khSUGAR

Maddox Jolie-Pitt Is A Brainy Child

2010-03-09T20:36:00.000-08:00

NOT only does Maddox Jolie-Pitt have the world’s best-looking parents, he’s also got the brains of a mini-Einstein.

Angelina Jolie, 34, and Brad Pitt, 46, have been raving to pals that their adopted eight-year-old from Cambodia is intellectually gifted and has a high IQ.

A Hollywood source said: “Maddox is amazingly smart and loves books and tinkering with gadgets.

He is a gifted painter and sketch artist, takes piano lessons, does well in football and speaks fluent English, French, Spanish and his native Khmer.”

Yep, we feel slightly inadequate.

source: daily star

SHINee donates $10,000 to Cambodia Children’s Fund

2010-02-25T02:41:00.000-08:00


Members of South Korean pop band Shinee pose for photographs at a press conference in Phnom Penh on February 22. (photo by: Sovan Philong)

South Korean boy band Shinee performed a concert at Olympic Stadium in Phnom Penh on Tuesday, wrapping up a six-day visit that included a donation of US$10,000 to the Cambodia Children’s Fund.

The band – formed in 2008 and consisting of members Lee Jinki, Kim Jonghyun, Kim Kibum, Choi Minho and Lee Taemin – has become popular among Cambodian teens through its music videos, particularly for the song “Ring Ding Dong”.

Shinee’s visit to the country was arranged by the Cambodia Television Network (CTN) and its sister network MYTV.

At a press conference on Monday band members said they were touring Asia and had very much wanted to perform in Cambodia.
“We also know that Cambodian people support Shinee,” the band said in statement.

Following the press conference, the group visited the Cambodian Children’s Fund (CCF), where they were greeted by about 100 orphaned children who live there. The children staged a performance for the visitors, after which the band donated $10,000 to the fund.

CCF is raising 135 Cambodian children, 7 to 18 years of age, most of whom are former scrap scavengers from the Stung Meanchey dump site. The fund provides English-language classes, jobs in restaurants, IT classes and other vocational training.

“I think we will use [Shinee’s] donation for our culture, music and dance. I love music and I like culture,” said CCF director Scott Neeson.

Meanwhile, Monday’s press conference was also a rallying point for Shinee fans, many of whom waited outside the conference room sporting blonde, metrosexual hairstyles and Korean-style clothing.

One fan, 19-year-old National University of Management student Leng Dalin, said she was there to see the band members but had not been allowed into the press conference.

“I’ve been a fan since first seeing them on MYTV last year. I like their clothes and the way they dance,” she said.

Leng Dalin said she had already bought a $5 ticket to see Shinee’s Tuesday concert, money she would not spend on performances by Cambodian singers whom she said she had already seen “too many times”.

According to the Cambodia Television Network, more than 4,000 tickets were sold for the Shinee concert, most of them to fans under 20 years old.

Credit: PhnomPenhPost

Decorative surgical masks make a fashion statement in Asia

2010-02-17T00:24:00.000-08:00

Lay Lida studies Hamlet while learning English as a second language in Kampong Thom province. Style-conscious teenagers such as Lida, who sometimes opts for pink face masks because of their femininity, have helped spur a new trend Cambodia, a nation of about 15 million people. (Terry McCoy | For the Tribune-Review)

KAMPONG THOM PROVINCE, Cambodia — Lay Lida stares into the mirror, studying details discernible only to a teenage girl.

The 17-year-old's ensemble must be perfect. She's meeting friends later. There could be boys. But her outfit is missing a key component: The right surgical mask.

Glancing past the blue masks in her parents' shop here, she chooses a pink one. It just feels like a pink sort of day, she says.

"Masks make me more beautiful," she says later. "They make me look good."

Call it the anti-fashion trend — hiding, rather than augmenting, someone's look. This marriage of practicality and chic — bolstered by fears of the H1N1 virus, air pollution and the dusty grip of the dry season — has swept across Cambodia and other parts of Asia, fashion experts said.

Appearances matter, according to this rule, even when the fashionable item hides them.

"This is a kind of fashion," said Amra Doeur, who works with Tom & Alice Custom Tailors in Phnom Penh. "Everyone wears masks to protect their body, but the fashion is that they choose what mask is the best."

Novelty masks have crept into shops and stores across Cambodia to meet a youthful demand for fashion, combined with health benefits.

Surgical masks block most dust particles and make wearers less susceptible to infection from common sicknesses such as influenza, research shows. A study published in October by the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that fewer than a quarter of the 225 nurses who wore masks while working with influenza patients contracted the illness.

The kingdom's Ministry of Commerce does not keep industry statistics on the sale
and import of surgical masks, but a walk through any urban market reveals their ubiquity and diversity. Cartoons adorn some. They are available in every color of the rainbow. Some sport the distinctly Cambodian red-and-white checked pattern of the nation's traditional Khmer Kroma scarves.

"I envision these masks in every hospital pediatrics department, library, school and airport," said Irina Blok, an American-based designer of novelty masks who sold about 500 of them here. "There's a huge potential out there."

Many people who work in the fashion industry blame the Japanese for this love affair with facial gauze. Just as many Western fashions matriculate from the streets of Paris, much of Asia's fashion links to Tokyo. The mask is no different.

In the early 1900s, after Japan's industrial revolution — with all the dirt and disease that came with it — face masks gained popularity outside of operating rooms, reflecting the abhorrence to germs and grime among that country's populace.

Then, a decade ago, when an incipient Cambodian tourist industry spawned direct contact with other Asian peoples, and their surgical masks, the trend quickly infected the kingdom, fashion experts speculate.

Still, the style of fashionable masks remains "in its infancy" here, said Fiona Kizston, owner of Wild Poppy, a fashion boutique in Siem Reap.

"Once Cambodians see other Asians from other countries wearing novelty masks more often, it will catch on here," she said.

Cambodians are a sensible people, even if a tad vain, said Chea Botom, who owns a souvenir shop in Siem Reap selling higher-end fashion. Usually, they don't do things superfluously. So, in today's world, with airborne diseases and pollution, masks have a purpose beyond trendy fashion.

