Happy New Year Everybody!
Best wishes for 2007

Interesting!

Yesterday

Lunch at Freebird to which B showed up having narrowly avoided crashing with helmet-less C on the back of his bike. He got a blowout at 60 kph. Luckily he knew enough not to grab the brakes which is probably what I would have done. Now I know - don't brake with a blowout.

I went to "New World Beauty" recced by J. It was fantastic - I got my hair fixed. It is now a delicate / flaming auburn which I love, rather than a crappy shade of mousy brown.

Movies and beer with B as usual.

On a more serious note - I am being invaded by ants. Everywhere I turned the feckers are there. I spray and spray and spray but to no avail. They turn up repeatedly for the past four days in the sink of the upstairs bathroom. That is weird - are they after my toothpaste or perhaps a spot of mouthwash? I do not understand for what they search up there. Their lust for the kitchen can be easily explained but the bathroom... Colour me perplexed.

Stephen's Day

So hungover.

Watched movies with B.

That was pretty much it.

Christmas Day

Well Christmas Day began with B and I running around like headless chickens trying to find sellotape for wrap our Secret Santa gifts. Eventually it was found in the last place I looked - hardy har har eh! After stopping for Champers and cash at the supermarket and bank respectively, we headed off to C's Champagne breakfast which was loads to the gills with fine food and drink. The Christmas celebrations got off to an early start!

After fielding many questions about B's marital status and disappointing many chickies and drinking copious glasses of champagne - interspersed with coffee, fruit juice, beer and other bevvies we headed off to the Pav where the water was cool and the seats were plentiful. I managed to get myself told off twice by the owner for talking to loudly but hell it was Christmas.

After much relaxing we headed off to JB's where we awaited our turkey with eager anticipation - so hungry at this stage with brekkie just a distant memory - having a few drinks out of the copious stash that we liberated!

Movies, turkey and drinking followed and the next exciting thing was my managing to get locked in the bathroom. After much shouting and "kick the door down" statements, someone threw in a knife and I unscrewed the handle and got out of that small but clean loo. The whole process took about 40 minutes - excitement city!

All in all it was a good Christmas. Would have fancied a kiss from Mr Blond but wasn't to be. Next time! B and I brought much drink back to our place.

Christmas Eve

Got a disasterous haircut for $25 but that's life. On the other hand I got a fabulous facial. I fell asleep during the treatment - very relaxing. Went to Elsewhere for a barbeque with B and the Aussies. Good times but as has my bike with me it was quite an early one!

Snow is not falling all around,
Children are not playing,
Although they may be having fun.
Here it's not really the season for love and understanding
But Merry Christmas everyone

Planning for Christmas

Christmas should not be this hard to plan. Wouldn't it be nice to be in a cold climate surrounded by family and friends and eating roast lamb with mint sauce and broccoli *drool*. Instead I'm negociating with different factions to try and achieve some agreement that is agreeable to all. I know I took on the task myself but I feel like complaining!

I made a Christmas playlist from Alvin and the Chipmunks to the Pogues to Band Aid passing by classical and Perry Como. It, alternatively, knocks me down and cheers me up. I was never into Christmas songs at home because it's all you hear from Hallowe'en.

Weird times my friends!

D left ...

OK so I got over my mortification mainly cos I don't overly dwell on such things. More to the point D has left Cambodia and I have no one quite as crazy to hang out with.

• Who will I chase around the city screaming "I kill you" when she is about to send a text?
  
• Who will I send "A Barry's and goss now"?
  
• Who else would hold a fugly party?
• Who will nag me now?
• Who will lie so convincingly "of course he likes you"
• Who can live vicariously through now?
  

I miss D!

Morto

Yes today am well morto.

Went to my cute doc for paracetamol and oral rehydration salts (best cure when one is feeling delicate). Luckily we both ignored the copious number of texts D had sent yesterday asking him if he likes me (I'm cringing just thinking of it).

Need to bury head in sand for the next week.

