Wednesday, August 29, 2012

The beauty and the little secrets of life are all about being simple and being human.

The Peanuts characters have been my buddies ever since I learnt to drink with my mug, and the mug is still with me. In fact the mug means so much to me that I stopped using it 20 years ago for fear of breaking it.

In his last years, Charles Schulz suffered from Parkinson's Disease. As a result, he experienced hand tremors that made his linework shaky. He admitted that the tremors sometimes were so bad that while working, he had to hold onto the side of his desk with one hand to steady himself. In addition, he had to reduce the strip from four panels to three to reduce the amount of drawing. Charles Schulz died in his sleep at home on February 12, 2000. The last original Peanuts strip was published the very next day. When I saw the newspaper headline with the characters all in black waving goodbye, it was as if I was saying the last goodbye to a dear old friend. A dear old friend who lived his one dream, one passion and one job to the day he died.

This is a quiz designed by him. You don't have to actually answer the questions. Just ponder on them.


1. Name  the five wealthiest people in the  world.

2. Name  the last five Heisman trophy winners.

3. Name  the last five winners of the Miss America pageant.

4  Name  ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.

5. Name  the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.

6. Name  the last decade's worth of World Series winners.


How did you do?

The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday.

These are no second-rate achievers.

They are the best in their fields.

But the applause dies..

Awards tarnish..

Achievements are forgotten.

Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.



Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:


1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.

2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.

3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.

4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.

5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.

Easier?


The lesson:

The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the
most credentials, the most money...or the most awards.

They simply are the ones who care the most

 


Saturday, August 25, 2012





I decided to do more hiking training since I came back from Gobi. Since then, every weekly session I had hiking with friends was an interesting journey.

The past two weeks was really a training of mental strength. Last week it was Maclehose sections 3 and 4. This week it was the Pat Sin Leng. After I finished the two sections at Maclehose last week, I was wondering whether I really had what it takes to finish the whole 100 km. This week too, I had serious doubts (especially when I was climbing the ups and downs) whether I can even finish the Raleigh 78 km.

The name Pat Sin Leng means "Mountains of the "Eight Immortals", who are famous "xian", or transcedents/fairies in Chinese mythology. The eight peaks symbolize the eight peaks along the Pat Sin Leng mountain range, each named after a different Immortal.

The format of the hikes I went through these two weeks were quite similar, but there was a greater sense of achievement hiking Pat Sin Leng as you can look back and see the spectacular landscape or challenge that you have completed. 

An amazing thing happened when I was having a victory late lunch with my hiking buddies near the Plover Cover Reservoir. I suddenly felt that I could probably finish the Raleigh, albeit slowly. But whether I will get to do the competition really doesn't matter. Just going through one year's training with the greatest training buddies is already a rewarding journey in itself. The rest is a bonus. 


Friday, August 24, 2012



Today is a special day. I wrote a letter to a complete stranger but it was written with a lot of heart that I want to keep it.



Dear Mrs Kao,

Hope you are well.

I stumbled onto the website of your foundation while doing some research on the internet. I was never a sportswoman but this year after I came back as a volunteer from an international sports event called Gobi March organized by Racing the Planet, I decided that I want to join as competitor for 2013. This is a 250 km 7 days 6 nights self-supported ultra marathon across the Gobi Desert and there are about 200 athletes from all over the world. A good number of athletes run for charity and I am training hard and hopefully can be one of them. I was researching on the internet because I was thinking about my cause for running. Of all the good causes I can think of, Alzheimer’s is one which I feel most connected to.

My mother had Alzheimer’s in 1998 when she was 50. She was just an ordinary civil servant and was about to retire. Right after she started her post-retirement life, our family started noticing the deterioration of her cognitive abilities. Within a few months, we took her to the doctor but only to see her brain the size of a pork bun through the scan. A year after, she was pretty much functioning like a 5 year old child, except that she was on heavy dosages of medicine.

Back then I never really enjoyed hiking but my mother had always loved it. So I started hiking with her at the early onset of the disease. I was hoping that even though she could not manage anything intellectually, she could at least walk enough to stay healthy. Also, there was just me and her and mother nature. Nobody would judge her by her uncoordinated and unexplainable gestures and language. But even that luxury was gone soon. After my mom lost her mobility, so did my dad since he had to take care of her 24/7.

