MY CAMBODIAN ENGAGEMENT CEREMONY

I would like to take this opportunity first of all, to thank my friends, family, business partners and a special thanks to all of the amazing artists that I work with! Without all of you, the story that I am about to write, would not have been possible. Life takes many unexpected turns and twists and we need to roll with it the best we can. If you had told me 5 years ago that I would have these experiences, I would have thought you were nuts.! The main purpose of this blog post is to let everyone know that I am now engaged to a wonderful Cambodian woman! Actually the correct, more specific name is KHMER! Khmer is the nationality and Cambodia is the Country. Mouly and I are very happy together and we will now begin the process of planning the wedding ceremony and immigration to Canada for her. The actual Ceremony is looking like early November. I am posting a few pictures or our engagement ceremony and a video. I love the KHMER people and have grown and learned much from this experience. I think that these experiences will last a lifetime and I intend on applying what I have learned upon my return to Canada. You see, as much as I love Canada and never want to live anywhere else, I have learned that as our society grows and becomes more complex and modern, we have lost some things too. We cannot go backwards, so the best we can do I suppose, is be aware of them. Traditions, customs and family support are so important. For instance, when one has a problem, the whole family has a problem. The sense of community and social interaction. The sense of respect for elders and the environment. The need for tolerance etc. Something that I am proud of in my business is the goal of having us as artists lead the way in promoting tolerance and social injustices. You see, making money does NOT have to include destroying people and our planet! Good business and living, should mean alliances and integration. It was a wonderful engagement ceremony and most of the family came at one point or another and dropped in while the Monk and local “old man” were conducting the various aspects of it. As I sat there, I wanted to film everything, but also did not want it to become a TMZ episode!!! Lol  To my right, was a PIG’S head and a chicken on a platter. The smell of incense was strong and the local humidity high. Lucky I had a couple 5 year old angels fanning me with a cardboard box! The monk was stirring a water and flower mixture and then used sticks to deliver a quick “flick” of water out upon us, while reciting Khmer traditional words of love and encouragement. A show of support from the locals and family! Thank you for taking such good care of me this whole time. to my artists I would like to say thank you! I LOVE working with you and I am so excited to see progress on so many levels with so many of you. WE have come so far in this crazy business and I cannot tell you how proud of the work already done. There is much to do still and I will work hard this year to help create more and more opportunities for success. Another example of my belief that working together opens up many more possibilities than going it alone. I would like to leave you with this final word. As a society, we need to guard our priorities. We CANNOT let government or corporations operate without transparency. We also cannot rely on them for proper support of the arts, our culture and our health! If we want music, culture, healthy living etc, to be a part of our society, we need to support and contribute separately to these. Special interest will always operate outside the truth and create spins that keep us in the dark!

VIDEO OF ENGAGEMENT CEREMONY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RV1Gb56qGRM