Yesterday two significant events happened in my home and adopted countries. In the Philippines our newly elected President Noynoy Aquino III (or P-Noy, as he’d like to be called) delivered his first State of the Nation Address (SONA, in journalistic parlance) at the opening of the 15th Congress. Days before he had promised that his [...]
Lady Penh’s Lament
My precious hill,
Built out of faith,
Has been witness to
The most godless acts
Man can inflict
Upon another.
My precious hill,
Created by a miracle,
Is now littered with
Seekers of fortunes
Who have no regard
For history.
My precious hill,
Borne out of love,
Exists at the mercy
Of commercial flesh
Plied on its very
Stone steps.
Is nothing sacred anymore?
Phnom Penh, 2004; edited Phnom Penh, 2010
Phnom Penh is Sinking
One day, I was told,
The wetlands will come back
And soak the land we stole
With warm brackish water
That throbs with life.
Having been built over
Sand and clay that shift with
The earth’s menstrual cycle,
This city will soon sink back
Into the ancient lake.
Maybe, only then
Will this city finally shed
The grime and bloodstains
That have tainted it
For thirty [...]
I was able to for five years.
Living alone, I knew I wouldn’t be able to manage it. I was always traveling, and I didn’t want to unnecessarily burden my friends in taking care of someone.
I mean, it was too much responsibility. Much like owning a car, or buying a piece of real estate.
But now, near [...]
When it came finally, I felt one step closer to my long-delayed plans of going back to school and get some post-graduate degree that will hopefully free me from the professional rut that I felt I was stuck in. I had doubts, even if most of my friends and family didn’t. To allay my fears, [...]