"If we didn't have diseases and pollution, we wouldn't have masks," Botom said.


Hede Hab, 23, listens to music while outfitted with a novelty face mask outside of Phnom Penh's central market in Cambodia. "I like Korean style; I love Korea," he said, explaining why he wears the fashionable surgical masks. (Terry McCoy \| For the Tribune-Review)

By Terry McCoy
credit: Pittsburg Trubune-Review

Johnson & Johnson heiress Libet Johnson loses custody of Cambodian boy

2010-02-17T00:05:00.000-08:00

Lionel Bissoon and Libet Johnson have been battling for custody of a 7-year-old boy from Cambodia.

ALBANY, N.Y. — A four-year adoption fight between jet-setting Manhattanites over an ailing and abandoned orphan from Cambodia is ending, at least for now, with the boy able to see the only father he's known.

New York's top court on Tuesday overturned the adoption by Johnson & Johnson heiress Elizabeth "Libet" Johnson, closing a case that wended through international law and involved what the adoptive father's lawyer called a "stealth adoption" by Johnson.

One of Manhattan's richest women, Johnson has been fighting over the adoption of the 7-year-old with her former lover, Dr. Lionel Bissoon, the one-time weight-loss guru to the rich of Manhattan, West Palm Beach and Beverly Hills.

"It means they will be able to have the father-and-son relationship they had since he was just a few months old and not have it cut off," said Bissoon's attorney, Bonnie E. Rabin. "The irony is that this child was orphaned and they tried to take away the only father he ever had ... this child loves his father."

The child continues to live with Johnson in her multimillion dollar Manhattan apartment, although the decision gives Bissoon legal standing he sought to see the child he helped rescue.

Richard A. Greenberg, Johnson's lawyer, said after Tuesday's ruling that he has several options, including taking the international case to the U.S. Supreme Court. There, he said he could argue the federal question of whether New York had to respect the Cambodian government's decisions regarding one of its orphans.

The court referred to the privileged upbringing Johnson, a mother of four, is able to provide. She's a jet-setter who once reportedly dated bold-faced bachelors including actor Michael Nouri and singer Michael Bolton, while living in her $62 million triplex in the Trump Tower overlooking Central Park, according to a 2008 story in "New York" magazine. It quoted Johnson as seeing herself as another poor little rich girl like Paris Hilton.

But Johnson found her life's work in establishing the Golden Child orphanage in Cambodia to care for the huge number of abandoned children in the impoverished country.

The saga began in January 2003, when the child, then 2 months old with a heart ailment, was found abandoned in a village market. Johnson already had become a leader in providing Cambodian orphans new lives in the United States, and she and Bissoon brought the infant to Manhattan on a temporary visa for medical care.

The couple had hoped to adopt and raise the child together. But the United States had a moratorium on Cambodian adoptions to combat illegal trafficking. Bissoon, however, then claimed dual citizenship in Trinidad and Tobago, which had no moratorium.

Trinidad approved the request, but Bissoon found out too late that the country doesn't allow unmarried men to adopt.

At about this time, in August 2004, the romance was strained as they again sought to adopt the child through Cambodia's government. In December 2005, more fighting over differing approaches to raising the child ended the relationship.

A month later, Johnson sought a New York adoption for the boy, but didn't tell Bissoon. Johnson later acknowledged errors in her petition, first by erroneously calling it a "re-adoption" and then failing to disclose a recent stay in an alcohol treatment facility, according to court records.

Unopposed, the New York adoption was granted.

Then, eight months later, Bissoon found out about it.

A surrogate court, and later an appellate division panel, agreed to vacate the New York adoption, based in part on expert testimony regarding Cambodian laws. On Tuesday, New York's highest court agreed.

"We are satisfied that, under Cambodian law, (Bissoon) validly adopted (the boy) in June 2004," the state Court of Appeals stated in its 7-0 decision. Because of international law in which countries respect the acts of other countries, Bissoon also was recognized as the father under New York law.

Johnson argued that granting her the adoption is in the best interest of the child, who has lived with her almost all his life and who the court noted "no doubt thinks is his mother."

"The best interests of a child, important though they are, do not automatically validate an otherwise illegal adoption," wrote Judge Robert Smith. "The parental rights of a child's father cannot simply be ignored because a court thinks it would be in the child's best interest to be adopted by someone else."

Bissoon, who sought to force Johnson to accept that he's the child's adoptive father, doesn't plan to take him away from Johnson. The court, however, didn't have to decide how extensive Bissoon's rights may be if he were to try.

"That question," Smith wrote, "is academic, and we hope it will remain so."

credit: AP (source)

Heart 2 Heart: SHINee In Cambodia (FEB 23rd) //edit

2010-02-08T23:08:00.000-08:00

WHO: SHINee
WHEN: February 23, 2010 7:00PM
WHERE: Olympic Stadium Indoor Arena, (Phnom Penh, Cambodia)

I'm sure you've either read the tweet or maybe saw the advertisements and constant promotion on CTN/MYTV, well for those that didn't SHINee a contemporary r&b boy band from South Korea will be holding a concert on February 23rd, at the Olympic Stadium Indoor Arena. I'm assuming this is some kind of special concert because its not mentioned on their schedule. For those that live in Cambodia, you can purchase ticket at the nearest Cellcard Center.

Edited 2/24/2019
Some photos from the event:

photo cr: nestelpoell.net many more can be found over at the site.

and I was about to translate an article about the press conferece they has on the 22nd from KEN but looks like WRS already translated so head over there and read it Shinee: We like Cambodia, and we are very happy for having many fans here.

Khmer Celeb Volunteers...

2009-12-18T15:17:00.000-08:00

Last month from the 15 - 20 of November volunteers from around the world joined new homeowners to build 21 homes in Oudong, Cambodia as part of The Jimmy and Roasalynn Carter Work Project - The Mekong Build 2009. These families were relocated from informal settlement near Phnom Penh's Stung Meanchey dumpsite, where most make their living from scavaged garbage. The Carter Project will ensure that these families live in simple, decent homes in a safe, clean environment.

