Author: liyangsthoughts

Stories are what fascinate me the most in life, here is the space to tell the story of mine.

James Foley

by liyangsthoughts, posted in People

If you search James Foley, it is a name associated with words such as ISIS, war on terror, American journalist beheaded etc. 

When I read the news, my first thought is what a horrible way to die. Then I thought about his family and hope they did not watch the video released by ISIS. With more reports on James work as a journalist coming out, I was drawn into images of him holding camera in war zones – the most dangerous situations on earth. 

From reading what his colleagues wrote about him, I imagine him being very brave, quick to action, charming and easy to get along. Because without these traits, it will be very difficult to survive in that environment. I also believe he has that type of personality which makes life sitting behind a desk or having a garden to mow seems worse than having bullets flying by your ear. 

Journalist is a carrer I have always been interested. James obviously loved what he does, not only he pursued this career and also did a good job. The ending of his life is the most tragic and made publicly by his murderer. He poured his life into doing the job as the messenger, go to the unknown, meet the people who have stories to tell to the rest of the world, and hope using media as a way to change this world a little at a time. I bet at times, when he has seen so much sorrow and unjust first hand, its hard to keep maintain that hope for a better tomorrow. But through the lenses of his camera, the words of his report, people live in the peaceful part of the globe get to see what life is like at the other parts of the world. Not only we feel sorry for those suffered souls in the war torn region, we also realise how important it is to keep the peace. It is very fragile,easily broken, lost and when it does , your world literally falling into pieces. 

James died as a messenger too. The killer hope to use this death to spread fear around the world. I am sure that is the last thing James would like to happen. His death makes me respect the journalists who risk their lives to pursue the truth. His death reminds me once again that we all have stories to tell, no matter what the ending is, it is what you have been through life means the most. Looking back at the life of James Foley, what he has achieved, what he has showed to the world, these are the things to remember and to carry on…

 

Myanmar – Inle Lake

by liyangsthoughts, posted in Travel

photo 3 photo 1photo 2

We landed at Heiho airport and found our own driver to the boat jetty . Normally the trip take about 1 hr 15 mins , we got there in 40 mins . The car is old with no sit belt .The driver took us to his friend’s tour company Sons of Inle . We got a good deal with US $69 we get transfer to and from hotel plus the full day boat tour. Our boat driver is really young and looked like a pirate . We were really happy with the experience. They seem to be a bunch of young guys trying to do business together . The boat isn’t fancy even the life jackets looked really old compare to the other boats we saw on the way . But every place we went the locals know our driver well .

The lake is stunning . Our room overlooks the water . In the early morning and late evening we can hear music played from the near by temple . Everyday at 4am the local fishermen do their sermon . I really enjoyed listening to the music floating across the lake . We also visited the local weaving workshop. It’s the only place in the world use lotus to weave fabrics . These fabrics are sold from US $20 to $700 . Takes two weeks to produce one scarf . The fabric itself looks nothing special but consider the amount of work put into it plus the spiritual meaning of lotus in Buddhism make it all very special .

We also visited this place with over 1000 temples and it is full of souvenirs shops . Locals get their photos taken expecting a small donation as well . We exercised our bargain skills and got a few gifts for friends back home . I was quite pleased with a gold coloured wooden fish which I bought from this pregnant lady who was holding her young child. Hope the money get to help a little with her expecting another little one.

I came across two really annoying incidents with big tour groups on this trip .Once was this French woman who is about to hop on her bus at the first hotel we stayed , she noticed some local cleaners were scrubbing concrete floors . So she and the other travel companions pulled out their cameras aiming at them . Suddenly these poor cleaners were surrounded by them and being taken pictures . This French woman kept asking them to scrub harder, one of the cleaner jokingly asked her to do it herself. Although it all seems to be good humour, I think it’s really disrespectful towards the locals.

Another incident was when we were about to board our plane , two American ladies around late fifties cut right in front of us said “Excuse me” then trying to go through the gate as well . The airport staff told them it’s not their flight , they walked away. I wonder who said as long as saying excuse me you can just jump the queue ? They probably got too used to the first class service .
My point is I think big tour groups sometime lack of the culture sensitivity . Human beings when act as a pack can sometime easily feel superior towards others

Our flight from Inle to Yangong is delayed due to heavy fog . Sitting at the airport with lots of European tourists . I can hardly find any local tourists.

Now the fog is easing up we may get to fly out soon . Last night will spend in Yangong .

