Happy New Year 2009

Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.

The Good Old Days

Cambodian stars Dy Saveth and Chea Yuthorn as seen in a Thai magazine from the early 1970’s. The two were in Thailand to promote a movie called “ស្នេហ៍ឆ្លងវេហា” or “รักข้ามขอบฟ้า,” which was jointly produced by Cambodia and Thailand.

The Khmer and Thai versions of the movie’s soundtrack were sung by Sin Sisamuth and Dy Saveth. Until these days, it remains an everlasting hit greatly loved by people from both countries. Hmmm! Good old days!

ស្នេហ៍ឆ្លងវេហា รักข้ามขอบฟ้า – Khmer Version

ស្នេហ៍ឆ្លងវេហា รักข้ามขอบฟ้า – Thai version

รักข้ามขอบฟ้า – a newly made version by Thai Princess Srisalai Suchartavuth (ศรีไศล สุชาตวุฒิ)

Pictures courtesy of Thaifilm.com

Beloved Cambodia – กัมพูชาที่รัก

Reading “ขะแมร์-ไทย : มิตรหรือศัตรู,” I learned that there were days in the past when Cambodian-Thai relation (at least at the people level) was a lot more amicable. As described by the authors, this warm relation is reflected in one favorite hit from the 1960’s by famous Thai singer Pusit Pusawang (ภูษิต ภู่สว่าง) called “กัมพูชาที่รัก” or “កម្ពុជា​ជាទីស្នេហា” in Khmer or “Beloved Cambodia” in English.

I have attached the song and quoted its first verse for your enjoyment.

บ่องสะรันโอนแม่คุณ
បងស្រឡាញ់អូន ម្ចាស់ស្នេហ៍
Bong Srolanh Oan*, my dear lady
เหมือนมีบุญที่พี่มาเห็น
ប្រៀបដូចត្រូវបុណ្យ​ដែល​បង​បាន​មក​បាន​យល់
I am extremely fortunate to have witnessed
งามเหลือเกินหนอเจ้า
សម្រស់​ស្អាតឥតទាស់
The impeccable beauty of
แม่สาวชาวเมืองเขมร
ក្រមុំ​ស្រុកខ្មែរ
Khmer women
สาวพนมเปญ
Phnom Penh women
ក្រមុំ​ភ្នំពេញ
ละออ ละออ…
ល្អ ល្អ…
La’or La’or **…

Hopefully in the near future, we’ll get to hear a new song called “Beloved Cambodia and Thailand” and a new era of cordial relation between the two nations will materialize.

_____________________

Footnote:
* A Khmer phrase for “I love you”
** A Khmer word for beautiful or good

There Remains Time to Do Goodies

A week into our fundraising campaign for Srey Peu’s high school scholarship, we have raised $805 worth of donation or 23% of our $3,500 goal. On behalf of Srey Peu and everyone at Cambodian Living Arts, I wish to express our sincere gratitude to the following contributors, namely

Y Samphy
Sarin Supheakmungkol
Henry Verey
Mean Mak
Anne Roolvink
Stuart Maxwell
Beth Kanter
Alison Carter, and
Jennifer Fairbanks

as well as the following bloggers who have helped spread the message via their blog:

Erik @ Deathpower
Sophat @ Sophat’s Home Away from Home
Samphors @ Leizee Piggee Phors
Khmerization and
KI-Media

For those of you (lovely readers) out there, I invite you to consider to be part of our campaign. By contributing a small amount ($5, $10 or more), you are making a big difference in Srey Peu’s life. By supporting her studies, you are giving her an opportunity to continue learning and growing and most importantly to preserve and spread our beautiful but unfortunately dying Smot tradition.

JOIN US NOW!

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO DONATE!

