Is it me?

Artist: Kala

I. ลืมตามองฉันให้ดีอีกครั้ง

បើកភ្នែកមើលខ្ញុំឲ្យច្បាស់ម្តងទៀត

Look at me clearly

ความจริงความฝันต่างกันแค่ไหน

ថាតើការពិត និង ការសុបិន្តខុសគ្នាដល់ណា

and see how reality and dream are different

รักที่เธอต้องการผู้ชายที่ฝันในใจ

ស្នេហ៍ដែលអ្នកចង់បាន មនុស្សប្រុសដែលអ្នកស្រមៃក្នុងចិត្ត

The love that you want, the guy that you have dreamt for

ตอบตัวเองได้ไหมใช่ฉันหรือเปล่า

ចូរឆ្លើយប្រាប់ខ្លួនឯង ថាជាខ្ញុំមែនទេ

Please tell yourself if that is me

 

II. เธออายใครไหมที่เดินกับฉัน

អ្នកខ្មាស់គេទេដែលដើរជាមួយខ្ញុំ

Are you ashamed to walk with me?

จับมือกับฉันภูมิใจบ้างไหม

ពេលកាន់ដៃខ្ញុំមានមោទនភាពទេ

Are you proud to hold my hand?

ฉันจะยอมรับฟังหากเธอไม่แน่ใจ

ខ្ញុំនឹងព្រមទទួលស្តាប់ ប្រសិនបើអ្នកមិនប្រាកដក្នុងចិត្ត

I will still lend you an ear in case you are not sure

ก็จะพร้อมทำตามหัวใจของเธอ

ខ្ញុំក៏នឹងត្រៀមធ្វើតាមចិត្តរបស់អ្នក

and I will also be ready to do what you want

R. ไม่ได้เลิศหรูแค่คนบนพื้นดินทราย

ខ្ញុំត្រឹមជាមនុស្សធម្មតា

I am just a simple guy

ไม่ใช่เจ้าชายที่มีให้เธอได้ทุกสิ่ง

មិនមែនជាព្រះអង្គម្ចាស់ដែលមានអ្វីជូនអ្នកគ្រប់យ៉ាង

and not a prince who can give you everything

มีเพียงสองมือที่พร้อมจะทำเพื่อเธอด้วยรักจริง

មានតែដៃពីរដែលត្រៀមនឹងធ្វើអ្វីដោយក្តីស្នេហ៍ពិត

I only have two hands to do everything with true love

ไม่มีวันจะทิ้งให้เธอต้องเสียใจ

មិនមានថ្ងៃដែលបោះបង់ទៅចោលអ្នកនាំឲ្យអ្នកខូចចិត្ត

I will never abandon you and break your heart

 

III. เธออายใครไหมที่เดินข้างฉัน

អ្នកខ្មាស់គេទេដែលដើរជាមួយខ្ញុំ

Are you ashamed to walk besides me?

สบตากับฉันอุ่นใจแค่ไหน

ពេលសម្លឹងកែវភ្នែកខ្ញុំកក់ក្តៅក្នុងចិត្តប៉ុណ្ណា

How warm do you feel when looking into my eyes?

แม้ยังไม่ดีพอก็ไม่ต้องเกรงใจ

ហើយបើមិនទាន់ល្អគ្រប់គ្រាន់ ក៏មិនត្រូវក្រែងចិត្ត

If the warmth is not enough, feel free to tell me

อยากจับมือกับฉันเรื่อยไปหรือเปล่า

ចង់ចាប់កាន់ដែខ្ញុំញឹកញាប់ឬទេ?

and I also wonder if you wanna hold my hand more often

(Repeat R)

‘Cambodian pepper capital’ creates new life from old spice

By KAREN J. COATES, the Journal Sentinel

Kep, Cambodia – The best pepper grows in Kep.

 

“Here: number one, not number two,” says Billy, a motorcycle taxi driver who has spent his whole 27 years in this somnolent town on the Cambodian coast. He doesn’t mean the best in the country or the best in Asia. He means supreme in all the world.