It has been 14 years since, but I have lot to thank God for. My father has learnt to be a patient, sensitive, caring (and even romantic) husband which he has never been. The disease has also strengthened my bond with my parents. In all honesty, we should feel very lucky since my mother is still physically well enough for day care and both my parents are government pensioners and so medically everything is taken care of.

But I understand that there are many carers who are burdened with tremendous physical, emotional and financial burden as a result of someone close suffering from this disease, or the patients themselves who are neglected because the families themselves are without adequate support. I understand that in some parts of the world, carers are given much more support whether medically, psychologically or even financially from the government. As Hong Kong’s population is ageing fast, a lot more work has to be done. I am so glad that you are the face and the voice for this cause, and the Hong Kong society desperately needs someone like you.

As for myself, I started working as a lawyer 14 years ago and then moved on to a WTO project doing trade capacity building with developing countries in the Asia Pacific region. After that contract, I joined a small charity foundation and spent time working in Burma on education, disaster relief and post-disaster reconstruction projects. I am currently with one of the largest textile and apparel manufacturers in the world. I spend about 80% of my time on business and the rest on managing the group’s charity arm. I often travel to Xinjiang, Vietnam and Sri Lanka overseeing education projects. While working on Xinjiang projects, I have got in touch with Racing the Planet and knew about their competitions.

To me, joining this sports event is an inspiration reminding me to give the best of myself for others, and especially to devote this to my parents, to thank them for giving birth to me and for raising me to become a courageous and compassionate person. They both loved travelling before my mother had Alzheimer’s, and so I would like to think that I am carrying their hopes, dreams and aspirations with me as I walk the desert. Hopefully I will be fit enough by June next year and do some modest fundraising for your foundation. I will keep you informed of my progress.

In the meantime, if there is anything I can help on a volunteer basis, please do not hesitate to contact me. Please keep up with the good work and take care.




Thursday, August 16, 2012

 
Here's from one of my favourite adverts:

If you are, you breathe;
If you breathe, you talk;
If you talk, you ask;
If you ask, you think;
If you think, you search;
If you search; you experience;
If you experience, you learn;
If you learn, you grow;
If you grow, you wish;
If you wish, you find;
If you find, you doubt;
If you doubt, you question;
If you question, you understand;
If you understand, you know;
If you know, you want to know more;
If you want to know more, you are alive.

That's right. Live Curious.

Monday, August 13, 2012


The other day I was having a chat with my friend Leong on what comes to our minds when we are running.

Yesterday, I decided to go out on my own as I wanted to find my way from Shing Mun to Tai Po for the Wilson Challenge. It was just after heavy rain, and there were very few hikers. For hours, it felt like I was the only person living on this planet and I had a dialogue with myself. But the dialogue was not based on reasoning, it was just a clear voice coming from within and there was great clarity of the mind.

The questions on life choices which I have been pondering for a while became simple and clear. The perspectives became direct. I then realized that my passion and sense of purpose were the answers to my questions and they came straight from the heart with no "but" or "if". Of course there is an unanswered question of "when", but that is a question which I can comfortably surrender to God.

 
 

Tuesday, August 7, 2012



Francis won the 10 Outstanding Young Persons Award in Hong Kong earlier this year and I was so excited to know that he has just been nominated as one of the finalists for the Outstanding Young Persons of the World.

Let me see how should I describe Francis. I first met Francis at a dinner about three years ago. Anyone first meeting him would be impressed by his genuineness and his passion in making the society better. At that time, I didn't have much understanding about social enterprises and so I considered him just another NGO friend who lives his dream and passion, but in a world quite separate from mine.

Eventually I joined SVHK's activities from time to time and I saw how their work and team mature and flourish. I saw SVHK growing and making more meaningful impact to society day by day. I began to sense the massive effort he has put into SVHK's work.

