Book

I have a big, enormous deadline to finish writing my book by 31st July. That's five days away so, quite rightly, I'm panicking like you can't believe.

Panic is subjective though. Some people respond very well to the panic and work very hard.

Others, like me, get paralyse by it and do even less than they're supposed to. So instead of writing, I doodle on Facebook, I do my laundry, I stare at my fish, I look up idiotic things online, I daydream about boys, do more laundry, dry the laundry, fold away the laundry etc. Writing this useless blog post is also a nice form of procrastination.

I like the book actually and when I do start writing it, I do really enjoy it. I just don't have the mettle to keep the momentum.

Okay, I think it's very important that I now go upstairs and have a shower. I'll come back to the writing after that. Really. I promise.

Parties

After a fun night out at Red Box last night, I decided I want to have a karaoke party for my birthday.

Then I started thinking about who I'd invite and it got so complicatd I think I may just give up on the whole idea.

See, there's the 20 liaisons, and the 12 KMP people. If you don't invite everyone, it not very nice. Then when you do invite them, everyone feels obliged to come even though some of them don't like karaoke and would much rather stay home.

Then there's ALL the other people out there that I want to invite, which brings the total up to about 60. And it's a bit ridiculous to have a karaoke party with 60 people because not everyone wants to sing and everyone ends up spending the whole night listening to only about two people singing bad songs.

Not such a good idea then, this karaoke thing.

I think I'll just get a giant cake and eat it all by myself.

Prayer

I'm a bit - well, rather a lot - in love with a boy whose name means Prayer.

Let's talk about him for awhile, just to be self-indulgent. There is this incredible purity about him. The first time I felt my heart get pins and needles for him was when I saw just how devoted he was to Rinpoche. I've seen so many people with amazing faith and believe in Rinpoche but not like this, not this way - he showed me what it would look like to live in a way that was totally surrendered to Dharma.

This is ironic, of course, because I'm in love with someone because of his very devotion to a path that teaches non-attachment and renunciation of worldly affectations.

But affairs of the heart must be complicated, mustn't they? There would be no fun - or corresponding pain - in them, otherwise.

The complications don't end there. Of course they don't. I would pick the most complicated of the lot. He may be straight (for a change) but that doesn't mean it's simple.

You see, now they're telling me that - despite all the purity and faith and incredible devotion - he's still got this one tinnnny attachment - his girlfriend (who, by the way, I had always thought was already an ex-girlfriend). Girlfriend! What girlfriend!

This is after the whole world has been trying to matchmake us, for months. Cruel really, to make someone feel all gooey and happy and stuff, and then tell them that errr, actually, he's not really available. Tease.

The other day, in the midst of conversation about fatness and thinness in general KB said in a not-so-subtle way, "Oh yah. Prayer's girlfriend is very thin."

I felt suddenly very conspicious about my flabby arms and my need to lose 10 pounds.

Then he said, "Prayer misses his girlfriend verrrrrry much."

I blinked *blink blink* and decided then to back off. You cannot compete with an (ex) girlfriend.

I went home, talked to my newly adopted stray cat and spent all night lamenting.

Writing and such stuf

I wonder sometimes if I'd actually get anywhere if I applied myself and bothered to update my blog properly and regularly. Each time I get back on it, I say to myself (and my readers), "This is it! This time shall be different and I shall be diligent about it!"

Which is rubbish of course because I fizz out after a week.

So I shan't make any promises now. I'll just write when I'm bothered, or when there's enough time in between Everything Else.

I am writing things for BuddhistChannel now and it's going very, very slowly. I wonder if maybe getting new laptop would help with the inspiration. It is good sometimes, I think, to be a bit superficial if it motivates you to get proper things done. I think a beautiful new macbook would help me write lots of lovely things.

And inspire the world.

And become Enlightened.

And bring peace to all beings.

I need a macbook. Yes I do.

Paris Hilton

I don't care what people say. I think Paris Hilton is fabulous and very cute. I spent all of yesterday watching back episodes of her (rather crappy) reality show, The Simple Life and her (even crappier) reality competition Paris Hilton's British Best Friend. And in spite of the supposed crapness, it's got me really thinking about how she's got to where she is. Are there valuable lessons in fame we could be learning from Miss Hilton?