D's last trivia

Oh D and I went to trivia and didn't win which was a pity as D is leaving Cambodia for good on Sunday - quite annoyed about that actually - her departure rather than the quiz. Was knackered but she decided that she was coming back to mine to drink some more and bitch about boys. Of course disastrous text messages followed (and you can never take them back) and I knew I was going to wake up morto but the mood we were in, there was only one thing for it - Dirty Dancing, staple of dumped girls everywhere. We oohed and ahhed at the gorgeousness that was Patrick S and the naiveté of the Jennifer G.

Sunday

Well after a delicious breakfast in "The Shop", it was definately time to sleep. D and I planned to get four hours and then head to the "pav" for a bit of sun, pool and sleep. I woke up at the appointed time but D needed more so I just headed out to forage for food and bevvies.

Saw M + L and M at "Flavours" which is not entirely surprising because the only way M could live there more is sleeping on the floor. Ate, drank and was merry until the night before started catching up. Zzzzzzz

Once home I fancied some light entertainment so I popped in Pirates of the Carribbean 2 and was I ever disappointed - tired gags, lack of originality, fundamental misunderstanding of the character of captain Jack Sparrow etc.

Memo to film moguls - "Special effects do not a good movie make". Learn it, live it!

After that monumental disappointment I headed to bed, mourning the character of Jack Sparrow - formerly the best pirate ever.

Saturday night / Sunday morning

Well I would post some photos of a great weekend but unfortunatly D's camera ran out of batteries and I forgot mine. After my entry I was heading to the panto which was great in parts but left much to be desired in others. After the panto we ate - French - and finally I got everyone to agree that karaoke was an excellent idea and that we should go now.

We sang out little hearts out - some people didn't even need a mike. Met up with some people from work - one of them fancied D and he invited us back to his for a nightcap. Fastforward a little and its ten in the morning - we are finishing the last of the beer and decide its time for breakfast.

I skipped the intrigue of "I never", the pashing of the motodriver, and other assorted comedy because what happens on P's terrace, stays on P's terrace - Vegas rules baby!

Of pantos

Sitting in the sun after an easy night last night. For once I got home before 3am so I count it a victory. Nevertheless it may turn out to be a big one tonight - going to a Christmas panto in 35 degree heat. It does not seem like Christmas but it should be fun regardless - I know half the cast. And I believe that we are going to karaoke afterwards for an night of off key singing! Fun fun fun!

There is an ant on my screen but I've decided to be magnanimous and not kill it. The rat should be gont to that big grainhouse in the sky at this point - one can only hope!

Today life is good - probably because I'm not missing several hours of sleep!

Grrr Arg

I hate Microsoft with the passion of a thousand suns!

In other news, the rat is back. Perhaps it is not the same rat as I believe that creature was taken care of (and not in a Julie Andrews way), but a new loathesome beast who stalks my desk and delights in consuming my papers and marking its territory. But alas for the beast, it is my territory and I shall triumph!

I'm back on the blog - been gone a while

Well it has been quite a while since I blogged. I've been so busy these last few weeks with hair-pulling frustration and excruciating deadlines. Life's been so stressed for ages that I'm not sure what to do now without the constant pressure of International Volunteers' Day is relieved.

The day itself - that is to say yesterday - was a very mixed bag. It was both a moderate success and a total failure. Most of the celebrities that were to show up did and even the minister made an appearence although it was touch and go for a while. The failure came from the lack of participants. Essentially the Cambodian equivalent of Brad and Angelina came to our event and they were addressing a crowd of moto drivers and not even a particularly large crowd. The stage was excreably managed and our partner NGOs fucked us royally. Nevertheless I am delighted to see the end of the event.

Although I have been as busy as a rabbit in mating season, my friend M from Paris came to visit. It was delightful to see him and I believe he enjoyed himself and even made a new friend. We went snorkling/diving and motoing in Sihanoukville, where we also enjoyed the happy pizza! After two days we left for Kep, where we met up with the gang and much fun was had. M and I may have been a little childish throwing water on our sleeping friends but no one was too pissed off with us.

There's been quite a bit of partying lately which although enjoyable does tend to take it out of one. Looks like next weekend will also be a big one!

Kep

Sihanoukville

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

The rat IV: the vermin's revenge

It is in the office with me right now. I am quite disgusted. A giant rat who favours my desk is here with me. I'm leaving early today methinks.

