I’ve been hearing long-term Phnom Penh expats rave about Japan Thrift Shop but I kept putting off going there because its a little far from our house. Anyway, a few weeks ago, Ouwie decided she wanted to have more blouses to add to her ‘work wardrobe’ but she doesn’t want to spend a lot. I suddenly remembered Japan Thrift, so I forego my morning blogging duties and doing research about nutrisystem to explore Japan Thrift Shop.

It’s located along St. 47, a street in the middle of Monivong Blvd. and Sisowath Quay, almost to the Old Olympic circle. I find it much easier to go from Wat Phnom, turn right to St. 47. The shop is located a few meters down Total Gas Station. It’s facade is a little indistinct so it might be easy to miss..

You can see some toys and shoes in racks outside the building but its the inside you might be wanting to see. I like the way items are organized here, makes sorting a teeny bit easier. Note that it is not air-conditioned, but the high ceilings and some fans help ease the heat, but do prepare bottled water in case you get so hooked at sorting those piles of goodies. Another perk is their fitting rooms so you can try on your finds before buying it!

Lovely, lovely skirts! All less than a $1.

Cool looking leather jacket, only $1.75! Too bad it couldn’t fit me haha!

So how was our shopping expedition? We brought home 2 skirts, 8 really nice blouses, 1 black knitted turtleneck dress for only $4.25 plus we got an additional bonus – a really cute and cuddly raccoon stuffed toy, which the seller gave us for only 1,000 Riels!

Other stuff you can find there..

Stuff toys..

for bag-o-holics!

for shoe-lovers..

belts and ties..

It’s definitely worthwhile to sort through those piles. Lots of unique items you can get for a really low price. This place really will go to my regular bargain haunts in Phnom Penh.

Wanna go there? Check out the map..
View Larger Map

©2010 pinaywifespeaks. All Rights Reserved.

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This is not me, but I look like this when I’m thinking..Really.

When I’m being like this he’s just cool with it. I guess he already accepted the fact that he married a semi-lunatic moody wife, with a weird artistic temperament. Okay, so he just raised an eyebrow and asked, “Are you okay, Hon-hon?” That woke me up from my reverie, mainly because he quit calling me “Your Highness” and reverted back to calling me “Hon-hon”. Or maybe he could guess I was not in a joking mood, hmm?

Anyway, the reason I’ve been having tulala bouts (err long stretches of absent mindedness) is that I’ve been longing to do something with my hands again. I’ve always been the arts and craft type, I need to always have something where I could channel my creative drive to. Otherwise, I usually end up always obnoxious and overbearing lol! For the past few days I’ve been surfing the net like mad for some crafts supplies but not much luck really.

First Try on Spiral Seed Bead Bracelet

I’ve decided to do more beading and jewelry. Not on a commercial scale but more like a hobby, a pastime for me. Making a business out of it is also a little hard here in Phnom Penh as materials cannot be easily sourced. I’m very picky when it comes to materials for making patterned beading. For one, the quality of the beads really makes or breaks the piece. I prefer even sized beads which I could only find in Japanese made beads, which I can’t find here in Phnom Penh. Another thing is that, beading takes time and effort so I would want my pieces to be of top quality. So, the next best option for me is to order online and have it shipped here.

Beaded Cellphone Charms From My Leftover Beads

Shipping is also another concern. I’ve looked into creating my own beads using metal clay and polymer clay. The clay is relatively inexpensive, but it is heavy and bulky and though shipping rates are just okay, but I’m pretty concerned about customs and duties that I’ll be billed with when it arrives here. I’ve been searching like mad too for customs and duties rates here in Cambodia, I’ve also been asking around but I only got really frustrated. It seems to be that the rates are on a whim? And being a foreinger, I’ll probably be billed a couple more times than the usual..

Another idea I have been pondering on is having custom made handbags in simple, functional designs then I’ll have it embellished with beads, crochet items etc. I found lots of patterns I like online and I picked some that I can make with muslin fabric and I also like bags using denim fabrics..I’ll probably have some sewed by my tailor when I go home in July then I’ll bring over samples and look for a tailor here to do it for me.

Just like the sling bag above. I want to have it sewn in a different fabric, preferably plain, then I’ll have it embellished, free form. Hayy, I’m actually chokefull of ideas.. I wish I could get my hands into some materials soon. I’ll be exploring O’Russey Market within the next few days and I’ll see what I could come up with..

©2010 pinaywifespeaks. All Rights Reserved.

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The problem really is that I don’t fancy celebrating anymore. Not in a big way. I did that before and now I prefer to keep things quiet. Just being with the people I love most is enough of a celebration for me. I do appreciate greetings, (gifts are okay too haha!) but there are times it could get overwhelming.

