The Sreisaat Adventures in Cambodia

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Saturday Sunshine
2008-01-19 04:21:00
R and I woke to a nice sunny Saturday . The dogs, Max and Lily, are happy. No dog mess in the living room so we are happy with that, too. Today we plan to just spend the weekend quietly, in a relaxing manner. The past week had been stressful at work and what better way to spend the weekend than have a quiet time together. After internet and groceries this morning, we're going to the garage to check out the condition of Paige the Pajero. We sent her there the other day for some repairs and we hope we could take her home today. Anyways, after that, it's another movie marathon weekend! I hope you all have a great weekend :D
More About: Sunshine

Wordless Wednesday #24 - Top of the World
2008-01-16 02:50:00
The other mountains of Nepal.For more photos, check out the Wordless Wednesday HQ.
More About: Travels , Sights , World , The World

Quick post: Where are my former colleagues now?
2008-01-15 08:33:00
Not many people knew about this, but I used to work in one of the provincial stations of the (arguably) number one tv station in the Philippines. The company is big with and very popular, but not many people knew about its (bulok, poor, rotten) management style there. That was the main reason that pushed many talents, including me, to leave the company after many years of service; most were disappointed and disgruntled. I found work here in Cambodia while some of my friends stayed; they were dismissed eventually.Four of tmy former colleagues were recently in the headline news in Naga City, and even made it to the pages of a national daily. Kudos to them!While the four are celebrating their victory, I am saddened to hear about another colleague who is in jail since last week. Apparently, while on the job, the company car that he was in, along with two others, hit an elderly woman. The poor woman died.
More About: Post , Quick

Low cost but high quality and stylish prescription eyeglasses
2008-01-14 08:48:00
I started wearing corrective eyeglasses when I was in fourth year high school. Back then, it was considered uncool to be seen wearing one so I didn?t wear mine as much as I needed to. When I entered university, it was quite the opposite. Everyone was wearing eyeglasses like a badge of honor ? and it was considered cool to do so! I have never liked wearing eyeglasses, and seldom am I seen wearing one. So, as a result of this disdain, I am now saddled with nearsightedness, a high grade in my right eye and a little bit more in my left eye, plus higher astigmatism in both eyes. Getting a pair of eyeglasses is very expensive here in Phnom Penh so it is only when I go home to the Philippines that I?d get a new pair. In the US, people are talking about a Great Discovery: $ 8 Zenni Optical Rx Eyeglassess! For only $8, you?ll get the following:*high quality stylish frame*anti-scratch coating*full UV protection*full guarantee*and many more!! Visit Zennioptical.com for more information on the...
More About: Health , Stylish , Cost , High , Quality

Photo Hunt #12 - Skinny Lily
2008-01-13 11:04:00
Hello guys! Welcome to this week's Photo Hunt . This week's theme is skinny, and boy, oh boy, it's a challenging one! Having thought long and hard, I decided to post my little Lily 's photo:She fell off her bed, which is a rattan chair with cushion. Poor Lily. Her cries woke us up at 4am Sunday last week. We took her to the vet's clinic... when we went back to get her, she was still groggy (she was put to sleep for surgery). My husband and I laughed upon seeing her because the cast is bigger than her leg... wait, it's even bigger than she is! Look at how skinny her other legs are... :)Before I forget, I'd like to thank Tnchick of the Photo Hunter for choosing my blog as the Site of the Day, and thanks to everyone who've visited and left comments. I feel like I am waltzing on pink clouds :D
More About: Pets , Skinny

I... or no I...?
2008-01-11 09:13:00
Last week, R and I stopped by a local fastfood place for a quick bite. I know, health buffs frown on fastfood but my husband and I were in a rush so we opted to eat there. When we order our food, it is always customary for us to ask the counter staff not to put too much ice, or not any at all. Most of the time, we are disappointed. Despite making these requests, our soda still has a lot of ice in it. Don?t you hate it when you see your cup is filled with ice and very little soda? I paid for the soda, not the ice; so I would rather not have ice (you don?t want to know where it comes from anyway :D) and just have pure, albeit tepid, soda. However, there have been quite a few times when we were pleased with what we got too. This Saturday afternoon was one of those pleasant days. Here is why:

