Fung Lee Jean

Me and Lee Jean. Pix by MK Ong.

She is the personification of  joy and positivity.

Fung Lee Jean, 55, is ... I don't even know where to start ... she wears so many hats and has achieved so much in her life.

She is someone who believes in lifelong learning.  She is a pharmacist by profession, and is one of the directors of My Pharmacy (Malaysia) which currently has 13 outlets throughout Johor.

In 2009, she received the Pharmacist-Entrepreneur of the Year award from the Malaysian Pharmaceutical Society. She holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration from the Strathclyde University (1998) and is a recipient of the Tun Hussein Onn Renewal Award (THORA).

She has participated in the Patch Adams’ Clowning and Caring project in Mexico in April 2010.  She invited me to join her and her friends for the trip to Mexico, but I'm not that much into clowning.  Err, I've tried it once and didn't quite feel comfortable in clown costume. I'm more drawn to melancholy.

But Lee Jean loves it --- clowning and spreading joy to people. I'll just spread joy, hopefully through my writings. If I can move someone, inspire one soul to do good or feel happiness, that will be enough for me.

Ok, back to Lee Jean. She has conducted numerous clown workshops and participated in fundraising events. She was also a delegate of the Women Peace Group to North Korea in 2007.  She is also an accredited trainer with Specialist Management Resources Malaysia.

In August 2008, she was trained by Dr Madan Kataria as a Certified Laughter Yoga Teacher (CLYT) in Melbourne, Australia, which enables her to train participants for the Certified Laughter Yoga Leader (CLYL) programme.

She encouraged me to enrol in the programme, but I'm not much into laughing either.

Lee Jean wants Laughter groups to sprout in all parks and gardens of Johor Bahru. Her wish may just come true as such groups are mushrooming over the years.  Come World Laughter Day, and you will see the growing number of participants.

Although Lee Jean had a happy carefree childhood, she told me that there was a time when she forgot how to laugh.  That was in 1991 when she was building her career.

"It was all work and no play.  I totally forgot how to laugh because I was working so hard," she said.

Today, she strongly believes that laughter is the best medicine even though she is in the business of selling prescription drugs. ‎

"Even when your heart is bleeding, just laugh as your body will not be able to know the difference between real and fake laughter," she continued.

Have I mentioned that Lee Jean is also a toastmaster?  She persuaded me to join that too, but I'm not  interested in public speaking either.  Hehehe.

see if you can tell which one is Me. I mean which one is Lee Jean.

I may not like clowning, laughing and public speaking all that much, but I do love having fun!!!