Not only that, many Khmer celebs came out and volunteers as well... more after the jump

Celebrity sightings
A group of nine Cambodian movie stars and singers joined in the first day of building, thanks to the leadership of one of Habitat Cambodia’s partners. AngkorOne.com is the brainchild of Steven Path, a Cambodian businessman who uses a portion of the profits from his Web products to support in-country nonprofit organizations. AngkorOne.com also mobilizes youth to get involved in social causes.

Leaders from AnkorOne.com helped to arrange the nine celebrities’ involvement on the build site Monday, and it did not take long for many young volunteers to take notice. Pou Khlaing, a popular Khmer hip-hop singer, who helped lay blocks Monday, says he is excited to turn his young fans onto causes like Habitat’s.

“I know not everybody can donate money, but everybody can donate their labor, their time,” Khlaing said. “I’m excited to be here today. It’s hot and I know the blocks are heavy, but it feels so good to lift that heavy block and to know that I’m helping in a real way.”

Path hopes Khlaing’s young fans will remain excited well beyond this week. “When young people get involved in something like Habitat, they get a new sense of fulfillment,” he said. “And they help raise awareness that gets other youth thinking, ‘Yes, there are lots of different ways I can make a difference in my own country.’”

A wet towel and shades keep hip-hop star Pou Khlaing cool on the build site in Cambodia.

Ieng Sithhul, a Khmer singer, exchanges his microphone for a trowel at the Carter Work Project site in Cambodia.

Duang Zorida, Khmer television personality and announcer, fills in the gaps on a Habitat house.

Yuthara Chhany, a Khmer movie star, pounds a brick into place to ensure the house will be level. The community being built by volunteers this week is called New Life.

Chom Chanleakhena, a Khmer movie star, completes another row of brick. When the home is complete, a family will be able to move from a dump site to Oudong. "I have had a dream of living in the countryside," future homeowner Sim Mon said. "Life like this is beautiful."

photo cr: Habitat For Humanity
capped by: khsugar.blogspot.com

Maddox hits the red carpet

2009-12-04T23:54:00.000-08:00

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie took their son Maddox to the Los Angeles premiere of Clint Eastwood’s new film Invictus at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences yesterday evening. I can't believe how much hes grown. The fedora, the scarf... I see he takes after the father indeed. He's growing up to be one handsome fella.

TVXQ 'Xiah Junsu Village' In Cambodia Is Created

2009-12-04T17:55:00.000-08:00

A village that has adopted TVXQ's Xiah Junsu's name in Cambodia has been created titled 'Xiah Junsu Village'.

International organization AdraKore began building houses and improving living conditions for the poor in a village just an hour away from Phnom Penh.

This aid for the poor received a lot of help from TVXQ's Xiah Junsu and his fanclub who donated money to the organization last year. The fanclub members decided to give a thoughtful present by collecting donations and giving a fraction of it to AdraKorea.

AdraKorea began building houses for the poor who lived in unstable conditions and improved living environments to protect children from unexpected natural or man-made disasters and the organization was able to do this thanks to Xiah Junsu and his fanclub.

30 houses were reconstructed. Most of these houses were worn down and were made of banana or palm leaves. The ceilings and walls had been slowly disintegrating so whenever it rained, families were sure to get wet. However, these houses have been changed into warm, safe havens.

Jin Hana, who is currently helping out with the project in Cambodia, said, "When it rained at night, families had to move around to find a place where the rain or the wind couldn't get to, or they had to sleep leaning against the wall on an unstable bamboo floor. The children are now able to sleep safely and soundly."

Volunteer Shin Sung Eun said, "The people here don't know who TVXQ is, but they are very thankful that people far away in Korea have sent them donations of love," and "People here call this village the 'Xiah Junsu village.'"

Shin Won Seok, the secretary-general of Adra, stated, "We would like to thank Xiah Junsu and his fanclub for teaching us once more that giving helps people in need and makes the world a brighter place," and "Their love helped those in need in the global community."

Source: [newsen+DNBN]
Translation credits: jeeelim5@tohosomnia.net
Shared by: tohosomnia.net
Do not remove/add on any credits

Star-studded celebration

2009-11-26T08:41:00.000-08:00

November 17, 2009
Cambodian singer/songwriter Sapoun Midada and his bride, the actress Soeur Sotheara are greeted by singer Chhom Sovannareat at the couple’s wedding ceremony at NagaWorld last Friday.

cr: Sovan Philong via pppost

Leng Phe nominated for Mr Hyphen 2009

2009-11-13T00:39:00.000-08:00

Each year, Hyphen Magazine and the Oakland Asian Cultural Center (OACC) celebrate Asian American men who devote themselves to worthy community causes. While structured like a pageant with rounds of talent, fashion and Q&A, Mr. Hyphen turns stereotypes on their heads in front of a sold-out crowd. Striking a blow for equal-opportunity all-in-good-fun ogling, Mr. Hyphen is an energy-filled evening of fun and charity. Rounds will be decided alternately by an audience vote and by an illustrious panel of judges. The man who is crowned Mr. Hyphen wins a $1000 cash donation to his nonprofit organization.

One of the Mr. Hyphen 2009 contestant Leng Phe will represent Tiny Toones Cambodia, an organization that utilizes breakdancing, hip-hop and contemporary arts as creative tools to empower the youth of Cambodia. It prompts and helps them to live healthier lives free of HIV and drugs, build more promising futures by furthering their educational opportunities, and become positive role models for their community.

About Leng:
Born to refugee survivors of the Khmer Rouge during the Vietnam War, Leng had an upbringing that exposed him to violence, drugs and abuse. Leng admits to having a past filled with tragedies, but his outlook on life is honest and hopeful. As Leng discovered breakdancing and singing, they not only relieved his pain, but also empowered him with the sense of self-worth.

During a soul-searching trip to Cambodia, Leng visited Tiny Toones and, after seeing first-hand the lack of opportunities and homelessness for the population, knew what the organization was doing was extremely special and joined as a core member and a dance instructor.

