From Cambodia to Japan

From the Wall Street Journal's today issue:

It's no longer easy to purchase AK-47 assault weapons here. Vendors have stopped selling marijuana in public markets, and fun-seekers can no longer lob live grenades behind the military compound outside of town.

Once famous for being the most lawless city in Asia - a wild west frontier of ex-soldiers, drug addicts and criminals - Phnom Penh is rapidly becoming the latest Asian tourist playground of spas, handbag dealers and boutique
hotels.

Many in the city's hardened expatriate community don't like the changes, saying they've eroded much of the sense of adventure the capital once had.

But for visitors and for some newly wealthy Cambodians, Phnom Penh has become a more inviting place, retaining its Buddhist temples, wide avenues and French villas even as it pushes seedier elements underground. Before, high-end tourists only went to Angkor Wat, Cambodia's renowned temple complex. Now, they're stopping off in Phnom Penh, too.

....

A million roads, a million fears

A million suns, ten million years of uncertainty

I could speak a million lies, a million songs,

A million rights, a million wrongs in this balance of time

But if there was a single truth, a single light

A single thought, a singular touch of grace

Then following this single point , this single flame,

The single haunted memory of your face

I still love you

I still want you

A thousand times the mysteries unfold themselves

Like galaxies in my head

....

......

Labels: a thousand years, sting

That' s one fascinating fact about Japanese civil code. All legally married couples are required by law to share a surname. Siblings, likewise, have to share a single family name. Although the law grants equal rights to both spouses to decide whose surname to retain, in practice, it’s the wife who usually chooses to surrender her maiden name, and takes the husband’s.

Some photos of my family I took during my recent trip to Cambodia.


My three year-old niece Kosoma.


Sunrise in Kampong Speu, Cambodia


Butterfly and flower around my house.

Labels: Cambodia Kampong speu picture sunrise butterfly

Labels: Khmer song batt oun 1960s prince sisovath panara sereyvuth

Butterfly I found on my school's campus.

Thought you might want to see this documentary.

Labels: angkor, animation, channel, discovery, lost, visualized, world

Typing. Type. Type. My fingers are running on the keyboard. Not knowing what to begin.

Silence...

Hitting those familiar keys again.

Deleting.

Rewriting.

And contemplating...

Not a single thought came to my mind. Not yet.

These familiar keys of my laptop couldn't help much.

Ideas seem to have dried up. Even a few greeting words for this first new post of this year. After almost 12 months of no updating.

It's no simple task, after all.

Deleting..Delete.

I've been looking for this song for ages. Finally, some genuinely kind blogger has posted it. Big thank man.

Listening to this song is like taking a journey back through time---well, to be exact, to year 1996, when I was in grade 9. I first heard this song in a part time English class. It was Saturday, I believe. Back then the school had an extra session on Saturday, and it was always about listening to English songs.

Students seemed to enjoy this day more than any other days. They were particularly more attentive to the "lesson". They were more willing to repeat, to work in groups and to do the role play.

Needless to say, the students seemed to have absorbed the whole lesson without any major difficulty. At the end of the class most of them could easily repeat what they had learned and heard. Some students---for instance, me---even felt the class was too short. Only one hour. We even suggested the class be extended.

Yet, that's not the end of it. We would copy the lesson to practice at home until we were told by our parents or relatives that they were tired of hearing the same songs being played again and again on the tape.

***
If only our academic course could be turned into such kind of fun "music lesson" in which every student is passionately interested and involved in it, I am sure study performance would be significantly improved.

***

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this song.

A Touching Reunion After 8 Long Years

Klaus Moeller, Germany, 21 May 2007

I have traveled to Cambodia on two previous occasions. I went to Cambodia 8 years ago and fell in love with the country. Outside the temple of Angkor Thom was a little girl selling flutes. I took a photo of her and bought a flute. When I came home, I looked at this photo for 5 years - always wondering why I did not help her more! Well, a year ago - I went back to Cambodia with my daughter and 6 of her friends from school. I managed to have someone find the little girl. It was amazing to find her - it took us nearly a whole day! And so we took the photo of her holding her old photo! It was wonderful - and this time we did take care of her and her family.

Klaus Moeller's Feedback on e-Visa I have traveled to Cambodia on two previous occasions and was excited to try out your new e-visa service. I am absolutely amazed (pleasantly!) as how easy to use this service is. It took me all but 10 minutes, reduced costs by eliminating FedEx charges and I had my visa ready to print the next morning! I travel frequently all over the world and not only is Cambodia all the way up as one of the greatest travel destinations - but it has the absolutely best and easiest Visa service of any country! Congratulations and many thanks.