So now, the day is getting near again. There’s no escaping it, I was trying to forget about it but friends and relatives just keep reminding me. Just today I got 6 SMS asking me about a ‘party’ (as if we could have that when they are all in the Philippines!!) and several messages online too. Hayy, driving home the fact that really I’m turning 31 and might be needing botox soon or maybe just some firming face cream.

What do I really want for my birthday? I racked my brains for this, but I couldn’t come up with anything. Zilch! It’s not that I already have everything. Sure there are things that I want to have, like that almost purple MiuMiu bag I’m salivating after but really those aren’t that important for me. So, what am I wishing for?

…for Chinks and Hi-ace to also always be in good health and be safe.

…for my parents to stay in good health

…for more happy times with my family

…for my mother-in-law to be healthy always and for my relations with my in-laws to always be as harmonious as this time.

…for my friends and their loved ones to be always okay.

that’s it! I figured I’m quite happy with my life and I want others around me to be happy, healthy and safe always..

And oh, somebody offered this advice to me about aging, – ‘Know how to prevent sagging? Just eat till the wrinkles fill out.‘  Lol! Makes sense but I’ve already decided to lose weight so maybe I’ll take up that advice when I am in my 90’s..

©2010 pinaywifespeaks. All Rights Reserved.

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After Chinks was born, a year after we came to Phnom Penh and for  months we didn’t have any helper so I had to do everything. It was definitely a way for me to lose weight. I still ate a lot, but the added exercise of doing a housework which I wasn’t accustomed to plus the stress of being in a foreign place just made it easy. No need for quick weight loss diet to get the weight I wanted.

Then we went back to the Philippines, and a couple of months after I started my fashion accessory business. This required lots of time with me sitting down. I fell into a very sedentary lifestyle, plus we lived almost right next to a mall and eating out was almost like an everyday thing. Before I knew it I was heavier than my after-birth weight.

I did try to lose weight but mostly with half-hearted efforts. I even bought a stationary bike and I only used it for a month and it went to the stock room. It’s only now that I’m really seriously getting into achieving a healthy weight. I’ve decided I want to lose weight not in a fast way, but more in a steady, balanced way.

First, I’ve decided to change my eating habits. It’s been almost month now and I have already adjusted to eating more vegetables and fruits. No junk food, if I want some sweets, I indulge once or twice a week (but I set some penalties for myself). Dinner for me for the past two weeks has already been settled to just a vegetable salad. I used to be hungry a couple of hours after but I just drank lots of fluids and ate low fat crackers if I can’t bear it. Now, I think my tummy has fully adjusted already to just having a very light dinner.

I’ve done lots of reading also about what exercise I should be doing and for a week already, I’ve been doing intense cardio exercises, jumping rope several times a day and doing some walking exercises. I find that I’m more comfortable and can be more consistent if I divide the time I exercise into several sessions a day. Like I jump rope for 15 minutes in the morning, then another 10-15 min session in the afternoon. Early evenings I do moderate walking exercises for at least 15-30 minutes. I’ve also started some toning and light weights lifting exercises.

As of now, there are no visible signs of weight loss yet, but I feel really good. Not sluggish, and I’ve noticed I have a lot more energy. I’m not in a hurry though, I expect to achieve my target weight by the end of the year. This time, I want to make sure I do it slowly but surely and of course, consistently.

©2010 pinaywifespeaks. All Rights Reserved.

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Anyway, this post is about reminding myself again what I have to do this March..Some sort of checklist for me, I’m placing it here because it pressures me to accomplish the task.

Home and Shopping..

• Look for an area rug and some of those Khmer style floor/sitting cushions.
• Look for a door chime or maybe make one myself.
• Nag Graciously ask Hi-ace about painting or tiling the front stairs.
• Re-pot my bougainvilleas.
• Visit Boeung Keng Kang Market again and hunt for 4 panels of embroidered curtains.
• Shop for tank top shirts or thin cotton shirts. Should not get sidetracked with cute kid stuff =)
• Look for a backpack. I can’t find my other bag and I need one before the 26th.

Crafts..

• Check O’Russey Market for some seed beads. Japanese or Czech variety will do.
• Also for some beading thread.
• Continue downloading beading patterns.
• Make some beading patterns with my bead tool.
• Search for suppliers of polymer clay online. I had no luck finding it here in Phnom Penh, hayy!

Web and Blogging

• Finish uploading plugins to my new blog – Lui-Bloggera.
• Update other blogs.
• Finish TaskWise schedule reminders.
• Upload free ad spot banners and headers. (I keep forgetting this!!)
• Visit and read more blogs..

Important (yeah  these are really important)

• More cardio exercises.. jumping rope go, go, go!
• Veggies and fruits only for dinner. I should go with this strictly. lol!
• Buy dumbbells.

©2010 pinaywifespeaks. All Rights Reserved.

