A Chinese temple in Takhmao near Phnom Penh city. This was taken during the Chinese New Year this year. We usually frequent this small temple coz I find it fascinatingly scenic. It’s also located right along the river so the cool breeze is extra welcome. Love how ornate the temples are and also observing how the Chinese make their prayers and offerings.

On another note, I’m still not sure when I’ll be going back to Phnom Penh. Thankfully, I have a good hoard of Cambodia photos and I have the opportunity now to tweak it. Being so stressed out has also gave me some progress on my weight loss goals hahaha! at least without the help of usp labs oxyelite pro. At least I have things to get me distracted from the low downs I’m experiencing now..

One part of me is saddened. The roads are crowded again. So long, peace and quiet, see you again, hopefully soon! Another part of me is happy. Back to work, back to the usual busy routine. Holidays for Khmer New Year was from April 14 -17. But unofficially, the holiday started from April 12.

So, that’s a whole week of lazing around, eating then lazing around again. Sometimes I like it but I can’t stand not doing much for so long. For two years in a row we didn’t go anywhere mainly because were in a saving mode and also its my mom-in-law’s request for the family to be present. But when you’re stuck in the city during the KNY, there’s not much point in moving around coz most of the stores and restaurants are closed. Save for visiting the malls, there’s nothing much to do anyway.

I ended up doing a variety of things. Well, next to stuffing myself full and sleeping. I watched a lot of DVD’s. Lol! Thankfully, I stockpiled a week before and I also had some movies downloaded {thank you torrents, hahaha!} that I needed to watch. I also enjoyed indulging in my OWSS {online window surf shopping} obsession and browsed lots of electronics, clothes and presents ideas online. Hubby has also been researching cars and I ended up browsing with him. Lol! I suggested he gets V8 Super cars, but he just looked at me like I lost my marbles. Hmmph, he says that would probably ruin his dignified and professional image projection. I had a big laugh with that one.

Then once I got bored with OWSS, I moved on to imagining traveling someplace which led me to scour the web for some travel deals. Perhaps next year, eh? I wanna go on a grand holiday. Me wants to go to Mexico, China or maybe Australia to check out hot air balloon melbourne.

Now, its Monday. Sigh. Got to go to market for this week’s food supply and later will be updating my blogs. Ciao.

I’ve been doing some self-auditing and we figured its high time we go into a mega thrift mode. Having savings is a priority. I mean, a definite portion of our income will be set aside from savings, not just the excess. Thankfully, hubby is really good with handling money so he keeps me in line. I think its a wise thing to save and invest while you can still work.

We also have a lot of big purchases in the offing, so I wanna have some cash handy. And in the next two years, were rebuilding our house here in Phnom Penh. Nothing grand, just something ‘liveable’ and sturdy hehe.. We bought the lot a year after we got married and thank God for hubby’s insight in buying this piece of lot. It’s located well within the city, in a safe and accessible neighborhood, very near the market. The only problem is the access road which is small. But its a prime location which we bought for almost a pittance and can you imagine that last year someone wants to buy it from us for more than 10x its original selling price? I think its a great investment and we’ll be building a much better house on it with a couple more rooms to accommodate guests and a home office for me.

After were done with this, we have plans of purchasing another place in the suburbs. Phnom Penh is growing exponentially, it won’t be long when the city would be like bursting in its seams so we really want to have a place to settle in, have a small garden, sunshine, a lot less chaos and noise. Sort of like a retirement home and we want to save for that early and buy it at least while we could still afford it.

Wouldn’t it be just awesome to walk out your back door and see this view…

So with all these big expenses were planning we both have to work more, save more and invest some. I’m thinking on investing I’m not sure yet which kind. Should I go for real estate, penny stock picks, high yield {but high risk} investments? All this would be given ample thought and research of course. For now, I’m quite excited. Lol! That might be hard to believe but the prospect of seeing something solid out of the work you put in is exciting and very gratifying. Wish us luck!

Image via Photorack.Net

Chol Chnam Thmey or Cambodian New Year is almost here. For Phnom Penhites like me, that means a week long quiet time, less traffic! Most Khmers hightail it to provinces to be with relatives and celebrate. For most who stay in the city, well its time to relax!!! No school, no traffic, I should say this week would be like my little nirvana in Phnom Penh. And oh, there are also a lot of SALE in a lot of stores. Lol! Trust me always to mention shopping, ok?

Of course, the Independence Monument and most stretch of Norodom Blvd. is bedecked with lights and last night I went there just to take a photo of the monument. Heh! And I picked this shot – a little blurry perhaps but this is simply how I think of Phnom Penh now. This city is on the fast track, like its hurtling towards development..

The Khmer New Year lasts for three days, this time from April 14th. This celebration marks the end of harvest season and its time for the farmers to be merry and enjoy the fruits of their labor.

Happy Khmer New Year!

Cambodia has  a sizable Chinese population and their influence in the Khmer culture is really evident. From their food, language and also their traditions and rituals. It’s hardly surprising that Chinese New Year is celebrated here in a more festive manner than the International New Years.

The Lunar New Year is not an official holiday here in Cambodia but even non-Chinese Khmers look forward to this occasion. Most shops and business are closed for a few days. Everything is quiet and majority just stay home, making offerings and praying, while the rest hightail it to the provinces.

Hubby’s family stays home mostly and observe a lot of rituals. They cook a lot of food (seriously a lot..and can last a few days..), make offerings, visit relatives, give gifts, on the first two days. Then the following days are usually rest days. All in all the celebration-holiday lasts for about 5 days.

Anyway, after we were done with offerings and prayers for the first day, we had nothing else to do. Most businesses were closed so Hi-ace decided we go visit the Chinese temple in Takhmao. So off we went. But it was soooooo crowded. I just ended up taking photos of the temple entrance.

A lot of people – Chinese and non-Chinese alike, were lining up the streets buying sugar cane stalks, pomegranate fruits and leaves and mien fruit which they will take inside the temple to be blessed. They believe sugar cane to bring in good luck, help foster harmonious relationships, the pomegranate they believe to ward off bad luck and evil, and the mien/longgan bring in prosperity and wealth.

We did not go inside the temple but instead went to another Chinese temple a few hundred meters from the first one. I love this temple and regularly visit. It’s pretty colorful, ornate, and not so crowded. There was mini-dragon dance and Chinks loves looking at their turtle pond..