According to the Daily Mail, Taiwanese pop star and ‘New King of Asian Pop’, Jay Chou, held his wedding to model Hannah Quinlivan in north Yorkshire at Selby’s 1,000-year-old abbey.

Jay Chou is a big fan of the UK. It is easy to see British landmark buildings in his music video, such as Big Ben and London Tower Bridge. They are all chosen according to Jay’s personal preference.

On the most important day of your life, where will the scenic backdrop to your wedding be? A destination wedding should be a most romantic, memorable and unique experience. Destination weddings account for 24% of all U.S. weddings, 30% of those weddings take place outside the United States.

1. Bhutan

Bhutan is a place with a reputation for mystery, a magic place nestling in the Himalayas. The country has two powerful neighbours, which are India and China. Spectacular landscape and the traditional Buddhist culture attract many new couples, who want to go to pay a visit. People who have converted to Buddhism dream of going there, furthermore, they love the architecture of the traditional homes and temples. All-inclusive packages with accommodation, food, transport and an official guide will cost you a minimum of US$250 per day. However, tourism is restricted; visitors must travel as part of a pre-arranged package or guided tour. So, preparing well before going there is recommended.

2. Santorini, Greece

Santorini is a place that is painted white and blue, and all pictures taken from such a picturesque location show the stunning backdrop. Just imagine that, a young bride holding fresh, pink roses and snuggling up to her bridegroom. How wonderful it could be! There are amazing, breathtaking views of the Caldera in Dana Villas and magnificent sunsets. The most popular wedding destinations create opportunities for wedding agencies. With a click of mouse, plenty of relevant agency web sites can be found.

3. Caribbean Sea, Mexico

If you want to have a unique wedding experience, instead of going to the beach, you can have yours under the sea at Blue Bay Grand Esmerelda in Mexico. A 5-star luxury hotel surrounded by a lush jungle and the stunning shoreline of the Caribbean Sea, a trip here would be an unforgettable experience in your life. In addition, an under-sea wedding is a unique and unusual memory.

4. Hawaii

According to the records of Japanese travel to Hawaii, most Japanese youngsters prefer to go to Hawaii to have their wedding. Hawaii is one of the most romantic places on earth and it has beautiful beaches, dramatic scenery and world-class hotels to match almost every couple’s wish. Its palm trees and orchids come to mind when we think of images of Hawaii. Just imagine exchanging vows with dolphins swimming around.

5. Queenstown, New Zealand

Chinese actress Yao Chen chose to hold her second wedding in a chapel, which was located in central Queenstown in New Zealand. A chapel wedding is the most simple and traditional wedding and a chapel by a lake would be suited to a wedding ceremony at any time of the year. The authentic architecture and traditional character of a chapel work in harmony with the surrounding natural environment to create a beautiful wedding setting.

Although the past year has been tough for world peace, there were silver linings in 2014. Colombia’s peace process looks promising. A historic peace deal was signed between the Philippines and Bangsamoro. Afghanistan now has a government of national unity. But at the same time, more than 10 conflicts have arisen in the last year. Today’s wars kill and displace more people, and have more influence on everyone.

 “In a global sense, the world is becoming less controlled and less predictable because of the increasing geopolitical competition, for the moment at least,” says Karen Niles, international strategist from GSA company.

This is obvious when looking at the relationship between Russia and the West. Russia’s policy in its neighborhood shows a real challenge, and its relationship with the United States and China has become tense. The United States, Russia, and China are all trying to get dominance over high-altitude satellites, which control all the guidance and communications systems for the conduct of warfare.

Admit it or not, many ongoing conflicts can now be tackled on their own merits. In the meantime however, we do have to acknowledge that a peaceful 2015 will depend on working with a much broader array of countries than in the past.

For travellers

War and travel seem to be two irrelevant topics. Though conflict is again on the rise in some areas, it cannot stop people who crave adventure and are not afraid of stepping into danger. The uncertainty and the danger of war zones always excite adventurers.

