Bunly Meas

Mountain-carved Buddha statue in Phnom Sampov,  Battambang  Having born in a Buddhism country, Cambodia does not make me meditate by default. Meditation is one of the core practices of Buddhists; however, many Cambodians, including me instead, are culturally bound to religious rituals. The practice is primarily for devout monks, practitioners and scholars. Throughout my education from primary to undergraduate schools here, I never encountered any mediation teachings, not even once. That makes sense because I was not learning in Buddhist monasteries anyway! But socially, there is a belief that mediation is only practiced by those who scarify their lives to pursue a religious path. This thought alone kept me away from trying it. I have no doubts about the benefits of meditation. It positively impacts our mental and physical health. Thousands of scientific studies have supported that. Though knowing this in my head could not push me to sit down, close my eyes and focus on my brea...

One evening I sat down with a group of five farmers in Preah Vihear province. We had a discussion of how to improve our livelihoods when the nature is no longer nice to us. "If I own a pair of cows, I will plow my field and turn it into a vegetable garden. They also give dung for fertilizers, " a woman said. "But I will buy them after the next harvest season," she continued. "There is no water for rice farming during dry seasons," a man talked to me. "Even you bring us a canal, we are not sure if we plant rice," he frowned. "Why?" I asked. "Because our habit is to farm once a year, if you do, you will be alone and people's animal will eat your rice. I cannot afford making fences around my field," he said. Another man replied promptly, "Fencing is not a big deal, but water is." "I already do farming around a small pond, where water is almost empty during dry seasons," he said as if another source o...

Are you people who are looking for ways to work smart? If yes, you are with me. For years since graduation, I have been a desperate seeker for how to do so. And the result is I found 'none'. My workplace invests resources to make sure employees know how to work smart and therefore increase their productivity. And what I have learnt is 'none' again. So I keep searching. I found a guy, Shawn Achor, who seems to change my perception of working behavior. I normally go with this rhythm:  Work hard --->  Productivity ---> Happy. Now what I learnt is: Happy ---> Productivity ---> Work hard (smart) I think I got it right:  

A couple of months ago, I was stressful from work and had to finish housework. I was tired and had no feelings to do it. I had no choice but started doing it slowly. I focused solely on each step from start till end and kept aside my earlier stress. After an hour, I got my housework done and more significantly I felt better, relaxed and calm. I asked myself what I had done to release the work stress. The answer was by doing housework! I was not convinced although it worked. I then shared the story with friends on Facebook just for fun and forgot it. These could be tools to release stress. Until recently, I came across a film on Buddha's life produced by the BBC . There was a scene where Buddha at a young age went out of palace with his father to join a farming festivity. He carefully observed a farmer plowing the earth. He saw worms were dug up and eaten by birds around. His mind came to analyse ...

For most of us, we admire other people due to their successes. We even approve them as our role models. We love the way they behave and sometimes imitate to get at least feelings of similarities. This is not necessary bad to follow good people. As long as we plan to work hard as they do, we might get something and hopefully better things. But the issue here is normally we see only the bright part of our role models. We know them because they are shining. And we never ask about or do not have chances to see their back stages. People who are entitled 'successful' feel comfortable to offer advices about their hard work or unique ways to climb to the top. Sometimes, they forget to include 'what else' contributed along their journey. These could be family advantages, social benefits, economical demands, and political helps, to mention some big things. Of course they are smart people, but their incomplete advice could create a misunderstanding among their peers w...

While Brother number 2, Noun Chea, is on trial in Phnom Penh, I had a chance to travel 600 kilometers to see his bigger brother's court room. It was exactly here more than ten years ago where Pol Pot was sitting and listening to a court's sentence on his guilt. Now the wooden room has gone and left only a few pillars standing to welcome visitors. It seems abandoned even by its villagers. A guiding billboard with "Pol Pot was sentenced here" text might remind passers-by but it could not compete with the losing interest of the locals. Though, it is still useful for outsiders, for example, like me. Right next to the site, there is a small market and a Cambodian-Thai border checkpoint just a several meters away. I could observe from the location why Khmer Rouge related matters are buried and forgotten here. It is all about business and livelihoods. People tend to care more about the conflict between Cambodia and Thailand and the current ...