Really, everyone should watch Paris Hilton's BBF just as a sociological study of how the world is and what they look up to in This Day and Age. The premise of the show is that 12 people compete to become well, Paris Hilton's new British Best Friend. She puts them through tasks to "test" their loyalty and find out more about their "ability" to keep up with her lifestyle and be her best friend. Silly really, but also quite fascinating to watch - a bit like roadkill.

The kind of awe that the contestants of this show have towards Paris is incredible. They swoon, they gasp and they are absolutely enthralled when she comes into the room. They speak in hyperboles - "When Paris walked into the room," they gush with sheer adoration in their eyes, "It was like the whole room lit up. She looked like AN ANGEL!"

When all's said and done, and even if people the world over despise the very mention of her name, she's still OUT THERE and you can't help but hear about her. She's bloody everywhere. She's now got a perfume line, handbag line, 4 seasons of a reality show, her own reality competition in Britain, an album, a top 10 hit, a modelling history, film roles, and constant media interest. She must be doing something right? Despite being so strongly disliked - usually for her superficiality - she can still safely boast a fan base that goes well into the thousands, all around the world... which is probably a lot more than all of us "very sincere, very real, very genuine" people can say for ourselves, no?

It's interesting really, that there are probably more people in the world who know of her than of celebrities that are actually contributing something back to the world (politicians, philantropists, religious leaders, people who make a difference). When she went into jail awhile ago, newspapers the world over journaled her time in jail. She was right up there in the world news, together with all those others important updates about war and terrorism and genocide in Sudan.

So really, how is it that a rich kid with nothing truly beneficial to offer the world can end up being so widely talked about? Sure, most of the talk is probably negative - people can't stand her - but hey, the only thing worse than being talked (badly) about is not being talked about at all. Paris, for all the plasticity, superficiality, decadence and spoiltness that people dislike her for, is a clever little girl who manages to turn everything to her advantage.

Sex scandal? Exploit the media and ride on the headlines while you're there!

Dumb blonde? Play it up all the more in reality shows where you really get to exaggerate the dumbness for entertainment's sake. You'd have to be pretty wiley and smart to learn how to turn that round to your advantage. If you think she's really that dumb, the joke's on you actually.

Getting thrown in jail? Well, she certainly presents a different, new, interesting type of prison story. Capitalise on it with plenty of worldwide interviews after her jail release and garner lots of sympathy from people who can't bear to see a simpleton blonde girl get thrown behind bars.

Vacuous socialite? At least people are paying attention to this socialite. There are THOUSANDS of socialites the world over and nobody has heard of. You gotta give credit to someone who has made herself famous just from doing what she does best - having fun, partying, living a glamourous life and wearing pretty dresses.

Don't be too quick to diss the candy-coloured blonde. In terms of sales and marketing pitches, we have PLENTY to learn from Miss Hilton.

The Business

Don't laugh, but I'm now learning the Business Side of Things.

This involves things like balance sheets and complex diagrams outlining our marketing strategies, learning the tactics of effective promotion, and being thrown in the deep end of all those people out there: the marketplace.

It's horribly frightening.

But well, books don't sell themselves. It's no good producing beautiful books unless people know about them, buy them and read them. So we're pulling up our business socks and getting out there in the world.

It would be amusing really, if I was a fly on the wall, looking at ourselves with our heads in our hands, muttering and sighing and cringing at our desperate lack of business sense.

This is what it's about, I suppose? Dharma isn't just about doing what you like to do. It certainly isn't all about sitting with our hands on our laps, in an idyllic state of meditation, having psychic tea with the Buddhas.

It's about this constant state of panic that makes you grow (well, I hope I do grow through this exercise), feeling the hard smack of trying something new and falling flat *smack* on your face. You'll never know if you don't try, whisper the guardian angels, before they collapse about us laughing.

Okay, no, not really. I don't suppose Guardian angels really engage in that sort of mockery.

So the whole KMP is working hard to learn in a matter of days what people study through a whole university course. Impossible is nothing, say Adidas and I am inclined to believe them. Positive affirmation is the only way forward as we navigate the tricky paths of business.