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I love weekends like this. Just doing nothing, spending the day with Hi-ace, Chinks and Ouwie. It rarely happens that all of us are not busy, more often than not we have someplace else to go even during weekends. Hi-ace didn’t have any meetings, trips or classes. When its like this we take advantage of the time to just be together.

Yesterday morning was spent just lazing around, sleeping till 8 am, eating a leisurely breakfast, then we played board games. Afternoon we spent biking around Phnom Penh. It’s been awhile since we’ve done this and I had a fun time. We also brought Chinks to the bookstore since she had been asking for some art supplies.

We also browsed those sidestreet vendors along Monivong Blvd., offering printing of business cards and wedding invitations. We both want to have some printed and those sidestreet sellers are really offering value for printing services. 100 pcs of business cards cost just less than $10 depending on the design and you can also have your own design printed for an additional fee. As for the wedding invitations, hmm they have a wide variety of designs some amusing, some cute, some very elaborate and some really with lots of embellishments. I didn’t inquire about the price though hehe..

Sunday shopping..

Hi-ace and Chinks went with Ma to visit their uncle in Kandal province. They left about 6:30 am so I had some free time to do some shopping. Food shopping was done first, of course, in Russian Market (Phsar Toul Tompong). Got our week’s supply of vegetables, meat, fish and fruits. Shopping in local markets is now a breeze for me, I already have regular suki vendors so I get a good price plus freebies.Ouwie and I also roamed around the clothing section coz I was planning to buy some tank tops. The summer heat is getting unbearable so I wanted to have some cotton shirts. After browsing several stalls I found myself buying stuff for Chinks instead. Bought her a couple of shirts and I also found lots of cute swimwear and I also got her some since she’s taking swimming lessons already in school.

10:30 am, the market was already crowded so Ouwie and I decided to escape from the crowds and headed for a cup of coffee at the Coffee Korner just off the Russian Market. This has already been our favorite coffee place after doing our shopping rounds of Phsar Tuol Tompong.

Hi-ace and Chinks got back around 12 noon, so now were all lazing around again. Me, writing this really lazy post, Hi-ace watching TV, Chinks tumbling around the floor and Ouwie reading a book. Wish every weekend would be like this haha! I should really get back to reality..

©2010 pinaywifespeaks. All Rights Reserved.

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I was digging, digging, sorting when I saw a gauzy black empire cut dress a friend gave me last year. I haven’t worn it coz its too short for me, I could wear it with leggings but I always thought I don’t look good on leggings (hehe with my fat legs and all..). But I kept this dress coz I like its stretchy bodice, I mean even if I get totally huge, I could still wear it..Lol! Anyway, my little fashionista and kikay daughter saw it and tried it on. I had to tie the back with a ribbon so it wouldn’t fall off. Haha! She was giggling and asked me to fix her hair, ‘Tie it up, please Mommim and take photos of me..”

Lol! We had loads of fun taking photos again. Hmm, this is something that I really like about living in Phnom Penh. Life is simple, at an unhurried pace so I get to enjoy and play silly games like this with Chinks.

So here she is..And no I didn’t tell her how to pose. She just posedand pouted by herself with me just snapping photos with my phone’s camera..

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©2010 pinaywifespeaks. All Rights Reserved.

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February just passed by like a breeze for me. I know it just has 28 days but it didn’t leave me with much impression. Also, though February is where Valentine’s Day falls on, we didn’t really do anything special. We all just spent the day together, me, Hi-ace and Chinks playing board games in the morning, afternoon attending Hi-ace’s school affair then a leisurely family dinner in a Thai restaurant. That’s it! I guess I’m long past appreciating flowers, chocolates and romantic dinners during Valentine’s day, uggh I even find it corny and I get annoyed at those romantic blah blahs being shoved in your face every time the 14th draws near. Happiness now for me, stems from those family bonding moments, times were just together without even doing anything special or being anywhere fancy. Funny, but I feel really content and happy at this point..

Ouwie also had her 30th birthday (I hope she doesn’t read this. She forbids me to mention her real age and wants to pass herself off as 24. Haha!). It was a quiet too. We aren’t really big on celebrating birthdays. I just asked her what she wants to eat and if she wants to go out. She prefers to have home-cooked pasta, so I just rustled up some penne pasta in bacon and mushroom cream sauce. Yummy!

Before I knew it, February was over.. Hmmm, by this time in the Philippines its graduation season and I have nephews and nieces sending their graduation announcements. That’s something really nice and I do feel happy about them graduating from school. But everytime I hear my nieces and nephews graduating or getting married, whew! I definitely start to feel my age..

