Liew's Views

Okay, so I haven’t updated this blog in awhile; and it’s not because I haven’t had spectacular things happen to me. It’s because I’m a bit busy and lazy. So here’s a quick recap:

1. In the dead of winter (Feb 2011), I changed jobs. It was an exciting and much needed change and I met some great people and learned a lot because of it (I am no longer at this position).
2. In the summer, I travelled to London for an amazing Indian wedding with people I’d consider family. I went to Paris to explore and hang out with a girl-friend. I fell in love with Copenhagen and their bike lanes while visiting a family-friend studying there.
3. In the fall, I got to help plan and execute the TEDxToronto After Party. I met some inspiring artists and performers and had a lot of fun doing it.
4. Around the end of 2011, I got together with two brilliant girl-friends and launched helloberry bracelets. Through the stresses of brainstorming, set-up, long meetings, and many late nights, we always had fun. I never thought I could do anything entrepreneurial, but I can’t say that any more. We’ve been well-received and our fans are fan-tastic! (see what I did there?)

And now….

I am moving to Guyana.

I will be there starting on February 9, 2012 for a one year placement in Shulinab, Guyana (located about 2 hours south of Lethem in the Interior) as a Women’s Enterprise Development Advisor. I applied to Cuso International and was selected by them along with VSO Guyana to work with the South Central People Development Organization (SCPDA <---no, the A is not a typo...the acronym actually includes the A instead of an O, but don't ask me why).

I will be dedicated to working with and among various communities in the Rupununi region to assist with finance, accounting, and a bit of marketing and product development. I will mostly be working with Amerindian women who have enterprises in agriculture and craft-making. Although it seems that I will be teaching them business skills, I know I will learn lots from them as well.

A big question is

Now to answer the “Where exactly…?” questions, here’s a map to help you visualize where I’ll be located (click to enlarge):

By clicking that map I bet some of you just learned that Guyana isn’t an island (although it’s associated with the West Indies which include island nations), and that it’s situated in South America, above Brazil and to the east of Venezuela.

Guyana was colonized by the Brits (so they speak English). To the east, there is Suriname (colonized by the Dutch) and French Guiana (colonized by the French). These three countries are the only ones in South America that don’t speak either Spanish or Portuguese as first languages.

Okay, that’s enough geography and history for now.

Here’s where I ask you to support me and Cuso International.
Cuso International sends volunteers abroad to work on collaborative development projects in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. They are one of North America’s largest international development non-profits that works through volunteers like me.

Here’s the great thing about donating – every dollar you donate is multiplied by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) to help fund Cuso International’s efforts to support global development, environmental sustainability and social justice.

Convinced?

Donate now!

Thank you in advance for your donations; without your generosity, Cuso International wouldn’t be able to send volunteers overseas to pass on their knowledge and expertise.

My friend Madeline made me this awesome bag.

It’s a Swedish word horse with ultra cool yellow sunglasses.
He wears his sunglasses at night too.

It’s hand-crafted, one-of-a-kind, and madMade with love.

madMade products are NEVER duplicated.
Like it? Want it? Ask me and I’ll let you know where to find them.

…in a time of Revolution (#Jan25)

My Egyptian-Canadian friend, Maged, lives in Cairo, Egypt. With the internet back on, I finally received an email from him assuring me that he is safe. Thank God.

With his permission, I am posting his email so that you can read it and have a feel for what it’s like for some of those on the ground. He is not near Tahrir. He is living in one of many neighbourhoods in Cairo. He is protecting his family, friends, and neighbours the best way he knows how in a city of chaos.

The words below have been minimally edited to reflect one person’s opinion. Please do not take it as anything else.

We’re all living under marshal law with a curfew at 3pm and zero police presence – we just have each other to depend on for security.

