Tag Archives: Manila

Finally! A Real Fashion Mag in Cambodia

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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.

FMagazine Cambodia Issue 5

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.

Should I or Should I Not Buy a Netbook?

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I feel like giving myself some love. Funny, I just had my birthday but I didn’t give myself anything, material anyway. It is always good enough for me to spend lots of time with Hi-ace and Chinks. And they did pamper me a lot hehe. But what I suddenly thought about yesterday is that I should buy something big for myself. It also reminded me that I had been blogging since 2007 and earning regularly from it but apart from half of my start up capital when I started my business and some salon trips I haven’t really bought something personal from my blog earnings.

It must be because I’m kuripot (frugal) at heart and I mostly spend my earnings on Chinkee’s needs, the family’s needs or on occasional trips. That put me in a research frenzy!! What do I buy without the kuripot voice inside me saying, “Haller! that’s too expensive or you don’t really need that!!” At first I thought I want to have a Canon or a Nikon DLSR camera. But when I checked the prices, its way too high for the budget I set for myself this time. Maybe next year.

Then I thought why not buy a Netbook? Hmmm, do I need it? I have a desktop computer all powered up and definitely up to my blogging and web blah blah needs. I also have an Acer laptop but I rarely use it and Hi-ace sort of owns it now coz hehe I was the one who destroyed his own laptop when I spilled a cup of coffee on it.. and you don’t really hear me complaining coz well it was really my fault. So I have my computing hardware at home, but the problem is I want to have something to bring around when I travel. The Acer laptop is not really bulky its actually lightweight but I prefer something smaller and just something to jot down ideas and blog posts plus something that can surf the net while I’m on the go.

So I’ve been doing my research. My netbook should be lightweight, good enough to run office programs so I can write, good enough to surf the net with WIFI etc, at least 160 GB HDD, with long battery life and should just be below $500. After reading reviews and comparisons, I’ve narrowed down my list to..

Samsung N150 with Atom N450 + Windows 7 (approx. $480)

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A Little Rant From A Stay-at-Home-Mom

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I was unsure about posting this on a Monday morning. Ranting is something that I rarely do coz I’m the type of person to easily let things pass, to resolve things diplomatically and I don’t usually get too affected by what is going on. I’m usually cool-tempered but once I’m piqued I can also be an obstinate enemy.

But I figured this is something that I feel strongly about and I might as well get it out so it would more or less free me of stress and bad feelings. You see, I had been a stay-at-home-mom for about six years already. It’s a choice I made, it was not forced on me by my husband, he stands by me because it was a choice I made. If ever I decide to go back and join the rat race again, I’m 100% sure he’d back me up too.

Ever since I started to stay at home and actively take care of my family I have gotten used to comments already from I think well-meaning relatives and friends who can’t help but say.. “Why are just staying home? What about your degree? You’re just wasting it!” or  “Why don’t you get a job?” or “You’re putting yourself in the backburner etc”, the variations could actually go on and on..

I even have an aunt who makes it a point to always drop by our house in the Philippines whenever she’s in town just to give me a lecture. I just took things in stride probably because they were used to seeing me always on the go and stressed about a job. And they must have meant well too, it just that I also think they were really being totally insensitive. I’ve also gradually became immune to remarks like this already.

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O’Russey Market, Phnom Penh

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Shopping in Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh has several large traditional markets selling all kinds of goodies and its advantage over supermarkets? you can also haggle to get a good bargain. As an expat, I’m more used to supermarkets and it took sometime for me to brave these traditional markets on my own. I first got hooked with the Russian Market (Tuol Tompoung Market), then I began exploring other big markets.

O'Russey Market, Phnom Penh

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.

O'Russey Market, Phnom Penh

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.

O'Russey Market, Phnom Penh

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.

O'Russey Market, Phnom Penh

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.

O'Russey Market, Phnom Penh

O'Russey Market, Phnom Penh

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

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O’Russey Market on Google Maps

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A Laid-Back Weekend..

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I had a really good and fun weekend and thinking about it, living in Phnom Penh have mellowed me down a bit. Before in Manila, I used to be always out and about, rarely staying in the house, always stressed out about business, the traffic and the smog. That’s what I love about Phnom Penh now, life is at an unhurried pace, I get to have leisurely walks, coffee and gossip with Filipina friends, explore Phnom Penh’s bargain havens. In short, I’m more relaxed now, enjoying and appreciating things the way they should be enjoyed. But be forewarned, I’m in a story-telling mood, so this post is rather long..

Friday..