Notre Petite Histoire

Guy Demaison, France, 23 May 2007

Voici mon histoire qui est certainement banale.Je suis le président d'une petite association humanitaires française qui oeuvre au Cambodge. Chaque année nous allons soignée et offrir des vêtements, des jouets et du riz au enfants défavorisés du Cambodge. A l'issue de chaque mission, nous envoyons à sa Majesté le roi du Cambodge un compte rendu détaillé de nos actions. Voici mon histoire. Un jour, nous sommes arrivée plus tard que prévu dans la décharge de phnom penh pour ditribuer de la nouriture, les enfants étant déja parti travailler, nous avons alors découvert une fillette de 4 ans, déshydratée par une diarrhée, entourée de mouches et qui, sans un secours immédiat, allait mourir. Nous nous sommes mis alors avec frénésie, à la recherche de l a mère pour pouvoir amener cet enfant à l'hopital avant qu'il ne soit trop tard. Après avoir courru à travers toute la décharge de long en large et épuisé, nous avons enfin trouvé la mère et avons transporté la petite fille à l'hopital ou elle a été sauvée. Nous avons alors demandé à la mèren la raison de cette inaction de sa part. Elle nous a alors expliqué qu'elle ne pouvait pas se permettre de cesser le travail pour consulter un médecin sans mettre en danger la vie de ses autres enfants.

My Story About Cambodia

Jessica Beltran, United States, 25 May 2007

First off i would just like to say Cambodia is a beautiful country, with beautiful people who are so pure and kind. I loved every moment i spent in Cambodia, i plan to return again one day. My heart goes out to the people of Cambodia. After my time spent in Cambodia i realized what selfish life many americans live, we only think about ourselves, our needs, and complain about things not ever being good enough. I just want to say its time for americans to get out of there selfish world and think about the rest of the world and be grateful for the things you have. The people of Cambodia have soo very little but the little they have they cherish, and its amazing how the country of Cambodia has suffered soo badly but yet the people and children are still very happy. My heart fell in love with the children of cambodia I helped out in 5 different orphanages with 11 other people i traveled with. These kids are beautiful and they fall in love you with you the moment you enter and you fall in love with them. Even though the language barrier was difficult they make every effort to talk with you and play with you. I loved every moment of spending time with these kids. The hardest part was saying good-bye some of these children didn't want to let go. I recommend on your visit to Cambodia to visit the orphanages and remember to be grateful the little you have and show your love to the people of cambodia.

Clockwork Radio

Anthony and Helen Pearson, Cumbria, 24 May 2007

My daughter bought me a clockwork radio for Christmas a couple of years ago. I never used it, being addicted to my tiny short wave radio, which enables to access the BBC World Service. I took the clockwork radio with me to Cambodia in February 2007. Each evening from our hotel in Phnom Penh, we saw two ladies go down to the river to bathe. They submerged themselves up to their necks and removed their clothing to wash, before redressing and climbing out onto the river bank to dry. My wife and I reasoned that they only had one change of clothes. We went down to the riverside, and with the help of a passing English speaking Cambodian, gave the ladies the clockwork radio. They looked astonished. Two nights later we were walking along the river bank and saw a group of people huddled in a circle, our two ladies were among them. There, in the centre of the circle was the clockwork radio playing Cambodian music. We didn't disturb them, just walked on past, but feeling rather a nice glow inside.

David, The Moto Driver

Omar Montenegro, Argentina, 23 May 2007

His name is not David but due to our inability to pronounce his Cambodian name he agreed to his new, temporary western name. He was our driver in Phnom Penh. David knows everything about his city. During our week stay, he showed us many wonderful places, including great ones off the tourist guides. The last day David took us to the airport. After saying good bye, there was a silent, sad moment. It was obvious that David had touched our hearts with his friendly, warm personality. David's English is good, occasionally he surprised us with very advanced vocabulary. If you run into David don't hesitate to hire him and please tell him about these lines. ---- Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation

Meataphoum Music Production Company interviewed Keo Thorng Gnut, the wife of Sin Sisamouth, Cambodian most famous and highly prolific singer-song writer in the 1950s to the 1970s.

Here's an excerpt from the interview:

"Before my husband [Sin sisamouth] passed away, he used to tell me not to worry about anything. He said even if he died, his songs would live, which means I would get some kind of pension from the state and royalties from those music companies that make profit over the songs. But it's been more than 20 years and nobody cares about us."

--- Keo Thorng Gnut

Labels: Keo Thorng Gnut, Sin Sisamouth

In his book, Komnarp Snaeh Meas, Kung Bun Chheun said he wrote this song. It was originally used as a soundtrack for his movie--which I don't remember the title-- made during the early 1970s. The film centers around a Lon Nol's soldier and a rural girl. The soldier was injured by a bomb during a bloody battle and was saved by the girl. The bomb made him temporarily blind, so he didn't have a chance to see his savior's face. Meanwhile, she took very good care of him until he got better.

Both eventually fell in love with each other. Later on, he was transferred to Phnom Penh through a helicopter. ( There's another well-known soundtrack in the scene in which he said goodbye to her. The song was written by Kung Bun Chheun and sung by Ros Sereysothea. It begins with something like, " Ut-tam-peakachak bong kvak lea oun...lea oun.." You've probably heard of it, I guess. )

She came to see him in Phnom Penh. He eventually recovered his eye-sights but only after she had already returned to the countryside. The reason she left was because his mother didn't like her as she 's a poor girl, and she wanted him to marry another girl.

What happened next, I don't remember. I think Kung Bun Chheun remade the movie in the late 1980s.

Maybe you've seen it?