Lap-Band Surgery: Is it for you?
2008-01-11 08:58:00
In many countries, particularly the US and Australia, a great deal of attention was given to obesity as the number of obese children and adults are increasing every year. Obesity has been linked to many serious health problems and doctors and health experts are raising a red flag to address this growing issue. Over the years, a lot of people have become fatter and fatter due to a dormant lifestyle and high-cholesterol, high calories diet. Overweight and obese people are most susceptible to various health problems, sometimes leading to deaths. Although I do not belong to the obese category yet, I have seen myself gain weight over the years. Dieting and exercise did make me lose some weight, but, admittedly, those weren?t the quick fix. For others out there who have struggled, no amount of dieting and exercising worked for them. Thanks to the advances in medical sciences, the lap-band surgery was developed to address long-term weight loss. It?s fast gaining popularity because a...
More About: Band , Health , Surgery , Lap Band

Trapped!
2008-01-11 08:29:00
It was very quiet at the office yesterday. Just a regular day with everyone doing their own thing. PAN programmers tapping their keyboards, iREACH staff doing the same. Suddenly? the silence was broken by peals of laughter. I turned around and saw Sakal, a PAN programmer, showing an SMS around everyone in the office and laughing. A few minutes later, they were all gone ? I didn?t know where they went. Fifteen minutes more passed and I heard them entering the office one by one, from the back door, all laughing. He then went up to me and showed me an SMS on his phone:So that?s what the ruckus was all about! I had the same experience years ago and I can say that I know the feeling that V, the guy who was stuck in the toilet, felt while trapped inside. Truly, this is one example of how mobile/sms technology provides emergency assistance :).
More About: Work

Wordless Wednesday # 23 - Look Who's Called in Sick Today?
2008-01-09 03:37:00
That's our Lily, a springer spaniel, nursing a fractured leg.Check out other entries today at WW HQ.
More About: Pets , Today , Sick , Wednesday

Tuesday Tags: 12345 Things
2008-01-07 07:34:00
First tag for 2008, coming from Pare Redlan. This is supposed to be for my Tuesday Tags post but I'm posting it today as I know I'll be swamped with work tomorrow.1. Name one thing you do everyday.- taking shower2. Name two things you wish you could learn.- to control my temper- read Khmer script3. Name three things that remind you of your childhood.- summer- tuba (local coconut wine)- taob (tide)4. Name four things you love to eat but rarely do.- batchoy - kinilaw- pinangat- and all of the dishes my father cooks!5. Name five things/people that make you feel good.- food- sleep- traveling- R- calls/sms/letters/emails from family and friends... there you go. Am passing this on to MamaGirl, J-B-L-O-G-G-E-D!, Zuper Zam, and Serena.
More About: Things

On online casinos
2008-01-07 05:50:00
Millions of people every year go and play in casinos everywhere in the world. Here in Cambodia, casinos are not only found in the many clubs in the capital of Phnom Penh but also in the border towns - in Poipet (Cambodia-Thai border) and in Bavet (Cambodia-Vietnam) and the ones in Koh Kong. In this day when Internet technology has spawned a lot of online businesses, it is no surprise that online casinos are enjoying humungous popularity as well. I am sure a lot of people out there are familiar with it and even a lot more have already played in online casinos.I have never been inside an actual casino but I have seen it in most Hollywood movies (Casino, Ocean's 11 series, etc.) and my, it sure looks fun and exciting. Over the net, I have seen several online casino sites but never tried it at all. I just wonder, why are so many people so engrossed with it? Could online casinos translate the thrill and excitement one gets from an actual casino - from rolling the dice, playing black jac...
More About: Online , Casinos

