September 2006 Archives
Everytime I watch this commercial, I feel sick and get goose bumps because of the nature of the subject they are talking about. There is actually a child from Burma in this commercial as well (How many poverty stricken parents have been forced to sell their children in Burma to the sex trade - be it in Burma or in Thailand?). I didn't know he was speaking Burmese the first time around but you can hear him speak for yourself. He is the second one.
Child Pornography should be stopped, no matter what form it appears in. Visit Lightamillioncandles.com to show your support and help victims of online child abuse.
They don't need your money, they just need your support.
My view of the Eiffel tower (I've already posted this up probably but I keep looking at it and the more I look at it, the more I find this poetic. Hence, put up again for the weekend poetry round up!)
Poetry makes me happy!
Thanks for participating everyone for participating in this week's weekend poetry. xoxo.
Read Ma May's entry for poem by Khin One
Read Ko Tesla's Poem on his new blog. :)
Read Ko Nyi Lynn Seck's Poem of the week!
Hey Piano tuner, I couldn't find your poem on your blog. But maybe next week.
And hopefully Myo gets electricity by next week in Yangon. :)
Update: Yan Naung just posted his fab poem!!!
Which reminds me that I need to learn to write about other feelings besides yearning.
Another update: Jackie wanted to share 2 song lyrics. I really like them alot. Thanks Jackie for always being my musical encyclopedia and more.
Oh, what a week lies ahead!
I wonder what the new Monkeys will do to improve the lives of the Burmese people? Oh, that's right - they don't really care about the Burmese people. (I shan't call them monkeys because some monekeys at least, love and have some kind of decency, more than what I can say about these people)
Myanmar junta leader hands over control of armed forces
Friday September 22, 6:47 PM
YANGON (AFP) - Myanmar's junta leader Than Shwe has handed over control of the armed forces to one of his top deputies but will remain head of state, according to two sources close to the military.
The military's second in command, Maung Aye, also handed over his position to a regional commander, marking the first change in the top two military posts since 1988, the sources said.
Both men are keeping their posts as the top two leaders of the governing State Peace and Development Council, as the junta calls itself.
"The two top posts of the military have been handed over to Shwe Mann and Thura Myint Aung," said one source close to the military leadership.
"The two posts were handed to a new generation of military leaders," he added.
Shwe Mann is a favorite of Than Shwe and has long been seen as his likely successor. Thura Myint Aung is a relatively unknown commander of the southeast division.
The changes were made during the military's quarterly meeting last week, the sources said.
News of the shake-up in Myanmar came just days after the military in neighboring Thailand staged a coup to overthrow controversial prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
A source who has close business dealings with the military leadership said Than Shwe and Maung Aye could be leaving their military posts to prepare for further changes within the government.
The junta is set to resume its on-again, off-again constitutional talks next month, which could lead to creating a civilian government in which Than Shwe would presumably become president, according to the business source.
"This could be setting the stage for Senior General Than Shwe to get ready for the presidency if a draft constitution is put in place," he said.
However, the constitutional talks have dragged on for years with no tangible results.
The process has been widely condemned by the international community for failing to include the leading opposition National League for Democracy, headed by the detained Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
Being You
I tired to be you.
I tried to be so cool,
but the worse part about being you
was that I had to pretend
I loved everyone else the best.
I used to give up
the gold chains on my neck
so you can buy everyone else
anything but second best.
I used to wonder why
I was paying for your debt
while they would sit there,
in their Sunday Best.
But I kept my promise,
I kept it to the end.
I found her and the clarity
came after the crying fest,
it was as if, the light had
stopped flickering at last.
Blaming is for other people,
shaming is for other people,
nurturing and loving are what
I'll be taking from the things you left.
you know, I will always love you
for everything that you once were.
-Yangon Thu-
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It's Weekend Poetry time! I didn't have any thing that I wrote for a long time, So I just wrote the above just now.
And I'm tagging the following bloggers to come join my Weekend Poetry program:
1. Tanya (she owes me from last week. Girl, I know you remember some of the poetry we wrote in Secondary 4 - write it down. love ya!)
