Yeah, it was pretty damn fancy. And huge.
But that's not the best thing...


THE FOOD WASSSSS.
Oh my lord.
For appetiser, we had jellyfish salad with ngoh hiang. And then main courses were omg, are you ready?
1) Laksa
2) Chicken Rice
3) Char Kway Teow
4) Satay
5) Roti Prata with Curry
6) Brocoli Vegetables
7) Chinese fungus vegetable

THERE WAS SOOOO MUCH FOOD. Nobody could finish everything. I tried, I really did. Everything was so good, but there was too much and if I had a microwave, I'd dabao everything back home. I would, I really would. Unfortunately, I don't, so I dabaoed... the fruits hahaha.

And the dessert was:
1) Bobo cha cha
2) Goreng Pisang
3) Moon cake

I swear the Singapore embassy has loadsa moolah to splurge yo, in a fancy hotel, and I didn't even have to fork out a dime. Everything was FOC as all kiasu Singaporeans would love. It was overindulgence... I think this was more food than any wedding I've ever attended.

Plus we all had SG50 goodie bags to take home.

And we were entertained by none other than...



Ms Irene Ang.
I pitied how at the end of the day, she had to keep smiling for all of us and just be totally PC to everyone haha. Celeb life.

The dress code was red and white. I have a red skirt and tried to find a nice white shirt but I couldn't. So I got out my Peranakan top to go with my black jeans. Didn't care if it was appropriate. Didn't wanna wear the full set, coz I'd be mistaken for a Burmese. Just by wearing this top, I was mistaken already.

And just before I took this picture with Irene Ang, I offered to help two dudes take a picture for them. And they were wearing longyis so I struck a conversation with them. They turned out to be such nice people and hilarious as well. All of the Singaporeans who were there were business people but these two.... were TOURISTS HAHAHA wearing the traditional longyis at a posh event. And I felt the most at ease when I spoke to them. Coz everyone else was on their guard and selling themselves coz it's sorta a networking event.

I was then introduced to their friends and they asked me to join them at a bar. Initially I was a bit intimidated lah coz all older than me and seemed to have made it in life. While I, just a lowly intern hahaha inferiority complex.

But guess what? Throughout the session, they were giving me tips on my career life and I felt happy that they'd bother to. At sessions like these, I'd usually be the one who'd facilitate discussions and listen to other people's ramblings but this time, it was constantly directed at me and they kept giving me advice on how I should chart my career pathway.

Here were some of the pointers (I took them down when I reached home bahahahaha coz, hey, some things happen for a reason)
1) Find a mentor
2) Know your pathway - coz every portfolio counts. Don't randomly do random jobs after graduation.
3) Stay out of your comfort zone
4) Make yourself stand out
5) Be an opportunist
6) Tell people what you want to do when they ask what your plans are
7) Challenges of being a girl
8) Always try to see the good in people
9) Create LinkedIn (major lol)

I know they seem very all over the place and it's the sorta stuff that commercial books on "101 ways to be Successful" would say. But these people were telling them right to my face and telling me about their own experiences and how they had wished there were people like them to tell them these things when they were at my age. (they never revealed their ages but I reckon they're in their late 20s, early 30s. also, when I revealed my birth year:1992, they went bollocks) It was a moment to remember.

Before we left, they went around the table and each of them gave me one piece of advice to take away last night. I figured then, that I may never see them again.

Even one of them said, that he believed in fate and the reason why they met me and were here in the first place meant something. I would like to think that too haha.

I eventually found out that two of them were lawyers, one of them a banker, and the other from IE Singapore who works closely with the embassy over here. And I... just.... can't believe how they were really down-to-earth people. I mean, I only met them for a few hours at an SG50 event but I felt comfortable enough with them... When (not if) I become successful, I want to still be relatable and approachable like them.

But there was a catch.

