The Intersection

CHINLONE: Burma's National Sport

BISEAN previously featured our region's National Sports. It was a round up of our neighboring village's cool games.

We mentioned that Chinlone was the most beautiful game -- non-competitive, graceful and everything nice. See for yourselves...

Cool! See what we mean? =)

****

THE LEGEND OF THE FIRE RHINO

Legend has it…that whenever there’s fire in the forest, big or small, a rhino would show up and stomp on it to put it out. The legend is as simple as that. But a few of us knew that this legend came from Southeast Asia.

They are called “Badak Api” in Malay folklore. Badak means “rhinoceros” and Api means “fire”. The Burmese also has a version of it. The “Fire Rhino” legend lived through the centuries.

The British picked up the legend from Malaya and Burma during their colonial occupation. They brought it with them to Europe. The legend even reached Africa in the height of the colonial era.

Most of us have also seen this legend in the movie The God Must Be Crazy – where a huge white rhino diligently stomp on fire started by the Bushman for cooking. LOL! Rhinos became an international mascot for fire fighters and fire extinguishers too!

But do rhinos REALLY stomp on fire?

Well, nobody knows. And that’s a fact!

There are no documented sightings of it in science.
No records, no reliable witness, no VHS tape,
no digital recordings, no 3Gs, no nothing.


Having said that… the legend of Badak Api lives on.

****

PERFECT SPECIMEN: Marc Nelson

Hunkier than most hunks.

Marc Nelson is a top model and famous telly personality in the Philippines. He is a perfect example of a multi-racial guy integrating himself to a foreign society and still managed to make it big. He was on a diving holiday in the Philippines when he was approached to appear for a telly ad.

Marc’s father is English-Burmese and his mother is Burmese of Chinese origin partly raised in Thailand. He was born on Valentine’s Day and his family migrated to Australia where he spent the rest of his growing years and studied. Marc lived from Africa to Asia, from Australia to America and now, in the Philippines.

He’s now an image model for Bench – a local apparel brand, hosts a sports and leisure telly show and writes a column for a national paper.

More of Marc here…



(Click image for larger view)



Eurasian men are the hunkiest of all hunks.


****


You liked this post? - Subscribe to BISEAN.

ONE POST FOR BURMA: Look into their eyes...

Today is the International Bloggers' Day for Burma.

These are the children of Burma... do they need to learn the word "help" in your language for you to do something?...

Just look into the eyes...







Free Burma! And free the Lady!



You liked this post? - Subscribe to BISEAN.

OUR TRASURES: The Shwe Dagon Pagoda

One of Southeast Asia’s grandest treasures and the world’s most precious pagoda – the Shwe Dagon in Yangon is literally studded with diamonds, rubies, and precious stones and entirely covered in pure gold. It is undoubtedly one of the world’s most beautiful structures.

The main stupa is 326 feet high sitting on a hill 168 feet above the city – The lower part is covered with 8,688 solid gold plates and the upper part with another 13,153. The tip (topmost) of the stupa is studded with 5,448 diamonds; 2,317 rubies, sapphires, and other gems; 1,065 golden bells and, at the very top, a single 76-carat diamond.

The origins of Shwe Dagon are lost in antiquity; nobody knows how old it is. Long before the pagoda was built, its location was already an ancient sacred site because of the buried relics of the three previous Buddhas. According to one legend... nearly 5000 years had passed since the last Buddha walked the Earth, and the site would soon lose its blessedness unless it was re-consecrated with relics of a new Buddha (Gautama Buddha) -- 4 strands of hair of the last Buddha are enshrined here.

There are 4 entrances leading into the base of this great pagoda. No one is sure what’s inside. According to some legend, there are flying and turning swords that never stop, which protect the pagoda from intruders; some says there are even underground tunnels that lead to Bagan and Thailand.

The kings of Burma throughout history maintained the beauty of this pagoda. Each succeeding king made it higher and donated their weight in gold! It’s most notable restorer is Burma’s only recorded queen in history -- Queen Shinsawbu. She loved this place so much that when she was dying, her bed was positioned so that the last thing she see is this magnificent pagoda.

The Shwe Dagon complex is located at Shwe Dagon Road, Yangon and opens as early as 4am. Foreign tourists should pay around $5 and please remember to take off your socks and shoes upon entering the sacred grounds. Pilgrims from all over Burma come here to visit and meditate.

Southeast Asia's precious treasure --
the Shwe Dagon of Burma.





****



You liked this post? - Subscribe to BISEAN.

OUR LINK TO BURMA

In the recent situation of our neighbors in Burma, we get news from networks a day late. Journalists has to risk their lives smuggling footage or information and most of the time, the reports are censored by the repressive Burmese military government before being aired.

If you would like to know and be updated with what’s really happening over there, you can visit BISEAN’s link to Burma here.

The blog is authored by Dawn. A socially conscious civilian in Yangon and courageously blogs what she see. Dawn is actually risking her life doing this. Thanks very much Dawn, for this unselfish act. Peace to Burma.

****

You liked this post? - Subscribe to BISEAN.

WE ARE WITH YOU, BURMA!

The largest street protest in more than 20 years against the military government of Burma was lead by monks. The peaceful public defiance started last Thursday and slowly gaining momentum -- other cities have already joined in.

Yesterday in Yangon, 10 000 Buddhist monks marched under the pouring rain to peacefully protest against the government’s treatment of its citizens and an earlier physical assault on the monks. And for the first time, Buddhist nuns have also joined.

Monks in Southeast Asian society are highly revered. Their involvement brings a fresh new life to this long struggle. I know for a fact that when monks start to lead, people will follow.

Burma… we are with you.


****

You liked this post? - Subscribe to BISEAN.

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS NAYPYIDAW?

It has been almost 2 years since Burma moved its capital to the mountains. I’m not kidding – it’s literally in the mountains 320 km north of Yangon. Why so isolated? The capital city is so remote; they have to clear acres of forests to build an administrative enclave on it. Is this isolation symbolize Burma’s position to the world?

I met a couple of former schoolmates the other night at The Bed – one of Bangkok’s prime night clubs. We flirted with sexy girls, howled at gorgeous boys and drink, drink, drink. Y’know, normal night out of bored Eurasian dudes. Our conversations are normally dominated by Southeast Asian politics as we all represented each and every country in the region.

“Don’t you think the capital of Malaysia should be moved to Putra Jaya?” asked Rhys, the Malaysian-English dude.

“They literally did. KL is just regarded as still the capital for sentimental reasons.” One dude answered. Whatever he meant about “sentimental”, I really have no idea. We chatted ever so loudly with geeky topics our catches-for-the-night all disappeared one by one. *sigh* There goes my lay for the night.

“Anyone of you been to Burma’s capital?” one dude asked.

Me, as a self-assured, half-drunk, all-knowing dude replied immediately “Hell, yeah!” draining my beer. “Yangon is one destination for people who got culture, yappy yappy yap yap.” I added.

In our group was a tall, quiet Burmese-Englishman who just drank and drank suddenly butt in, “Yangon is not the capital of Burma.” He said quite very seriously.

“Oh shit.” I said to myself. I knew I made a mistake. I’m sure I heard from somewhere Burma already changed their capital. To regain my ground, I just let the Burmese dude add something…we waited in silence, but it never came. *what’s with him? Ha!*

NAYPYIDAW is the capital of Burma (or Myanmar, whatever you choose to call it). Change your records and remember it so on your next conversation with your friends, you won’t sound foolish. There. Take that!


AND AS CUSTOMARY (whenever I post something about Burma), I say:

"FREE AUNG SAN SUU KYI NOW!"


****