Seeing

as how I am no longer dans le cambodge, I will cease writing in this blog. Instead, you may wish to turn your attention to arushdy.wordpress.com, where I will document much colder, and more dangerous adventures.

Love you all,

Ashraf.

blogging

I am taking alittle break from writing for a bit...as you all know.

I will be back.

KAAARIM!

I'm back in battambang from the ISGP training in malaysia (which was mind-blaahsting!) and some eventful few days following the training in and around K.L....but more importantly, my brother Karim is here in battambang to chill with me for a few weeks!

It's been fun showing the brotha around the ghetto; to see my coconut guy; CORDE; nice restaurants; how to dodge the heat, etc.

I was hoping Karim would write in my absence, but he decided to chicken out (what?! yes I did say it!). Also we're currently hungry, and going to go grab some dinner soon...peace!

race to the finish

I eneded up buying a new ticket that departed this morning at 8:30 from siem reap to KL. Upon my arrival (while still in a dazed state), I recharged my old malaysian sim card and called Farshad. Luckily, he was nearby, at a place called sepang(sp?). This is where they hosted the F! race - he was at the Asian Festival Of Speed (AFOS). So he came and picked me up, we packed my bags in the back, and the first thing I did in malaysia was sneak into the race car pits. We checked out souped-up lamborghini's and Ferraris, etc. I'm not really a car person, and I've never seen a race before - this was great. The best was that I got to walk around as if I was a media person, hanging out with riyaz and farshad's buddy Sabri (coincidence? I think not!), who owns a small race company. I felt the engines of the cars start when I was three floors up! We were also beside the scantily clad party girls and the dj booth. What a random arrival!

There was also a drifting competition on the side - which alternated between amazing and ridiculous, as any and all takers were allowed to try their hand at a small course laid out with cones. I might one day get into this motorsport business. We also met iranian guys representing a racecar sponsor who gave us free non-alcoholic malt drink things.

Then I went to Farshad's place, helped him with some grocery shopping - where I purchased some guava's on steriods.

Great day. Pictures and videos will come up soon!
and by soon I mean after I get out of the training.

Failport.

An inspired haiku about life while traveling:

traveling people,
make sure you have your passport.
(before leaving home)


:(

To Malaysia again!

I am writing from the hotel del la Paix in Siem Reap, the first stop on my way back to Malaysia!

I'm here with Elyssa, Quddus, and Theary...with Avuth joining us when he arrives. I only wrote to tell yout that I will likely not be posting on the blog while travelling, instead, Karim will fill in detials of his trip, and perhaps, his imaginings of what my travels are like!

peace!

Day and Night

Definitely one of the longest and most productive day+nights I've had in a while. I'm knocking off old assignments from CCFSA as we speak (not what they intended I'm sure) and I managed to run an annual planning workshop for CORDE staff and Master's students! I was happy with the results, and now can only hope they'll finsih their assignments and finish the plan. I am damn lucky to have a dad who knows this stuff inside and out, he's been like the wikipedia of development for me since I've arrived in this country. Soon, I will be on my way to the commemoration of the ascention of Baha'u'llah...which I managed to also make a program for, and hand off to the team before buckling down to work some more. Crazy, and I love it!

so much fun, so little sleep.

Guavas

I was hunting for guavas for the last two weeks, asking everywhere, and repeatedly being told that they're around, but not in season. Then, this morning, one of the p-units came in and gifted me three magically delicious guavas!

I'm seriously running out of small-time wishes to be fulfilled.

Age catches up with me

Yesterday morning, as I knelt down in front of a broken computer, I felt a strange twinge in my back. Since then, I've had some rough lower-back pain...I feel like I'm 80!

I got to join a book one with Melvene, Elyssa, and Elyssa's friend Tammy. It's been such along time since I went through the material - it was nice to just refresh on the basics of the ruhi institute. We had a great time trying to formulate four questions per short quotation, e.g.

"The betterment of the world can be accomplished through pue and goodly deeds, through commendable and seemly conduct."

Q.1. How can the betterment of the world be accomplished
Q.2. What will be accomplished through pure and goodly deeds, through commendable and seemly conduct?
Q.3. uh...wait wait, I can think of one...What, in addition to pure and goodly deeds is required for the betterment of the world?
Q.4.oh man, there's nothing left...
melvene: we're not moving on until you think of a question
Q.4. ...hmm...The betterment of what thing will be accomplished through pure and goodly deeds, through commendable and seemly conduct?

As you can see, we had to stretch ourselves towards the end - fun times though! We held it in a place called "madison square" which is a really uninviting new restaurant that serves great pancakes. It has a motorcyle on the roof. Yes, it is as strange as it sounds. oh, it also projects khmer music videos onto the wall of the building across the street. RANDOM!

I am incredibly behind in my work, but life is as sweet as the coconut water I drink every morning.