Stretch it!!

This morning was my first professional yoga session attendance. My mum has been nugging me to attend this class for a long time.

Ive been practising yoga for the past 2 years. Im not great, but not bad either.
The class i went was interesting. ..

First of all, the yoga 'guru' was not what i expected. she has a great body but her tummy is amazingly big! that was a turn off! how can a yoga guru have such big tummy???? wooaa...
Then her assistant gurus were fat ! i mean literally fat! ok, i dont want to be such a push over = these women has skills, they are multi flexi despite their layers of fat, they are pretty damn flexible..

The age group was nothing below 50 years - i was the youngest. We also had men there, old CHINAMAN. The loud, type. Quite amazing to see them really interested and really giving their 100%. Get the picture? Weird.

then you have my mum - who has this amazing ability to burp constantly. she blames it on 'wind' so all the stretching helps her to release it. its just a little too damn distracting to have my mum burping continiously for 1 hour.

They were also super loud. they talked non-stop which defeats the purpose (i believe anyway!) to meditate your body. they were talking about the fresh prawns they had at Klang last night, some where talking about the lottery number they bought - so close to striking, it just went on and on and on!

Then you have me. All the moves were nothing really new to me, but just got pointers how to do them better. They assistant gurus were quite amazed with my "flexibility" but it never once dawned on them that maybe ive done this before??

nevermind, it was just a really interesting encounter. the mix of people all hopping onto the bandwagon of practising yoga. its the new fad, maybe even a lasting one?
i have friends who'd practiced yoga for 1 year has now opted to quit their jobs to open up a yoga center...hmmm..how can you learn a few thousand years' secret of balancing mind, body and soul in 1 year? let not go teach?
Not too sure about history, but yoga must have been well guarded for some reasons. Doubt anyone here knows the real secret and reasons behind practising yoga..

Hell, quite honestly - i do it to keep fit and look good. nothing of that sort to balance out, blah blah blah. surely i cant do that at the yoga center with all those interesting characters?

being alittle grateful sometimes wont hurt 

What is ever enough?

There was a point in my childhood that we all had a bowl of rice with soy sauce – for lunch and maybe dinner. Back then; an occasional fish would be a luxury. Those were really hard times that may seem very hard for others to fathom

Those days when we had our treat of a skinny, bony fish – we would sit around and enjoy sucking out its meat to the very bones. For many moments beyond the flesh, we would still be sucking onto the bones - just to hold on to those last moments of tasting fish in our mouths for an uncertain time to come.

I remembered also when I was doing my very first interview. It was for a scholarship to pursue my higher education. I got that scholarship, I‘d remember feeling ecstatic when I heard the news much later. But before that, I walked out that room feeling low, cheap, poor and shocked!
One of the ladies in the interview asked me to verify how is it possible that a mother of 3 only earns RM600 a month (around USD160!)? Honestly, when she asked me that question, I didn’t know how to answer her. Not because it was a hard question, but it was a weird question. In my mind, I kept answering “Why not?????”
It didn’t dawn on me that there are people who can’t ever dream of living with that amount of money for themselves – let alone to feed 3 other kids.
At the end of my answer, I felt that she didn’t believe me – probably I made up this sad soppy story just to qualify to win the scholarship. Still, that encounter left me confused. That was then.

Now - if you ask me, can I live with just RM600 a month just for myself? HELL NO! My personal economic standards have improved so tremendously, now that I think back to those days - I am like that interviewer, how she questioned about the possibilities? Realistically, that was 10 years ago – all prices has gone up, we no longer lived on bare needs but little luxuries here and there, I have increased my material possession, etc.

Yet being the culprit, I constantly ask for more. I complain that I work too hard and should deserve to be paid more – my bills are increasing, what I earn now is simply not enough.

However, reflecting on the impossible circumstances that we managed to pull through as a family made me feel utterly embarrassed and ungrateful.
I overlooked the possibilities that we gained instead – gratitude, happiness, and moderation. In this day and age, moderation becomes insatiability, happiness becomes discontent and gratitude becomes unappreciative.