2. Ditto to Yan Naung - He is so good with his poems but he won't share. Come on Yan Naung, share!!
3. CMS (I want to read a poem from a Mandalay Thar!)
4. 7 Monkeys! (I enjoy alot of what they write, so I hope that they can participate in my Program)
And I hope everyone else who participated in the program last week will continue to do so. Thank you.
Guidelines for weekend Poetry:
1) It can be in any language about anything.
2) You can tag other people to participate as well - it's fun making people do things, try (LOL).
3) And you can even post poetry from other poets you like, acknowledging them, so that our poetry knowledge can grow.
Woot!
I just learnt about this Flickr group on Jackie's Blog and I was so taken in by the idea of "Wardrobe Remix" that I had to post it immediately on my blog as well. I wish I could take part but I've been wearing such boring clothes for a year since I came back to Singapore and started working for a Corporate office. Dammit, I have to get my inspiration for fashion back, ASAP!
What is Wardrobe Remix?
From Creator Tricia Royal:
i believe the best stylists walk the streets, not the photo sets, nor the backstage of the runways. the real innovators are you and me: real, fashionable people, men and women alike.
how do *you* put it together? where did you get that item of clothing from? is there a story behind something you wear? a reason why you wear specific styles or types of clothing, or a particular item all the time?
wardrobe_remix is a DO IT YOURSELF street fashion community. think of street fashion photography. if you are unfarmiliar with street fashion photography and need references, i suggest you check out the very cool street fashion site www.hel-looks.com to get an idea of the type of photos/photography we're going for here. also try googling the following terms: "street fashion", "japanese street fashion", "fruits".
Visit Wardrobe Remix now and take a picture of your outfit and post it, you fashion minx, you!
Or you can post them on YOUR OWN blog, like the owner of the group has done here.
A man and his happy dog - Bugis Village, Singapore
That is Xiao Wen's hand reaching out to pet the cute doggie!
Celebrate your FREEDOM TO READ
It's banned books week. If you've ever been told you can't read a certain book due to some reasons that "the man" said. Well, you'd like this. If you like reading, like I do, then you'd like this too.
Join Google's Banned Book Party. I have so many books to read but I'm going to try. I can do it, I can concentrate, and stop day dreaming, yes I can, Yes I can, yes I can!!!!
Interesting article I read today on the New Capital of Myanmar - called Nay Pyi Daw (Royal City):
My thoughts:
They will build grand new cities
with fierce armour,
and tall skyscrapers
just to keep us
at the bottom of the chambers.
But you have to agree
when you think about
Monkeys and those tall trees;
the higher they climb,
the harder their fall will be.
But who will do the pushing
of the monkeys off of the tree,
for the sake of humanity?
-Yangon Thu-
The decorations on the trees at Orchard Road, Singapore Can you point out the foreign workers in the crowd to me, please?
Sept 14, 2006
There I was, absolutely tired after a long day, sitting at the bus stop, waiting for the lady who gave me life (so we can go to dinner), and contemplating the nature of the weather in Singapore. You see, the sun was suddenly out and super bright and shiny - forgetting the fact that just an hour ago, it had decided to sulk and hide away, leaving the gods to rain down on this particular area of Singapore hard. You see, the rain had raged, it had pounded with a vengeance - causing the heat from the grounds to rise up - wrapping you in their humidity like a cloak, a film you can't get rid of, on your skin. I was thinking that this kind of unpredictable weather can't be healthy for people --- when I saw a man running in the middle of the traffic - right smack in the middle of the street.
I noticed him because the traffic in front of me was at a standstill - rush hour cars trapped in a mini jam and the guy was running so hard in his black shirt and army green Bermudas, he made the cars look obsolete. Then I thought, "why is there a man running in the middle of the street?" And oh wait - "he is being chased by a policeman!" "Oh no, why is he being chased?" This man was running faster than any sprinter I have ever seen at the Olympics - so fast that he turned a corner and was gone before I could think of anything else. Next thing I know - there is another one, similar to the first runner, running towards us. He takes the opposite turn from the first runner - and this man too was being chased by a policeman. This other running man took the opposite turn from the first one - I guess splitting up makes it easier to escape. Good call on their part.