Leng Says:
Most of [the youths] are neglected and they use breakdancing to empower their lives. Three things stood out to me during my trip. It was the beautiful culture/history of my people, the heart-breaking sex tourism and Tiny Toones. Here I stand despite of what my scars say, a stronger man trying to give back to my Cambodian people. My past was dark, but my future is bright, so presently I smile.

source: Hyphen Magazine

Paon Phuong Bopha: Trading her notepad for a camera

2009-11-11T20:55:00.000-08:00

Paon Phuong Bopha explains how she became Cambodia’s most recognised female director

If asked to name the most famous filmmaker in Cambodia today, many would say Paon Phuong Bopha. She is undoubtedly one of the nation’s most respected and acclaimed filmmakers. Her films have been shown in theatres and TV stations, including the Cambodian Television Network (CTN). She began her directorial career as producer at the Cambodia Women’s Media Centre (WMC), which works with members of the media to produce content that ensures women’s stories are told and their voices heard.

How was your family life during the Khmer Rouge regime?
I lost three people in the family: my father, my husband and a younger brother in 1976 to the Khmer Rouge regime. So I was a 19-year-old widow left with two children after the regime.

After the regime collapsed, I had to take more responsibility for supporting my mum, my siblings and the two children.

My life changed after one event during the regime. I was in real trouble because the Khmer Rouge soldiers of Angkar noticed me that I always wrote something in the dirt at the meeting; it was my luck that I was not killed at that time.

Those who were known as teachers were all killed by Angkar.

When did you start your career as a film writer? How many stories have you written?
First, I was a journalist, writing for the Art, Culture, Education and Sport section of Rasmey Kampuchea daily newspaper between 1993 and 1998.
After five years working for the newspaper, I was hired by Cambodia Women’s Media Centre because the centre needed only women to work and I started to write films since that time.

After working there for a short period of time, I was assigned to be a co-director and produced films there.

I produced a lot of films that were about education, health, disaster, sex trafficking. After six-and-a-half years at WMC, I decided to work for another institution, Cambodian Television Network (CTN). During the past six years at CTN, I have produced 20 films.

How did your love for writing begin?
I love reading novels and newspapers. When I was young, my father was not very happy about my literacy because he was scared that I read some articles about love or sex. I also enjoyed foreign cinema from a young age.

Which of your films do you regard as the most popular and well-received?
All of the 20 films are popular among Cambodian people. The most popular film is Mother’s Heart, Good Husband, Snam Sne Samot Ream (Love Memory at Ream Sea).

As I have noticed, those films that I have produced made some change to our society, and I am very pleased that I can be a person who can educate many people in society.

I think I am playing a very important role in society and also for my family.

What are the difficulties when writing and producing?
It is a very difficult task, but what I have done is from the experience I have had. I’ve got to concentrate and try harder. If I don’t, what will happen? There are a lot of words I have to write and a lot of things I have to do. I, on the other hand, have to struggle to find something new from reading novels.

Now, I rarely read because I find it difficult to see small capital letters, so I stop to watch films to get inspired to write.
But that does not mean I copy ideas from those films I watched. Now, I like watching Korean films because the Korean film industry is hitting the world marketplace.

What kind of stories do you write most?
We have an exact purpose before writing. With all films I have written, I have my own message to the public and the government.

All of the topics of each film are always concerned about today’s social issues. I normally include family problems in each film. I never wrote and produced any stories which are about our nation’s history.

For instance, if we run a theme that is about the Royal Palace, how much money do we have to pay? It costs a lot of money, for there are many people whom we need to pay.

What is your perception of Cambodian films today?
Through my observation, Cambodian films today are very popular with Cambodians.

Although Khmer films do not have a market place, we have broadcast our films through television. Now there are not many investing in our film industry.

Today we don’t have much money to produce films as other developed countries.
Cambodia’s film industry will be better if we have more marketplaces.

Ideas to produce any film are appreciated, but it is still difficult since nobody invests in Cambodia’s film industry.

What are your plans or projects in the future?
I have my own project; I will continue to produce more films. But I will have stopped producing by 2012 because I will have retired by 2012.
But I don’t know if I can continue till 2012, for it depends on my health.

I am now editing Udom Phakriyear (Excellent Wife), which will be screened soon. I am going to run other stories called Women’s Trick, Ku Preng Chamlek (Strange Couple), and Older Sister’s heart, which is the story idea of Prime Minister Hun Sen.

What is the message of The Living Way of Stars, widely regarded as your masterpiece?
This film is about lifestyles of the stars. It is about where they come from, how they become celebrities, what difficulties they face and how they handle the problems of their future life. So the film is to inform stars to know who they really are.

Have you faced criticism after your story was published?
People normally receive criticism when they do something.

There are two types of criticism I have encountered. First, I met some people who criticise me to improve or develop my film.
The other kind of criticism is to break me down, which usually comes from magazines.

I would like people who criticise me to watch the film first, because they don’t really know what my film is about. I will be happy to see their criticism afterwards.

source: phnom penh post

Jackie Chan in Cambodia

2009-11-11T09:16:00.000-08:00

Remember way back in August when he was mentioned? Look no further, because Jackie Chan have arrived. Enjoy the photos and article under the cut :)

ETA: you can view the vid clip of Jackie Chan and Him Sivorn singing (via Virak855)

Hong Kong actor Jackie Chan stands on stage with Cambodian singer Him Sivorn at Southeast Asian TV, a new local television station, in Phnom Pehn November 10, 2009. Chan is on a mission to promote peace as part of the third ASEAN event series of "Bridges - Dialogues Towards a Culture of Peace", initiated and facilitated by the International Peace Foundation.

Hong Kong actor Jackie Chan and Cambodian singer Him Sivorn sing a Chinese song at the Southeast Asia Television in Phnom Penh on November 10, 2009.

LtR: Preap Sovath, Noy Vanneth, Meng Keo Pichenda, Him Sivorn, Jackie Chan, Adda?

plenty more photos of Jackie Chan arriving at the airport over at Reuters
photo cr: xinhuanet+reuters

------------------------------
and according to Southeast Asian Film Studies Institute Jackie Chan plans to shoot a film in Cambodia?! What? What?

He also announced that he would start shooting a movie on stolen artefacts next year, and that one part of the movie would be shot in Angkor Wat. via

------------------------------
Movie star Jackie Chan to give lecture in Cambodia

PHNOM PENH, Nov. 10 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong movie star Jackie Chan arrived here on Tuesday to pay a visit and give a lecture in a Cambodian university.