Time to reflect:
1. Nothing is ever enough
2. Live with contentment & gratitude
3. Ultimately find lasting happiness..

With that, I’ve decided not to shop for a month! =p

Are Asians really not good enough? (Sorry, I mean South East Asians)

Its sometimes interesting to hear Peter vent and complain about his fellow Asian counterparts – low incompetent they are, etc. Having to deal with local Asians in various countries – he feels the pressure of having to educate them and get them in synch with his thinking but at the same time ‘try’ to respect their culture and sensitiveness.
I, on the other hand, work with ‘competent’ foreigners who came from far and wide whose mission is to ‘educate’ and ‘moralize’ South East Asians to their standards. I for one, as an educated and well-exposed Asian feel the threat and need to uphold my pride that ‘we are not GOD DAMN stupid!’ (pardon my ‘French’!)

Yet Peter tells me that Malaysians are far more advanced than other SE Asians he has worked with. (With the exception to Singaporeans, he claims!)

On the contrarily, these foreigners I work with think that we are nowhere near the work competencies of their level. What to think and believe then??

When I think hard and wide, I came to this personal conclusion…
Probably no one is ever good enough for anyone but himself or herself? Or maybe we all have this innate need to always feel superior to other people? Then does that relate to the fact that we ultimately feel insecure about ourselves? What is there to prove but our own personal ego?

In retrospect, what if we all learn to have some self respect?
Meaning – the ability to see through all these personal conflicts, the ability to accept our own flaws, the ability to accept other people’s flaws and limitations?

This does not mean that I agree with these foreigner’s attitudes and behaviors towards my fellow discriminated Asians. But then again, I ask myself – does this matter?
We ultimately deal with insecure people having to spread their claws on victims of their own insecurity?

Maybe I should be a bigger ‘man/woman’ to walk away from their bullshit. At the end of the day, I am the one who is clear of what I am, my capabilities and my ‘Asian ness’.
We may be stupid in their eyes, but maybe wisdom is what we’ve got to see through the need to pin others down just to feel good about themselves…?

Being worthy

Many years ago when I was a beach hopping, carefree girl, I had one objective and vision in my life – to be spiritually advanced and to pursue happiness. I did not denounce materialism but was careful not to be driven by it.

Then, my career took small leaps here and there and slowly, I was sucked in more and more into the world driven by money. To be realistic, I had bills to pay, my family to take care of - I cant live without it.

But I lost my carefree life. I work late daily, maybe because of my inefficiency or maybe
because I wanted to do my best and be the best. The competitive spirit in me crept in again. I had to work hard. I was rewarded monetarily but somehow I feel its not enough.

I have friends in the industry that works equally hard and we get together often to bitch and complain about work. Each of us feel that we are not compensated enough given all the hard work we put in for our work. We all want more. But what is more?
During our recent get together, we all shared a common dream. We want our lives back; we want a job that is not as stressful as ours and maybe just be a receptionist, answering phone calls, having a good time. But the condition was, we needed each to win a nice, fat lottery. See, money again!

Back to the point – I had a very rough week at work recently. I got a new boss who has his ways and only his way, I feel. It is unfair to judge him in such a short period of time but I have this strong, innate feeling that it won’t work out. I feel crushed, low and stupid. I am trying to stay positive, but I didn’t realize how much this has affected me until I spoke to Peter. When I described to him how I was feeling, I started crying and felt really depressed. I am torn between having to continue to prove myself that I AM good at what I am doing vs depressing myself doing that….

Peter reminded me what I started out saying. We both have 1 vision, it’s not about wealth. We are going to set our lives to be enriched with better, more everlasting things. Is it all worth it?

‘Worth’ has always been in my mind for the past years based on money - I work hard you pay me well. But today, I am reminded again that it doesn’t have to be that way. I have forgotten all that is more important.