We block off our streets and don’t let anyone in after 3pm, and everyone in the neighborhood comes downstairs and patrols the streets looking for outsiders, I’ve been freezing my ass off every night staying up all night guarding my home and my family’s home with makeshift road blocks, handguns and shotguns….we also pray every night that this nightmare ends.

There’s no petrol in the gas stations but the food and water supply seem to be holding up pretty well. I’ve gotten to know everyone in my building and on my street from this vigilante type of self protection that we’ve set up – our situation is not unique. Apparently every single street in Cairo is like this.

Whenever we catch anyone trying to infiltrate our neighbourhood we whistle to each other and fire warning shots in the air. Usually they get scared off.
We wear armbands to tell friends from foes and so far we haven’t had any problems.

We all watch TV or listen to the radio on the street and hope that this shit ends as soon as possible so we can go back to our normal lives. There are tanks and APC’s (armoured personnel carrier) in Korba and Salah Salem, it’s a strange and bewildering sight. There’s still zero police presence on the streets and whenever we see a police car we make the occupants get out of the car and search them. A lot of police cars have been stolen and used by criminals released from prison or those just trying to steal anything they can get their hands on.

We pass the time telling jokes and talk politics. Everyone has an opinion, everyone is divided on who and what should happen, but we all agree that we want this to end.

It’s been days of this chaos with no end in sight, and yet when I walk around my neighborhood seeing the streets filled with people with sticks, knives, and guns protecting their homes, I can’t help but look on in absolute disbelief that this is happening in Cairo, one of the safest cities in the world that changed overnight. I still think its very safe though because everyone is on the streets protecting their homes, but vigilante justice is no way to live.

Anyways, I can’t wait to be back in Toronto and not have to deal with gunshots every night.

Originally from my Tumblr blog

I am lucky. REALLY lucky.
I have these friends, and they’re super amazing.

They support me, they care for me, they listen to me, they love me, and they’re always there for me – no matter what.

Bonus: they have got a whole lot of wisdom.

I joke with them, laugh with them, rant with them, laze around with them, and I often seek their advice.

Great advice is often given, but it’s rare that I remember it all.
In order to follow advice, I should and must remember it.

My solution:

Wise Friends

and take the plunge!

Live for every moment.

Halong Bay, Vietnam (2010)

1) The most dangerous thing you can do is walk across a huge intersection or through a roundabout. If you don’t get hit by a motorcycle, bicycle, or car, you’ve won the real life Frogger game you’ve been thrust into.

2) Things here are relatively cheap – from a Western world view. You can stay in a decent hotel for $20-$30 USD a night – and that’s talking mid-range price. A meal with a drink will be $5 average in a regular non-fancy restaurant. A bowl of Pho is $2. You get the point.

3) Halong Bay is a beautiful place – a must-see even if you hate “touristy” places. Be prepared to line-up to see some caves and eat a lot of fried food, the fare of choice for boat-cooks for some reason.

4) The level of harassment to buy things is pretty low compared to other countries (e.g. Egypt). Win!

5) “Line-ups” are just crowds of people invading each others’ personal space so they can be first to get checked-in, to get on a bus, to get on a plane, to annoy people, etc.

6) Everyone’s a millionaire in Vietnam.

Vietnamese Dongs

Clean water is a privilege.

We often forget this because most of us living in the “western world” are so lucky.
I’ll bet that 99.99% of the people reading this (with maybe a .01% margin of error) have access to clean, safe water right now.

But what about those who don’t have clean, safe water – or water at all?
How many miles did you walk to get that glass of water?
How much time did you sacrifice to buy a bottle of it?
Do you monitor your water consumption when you shower or wash your hands?
Do you ever have to think about whether your water is disease-infested?

Clean water is a privilege. But it should be a RIGHT.

So what can you do?

“There will never be enough charity to bring safe water to everyone”, but there are sustainable solutions.

Eggs are so delicious…and good for you too! You can eat them for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snack. It’s an all-day kinda food. Love those!

Eggspectations napkin advice:

Grab the day by the eggs