Thus, a knowledge of the ongoing conflicts at present is crucial for all travellers. With that qualification in mind, here is the war map of 2015. With so many crises raging, narrowing it down is hard. We omit some areas that travellers seldom step into.

But always bear in mind to go to your embassy website first before travelling to risky places. The ongoing conflicts are crucial for every country. A safe travel, in the mean time, is crucial for every person.

Yang Liu opened his film camera store—Spring Camera in 2012, which is located in Dongnian lane, Dongcheng District Beijing.

Q1. In this information and digital time, why did you choose to open a film camera store?

A: I am a shutterbug. I think it is cool to make a living by doing things I like. I am a realistic person, so I chose to open a film camera store just because compared to digital cameras, film cameras quite valuable, and in other words, they are a form of investment.

Q2. What are the advantages and glamour of using a film camera compared to using other kinds of cameras?

A: The quality and colour of the pictures from film cameras are really special, speaking in a more abstract way, it contains something of a familiarity.  I guess this feeling contributes to the childhood memory of film cameras. When I was a child, my parents always took photos of me with a film camera. Also, an easily forgotten advantage of film camera is that it can slow down the tempo of life. The process of shooting and printing are time-consuming, so we have more time to think more before pressing the shutter.

Q3. Nowadays, many people put an emphasis on sharing pictures instead of just taking and keeping them, do you think this is bad news for film cameras?

A: In terms of sharing speed, film cameras even digital cameras are not as quick as smartphones.  But there are still some people who are willing to spend a lot time on studying focus techniques and photometry. Therefore, I still believe film camera will have a market.

Q4: Do you prefer to use photo-sharing apps? (Such as Instagram)

A: I seldom use Instagram, because it is a little bit difficult for me to edit every picture into the shape of a foursquare. I love using weibo (Chinese version of Twitter), and post some pictures taken by my film camera. After all, social media is a good platform for me to propagate film cameras.

Q5. Could you please predict the future of film cameras?

A: To be honest, film cameras will be used by fewer and fewer people. I guess, one day, it may become collectable such as the sewing machine and the Walkman rather than a practical tool to take photos. We should face the reality.

By Meihong Yu

There are about 80 million Christians in China today, according to Yang Fenggang, a sociologist in Purdue University in America. He predicts that the number is going to climb to 250 million in 2030, with China overtaking America as the largest Christian country in the world.

Religion goes underground

Since the 1950s the Chinese government has required religious organisations and venues to be registered through government agencies. Christian and Catholic parishioners must attend churches run by the government.

But religious activities are being held in Christian residences are referred as “house churches” or “underground churches.” The members in these house churches are widely believed to be far more than the legal ones registered with the government.

According to Bob Fu, the president of the United States based China Aid website campaigning against Christian persecution in China, many house church pastors and missionaries have been detained on the ambiguous charge of “illegal business operation” and “disrupting the public order.” 

China’s history of religious persecution

Chinese believers of many different religions suffered during the political turmoil in 1950s-1970s, with a great number sent to labor camps.

According to Bob Fu, since the 1980s the Chinese government has tried another approach to tackle the sensitive religion issue. “They’ve adopted a policy of reform, allowing for five major religions to exist to a limited extent, but with strictly enforced government control.”

Both of them contain a certain amount of caffeine but, as most people know, coffee contains more. In the collective consciousness, the strong black beverage plays the bad guy’s part. A mysterious drug of some sort that fends off most of the common everyday dramas: fatigue, headache and, last but not least, lack of motivation. And what about the wretched pleasure of sipping a strong, dark, black coffee before smoking one (and just one) cigarette?

Whereas coffee has been passionately shamed and blamed by health freaks, tea has always been associated with mindfulness and spirituality. But is tea really that much healthier? Here is a list of pros and cons for each of our beloved beverages.

