The Sreisaat Adventures in CambodiaThe Sreisaat Adventures in CambodiaThe adventures and misadventures of a thirty-something Filipina development worker in Cambodia. Articles
Wordless Wednesday 094: Sambo, up close
2010-10-06 06:36:00 A happy Sambo, Phnom Penh 's resident elephant More About: Sights , Cambodia , What , Close
Werqing like crezeeeee!
2010-10-05 11:19:00 Hello. Sorry for not updating this blog like a good girl, for... let's see... oh, not that long yet, anyway... *lol* I recently signed in with an international NGO here for a short-term consultancy work. Although I don't go to office as any regular employee would, I work mostly at home, thanks to our home-internet. While working online most of the time for this consultancy job, I am finding it tough to update my blogs as often as I would love to. My week is becoming more hectic each day. If not online, virtually chasing people, I'm on the phone with my colleague, and then back online again - you get the picture. Despite that, I still work independently and at my own pace and no one actually breathing down my neck. I can be working online, corresponding via email or skyping with someone from Madagascar, the UK, and India, while at the same time running the washing machine, or preparing lunch, or fussing with my dogs the next minute... and before you coul...
Litratong Pinoy #42 and #43: Ang makapal (thick) at ang manipis (thin)
2010-09-30 03:29:00 Because I was absent in the previous week's challenge, I'm going to post two today to include last week's theme. Si Mareng Max - masungit, mala-prinsesa ang asta, makapal ang balahibo (furry) Si Pareng Joe - makulit, malambing, at manipis ang balahibo (opposite of furry!hahaha) More About: Pets , Pinoy
Wordless Wednesday 093: Sreisaat and the giant rose
2010-09-22 08:58:00 Look at what I found in my veranda-garden this morning! What a pleasant sight! The pink rose, I mean. FYI, I didn't lose my thumb. The last time I checked, it is still attached to my hand :) More About: Rose , Giant
Litratong Pinoy #41: Dalawa (Two)
2010-09-15 17:14:00 Yehey - Litratong Pinoy is back online again. Ako rin matagal na nawala... pwede pa kayang sumali? Ako na rin ang sasagot sa tanong ko -- pwedeng-pwede pa! Di ba? At ang tema ngayong linggo ay -- "2", o "dalawa" (two). Ito kaagad ang pumasok sa isip ko: ang dalawang doggie-dogs sa bahay, aka, the Terrible Two. Max (right) and Joe (left), on look-out duty The picture above is one of those rare moments when they share a spot in peace and harmony. At yan ang paborito nilang pag-awayan at pag-agawan -- yang spot na yan. Tsk, tsk, tsk. Kawawa naman ang tanim ko, wala nang dahon sa ibabang bahagi. Pero... ganito talaga sila most days. Max: I told you, didn't I? I'm still the boss here. Now, go and get me a cup of tea! Joe: .... mumble-mumble-mumble... Wait till Dad arrives... that'll be the end of you! More About: Pets
More roses
2010-09-08 08:33:00 As expected, we have new rose blooms this morning. Four, actually, but you can only see three in the picture. This time, we have pink, salmon, and white roses and they will go to the dining table. Aren't they lovely? I really have to get proper flower vases soon as we are expecting more roses to bloom within this week. As early as now, I am already thinking about which kind of roses are we going to add in our garden in the coming months. But before that happens, we need to do some re-arranging in the garden. Sort out which plants have to go and which ones to keep. For sure, we are going to make space for my herbs and veggies and of course, more roses, too. More About: Roses
Wordless Wednesday 092:Beach-comber
2010-09-07 16:51:00 My two year-old niece, Denise... aka Chappi More About: Family , Beach , Faces
A plucky gardener -- or not!
