Thanking 2012 and.... Hello 2013! (More Eating, Praying & Loving...)

Hello Mr. B !! Thank you for your blessings!

2012 has come to an end and we're all still alive and kicking, despite the Mayan predictions. The year had flown by very fast indeed. 2012 had been one helluva ride for me - with the biggest up being the move to Myanmar and the biggest down being Por Por's passing.

Having turned my glass from half empty to full, full, full since December 2010 and keeping faith despite the hardest days and times, Por Por's passing had been a big blow to my faith. But with the support and love from loved ones surrounding me, I am going through the healing process. There are certain things that I am not grasping and not understanding. And then a friend shared this on her FB wall - "The teacher will show up when the student is ready." Ahhh... so it seems I am not yet ready. I still think about Por Por all the time. Sometimes, life is also like that - and the term "take for granted" comes to mind. I miss her. I regret all the stuff I failed to do with her because I was "busy".

Moving on..... 2012's big move from Cambodia to Myanmar had obviously been a blessing. Aside from the excitement of being the pioneers in a country that has finally opened up after 50 years in seclusion, it is being able to experience first-hand the country's innocence and charms before the corruption of development comes in to ruin it all is well, a refreshing experience. Where else will you find a place where taxi drivers hunt you down to return lap tops and digital cameras left in their cabs? I think the kindness of the people here has stolen my heart somehow. Sure, Myanmar has its moments (the internet with the mood swings, the konya juice shower, the cheap trial drugs from China, the England-no-comprehend situations, the Flintstone taxis on a 40-degree afternoon, the mold season, the landlord selling the apartment and forcing us to move, the hours-long traffic jam, the spotless-crisp new USD notes requirement, the visa runs, etc..) but overall, in the last 8 months, this country has warmly welcomed both MOH and myself - with its kindness and the opportunities it offers.

Work-wise, MOH just switched jobs after being headhunted by HTC and has now joined the 'dark side'. I'm still consulting part-time for City Mart and another yet-to-be-launched brand. Whilst work has its "bang-head-on-the-wall" moments too, I've been loving everyday of it. It helps that Da Boss Woman is a reasonable person with a vision. I like that I get to learn from her too. I am also enjoying learning the ropes in the retail business - one which I've never touched before. My most exciting day was when I partaked in the 'product selection' day. You get to try them cookies and snacks and what-nots! MOH too is enjoying his new job and in actual fact, I've not seen him so motivated in the longest while. Sure, the days have been utterly busy, we were working Christmas Eve and as I write this, possibly on NY's day as well and we hardly have time for each other but we're both counting our blessings - A LOT. Again, I am reminded of this (just had to use this again, @Lynette Yee!) : "The more I give away to others - my possessions, my money, my time, myself - the more fulfilled I am and the less I lack because there is always, ALWAYS, Divine Providence. Sometimes it's just what I need, but mostly it's over and above." Thank you, Thank you, Thank you to the "powers that be".. Ok. Ok. I am still a hoarder - in more ways than one. Working on that and waiting for the "Teacher" to show up :P

Life had been good to us and especially good to us this last year and with that, we are not forgetting the people who may not have a warm blanket in the freezing winter nights. My wish to spend more time and funds on the underprivileged is realized more so this year with the love, help and support of my family and kind-hearted and generous friends. It's true that birds of a feather flock together. Or simply - it's the Law of Attraction working its magic. When I was overwhelmed by the poverty of these children who were holding on tightly to whatever little hope there was, I sent out an SOS to my friends in September 2012 for I know, I alone cannot save the world. I needed reinforcements. And reinforcements came to Yangon in different groups since October 2012. So on behalf of all the children, I say Thank You from the bottom of my heart to my friends and a special Thank You to those who have now, together with me formed part of a group called the M.A.D. Angels who are seriously hell-bent on Making A Difference to these children. Do check out our little simple website at www.madangels.net With the backing of the MAD Angels, I feel like we now have the "power" and I'm really excited about this. 2013 will be a riot with us :) (Keep an eye and a ear out for our debut Burmese-rap performance! LOL!)

On my own personal front, I know I'm still a Work-In-Progress. But I do think I'm on the happy side of the stick. I'm still learning the phrase "My Mind Is A Calm Lake" :P.... what I've been able to achieve so far is let the swearing stay in my head instead of out my mouth. On certain occasions, I've been able to turn the other cheek too. But hell, that's not my strongest point. At work is of course a totally different story. Out comes the crazy-psycho-Ramsey-biatch (so much so, even the cleaner and guards at the City Mart outlets now flash me their best smiles when they see me...!). I've also been able to let the reins go a lot more with my business in Cambodia. The boys are doing very well and I'm proud. Real proud of them. When the MTV Exit team spoke the world of them without knowing I was part of Mango Rain, I knew I was beaming with pride at said moment. :) On my fitness, some of the injuries that come with wear-and-tear (and God forbid - age!!) is getting the better of me, I know. I haven't raced at all in the whole of 2012 and I miss it. But generally, I know my endurance and stamina is hell of a lot better than most, even those who.. err... do not have a "bad habit." :P so I'm all up for a race this year! I've recently taken up Burmese martial arts called Lethwei which is something like Boxing mixed with Muay Thai and I'm training with the ex-national champion. I'm having a lot of fun, and I wonder if I'll ever compete. Ok, I just ROFL-ed after I wrote that. All in, I'm very, very thankful and grateful for a life that has treated me very well. I am blessed with good health and able-bodied to train as much as I like - even if just for fun. I am blessed with a brilliant mind that is continuously learning. I am blessed with the gentle reminders and signs from "the powers that be" to always run my life with compassion. Most of all, I am blessed with so much love surrounding me always and I am blessed with the freedom to do whatever I like. I'm working on making sure that freedom is being put to good use.

Oh - I am also always blessed with food on my table. Not just my table - my fridge and my pantry too! Funny this - when the movers came to help us move, they made a few very keen observation - I have more food than I have of other belongings and that MOH has more clothes and shoes than I. I guess, I just love eating. Clothes - I don't care too much for :) And I if I can eat, so too can others.