Coffee – the drink of success

History – Legend says, a long time ago, an Ethiopian shepherd noticed his goats had become hyperactive, when eating a certain kind of berry from a tree. The word quickly spread to Yemen, where Sufi Monks used this mysterious substance to keep awake during their daily prayers. By the 16^th century, traces of coffee love have been found in the Middle East, Persia and Turkey.

Pros – Scientists suggest that coffee seeds can produce new drugs against heart diseases and, believe it or not, insomnia. Other researches have pointed out that a cup of coffee can be a valid measure to prevent liver cancer, colon cancer and even Parkinson.

 Cons – Among the 1000 and more chemicals that have been found in roasted coffee, 19 of them are carcinogenic. Remember that caffeine is a drug and has to be taken sparingly (no more than four cups a day).

Tea – the drink of mindfulness

History – Almost 2000 years BC, in the heart of China, the Emperor used to boil water under a tree. One day, some of its leaves accidentally fell into his water: he tasted it and was surprised by its pleasantness. Little by little, thanks to the trades with the East, tea became a popular beverage in Europe and, by the 17^th century, it was a fashionable drink amongst the Dutch upper class. From there, the word spread all over Europe and, finally, reached Britain.

Pros – Substances in white tea can help prevent cancer, inflammations and heart diseases. It also prevents blood clotting, Alzheimer and Parkinson.

Cons- Drinking tea too hot can increase the risk of Ephasogical cancer. Black tea may also inhibit the iron absorption in the intestines and have estrogen-like effects which have negative implications for breast and gland tumors.

So, this week, Life360 is very much concerned about its health and will drink loads of teas. Next week, it will definitely switch to coffee.

The number of people travelling for plastic surgery has more than doubled in the last decade. According to the data from Yangdu, medical tourism increased from 20 million people in 2006 to 40 million in 2012 and it’s still increasing sharply.

It’s an industry that’s now worth $100 billion, and is making a significant contribution to the world economy.

The change of aesthetic standard in Asia

Plastic surgery has become popular in Asia since the aesthetic standard has changed through the influence of American and European culture. Double-fold eyelids, big eyes, a high-bridged nose and a V-shaped face have become to the gold-standard of beauty. However, a large number of Asian people carry the gene for single-fold eyelids and a low-bridged nose which has resulted in the trend of having plastic surgery becoming a fashion.

Normally, plastic surgery is considered as a serious but rather appealing thing to most Asian women. The wish to become more beautiful and the surgery risk bother them. However, medical tourism has a slogan of ‘enjoyable travel with a new beautiful you’ that looks like a way to tackle the dilemma.

South Korea: plastic surgery heaven

The famous street of plastic surgery hospitals in South Korea

According to the report on 2^nd November 2013 from China News, the main countries involved are South Korea, Japan and Brazil. While among these countries, South Korea is the most popular country for medical tourism.

According to the South Korean embassy in China, by July 2011 medical tourism visa applications for Chinese people increased 386% when compared to 2010. According to SBS TV in South Korea, the 51 plastic surgery hospitals in Jiangnan District of South Korea received more than 11 times the number of Chinese patients than the previous year. During the Chinese New Year in 2014, South Korea received more than 80 thousand Chinese tourists and most of them booked plastic surgery.

The main reason why South Korea is so popular to patients is the influence of South Korean pop culture. A statistic released by the South Korean government shows that there are more than 4000 plastic surgeries in South Korea and 13 percent of the population have had plastic surgery.

Doing plastic surgery is very common among South Koreans. “Almost all the singers, actors and actresses have plastic surgery before they do their first show in front of the public,” said Donglin Jia, who is a trainee in SM Entertainment in South Korea. “Entertainment companies will arrange surgeries for them and this is just as normal as having a dance class.” Indeed, in the Miss Korea beauty contests in 2013, almost all the contestants had a very similar face. As for normal people in South Korea, plastic surgery is even treated as a gift for graduation or a birthday to family or friends.

