This is part 2. You can find part 1 here.

I dedicate the blog post to the people I met in my trip to Cambodia.

The first person I talked to was the tuk tuk driver. He took me from bus station to hostel. We had a good chat along the way. He's in his 50s, Vietnamese, living in Cambodia for a long time, very nice and kind. He stopped by a money exchange store for me. He consulted my travel plan, where to go, where not to go, where to go today, where to go the day after, etc. Generally, a very helpful person. We chatted about his life, why he would move to Cambodia to drive. His hometown was in Mekong delta, right near the border between Vietnam and Cambodia. He’d moved for almost 20 years. I admire him, taking charge of his life. He had the courage to move to a strange land to start afresh. I don’t think I can do that. Side story, I owed him 10,000 riels (about $2) because he didn't have enough change to give me. He said to pay next time. Next time properly meant my next trip. 

Next, the people working in the hostel and the bar, Lovely Jubbly Place which I mentioned in the last blog. Lovely people. Hard working. Eager to please. Always smile. Just one tiny problem was that they always said yes without being sure they can fulfill the request (actually that was not so tiny but I was used to it. Asian). On my last morning, I sat in the bar eating brunch and had a nice conversation with the servers. I found out they were about the same age with me, early 20s. I asked what they would do after the shift. All said they would go to English classes. That, to me, was very touching. They were doing something to better their future. As simple as it was, I was certainly inspired.

Leading me to the book I bought in Phnom Penh. One of my travel habits is that I bought one book in every city I go to. No particular reason. I like books, I like traveling, just might as well combining them together. I picked this book The White Tiger in the bookstore completely randomly. It was written by an Indian author, Aravind Adiga. The book was about an Indian servant, Balram. Born in a dirt poor village. Literate in the most literal meaning. Became a driver. Killed his master by violently cutting his throat. Ran away with a bunch of stolen money. Became a successful entrepreneur, a changed man.

Most of the book was about Balram’s observation of the caste system, the poor life, the inequality between the rich and the poor, between men and women, and his questions why they ended up where they were in that society. I read the book on my way back to Vietnam but surprisingly, it seemed I had the exactly same thoughts when I was wandering around Phnom Penh’s streets. 

Cambodia was a very poor country or in another word, it was not good at concealing its poor state. A lot of homeless people, not just aldults but painfully, a lot of kids. Naked and malnutritious. Dead eyes and bloated stomachs. I usually saw them with their moms and I couldn’t imagine how many threads they could have been under. Honestly, I would do something if I could. However, also honestly, I felt more of a curiosity to why they had ended up there on the streets. I wanted to know their stories. For what? I don’t know. Maybe to confirm I am luckier than many. An unnecessary need to confirm.

The White Tiger also reminded me the hostel’s server boys. They may make it just like Balram. They may come out of poverty with talents and strength and great personalities. I hope the common belief exists, good things come to good people. 

I also met an Australian entrepreneur. We had a good talk over my last brunch about his experience, ideas and new adventures in Asia. Fun. Usual entrepreneurial conversation topics such as trends, what's hot, what's not, business cultures, tips and tricks. Never kept in touch but who knows. An interesting person. We may meet again. 

I had a new tattoo, by the way :) It was not planned but it was not impulsive. I had wanted that tattoo for a long time. I saw the tattoo shop name on my first tuk tuk ride, the first sign that caught me attention. I assumed it was the time. I went online, researched the store, saw all good feedbacks. That same evening, I walked there and had my tat done. The artist was very nice and patient with me. We went through a lot of designs. He printed them. We tested them. He even lent me his earphones (I don't like the tattoo gun's sound so I always listen to music when having tattoos). Very affordable too ($40 for a 20cm long lettering work). If you want to have a tattoo in Cambodia, check them out at RDS Tattoo. They do great traditional Khmer tats like ancient scripts (think Angelina Joilie's back) or Buddha. 

The last person, that I have considered again and again whether to include in this post, was a guy sleeping under my bunk bed my last night at the hostel. A stunningly handsome white guy. Didn't know where he was from. Didn't ask. Didn't talk. Side note, that's what I love about dorm rooms in hostel. You don't have the obligation to socialize with others and you don't feel alone or lonely. There are always people around, quietly doing their things. 

Come back to the guy. From the moment we met the first time early in the morning to when I checked out and sat in the bar eating (he was on another table too), I spotted him looking at me smiling. I didn't bother to ask but later on, damn, I thought it must have been me doing something when I slept the night before! Either I snored or sleep talked or I didn't know, anything! 

There are 1.6 billion people in the world and he's the only one I will never want to see again (I would be too embarrassed I'd slam my head to the wall and die on the spot. Yes, too embarrassed!).

So there you go, a last fun bit from my trip in Cambodia. I'll come back there for more. You know there's a glow-in-the-dark beach in Cambodia?? Yes, magical! Must go!

Next blog on traveling will be about my recent trip to China. Post soon. Until then. Wish you well. 

I still remember this saying from my high school teacher 3-4 years ago (this must be important because if you know me, you know that my memory sucks badly).

