Colorful Cambodian Wedding (my first)

Such a wonderful occasion!

My first wedding experience didn't disappoint. One of my co-workers had her wedding last September 24 and it was a must attend (despite the hectic work load). I personally believe you never say no to a wedding invitation.

This is the bride, Polynn. She's one of the prettiest Khmer women I've seen (if not the prettiest). She's sweet, smart, funny and soft spoken..pretty much what a guy looks for in a woman. {It was no surprise that she's getting married. Any guy is lucky to have her as his wife}.

This is her.


Beautiful! {ok, in case you're wondering why I have a before and after..I had to fix our org chart at work. I have photos of everyone in my team.}

This is her again, by the entrance, welcoming her guests:


In brief: The Khmer wedding is a three day long event. If you want to find out more, check out (www.khmerwedding.com).

What really fascinates me as a woman (and a future bride), is that she gets to change her outfit 7 times!!! That's part of their tradition, ha! How fantastic is that?!! And quite expensive. Normally they say, they rent their wedding dresses instead of buying them or having them custom-made. I guess, that's the most practical way. Otherwise, you spend a lot. Get this: Rental for 7 dresses is at least $1,000 (still steep, huh?)

Where will you stash 7 dresses that you're never wearing again anyway?

This is her final wedding that she wears for the rest of the night (still rented). The traditional white wedding dress.


Hmm... wonder why the entourage is wearing white as well...but, hey, check out the bling!!

One of the must-haves whether you're the bride or in attendance, bring in the bling! Exquisite display of jewelry!

Colorful night of dresses, jewelry, dancing, alcohol and food!

Love the dresses:

It's like an 80's prom night.

Oh, and the hair (my favorite of the night):


She said it took 2 and half hours to do her hair, and she said for sure, she's going to have a headache the day after from all the the hair pulling and hair spray.

I also got to dance the traditional khmer dance around the cake. Uhm.. you would think it was easy, but really, you need grace and dexterity to do this the right way...

...needless to say I bombed. I think I did a rendition of a traditional Philippine igorot dance instead (Mamayug aken).

note: to my left is my mentor Socheath, he knows everything traditional and historical in Cambodia. You will learn a lot about the country with just 5 minutes of chatting with him. To my right is my ex-co-worker, David. He's the modern Khmer who's introduced me to the younger, hip side of Cambodia- Khmer style, not expat style.

Oh, and finally, the highlight of the night. The last food entry. The Duck. As in, what the duck?!!

They cooked and garnished donald.. (can you see his beak?)

They even stuffed donald..

Couldn't bear eat it, but I tried it of course!

It was a truly an interesting night in Cambodia. Oh, and, they finish early ah! Around 9pm, egress was in progress.

In some weddings, they invite a fortune teller or an elder and they advise the husband that he should "sanctify" the wedding bed before midnight to bring in good luck..hmmmm..

Enjoying the Sunrise

I tried to do a 180 view from the balcony of where I live. I know it's not NASA quality. I just want to capture the moment. It's serene. It's Pchum Ben Festival here today. I can hear the chanting from the nearby wat. Another reason to heart the Kingdom. Although, I'm getting cabin fever. Been inside for the last 48 hours because I have friggin work to do, but now, have to head out. All work and no play = unhealthy!

What Happened?

I can't believe a month went by and I haven't posted a thing in August. It's not called the "death month" for nothing.

I wish I were having that much fun in the Kingdom that's why I haven't been updating, but I think my boss saw my last post, thought I wasn't busy enough and decided to rain down on me. Haha. No, he's ultra cool. We're just soo damn busy.

So many things has happened, I can't even start to spell how work has been insanely busy. Good thing I heart my job. I can't complain. I love my job. I love the people I work with. I love Cambodia.

You just have to be here and experience it.

In a nutshell, the highlights are:

1. It's my almost 6 months in Cambodia. Honeymoon stage is not yet over. So many things to do, so little time.
2. I've been jetting to Thailand for meetings. Had my 1st fly-in fly-out meeting in a different country in one day (only to lose a business opportunity). It breaks my heart.
3. I've lost a potential co-worker that would have been awesome. Sucks, but what can I do right? No means no.
4. Finally finished reading the Time Traveler's Wife and Kite Runner. *sigh*
5. Saw more amazing everyday sights in Cambodia. I didn't get to take photos of most of it, but what struck me the most is, they ride at least 3 mos. old babies on motodops (it's Camodia's famous public transportation it's cost-efficient ). It's a regular motorcycle with seat extension that can seat at least 2 people. I think the most I saw are 5 adults in one go. Anyway, I saw someone carrying a baby in one arm while riding it. The baby was hanging by the side. I mean, man, my heart skipped a beat. scared sh*t for the baby.

Well, that's my top 5. Something to look forward to this month is my first Pchum Ben Festival (4 days baybeh! Looong weekend, yey! oh, and my first Khmer wedding. Hmmmm...wondering what to wear...

