Month: October 2012

I got my Galaxy SIII back after it was stolen in Phnom Penh on Friday. There was some mild blackmail involved. I am writing about it, as one might expect. The names and identities of all involved will be blurred out since they did come around and gave it back. If you’d like the whole […]

I was riding the Metro in Singapore, and I experienced what can only be described as extreme cognitive dissonance. This was for a few reasons: 1. The car I was riding in was not rocking or shaking, or coming to a screeching halt. I could comfortably stand without holding onto anything at all, as long […]

  Surely there is a more tactful way to describe well….this.

Cambodians gather by the thousands to honor fallen King on last day of official mourning period PHNOM PENH — Cambodian mourners gathered at the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh by the thousands on Tuesday night, marking the final day of the official mourning period for deceased King Norodom Sihanouk, who passed away last week at […]

The people do not stop coming to mourn King Sihanouk. My sources say that the ruling party may not be particularly chuffed about it: an up-swelling of support for the fading, toothless royalty, what was once the most potent counter-balance to Hun Sen and the CPP. The monks are there, of course—hopefully grown accustomed to […]

I first came by the Royal Palace post-Sihanouk during the day, when it was hot and sweaty, around 4:00 PM when the afternoon heat has not yet dissipated over the river. There weren’t a lot of people out there, and I was somewhat surprised: had the mourning period for Sihanouk, at least in front of […]

The hardest part of re-adapting to Asia is re-adapting to the weather. I favor hot, sticky climates and will doubtless do so again, but I also caught a cold while en route, which means the combination of congestion and humid weather makes it somewhat difficult for me to breathe. I apologize to the nice Singaporeans […]

I hate cold weather. That crisp air that evokes happy thoughts of apple cider, sweaters, Kennedy-esque football games and bonfires? Screw that. I spend most of my time in cold places huddled up by the nearest source of warmth, feeling slighted by the cruel, cruel whims of the universe. This might explain why I moved […]

Meet Condescending Biden! He’s like Condescending Wonka, but with about 100 percent less Gene Wilder. And more malarkey. You can make your own Condescending Biden here.

I got to interview an archaeologist about the forgotten tomb of a Mayan warrior queen for work this week. This is so incredibly aesthetically pleasing on a number of levels, and I thought I would share. You can read it here. Here’s a bit of it for your perusal: “The tomb of a Classical Mayan […]