Gong Xi Fa Cai From Phnom Penh!
Everybody (well, almost everybody that is, hehe) is in a frenzy. The streets are getting clogged, the markets are getting more jampacked (if they could get more jampacked) and I keep seeing those pretty red lanterns on a lot of houses and shops. Well, Cambodia is celebrating along with Chinese! The Chinese New Year is one of the biggest festive events here in Cambodia, and while its not an official holiday, the rest of the Khmers are all celebrating this. I think this comes second to Khmer New Year in terms of their celebratory fervor. So now, we’re all getting ready to usher in the year of the dragon!
As for me, I’m leaving all the cooking to my mother-in-law. Hahaha. I’m a lucky, lucky girl! So it’ll all just be eating, offerings, leisure time for the weekend. On another note, I dread the havoc the holidays will wreak on my diet. I guess it’s time to bring out the plus size dresses or maybe I should be doing more intense exercises now to counter the effect of too much eating? Or maybe I should just stick to this particular favorite of mine…sesame seed snacks! Hahaha.
Enough of my blabbing. I just wanna wish everyone, good health and wealth for the coming new year! Gong Xi Fa Cai!
Read MoreHarry Potter – The Deathly Hallows II @ Legend Cinema
Are you a Potter fan? I am. Totally. Madly. My Harry Potter obsession actually started not with the movies but with the books. I remember rushing to National Bookstore in Manila every time a new HP book becomes available. I have all copies in paperback and I also have all books in e-book format. Just so I could read it again and again if the fancy strikes me. Perhaps some might say that is so geeky of me, but I don’t care.
See.. Even my Win7 Theme is all Harry Potter. Hahaha!
Why do I love it so much? Because it transports me to a different world. And whenever I feel like my imagination and creativity is on dead zone, I just read one of these books, and it makes me start imagining. Although I am not as impressed with the movie compared to the books, I still fell headlong into love with the Harry Potter movies as well. Not so because of the CGI effects but more with the actors portraying each role.
My favorite character in the series is Severus Snape. Perhaps I have a penchant for weird characters but I find him incredibly well written, and with a lot of depth. Plus Alan Rickman plays him superbly. From the onset, I always thought Snape must have some connection to Harry. And that there is more to him than simply being a grouch. And the last part of the series proves that. This movie is definitely Snape’s redemption. In the book, I cried buckets when he died and when Harry was walking thorough his childhood memories. While in the movie, it was tad less dramatic, but I was still affected. Yup, that’s how invested I am on Snape’s character. I find it incredibly sad yet happy {yeah conflicting emotions there…} that the last person he sees before he dies is Harry…The last words he uttered is just sooo poignant…”You have your mother’s eyes…” Sigh.
I’m thinking of reviewing the movie Deathly Hallows I and II but I’ll be posting it on my other blog – Unfiltered Musings. I think this is something much more nicer than just blabbing on about raypak heat pump at PoolSupplyUnlimited.com, don’t you agree?
Anyway, for Potter fans Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows I and II is now showing at Legend Cinemas {City Mall}. Do catch it. Part II has a 3D release and I attended the advance media screening, it was superb. Check out the screening schedules in their website. Also, Legend Cinemas has a pretty fun and interactive Facebook Fan Page so do visit and who knows you might just get some freebies from hanging out there.
Cebu Pacific Air Seat Sale Still On!
Cebu Pacific Juan to Fly? Promo:
Manila to Legazpi or Naga | Cebu to Clark, Davao, Ozamiz, Pagadian or Surigao | Davao to Iloilo – P488
Manila to Tagbilaran or Roxas – P788
Manila to Ozamiz – P888
Manila to Ho Chi Minh – P1288
Manila to Brunei, Guangzhou, Jakarta or Kuala Lumpur – P1488
Manila to Osaka – 2088
Today’s gonna be the last day of the sale! So go hurry and grab yourself some cheap tickets and have a vacation. Lol! I know I should have posted it earlier, but I guess I was too preoccupied scoring deals. Heh. I just got back first week of July and now I’m trip planning again. Sigh. The expense, the expense. But I can’t help myself, I miss my family terribly and unless I could find budget rates for conferencing calling, then I’d have to fly home from time to time.
Were going home again for All Soul’s Day, and kiddo and I will be leaving on the last week of October and going back early November. And yay! I scored discount tickets from Cebu Pacific and were traveling via Ho Chi Minh on the way to Manila. I’m quite giddy with the savings I scored coz that is more than enough to pay for our RT ticket from Manila to Legazpi! Imagine, the usual no discount fare for 2 pax Saigon-Manila would be around $200++ but yesterday I booked and paid less than $128!
