My Undull

  Statue becomes lightning rod for Australian nationalists, CNN, 8 September 2017

[CUE TRUMP VOICE] ‘It was huuuugge:’ Whale watching in Sydney

Photo supplied by Go Whale Watching.

I ticked off an item on my bucket list when I went whale watching a few weekends ago, and I had such a fantastic time that I thought I’d write a quick blog post about it. It was the best outdoor adventure we’ve had in Sydney so far – though Wollongong came close and I’m pumped about going to Waterfall this weekend (more blog posts coming soon!).

What an epic…

Inside Sembawang Quarantine in Singapore

A few weeks ago I wrote an opinion piecefor The Guardian about bringing our cat Butters to Australia from Myanmar via Singapore. I thought it might be helpful to post some photos of the quarantine facility in Singapore on my blog, because I was a lot more apprehensive about it until I saw for myself that are facilities are excellent (as one of my Facebook friends said when he saw a photo, ‘I’ve…

Jess Mudditt’s list of freelance job sites

Here’s a list of websites that offer gigs to freelance writers. Enjoy!

Darcy Street Project: Training young people one coffee at a time

Published in the April edition of The Point Magazine

The Darcy Street Project is a social enterprise in Parramatta that has taught 450 people from disadvantaged backgrounds the fine art of making great coffee and how to land that all-important first job in hospitality.

John Cafferatta has loved coffee since he was a student working in restaurants and cafes to support himself. He was able to…

A little bit of Burma in Blacktown

Published in the February 2017 edition of The Point Magazine.

Sunny Myint Aung and his wife Lyn at Sun’s Burmese Kitchen

Sun’s Burmese Kitchen is a homely, understated affair that sits within a line of shops in Blacktown, western Sydney. Its red and yellow walls are dotted with huge photographs of Yangon’s glittering Shwedagon Pagoda, the ancient temples of Bagan and, like any proper Burmese…

The Kitchen opens in Parramatta

The Kitchen’s team (that’s Rex in the middle, who is in charge of front-of-house).

I went to the opening of a new restaurant in Parramatta last week called The Kitchen, which is run by a Filipino-Indian duo called Rex Manaay and Sree Mohanan. The pair have worked together for many years and actually made two attempts to buy the premises, which was formerly Sangria. Needless to say it was a happy…

Reap what you sew

Published in Red Bull Amaphiko on 24 October 2016

In a country such as Myanmar where two-thirds of the population live below the poverty line, income-generating activities are much needed but in desperately short supply. The social enterprise Hla Day, which is a play on the Burmese phrase for ‘beautiful,’ is helping hundreds of people gain a livelihood by producing crafts.

According to an impact…

Myanmar’s beauty market poised for growth

Published in Cosmetics Business on 31 August 2016

But can multinationals compete with the popularity of local super-substance thanaka?

Thanaka on display at a cosmetics fair in Yangon July 2016

Myanmar’s cosmetics market is expected to grow significantly in coming years. It boasts one of Southeast Asia’s largest populations (53 million people) and a growing middle class. However, consumer…

Father’s Office brings community pub culture to Myanmar

Published in the August 2016 edition of Myanmore

Hnin Yee Htun. Photo credit: Hong Sar

Hnin Yee Htun opened up a bar in downtown Yangon a little over six months ago and has already had her fair share of ups and downs in starting a new business. However she’s well-placed to face the vicissitudes of life with a smile on her face, because the 27-year-old is no stranger to drama.

Hnin was born in…

Myanmar’s car market faces growing pains

Published in Wards Auto on 11 July 2016

Fewer cars of this vintage are seen on Yangon’s roads today

Myanmar’s potential market for new cars is significant, but growth is hampered by regulatory uncertainty. Although it has a population of 51 million, only 5,000 new passenger cars were sold in the last financial year.

“The future is very good, potentially. But right now it’s a very primitive…

Introducing GPS Guided Travel Articles on my blog

What’s that, you ask?

I’ve just joined an app called GPS My City that allows iPad and iPhone users to download my articles to use while they’re on the go (that is to say – offline).

As it’s a pretty new app, I’ll quickly explain how the concept works…

Imagine reading a useful travel article and wishing you could refer to it whenever you wanted, regardless of whether you had an internet connection…

‘Paddy to plate’ rice report launched

Published in Mizzima Weekly on 1 June 2016

Proximity’s Jim Taylor at the launch

Social enterprise Proximity Designs launched a report on 31 May titled ‘Paddy to Plate: the Rice Ecosystem in Myanmar,’ which aims to identify the roles at each stage of paddy production, the factors that drive decision making in the sales chain, and the opportunities and challenges facing a sector that is in a state…

Keeping a Chin tradition alive by bringing it online

Published in Mizzima Weekly on 22 May 2016

Photo supplied by Rosy Chin’s Fabrics

Twenty-eight-year-old Cing Zeel Niang was born in Chin State but left home at an early age to attend boarding school in Pyin Oo Lwin and later studied medicine in Mandalay. Her parents felt that it was in their daughter’s best interests to be educated outside her home state, as standards are lower than in other parts…

State-run media to continue: Information Minister

Published in Mizzima Weekly on 15 May 2016

Newspapers come off the press at The Global New Light of Myanmar. Photo: Jessica Mudditt

The Mizzima Media Group and Action Aid hosted a conference on media policy in Myanmar on 15 May at Yangon’s Kandawgyi Palace Hotel.

Over a hundred stakeholders from the media, diplomatic community and government met to discuss Myanmar’s changing media landscape in…

Dr Nigel Gould-Davies on the world’s newest democracy, Myanmar

Dr Nigel Gould Davies

Dr Nigel Gould-Davies a is lecturer in International Relations at Thailand’s Mahidol University and holds a PhD in Political Science from Harvard University. He taught at Oxford University before joining the UK’s Diplomatic Service, where he was Ambassador to Belarus, Head of the Economic Department in Moscow, and Project Director in the Strategy Unit. He later worked in the…

Incubating the future in Myanmar

Project Hub Yangon co-founder Pete Silvester mentors a team of MBA students on planning a business start-up. Photo: Richard Edwards

Starting your own business in Myanmar poses challenges that are insurmountable for most – which in no way reflects the skills of those wishing to try. According to a World Bank report published at the end of last year, Myanmar improved more than any other country in…