The rat killers' are coming in tomorrow to take care of business.

Have a good weekend!

The real Cambodia?

The one thing that everybody knows is that Cambodians are a gentle people. Forget about the Khmer Rouge, when it was kill or be killed, and people used machetes because bullets were precious. As an foreigner, the people smile and seem almost shy. Tourists declare that Cambodians are so kind and gentle. I do not disagree but I think that this is a veneer on the anger and pain that is in every facet of society. There is horrific violence between Cambodians.

I have just read through four days worth of newspapers and saw several references to child rape and subsequent murder often by members of the victim's family. The anger in Cambodia is almost palpable. Some examples are below.

• On suspicion of stealing a gold necklace, a 25 year old man was beaten to death despite being in police custody
• Two suspected chicken thieves were hacked to death
• Policemen beat up two children and a political activist
• A 12 year old boy was jailed for raping a 9 year old girl
  

This is an uncommon week - normally there are wife-beatings, shooting of beer girls, greater numbers of child rape and murder. The unfortunate conclusion is that the crimes are being under reported.

The people are gentle but it is skin deep.

Rats III: the gross out

On Sunday, a woman went boating taking with her some cans of coke which she put into the refrigerator of the boat. On Monday she was taken to the hospital and placed in the Intensive Care Unit. She died on Wednesday. The autopsy concluded she died of Leptospirosis. This was traced to the can of coke she drank from, not using a glass. Tests showed that the can was infected by dried rat urine and hence the disease Leptospirosis.

Rat urine contains toxic and deathly substances. It is highly recommended to thoroughly wash the upper part of soda cans before drinking out of them. The cans are typically stocked in warehouses and transported straight to the shops without being cleaned.

A study at NYCU showed that the tops of soda cans are more contaminated than public toilets (i.e.) full of germs and bacteria. So wash them with water before putting them to the mouth to avoid any kind of fatal accident.

Rats II: the revenge

And the rat is back.

Everyday this week I get "presents" on my desk. It is thoroughly repulsive.

Upon strolling into the office today, I found the secretary rumaging through my desk without so much as a by your leave. Oh yeah today's going to be great...

Rats

There is a rat in my office. It has defecated on my papers and left puddles of urine on my desk. Apart from being shudderingly disgusting it is also quite unsanitary. The office assistant will get an exterminator in during the weekend. The most repulsive aspect is that I ate off my desk regularly when it was too hot to go home at lunchtime.

So grossed out right now.

Work so bloody frustrating

I share a printer with the office assistant and the intern and I occasionally print out my work to proofread in the old-fashioned way or an article that I am particularly interested in. Each time the fucking office assistant will look at what I've printed out and ask where I got it and what am I printing. It is so bloody frustrating. I can't ever think to print out something personal. I have a separate office so he always gets there before me.

Today was the last straw. I found him and the intern with a page each in their hands reading something I had written and cultural differences be damned - I finally told me to stop looking at my stuff. He got offended by Cambodian standards which means he dimmed his smile a fraction and doesn't seek me out as his personal career counselor. This will last a total of one hour. Its so frustrating to always have to pretend to be bright and sunny for every shagging second in work

Going to scream *SCREAMS*

Drinking

My colleague came up with the perfect phrase to describe expat life in Cambodia

"If I wasn't married, I'd be an alcoholic"

Ponder on that for a while. The booze is cheap and there is little else to do ...

Adultery

Recently an adultery law was passed. Break this law and spent up to one year in prison for men and women. It is, as usual, a political move targeting FUNCINPEC party leader Prince Norodom Ranariddh, who is divorcing his wife and is reportedly in a long-term relationship with another woman. The prince is the prime minister's latest target in the run up to next year's commune elections.

It is feared the law may also be selectively used against opposition politicians or others who ruffle the feathers of government officials. There is also a legitimate concern that corrupt police and courts will use the law as a tool to extort money from vulnerable women such as domestic violence victims who, if they try to leave their abusive husbands, may be accused of having affairs.