What am I going to do? Tell the new boss to take a hike. Go back to my earlier job function which wont give me a good worth/money progression but at least my happiness and life back!

me & pete in Goa, India 

Peter and I - Goa, India 

Censored Voice

The article below was written by Marina Mahathir, daughter of Malaysia's ex Prime Minister, Tun Mahathir Mohammad. She is a regular contributor to the Star but the article below was not published as the daily was concerned that it is raising a sensitive issue. I cant seem to find anything sensitive about it but truth.

Marina Mahathir for The Star
In 1948, one of humankind's most despicable ideas, apartheid, was made into law in South Africa where racial discrimination was institutionalized. Race laws touched every aspect of social life, including a prohibition of marriage between non-whites and whites, and the sanctioning of "white-only" jobs. Although there were 19 million blacks and only 4.5 million whites in South Africa, the majority population were forced to be second-class citizens in their homeland, banished to reserves and needing passports to travel outside them, even within their own country. It was only in 1990 that apartheid began to crumble and South Africans of all colours were finally free to live as equals in every way.
With the end of that racist system, people may be forgiven for thinking that apartheid does not exist anymore. While few countries practice any formal systems of discrimination, nevertheless you can find many forms of discrimination everywhere. In many cases, it is women who are discriminated against. In our country, there is an insidious growing form of apartheid among Malaysian women, that between Muslim and non-Muslim women.
We are unique in that we actively legally discriminate against women who are arguably the majority in this country, Muslim women. Non-Muslim Malaysian women have benefited from more progressive laws over the years while the opposite has happened for Muslim women.
For instance, since the Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act 1976, polygamy among non-Muslims was banned. Previously men could have as many wives as they wanted under customary laws. Men's ability to unilaterally pronounce divorce on their wives was abolished and in its place, divorce happens by mutual consent or upon petition by either spouse in an equal process where the grounds are intolerable adultery, unreasonable behaviour, desertion of not less than two years, and living separately for not less than two years. Compare that to the lot of Muslim women abandoned but not divorced by their husbands.
Other progressive reforms in the civil family law in the late 1990s were amendments to the Guardianship Act and the Distribution Act. The Guardianship of Infants Act 1961 was amended to provide for equal guardianship for both father and mother, rather than the previous provision where only the father was the primary guardian of the children. In contrast, the Islamic Family Law still provides for the father as the sole primary guardian of his children although the mother is now allowed to sign certain forms for her children under an administrative directive.
The Distribution Act 1958 was also amended to provide for equal inheritance for widows and widowers, and also granted children the right to inherit from their mothers as well as from their fathers. Under the newly proposed amendments to the Islamic Family Law, the use of gender neutral language on the issue of matrimonial property is discriminatory on Muslim women when other provisions in the IFL are not gender-neutral. Muslim men may still contract polygamous marriages, may unilaterally divorce their wives for the most trivial of reasons (including by SMS, unique in the Muslim world) and are entitled to double shares of inheritance.
These differences between the lot of Muslim women and non-Muslim women beg the question: do we have two categories of citizenship in Malaysia, whereby most female citizens have less rights than others? As non-Muslim women catch up with women in the rest of the world, Muslim women here are only going backwards. We should also note that only in Malaysia are Muslim women regressing; in every other Muslim country in the world, women have been gaining rights, not losing them.
In this country, our leaders claim to stand for all citizens. Our Prime Minister is the Prime Minister of all Malaysians, our Ministers work for all Malaysians in their respective fields. There are two exceptions to this. The Minister for Islamic Affairs is obviously only for Muslims; even though some of the things he does affect others. While the Minister for Women purports to work for all Malaysian women, even though not all Malaysian women benefit from that work. Perhaps we should consolidate the apartheid of women in this country by having a Ministry for Non-Muslim Women which works to ensure that Non-Muslim women enjoy the benefits of the Convention for the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, a UN document which Malaysia signed and is legally bound to implement, and a Ministry for Muslim Women which works to gag and bind Muslim women more and more each day for the sake of political expediency under the guise of religion.
Today is International Women's Day. Unfortunately only about 40% of the women in this country can celebrate. The rest can only look at their Non-Muslim sisters in despair and envy.