Photo Hunt #11 - Delicious
2008-01-06 05:10:00
Hi friends, I know I am late in posting my photo hunt entry for this week, so I apologise. Anyways, whenever I hear the word delicious, there is no denying that food is the first thing that comes to my mind! And in Cambodia there is no shortage of yummy food. Khmer cuisine, though unique on its own, is almost always likened to Thai food but without the spiciness. So this is my take for this week's photo hunt theme - delicious food! Last year, I was assigned to work in the coastal town of Kep for several months. Kep is about 170kms from the capital of Phnom Penh and about 50kms from the Vietnam border. Kep is surrounded by the Gulf of Thailand and a large number of fishing boats venture out at night to catch fish and squid in the sea, and we eat the very same seafood in the local restaurant the next day - Above are our favorites (me and my husband)- mok chaa mareth kchhay (fried squid with pepper) and bangkea chaa mareth kchhay (fried prawn with pepper). So whenever you are in Camb...
More About: Photo , Delicious , Hunt

Ashop Commerce
2008-01-04 07:58:00
With the advent of the Internet, e-commerce and online shopping became so popular that online stores started popping up everywhere like mushrooms and catapulted it into a billion dollar industry. I think most people find online shopping easier and more convenient, especially for busybodies. But I have always wondered... how are these online stores set up, and how are online shopping carts designed?I found the answers through Ashop Commerce ?s innovative ecommerce software. Developed to provide support to small-to-medium online companies to venture into the online industry, the Ashop Commerce software features an easy to install software package based on ASP web, meaning, anyone can build and manage an online store from any computer, even by people with little knowledge of the internet. What I like the most with this is that when purchasing the Ashop Commerce software package, you are also entitled to a host of benefits such as tech support and customer service and a total and secur...

Happy Birthday, dearest Mama!
2008-01-04 05:58:00
Today is my mother's birthday. She is now 54.Like in the past years, I am away from her, and could not share this happy milestone with her. This year is especially quiet for her as three of her children (including me) are away, working in other cities.I remembered watching a lot of Oprah episodes and a lot of times, Oprah would ask her guests who among the many women in their lives, influenced them the most. So on this day, I pretended that I was in Oprah's show and she asked me the same question, and my answer would be my mother. She was, and still is, our Giving Tree. Happy birthday, Ma.
More About: Family , Birthday , Mama , Memories

On blogging and getting paid for it
2008-01-03 09:06:00
After being out of the country for almost two weeks in December, I returned home to find my page rank plummeted from four to a shattering zero. It has certainly affected my blog as opportunities for paid blogging stopped coming in.After searching high and low over the internet, the reasons are still unclear as to why the ranking had drastically changed and so the prospect of getting paid for blogging is clearly becoming nil. Luckily for me and others affected by this unfair page rank system, there is one company that still provides bloggers with more opportunities for blog advertising and that is none other than Smorty.Smorty is a kind of service that links advertisers with bloggers, i.e., advertisers choose from Smorty?s army of bloggers and pay them to write a review or give their opinion on a certain product or service and post it in their blogs with links back to the advertisers site. It?s so easy to advertise on blogs and even easier to sign up -- no complicated process involv...
More About: Blogging , Paid

Wordless Wednesday #22 - A Khmer Wedding
2008-01-02 07:45:00
Happy New Year everyone!I'd like to start my WW this 2008 with a very happy entry - the wedding of a colleague. I know this is supposed to be wordless, please, allow me to share a few words. They met 7 years ago, fell in love amidst the disapproval of parents. Despite difficulties along their way, true love prevailed in the end. Look how happy they were on that big day!For more WW entries, please visit the Wordless Wednesday HQ.
More About: Friends , Wedding , Faces

New Year's Eve Sights in PP
2008-01-01 06:39:00
Story later...Along Hun Sen Park in Sihanouk Boulevard (near the Independence Monument)...... to Norodom Boulevard, approaching Wat Phnom...... Wat Phnom (in blue light) looming over the trafficBright lights at the US Embassy compound...Santa Claus on a moto-bikeUhmm, why is there a volcano here?
More About: Sights