Talking about eating, I'm still learning to deal with the guilt of indulging myself and then thinking about some of the kids who got ONE egg each as a Christmas present - and that was such a big deal. Earlier in the year, while I was with the kids in Cambodia, I read this : "In our wish to help, more often than not, we react emotionally and end up getting carried away by our feelings. At times, we emphatize so completely with what someone is going through that we subject ourselves to the same distress (OMG. So true). So instead of one person suffering, now there are 2 miserable persons. Instead of reacting emotionally, we need to learn to temper our compassion with wisdom. Then we will know better how to help others." This was like the 'excuse' I needed to reward myself ever so often with my favourite foods or book or whatever it is that makes me tick :P It's still rather hard though, not to feel guilty when I eat 3 eggs or buy new clothes or have a 5-star dinner. And I have forbade myself to buy anymore slippers (since I do have stock all the way till 2030 CNY!). I think the lesson here is to share the great abundances that I have in my life. Whichever and whatever ways that I can. This is like a classic example of the more I give, the more I receive. (refer "divine providence" paragraph above. Haha!)

With the New Year, there's all that positivity in the air as people embark on a fresh page to their lives and wait for whatever 2013 unfolds for them. From that, people make New Year's resolutions too. I have some to make as well.

I have been praying for 731 days now and I shall continue doing so - if at all, just for guidance, for strength,for wisdom and for unwavering faith (and the occasional miracles - I just have to believe it). I shall surround myself with positive people and offer those who need some with my positivity. I shall continue eating and feeding others. I shall continue loving with all of my heart and my soul and make compassion the number one rule in my life (except when it comes to household chores :P - and MOH and I have both finally relented and gotten ourselves a part-time cleaner! After all, it's part of his work package...! But I do like the part-time cleaner and I pray she is realy 37 yrs old like she said she is, and not 16!!! I would kill myself if she was lying!!). I shall spend more time with my family when I make home trips and I know my true friends and trusted business partners would understand this not because I've displaced the importance of my businesses but because I've set other priorities in my life. Most importantly, in all that I do, however big or small, I shall endeavour to Make A Difference that is for the better and make sure I continue having the right reasons to do what I do. And so, I shall continue working on my WIP status. I also intend to make a trip to Namibia this year for a month-long voluntary work. I'm gonna start saving now :) 

With that, here's an Italian "Cin-Cin" to a super-awesome 2013 for all!
You have to Believe It to See It.

p/s : To some of my FB friends who have made the effort to play the snail-mail game with me - I will pledge USD10 to the children for every snail mail I receive. :)

pp/s : I cannot wait till CNY. I will be home with family :)  

Life in Myanmar : A Historical Concert



Jason Mraz - in a T-shirt that says
Slavery Sucks

Wow! Time flies indeed and I’ve been in the Golden Land for 8 months now. The last couple of months have been busy – both on the work-front as well as the visitors-front J And with the rapid pace of development in Myanmar, I can only assume that things will get busier and therefore, time will whizz by faster!

Over the weekend of December 16^th 2012 to be exact, Myanmar was the stage
for the historical MTV EXIT (www.mtvexit.org ) concert held at the People’s Square in Yangon. Organized by MTV EXIT – an award-winning multimedia initiative to raise awareness and increase prevention of human trafficking and exploitation, the concert aims to raise awareness and educate the public about the dangers of human trafficking and encourages all to take part in ending modern day slavery.

This would be the 3^rd time I am involved with the MTV EXIT efforts – twice
in Cambodia (via my own business) and now in Myanmar as a sponsor (City Mart is the Distribution Partner for the concert tickets). MOH, was even luckier – this is his second time being involved in the concert on a behind-the-scene role. I consider us lucky to be a part of fighting the rights to be FREE and to end exploitation – a cause which I am strongly in support of.

Human trafficking is a tragic crime that enslaves and exploits its victims, the majority of which are women and children. According to statistical figures, there are more than 20 million people living in slavery around the world with Myanmar and Southeast Asia particularly affected. Knowing the message was an important one, I decided to bring the children from the centres where I volunteer to go for the concert. Unfortunately (and perhaps very fortunately!), we only took the kids who were above 15 years old to the concert. Given the expected 100,000 crowd, we were not taking chances of any 5 year-olds going missing!  

And thus, the Big Day arrived. I was lucky – I had a sponsor-pass. The kids had the general admission tickets. Nevertheless, we all made plans to meet early at the entrances. Roads were closed and Yangon traffic came to a standstill. At 2pm, the queue for the concert was already miles long. But all these lovely people of Myanmar waited in excitement under the scorching sun. Thank God it is the cold season now or we would all have passed out from the heat! We briefed the children and all the big-hearted volunteers on the entrance plans, the exit plans and the in-case-we-lose-each-other plans. It was a good thing we did because as we shoved and pushed our way through the entrance, I did successfully lose ALL of the kids and the volunteers eventually! You see, I think the organizing team for the crowd management and logistics did a pretty bad planning job. The crowds pushed past the barricades and gates as everyone wanted the best standing spot in the house! Trust me, they actually did a much better job in Cambodia! And the phone lines were also deliberately jammed as well – another very bad idea considering the crowd-size. Maybe they had reasons of their own (interference), but for people like me who was frantically trying to call the volunteers and looking for the kids, it was not funny at all. Anyway, as you read this, all 100 kids that we brought to the concert had been accounted for at the end of the day and sent back to their respective homes safely – a great THANK YOU to the team of local volunteers for their efforts!!  

The concert production and programming was splendid though. 70-crew members were flown in to set-up the stage, the lighting and the sound (definitely not a locally-produced concert!). With the shimmering Shwedagon Pagoda as the backdrop, the entire stage looked magnificent. The concert started at 5.30pm as promised and the performances went through seamlessly. The best of the best in Myanmar performed. It was clear as hell that the local artists were all very, very, VERY well-loved by the people of Myanmar. They sang their hearts out to songs (and rapped too!) by Chan Chan, Sai Sai, Chut Htu Wai, Lynn Lynn, Pyo Gyi, R. Zarni and Phyu Phyu Kyaw Thein (the latter two are MTV EXIT Celebrity Ambassadors). I have to say, for someone who is still struggling with the Burmese language, the local artists, their voices and their songs were all brilliant. In fact, I am now in lurve with R. Zarni :) At the concert, R.Zarni also debuted “Traps Of Live”, a powerful song and music video about a survivor of human trafficking struggling to reintegrate into their community. Of course, I have it on mp3 now. If you asked any locals about the song, they would say, “It gave you goosebumps.”

Thailand’s top rock band – The Slot Machine got the crowd to party like a rock star to the tunes of their rock hits. Ok, it was no mean-feat to head-bang in a sardined crowd. (I even managed to take a photo with them after the concert!) In between the performances, there were speeches by the US Ambassador, Australian Ambassador, Walk Free CEO, ASEAN, UNIAP and MTV EXIT CEO. There were also videos and documentaries on human-trafficking and the issues surrounding it. Most importantly – the hotline number to call in Myanmar if one suspects someone is being trafficked, enslaved or is trafficking.