A great teacher...

In Form 4, I had an Additional Mathematics teacher, remembered fondly as Miss Ho. She was a small chili padi, (a type of chilli, small in size but super spicy) small but nice and powerful. I was in 5 Science 1, which was coincidentally the smartest class in school (i dont even know how i got there!)

There were 45 students in the class and i would be the No.43 - well given all the nerds and brains being in that class, i obviously didnt do well in Add Maths - far behind the smart girls.
I didnt really care much about the classes, copied my homework. She knew all this and tried to talk to me but i told her that there is no point as i wont use Add maths in my life after this. why try?

I failed throughout form 4, one day i went up to her to ask her to do my forecast as i wanted to apply for a scholarship. I begged her to give me a good result as i promised to work hard. All she said was, "No, Maureen. You dont deserve even a good forecast because you never tried."

With that, she gave me a C5 as a forecast. That was good considering I failed throughout. But something else she said that made me change the way I looked at Add Maths..."And Maureen, what's the point of me giving you an A, you will never achieve that in the real exam (SPM)"
From that day, I worked my arse off for Add Maths. Everyday when i came back from home, I would spend 3 hours practising my Add Maths. What i didnt know, i asked my smart classmates. I refused to ask Miss Ho. I had too much pride. Slowly, my grades improved and for SPM, i got an A2.
When I came back to school to collect my SPM results, I went up to Miss Ho to thank her for all she has done for me. Importantly, she taught me my first lesson in life. You're not a failure unless you try. And if you dont try, you're the failure.
Hence, i live by a motto "The greatest achievement in life is to rise up from failure"
This motto has never failed me since.
Miss Ho is what i call a good teacher. She taught me more than Add Maths but how to take on life!

The streets of HCM. Check out the traffic, the bikes totally overwhelmed the camera with its massive movements 

Ignorance to AWARENESS

Peter wrote an impactful article that stuck the chords of my conscious recently. It hasnt been published and I feel he lacks the confidence to try further since 1 of the publication he sent to didnt respond to him. Provoking, maybe controversial yet TRUE, its definitely worth examining

I named my blog: "All souls' rising" as I believe we oversee what's the purest form given to us by God- our soul. How can we nurture and perfect it? As a start, read this!

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Gung Ho -in the streets of Saigon


Walking the wonderful streets of Saigon, she offers you all in abundance, from the many big smiles that greet you with warmth of life and joy to the thick haze of exhausting pipes.
A stroll down Dong Khoi or Le Loi shows a new ‘Gung Ho’ spirit rising, with a lot of bright hopes for a better future – a good encouragement for all to move forward.
Wherever you look; new cafes, restaurant & trendy shops display this great optimism and make it another joyful day.
In the flow of new Foreign Direct Investment manoeuvring its way into Saigon in these times, opportunities are born, feeding the hungry Gung Ho spirit. It is said: ‘When the cup is full, it spills over on us all’ by this and with help of good governance, it should fund the construction of a larger coherent society. Though the coins that create this new hope somehow has a flip side, or like every ray of sunshine cast a shadow on the street.

On one corner an elderly woman tries to rest in the shadow of the tall office buildings, tired of a long day in the haze, asking for a handout penny. The shadow gives her some shelter from the burning sun, but the spirit of the streets raze on.

The flip side is not all the investment made into the enterprises or influence of other business cultures or all the coffee consumed in the new cafes, no!
The flip side of the Gung Ho overdrive in the streets of Saigon, is the lack of awareness that accompanies the awaken spirit.
The sense of awareness in the fast phase is easy to ignore and can even turn into a degree of the inexplicable counterpart: Ignorance. One can argue that this is not up to us to actually stop up and smell the haze, but an administration matter for authorities and leave it here. This is also a solid argument, though this arguments shadow, has a stint of the ignorant flip side and leave us in the mercy of others goodwill.

