Angkor Wat

Posted on January 23, 2007 by jeannie

Ahhhh. Sweet, sweet thesis break.

I have suddenly had a slew of friends and family (alright only two) ask me about my (brief) trip to Angkor Wat, the massive temple complex in Cambodia back in 2004, so I thought I would post an journal entry from that trip and some pertinent information.

20 March 2004

at Ta Prohm

Bella, you and I are surrounded by gum-chewing urchins selling us little bronze trinkets. But I already bought two today for $2 and yesterday two for $3. Five or six kids milling around.

We came here for a little peace – to write in the journal – but we’ve been so beset it’s hard to concentrate.

What the?! I just looked back through the journal and I haven’t written once since we’ve been in Cambodia! Pathetic, as you would say. Tell me and I’ll remind you because my brain is fresher, you would say.

We came back to Ta Prohm because it was our favorite place and we ran out of camera battery yesterday – that was before you sprang out of sight and was lost from me for fifteen minutes or so – I thought you had been taken as a child slave. When I finally heard your voice tearfully yelling, MOM! – you ran into my arms crying. Later you insisted that you could have found me yourself – giving no credit to the guide who was with you.

A good lesson probably; you’ve stayed close to me ever since.

This morning Preah Kahn and Ta Som, but even I am getting templed out.

Then we went to the book and stationary store for an English-Kmer-English dictionary, pencil, and lead. The dictionary I wrapped up to mail to the guy who asked me for money to buy a dictionary at or near Bakong. He approached me and asked if he could practice his English and we spoke for ten minutes or so. Then as I got ready to leave the inevitable happened; he asked for money (to buy a dictionary) – which I can’t believe I hadn’t anticipated. Very smooth operation. In my obstinate fashion, I didn’t give him money, but took down his address to send him a dictionary.

I had intended to follow through, but then I thought, why am I sending this con artist a gift? (granted only $3, but still) and decided to give the dictionary to our driver Bora instead. Bora, who has been faithful these last three days – totally attuned to us and waiting patiently in the heat… It is here in my lap now.

Then I had a massage by the blind – which was curious – he had good hands – very gentle and firm – but not as deep a massage as I like. Only $3 and I was very relaxed afterwards.

[later… Bora drove his motorcycle alongside our taxi to the airport as we left Siem Reap. He was grinning and waving his new dictionary the whole time *smile*]

Angkor Wat information:

We flew in from Bangkok and I remember we needed to get visas in advance. There was also an airport tax, coming and going from Cambodia. Once at the little airport there are lots of men jostling for your business.

We bought a 3-day pass for Angkor Wat ($40). The complex is spread out over 60 miles and every individual temple needs to be driven to. We hired a motorcycle driver for all three days. The main complex is beautiful at sunset – and of course always very busy. We went there first.

Plan to be very hot and dusty – and to walk and climb a lot. You should plan to wear long pants or skirt and keep your shoulders covered to show respect. No need for a guide, because it is fascinating just to wander about. I did occasionally eavesdrop on the passing tour guides, but they were never saying anything very interesting.
Bora: Friendly motorcycle driver. Drove us anywhere and everywhere for $8/day. Speaks very little English. (855) 12. 95. 03. 73 or 012. 95. 03. 73

Sarin Yim: Friendly taxi driver. Good English. (855) 012. 772. 736 email: sarinyim@yahoo.com. Offered to drive us in an air-conditioned cab and be a guide for $25/day

Popular Guest House: Vun Chum, manager (855) 12. 916165 / 16 952332. Typical guest house – was the first one I saw in the guidebook at the airport. $5/night. Small restaurant on the roof – everybody loves kids. We were perfectly content here.

Palm Village: an upscale resort a little bit out of town. Bella and I spent one day swimming there and thought it would be the perfect place for Mom and Dad to stay. Individual beautiful little huts, gorgeous tilework, yummy food. At the time it was off-season and rooms were $35/night. Check out the pictures at their website.

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sick again

Posted on January 22, 2007 by jeannie

I’ve called in sick again as my throat is sore. But that will give me time to work on my thesis at home as well. I am not going to jinx my new thesis schedule by publishing it this time. (I’ll just let you know when it’s done…)

Strangely we couldn’t find the West Side Story DVD (Bella swears she hasn’t touched it), so we moved on to Colin Firth in the TV mini-series 1995 production of Pride and Prejudice. Last night we watched the first half (over teriyaki salmon and costco sushi) and tonight we finished it (over spags with sausage). It was GREAT. So good I want to start watching it again from the beginning. Everything about the movie was so romantic and sweeping; it left me in a perfect state of tremulous happiness. sigh.

I’m getting married to the best man I’ve ever known too.