Capuccino @ Brown Cafe Phnom PenhMet the Fabulous Pinay’s of Phnom Penh (haha! yeah I call them that..) Zarah, Josiet, and Che (blog ka na ulit, Che so I could link :P ) @ our now fave hangout Brown Cafe. After about 2 hours of girl talk, we all decided to have lunch at Khmer restaurant – Sugar Palm along St 240. Hmmm, food was bland and a bit pricey so I must say I have tasted better stuff. But then again, the company was great so I forgot about the not-so-good food.

After lunch, we went off to check boutiques along St. 240. Love this street, definitely a fashionista’s haven with elegant boutiques and Cambodian silk and product stores along the sides. Then, we checked Diva boutique along St. 57 , well a bit pricey but they do carry  a good selection of brands like Bebe, Guess etc, though they tend to stock on teeny weeny sizes.

After Diva, we all went different ways and Che invited me to meet her cutie daughter Isabelle. Their place is just a few meters walk so I happily agreed. Met the pretty doll-like Isabelle. I also got to hitch-hike home with Che’s nice help, Pheary who lives near my place. That must be my lucky day =).

Pan Pizza @ Pizza World Phnom PenhAfter a few hours rest at home, my sister wanted to check out City Mall, Phnom Penh’s latest shopping heavyweight, right beside Olympic Stadium. We roamed around the mall, and seriously, I’ve been there a couple of times, but the layout still mystify’s me and I always manage to get lost several times each visit. We got so exhausted and ended up having dinner at Pizza World coz Chinks was demanding to eat spaghetti..

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Ouwie’s Intro To Phnom Penh..

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My siste, Ouwie arrived Wednesday evening from Manila. She’s planning on staying here for sometime, an extended vacation maybe and to also check out if she could work here.. Anyway, after she had a good night rest after arriving, we have all started orienting her to all things Khmer.

Living in Cambodia is quite easy and exciting too and now Ouwie is finding that out. We all consider it an everyday adventure just discovering things about Cambodia culture. So, Chinks have started teaching her some really basic Khmer language, like numbers, how to ask ‘how much’ etc..

We spent a good part of Thursday afternoon orienting her to the traffic and some landmarks around Phnom Penh. We went first to Tuol Tompoung Market to shop for some silk scarves and slippers then we walked around the Royal Palace, and on her request near the Royal University of Fine Arts and we ended the walk in the park Sothearos St. around 6pm. Then we all decided to get some coffee, and instead of going to the nearest designer cafe, we opted to try out the Cambodian coffee at a coffee and burger place near the park. It took us a couple of minutes to give our orders to the waiter (my Khmer is really rusty..) but we managed to order a steaming cup of hot and brewed coffee for her and iced coffee milk for me. The verdict, yummy and cheap too! She says better than Starbucks espresso! We only spent about 6000 Riels or about $1.5.. I agree…

For dinner last Thursday we had her try the Cambodian roasted chicken found on the streets.. Goes for about 15,000 Riels, about $3 for the whole chicken, plus slices of cucumber and mint, and two kinds of sauce (sweet-sour-spicy and the salt-pepper mix).  This was really so good we ended up finishing a whole pot of rice hehe. Bad bad for those on the diet!

Friday morning we had to rush out for her interview with some company and afternoon we all had her try out Cambodia’s own ‘Subway’ sandwiches. And yeah she found it really really good, plus with the price of 3000-4000 Riels ($1) for the whole loaf filled with butter, mint, onion leaves, mixed sardines and pork sauce, and two kinds of pate filling in a crunchy French loaf, who wouldn’t fall for it?

Cambodia's Nom Pang Pate
Cambodia’s Nom Pang Pate

She ended up liking it so much that yesterday afternoon, she bugged me to go walk to the market to buy some again.. So now I told her if you see a cart similar to this..

Cambodian Nom Pang Pate Cart
Cambodian Nom Pang Pate Cart

then she could have her fill. Last night we tried out (again.. the one on the streets..) ‘Mee Chaa’ or the fried noodles.. We went to Orussey Market around 8 pm and ate our fill of yummy fried noodles. Wow!  The whole plate just cost about 4000 Riels ($1) – all yellow noodles, with green veggies (they call it ‘katna’), lots of soft and chewy beef and topped with sauce and best eaten with chili sauce! Seriously, we could barely breathe with our tummies so full..

She has yet to the Khmer fruit smoothie – the ‘teuk kralok chek’. Maybe this afternoon. She says if this keeps going on she’ll be needing weight loss diet pills in no time. That’s not to say she’s complaining coz now were scheduled to have a hearty lunch again in my mother-in-law’s house. Yahooo! Home cooked Cambodian food again. =)