Towards 8pm, the crowd was getting a little more impatient and chants of “Jason! Jason! Jason!” echoed throughout the square. And finally, 45 minutes past 8pm, an absolutely good-looking Jason took to the stage in casual jeans and a T-shirt that says ‘Slavery Sucks’ and greeted all with a “Mingalabar Yanngggonnnn!!”. And where was I? 7-inches away from him – drooling :) Jason Mraz made history as the first international artist ever to perform in Myanmar and at such a massive-sized outdoor concert at that too. With his signature guitar slung across his shoulder throughout his 1-hour performance, he enthralled his Burmese fans with hits from his latest album – ‘Love Is A Four Letter Word’ such as ‘The Freedom Song’, ’93 Million Miles’, ‘Living In The Moment’, and ‘I Won’t Give Up’. Fans were singing along, clearly mesmerized by the sight of a real-live international artist (and his good looks!) Phyu Phyu Kyaw Thein made a surprise appearance on stage much to the delight of all and together with Jason, sang ‘Lucky’ with the local artist singing the Burmese version of the song. But when Jason strummed his guitar to the tune of ‘I’m Yours’, that was when the crowd went into a frenzy – and sang.

It was a super-awesome 5-hour concert and the evening’s weather of 19 degrees was absolutely splendid. Yes, the concert was amazing, the artists were entertaining but the message behind it was serious indeed. When Jason said this on stage : “My family gave me a home… A home where I was FREE to do whatever I wanted to do and to be whoever I wanted to be….” the message resonated in my heart. I was brought up in an environment that gave me love and the freedom to do what I wanted to do with my life and to be whoever I wanted to be. It is only right that I used that FREEDOM to help others be FREE and stay FREE.

Say NO to human-trafficking and put a stop to modern day slavery, y’all!

Human Trafficking is defined by the United Nations as “the recruitment, transportation, and receipt of a person for sexual or economical exploitation by force, fraud, coercion, or deception” in order to make a profit. It is a form of modern-day slavery with the UN estimating that there are more than 20 million people living in slavery around the world, with the majority of these victims in Asia and the Pacific. It is the second-largest illegal trade after drugs, with criminal traffickers earning over US$32 billion every year through the buying and selling of human beings. Often, victims are young men and women – who are guilty only of wanting a better life.

 For more information and to take action : www.walkfree.org

Life in Myanmar : Trying To Do My Part

Some of the children at Nano Monastery.
Look! No slippers!

Mingalabar!

Myanmar is getting busier and busier! And now that the much anticipated, hyped and talked-about FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) law has finally come to pass, the rapid development of this beautiful country will continue (I think rapid might be understating the growth rate in this country!). I also realized that articles I had written in the past about “Life in Myanmar” may be a little obsolete now. More foreigners are entering the country and I’m no longer so odd-looking to the locals anymore.  With the sanctions being lifted and the newly re-elected President Obama planning a visit end November, things are looking up for this country. As most locals would tell me : “Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam have had their days. Now it’s our turn.” Indeed!

But while the country continues growing and developing, I hope people who have come into Myanmar looking for the path paved with gold do not forget that there are those who are not living as privileged a life as we do. I’ve been passionate about helping the underprivileged while I was doing time in Cambodia (LOL!). MOH and I were volunteering back then at an orphanage for HIV+ children. We did that for 4 years before we uprooted and came over to the Golden Land. I was adamant to continue doing that in Myanmar and my hunt got me introduced to Friends of the Children of Myanmar (FCM) and onwards to a few orphanages based in the outskirts of Yangon.

When I first took a look at one of the orphanages, I was shocked, actually. I had thought the conditions in Cambodia were poor, but when I saw the orphanages here, it was beyond poor. It was… the dumps, for a lack of a better word. I’ve been volunteering for the past 5 months at the Life Garden Home and will soon start at the Nano Monastery as well – one of the poorest monasteries I have seen (and there could be more which are in even worse dire straits!).

Since I am not a qualified teacher, what I do is spend time with the children and do recreational activities with them like cooking, music, teaching them the Sudoku, dictionary word hunt, sand art, etc. For me, these sessions are actually real fun. But what is most rewarding is the fact that the children want to learn, are eager to learn. Sometimes, my session is disrupted by visitors or power-cuts and even with only 15-20mins left, they would still say “Sister, there is still 20 minutes left, teach us please.”

Initially, I was questioning why I did what I did all these while. I wasn’t so sure I was making a difference by volunteering weekends or by the occasional donation of dry ration and snacks. But later on, I realized that I am a connection for these children to an outside world that they are not familiar with. They know a circle that revolves only around school and the home. Nothing else. Their circle of friends is the same day in, day out. And then I realized that my constant and consistent presence in their lives have given them hope and have made them realized that someone actually cares. So for the children, whether in Cambodia or Myanmar, they wait eagerly for MOH and I every weekend. When we first started in Cambodia, we didn’t realize the importance of our presence and therefore when we missed a weekend, we didn’t think much about it. It was not till later that we were told the children get disappointed and asked for us. So now, I always give advanced warning if I had to miss my sessions with the kids. One learns everyday, huh? Unless I was out of the country, I made sure I was there come rain, flood, storm or even when I’m coughing my lungs out (though this can’t be very smart, eh? In case I infect the children!)

Anyway, when I saw the heart-breaking conditions of some of the orphanages here in Myanmar, I was overwhelmed by the poverty that the children live in. Not enough food, not enough mattresses, not enough beds, not enough clothes, no slippers, … the list goes on. Due to sanctions in the past, aid hardly reached any of the poor. I realized : “Holy Sxxx! How can I help them all by myself??” I mean, whilst half of what I earn goes back to helping the poor children, I can hardly see my dollars stretching to help over 200 kids! As such, I sent out an SOS to all my friends. (You can read my note here at the link below)

My SOS Note

The response to my little note was way beyond what I imagined. As they say, charity always begins at home and so, Mama & Papa came over with cash including that from my brother. My bro’s in-laws immediately worked on gathering stuff and a full box of clothes and all had arrived Yangon last month (though for some frustrating reasons, there was a customs“penalty fee” for what, I don’t know). Then my business partners and friends raised funds and they flew over personally to visit the kids and hand out the goodies. With some other friends, we pooled our dollars together and we managed to save one of the orphanages from eviction. I’ve even got friends all the way in Australia raising funds for this as well. And what’s more? I’ve still got friends lined up now for a visit to Yangon, to the orphanages – all the way till February 2013! I’m very excited that they are visiting and even more excited that they share my cause.