( The real title of the song is Jet smos borisot, not Sronos pka ktum. Thanks Tonghor for pointing out to the whereabouts of the song)

Labels: Jet smos borisoth, kung bun chheun

• 17,535,000 : Number of Japanese tourist abroad in 2006or (or 14.6 % of the whole population. Data: Japanese Tourism Marketing Corp.)
• 3,000,000 : Number of Cambodian tourist abroad in 2006 (or 21.4% of the whole population . Data: Reaksmeykampuchea )

Reaksmey Kampuchea today quoted Ho Vandy, president of Cambodian tourist association, as saying that more than 3 million Cambodians--or 21.4% of the whole population--- traveled abroad last year. Most of these people, he said, went to Thailand, Malaysia, Hong kong and Macao. The number doesn't include those who traveled to countries like the U.S. , Australia or Europe.

That' s a surprisingly high number compared to a mere 1.7 million tourists who came to Cambodia in the same year.

It's unclear how Mr. Vandy obtained the data. But if it's true, does it mean that the rapid economic growth( 13% last year) has actually benefited the population? Or does it merely reflect the fact that the number of Cambodian migrant workers who travel to countries like Thailand, Malaysia or Korea has considerably increased?

Labels: tourists

I read a short but interesting article about Sumo(相撲）, a traditional style of wrestling in Japan, in the February issue of the Nihongo Journal yesterday. It gives a brief insight into the present day aspect of Sumo. For example, it talks about how and when sumo championships are organized, the career as a sumo wrestler, the background of the current wrestlers ---Rikishi (力士)---their salaries compared to professional players of soccer and baseball, and past and present championship winners.

But one unpleasant fact I just learned from this article is that unlike other types of sports in Japan--K1, or Boxing, for example, where you usually see girls appear on the ring to announce the start of a new round-- women are not allowed to enter the sumo's ring. The main reason, according to the article, is attributed to the fact that sumo is closely intertwined with Shinto( 神道), a religion unique to Japan. Sumo is a sacred sport, and in the past, traditional male rikishi(力士） wrestled each other in order to please God. Meanwhile, Shintoism considers women as impure( for a reason I'm not going to mention here) and thus are not allowed into the competition's area, which is believed to be a sacred place.

Moreover, sumo championship is organized alternatively at various places in Japan, namely Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, Kyoto and so on. Traditionally, on the final day of the competition, the top officer( usually the governor of the City) would be asked to present the championship cup to the winner in the ring. But, this is not possible in Osaka as the present governor is a woman, otherwise it will go against the sport's rule.

The article goes on to say that while there is outcry from critics over such age- old rule, there is no sign that it's going to change soon.

As for my personal opinion, I find it a little surprise that such outdated practice is still allowed to exist in a modern and advanced country like Japan. Admittedly, I'm not a big fan of this sport, but I'd still join the critics too. It's time to change the rule.

Labels: discrimination, sumo

I've come across the translated (Japanese) version of this book several times at the library. But I had no idea it is a national bestseller, a recipient of a 2001 book award, or that it has been translated into nine languages, including Khmer, until I came accross the author( Loung Ung)'s website the other day. All I knew about this book is that it is a horrible account of the writer's life during the Khmer Rough era.

Honestly, I never want to go through its content. It's not because I am not moved by its title, nor because I dislike such books.

It's because I lack the courage to read it. Growing up in Cambodia, I'm used to hearing stories of unbearable hardship, brutal killings, starvations and struggling during the murderous regime from all sort of people--- most frequently from my parents, my grandparents; and occasionally from my teachers, my friend's parents, people I know and I never know.

The stories have been told and retold to me since the time I was able to speak and understand Khmer. At home, my parents would often recount their horrible experiences during the Khmer Rough era (My mom lost one mother and eight of her 12 siblings, not to mention dozens of her relatives). At school, my teachers would tell their own accounts which were equally terrifying. In the school's text books ( at grade 2, 3 and 4) , there were written stories of the suffering of people and brutal killings with illustrated images, which were no less unpleasant and painful. In the media (National TV and well as Radio) back then, similar accounts were often widely broadcasted.

So sometimes I feel I have heard enough of these stories. It's unpleasant, sad and horrifying enough to have absorbed all these traumatized accounts in your head. It's time to move on, to read and to search for something else.

Labels: first they killed my father, loung ung

The title of this entry is misleading. This post is neither about Iraq war nor Iran nuclear issue. It's about a song: a Khmer song written by Mr. Fay Sam Arng and produced by SSB production company. It appears SSB has recently made so many songs in a short period that song writers can no longer find any interesting title for their songs. So they are forced to pick an odd title for a newly released song. It's called " Iraq Iran." Disappointingly, like the title of my post, the title of this song is misleading.

Check the below video, if you want to find out whether the song has anything to do with these two middle east countries.

Labels: Iraq Iran, Khmer song

Labels: Khmer, Khmer poem

Sometimes I wonder where my ancestors came from. I used to ask my parents about them. Sadly, though, it appears the blood line could only be traced back to as far as my great great grandparents or, say, a hundred years earlier. And it abruptly ends there.
(Picture: Wikipedia )

Labels: Confucius, Kung Tech Cheng