My Angkorian Adventure!!!

Last week me and my colleagues went to Cambodia. Our destination..... to see the famous Angkor Wat. It was a 2hours flight from LCCT to Siem Reap. Upon arrival we were picked up by Soh Phrea and Lee which is our tour guide and driver respectively. Roughly 30mins ride we arrive at our hotel "The Villa" which is owned by an Australian. I've got to say im quite satisfied with the room that offered me a nice bath and a good nights sleep.

Ah, enough with the intro and more about the country and its people. The weather there is pretty hot and the soil are dusty... but those is just minor setbacks to what Cambodia has to offer. On the first day we get to have a taste of Cambodian country side... 1st stop the great Ton Le Sap lake. On the way there we get to see countless rows of shacks alongside a uneven muddy road which made our ride felt like a 4WD expedition. After the bumpy ride we arrived at the mouth of the river which supplies the water to the great lake, from here we took a boat to have a view of the floating village and catch a glimpse of the everyday life of the residents there. On the way there we manage to see a floating school, basketball court and hospital. Here is where we get to see the divide in the society on one hand we see children in uniforms getting education but on the other hand we see children working by skipping from boat to boat selling drinks and doing chores. By looking at their lifestyle it is very disheartening to see the extreme poverty that the villagers are facing, living in perilous conditions. But it is good to know that the orgnization such as UNESCO are making a difference in these people's life by providing them with well water, education and several other projects.

Another thing that is not to be missed is the sunset from a temple built high atop the hills although the clouds were not too kind but the evening sky and surrounding where just breathtaking. There is a feeling of warmth and inner peace as the sun dissapeared before the shelter of the clouds in the horizon.

Next is what made Cambodia famous world over and it is even featured on the nations flag is none other than the one and only "Angkor Wat". The great temple which withstood a thousand years of torture by nature and war in all its glory. Built around moat the Angkor Wat is said to be the mountain of the gods where the water around are said to symbolize the cosmos in hinduism. It is really hard to imagine how magnificent it was just a century before. It is truly the masterpiece of Khmer achitecture. From the detailed Bas-relief carvings on the wall to the perfect geometry of the stone blocks its really hard to believe that all of these were built without the use of any machinery. Sadly the last level of the temple are closed to vistors as it is undergoing restoration work. Another magnificient temple was "Bayon" its truly remarkable architecture with towers bearing hundred of faces of the creator king Jayavarman VII as well as bas-relief carvings gives us a glimpse of how life was back then. Last but not least is the temple "Ta Phrom" the temple made popular in the Tomb Raider movie starred by Angelina Jolie. Whats unique about this temple is the humongous tree that have grown atop the once abandoned temple for hundreds of years, the root covered structure is a unison of man-made wonder and nature. What can i say...... simply astounding. There are a few temples that i have left out but equally unique in its own distinctive way.

Best of all i have learnt something very valuble on this trip. Travel is not only about the place, the people, the culture or the food its also about the people with you on the trip.... experiencing all this together with your closest friends ..... Priceless.....


Angkor Wat Night view

Angkor Wat day view

Err... wall formation

Angkor Fever!

Chinese Valentines Day!

Last week Chinese New Year ended on the 15th night of the lunar chinese year also known as Chap Goh Meh(in Hokkien) but that night holds another significance it is also known as the Chinese Valentine's day. On that night Daniel, Sue and Whitley suddenly gave me a call while i was sick at home watching American Gangster. They said they where on their way to pick me up to go see the netting of mandarin oranges.

Netting of the Oranges explained: Nobody knows when did this tradition started, it is where single women will write down their name and phone number on a mandarin orange and throw it into the lake. That is when hopefulguys will take a net and scoop up the orange(s) and give the lady or ladies a call. Its sort of like a blind date Chinese Trad style!!!

The reach the lake next to AMCorp mall i forgot what the place is called, its the 1st time i been there. Wow there sure are lots of people there, couples, single people, and groups of friends helping each other find a date. The atmosphere there is very lifely just like what you get at a carnival or parade. From their age group we can see that majority of them are students. Where there are crowds you will see business! there are stalls selling mandarin oranges, match making service, rose soft toy and etc!

Haha so i went and net an orange for fun and got an orange with the name Carol... 01633????? i cant remember the rest as i put the orange back into the lake. Haha honestly im not into this blind date kind of thing. Just have to wait to find the girl who is attached to the other end of my red thread of fate.

Hopefuls and couples gathered at the parade

Pixar Animation...... simply the best!!!

Raymond completed the download of Ratatouille last night. Since its the Year of the rat n all so i decided to watch it to ease my soul a little bit. Since last year i wanted to watch this show but none of my friends wanted to see this because they brand Computer Generated Animations as "kiddie" shows =_= Well i think CG movies are cool take Shrek for example great movie with adult humor and its satirical potrayal of the modern community. Ok enough about that back to what i was mentioning just now.

Pixar makes the best CG animations as far as i can remember from the humble its beginnings of Toy Story which i remember as a boy, it was awe inspiring as a shift from 2 dimensional animation to life-like 3D animation. To date i have watched Toy Story 1 & 2, Monster Inc, A Bug's Life, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles and Ratatouille. The only movie that i have not watch is Cars.... hmmm i wonder why? probably i will get it and watch someday. The magic that Pixar makes knows no boundaries young and old can get together and be captivated by its beautifully crafted animations, heartwarming scenes, and brilliant storyline. Someday i will get the complete collection of Pixar animated CG movies for my collection.

Watchout beloowww....

What's this feeling??? i felt it before .....

