Chankrisna

Life is full of adversity. There will be times when we ask ourselves, why in the world is this happening to me? No other human being has it worse! What have I done to deserve this?! I'm so tired of this life. We may not know it now, but everything happens for a reason. Only in the future then, can we look back at our paths, make the connections, and understand all that has come to be.

We all make mistakes one day or another. But you know what? Experience is what people call their mistakes. The choices we make may not always turn out as hoped. Everything is a learning experience, though the lessons of life are not always easy to accept, especially those that we have no control over. All we can do is learn from our mistakes and the wrong choices made, and aspire for a better tomorrow. For the rest, enjoy and appreciate each moment in its own sweet time.

Life has its cycles, like the spring, summer, autumn, and winter seasons that pass us by regularly during the course of a year. Like a tree, we must withstand the heavy rain, harsh wind, and chilling temperatures that we may encounter. Only through such adversities can a tree become stronger and survive to see the spring, and blossom to its full potential during the summer time.

Chankrisna means tree in Cambodian. Humanius est deridere vitam quam deplorare (from Seneca in Latin, it's better to laugh at life than cry over it). So courage in yourself, and keep smiling and laughing!

True Colors

Chatting around with my colleagues during a sunny spring day at work, I kid how a vacation would be welcomed at this time. Especially since I need to find my true colors. "The harsh and cold winter here has made me look pale", I say to them. My colleagues laugh at the irony of me needing a tan, and say "Hey, you're lucky cuz you're tanned all year". Well, only in Europe and America my chum friends.

In many Western countries, it is quite in vogue to be tanned. To Westerners, people who are tanned like myself represent a population from one of those exotic islands. We also represent those who seem fortunate to vacation and travel often to sunny destinations. There are numerous Westerners who spend quite a bit of their precious time attempting to look tan. Some Westerners have had great success in getting nice tans, while others, well, let's just say not everyone was created equal.

On the other hand, Asians in general, especially in Asia, prefer white people or light skinned Asians. To many Asians, being white is a sign of great beauty, high class, and elite. That's why we see so many white Asians on TV for instance. Even if a white Asian was not more handsome than a tanned person, the white Asian would nevertheless be considered more handsome. It is such a trend to be white, that in Cambodia, although this not healthy in the long run, many girls would regularly peel of their skins in an attempt to look white.

In the West, people try to look tanned, while Asians who are tanned try to look white. My friend from Senegal says it's the same thing with African girls. Hey, like Sting sings in his song "Englishman in New York", "be yourself, no matter what they (people) say." People who are truly sincere will see and accept our true colors shining through. So we shouldn't be afraid to show our true colors, like a rainbow ...

Public Opinion

Like everyone else, I have always been compared to people within my circle. Those who don't really know me, have been quick to judge me, not knowing the truth. Some of us don't go around bragging or venting of the things we do. We do the things we do to help people, not out to show off and impress everyone. Often, I usually ignore comments and opinions from such judgemental people.

Recently, whether it be stress or something else, I lost my cool and got mad. I mean, who are these people to judge us? Of course my reaction was uncalled for. People only see what we portray to them. For those of us who are discreet, people will always have a misconception about us. Sometimes I feel I have to prove to people or justify what I do due to all the misunderstandings and misconceptions. It is tiresome at times, and now it really does not matter anymore. I suppose that goes back to my post with regards to the Wickhams and Darcies of the world. We live in a superficial and materialistic world, and people will always look at the surface of a person, and not into them.

Dr. Seuss once said the following: "Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." It is true that we should never be enflamed with public opinion. With what people may say, some hold water, and some don't. Only those that really know us can truly understand and be of good judgement.

Running Out of Time

Patiently sitting and waiting for my plane to Copenhagen, I set my eyes upon the static blackTV screen: Copenhagen on time. No indication of boarding, yet it is almost time to board the plane. Sitting, waiting, I hear my name being called for boarding! So I rushed to the counter in order to board the plane. Apparently, the TV screen displaying flight information was not functioning correctly. So much for high tech.