Francis came representing and fundraising for SVHK at this year's Gobi March. He doesn't look like a super athlete, but he did better than our colleagues who were 12 to 15 years younger, and those who had prior experience of military training. As timekeeper, I have seen him crossing the finishing checkpoint on several days, his eyes so full of determination no matter how many hours he had been running out there.

It was destiny when one day I decided that I wanted to set up a social enterprise for middle-aged unemployed women from our former factories. Francis was my support from day one. The preparation work has gone on for more than a year now and I would have dropped any day without his encouragement and mentorship. Through him, I stepped into a new world which I found a new sense of purpose, a whole new territory of creativity and possibilities, not only in myself but also in the people I want to serve and help. I started to realize Francis is the type who cannot last a day without moving someone. If there is only one person, he would move one by one, few by few, or sometimes more strategically, move the critical movers who can help to achieve a critical mass.

You are such an inspiration mate!

Friday, August 3, 2012


It is important to learn to see life from different perspectives.

I was so happy to see my friend Stephanie in Hong Kong and our group of Gobi friends had so much fun at Soho. At some point Stephanie and I were in a debate about whether we can have a roving race in Burma. She and I are on two opposite ends, hers being "absolutely no no" for a long time, and mine being "anytime".

The discussion made me want to reflect more on this topic. I guess there is no right or wrong, but from what perspective one is seeing life from. IOs have lots of access to information, official and unofficial. No matter how hard the Burmese government is trying to advertise its reforms, it remains to be seen whether the reforms are genuine and even if they are, it will take a long time.

But from my humble experience of working with IOs for a few years, I have always felt that something is missing. Behind the objective and well-researched information and analyses, I have always felt a lack of understanding to what the locals were really thinking and feeling.

It was a blessing to have the opportunity to work at grassroots level. Most of the time I was lucky enough to stay outside of the government's radar and did our own stuff. At the grassroots level, the rules of the game are different. You have to live the local way in order to understand their culture and needs.

This is taken from the Irrawaddy Delta disaster area back in 2008. I spent quite a lot of time travelling in and out of the delta working on relief and reconstruction projects. I will always remember the learning. Our priorities are completely different from the locals. You may think that after the cyclone, a bed or a tent is important for them. But actually, they were more desperate for fishing boats so that they can continue to make a living. Accommodation wise, they could do a pretty good job with palm leaves, bamboo thatches what have you. As a result, I have seen tens of thousands of tents donated (with good intentions) by IOs lying on the outskirts of Yangon serving no purpose at all.


And what about the moral dilemma that we are giving credit to a government which doesn't deserve it? I was privileged to have met Reverend Sitagu-Sayadaw (see below). It was certainly an enlightening experience talking to him, but seeing what he has done on the ground has changed my life forever.

I never expected to have the opportunity of meeting Reverend Sayadaw in person. He was once an opthalmologist and gave up his job to become a monk. His organization is a registered charity in the US and he spends time travelling all over the world fundraising for worthy causes. He has built numerous schools and hospitals in different parts of Burma. That day, I was only intending to deliver a small amount of construction materials as a donation and I was completely amazed by the resources that he was able to mobilize. I saw fleets of hundreds of boats and thousands of people working for him as volunteers. He saw me, a non-local, and came to talk to me. He said, "the government is not doing its job and so we take matters into our own hands." He knew I came from Hong Kong and said, "please keep up with the good work. This country needs you." Even now, I still have a clear impression of him - his inner strength, wisdom, courage, compassion and influence.


 
From the past 12 years of working as a volunteer in different parts of the world, my humble two cents is that it is all about the people I want to serve. My values and moral judgment simply don't matter. When I interact with the children and families who are in need of help, to be able to talk to them, to look into their eyes and see things they way they see...that for me is to be in touch with real life and that's all that matters. Politics has no place there.


But I must concede, the reason why I think it's really difficult to have a roving race in Burma any time soon is really the logistics. Because of the embargo, every cab in Yangon is made of scrap parts. The handful of new cars are owned by a small group of the super privileged class. I find it hard to imagine getting together enough 4 by 4s for a roving race. But having said that, the beauty of living in Burma is that it is very similar to Cuba, people make the best out of what they have. So you would often find the coolest vintage cars. I was privileged to have been driven around the country in this.