Book I’m Reading

Hot, hot off the press! This is what I got in the mail [as a Christmas present] from my Thai friend Rita today. Written by renowned Thai journalists Songrith Pongnin (ทรงฤทธิ์ โพนเงิน), Suphalak Kanjanakhundee (สุภลักษณ์ กาญจนขุนดี) and Suwat Kikhunthot (สุวัฒน์ กิขุนทด), ขะแมร์-ไทย : มิตรหรือศัตรู (ខ្មែរ-ថៃ៖ មិត្តឬសត្រូវ) is the latest publication on the Cambodian-Thai crisis to have hit bookstores in Thailand.

Skimming its contents pages as well as the first several chapters, I can tell that the book was pretty well-done and neutral in nature, compared to other Thai books of its kind. Anyhow, I have to admit that first impression can be misleading. Before I come to any formal conclusion, please allow me to finish it first. Will let you know how it goes.

The ASEAN Way – The Official ASEAN Anthem

Forty years after its inception, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) finally has its official anthem. Titled “The ASEAN Way,” the anthem was composed by Thai musicians Kittikhun Sodprasert and Sampaw Triudom. It was chosen out of 99 songs registered to participate in ASEAN Anthem contest, which  started in October 2008 in Thailand, with composers from 10 ASEAN countries joining the contest.

Raise our flag high, sky high
Embrace the pride in our heart
ASEAN we are bonded as one
Look-in out-ward to the world.
For peace, our goal from the very start
And prosperity to last.

We dare to dream we care to share.
Together for ASEAN
we dare to dream,
we care to share for it’s the way of ASEAN.

Its audio version can be downloaded here.

Merry Christmas

Campaign for Pheuen Srey Peu High School Scholarship

Scholarship student Pheuen Srey Peu (second from left) demonstrates smot with Assistant Master Keot Ran (far left) and her classmates.

Together with my friends at Cambodian Living Arts (CLA), a project of World Education whose mission is to revive traditional Cambodian art forms and to inspire contemporary artistic expression endangered by over 30 years of civil wars, I want to share with you the story of one of CLA’s most talented and inspiring students, Pheuen Srey Peu, a student of smot from Kompong Speu village. Smot is a particularly difficult form of music for young Cambodians because the melodies and vocal style are unlike any other form, and the words use Pali and other cryptic vocabulary highly removed from everyday Khmer. Nevertheless, the form is deeply integral to Khmer culture andespecially Khmer Buddhism (over 90% of Cambodians are Buddhist). Cambodians believe that chanting Smot is needed in order to pass the soul into the next life.

Sample Smot Chanting

Srey Peu is one of the brightest, dedicated students working with CLA. She inspires everyone around her with her desire to teach and share what she knows. You can read more about her life HERE.

She was designated by CLA masters and staff as one of the students deserving out of a group of 300 to receive one of three scholarships to study in high school, and during this time, she has blossomed into an remarkable student leader.

Unfortunately, though, because of the crisis in the financial markets, the original sponsor of her scholarship can no longer afford to sponsor her scholarship. We don’t want to pull her out of school and are working to raise $3500 to pay for all of her school; extra English, Khmer literature, and music classes; and living expenses, for the next academic year.

I know that times are tough, but I invite you to consider contributing a small amount to support her studies so that she can continue to learn and grow and to preserve and spread this beautiful Khmer tradition.

If we all can ChipIn just a bit – whether $5 or $10, Srey Peu’s life and prospects for the future will be forever changed. I will be sure to upload video and audio of her performing smot for us all to enjoy.

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO DONATE

Stand By Me

Thought you guys might enjoy this… Happy holidays everyone!

Quiz of the Day

A man was working on a night shift when he suddenly received a telephone call giving him some information causing him to dash home at breakneck speed.

On bursting into his bedroom quite breathless he found his informant was quite correct and his wife was in bed with someone he had never even clapped eyes on before.

However, far from being angry he greeted them both with a friendly smile and a few hours later was bringing them both breakfast in bed.

What is the reason for this?

Shot of the Week: What’s Up?