This reminds me of last year when I had returned from Cambodia via Singapore. I had to transit at Singapore, and retrieve my boarding pass for my final destination. In order to retrieve my boarding pass, I had to take a number and wait to be called. Patiently sitting and waiting for my number to be called for over 2 hours, I see on the TV screen that my flight is boarding! I was running out of time! So I rushed to the counter in front of everyone to announce that I had to get on my plane and board. Immediately, I got my boarding pass and rode a golf cart with an Indian employee from Air Singapore. The man zigzagged the golf cart like Ralph Schumacher throughout the airport for over 1 km, while honking and screaming at everybody to get out of the way! "Hello!" "People!" "Excuse me!"

When I had first arrived to Cambodia, a cousin of mine had just passed away on the very same day. For those that believe in superstition, absolutely not a good omen for the rest of my vacation. So it was only fitting that my trip would end on a stressful note as well. My last trip to Cambodia is by all means one to forget. Although difficult at times, I have learned my lessons now, and so has the Airport of Singapore. It now seems that people are given their boarding pass right away upon transit. Upon my next trip to Copenhagen, I'll be sitting right next to the boarding gate ...

Upside down

I read this article with regards to an African country called Guinea-Bissau. Talk about things being upside down and opposites with the rest of the world. In Orango Island in Guinea-Bissau, it is the woman who proposes to the man for marriage. While a man in the West would get down on his knee with a ring to propose, a woman from Orango Island would prepare a distinctive and traditional dish with fish as a way of proposing to a man. Yet lately, some of the men have followed the ways of the West. Ever since then, it seems that the divorce rate has risen quite considerably? Many of the elderly suggest that the young generation should go back to the traditional matriarchal ways where women propose to men. They argue, women make better and stable judgement when it comes to marriage. Nonesense right? Right.

So Different?!

At first glance, my colleagues and I working in Copenhagen seem to be quite different from one another. Whether it is the way each one of us dresses, speaks, behaves, or our personal experiences, it is without a doubt that we are all unique in our own way. As a matter of fact, we all belong to different generations.

Yet, as we get to know one another, we are not so different after all. We all enjoy eating exotic food like sushi, Thai, and Indian food. In fact, I have come to learn that many of us have travelled and worked in Hong Kong. Consequently, we have alot in common when it comes to talking about travelling and Hong Kong. I always knew that "momentai" meant no problem in Cantonese. Now I have learned from one of my colleagues that "yaomentai" means big problem in Cantonese!

If we look deep enough and take the time to understand one another, we come to find that although we all are unique in this world, we do have many things in common. So regardless of what religion or country we may come from, we have so many similarities to build on. We should respect our differences, but use our common bonds and interests to build a better tomorrow for the common good.

Sushitarian

Every once in a while, as my friend always says and the saying goes in French, it is really nice to please yourself. If you dont pamper yourself, who else will right? So occasionnally, let me correct that, everytime my colleagues and I come to Copenhagen, we treat ourselves to some absolutely delicious sushi. I take a gourmet plate of sashimi thank you.

I have finally found her!

One of the most famous tourist attraction in Denmark is the statue of the little mermaid immortalized and inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale, “The Little Mermaid”. In the summer of 1995, my family and I were passing through Copenhagen. For hours we drove around the capital in search of this famous statue. Alas, we never did find the little mermaid.


For the past three months, I have been to Copenhagen seven times already. Rarely did I ever see the sun shine as much as this week. According to the kind and gentile taxi driver I met yesterday, he informed me that the little mermaid was not far off from where I was staying. Upon sunrise, I set out on foot with my camera in search of the little mermaid. On my way, I encountered numerous beautiful white swans, also immortalized by Hans Christian Andersen’s tale "The Ugly Duckling". After walking 20 minutes, and inquiring a kind Danish jogger, I finally found the little mermaid, seating upon a rock ...

