David's Space...

My book in electronic form...

This is Ms Geetha Madavan, the executive assistant to Mother Mangalam, Malaysia's very own Mother Teresa. She is holding a copy of my book, There's No Way But Up. Apparently, she loves to read real books or rather books in their physical form I assume. However, there are many out there who love to read books in their electronic form called eBooks. 

Recently, my book There's No Way But Up is out in eBook form. This is way better than the physical book for readers across to globe because you don't have to wait for the book to be packed, shipped and delivered. So there's no shipping costs involved and you can download it immediately! This is the future of publishing but I frankly don't think it will ever replace the real thing. Nothing beats picking up a real book and flipping through the pages to read. 

Anyway, here are the link to the sites where the eBook of There's No Way But Up is available for download...

http://www.diesel-ebooks.com/item/9789675365256/Lai-David-There-s-No-Way-But-Up/1.html

http://ebooks.ebookmall.com/ebook/578889-ebook.htm

http://www.powells.com/biblio/91-9789675365386-0

http://www.bol.com/nl/p/engelse-boeken/there-s-no-way-but-up/1001004011551772/index.html

 http://www.thecopia.com/catalog/details.html?catId=8921994

http://www.infibeam.com/eBooks/theres-no-way-but-up-david-lai-pdf-ebook-download/9789675365386-BEPDF.html?utm_term=David+Lai_1_3

Gone Down South

For the weekend, I am in Johor, the southern-most state of the Peninsular. Unfortunate for me, it is not a holiday. I am down here in Johor to help out at a roadshow with the Kechara Paradise crew - Chia, Jazz and Wan. 

 

We are here in JB's Sutera Mall for the whole weekend thanks to Kechara Southern Jewel Committee (KSJC)'s hard work and dedication. So who is Kechara Southern Jewel? They are a ragtag bunch of Rinpoche's students in Johor, who have banded together to do more for the Dharma. Click here to read more about their little story. 

Anyway, it is their first time organising a roadshow like this and so the location is not the really the best in the mall. However, the team had prepared a really nice little desk, newsletters and lots of pictures to show of the activities that they do here in Johor, many of which mirror those that is done in KL.

Great work, KSJC! Do more and you guys will grow and benefit even more people. There's a great sale going on here at this roadshow with many of KMP books going at bargain prices. Check this out! (Look below) My book is going for just RM10! Who wants to get a piece of me? Unfortunately, there's no one yet. JBian's are not too fond of books, especially English books.  

An Evening of Vegies

One of my recent projects was to organise the launch of the cookbook, Eat Healthy, Daily. Li Kim (my boss) wanted it to be more than just a launch, she wanted it to be a platform to promote vegetarianism and turn the whole world green. Well, I wasn't really very keen with the idea as I had no bloody experience and my only assistant was pulled out. 

After a few rounds of talking and planning, it finally came down to executing the plans. I was a bunch of nerves as I got people and venue ready. I contacted Mr Wong Yu Jin, the nutritionist and after a just a feel meets, he was ready to present his vegie talk. I rounded our in-house celebrity designer friend, Eric Choong to host and to tap into his extensive network of friends.  

 

More importantly, I had to get the press kit, press release and press what not, done. I was basically all over the place and the week of the launch was also the week of the Wesak fair at Sunway Pyramid. That was another set of preparations. I just wanted to kill myself. I had to set up, man the booth and then dismantle everything at the end of it. Thank Buddha, I had some help from the other KMP people. Then, just before the launch, a very cute video called 'Veg in the City' was completed just in time for the launch. 
 

Well on the day itself, it was nerve-wrecking as nobody was on time and there was a massive jam around the venue, Kechara Oasis Jaya One. My heart sank but we anticipated it but fortunately, a few press folks were there. Anyway, the venue did fill out and it was soon over. I returned to KMP right after and slept the evening through...

Dharma Princess Jamie 'Paris' Khoo and Designer Prince, Eric Choong played the emcee of the evening.

 Li Kim giving a delightful speech...

Mr Wong Yu Jin presenting his green points. 

The press loved 'Veg in the City'...

Check out the crowd! Phew! I was relieved that people did eventually turn up. 

Here, you can actually watched the whole launch for yourself :-

 

KMP - Best workplace in the world.

I know this is way overdue but I am going to post up some pictures of KMP (Kechara Media and Publications). I have never worked in such a beautiful office before. The showroom of Volvo (one of my previous jobs) was not bad too but I was a lousy salesman. Anyway, never in my wildest dreams would I ever think that I would be working in a publications' company. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Check out the cool reception area of KMP. Lovely 3-feet statue of the Buddha of wisdom, Manjushri was donated by my dad, Uncle Lai. So, he sits divinely in KMP, inspiring our work and blessing all who come into the office. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the English editorial room with all its workstations. No hard guesses necessary to know that the pink feather boa belongs to Jamie 'Paris' Khoo. Mine is the one with the money plant (I wished real Ringgit notes grew on it), Manjushri and Herbalife. Just to let you know, I quit Herbalife. Why? I lost slightly over 1 kg after starving myself half to death for a whole month! I gave up on a losing weight, ate myself over a few kgs and saw myself in the mirror one morning and decided to take up midnight jogging again (will blog about it soon).

