ABOUT ME, BRIEFLY


ABOUT THAM CHEE WAH, BRIEFLY

I have redefined retirement at age 23. I have a lifestyle where I do the things I like, with the time I have and still get paid for it. I designed my freedom these two decades, traveling to more than 40 countries. I run a successful business doing consulting works as a Corporate Writer, Corporate Emcee, Event Producer and a Workshop Facilitator. I am also a talk-show host on an Internet Radio station with two programs "A Course In Miracles for Work-Life" and "Freedom Speaks". Life is Healthy, Rich & FREE! You can design this lifestyle according to your willingness. I hope mine will inspire you to achieve that freedom too.

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Memories of Annapurna, Nepal!



These photos really bring back sweet memories. I was digging into my files in my computer and saw these few precious shots. These were taken when I was backpacking through India and Nepal. The 2 guys were my guides up the mountains. The one in green shirt was the paid guide, and the one in blue followed us because he was sort-of on leave because February was a low season. So, he came along just to accompany us. How I came to use a guide in Pokkhara? I was checking the rates of entrance fees, trekking fees and etc at the police station. I found the rates for foreigners especially high (there are rates for locals and foreigners). And the payment for such fees are for a 3-day pass to a 7-day pass or more. So, you kinda pay for every step you take. Moreover, I have heard so many stories about going on the same Tourist Trail, like the Annapurna Range Walk, the Tea Trek, the Everest Trek and many more. Most of the stories were about kids asking for alms, pulling the tourists trousers for more pens, for more food, for more money and for more of everything. The food served at the treks are mostly Continental breakfast or Western menu for lunches and dinners. Imagine trekking in the pristine enclave of the Annapurna range and the Everest, you get warm milk, omelette, toast, sausage and coffee. It is ok, of course, but I thought I will prefer something more authentic, more of what the villagers will have. So, I sat under a big tree, in front of the police station, thinking what am I suppose to do? Do I forgo the trek and just stay in Pokkhara for 2 days and head to Kathmandu after that? As I was planning of what to do in my head, there came this young man in green. He began to chat with me and told me that he is a certified guide and he showed me his official card. I listened while he went on about his experience binging people up the mountains and how his clients/trekkers loved the sceneries and how everyone enjoyed themselves. When he finished, I told him my reservation about the treks, and the amount of money I need to pay if I go on the treks for a week. He was a great listener and he got what I meant. Immediately he told me about this Royal Trek which is the other side of the mountain range and it is not open to Tourists yet. He said the government was looking at possibilities of doing the Royal Trek with "farm stay" with the locals in the mountains. He asked me if I was interested? I asked him how much will be his fees including all meals and accommodation? He mentioned a price and I jumped at the thought of staying with the villagers, that will be cool.

So, I re-packed my rucksack for a 5-day ration, left the rest at his house in Pokkhara. He told me that his friend is also coming along and they will share a bed if need be. I agreed and there we went for an adventure I did not plan but turned out to be the most memorable of all my time in Nepal. There will be some other photos to show you the trek I had been, I am sure you will be in awe by the beauty of the villages and the villagers. All throughout the trek, I met with the most beautiful people who have not seen a tourist, let alone a Chinese. They were so kind as some invited me for tea and some invited me for dinner too.

Throughout my journey in India and Nepal, I had a really tough stomach. I drank mostly from the mountain spring where the villagers get their water and from the food stalls, I don't remember I bought any bottled water. We were at places that are 7,000 ft above sea level. Tough climb, we spent like 2 days hiking to reach our destination - which was my guide's house in the mountains and met up with his family members. Cute-eh?? What an adventure.

I think I made this trip about 10 years ago. Will I do it again? Sure, but this time, it will be in another place, another adventure. This is truly Nepal at its best!!

Switch On Your Inner Light

I was watching TV this morning before I left my apartment. While Oprah Winfrey was on TV, I was in my kitchen cutting and blending my fruits & vegetables for breakfast. And over the commercial break, I heard an advertisement ending its run with this caption "Switch On Your Inner Light". Wow! this is powerful, since I am on the computer, I just type this caption in first. Will write more later.

Oh! since I am on this, let me share with you another one : "Hope spreads faster than cancer."

Will write more later.

Have a fantastic and blessed day ahead!!

Thursday, April 05, 2007

Trying out my mobile blogging


Wow, what a tool. I can blog using my cellphone. Now i can go anywhere and blog fr wherever i am.

Write it, Blog it and Move On!

"You are here to enable the divine purpose of the universe to unfold. That is how important you are!" Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now

Many friends who had accessed my blog told me that I wrote very well, my English is excellent, I can express so well and all the powerful remarks. I certainly love every bit of the accolades and praise. Thank you, guys and gals!!

