For a couple of days, i've been struggling if i should pen down thoughts on the Sichuan quake.

It's living hell, i would say, as i flipped through the newspaper every morning, glancing through faces of those helpless orphans who lost their parents in the quake, heartbroken parents who lost their only child, brave soldiers who refuse to give up saving those trapped underneathe the rubble, overjoyed parents who finally found their children and anxious parents wandering around the sites with that little glimpse of hope burning in them, hoping to reunite with their children once again.

Day after day, number of casualties are increasing by thousands. So many people affected. Those who managed to survive have to make do with a lost arm, a lost leg, or worse, they are the only survivor of the family. What lies ahead of them is not just physical pain alone. Worse, dealing with the blow of losing what means dearest to them within seconds.

And it makes me stop and wonder, how fragile life can be.

Words of love not said, and you might not be able to say it the next day. Dreams, no matter how big or small they are, if not fulfilled when you are still healthy and alive, you might not have the chance to make them come true again.

Fren always remind me not to worry about the future, but to focus on the present instead, which is very true as i reflect upon it now.

Who knows what the future brings? Yet i have the present to make it meaningful and fulfilling.

We often complain how miserable life is, how underpaid we are, how unsatisfying our job is, how unfair we are being treated by our boss, but then again, life goes on and on each day.

Yet we cling onto glitter of hopes as we complained, no matter how tiny the little glitter of hopes might be.

We pray for miracles, we find motivation, we wish for things to happen, and as friends, we encourage one another to fight on for survival.

Aren't these the same as those trapped under the rubble? Or those that are still anxiously waiting for their loved ones to be saved? Or those brave ones whom with their bare hands, try to fight time digging through the rubble searching for survivors?

Despite how much evil we've known that exist in this world, how much dismay we might experience from our everyday routinal work, how weak we seem to be in the face of mother nature, and how many worries currently hanging on in our minds, how helpless and discouraged we might be,

We still have hopes underlying in our hearts.

Hope of a better tomorrow where the sun shines brightly through the window, shadowing all worries and fear.

No matter how many worries one has, the sun will still rise every morning and the sky will still be clear and blue.

There might be occasional rainy days and cloudy skies, but ultimately, the sun will be here once more, perhaps accompanied by beautiful rainbows and dew drops on the leaves.

What lies ahead in the future remains unknown, yet we can always hope.

For hope is the only miracle that exists in the face of fear.

May every tomorrow be a better day for each and everyone of us, including those who are currently suffering in the other parts of the world. For those who survived, i pray for them to have the strength and determination to carry on with their lives.

And for those of us here who are indeed much much luckier, be very thankful for what we have.

Please access this official website below for those who wish to do their part to donate. It won't take up alot of your time, but your contribution might change another person's life.

http://www.redcross.org.sg/