Thursday, February 25, 2010

A Gathering at Ms. Manashi's House

On February 19, we had a good time together at Ms. Manashi's house where we had, for the first time, experienced the taste of Indian food.

All classmates from Asian American class, except for three, shared some money to buy souvenirs for our teacher, Ms. Manashi, with whom we've been studying for two courses. At first, we had planned to have a trip around Phnom Penh; however, we finally changed to have a small party at her house—main purpose is to try Indian food. On that day, we spent so much time buying the souvenirs and fruit for the visit that we arrived at her house at almost five. When we arrived there, everything was almost prepared; therefore, we didn't really help her make it or observe how it was made. Ecstatically, it was time for tasting!

We were in a beautiful room, eating delicious Indian food which gave us a brandnew experience and distinctive memory. My first impression toward the food was that it tends to be salty, hot and spicy. I think Indian people like potatoes much since among the dishes we had, there were three dishes that were made of potatoes. However, Ms. Manashi tried to adjust the taste so that it matched our taste bud. For example, she didn't put chillies in the chicken curry (but it was a bit hot due to the spices) because she knows we can't stand food that is too hot. We had dessert, made of milk, rice and dried grapes. Its taste matches my appetite. Finally, we were offered the traditional Indian tea. Surprisingly, it seems like milk, but mixed with some ginger. The color just looks like what we call 'Red tea milk'.

The three-hour gathering seemed to be very short when we were having a good time. It was the second time which I've participated in a party with UC classmates and teachers. I was very enjoying and relaxing although I am still in the week of exams at another university.





An interview, the meaning of blogging


Recently I was invited for an interview on the topic of ‘Cambodian Female Blogger’, which is a research done by a senior undergraduate from Department of Media and Communication, RUPP.

Last month I received a comment from Ms Lyda, the undergraduate, who requested for my participation in this research which I found interesting. We finally met on 15th of February. The interview took about an hour when I was asked several questions related to the creation of my blog.
Here are some questions I was asked.

‘When did I create this blog?’
‘What are the purposes of creating it?’
‘What are the benefits that I expect to obtain from this blog?’
‘Are there any constraints from my family or the society that deter me from blogging?’
……

Some bloggers have some special and unique intention for the creation of their blog. In fact, I have never had such an intention in creating this blog or noticed or expected any significant benefits I have been receiving or will receive from it. My basic intention was to share my experiences, knowledge, and impressions about something to interested people, or sometimes it’s just a means of relieving my feelings of stress and discontents. However, after being asked, I find that the most significant benefits I have been getting from blogging are the improvement of my writing ability and the development of my thinking and analyzing skill. I also develop a writing habit about any special events that worth sharing with my readers. It’s what I feel thankful for!

My Chinese New Year

To me, this holiday for New Year was full of anxiety and discomfort, for I’ll have to face with another week of final exams at my university. Having to focus on the lessons to be reviewed for the exams was difficult when everybody was enjoying the festival. You might not be able to understand my feeling if you were not in the same circumstance.

Chinese New Year is supposed to be the time for enjoyment and worry free. However, the exams have been haunting me for the whole week. It would surprise you if I say that I even feel guilty while watching those interesting entertainment shows for New Year on television since I have a feeling that I’m not yet ready for the exams. I only wish that all exams had been done before the holiday.

However, on the first day of the New Year (14th February), my family went for sightseeing around Phnom Penh and finally we arrived at Koh Pich (Diamond Island) without plan. Having heard of the development of this island for a period of time, I also want to see how it looks.

Located on the south-eastern part of Phnom Penh on the Tonle Bassac River, Koh Pich is a small island of 68 hectares in size on which several projects are being carried out. Some parts of it are open to public now. Notably, the Koh Pich Center is one of the most popular avenues for newly-wed couples to have their wedding party celebrated. The park on the left hand side of the building is being built and decorated in European style. In distance, we can see buildings are being constructed.

I believe that in a few years this island will be one of the most important centers in Phnom Penh and modernizes the whole city.

The followings are some pictures I took on the island.