So yeah, I’m in a pretty good mood. Hahaha. Anyway, its weekend and I’m wondering what to do..Any suggestions?
Read MoreManila-Phnom Penh via Ho Chi Minh City
This would be a long, word heavy post. A rarity for me, I know. I was actually at a loss on what to post about and has been discussing which motorcycle gps would be the coolest to use with hubby and neighbors when it suddenly occurred to me, I’ve been getting a lot of questions about the easy and affordable way to travel Manila-Phnom Penh and also about the overland travel between Phnom Penh and Ho Chi Minh. So why not post about my recent trip?
Ever since we started living here in Cambodia, my usualy way when going home to Manila would either be Phnom Penh-Singapore-Manila, or Phnom Penh-Bangkok-Manila or Phnom Penh-Kuala Lumpur-Manila. I preferred this route because I usually traveled with a child. I know of some Pinoy friends who suggest going by bus to Ho Chi Minh then taking the PAL or Cebu Pacific flight to Manila. I got the chance to try the route when I traveled last May alone.
It was a really straight forward, hassle free trip. From Phnom Penh, I simply bought a Mekong Express bus ticket. I took the morning trip (8:30 am) coz I wanted to get to Saigon while its still bright, mainly coz I’m alone and scared. Lol. This is actually my favorite bus to ride when going to Ho Chi Minh. For just $12 you get a comfy seat, a bottle of chilled water and a croissant and a wet towel. They also have an English speaking guide on board who would assist you. Before you get onboard, the staff would check your passport/visa, then if you have luggage to deposit, they will be tagged properly. The trip was smooth going and without hassles. The bus has a restroom but I didn’t try using it. They will stop once for lunch very near the Bavet border, the rest-stop place is clean and has good food options. Then the guide would assist you on crossing the border. The process would take about 30 mins and you have to get your luggage and have it screened when you get to the Vietnam immigration. Before 2 pm I was already in Ho Chi Minh. Travel time is about 6 hours including immigration checks.
Got down in Pham Ngu Lao area, walked around a bit. When it was time to go to the airport I simply hailed a Vinasun {Innova} taxi, fare amounted to 140,000 Dong {about $7}. When in Ho Chi Minh, I would recommend using just Vinasun or Mai Linh taxi as taxi scams are well-known in the area. And do ask insist to use the meter. Then I took the Cebu Pacific flight to Manila which leaves at around 1 am.
Cooking up Something New…
After the really harrowing past two months that I’ve been through, I’m finally beginning to relax. So I think I could now face blogging. I still have to get back my blogging mojo but I’ve been staring at my blogs since yesterday and I thought I need to prod myself out of melancholy and do something. So I could either make a mad dash to the mall and be a crazy shopper, who knows I might end up with laser barcode scanner, which I don’t even need, but in the mood I’m currently in I might just grab something I would regret buying.
So yesterday, I did my bit of online shopping for some bags and shirts. Then today, I’ve decided to do a total blog dress-up for most of my blogs. Yes, the something new I’ve mentioned is a new look for this blog. So watch out for it. And hopefully, I could write down some thoughts also soon.
And oh, I’m liking how WordPress 3.2 looks like. Very sleek and clean. And on another note, I really miss posting my Cambodia Snapshots series so do expect that to be resurrected back soon..
Back in Phnom Penh..
This is just a short quickie post. I just wanna buzz people who drop by this blog that, yep! I’m still alive. Lol! I know I’ve been out of sorts and so busy the past weeks and this blog went really stale. But now I’m back and hopefully, I could get back to regularly updating the site in the next few days.
For now, I’m concentrating on resting. I need it really badly. Several weeks of 1-2 hrs daily sleep has seriously made me look like a raccoon. Then I think I need some pampering. For the past week I keep experiencing leg cramps, so I think I need some serious session in a spa. I think its time I pay attention to myself coz the past weeks has really been nerve wracking, and I was on the verge of being depressed. Hubby thinks I’m not on the ‘verge’ of depression but I am actually depressed. Maybe he’s right. Just this morning, I was standing in the duty free shop and was picking up stuff to buy without thinking, like I was in a haze. Good thing I didn’t get electronic cigarette wholesale, otherwise now I’d be wondering what I’d do with it.
What I just got were several bottles of wine (???) and lots of chocolates. Now I don’t know why I bought them..
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