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Unconscious Mutterings Week 2
2008-03-25 03:47:00
I say... and you think...Money :: necessityUnhappy :: lonelyJoking :: in jestChipmunk :: cute squirrel Date :: red-letter day Slideshow :: powerpointChicago :: windy cityLifetime :: adventuresSkid row :: rockersEdward :: king
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Photo Hunt #18: Metal
2008-03-23 03:05:00
My entry for this week is -- drum rolls please -- our wedding rings! My husband and I decided to have our wedding rings handmade to our own choice of design, and both were made by the same person. Our rings were made of silver and gold - crafted by a local jeweler here in Cambodia. We chose gold and silver because we thought it is a significant symbol being in a mixed race marriage. Each one coming from a different worlds and cultures, each one bringing a new and different dimension to each other. It's like the ring - two different metals molded into one.
More About: Photo , Metal , Memories , Milestones , Hunt

Friday's Feast #1
2008-03-21 10:26:00
Okay, so here's another first, Friday 's Feast !AppetizerGiven the choice, would you prefer to live in the country or in the city?I'd love to live in the countryside. I think when I retire, I would like to buy a piece of land somewhere and live simply.SoupWho is the cutest kid you know?My nephew and nieces, of course!! And they say funny things you won't expect from them at their age!! I think kids who say the darndest things are the cutest kids of all!!SaladFill in the blank: I couldn?t believe it when I heard ___________.I couldn't believe it when I heard that I am pregnant!!!!Charing! I am only kidding :) Main CourseIf you could star in a commercial for one of your favorite products, which one would you want to advertise?Not for a particular product but rather a campaign to promote ICT4Dev (Information and communications technology for development).DessertWhat type(s) of vitamins and/or supplements do you take on a regular basis?I don't take any. I used to take Vitamin C but ...

Too much excitement
2008-03-21 03:23:00
I was one of the many bloggers whom Google punished by giving a page rank of 0 from a rank of 4. However, despite that demotion, I still received opps from PPP but they came irregularly, and these are stuffs that I wasn't really enthusiastic to write about. So I decided to wait till Google gives me back my page rank. I waited for about 3months and when I had it finally, the opps at PPP became better.I was too excited about the new opps that I overlooked some simple PPP rules. So, per PPP's instruction, I have to repost. Sorry PPP, I will rectify my mistakes and be careful next time. But all the same, thanks for giving me better opportunities. It's all worth the wait.
More About: Excitement

Angels amongst us
2008-03-20 04:01:00
A little angel came my way and it was sent by Princess of CJ. I am glad that she considers me a friend even though we have yet to meet in person. Okorn charan, sis, from the bottom of my heart. What a nice birthday pressie! In turn, I am sending this angel to everyone in my links list. Hope this little angel brightens your day!
More About: Friends , Angels

Yen's QoTW (Question of the Week) #1
2008-03-19 11:04:00
Yey, another new stuff that I joined this week. Every week Yen at Yenny Girl posts 10 questions every week for participants to answer just for fun. Everyone is welcome to join and grab this tag.So here goes mine:1. What was the last movie you bought/rented?- Sweeney Todd. I am a huge Johnny Depp fan!2. Have you ever gone too far on a dare?- What, like skinny-dipping? Yup, did that in Bogo, Cebu :)3. Can you sing the alphabet backwards?- Hmmm, no. But can you sing the Khmer alphabet? *kidding*4. Are you allergic to anything? What?- I'm allergic to people who think they are God's gift to mankind.5. Do you cry at weddings?- No.6. Name one person you want to hug right now. Why?- Apart from my husband, I think I want to hug my friend, Celya. She's due to deliver her baby anytime soon!7. Hair?.natural or colored?- Natural, but I am considering having my hair done as I can see grey hairs sprouting already.8. Do you like camping?- Absolutely!! 9. Most annoying TV commercial?- Hmmm... can...
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Credit cards for users with bad credit history
2008-03-19 10:33:00
In this day and age, more and more people are resorting to credit cards than paying cash. A lot of my friends say that this is more convenient and safe because they do not have to carry a lot of cash. Just one swipe of the credit card into the machine and everything has been taken care of. That's what they think.Little did they know that because of this convenience, it slowly drives them to become extravagant. A friend of mine, for example, became a compulsive buyer. Every time she sees something she likes she is compelled to grab every item on display and without difficulty, flash her credit card at the counter. It didn?t take her long to end up trapped in a monster credit card debt. Right now she is struggling to pay back her debt and claw her way out of a bad credit history. In the United States, this scenario is not far from different, even worse. More and more are lured into using credit cards and eventually end up in huge credit cards mess that recovering from that trap is...
More About: Credit Cards , History , Credit , Cards , Users