I am very thankful for their big-hearts. On behalf of the children, I wish to say Thank You to them all. I’m trying to save the world one kid at a time. But with these big-hearted and kind-hearted people whom I am honoured to call friends, I hope we can now all save maybe ten kids at a time :)

I was only disappointed that not many in Yangon responded to my SOS call. And they live so near. Only a group of my colleagues with hearts of gold made the rounds to personally deliver goodies too. But who knows? Maybe with more foreigners flocking in now, there’ll be more kindness in this country. With sanctions being lifted, hopefully aid will soon arrive. But I do hope that the government AND the NGOs alike will be responsible enough to think about sustainability. We do not need Myanmar to become another Cambodia (for 30 years, the NGO had basically ruined Cambodia!).  Even though this may be a hardship posting for many, once Myanmar overcomes the accommodation problems, I hope NGO workers will no longer be required to live in USD3,000/month apartments. With USD3,000/month, I can feed many, many, many children.

Less we forget sometimes (myself guilty too!) – we all have the luxury of complaining about the internet, complaining about eating leftovers, complaining about the leak in the damn roof, complaining about the maid not doing a good job, complaining about the chicken served at that restaurant being too dry…. do just remember that there are others out there who don’t have that luxury.

That’s something to think about till the next time round, folks!

This article is also available on Vanity Shack :)

Teaching the children how to cook pasta using firewood. Aiyaya!
Grandma will be so proud of me!!

MOH teaching the children with Flash Cards :)

A Letter To Heaven

Dearest Por Por,

It's been 19 days since you left us. And it's still very difficult for me to accept that you are no longer around. Everyday, my mind goes back to that one afternoon, 3 months ago, that I spent with you. I had no idea at that time that, it would be my last afternoon with you. Do you remember? We took so many photos and videos on my iPad and you kept saying I was so clever! You are the only one who said I was clever with the iPad.

I'm sorry, Por Por. I haven't at all spent too much time with you. For one, my excuse was always work. Whenever I come back to KL, my schedule is hectically busy. I really regret now. I should've taken the time out to take you to Colmare like I've always wanted to. Or to take you on the commuter train ride. I always told myself that I'd do it on my "next trip" back to KL. Obviously, it is too late now and my heart is in pain thinking about all the lost moments. Thinking about the time that I will never get to spend with you again. I still cannot believe that afternoon was to be my last with you. In a way, I'm glad I had that opportunity. But it is never enough. I think that no matter how much time one has with a loved one, when they are gone, there's always that void. A void that can only heal over time, I guess.

Por Por, many friends and loved ones have offered their condolences. But sometimes, I wonder if they only say things we want to hear. That you are in a better place now, that this is for the better rather than you suffering all alone, that you are reunited with Kung Kung. I mean, who the hell knows, right? Will you be able to tell me? Please? Did you really get to see Kung Kung? Can you tell him that I miss him very much too? Sometimes, I wonder too, if we belief what we hear simply to make ourselves feel better. My mind is seriously doing a number on me. There are days that I believe that you are smiling down on me, hand-in-hand with Kung Kung. And then, there are days that I just am not sure if that is true.

I prayed very hard for you when I found out that your illness had taken a turn for the worse. Both mornings, at the oceanfront of Phuket island, I prayed. And just like my prayers for Kung Kung 19 years ago, it came to nothing. I don't get why, because I thought I was doing so well with my prayers and my faith for the last 2 years. Or was it that you just simply had enough? Were you just too tired to fight on? 

I can't imagine how it feels to be immobile and needing help even to do something as simple and as necessary as going to the bathroom. I'm sorry, Por Por. I was never really there to help you through this. I was a coward because I hated seeing you so helpless. In my tiny little head, you were always the Por Por who accompanied me on my first roller-coaster ride when no one else would. The Por Por who made excellent curries and spicy sambal belacan and all the Hakka pork dishes. I just simply hated seeing you so helpless and because there was nothing I could do about it, I blocked it from my head. I didn't want to cry everytime I saw you. And now, I am beating myself up because I am so sorry. Just awfully sorry that I didn't spend more time with you. And it's even too late now to tell you all of these!

The morning I received your bad news, I was shocked because I had just come back from saying my prayers on the beachfront. So, it was hard to believe. I keep going back to the prayers I said that morning. Where did I go wrong?? But since the whole family, yourself included had always brought me up to be a responsible person, I stayed on in Phuket to finish what was promised to the client - which was my presence. On hindsight, the morning when you were ill, just before I left for Phuket, I should've canceled my trip and stayed back in KL. Do you remember? You couldn't recognize anyone else, except me? It breaks my heart too, to know that when you left, you were all alone at the hospital. Were you afraid or were you happy? I should've been there. I should've.

And then your leaving had just got me thinking - you know, I spend a lot of time away from home, my family and loved ones and when I am back in KL, there's a lot of work meetings that I need to attend to and catch up on and families and loved ones are always taken for granted - in other words, not given first priority in my schedule. I do try to allocate more time and more days to be with Mom and Dad, family, etc. But actually, how much time is enough? I don't even know now where to strike the balance. Used to be in my head that everyone will be around forever. Believe you me, that is one of the prayers that I say diligently everyday. Since I know I can't deal with the loss of a loved one well, I had always prayed that everyone lives longer than me. And we both know what happened to my prayers for you :( I swear to you, there must be a whole chapter in Mr.B's teachings that I had failed to understand. I think it's that chapter about detachment.

I don't know, Por Por. I miss you so very much. I just do. Even when you were around, I used to think about you everyday and I would SMS or email Mom or Ah Yee to see how you're getting on. And it pains me now that when I think about you, I actually have no freaking clue how are you really getting on. On certain days, this pain is unbearable. But I guess, just like with Kung Kung and Ah Kung, I will heal, in time. We just don't know when. Do you know?

For now, I understand the concept of these three little words : "Life Goes On." I'm ok. Work is keeping me busy (again, with the work right? But I need it to keep me sane too though some days, I am losing my focus as well) and the good thing is that Mom & Dad are here in Yangon with me. I think I need family around at this moment and I dread to think that they will be leaving in exactly one week's time.

Right now, I need to believe that you WILL get this letter of mine. That you will know what's in my head and in my heart. That you are well, at peace and reunited with Kung Kung. That I would give anything to have one last conversation with you. All that I want to say cannot possibly be said in just one letter alone, Por Por.

I miss you so much, Por Por.

Love,
Eileen

 

Life in Myanmar : Prepping For Visitors

This post is also available on Vanity Shack here

The Majestic Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon

_______________________

Greetings from The Golden Land!