Granted, Billy has seen little of the world beyond this province abutting Vietnam.

In fact, he just made it to Phnom Penh, the capital 85 miles northeast, for the first time last year. But he knows a good peppercorn when he tastes it.

Crushed black pepper with salt and lime is the pivotal condiment in Kep’s seafood cuisine. This is the dip without which grilled fish, shrimp or crab simply wouldn’t be.

More Update: Miss Cambodia at Miss World 2006 Strutting Her Stuff

By Khan Sophirom, Cambodian Scene Magazine

It was all glitz and girls at the recent Miss Tourism Queen International pageant held in Hanghzou, China in June. Eighty-five contestants vied for the crown, pouting and preening in snazzy getups and strutting on heels wearing tiny bikinis.

Cambodia was represented by Sun Srey Mom. A 22-year-old student from Kompong Cham, Srey Mom was not successful, but she says she was happy just to be a part of the competition.

“You know I am very proud with the opportunity I was given and to hold the Cambodian flag on stage with other women from around the world. I know I wasn’t beautiful enough compared with the other contestants, but I am very happy, because it was a chance for me to promote tourism in Cambodia and for me to learn and share experiences with the other entrants,” Srey Mom says.

El Nin-Yo

This is a new hit from Tata’s latest album, Temperature Rising, which was also among the CDs I got today.

Dhoom Doom

One of the sexiest Thai singers, Tata Young is the first Thai singer to release an international album. We also have a Khmer version of this song. It was quite a big hit right before I left Cambodia.

ใจเอย! (ចិត្តអើយ!)

My new favorite from Marsha’s latest CD, the one I got this morning.

ฟังหัวใจตัวเอง (ស្តាប់បេះដូងខ្លួនឯង)

My all-time favorite from Marsha…

Gifts from Thailand

I got a parcel from Rita today.. I was so surprised to see so many CDs in there. The fact that they all are my favorite artists took me further over the moon.

Those hot brand new albums were from Tata Young, Ai Nam (ไอน้ำ), Kala, Sleepless Society 2, Marsha, and Absolute Hotwave.

My new Thai collection

Among them all, Marsha’s was the most special. Since Rita’s company is working on a new movie starring Marsha, she has managed to get Marsha to sign on the CD for me.

Khob khun mak P’ Rita and P’ Marsha. ขอบคุณมากครับ สำหรับทุกอย่าง… I love you all. Hehehe… For sure I’ll treasure all these.

ខ្លុយស្នេហ៍ត្នោតទេរ

Too bored after finishing the paper

Finally I am done with the paper The smile is finally back..

Oh! Headachy Weekend…

It’s been a superboring weekend.. Unlike the usual ones which I at least would go out with friends to grab some food or drink downtown, I ended burying myself in tons of readings and forcing myself to finish a term paper by tonight…

What’s bad is that I couldn’t finish up to my own deadline.. The ideas just wouldn’t come out as flowingly as I want. I am stuck half way. Oh lord! Are those ideas waiting until the night before the deadline, which is next Wednesday? Come out now.. Don’torture me..

Hmmm.. I am darn stressful and sleepy, yet I can’t sleep.

My inner sense: C’mon, Mongkol! Shut up and get back to your work.

Thai Coup: War and Peace

Since Thailand’s coup, tanks decorated with roses and yellow ribbons have become the kingdom’s hottest tourism draw, with Thais and foreigners vying for the best spot to take pictures.

This is certainly a big contrast of how a war should be. Although what happened was quite negative to democracy, I truly admire how they managed the situation. At least it’s evident enough that their democracy is a lot more mature than the Cambodian one.

Bravo the Coup!

Let me borrow your gun, buddy!

Happy Coup!

Mr. Lucky​ with pretty gals.

We are crazy about you!

C’mon! This is once in a lifetime.. Say cheese, dear!

ចំរើនពរ ញ៉ូម!

Buddhist monks prepare to start their routine morning tour to collect offerings from Wat Bencha marble temple with tanks still parked there on the fourth day of a bloodless military coup in Bangkok.

