Haarsha dances for Jackie at the party.

Dear JC Group,
After I said good-bye to my friends on the 05 May 2006, and prepared myself to leave Hong Kong for Johannesburg, South Africa, I couldn’t help breaking down in sobs and tears. 
Although this was my second trip to Hong Kong, it was by far the most sentimental, most precious and most enjoyable.  Certainly, it will be the most memorable too.
I want to thank each and every member in the JC Group (Staff & Management including Mr. Jackie Chan) for making this trip extra special for me.  I am sure I am not speaking for myself only.  I am sure that most people who came to the Jackie Chan Global Friendship tour 2006, feel the way I do. I got to meet fellow fans from all over the globe and for me that was really special too.
I want to thank you ALL for the effort you put into this event.  I was in awe with the efficiency, professionalism and warm, friendly hospitality that each and every member of the JC Group extended to the fans.
The gifts that were given to us are all very special and so much appreciated.  I felt most honoured to find that one of my poems braces one of the pages in the 2006 Jackie Chan Calendar – I extend my humble gratitude to you for this gesture.  My Jackie mug is exactly what I needed. I saved the Dragon beard Candy for my kids and they thoroughly enjoyed it when I arrived back home.
Sha Tin was amazing! I have never seen anything like it before. I was very excited to find that the antique cup and saucer I sent in 2004, is sitting on the shelf in Jackie’s collection.  I felt honoured, yet again.
Being given an opportunity to meet Jackie was indeed a dream come true for me.  At the time of seeing Jackie in person, I felt as though I was still dreaming.  Many times before, I ruled out the possibility that I would ever get to meet the man who changed my life for the better. But when I was face to face with him, I was in a space of disbelief and tied up for words of gratitude.

When I found Jackie’s diaries on-line at the Official Site in 2003, my whole attitude to life changed.  I was living a life of anger and despair and never smiled. But after reading Jackie’s Diaries, the invisible barrier I had built around myself to block the world from me broke, and I started looking at life differently. I started living again.  I always thought my life experiences were worse than anyone else’s I knew.  But when I read “I am Jackie Chan” I realised that Jackie’s life experiences were worse than mine.  And yet, he lived his life so positively, so filled with love, care and gratitude.  I wasted no time in learning from him and I have never been happier. He has made me a better person.
Now, having danced and sung with Jackie, due to this opportunity given to me by the JC Group, I think I am more content than I can express. 
Also, being a big fan of Jaycee Fong Jo Ming’s music and movies (2 Young was brilliant), I was on cloud nine when I bumped into him at the JC Group offices on the 02 May 2006.  At the back of my mind, I always wondered if I would ever get to meet him – and I did.  I take back with me a hug and pictures with Jo Ming and with Jackie. Jo Ming is indeed friendly, down to earth and a gentleman. He also has a great sense of humour.   With the hard work and charity events he involves himself in, (especially his visiting the Tsunami victims in Thailand) he shows that his heart is just as big as his Dad’s.
On the flight to Johannesburg, I couldn’t help thinking… “So what now?  If my dreams have come true… does this mean I will die?... Or should I dream bigger?”  Well, I did dream bigger.  I dreamed that someday I will work with Jackie in some way or the other. 
The most wonderful part of the 04 May was seeing Jackie again for the second time and him interacting with the fans and giving the kids a ride on the Segway scooter.  For a moment I wished that I was a kid too. Getting to see the Waterloo Road offices top to bottom and meeting and chatting with Mr. Willie Chan and Mr. Solon So, was very special. Getting to see the studio was an amazing experience. I thank Jackie for sharing that special place with his fans.  Having to purchase JC brand merchandise and meeting Ms Peco Ng again was also wonderful.  Ms Peco Ng was the first person I met when I visited the offices in 2004.  She was very warm and friendly, and still is.
Another incredible person is Kath Mysak.  I absolutely love her.  She’s funny, helpful, and friendly and works very hard.  Ken Lo and Fibe are among the people I will treasure in my book of memories as well. 
My understanding about God is that He is a great big light in heaven and each and every human being He has put onto this earth, has been given a piece of that light as a soul within them.  Hence the saying, “My Body is a temple”.  Therefore, I see no difference between me and any other human being, irrespective of race, colour or ethnicity.  We are all part of one big divine light.  We are all the same inside, and the only thing that makes the difference is the division line of status, money, and country boarders.
Just as the Divine Light lives in each of us, so too does Jackie live in each of his fans, friends and those whom he has touched with his kindness and goodwill.

This thought drove me to write a poem on the 02 May 2006.  I smiled with tears in my eyes when I saw the video of Jackie’s Three Dreams on the 03 May 2006.  That’s the Jackie I sincerely love & respect. The video of Jackie touching all those people’s hearts and souls with his charity work added life to my poem.
I would like to share that poem.

A Piece of Jackie
The Dragon with light in his heart
Walks the earth with grace and charisma
He shines the light from his heart
Sincerely to everyone he meets
He gives a piece of himself to everyone
As I look into the future I wonder…
The Dragon with light in his heart named Jackie Chan,
Will someday no longer be.
What will we do without him?
Will our lives still be the same?
Will Jackie Chan be erased from time?
Will the world stop calling his name?
I smiled with calm confidence
When I heard my soul answer my
Questions of doubt.
Look inside yourself and feel that
A piece of Jackie already lives in your soul
His light shines a rainbow through your heart
A piece of Jackie lives inside everyone he has touched
Young and old, poor and rich, have stories and memories of
Little and great things he has done for them with great love
A piece of Jackie will be passed on to generations to come
The Dragon’s light and his name will never be erased
He will remain, loved by all, respected by nations across the globe
As long as we give a piece of Jackie to everyone we meet,
He will remain, timeless Jackie!
© Haarsha Balraj, 02 May 2006
Johannesburg, South Africa

With love, hugs and Best wishes always,
Sincerely,
Ms Haarsha Balraj,
South Africa

PS: To Jackie – Keep on smiling.

Photos © 2006 The JC Group

If you would like to share your memories from the tour, send email to tour [at] jackiechan [dot] com

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