Well, in view of friends and families who have committed to make trips here to visit Yangon and even friends who will be participating in the Yangon Marathon next January, I’ve decided that for this article, I’d give a few tips about traveling in Yangon. I hope this will help, but be clear – I’ve only been here 3 months!

To start with, the best way in exploring a country is via food – but of course! Myanmar is vast and with 135 officially recognized ethnic groups, you’ll find yourself in cuisine haven – that is if you find it. MOH and I make it a point to try a new place every weekend (since we cook 6 days a week as it is thriftier that way!) and we’re still working our way through Yangon. I don’t think we’d cover the entire Yangon in even a year, let alone 3 months. But we want to be ready when Anthony Bourdain makes his way here. LOL!! There’s Burmese cuisine, other local ethnic cuisines, Thai, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, French, American, Italian, Indian….etc…. I think we’ve made a few blunders and also a few awesome discoveries. Below are some favourite local cuisine haunts of ours which we do visit over and over again. They’re all in the cheap to mid-range budgets J I also just realized that I cannot possibly list down all our favourite places otherwise, this article will be never-ending!

Shan Noodle 999
130B, 34^th Street (Mid Block)

- I am biased as I am a noodle person. The Shan Noodle in salad dressing is my absolute favourite. And it only costs 1,000 kyats per bowl (USD1 = 860 kyats). And then there’s also the Yellow Rice with Tomato Paste. Yummos! Plus – one of the waiter there is seriously cool and does this whole ‘show and tell’ thing with the pepper shaker J

Malihku Restaurant
68, Myae Ni Gone Zay Street, Sanchaung Township
Tel : +951 527 699

- this place serves traditional Kachin food (yes, the state currently still in civil war) and they are all good. We’ve literally ordered up the entire menu because the menu isn’t varied. Errr…. And it’s not in English either. But they do provide you with little handheld fans in case it gets hot J

Min Lan
Inya Lake (Near Tadar Phyu Bus Stop), Kamayut Township
Tel : +95 9 7311 8696

- serves Rakhine food (how awful is it that our favourite food in Myanmar are mainly from states that are in a state of unrest??). Mostly seafood and they’re really good and fresh. But I think I come here more for the chilli sauce since it is pretty awesome kick-arse chilli sauce. The first time, the waitresses were so amused with me enjoying my chilli kick that they gave me some to take home!

House of Memories
290, U Wisara Road, Kamayut Township
Tel : +951 534 242

-  don’t let the creepy colonial façade or the dimly-lit interiors fool you. The menu ranges from Thai, Burmese to European. I love their Burmese food. Have not tried the others. The Pork Curry with Mango is a – oh-la-la! Top that with their Tomato Rice and you’ll be a happy camper. I hope. Oh – you should also ask the waiters to show you Bogyoke Aung San’s ex-office. I think they’ll gladly do so. Feel free to take pictures! The locals – they are proud of their General.

 

Sein Lann So Pyay
Inya Road, Sein Lann So Pyay Garden, Kamayut Township
Tel : +951 502 720

- This is a really nice lakeside restaurant where you do a spot of al fresco dining. I love the Century Egg Salad here. It is the same lake in which that American dude swam in. If the weather is good and the mossies are not around, this’ll be nice for visitors. It costs 500 kyats for entrance fee.

 

There’s also all the superb street food that you can find – especially in Chinatown. MOH and I are seasoned for a street side bowl of sticky rice noodles or tau foo fa or grilled meats and stuff. We’re not too sure about you guys. Worse case – bring your own diarrhoea medication and pop a shot of brandy before you head for the street food, eh?

** Most restaurants and local tea shops (much like the mamak stalls) offer free tea. But the cups are actually, not washed. You share them with whoever takes a drink from there. You can choose to rinse it yourself or simply just pass up on the free tea. Or better yet – bring your own cup!


For those who crave Western food – worry not. There are most of the expat joints like 50^th Street Café, Sharky’s, etc. But why would you travel all the way to Myanmar and have pizza instead of Mohinga?? I also highly recommend the Pickled Tea Leaf salad. Most restaurants serve this on the menu, the really locals one serve this for free at the end of your meal or you can purchase them at the supermarkets. They’re really good.

Moving About in Yangon


Taxis are few and far in between. Just kidding!!! There are millions of taxis in Yangon and it is pretty easy to flag one down. Most of the taxis are in dilapidated condition and I have had my fair share of “Flintstone Rides” (taxis with holes on the floor of the cab!!). There are some taxis which I’ve boarded and I feel like we’re never going to make the journey! But in the short span of 3 months that I’ve been here, there’s been a huge influx of brand new taxis, especially the China-made Cherry. There was a bit of a news scare for the Cherry about a month ago as they were said to be emitting poisonous gas. But that has been cleared and people are continuing to use them. My regular taxi driver has a brand new Toyota (what model – don’t ask me. I’m not a car person!!) and he turns the AC on – which is a great plus point. Most taxis – even the new ones do not turn on the AC, even on the hottest day of your life :P So, welcome to Myanmar.


There is no meter taxis – even if there is, they don’t use it. So, confirm the price of your ride before you get in. More often than not, the taxi drivers would offer a pretty reasonable rate at the start. Some will try their luck with you – especially if you’re a foreigner. The trick is to try to negotiate the price down by 500 kyats. Depending on where you are and where you want to get to, if you’re staying within the downtown area and close by townships, the fare would range from 1,500kyats to 3,000 kyats. And there’s no difference between a new taxi or a ‘going-to-fall-apart-any-minute’ taxi.


Please also note that sometimes, because passengers are scarce due to competition (millions of taxis in town), even if you tried to negotiate for 1,000 kyats off the fare, some drivers would relent and ferry you anyway. In this instance, please understand that they are trying to make ends meet. Some of them don’t own the taxis, they merely rent it. What I’m saying is be fair. Negotiate your price and if you feel the distance was actually longer than what you paid, provide a tip! Some taxi drivers would actually return the tip to you, thinking you’ve overpaid – even though they know they’ve made a lost on your sale.

In so far that I’ve been here, I’ve only met 1 taxi driver who tried to take me for a ride. The rest are pretty nice and honest. We’ve had once, where we entered the taxi and the driver said “I’m sorry. I’m not a professional driver. Today is my first day at work.” That was hilarious! I tipped him extra for his honesty and told him not to say that anymore! LOL! And my regular taxi guy – is an absolute darling J


If you’re really brave, you could attempt to take the bus or the taxi trucks (much like a larger version of the tuk-tuks). I’ve taken both once each. The language barrier poses a problem because I have no idea what the conductor is shouting and before you can even ask, he’d shove you up the bus. When you want to ask him about the next stop, before you even finish the sentence, he’d have shoved you off the bus. MOH thinks if I ever take the bus alone, I’d end up in Mandalay! :P

I’ve also taken the “Sy Ka” – which is the 2-person trishaw (excluding the trishaw man). It was fun, although one really must know how to use their core muscles to stay in the seat! But I think the trishaw guy must have some pretty strong legs. Really. He’d win the cycling leg of the triathlon any time.