Haiz ..... sleepless nights ..... lost of appetite ..... it all started when i last visited one of my best friends' house for Chinese New Year. There she was as friendly as ever as she invited me in as my friend and his family where out shopping. While awaiting their return we watched some tv and play cards like we used to like all the CNY before. The person sitting in front of me was none other than the girl i knew 6 years ago .... but this time its different, my how much have she changed over the years. So its true what people say! girls tend to get prettier when they are becoming a lady. The look of her eyes really can easily make a guy fall head over heals... her smile can just take all your worries away. Well one thing that never changed was her personality, always so bubbly and hospitable. What i found out surprisingly was that she is still available??!! for a beautiful and a attractive girl she is bound to have leigons of guys going after her.

Spellbounded as it is i felt like i have fallen into her spell. Its been more than a year now since my last relationship. A feeling long forgotten is rekindled... im at a lost here right now what shall i do? i dont even know where to start. Does she already have a guy she likes? will her family be ok with it? do it stand a chance in gaining her affection? questions like this start to surface in my mind. Suddenly i feel weak.... i need a leap of faith ... no regrets in the path i choose ... tell me people what shall i do?

A smooth start for the year ~( ^_^ )~

Today is the 8th day of Chinese New Year. 1 month down 11 more to go! Ahaha great news! the exam materials were a tremendous help i manage to pass my exams with flying colours!!! Im now a Citrix Certified Administrator! Just got back a few days ago from my hometown, well i was glad to be able to meet my parents, sister, friends and relatives. Everything worked out as i planned hope this continues all throughout the year. Well this year hope all my wishes comes true! last year werent so bad just that what i have wished for the most didnt come true. Well the year of the rat is forcasted to be kind to us piggies woot!!!

Happy Chinese New Year to all!!

IT's My YEAR!!!! Humans bow to me!!! (seems like im being ignored...)

Exams!!! its still exist when u are working!!

I always had the impression that once you are working, you do not have to worry about taking exams anymore.... well how wrong could i be (+_+) because me and 2 other colleagues will have to take the CCA(Citrix Certified Administrator) examination this coming Thursday which is a follow up of the Citrix Presentation Server course that we have taken 3 months back... whats worse is that i have just started reading today. Currently at page 50 of the course module which in total is 908 pages thick >.<

With 3days remaining i need to cover an average of 280 pages a day which means sleepless nights for me...! Furthermore we have not received the test king program which is a summary of the possible exam questions.... hopefully we will receive the material tomorrow and pray that it would be of use to us.

Somebody help meee...ooww!!!

W.L.B = Work Life Balance!

This is what i have learnt from the workplace, it stresses on the balance between work and personal life. Basically what WLB is all about is that work should not affect your personal time and vice versa. Work is strictly work and play is strictly play. More over what make me realise about this fact is whats happening to Pattie lately... for the past few days she has been coming back from work after 10pm =( she starts her day at 8am which means that she is has been working for 14 hours a day... without any OT!! Thats EXPLOITATION!!!!!! Futhermore even for a trainee, the amount of work she is doing does is not justified by the amount that she is paid. But im not stressing on the money, gaining work experience is good for her but not till the extent of deteriorating health and sleepless nights...

I hope her additional workload will end by this week. As a trainee of a company she has the right to voice it out to her employer. Personally if the employer continues doing this i would advise her to quit the job. It worries me to see her like this...

Media Frenzy.... Child kidnabbed again!!

Have you seen her?
If you live in Malaysia and have read the papers or watch news on a daily basis the picture above would not be something new to you. Thats right! the child in the poster is Sharlinie who was recently kidnabbed from a playground 200m away from her home. Its been more than 2 weeks now and still no word about her whereabouts. Somehow i think the massive media attention on this case as well as how the search is conducted may infact put her life in danger. With pictures of her posted every where, flyers being passed about and pictures of her flashing across the T.V screens... Whole Malaysia is looking for her.

Now put yourself in the kidnapper(s) shoes, imagine a whole country is looking for the child in your custody... wouldnt you be pressured and scared? furthermore there is a RM 100,000 prize reward given to anyone who has any leads to her whereabouts. The only way to get away scott free is to dispose off whatever that you have in custody which in this case is the child! what if the child has a good memory and can give the police a photofit of what you look like? the child might get killed because dead man tell no tales.... This is what i believe happened to Nur Jazlin the child who was found dead in a sport bag with signs of sexual abuse a few months back... that came under media spotlight in a case very similar to what is happening now.

I dont know a better way to do look for her but the media frenzy must stop! a childs life is at stake! moreover the media should focus on educating the public to keep a keen eye on their kids! How can those who negelect their children call themselves parents.... when even animals keep their young by their side at all times until they are able to fend for themselves.

1st post of 2008!! Cheong is Back!!

Hi its me again... i have to apologize to all my frens for being in exile all this while. I dont know it just been lately i have been quite withdrawn running away from problems just like a turtle finding solace in its shell... Until Gin Hoe came look me up for yum cha in Sunway asking me what im doing lately as he have not heard from me for a while. Haha while watching the football match, I got an unexpected call.... from Alan all the way from Canada also asking me the same question. It feels great that there are people who still remember good ol' Cheong =)

Looking back at the past year i it was not such a bad year for then piggies (people born in year 1983) well i dont know bout the others but it was quite good for me, although what i wish for the most did not come true. This year it would a fresh new beginning and make a self reflection 2 change for the better. With CNY just around the corner i havent got my new clothes yet... Arghhh!!! May the year of the rat be kind to us all and hope that Choy San will give lots of prosperity!