 58 percent of the vote. I can’t see he will make any closer steps toward the relationship between Taiwan and China in the near future, but definitely he is the one Chinese government is pleased to speak to. Chinese group travel plan is part of his proposals aiming to have more Chinese mainlanders visiting Taiwan in the near future. It does benefit the economy of Taiwan in short term. He is modern, open with logical thinking that met what Taiwan needs. He is the best choice of all of us. The relationship between Taiwan and Hong Kong can also be benefit. He was indeed funny by mentioning that Taiwan doesn’t only expect to have stable economy during his presidential announcement, and also expect that Ang Lee can win the Globe Award of Oscar next year.

Eight years nightmare with Chen Shui Bin is finally over I am sorry to say. Cheers!!

Super Sunday is by the corner. It is very entertaining to watch Taiwanese presidential news. American presidential news is very serious. You can see the real debates and speeches. I take it as a learning lesson on television. Taiwanese presidential news does make you laugh. The candidates don’t even give speech. They sing, they dance, the play on the stage. They do whatever they can in order to gain all the votes.

Ma Ying-jeo has been regarded as a good husband, a good father, a good man, and a handsome gentleman. Women become the majority of his supporters. His lady supporters didn’t let him go once they got chance to shake hands with him. His hands had been scratched by nails of women leaving all those red marks on them. He still kept smiling. Some women shouted “I love you, Mr. President Ma!! You have to win. We will support you forever!” It’s funny, isn’t it?

He should be the president of Taiwan in the coming Super Sunday. Hope that there is no more surprise like what happened eight years ago. All the votes had gone to Chen Shui Bien that National Party lost it completely for eight years. No Way!! Mr. President Ma! You have to win though I don’t love you. LoL

Please forget the stupid sex scandal of Edison Chen and all his actress lovers. Let’s watch some meaningful movies together! It is Ok to talk about it at the beginning of the whole story, but is kind of tiry reading discussion of people made on internet and listening conversation of people made on the dim sum tables after weeks. What’s point? What I mean is most of the people only concern about how many more photos are going to be online again, and how many more actresses are going to be involved. They don’t concern how they should educate the children. Most of the kids did see those naked pictures on the net. It’s a bad influence to them. Sex education has never been developed properly in H.K., so everyone just passes around the wrong messages to eachother. Our Chinese newspapers are the worst. The way they described the photos and the story is terrible. They put this story on the front pages of newspapers everyday, but the way they published it, which is nothing formal. Therefore, many just take it for entertaining. This gossip becomes their daily conversation. We need to discuss it in positive ways that allow children to learn from it. Then the children will look at these issues in positive way rather than keeping those pictures for personal collection. Anyway, the whole world just laughs at the celebrities of Hong Kong being so immoral. God! They really need assistance of God. LoL

I have seen a very good movie today. It’s a pure love story. Innocent love story is still around. A young widow discovers that her late husband has left her ten messages intended to help ease her pain and start a new life. Her beloved husband planned everything ahead before he died. He wrote her a series of letter that will guide her, not only through her grief, but in rediscovering herself. In the weeks and months that follow, more letters from her husband are delivered in surprising ways, each sending her on a new adventure and each signing off in the same way; P.S. I love you. Each letter is pushing her further into a new future, not tied her to the past. This story is about how a love so strong can turn the finality of death into a new beginning for life.

I did weep quite a bit for this story. It’s so touching. It’s a true story of this film’s director. I do truly believe this story could happen on any of us. True love does last forever. I got no doubt about it. Love does keep one’s mind strong with courage.

P.S. I love you

Snowstorms cause delay, clash and blackout in China. It’ s such a bad and sad news before Chinese New Year. Many planes and trains delay without further notice given to travellers. Thousands of travellers are waiting in the Putong airport, Shanghai with no way out. They all shouted they want to go home. Some travellers can’t even be accepted to cancel their current air tickets, and buy new tickets for next week or so as they have been told the weather is not expected to be good next week. Some travellers have been told by their airline companies their air tickets can be refunded as there is no more plane arrangement but they have to reserve their air tickets again themselves with other airline companies. All the air tickets have been fully booked from city to city during the CNY period, so there is no way that travellers can buy tickets again by end of next week. They need to wait at the airports. Perhaps, they need to stay there for many days and nights. Some already did. The airline companies are not comforting travellers any accommodation and food during this tough period while everyone is waiting. Flights and trains just stop without detail advice. The arrangement of train and plane has been doing slow due to the heavy snow in various northern cities of China. Workers are even more poor in this frustrating situation. There are over 10 millions of workers waiting in the train station of Shanghai. Some workers died in Guangzhou while waiting for train in the train station due to the cold and congestion. Many workers do have limited salaries to bring home for Chinese New Year, but they need to spend those money during this period.

