A rice field on top of the Pha Pon Mountain near Luang Prabang, Laos. A Hmong villager stands admiring the sea of clouds below.
Disclaimer: Not my own work. I found it in the forum of laomate.com and couldn’t help admiring it. Amazing view. My sincere apology to the owner of the picture. I wish I knew your name and could acknowledge it. You’ve done an excellent job! Kudos!
Readers of this blog must have noticed I often take pictures of landscape, nature and objects, BUT hardly any of PEOPLE. The major reason is not ‘cos I do not like this aspect of photography. I am very interested in it. I love it, I really wanna be good at it, and I’ve taken quite a good number of them too.
What’s been holding me back was my lack of satisfaction in the works. I very much know that a well done portrait must contain at least one element that reveals the subject’s personality and attitude or any other traits or features that is natural to the person. However, I just feel that none of mine has any of those qualities. They are just unlively and very often fail to capture enough features of the subjects.
Anyhow, it could just all be that I, myself, lack the confidence in my own work. That’s why I’ve decided to post some of my favorite ones today for your judgment. Let me know your thoughts – positive or negative, just shoot them to me!! I would greatly appreciate it if you could.
Bred in dark jungles of Southeast Asia, Pradal Serey is a devastating striking art of bone shattering kicks and punches. Some argue this ancient fighting art of the mysterious Angkor Empire is the forefather of modern Muay Thai. Little is known about outside Cambodia’s borders.
From gritty urban fighting pits to the sweltering jungles of the north, hosts Jason Chambers and Bill Duff of the History Channel, journey into the heart of Pradal Serey to perfect the vicious strikes of this brutal martial art. Along the way they’ll race water buffalo against natives in a 1000 year old village festival and learn the ancient killing techniques of Khmer warriors. Their journey culminates when they enter the ring to battle it out against a 4 time Pradal Serey champion.
Videos courtesy of f4l209
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Really hate to think about this!!
I was so glad I stumbled upon an old SSEAYP ‘02 picture in Joy’s Flickr album today. If I didn’t remember it wrong, we took this picture in Singapore, just right on our last day on the Nippon Maru. Back then, every PY had already gone home. Only 10 other discussion leaders and I remained, as we had to present our final discussion report at the World Youth Meeting the next day.
Look at our faces! Look at our fake smiles! Believe it or not, we had a full day of farewell and crying that day!
What a memory!
VIA Mungkol: Have a listen to one of Sin Sisamuth’s most famous oldies resung in Khmer and Thai by a Barang singer named Christy Gibson. I personally think she is pretty good, considering she’s not a native speaker of either of the languages.
Born to a Dutch Christian missionary family, Christy is a look thung singer (លូកធុង) currently living in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand. She has released four albums thus far, with the first one called Christy Der Ka Der (This is Christy), in 2001.
For more information, kindly see her official website.
Who would believe such a flawless lady is not a woman? But let’s face the fact. Smiling to you here is Thailand’s Miss Tiffany (or the so-called Transgendered Queen) 2007.
“Scaringly beautiful huh? As a woman, I’m upset. She is too beautiful,” said one of my female friends. So what do you think? It would be interesting to hear our lady readers’ perspectives.
Cambodian soldiers stand in front of a monument during the Independence Day celebration in Phnom Penh November 09, 2007. Cambodia celebrates its 54th anniversary of Independence from France on November 9. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA)
Cambodian students attend the Independence Day celebration at the Independence Monument in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Friday, Nov. 9, 2007 to mark the country’s 54th Independence Day from France, Nov. 9, 1953. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)
Cambodia’s King Norodom Sihamoni (R) walks past an honour guard during Independence Day celebration in Phnom Penh November 9, 2007. Cambodia celebrates its 54th anniversary of Independence from France on November 9. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA)
Cambodia’s King Norodom Sihamoni, left, greets students during the Independence Day celebration at the Independence Monument in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Friday, Nov. 9, 2007. King Sihamoni is jointed by thousand of civil servants and students to mark the country’s 54th Independence Day from France, Nov. 9, 1953. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)
Cambodia’s King Norodom Sihamoni, right, and Buddhist Patriarch prepare to release a dove during the Independence Day celebration at the Independence Monument in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Friday, Nov. 9, 2007. King Sihamoni is jointed by thousand of civil servants and students to mark the country’s 54th Independence Day from France, Nov. 9, 1953. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)
Doves fly after the official release during the Independence Day celebration in Phnom Penh November 09, 2007. Cambodia celebrates its 54th anniversary of Independence from France on November 9. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA)
A long time ago in China , a girl named Li-Li got married & went to live with her husband and mother-in-law. In a very short time, Li-Li found that she couldn’t get along with mother-in-law at all. Their personalities were very different, and Li-Li was angered by many of her mother-in-law’s habits. In addition, she criticized Li-Li constantly.
Days passed, and weeks passed. Li-Li and her mother-in-law never stopped arguing and fighting. But what made the situation even worse was that, according to ancient Chinese tradition, Li-Li had to bow to her mother-in-law and obey her every wish. All the anger and unhappiness in the house was causing Li-Li’s poor husband great distress.
Finally, Li-Li could not stand her mother-in-law’s bad temper and dictatorship any longer, and she decided to do something about it! Li-Li went to see her father’s good friend, Mr. Huang, who sold herbs. She told him the situation and asked if he would give her some poison so that she could solve the problem once and for all. Mr. Huang thought for a while, and finally said, “Li-Li, I will help you solve your problem, but you must listen to me and obey what I tell you.”
Li-Li said, “Yes, Mr. Huang, I will do whatever you tell me to do.” Mr Huang went into the back room, and returned in a few minutes with a package of herbs. He told Li-Li, “You can’t use a quick-acting poison to get rid of your mother-in-law, because that would cause people to become suspicious. Therefore, I have given you a number of herbs that will slowly build up poison in her body.
Every other day prepare some delicious meal and put a little of these herbs in her serving. Now, in order to make sure that nobody suspect you, when she dies, you must be very careful to be actively friendly towards her. “Don’t argue with her, obey her every wish, and treat her like a queen.” Li-Li was so happy. She thanked Mr. Huang and hurried home to start her plot of murdering her mother-in-law.
Weeks went by, and months went by, and every other day, Li-Li served the specially treated food to her mother-in-law. She remembered what Mr. Huang had said about avoiding suspicion, so she controlled her temper, obeyed her mother-in-law, and treated her like her own mother.
After six months had passed, the whole household had changed. Li-Li had practiced controlling her temper so much that she found that she almost never got mad or upset. She hadn’t had an argument with her mother-in-law in six months because she now seemed much kinder and easier to get along with.
The mother-in-law’s attitude toward Li-Li changed, and she began to love Li-Li like her own daughter. She kept telling friends and relatives that Li-Li was the best daughter-in-law one could ever find. Li-Li and her mother-in-law were now treating each other like a real mother and daughter. Li-Li’s husband was very happy to see what was happening.
One day, Li-Li came to see Mr. Huang and asked for his help again She said, “Dear Mr. Huang, please help me to keep the poison from killing my mother-in-law. She’s changed into such a nice woman, and I love her like my own mother. I do not want her to die because of the poison I gave her.”
Mr. Huang smiled and nodded his head. “Li-Li, there’s nothing to worry about. I never gave you any poison. The herbs I gave you were vitamins toimprove her health. The only poison was in your mind and your attitude toward her, but that has been all washed away by the love which you gave to her.”
There is a wise Chinese saying: “The person who loves others will also be loved in return.” God might be trying to work in another person’s life through you.
Let us all spread the “POWER OF LOVE.”
