Cambodian New Years 2011 – The other days

I forgot to blog this on the 24th, like I did on my site.

I’m writing this late. I forgot to write about it until I looked through my phone’s camera. For the 16th and 17th, I went with some relatives to the temple in Stockton for New Years. It was the first time I went there. The temple was nice. It was a big area. There was a lot of walking involved. There were many things to see. I really liked all the statues that were there. They were colorful and beautiful. There was a lot of people and there were also police officers patrolling. There were also people who were not Cambodian, so that was cool to see. I don’t know if they had relatives who are or if they just wanted to see the festivities, but it was nice to see others taking an interest in the culture. There were a lot of people taking pictures and filming, so I didn’t feel so weird taking pictures. When I went to the temples in my neighboring cities, I was afraid to even take out my phone to take pictures. I snapped one or two because no one else was doing so. I thought we weren’t even allowed to since no one else did so.

Anyways, there were food sales, processions, dancing, and other events. I didn’t stay long enough for most of them. There were booths set up for selling food, beverages, snow cones, Khmer DVDs, and whatever else that was being sold. There was a monk procession. In all honesty, I don’t know what it was for, but I’m thinking it has something to do with a blessing or a worship. Maybe it had to do with an offering or a donation. I’m not really sure. It’s too bad that I didn’t bring more money with me! All that walking made me tired and hungry! I think I gained at least ten pounds from eating the food that I ate. There was also dancing. People were gathered around in a central area and danced to music. I think it was mainly the elder adults who went to dance. It was nice to be there. I don’t usually do anything for New Years. The last time I celebrated or attended a celebration was when I was 13 years old. I hope to be able to do so again next year. I want to go again.

What size do you wear?

I really don’t like when people want to buy me clothes as a gift or just buy them for me in general. Different brands fit differently, so it’s hard to determine the right size. I have been in situations where my size in one brand does not fit me in another brand that is the same size. Most of the time, getting asked what size I wear happens at work. They usually buy us some kind of clothing item for the holidays or other events. You’d figure that when it says adult size, it would be slightly bigger. Adult sizes are usually big. As such, I’d tell them my size only to have the clothing item not even fit me because it was smaller than expected. Well, it fits, but it conforms to my body too well. I’d like to have some breathing space for my skin. That’s why there are fitting rooms in stores. Of course, at work, it is generally meant to be a surprise. Surprise, it doesn’t fit! I appreciate the effort, but it would be nice if we could try it on first. For women’s sizes, it is still small even though it says it’s a bigger size. I was at Wal Mart the other day with my siblings. We saw some of the shirts on the womens’ side that had designs on them. I picked one up and said, “Look how small this is even though it says XXL!” My sister replied, “Damn that is small!” At first, we were looking at the mens’ side at their designed shirts. Both my sister and I said the same thing about those shirts, which was, “Why are the mens’ design and logo shirts cooler than the womens’ shirts?” That’s why we went to look at the women’s shirts. Back to the shirt that was XXL, I’m guessing even though it’s XXL, the manufacturer still thought women should be skinny.

Back to my main point, it isn’t easy to figure out what size is correct considering all brands are different. Materials are different. Some stretch and some don’t. Some shrink and some don’t. That’s why I’d usually tell people to buy me a book or a movie of my choice. I don’t want them to buy me clothes. Firstly, I might not even like it. Secondly, it might not even fit right. I need to try on clothes before I wear them. I can’t just assume they fit just because they’re the size I wear. No one can assume that about me or about themselves. That’s why I’m reluctant when someone wants to buy me a clothing item. Although there is a chance that the clothing item will fit, it’s still best to try it on first.

Writing at an angle

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always written at an angle whenever I’m writing on paper. It makes my writing neater and better for some reason. When I hold a pen or pencil upright to write, my writing isn’t as nice. It also feels very different. I’ve tried writing upright and it makes my writing seem like it’s from a different person. It’s interesting how just a few angles differentiate a person’s writing. I wonder if writing ag an angle is why my writing is small. I generally have small manuscript writing. People keep telling me to write bigger. I try to write bigger, but it doesn’t always come out big.