2010-09-07 05:21:00 Today's picks I am not a morning person but being a housewife I have slowly trained myself to wake up early at 5.30am. Although my husband's alarm goes off at 5am, he usually gets up at quarter past while I stay in bed for 15mins more. I usually linger in bed, stretching and mentally taking note of the schedule for the day. After that, I prepare our breakfast and after eating together, we have coffee at the veranda, hovering on the little nook we call our garden. Today, we found five blooming roses and about a dozen rose buds that I reckon will be ready to open within this week! I'm so excited and I can only wish they'd all bloom at the same time *sigh* As usual I asked my husband to pick only three - the white, pink, and pale yellow - as we still don't have a proper vase. I like to use the beer bottle for now and it is standing right on my kitchen counter. And, you know what, each rose has a distinct smell. Of the three, the pink has the sweetest smell and exudes strong ...
A taste of Lebanese for our third!
2010-09-06 07:31:00 Last Tuesday (August 31), Rob and I celebrated our third year of marriage! Unlike in the past anniversaries where we went out of town for some whiff of sea breeze and seafood fiesta, we stayed in the Penh and went to our favourite Lebanese restaurant. It's been more than a year since we last visited Le Cedre, so it was a great choice for the night. We were hoping for a quiet dinner celebration and we got it alright. One thing I like about dining out in Phnom Penh is that there are lots of restaurants offering authentic international cuisines - French, Chinese, Thai, Indian, Russian, Malaysia n, Filipino, etc... - and almost all of these restos do not require reservations. When we arrived at Le Cedre, only three tables were occupied and were already done with their meals. By 9pm, we already had the whole place to ourselves. Nice, wasn't it? The lights were soft and there was a faint Lebanese music playing on the background and the hookah looked inviting.... More About: Family , Food , Milestones
Photo Hunt #54: Hot
2010-09-04 10:31:00 Cambodian summer, 2010 Need I say more? More About: Photo , Travels
We just turned three!
2010-09-02 05:37:00 Dear friends, Thank you for your greetings on our special day. Your thoughts and well-wishes mean a lot to us. Love,R and Z More About: Memories , Milestones
Quickie... roses from our garden!
2010-08-31 03:57:00 In a few minutes I'll be on my merry way to meet with my PELUKA sisters Lui, Che, and Elma for our weekly coffee date. Thank God for friends! We are also missing our other sis, Josiet, who is in Manila for some family matters. We miss you and EJ. Come back already =) But before I leave, let me just share with you this fresh flowers from our veranda garden. About three months or so, we decided to ditch our huge fish jar, bought another one, and plant roses on them. I'm glad we did, because the rose bushes are really thriving; not only that the number of mosquitoes have noticeably decreased, we also are treated to fragrant-smelling flowers and pretty view from our kitchen window. We have lots of roses in different colours but my husband just picked four as the bottle can only hold this many. Never mind the beer bottle, I'm going to replace it with a proper flower vase today! Today we also celebrate a milestone... we are turning three! Yes, it is ou... More About: Garden , Roses , Milestones
Photo Hunt #53: Framed
2010-08-28 09:07:00 Sharing two of my favourite photos taken not too long ago: The enigmatic stone faces found inside the Bayon Temple complex, framed by a small window in one of the "chambers" found inside the temple. An old door-hall (or what remains of it), one of the many found in the Bayon temple, perfectly framed us. More About: Photo , Travels , Sights
Photo Hunt #52: Numerical
2010-08-21 10:32:00 I have three pictures to share. First one is map showing the route that my husband took on his cycling trip of Western Europe: The numbers written in red ink represent the dates he spent on the camp sites in France.The following photos are Japanese samurai and geisha dolls on display at Asakusa, it was screaming take me home at me... I would've wanted to buy all these for souvenirs but darn these numbers - they're too expensive! Do the maths here, at the time I was in Tokyo, the dollar to yen exchange was $1 = 129yen. So, I only got myself this pretty geisha doll with the green umbrella =) More About: Photo , Travels , Memories , Milestones
Photo Hunt #51: Orange
2010-08-14 09:02:00 An orange-filled day. This picture was taken only this morning at the NGO Mith Samlanh's Fun Fair. There were lots of stalls and, despite the rain last night and the muddy location, people still came, all eager to see the sale and watch the programme. The number of sellers have noticeably decreased as well. Anyways, the fair was, essentially, a family day and also a platform for the Mith Samlanh to raise awareness of the plight of the streetchildren and to raise funds to support its various projects. There were no clowns this time, thank goodness, but there were acrobats and circus performers instead. Everywhere there was orange -- from the stage backdrop to the banners and balloons (and even the performers and a few spectators!) - as the major sponsor was a telecoms company. Naturally, the emcee of the affair was also clad in orange. A hip-hop fireman? I don't know, help me out, please. I can only imagine how hot it must be in that attire -- temperature was in 30... More About: Photo , Orange
