Steps of Bayon Temple

I just received this photo from Chin and I will like to share how steep the stairways of the temples are. This was taken at the second level of Bayon Temple and that's me in a very unglam situation. The staircase is almost vertical!! I have to make my steps down very slowly! The stairways at Ang Kor Wat are even more steep than this but the authorities have already closed off the 3rd level area as a tourist fell to his death last year.

Photo Credits : Kenneth Chin

My favourite shout out and blog entry

For memories sake, I am saving my shout out in Friendster (09/04/2007 till 31/05/2011) here.

Qn:"Before the right Prince Charming finally comes, how many frogs must we kiss?"

Ans:"Never trust gypsies, kissing frogs does not help Prince Charming to appear. Frogs don't turn into princes, they usually end up in the pot for frog porridge!09/04/2007

I am also saving my favourite blog entry here. I wrote it after a trip to Korea and I took group tour! There was a family who left a deep impression on me, even till now.

Highlight Five - Affections

Filed Under (Uncategorized) by missyd on 17-02-2007

There is one particular group of persons who had left a deep impression in me during this trip. There is this family of five consisting of the mummy and daddy, the eldest son (24 of age), the daughter (21 years old) and the youngest son (15 years old).

The affection and love that they display and the way they showed care for each other has touched me. Till now, I still remember that happy look on their faces and I can’t help but feel a pang of envy. We all have families of one kind or another and the affection we share with them, often taken for granted, is among the most precious things we have.

I came across this article titled "Touched" written by Hwang Ho Yeon. It says (extracted) >>

Genuine physical affections are far more than bodily contact. It is a meeting of minds. In a world constantly getting smaller but seemingly as far away as ever from an end of sufferings, we may need true physical affections more than ever.

Bye Friendster, I am not taking my blog and photos! You can have it!

Bye Friendster!

I heard Friendster is going through a revamp soon! All the blogs, photos, comments and testimonials will be deleted!!

Statement by Friendster

“Your Friendster account will not be deleted. You will still have the same email login and password in the new Friendster. Also, your list of friends will be preserved, along with your basic profile information. However, all the photos, messages, comments, testimonials, shoutouts, blogs, forums and groups that you may have now will no longer be part of your account by May 31, 2011.

We understand that your photos, blogs and other private data are important to you. An application is available in the “Apps” section of the site, until May 31, 2011, to help you download or export them securely to third party sites, such as Flickr or Multiply.

If you do not wish to keep all this history or information, then you do not need to do anything. Whether you use the Exporter or not, your Friendster account will not be deleted. Your list of friends will be preserved, along with your basic profile information. Your wallet and games details will also remain unchanged

One of the blog entries that I penned after I came back from Hanoi. Cambodia reminded me of Vietnam.

We are blessed

Filed Under (Uncategorized) by missyd on 25-12-2007

A recent trip to a third world country, Vietnam, made me feel more appreciative of what I already have. The children in Hanoi do not play with playstation, nor do they play with Fisher Price toys. They mostly roam the streets and play with whatever they can find. And sad to say, most of them start working at a very tender age. Perhaps that is why we do not see any book stores? My gaze stopped on the stuffs on my (currently very messy) table; my PSP, digital camera, N95, ipod Nano, PC and some Christmas gifts. These are things that most us will have taken for granted and wouldn’t think twice about it. Aren’t we blessed?

It could have been due to poverty circumstances, some of the vendors and taxi drivers we met were really dishonest. They claimed that they have no change and refused to return us our money. One of the taxi drivers even tried to cheat us by claiming that the taxi meter is in USD, and not in Vietnamese Dong. And if you want to buy anything from the shops, you have to bargain for it. My colleague, Tam, told me that even the locals themselves have to negotiate for the prices!

Let’s start counting our blessings!

I entered the Canon Photo Contest!!

About the Contest
Wow us with your best New Lifestyle Experience!

Experience for an IXUS Contest

Trade your new experience for a shot at an IXUS!
Photograph something or someone extraordinary, a place or event that was a real-eye-opener, or an experience that was simply mind-blowing. Write a caption for it and share it with us for a chance to win an IXUS!

This is the photo that I have submitted. http://www.flickr.com/photos/technicaltango/5712798978/
This was taken at Tonle Sap Lake, Siem Reap. I feel that this is a suitable entry because 1) it is a new experience (to me) to see the daily life of the local fishermen, 2) tour Tonle Sap Lake which is listed under UNESCO! and 3) after visiting a third world country always makes me re-think about my life priorities and remind me to be thankful for everything I have.

Please VOTE for me!! Thank you!!

Crocodile farm (home style!)

Our tour guide took us to visit a crocodile farm in a Cambodian's home! How do you feel about having a neighbour that rears crocodile for a living?

IMG_1726 Resize, originally uploaded by Technical Tango.

Tonle Sap Lake and the Fishing Village

IMG_1529 Resize, originally uploaded by Technical Tango.

The Tonlé Sap is the largest freshwater lake in South East Asia and is an ecological hot spot that was designated as a UNESCO biosphere in 1997.

The Tonlé Sap is unusual for two reasons: its flow changes direction twice a year, and the portion that forms the lake expands and shrinks dramatically with the seasons. From November to May, Cambodia's dry season, the Tonlé Sap drains into the Mekong River at Phnom Penh. However, when the year's heavy rains begin in June, the Tonlé Sap backs up to form an enormous lake.

Angkor Wat means "City Temple"

The highlight of the trip - Angkor Wat. It was also the 4th temple that we visited in a day. By then, we were all tired and parched. I had exhausted most of my energy at Bayon Temple. If there is a chance, I will like to visit Angkor Wat again.

IMG_1186 Cropped, originally uploaded by Technical Tango.

Angkor Wat is a temple complex at Angkor, Cambodia, built for the king Suryavarman II in the early 12th century as his state temple and capital city. As the best-preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to have remained a significant religious centre since its foundation – first Hindu, dedicated to the god Vishnu, then Buddhist. It is the world's largest religious building. It has become a symbol of Cambodia, appearing on its national flag, and it is the country's prime attraction for visitors.

Bayon Temple

IMG_1008 Resize, originally uploaded by Technical Tango.

The Bayon is a well-known and richly decorated Khmer temple at Angkor in Cambodia. Built in the late 12th century or early 13th century as the official state temple of the Mahayana Buddhist King Jayavarman VII, the Bayon stands at the centre of Jayavarman's capital, Angkor Thom. Following Jayavarman's death, it was modified and augmented by later Hindu and Theravada Buddhist kings in accordance with their own religious preferences.

The Bayon's most distinctive feature is the multitude of serene and massive stone faces on the many towers which jut out from the upper terrace and cluster around its central peak. The temple is known also for two impressive sets of bas-reliefs, which present an unusual combination of mythological, historical, and mundane scenes. The current main conservatory body, the Japanese Government team for the Safeguarding of Angkor (the JSA) has described the temple as "the most striking expression of the baroque style" of Khmer architecture, as contrasted with the classical style of Angkor Wat.