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LIFE, LOVE AND HOPE

BLESSED CHRISTMAS. For some, its a time to eat, drink and be merry, but for others, its just a quiet and cosy time with loved ones. I belong to the latter. I am never a party person and I don't fancy crowds so its never difficult to choose how I want to spend my festive seasons.

Before I embarked on this entry, I was browsing through the photos I took of Toul Seng Museum (Phnom Penh) and the Gu Chi Tunnel (Vietnam). Both places are rather solemn and morbid but many thoughts ran through my head as I re-looked at some pictures. At that moment, I was just filled with utmost gratitude for LIFE. Personally, Christmas is more than just the glittering decorations and pompus parties. Essentially its the celebration of LIFE, LOVE and HOPE. As my thoughts return to the people of Vietnam and Cambodia during this festive season, I wonder what would their interpretation of Christmas be.


After meeting some of the Agent Orange victims and touring the Gu Chi Tunnel in Vietnam, I thought life could not have been worse until I went to the Toul Seng (S21) Museum and Killing Fields in Phnom Penh. My 1st thought was : "How could a human carry out such heinous acts on another fellow human???" The damage and destruction emotionally were irreparable. Yes..time will heal wounds but the scars will forever remind Cambodians of what they had gone through.

Can they ever trust another person with their lives again? More importantly, can the nation move on when there's so much that they have to learn to release? Both Vietnam and Cambodia went through wars and social upheavals that still exist today, yet they are each progressing at startling different pace. Vietnam is slowly advancing but Cambodia still seems to be stuck in the past.



To me, these 2 pictures bear much significance to how I feel towards Cambodia and her people. Will they be able to walk out of the dark patch of bondage into the litted path of freedom? I hope the new generation of Cambodians can find the key that will unlock them from the past and enable them to re-write the history of their nation. May they be the trailblazers that will leave behind a legacy that future generations of Cambodians can and will be proud of. A heritage and culture that is no longer marred by insanity, corruption and hopelessness, rather one that is full of life (vibrant),hope and dignity!






I'm beginning to understand why I actually enjoy watching and reading war films and accounts. I'm no sadist but after what I've experienced at Gu Chi Tunnel, S21 and Killing Fields, I see the value in knowing how the past can impact the present and even future. Its not a cliche statement; it has truth in it!

I appreciate the 2 nations better now and especially so for the people. For them to be where they are today is already a great leap forward! Their tenacity, will-power and determination to live a better life have touched me greatly. They may be aware of their impoverishment but they do not cower to it. Instead, it fuels their fighting spirit to continue pursuing what they want and hope to see happen in their lives and that of their loved ones.

May they live life to the fullest and soon find love and hope and know that they do exist in this complicated world.

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