Things To See, Places to Shop….  

Shwedagon Pagoda – I highly recommend this to any visitors. It may be crowded, but for me, there’s a sense of calmness despite the crowd. I can see the Shwedagon from my balcony and it is from here that I pray for good internet connection every day. Generally, you will notice that the locals will pray to the site of the pagoda without needing to go into it. Once, a taxi driver was ferrying us and when he passed the pagoda, he lifted both hands off the wheels and prayed. I held my breath and lived to tell the tale. The locals are a very religious bunch and just respect that. The entrance fee to the pagoda is USD5 for foreigners. You can try to hide, but the staff would hunt you down. And do you really want to cheat at a holy place? Think not.

 

Because this is such a religious country, there are numerous, if not hundreds of pagodas in the city, not including the monasteries. The Sule Pagoda is another popular landmark pagoda. There are also other things to do like catching the Circular Train or the River Cruise, but MOH & I have not done that, intending to do the touristy rounds only when visitors come so we don’t end up doing it a hundred times or so. So at the moment, I am in no position to write about these. But feel free to look up Lonely Planet about them J We’ve actually been told to give the museums a miss however, the Yangon Zoological Garden has been highly recommended.

Bogyoke Aung San Market – this is the market of all markets in town for trinket shopping. Myanmar is well known for her gemstones and such. I do not shop for gemstones and cannot tell between a fake and a real one. But if you do – this is the place for shopping for them diamonds, sapphire and rubies.

My landlady happens to own a shop here :  (but she speaks almost no English)

MTM Myat Diamond & Jewellery
No. 43, West (D) Block, Bogyoke Aung San Market.

Groceries shopping and daily needs – you’ll definitely have to do it at City Mart – the largest retail chain in town J Yangon is also shopping mall capital – we’ve been going to a new mall every weekend as well (not new, new, but new as in, we’ve not been there) and we still haven’t worked our way through all the shopping malls in town. It ranges from your Sg Wang-type malls to your Subang Parade malls. We haven’t had the chance to see if there’s any that matches up to One U or Pavillion. For ladies, consider this city your next shopping haven.

Kyats (pronounced ‘Chets’) is the legal currency here though some of those posh hotels and pretentious restaurants do accept USD – provided your USDs are crisp, clean and free of any markings or dirt or mold, for that matter. (Rumour has it, some MDs for banks are specially hired to sit at the desk, from 9am – 5pm just to go through each and every note with an eagle’s eye)

Speaketh The England…?

Most locals would understand English, though they may not speak it. They don’t speak because they are shy to do so. On the occasion where they do not understand English, there’s always that game of charades that you can play with them to get your point across. So good luck with that! ;)

A few words in Burmese would help though – and I’m writing them as how it should be pronounced :

Hello – Mingalabar!               Thank You – Chezu Tim Ba Deh                          Chilli – Ngay Yoke Di

Look Out….. !

While Yangon is generally very safe (safer than KL now, *snort*) and it is perfectly fine to be wandering about at nights or in the wee mornings and snatch thefts are unheard of, it is still wise to practise some caution and common sense. You know, like keeping an eye on your belongings all the time, etc. Because of late, I’ve heard locals complain that some thieving has been rampantly going on. I am not sure if they simply do not disturb the foreigners or…. but – just be mindful at all times.


When walking on the roads – you MUST, MUST, MUST be careful of the traffic and the cars. The drivers here tend to be a little crazy and overzealous. The number of cars on the road have increased tremendously only over the last couple of years. In fact, in a short span of a month, when it usually takes me 20 minutes to get to work, it now takes me 30 – 45 minutes! Along most roads, there are side pavements meant for people on foot, however, these are like booby traps. A hole here, a wriggly cover there… you just never know. So keep one eye on the road literally and the other eye on the vehicles. For runners – as mentioned, the roads are stretches of booby traps. Whilst it is nice to be able to run outdoors without worrying about robbers and muggers, the road condition doesn’t really suit. I’m injured as it is. However, there is the Kandawgyi Lake Park which has a nice walkway for running. You pay 500 kyats for the entrance fee to the park.

One thing you need to be wary of – Myanmar is a whole big betelnut-chewing community. You might want to look out for people spitting betelnut juice – especially out of the buses’ windows. If you’re not careful, you might be one of the unlucky ones to have betelnut spit spraying all over you. That would be plain gross! Sometimes, the locals might talk to you with a whole mouth full of betelnut juice. I’m just simply amazed that they are able to do that without spewing betelnut spittle all over me! LOL!

 

Communication Devices

Maxis doesn’t roam here. Neither does Axiata or Digi or whatever.  As far as I know, nothing roams here and international text messaging does not work either (at least not for Malaysian telcos). So, you can forget about your phone when you get here. Having said that, things are changing so rapidly in this country, you just never know. You could call Maxis or Celcom and check with them J If you really, really need to be connected to the rest of the outside world, mobile phones can be rented at the airports for a lot of cash. And heads-up to BB users – these don’t work here either.

For those who need to check their mails, update their FB statuses or tweet their Burmese meals to their friends, internet IS available, albeit a tad slow. Some restaurants and cafes offer free WIFI services. The fastest would actually be at Trader’s Hotel – go order a USD5 cup of coffee and you may use their WIFI. Internet cafes are also available, but even their connection isn’t reliable at times. When the connection is not great, sometimes, the shop owners don’t even bother charging you. You pay averagely 500 kyats per hour at the internet café.

But since you’re on a holiday and not living here like me…. the internet (or lack-of) should not bother you!  

 

Travelling around Myanmar

 

This is obviously the best time to explore all that Myanmar has to offer as she is still ‘virginal’ in many ways. Do you know that it snows in Myanmar? Yes, it does! Currently, I am not the best person to tell you about travelling around Myanmar since MOH and I have yet to get that chance (waiting for the next long break!!) But my parents have done so and have come back full of praises for all they have seen and met during their 10-day tour of Myanmar.

I do advise though for travellers wishing to visit other places in Myanmar to check with a travel agent. This is because some states are not opened to foreigners, whilst others may require special permits which need to be applied in advanced.

 

Do also plan your trip well-ahead and make your bookings as early as possible since most of the popular places like Bahan, Inle, Ngapali (The Hawaii of the Orients!!!) are actually pretty full all the way till March 2013!