Before we were about to lift our butts off our chairs, one of them asked me what I had to offer to say to all of them. So yes, I was put in a spot. And I didn't have time to really think. They told me, "Don't say 'thank you for tonight', don't say 'it was great meeting you all'". For some reason, I already had my answer and I straight out told the lawyer, "No, I won't say that."

I looked at the ceiling, took a breath, felt my skin crawl and spoke: "I read this article recently and it talked about how work should be meaningful. I know before you went into your careers, you all had aspirations to fulfil. But in the midst of work, there were rules, regulations and the bottom line. Money became that bottom line. But I hope that you would remember why you came into this job in the first place - what you were made for."

I felt like that was a pretty good answer HAHAHA. Pretty idealistic but I think at my age, I still have that idealism and I hope to not be overwhelmed and ruined by the mundanity and motions of work by the end of my career. And I hope they got something out of that as much as it was for me, when they showered me with their useful advices.

And yes, they paid for everything. My drinks, my cab.................... I couldn't take it, I even expressed how I felt whenever these things happen but they're like "aiya, when I was at your age I was like that too, it's fine."

Sometimes being an intern is good coz they know what kinda income I'm earning. But still, I cannot get over being only on the receiving end. It's terribly awkward for me.

Though I thought I wouldn't be seeing them again, they told me to join them again for dinner. And yes, I awkwardly agreed to. I feel like a burden. What do I have to give man???

So tonight, I will be meeting them for dinner and I told them I'd go only if I get to contribute and if the conversations don't solely revolve around me hahahaha.

This was one of the first of many SG dinners over here in Yangon that I've been to that I actually enjoyed....


2) Colleague's birthday







Here are my colleagues hahaha.
And the Kiwi intern isn't here coz he went off to Phuket. It's mandatory for us to renew our visas every 70 days so we have to get out of the country and come back to Myanmar to renew it. I already did the first one when I went back to Singapore for my graduation and I'll be doing another one, this time to KL for... something special ; )

Our boss heard us singing and joined in lol. Then offered to have a birthday company lunch at KFC the next day. I know, KFC is like the biggest thing here for them alright. First major fast food chain to enter the market... But I'm not complaining. Crispy fried chicken is always goody for my tummy.


3) Brother's convocation



----

So yes, I am sincerely happy right now, where I am.
I'm 80% close to completing my internship documentary video, quite satisfied with it. I just don't know how uploading the video on YouTube would happen coz the internet crawls here.


Also, have you caught....


It's currently on my list of ALL-TIME FAVOURITE MOVIES, I swear.
It's such a freaking awesome movie. An animation but so deep. Cuts so deep... I cried buckets watching it and I watched it with my Burmese friends so I had to cover my mouth to stop myself from sobbing out loud. But they found out eventually after the movie lol.

I could relate to the movie so well and I want to list down all the things I thought meaningful but I've already aggressively done so with Sianpei over whatsapp. The movie came out in Myanmar earlier than Singapore so I urged her to watch it. All the concepts in the movie were so intelligently crafted. I thought I was the only loser who enjoyed the movie but everyone else who watched it, enjoyed it as well. I don't usually like cartoons and animation unless they're UP (which also is a Pixar movie) and Shrek (another all-time favourite)

I love how I didn't even find out what the movie was about and just went straight into watching it without expectations.

I think I'm gonna watch it again here. Besides it only costs $2-3 to do so, PLUS IN 3-D. Suck on that suckers!!!!!

Alrightey see ya soon.

[edited] this was written 3 weeks ago and saved as a draft. so it was written when I had just returned to Myanmar. decided to publish it today. to that old friend, this is for you~ [/edited]


I knew her when I was secondary 1, at thirteen years old.

She was a bestfriend then, but in between, life got in the way and we gradually lost touch. I never quite knew what happened to her after secondary school and the in-betweens. Yet, I would always remember her, somehow, at the back of my mind. I had even always remembered her birthday because it fell one day ahead of another friend's.