I kind of instinctively knew that the men where illegal foreign workers running away from the policemen on patrol who tended to question random people they thing are not Singaporeans on the street for their ID (my dad used to always get asked for his papers). Well I hope at least - I didn't see any stolen goods on either of them and I hope either of the runners from the law - hadn't done anything deadly.
Naturally - the heathen in me - the one who roots for the underdog - immediately hoped that the policemen won't catch them, that they would be safe.
First of all, I don't even think that I had to hope very hard because the policemen who were doing the chasing did not look as though they had been running recently. They looked kind of out of shape and besides, one of them stopped running and started walking (limping, more like) after the men took different turns and they were holding on to their walkie talkie and batons to their body while running - so they won't drop or something - which probably makes it awkward to run, you know.
You know, maybe I have already lost some readers when I wrote that I rooted for the men who I thought were alleged illegal workers. Maybe I've angered some people who disapprove of illegal workers by saying that. However, you won't understand why I feel a natural tendency to protect and defend foreign workers, even the illegal ones, unless you have actually been in the situation where you, yourself, or a loved one were reduced to the option of having to work in a foreign country to survive, feed your family (or give them a better life) or worse, had to work illegally in that foreign country, because the alternative was too awful to think about.
I was an illegal worker once - a very long time ago - in a country that I used to live in. Did I have a choice not to become an illegal worker? Yes. I could choose to not work illegally but that would mean I couldn’t' stay in that country I loved, I wouldn't earn that currency - that I would have to move to another country where my choices would be even more limited, where I would earn less money, would have no freedom, and more. Also, I was very young, foolhardy and thought I was invincible.
When you work illegally, you are always kind of scared. I mean, you can't trust your colleagues, you are afraid you will be found out; you are scared you might piss someone off and they would report you. You go out of your house everyday, knowing that there was a 50-50 chance of being found out and thrown out. And then if you were thrown out - you can't come back, ever. Can you imagine, risking not being able to come back, just so you can stay for a few years to support your family? We are talking about desperation here.
Fear and paranoia wears you out - it's not something you want hanging around you all the time, especially if part of your fear was that if you lost that job, you would be unable to support yourself, your family or the way of lifestyle and freedom that you think you deserve because everybody else got it too.
Where am I going with this? Well, in the last 2 months, at least 5 people have told me how foreigners are just taking over Singapore and how Singaporeans are losing out because of foreigners, and how "foreigners are dirty, smelly, illegal, trouble makers", etc. And when I open my mouth and say, "well, thing is, the people who hire the dirty smelly illegal foreigners are actually Singaporeans" and how "I didn't exactly see many Singaporeans vying for the $3 an hour jobs the foreigners get", -I get scorn, or quietness or people just shake their heads at me.
And because I cannot shut my big fat mouth, I continue and I say things like: "well, besides, everyone in Singapore were foreigners in the beginning of this country - dirty & smelly too some of them, and how they all made Singapore to be this nice, clean place - so why are the second wave of immigrants being in tolerated?" And "why would the Singapore government be granting Permanent Residency and citizenships left and right if they didn't need people?"
So I just wanted to say that - yeah - there are foreign workers and some of them are illegal workers - but honestly, they are people just like everyone else - only they had choices that were different from the rest. If you and yours truly are seriously worried about illegal workers, then I suggest that you talk to your government, your councilmen, your congressmen, who ever that will change the system. Because - they are the ones who "ok" for the foreigners to come in and work for you for half of what you, as a citizen would get as an hour, just to survive. I also suggest that instead of taking your blame out on the workers, why don't you talk to the bosses who are citizens just like yourself who hire them - ask them why they don't hire the citizens instead. I mean, vote against it, vote for foreign workers to not work in your country if you think you can do all the jobs by yourself, you know.
