Natural disaster

While watching the TV programme <爱无国籍、 让爱川流不息> show on Channel 8 tonight. Suddenly, feel there is an urge to write this blog........ just wanna to keep it as a reminder, a memory...... remember all this Big Natural Disasters (印象最深刻地）happen till now, 25 May 2008.

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1) 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake.
On 26 Dec 2004, 00:58:53 UTC (7:58:53 am local time), a magnitude 9.0 earthquake occurred off the west coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia. The epi-centre was located under sea water at 3.32 N 95.85 E. This is the fourth largest earthquake in the world since 1900. The earthquake generated tsunamis which swept across the Indian Ocean within hours. Over 120,000 people lost their lives in this disaster. Areas near to the epicentre in Indonesia, especially Aceh, were devastated by the earthquake and tsunamis. The tsunamis also affected Phuket and surrounding areas in Thailand, Penang in Malaysia, Sri Lanka, India, and places as far as Somalia in Africa
The satellite images of the Tsunami affected areas in this web page were acquired by the Centre for Remote Imaging, Sensing and Processing at the National University of Singapore. They show the effects of the tsunamis on the affected areas in Indonesia, Thailand and island of India.
(The above info taken from Crisp, NUS)


(Photo get from Google images)


2) Myanmar - Cyclone Nargis
On 2 May 2008 tropical cyclone Nargis hit the coast of Myanmar and devastated large parts of the low-lying Irrawaddy delta. Winds exceeding 190 kilometres per hour ripped through the Myanmar’s biggest city Yangon for more than ten hours. Homes were flattened, more sturdy structures damaged, trees uprooted and power lines downed. In rural parts of the country up to 95 per cent of homes were wiped off the face of the earth.
This is a situation that the country has not dealt with before and the scale of the needs is clearly massive. Casualty figures continue to rise. The International Federation estimates that more than two million people have lost their homes or been severely affected.

(The above info taken from IFRC)


3) Sichuan earthquake, 四川大地震
The 2008 Sichuan earthquake (Chinese: 四川大地震), or Great Sichuan Earthquake which measured at 8.0 Ms and 8.3 Mw according to the China Seismological Bureau, and 7.9 Mw according to USGS, occurred at 14:28:01.42 CST (06:28:01.42 UTC) on 12 May 2008 in Sichuan province of China. It was also known as the Wenchuan earthquake (Chinese: 汶川大地震), after the earthquake's epicenter in Wenchuan County in Sichuan province. The epicenter was 80 kilometres (50 mi) west-northwest of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan, with a depth of 19 kilometres (12 mi). The earthquake was felt as far away as Beijing (1,500 km away) and Shanghai (1,700 km away), where office buildings swayed with the tremor. The earthquake was also felt in nearby countries.
Official figures (as of May 25, 12:00 CST) state that 62,664 are confirmed dead, including 62,161 in Sichuan province, and 358,816 injured, with 23,775 listed as missing. The earthquake left about 4.8 million people homeless. It was the deadliest and strongest earthquake to hit China since the 1976 Tangshan earthquake, which killed at least 240,000 people.
(The above info taken from wikipedia)


(Photo get from LianHeZaoBao)

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There is a master said :"新加坡是个福地，请大家尽一分力以维持这个福地。"

Should say goodbye to Shark Fins.

An article in MSN News.

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Agence France-Presse - 5/22/2008 3:52 PM GMT

Taste for fins threatens sharks with extinction: study

Overfishing driven in part by an insatiable appetite for shark-fin soup has threatened 11 species of the ocean-dwelling predators with extinction, according to a report released on Thursday.

The first study to assess the worldwide status of 21 species of pelagic sharks and rays -- those living and hunting in open seas -- found that more than half are rapidly being fished out of existence.

Particularly vulnerable species include the short-finned mako, the thresher and the silky, said the report, to be published in the journal Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems.

"Despite mounting evidence of decline and increasing threats to these species, there are no international catch limits for oceanic sharks," said co-author Sonja Fordham, a researcher at the Ocean Conservancy and Shark Alliance in Brussels.

"Our research shows that action is urgently needed on a global level if these fisheries are to be sustainable."

Many big shark species have fallen prey to booming Asian economies where shark-fin soup is prized as a must-have delicacy at weddings and other banquet occasions.

The fins are often sliced off of living fish which are then discarded in the sea. Accidental "by-catch" by industrial fishing operations have also decimated shark populations, the study said.

Sharks and big rays are especially vulnerable to overfishing because they take many years to reach sexual maturity and have relatively few offspring.

"We are losing species at a rate 10 to 100 times greater than historic rates," said the study's lead author, Nicholas Dulvy, a professor at Sime Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada.

The report, presented at a major UN conference on biodiversity in Bonn, calls for the establishment and enforcement of science-based catch limits for sharks and rays, and a ban on the practice of "shark finning."

The 11-day Bonn conference seeks to prevent the destruction of countless plant and animal species. It is the ninth of its kind of countries who signed up to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit.

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Sigh! I love shark fins very much, but I don't take it very often. I only take it when attend wedding dinners.......... Hum...... I think I need to make an effort not to take it at all....... since I am a ocean lovers. :)

May Day Gathering

BBQ at ECP on 1st May 2008. Reason: Just for fun.
Friends that were invited:
Ah Hui's Family, JKF, Maine, Eileen, Faith, Yan Yan's Family, Jack's Family, Ruby, Esther, Loeve, HuiXuan and Stella.

I had been wanted to order the below cup cakes for my dear friends since I got to know it website...... http://www.littlehouseofdreams.blogspot.com...... I know that my friends will definitly like it very much as it was really very beautiful. I kept it as a secret as I would like to give them a surprise.

Actually, the main reason of buying these cup cakes was that I would like to take it as a token of appreciation for my friends. For all my dear friends. I really very appreciate and treasure our friendships. For those old friends, really thanks alot as I know you had done alot for me. When I don't have my own car, you all are always my Ahmad picking/fetching me...... when I need a listen ear, you are always by my side...... When we went out of makan, you all always threat me...... You all always made me laugh heartily, we always played like children...... I am very glad to have you as my friends. Hope we will continue our friendship FOREVER.

For those new friends, I don't know how long our friendship will last but I know this is just the begining...... and thanks for listening to "this aunty" nonsense. Haha.......









Aiyo, cute Kaizer in the box....... Hum..... seem like back to 70s/80s.
Like father, like son???






This is little Faith....... a pretty little girl.
She is like Mother, like daugther.