A street vender in Kompong Cham today asked me to try this special dish. "Brother one of these snakes will fit well with a can of beer," she suggested. I was not convinced as snakes are always my scary creatures. They do not look delicious although they were cooked with promising ingredient. "No thanks, just looking," I replied and left. Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

Last week, I was in Kratie province. What shocked me was the scene of a burnt market. It was the place I usually had meals any time I came here. But now it's gone! Local people told me it happened during midnight, and almost all stores were burnt into dust. Some people I saw were crying, but some were laughing as their hurt was too much to say! There was not much to see except smoke. So I decided to leave and let other visitors experience this sad view. Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.0

Then I headed to Kratie, another province stands by the Mekong River. It was a five-hour drive from Preah Vihear, and the journey was not really bad. I was accompanied with jokes and fun from my colleagues in the same car. And what really blocked my ears and isolated all my senses from the surrounding environment was my little pink mp3 player. It saved me from boredom and tiredness. When I arrived in Kratie, it was just another new page of painting flipping just in front my eyes through the car's windows. From a very dried and warm Preah Vihear province, now I encountered a landscape filled with green leaves and wet ground. That was a very sweet welcoming scene that made me stuck to complain about the long drive. The Mekong river contains its lowest water during this month, but this does not mean that everything around it should be quiet. The river bank was full of people jogging, selling varieties of fruit and food, eating, and chatting. (but I did not notice people smoking). ...

It was exactly one month last week when the border conflict erupted in Preah Vihear province. The situation is very calm now. People, who fled their homes during the conflict, are back and continue their businesses as usual. Though, the conflict is still the hottest topic of everyday conversations. But for me, it is not my visit's interest. I was there neither to visit the temple nor to find out what was going on. My purpose was to see my on-going environmental project's activities, helping farmers to adapt to climate change impact. It was my first time to actually be in the field and met project staff and farmers, who my every work is aimed for. I had a very good opportunity to learn from them and especially to see all beautiful sites. Below are some of the photos from the visit and check more here . This is one of the typical farmers' houses in rural Cambodia and notably they are renovated when people's incomes are increased.     A very convenient and c...

It has been a month since I started my work in a climate change project. I am not working as a climate change specialist but still a communication guy. Though, working in this project is my good chance to learn about this topic as the world is worrying about the global warming! Early this month, I had a chance to meet project staff from the fields of the two targeted provinces, Kratie and Preah Vihea. Those are the people who work directly with farmers and make results. I learnt a lot of their experiences through personal conversations. For privacy reasons, I will not show their photos here. But I still have some nice views of Kompong Cham, where I met them. (More photos, please see the photo section ) Waiting for the sunset or a boat? The bridge is for my cows too! Don't worry! We have the patrolling boats too!

Now Cambodians and Thais could cross each other's borders without visa. They could stay as tourists up to two weeks, and all they need are simply their passports. Just a week before the new agreement implemented, I had a chance to experience the border crossing without using my passport (I confessed I forgot at home) but ID card. The purpose was just to shop at the Cambodian-Thai friendship market located in Thailand. I had two options, one was to go for a Border Pass that allows me to stay in Thailand for a week and get it revalidated every week. The second choice was to get an Immigration Card that grants me rights to wander around the border market up to 8 p.m. I went for the second one as it fit with my plan. Instead of standing in the queue, I could sit. But my turn was not guaranteed. The card making process was simple: waiting, taking a photo, showing ID card, paying fee, and waiting again. It was not long, just around five minutes, but waiting in the queue before ...

This morning I went to a local bakery and bought my favourite bread for breakfast as usual. That is not the story of this post, by the way. But when I returned to the parking lot nearby, an exciting moment just caught my attention. A family of a husband, a wife and a small daughter were standing in front of the shop. They were scanning on some cakes. "Why don't we get in?" asked the husband. His wife did not answer but looked curious. "Do you think this shop is expensive?" she returned a question. "Yes, the cake could cost us as high as $10 or our meals for two days," he guessed with a sad impression. They stood still. But the little daughter cried for getting closer to all those cakes. They could not resist but let their little angel guide them into the shop. Shortly, they came out with a small birthday cake. I did not know to whom the cake was for, but I saw the little girl keeping her eyes on it as her father was carrying. They all smiled and ...