“1/3 of your lifetime is for waiting.”

“Really?”

“Sometimes you’re really doing nothing but waiting, most of the time you’re doing something but you’re actually waiting for the next.”

It’s stuck in my head ever since. Are we really into whatever we do that our heart and soul are in it, that we are “in the zone”, that everything that comes next are secondary? Only if we really love what we do can we be able to “not waiting” for the next.

To me, what my teacher says actually means most of the time in your life, you’re doing something you don’t like in order to do something you (think you) like later.

It’s sad but true. We keep waiting because we are naturally curious and pathetically, full of hope.

I’m waiting still for what comes next.

If you’ve read my blog post about my job hunting adventure, you already know I’m a newly grad surfing through offers, testing the market and refuse to fake my way to get by. Here’s the latest story from that adventure.

I've been working this job for a little more than 1 month and I am fired today. Sitting in the hotel room in China, where I had my “training”, I’m writing this blog post. I’m going to tell you how I take the news and what I’ve learned from it.

Well, first, you gotta know what the job was about.  It's basically in the sourcing business. Selling stuff made in Asia to Western market. I gotta deal with people from China, USA, and of course, Vietnam. Details of the job are not relevant so let's move on. 

So why was I “let go”? I would not answer you that question, I would tell you what I learned from this experience. 

Follow your gut. It’s one of the most irrational ways of living but trust me, it serves you peace. It doesn’t have to be the right way. There’s no right thing anyway. People may tell you there are but they should be honest to themselves, how much do they know? You are the one who decides and most of the times facts don’t present, rationality can’t perform, we ought to call for our gut. Now it’s my decision. I owe it to myself to make it work. Instead of arguing with yourself again and again about which is the best way and properly never arriving at the conclusion, you might as well just choose what feels best. What needs to happen will happen.

Keep your mouth shut if you need the job, if not, well, you know what to do. I was trained as a debater. I’m argumentative naturally. That would not do good in the corporate world, wouldn’t it? I’m trying to curb my enthusiasm and tame my temper and of course, think strategically before open my mouth. I can do it if I decide that’s the way to go. However, I refuse to dumb down my thinking. I can dumb down my saying but never my thinking. I deserve the right to think and judge base on the facts I observe. What’s going on in my head needs not to be said but sometimes they accumulate to the point where the word vomit happens. So the lesson for people who can’t shut up is not shutting up but to “vomit” strategically. I did not. So then I lost my job. However, there was more to the story, I could have tapped my mouth, swallowed the vomit. I did not this time because of lesson one above.

Plan your exit. This is what I’ve learned from my ex-boss and also mentor. The moment you land on a job, you plan for the next job simply because nothing lasts forever (people say love does but I doubt it). The benefits from this are pretty straightforward. One, you feel good. Failure and rejection and over the phone lay off don’t bring you down. I don’t even need ice cream or chocolate this time (if you read my previous blog post, you’ll know why, link here by the way). I graciously accept the reality and move on. Two, you don’t hold grudge. This is hard, trust me. Only when you fully embrace the first benefit will this one come. Oh, one side note, people who say they don’t hold grudge are people who do. People who truly hold a spotless mind don’t even know what grudge is. 

Three, you leave the room with grace. This comes after you fully embrace the second benefit which comes after the first one (see? It’s a process). One more thing I’ve learned from my ex-boss or mentor is that the most importance is how you leave a job. Everything else is secondary to that. People have very bad memory. They won’t remember how well you perform, how nice you are to them while still in the team, or even how fine you assist their job. They simply (and conveniently) remember your very last words or behaviors or emails. Anything you do in the very last moment defines your whole existence in their mind. You could not care less. I could not care less. These people will properly have nothing to do with my life in the future or I hope so. Nevertheless, you still want to embrace the third benefit because life is complicated. You may bump into them sometimes later without you wanting it or not but most importantly, you want to leave a legacy behind. Why? For what? I don’t know. I guess I believe in karma. Good legacy, good karma. Plus, I stand a higher moral ground and become a better person. That to me is the ultimate goal of life, hence, the ultimate goal of working (Working is just to earn money to get by? If you think so, you seriously need some soul-searching).

Understand cultures and contexts. Oh well, too much of a platitude? I think so too but sometimes you have to repeat something again and again because people just don’t get it (or don’t want or need to get it). Well, how to say this? I certainly don’t get all the cultures, especially in business context and for sure, no one does. People are complicated and in fact, they have the tendency to complicate things even more. So there you go, a mess to figure out (but an interesting fun mess). I won’t tell you how to figure it out because honestly I don’t know how. Besides, there is a ton of intercultural communication books out there already, grab one if you may. I’ll tell you just one tip though. Keep your mind open and never give conclusion just yet. Culture plays a very important role and it’s best to always include it in the equation before arriving at the solution. By the way, I hate dealing with culture. Can people just be simple and straightforward like I am? I spend too much time trying to understand culture and non-verbal cues, I don’t really have any interest left to enjoy the others’ company.

So that’s it. I’m checking out and back to be a freelancer again. Life is (still) great!