When the old lady raise her head and in a sudden eye catch she view a new prospect coming out of the café on the opposite side of the road. She jumps up and with arms waving signalising her crossing the road. Slowly making the way to the other side, with one eye on the prospect and the other on the traffic, then suddenly – bum! – a fast moving bike hits her old leg. She tumbles to her knees, a short gasp and pain, then back on the feet and humping to safe ground on the other side.
The bike is long gone, collapsing on the pavement she glimpse the prospect she came for evaporating in the crowd further ahead.
Flat on her back in the hot sun, she breathes heavily and hold up the legs tight as the adrenalin wares off and the pain sets in.
The crowd still passing by to pursue the task that brought them here in the first place, though none seems to pay any further notice.

The scene is a good vision in the ignorance of our surroundings; as all is aware of the situation though cast the priority to the task at hand for the moment and in the comfort of the argument of where to place responsibility. When the helping –handout fails, then we as compassionate members of a society has failed.
My friend says; “I can’t save the world!” – Well, it might also to great a task but we surely do contribute when working with our own awareness, I tell my friend.
But how does the world look from the pavement, squeezing down in pain? I don’t know as I have never tried, but my imagination tells me that the world looks hard and uncompassionate.

Wherever we come from and whatever background we have, the world has a different perspective. This makes the world a funny and colourful place, full of tastes and indeed rich in opinions. Awareness of your surroundings has no colour or opinion, all can relate to human spirit and taste the taste every day life, Gung Ho or not.

When the awareness of our surroundings is developed, the action that is needed follows quite automatically; actually it is a funny law of nature that combines the inevitable thought to action. In the scene pictured, awareness would stop and hand out a supporting arm to help the old lady back on her feet where ignorance moves on. The trained would even throw in some kind attention to the situation.
How do you think the world looks from the sight of the old lady now, better?

Being Gung Ho is an exuberating life enhancer, however it requires you stand up and smell the haze in the streets of Saigon. From time to time, life throws you in similar situations to evoke your awareness or as I read once – Life kicks you so hard in the behind that you have to stop and smell the roses. – All for a purpose

Sadly, Ignorance comes to you too easy but our awareness on the other hand is an inherent skill but it doesn’t come easily, you have to train it to develop and be useful. As getting a good offer from the gym, right here you’ll get the first lesson free as a teaser, later when you come back then you have to subscribe and pay up.
First exercise in the gym: Now mental picture you as the Old Lady.
Subscription fee is paid in some monthly kind attention towards your surroundings, that’s all!

Should we all attend class from time to time; I guess the Gung Ho spirit would make a difference, welcome back.

footsteps of pete and me 

Travelogue

Many years ago, I used to keep a travelogue as travelling is my biggest passion. but then i got lazy... or probably came to a point where i have nothing much to say anymore. i kept all those thoughts in my mind and heart - still works!
my first soul searching travel was to Langkawi. I was fresh out of college, havent really decided what to do with my life - but was certain that i needed to do something about my life - spiritually.
i was always a gregarious person, but my days in Langkawi thought me how to be alone, how to enjoy it, how to start listening to my own thoughts, how to connect to my inner self. i met alot of interesting characters - the beach hippies, a Japanese businesswoman who was sick of her life in Japan and found solace in Langkawi, a very determined Sarawakian man who wanted to make his million soon in Langkawi, a Ipoh girl who made Langkawi her hometown for almost 15 years and of course a Danish man.
He is the 1st person in my life that i felt 'funnily' attracted to. It was a restricted relationship as he was going out with someone else then. The connection was amazing though! We had everything in common - he is a vegetarian, he was on the spiritual path and he is the perfect man for me. I remembered this funny incident that confirmed my feelings towards him. My boss then was visiting Langkawi and met him. Somehow he had everything bad to say about him. I felt my blood rushing to my head and back again - I was so angry and lashed out back at him! For a minute then, i was surprised at my reaction, then i knew, this man has a really special, forbidden place in my heart..

