Argggggggg

The day started really well as I got my Prince2 certification first time!

Then I did the worst interview ever. None of what I prepared came up and I've been preparing for days. It was all on the position rather than my ability to do the job. And it was all done with me smiling manically at a crappy webcam over a dodgy skype connection.

I really wanted that job - it was perfect for me. Stupid phone interviews with webcams - there's no time to think and you hear your voice echoing which makes it impossible to think clearly.

Well it's the dole queue for me in a few months I guess...

Well I'm off to drown my sorrows in beer and chocolate.

The youth of today

Sick of the youth of today - you're not the only one.

I went to Kep for the Water Festival. Most everyone I know got out of Phnom Penh as millions were diverging on the city. Kep was beautiful as always. I stayed at Veranda Guesthouse which consists of wooden cabins on stilts - pic number three is the outside of mine.

I have more photos taken with an analog camera which I will post when I get around to developing them.

Quite stressed at the moment as am so busy - exam on friday (no study done), interview on Monday (no prep done), three weeks to IV Day (virtually nothing done) and my boss if leaving and thus I'm organising parties - arggggg!

Motorbikes

I have a motorbike - well it belongs to the office but I have the use of it. Gotta say that I was a bit rocky starting off now now I've got it. No more near crashes for me. I can change gears, go the wrong way around a roundabout or a one way street. I can fill up the petrol tank.

Quite proud of myself actually!

Gun/ fire/ works

There were fireworks on Sunday night for the King's coronation and the former King's birthday. They were not particularly spectacular but the noise they made as they exploded into the night sky sounded uncomfortably like gunshots. The whole thing made me uneasy. I've never associated gunfire and fireworks before. Side effect of this place methinks...

A fraction of concern

Teacher arrested:

NEW YORK -- A public school teacher was arrested today at John F. Kennedy International Airport as he attempted to board a flight while in possession of a ruler, a protractor, a set square, a slide rule and a calculator. At a morning press conference, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said he believes the man is a member of the notorious Al-gebra movement.

He did not identify the man, who has been charged by the FBI with carrying weapons of math instruction.

"Al-gebra is a problem for us," Gonzales said. "They desire solutions by means and extremes, and sometimes go off on tangents in search of absolute values.

They use secret code names like 'x' and 'y' and refer to themselves as 'unknowns', but we have determined they belong to a common denominator of the axis of medieval with coordinates in every country. As the Greek philanderer Isosceles used to say,'There are 3 sides to every triangle'."

When asked to comment on the arrest, George W. Bush said, "If God had wanted us to have better weapons of math instruction, He would have given us more fingers and toes."

Aides told reporters they could not recall a more intelligent or profound statement by the President.

Drilling for fire

Our firedrill consisted of the-colleague-I-nearly-made-cry running throughout the building screaming "fire" at everyone. I sauntered down the stairs after locking my office discussing a weekend getaway with my boss and D. We joined the other some hundred staff walking to an unknown assembly point which was two blocks down the road. Then twenty minutes of hanging around while we reflected on the elements that make an effective fire drill.

• No fire alarm
  
• No checking that everyone left the office
• Nobody knew the assembly point
• No verification of those assembled
• No headcount

Fun morning eh ...?

Sick leave or leave off

I nearly made my Cambodian colleague cry last week.

He was sick but would not take time off, despite vomiting every few minutes and talking and breathing like a smoker on 60 a day. We were having a staff meeting and after a particular bout of hacking and gagging I told him that he was being irresponsible and that he would make us sick too. I had just attended a bird flu seminar so I had all the info on respiratory infectious diseases. I told him he should go home and rest - that's what sick leave is for.

After my words, he said, almost raising his voice, that I didn't appreciate his dedication and commitment to his work and that the office would fall apart without him. His lower lip wobbled and he fled from the room.

Cruel ain't I!

Religious right and development aid

USAID ceased funding CARE Cambodia last month leaving over 200 staff to find new work. This article is a fairly unbalanced look at why CARE amongst others had their funding cut.

Rats V - The Last Laugh

OK so today the rat killers' disposed of three rat large corpses - victory for the humans!

Hopefully there will be no reinfestation