Photo Hunt #50: Colourful crochets
2010-08-07 10:02:00 Ladies and gents, I am pleased to share with you some some of my hand-made creations: Colourful, aren't they? At the foreground are glass coasters in multi-colours, to the left are flower doilies and some blue-yellow flowers, and the items that look like brain corals are scrunchies (hair-ties). Except for the glass coasters which were made by my PELUKA and yarn sister PinayWifeSpeaks, the rest are made by me. We both are opening our Etsy shops sometime soon. We are still making more items and I am doing samples to be sent to a friend's shop in Siem Reap -- I'm so excited! Right now, I am waiting for the cotton yarns to arrive as the ones available in Phnom Penh are all acrylic wool only. I've been trying to hook up (pardon the pun) with the young out-of-school girls in my neighbourhood to learn this particular needlecraft. There were a few interested who turned up but they didn't have the patience. There was only one who stayed but the gravity of hanging out with friend... More About: Photo
About a boy I know
2010-08-06 06:23:00 I have no idea how to begin this post...A few days ago I received an email from a dear friend. The email was written in a simple manner but reading its contents felt like being slammed against a wall. My friend's son, according to unofficial biopsy results, might have cancer. I was shocked. My heart sank and I was choking in tears as I try to relay the message to my husband. How does one respond to this? I attempted several times but I couldn't. For the first time, I am at a loss. Words failed me. I turned my computer off and went outside to my garden to clear my head. We can never understand why children get this illness - they are too young to go through all this. I am extremely worried about my favorite boy. He is the sweetest and smartest tot I have ever met in Phnom Penh and the diagnosis didn't make sense to us, especially to my friends (the parents). The little boy is perfectly healthy, very active and shows none of the typical symptoms. To hear the results is an ear... More About: Friends
Does that mean.....swimsuit?!?!?!
2010-08-05 04:48:00 It is supposed to be rainy season here in Cambodia but the weather is more like summer! The temperature goes up to mid-30s at daytime and could be very, very scorching outside. We all wait for the rain to come but it seems that the rain likes to play hide and seek with us. So what else is there to do to beat the scorching heat? We go swimming, of course!It was actually a spur-of-the-moment decision. Just one afternoon while having coffee with friends, talking about how the dry, summer season has extended to the rainy months and the idea just came out instantly and unanimously. When it comes to swimming, the above title immediately screams in my head. I remember in my younger years, I'd get frantic over what swimsuit to wear! Shopping for the RIGHT one was stressful hopping from one shop to another, looking for the perfect style, cut, colour, and accessories to match the swimwear... you get the picture! Going back to my story.... Fast forward several years later, I don't worr... More About: Swimsuit
Wordless Wednesday #90: On guard duty
2010-08-04 08:47:00 Are they sharing the space, or jostling each other? Yes, Max and Joe do look-out duty at our house. It is surprising to see for the first time - ever - both share one place in peace and harmony. No nasty growling nor barking involved. Happy pet-owner here. More About: Family , Pets
The stress of moving and how to de-stress, PELUKA style
2010-08-03 11:25:00 Just recently two of my PELUKA sisters have moved to a new house just weeks apart. Their new apartments are quite nice actually - located in a quiet, gated community with lots of trees compared to the dull serviced one-bedroom apartment where they used to live. They are bigger compared with their previous apartments, with three bedrooms and en suite bathrooms, a modern kitchen, a spacious living room and a garage. Moving house is a big upheaval and stressful, take it from me who has moved quite a lot around Phnom Penh over the course of 10 years! Whether you are moving to Texas or Timbuktu, research studies say that moving houses is one of the stressful experiences in our life, especially to children. I don't mind moving and adapting to a new environment and unfamiliar faces, but, it's the clearing out of my stuffs and packing boxes (and unpacking them again) and lugging furnitures that stress me out. Unlike me who is the major control freak (I know I... More About: Style , Stress
Dancing the Waka-waka and Macarena on top of the world!
