Shoshin-Zazen

I was at the back row of the orchestra with silly thoughts running through my head..and I suddenly had an inspiration for a “FAIL” post.

Haha I couldn’t resist it!! Mingyue, thanks for the pose!!!

I have to hand it down to my mum when she told me,

Don’t let this incident propel you to become ascetic.

As much as I would like to retreat to the himalaya mountains to mediate on the question of “Who am I’, I can’t do that because I have so many great friends, who do great things like throwing me into the lake at 3 degrees in the night.

Please take note that this activity is condoned by my program coordinator in stockholm (shes in the picture) but she ran away before we could thank her for it. She was obviously concerned that I was shivering, only wearing shots and no shirt on when she asked me, “Zhihan, any last words?” before I got thrown in.

Mum, only time will tell. In the meantime, I MISS YOUR FRIED KUAY TEOW!!!!!

Today I talked with a fellow YEP (Youth Expedition Project) New Dawn participant about him being in Luang Prabang, a place where a team of us did a project in a village called Muang Kham. He told me all about the villagers who saw him in town and called him to joined them in drinking beers. I can almost visualise the old quaint town of Luang Prabang - its architecture, and its people. Food carts line up streets with litter and funny smells, and its beguiling night market filled with Karen wares and bags. I remember the village and how we managed to stay tried to live in a moment in a Laotian’s life - a hard life, if I might add.

As I now write this in my room in Stockholm, Sweden I find myself rather disconnected with the South-East Asian culture and places. I am far away from home, missing dearly local foods and delicacies. Home is in South-East Asia, a place that I can identify with straight-away.

I met a Thai student just a floor above me who just moved in. She was a student studying for her Masters in “Strategic Management” in KTH. With some anguish written all over her face, she complained about the cold - and it is only the end of summer now. I told her about Chiang Rai and it was also cold - just like this, now.

The Zen masters say a mind flows like water. My mind is just doing just that now; flowing here and there. So when I talked about Chiang Rai, I remembered my first project in an Aha village and lived in a  humble bamboo hut for two weeks. The nights could be very chilly, temperatures could drop to near zero celcius. We would always need a fire to keep our hands warm while we chat over hot tea in the evenings.

I cannot help but feel that the disconnect I feel between now in Stockholm and home in South-East Asia is largely due to simplicity of life that I came into contact with in Thailand and Laos. Rather, this “complication” does not really lie in the lifestyle but with the local people’s mindsets and thinking.

All these make too much thinking, I am going to eat my sandwich now.

In case you don’t know, Sweden has a academic institution on armed weaponry. Maybe I shall register for a bazooka course.

Now that is what i call a “nation without borders.”

I love Garfield.