I've Got Sunshine

Believe it or not, there's actually a sun in Copenhagen during the month of March! At the first sight of the sun's ray of lights, I rushed out of my hotel with my new reflex EOD350 to photograph whatever decent picture I may be fortunate to capture. Close to the harbor, I noticed I wasn't the only one with a camera. As I came across another photo hunter, we greeted each other with our respectful cameras in our hands. Rare is the sun in this harsh weather.

More photos here.

Zen

Have you ever been to a place and had peace of mind? When I first visited my new work last fall, I felt absolutely zen. I felt as if I were visiting a Japanese garden. The man-made lake is filled with numerous fish and ducks, to which my colleagues and I would feed everyday after lunch. Peace of mind you see. Zen it is.

Travels

Travelling offers us experiences that are absolutely priceless. It goes without saying that there are things not even books can teach us.

I remember visiting Brazil not long ago. Leaving the airport of Sao Paulo, everything was green and a jungle. I'd see the local police upon my arrival, but they looked more equipped than your local reserve guards or militia. Many of the apartment buildings were surrounded by walls that looked like prisons. Yet inside, people never lock their cars ... The people there were quite warm and friendly, despite the high crime rate. Everywhere you went and met someone, you'd see someone giving you a thumb up. I was like, me number one? But really, it was their way of greeting you and saying hi. Eating at a grill restaurant was even more interesting. The waiters would bring an entire piece of meat for you. Every 5 minutes, they would bring another meat before you could even finish. Sometimes, even an entire roasted animal! In America, we often talk about the melting pot. I can tell you one thing, Brazil is also definitely one big melting pot. Many of the married couples there are interracial marriages between the local Indians, Europeans, Africans, and Asians.

Hong Kong was interesting as well. Based on all the movies I have watched, I always envisioned Hong Kong as a city full of skyscrapers. Upon my arrival, what I saw were beautiful green mountains. The transportation is quite efficient, and simple since there aren't too many stations. The must see sight is Victoria Peak. It is not bad, but the most beautiful view is from one of those tall skyscrapers. The view from one of those buildings is simply and absolutely breathtaking. There's so much to say about Hong Kong, the nightlife, the food, the people ... once in a while you run into some celebrities. Supposedly, I once was eating desert next to some famous DJ, and ran into some TV host at a local restaurant. Cool huh? What impresses me the most about Hong Kong, is not so much the touristic aspect, but the cultural or camaraderie among friends. My friend there had a network of friends everywhere. We had someone to tour us in Shenzhen, and another person who specifically took the time to show us Macau! Wow, I felt quite special la. And in Hong Kong, friends are always fighting to pay over the bills, even when they’re broke or unemployed! Absolutely unbelievable.

Cambodia is different though since I had no expectations at all. When visiting a developing country, it is better to not have any, and just appreciate and enjoy each moment as they come. If anything, travelling to a developing country is an experience no book can teach you. One thing that really shocked me in Cambodia, is the camaraderie among men. I mean, men would hold hands or put their hands on your lap! If those things were to happen in the west, I’m sure I’d be running as fast as I can! You say crazy right? If we recall ancient history, it was very common for Greek men to be intimate then.

Ah, the joy of travelling and discovering other cultures.

Free at last ... Almost

One thing that has shocked many tourists around Paris, France, is the fact that public restooms were not free in shopping malls and other public places, contrary to America or maybe Hong Kong for instance. Say what you will about the nutrional meals by McDonald's, but at least the bathrooms were free for the many tourists visiting Paris! Nowadays, it is very common for many shopping malls to have public restooms. I must admit, I was quite surprised to learn this recently, and a good surprise it is. So all you tourists wanting to come to Paris, come on down. Fear not, there's a free public restroom near you just in case you dont have any change ... well at least in the shopping malls.