Don’t get me wrong, I love Cambodia to pieces and I consider it now my second home. But there are times I think of things I miss and am on the diet for just because of living here. Sure, coffee here is delish and there’s close to a gazillion coffee shops around, but I miss Starbucks sometimes. I also miss Manila’s humongous malls, I miss Divisoria. I miss those craft shops in Quiapo. And many other things..

Another thing I miss are fashion magazines! I’m not a fashionista, nor do I obsess with brands. But I like knowing what’s in and what’s going on with the world of fashion etc. When I was in Manila I used to stock up on fashion mags and I specially loved Preview. And we don’t didn’t have that here in Phnom Penh. Really, in my desperation to keep myself abreast with the trends I turned into obsessive online surf shopping and even managed to create two blogs for my finds! See Lui-Bloggera and Feminine Reveries.

So, I was pleasantly surprised, no really I was ecstatic to see a fashion magazine one time I was doing my groceries. And it was in English!!  Finally, a mag I could read! It’s called the FMagazine, and I was also intrigued with their tagline – ‘The First Fashion Forward Magazine in Cambodia.” I grabbed myself a copy and was surprised! It was actually good. I love the styling, I seriously didn’t recognize the Khmer singer on the cover coz she looked so ‘sushyal ba’ haha, the layout was great. All in all, it was pretty impressive for a magazine just on its 5th issue. I wish to see more articles but the ones they had were good too. It features a lot of fashion trends from abroad intermixed with local fashion finds, places to be and I think its amazing to see local Khmer celebrities styled and looking really fashionable for a change.

I’m making the mag now a monthly treat for myself. And oh, I realized that yeah, this thing is bound to get some comments like, ‘sus, Cambodia is a poor country, so a fashion forward magazine is not really needed now or going high-class is too much for a country where most people earn less than $2 a day..” Some conservatives consider fashion as trivial and too frivolous but guess what, if a community wants to progress and move on, it has to embrace and learn about culture too. Fashion is inevitably part of that. And if you really think about it, fashion encompasses a big industry, one that Cambodians have a serious chance to play a role at.

And besides, having trendy mags like this would slowly open the locals eyes to new things, new trends, to explore more.  A little fashion education wouldn’t hurt a bit, right? I think FMagazine’s efforts to introduce new things to locals is highly commendable and here’s to hoping for good things for them.

Yesterday, Hi-ace was asking me where I want to go for the next long holiday in May. Don’t I just love Cambodia? Lots of holidays, we just had one week holiday this April, then in May we’ll have another set of four day straight no work day from May 13-16 for the King’s birthday.

Anyway, he asked if I wanted to go to the beach again, but nah! I love beaches, I grew up very near one. But maddening crowds on the beach kinda drives me crazy. I prefer almost deserted places, places where we could hike, camp, or simply just enjoy nature.

What I do when I travel really depends on my mood. There are times I just wanna lie down on a hammock and read the latest chick lit. But oftentimes I like it jam packed with activities, unplanned, spur of the moment walks. Hi-ace sometimes complains that he’d probably get a bad case of joint pain if he keeps keeping up with me. Hmm, really I think its great for him to have that exercise and besides I think he secretly enjoys it and he could just as easily check www.reliefjointpain.net so he’d know what to do..

We’ve settled on a compromise trip then, we’d be bringing my sister Ouwie to see Angkor Wat and also a visit to the Siem Reap’s floating village. Now, that definitely has the hiking and adventure I’m looking for!  He’s now asking me to think up and plan an itinerary but hmm I wanna just go with the flow. Maybe the first day going around the Archeological Park, the next on to the floating village or maybe temples further from Siem Reap and the next day just relaxing and eating. That’s the general plan..

Budget cuts? Don’t let it stop you from traveling. I love these budget airlines and I find myself taking advantage of their super value promotions. I’m even a regular email subscriber of these airlines so I get to know when they have fare cuts. Here’s another fare promo from Cebu Pacific, the Philippines’ budget airline.