The Chinese editorial room is next to us and you will see a red Mao figurine to proof that! The fish tank sits in with them and also a gorgeous Vajrayogini altar (makes me slightly green with envy), not seen in this photo.  Both of which is taken cared by Dr Lanse. On the side, Paul (my housemate and head of 3 Kechara departments) said the half glass partition reminds him of his factory office, he used to work in. It was the only negative comment we heard so far. 

This is where the crazy motley KMP crew gather every Monday for their weekly meetings and various meetings as well. The renovations (all thanks to Judy Dudy (I mean Judy Lam, our office admin head.) and Li Kim's (our great CEO, boss, friend and celebrity-to-be) great taste and decisiveness.

Often, we have to remind ourselves that the KMP's office used to be Kechara House's main prayer hall. We are indeed fortunate for its vast space and extra good vibes from all the pujas, prayers, retreats and Dharma talks held there. There's no better place to work in!

The mad crew - I am the only thorn among the roses. 

The Season Of Giving...

Everybody loves Christmas and I love the songs, the Christmas tree, the decorations, the sales, the holiday and of course the gifts. Some think it is all just commercialism and I agree too but that doesn't keep me from loving it. I don't own a Christmas tree but I guess liking it doesn't mean I have to make my living space look like a shopping mall.

Christmas back in the old days meant, anticipating presents from my parents. Sometimes... well most of the time, my mum would just ask me what I want ahead of Christmas and she would just buy it for me. I know! I was spoilt rotten. Well, with the Dharma, it looks like I have to do the opposite and learn to give instead of always taking from my parents. Well this year, I haven't had time to go shopping yet but will do so this weekend and hopefully get the gifts in time for Christmas. 

Since I am talking about generosity and giving, I am also starting to think of fund-raising for KMP. I have not really done this before and would have to start. Kechara Media and Publications which is a Kechara department that I am working for that produces spiritual books. Book publishing requires serious money and the returns are not easy to be seen especially with high profit margins taken by distributors and 3 month credit terms, it is hard just to stay afloat.

At KMP, we do have funds to stay afloat but I need to find ways to market the books better and also to raise more funds so we can publish even more. So, it would be a great Christmas if I could find a generous sponsor for those who love books and love to spread knowledge and wisdom of Rinpoche's great works out into the world. Sponsor Kechara Media and Publications! That would be a very nice Christmas for me and everyone of us in KMP. Even coming out with ideas for fund-raising or marketing would be most welcomed. I am not sure if anybody heard me on this but if you do... do leave a comment. Thank you!

A Good Speech Is A Speech Delivered With 'Raw' Emotions...

During lunch, I was talking to June Kang and she told us (Judy, Deborah, Dr Lanse and myself) of a recent 5-day public speaking workshop she attended. She said it was really good because it was given by an expert from China who had an academic background in Psychology. On top of that, the workshop was given at a hefty fee of RM5000! Despite the daunting price tag, they are so confident that the fees comes with a money-back guarantee. 

It began to sound a little fishy. But nevertheless, June was confident and she shared that the initial part of the workshop was divided into basic human emotions. The participants were to express a particular emotion and the facilitator-cum-expert would judge whether they were expressing a true emotion or a fake repressed emotion. June honestly told us that she had a lot of difficulty expressing anger to the facilitator's satisfaction. (She said that meant she probably had a lot of issues with anger) The whole workshop would be stalled because one or two people couldn't live up to the expectation of the 'expert'. So I quipped that the sheer frustation would have driven her to scream much better (He he!). But June said that the facilitator was really an expert in picking out fake emotions and he would only allow genuine display of emotions. 

Then she recounted a few cases where many of her fellow participants would just lose themselves in their emotions and just roll on the floor in laughter or would be screaming vulgarities like a lunatic. She said she experienced that for herself with laughter (she literally rolled on the floor in laughter) and explained that we are so repressed with culture, upbringing and other social norms that we forget how liberating it is to just express our emotions. Deborah was horrified and she said she would never ever participate in something that messes with her mind. 

On the other hand, Judy said that is why she would encourage her kids to express themselves freely. I thought that was a little risky proposition and so I cautioned her saying that expressing ourselves is good but there is always a time and place for that. However, there is always a danger with total freedom of expression especially with regards to the angst-ridden youth (I was thinking about the nasty things I would do if I had free rein - a sign I am still angst ridden minus the youth bit). She nodded in agreement. Then June said the sessions within the workshop ended up rather emotional and sometimes private repressed feelings and memories are uncovered. 

It all sounds rather Dharmic...Well you know, letting go of past emotional baggages and such. But then, the workshop sort of crosses the boundaries to personal development. I guess they are all related but I had my doubts about how much it can heal within a five-day course. June explained that they have followups after the workshop and I wanted to say... "Will the followups bring us to a better rebirth?" 

