Beyond the Game of Cat and Mouse

 24. Sept.2022

Six days before this day, I was asked by the overall event organiser to host a discussion session. Without hesitation, I said yes. I have no idea about the film I was in charge to present during the screening, nor the speaker from ECOTON or the Malaysian Speaker. I was told one will be joining in person and one online. NO other information was provided to me. I also did not acquire more information. The overall event orgasniser was superbusy so I understand that craziness amid all that needs to happen. 


I did review the film, a 25mn short investigative document entitled: "3 River Expedition: The Threat of Paper Factories" by ECOTON (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGypIkl2LcQ&t=5s ) to get ready for my session. In the lunch break on 24 Sept, I asked if the Malaysian speaker has arrived and want to be introduced but she was not to be seen anywhere. She did show at 4.30 when our session was set to start at 5pm. It was such an interesting challenge. Apart from the video document is presented in Bahasa Indonesia, and one of the speaker joining online, this session is the very last session before the closing of the Mekong ASEAN Environmental Week 2022. Never mind! We all stayed up for it. I believe so too. 


      In the two images:   Phui Yi and Me in session while Daru was online. 
    Photos by Phally Ngeum/Oxfam



How to engage an audience that mostly speak another language (Khmer) via translation over their headset? And when it is run in the time of extreme low energy after 3 days of full on schedule? I have got a lot of motivational support from my peers and the session flow well and an audience interaction as well as speakers sharing their session and me persisted to add my comments and remarks of the undivining role of individual and collectives; of the fight again corporate polluted practices into the river systems and how can the many mice fights against the big cat in the room?


Not many times that I am willing to accept this moderation role at international setting; often time, I found myself as speaker of the subject matter of my work. 

Black giving me confidence despite the circumstance and the reality I find myself. Today, listening to Jacinda Ardern twice, I feel that it is only through practice that we can better ourselves, either with content or with moderation; even we may feel shaking at first, we can firm the ground with the smile once the mic is on and the music is in the ears. 

The motto that I often challenge myself: if other can do it, so do you!

To the readers of this blog, Believe in yourself and challenges your most inner set of fear that you have in yourself; because only you could conquer this fear!


Be blessed!

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