Dragostea Din Tei: Personalized Version

A creative version of Dragostea Din Tei from my Thai friend Neil Nattavee.

The funny thing is that all the people acting funny in this clip are no superstars but Neil’s friends and colleagues.

Mr. Lonely

Cambodia’s Modern Moral Crackdown

By Guy De Launey
BBC News, Phnom Penh

To save its culture from “pernicious modern influences”, official action is currently being taken against everything from adultery to video phone calls in Cambodia. But some argue that Cambodian society was actually a lot more permissive in days gone by.

I have just got back from Siem Reap, gateway to the ancient temples of Angkor.

While I was there I started to see one of Cambodia’s national symbols in a new light.

The Apsara is a bare breasted dancing nymph – and there are thousands of them carved into the walls and lintels of the ancient monuments.

Lithe of limb, generous of bust, and with a cheeky, come-hither expression, the Apsara certainly has a lot more sex appeal than other female national symbols like Britannia or the Statue Of Liberty.

But it is just as well that Apsara’s got hundreds of years of history to fall back on because there is not much chance of a topless dancer being celebrated in modern Cambodia.

If the Apsara had made her debut in the past year, she would have been labelled as “against the culture”.

In fact these days going topless would be unthinkable.

សំរាន្តភិមានរបស់ខ្ញុំ–My Room

My working table and bookshelf..

My most favorite place in the room.. You should know why…

My monthly planner.. :p Got it for free from school.. :p It’s quite useful. I can find out about all the important school breaks and on-campus football match here.. :p

Also my favorite books and stuffs.. A source of entertainment and misery for me.. Hmmm.. I am so tired of reading.. Been buried enough during the past week.. What’s worse, I gotta finish a term paper by this weekend.

Picture of the Day

Where is this?

Nice trying with Windows Live Writer

Thanks to the intro from Khmerbird, I’m now trying Windows Live Writer, a revolutionary application for web publishing. This cool techie is definitely making blogging a lot easier. Besides having similar features to typical wordperfect or office softwares, the Live Writer also allows you to adjust graphic items and texts and most importantly post your writing directly to your blog, without having to go thru all the hassle of signing in into your blog’s website.

Try it. Blogging has never been easier. Click here to download.

Coup D’etat in Thailand

By Ann Nichaya, TPY 2005

Breaking news! Gen Sonthi Boonyaratkalin and his Democratic Reform Council staged a coup d’etat and ousted the current Thai government yesterday while the caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was still in New York for the United Nation General Assembly. The main reason they gave for staging the coup is that the government administration has caused conflicts and undermined the harmony of the people as never before in the history (this, I think, includes the long unrest in the Muslim communities in the South and the protests by people who stand both for and against the Prime Minister). But personally, I think another reason why they make a coup last night is to prevent possible clashes between the Anti-Thaksin rally by the People’s Alliance for Democracy (which was planned to take place today and in which I planned to join) and the Thaksin supporters. If they’d let that happenned, a peaceful protest could turn into bloodbath.

Now, the question is “Is a coup d’etat good for Thailand? To answer this question, we have to look back into our political history.

Cambodia could have had a Filipina queen named Josefa

I surprisingly found this article on the website of a Filipino daily today. Could this be true?

In 1872 the Philippines had a royal visitor. King Norodom I of Cambodia arrived in Manila on August 8, 1872, as part of a goodwill tour which took him to Da Nang and Hue in Vietnam and to Hong Kong, Macau and Manila. He arrived in Manila with an entourage of 85 retainers aboard the French warship the Bourayne.

The King, then 38 years old stayed at a mansion of the Count of Aviles on San Sebastian Street, now Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo Street in Quiapo. Later on August 12 the King wished to meet the people whose men fought bravely in Vietnam. Filipino troops under Carlos Palanca helped the French conquer Indo-China and were greatly respected as palace guards and artillerymen.

Upon arriving in Bulacan, the King and his party were met with much festivities by the leading citizens. Their daughters and ladies were in their best clothes and were presented to the King who acknowledged each lady with a gift.