Today, I went to pay road tax for my motorbike. I found out that officers there were friendlier and more helpful. More importantly, they were more transparent! Thanks to the tax department, NGOs, and everyone for this improvement. Especially, a big credit to individual taxer for their commitment. Keep up good work! Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.0

I have heard that a combination of sugar, salt, and fat is perfect ingredient for many dishes. It is true and it makes most food companies become giants. However, excessive consumption of the bunch leads to health concerns. Actions and researches especially in the West have focused on solutions to the problem. In Cambodia, I would add another member to the group, super seasoning. It is simply a chemical substance that could fool our tongues and brains to accept more food than our bodies need. It is popular here and it is widely used at homes and restaurants. Unfortunately, I do not like it and I suspect it might harm my health. Any studies on that? Published with Blogger-droid v1.5.9

It is the second time this year that I heard about foreign entertainment companies planned to sue Cambodian firms for copying their work. It is applauded, by the way. Every time I listen to the current Cambodian music, I have the feeling of finding out where it is copied from. It is annoying! I could not relax with the music. That's why almost every month local firms are able to release at least an album! The number of album sung by a local singer exceeds even Michael Jackson's. Achieving that is very easy, sit down and copy. Those companies always complaint of pirate CDs copying their work, but they never admit their sin. Wake up, please!  If we put all the blames to the market or the audience, it is very wrong. Audience never like the copied ones although they prefer low cost. They would like great music, the one that they admire and appreciate! And if you tell me Cambodian music is invaded by foreigners' resulted from globalization's effect, it will never convi...

Last week the Vietnamese government banned online games claiming that they kept kids out of schools. The action revealed supports and doubts. In Cambodia, the State did the same thing earlier but later compromised to axe only on games with betting nature. Local online games in Phnom Penh become very popular among school kids. They make internet cafes more crowded especially the back sides. Visiting such a place one day, I encountered kids speaking strange terms, especially those from games. It is hard to say if those games are good or bad for kids. On one hand, they could access to new technologies and knowledge. But on the other hand, they isolate themselves from social participations, more dangerously from schools. So what is the right recipe? My experiece on this issue was with my nephew who finds it hard to refuse online games. " I just love the characters, the adventure, competitions,colours, music, and more," he told me. This everything leads him to sit hours there a...

It has been a while that I was told China is dominating the world's productions. And I agree with that. The media was surprised to report that China exceeded Japan to be the world's second biggest economy. But I do not feel amazed as everything around me has always alerted about that. I am not going to flood this post with statistics about China. Instead, I will tell you my shopping experience. I went to a market near my home for the first time after two years. I was both shocked and excited to see varieties of affordable goods. Most of them are from China! Even products imported from neighbouring countries, which supposed to be cheaper, have been washed away. Now my wife could buy her shirt from 1.5 to US$ 3 instead of 10 she did before. And I could halve my spending but receive more loads. You may think about quality, but I assure you that they will last to the time you need newer ones. While I was bargaining, there were Chinese wholesalers asking store owners to try ne...

Today I went to a Cafe near my home. I joined a table with two men. They were trying to find an address but could not make it. They kept complaining of difficulties navigating through city roads. Suddenly, there were two foreigners biking passby and their eyes were occasionally scanning their colourful maps. The moment left a discussion topic for the two guys. "Why didn't we use a map? we could have found the place easier," asked a man. "Come On, maps are not for us," shouted the other man. "We are the local, we have many other ways," he continued. The conversation went on and finally they concluded that maps would never become their choice. I asked why and they simply replied that "maps are complicated to use". I came home and kept thinking about their words. I took out all my maps to find out why they are complicated. At a first glance, I wondered how a user-friendly map should be made as it is already clear. But later, I notice...

I call my home a construction site as we renovated it last week. My family and I did not agree on where we would stay during the renovation. We ended up with a comprised solution by staying upstairs while the downstairs was being constructed. The work began and more than half of the house space was full of dust, sand, cement, and tools. Even on our reserved floor was too dirty to stay. So at the end of the day, we cleaned and removed all unwanted things before we slept. It took us two to three hours to tidy our bedding area after construction workers left. The main concern was our health. We breathed dust in, we walked on nails, glasses, and tools which injured us several times. This went on for the whole week. Finally, it was over. We sat down and discussed on the experience. Now everyone realizes the difficulty of not moving out. We come to a conclusion of not repeating next time. The experience was a good lesson, though. Published with Blogger-droid v1.5.1