Posted in movies, thesis | 1 Comment

homeless freddys

Posted on January 21, 2007 by jeannie

Some of you may know about the Freddy Project that a friend of mine sponsors every year in her 7th grade history classroom. She has every student make a flat paper doll named Freddy and then that student sends Freddy off to see the world. Freddy gets mailed from person to person (with a letter of explanation), collecting photographs and signatures along the way. In March Freddy is mailed back to the student at school and the student gets to live vicariously through Freddy’s travels. Last year one Freddy toured with the heavy metal band OutKast! Bella’s Freddy traveled to Japan, France, Australia, Korea and then back to Joshua Tree, California.

The teacher always displays all the returned Freddys with all their souvenirs and pictures on the classroom wall by a large map of the world. Each Freddy has string connected to all the spots he has visited in his travels.

Unfortunately every year there are kids who don’t know a single person outside of town to whom they can mail their Freddy. So every year (which is why some of you already know about this project) I send off five or six Freddys to people I know abroad (meaning: anywhere outside of Yucca Valley). It doesn’t take much responsibility. All you really have to do is sign Freddy’s back with your name and location and mail him on to another friend. It is a nice touch to send a picture or two of what Freddy has seen. Even more bonus points if you add postcards or other souvenirs of your area.

Here are five more Freddys looking for a couch to sleep on:

Awww. It looks they’re waving to you. How can you resist?

Please post a comment here if you want to have a Freddy (or two) sent to your home. I only took five, but there are probably still some left…

Posted in do some good | 6 Comments

flowers for cheap

Posted on January 21, 2007 by jeannie

One of the ways I intend to keep the cost of my wedding down is by buying all of the flowers myself in the flower market district in downtown Los Angeles. I know somebody who spent $150 for her wedding flowers and said she had more than enough. I have $200 budgeted, but that includes ribbon, possibly some vases, florist tape etc.

Here is the blurb from the official flower district site (which apparently is the fashion district as well):

“The LA Fashion District is home to the largest wholesale and retail floral selection in the United States. Focused along 8th Street, virtually every variety of cut flower can be found, plus potted plants, dried and silk flowers and floral supplies. The LA Flower Market, the largest flower market in the United States, is centered along Wall Street, between 7th Street and 8th Street and is the premier resource for those in the floricultural industry. The LA Flower Market is comprised of the American Florist Exchange and the Southern California Flower Market. Many other flower stores can be found on 8th Street, between Wall Street and San Pedro Street. These stores are open to wholesale and retail during normal business hours and require no admission fee.”

Click here for more info. Thanks for the link Corrina! We’ll have to make a day of it and check it out in March. I love downtown LA explorations.
What are my flower preferences? I prefer flowers that cheap because they are in season and grown locally. Smelling good is a big bonus. I am not so into Gerber daisies and carnations.

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warming up the writing fingers

Posted on January 20, 2007 by jeannie

I have a zillion thoughts racing through my head and I have to take a moment to shoo them away before I can settle down and work on my thesis.

Somebody suggested that I get my admin credential. Does that mean she thinks I would be a good principal? I have played with this idea in the past – Sue and Songbae like the idea, simply because they want to be able to say, “My sister is a principal.” (More or less fun than saying, “My brother’s an investment banker” or “My sister’s an epidemiologist”? Not that it’s a contest or anything.)

I was practically offered a job yesterday. Which is why I don’t know how to look for a job. In the past they have always found me. So this makes me wonder about two things: Am I letting opportunity direct my life? Is that a bad thing?

I think I will apply, but I don’t know if that is what I would want to do. (I am couching my words on purpose. I don’t want to get in trouble someday for having written about work.) Sounds like I’ll have to write a pro/con list for that one.

I don’t know what to be when I grow up. It’s not that I am so unhappy, I just wonder if there’s something else more fun.

Posted in thesis | 3 Comments

chicken pot pie american-style

Posted on January 20, 2007 by jeannie

Tonight I justed wanted a chicken pot pie, quick and dirty. As I happened to have the remains of a chicken roast in the fridge, I fried up an onion, added a lot of chopped carrots, and then added a can of Campbell’s cream of potato soup and all the chicken diced. I put that all in a casserole and topped it with the kind of flakey biscuits that come in a tube. The whole thing was done in 40 minutes. And boy was it good.

Bella said it was the best chicken pot pie I had ever made.

Then she said, “and it’s healthy too, right Mom?”

When she saw me hesitate she said, “Just say it’s healthy quick, quick!”

I love that she still believes that if I say something that it makes it true.

[And here is the link to another post I wrote about making chicken pot pie from scratch.]

