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