This is another example of hypocrisy from the government. It is widely acknowledged that all rich men have more than wife and many mistresses. In fact TV stars and singers serve as high class prostitutes to the rich and powerful. So much the much vaunted morality that government is trying to protect.

Life

The streets are quiet. It feels like an early Sunday afternoon at home. The UN are the only people at work today because of the festival of Pchum Ben. It is the Cambodian equivalent of All Saints Day and most of the residents of Phnom Penh have gone to the provinces. It is so peaceful here - also hard to find a motodop. Going to do a shop today as tomorrow *nothing* will be open. My bosses are considering letting us go at lunchtime - that would be excellent.

I am sure everybody has heard about the coup d'état in Thailand. As one of Thailand's closest neighbours, Cambodia remains unconcerned. Friends of mine are heading tomorrow towards the military coup and martial law when the general rule when it comes to civil unrest is participate or get the hell out of the way. Speaking of I hope D is OK in Budapest.

As there is no way to extend my contract here I am job hunting again. It seems like its all I do - hunt the wily job. I've already had an offer but they wanted someone immediately and it was part time. I want to finish out my contract here and then walk into a plush salary and a penthouse in Manhattan!

Anyway have a great weekend - eat, drink and be merry cos tomorrow there may be bird flu!

HELP - computer literate people out there

My IT guy just quit on me and left an unfinished website written in Macromedia and and CSS which may be the same thing for all I know.

Does anybody want to help me out by taking on unpaid work and finish the site? It's almost complete according to what he said. The job is relatively urgent and so if you don't have time - please don't offer!

Thanks! I'm on skype if you have questions

Vids

TocciOnline has another great video out - Gasoline from the people who brought you Preggers and D.R.A.F.T

It's hot here.

Arsenic and old lace

Not so much old lace as arsenic in the ground water. Yes indeed it was revealed last week that the Phnom Penh ground water is full of arsenic. Boiling does not get rid of it. I was wondering why my skin was glowing ... its bottled water from now on!

Slurping politely

Why does my colleague come into my office just to slurp his coffee at me? He doesn't drink it so much as slurps it out of a spoon.

I can't tell him to fuck off because it is not culturally acceptable where I am.

I'm trying to be polite and put up with it but eww gross

Broke

Apparently they sent an email but first I heard was at the staff meeting. No pay till 20th. We usually get it on the first so I am a little perturbed by this. They want to get us in sync with other agencies who get paid at the end of the month. I think there is an obvious solution here which is not being addressed

*expletive deleted* *expletive deleted*

Grey girls

Khmer Proverb No. 1
“A son is a diamond, a daughter a piece of white linen. If you drop a diamond in the mud it wipes clean again.”

Khmer Proverb No. 2
“Having a daughter is like having a toilet inside the house; one day you just know the smell will come”

Women in Cambodia

Meanderings

Getting blood taken from one's hand really hurts. Delicate veins bruise easily and five days later the bruise remains. It hurts even if it leaves interesting colours on my skin. I prefer the bruises on my arm - less pain.

Anyway I don't have dengue fever - just the flu - not even bird flu - just the normal kind - despite having had a flu shot at the beginning of the year.

Check this link out - if HP was written by ...

I'm glad it's Friday cos P is coming to visit and there's an Elsewhere party on tonight to which I may end up going!

Eight treadmills

I lost myself in a book last night. The story entranced me so that when I checked the time it was 5.45 am. Needless to say it was hard to get up so. So tired and am heading for home.

Check this out before I go: what would you do with eight treadmills?

Wednesday morning

I have changed offices because of the new Programme Officer which is fine - glad he's here. It's lovely to have another Irish person with whom I can talk. However now I'm in an office which is used for a conference room. That is fine but you have to go through mine to get to the other Programme Officers office and nobody closes the door. If you walk into someone's office and the door is closed do you not close the door after yourself. I spent most of my time closing doors and it can get irritating. Oh well such is liff (geddit?)

Watched American Dreamz which is bloody hilarious although it gets the usual Liberal/Conservative bashing on IMDB. I think a friend of mine was offered the role of Omer back in 2003 but refused it because he did not want to be typecast as a terrorist. It sounds exactly like the role he was on about in New York.