Goodbye 2007... Hello, Hello, 2008!
2007-12-31 04:57:00
With Christmas gone, new year?s just around the corner.Actually, today is the 31st of December, and the new year is knocking on our doors again. It is hard to believe that this year is nearly done, and how time has flown! Here in Cambodia, New Year?s eve is just a regular day. We, except for the UN offices I think, are actually at work today *sigh*Awhile ago I was trying to concentrate on reading an email from one of our advisors regarding a diverse ICT applications that could be developed in our two pilot communities. However, my body refuses to cooperate and it is telling me that it is on holiday mode leaving me with an unfinished reading. Yeah, yeah, so what if my flesh is weak? So I stared at the contents of the email, but for some reason, the longer I stared at the words, the Bs, the Ps and the Os started looking voluptuous! OMG, I admit, I had a glass of wine last night, but with the words transforming before me... it might just be an optical illusion?!? Hah!So now I am sittin...
More About: Work , Milestones , Goodbye , 2008

Photo Hunt #10
2007-12-28 09:16:00
Messy = moving into a new apartment.Before.....and after....
More About: Photo , Hunt

Belated Holiday Greetings
2007-12-28 05:29:00
Happy Holiday s from sunny Phnom Penh!Pls. click for a larger view of the picture.
More About: Holiday Greetings

Surprise Call!
2007-12-27 11:47:00
I was busy shuffling papers at the office today when I heard my phone rang. It was the same 008 number again, the third time I received from this same number today. It's an international call, I know, but I wasn't expecting anyone.Thankfully, someone finally answered at the end of the phone. To my surprise - it was J-B-L-O-G-G-E-D, calling direct from the paradise islands of Maldives! She couldn't hear me on the other end of the phone, too, so she had to call me thrice. It was, to me, a very kind gesture from her. We never met each other in person (not yet, anyway) and we only have our blogs to catch up on each other's lives. And when we spoke to each other on the phone, it's as if we've known each other for a long time. Puro chizmax and chuvaness to the max ang huntahan!Salamat, ha?I enjoyed talking to you. Sana nag-enjoy ka ring kausap ako. Ang linaw-linaw pa ng linya, Sis (naks, parang nag-e-endorse, e! ahihihi). Ang sarap isipin, na dahil sa pagba-blogging ay dumarami ang ...
More About: Friends , Call

Wordless Wednesday # Coming Home (to Phnom Penh)
2007-12-26 03:01:00
Happy Holidays!For more Wordless entries, please check out the Wordless Wednesday HQ.
More About: Travels , Sights , Home , Phnom Penh

Photo Hunt #8 - Light
2007-12-22 05:59:00
I'm back for this week's Photo Hunt . Apologies for missing last week as I was on the road again and couldn't find an internet cafe so easily. Anyways, this week's theme can be interpreted in many ways. Here's mine for this week:Don't you just love the splash of colors?
More About: Light

Wordless Wednesday #20 - The Himalayan Mountain Range
2007-12-17 16:51:00
I am in a conference now and the schedule is very hectic. For today's WW, I am re-printing the picture I took and posted the other day. See story here. For other great photo contributions, go visit the Wordless Wednesday HQ. Happy WW!
More About: Travels , Sights , Work , Mountain

Blogging from Kathmandu, Nepal
2007-12-16 16:11:00
Namaste!It's very, very cold here in Kathmandu with temperature of about 9C. The moment I stepped out of the plane, the cool breeze sent shivers to my spine. While going through the immigration formalities to finding the hotel service vehicle, I had goosebumps all over and I feel my insides shuddering. Sad to say, R, I didn't get a window seat. I was in the middle row. I was told that when going to Kathmandu, one should take seats on the right side of the plane because that's where Mount Everest can be seen. Drat. Everyone had exactly the same thing in their minds.Just about 30mins from landing, and as if on cue, the plane tilted to the right because passengers on the left side of the plane vacated their seats and spilled on the aisle towards the right of the plane. That's when I realized that Mount Everest is in plain sight. I already missed a window seat so I told myself not to be outdone and go take a peep of the peak. I had to kick and fight and bite and scratch my way throu...
More About: Travels , Nepal , Blogging , Workshop , Work