So sorry for my lack of posts the past weeks.
I finally got a new adaptor for my mac charger - luckily my mac is still under warranty. It's still a baby. But I had to pay USD10 for a two-pin plug for Myanmar. So lame. Complicated process so I won't explain.

Also, I kinda fell a bit ill with flu and cough the past week and my voice still sounds stuck.

And... I am happy to say I've been considerably busy the past few weeks, which is another reason why I haven't been blogging. I don't know if you guys should feel happy for me because when I have too much time, I get to blog frequently for you guys, but when I don't... I can't. BUT YOU GUYS HAVE TO FEEL HAPPY FOR ME!!!

I'll try my best to keep up with my posts lah~

Anyway, I know you guys must be wondering what the most patriotic person on earth did in another place when she couldn't celebrate in her own home country eh?

I've been meaning to write this post but yes, now I can.

As my post title says, paying it forward - I'll tell you why. And of all days... SG 50, a series of fortunate events : )

So I didn't want my SG50 to be uneventful over here so I decided to head out on my own to explore a local market, which hasn't been explored by many tourists. Must be adventurous when in Yangon yeah. And I decided to take a train out.

While getting my ticket, I noticed a girl behind me who was following my every move. "a lost traveller", I thought. Definitely not from around here coz of her makeup. Mmm.. I wonder where she's from.

And yes, I'm gonna jump the gun. I had a strange feeling that she was.... Singaporean.

I asked her, "Do you need help?" The moment she opened her mouth, I had my answer. As luck would have it, and of all days, I had to meet my fellow countryman. For the whole month of July, I never met a Singaporean on my travels. Even up till now, I never ran into any luck of meeting Singaporeans on the road. In the first place, it's already difficult to find tourists, so meeting a Singaporean... on National Day.... Really, what are the bloody odds.

Of course, I had to ask, "WHY AREN'T YOU BACK AT HOME????" hahahah. Well, I don't remember her reason... But nevertheless, I helped her get to the railway platform to purchase her ticket.

While waiting for our train, we met a couple. The man was Malaysian, while the lady was Japanese. I initiated conversation with them. Turned out, we were all headed in the same direction but to different destinations.

After about 30-45 mins of talking at the platform and on the train, they decided to change route and follow me instead! I became the tour guide.


This is Thiri Mingalar Market:




Here's a photo to commemorate that evening. That's Sherie's Singaporean friend who has a business in Myanmar and joined us for the night.

1st of August @ The Projector





















Yes, I was the emcee.





And here's a thank you and goodbye to the broadcast Class of 2015. Talented folks they are and I'm proud to have grown over the 4 years with them. Filament came together because of everyone's help and that's the magic of it all. I honestly don't know if I'll be seeing them all again, because we've all graduated and we'll all be moving on to our various careers..... One thing's for sure though, and that is, I know that WKW folks are a bunch of people who work their asses off to give their very best in whatever they do. That's the work ethic I learnt from my own friends. And I hope it is a work ethic that carries on for the many WKW generations to come.

So Filament has come to an end, and my life as a WKW undergraduate has officially come to a close. What a blast it has been. It feels like an abrupt stop but I believe it is the start of something exciting. Can't wait for us to sprinkle magic to this world : ) Stay close.

This was the sky that greeted me early in the morning yesterday in Singapore before I was to jet set.
And I was thinking to myself, why must you be so beautiful when I'm about to go I hate you.

Dad was talking to me in the car. As usual just daughter and father. And he was talking to me about why as parents, my mom and him were so proud to attend my convocation and that both his children managed to graduate. It was because they often wondered if they themselves could ever make it to university if given the right circumstances and opportunities back then (they were poor like many in their generation and didn't have supportive parents). But knowing that their own kids could make it, let them feel that they there was nothing wrong with them.

It put a lot of things into perspective and I felt happy for them and proud that I could make them happy about themselves as well.