And I know - I know security is a big issue for everyone, myself included ( I mean, I know people of different levels of comfort, myself included - i.e.: lookie where I chose to live) . I don't expect you to welcome every foreigner with big open arms and I don't expect you to invite them into your homes for buffets and I don't pretend that some of them aren't criminals. All I ask for is that you keep an open mind. That's it.
So how did the story of the running men end? Well, unhappily for the policemen - they came back 10 minutes later to meet at the bus stop I was at - huffing - scowling and whispering to each other, pointing in all directions. I was smiling. I think I smiled too long because they looked up and saw me smiling. So I feigned a coughing fit to cover up my laughter and I turned around. My mother messaged me to say that she was around the corner and I left the humidity and people filled bus stop and entered the salvation that was the air conditioned mall.
They take away my past, they take away my county, they take away my stability, they take away different options I can have. Now they are taking away parts of my history. Someone, pelase send me some money so I can go to Bagan, Burma, before they make a complete mess of it than they already have.
Ancient pagodas in Myanmar are being restored by bogus archaeology
By RICHARD C. PADDOCK
Los Angeles Times
BAGAN, MYANMAR — The bricklayers are paid $1.35 a day to rebuild the ancient ruin: a small, 13th century temple reduced by time to little more than its foundation.
But they have no training in repairing aged monuments, and their work has nothing to do with actually restoring one of the world's most important Buddhist sites. Instead, using modern red bricks and mortar, they are building a new temple on top of the old.
They work from a single page of drawings supplied by the government. Three simple sketches provide the design for a generic brick structure and a fanciful archway. No one knows, or seems to care, what the original temple looked like. Nearby are two piles of 700-year-old bricks that were pulled from the ruin. The bricklayers use them to fill holes in the temple.
Known as Monument No. 751, the structure is one of hundreds of new temples that have popped up all over the ancient city of Bagan, which ranks with Cambodia's Angkor temple complex as one of Asia's most remarkable religious sites. Once the scene of an international rescue effort, Bagan is now in danger of becoming a temple theme park.
The late Myanmar historian Than Tun called the restoration "Blitzkrieg archaeology."
"They are carrying out reconstruction based on complete fantasy," said an American archaeologist who asked not to be identified for fear of being banned from the country. "It completely obliterates any historical record of what was there."
"Never let the hand you hold, hold you down."
~Author Unknown
I refer to Ko Nyi Lynn Seck 's Blog Poston a performance by Phyu Phyu Kyaw Thein (a Burmese Singer/Performer). When I saw her performing rolling around on the stage in clothes that she was wearing, I felt turned off, I was upset. I felt like I was betrayed, I felt lied to, that it was a sham. I mean, I felt quite strongly about it, to tell you the truth. I didn't want to see that. And I was surprised at myself for feeling that way.
Why would I feel that way? Was I a hypocrite? Am I trying to stop my country from becoming modernised? Am i trying to deny Burmese women the independence and ability to do as they please like I do? Why did this bother me? I wear clothes like she does (well actually I would never wear those pants, they are hideous but you get my drift) and if I was a rocker, you better believe I would be rocking out any darn way I pleased and if rolling on the floor while singing pissed of anyone, too bad.
And as I thought about why I disliked those pictures of Phyu's performance so much, I discovered that it was not her I hated, it ws not her clothes (well, except for the pants (or is it a skirt), someone tell her they are FUGLY) and it was not her way of being sexy on the stage.
No.
Rather, the thing is I was mad at was the Burmese Military Government (or the crazies as I call them). They repress everyone in Burma, they do experiments in governing 40 million people- all of them failing miserably and in the name of modernity, they open up certain markets and economy to some and not others. So, the influence from the outside world infiltrates Burma, bringing with it, the way westerners dress, their attitudes towards sex, and their attitudes towards drugs and their way of consumerism, and more. The gap between the rich and the poor is huge and good ethics are rarely found int he rich because to be there, honestly, you have to be corrupted in Burma.