Honestly, if only I could find myself a Donald Trump. In my post-it notes to Buddha tonight: Dear Buddha, Please send me a rich husband. It would help an awful, awful lot!

Long locks

I am being ridiculous, I know, as I embark, yet again, on trying to grow my hair out.

When I told my charming housemate of my new great life ambition, he said, matter-of-factly, "You'll look like Ting Tong."

Ting Tong is a short, bald, overweight British man dressed as a Thai mail-order bride, off the hugely acclaimed Little Britain series. Ting Tong looks like this:


Pish. I won't look like Ting Tong. I won't even be growing my hair out that long!

The reason(s) for this deep and profound, life-changing decision is only because
1) I'm tired of waking up every morning and finding my short hair in a total state of disarray.
2) I fancy a boy who told me, in passing, that I should grow my hair out. "It'll be nice!" he said, smilingly.

Actually, it's mostly the second reason and yes, yes, I know how juvenile it all sounds. The very feminist part of me has given a nasty glare, crossly folded her arms and stormed, cursing, out of the room.

But the boy is a special one and I'm going to give this long-locks thing a go for the sake of Harlequin romance and true-love-forever-and-ever. The worse that could happen is I look crap and get mistaken for Ting Tong's twin - nothing that a pair of sharp scissors and wonderful Emil The Stylist at The Met couldn't fix.

Back to reality

I am back in KL now and, in spite of the heat and the jetlag, find myself typing furiously to meet a tomorrow-deadline for an article. There's nothing quite like adrenaline and deadlines to keep the mind and heart alert. I shall rest when I'm dead, as Rinpoche often cites!

There is plenty to catch up on, including a fabulous launch and tremendously glamourous photographs of me looking like a strawberry meringue. I am ashamed that I turned Bill Keith's wondrous creation into looking nothing less of a pavlova. Those photos will be up shortly, once I finish this other article.

I miss London already. There's this funny thing where every time I have ever gone to London, it has been sunny. Even the photos of me as a baby in London were always sunny. I have this magical impression that London is always picnic-weather and people-in-the-park afternoons.

Over the last fortnight, I have imagined myself many times living in a house with big bay windows and Tricia Guild curtains and felt sad that I wouldn't be staying there for more than two weeks.

Isn't it odd how we allow ourselves to dream up grass-is-greener pictures in our heads. I had wash over my nice mental canvas with the reality of rain, damn weather and having to trek through public transport in the middle of dreariness. That made me feel much better.

I think it is also because London contains within it, all the beautiful people that I spent my most fun-filled days with. The gorgeous gay boys that I clubbed with until ridiculous hours of the morning, the silly frilly girls that I swapped boy stories with and everyone in between that I spent only happy moments with (most of it alcohol induced, but happy, nevertheless). When I think of London, I think of everything dizzy and entertaining - the kind of hedonistic, decadent lifestyle that would beckon any girl away from the Responsibilities Of Life and into the very throes of fun and fancy.

Back to reality, now. Snap.

I have to remind myself that no, you shan't find ever-lasting happiness in a vodka bottle. And you know what, all those university pals have also grown up and got a life now. They're not still living in some funny faraway past of student club nights and discount cards. London may have stayed still for you, my dear, but it has moved on for them: they have proper jobs now, and commitments and such.

I hate growing up. Really I do.

But we must trundle on, musn't we? And I still have this article to plough through.

London: The most gorgeous book launch of the year

Oh my! Well, did you know a book launch could be so splendid!

Thanks to the super kindness and support of Joan and Terry Mahony, who so kindly hosted the evening, KMP held it's first international book launch today. We brought the revised edition of Gurus for Hire, Enlightenment for Sale to the world today at the very beautiful, cosmopolitan heart of the exclusive Cadogan Gardens, just off Sloane Square.


The event saw almost 80 people at the lovely venue all of whom lent great support to our newest title. The launch was well received by a broad section of society, ranging from corporate heads to philantropists to students and international journalists.

