On the Swing

Student at a Primary School in rural Siem Reap during session break.

City of Lion

The Merlion, the symbol of Singapore. Sadly I were not able to witness her beauty at night.

Singapore high-rises.

Chinatown. I am not an architect, but I love the architecture of Singapore.

Clarke Quay, the place you should not miss when you are in the city. The composition would be better, if I have had a tripod with me at that time. I had to use natural tripod, riverbank stairway in this case.

Restaurants and bars along the Singapore River around the Clarke Quay, one of the most popular nightlife options in Singapore. I did not have a chance to truly experience it, though.

Open air restaurants along the river. Jumbo Seafood? Sorry, my wallet was not thick enough for this one. At River Point

Photo of Last Month

With Nikkor 50mm f/1.8

Porridge with dried squids. She loves to start her day with it, especially with pickled radish.

Skol, not School, brewed by Carlsberg Malaysia. It was my first time to see and enjoy this brand of beer. It suits my taste. The previous day was also my first time to taste Carlsberg as well. Drinking in duty-free Langkawi is much cheaper than in Kuala Lumpur, where alcohols are levied heavily. I did not fell like drinking, when a bottle of Tiger would cost you 5 bucks.

Cambodian School Breakfast

Every weekday Ms. Dam Ma (42) wakes up at 4:00AM, heading off to the only school in her village. Yet the thatched kitchen is her place not the classroom. At the beginning of this school year, World Food Program (WFP) started the breakfast program at the school and she got the job as the school’s breakfast cook. To feed about 100 students, she normally consumes about 10 kg of rice, 5 kg of bean. For the dish, it has been always the same, canned fish broth. But if you ask the children how the food is, they would tell you how much they love it. Since now the school has planted water spinach, the children will be able to have some veggie added to their broth someday soon.

In return to her work, Ms. Ma receives 15kg of rice and 3 cans of canned fish monthly; but it is not what brought her to the job. Three out of her seven children are studying in the school. She is very happy that her children now can come to the school without empty stomachs. And this makes her proud to be a part of the program.

The WFP’s breakfast program has been proved a success. It has brought many children, especially of poor families, to schools. However, if I am not wrong, WFP neither has plan nor is not able to implement the project nationwide. Usually, they will stop the project after a few years and move to another schools. Sadly the enrollment rate would drop after the termination of the project. A WFP staffer used to tell me that WFP wants to deliver the message the government that if the breakfast provided, children would come to schools.

Children holding their bowls and spoons waited for breakfast to be served. When I arrived at the school at 5:45, there were already some children came to school.

Ms. Ma serving breakfast to children. Of course, there is no queue.

Children enjoying their breakfast. Probably it is their best meal of the day.

Sharing the bowl. For those who do not own a bowl, what you need is a spoon and friend.

Looks like they were devouring in the forest. For sure, you cannot find fresher atmosphere for your breakfast anywhere here.

After The Rain

When I came back home in the evening of 24 May after purchasing some furnishings, the sky was exceptionally stunning. I rushed to my apartment on the second floor, grabbed my camera and headed to the veranda. It was at 17:30 after a light rain. The sky was a little dark, but a part of it was reddened by the setting sun. That was pretty normal, rite. However, what impressed me was the bluish cloud at the other side. I have no idea, what made it so blue in such a dark situation. I guess it is somehow the result from the rain. Do you notice that the evening sky is more beautiful after the rain?

The above photos were retouched with Adobe Lightroom.