Apart from that, here it rains and I have stopped using air con at night - it's given me a cold. Might go for a massage at lunchtime as the new chair in the office is backbreaking.

Laterz

Arg

I'm being lectured by some 25 year old pissant secretary on how to write a formal letter. I am so pissed off. Bloody protocol all I want to do is scream my frustration but in Asia you can't - have to save face as if I give a flying fuck about all that.

Very pissed off

My friend and the spiders

What I did last weekend

We had our workshop in Sihanoukville for Wednesday to Saturday of last week and it was mostly good. Sihanoukville is a coastal town so there was quite the beach atmosphere even if it rained like Kerry in November. It was not cold of course merely pleasant and wet. I swam in the Gulf of Thailand and enjoyed it muchly.

I was giving a presentation on sexual harassment that was well received and prompted many questions from men and women alike. The most boring presentation was of course the one given by a government official from the Ministry of Planning. He abused Powerpoint severely and bored us all for 90 minutes by reading off his slides. I was doing the summary of the day and had his part completed before he had finished reading off the second slide, the second of 42 I add.

The only issue about the workshop was that the Cambodians stuck together at every opportunity. There was no mixing. The first night we wanted to go to a western restaurant and they refused to go and left without a backward glance. Their idea of compromise the following everning was to go to a Khmer place.

A Filipino told us how once dinner was organised at an Indian restaurant on his agency's night out. The Cambodia staff brought their families but when they arrived and saw that it was Indian they accused the head of agency of poisoning their children, and again, they left en masse. It seems like they think their children will really get sick unless they eat Khmer, which as I have mentioned is marinaded in sugar.

On Saturday I went to Kep which is as close to paradise in Cambodia that exists methinks. I stayed in a wooden cabin in the middle on a rainforest next to the ocean. The view was specatular and I really enjoyed myself. I met up with friends from Phnom Penh as well and met some new ones.

We have a new boss here - Mark - from Kildare, lovely man. It's great to have another Irish person around.

That's about it - I wish it were the weekend again cos I need sleep. Because of the workshop there was no lie in this Saturday. I want to rest in the arms of Morpheus.

Switch off

1. Don't forget to switch off the lights when you don't need them. Switching off 5 lights in hallways and rooms in your house when you don't need them can save around € 60 a year and avoid about 400kg of CO2 emissions per year.

2. It makes sense to switch to energy-saving light bulbs: just one can reduce your lighting costs by up to € 60 and avoid 400kg of CO2 emissions over the lifetime of the bulb - and they last up to 10 times longer than ordinary light bulbs. Energy-saving bulbs are more expensive to buy, but cheaper over their life span.

3. Remember not to leave appliances on standby - use the "on/off" function on the machine itself. A TV set that's switched on for 3 hours a day (the average time Europeans spend watching TV) and in standby mode during the remaining 21 hours uses about 40% of its energy in standby mode.

4. Have you noticed that the charger of your mobile phone, plugged into the wall, is warm even when it is not connected to the phone? This is because it is still draining electricity. There are estimates that 95% of the energy is wasted when you leave the charger plugged in all the time.

5. Air conditioners are real energy gobblers - an average room air conditioner operates at 1000 Watt, causing around 650gr of CO2 emissions per hour and costing around € 0.10 during this hour. Fans might be an alternative, otherwise use air conditioners sparingly and look for the most energy-efficient model.

6. By switching to green electricity in regions where citizens have the choice, you'll help strengthen renewable energy sources. Currently, only 14% of Europe's electricity is generated from climate-friendly renewable energy sources such as wind, hydro, wood, biogas, solar etc. - and demand creates supply! You may also want to think about fitting solar panels on the roof of your home.

7. Make sure to use the washing machine or dishwasher only when they are full. If you need to use it when it is half full, then use the half-load or economy setting. There is also no need to set the temperatures high. Nowadays detergents are so efficient that they get your clothes and dishes clean at low temperatures.

8. Try to use a tumble dryer only when absolutely necessary - each drying cycle produces over 3kg of CO2 emissions. Drying clothes naturally is by far the best way to do it: your clothes will last longer and the energy provided is free and non-polluting!