With all this talk of drafting a new constitution, freeing the country, etc, the Burmese government still has not allowed the Burmese people to think freely. Burmese women are even more repressed. The women are not really allowed to be independent, even though it's the women who usually run the households. Burmese women are not allowed to be in the military (this means that Burmese women can't study certain subjects that are only offered in the military colleges). If a woman was thought to have been with a man for 7 days, she is considered to be his wife automatically (spoiled goods). Women are not even supposed to get divorced, women are supposed to tolerate men stalking them in the streets for their phone numbers because they are told it's just tradition. And it's considered bad for a women to marry again after her husbad has passed away. If a woman is hit, it's usually - what has she done to provoked him - kinda deal. And honestly, rape is used as a weapon most of the time by the government to instill fear in the people - and it's usually the women who get raped.
So there are the rich people in Burma - with money to burn, to go to live shows - to listen to new music - rap - hip hop - pop- rock (usually covers of top 40 hits from around the world)- girls performing wearing the new skimpy clothes that the new economies have brought in. They are all told it's ok to be wearing them, but you will be considered a whore - but who cares - because if you are a female Burmese performer, you probably have slept with half the town and people can buy you for a price.
So I'm mad that the Burmese government allows these false notions of independence for women - that they say it's ok for them to wear and act a certain way on stage, after all, Burma is on it's way to becoming a modern and democratic country!! (in a million light years, more like it, under this regime) They allow them a shallow level of so called liberation and independence - while at the same time denying them what they really need: freedom to think, ask, write discuss, vote, to gain knowledge, to have a say in anything, to choose not to be corrupt, to maintain one's pride and dignity.
Burmese girls and women, honestly, do you think that just because you can wear a halter top or a see through (ugly!) pants/skirt that you are free and you are independent? That you have gained a step into the world of liberation?
I'm afraid not. If you can't walk off that stage in that halter top and transparent (ugly!) pants (skirt?) without worrying that you will have to sleep with a General so and so or his son to stop them from banning you; if you can't say - Hey look at me, yes, I do dress what ever way I like but I have a brain just like you and I am capable of anything, probably better than you can.
I'm sorry it's such a bad rant. But I was just thinking that this exploitation of Burmese people has to stop and the liberation of Burmese people have to begin - at the same time as the Liberation of Burmese women. Remember the American Civil War got help from the American Women's liberation movement. Liberation should go hand in hand for both sexes. And Burmese women need help from the Burmese men in order to do this, and I don't know how the Burmese men feel about this, at all.
And I can't do anything really but just write about how I feel. Phyu Phyu Kyaw Thein, I'm glad that you are rocking out. I hope that one day, you all can rock out to your own original songs all the time, without fear. No Fear.
Do I ask for too much?
Photos from: http://www.planet.com.mm/musicportal/desc.cfm?id=10777
Another one of my collages
I had the pleasure of trying a unique ice cream the other day. It was called "Warsabee babe". And yes, ladies and gentlemen, it was wasabi flavored ice cream. I love wasabi with my sushi and sashimi and in general, I love ice cream. However, I was a little afraid of trying those two loves combined together--> the wasabi flavored ice cream.
The only reason I decided to venture into unknown territory was because they were actually out of the flavor that I wanted: Chocoholic. And I thought, "Hell, never say never!" and went for it.
The first lick and I don't think I have ever felt so many contradicting flavors in my mouth at one time. The ice cream was so cooling and then after you have licked it, it was hot - and then it was sweet and then spicy - wasabi style hot and spicy while ice cream style cool and sweet. All at one time.
Definitely, it was very interesting and yes I finished all of my scoop. Let me tell you a secret way to enjoy it - don't stop licking it or eating the ice cream until it's all over. It's not one of those ice creams where you can savor the flavor becuase, if you savor it, you will be confused by the hot and spicyness. Whereas, if you ate it all at once, you will be surprised by all the flavors - all which gives you a kick in your mouth.
I'm not sure if I will try it again - it's one of those delicacies that you can't eat everyday you know. Here is a website - where you can look at all the different Japanese ice creams.