Last Wednesday, I met Zarah and Josiet again for a cup of coffee and the usual chatter fest. Hayy, I must say, time with these lovely friends I found is one of my ‘decompression’ time. I get to relax, connect with others, and well, eat.. We had to extend the coffee date to lunch and met up with Elma. More girl talk and laughter. Then we decided to go shopping in Boeung Keng Kang Market.. I didn’t buy anything mostly coz it was extremely hot and I’m fussy when I’m buying stuff, but I did enjoy looking around. I really wish I could have more days like this..

Friday was a busy day again. I had to drop by Chinkee’s school to check on her new class. She has already been moved to the Grade I class though she’s about to officially start Grade I next August. Their school uses the Montessori system and once she’s ready, she was moved to the next level so the transition would be much easier. Her teacher also told me she’s exceptionally good in Math (lol! definitely not from my genes) and Art (now, that is from me.. ).  She’s now a fast reader and writing is already legible. Though I had my initial reservations about her school, I’m quite happy with the way she’s progressing in fact, I must say I’m impressed. That just proves I guess that you don’t have to choose the most expensive school, just pick the most suitable one, whichever learning environment she is most comfortable with.

After the school visit, I had to drop by the supermarket for some last minute stuff Hi-ace was bringing on his 3-day Preah Vihear-Siem Reap trip. I had to pack everything for him coz he had class till 8:30 pm and their group leaves at 2 am..

Now, its just me, Ouwie and Chinks for the next three days. I’m a bit scared but our house and the whole compound is pretty safe. My mother-in-law though was apprehensive about leaving us alone, she was just here this afternoon and kept asking me if we’ll be okay. I’m lucky, Ma is the total antithesis of the villain-like mom-in-laws, she’s really nice and always concerned about us without being pushy. But I did assure her we’ll be fine and she should not worry and I’ll call if ever we need something..

©2010 pinaywifespeaks. All Rights Reserved.

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This is so not me! But a few days ago I had been planning our trips for the year, at least for the next six months. Hi-ace schedules are as usual very difficult to pin down. I’ve already booked tickets for our month-long Bicol, Phlippines vacation on July. I know its too early but I wanted to have the tickets already so I won’t have reason to back out. It’s just me and Chinks going because Hi-ace still have loads of classes that time as well as office work. His break will be on August 8 and our return date is on Aug 11..So, he really has no choice but to stay put.

He’s been acting morose, I know coz he loves going to the Philippines and he prefers shopping there plus I guess he just misses the place. He has already given me a long list of what he wants to be bought and I seriously think I won’t be doing much shopping for myself since he has quite a long list and I hate having too much baggage when I travel.

He’s constantly murmuring and asking me what is he going to do when were not around. I suggested going to the gym (he says no..), doing some gardening (he says maybe!), going on a short trip (he says maybe not, its boring without me and Chinks ), or maybe go play some sports (other than soccer he doesn’t play other sports) – tennis, swimming or maybe golf. But I could just imagine him swearing at the expense (he’s incredibly frugal unlike me haha!) and he’ll probably be using used golf balls just to be happy.

Anyway I promised to cook him sinigang (Pinoy style sour soup – his all-time favorite) twice a week and this seemed to perk him up a bit. I’ve also bugged him about joining his students trip to Preah Vihear this coming March 6. Initially he didn’t want to go because we weren’t going, but I pushed him into it ..(so he could take photos and I could post here hahaha), so now he’s looking forward to that as well. Ouwie, Chinks and I will be going to Sihanoukville for 3 days. Our first choice was a lazy weekend in Kep but the place I wanted to book was full so we’ll just opt for Sihanoukville for now.

I’ve also already planned Chinkee’s birthday trip which will coincide with the Khmer New Year. We’ll all be off to Ho Chi Minh city in Vietnam. That’s Chinkee’s choice, I dunno why I would have preferred going to KL or Singapore but she insists it has to be Vietnam. Lol! Her current bff is a cute Vietnamese boy and he probably is behind the choice. Anyway since its her birthday, then she can make the choice and well be staying for about 4 days there.

I’m also thinking of going to Bangkok this May, if not Sept or October if Hi-ace is still here. We’ll also be spending this year’s Christmas holidays in the Philippines since it has been two years already we had been having Christmas here and my parents are getting lonely..

And oh, aside from planning those stuff, I had also been worried about my father’s health. Last week, my mom said his blood sugar is up again and his diabetes might recur. His prostate cancer has also been in remission but just recently his PSA is going up and this worries his doctor. If things don’t improve I might also make a short trip this May to check on him..

Ahh, the things I worry about. Now back to my regular programming – blogging and updating some websites.. But wait.. It’s 10:30 am now, time for me to prepare lunch.. Ciao!

©2010 pinaywifespeaks. All Rights Reserved.

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Time passed by just like a breeze and I was browsing through my archives that I realized February 2008 was when I first started with this blog. And now its hard to believe that I have been at it for 2 years already. There where reasons why I didn’t blog earlier, but I’m glad I did.