2010-08-01 13:20:00 Remember our cycling friends, Isi and Zaida from the Warmshowers.Org, who stayed with us for a week last March while they were in Cambodia? Well, guess what, they sent us an email to let us know that they've safely crossed to Tibet and now on their way to Lhasa! Wow, amazing. As usual, the email was peppered with lots of exclamation points as they told us how they danced the Waka-waka and the Macarena with a group of young Tibetans after watching Spain win the World Cup championships against the Netherlands. How fun it must be for them to share this joyful moment with their Tibetan friends, and, very aptly, on top of the world =) Everything seemed to be going smoothly now except they had to change their bike locks again. If I remember it correctly, she bought a new padlock and key set at the Russian Market before heading to Thailand. She also mentioned about her need to replace her bike saddle but didn't pursue it anymore as there were not many choices available in Phnom Penh. Be... More About: Dancing , The World
Photo Hunt #49: Public transpo
2010-08-01 03:59:00 I've used this image before and I'm using it again for this week's theme. This is the mode of transportation in Phnom Penh - the ubiquitous motodops (motorbike-taxis), or simply motos. They are not that difficult to spot - there are thousands of them in the capital of Phnom Penh and they are all wearing baseball caps! Recently, baseball caps have been disallowed and motodop drivers are now required to wear crash helmets. Now if only they wear it properly... But there's a few who still couldn't and wouldn't part of their beloved baseball caps... In your guess-timate, how many passengers are on this moto? Motodops don't only ferry people around town. They also transport goods... Express-delivery or both cargo and passengers.... ... in the province... ... and in the city. More About: Photo , Public , Transportation
Just another day in PP
2010-07-31 04:19:00 Yesterday my husband and I drove around town in search for a wooden dining table. I had been nagging him for ages about getting a new one and, finally, he relented. So on the way to Mao Tse Tung Boulevard we were cruising in normal speed when out of nowhere I saw a colleague of mine, on crutches, with a young girl on her side, walking about. She used to be our organisation's consultant and I was in awe of her incredible organisational and management skills. She had a great smile and a very calm countenance that belied her loud, booming voice. One fateful night some years ago, she was driving her moto home when she was hit by a speeding car. Her injuries were so severe that it left her limping and retreating to a downward spiral of grief and anger. Her sweet smile was gone, replaced by erratic behaviour. She no longer worked with the same attitude and outlook as before and it caused strain in most of her relationships. She lost most of her consultancy jobs, and being the ... More About: Phnom Penh
Wordless Wednesday #89: Angkor 333 Car
2010-07-28 09:09:00 Ladies and gents, introducing the pride of the Cambodia ns (perhaps next to Angkor Wat and Angkor Beer)... The Angkor 333 Car. The first and only car produced in Cambodia by a Cambodian. More About: Transportation , What , Milestones , Phnom Penh
Stuffs I do when I'm bored (aside from blogging)...