9. If you only boil just enough water for your cup of tea, you could help save a lot of energy. If all Europeans boiled just the water they needed, thus avoiding 1 litre of unnecessarily boiled water per day, the energy saved could power one third of Europe's streetlights.

10. Covering a pot while cooking food can save a lot of the energy needed for preparing the dish. Even better are pressure cookers and steamers: they can save around 70%!

11. Did you know that you save hot water by taking a shower rather than a bath? It can require up to four times less energy. To maximise the energy saving, avoid power showers and use low-flow showerheads, which are cheap and provide the same comfort.

12. Purifying water for human use takes up a lot of energy. If you turn off the tap while brushing your teeth, you can save several litres of water.

13. A dripping tap can waste enough water to fill a bath in one month, so make sure to check that they're turned off.

You might find that certain measures you take result in greater or smaller benefits for the climate system (and your purse). All the data used is based on averages, but the energy consumption of household appliances, the fuel consumption of cars, the size of homes varies greatly, and so do energy use patterns and even electricity prices in the EU. Neither the European Commission nor any person acting on its behalf may be held responsible for the use to which the information may be put, nor for any errors which, despite careful preparation and repeated checking, may have occurred.

Ta Mok

Ta Mok is believed to have carried out some of the worst atrocities of the Khmer Rouge. Ta Mok was expected to be one of the first people tried for genocide and crimes against humanity at UN tribunal which will start in the next few months. Yet he is given a hero's funeral. They say that because his ancestors were educated and moral people, there is no need to look at recent history. His death means that only one Khmer Rouge leader remains in custody. Of course the majority of KR officials and soldiers will never be brought to justice and even now when the tribunal appears to be finally going ahead the defendants are succumbing to age and dying off. Those KR officials in the highest levels of government say they support the tribunal but everybody knows who they are and what they avoid.

Of helmets

On Friday I had drinks with friends and we talked about how two of them were knocked off motorbikes and one girl looks very battered, and another would have sustained brain damage without the helmet. The battered girl got knocked off the next day by young thieves who stole her handbag. After that discussion I bought a helmet. I feel a bit weird having a motorcycle helmet on something that has the power of a moped but here I think safety first and it might cut down on the relentless mocking also.

My neighbour is moving to a less pricy place and has given me her oven on permanent loan. I am delighted. An oven will make a big difference. I'll be able to cook stuff - yay!

Happy birthday to me

Phones and morality

Cambodia was to have had the first 3G phone network in South East Asia. All the preparation was complete - the equipment is in place. But the prime minister (now in power for over 20 years) has decided that there is not enough morality in Cambodia to handle phones that take and transfer images. He has decided that the entire country must wait 10 years.

His reasons are that women will send pornographic images of themselves and thus corrupt pure and innocent Cambodian men. There are two issues with this. Firstly anyone can get porn these days - internet, books, magazines, $2 DVDs, and secondly blame the woman seems to be a standard strategy in this country. Picture phones and messaging does not corrupt morality - at least not on any sort of economy of scale.

Once again Cambodia loses an opportunity because its leaders ignore the progress to be made.

TGIF again

Life here continues as ever. It is a little cooler so I'm not as dependent on the air conditioner any more. Here's hoping my electricity bill reflects the situation. Somehow I think that it won't. Of course to counter that there is the monsoon but it generally rains between 3 and 5pm when I'm in the office. That takes the oppressive humidity out of the air!

I'm looking forward to the weekend. I plan to catch up on my sleep and tomorrow I'm going to the markets to buy fabric with some friends. We are going to get some clothes made. It is really reasonable here so we're taking advantage.

Well I suppose I should get back to work. I'm transcribing interviews I did before my trip home and am having trouble reading my own writing! Oh well I'll muddle through. There really is no good way to take notes for interviews. If you tape them, often the sound quality is poor and the batteries fail and if you write notes them you have to read your own notes. It's quite the adventure. I used to have goodish handwriting but since college it's gone a little downhill.