Chan will stay here for three days. While he is in Cambodia, Chan will give a lecture to students at the University of Cambodia on the experiences and humanity work that he has achieved and engaged with.

He will be awarded with an honorable doctoral degree in humanity, Kao Kim Hourn, secretary of state for the Foreign Ministry and president of the University of Cambodia, said earlier.

Meanwhile, Chan will also receive an education award from the University of Cambodia for his humanity's work and activities, Kao added.

According to the plan, Chan will also pay a courtesy call on Cambodia's King Norodom Sihamoni and meet with Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Jackie Chan made his first visit to Cambodia in 2004 under the sponsors of the United Nations Children's Fund and the United Nations AIDS Program.

Chan is a keen philanthropist and UNICEF/UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador who has worked tirelessly to champion charitable works and causes.

It is the part of the events of the "Bridges - Dialogues Towards a Culture of Peace" program of the International Peace Foundation scheduled from Nov. 4, 2009 to April 27, 2010. Ten Nobel Prize winners, film stars, movie producers and other world figures will visit here and give speeches.

It is the first event of its kind to be held in Cambodia. Speakers will get the chance to meet students and engage in other activities during their stays in Cambodia.

October - November 2009 Issue of F Magazine

2009-10-12T23:55:00.000-07:00

On the cover:
Chea Keven (Model/Actor) and Mark Sensonita (You've probably remember her from the CTN hit drama "Pka Knong Pka" )

Rap music fights Cambodia landmines

2009-10-12T23:26:00.000-07:00

Landmine rap and hip-hop competition in Battambang, Cambodia. [Photo: Sok Savy]

Listen to the audio

Young people at risk from landmines in Cambodia are to be targeted by hip-hop and rap music carrying the message of risks from the abandoned munitions.

Many different ways have been tried to alert young Cambodians to the danger of landmines.

But the message is not getting through.

Kristin Rasmussen, of the Integrated Mine Action project, told Radio Australia's Connect Asia up to 80 percent of victims hurt in accidents have attended mine risk education sessions.

Identity

In particular, "we believe that young men tamper (with mines) as a way of forming their gender identity as young men," she says.

How to get through to them that landmines are potentially lethal?

Music is the latest education trend in three heavily mined villages that have experienced the highest fatality rates in the country. Of the victims, 38 percent are children.

Cambodia has 40,000 landmine amputees in a population of nearly 14 million - or one person in every 300.

Statistics show young males have the highest incidence of injuries related to tampering with the armaments.

Young people from the three villages in north-western Battambang province are part of a pilot program to create hip-hop and rap music carrying the mine risk message.

Agencies

The Integrated Mine Action project is working with the International Women's Development Agency and World Vision Cambodia, with funding from AusAid, the Australian aid agency.

Ms Rasmussen, IMA project coordinator, says a song competition has just been held bringing young people together. It featured original songs they composed.

Here are some of the themes from competing songs:

"Don't use the explosive devices to modify and play around as a game.
It's dangerous and fatal, destroying arms, legs and make you blind.
It turns you to be disabled at very young age.
If you have explosives and ordinance go away as far as you can.
Don't ever make contact with them . . . "

Ms Rasmussen says: "The reason that we decided to do this through rap and hip-hop messaging is because we wanted to reach out to one of the highest risk of tampering, which is young boys between the ages of 12 and 22."

She hopes the winning song from the competition will become an anthem for the cause.

- Sonja Heydeman, October 13, 2009
Source: Radio Australia

Nail Art Makes A Splash In Cambodia

2009-10-10T21:16:00.000-07:00

The popularity and quality of nail art in Cambodia has been on the increase in recent years. Beautifully painted nails are now an important fashion accessory for Cambodian women looking to stand out from the crowd.

The growing number of professional nail salons, especially in the capital of Phnom Penh, has helped take nail art in Cambodia to a whole new level. Staff in the best nail shops staff undergo years of training to master the necessary techniques. Girls learn by decorating the rounded surfaces of bowls in aesthetics classes. The minute details of their designs are carefully practiced and improved before they can be hired.

Sun Heang - one of Cambodia best known beauticians - is the owner of Christina's Beauty School in Phnom Penh. She says a steady hand and an eye for detail are the important for a successful nail therapist, but creative flair is important too.

Sun Heang:"Customers choose the style they want depending on which occasion they are celebrating. This one for example is popular around Valentine’s Day, because it features love hearts. In hot weather glitter is the most popular because it makes your nails sparkle in the sun."

Most importantly, she says, the manicurists have to have a clear idea of the design and know how to execute it even before the first brush stroke. Sun Heang studied nail art in Thailand, Vietnam and China before returning to Cambodia to open her own beauty salon five years ago. She also owns a beauty school where she passes on her skills and knowledge to more than 300 eager students.

Nail art is especially popular among young Cambodian women attending events like weddings and birthday parties. The bigger the occasion, the more elaborate the design. But it's a time consuming process and it can take more than two hours to complete a full manicure.

Pheak Chan Vorleak is patiently waiting for her manicure. She has picked a pattern with three-dimensional white roses on a sparkling pink background. She says it is important to her that she stands out in the crowd later tonight at her birthday party.

Pheak Chan: "I came here to get my nails done because I'm hosting a big birthday party. Because I'm a Cambodian girl I have to dress up for my guests. It's very important that I have my nails looking good when I greet them."

The culture is such that intricately and carefully decorated nails translate as kudos for their owner. Because each nail must be individually painted by hand, each one is unique.

Nail art fashion changes with the season says Sun Heang, with different patterns becoming popular around major holidays. Each design last about three weeks and typically costs from about $5 dollars for a simple design to more than $45 dollars for something more elaborate.

Information for this report was provided by APTN.

Source: VOA Khmer

The Amazing Race 15: "Sean Penn Cambodia Here We Come"

2009-10-10T20:22:00.000-07:00

Episode 4 of The Amazing Race 15 will air this Sunday, October 11 (8:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on CBS be sure to check it out.