2010-07-27 05:33:00 I recently picked up crocheting again, thanks to the crochet hooks and a book that my mum-in-law sent me. Prior to my return, I have long been inspired by the many craft bloggers I met online. They are amazing bunch of creative and enthusiastic people creating things by hand, whether by knitting, sewing, quilting, embroidery, crocheting, baking, and scrap-booking, among others. Feeling a bit jealous, I began crocheting and some of my finished, as well as on-going projects, are in my crafts blog, Sreisaat Crafts. Yes, another blog! I may have joined the crafts bandwagon a little bit late now but I've been crocheting since my grade school days. Thanks to my mother who passed on to me and my sisters her love for yarns and needleworks. I think this is a great pastime for me who, for the past months, has been complaining of being unproductive and idle after I'd quit my full-time job. Anyways, so I started with the easy ones... the scrunchies. They are elastic hair ties and are not very... More About: Blogging , Bored
Update: Duch guilty of crimes against humanity
2010-07-26 08:05:00 ... and is sentenced to 35 years in jail. It was the first verdict (Case Number One) in the Khmer Rouge trials and, according to the Cambodia Tribunal Monitor who was providing a live blogging update, emotions were running high inside the jam-packed ECCC courtroom when the verdict was announced. Many people were crying. Out in the capital's streets, particularly in our area, the road was noticeably quiet with less vehicles; most Cambodians were probably indoors watching the whole proceedings with much anticipation. Duch looked impassive as judges find him guilty of crimes against humanity and grave breaches of the Geneva Convention. According to the verdict summary blogged live by the Cambodia Tribunal Monitor:Duch is not personally criminally responsible for the crimes at S-21... that is, the evidence is insufficient to conclude that he murdered or tortured anyone himself...But he is guilty by Joint Criminal Enterprise on a systematic level.Duch was "deeply enmeshed" at the c... More About: What , Update , Humanity , Milestones , Crimes
Khmer Rouge Tribunal verdict known today
2010-07-26 05:17:00 This is just a quick post especially for people outside the country who are following the Khmer Rouge tribunal. Today the whole capital is abuzz as we await the UN-backed Cambodia n genocide court to hand down its decision in the trial of one of the Khmer Rouge leaders, Kang Kek Iew, aka, Commander Duch. Today, the verdict will be handed down for Duch, the Maths teacher-turned- Tuol Sleng prison chief, for his role in the atrocious communist regime that annihilated more than half of Cambodia's population. Duch is charged for crimes against humanity, war crimes, torture and premeditated murder, and faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. The tribunal does not have the power to impose a death penalty. It can be recalled that during the course of the trial, Duch, a former teacher, recognised the crimes he committed under his command and used the trial to formally ask for public forgiveness. He shocked everyone when he demanded the court for acquittal. A joint tri... More About: What
Remembering Moe
2010-07-25 10:11:00 While I am enjoying a lazy Sunday today, I came across old pictures of our pet dogs. One particular picture brought back a sad memory. You see, after Max and before Lily and Joe... there was Moe. In 2007, we acquired a lovely mutt and we named her Moe. As you all know, there are no proper pet stores here in Phnom Penh and the only places we know were, errrm, shady. But still, against our better judgment, we went ahead and bought from one of these shady pet sellers anyway. Moe was a cute fur-ball with ears almost as big as her face. She was a very small puppy she occupied half of my fisherman's hat. Before taking her home, we went to the vet's clinic first so she'd be given all the necessary shots. Upon reaching our house, we immediately gave her a thorough wash -- gaah, how she smelled -- and took off fleas from her coat. She was given a helluva shampooing and rinsing, and after a good toweling, she was ready to be shown off to then a younger Max. When Max saw... More About: Pets
Photo Hunt #45: Open
More articles from this author:2010-07-03 10:30:00 Open your mouth now... Max, say "Aaaaaaaaaah!" "Aaaaaaaaaaaah". More About: Photo , Pets , Open 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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