My dad continued to talk to me and there was one time when I couldn't bring myself to say that I'm sad because I won't be here for a lot of things. I was about to open my mouth to say "I won't be here for National Day" but closed it again coz I felt my chest clench.

When we reached the airport, my dad gave me a hug and I almost wanted to cry but I held back. I really didn't want to cry.

I guess I was feeling really emotional at that point of time. But I never forgot how he told me to hang in there and that I'll wade through it.

I walked into the airport, still feeling sad that I'd miss so many things here in my beautiful country.

Then I sat down in front of those metallic gold ball things of german engineering and started looking at it, whilst eating popcorn (haha). Somehow.. I think it had a form of calming effect? And I suddenly had this 180 degree mindset change.

I started to think about happy and funny stuff and... guess what? It made me feel less emotional and more happy. And I was aware of what was happening to me. I thought about my friends in Myanmar and I imagined my friend talking to me in his funny accent and I started to smile and even laugh to myself. Yeah, I think I went a bit mad. But I started to think less about what was pulling me back from leaving Singapore and thought more about what to look forward to in Myanmar.

That momentum continued until I forgot all that depressive sadness earlier on and I became.. Happy.

It then occurred to me that it truly is something that is Mind Over Matter.

You can choose what to think about to make you feel the way you feel. You can choose to let go and stop thinking about something and move on. And it made me think... wow the mind is pretty damn powerful.

So, I told myself to let go of what was holding me back. To stop thinking about sad thoughts and surge on. In other words, to stop thinking about what I'd be missing.

That's when I thought of trying this: to completely let go of my Singaporean identity and immerse myself completely in Myanmar.

I know this sounds completely strange, especially at a time when SG50's just around the corner. But I'm gonna try to completely let it go. Stop feeling like a Singaporean and being like one. I think that's how I'll truly immerse in the Myanmar culture. To let go of my inhibitions and to be free of my own national identity.

And perhaps that is the true test of my patriotic spirit.

What would I be when I return? And what lessons would I learn?

Of course I won't forget my homeland Singapore when I'm here lah, it's just that I want to start getting myself involved in the community I am at currently.

So I did one thing crazy upon landing at Myanmar.

I decided, that instead of cabbing back to my apartment, I was gonna walk. I tell you, it takes an hour to drive there. So walking? I googled and saw that it was 14km and I decided that I was up for the challenge. Besides, I had all the time in the world. I was feeling inspired at that moment and when I feel it, I do it. And to me, doing something extreme like this serves as a test to my own spirit.

With my super heavy backpack, I began my journey.

Over 30 taxis stopped or horned at me to ask if I wanted a ride. But I shook my head and smiled gently. Burmese stared at me and one motorist told me that I was beautiful hahahaha. It was hot but it didn't rain luckily. Couldn't see the end of a road most of the times but I trudged on. I entertained myself with my own thoughts and observed people going about their daily lives. I walked and walked until it got to a point when my shoulders were aching so bad after 2-3 hours of walking. Then I suddenly heard a bus conductor chant "..... Shwedagon..." and an idea came to me. I SHALL TAKE A BUS. WHICH was a gamble also. It is a challenge to me because buses here... you don't know where they're going. You've to listen to the chants of bus folks of the places that they'd be heading to and be daring enough to ask them. I have never seen a foreigner taken a bus. I strongly believe buses remain a form of transport strictly for locals. I mean, have you seen an Angmoh taking an SBS bus?? Don't have right??! Super super super rare. Also, I had never taken a local bus without the help of my friends. And it was only 25 cents to take one.

I took a chance. When I found a place people were waiting for buses, I went up to a few and asked if they were going to Shwedagon Pagoda (the most iconic landmark to make it easier for them to understand me and the best chance of a bus heading to). The first 2 said no. And it's quite embarrassing lah coz people around you are all STARING at you. You've really got to grit your teeth and not be paiseh. Eventually, the third one said yes. And I was delighted. I DID IT!!! One of my bucket list items checked - to take a bus without the help of my Burmese friends.

