“I’d argue that people whose entertainment needs can be satisfied with American Idol on the old tube-ola, or a wild and crazy night out to watch the Cornpatch Players put on The Sound of Music, are afflicted with imaginative myopia. Those of us who feel more (and see in darker spectrum) may be sick puppies, but we’re also lively puppies. Brave puppies, too, because we keep on trucking in the face of everything we know can go wrong.”
“I’m all for make love, not war…as long as I can have Jason and Freddy. The American Idol folks can collect all the Care Bears they want; I like my Fear Bears.”
“One thing about Blair Witch: the damn thing looks real. Another thing about Blair Witch: the damn thing feels real.”
“Horror, like comedy, looks easy. In one, you throw a pie in someone’s face and roll the camera. In the other, you throw blood in the person’s face and roll it.”
“Therein lies its many dark pleasures. And the next time your parents or your significant other ask you why you want to go and see that crap, tell them this: Stephen King sent me. He told me to look for the good ones, because they’re the ones that speak to what’s good in the human heart. And, of course, to what isn’t. Because those are the things you have to look out for.”
Stephen King, A Forenote to the 2010 Edition
Filed under book stephenking horror
“Keep me rather in this cage, and feed me sparingly, if you dare. Anything that brings me closer to illness and the edge of death makes me more faithful. It is only when you make me suffer that I feel safe and secure. You should never have agreed to be a god for me if you were afraid to assume the duties of a god, and we know that they are not as tender as all that. You have already seen me cry. Now you must learn to relish my tears.” - Pauline Rèage
Filed under book love slavery
Don’t go far off, not even for a day, because —
because — I don’t know how to say it: a day is long
and I will be waiting for you, as in an empty station
when the trains are parked off somewhere else, asleep.
Don’t leave me, even for an hour, because
then the little drops of anguish will all run together,
the smoke that roams looking for a home will drift
into me, choking my lost heart.
Oh, may your silhouette never dissolve on the beach;
may your eyelids never flutter into the empty distance.
Don’t leave me for a second, my dearest,
because in that moment you’ll have gone so far
I’ll wander mazily over all the earth, asking,
Will you come back? Will you leave me here, dying?
- Pablo Neruda
Filed under poem neruda
Choum Reap Souar! In other words, “Hello!” in Khmer language. So we are back in the Khmer world. This time, let me give you a glimpse of the ancient temples built by the Kings of the Khmer Empire in the 9th century.
In the morning, after our scrumptious breakfast (the hotel’s service was excellent!) our guide took us to The Rolous Group, also known as the Preah Ko, Bakong and Lolei temples. These temples are the collection of monuments representing the remains of Hariharalaya, an ancient city and the major capital of the Khmer Empire under the reign of King Indravarman I (877 to 889 A.D)
Our first stop, Preah Ko (The Sacred Bull) was the first temple to be built under the reign of Khmer King Indravarman I in honor of his family and the Hindu deity, Shiva. It derives its name from the three statues of sandstone located in the front of and facing the temple’s central towers and it consists of six brick towers arranged in two rows of three towers each sit atop on a sandstone platform. The sanctuaries are dedicated to three divinized forefathers of Indravarman and their respective wives. The statues represent Nandi, who serves as the mount and gatekeeper of the goddess Shiva
Front side of Preah Ko
Nandi facing the temple
This is me and my boyfriend together with the temple guards :)
Next stop is Bakong, the most impressive and the largest of the Rolous temples. It was the state temple of Indravarman I and also the first significant temple-mountain built of sandstone. This temple stands 15 meters tall and is 650x850m at the outer wall and was dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva.
Front side of Bakong
Look at the sky! We had an amazing weather!
At the stairs of Bakong temple. It was very hot that time!
The last member of The Rolous Group - Lolei, is the northernmost temple of all which was built by the King Yasovarman I in the 9th century. It is said to be the ruins of once an island-temple placed in the middle of now arid baray, Indratataka - the first large-scale baray constructed by the king.
Lolei consists of four brick towers which was built for the king’s ancestors and was the last major temple to be built at Hariharalaya before Yasovarman I moved the capital to Angkor area.