Higher Ed Welcome Retreat 2006

Following the boat cruise blast, Lynch School of Education and the Graduate Education Association this morning organized the 8th Higher Education Welcome Retreat at Connolly House, Chestnut Hill Campus.

The purpose of this Sunday meeting was to introduce new graduate students of Higher Education Adminstration to prominent faculty and alumni members so that they can start developing their personal expectations and career goals, learning how to make the best of their studies, and establishing their social and professional network with people in the same areas of specialization.

Indeed, that was another important aspect of student life at Boston College, the Eagle University..

Aline giving a welcoming talk…

Cruising the Charles River

 

As parts of its ongoing student activities marking the beginning of the new academic year, BC this past Friday organized a boat cruise along the Charles River. It was estimated that over 500 students went rocking the boat cruise this year. Charged at $25 per head, it was not a bad deal. We got to enjoy a wonderful night view of Boston, along with great food and music..

It was kinda exciting for me as it was the first big American party I’ve been to. During the past week, I’ve been drowning myself in tons of reading.. Talking about it, can anybody guess the amount of my required reading each week? Hmmm.. You what..? It’s 450 pages.. :p My life has been pretty tough and the cruise indeed was a fantastic retreat for me. Hmmm.. Thinking of reading, I kinda get scared now. I was told that it would get even heavier in the coming weeks…

Warming: Possible Danger Ahead

 

My Neighborhood

Ever since I moved to my Trapelo house, I’ve always been proud of how safe my neighborhood was. My American friends often praised me for having good eyes in choosing a place to live. My neighbors sometimes didn’t even lock their doors. However, an incident a week ago has changed everything.

9/11 5 Years Later: The World Remembers

Click on the picture to see a slideshow of photos taken during 9/11 and five years later.

May the world be in peace!

Cool Job, Federer!

A big Congratulations to our Swiss tennis superstar Roger Federer for making another history at the US Open 2006 in New York. He is the first man since Ivan Lendl in 1985-87 to win three consecutive U.S. Open titles — and the only man in tennis history to win Wimbledon and the U.S. Open back-to-back three years in a row.

I am so proud of you…

Engineer’s Description of Women…

Happy 4th SSEAYP Anniversary!

Nippon Maru, Home of the SSEAYP-ians

Dear SSEAYP & Fellow SSEAYP-ians:

Today marks the beginning of the journey of our lifetime. Today marks the day we crossed paths with one another. Back to the very first SSEAYP days, we would stick to our own kind because we didn’t know each other. Who knew that by the end of this wonderful journey we would become one true family? Who knew that we would always hold each other dear to our hearts? Who knew that we would always remember SSEAYP as our journey of a lifetime? Who knew that SSEAYP would allow us to discover ourselves, true friends, the world and meanings of life?

SSEAYP, you’ve given me so much, so far beyond my expectation. You have opened my eyes to cultures, some of which I had no ideas of. You have helped me hold mine even closer to myself. And most beautiful of all, you have given me the beautiful people that I met and now know. You have given me a new family outside my own. Without you, I would not be outgoing, confident and outspoken as I am today. No matter what, you will forever be close to my heart. You are the one journey that I will never ever regret taking.

My dearest SSEAYP friends, a zillion thanks for the wonderful love, memories and priceless friendship. You have made a very special difference in my life. I promise I’ll cherish them all till the last moment.

I love you all… Happy 4th Anniversary!!!

Till we meet again.

-M-

 

Miss ASEAN to Miss World 2006. Who is the most beautiful?

 

 

កម្ពុជា Cambodia

SUN Srey Mom (22, Student, 173cm)

ឥណ្ឌូនេស៊ី Indonesia

Kristania Virginia BESOUW (21, Student, 171cm)

ម៉ាឡេស៊ី Malaysia

Adeline Wan Ling CHOO (23, Student, 170cm)

Miss Cambodia to Miss World 2006

SUN SREY MOM (22, Student, 173cm)

Srey Mom was born and grew up in Kompong Cham, which is approximately 124 Km from Phnom Penh. She has completed high school with a secretarial diploma and is currently studying management at a local university. Her ambition is to become an air hostess. Srey Mom has also been a tour leader, cashier at a supermarket and basketball trainer for children. Her hobbies and leisure interests are basketball, traditional Khmer dancing, reading magazines and cooking. She also enjoys listening to romantic music. Her favourite food is stir-fried vegetables.