Not only do I write at an angle, the paper I’m writing on has to be at an angle as well. I can’t seem to write when the paper is positioned correctly. It feels weird. Another thing I have to do is sit at an angle. What is up with me and angles? I can’t be upright, I have to be angular. Does this only happen to me? I don’t think I’m the only one who does this. I sure feel like the only one though.

Khmer Finest

Site: khmerfinest.com
Facebook page: Khmer Finest Facebook

Khmer Finest is a new Khmer (Cambodian) social web community that an online friend of mine created. It was created on April 2, 2011, but was founded a few years ago. The creator of this site also created Khmer Dynasty and Anime Fever, which I blogged about before. The Khmer Finest’s web address served as an alternate address/URL redirect link to Khmer Dynasty in the past. Now, it’s a standalone site. Everyone can join. It’s not just limited to Cambodians. The main focus of the site is interaction of members as well as entertainment. Since it is relatively new as a standalone site, it’s pretty much still in BETA phase. Everything is functional and there are some members who have signed up to test the site. More features will be added later. If you’re interested in Khmer culture or just want a place to hang out besides the most popular places then stop in by Khmer Finest.

Park Bom – "You and I"

*Note* Park Bom (Bom Park as it would be formatted in the Western world) is a South Korean singer who is part of a South Korean female group called 2NE1.

This is another song I’ve been listening to lately. My siblings started listening to it first. I don’t remember when they started listening to this particular song. My brother started listening to the group, 2NE1, around late 2009. I didn’t like “You and I” at first, but it grew on me. I think the reason why I didn’t like it when I first heard it was because I didn’t really take the time to listen to it. As I started playing it over and over and listening to the words (even though I didn’t know what they meant), the music, and the voice, I grew to love the song. I love Bom’s voice in this song. It’s soothing and melodic. I feel as though she’s singing to me as though the song is for me. It sounds really nice. It’s a sweet song. The video is also cute and sweet with some sad parts. The video above has the English subtitles and contains still shots from the actual video. The actual video is below.

Taeyang – "Wedding Dress"

*Note* Taeyang is a South Korean singer who is part of a South Korean male group called Big Bang.

I’m totally loving this song! I’ve been listening to it for almost a month straight. I thought I already wrote about this, but I guess I wrote about it elsewhere. I first found out about this song from my cousin. She came over one day and showed me a fan made video with an English version of the song (third video below). I asked my cousin who the original singer was and she told me it was Taeyang. I’ve heard another cover version as well, which was done by Tommy C of IBU & J.Reyez (second video below). Taeyang also made an English version (first video below). The original is definitely the best version. The original song is over a year old. Maybe a little bit more. The video was uploaded on Nov 15, 2009 by YGEntertainment (South Korean record label), but information I’ve looked up said the song is from one of his albums that was released in 2010. Oh well. Anyways, the song is on the sad side. The video above has the English subtitles that were done by a fan. I liked the dance in the video. It flows with the song. I liked the outfits Taeyang wore in the video. He looked handsome in formal attire and hot in casual attire!

Here are the English and cover versions:

Taeyang – Wedding Dress (English Version)

TAEYANG – Wedding Dress Cover English Version (Tommy C of IBU & J.Reyez)

Wedding Dress (English Version) Music Video! by YouTuber BootiHole

Hopelessly In Love

*This was composed on January 8, 2003.*

I’m hopelessly in love with you
Been infatuated with you for so long
Never loved anyone else but you
Tell me, is that so wrong?

I’m hopelessly in love with you
I never thought that I would be
But when I saw you for the first time
I thought to myself, “I want him to be with me”

I’m hopelessly in love with you
Time is running out
Of course you know that I love you
Love is what it’s all about