The popularity of having plastic surgery in South Korea gives an impression of safety to those people who want to try and has become a label of pop culture of South Korea.

Japan: a symbol of advanced technique in Asia

a plastic surgery hospital in Japan

Compared to its widespread popularity in South Korea, medical tourism operates on a smaller scale. However, as the second biggest country for medical tourism, Japan focuses on personal service and advanced technique.

There is a common view among plastic surgery lovers that though the technique in South Korea is good, people who have plastic surgery there look similar. “ I like the eyes of a South Korean star so I decided to have eye surgery in South Korea,” said Lin Hua, a girl who had plastic surgery last year. “Before I went there, everyone told me that they can imagine what I will look like – a standard South Korean stars face.”

This is considered a shortcoming of having plastic surgery in South Korea, and those people who want a more distinguished look prefer to choose Japan. Japan is famous for the more natural look and for better customer care.

Is medical tourism really a dreamcatcher?

However, medical tourism is not exactly as the slogan claims and plastic surgery in South Korea is also not as safe as it appear to be. Though there are thousands of plastic surgery hospitals in South Korea, Japan and some other countries, and their plastic surgery industry is well-developed, there are still some unlicensed hospitals.

“It is difficult to distinguish those unqualified hospitals when you select which one should you choose,” said Zhuoyu Li, a 21 year-old Chinese girl who undertook medical tourism to South Korea. “All the ways we can get information from are the internet and the travel agency—often only the agency because we even can’t read the Korean words on the website.”

In these circumstances, the medical tourism agent plays a vital role in the process. If the hospitals that they recommend to patients are qualified and advanced, patients could have a good journey; if not, the journey could become a nightmare.

Additionally, the price for medical tourism is not cheap. For example, double-eyelid surgery only costs 1000-5000CNY(exchange rate of CNY& EUR: 1:6.89) in China, however, when you do this in South Korea it may cost 30,000-50,000CNY. “Most Chinese patients don’t care so much about the money, they care more about the result,” says Yangzi Lin, a medical tourism agent in Beijing.

Read this first, if you are an animal lover.

According to the Born Free Foundation which is a dynamic international wildlife charity, millions of animals throughout the world are kept captive for our entertainment. “Whether in zoos, circuses, animal shows or marine parks, wild animals suffer physically and mentally from the lack of freedom that captivity imposes,” said Born Free.

As decades passed, most animal-based attractions in the world are developed to offer humane and comfortable habitats for animals. However, some have a worse track record than others.

Hollywild Animal Park, South Carolina, USA

Hollywild Animal Park, located in Wellford in the US, is a non-profit animal park with a 40-plus year history. This 100-acre park has more than 500 animals, and many have appeared in films and commercials.

On 9th January 2015, a fire killed 28 animals on the park. Dr. Beverly Hargus, Hollywild’s veterinarian, said, “It is terribly tragic, but sadly, it is the kind of thing that can happen anywhere.”

John Jones, a 62-year-old traveler, visited the park on February 2015, and was less than impressed. “It was obvious that the facilities and grounds needed a lot of upgrades and renovations,” he said. “The grounds and animal facilities seem very dated, and left us wondering if the animals were getting the proper attention.”

This is not the first time that Hollywild Animal Park has been controversial. On September 2014, the U.S. Department of Agriculture  said inspectors  found rotten carcasses, animals held in unsafe enclosures, a repeated lack of veterinary care and other violations.

Phuket Zoo, Phuket, Thailand

As Phuket is the largest island in Thailand, Phuket Zoo is visited by thousands of tourists annually. It is a private zoo without government support and intervention which opened in 1997. Crocodile, monkey, and elephant shows are top attractions in this zoo.