Personal motto is: ‘Work hard for the future’.

Miss Hong Kong China Janet Ka Wai Chow (L), Miss Indonesia Kristania Virginia Besouw (2nd L), Miss Cambodia Sun Srey Mom and Miss Australia Sabrina Houssami (R) applaud after a Chopin concert at the Lazienki park in Warsaw September 2, 2006. More than 100 candidates will take part in the 56th Miss World in the end of September in Poland.

Source: Miss World 2006 Official Website

 

Singapore easiest to do business; Cambodia among the most difficult in ASEAN :(

SINGAPORE: Singapore is the easiest country in the world to do business in, while China is rapidly simplifying business procedures to keep it ahead of India in the global rankings, the World Bank said.

New Zealand is the second most business-friendly place, according to the annual Doing Business report, which ranked 175 economies in terms of regulations that enhance or constrain business.

“Singapore became the most business-friendly economy in the world in 2005/2006, as measured by the Doing Business indicators,” the report, released ahead of the bank’s joint meetings with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) here next week, said.

Singapore, a global manufacturing hub, regional financial centre and a pioneer in signing bilateral free trade pacts, pipped New Zealand, which was in first place in the previous report (see table).

Interesting Facts…

Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, never telephoned his wife or mother because they were both deaf.

Like fingerprints, everyone’s ‘tongue print’ is different.

Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.

The world’s youngest parents were 8 and 9 and lived in China in 1910.

Our eyes remain ‘more or less’ the same size from birth onward, but our noses and ears never stop growing.

You burn more calories sleeping than you do watching TV.

If you leave Tokyo by plane at 7:00am, you will arrive in Honolulu at approximately 4:30pm the previous day.

Scientists in Australia’s Parkes Observatory thought they had positive proof of alien life, when they began picking up radio-waves from space. However, after investigation, the radio emissions were traced to a microwave in the building.

Strange-but-true The average four year-old child asks over four hundred questions a day.

Korea, Cambodia Agree on Open Skies

Travel to Cambodia will become more convenient, as Korea and the Southeast Asian country have agreed to liberalize air transportation between the two nations from 2010.

The Ministry of Construction and Transportation said yesterday that the two nations agreed to open their skies starting in 2010 during a twoday aviation meeting held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Monday through Tuesday.

Before 2010, the number of weekly flights between the two countries will increase from current four to 28. The increased operations will be available from Oct. 30.

Currently, Asiana Airlines operates four weekly flights to Siem Reap, famous for its Angkor Wat ruins, and two charter flights to Phnom Penh.

The agreement will allow Korean Air to launch service to the cities as well. Cambodia has gained popularity with the historic ruins of Angkor Wat. Due to the shortage of air service, many Korean travelers have had to transfer flights in Vietnam or Thailand.

 

The increase in the number of flights is also expected to bring success to the Angkor- Gyeongju World Culture EXPO, which will be held in Siem Reap in November.

Hun Sen bans Miss Cambodia contest! What do you think?

(Kyodo) _ Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Tuesday that he will not permit a Miss Cambodia contest until the country’s poverty rate drops to 15 percent from the current 35 percent.”As long as I remain as prime minister, a Miss Cambodian contest will only be permitted until the poverty rate drops to 15 percent or GDP (gross domestic product) per capita reaches $1,000 a year from the current $448,” he said.

Hun Sen earlier this year acknowledged his government’s failure to reduce poverty, saying it will likely affect at least 28 percent of the population even in 2015. Cambodia’s population currently stands at 14 million.

In July, Planet Communication Ltd., a local private events management company, and the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts announced that a Miss Cambodia beauty pageant would be held in mid-August.