Cheap hotels in sunny Spain
2007-12-12 16:46:00
When you hear of Spain , what are the things that come to your mind? Spain is in my list of dream destinations and I know that one day, I'll be able to set foot there. I've heard from friends that there are many fun things to do there for people my age.For example, lots of them recommend the many adventurous outdoor activities and culturally rich indoor activities for both the young and old. In Barcelona, for example, there's Gaudi's architecture, learn the flamenco, taste the paella and tapa... Of course, where else to stay? For a more authentic Spanish accommodation, check out the hotels in Barcelona, or the hotels in Madrid. All of these hotels in Spain all make for a great Spanish holiday!
More About: Hotels , Sunny , Cheap

Wordless Wednesday #19 - eTuktuk
2007-12-12 09:36:00
This is an example of bringing the ICTs to rural communities - the etuktuk. This is among the many innovations showcased during the Global Knowledge Conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. For more Wordless Wednesday photos, check out the WW HQ.
More About: Work

Breathing easily now
2007-12-11 17:29:00
I MADE IT!I survived this afternoon's much anticipated, grueling one hour and a half panel discussion where I sat as one of the panelists. I was included in the company of experts and ICT and development practitioners who are way more experienced and older *hehe* than I am. I felt humbled and at the same time grateful for the privilege of interacting with and gaining insights and wisdom from them. No one made me feel inferior.I didn't realize community-driven networks is a subject of interest to many people around the globe - the room was instantly filled in to the last seat and there were a few that I spotted standing. So what's with this session, anyway? Here I am sharing with you the following key questions that were explored during the session, where each panelist were given only two minutes to respond:*Why focus on community networks?*Are community networks feasible?*What's needed to make them a reality?*How do you build on what exists and making alliances?All in all, it wa...
More About: Networking , Work , Advocacy

How insured are you?
2007-12-11 15:58:00
Leaving the Philippines to be based in Cambodia (for more than seven years now) has been a life-changing experience for me. One of the first things that many ex-pats like me had discovered, and I know they would agree with me, was the inadequate medical facilities and high cost of medical treatment in the country. I have heard from locals and ex-pats alike several horror stories of falling ill and how devastating it could be physically, mentally and financially. This is the reason why getting ourselves a health insurance is our primary concern. And, talking about insurances, here in Cambodia, more and more are now getting a car insurance. The capital Phnom Penh is becoming notorious for the number of vehicular accidents these days and many car-owners begin to see the necessity of getting their vehicles covered. A house insurance, however, is not as popular as in countries like the US and in some European countries. All these kinds of insurances are good, practical investments and gi...

Opening of the Global Knowledge 3 Conference
2007-12-11 05:47:00
Yes, it opened today in a subdued manner. The Prime Minister of Malaysia was expected to deliver the opening remarks but he didn't come. The Deputy PM came instead. I went to the Exhibition Hall, and by golly! I was amazed at the number of booths showcasing different ICT4Dev projects all over the world. A number of private companies were notably present such as Microsoft and Luscent Technologies. I think they took this opportunity to be visible as the GK 3 participants are the very people that they are wanting to capture.There were so much resource materials to be taken home, too. The freebies were plenty - I had a bag from the Telecenter.org which contains this cool, 1GB neon-orange USB stick that you can wear as bracelet. The workshop kit also contains cool stuffs - black Tshirt, brolly, fridge magnet and a GK3 ball that glows in the dark! There's so much brochures and other resource materials to be had, apart from the freebies, that if I don't refrain from taking some I would ...
More About: Networking , Work , Global , Opening , Knowledge