 

I am recommending two local travel agencies here – both of which services have been tried and tested J

Asiantour Travel (Myanmar) Co. Ltd
Tel : +95 1 500 062 / +95 9 511 2006 / + 95 9 513 3958
Email : asiantourmyanmar@gmail.com
Website : www.asiantour-myanmar.com

 

Glittering Tours
Tel : +951 539 507 / +95 9 4732 2277

Email : samuelbawm@gmail

 

Please be mindful that due to credit card facilities being unavailable at the moment (at time of publishing, that is) the local travel agents operate base on trust. It is obviously inconvenient for them to take a deposit from you, but most of the time, they may still be required to pay a deposit to the hotels or transport that they book on your behalf, depending on their operational framework. You don’t want to be stranded, neither do they.

 

So, don’t wait – travel prices to Myanmar will only soar. Even transportation rental price differs from one week to the other!

 

Wear….

You’re travelling, so you should aim to travel light. This is tropical weather after all. It does get cooler around November to December – which is supposedly the cold season. Now that the rainy season (July – September and I have not known another country with so much rain!!) is coming to an end, the weather is starting to get hot again. And it is not just hot, it gets seriously humid too. The worse heat happens from March to May, which is the hot season.

 

I think what you wear is generally common sense – you know, when visiting the holy places, let’s not bare too much skin. If you’re traveling to Northern Myanmar during the cold season, bring along a jacket. Nothing the seasoned traveller won’t know about. J  

 

Before You Depart…..

 

Finally – make sure you’ve got your visas done. It is not visa-free country, ok! The last I checked – Visa-On-Arrival is only for Business Visas, not for Tourist Visas. Air Asia’s website links you to the Myanmar E-Visa website – where you can get your E-Visa done pretty easily over the course of 5-working days. If that’s not your cup of tea, just go stand in line at the Myanmar Embassy. My best advice is to check on the visa statuses as the policies also changes as the country prepares to welcome more investors and visitors.

 

Don’t forget to iron your USDs and make sure they’re perfect and clean. But you can sure as hell forget about your mobile phones. Just come with a sense of adventure and survival instincts. Oh, and your camera, of course.

 

So with that, folks, I welcome you to Myanmar J

Life in Myanmar : Embracing Her Culture

** This post is also due to appear on Vanity Shack sooooon!

Don't we look royale? :)

Mingalabar!  

Last week, MOH and I did something rather crazy to celebrate our 3^rd year wedding anniversary – our first celebration in Yangon. We went to get some wedding portraitures done in full traditional Myanmar costumes – along with the headgear and make-up and a fake bun. Oh – and not forgetting the Myanmar props too. It wasn’t really planned. We were doing our usual Sunday walkabout in town and stumbled across the photo studio and at the spur of the moment, we decided to do it.

It was actually rather fun – despite the fact that I do have problems with make-up and I insisted on not having any hairspray for my … err fake bun. The outcome was some pretty funny wedding portraits of the both of us. What was even more joyful was the fact that the entire crew was simply delighted that we did this. This donning of their traditional costumes and taking wedding photos – wedding is a really big thing here in Myanmar. The crew was excited, chattering away and bringing out all the selection of jewelleries, fake buns no exception.

MOH got dressed in the traditional men's attire – a silk longyi, specifically the taung shay longyi, a long sleeve stiff collared shirt, the head-dress known as the gaung baung, complete with matching velvet slippers. And the girls dressed me up rather excitedly in matching htain-me-thein, which is a three-piece ensemble consisting of the angyi (top blouse) and the longyi. Instead of a veil, the Myanmar women have a shawl that is hand-stitched with the finest blings you can imagine. Of course, for the photo shoot, it was just bling-bling. I don’t think it would matter too much if I, say… accidentally dropped one of the crystals from my blouse or my shawl. Apparently, the sparkly effects of the blings are pretty important for the brides here.

Now, there were 3 other groups of customers at the studio the other day and when they saw us elegantly dressed in the full traditional get-up, they gave their smiles and nods of approval. They were equally excited, clapping their hands and all that. We were amused. We were probably one of the first few foreigners who have done this. Though, I suspected some of the excitement was more because I was walking like a robot! Man, the baju was seriously tight and I know not how to walk in a longyi. What’s more, there was a very heavy shawl trailing behind me. I was afraid of tripping over it and shredding it to pieces. This demure-like attire just wasn’t me. But well, we were here to have fun, and have fun we did.

When the photo shoot commenced, we had even more laughs – from ourselves, the photographer and our willing audiences. The photographer was posing us from head to fingers right down to our toes. It was hilarious! We laughed so much, he laughed too. But MOH says, go with the flow. And mind you, they don’t quite fancy shots where we weren’t looking at the camera. “Look here please! Look here please!”

 To say Myanmar is rich in culture is understating it. Culture comes in many forms and we’re not just talking about the traditional ones (which is heavily influenced by Buddhism). There’s also other “cultures” such as umbrellas. Umbrella is a common culture here in Myanmar. Everyone – young, old, cool, nerdy – carries an umbrella. The most popular sales promotion giveaways are umbrellas – particularly during the monsoon season (which some advertisers call the “Monsoon Sale”. LOL!). Raincoats are mostly confined to security guards, traffic police or trishaw-riders. I’ve never really carried an umbrella in my life. I found them to be ‘uncool’ and just cumbersome. I still try not to here – more for the cumbersome factor rather than the cool factor since it obviously isn’t cool NOT to have an umbrella with you, but on the occasion where I have to, then I take one along with me. MOH has a small single one and we bought a medium-sized one too – for when we are walking together :)

The second most popular giveaway for sales promotion is the tiffin lunchboxes. This is also a big culture here. Everyone, from blue collar to white collar, from executives to management carries a lunchbox to work. Well, ok, almost everyone :) They even have ‘lunch baskets’ for sale at the supermarkets – it consists of a basket that holds your tiffin, your drink bottle, your snack as well as your small brolly. These are sold as sets at the supermarkets. Very cute. I got a pretty nice thermos lunchbox for MOH for him to take to work. As for me, as much as I want to get one of these lunch basket sets myself (sooo cute!!), I don’t work full day and as such, have no need to bring a lunchbox.

I’m still learning the language. And despite the teacher’s and my regular taxi driver’s best efforts in helping me with the language, I am doubtful that I can master it. Though I think the language does open the door to learning more of Myanmar and her culture – both the traditional and the non-traditional ones.