Episode Synopsis:
Teams scramble to spot royalty in the jam-packed streets of Cambodia and one Team monkeys around and breaks the Race's cardinal rule by losing their passport.

Biff & Bil 2009: The Great of ASEAN runway show (Cambodia part)

2009-08-27T19:41:00.000-07:00

The Bangkok International Fashion Fair & Bangkok International Leather Fair 2009 (BIFF & BIL 2009) took place between August 13 -16 2009. I first heard about this event when khmerstar.info posted an article about how Doung Zorida and other models + tailor shops & representative would be going to Thailand to showcase the best products and latest innovations in fashion and the leather industries. A few weeks has past, low and behold... we have photos courtesy of ThaiCatWalk.

photos below are just of the Khmer models/celeb that took part in the "Great of ASEAN" runway show.

as pictured [1st] Chorn Chan Leakhena [2nd] Touch Sreyleak [3rd] Srey Moch [4th photo] I have know clue who she is [5th] Tim Rotha & Ly Marina

more photos from the event

2009-08-27T19:30:00.000-07:00

more photos of can be found here, in the set it also includes both Cambodia and Myanmar. So don't get them mixed up.

If I had to choose the worst outfit out of the entire set, it would have to be this:
Best? IMO

F Magazine: The First Fashion Forward Magazine in Cambodia

2009-08-26T00:21:00.000-07:00

The first issue of F Magazine (August - September issue) has been out since August 16. As you can tell on the cover, F Magazine is the first fashion forward magazine in Cambodia, what ever that's suppose to mean ;). It is also written in both English and Khmer. So hurry up what are you waiting for? Purchase the magazine at any of those places below for the price of 3.5 USD or 14,000 Riels.

Places you can purchase the magazine:

All TELA Gas Stations (25 Stations in Cambodia)
Pencil Supermarket (near Norodom, with the KFC store)
Central Market Newstands
Sophy & Sina Boutique (St.240)
All IBC Bookstore
Nokorthom Book Shop
Angkor Book Shop
Siem Reap : POETRY Store (Pub Alley Extension)
Soon: Around this Friday at all Monument Bookstore
Soon: At Lucky's Supermarket (No tentative date)
Soon: BB World
Soon: Total Gas Stations
Soon: TNC Coffee Shop
or buy at their office : #52B St.240

Kudos to Betty In Me <3

Leading a Korean invasion: K-Pop and all that Hallyu

2009-08-25T23:51:00.000-07:00

Khmer parents beware: It seems that Cambodian youths, like most of their Asian counterparts, have contracted the contagious Korean pop-culture craze

Like image-conscious students everywhere, 19-year-old Nguon Dalen spends time on his appearance. Mostly on his hair, it appears.
Nguon Dalen's lovingly sculpted coif, a multilayered mullet, looks distinctly high-maintenance.

"I like Korean hairstyles," he shrugs. "I'm young, so I need something new. I especially like Rain's style: His hair and clothes help him look handsome."

Nguon Dalen has been into Korean fashion since he was in high school. And he's not alone.

Many young Cambodians are likewise seeking to emulate "K-Stars", as they are colloquially known.

It seems that, having flooded Asia's airwaves and won the hearts of fans region-wide in the process, "the Korean Wave" - a pop culture phenomenon also dubbed "Hallyu" - has washed onto Cambodian shores.

In November 2008, Glen Felgate, general manager of Cambodian Television Network (CTN), told Television Asia Plus magazine that Korean dramas were particularly popular in Cambodia. One, How to Meet a Perfect Neighbor, even visited the Kingdom on a location shoot last year.

"The reason many youngsters adapt to new waves of foreign pop culture is that young, influential Cambodian singers and film stars have followed the examples set by their Korean counterparts," says Vong Emsaman, sociology professor of the Royal University of Phnom Penh.

"We cannot stop the behaviour of those young people," he says.

But why would anyone want to?

The professor says he feels that the revealing ensembles favoured by Korean starlets impact negatively on the way well-mannered Cambodian girls clothe themselves.

His answer hints at a generational divide that has caused strife between parents and teenagers since Elvis first wiggled his hips on American network television.

Youth subcultures - from flower-power-spouting hippies in the '60s to the phlegm-gobbing punks of the late '70s - mutate over the years, but the nature of the conflict they bestride stays essentially the same.

After all, it's well-established that adolescents, if graced with the freedom and means, often instinctively rebel against their elders, seeking to distinguish themselves from the "squares", using fashion and pop culture tropes as their usual weapons of choice.

But the Korean Wave has been an especially pervasive love affair; this pan-Asian obsession has staying power.
Fans from Saigon to Shanghai await visiting K-Stars amid airport scenes reminiscent of Beatlemania.

This is curious, especially when one considers the language barriers necessitating subtitles for non-native fans of Korean media.
So how did it all begin?

The inception of Hallyu is tied in with the march of capitalist culture into Asia in the early '90s. Like image-conscious students everywhere, 19-year-old Nguon Dalen spends time on his appearance. Mostly on his hair, it appears.
Nguon Dalen's lovingly sculpted coif, a multilayered mullet, looks distinctly high-maintenance.

"I like Korean hairstyles," he shrugs. "I'm young, so I need something new. I especially like Rain's style: His hair and clothes help him look handsome."

Nguon Dalen has been into Korean fashion since he was in high school. And he's not alone.
Many young Cambodians are likewise seeking to emulate "K-Stars", as they are colloquially known.

It seems that, having flooded Asia's airwaves and won the hearts of fans region-wide in the process, "the Korean Wave" - a pop culture phenomenon also dubbed "Hallyu" - has washed onto Cambodian shores.

In November 2008, Glen Felgate, general manager of Cambodian Television Network (CTN), told Television Asia Plus magazine that Korean dramas were particularly popular in Cambodia. One, How to Meet a Perfect Neighbor, even visited the Kingdom on a location shoot last year.

"The reason many youngsters adapt to new waves of foreign pop culture is that young, influential Cambodian singers and film stars have followed the examples set by their Korean counterparts," says Vong Emsaman, sociology professor of the Royal University of Phnom Penh.

"We cannot stop the behaviour of those young people," he says.

But why would anyone want to?