There is fierce opposition to the zoo, including a dedicated website – Phuket Zoo, A place of Misery & Neglect. PETA Asia-Pacific, the world’s largest animal rights organization, informed and called for more people to send an e-mail to the governor of Phuket Province. “Some animals, like the elephants, are kept chained and only released from their constraints to perform in shows. Tigers and apes are reportedly drugged in order to allow patrons to have their photographs taken with them. All the animals are prevented from doing most of the things that are natural and important to them,” said PETA Asia-Pacific.

Rebecca Matthews, a traveller who once visited Phuket Zoo said, “This is the worst zoo I have ever been to. The poor tiger chained to the concrete podium everyday to have their photos with him. I was so upset. It has been on my mind ever since.”

Surabaya Zoo, Indonesia

Surabaya Zoo, also known as Kebun Binatang Surabaya, was established in 1916. It is the largest zoo in Indonesia, and one of the largest zoos in South East Asia.

Surabaya Zoo’s image is often shaped in a negative way. On the coverage of Dailymail, it was described as “the world’s cruellest zoo”. BBC News said it is “Indonesia’s ‘zoo of death’”.

The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (Waza), a group that includes 300 leading zoos and aquariums as its members, has written two letters to Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. WAZA is concerned that the situation in Surabaya Zoo is “becoming more than a single zoo issue”.

Calls to close down Surabaya Zoo endlessly appear. There was a major online petition to stop the deliberate cruelty in the Surabaya Zoo, receiving 209,794 signatures.

“Sadly, Surabaya Zoo is not the only sub-standard zoo in Indonesia, or for that matter in Asia or the world,” Senior Wildlife and Veterinary Advisor in the World Animal Protection, Dr Jan Schmidt-Burbach said. “There remains the wider issue of improving zoo and wild animal welfare through improved education, regulation and legislation,” he added.

Responsible wildlife tourism

If you want to see wildlife on your trip, then think about doing some research before you buy your ticket. A good place to start is the World Responsible Tourism awards for the best wildlife conversation projects, and make sure that your tourist money goes towards preserving and managing habitat and wildlife species.

Different culture, fresh surroundings and new relationships make working abroad an adventure. Many people are choosing to rise to the challenge.

People who want to find a job abroad may have no idea about how to get an international job before they leave their motherland. There are five popular international job hunting websites which can help you find a job in different parts of the world just at the click of a mouse!

The Global Work & Travel Co.

The Global Work& Travel Co is a British company.  It can help people from all over the world find jobs in Britain, Australia, Canada and America. The special service provided by this company is that it will get you placed into a job before you even arrive, organise airfares, and cover your back with travel insurance.

The Gap 360

This website offers work abroad in New Zealand or Canada or summer jobs in the USA. And it mentions some specific occupations they can find for you such as a paid English teacher in Asia or a sports coach, or as a professional or medical intern.

51 Job

51 Job is a very popular Chinese job hunting website in China which offers an English version for international job seekers. People first need to sign up to a new account and fulfil a resume. Then, after finding a job they are interested in they can click ‘apply’. All you need to do next is wait for the reply from the companies you applied to.

Careers in Africa

Applying for a job in Africa on this website is a simple process. When you have applied once, you will be considered for all future positions that match your profile. To apply, click on a specific role or submit your CV. You can set up an alert which will scour the Careers in Africa website for new roles periodically, and then send you any matches directly to your email inbox.

Naukri.com

Naukri is an Indian job portal operating in India and is also open to people all around the world to register and seek jobs in India. It is the No.1 Indian job site. It publishes a monthly report called Naukri JobSpeak.

Let us know which country you would like to pioneer your career.

Click here.

Miss N is a fresh Chinese counterfeit bags online seller in Beijing, who is selling fake products as a part-time job. She graduated from a Beijing college three years ago and now works for a Public Relation firm. Here is what she reveals about the market of counterfeit products.

Question: MHY (a reporter for Life 360)

Answer: Miss N (a Chinese counterfeit bags seller)

Q: Why do you sell these products as a part-time job?

A: I think it might be a good way to make money. One of my friend is doing this. So i decided to do it.

