On our final day, we made a stop at one of the orphanages with respect to Wen Yan’s request. Wen Yan who is Angeline’s ex uni mate was in Cambodia a few weeks before us but she didn’t have the chance to donate. So in return, we were commissioned to carry out her task, lol.

Of course giving cash wouldn’t be the ideal thing. We instead went to a nearby market to buy 100kgs of rice. The seven of us too chipped in to round up the cash so we could get 100kgs. Siya then brought us to this orphanage which was quite near to the place we stayed.

We arrived without informing their caretaker as there weren’t any phone in the house and so he curiously greeted us. We mentioned our intentions and he gladly brought us around the compound. It was like a mini-tour. They have a small classroom in the compound and also their own farm for them to grow their vegetables. We were also shown the rooms of the children and it was definitely small judging from the amount of children that gathered in front of us. Besides that, one of the girls was diagnosed HIV+. We were told that her school knows about it and they are trying their best to give her a normal environment, just like any other kid.

After placing the bags of rice at the kitchen, the children starting singing to us

This all happened after we returned from a long hike up the hill to see the river of the 1000 lingas.

We had to wake up early as the journey to the hill was quite a distance and since there were a few temples on the way, i thought it would be wise to include it into our itinerary. The name of the place is Kbal Spean.

The roads were not forgiving throughout the 1hour plus journey. It wasn’t tarred like the major roads in Siem Reap.

When we arrived, i noticed …

this super …

duper …

large …

weed!

Well you might not be able to tell the size of it from this photograph, so i had to make a simple comparison.

Ai Ling vs Super Lalang.

The hike to the River of 1000 lingas.

If you are not outdoorsy kinda person, you might as well skip this part of the trip but if you would like to see how the 1000 lingas came about and why are they even there, then by all means go to Kbal Spean. It was said that the 1000 lingas were at the river bed so that the water is fertilized before being irrigated to the rice fields.

On the way down, we saw a tree which had it’s branches all over the place and it gave  that rattan chair look. Or probably it looked more like a throne made out of branches.

When we reached the foot of the hill, Siya mentioned that lunch was on the house ! and it was thanks to Mr Kunn !

Being on a budgeted/backpack trip, it’s always GOOD to have free things, especially food. Because places like Kbal Spean which is far from the main town, the price could be a bit steep.

For some reason, someone decided to show his true colours and started complaining about the variety of food -_-!

The food was free and he is complaining. Gosh, i really would love to see him pay more for all his future trips and then i will see who is complaining. This actually made me appreciate the girls more. Instead of having a hard time with the girls but i had zero complains from them.

Simply shows that the world is changing and guys can be as annoying as how girls were thought to be.

Anyway that didn’t deter me because it was the final day and i definitely wanted to enjoy myself.

*stays positive* oumm oummm oummmmmm

After lunch we continue on to a few more temples on the way back. These temples were slightly newer than the ones nearer to Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom.

After viewing the final temple which is probably the most modern out of the lot (you can see it’s made out of proper red bricks), we headed back to refresh ourselves.

We then adjourned to a nearby massage center for a full body massage. After 5 days of walking which included a crazy bus ride from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap for 8 hours, we definitely deserved a full body massage. Of course all these were pre-planned before we arrived in Cambodia. Ai Ling was initially reluctant to do so but after convincing her that it was damn expensive to have the whole massage parlour to ourselves, she finally gave in. Hehehehe.

We all had our legs washed first before being ushered upstairs.

The guys in one room and the girls in the other. On the mattresses were PJs for us to change into. I tried setting a timer for my trusty iXus but i was too slow and thus the awkward looking pose -_-!

I thought i felt all my limbs being dislocated and repositioned during the massage. We were even stepped on by the Cambodian ladies, LOL. What an experience. Of course, this can’t beat what Chiaw Yin went through, which was a spa treatment. Gila sial.

After the massage we went back to wash up again for dinner and just before dinner, that’s when we dropped by the orphanage as above.

Before leaving for Cambodia, we all agreed to actually eat lavishly on the final night and that’s what we did exactly. We were spoilt by the choices of eatery at PubStreet. This is a definitely recommended place for anyone who drops by Siem Reap. It’s just a road filled with different types of restaurants and the ambiance is really nice.