The professor says he feels that the revealing ensembles favoured by Korean starlets impact negatively on the way well-mannered Cambodian girls clothe themselves.

His answer hints at a generational divide that has caused strife between parents and teenagers since Elvis first wiggled his hips on American network television.

Youth subcultures - from flower-power-spouting hippies in the '60s to the phlegm-gobbing punks of the late '70s - mutate over the years, but the nature of the conflict they bestride stays essentially the same.

After all, it's well-established that adolescents, if graced with the freedom and means, often instinctively rebel against their elders, seeking to distinguish themselves from the "squares", using fashion and pop culture tropes as their usual weapons of choice.

But the Korean Wave has been an especially pervasive love affair; this pan-Asian obsession has staying power.
Fans from Saigon to Shanghai await visiting K-Stars amid airport scenes reminiscent of Beatlemania.

This is curious, especially when one considers the language barriers necessitating subtitles for non-native fans of Korean media.
So how did it all begin?

The inception of Hallyu is tied in with the march of capitalist culture into Asia in the early '90s.

South Korea, as one of the era's economic tigers, with close ties to Western culture and rapidly emerging techno-wizardry, was well-placed to take advantage.

Newly minted transnational media corporations churned out slickly produced pop videos starring whiter-than-white (often cosmetically modified) stars.

Meanwhile, TV soap operas promoted ultramodern "middle-class" lifestyles, starring sensitive male protagonists who made teens and housewives alike swoon.

Perhaps just as importantly, South Korea wasn't as politically loaded as Japan or the US. Audiences thus felt freer to embrace comparatively neutral K-Star power - a "soft" force based firmly in the material realm, nonthreatening and easy to aspire to.
China and Taiwan became the first converts.

The message then spread like wildfire to Southeast Asia, the Asia-Pacific, even the Middle East (although the phenomenon is now well-established enough to have faced nationalistic backlashes in both China and Japan).
So much for the movement - who are the protagonists?

As any K-Pop devotee would attest, no one embodies Hallyu more emphatically than Jeong Ji-hoon - better known by his stage name Rain.

Riding the crest of the Korean Wave, Rain's meteoric rise saw him in 2004 become the first-ever winner of the MTV Asia Grand Slam, securing top honours in every country broadcasting MTV Asia.

By 2006 he was being listed in Time magazine's "100 Most Influential People Who Shape Our World" and selling out gigs in Vegas and at Madison Square Garden.

Rain's march has been hindered by legal wrangles recently, but there's no doubting the impact he and his ilk have made across Asia.

A Thai concert promoter, for example, ran a competition in which the prize was a night's stay in Rain's Bangkok hotel suite after he'd checked out - but before the maid had cleaned up. (The winner presumably spent a rapturous night alternately sniffing and sobbing into Rain's rumpled towels.)

Jaruwan Supolrai, 26, of Bangkok's Thai Volunteer Service, says that, "many Thai teenagers are crazy for Koreanisation, especially those living in the city.

"They're big fans of Korean singers, stars and fashion. Of course, that makes them want to be like their idols."
His elder Vong Emsaman concurs.

"I lived in Japan for seven years," says the sociology professor. "And I saw that many women in that country may be dressed in sexy clothes, but they are still considered good in their society."

He adds that the solution is to set appropriate dress-code regulations at school.
Trust the powers that be to spoil kids' fun. Some things never change.

- written by Joel Quenby and Tha Piset (08/25/09) PPPOST

[film] Finding Face trailer

2009-08-20T18:53:00.000-07:00

cr: onefilmatatime

[film] Acid Attack Film Debuts in Portland

2009-08-20T17:02:00.000-07:00

"Finding Face," which examines the life of Tat Marina, a karaoke star who was terribly disfigured and nearly killed in an acid attack, will show in Portland on Sunday.

Meanwhile, members of her family have gone into hiding under the protection of UNHCR, for fear of reprisals.

Tat Marina was the mistress of a powerful official, whose wife is suspected behind the attack. Acid attacks are a common phenomenon in post-war Cambodia.

The film is narrated by Tat Marina herself, making it sound as though she is telling her story to the audience, said the filmmaker, Sky Fitzgerald.

The film was produced by SpinFilm, and organizers hope Portland’s Whitsell Auditorium screening will see thousands of attendees, including US representatives. The screening will be followed by a question-answer session with Tat Marina.

“It is my belief that it is a fundamental human right, that one has a chance to speak their mind to tell their story and not be silenced by others because simply they are in a more powerful position in a particular country,” Fitzgerald said. “So I became very committed to ensure that [Marina’s] family had an outlet in a way that they hadn’t for a very long time.”

Tat Marina was doused with nitric acid in December 1999 while feeding porridge to her niece at a market in Phnom Penh. The film demonstrates that Tat Marina had a secret affair with Svay Sitha, who was then an undersecretary of state at the powerful Council of Ministers.

"When Marina was wounded, we were pressured and threatened not to file a complaint," said the victim’s older sister, Tat Pov Rachana, speaking to VOA Khmer by phone while in hiding. “We’ve lived in pain for nine or 10 years now.”

Eight of Tat Marina’s family, including four children, fled Cambodia the day before the film was premiered, at a human rights film festival in Geneva in March.

"I also miss my country, but the suffering and injustice clouding over my family makes us unable to stand it any longer," Tat Pov Rachana said, sobbing.

Meanwhile, police officials in the family’s neighborhood said they were surprised the family had fled.

"They left without informing us, and I don’t even know at which location they lived," said Yin San, police inspector of January 7 district.

The family did not go to the police for protection as the film debuted.

"They came to Licadho and other organizations for their protection and safety," Om Sam Ath, chief investigator for Licadho, told VOA Khmer Monday. “They said they cannot go on living in Cambodia, due to a film about their true life and Marina’s and fear of threats and repression.”

VOA Khmer was not able to reach Khoun Sophal, the wife of Svay Sitha, to check on her involvement in the case. Sources say she is living a normal life with Svay Sitha, who has now been promoted to secretary of state.

Reached by phone, Svay Sitha declined to comment, and an aid said he did not want to remember the incident.

