WATCH LIFE ON TOP. ON TOP

Watch life on top. Life cycle of coconut tree. Life extension institute.

Watch Life On Top

life on

(Life Only) Periodic monthly payments to an annuitant for the duration of his or her lifetime and then ceases. It is for a lifetime, the annuitant cannot outlive the payments. The payments are determined at the time of purchase and are based on age and sex.
(Life Only) a settlement option that owner may select upon annuitization.

watch

Secretly follow or spy on
Look at or observe attentively, typically over a period of time
Keep under careful or protective observation
a small portable timepiece
look attentively; “watch a basketball game”
a period of time (4 or 2 hours) during which some of a ship’s crew are on duty

top

the upper part of anything; “the mower cuts off the tops of the grass”; “the title should be written at the top of the first page”
The leaves, stems, and shoots of a plant, esp. those of a vegetable grown for its root
The end of something that is furthest from the speaker or a point of reference
The highest or uppermost point, part, or surface of something
exceed: be superior or better than some standard; “She exceeded our expectations”; “She topped her performance of last year”
top(a): situated at the top or highest position; “the top shelf”

‘Sri Lanka My Love’ Youngqui Liu on top of Sigiriya

It was love at first sight. Love was born with the pleasure of looking at the beauty. She found her heart attracted by the splendour and touched by the warmth. A necessity of seeing and experiencing the spell binding beauty concluded with the impossibility of separation. They say love is blind but can love be so blind to make someone leave her comfortable life in her motherland?
Youngqui Liu on top of Sigiriya

This is exactly what Youngqui Liu decided when she stepped on Sri Lankan soil for the first time. Falling in love with the tiny blessed island, she made up her mind to leave behind her occupation and start her life all over again.

Five years ago, Youngqui Liu arrived in Sri Lanka for a short vacation. Escaping the cold winds that blew across the Northern China during the winter season in mind, Liu boarded the plane from Beijing. She thought spending some time with her husband who was employed in a warm South Asian island would be the best option. Holding the return air tickets in one hand, Liu walked through the doors of the Bandaranaike International Airport into the sunny island. “I never thought that I would spend so many years of my life in Sri Lanka when I stepped into the ‘bright and fertile island’ five years ago. On January 25, 2005 I arrived in Sri Lanka. It was my first visit to the South Asian island. Holding my son’s little hand and the envelope containing two return tickets between Beijing and Colombo, I came to visit my husband Zhanjie Chen who is the chief correspondent of Xinhua News Agency, Colombo Office,” she recalled.

“At that time, Sri Lanka was just recovering from the shock of the massive tsunami which washed the shores of the island. People were in deep sorrow because of the devastation which occurred just one month before my arrival. The Colombo Office of Xinhua News Agency was extremely busy with tsunami reporting,” Liu reminisced the devastating moment, the nation was going through when she arrived.

While the people in the Southern coastal area were in torment due to tsunami, people in North were displaced and were in anguish because of the conflict. At such a time, when the society was seized by anxiety, uncertainity and misery, anyone would think of fleeing to a safer place. Liu’s thoughts were not the same, instead she decided to settle down in Sri Lanka.

“But it did not matter for us. We fell in love with Sri Lanka immediately, especially my seven-year-old son. He was born in Beijing which is a forest of concrete. Suddenly, he was free to run barefoot on the sandy beaches and watch the squirrels, monitors, butterflies and many other lovely creatures. So we decided to settle here with his father,” she explained.

“For me, it was a new beginning. I had to abandon my job in Beijing as an editor, and learn everything in the new environment – driving, English and then photography. In March 2008, I joined Xinhua as a correspondent,” Liu said.
Since then her keen eyes has followed every face around her. Equipped with her camera she has walked through the streets all over the country capturing the thoughts on faces, fleeting moments of the nature and the flashes of rich cultural events.

Since then, the charms of Sri Lanka have kept Liu rooted in the island. “I was deeply indulged in the rich culture and history, the fascinating gifts of nature and the friendly people of the country,” she said. Distilling precious moments in life and eternally preserving them on a photograph is more than a profession of Liu. It was her passion. She wanted the world to share the happiness she experienced in Sri Lanka.

“I began to write a lot of stories about Sri Lanka which were either published in Chinese magazines and newspapers, or posted on my blog. One of my friends once said to me that she is discovering Sri Lanka through my articles,” Liu said. An affectionate smile, a dancer full of energy, tranquility of a temple, the silent prayer of a worshiper or an animal in the wilderness were recorded on her camera and in her heart. “I shot pictures at different occasions as much as possible. Every moment that urged me capture a picture whether it is an expression on some person’s face, an image in a certain occasion, or a cloud flying across the sky or a monkey staring at me, always touched my heart deeply. These are not just photographs for me but are the most meaningful memories in my life,” she said.

The time has now dawn for this enthusiastic photographer to say goodbye to this wonderful country and its people. “Five years is too short for me to understand Sri Lanka. My husband and I will leave the country for Greece to start the next period of work. We have to say goodbye to Sri Lanka in November,’ Liu said.

Liu’s parting is indeed a sad moment but will open up another leaf of a wonderful experience in her life. She will hold her maiden photographic exhibition unfolding the memories she bagged during her five year stay in Sri Lanka.

The exhibition titled ‘Sri Lanka My Love’

Robin (or) My Life

I know this is not a very good capture… it was taken from very far away and I don’t think my EF70-300mm IS USM is working very well these days. I couldn’t any get closer as my two ‘bird-dogs’ were at my side as I was bird shooting last evening… Its only good to have the bird-dogs around for the ‘other’ kind of bird shooting, which I don’t do…

My Life
I don’t need you to worry for me cause I’m alright
I don’t want you to tell me it’s time to come home
I don’t care what you say anymore this is my life
Go ahead with your own life, leave me alone

I never said you had to offer me a second chance
I never said I was a victim of circumstance
I still belong, don’t get me wrong
And you can speak your mind
But not on my time
Billy Joel – My Life – 52nd Street
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Not just to have the amazing talent to compose music, which is something I would give anything for… It would be so cool to write in lyrics and song the things we all have on our minds sometimes… How cool would that be to be a musician? The two careers I have longed dreamed about would be Jet Fighter-Pilot or Rock Star…. I think I lean towards Rock Star…. just so I could tell people what’s on my mind… you know?