We dropped by the night market again to do some last minute shopping before heading back to Jasmine Lodge to call it a day.

The next day we had to wake up early and it was clear that everyone was kinda reluctant to leave.

Everything definitely went according to plan and this definitely wouldn’t have happened if there weren’t AirAsia in the first place. The only reason the whole trip was conceived in the first place was because we managed to get cheap tickets.

For those who plan to visit Cambodia and have the intention to drop by at both Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, i would highly recommend to go to Phnom Penh first then followed by Siem Reap

With this, i am happy to say the Chronicles of Cambodia has finally come to an end !

You can find all entries on Cambodia with the following link

The Chronicles of Cambodia

Coming from a closely-knitted family and being always stuck in front of the computer all day long, i never liked clubbing. In fact the ones in Penang are usually in town and i was living on the other side of the island, …

in a kampung …

… called Kampung Jawa.

The most happening place in Kampung Jawa was this mini mart called Sui Wah and that’s it. I grew up and left for my degree, Sui Wah grew up and it’s now Sunshine Square, still the most happening place around Kampung Jawa.

Shifting to Melaka and KL to further my studies did open my eyes big big, well it depends on how you interpret my sentence. I think i have gone to pubs and clubs in KL more times compared to Penang.

Actually in Penang i have only gone once … -_-”

That also my friend drank my share of the beer, swt.

Last year was the first time i attended Hennessy Artistry where Flo Rida was the main guest artist and i tell you that event alone changed my perception on clubbing and parties. That’s like a different class all together. I was there as a hired paparazzi photographer. People just kept tapping on my shoulder asking me to snap their pictures. At that point of time, i was still new into photography and it was a good training ground for night photography. I just learn/work better under pressure.

That night i remembered roaming around the place snapping and changing lens whenever a different artist appears and that got me thirsty. Tired you know.

Even with Angeline constantly reminding me not to drink a lot since it was free flow BUT it fell on deaf ears.

I first asked for a coke but probably the fella didn’t hear and poured Hennessy only. Not even mixed. Gulp down 2 cups and i felt one kind, lol.

That night i think i drank 6 cups all together and i think that’s my limit cause i wasn’t drunk or floating. So yeah i drank responsibly, lol. Enough of the drinking but Flo Rida definitely brought the house down !

The following year, i was invited by Yatz and since i had an extra pass, i dragged Mr Canon-in-D aka Wei Chung along. I have always told everyone i knew, that they should try to attend Hennessy’s events.

Though i was equipped with my camera but i barely took any photos. A few hours before that i was at my sister’s convocation in Melaka. My GPS made things worse. Searched for Bukit Kiara as a reference and it brought me to Seremban -_-” I was more or less tired when i arrived.

While i was enjoying the surrounding, suddenly i heard people saying, ” Eh look, mini jay chou.”

I was like who ?

Ok ler, he does have a slight resemblance of Jay Chou.

Wei Chung and Lih Ren. All three of us have known each other since end of 2003. Or was it 2004 ? Nevertheless, all kawan lama

Then Wei Chung was kind enough to offer me to take my photo which ….

… was a bad idea T.T

This Friday (02 Oct 2009) from 9pm to 3am, Hennessy Artistry is back with Paul Freeman, Hsiao Hung Jen, Boys Like Girls and Lenka will be performing Club Quattro KL. I was told that the free 100 tickets has already been given out but fear not.

Purchase 1 bottle of Hennessy VSOP to get 2 exclusive invites!
Purchase 2 bottles of Hennessy VSOP to get 5 exclusive invites!!

So see you there if you are coming

Speaking of partying and clubbing, the most recent one i attended was at Ministry of Sound for Juice’s Birthday Bash.

The main space in the middle shakes because of the crazy-ass bass and that makes everyone dance, lol. I was with Leang, Yatz, Lih Ren and Joshua. They kept telling, ” Snap only don’t worry !”

So yeah i went around snapping.

One thing i have learnt that night was don’t, don’t ever put maximum power for the flash gun. Why ?

Cause the artist would be flash banged for no reason >.<!

Bad move.

Joshua was showing me how to enjoy the songs, lol. Lih Ren and Yatz just stared in blurness

The dance floor was really vibrating like mad. So some of the people got onto the platform where the artist was and started dancing.

