Marsha Maung: Write. Cook. Read. Watch. Try. Innovate.

I won't take credit for this trip to an orphanage as it was arranged and organized by a group of moms who wanted to expose their young children to other children who don't have parents. I was dragged along. LOL. Well, the reason why I was dragged along remains a mystery but I suspect it had something to do with physical labor? hahahaha....kidding .I wanted to be a part of it mostly because I wanted my kids to atone for their 'behavior' during an earlier visit to another orphanage. They, let's just say, were not into it. Not the kind of  'into it' I was hoping for, anyway. They didn't know what to say, to ask or how to react as they were young and awkward (as hell). Plus, there was a language barrier.They promised to do better on other visits. But it so happens that a sleepover happened at their cousin's house and granted it was an impromptu one so, I was a little disheartened. They were too, my kids. But they don't get to meet their cousins a...

I am not much of a fighter. Put me in a boxing ring and I will serve you tea. Peppermint green tea? Earl Grey? Lately, I have been forced to bring out a little bit of the fighter in me. I hate bugs, I really, really do. I know they are smaller than me but the thought of being in contact with them scares me to no end. But recently, for whatever reason, some bugs have made the booth (or some other parts of that old wheeler) of my car their home and they come out for regular walks around the dashboard, the steering wheel and sometimes peeka-boo at me from the window, just right above my head. Did I say I hate bugs and they scare me? Try being stuck behind the wheel in a traffic jam with one crawling along your dashboard and heading towards your air-conditioner. 'You can't run, you can't hide, you're stuck behind the wheel and you can't stop the car and run down the street leaving your car behind because people will think you are CRAYYYYZZEEEEE' , it sings...

While it is a little copy-ey (as in Jimmy Kimmel style), Hootsuite did something right with their social media management. Er...no, I don't use Hootsuite for some reason because I am still quite happy with Tweetcaster. Maybe I should download it onto one of my devices or try it on my laptop...maybe. So, following in Kimmel's footsteps, Hootsuite came up with their own ' Staff Reads Mean Tweets ' - nothing as bad as some celebrities get it - and used each of the criticism (mainly that it is ugly) and turned their product around. This is how things should be and sure, reading something mean about ourselves or what we have done can hurt a little (maybe can cause a flood of tears) but you can really learn a whole lot of yourself and what you are missing out on when you listen. And social media is a great platform for that. The whole world is waiting to give you their best 'advice', aren't they? I think Malaysia can learn a lot from something like this......

I am not a hoarder but I can sometimes be a 'saver' which means I try to save things that maybe should have found their way out my door. On their own hopefully (because have you ever tried to get rid of bulky items like washing machine and sofa sets? I mean, like really). Well, over time, you may have also accumulated some things yourself and find your home littered with what-the-heck-was-I-thinking stuff. I found some of these tips pretty useful and great reminders, especially the paper clutter thing. I don't print things much these days, preferring to invest in thumb drives and hard disk drives to save things digitally but gosh....there are books, documents, bills, bills, bills, reminders, leaflets, business cards, bills, bills, bills, bills, bills, bills and bills. And they are piled up nicely on the table, on the floor and anywhere where there is a surface area to pile them up on. I know, I know. So, here are 13 strategies to de-clutter your home and eventually, yo...

Diwali is one of my favorite celebrations of all times.  Credit: "The Rangoli of Lights" by Subharnab Majumdar - originally posted to Flickr as The Rangoli of Lights. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Rangoli_of_Lights.jpg#/media/File:The_Rangoli_of_Lights.jpg  It is about light over darkness. I love candles It is the largest and brightest celebrations in India and around the world (with the exception of lantern festival) It also celebrates parts of the sun, the giver of light and life It is about right over wrong There are ancient stories of good winning over evil It is also about hope over despair and knowledge over ignorance It is the happiest festival in India and Nepal The festival is also marked with celebration of peace, goodwill, charitable causes, kindness and patience Everything is so pretty and brightly colored! Happy Diwali/Deepavali! Love, Marsha

You know you have at least one friend on Twitter or one relative on Facebook who is overly obsessed with their looks or are paid to promote something they have absolutely no faith in. And you also perhaps know of people who are continually told that they look young, beautiful, gorgeous, inspiring, skinny, bla bla bla... Well, I was the last one. Not that I am gorgeous or anything (puh-leeeeezzzze) but when you post a nicely EDITED picture of yourself, people will give you compliments, right? While I appreciate the compliments, it makes me feel awfully fake. Yeah, I put on that top in order to look thinner. Yeah, I put on some makeup so that I look like I DON'T have makeup on. lol. We have apps for that, folks. Anyway, I am not Essena Oneill and she is done with looking pretty for everyone else. She is, a little like me, (although I grew up without the pressure of social media) a very sensitive being with lots of good intentions. She wants to move mountains, make changes, go...

It's Saturday and my favorite day of the week!!! I try not to do too many things on this day as I take a break from the norm and just hang out with a good book (still not done with The Fault with our Stars - I am procrastinating because 'someone's about to die' - damn my own curiosity about the ending) or just a good Korean or TVB drama. It is Veg Out day. Anyway, I saw a truly beautiful picture posted by Buddhist Bootcamp and thought I would save it and share it on a beautiful Saturday! Love, Marsha p.s. - Buddhist Bootcamp Twitter , Facebook , Instagram , Youtube .

Reading the news of girls (especially teenagers) getting pregnant unintentionally (as with most teens) saddens me. It hits a deep chord. Why, at such a young age, are they left without recourse and brought to a place where they don't understand the options they have, the people who will help them and what to do about their future? Having a baby changes everything in your life. It SHOULD change everything in your life; if it doesn't, you're not doing life right. It's been reported that 50 teenage girls get pregnant every day in Malaysia. 50 x 365 = 18,250 potential human beings on the planet. If they were born to these teens, what would become of these 18,250 girls and their babies and their future? Assuming each of these girls gave birth to one child each (as opposed to twins or triplets), that would make 36,500 people with dubious futures. And let's assume out of the 18,250 'men', 40% of the men took responsibility for their actions, that's an add...

Sitting together in circle within a dimly lit room I facilitated a mindfulness group for teens. A light scent of lavender lingers in the air providing aromatherapy to promote relaxation. There is a quiet calmness in the room as many teens in this group have shared they have never practiced mindfulness before. The group they are sitting in isn't the typical group therapy as its purpose calls upon them to practice deep breathing while acknowledging any thoughts they have and letting them go in order to remain being centered and in the moment. Being centered and calm in the middle of a stressful is a challenge that a lot of adolescents experience on a day to day basis. Many teens look for ways to cope with heavy feelings that come up for them in life. Unfortunately many teens find themselves using unhealthy habits that their peers use such as smoking, drinking, and in some instances self-harming by cutting or burning themselves to numb that overwhelming feeling that sits in the pi...

Some days, you sigh at the number of cups in the sink, no matter how many times you think you've cleared them, they appear and appear seemingly out of nowhere. The moment you think you've done all the laundry there is to be done, there's more. There are crumbs under the table after you've vacuumed the floor as thoroughly as you could. There's clutter where you previously cleaned out, there's dust on the fan, dinner to think about. The cycle is endless. We can't help but complain about it, can we? I don't do it online much or to friends because I prefer to look at things on the bright side (on most days and when I catch myself frowning at dirty carpets and tables). Think about it, maybe you've complained about it in your head instead? Anyway, whoever came out with this list is brilliant and it can serve as a good reminder to all of us who are caught in the daily conundrum and complaining about things. Have a splendid and productive Monday, ...