1st Dec 2013 written at Heiho airport

Myanmar – Bagan

by liyangsthoughts, posted in Travel

IMG_4585 IMG_4622 IMG_4564

Landed in Yangong. But after spending four hours waiting for the next connection flight we realised it will take another 2 hrs to get to Bagan . All because the travel consultant decided to change our airline from KBG to Air Bagan . Only half way in the air we learnt that it takes two stops on the way to reach Bagan . So a one hour trip extended to two hours . At the second stop the plane had to fill some petrol. We didn’t get off the aircraft instead sitting in the dark and asked to unfasten our seat belt . The underlying meaning is that if there is an explosion you have a chance to run off the plane . Since it’s already dark outside the technician had some torches to help them with lighting while filling the tank . I felt anxious about flying after a very bumpy flight from Akl to Wellington in the ghastly wind a while ago. Have to say I didn’t enjoy the airbus service with the quick landing and take-off , getting people on and off the flight . They did a good job to ensure our bags reach the correct destination despite the chaos at the arrival gate. Before boarding we were all given this sticker to put on your clothes, it indicates which airline you are . Magnus thinks the flight attendants are quite attractive looking which I totally agree . They also serve super sweet juice and soft drinks on the flight except drinking water . Service was not bad overall.

We finally landed at Bagan around 7pm . The first thing once we picked up our luggage was to pay the US $15 per head entrance fee to help with the conservation work of the temples . There are about five staff at the desk keep asking us the same question such as where we from. Our driver took us to our accommodation . We spent about $35 NZ dollar for dinner at the hotel and it’s definitely not cheap considering the type of food we had . That was the last time we had dinner there .

The next day we biked around the new Bagan area . A local young man stopped us and told us about the sand paintings drawn by his father . After a bit of haggling we bought a small piece with 7000 chit . Later on when we went to the temples turned out to be many many more people who were selling the identical paintings also “done” by their parents or grand parents . The village we come across on the bike trip are really poor . People lived in a very simple hut with grass made roof which is pretty much all they own .

We paid US $1 for a 750 ml bottle of drinking water at the hotel room . This is quite a contrast comparing to a normal meal should cost around 500 chit that’s less than 50 cent according to Lonely Planet. I’m normally not so calculating on holidays but in the first few days I did feel like we are just silly tourists who just pay whatever and nothing seem to go to the locals who are really in need of some money .

Part of this in my view is contributed by the big tour groups from Europe , US and Japan . The tour groups get off the bus have little or no interaction with the locals and since the packaged tour is probably covered for most costs they don’t mind paying a bit more on small things like over priced water and beer etc …

We hired a car for US $20 to see the famous Bagan sunset. There is no words to describe the magnificent view . its definitely something to remember for a life time . There are over 4000 temples built in the area . When we arrived at the temple we had to climb up to the patio to get the best view . It’s amusing but also a bit sad to see some late arriving buses honking at the flock of cows . The cows moved so slowly and the sun is setting lower and lower without waiting for the bus to get to the temple. We humans can be so selfish,  just because we want to get somewhere we will rush and push whatever is blocking our way.

On the way back we asked the driver for recommendation on places for dinner . He said a few resort type restaurants. When my partner asked which one he personally would go he could not answer, I felt a bit bad because I think eating out is probably a luxury for the locals .Finally we did manage to find a really nice local restaurant which served very good Myanmar curries and noodles . We told the waiter no nuts on the salad , I guess there was a misunderstanding coz the salad arrived with  with lots of peanuts mixed . So for food allergy people the language barrier could be a bit risky when it comes to order your meal .

The next day we hired the same driver to Mt Popa. It’s about 1.5 hours drive from the hotel . The temple is built on the top of a mountain . Took about half an hour steep hill climb . Along the way there are cleaners asking for donation because they wipe away the monkey poos. We also need to pay the donation for shoe keeping . Basically every little thing is expected with a donation .

Along the way there are many statues of Nat who are the spiritual gods in Myanmar religion . We didn’t hire the guide to explain what they are for. In the end the whole experience is like watching a foreign film without subtitles . It was worth the trip though . The monkeys we met along the way was quite entertaining too .

I was getting grumpy of being treated like a tourist the whole trip, so I decided to pick a local restaurant for lunch instead of the resort type where the driver wanted to take us . Turns out the place I picked had no price on the menu and the lady just charged us whatever price off her head . We asked for Myanmar curry she walked to somewhere next door got the food for us. Not even cooked from their own kitchen which was a bit weird . The food was not good and we felt a bit stomach upsets afterwards . So my effort of trying NOT to be a tourist back fired on us .

Nov 29th 2013 written at Inle Lake

Post March now in July

by liyangsthoughts, posted in Life down under

So shortly after the Kunming train station stabbing on 1st of March , on the 8th the MH370 disappeared. We are at the end of July now, the plane is still missing.

In May celebrated my birthday with the theme of a Onesies’s party, had lots of friends over, it was a lovely celebration.

A few days after my birthday another attack took place at a morning market in my hometown Urumuqi , 31 killed many were old people who were shopping for fresh and cheap vegetables at the market.

June don’t remember much except signed the paper on the 9th, so by law I am a married woman now.