On mortgages
2008-03-19 09:37:00
Just recently, there has been a huge fear spreading across the United States regarding the mortgage business. Here in Asia, we don?t give much attention to and we seldom discuss mortgages most especially housing mortgages. However, due to current economic situation in the US, it has become a by-word in the print, broadcast and electronic media that we, on this side of the globe, are starting to pay attention to this issue.Mortgage , according to the Wikipedia, is a payment method using one?s property as security for the payment of an obligation or a debt. I may be wrong but in the Philippines, I think it is also known as collateral. A lot of people use their properties as guarantee to pay for their loans and cases of people losing their properties tell us that we should be very careful in dealing with mortgages. Right now, the situation in the US is adding more fear and insecurity about mortgages and if you are looking for your first mortgage, it is best to consult an expert on this...
More About: Hello World , Mortgages

Oh, what joy it is...
2008-03-19 09:18:00
... When I saw my PR rank has gone up to 2. Okay, it's still 2 levels below my original rank, but hey, it is enough for now. I don't know what prompted Google to up my level, or what I did to make them do that... it is still a reason to be glad.My birthday is coming soon and I hope Google will return my original PR rank by then. *wink*

Wordless Wednesday# 33: Rural saleswoman
2008-03-18 09:15:00
To join in the Wordless Wednesday fun, click here.
More About: Travels , Sights , Faces , Transportation

Unconscious Mutterings Week 1
2008-03-17 09:00:00
My very first entry!Paranormal :: ghostsAlarm :: warning Operative :: modus operandiChanging :: lifeFramed :: pictureBeer :: happy-hourReferral :: networkUnmasked :: true identityMovie star :: popularHandbook :: manualTo join, simply click the Unconscious Mutterings logo above.
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Photo Hunt #17: I Spy
2008-03-14 10:27:00
Okay, I am posting my Photo Hunt entry this early to make up for last week. I was meaning to post one but somehow got lost amidst the weekend frenzy, plus I have friends visiting. This week's theme, I have to say, is one of Photo Hunt's most challenging themes. One of the PH participants suggested this theme for us participants to shoot a picture of something hidden for the viewer to find. So here's my take: Go get your spyglasses or magnifying lenses and explore the picture a la Lara Croft of the movie, the Tomb Raider. Tell me what you can see in this picture. Can you make anything of it? Click the picture and select large size for your viewing pleasure :DI will post on Monday a close up of one of the spires. Till then, ta-ta. Happy hunting, and have a great weekend!Update:The photo above is of the Bayon Temple, one of the popular temples inside the Angkor Wat complex. It was built in the late 12th century or early 13th century as the official state temple of the Mahayana Budd...
More About: Travels , Sights

Wordless Wednesday #32 - Apsaras and warriors of the Khmer empire
2008-03-11 10:41:00
These stone carvings of apsaras and warriors are found in the walls and temples of Angkor. Apsaras are supernatural beings in the form of young and voluptuous young women and were said to be heavenly dancers. Click here to know more on the once-great Khmer empire.More WW participants are found here.
More About: Travels , Sights , Warriors , Empire , Wednesday

I am excited!
2008-03-07 09:15:00
So I am excited! My friends are coming over for a tour of Angkor Wat. The hotels in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh are already booked, the itineraries been finalized... a few hours from now, three friends of mine (friend na rin kita, Yvonne :D)will set their feet in to Cambodia n soil for the first time. J-B-L-O-G-G-E-D will arrive via Poipet together with her travel companion, Yvonne. Both of them are Pinay bloggers, working in the Maldives and this will be our first meeting. Months ago, Ja surprised me with an overseas call and we talked on the phone for hours, as if we're long-lost friends. I wonder if we will still be the same in person. Baka magkahiyaan pa.Linda, on the other hand, is a member of the IAWRT family and EBC family (another anak of Ma'am Beth Roxas). We met in Kathmandu where we both participated in the IAWRT conference on Women and Peace. She's just finished her 9-month fellowship stint at the Environment Broadcast Circle in Manila. She speaks good Tagalog, she pi...
More About: Friends , What

Wordless Wednesday #31: Table for two, please!
2008-03-04 11:15:00
Check out other fun photos at Wordless Wednesday .
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Tuesday Tags: Current Readings
2008-03-03 11:25:00
This is supposed to be for Tuesday but since I am going away again for another work-related trip outside Phnom Penh, I am posting this today. Thanks to Serena at ChatNChill for this meme. So, here goes:The Rules:1. Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages).2. Open the book to page 123.3. Find the fifth sentence.4. Post the next three sentences.5. Tag five people.With the kind of work I have, there is very little time for me to spend reading. At the end of the day, I do not have enough strength anymore (read: I am lazy) to read serious fiction and non-fiction books. I can only read very light reading materials and it's to make me fall asleep. Right now, I am currently enjoying a very funny and clever children's book by none other than the master storyteller of children's stories - Roald Dahl. The book is very easy to read (with only 208 pages) and is called The BFG. I so love the way he cleverly twists the words into something fascinatingly funny, even to an adult like me. ...
More About: Readings , Current , Tags