Langkawi went by almost 5 years ago. Thankfully, all my other travels were with this man - Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, India, Denmark, Germany, Vietnam, etc. My heart and feelings now serves as my travelogue as each moment with this Dane; Peter is something I would like to cherish for the rest of my life..

Peter & me - When he had hair! hahahaha 

All grown up now..

I've decided to stick to being 25 years for the next 10 years to come. but then again, who are we kidding?

when i was young, i had a difficult childhood. My mum had to work very hard to keep us all going - everyday. Id always wanted to grow up quickly so i can finally earn my own money and help out.

now, the day is here. I am all grown up and I am helping out. But have i wasted my childhood trying to grow up too fast? I think not! As hard as it was, Id always made it a point to have fun, to experience childhood, adolescence and now adulthood.

When you're much younger, your friends are the center of your world, most of the time your family comes in second. As you grow older, the reverse comes into place. I have a bunch of lovely friends - girlfriends that i have grown up with. Back in those days, we didnt have much worries, boyfriend problems, money issues - it was just plain days coloured with little events that we hold dear to our hearts until this day.

Yee Yin is one of them. Demure, beautiful with a heart of gold. Beauty with brains. She is now an auditor @ KPMG, still hot, still beautiful outside in, inside out. Then you have Yen Ling. Ever determined and outspoken as ever, I remembered she told me that she would be a doctor when we were 9 years old. Now she is one, working in Greenwich, New York. Then the later stages of my teens, I met Pui Wei. She was the entertainer, the disturbed and idealist. The one who wanted to kill herself the next day Kurt Cobain commited suicide. Now, she is an up-coming lawyer in one of the prominent law firms in Malaysia. Finally, you have Zack. She was the more demure one, meek to some point. She has a musical flair and a voice that can put Mariah Carey to shame. She's not meek anymore - now fiesty and outspoken. Still beautiful and definitely more confident. She is working with Petronas..

As for me, I would like to believe I am still the same, but we all know we change as we age. We met up again recently for Yen's brother's wedding. The fun was more subdued, yet the fun was still fun.

We've all grown up now...but some things about friendships never can and will change..

Are we all that different?

A few years ago, Peter and I were really lucky enough to meet an amazing person. He in my eyes is a true saint of modern times. Despite the difficulties, he has forged through to set up a home for the unwanted in our socities. People infected with HIV AIDS. i have visited the home a few times (though not enough!) and has had helped this man a couple of times when help was needed.
Each time he asks for help, he does it in such an apologetic manner, as if he's the inferior one, begging for help. Each time he does that, it really scraps a part of my heart - knowing how worldly, pure, compassionate a man like him is and how i, myself is so small in comparison.
The best part about this man is - he never ceases to smile or crack a joke. despite all the pain he sees and feels daily, he is always happy, cheeful and full of joy.

in the midst of our "busy, busy" lives, we forget what is most important and sometimes real. This man is a constant reminder that life is much more than the silly work we do, its about having fun and enjoying it while doing it. (no matter what you do!)

as for the many lives he has touched, he constantly needs help to do more. and since he is so selfless doing it, y cant we help?
www.pelangi.com - go there and find out more!

Opinions

Yesterday morning, I followed my mum to the market for a quick round of breakfast before hitting off to work. There they were – 2 vegetable sellers, 1 fish monger, 1 ‘chicken-man’, 1 auntie selling kuih and of course my mum. Each of them taking turns raising at the top of their voices, their dissatisfaction towards the government’s fuel increase.
Later the conversation led to their overall dissatisfaction towards the government – period.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, it just strikes me funny to see this scene in the market; each usually busy to hail customers to their stores but now gathered in unity to voice their dissatisfaction towards the government.

