Friday, May 27, 2005
XXXXL etc
Shopping for clothes and shoes is something I have never really been into in a big way - until now! There is a popular shoe shop in Phnom Penh called Beautiful Shoes where you select the style you want from the hundreds there, or bring in your own pair to copy, select the colour and they measure you up and custom make your shoes for $12. It's great and so far I have had 4 pairs made and plan to get more!
Clothes shopping here isn't that great as the Khmer style is very different but I've still bought a fair bit, mostly clothes I need for work. I went to the local big shopping centre called Sorya Mall - which is nothing like a Westfield, for example. It's more like a trendier, cleaner, more organised, air-conditioned version of the markets. Khmer people are generally quite small. Which is great because any pants I buy are the right length and not too long, as they commonly are at home. Buying tops is more difficult. I ended up going into each shop and just asking them what they have in large. Very good for confidence building! My body image confidence hit an all time high when browsing some pants to buy for work and the sales person handed me size XXXXL (I didn't even know such a size existed except maybe for those American people you read about who weigh 600kg and become too big to get out of bed or fit through their front door). The pants fit very well and I bought them partly because it made such a funny story! By the way, I haven't put on weight in the last month it's just the very strange, arbitrary sizing here.
The rainy season should be kicking in soon, so I bought a raincoat from the markets the other day. Size XXL! Jono was proud of me to have dropped 2 sizes!
It might have been the subconscious effect of fitting into an XXXXL, or maybe I'm just feeling more settled in, but this week Anthea, our flatmate and I started running! We have to go at 6am, otherwise it's just too hot. It's the only time anyone here exercises and some of the sights are very amusing. The group of people taking an open air aerobics class with portable stereo by the river looked at us when we ran past as if we were the ones who looked funny! There is also badminton, soccer, tai chi and a few old women just stretching by the side of the road, it's great!
I partly need to exercise here because the food is really good. There are a lot of good foreign restaurants and cafes. So far I've eaten Italian, Korean, Indian and Japanese. Some cafes could be in Paddington if you face your back to the street! due to the French influence here, you can also get really good bread, croissants and coffee. I haven't been a total insulated expat, I have also eaten from local places and tried a few Khmer dishes! One of the best local restaurant experiences we have had was when we took a moto ride for about 30mins across the Japanese Friendship Bridge over the Tonle sap river to eat at one of the restaurants that are on stilts over the Mekong river. There was no menu in English and none of the staff spoke English but with our group's (not mine) very limited Khmer, we managed to order. Someone knew the word for fish so we pointed to the river and ordered fish, leaving it up to them how to do it. Anthea is vegetarian and knew how to say no meat, which confused them after we'd already ordered some beef and chicken but it all worked out and the meal was a delicious banquet and only cost us about $2 each!
On the way to cross the bridge police stopped our motos from turning onto a road. We didn't know why until a convoy of police, military and other cars came by, including a big white 4WD with a man in the back wearing a shiny white shirt waving to the people lined along the road. Our moto driver said that was the King. So I've seen the King! He is back in Cambodia for the national ploughing festival which was yesterday. He is currently living in China where is father, Norodom Sihanouk, the old King, is very sick and being treated in a hospital there (says a lot about the medical system here).
The ploughing festival was another public holiday of course. The main part of the festival involves half a dozen buffalo being released into an area lined with baskets of grains, rice, corn, wheat etc etc as well as buckets of beer and wine. Last year the bulls went straight for the beer which caused this year's drought. But this year, we heard something unpalatable to bulls was put into the beer to ensure there would be no drought. Whichever grain they eat means a good year for that crop. Yesterday's hungry animals have guaranteed a year of plenty for the country by eating everything, including the lawn in front of the Royal Palace where the ceremony takes place.
Is there still a drought on in Australia? Hmmm beer drinking cows - could that be the problem?
Clothes shopping here isn't that great as the Khmer style is very different but I've still bought a fair bit, mostly clothes I need for work. I went to the local big shopping centre called Sorya Mall - which is nothing like a Westfield, for example. It's more like a trendier, cleaner, more organised, air-conditioned version of the markets. Khmer people are generally quite small. Which is great because any pants I buy are the right length and not too long, as they commonly are at home. Buying tops is more difficult. I ended up going into each shop and just asking them what they have in large. Very good for confidence building! My body image confidence hit an all time high when browsing some pants to buy for work and the sales person handed me size XXXXL (I didn't even know such a size existed except maybe for those American people you read about who weigh 600kg and become too big to get out of bed or fit through their front door). The pants fit very well and I bought them partly because it made such a funny story! By the way, I haven't put on weight in the last month it's just the very strange, arbitrary sizing here.