Q: How much can a seller earn each month?Can you live a good life by selling these products?
A: Some people can do really well, making thousands of yuan (hundreds of pounds) a day when business is good. It’s a bit hard for beginners. The flow of money is unstable now. I can only sell one bag every several days. But i think it will be OK.

Q: What is your newest batch of products？How much are they?
A: They are Channel Reissue, worth from 3,800 to 4,800 (about €543 to €686).

Q: According to your knowledge, who are the buyers? Are they affluent people in China?
A: Most of them are white-collar workers. They want luxury-brand stuff while they can’t afford them. But i know some of them are really rich, those who own luxury cars, like Mercedes Benz and BMW. They sometime buy authentic ones, while sometimes buy our products.

Q: In general, what is the schedule of your restocking? Is that depending on specific orders of costumers?
A: The sellers of these products are divided into several levels. The first-hand products are not available for everyone of us. Generally, the top level sellers purchase products directly from factories, but I can only stock up from other agencies.

Q: How can the factories produce exquisite products? Can you give any details?

A: Now in the market, most of the products are produced in Canton or Fujian (two southern cities in China), and small part of them is from HongKong or Taiwan. Some factories buy authentic bags and explore every parts of these bags, and then create fake products as similar to the actual bags as they can. People can’t tell the difference except if they go to the real counter to compare. High-quality counterfeit products go through complicated procedures. Some of the accessories of the bags, such as package bags and zips, are produced in different factories.The quality is really good.

Q: What do you think of the future of the market of fake products in China?

A: If the price on luxury brands remains high and Renminbi exchange rates against American dollars and Euro are stable, it is a very promising market in China. But Euro values are eroded, overseas purchasing agents can sell actual stuff in almost the same price as high quality counterfeit products. Our business was influenced.

]]> https://jomec.co.uk/life360/2015/?feed=rss2&p=299 0 https://jomec.co.uk/life360/2015/?p=269 https://jomec.co.uk/life360/2015/?p=269#comments Mon, 23 Feb 2015 16:10:59 +0000 http://jomec.co.uk/life360/2015/?p=269

Nowadays, fashion has become increasingly popular all over the world. However, since fashion emerged in the 19^th century a majority of its trends have been based on slimness.

Xiaowen Li is an ordinary Chinese university student. She is also an obese girl who has never worn fashionable clothes. She thought fashion was only suitable for skinny girls, not those like her who weigh 250 pounds. For almost 20 years, she had no courage to watch Fashion Week shows. As an obese girl, Xiaowen never thought she would get involved in fashion someday, so she never got rid of her huge shirts and trousers.

However, with the super plus-size model Velvet D’Amour becoming welcome in the fashion world, plus size models have increased in popularity in recent years. Xiaowen saw this new trend and is incredibly happy with this change.

Fashion is not only related to skinny bodies, but also relevant to obese people. Girls like Xiaowen have begun to have faith in fashion. Fashion is no longer limited to one’s physical form.

In light of this, Life360 took to the streets to ask: what do you think of the relationship between fashion and slimness?

Voxpop:

James Tompson, 27, photographer, Canada
“That is not universal. People who are interested in fashion care about their weight. Others will imitate and follow the mainstream.”

Anna Tehabsim, 35, illustrator, Cardiff
“I think that is unfair to assert this concept. Fashion does not just belong to the slimmer people. Obese people also have the opportunities to get involved in fashion.”

Laura Sorvala, 27, teacher, USA
 “Fashion always has a connection with slimness. I have never seen an obese model in the fashion week shows. It has become a usual thing.”

Xiangfang Liang, 45, vice-president of a fashion group,China
 “Models are like moving coat hangers.They display clothes on their slim bodies, so it is easier to be consider fashion as having a relationship with slimness.”

Rob Dores, 60, retired driver, Wales
 “My wife has been fashionable for 30 years since I met her. She is not as skinny as before, but I still think she is a fashionable woman.”