Marsha Maung: I write. I love. I live

I know a lot of people are skeptical when it comes to Crystals and what it can do for people and their lives but I, for one, am a believer. I'll tell you why and share an experience with you. No, this is not gonna be one of those woo-woo-woo fantasy stories. It is based on experience and it changed the way I looked at Crystals and about human life form. I was like you, thinking that crystals are just rocks that look pretty and people like to wear them because it's a cheaper replacement for bling-blings. I already have a few Crystals because of this belief and they weren't cheap ones. I had the conventional Amethyst with me and also the rarer (expensive = RM150 and above...for a piece of rock, mind you) Lapis Lazuli and Malachite. I bought them because the sales promoter told me to FEEL the Crystals and I based my choice on how I felt about them. But I wasn't convinced. Thought the sales promoter a little wonky, I did. So, one day, I was walking past this Crystal...

When I first started blogging, little did I know the kind of impact it would have on the world that I live in. Back in those days, a blog is merely an avenue for you to share your thoughts and experiences with everyone...anywhere across the world. Back then, the idea was simply unbelievably magical. Over the years, I have made many, many, many friends online, most of them (thankfully) genuine people who were not out to get to my MOUNTAIN OF FORTUNE. *hacking cough* or my body. (WAHAHAHA! How ridiculous is that?!) I've met leery people online, of course. Somehow, my instincts were always right and knew when to back off. Maybe it's just the mom in me...extra cautious and all. Anyway, I am not sure how bloggers are viewed in other countries but it seems that in Malaysia, if you are a blogger and is popular, you MIGHT even get elected as a member of our Parliament. No matter how the government tries to curb our activities, (they do!) I am grateful that Malaysians are still allo...

Till this very day, I am still in complete awe with the power of the internet. Even halfway across the world, I solve problems for my clients. Take into account the fact that I am 12 hours ahead of them (NYC => Malaysia), it's actually quite astonishing. Top it off with a time-sensitive online tool like Facebook and Twitter, which means that I have to be timely in my response and postings. Can't post them during MY hours because then it would make my client look like they're in Indonesia or Malaysia or....somewhere else the other end of the world. But yes, am happy that the complaint was dealt with and my client's customer has finally stopped complaining online. And you know how online things are, they...like...EXPLOSIVE and everyone can see everything, hence, I had to get him placated or my client's image will be ruined. To give the complainant credit, he was discreet and used his discretion before defaming a company that didn't know he or his complain...

I've often ranted and raved about the injustices in Malaysia and the sub-par improvements in the country but come to think of it, there are MANY things that I love about Malaysia and here's a blog post for that. So, today, I am going to talk about things that I really like here, in this home country of mine (if some people will let me call it my home country and not ask me to GO HOME). Space - Have you ever been to places like Hong Kong and Singapore? If you have, then you will know what I mean when I say that I love the space that we have here! Oh, the other countries are fine....not complaining about them but when I first landed in HK, the first thing that I saw were buildings upon buildings upon buildings. The walkways were TINY and it is hard not to bump into someone when walking (and oh, the SPEED they walk!!! Ack!) and you know what I felt when the plane landed in KLIA? Freedom. Space. Fresh air. That was when I started appreciating Malaysia for what it is. We have spa...

Headstand instructions from Yoga Journal I've never been able to do the headstand...at all. After one (rather) bad experience which involves (no injuries) a red-faced me hopping back onto my feet, tucking my shirt back into the top of my track pants and scuttling it out of a roomful of yoginis left me rather wistful about ever performing the headstand again. But there was this page out of Yoga Journal that kept staring at me in the face and taunting me. Now, I do not have to worry about my shirt falling over my face, revealing my undergarments...what is there holding me back? And I have the wall...and it is legitimately called the SUPPORTED headstand (headstand for dummies)...and it has all the benefits (without the opportunity of building arm muscles). So, what is there stopping me? Nothing. So, onto the bed I went and upside down I go. At first, I could only stand the pressure of every ounce of blood in my body rushing to my face (and STAYING THERE at the mercy of gra...

