THE STARS OF SIEM REAP

He was loud, the Chinese man at Starbucks along Mao Tse Tung Boulvevard, so the office at the third floor had him bundled to the new airport in Siem Reap to be displayed among the glittering stars of Pub Street where the accidental panelist dined on grilled pork from the riverbank and grilled beef sausage at the Night Market for the price of an "Angkor What?" t-shirt. 

In the universe of the 4th ACWC Partnership Conference, his star shined bright in Session 3 despite interruptions from Kathmandu and Vientiane, the glitter caught in a pool of dark and draft beer where a dried giant fish was baited with sweet beef jerky and wrapped in a Laotian souvenir bag. 

The Red Piano under a tall Christmas tree played holiday carols, about two Grab car cancellations and superstars announcing their pledges of support as bets were placed on how long can the bladder hold four pints without peeing, the first two paired with a spicy salmon salad and grilled octupos tentacles, the last two with grilled pork ribs and belly before the clock at the tattoo parlor chimed 26.

Time was lost but pee was ably absorbed by 10 plies of Robinsons natural interfolded bamboo paper towels and a pack of keopok udang from Brunei, the megastar of the conference as reported in the bi-monthly  I-JET team meeting, that is the two hours lost by Flight K6106 to Phnom Penh as the World Social Forum talked, the time regained by an early check in for Flight PR522 to Manila, an early breakfast of Lawson egg sandwich at McDonald's Panay and the ensuing 5-hour wait for a dollar reimbursement, four sets of boarding passes to the EJ impact evaluation, the 4-hour bus ride to Bakal 2 for a birthday bottle of Johnny Walker in Pantok, and finally the star of the show --- a petite Ballantine to celebrate 26 starred years with real friends... 

THE PHNOM PENH LAYOVER

in one day

a poet climbed the Hill of the Poisonous Trees to inscribed the minutes of a weekly meeting that documented how the last flight to Siem Reap was secured in Jakarta, who is in the confirmed list to Luang Prabang, what just energy transition and inclusive business would be in the Year of the Wood Dragon, why younger people should be transported to Kathmandu

in one hour

the novices of Tuol Tompoung booked hotel rooms at The Coffee shop of the Russian Market, bought fish with pending payment requests from Luang Prabang and Johor Bahru, traded a medical reimbursement for meat and $200  

in one afternoon

the vendors of Phsar Thmey were done installing the upper level ceiling of the house in Bakal 2, replaced the main water line and restored a dead hand pump, ordered bedroom door replacements and upgraded the cable to optical fiber, disposed pre-Covid books and scouted for stainless steel shoe racks

in one walk

i paid homage to Lady Penh's Mountain Pagoda for the birthday bash at Kanto grill and a one-on-one with the Thursday Group, a late American-Italian lunch with Bulan before PR 521, the new internet-less Mabuhay Lounge at Terminal 1, the emperor's barong tagalog and the vacuum that ate the garbage from the house in Bakal 2

that was the last day of my week

1.5 nights and 1 day in Phnom Penh where a lunch of spicy Khmer beef salad finally scratched the itch of dining at the second deck of the Panorama Mekong Restaurant and Bar, and a dinner of Mama Wong's best selling pork-cabbage dumplings and spring onion pancakes brought me to Bassac Lane after 3 biking days in the trails of Munoz

TWO CHRISTMAS PARTIES AND A BIRTHDAY

The Luang Prabang OPA was cut to pieces by power tools as 4 bottles of Ballentine's finest scotch whiskey and 6 cases of Carlos 1 Osborne brandy from our only SNR shopping spree this year ushered the month's first Christmas party where flights from Brunei, Indonesia, Laos and the Philippines were raffled off during a dinner with the Mistahs.

I am now ANCOM 2024 ready so my flights to Phnom Penh and Siem Reap for the 4th ACWC Partnership Conference were booked by the sound of working men who finally installed half of the living room ceiling, upgraded bathroom fixtures, and fixed antiquated power outlets despite a looming strike in OGB.  

And to commemorate I-JET's PMU meeting in a long while, the Thursday Group was convened by RWI to investigate a possible flu that took down the Master of the House after wrapping 10,000 pesos worth of gifts for the second Christmas party that never happened because two bottles of Jameson Irish Whiskey were opened at a children's birthday party in Guimba.

I parted with with 16,500 pesos for the first Christmas party, 10,000 pesos for the second one that never was, 1,000 pesos for a birthday party, and all I can show are two biking days for the week...