Marsha Maung: I write. I love. I live

Happy Birthday, Ann! You may no longer be with us here on this planet but your birthday is always remembered by those of us your life has touched.  I said I would post a picture I have of you, be it in digital or printed format, every birthday but, honestly, I don't know it's a good idea. I might one day run our of pictures to post. And that's gonna suck. It would mean that not have you run out of days to live but I have run out of tangible memories of you to hold.  It also means I didn't do enough to collect or make those memories while you were still around to make them with me. Neverthelss, I will try to do as I promised because a promise is a promise.  Happy birthday, you crazy woman. Hope you're doing fantastic wherever you are right now, cousin. Till we meet again,

Photo by  Helena Lopes  on  Unsplash I gave a man RM20 (USD4.80) yesterday during dinner and I still can't stop thinking about him. The look on his face, his hesitancy, his predicament, the look of loss.  At the back of my mind, I keep hearing people (and myself) calling me stupid, naive, innocent, and hopeless. It happens every time I try to do something right, something good. I can hear voices in my head telling me that it is the dumbest thing I've done yet.  It's not how much you give away and how stupid people think of me knowing that I gave money away, but it's how he said 'God bless you' at the end. It's the look of relief. It's the knowing of humanity exists, that human beings still have a side of them that is not riled up by uncertainty, fear, misjudgment, distrust, negativity.  Knowing that another human being understands and trusts you is one of the most powerful emotions on earth. I believe this is what we, as a species, will yearn for the mos...

Source:  Polina Tankilevitch from Pexels Notice : This Post contains affiliate links This is the world of Covid-19 we’re living in and the reminders for us to social distance, wear masks, and wash our hands as frequently as we can has become ad nauseam.  Apart from the constant nagging concern about the impact disposal face masks have on the environment now that every human on this planet is required to wear one (and keep a good, healthy supply of them), another crusade seems to be launching off - cloth face masks.  Friends (and relatives) are now messaging me in groups on promoting the use of reusable cloth masks and other alternatives. The problem is: How hygienic are they? How often can we wear them? How do we clean them? Where do we get them? Are they reliable? Do they work the way we need them to? If we buy them online, how do we know they fit? Are cloth face masks a solution to social distancing? How sturdy are these masks? Do cloth face masks work on children? Is ...

Source: Pablo Gentile on Unsplash Here's an Update on my part! What I found profound As we grow up, we start to detach from the very core, the real self that we were born as, that forms an intrinsic part of our personalities. We start adapting to the various social norms, often uprooting not just our lives and families, but also our belief system. I guess this is where mid-life crisis comes at us a the the speed of the Shanghai Maglev.  I found building a brand new relationship with myself, alone, settled by discontent. Finding our purpose require us to sit down and reflect. If this is what you're going through, this article on Being Alone might be of interest to you.  Mulan Live-Action Disney Remake I've been waiting for Mulan to hit the big screens since they announced the casting of an all-Asian cast! I also heard that they would be pivoting from the conventional Disney or Pixar remakes and it will be kind of kick-ass in a very Asian way.  The movie in itself is ...