I don't know what the critics are going on about, really...I loved it! Totally, totally, totally. And that is because it is such a fresh change for both Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp. Frankly, I've not watched a single show that Johnny's been in ever since...what, 21 Jump Street?...because....he makes strange choices. I love him but his choices...nah-ah. Mad people, crazy people, unreal people, insane people, ugly people....his choices. But this one, although he doesn't change his scruffy looks, his character is soooooooo lovable. Blur like nothing, and Johnny Depp as a victim?! A victim of circumstance? A victim of love? Oh, come off it already! Another big change is Angelina Jolie's character. I mean, this is whatshernamethatkicksassallthetime Tomb Raider woman we're talking about. She shoots at people, kill and murder without blinking and here she is....all demure and in love. Oh come off it already! The ending was a surprise....damn it. Johnny Depp...

...my body starts aching. From hair to toes, everything aches. The funny thing is that the very moment I stand up and walk to the kitchen and start cooking, nothing aches anymore. Funny, isn't it? I first thought it was the chair's fault. Then I thought it was my posture's fault. I fixed them but continue to face the same aching problems. It could be anything....too much coffee, not enough exercise, not breathing properly, hunger, pregnancy (pppttthhhh. yeah. enough already), period...etc. Turns out, it is the work load. It is not the work that is the problem but the workload. Like I have a million things going at the same time and yet trying to get the home organized, the kids to and from school, get lunch packed, send them, sit down, work and then check the clock to see if it is time to get the not-so-little-ones. It's the thinking. The mentality that is giving aches. Amazing, isn't it? So, don't think too much. Just focus and the aches will be gone.

Nah nah nah....I didn't make this video ah...and I feel that the joke is a little....disrespectful but I think the team of people who wrote the (adapted) script did a very good job. Please watch only in presence of a good sense of humor and not from the 1Malaysia team. If you are in the 1Malaysia team, don't try to sue me. Go after the producers of the clips. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

Every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, I will drag the kids to the nearby field for a round of jolking. New term - Jogging + Walking = Jolking. That's because despite our best intentions and efforts, we end up walking more than we are jogging. Such determination, I know. But from the various experiences, I think the jolking sessions really benefit the kids in more ways than one. Yes, they (HOPEFULLY) lose some weight and gain some fitness but it is more than that. We started with 5 rounds of walking and now, we're doing 8. I'll sneak a 9 in there some time next week. :-) So, the goal is 8 rounds (rather big rounds). What I noticed about the kids is how lazy unmotivated they are. By the 2nd round, my second fatter son will be groaning and moaning about having to use up all his energy to move his legs. Don't worry, it's normal for him. He's like the radio announcer that won't shut up. My elder son, today, was rather grouchy while doing the rounds. So,...

Sometimes, I find myself debating with some friends about the virtues of adapting the child's mentality vs.the sheer need to be more grown-up. More times than not, I find myself on the losing side. Which side am I on? The child's side, of course!! =)))) I have very good reasons for siding with the kids and I think they're valid despite me being out-voted. A child's mind is open...yes, sometimes too open...but open. Open to ideas, possibilities, hope, creativity, imagination, new things....everything. They don't close it up for fear of someone judging them (they will learn this amazing ability later on in life when they have to pay bills, turn up on time for work and drive on the right side of the street). And I love that about kids' minds. Secondly, I think kids don't think of potential problems first. For example, if you asked them if they would like to go sky diving, the first thought to pop up in their heads isn't likely to be imminent (possibly...

In Malaysia, the most expensive vegetable you can find in the market is...the taugeh. The bean sprouts. Nah. Just kidding! =) Actually, the bean sprouts is actually the CHEAPEST vegetable in the wet market and they are always out of stock by 10.00am in the market that I go to. You can get a whole bucket of it with RM1 so, normally, RM0.30 is enough for us here. Recently, I went out to eat with a couple of friends and I was eyeing the bean sprouts cooked with soya sauce and sesame seed oil. The cost was RM6.90 for the dish....with no meat whatsoever in it, it costs RM6.90. Amazing. I bet, in the owner's prayers every single night, he is asking God to have people pouring into his restaurant asking for bean sprouts. The profit margin is simply too unimaginable. We're paying RM6.90 to have the cooks boil a pot of water, wash the bean sprouts, blanch it and then mix some soya sauce together with some sesame seed oil and then toss it all together with some shredded carrots a...