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    19 July 2008

    The Khmer Way II

    去了柬埔寨近一个星期,让我重新认识这个国家。在这之间,对于这个国家的一切,除了吴哥窟之外,我是完全不懂的。我想,柬埔寨的旅游部,在这方面应该下了不少苦功。那么,再说回马来西亚,游客在这里绕了个圈后,他们还会记得我们的历史和风土明情吗?还是,一路上,他们从没机会接触到?

    with Kin Wah at the Culural Village

    What in the world! I've just be forced to get married with a Cambodian girl. Why was I chosen to be the 'lucky' guy where there're other hunks out there?

    We were at the Cultural Village & sitting comfortably while waiting for the show to begin. It's about the traditional Cambodian wedding ceremony. The next thing I knew was me being asked to act as the bridegroom!

    me -- such an idiot!

    Trying to be a gentleman & playing the 'nice guy' card, I agreed 'involuntarily'. Why me? I was pretty sure the guide we hired had done something that made the probability of me being selected the highest. It's wrong as it's biased & a non-random event!

    i'm not celebrity, get me out of here!

    I felt so out of place on the stage! Close to being an idiot as not knowing what was going to happen next. The audiences joked around made me feeling like a monkey who had just performed a trick ordered by the master.

    the 'very weird' ending

    6/7/08

    18 July 2008

    The Khmer Way I

    为什么,游客往往都成了被“砍菜头”的目标? 到底是游客都容易受骗?还是游客都是没脑的?真的不希望这会变成一种理所当然的“入境随俗”。大家都要做个精明的旅客!要不然,旅行还有什么意义呢?

    scene of the floating village 1

    scene of the floating village 2

    We are now waiting for our lunch (or brunch, more precisely) to be served at the floating village around Tonle Sap. I think we are going to pay a slightly higher price for this meal. Too bad, we are trapped in the tourist spot.

    Hopefully, it's gonna be a delicious meal. This place is supposed to be famous with its fresh water fish!

    expensive lunch

    The opportunity cost: the sunset cruise around the lake, with the serving of dubbed 'the best fish & chips in SEA'.

    We decided to forgo this plan because we trusted the staffs from the guesthouse. We believed they had suggested to us the best itinerary.

    supposed to go on this boat for the lake cruise

    Next destination: the Cambodian Cultural Village. I think we are going to spend a few hours there. Gonna sleep early and rest well for the expedition to Angkor site tomorrow.

    our tuk-tuk driver, Mr Trung, with a Python

    6/7/08

    05 July 2008

    Sorry, not at home

    I'm going to Cambodia for a week. This time, I've found a travel companion, Kin Wah, one of my close friends known since primary school time. It’s a short vacation to get away from all the dramas happening in M’sia. I’m sure we will have good time there.

    I bought the flight tickets for RM36 one way, taxes and other charges excluded, back in December 2007. Thanks to Airasia for its promotion.


    We will be staying in Siem Reap for 4 nights; the other 2 in Phnom Penh. The highlight of this trip is, of course, the visit to the Angkor Archaeological Park. In Phnom Penh, Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum is where I want to go. I believe it will remind me of how I felt when visiting to the Jewish Museum in Berlin. War is cruel!

    So, this blog is going to be ‘hibernated’ for a week. Hopefully, I will be able to upload some nice photos and write about the trip right after that. Well, I feel that my blog is slowly becoming a travelogue oriented blog. Do you think so?

    04 July 2008

    Sexism & Racism

    ……有一种女性,她们时常把“平等”挂在嘴边,但事实上只不过是享受“平等”带给她们的好处,而不是精神上的真正自立。她们总在“利己”的情况下抬出“平等”的大旗,要男人作出妥协,但若把她放到男人的处境时,她们却未必愿意作出妥协……

    摘之《星洲日报》副刊《快乐星期天》

    Brief translation:-

    ...... Some ladies, always talk about 'equality', but in fact, they are just enjoying the privileges they get from being 'equal'. They play the 'equality' cards and demand the guys to compromise, for something is beneficial to them. Nevertheless, they are not willing to compromise if they were in the guys' shoes ......


    Yeah, I've met quite a number of such ladies, especially during my uni time back in UK. It could be because they were more educated and became smarter & more demanding. So, they knew how to play these games well!

    Nevertheless, I think the keyword here is not 'equality' but 'respect'. Respect, is not something one could demands for it, nor begs for it. One should earn it with pride.

    Most of the great women in the world are so well respected; it's not because they asked for it. It's because of what they have done for others. They have contributed so much to the society and helped people in non-selfish way. People remember them for these good deeds. They didn't play the Gender Card.

    You might be opposing what I'm saying now, because I'm in the dominant side. True. In general, people’s view is that, discrimination can only be discussed among the weaker voices. The majority should not raise this issue so as to avoid any resentment.

    OK. Let it be fair. Now, take myself away from the circle of men and put into the hoop of ethnic Tionghua. In my home country, the Tionghua community is not the dominant group. Sadly, the majority-minority separation always brings up the heated discussion on discrimination.

    All the while, I have seen how most of the people of Tionghua here, played the Racial Card successfully, at the end of every games, for the privileges of being 'equal'. They demanded the 'respect' without dignity. They didn’t earn it!

    Once the card is played, one is separating them self from the rest. In my opinion, this oneself is discriminating them self! We could be badly discriminated or marginalized, but, playing the Racial Card is not going to put these discriminations and marginalization to the end. The cycles are heading no way.

    Being the member of the minority or non-dominant groups, doesn’t give us a very valid reason to play the games by intercepting the Gender or Racial Card. What we really have to do is to be true to ourselves and do not ever differentiate us from others. What’s more important, accept who we are, and too, who the others are.

    27 June 2008

    山脚下男孩-故乡

    Again, I uploaded the music video of BM Boys. Almost half of the surfers that visited my blog were here due to the search results of 'BM Boys' (山脚下男孩).

    This song wasn't as popular as the 2 MVs uploaded before. However, it was one of my favourites. Reason? The chorus speaks it all!





    尽管外边的世界有许多佳肴让我去品尝
    也及不上故乡家常便饭的米粒香
    多少年在外边经历了多少的沧海与桑田
    才知道我最真的情遗留在我的家


    Although there are a variety of fine cuisines out there
    It's nothing like the food back at home
    Having been through ups & downs
    Only then I realise that my true love is at home

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