They are no economists, bankers but again it doesn’t take a genius to see or even feel the pinch. They all asked in unity “What is happening to the economy???”
That is a valid question since we as Malaysians are protected against learning the truth about the REAL ECONONIC SITUATION we are facing. We have no freedom of the press (Kudos to Malaysia Kini!), everything is covered and hushed – what do we know??

What we know for sure is, there is something we can do about this. Malaysians need to learn a thing of two from our neighbors about standing up for what they believe in instead of sitting back accepting the situation because we all don’t have time, don’t believe it can work, etc. If we don’t start somewhere, we will go nowhere.

I have never voted in my life, and I never plan to. But with all this in competency in the governance of a nation, how can I not?
This week is about Fuel increase, what’s next? Can we all keep swallowing and complaining in the market each time it happens??

Mr Peter Andersen 

my baby and me!  

Meeting of the worlds

in the words of Peter...thought this was really well written! actually got featured in a Vietnamese magazine..
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Have you ever seen the scenario with the agitated westerner, slightly red in the face, and the Vietnamese watching the scene with a puzzled look? Maybe you have, or maybe you soon will! For many expatriates this situation can be quite common.
Especially in a busy daily schedule where information and routines are running fast, the clashing of two so different cultures is bound to happen sooner or later.
For myself I can say that I have seen and experienced it a numerous of times, in many different kinds of situations, but it all comes down to the same scenario. The westerner agitated and the Vietnamese with the puzzled look.

Now a westerner is not just a westerner! Many different countries in the west has as many different cultures, languages, religions, traditions, food etc. Just take Europe: If you are from northern Europe or southern Europe, has a huge difference in oh-so-many ways. Not to mention the United States or Australia or any other part of the world you will term as the west, though somehow the scenario seems to be almost identical.

Many books have been written addressing this problem, the Vietnamese culture is like this or don’t ever try to do your business like that! And again if you’re dealing with north or South Vietnamese, then the rules mentioned before doesn’t apply anymore and a new set of culture regulations pops up. The list of advises can go on and on, and as you read up to prepare yourself as best as you can, you hardly know your own ways anymore.
In the café or on the street you hear even more funny set up’s coming from more or less enlightened expatriates who seem to have figured out this never ending maze.

Being in the travelling line for a long time, I have heard perceptions coming from the other sphere, beyond borders of known physics to almost master thesis’ been created over a few long drinks. More is that I have seen myself babbling of theories in the very same situations. In the review mirror: I must say that it has been quite funny to participate in these sessions. Some crazy stories have been cocked up I’m afraid. But should I draw a quick conclusion of them all, it would be; I guess the scene doesn’t need more intellectuals!
To map out diversity is a full time job and do occupy many good minds already. Diversity is apparent everywhere and so striking in all forms that it has to be analysed and commented.
Only to confuse even more,

Every day in working life can be a constant encounter of a lot of “Why’s”, Why is it like this? or why do you do like that? To boldly state here, I think this is “same same” for all. It can add up to quite some “whys” in a short time. If you mix the “whys” with all these advises and theory and stir it well. You will then have a dangerous cocktail of the given scenario: The agitated westerner slightly red in the face and the puzzled Vietnamese.
Who is right and who is wrong? Ups, back track now! Was just about to end up in the compilation of good advises again, sorry.
Well, in all common sense some perspective has to mingle its way into this. Situations accrue of all the reasons in the world and have to be dealt with accordingly. As, theft of cause can’t be justified, huh

The other day having a drink and cracking jokes with a good friend, we had a hearty laugh of some jokes he shared loud and vividly. A few days after in retrospect thinking back at our night out, I realised that it was the same lame punch line my dear friend told some time ago when I was home for a visit. Just put in a slightly different form. The joke was a bit naughty, so I can’t tell it here! But the laughs that night were just as sticky as in my hometown with the guys. Then to my amazement I recalled many nights out with friends here in Vietnam and as many laughs. It’s was not that different was it?