What I always say in return is this : "YOU can do it too."

Why most of my friends are not building their blogs (or some have started putting some pages up but not sharing, why? why keep the blog to yourself??), these are the few reasons I often heard :
  • the words I use - are they politically correct or not?
  • whether or not my grammar is good,
  • my English may not be good enough....
  • don't know who will read my blog
  • will anyone read or not?
  • I am not good enough
  • I want to make sure no mistake than I publish
  • don't know what to write, nothing to share
  • no stories to tell.......

Let me share with you this, I don't hold a degree in story-writing, neither was JK Rowling.
I don't have a master degree in English Language, neither was Eckhart Tolle.
I am not trying to outsmart or be in any one's shoes, neither was Picasso.

I am just being myself, writing about subjects I knew straight from my heart, telling you as it is.
Because I believe that only YOU can be YOU.
What you share is going to inspire a million people. Think about it, if you are married, at least you had inspired that one girl to be your wife or that one boy to be your husband. Truly, there are at least one million people around YOUR world who is waiting to fall into your arms, and so lucky she got you and you got him. See??

So, who reads what, is not within my control.
What I can control is only my Thoughts!! not yours, not hers, not his either.

Put it this way - "if Picasso had only painted like Van Gogh, he would not have towered the artistic genius of our times." I don't know where I got this statement but I used it before.

So, you are the Picasso, because the brush (keyboard) is in your hands.
Just do it, because your story will touch someone somewhere sometime, where you least expect it. (sounds like a TV docu-series, which one?)

To all my friends who had started blogging, treat it like writing your journal. Spam and let everyone see you shine. You never know what lies in front, it may be a singing contract? a wedding ring? a project? But one thing I am so sure, You will definitely find joy in writing.

How do I know?
I just did!

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Just a Thought away!!

"You cannot teach a man anything, you can only help him to find it within himself." Galileo

I was given the opportunity to talk to 2 groups of students. 1st group was Form 1 (13 years old) to Form 3 (15 years old) students. Another group was Form 3 (15 years old) to Form 5 (17 years old) students.

They were attending a 2-day course on Money Talk. This is a great program where the Trainers work with the students to get them to understand the financial mechanism in the market now. Topics range from housing loan to credit card bills, from commodity to forex, from unit trust to share market and many other financial instruments. The 2-day was indeed a great eye-opener for the young adults - well, at least they will know how their hand-phones come about. They don't just fall from the sky.

I was asked to talk on health. Because the Event Manager felt that with all the money we can make, we need a healthy body and a sound mind to be able to enjoy what we earn. Fair enough!! So, there I was touching on the topic called "SEED". It is a 3-hour talk covering subjects as per the acronym SEED :

S Sleep well - have enough rest so that the immune system can repair
E Exercise regularly - at least have brisks walk to get more oxygen into our lungs
E Emotional stability - be joyful all the time, practise meditation and choose peace
D Diet - what we eat, eat us!!

I showed the students a VCD on "Our Immune system at War" and we demonstrated the way we blend fruits & vegetables, and also the students get to participate in the making of fresh fruits & vegetables salad - and get to taste them too!!

While I covered topics like that, and since the whole 2-day was on attaining financial freedom, I sort-of open and close my talk with an understanding of how I lead my life right now. I told them that this may be the first time they hear someone sharing with them this kind of consciousness, but take it at face value, it may hit a note at one point of their life.

I said : "Need not look for a job - let jobs look for you!!"
I quoted Sai Baba, who said "Love All Serve All"

It just merely means,
Love my boss, Serve my boss
Love my patients, Serve my patients
Love my clients, Serve my clients
Love my customers, Serve my customers
Love my accounts, Serve my accounts
Love my engineering, Serve my projects

If I cannot love my customers and serve my customers, then I am dragging my days, it is not my passion, the big question is, "why am I still staying in that job/work?"

How many of us still teach our children to go out and work?
If everything stems from a Thought, then why not change the Thought.
It is also easy to teach our children to go out and Serve!!!! isn't it?

Why I said so? because at my Talk with the students, I asked them a question:
"What comes into your mind when I mention the word Retirement?"
Their answers were astounding and should shake the juice out of us all. There were 3 that I remembered, the children responded : "Old", "White hair" and "Not working".

These are young adults ranging from 13 to 17 years old. All they have been observing were that : old, white hair and not working at retirement??!!

Now, if everything starts from a Thought, I already know where these young adults are heading towards - retiring at 56 years old being old, white hair and not working. And that is in their belief system. Is this your belief system too?

I told the students : "Look at me, I am retired, do I look like that?"

Well, well, we have a lot of Thoughts to consciously work at.
And it is so simple -- it is just a Thought away!!