28th July 2008
i cant believe its almost august and i still think its still early for 2008 to end.
ha ha ha
so i took the chance to go to Cambodia recently.
just a few days away from work, from the normal routine life, that sort of thing.
Cambodia is exactly how i imagined it. that was my first impression.
ive read so much about Cambodia, the 100 years they were under the french forces, the sufferings during the polPot times and now with the current struggles with Thai's at the borders, Cambodia has never gotten a break.
we went to the usual tourist attraction- floating village, angkor wat and them other temples, gemStone stores and markets. we manage to go to two places, Siem Reap and Pnomh Penh. one can see the huge different between those family who are doing really well (houses made of bricks as high as 3 floors) and those living on whtever they can get on that day ( wooden houses on high stilts looking like its ready to fall off).
what i thought would be just another time away from myReality, gave me a real shot of REALITY itself.
Cambodia to me has made me see that :
(i) id rather live in my 3room apartment with no garden to guling guling around, than living in a floating house with no walls, let alone furniture then worry as where to stay and wonder will my floating house will still be around during and after the raining season;
(ii) id rather be stuck in a jam and cursing the line at the toll, than be on a bumpy,dusty road with holes;
(iii) id rather fret about the exchange rate of Malaysian Ringgit, than realizing that American Dollars is more used in the country than your own currency;
(iv) id rather have a local degree, than learning english from the tourist i meet, the only way to educate myself;
(v) id rather have a small monthly income, than having a daily income that depends on me walking up and down the streets selling things for USD1;
Cambodia to me has made me love and hate my country. I love my country for its peace and prosperous land it is blessed with and hate the people in it that has shifted from working hard for the basic NEEDS to working hard for the basic DESIRES.
I'LL be a hypocrite if i say im not one of those people, and mind you, if us Malaysian dunt have the passion to compete and not have the drive to find a better life, i cant help but wonder if we will be any different than Cambodia?