Among the vast and varied guest list were Martin Barrow, Francois de Witt and France Berveiller Choa, who so kindly gave endorsements for the book and had flown into London especially for the launch; shoe god Dato' Jimmy Choo; the Malaysian High Commissioner's press officer, Revi Pillai; Mr and Mrs MacKay from the Kensington Palace and The Star's London correspondent Choi Tuck Wo, who also interviewed members of KMP and Tsem Ladrang for a feature that he will be doing about the book and launch.


The venue was all filled with gorgeousness. It was like Alice in Wonderland grew up, got sophisticated and decorated this little space with everything beautiful she'd ever seen. Our very own Bill Keith turned every corner into something magical, marrying candles, flowers and Buddha statues with the uber-luxe, rich, candle-lit interiors of the rooms. Tsongkhapa, Tara, Heruka - they were all there with us to celebrate this new wave of blessings in Londontown, and beyond!

And the icing on the cake? As if the room wasn't filled with enough splendidness, KMP girls and our most fashionable, most darling Liaison Ruby Khong charmed every person in the room when they showed up in Bill's stunning, award-winning creations - traditional kebayas with cute, modern twists and lots and lots of cheeky sheerness. Sexy, subtle, professional, beautiful - what's not to love about Kechara's daring twists in their Dharma work hehe!


We all turned heads, and almost all the guests came up to tell us how absolutely-fabulous-darling, we looked!.One of the guests of the party even commented to Susan that she was very surprised to see how "normal" we looked. She was amazed that we were so well-dressed yet so spiritual at the same time. (I especially love the word "normal", as if spiritual people are supposed to be odd and dress hideously).


Our-Kindest-Most-Fabulous-Ever adviser Joan gave Just-As-Fabulous speech which introduced Rinpoche, Dharma and her work with KMP to all her friends. Though the speech was short, Joan was full of laughter and that special energy that can come only from her deep and wonderful commitment to bringing the joy of Rinpoche's teachings to others. Her concluding line - "Never say you can't, because that isn't the real you speaking" - brought everyone in the room back to the heart of Rinpoche's teachings: to be the best person you can be.

Head Ladrang Liaison, JP Thong, then also delivered a speech to give a brief introduction to Rinpoche and his teachings. Drawing on personal experiences, JP especially shared how he and Ladrang Associate Liaison/ Director of Fundraising May Phng were both inspired to commit to working with Rinpoche, to bring Dharma to the world.

Nobody left the evening without a giant smile, plenty of happy hugs and a "Gurus for Hire" goodie bag that contained within a biography of Rinpoche and a beautifully-framed quotation, extracted from the book. Little pieces of Enlightenment are now flying around London and, we hope, uplifting hearts. Here's to many more book launches to go global!

In line with the global launch in London, Gurus for Hire, Enlightenment for Sale is now available at all Kechara outlets in KL, kechara.com/eShop, amazon.com, gardners.com and barnesandnoble.com amongst others so do get your copy now now now now now! If you do, I'll give you a kiss for free.

PS Many more photos-full-of-loveliness to come soon. Our very lovely photographer for the day, Pete Biggs (the bestest friend a girl could have at university!) so so so kindly offered to photographer the event pro bono, and even stayed back extra late to take as many photos as possible. He'll prepare and pass over the photos for me soon.

London vs Kathmandu?

There's this funny thing, see, because I think I've decided that I'd actually rather be live in Kathmandu than I would in London.

It's funny because

there is no such thing as central heating in Kathmandu
there's only about 8 hours of electricity a day
it is ridiculously dusty and there are mountains of rubbish on the streets
you can't find anything you need there
there's this big obvious communication problem
I have two friends in Nepal

On the other hand,

there is always central heating in London
there's 24 hours of electricity
there are proper bins and rubbish clearing systems
you can find EVERYTHING you need here, plus more
everybody speaks English (and so do I), yay
I have a million friends in London

But places like London - for all its shinyness and fun - take you away from yourself. All the beautiful things, the splendid bars and their delicious drinks, the gorgeous, immaculate people never make you happy because once you have some of all that, you want more, and then more, and then more, and then more... and when you can't get it, you just make yourself bloody miserable.

In places like Kathmandu, there is nothing. The most exciting thing you could do for yourself for the week is to buy yourself a tub of Pond's face cream. But when there is nothing and you're back to the basics, you suddenly feel happy about everything.