The temple towers are known for their distinct architecture design elements such as carved devatas and dvarapalas. Other sandsone carvings are also sighted in this temple like the sky-god Indra mounted on the elephant Airavata, serptent-like monsters makaras, and multi-headed nagas.
Sandstone carving of a Devata
Ancient Sanskrit
After our morning tour and had our well-arranged lunch in the nearby restaurant, we now then visited the famous Angkor Wat.
Angkor Wat is the largest Hindu temple complex in the world which is situated at Angkor, Cambodia. It was built by King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century as his state temple and capital city and dedicated this temple to Vishnu.
young monks outside the Angkor Wat
a kid diving for a penny
window scene
Angkot Wat front view and the reflection
Angkor Wat blueprint
So that wraps our Day 2 tour! Day by day, I am falling deeper in love with this place. Cambodia is very rich despite its political and governance issues. There is more to learn and to discover in every twist and turns of our journey. Hope you enjoyed our simple tour. ;)
UP NEXT! Angkor Thom and Ta Phrom (the famous Tomb Raider temple)
- Lala
Filed under travels cambodia siemreap
The bitter-sweet symphony is when you thought you are a survivor of the daily grinds’ hell because you have the power to banish it away. When truth punches you on your face the moment you start staring at it. When the “ok” days seemed so fake. When you are all smiling but beneath those teeth & radiance, there is this lingering emptiness you wish you could capture & held captive.
On the other hand, how is it possible to taste the sweetness of blood when you didn’t bleed at all? How is it possible to celebrate in sheer triumph and jump for joy when you hadn’t bruised your knee and crack your skull? Even experience death.
Funny how the two sides of the story is of equal importance. Doesn’t really matter if it’s on the positive or negative side. They complement each other just like darkness & light. Just like a black & white photograph. Just like him & me.
When your relationship experienced hell, rejoice for it because it develops you into a beautiful masterpiece. Just like him & me.
Filed under thoughts
CAMBODIA, also known as Kampuchea, is one of the Great Asian Civilization countries that I dream to visit. As a student, I find History class very interesting but a bit boring when you are contained in the corners of your classroom. So my scream in life is “GO TRAVEL!” After all, what would life be if you are so stagnant?
Anyway last year, I am lucky to have a very supportive partner-soon-to-be-husband, who booked us a flight to Siem Reap as a surprise anniversary gift. I was in a hype!
It was a good flight from Singapore, where I was first spending my two week long vacation. As you can see, we had an awesome weather! The sky is so blue!
When we arrived at the Siem Reap International Airport, we were picked up by a private van together with our very own english-speaking guide before dropping us down to our hotel to first check in our things and have a little rest.
Welcome to Angkor Home Hotel! Located in the heart of the Siem Reap town, this 4-star Cambonian owned hotel is eight minutes away from the Siem Reap international airport and only ten kilometers away from the gateway of the magnificent Angkor Wat.
Its design, decor and furnishing shows the Khmer Architecture scriptures with beautifully designed furniture, fittings and antiques.
The ceiling
The poolside
By the time we unpacked our things and had a couple of hour power nap, it was already night time and we were extremely starving! So we hit the Pub Street via Tuk Tuk for 3 dollars. By the way, Siem Reap accepts USD as currency because the town is known for the many tourists and visitors all over the world.
Tuk Tuk
Along the Pub Street, you can see restaurants and shops of different kinds
Locals playing instruments to raise funds
Located at the corner of the Pub Street, Red Piano is known for their cocktails and the variety of Asian and Western cuisines. Try their TOMB RAIDER COCKTAIL introduced by Angelina Jolie herself!
This is me, with my Tomb Raider cocktail. Cheers!
Straight ahead, you will find the Angkor Night Market and Noon Night Market wherein you will find a wide array of stores for souvenir shopping. Be prepare to do some bargaining!
Entrance of Angkor Night Market
Colorful paintings showing the famous sights in the Angkor region
Cat souvenirs made up of wood carvings. Gee, I miss my baby cat back home!
Local alcholic beverages with exotic flavor - SCORPION & SNAKES! Yikes!