This blog has been my virtual playground, a place to take out my frustrations, to rant and vent. How many times did I mess up with my Wordpress installation – read posts here and here, that time when I forgot that I exceeded my bandwidth limitations, my paranoia about transferring web hosting, how many times the whole site went into frenzy just because I could not get enough of tweaking the themes?  It’ll be an understatement if I say I learned something from blogging. I should say, I learned a lot. I also discovered a lot of things about myself and blogging..

…That I have the aptitude for things technical and for tweaking this and that. For understanding what’s behind the blog – the themes, the plugins, the site structure etc.

…That yeah, though I’m not a great writer I can work on it and practice more, still some people somehow survive reading my entries

…That yahoo! I could actually earn from blogging! This blog supports itself. My initial outlay was for the domain registration only, while the monthly hosting bills are all taken care of out of the blog’s earnings. I know some blogging purists would say inserting paid links is something almost like a crime but hey! this is my blog, I’m sure people who visit understands that while I love to blog, write, share thoughts, I’m still a practical person, I don’t have bottomless pits of money to support the blog, so occasional paid links are fine and I do strive my best to be discrete and choosy about paid links.

…  I realized I could actually find lots of people who share the same views, who could somehow appreciate what I have to say. I love receiving emails and comments from readers. Some would email me when they are coming over to Cambodia, asking for travel advice, some would give me suggestions, some would critique a post.. This is for me, is one of the most gratifying things about blogging – connecting with people who reads the blog.

… that I could actually find friends through this blog. I found friends I could constantly correspond with through email, some blogging friends from all over, and here in Phnom Penh, I found a great set of Filipina friends (Zarah, Josiet, Che..)  all thanks to blogging.

Blogging has been a superb learning experience for me. Being able to earn from it is an added bonus and I love the extra income I get out of blogging. So what’s in store for this blog for the next year? More posts, just more.. Things I dunno yet, so do keep visiting, explore and experience blogging with Pinaywifespeaks.

©2010 pinaywifespeaks. All Rights Reserved.

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Here’s what I’ve been mulling on while the sheets were being laundered. I’ve decided to make more changes to this blog. When I first started this I really had no idea what this will be all about, more like a random thoughts – personal blog thing. Then it just evolved by itself I guess and just last year I made changes to organize all posts. For sometime, Pinaywifespeaks.com  has been my blog for musings about living in Cambodia, about life in the Philippines, and also about blogging and the web.

I found myself getting more and more immersed in Cambodian culture and lifestyle so lately that seemed to be what I had been constantly writing about. So then from now on this would be focusing mainly on three things:

• Living in Cambodia and exploring Cambodian culture
• of course, Philippines is still home for me, so expect some occasional posts about Pinas
• and my other passion, Travel. Just featuring travels, places, travel promos and deals.

I’ll be removing the blogging and web categories soon. Though previous posts on these categories will still remain under Exploring the Web category. I will be running a featured Cambodian blog soon too.

Last year, on a whim I registered another domain – Lui-bloggera.com, then I promptly forgot about it and it has been sitting on my hosting account like a wet blanket. I should really bang my  head often on the wall! It’s time I make use of this domain and not let it go to waste.

I’m developing it into a new personal blog where I could blah blah about my other interest. Topics would be…

• blogging – Wordpress, earning with blogs, blogging tips etc,
• trend hunting –   i love trends! ,
• latest buzz  - celebs, gossip, luxury lifestyle,tech, fashion – yeah I’ll be indulging my gossiping tendencies a bit..

I’ll be awfully busy these next few days to get this off the ground and I’m super excited. =) I guess I’ll be loosing some sleep over this and getting some pimples again, but that’s nothing acne scar removal creams can’ t take care of. I’m always excited about new things, new projects.  Things are looking up and I do hope you check out my latest blog – Lui-Bloggera.com..

©2010 pinaywifespeaks. All Rights Reserved.

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When traveling two of the biggest expense would be for:

• Air fare – but these can taken care by booking budget airlines like AirAsia,  Bangkok Air, Tiger Airways, Jetstar, Cebu Pacific and others. Book well in advance and get really great discounts. Check out my regular updates on Asian budget air promotions.
• Hotels – this can be really pricey, moreso if you stay longer.

I discovered some great ways to save on your hotel bills. Let me just share our practical saving tips:

• If you have your schedule down pat, then book ahead. Oftentimes, hotels give discounts to early bird bookings.
• Check for hotels with free night stays. Example, there are lots of hotels who gives 1 night free stay if you book 3 nights and up.
• Book online. I find Agoda and AsiaRooms to have really cheaper rates than most hotel booking engines for Asia hotels.
• If you want to go really budget, book hostels! This is what we usually do whenever were staying in a place for several days. Most of these places turn out really well and besides we only use it really to sleep.
• Where to book hostels? Hostelworld or check AirAsia’s GoHostel travel service.