But June explained that there was a marked difference in the public speeches that were given before and after the workshop. I realised then that I had lost the whole point - it was just to make them better public speakers! So much for Dharma and the after life! 

The Salesman Who Talked Too Much

Judy Lam on the left and Deborah Pereira sharing a cake...

Judy Lam, our beloved administrator of KMP and Deborah, our equally beloved Production Manager told a rather hilarious story that occurred earlier. Apparently, while I was working away on my laptop, a salesman came up to KMP and tried to sell printing services to Deborah.

However, before she could even offer him a glass of water, this guy whipped out his books and started explaining about the books that he had printed before. He just went on and on about what he had to offer. When he finished explaining about his books, he kept on talking and this time, it was about the Dalai Lama and then about Buddhism and then he started commenting about the political situation in Tibet. Deborah didn't know what to do and she just went along with the one-way conversation. Occasionally, she made eye contact with Judy. Judy understood the situation and gestured wildly at her wrist watch. She was trying to tell Deborah to excuse herself and say that she didn't have time to talk. 

Somewhere along the way, the salesmen excused himself to the washroom. Judy thought he had left and while helping herself to some water in the pantry, she laughed really loudly and told Deborah that she was trying to save her from the salesman. While she was screaming away from the pantry, the salesman was out listening to this whole commotion. Deborah tried to silenced Judy but to not avail. When Judy finally turned around, she immediately went all red and shut her mouth almost apologetically. The salesman took the hint and left not long after. 

When they told me this story, they were teasing each other and I thought it was rather funny and sweet to see our two hardworking KMP staff getting along quite well. 

What's Up with Me Lately...

1.  I recently had a nice interview with Jojo Struys in Kechara Paradise Bangsar store. She is a pretty girl, speaks well, is street-smart and seemed deeper than her makeup. It is part of StarProperty's efforts to have us in it with her talking about Buddhist art. I love Buddhist art, especially Tibetan Buddhist art. So I was there, the strange awkward expert explaining about art. Here is the finished video:-

By the way, KP Bangsar is now closed for relocation to Viva Mall! 

2. Radio Interview on TraxxFM with Priscilla Ann Yap. 

I had a lovely 45 Minutes of LIVE National Airtime on TraxxFM talking about my book, of course - There's No Way But Up.  It was interspersed with a few songs and I not only got to talk about my book but also about Kechara organisation along with Rinpoche. I will be trying to get the recording of this interview from the radio station and will post it up here soon. 

 

 

3. Reading The Bodhisattva Vows by Venerable Dagpo Lama Rinpoche at the moment. When I am finished, I would have to give a talk about it. It was of course instructions from Rinpoche and I am right  as type this on my third chapter. 

 

4. Silly Random Photos taken on my phone's camera at an Art Gallery. This guys are around 4 - 5 feet high. I believe Kechara Care will be having one of these guys in their new 'lounge'. I can't wait! 

   

 

 

 
 

My Pick-Me-Upper!

Lately, I have been down in the doldrums and wallowing in a lot of self-pity for things I did wrong or decisions I did or did not make. I would like to think that there are many people out there would be able relate to where I am coming from and I felt that I was in need of a “pick-me-upper”. I am really glad that it finally came today in the form of an email sent over last Saturday.

Someone by the name of Teo Sheng Ee read my book There’s No Way But Up and appreciated what I wrote so he emailed me his appreciation. He really liked the honesty of the writing and even listed down scenarios in the book that inspired him. I was flabbergasted by this email! I am really glad that not all decisions I made in the past were all bad and it kinda brightened up my day. Perhaps, it will inspire me not to make too many silly mistakes from now on. Thanks Sheng Ee!

~

Hi David,

We have never met before. But after reading your book, I thought of writing to you.

Thank you for your generous sharing of your personal experiences in the Dharma as well as your training under Tsem Rinpoche. It is really amazing you can write so candidly about the things that had happened, especially those that did not put you in a positive light at all (i.e. the scoldings you received and the BFs that you went through). What a good learning in ego-destroying!

I truly think that you write from the heart and the book itself is not designed to become some sort of “marketing material” that is commonly found in autobiographies designed to paint a nice and rosy picture.

Your relating of your own experiences has allowed me to take a good look at myself and as much as I hate to admit, I too possess many of the flaws and undesirable attitudes that Tsem Tulku Rinpoche mentioned. Your book really serves as a good mirror for me to reflect on how I have been living. At the same time, it gives me hope that I too possess the same potential to transform my life to become a better person.

The recurring lessons that I drew from your book are as follows:

1. Running away from our Lama is only running away from ourselves
2. Devotion to the Lama will bring us results
3. Taking responsibility for our lives is the number 1 thing we should do, be it secular or Dharma activities
4. It is the little things that we do which reflect our inner attitudes, so to change, we need to be aware of the little things in our lives (i.e. switching off the lights, making sure the glass cabinet for VY is clean).

Once again, thank you so much for your sharing. I look forward to more writing from you!

Jia You! You are definitely a good writer!

Regards,

Sheng Ee

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