Later, back in the daily busy schedule of many encounters, the same “why” situation came invariably again and it was about to get hot. Just this time a thought crossed my mind; maybe he’s as confused as I and maybe finds this as uncomfortable as I. Quietly relating to that thought and recalling the hearty laugh of the earlier jokes, a hidden smile appeared on his face. Funnily after that the situation dissolved and there we stood just caught up in the diversity that surrounded us, but the emotions was “same same”. Guess it wasn’t so bad after all, eh? I said and scratched my head.
Business is business and work has to be done. In the office some are good at accounting, some at sales, some a bit lazy, some buzzing about but always ask if you need anything from the store when going out, some serious and again some easy to put on a smile, though in all the adversity we still work together. Come lunch the show of the day comes alive, noodle soup in a bundle, a few sandwiches and plenty of rice is being consumed in a short time.
All have time to discuss the meals, making jokes and wrinkling the foreheads in contemplation of all the variety of smells and colours displayed. Sometime ago one westerner tried to have noodle soup every day as he thought this would relate him in acceptance to the Vietnamese in the office. Many also asked if he enjoyed the food, with great courtesy he always nodded and smiled. Until one day he was so fed up with the soup that he hardly could put up a smile anymore. The uncomforting of his lunch slowly spread round the table as all could sense his dismay. The normal chit chats and gossip slowed down until the lunchtime was no more the same fun as it used to be.
I have always found it strange how some foreigners have to change or force an unnatural code upon them. I remembered this western Hindu monk I once saw in India. Looking very awkward in a long orange dress and ashes smeared all over the forehead, walking barefooted round the streets asking for a bit of rice to support the day. He tried to be, talk, and act as a native Hindu monk though to me he looked weird and funny. This tall white man did not blend in for sure, I can tell you. Some might discuss this view as degrading! Which, at first I also was ashamed to think of myself, but at that very time I was reading a book of HH the Dalai Lama. Not that I pledge to Buddhism, but his joy filled smile and holistic views seem to attract a lot of attention, so why not give his words a go I thought. Here in the book he did assure me, that it’s better to try to be a good westerner than to be a bad local or, for our case a good westerner than a bad Vietnamese! These very words I forwarded to my colleague in the office, and added; Guess your also more comfortable being ‘that’ you really are, eh? And by realizing this he went back to his taste of food and was as cheerful as ever. His changed mood spread like a wildfire at lunchtime and I could tell that he won a lot more acceptance and did a world of difference by being the good boy he was.
All was again cracking jokes and gossiping round the table,

Meetings of the worlds, is not an easy task and it goes further than the flavours of food. Especially at first, it takes some serious effort and punches will come from here and there.

Let me tell you my story: Less than a year ago, I felt uneasy in Vietnam and through my work I made another person very uncomfortable. At first I refused to see just a little above just plan diversity and did become more than red in the face from time to time. Never looking at the puzzled looks I got and refusing to realize the uncomforting surrounding my person. Of cause these things have to come to the surface one way or another and in a very emotional moment it came out in tears. Again tears are tears from whomever they spring, and make the differences vanish quite so fast I can say. It took some contemplation and scratching in the head before concluding that all the advices I have had earlier was of no use now.
Then the change came and I had to leave Vietnam, but before leaving I made a promise to my friend, I made so sad before. I promised to progress! Not to change or be another but just progress. Coming back again after some time and continuing my work in the office. A promise is a promise! And I took the bull by the horns and looked just slightly beyond the vast diversity we see everywhere. By doing so, situations are dealt with much easier and the laughter is back and adding that little extra fun to our office. .. I believe all is much more comfortable.
By adjusting the title; Meeting of the worlds! You can now take out the ending “S”. And the meaning will change to; Meeting of the world. We all enjoy a good laugh as much as the next,
Guess we’re not so different you & I, eh?