So after an hour's ride, I alighted and continued my journey back to my flat. It was agonising I swear. My shoulders were sore as hell and I was really tired. There are thousands of taxis in Yangon and each one of them so tempting. But I swear to God, I told myself that if I don't walk back on my own, I am a failure.

I was nearing my flat when I was around a corner at a shopping mall when I spotted a familiar face. It was my friend and I gave the biggest smile of the day ever. It was so good to see a lovely face after a treacherous journey hahaha. He was happy to see me too and I waited for him to get off the phone before making our way back to our apartments together.

On the way, a few youngsters were playing guitars and they were singing. Quite a crowd rouser. It was to raise funds for the floods that have reached disaster levels. One of the worst disasters to happen in Myanmar in recent times. I'm safe if you're wondering. Yangon is totally all right.




This was what I saw from my plane back. Just... flooded this place was.
Kinda sad though. And my colleagues were really affected by it. But it's amazing how the young people of this country are so involved in garnering help and support for the affected communities.

Then it just made me think about how lame it was lah, that I felt sad about leaving home earlier in the day. People were drowning and dying here.. And the death toll is rising. It's pretty damn serious here in Myanmar. BBC news says 27 people are dead. Apparently, in a town nearby, 180 people are already dead. My colleagues told me. So information that is released to international media and what the people know over here is vastly different.

I also read the recent Singapore news about Megan Loy, the burn victim in that Taiwan disaster and how she's been so strong in her recovery. It really really made me feel stupid for feeling sad in the first place hahahaha. Like why am I so lame ya?

People's LIVES were at risk. And ah, the only thing that's at risk for me was well, my own stupid head.

So yes, mind over matter guys. Mind over matter. I'm glad at least I got over this though I won't totally disregard my emotions. What I felt was true but to learn how to get over it and stop whining is what would really help anyone to get over bad times and triumph. And importantly, only you can do it yourself. I realised I was seeking for others and indeed, they came to me and supported me with advice and words of encouragement. They all helped but ultimately, I have to trust myself to wade through tough times.

So yes, this whole post. I dunno if you got till the end HAHAHA. One of these journal things for me to remind myself of tough times I've experienced. I'm not even sure if it's "tough" considering what others are going through. Pretty lame to know that I was emotional hahaha. I am sucha fake tough cookie huh? hahahaha. Always crisp on the surface but I'm really just a cookie crumble hahaahah. WOW THE PUNS. Aiya but I guess I'm only human, and all of us fall sometimes and find ourselves in vulnerable situations.

Now that Filament has ended, which I would really love to show pictures of but my internet very slow so I can't download fast enough yet, but I don't have to keep going back to what is holding me in Singapore. I will of course remember the 9th of August lah, and keep myself abreast about news at home but not be overly sentimental.

Anyway, today I made a rookie mistake of a traveller.

I went to work a little over the 9am timing and thought I was late. But nobody was at the office yet to open the door for me. So I waited. and waited, thinking it's Burmese culture to be late. I waited for a good 15 minutes or so when it dawned on me...

I DIDN'T CHANGE SG TIME TO LOCAL TIME ON MY PHONE!!!! Nabeh so I actually woke up at 7am and reported for work at 7:30am. Freakin early lah?!?! I couldn't tell because the daylight looks the same and the streets were busy with people already.

So then I went to have mohinga for breakfast. and walked around a bit after that.



Haha. Some bits of what goes around my area.
I only wish I could transmit some of the sounds and smells for you guys as well.
And yes, I strongly believe Singapore looked like this in the 50s and 60s. I have been transported back in time ; )


K lah, I'm done talking. I'm really tired already. (yeah coz this dumbass woke up too early today)
Hope I'll get to show you Filament piczx soonnnn ; ) Which went awesome btw hehe.

Her reason? That as friends, we need to see each other through every stage of our lives.