Riding Through it All ...

It's Friday night, and the earth is damp. Streets are congested with cars and bikes, each trying to get to its destination. My car was one of those, yet mine was the weird one because it didn't really have a specific place to head for. A lot of ideas popped into my head about what to do after the workout: massage, movies, coffee shop, and home. But come on, it's Friday night--nobody would wanna head home early. So after one hour of aimless driving or something, finally, here again I am at GJC! Yeah, the same old place! After a long while, coming here isn't as exciting as it was in the beginning. Plus, more loud people usually hang out here very often. I still came here, anyway. My biceps and triceps ache. So do my neck and the lower half of my body. But i am not being a grumpy granddad here! I love the new fitness club, and of course, i love working out. I feel that at least i do something worthwhile for my body. And the thought of myself losing the belly really ke...

I think each of us has a list of people in mind, people whose appearance in our presence sort of sickens us. While some might be expressive of this, others choose to cuddle up somewhere and hold the grudge silently against those people. And of course there are people like me--the weird ones--who are so pissed off by some of the rich that they feel the need to word them out somewhere in excruciating details. So the following is the list of those people, the list which goes by the name of "The Hated": 1. The rich people who are cheap drivers despite their expensive cars. 2. The rich people who post pictures showing off their richness on Facebook. 3. The rich people who talk rich. 4. The rich people who cling onto rich friends. 5. The rich people who hate street food. 6. The rich people who literally do not have to work because they are already rich. 7. The rich people who insist on paying for every single meal. 8. The rich people who are "up in the sky", and ...

T I remember seeing Talia for the first time on one of those YouTube videos on Facebook. Back then, to me, she was no more than just a bald young girl who seemed too skinny for someone her age, someone--I had assumed--who, like many other YouTubers, tried to earn a living simply by posting videos. But I was wrong! I was deadly wrong! After watching the video she posted, I came to realize that she was not just one of those YouTubers; she was more! In fact, because of her struggles to fight both types of cancer that have been eating away at her life, she has become the most inspiring person I have ever heard of! For a 13-year-old girl like her, she is so strong that she does not complain about how unfair life is to her, but she chooses to focus on the brighter side, seeking to inspire others, and fighting the diseases with her chin up and her head held up high. It gets me thinking how i would be like if i were in her shoes!

Cambodia has been molded and shaped into a society where tipping is a norm now. I am not sure whether anyone has ever paused to give some serious thoughts to the buckets of cash that are splashed out of his pocket in the course of a typical uneventful day. If you own a bike, you always have to tip off the guy or the uncle who supposedly "looks after" your bike with the minimum amount of 500 Riels despite the fact that all he ever does is to simply sit there and entertain himself with the songs on the radio. The bad news is there is no one-stop service shop where you can get everything done. In fact, in the worst scenario, you may have to drop in on five different places. This apparently means the more places you stop, the more tips you give out. People who own cars like me are at no mercy of fate, in this case. As much as you wish to save up the amount of money you tip off everyday, it is not probable that you can spend 500Riels each time you park. Along with car ownersh...

So, I was making a lot of U-turns, avoiding flooded streets, for I knew my car was not too keen on wading through large pools of water in the streets. And yeah, what could be a better place of warmth and shelter than the Riverside GJC??!!!! The view is definitely breath-taking!!!!  Anyway, as I am typing this, it is still drizzling, and there is no sign of sunlight anywhere now or in the next two or three hours. Quite strangely, the gloomy side of me is not coming to the forefront today despite such a weather. It usually does! And when it does, it is ugly and it chases people off! This is the thing about moods! In English, there is an expression that says, "Wake up on the wrong side of your bed". It simply means you are just frustrated and pissed off and emotional for no particular reasons. And I personally feel that it's true. Often times i find myself moody and annoyed and emotional even though nothing bad in particular happens. Trust me, once you feel that way, th...

There are some of the things I do solo: 1. Watch movies in a cinema 2. City tour on foot 3. Read books at a coffee shop 4. Buy DVDs 5. Have foot/body massage 6. Work out at a gym 7. Drive around aimlessly 8. Have my hair cut 9. Shopping

This is a new addition to the existing Nicholas family. I am not quite sure whether it's the latest release, though. For those of you who have read a number of my written pieces, and for those of you who have read some of the bestsellers by Nicholas, you guys probably sense the fact that my writing is greatly influenced by his. I know placing myself on a pedestal side by side with him is a huge self-compliment I do not deserve, but if you are being more analytical, you will be able to pinpoint quite a number of commonalities between the features of my writing and his. But then I owe thanks enormously not only to him but also to J.K.Rowling. As a matter of fact, her seven Harry Potter books have enriched me with a big fat source of vocabulary. I have picked up words that are so useful for my writing from her. Though these two prolific authors excel in different genres, there is no doubt they have changed my life as an amateur writer. Anyways, hopefully, this book will keep me b...

I woke up this morning--once again with a heavy head, only to discover an email from an acquaintance whom i have lost contact with for decades in my inbox, and it took me less than 5 seconds to let the realization that this is the usual fraud sink in. This email reminds me of a similar one I received from the hacked account of Mr. TM some time ago, and the email reads as follows: Emergency (Response Needed Please)‏‏‏ FROM: mab tith   Wednesday, August 4, 2010 1:19 PM Hope you get this on time? Sorry I didn't inform you about my trip to Spain for a program, I am presently in Madrid and am having some difficulties here because i misplaced my wallet on my way to the hotel where my money and other valuable things were. presently my passport and my things are been held down by the hotel management pending when i make payment. I need you to help me with a loan of (2,600 Euro = $3,300)  to pay my hotel bills and to get myself back...

No, no! I am not dying. And brain tumour is nothing but an imaginary problem created in literary contexts when authors cannot give a better final touch to their romances.  Or at least, for 24 years of my life, no one of my acquaintance has found himself/herself caught up in this terminal disease. Anyways these days I have been suffering a lot from migraine headaches--or I think they are. And then it gets me thinking about the possibility of myself being diagnosed with the brain tumour. Instead of scaring the hell out of me, the thought sort of sets my mind reeling on how heroic I might turn out to be. I see myself making inspiring YouTube videos giving touching speeches to uplift the spirits of the people who are down. I see myself being surrounded by family members and friends, all attending to my needs and showing so much care and love. I see myself travelling the world as my death day approaches. I know everything sounds silly, but it is kind of interesting to find out how one's...

Call me a weirdo, for I admit I do not fall into the same category that 80% of  the other Cambodian men of my age do when it comes down to KTV--adult KTV, to be exact. While there is no doubt I love singing, I definitely do not fancy the idea of being next to a strange KTV woman, hugging her and pretending to enjoy her company. For one thing, to me, it feels like paying 1/3 of your salary so that you can sit next to a completely strange woman whose face you can barely see in the dark and who shares no bond with you in whatsoever way. Yes, you may argue the concept of bonding sounds anything but lame when sexual fulfilment is what matters. Also, as much as I hate admitting this, I cannot help but think in details about those so many older guys who have gone overboard and laid their hands all over her way way before me. And as much as I hate to admit it, the though just sort of disgusts me. Moreover, it makes little sense to me when friends end up going for adult KTV after claiming ...