July hosted a group of business people from South East Asia, learnt a lot from them , a very productive and good trip. Then followed by another delegation from China, very different group, interesting people also enjoyed meeting them. Right after the hosting business is done, before I got on the flight from Christchurch back to Auckland, found out the Malaysia airline got shot down in Ukraine. A few days later, a Taiwanese airline came down due to poor weather, then a few days later an Algerian flight came down ….

I guess this is how life is going to continue for the rest of my journey, celebrations followed by tragedies then more celebrations .  Watched a documentary about Deepak Chopra, he said that the whole universe is in every one of us. We are the universe, everything is linked . There is no death, its unborn , its eternal … If you truly believe in it, it seems to take away the sadness of this world a little. I also would like to possess the wisdom to understand that this physical body and the world around us does not define who I am. After my physical body pass on, part of me still goes back to this universe, it continues.

But why do we hang on to this and that…does this world deserve us to hang on to? Thats another question for another day.

 

Dear Leader

by liyangsthoughts, posted in Words that matter

http://www.randomhouse.co.nz/books/jang-jin-sung/dear-leader-9781846044205.aspx

Attended Jang Jun-Sung’stalk at the Auckland Writers Festival this morning.

Jang published the book Dear Leader, what made him unique is that he worked in the propaganda team for the regime before defecting to South Korea.

When asked what does words and poems mean to you as a writer in NK? Jang explained while he was growing up,  the literatures he read only carried two strong messages, hate and love. Hate the capitalist enemy , love the great leader.

There are only two writers works people are allowed to read in NK,  Kim Jong-il  and Kim Il-Sung. Foreign books are only published about 100 copies only and limited to the elite class to read. Normal people don’t get to read anything else other than the great leaders works. Its until one day by chance he came across the work of Lord Byron it changes his view on literacy completely.  He felt the works of Lord Byron’s are written for everyone equally. Since then Jang wanted to become a poet and a cripple like Byron.

Since Kim Il-Sung was a highly regarded poet in NK, therefore other poets who write for the regime are also treated with respect. Another reason poems are widely popular in NK is due to the lack of paper in the country, poems are cheaper to print comparing to novels.

In NK there is strict literacy laws. Creative people have no freedom , they must praise the supreme leader. Even actors who portray the leader in films will receive the ultimate respect from others. There is one producer got punished  just because he addressed one actor’s name slightly wrong .

Jang said that it is not just the power dictatorship people endured in NK, but also the emotional dictatorship. If a writer dare to write something against the regime, may face a 3 generation punishment, means the grandfather, father and son will all be punished.

When asked what was the turning point for Jang to leave NK. He said it was the famine in the 90s. During 1994-1999 about 3 million people died of starvation in NK. He described a woman on the roadside selling her young daughter for US$1 , just to buy a little bit of bread.

He also told the story of a young girl begging for food on the street, he gave her some cookies but the girl refused, instead asking for a tube of tooth paste. The reason is she eats rotten food she can find on the street, and she felt consuming  a bit of tooth paste afterwards will help her stomach taking the rotten food more easily. The girl lost most of her family members during the famine. At that point Jang realised he lived in the country which has the richest leader and the poorest people. Jang wants to write about the real life instead of lies. His mentor who could not escape from the regime has stopped writing, because he believes the only way to fight against the regime is silence.

Who is responsible for the famine? Jang explained in NK people replied on public distribution for food and resources. But when it failed to deliver , people still kept on waiting for the government to provide. They lost the ability to generate food and resources by themselves. This delay caused such a huge number of death due to starvation.

Jang also described his meeting with the great leader. He described Kim Jong-il as a desperate man. Before he met the leader he regarded him as God. When he met the leader at the great hall with all the others, he thought  the leader was just a man who is much older, fatter and more ugly than himself.

He saw Kim Jong-il  tearing up when he listened to a singer signing . The singer was not even singing a sad song. But once the great leader started crying,all the generals standing behind the leader raced to grab their own handkerchiefs and started crying too. At that moment Jang almost felt pity towards Kim Jong-il  , because as a dictator he never experience an ordinary  life and probably don’t even know how to express his emotions in a normal way.

When asked the role China plays in NK defectors, Jang explained China returns defectors even though they know that these defectors will be tortured and killed. Most people try to escape the regime will bring two things with them, poison and sharp razor. So if they are to be returned, or caught they rather take their own lives first. During his escape, he lost his dearest friend who accompanied him. He said many Chinese live on the border with Korea who speak Korean, 朝鲜族, assisted some defectors to cross border.

At the end of the talk, Jang encouraged  the international community to separate North Korean people from the government. He thinks what the ordinary north Koreans really respect is the dollar (economy growth), because they need to survive.  Its not a matter of will the regime collapse, but of WHEN it will collapse. He has strong hope that the government will not last long.

Someone from the audience asked how does Jang cope mentally with the things he has been through. He replied once he escaped to South Korea, he has the strong will to do something in order to create changes.