Photo Hunt #16: Street Party
2008-03-01 08:11:00
This is the Ati-atihan Festival's street party! Thanks to my sister, MamaGirl, for providing me the photos. It's been a long while since I last went home and I sure miss the merrymaking and celebrations there. Her story on the Ati-atihan festival can be found here, and more photos here.
More About: Photo , Party , Street , Hunt

What I'm up to these days
2008-02-28 03:38:00
I'm currently here in Kep, in our project area in Khan Damnak Chang'eur for a visioning workshop. I am sharing some photos with a hope that you'll get a glimpse of the kind of work I, or shally I say, we, do in this country. Today we are having a visioning workshop. The research team has been preparing for this activity with the (online) help of our advisors from the Philippines and Ireland. In a nutshell, the objective of this activity is to gain a common agreement and deeper understanding on what iREACH Project is about among the local management committee. This activity requires facilitation along the lines of Outcome Mapping with focus on vision, mission, boundary partners, progress markers and outcome challenge. We were trained on OM as a monitoring and evaluation tool, but not as trainers. However, our advisers and especially our Project Manager, are confident that the three of us (me and the two Pilot Project Coordinators)are capable of doing such facilitation. We had a dr...
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Wordless Wednesday #30 - Viva, Espana! Cheyor, Kampuchea!
2008-02-27 06:19:00
The Queen of Spain visits the Royal Kingdom of Cambodia.Check out other Wordless Wednesday photos here.
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Tuesday Tags: Ma Me Mi Mo Meme
2008-02-26 10:42:00
Here's one from dear friend Zam. Of course, if it comes from my friends, I'll make time for it. Pa-snack, bi *kidding*Here goes:4 Jobs I Have Had:TV News and Feature ProducerAssistant to the Director for DocumentationRadio and Funding AdvisorResearch Manager4 Movies Watched Over and Over:ShrekHarry PotterThe MummyMatrix4 Places I have Lived:Phnom Penh, Cambodia (8 years soon and still counting)Bikol region (Naga and Legazpi cities)Cebu City Quezon City and Angono, Rizal when I was growing up4 Shows I Watch:CSIAmazing Race and Amazing Race AsiaHouseMythbusters4 Places I Have Been (not too long ago):- Kathmandu, Nepal- Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia- Tokyo and Kiyosato, Japan- HK and Shenzhen, China4 People Who E-mail Me:My bank for the monthly bank statements :DFormer professorsProject Advisors (outside Cambodia)Friends and family (including in-laws :D)4 Favorite Things To Eat:PizzaSeafoodIce cream Atbp. (and many others)4 Places I Would Rather Be Living:- I can live anywhere as long as I ...
More About: Meme , Tags , Tuesday

Photo Hunt # 15: Wooden
2008-02-24 06:24:00
Hi guys. I am finally back again, and this time I am posting my entry for this week's Photo Hunt . This week's theme is "wooden". It reminds me of the song "Wooden Heart" by the Bizarre Love Triangle in the 90s, if I am not mistaken. But I digress now. Here is my take for this week's theme:The wooden cells of Tuol Sleng Prison:Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum used to be a high school in the 70s but was transformed into the infamous prison and interrogation center called the Security Prison 21, or S-21, during the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia. Classrooms were divided and made into crude prison cells (see above photo). Survivors of S-21 describe the horrors that they and countless others had suffered while in prison. Today, these wooden cells still bear signs of cruelty and torture; it stand as witness to the many atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge. In my 8 years here in Cambodia, I have visited it twice, and that's because my friends were here and I had to take them around. Visit...

Wordless Wednesday #29: Buddhism and Forestry
2008-02-19 09:05:00
Check out other Wordless Wednesday photos.n.b.: Please excuse me, I know it is supposed to be wordless but I couldn't help but explain the link between Buddhism , Cambodia 's religion, and the forests. A lot of things has been said about the forests of Cambodia and one thing is for sure - the forests are rapidly disappearing with the country's opening to a market-oriented economy. Here's a section of what I wrote years ago:Forest cover has decreased from over 70% in 1970 to around 35% today (depending on which source you are using), and many globally important mammals such as kouprey, tigers, and elephants are on the path to extinction. The forests, upon which local people depended for firewood, medicines, building materials, and religious or spiritual value, have been ruthlessly destroyed by logging companies. Given the traditional prestige of Buddhist monks among the population and the natural ecological orientation of Buddhism as a belief system and way of life, monks are a pri...
More About: Environment , Work , What