London: Setting up the KMP Booth

Finally, we're here!!!!! The LONDON BOOK FAIR 2009 at Earl's Court!


The whole team popped by the venue on Saturday afternoon to set up our booth. After many, many months of preparing, blood, sweat, tears and almost-but-not-quite wanting to cry, we are here! It's certainly a far way we've come from the tiny local book fairs we used to do back at home.....

KMP Liaisons Susan and Sharon, and KMP Adviser Joan sure are relieved and glad that we're FINALLY HERE! Woot!

While we're here, I'd like to note that Joan and her husband Terry Mahony very, very kindly sponsored our booth and expenses for the fair and launch in London. They are also hosting the team at their home for the whole duration of the fair and Joan has been exceedingly generous. We are here with the big boys, in the heart of one of the world's greatest publishing capitals thanks to the incredible generosity and kindness of the Mahonys. Thank you Joan and Terry for this wonderful contribution to bringing Dharma to the world!

Setting up the booth. Yes, it's not that big... but that's all the more reason for making sure it looks fab!

Bills kicks all of us disaster-stylists out and does his magic...

... and how cosy and magical it looks! This isn't the finished job. We'll be back tomorrow to put up posters and images to beauty it up!

For now, our book display looks super. Aren't we unique and cute!

The team with our booth (we're all bigger than the booth but we're mighty, mighty proud to even be here). Watch us grow - one day, we'll take up half the hall!

London: The very efficient workshop and warehouse in King's Road

Days and nights in Joan's very splendid flat in Chelsea have been well used for creating everything beautiful for our upcoming launch on the 21st.

Honestly, if you left any of the KMP goblins to this, the best we'd probably be able to come up with is some very ugly papier mache. Bill Keith to the rescue! Everything that looks good on this entire two-week trip is thanks to Bill who has been extra, extra creative in helping us get things done and making things look even more beautiful than they already are!!!

Here's the team preparing goodie bag gifts - a gorgeous mahogany-coloured frame, encasing selected, inspirational quotes from the book Gurus for Hire, Enlightenment for Sale. We do NOT look like grotty sweatshop coolies.

Bill has also helped to creating gorgeous frames of stunning photos of Rinpoche to be put up on the day of the launch. Artist friend of Joan's, Julian Barrow, very kindly lent us antique frames to put everything up and it looks just so so so so so so soooo amazing.

No job to little or too big: Everyone pitches in, in some way to help with preparings. Even Joan takes time off her busy schedule to help with preparing hanging wires for the frames! (and Sio Chian looks extremely happy about something or other)

Bill and Yek Yee do very complicated errr measurements and stuff to get everything just right.

Okay, well, maybe not quite the beautiful artwork we were looking for, Bill.....

Done! A splendid masterpiece!

London: A Chelsea Dinner Party

Joan - our very splendid KMP adviser and extremely generous and super super kind host for our trip - very kindly organised and hosted a super dinner party for all the KL-Kechara group, the London-Kechara folk and a very, extra special guest, Jimmy Choo!

Poor Joan and Bill spent all afternoon slaving away in the kitchen to cook up a gigantic feast. Joan shared that they wished to dedicate all the effort in the kitchen towards the success of KSK - that the soup kitchen back home will feed many, many hundreds more people in the future! See, even a dinner party can be done out of a pure and lovely wish to really benefit others. Everything begins with a thought, after all.

Preparing all the deliciousssshhhh food hand-prepared by Joan

Meeting the ever-respected and God of Shoe Jimmy Choo was especially exciting for every woman (and fashionable man) in the room! And he's as lovely as the boootiful shoes he creates! Liaisons had the opportunity to talk to him a bit about Kechara and what we're doing in London. Having come from a Taoist/Buddhist background, Jimmy was interested to hear of our Dharma work.

KMP Liaison Susan Lim shares Gurus for Hire, Enlightenment for Sale with Dato Jimmy Choo

Of course, no party is ever complete with our lovely Apprentice Liaison Bill Keith!

Ladrang Liaisons JP and May arrived today, as fresh and bright-eyed as you can be after a 14hour flight! Lily and Keng Nam of the London Group were here with their London ducklings Jean Ai and Kelly and his girlfriend, Souad. They've all be super helpful to us throughout this trip and many things would not have been possible without them!...