But it was subsequently called off after Hun Sen opposed it in a Cabinet meeting.

On Tuesday, Hun Sen said a beauty contest would produce no benefit and adversely affect the government’s budget.

“There is no need to show a Miss Cambodia at the international arena. The Angkor Wat temple should be a better choice,” he told villagers while in Svay Rieng province, about 115 kilometers east of Phnom Penh.

Kem Tola, marketing manager at Planet Communication, confirmed the cancellation of the event, but said his company would seek permission again next year.

There were Miss Cambodia competitions in 1993 and 1995 but no contest has been held since then.

In Lowell With Beth

Walter, Harry, Beth, Sara and Me

It’s been a couple of months since I first started communicating with Beth Kanter, an American blogger based in Boston.. I could land in such a good place as where I am living now partly because of Beth’s help. It has always been my wish to one day meet and thank her in person. Finally the day has come, and I got to meet her and her wonderful family last Sunday.

 

Understanding how much I’ve been missing Khmer food, Beth and her husband Walter, along with their Cambodian adopted kids Sara and Harry, took me to Lowell, a little town around 40 minutes outside Boston. Formerly an important city during the American Industrial Revolution, Lowell has the second largest Cambodian population in the US, only after Long Beach in California.

The closer we got to Lowell, the more speechless I became as nostagia was strengthening itself inside me. Seeing all the Khmer signboards, stores, supermarkets and restaurants, I felt as if I was back in Cambodia. Lowell is truly a Cambodia outside Cambodia for me. It’s been weeks since I last saw a Cambodian. Now, here were the Cambodians..

Kai Overdance

I was browsing through youtube.com today.. So glad to find most of favorite Khmer songs there.. More special than that, I could even find my Lao friend Kai’s music video too.. For your information, Kai is a member of Overdance, one of the most popular pop bands in Laos. Besides having great beauty, Kai also has a great voice.. SSEAYP people are always cool.

Let’s check out one of her hot songs, Hoo Wa Huk Gun (ដឹងថាស្រឡាញ់គ្នា)…

ស្រក់ទឹកភ្នែកមិនមែនគ្មានបញ្ហា

គ្មានអូនបងនៅជាបង

Cambodia makes adultery a crime

PHNOM PENH (AFP) – Unfaithful spouses in Cambodia face up to a year in prison after the country’s lower house of parliament passed a law that bans adultery as well as polygamy and incest.

The law would punish Cambodians for extra-marital relations or incest with between a month and a year in prison, plus a fine of up to 250 dollars.

Formally marrying a second spouse would be punishable by between six months and one year in prison, plus the same fine.

The Senate still must approve the law, which then goes to King Norodom Sihamoni for signing, but both are considered formalities.

The law was approved by 64 of Cambodia’s 123 MPs, with opposition parties boycotting the vote on a law they consider to be draconian.

“This law will be good only on paper, but it won’t be properly enforced,” opposition party leader Sam Rainsy told reporters.

“The real aim is that they will use this law as a tool against people they want to politically mistreat.”

Royalist lawmaker Monh Saphan warned the law would “interfere in the private lives of individuals,” and said the nation would be better served by toughening anti-corruption laws.

But national assembly president Heng Samrin said the law would help strengthen the kingdom’s morals.

“This law can also help to reduce corruption, because if a government official has many wives or mistresses, he will become greedy for the state’s money,” he said.

The opposition has denounced the law as a throwback to the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime that ruled the country from 1975-1979, when extra-marital affairs were punished by execution.

Prime Minister Hun Sen proposed the law five months ago, after he publicly grumbled about government officials bringing their mistresses instead of their wives to official functions.

Although polygamy is a common practice in traditional Khmer families, the law would notably affect the leader of the royalist FUNCINPEC party, Prince Norodom Ranariddh, who is often seen in public with his mistress.

Prince Ranariddh was the president of parliament until early this year, when it changed the requirements for a parliamentary majority and handed control of the legislature over to Hun Sen’s party.