Book I’m Reading

សម្រាប់​អ្នក​ដែល​ចាប់​អារម្មណ៍ សូមមេត្តា​ចុច​លើរូបដើម្បី​ដោនលោតដ៍

Quiz of the Day

មុន​នេះ  មាន​អ្នក​ខ្លះ​ស្រែកថា សំណួរ​ដែលខ្ញុំ​បាន​ដាក់មុននេះ​ ស្រួល​ពេក។ ឥឡូវ ខ្ញុំ​សូមអញ្ជើញ​ម្នាក់​មួយ​នោះ និង បងប្អូន​ទាំង​អស់​ សាកល្បង​ឆ្លើយ​នឹង​សំណួរ​ល្បង​ប្រាជ្ញា​ថ្មីមួយ​ទៀត។ សំណួរ​មាន​ដូច​ខាងក្រោមនេះ៖

The Barber of Seville shaves all of the men living in Seville.
No man living in Seville is allowed by law to shave himself.
The Barber of Seville lives in Seville.
Who shaves the Barber of Seville?

Shot of the Week: Reflection

Quiz of the Day

A Right Royal Mess

Thailand’s interminable political conflict has much to do with the taboo subject of its monarchy. That is why the taboo must be broken

EVEN the most revered of kings, worshiped by his people as a demigod, is not immortal. Thais were reminded of this last month when six days of ornate cremation ceremonies, with gilded carriages and armies of extras in traditional costumes, were held for Princess Galyani, the elder sister of their beloved King Bhumibol Adulyadej (pictured above). There was talk in Bangkok of the princess’s funeral being a “dress rehearsal” for the end of Bhumibol’s reign, 62 years long so far. Making one of few public appearances this year, shortly before his 81st birthday on December 5th, the king did indeed look his age.

The funeral only briefly calmed a political conflict that has raged for three years between supporters of Thaksin Shinawatra, the prime minister ousted by royalist generals in the 2006 coup, and an opposition movement backed by much of Bangkok’s traditional elite, apparently including Queen Sirikit. But the day after the ceremonies ended a grenade exploded among anti-Thaksin protesters, killing one. The anti-government protesters, the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD), who had been occupying Government House since August, then seized Bangkok’s main airports, causing chaos. The siege was lifted only eight days later, after a court dissolved the main parties in the pro-Thaksin coalition government.

Mr Thaksin is in exile, convicted in absentia of corruption. But a government dominated by his allies has governed since democracy returned in last December’s elections. It looks poised to carry on under new party names despite the court ruling. Last month Mr Thaksin staged a huge rally of his “red shirt” supporters to remind his “yellow shirt” royalist foes in the PAD, who claim to be protecting the king against Mr Thaksin’s supposed republicanism, that he remains Thailand’s most popular politician.

Besides justified concerns about Mr Thaksin’s abuses of power, one of the royalists’ worries is that he was building, through populist policies such as cheap health care and microcredit, a patronage network and popular image that challenged the king’s. Another fear is that Mr Thaksin’s alleged generosity to Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn in the past was intended to build up influence with him once he succeeds to the throne. For these and other reasons, the little-told back-story of King Bhumibol is vital to understanding the predicament of this country of 64m people.

Many Thais will squirm at what follows, and will prefer the fairy-tale version of the king’s story. But the king’s past actions are root causes of a conflict dividing the country, and need to be examined.

មោទនភាពជាតិខ្មែរ ទៅដល់ស្រុកចិន

ទស្សនីយភាពការសម្តែងបទ “មោទនភាពជាតិខ្មែរ” នាមហោស្រពសិល្បៈប្រពៃណីអន្តរជាតិ (The Nanning International Folk Art Festival) លើកទី ៥ ឆ្នាំ២០០៨ នៅទីក្រុងណាននីង (Nanning) ប្រទេសចិន…

Quiz of the Day: What Dish Is This?