Marsha Maung: I write. I love. I live

I've been losing weight like you won't believe it. In fact, I  don't believe it. It's not something that I am happy about because every time I look in the mirror, it scares me. At this rate, I am going to be one of those runway models in Paris...not in a good way, if you know me at all, it's not a compliment. (Please don't judge me for saying that about runway models...many of them are too skinny for my liking and it's my personal opinion that people should have a little bit of meat on them - here's where the Kardashian and Beyonce is winning) And I love taking selfies...I take them almost everyday and I've explained myself why - to leave one million ugly photos of myself for my kids to browse through when I am six feet under - and it was one day when I was taking one that it shocked me. Compared to a photo I took a week back, the recent one showcased sunken cheeks, deep under-eye circles, lackluster skin, and protruding collarbone. As a teen...

I have to admit something, right off the bat, that we all, freelancers (we all used to call ourselves that, whether we liked it or not) did charge per hour. The longer you think you're going to take to do something, the more you charge. This, for many industries, could prove to be the right way to do things, especially in the creative industry. For example, decorating a cake. Designing a logo. Composing a song. Producing a movie. Writing a script. Admittedly, there's no rushing these things and we always assume that if a task is complicated, it's going to take us a longer time. Things change when you have a couple of years of experience under your belt. You now have the basics down pat and you know exactly what works, what doesn't. What takes more time and how to shorten the wastage of time on other stuff. With experience, you might even hire a ghost writer to come up with a basic draft or timeline or a simple skeleton for your writing while you spend most of your p...

Life is unpredictable. You don't know when you're done with your calling and when God is going to tell you that ' You know what? Your mission is complete ' before you get to do whatever you think you may want to do. To mess up. To do something stupid. To be completely reckless. To be wild. To be unashamed. The lyrics resonates with me because it reminds me that not only is life short  but it can be short any time you're not looking . It could be slow or it could be fast so, don't look to far or too near. Sometimes, we're kinda guilty of that, aren't we? My favorite part of the song... A penny for my thoughts, oh, no, I'll sell 'em for a dollar They're worth so much more after I'm a goner And maybe then you'll hear the words I been singin' Funny when you're dead how people start listenin' "If I Die Young" If I die young, bury me in satin Lay me down on a bed of roses Sink me in a river at dawn Send...

I remember my younger days when my mom was sometimes too busy to make dinner when she would make a pot of soup and cook some rice and serve us with maybe some nuggets, fried chicken or some fish balls. That would be it.  Maybe because it is reminiscent of my childhood days when dinner was always ready on the table when the time comes that soups of any kind, in particular, this ABC soup, is such a comfort for me. I don't know about my siblings or anyone else but I have a very strong liking for this soup because...I mean, what's NOT to like? It's got carrots, potatoes and tomatoes. You can't possibly go wrong with this! Anyway, with some chicken breasts or chicken bones (carcass if you want to save money and don't like the presence of too much oil in the soup), you're ready to go in an hour or so.  In fact, you can throw everything into the slow cooker and set it for maybe 2 hours (depending on your slow cooker), go to work and you come back to a hear...

I have so many mixed feelings about this movie that I don't know what to really say about it. First, there's the morality issue. Second, there's the sudden romance issue. Thirdly, there's a tinge of Kdrama  issue that I am not quite accustomed to seeing in a Hollywood movie. Fourth, there's the sudden appearance and senseless disappearing of some characters.  Loneliness We all know loneliness is a killer. Imagine, you're stuck in the middle of nowhere for the rest of your life. There's nobody, no human you can interact with for...the...rest...of...your...life. Dayum ....it's quite horrifying, if you think about it. You get to talk to vacuum cleaners and robots but it isn't the same, is it? But does it mean it is OK to destroy someone else's life because of that loneliness, knowing that the person you have chosen had no say as to whether he/she is willing to accompany you on this ride to the end of your life  with you? Could be be...

As usual, it's Monday. Been rather sick of late and I tell you what happens when a mother is sick... nothing . Absolutely nothing special. The laundry continues to pile up. The dishes still need washing. The kids still need to wake up early. Dinner still needs to be cooked. Work still needs to be done. Bills need to be paid. Floor needs to be swept.  Yeah...so, in honor of Monday today, here's to all you moms who have been sick and knows what it is like.  For me, I am a little luckier in that my kids are grown-up and if they get into fights, it's mostly an exchange of mean insults and F-Us and then they go back into hibernation mode in their rooms until they feel a little better about each other.  If you're a mom of little ones, I've been there. I know. I know. Stand tall, stick it through, you'll make it.  Doc, new prescription needed over here. For the family. And don't forget the dart gun. Thanks, Marsha

I was at a restaurant that I do not frequent one day because I was off my usual route. To the side of this restaurant was this rather small 'stall' (I would call it table and chair, to be completely honest) and behind it were two small-framed ladies. They were selling hot dogs, toasts and half-boiled eggs. Surprisingly, they were the biggest and busiest stall in a restaurant that was filled with other types of conventional Chinese char-chan-teng stalls. I walked over with the intention of getting some toasts to go with my coffee. Yes, I do have a toaster at home and it takes all about 3 minutes to make my own but if I can get it here, why bother to do it at home? How much money can I save by doing it myself? Too lazy to do the math. Their tools of trade was bare minimal but I can tell that they were happy to be making a profit from their table-and-chair setting and this got me thinking. Sure, times are hard and cost of living is an unbelievable state right now but if one...