Have a good one friends

Guess who's back

Its been so long since I wrote - I may have forgotten how to post. I'm back in Cambodia after a very enjoyable trip home and one that seemed far too short. My brother got married in a beautiful ceremony and an excellent party afterwards. I went to Dublin and Kerry. I did not want to leave Kerry. It is so beautiful at the height of summer. I even felt sick leaving the place. I swam in the cold Atlantic and had a great time. It was just too short a time.

Oh well next summer perhaps... Anyway Cambodia is much the same as when I left. It is a little less warm - only noticeable at night - which is very welcome. The rains are still here and with them dengue and regular flooding.

I celebrated Quatorze Juillet at Elsewhere - a garden bar - and ended up in the pool for the first time ever. Copious volumes of wine were implicated. Many many French people were in attendance. And for the first time ever myself and Maggy were the last to leave and we were still up for partying so we tuktuked around trying to find a bar. We ended up - as always - in the Heart despite our general dislike for the place. Dancing and chatting followed.

I did get a little depressed seeing how many young Western men were with prostitutes and it really makes one wonder whether it would be the same with the men at home if prostitution was more widespread. I prefer to think that the freaks we see here are the exceptions.

After sharing our thoughts on the subject Maggy and I headed for a bar with a pool table and played till dawn. I did have a conversation with a guy who drove to Cambodia to France. That's a journey I want to do but Padraic is not up for it. I think it would be great!

Good Tuesday all!

Last chance

Anyone want anything from the wild East? Valium for a few cents, illegal DVDs, statutes of Buddha, or just some silk?

Today is your last chance to request!

Trivia

Well we didn't exactly defend out title as trivia champions at the lazy gecko. Oh well We came second. Our glorious night of triumph was not for this week - getting bored with it anyway. The antibiotics that the doc has me on prohibit taking advantage of the vodka for 50 cents at the lazy gecko but none of us were exactly on form last night anyway! Oh well girls night in tonight - chocolate, margeritas, and movies. It should be fun fun fun

Health facts

Did you know that malnutrition is the biggest killer in Cambodia and diabetes is in second place? Kinda ironic don'cha think?

It also rains

The good, bad, and ugly

Well I've not posted in a while because I've been on the road. I've been to Battambang, Bunteay Meanchey, Siem Reap, Poipet and Battambang again. It was of course all for work. The GIPA (Greater Involvement of People Living with HIV/AIDS) project is over and I interviewed the national UN volunteers in three provinces.

The Poipet and Battambang trip was to follow up on my child trafficking articles. So I've been busy. I've seen the good (Angkor Wat and other temples). I've seen the bad (colonies of ants in my hotel rooms) and I've seen some of the ugliest things you can imagine (a young child kowtowing for money, a six year old boy in rehab for glue sniffing, children trafficked for the sex trade in Thailand).

Da Vinci Code

Seen it yet? Well I suppose you should see it as its the movie that everyone will talk about I suppose but the Da Vinci Code is a poor movie. I refer not to the adaptation book to film because of course the book is better. The film stands alone as boring, poorly executed, and lacking in chemistry. I had to force myself to sit through it.

Tom Hanks and Audrey Tautou were acting by numbers. Never been a fan of Hanks but Tautou is better than that. Reno is off but still watched and McKellan is great, natch.

I wouldn't waste the money to go and see it, if you can bear to be left our of film conversations for the next couple of months.

Ciao

Virus

I caught a Khmer virus. I don't know how it is possible. I know viruses - I worked for an antivirus company. I don't open attachments or surf too many dodgy sites and I don't surf Khmer sites at all. I'm demoted to the crappy computer while mine is getting purged. It's a brand new virus so Norton didn't recognise or catch it. I deleted and uninstalled and renamed and did all the stuff I'm supposed to but to no avail. The first techie has given up after a day and her boss is now working on it. I miss my computer. It has music and funny videos and things to pass the time including my favourite song at the moment - "No hiding place".