Fitzgerald said he plans to have the documentary shown in many states and on television in the US. He hopes to screen it in Cambodia but is not sure if officials will allow it. The next step is to put the film on DVD format and distribute it in Cambodia.

- Men Kimseng, Original report from Washington (VOA Khmer)

[film] Same Same But Different

2009-08-20T08:12:00.000-07:00

SAME SAME BUT DIFFERENT tells an unusual and moving love story. After finishing school Benjamin, a young German, goes on a long journey through Asia. In Phnom Penh he meets the Cambodian girl Sreykeo and instantly falls in love with her. It is only after their first night together that he discovers she works as a bargirl. Nevertheless he enjoys the time he spends with her in this mysterious country torn between modernity and belief in ancient spirits. Back in Germany he realizes that he wants to fight for his love and has to take responsibility for it. Against all odds he tries the impossible: To remain together with Sreykeo for always.

SAME SAME BUT DIFFERENT is a story written by life: In February 2006, Benjamin Prüfer published an autobiographical account in a magazine. The overwhelming number of reactions by readers caused him to write the autobiographical novel “Same same but different”. Director Detlev Buck knew that this was the material he had been looking for as soon as he had read the manuscript.

“Ever since film school I had wanted to make a film that not only touches on the subject of love but deals with nothing else. But no love story offered itself. Now with the true story of Benjamin and Sreykeo finally the moment had come to make the film”, says Buck. - via fb

Official | IMBD
Release date: 21st January 2010 (Germany)

and congrats to the film crew, they won The Variety Piazza Grande award, at the 62nd Locarno Film Festival.

given by the paper's attending crix for the best world or international preem combining artistic and commercial smarts, went to German drama "Same Same But Different," by Detlev Buck, based on a real-life love story between a young German man and an HIV-positive Cambodian woman.

credits/kudos/source: variety, slothofastudent-yt, samesame-themovie website fb/ms

[MV] Jang Seok Hyun - I'm A Woman

2009-08-20T07:57:00.001-07:00

Rundown: Jang Seok Hyun latest single "I'm a woman" has garnered attention among netizen in that in music video is about a true love story of a South Korean man who falls in love with a North Korean woman who works at the North Korean tourism restaurant in Cambodia. See the Cambodia connection? ;) Don't think we need translation...the music video is pretty much self explanatory even if you can't understand the language, there's also eng sub flashing at the buttom. DOn't understnad? go to spn edaily to read about it. ........zzz.....zzz at the end they can't be together. ...

cr: miumiudolls @yt + spn

Rejected US Cambodian brings hip hop home

2009-08-18T15:10:00.000-07:00

A slim boy with curly hair spins on his head to hip hop music at a house down a crowded and dusty road in the Cambodian capital.

The dancer, 11-year-old Soeurn Nhanh, says he had a hopeless existence as a shoeshine boy until he discovered Cambodia's first and only breakdancing and hip hop school.

"When I grow up, I want to be a breakdancing teacher and earn money to support myself and my family," he says, grinning.

Established a few years ago by a former US gang member deported after being convicted of armed robbery, the Tiny Toones centre also teaches disc jockey skills and rapping to nearly 400 children.

Besides helping bring hip hop culture to Cambodia, Tiny Toones and its founder Tuy Sobil, better known as Kay Kay, have won accolades for helping drug addicts and poor street kids transform their lives.

"Our [centre] doesn't judge where the kids come from. It doesn't matter whether it's the rich, poor, or orphans, sex workers or drug kids...we just make everybody equal here," Kay Kay says.

"I'm happy to tell them that one day they will get better," he adds.

The centre now also teaches English, Khmer and computers. Kay Kay, 32, brings lessons from his own life to the job.

He is one of some 200 Cambodians ejected from the United States over the past several years under a law which deports felons who do not have American citizenship.

Kay Kay had never been back to Cambodia, which he left as a baby when his family emigrated to the US.

His parents neglected to complete US citizenship documents when they arrived in California and after being jailed for armed robbery at 18 he was deported, leaving his family and young son behind.

"For Kay Kay, deportation is a very sensitive thing to talk about," says Ho Lisa, Tiny Toones? administration director.

When he arrived in Cambodia, Kay Kay seemed to leave his old life far behind, working as a counsellor for drug addicts. But in almost every way, Kay Kay is American.

He named his centre "Tiny Toones" for the classic US children's cartoon programmes, and although his students mimic his baggy trousers and colourful over-sized t-shirts, he still draws attention around Phnom Penh.

"With tied-up long hair and a heavily-tattooed body, I get a bad impression from people. I might look like I'm very violent but I'm not," Kay Kay says.

Many Cambodians fear or find it hard to accept deportees like Kay Kay, who were initially expected to bring a crime wave with them to the country.

"Depending on their jobs, some of them (deportees) still face stigma," says Ong Klung, head of the Returnee Integration Support Program. "Some find it hard to function."

Taing Phoeuk, director of Korsang, an HIV education organisation which is staffed by many deportees, says the vast majority are not involved in any criminal behaviour.

"Many work in non-governmental organisations, companies or have gone to live with their families throughout Cambodia. But a few others are still abusing drugs," says Taing Phoeuk, a deportee himself.

For his part, Kay Kay says his students inspire him to live well, although there is also irony in the attention he has had from founding Tiny Toones.

When he gave a performance at a Clinton Global Initiative meeting in Hong Kong last year, Kay Kay danced in front of former US president Bill Clinton -- the man who passed the law which banished him.

He also could not accompany his students as they went on a performance tour of the US early this year.

Kay Kay says he is slowly being accepted into Cambodian society now and hopes he will be completely welcome someday.

As he and his fellow deportees integrate in the country, they have helped entrench hip hop culture in Cambodia. Videos, advertisements and club performances are now taking on an increasingly American urban style.

Saray Sarom, 23, a former street kid who now teaches breakdancing at Tiny Toones, believes it can further help the impoverished country.

"It has completely changed my perspective about life," he says. "I feel hopeful when I see that I can teach other disadvantaged kids something valuable and see that they progress like me." - Kounila Keo, PHNOM PENH (AFP)

A local boy spins on his head to hip hop music at a club in Phnom Penh

A local boy spins on his head to hip hop music at a club in Phnom Penh