Message from the President
My dear friends,
“So many people enter and leave your life! Hundreds of thousands of people! You have to keep the door open so they can come in but it also means you have to let them go…” I read this once in a book and I couldn’t help but relate with such a sentiment as a new year quickly approaches and another one ends. To begin the year of 2012, I am filled with hope and optimism. It has been a wonderful year for the Ikebana Singapore Chapter and I am sure we can not only repeat but also add to the success of 2011 well into 2012.
Together with Singapore Sogetsu Association, we celebrated our annual Christmas “A Blessed Ikebana Christmas” on Dec 2nd at the Gallery Grand Hyatt hotel. It was an extremely successful event that showed beautiful friendship and love. We were all so impressed with the beautiful and awesome flower demonstration by Mrs. Kim , indeed she deserved our appreciation and admiration. This event just goes to show how everything, in this case the art of flowers, has the power to change a life for the better. A total of S$22,680 was raised and given to ‘In Her Shoes’ Organisation to help children deal with the trials of being diagnosed with cancer. It simply touches my heart at how generous and supportive everyone has been to this cause. I truly thank you for your act of kindness.
Already in our hands are numerous upcoming events I simply cannot wait for. Our Chinese New Year Lunch Celebration which will be held on January 11th at the Imperial Ballroom, Meritius Mandarin hotel. I really hope that you will be able to attend this celebration and this time we will pay tribute to the Peranakan culture with the theme “A Thousand Peonies in Blooms”. Dr Leonard Lim, the President of Ikenobo Singapore, has accepted to be our flower demonstrator to grace this special event. He is a well-respected and talented Ikenobo master and has a deep passion for floral art.
In my closing note, again, I would like to thank all members and friends of the Ikebana family for your kind support and great friendship. Let us look back on 2011 as a wonderful and lasting memory while waiting in great hope and anticipation for the wonders to come in 2012.
May God bless you with the best always.
Have a blessed and prosperous Lunar New Year.
Gong Xi Fa Cai
In friendship through flowers
Anna Kwan, President, Singapore Chapter 135