Pretend Boredom in Cambodia

It's surprisingly a slow Monday here in Camby. Well, still busy with work, but I'm at a stand still, waiting for updates, reports, etc. Nothing really much I can do, but wait.

Ok, spoke to soon. I forget that it's the Monday afternoon that gets busy.

Alright.. it's Wednesday afternoon. Been busy *stupid Monday and Tuesday*, and still waiting for reports and updates.

Heniwei, assuming it was still a slow day, this is what I'd do... (Alright, confession time, edited these photos already, might as well upload them).

I was looking something up in google, I think it was something like where is the blah*blah*.. Typing the word where, some suggestions came up:


Uy, aliw! Highlighted the most interesting look-up suggestions I saw. Where does the vice president live? In the out-house? :)

Syempre, I tried the other W's and the H.

The Why


Why Do Men Have Nipples? Hmm... I think this is a book.

The What


What time is it? Seriously? If you're using a computer, you can see it in the lower right corner? Wala ka bang kaibigan or cell phone to check? (I already assume this person doesn't have a watch.) Adik sa Google ampotah.

The When


Sabi sa Mayan calendar, December 12, 2012 or 121212... Party tayo ha!

Q: What happens on 11.11.11?

The Who

This question was actually interesting, I was curious. Little did I know that I would get a boring answer. (Look it up if you want). Bottomline, There wasn't just ONE person that invented the internet. The internet is just a way to view files and information that someone puts onto a server. The internet is just a way to access the information. How lame is that. Therefore, can I claim that I invented the internet.


The How


Uhm..is this just another way to surf for porn?

Of course, I didn't stop there. Since i'm pseudo narcissistic (or is it pseudo AND narcissistic?), I looked my name up. How many Ascon's do you know?!

So, eto sya:



Hmmm..ano daw? Let's try it again..



still don't get it so I clicked on I'm feeling Lucky tab.

The result:


*WTF?*

-signed out-

My Cambodia 5

5 Things (in my list) that I've done in Cambodia so far:

1. Learn(ing) Khmer-I have classes every Sunday. I can now write 10 out of 33 consonants and 5 out of 23 vowels. Writing is easier than speaking. I swear, maybe one of the most difficult languages next to Mandarin.

2. Have customized shoes made. I was going for the Choo's. Looks different, but hey, the fit is not bad. Not bad at all. No complaints here. PLUS they're fairly cheap for customized shoes. $20 a pop!

The black sandals was copied to a T. except the heel was just 2.5 inches and everything was black. The orange shoes..quite a disappointment (quite lang naman) because they didn't have orange leather. So I had it changed to yellow. Still pretty. :)

3. I celebrated my birthday in another city, again. Yey, me! Hopefully next year I'll be in the Philippines to celebrate (or US).

4. Been to two countries at one time. Border of Cambodia and Vietnam. Cool.

5. Full independence! Which involves self regulation, discipline, patience and contentment. This is actually in my "Things to do before you pffft!" list.

Or Would You Rather Be a Pig?

A pig is an animal with dirt on his face
His shoes are a terrible disgrace
He has no manners when he eats his food
He's fat and lazy and extremely rude
But if you don't care a feather or a fig
You may grow up to be a pig

In my "little" world back home, the industry I milled for was dominated by divas, dyosas and diwatas.

In my "new" calling, the chauvinism is palpable. My gadz! Pee contest anyone? I mean, really. Sapakan na lang. Square tayo.

On the brightside, I can always make lechon- *insert game face here*.

2nd Half of the Year (in review)

It's my 3rd month in Cambodia.

2nd half of the year, done.

Spent Q1 in the Philippines, Q2 in Cambodia. Hopefully, I'll get to spend the a few days of Q3 in the Philippines and latter part of Q4 in the US with Siops.

So, what's up with me? Oh, nothin' much.. just a few milestones..

..managed to get my career going outside the Philippines, away from my family, my friends, my comfort zone.

I think, Cambodia is the new, New York. If you can make it here, you'll make it anywhere! Hey, it's my opinion. Try working your way around a non-existent traffic system, literacy rate of only 40%, mall-less, cine-less..hay, restless!

Well, you would think. Buti na lang, I drive in the Philippines. (Chaos pa din dito. Multiply the *worst* Pinoy drivers by 20). Buti na lang, marunong ako mag charades. May I charades my way around! They have updated boot-leg dvds naman. End of story. All-in-all, v livable, otherwise I won't be here. I like it here. Quiet with a stress level of 10 (or less). Plus: in just 6 hours, you can be in Vietnam for $24 (RT) bu bus. Or in an hour, you can be in Thailand for $80-$120 (RT), depends on the airline and the season. Kewl!

...I am now officially engaged. Key word "official". (I assumed I was, even waaay before..) Being offered a ring was a nice surprise. Wearing it is even better. I think I will name my ring, B- not short for bato- but for bulaga! (Corny.) Scratch that.

...Living alone is a milestone. But I'm not alone. He's just not here. YET. Birit: How do I get you Alone? How do I get you Alone? Alooooone!

Ok na. Quota na ko. Thank You, Lord. Love you.