MH370 ENDED IN SOUTHERN INDIAN OCEAN

Malaysia Prime Minister, at 22:00 to night has announced that British investigators from its Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) have concluded that the flight of Malaysian Airlines MH370 ended in the southern Indian Ocean.

 

According to the Prime Minister, a British satellite company Inmarsat and the UK Air Accidents Investigation Board (AAIB) had used a new system to calculate MH370's flight path. "They had used a new type of analysis which had previously never been used before in an investigation like this," he said. It was learnt that both Inmarsat and AAIB have concluded, based on the new analysis, that MH370 flew along the southern corridor, a remote location far from any possible landing sites. 

May God bless all those on board and their families members.

MALAYSIA AIRLINES - MH370 STILL MISSING

The disappearance of MH370, a B777-200ER last Saturday has remained a misery. The  Search and Rescue teams from 9 countries found nothing after screening the possible sea and land areas with more than 30 aircraft s and 40 ships in the last 4 days.    

A B777-200ER of Malaysia Airlines similar to the missing 9M-MRO.

Some oil slicks, an object which looked like an aircraft door and a life raft were found in the few days of search, but they were not from the aircraft. The search area has been extended to the strait of Malacca as announced in this afternoon press conference. The latest news is that a fleet of earth-monitoring satellites has joined the search. With the latest development, hopefully the aircraft could be found.   

 

Believe it or not, a group of well-dressed "Bomoh" the witch doctor was seen in KLIA today. They were performing some acts trying to locate the missing MH370. Two young coconuts, a 'magic' walking stick and carpet were used to perform a kind of ceremony.

Whatever it is, the Search and Rescue teams are continuing to give their best to find this missing plane. Let us pray for all on board MH370 and also for their families and friends. 

BREAKING NEWS - MALAYSIA AIRLINES

To day is an extremely sad day for Malaysia Airlines and families and friends of those on board the B777-200ER. The aircraft has disappeared over the airspace between Malaysia and Vietnam this morning. MH370 was on it's way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 227 passengers and 12 crew. It departed KLIA at 00:41 and lost contact after 2 hours in flight.

The Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200 ER fleet has an almost flawless safety record. It has probably been one of the safest aircraft in aviation history.

The B777 in the light blue livery.

The F/D crew last communicated with air traffic controllers 120 nautical miles off the east coast of the Malaysian town of Kota Bharu but lost contact after that according to the CEO of the Airlines.  As of 19:00, there is still no confirmation of the whereabout of this aircraft, though a Vietnamese newspapers reported that the aircraft has crashed into the sea near an island off South Vietnam. 

Let's pray for all on board the aircraft. May God bless Malaysia Airlines!

  

SPRING IS NEARLY THERE - JAPAN

During the last 2 weeks or so, Japan recorded the lowest-ever temperatures in the north and coastal areas this Winter. The coldest morning was minus 32.6 C in Hokkaido. With the extraordinary heavy snow fall, many parts of the country were paralyzed. 

 Heavy snow in Saitama.

The severe weather is coming to an end as the apricot or plum flowers have started to bloom few days ago, indicating that the Spring is nearly there.

Miura san informed me that worst (the extreme winter condition) the first, in almost a few decades, was over.

Japanese have started to celebrate the apricot or plum blossoms festival to mark the beginning of Spring season.

Like cherry trees, plum trees come in many varieties, many of which were cultivated by people over the centuries.

Most plum blossoms have five petals and range in colour from white to dark pink.

These pictures were taken by Miura san at Omiya Park (大宮公園). The next round will be cherry blossoms in a month's time.

FLOOD IN THE INTERIOR OF SABAH

The non-stop heavy rain in the interior a week ago has caused the Padas river to burst it's banks flooding Tenom, Beaufort and many areas. The severe flood has affected more than 50,000 people. 

The Beaufort town

With more rainwater gushing into the low-lying districts, the train service between Beaufort and Tenom has been suspended since. To day, many roads are still impassable to traffic in Sipitang, Papar, Tenom and Beaufort.

Even though the rain had stopped yesterday, the Padas river still breached the 10m mark, its highest recorded level in more than 30 years.

 The worst hit area in Tenom.

The Sabah state government has so far opened 25 relief centres in Tenom and 22 in Beaufort to accommodate thousands of people evacuated from the flooded area. The flood has so far claimed 3 lives.

LED LION DANCE

It's my first time to see a "LED" Lion dance at our sister-in-law house. Perhaps, it was the first "Lion" troupe in Kota Kinabalu to do such a performance.

What a  beauty ! The "Lion" glowed luminously with the advance technology of LED lights.

 Lighted up to brighten the celebration.

 

We had a great evening with the fantastic performance and a delicious dinner. 

CHINESE NEW YEAR GATHERING

On the second day of the Chinese new Year, we hosted a "Lion" dance and a dinner in our residence.

While waiting for the "Lions" to arrive, we posed for a picture to remember this day.

 Greeting from the "Lions"

 The laughing buddhas ( 笑佛) with the children.

The highlight of the evening was "plucking the greens" (採青) by the a "Lion"...a pomelo, lettuces, 8 oranges, 8 cans of beer and angpows were prepared for the show. 

Ready ..let's start!       

 The "Lion" first went for the beers followed by the oranges.

 After 30 minutes or so, it went for the greens and the pomelo.

 A good luck scroll for the family.

 Saying good bye.

It was a very happy evening! Another Chinese New Year to remember. Let's hope that the year of the "Horse" would bring us good health, happiness, and prosperity throughout the year!   
 

GONG XI FA CAI - 新年快樂

Chinese New Year is the biggest and most important annual festival for Chinese communities worldwide. Prior to the celebrations, homes are cleaned and decorated. Come this Friday, 31January, it's Chinese new year!  

In new year mood - red lanterns above Foh Sang's shops. 

It's red everywhere.

Many shops are opened late into the night to accommodate the shoppers.

Popular cookies for the New Year celebration.

Tons of mandarin oranges.

New Year cakes.

Waxed duck's thighs and Chinese sausages are traditional food and a must buy for the occasion.  

 

  Citrus trees with fruits symbolize good fortune. 

The pomelo are symbolic of family unity and prosperity.

 

One of Chinese New Year traditions is to clean yourself up before the New year. It is believed that taking a bath with pomelo leaves can wash away all the dirt and cast away the evil spirit. 

Many believe pineapples will bring good luck and fortune to all in the family.

May the year of the "Horse" bring us the best of luck, good fortune, good health and prosperity throughout 2014!

"Gong Xi Fa Cai" to every one!