One of the best things I love about booking hostels via Hostelworld.com or through AirAsia is that you can pay your hotel booking using your credit card, debit card and get this – some accept PAYPAL! I’ve started listing out hostels who accept Paypal and will be posting the listing soon.

I’m all set to book a hostel for a holiday in Ho Chi Minh this April and I’ll be  using a debit card or Paypal just to give it a try if the service works well. We’ll be out for about a week so this will be a big saving and more moolah for shopping and I also heard salons in Vietnam are top notch so I wanna try some hair pampering or some hair loss treatments.

©2010 pinaywifespeaks. All Rights Reserved.

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That’s one of the beliefs me and my sister, Ouwie shares. For nine years, Ouwie has been working as an assistant professor in multimedia communication in a local university in Bicol. She has also been actively involved in various projects in media as well as non-govermental organizations. While doing that she managed to complete her Master’s Degree in Developmental Communication from University of the Philippines.

My sister, Ouwie..

She then came to a point where she wanted something more. To expand her horizons and explore more possibilities.  I told her about the teaching opportunities here in Phnom Penh and I think it’ll do her a lot of good to experience a totally different culture and to see things from a different perspective. So, she took a leap of faith and flew here last month.

After a few rounds of sending resumes here and there. A couple of interviews and not so good prospects materializing, she was beginning to wonder if she was meant to come here and what was in store for her. Then she got the call she was waiting for. I guess she wowed the people over at Limkokwing Univeristy and they asked her to join them as a full time international lecturer under the Faculty of Design Studies.

Today is her first day of work and tomorrow its her birthday. I guess getting the job of her dreams is a really fab birthday gift. I did make a deal with her that if she gets a job offer from Limkokwing, I’d dedicate a post for her, psst! although I reckon, a week-long Orlando vacations would be much nicer.

Anyway, I made this post just to greet her a Happy Birthday and a big congratulations.  Hi-ace, Chinks and I are proud of you and of course, Ma, Pa and Coco. We’ll always be around to support you whatever you want to do and wherever you want to be.

©2010 pinaywifespeaks. All Rights Reserved.

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Should I or should I go back to school and complete my Master’s? If I do that, what will I do after I’m done with it? If I go for it, what field do I want to get into? Should I find a regular 8-5 work and be part of the rat race again? If I do that, would I have time for my family and how big an adjustment is that for everyone? Whatever I decide to do, it’s going to have an effect not just on me but also my family. So, I guess you can imagine the dilemmas I’m having right now.

I had to get off and clear my head for awhile and I ended up playing around with Photoshop and some brushes. I miss doing this! I’ve been so caught up with writing, blogging, web site building that I hardly ever took the time anymore to one of my favorite pastimes before – toying around with graphics and vectors. Doing these really revs me up and I end up getting motivated again.

Anyway, here’s what I’ve made. Some wallpapers in 1280 x 1024 sizes. I’m posting it for everyone to use and download for personal use only. Just right click open in a new tab/window then save as.

What do you think? I know it all looks a little girly but well I’m a girl. I should do this more often now. I used to remember I always made personalized photo pages, signatures, invitations  for baptism, birthdays,communion invitations, even my own wedding invitation was my own design. I even once thought of doing this professionally but somehow I was sidetracked.

©2010 pinaywifespeaks. All Rights Reserved.

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A few doors down my mother-in-laws house in Toul Tompoung area, there is a Khmer restaurant (corner resto St. 432 and 163) serving espressos and iced coffees at a fraction of the price of famous coffee houses. And the taste? Whew! One of the best brews I’ve ever had. Not only that, I was amazed to find out  that most of these local cafe’s roast their own local beans so you get freshly roasted coffee which, believe me has the best taste. Khmers prefer their beans roasted really black and adds a little fat or butter making the taste a lot richer. They would usually roast their beans every other day around 2-3 pm and just the aroma is heavenly!

So, though I still frequent nice cafes around Phnom Penh (I do enjoy their plush seats, free wifi, pastries..) but every so often you can find me sampling coffee from these small restaurants found all over Phnom Penh. These shops mostly speak very little English so come prepared and have this memorized (lol! I even have a small note always with me with Khmer translation of this just in case..)

• hot black coffee – caa-fei kh’mav (khdow -hot)
• coffee – caa-fei
• iced coffee – caa-fei teuk koh
• ice coffee milk – caa-fei teuk koh tuk duh koh

Khmer coffee is usually served hot – black or with milk / iced – black or with milk. There’s also a place inside Russian Market (Tuol Tompoung Market) serving what they claim to be the Best Iced Coffee in Phnom Penh. It does taste really good, and since there are a lot of tourists in the market they can speak English, so ordering a glass of iced coffee is a breeze.