This wraps our first day in Siem Reap. I can’t believe that I am beginning to fall in love with this place and Cambodians are very friendly! Coming up next is our great temple tours in Day 2. ‘Til then!
- Lala
Filed under cambodia siemreap travels
Mary Katrantzou is making a big noise in the fashion scene with her “When East Meets West” statement. This season, we are very fortunate that Longchamp is collaborating with this 29-year old Greek designer to create a unique line of bags. With a theme and illustrations inspired by the meeting of Asian and Western worlds, this 2012 Spring/Summer Limited Edition will swoon over bag addicts and fashionistas on a hunt for a vibrant and colorful prints to a much more brighter look.
Longchamp Le Pliage with a collage of floating lanterns and orchids. So SO summer!
“The prints we design reference Vietnam temple architecture, Thomas Heatherwick’s design for their Soho store, lanterns, orchids, an aquarium and many more surreal juxtapositions,” Katrantzou explained in her interview with British Vogue.
Mary Katrantzou Cosmetic Bag (a.k.a Kikay-kit)
The Mary Katrantzou Longchamp collection
We all know that every stylish woman owns a Longchamp bag, and more likely not just one. So grab one now! (exclusively available on Colette’s website or perhaps you can visit their store at Rue Saint-Honoré Paris, France). Happy shopping!!
- Lala
Filed under Longchamp Mary Katrantzou
So that’s how we live our lives. No matter how deep and fatal the loss, no matter how important the thing that’s stolen from us—that’s snatched right out of our hands—even if we are left completely changed, with only the outer layer of skin from before, we continue to play out our lives this way, in silence. We draw ever nearer to the end of our allotted span of time, bidding it farewell as it trails off behind. Repeating, often adroitly, the endless deeds of the everyday. Leaving behind a feeling of immeasurable emptiness.
I am bored to my wits. I almost ran outside, into the night, fling my arms like a lunatic on the loose and scream my lungs out “MOOOOON!!! TAKE ME AWAY WITH YOU! FAR FAR AWAY FROM THIS MELANCHOLIC PLANET!”
But of course I am partly sane so I can NOT do that. So what I did was rummage my old cabinet for nothing just to see something. Anything.
And I did.
You see, when my father was alive, he always writes us love letters on our birthdays. And I found one. His birthday card on my sweet 16.
So here goes…
******
August 14, 1998
“Leos are warm, emotional, generous, leaders, kind, hospitable, faithful, forgiving and ambitious. You are a natural role model. You possess a keen sense of drama and give the impression of being something of an actor at all times. You always seem to be falling in love; if not with a person, then with an idea, a cause or a personal pleasure. You are happiest with a companion who’s not afraid to stand up for you, but also who doesn’t need to dominate you. When this particular combination is achieved, you are cherishing, protective and loving and your relationship will hold up well. You are quite often the moneymaker because you are concerned with having enough money. You feel that money is meant to be spent. You are also generous in giving gifts to others especially to the persons who mean a lot. Leos find Taurus and Scorpio difficult.”
My Dearest Lala,
Sirang plaka na ang Daddy mo anak. Lagi ko na lang sinasabi sa iyo, lalo na sa telepono, pero makulit talaga ang Dad mo. Ewan ko kung lahat ng Daddy ay katulad ko but let me tell you again on your Big Day: I LOVE YOU and more and more each day. The gift will come later ha?
Daddy
******
Now, I really don’t know why did I ever wanted to go to the moon when I already have the heaven here. Seems my Dad just wanted to remind me that even things are little crazy down here, he’s more than willing to cheer me up (at may zodiac sign pang nalalaman ano? Haha!) Like he said, I am a drama queen. I don’t deny it. Tee-hee. It feels great that even after your father have gone to the other world, he still tried his best to keep in touch.
I miss you Daddy. And thanks for looking out for me always. I know I am a tough girl, you’ve taught me how to choose my battle and to win, but I will always be your baby girl. To answer your question about other fathers on being makulit, I think most are like that but I haven’t known anyone who is as sweet as you. And by the way, seriously? Scorpios are difficult? No wonder! Ha-ha! Luv you Dad!
Filed under daddy leos