Cebu Pacific is offering ‘Go Lite’ P1 seat sale to all international and domestic destinations starting now until November 2, 2009, or until the allotted 100,000 seats are sold out. Travel period is June 15 to September 30, 2010. For online bookings only. Hurry!! Book Now.

The promotion covers all domestic routes as well as its international destinations – Kota Kinabalu, Taipei, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Guangzhou, Ho Chi Minh, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Busan, Shanghai, Incheon and Osaka.

‘Go Lite’ means no check-in luggage but if you go heavy on shopping, you simply need to add in P100 for check-in luggage.

One of the things I feel lucky about is having clear, blemish free skin. There are several reasons for this I think. One is genetics. Both my parents have good skin, my mother in particular hasolive skin that I was fortunate enough to inherit . The other reason is that I was taught early on how to take care of my skin.

I don’t abuse it by using and exposing it to too much chemicals. I only wear minimal makeup and only if I need it. I’ve also developed the habit of always cleaning up my face no matter how tired I am. I also follow the routine cleanse-tone-moisturise. I stick to products that are hypo-allergenic and those that I have proven to be effective for me. I don’t like trying and switchingbeauty products every so often.

I did got my share of break outs during my teenage years, but instead of panicking and be constantly worried about how I look and where I could get zit and acne treatment, my mom had me conviced it waall part of growing up and it’ll all clear up in time with less fuss. And she was right! After a year otwo, it all disappeared.

A beauty product I cannot do without? Citrus fruits. All natural fruits like lemon, orange and my favorite, calamansi. They all have firming, anti-pimple, skin-clearing properties that has workedwonders for me. I simply apply it all over my face daily and it works like a natural astringent.Don’t try it though if you have breakouts or open wounds on your face. At first, it felt a little tingly and tight but I got used to it. This is truly effective, even shampoo, soap and cosmetics manufacturers are adding this to their products. For cooling and relaxing skin, of course,avocado and cucumber are my faves.

A good diet is really essential to maintaining good skin. I drink lots of water, even more than the required 8 glasses a day. Plus eating fruits and vegetable is also a must. And lastly, to have that glowing look, the best secret is to be happy, think happy thoughts, and embrace life to the fullest..

When I first came here in Phnom Penh, one of the things I found amazing and strange is the penchant of Khmer ladies on wearing pajamas. You can see them everywhere all in different shades and prints. It is considered “normal” to wear them anywhere and everywhere. I love pajamas, but only here do I see them worn with much fervor outside of the house. And to top that, I’ve seen some who have no qualms about pairing pajamas with stilettos and full make-up!

Pajamas means “nightclothes, sleepwear or nightwear” and are usually worn just inside the house. If you’re an avid fashionista you might consider wearing pajamas to malls, markets, well just about everywhere as a fashion faux pas. Don’t think Khmer ladies are unaware of what pajamas are, they are. In fact, the word pajamas in Khmer literally translates to “sleep wear”.

I asked my niece why most ladies here are fond of wearing them, she said, it’s “comfortable and conservative”. Makes sense to me now. A lot of these ladies work and using skirts or tight jeans are simply a no-no for them. Pajama’s are loose and have elastic waistbands then they can move around and do as they please. Women here are also generally more conservative. They prefer long sleeved shirts and long skirts or pants and doesn’t really like showing too much skin. And besides, the weather here is hot and humid and since most pajamas are made of cotton so for Khmer ladies, they are perfect.

It takes time to get used to it and at first I thought it is simply hilarious, but then once I understood their reasons, I learned to appreciate it. Comfort is the main reason. Foreigners might find it amusing, but what’s to stop these Khmer ladies from being themselves and at ease with their pajamas?

I’ll let you on a secret too.. This intense liking for pajamas must be contagious.. I just bought myself several pairs of pajamas last week and to tell you the truth, it’s really so comfortable. Though I don’t wear them out of the house and I doubt if I’ll ever do, I can’t seriously fault the Khmer ladies for doing so. Who cares much about fashion, when you are utterly comfortable.