Hence the occasion to toast their contribution and thank everyone involved!

Chillin' with the London Group

London: KMP visits the Thames Buddhist Vihara

Really, you do find the loveliest surprises in London! There is plenty of the glitz, glamour and the shinest of samsara here in London, but there are also pockets of spirituality and smiles from the Three Jewels.



On Day 4 here (Friday), Susan, Han and I made our way down to the Thames Buddhist Vihara. My parents have been friends with this Sri Lankan monk, Venerable Somaratana, for 31 years and KMP decided to pay him a visit to say hello, make some offerings and donate some of our books to his centre.


We traipsed our way on buses, trains and more buses on the dreariest of English mornings to East Croydon where we received a very warm welcome from Venerable in his small suburban centre. After making offerings of flowers, lots and lots of delicious M&S goodies and Rinpoche's books (Gurus for Hires, Face of Enlightenment and If Not Now, When?), Venerable spent some time talking with us in the main gompa of their centre. The centre even prepared a wonderful vegetarian lunch for us which we gobbled like attached and greedy girls.


Venerable shared a lot about his experiences in setting up and maintaining a centre in London and what he had to go through in the past 30+ years. It was very touching to hear what he had to go through. In short, dear lovely everyone, it is exactly the same struggles and difficulties that Rinpoche has been recounting to us for years. The same monster students exist everywhere in the world! Venerable has been a monk since he was 10 years old and has been in London since the late 1970s. He has also set up an orphanage, library and temple in Sri Lanka - the funds he manages to raise from his centre London go back towards supporting all this in Sri Lanka. He shared with us that although it is difficult, we "must sacrifice our lives for others."


Gurus for Hire, Enlightenment for Sale was the perfect book to share with their centre. The experiences and struggles of teachers and Dharma centres which Rinpoche has often explained to us is experienced everywhere in the world, whatever tradition they are from. Truly, how kind the Lamas are for never giving up on any of us and putting up with all this for others everywhere!

We left with big boxes of Ceylon tea that Venerable packed us off with, warmth in our hearts and the knowledge that the only way we can make the work of kind teachers like Venerable "easier" is to commit as much of our work and life to the Dharma as he had. And how lucky we are to have a Lama back home to show us how.

Another Chapter

I should really stop being fickle and just stay loyal to one blog. This is the third one, borne again out of a desperate boredom with the one before it.

Also, it marks a new chapter in a new shiny life. Blogs, as online journals, chart the life of people and while some of them aren't particularly very interesting, their blogs do reveal changes, growth and the minutae of their lives that make voyeurism so appealing. My blogs seem to shapeshift as frequently as my fickle mind dictates. This itself is a sort of growth, I think. Or perhaps, more accurately, a sort of "growing up."

First there was the decadent blog, the one that was very excited about finishing university, joining the world, getting a job and being interested in all sorts of things that now, on hindsight, weren't really that much of a big deal.

Then there was the candid blog, the one that revealed the emotional, fickle side. This meant that the space eventually just turned into a continuous giant moan and a literary punching bag for when someone had wronged me. It started to feel like a bit of a schizophrenic space, and anyhow, there were only about 26 people reading it at any one time, so that necessarily calls for evolution, transformation and something a little more interesting than talking about the People I Dislike. Anyway, it's also not very nice to go around lambasting people in public spheres all the time.

As I move into a more spiritual phase of life, I thought that charting this would perhaps prove more interesting and useful than merely talking about vodka parties (which start to all be the same after awhile) and my latest purchases (because really, who cares about the new handbag you just bought).

There is an enormous amount of drama in what you would expect to be the most unruffled corners of the world. Spirituality is not a zen pebble. It is a horrendous, torrential, continuous downpour and you're always in the eye of the storm. You could think of it as a disaster, or as an exhilarating ride, a sort of constant "Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" like you're in theme park.

Yes, I'd like to think I'm in a theme park and the big prize is Enlightenment, which you'll get from the nice man in the top hat if you can only get through all the crazy rides and games without giving up. Let the games begin.