I didn't plan this trip at all. It was on the spur of the moment. I wanted to go somewhere because I would have 4 days off in a roll. I just wanted to go alone like I usually did because I hate planning. Dragging someone on a trip means you're responsible for that person's happiness during that trip (well, partly). I don't have the energy for that. My way of traveling is arrive at the destination, get the map, google, note down, go out and see how thing turns out in the end. 

Anyway, enough about my travel taste. This is the trip. 

I went to Phnom Penh, Cambodia from Hochiminh by bus. There was no research for the bus ticket also...I knew it must have been around $9-10 so I just came in any store on the backpacker's street and asked. I was lucky, the service I chose was very good. Another thing you must know about me is that I'm not picky. I have a set of criteria and if anything, anyone meets those criteria, they get a gold star from me. So for the bus service, the same. The name was Phuong Heng:

- Clean, no toilet on the bus, unlike other Cambodia-Vietnam buses. The idea of dragging a pile of human waste on highway for 6 hours just grosses me out. 

- Very nice and quick staff

- I didn't know the roads but they drove pretty fast. I was on time every time, 6 hours. Unlike last time my friend took the same route, she spent 8-10 hours.

- Big seats like buses in Korea. I just love those comfy seats with leg rest (excuse me, I'm old). The moment I saw the picture of the seats in the poster, I bought tickets. 

So recommended, Phuong Heng bus service, 291 Pham Ngu Lao, District 1, HCMC. Stops on Sihanouk road (near Olympic stadium) just like every other bus services of the same route.

About the hostel, I stayed in Lovely Jubbly Place, Street 19. Every travel, I go to Hostels.com to search. This place had the best rating, price for value and the most importantly, they accept Visa (you can't really find many places in Phnom Penh accept credit cards). Price was dirt cheap, $2 for weekday and $4 for weekend, co-ed dorm room. The bed was big and of course, clean. Toilets were nicely scrubbed. Lockers, towel were free of charge. They also had a bar so very convenient. It was near a lot of attractions like Silver Pagoda, National Museum, Night Market, Royal Palace, Wat Phnom (another pagoda), Central Market and river cruise. You can walk comfortably and discover all of the aforementioned in one day and that would be 90% of what you can see inside Phnom Penh.

So recommended, Lovely Jubbly Place, find them on Hostels.com.

Talking about attractions. Well, Phnom Penh is, honestly in my opinion, somehow boring because it resemblances cities in Vietnam a lot. Small cities in the South I would say.  But if you're not Vietnamese, maybe you'll like the slow, laid back vibe, the hot humid and polluted air, trash everywhere, sewage smell, beggars, lots of tuk tuk drivers calling as you are walking by, strange women, etc. Well, I don't mean it's bad, it's interesting in its own way. If you take time to walk around and just endure everything for a while, you'll get used to it. I did (I live in a similar country anyway LOL). Indeed, walking was the best way to observe life in Phnom Penh. 

The city architecture is boring and messy in general but those attractions mentioned above have very interesting Khmer decors (well, I've seen these in the Southern Vietnam already). I had high hopes for the museums though but...I went to 2. The first was National Museum. $5 admission fee (what?!) but it was a total disappointment. Very lack of information. Artifacts were exotic but not at all well preserved. Installation was a mess. No story telling. The second museum took me 5 hours walking to get there (I was nearly out of cash after shopping and getting a tattoo so didn't take tuk tuk). It was Tuol Sleng Museum, which was a prison under Pon Pot genocide period. I wanted to go so bad because I'd heard and read about the genocide but had never been to a real historic place to really feel the story. Anyway, the place itself and its history were impactful enough (20,000 people were tortured and killed there if I'm not mistaken). The displays were intriguing. Dead beds and empty rooms. Skulls and faces of dead prisoners, the elders to mothers holding infants. The pictures were very very real I could almost feel it by looking into their eyes. The prison cells (1x2 meter, very small) stroke me the most because I went inside a cell and sat down for 30 seconds. The feeling was chilly enough. Anyway, although it was not very emotional (I think I expected too much), Tuol Sleng is definitely recommended. 

Shopping in Cambodia. Yes, shop a lot of fabric! It was sooooo cheap and beautiful! I bought one 3-meter long well-made table runner for just $5! I went on buying many scarves I don't even know what to do with them now...I would recommend going to Night Market (opened only on Fri and weekend), cheap price and just enough variety so you'd save time. If you want more choices, go to Central Market. I didn't go to Russian Market since it was too far but from Google, stuff are just the same. 

Food...Just like Vietnamese food but a little bit more expensive so I ate nothing traditionally Cambodian. I thought I would though. I called "Khmer beef curry" and it turned out to be exactly like Vietnamese curry. Erh... Maybe it's just Phnom Penh...

PEOPLE! They are very nice and interesting. The people I met there that left me great impression were 2 boy working in the hostel's bar, the tattoo artist who did my tat, the Vietnamese tuk tuk driver I still owe 2000 riels to (about 50 cents), an Aussie entrepreneur and some of the random lives on the streets of Phnom Penh. 

Read more in Part 2.