“Railway stations in Guangzhou are a scene of horror, with countless thousands of desperate and freezing people besieging them”

It’s unbelievable that it happened in two of those top Chinese cities of China, Guangzhou and Shanghai. The fact is the government didn’t do anything effective to response the actual needs of people. The workers actually complained that the officers and the rich can get on the trains with special arrangement, but the workers need to wait and wait for days and nights. No, this is not right! This is not a story about Titanic during 19th century. We are living in 21st century now. This issue is not just about natural disaster, is about the reformation that Chinese government should process for various management systems of Chinese societies. How can airline companies not comfort their travellers with free accommodation and food during such tough period? If free accommodation is not available, then at least some free food and water should be available. Should government have some sort of policies for the guidance of local airline companies under difficult condition? Should government have temporary shelters set up for the workers who stay outside the train station under such weather? Should they be distributed food by the government? There are lots of issues in here. This is all about national image of a country. It’s also about how all of us can rely on our country. It’s a national disaster, not a natural disaster.

Some areas are also experiencing food and power shortages, with deliveries of coal and other commodities delayed. Houses and agricultural land have been destroyed and at least 50 people killed, 25 of whom died when their bus slid off an icy road in Guizhou.

I do really hope that everything is going to be fixed up soon, not getting worst. For the sake of Chinese New Year, the cold just stops; then everyone can go home and stay warm with families. Poor workers, they can only go home once a year for the CNY holiday. I can imagine how bad the situation is over there….

I have been watching lots and lots of documentaries on CNN and BBC lately. Firing Line is my favourite documentary, which is broadcasted by BBC world. Firing line is the documentary that recorded by freelance cameramen and women, who risk their lives in the war zones and the world most dangerous areas in order to present to the viewers what is happening in the world. I adore those journalists so much as they are so brave by risking their lives to show us the real world. I can never do such things in my life. I watched the part about Gaza and Iraq tonight. They presented how the American soldiers live in Iraq and how they treat the Iraqis on the streets, who they caught.  The way they present is totally different from what you usually see on CNN official news programme. Some of the scenes were taken with cellphone cameras. There are some on youtube, but those were old ones. Anyway, I highly recommend Firing Line.

Apart from the Firing Line, I like watching the news programme presented by Anderson Cooper.  He is very sharp with very strong opinions and being very provocative.

My new channels also broadcast so many programmes about traveling and living. Those outdoor cooking programmes are awesome. I wish I could cook in somewhere outdoor one day with my best dishes. What I mean is somewhere with sea view behind me. I am not really a T.V. drama person. There are few dramas I am interested in, but don’t watch them regularly. I am not interested in watching local T.V. much as most of them are only for entertainment apart from news. Modeling programmes are no more of my interest as they all are the same no matter where they are from. I guess I am probably just a serious T.V. viewer.

“Survival is all about living; focusing on the things that you love to do.”

It’s really a touching story. It’s not just about how to fight against cancer, but also about how to put yourself together, and be strong. When someone is ill, everyone tells that person he/she is fine, but that person knows he/she is not fine. Encouragement of others is helpful, but one must remember we can never give up hopes.

My aunt, who is around my mother’s age, was fighting with breast cancer few years ago. She is a survivor, one of the living proof. She once told me YOU HAVE TO BE STRONG no matter how ill you are. You have to show your family and friends confidence that you will recover completely. They gave you encouragement, so you can’t disappoint them. You need lots of self strength to put yourself together. Be happy; be optimistic, you are not the only one who suffered from such disease. You have to be the living proof. I remember it so well for what she said.