(Not So) Weekly Round-Up

I had the office to myself this week because Bandol attended a conference in Indonesia. (Lucky him!) Much to my surprise, I have been rather productive. Perhaps it was because I was able to center my chi without having to worry about someone else's chi, or maybe because it was cool allowed me to open the office window and get a little extra oxygen to the brain.

Either way, I have finished the first edition of the university's printed quarterly newsletter. Ok, maybe that doesn't sound like much, but trust me, it is. Between fighting the ever slow computer and wringing every last drop of information (and photos) out of people who are hard-pressed to divulge of anything that would be helpful to my mission of providing the university with effective communication, even the tiniest of tasks takes lots of time and persistence.
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Cambodia
Outside the office, I have finished up my "training" for this weekend's half marathon. I'm not sure if the total distance I put into this week's runs even adds up to Sunday's 21K around Angkor Wat, but at least I had the practice of getting up at the crack of dawn. I've found my 5:15 a.m. jaunts through the park (or 5:30 or 6:00, depending on the day) much more productive than in the evening. The morning crowd seems to take their exercise routines more seriously -- whether it be thai chi, karate, aerobics or walking -- and are less apt to mockingly yell "mui, bii, muy, bii..." (one, two, one, two...) at me. And although I find staying in bed an extra hour to be tempting, I have more motivation in the mornings than in the evenings. (Maybe I'm getting old or maybe my body is still 12 hours behind.)

This week I've also begun to ease back into a social life. (Oh, how I missed people!) Last night, I met up with some friends at this amazing Khmer vegan restaurant called K'nyay where we had non-fried, MSG-free curries served with wild rice. So yummy and so healthy! Then went to the Australian film festival to see "Lucky Miles." Tonight I'm looking forward to the Khmer rock opera, "Where Elephants Weep." (Will post a review later.)

So there's my first week of the last month of 2008. A whole lot of nothing interesting, but that's Cambodia sometimes. Take it or leave it.