It’s located right in the food hall, just look for the sign..

And to tempt those iced coffee lovers..

I’ve already shared this passion for Khmer coffee to some of my friends and also my sister. Ouwie is now also a certified Khmer coffee addict. Lol ! I can still remembered when she first tried it, she found it so good, she had too many glasses and found herself unable to sleep and was looking for natural sleep aids. So, though its tastes really good, just have it in moderation

Happy coffee drinking!

©2010 pinaywifespeaks. All Rights Reserved.

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One of my all time favorite Phnom Penh Markets is the O’Russey Market. It’s a six-story building, market stalls are on the first three floors, and on the surrounding streets. O’Russey Markets is a well-known wholesale market for food ingredients, seafoods,textiles, and clothing. You can also find some gardening items, mechanical tools, and electronics. Toys and food stuff you usually see being retailed in small stores across Phnom Penh are usually bought from here in bulk.

Be forewarned, this market is huge, and the pathways in between stalls are very narrow so be prepared to squeeze your way in. I always make sure I’m in my best (Divisoria-Manila like) mood whenever I venture to this market. It also helps if you can take walks for extended periods of time as there are limited resting areas around the market so best prepare with your joint supplements, a bottle of water, and something to wipe the sweat off your face. And do be careful also with your valuables.

The first floor contains mostly food items, goods for reselling, electronics, gardening supplies. But what interests me the most about this market is the upper floors. The second/third floor houses wholesalers of books and other school materials, clothing, accessories. You can also find textiles, tailoring supplies, ready-made clothing, tailoring shops and some hair and nail salons.

The best part for me is the second-hand clothing/shoe/bags/home items. We Filipinos call this UK or ukay-ukay  and this is where you can find designer items @ bargain prices not to mention unique pieces. O’Russey’s Ukay-Ukay/Second Hand stores holds a lot of great finds. I found some cute bags and shoes here but what I really really love are the curtains I discovered here. Second-hand shopping can be a bit difficult and only for those who has the gumption to sort though all the piles, but its very rewarding too..Try it for once and you’ll get hooked and one place to start your ukay-ukay hunting is the O’Russey Market.

I found this really interesting video on YouTube featuring O’Russey Market and the surrounding streets. Video courtesy of MSA Production

Click here to view the embedded video.

O’Russey Market on Google Maps

View Larger Map

©2010 pinaywifespeaks. All Rights Reserved.

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Kung Hei Fat Choi!

Things have been hectic for me the past few days, not to mention that I was again having an asthma attack. This is the 3rd time were celebrating the Lunar New Year here in Phnom Penh and there’s a lot for me to do. We had some major cleaning to do around the house (which we usually do before the Lunar New Year comes around) to sweep away the bad luck and the hardships of the previous year. Cleaning also means we welcome the new year on a clean start. So, you can assume my muscles are really tired at the moment, so blogging will be on hold for a day. =)

Aside from cleaning, there is that offering to do and almost never ending food preparations. Thankfully, my in-laws mostly does that for me, with just me occasionally slicing some veggies and tasting the finished product. We prepared a lot of food since yesterday, I’ve already lost count on how many dishes there was. All of it was fixed on a ceremonial altar, with cups filled with tea and rice wine, and loads of incense burning.

The we all feasted on the delicious food prepared. I sure ate a lot, I bet I’ll be badly in need of diet supplements again soon. After eating we gave the kids their ‘ang pow’ or their red envelopes with money. Chinks is of course grinning from ear to ear as she amassed a lot of ang pow.

I’m now beat and needing some rest. And oh! I just remembered it Valentine’s Day tomorrow! Whew.. I’m in a bit of a panic now I forgot about that.. Anyway, I wish everyone a great 2010. Good Health, Good Fortune and Harmonious Relationships for the whole year..

©2010 pinaywifespeaks. All Rights Reserved.

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One reason I like posting my life bits is that I get to look back and put things into perspective, whenever I write short snippets of how it is like living in Phnom Penh, I appreciate new things and experiences more. I also get my chance to gloat and tell myself, ah! so I’ve accomplished that this week! If you call shopping or gossiping with friends an accomplishment =). And the best reason I like posting snippets of our life here in Phnom Penh – it saves me a LOT on my phone bills. Combined with Facebook, well this blog sure saves me a lot. I simply ask my relatives back home to check out my blog for the latest and they get updated. Sometimes they leave messages on my shoutbox (and it sometimes gets weird..) or just send me their comments through Facebook.

Okay, before I get really carried away with the why’s and wherefore’s of this post.. Here’s what I’ve been busy with the past few days..

umm, i kinda like this cartoon..