Posted in recipes, says bella | 2 Comments

wedding expenses thus far

Posted on January 19, 2007 by jeannie

$15         crane stamp (hankodesigns.com)

$100     envelopes and flat cards for Save-the-dates and Thank you’s (papersource.com)

Save-the-date and Thank you embosser stamps plus embossing tool

$40         chocolate fountain (Costco)

$12            4 boxes of white christmas lights on sale at Rite Aid

And an excellent tip from Chad’s older sister: Stay away from bride and wedding magazines if you want to stay in your budget. That kind of marketing will only tempt you to try and be a cheap imitation of a “fancy” wedding. Far better to embrace being funky and unqiue – and have mismatched, borrowed tables, tablecloths, and chairs, etc.

The crane stamp looks like this

Posted in wedding for $2000 | 2 Comments

disturbing dream

Posted on January 19, 2007 by jeannie

Yesterday morning I woke up completely refreshed – and I found that I was underneath one of my king-size pillows. I was a bit smothered under the pillow and down comforter but it felt comforting to me, and reminded me of when I used to sleep with a very heavy Korean “mink” blanket. There once was time when I couldn’t sleep unless I had some weight pressing down on me; even when it was very warm I had to sleep with a proper blanket completely covering me.

So last night I intentionally buried myself under a few pillows and drifted off, thinking to tumble into some more blissful deep sleep. Quite the contrary. I dreamed that an assailant stabbed me deeply in my chest and then again in my gut with a serrated bread knife. I was horrified but determined to escape – so I spent the rest of the dream fleeing from this man, running barefoot down slushy, icy streets in Montreal – clutching my chest and stomach. I made it down into the subway and then back to somebody else’s apartment when I awoke in a total panic. The pressure against my chest was from my pillow and I had overslept my alarm by an hour.

*gasp*

The nightmare was surely more a result of reading Thomas McGuane’s short story, “Tango” in the Dec 1 New Yorker topped off by an overindulgence in coffee yesterday than the pillows – but what a scare. This is why I don’t watch scary movies: I don’t like being scared. I am a little afraid to go to sleep tonight.

Posted in dreams | 1 Comment

holy golden piglet!

Posted on January 17, 2007 by jeannie

According to this article in a Korea Times newspaper, the Year of the Golden Pig only comes around every 600 years. A child born this year will have good luck and great wealth. Government officials are predicting a 10% population boom! No wonder my mother is so excited.

I checked it out after noticing that about 50 of my blog hits today were from people doing some kind of “golden pig” search.

Honey? Should we make a baby?

Posted in babies, korea | 2 Comments

on the topic of kid flicks

Posted on January 17, 2007 by jeannie

Even though Bella is now thirteen I am still pretty protective about what Bella watches – which means she needs my permission to see any PG-13 movie, and most of the time I prefer her to see them with me. My reasoning goes like this: once innocence is lost there is no regaining it. My job as mom has been to protect my daughter’s childhood for as long as I am able (or until it becomes out-balanced by the amount of ridicule she suffers as a consequence of my severity). I also figure that soon enough she will be able to watch whatever movie she desires – and all those movies she didn’t watch, will still be out there when she is ready.

I have to say though, that my sense of censorship differs than that of some other parents. I don’t mind nudity per say, or sex even, if it is part of a loving, committed relationship. I think gay relationships are fine – ditto on the witchcraft or other things that the fundamentalist Christians frown upon. I do have a problem with crude sexual humor and rampant infidelity. Because you know what? Whether you believe it or not, I see Bella actively imitating many of the movie characters she watches. I don’t think she even realizes it, but I think it’s natural. I believe that people, and especially children, are imitative by nature.

When I decide to let Bella see a movie I don’t feel good about, I always end up regretting it. For instance just after Bella turned thirteen, I felt like I was being too uptight so we sat down to watch The Break-up together. After Vince is advised by his brother to, “Just find a girl that looks like her and f*** the s*** out of her, I turned the movie off. I don’t think Bella needs to be exposed to terrible relationships or attitudes. In the big picture, there are always parents who are even more uptight than me, and on the other extreme, well, parents who let their kids watch anything.

(A teacher once told me that she did a home visit to a home where there was a porno playing in the living room while the kids were doing homework on the coffee table…)

Boy, I didn’t mean to get on such a soapbox. I only meant to post a link to a useful site called kids-in-mind.com, which ranks films on a score of 1-10 in three categories: sex and nudity; violence and gore; and profanity. It also lists every reason why the movie got said score – so it’s a good place to check why a movie is rated PG-13. For example, Miss Potter gets 2.2.1 and Children of Men got 6.8.10.

Posted in childhood, mothering, movies | Leave a comment