MOH and I are having a lot of fun learning about Myanmar’s culture. It’s good that it is almost unspoilt for now, and we wonder when the waves of development would wash these cultures ashore. Till that happens, we’ll continue learning and exploring Myanmar by embracing it. I think it’ll be a matter of time before MOH wears a longyi to work. But me – no, no. I cannot be walking like a robot all day. The Myanmar traditional wear for females really gives a sense of ‘female-ness’ and for those who knows me – I can do this for 2 hours. Anything more than that, I might start swearing. That won’t be very cultural.

So, till the next time around folks! I hope to be introducing some of Myanmar’s cuisine to you in the next article. But for now – enjoy our traditional wedding pix on my FB page and have a great time ROFL!

Merdeka Spirit

There it is – I’m officially “mid-thirties” and whilst today had been a rather uneventful day – got up early to train, went to work (what, you mean it’s not a national holiday here??!), you know, a typical day like any other day – I must say, the day had still been full of really pleasant surprises. Of course, I said I wanted a ‘flash-mob’ when MOH asked me what I would like for my birthday. The day hasn’t ended and therefore, I’m holding my breath :)

I’m thankful to be where I’m at, to have achieved what I have thus far and I am most thankful for the freedom to do what I want to do and be happy. To have the opportunity to do so is the biggest blessings by far. A year ago, when I stopped working for money, I had not expected the returns to be so great. The ROI here being HAPPY and for that, I am thankful. Thankful for the support of my family, my loved ones and my friends. Today, one of the pleasant surprises was an email from my boss at work who said she is revising my payment scale and topping it up because after a month at work, she is appreciative of my contributions to the company. When I read that email, I was dumb-founded. I hadn’t expected it at all and to think, all I wanted was a part-time cashier’s job. LOL! It wasn’t so much that I am now paid higher – but I am happy that my contributions are recognized (talk about ego, man!) and I’m happy to be able to transfer knowledge to the local team too. Most of all, I’m happy that I have more to share with the children :) To be paid to do what you love doing, is a great feeling, I think. And like I said, to have that freedom to do what you want to do is a real blessing.

On a bigger scale of things, since today being Merdeka and all that, I’d like to talk more about that “freedom” we all have and enjoy. Despite being born on Merdeka Day, I have never really been a patriotic one. As a kid, I used to think when people hoisted our Jalur Gemilang at home or office buildings or wherever, it was to celebrate MY birthday! I thought the National Day Parade was held especially for me :P Now, if I dig deep in my heart, I’d say the only reason I call Malaysia my home, is the fact that my whole family is there.

55 years of freedom for my motherland – “tanah tumpahnya darahku” and I wonder where Malaysia is at today? (it is my Motherland, right? I mean, my motherland can’t possibly be China, right??? I’m confused sometimes :P)

** As always, I’d like to clarify that I’m not one of those political bloggers or activists or such like that. This is my blog and this is my personal POV.

Sadly, I feel Malaysia had digressed. The “Old Horse’s” vision of 2020 is… sorry, what Vision 2020?? I think since the 2004 elections, aside from the very expensive taxi ride into space, what have we achieved? I may have overlooked some things or missed out some others but generally from where I’m seated (far and away), we had achieved nothing. We’ve made it into the news a few times sure, but mostly for the wrong reasons. Think Bersih. Or Anwar for that matter.

I’ve been reading  this book; The Lady and The Peacock, trying to understand the history that shapes the Burmese people today. And I quote the famous “Freedom from Fear” essay lines by The Lady herself here. “It is not power that corrupts but fear. Fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it and fear of the scourge of power corrupts those who are subject to it.” Reading up on Myanmar’s past and watching it transform right before my very eyes, I cannot help but notice the similarities between Malaysia and Myanmar. Malaysia present day similar to Myanmar in the past. Our government had as recently as last week practised using fear to win votes. Think how it is supposedly “haram” for a Muslim to vote for the opposition. Say what now?? Or whatever that mineral water bottle drama was all about. It sounds so …. ridiculous that I wonder if Malaysia will ever, ever progress with these… these goons running the show.

You see – even Myanmar is ready and poised for change. In fact, not just poised for change. They are changing! Exciting times ahead and watching things unfold right before our very eyes…. is… well, exciting.  Part of the change included lifting of media censorships, transparency, etc. A couple of weeks ago, we watched on national TV here, the head of police (can’t remember his designation) do a PowerPoint presentation to foreign ambassadors and media about what truly happened in the Rakhine state. It was a very professionally prepared PowerPoint in English and a minute-by-minute account of what took place – accompanied by photos and evidences. I was impressed actually. If you read Myanmar’s past, you wouldn’t think this would ever take place. But it did. Again, I’m not here to analyse about the government’s actions and reactions. I’m just merely an observer and I’m stating what I observed.  Hmmm….  I wondered when was the last time our PDRM did a presentation like that? How about start with Bersih both 2 and 3?  

Our PDRM isn’t even fighting crime right now for crying out loud. The crime atrocities are escalating, as are the criminals themselves. What is going on? And yet, I was told today by a friend that BN’s new theme for the elections is “Janji Ditepati”. Hou la?? Hou la??? (Really???) Which ones? I mean, at least try…. try to ensure the safety of your rakyat, no? I’m very passionate about this crime issue. No, no, not because I’m a fan of Criminal Minds and CSI but because as I mentioned – my whole family, my loved ones, my friends are all back home where the crime is!! So after 55 years of freedom, we can’t even walk in a shopping mall car park without fear?? What freedom is that? We can’t partake in a non-violent demonstration without fear of being tear-gassed? What freedom is that? We can’t choose to send our children to a decent national school but instead, forced to tighten our belts and send them to private schools? What freedom is that? I don’t know, man. Doesn’t sound very “free” to me. Does it?

When I moved to Myanmar, some of my friends laughed at me and made remarks about me having a thing for third-world countries. You know what? If the government of Malaysia is not careful in how they manage the country and all its beauty and resources, the situation could reverse just a couple of years down the road. Then I’d be sitting all the way here, with super-fast internet (one can hope) by then and laughing :P Albeit sadly.  

To my fellow countrymen, in the spirit of Merdeka, there’s nothing more to ask for, than a peaceful nation, a SAFE country, managed by incredibly smart people who instils intelligence in their own rakyat, where one is FREE to run outdoors on nicely tarred roads, where one is FREE to request in a civilized manner from a democratic government what the citizens would like for their livelihoods,  where one is FREE to exercise one’s freedom in a way that is legal by every standards of the law, where one is FREE to think for themselves without having a government (or its loudspeakers) instilling fear into them for doing something “wrong”. It may be idealistic, but they’re reasonable, no?

Let’s ask then. Happy Merdeka.