Wednesday was fun day for me with new friends I found here in Phnom Penh. Josiet invited everyone to her place and cooked a super yummy lunch for us. Pinoy favorites chicken-pork adobo,  ensaladang talong, crab meat omelette, fish in chinese-style sauce, pancit bihon, and dessert was sticky rice with mangoes. Pure yumminess, thanks J! As usual there was never ending laughter and chika with Che, Zarah, Mel and I’m glad I met another two Phnom Penhers- Ate Elma and Janette. I’m looking forward to more bonding times with these fab ladies..

this looks a lot like me when I'm cleaning..

Thursday was dust-attack day for me and my sis. I think cleaning the house is really fun with somebody around to help you out eh? Anyway, we attacked the dusty book shelves, threw out stuff we didn’t need, segregated items for recycling, dusted and scrubbed till everything was clean. Just in time to welcome the Chinese New Year next week, when everything must be spic and span clean..

Friday was working time for me. I had a lot of blog posts to be written, I’ve also decided to do a major computer cleanup and till now I’m still in the process of organizing my horde of files. I find it seriously daunting but I intend to get it done! Seriously, I have to get a bit more organized coz I’m way behind schedule of what I’ve been planning for my online work. I found myself a really cool task organizer. It’s called Taskwise and I find it really helpful. The simplest version can be downloaded for free.

I love TaskWise! Simple Task Checklist. Download it for free..

Last Friday was also Ouwie’s demo schedule at Limkokwing University. She’ was pretty excited and nervous about it, and I was waiting anxiously for news from her and when she arrived she was gushing coz yahoo!  she passed with flying colors. She’s hoping she could get a full-time position and she’s just waiting for the main branch to approve her application. I’m really hoping she could get that coz that’s what she really wants to do and where she wants to be. I’m crossing my fingers and praying hard for her..

Saturday we began work on our front porch. Were raising it leveled to the street and putting tiles so it looks better and can be easily maintained too. We’re also planning on putting a small garden set, a swing for Chinks and more greens for me. I must have been crazy coz I thought those cement tiles were light and I tried lifting some and the typically klutzy me, I sprained my right wrists and the left one was left bruised. It took two days to make it better and I swear I won’t be lifting those things again.. Anyway, the porch remodeling work is going well and will be done by this week hopefully.

©2010 pinaywifespeaks. All Rights Reserved.

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Hi-ace then told me he’ll bring us over to one place that is uniquely Khmer. Hmm, that was enough to pique my interest. I know Khmers loves picnics so I was expecting somewhere in a park or a place with lots of mats, you sit down and order food..

After crossing the Japanese bridge, he drove on for more than 30 minutes and I was beginning to wonder where he was taking us. All I could see where fewer and fewer houses and big empty fields. Then we reached a place with houses built on top of stilts and towering over a huge pond filled with lotus plants..

I just love discovering out of the way places like this and when I saw these, I knew I was in for a treat.. Hi-ace told me this is where a lot of Khmers go for food and some R & R. So how’s the inside of those houses on stilts? Here..

You can choose which nook you want to stay in. There’s a mat and a low table in the middle and hammocks made of dried hyacinth. And I was so surprised that those hammocks was so comfy! It was no wonder I fell right into sleep after we had lunch. It’s hard to resist anyway, the food and breeze made me so sleepy..

Anyway, these places serve Khmer food and surprisingly the menus have English translation so it was easy enough for me to choose. We had beef loc lac, stir fried noodles, seafood fried rice, banana heart salad and a serving of ‘balut’. And sorry I totally forgot to take photos of the food coz I was already starving. Lol! I hope you all can cut me some slack. But take my word for it, the food was really, really good. Better than most fancy eating places in Phnom Penh!

I already swore I will drag Hi-ace back there the next chance I get! Now I know why those Khmers are so into those kinds of places. The food is great, and though the decor is not fancy but the comfy hammock and the cool natural breeze is more than enough to make up for it, and best of all, the price! I was shocked, we ate a lot and it didn’t even cost more than $20!! The only thing I didn’t like much was the karaoke singing. I wouldn’t have minded it really except that it was super loud, I swear my eardrums where hurting. Good thing it started when we were already done with our naps. But they do seem to be enjoying it a lot so I’m fine with it.

Hi-ace now keeps laughing at me coz I keep asking him to go there every chance I get and I know he’s secretly laughing at me coz I’m having a hard time losing weight here especially with all those delicious temptations. Wait till I bug him about buying me a dip machine or elliptical. He sure won’t be making fun of me anymore..

©2010 pinaywifespeaks. All Rights Reserved.

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Lol! The ceiling was low and the sign was just a kind warning. I’ve now decided to be on the constant lookout for funny signs like this, uniquely Khmer!

Guess I’ve posted enough for now. Off now to check out some Korean stores and look for a dehumidifier. Both me and Chinks keep having colds and since we both have asthma, we need this pretty badly Ciao!

©2010 pinaywifespeaks. All Rights Reserved.

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