The rainy season should be kicking in soon, so I bought a raincoat from the markets the other day. Size XXL! Jono was proud of me to have dropped 2 sizes!
It might have been the subconscious effect of fitting into an XXXXL, or maybe I'm just feeling more settled in, but this week Anthea, our flatmate and I started running! We have to go at 6am, otherwise it's just too hot. It's the only time anyone here exercises and some of the sights are very amusing. The group of people taking an open air aerobics class with portable stereo by the river looked at us when we ran past as if we were the ones who looked funny! There is also badminton, soccer, tai chi and a few old women just stretching by the side of the road, it's great!
I partly need to exercise here because the food is really good. There are a lot of good foreign restaurants and cafes. So far I've eaten Italian, Korean, Indian and Japanese. Some cafes could be in Paddington if you face your back to the street! due to the French influence here, you can also get really good bread, croissants and coffee. I haven't been a total insulated expat, I have also eaten from local places and tried a few Khmer dishes! One of the best local restaurant experiences we have had was when we took a moto ride for about 30mins across the Japanese Friendship Bridge over the Tonle sap river to eat at one of the restaurants that are on stilts over the Mekong river. There was no menu in English and none of the staff spoke English but with our group's (not mine) very limited Khmer, we managed to order. Someone knew the word for fish so we pointed to the river and ordered fish, leaving it up to them how to do it. Anthea is vegetarian and knew how to say no meat, which confused them after we'd already ordered some beef and chicken but it all worked out and the meal was a delicious banquet and only cost us about $2 each!
On the way to cross the bridge police stopped our motos from turning onto a road. We didn't know why until a convoy of police, military and other cars came by, including a big white 4WD with a man in the back wearing a shiny white shirt waving to the people lined along the road. Our moto driver said that was the King. So I've seen the King! He is back in Cambodia for the national ploughing festival which was yesterday. He is currently living in China where is father, Norodom Sihanouk, the old King, is very sick and being treated in a hospital there (says a lot about the medical system here).
The ploughing festival was another public holiday of course. The main part of the festival involves half a dozen buffalo being released into an area lined with baskets of grains, rice, corn, wheat etc etc as well as buckets of beer and wine. Last year the bulls went straight for the beer which caused this year's drought. But this year, we heard something unpalatable to bulls was put into the beer to ensure there would be no drought. Whichever grain they eat means a good year for that crop. Yesterday's hungry animals have guaranteed a year of plenty for the country by eating everything, including the lawn in front of the Royal Palace where the ceremony takes place.
Is there still a drought on in Australia? Hmmm beer drinking cows - could that be the problem?
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Great to see you blogging Nat!
I am now plotting a new shoe empire after reading your post. When I arrive I intend to purchase shoes for the next few decades (since nothing fits me in Australia).
I am now plotting a new shoe empire after reading your post. When I arrive I intend to purchase shoes for the next few decades (since nothing fits me in Australia).
Yahoo Set to Acquire Ad Service Provider BrightRoll for over $700 Million
(digital marketing agency, restartbox.com)- Globally renowned US-based Yahoo Inc. is allegedly in frame of acquiring digital video advertising platform BrightRoll for a deal supposedly worth between $700 million and $725 million, with term sheets already signed.
Founded in 2006 and locating in California, BrightRoll generated over $40 million from investors and had over $100 million in revenue in 2013 as the company continues to play a vitally important role in helping advertisers to publish ads on websites, mobiles and connected TVs, tech blog TechCrunch claims.
The two firms, though, have not yet commented on the matter to date.
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(digital marketing agency, restartbox.com)- Globally renowned US-based Yahoo Inc. is allegedly in frame of acquiring digital video advertising platform BrightRoll for a deal supposedly worth between $700 million and $725 million, with term sheets already signed.
Founded in 2006 and locating in California, BrightRoll generated over $40 million from investors and had over $100 million in revenue in 2013 as the company continues to play a vitally important role in helping advertisers to publish ads on websites, mobiles and connected TVs, tech blog TechCrunch claims.
The two firms, though, have not yet commented on the matter to date.
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