Create your own online store
2008-02-18 10:36:00
In recent years, there has been a rise in the number of DIYs, or the do-it-yourself stuffs. From household to office stuffs, and now even with the online store. A lot of people nowadays have resorted to doing online business. If you are you a person with lots of entrepreneurial spirit, or wanting to sell various products online but don?t know how to proceed, you are not alone. Fret no more! There is a simple solution to your problem ? a do-it-yourself online store!Ashop Commerce is just what you need! Ashop commerce guides you how to create your online store by using its award-winning shopping cart software. Ashop Commerce?s prized revolutionary software allows even the most technically un-savvy individual to create and manage its entire online business. It is so easy to set up ? no html and graphics design skills required ? and none of those annoying plug-ins required. You can get started with Ashop Commerce?s wide selection of web designs, customizable shopping carts and a whole...
More About: Store , Online , Online store , Create

Lady in Red?
2008-02-15 11:07:00
Okay, this one is for dear Princess of CJ, who, a week ago tagged me with this. I know it took me a long time to do this, but as promised, here it is:Here?s the rule:1. Post YOUR photo wearing red, may it be a red top, bottom, the least would be red accessories if you hate wearing red? If you can?t find one, you still have an option?. Either post your Significant Other?s photo or your child?s photo, if you have one. Of course, they should be wearing red.2. Let us know the reason why you were wearing red that particular day. Was it your birthday? Is red your fave color or was it the shirt that you first saw in your closet that day?3. Tag 3 people close to your heart. By the way, they have to be in your blogroll. No cheating heart pleaseeeeeeee!4. Once you?re tagged, could we please keep it going - just for this month?I have to say that red is one of my lesser favorite colors and I do not have red shirts, or dress... I rummaged through my old baul and found this photo of me in red ja...
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Wordless Wednesday #28 - Bewitching Bayon Temples
2008-02-14 02:29:00
Check out other WW photos here.
More About: Travels , Faces , Temples , Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday #27 - Karen women
2008-02-06 04:15:00
To know more about the Karen people, click here. Don't forget fab photos of other WW participants at the WW HQ.
More About: Women , Travels , Sights , Faces

Between your... hu-waaaat??
2008-02-03 14:25:00
That was my reaction when I first glanced at the latest post over Cheh's blog, but I assure you dear readers, it's not what you think it is. This meme is so funny that I got tears in my eyes from laughing and almost didn't make it to the bathroom! And because I am also one of the many PR victims - I told myself waddeheck, this is hilarious - so I snagged it from her blog and posted it here to get back at that sanababits, geddemit gargle!! Hala, sige, since I will be away again, heto muna ang para sa inyo.... magtawanan kayo at para maibalik din ang PR ko!!!Here's the rule:Dedicate this meme to gagol, gunggol,gorgel,gorungol ?YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE!! Write three sponsored ads you wrote and add ?Between your legs? to the title. Put a link from the entry to make sure it?s real.So grab a seat, here goes mine:1. enLIGHTenment Between Your Legs2. Of Hypnosis and Well-being Between Your Legs3. High Quality, Stylish Prescription Eyeglasses Between Your LegsCome on, just grab this meme if...

Wordless Wednesday #26 - Rural skyscrapers
2008-01-29 11:44:00
Seen somewhere in China .Check out other fab photos at Wordless Wednesday HQ.
More About: Travels , Sights , Rural

Photo-Hunt #Old-fashioned - The 70
2008-01-26 12:02:00
Ok, I have to admit that challenged me. I know it's quite easy for some but I had trouble deciding which to post. My husband helped me with this one; he offered some photos that his dad sent to us awhile ago. Thanks to Dad R, this is our choice for this week's theme:This photo reminds me of the Brady Bunch show... the 70s fashion and all. That's my husband there when he was 8 years old. Also in the pic is his mum and dad and sister, and was taken in one of their family outings in the east coast of England.Happy weekend, everyone.
More About: Photo , Hunt , Old Fashioned

Sleepless in Sihanoukville
2008-01-25 16:36:00
Hi everyone. I know I was quiet these past few days. I am in Sihanoukville, 4hours away from the capital of Phnom Penh. Sihanoukville is Cambodia's beach town. Today is the last day of our project meeting and tomorrow we all go back to the city.The past two days were productive. Most of all, after reviewing examples of ICT applications relevant to our pilots, we were able to finalize examples that can be illustrated and easily explained to the local management committees. The hotel where we are staying is Malaysian-owned. The rooms are okay, but if given a choice, I would not stay here... There are better hotels in Sihanoukville in the same price range. There was no water on the second day and most of us didn't get a shower. Choices for breakfast are limited. The hotel sits on top of Victory Hill and is far from everything - much to the disappointment of the locals. They were hoping to be able to go to the beach after our sessions but couldn't because of the distance. The only ...
More About: Travels , Work