The girls that happened to snap earlier too got on to the platform and now only i realized why some of them were wearing sunnies. So that they won’t go blind if someone flashes. Wait, that sounds wrong -_-”

Then suddenly the rest of the fellas kept shoving me saying, wei look look on the stage. This couple was really get it on. Am i invading their privacy ?

What do you think ?

This entry is kinda sketchy, like no direction. First there was the zaman purba story of my kampung and then suddenly got girls dancing and couples kissing. LOL.

Btw my kampung is damn real, ok. Not made up one.

If you come to Penang, do find it. You can’t miss it. It’s near Intel and Agilent

See you all on Friday

P/S: Dolphin is invading KL this weekend ! Roti telur satu !

These past few weeks i have been busy with traveling up and down from Penang and KL that i have neglected my blog for quite sometime. Somehow or rather, i still managed to slip in an entry or two before it starts piling up like a few months back.

Last Thursday, William and i attended the relaunching of Zouk which was under renovation for quite sometime. There was a huge crowd waiting at the entrance though there was a light shower and once the opening act was done, everyone rushed in I even met a couple of former course mates and we all rolled together since one of them is familiar with the place.

We left close to 1am plus.

… the following day i was off to Penang to meet up with MMU’s hockey team to snap a few pictures for them. As much as i try not to return home often but for some reason, i just love being at home especially ever since my bed over here is kinda pointless. It’s as good as sleeping on the floor. Ever since i shifted i have tried to find reasons to be back in Penang

Same goes for this weekend and the following weekend.

This weekend i will be joinig Bernard and Chiaw Yin in Penang Food Hunt. I am not really sure what are we suppose to do but the idea of being in Penang and food never made me think twice I remembered reading about it on a blog that is heavily publicized by Eunice. I found out Jiin is joining too, lol.

The following weekend i would be attending this event, ‘What a Bloggiful World!‘. Ai Ling messaged me and asked if would be able to make it. So happened that would be the last time i would be back in Penang for 2008 before eventually returning a week before my Cambodia trip early in 2009.

For those who has no clue on what this event is about can find out more at RoundEgg.

It’s a gathering for bloggers by bloggers and mind you, looking at the list of sponsors you would definitely be taken up. So if you are free that weekend, regardless where ever you are do try to come

Venue : Paradise Beach Resort
Date : 14th December 2008
Time : 12pm sharp
Attire : Smart Casual
Registration : RM10

I am pretty sure you would be wondering what about the food …. Ai Ling confirmed that it would be a buffet, an international buffet to be exact. Ten bucks is definitely a bargain, especially when you get to have an international buffet as well as meet up with new people.

For more detailed questions, go bug Ai Ling. LOL

Oh ya, did i say i was at Skytrex a couple of weeks ago. I didn’t manage to get much pictures cause i was too busy struggling to balance myself on eye blinding ropes, LOL. I must say it was one heck of a work out and i personally love the flying fox. There wasn’t only one but many flying fox.

I will write a more detailed entry of Skytrex soon For information and bookings, you can contact Julian at 013-2769841. Please call a few days before you go and not on that same day itself

It’s not easy adjusting your body clock when everything has been changed upside down. Night becomes day, day becomes night. All this will last for another week before i head back to Penang.

Life here isn’t that all wonderful especially when the sun sets. Weather is always on the extreme. If it’s cold, it’s eye popping cold and if it’s hot, it’s scorching hot. Everything closes early and don’t get me started with the food.

The food is either too oily or they just don’t taste right which has resulted me in storing tonnes of biscuits and loaves of bread. Things aren’t cheap either. From simple house chore equipments to books, all overpriced.

If only i had a car, i would be terrorizing the roads like a maniac. Hahaha. Most of them drive big cars over here and some take it to the next level by pimping their rides

… and if you are lucky enough, you would see one of these …

… that’s right … a Kembara

If you haven’t known already … welcome to …

Putrajaya

William called me out last night and after having dinner, we decided to run riot around Putrajaya. Too bad there weren’t much people around to notice us since it was close to 10pm >_<”

So we walked around snapping pictures of buildings which still isn’t my cup of tea. I just have no idea on what angle should i snap but then again it was a good outing. At least, i got to try panning and HDR shots thanks to William.

Mr William aka Mr Month of May for Nuffnang

Time to watch The Great Debater