Bank trippin'

I went to the bank this morning. It was sweltering at 8am. The phrase "rainy season" implies rain but so far we have seen precious little of it. Anyway the bank - again I went to Foreign Exchange to get the legal currency of Cambodia after the bank gave me dollars. When finished I waited in the car for the other girl and saw a weapons exchange in front of the bank. Two security guards had a few guns between them and exchanged two of them. Then an older man slipped a large bribe into hand of the bank guard. It was quite discrete but I had a vantage point. So I witness one former devastating issue - gun sales - and the current largest issue halting the development of Cambodia - corruption. All early in the morning.

Saving face

It's back to being hot with a touch of monsoon here today. It is pleasant basking in the cool air con. Life is better here when you're coming back from the gym at 7.10 am on the back of a motorbike with the wind drying your hair. I have just enought time to go home and have breakfast before heading to work.

I walk to work which is normal as I live two blocks from the office. In Cambodia no one walks because it would imply that they cannot afford a bicycle or motorbike. Saving face is a big deal here which is why you cannot ever lose your temper no matter how provoked you are by extremely ... rude ... people. In fact I was having a chat about global politics with people in the office and one of the girls said that Tony Blair would now resign. When I asked why, she merely said that he was losing face because he was so unpopular. I explained that most politicians will hold onto power with their fingernails despite their rating in the polls. It explains why defamation is such a serious issue here. May you all save face today!

Smells

It's a strange place to live when your neighbour's cooking tempts you into the kitchen and five minutes later you run for the bathroom retching because of the nauseating smell of the second dish. You light anti mosquito coils with lavender and try to breathe through your mouth but even your mouth can smell the odour.

I think it is impossible not to feel uplifted and sickened by the various odours that alternatively caress and assault your senses. In the city there is no fresh air. There is no escape from the smells.

HIV infections

Monogamous married women are one of the biggest group at risk of HIV infection in Cambodia. They represent 40% of new infections. It is culturally acceptable for married men to have affairs. Indeed, in Cambodia MBA does not mean Masters of Business Administration but Married But Available. It is also normal for them to go to sex workers from as young at fifteen, and indeed the majority of Cambodian men lose their virginity in a brothel.

There is a notion here that all the sex workers are Vietnamese because Cambodian girls are pure and would not enter into that profession. Because of intervention programmes, ninety percent of brothel-based sex workers use condoms and former clients are now going to massage parlours, guesthouses, and beer gardens to pay for sex. The women in these places are vunerable and are not in a position to insist on condom use. Indeed many beer girls have been shot merely for delivering a beer seconds late and the shooters go free.

Power dynamics in Cambodian marriages make it difficult for wives to ask their husbands to wear condoms. Poverty leads to spousal abuse and the disclosure of a wife's HIV status often results in same even if she contracted it from him.

There is a serious lack of knowledge regarding HIV infections and how it is contracted. International organisations and NGOs have programme to educate and empower and it makes a difference but cannot reach the entire population. Child rape has increased because of the belief that having sex with a virgin with cure HIV.

We do what we can and my job is communications officer. I have to write about it.

Water

Well the typhoon that killed sixteen in China and twenty fisherfolk in Vietnam has had virtually no effect on Cambodia. On Saturday it rained all day, which is unusual in this country. It was a gentle, soft rain that was a pleasure to walk under. The temperature is tolerable for the first time since I arrived. I did not have to use the air con while sleeping all weekend. We regularly have lightening storms too with little or no rain.

During rainy season which should be upon us soon, I am told that, it rains for a couple of hours, a couple of times a day. Monsoon rain is hard and hurts the skin. The waters raise very quickly - within an hour there often is a foot and a half of water to wade through. Dengue fever and Malaria are rife during the rainy season.

More photos

More photos - the last one is a carving above my friends door. The other three are views of or from my gym. So sleepy ...

Bon weekend

Have a great weekend - I'm off.

Public holidays

In Cambodia there are between 55 and 60 public holidays a year. Of course as UN staff we don't observe these holidays. Still that is a lot of holidays to have. The majority of people have more than one job to supplement their monthly earnings of $20, on which it is not possible to live. Corruption is the single biggest issue in this country. If that got sorted out, the country would boom much like Vietnam.

However, it's not happening.

Skies

So this is one of my balconies and a fierce sky that threatened rain all Saturday afternoon but instead delivered an impressive thunder storm!