Happy New Year Twenty Ten

@ CSAN's Year-End Party
(I just made it in time before all these cute cakes were cut)

SNOW - a plus to this New Year's Eve in Nagoya
(Can you read the plate???)

Performance @ ランの館

To celebrate a kinda Asian Festival, we were invited by the Chhubu Singapore Club to perform Cambodian dances (Robaam Chuun Por and Koas Tralaok) @ an orchid garden (a few blocks from Yabacho Station, exit 4) last Saturday.

Cambodian girls with Mongolian people

Coconut dancers with one of the organizers, whom I met twice (or thrice???) @ the Club's dinner parties

Oh, it's me @ the entrance.
Just wanna show you readers that it is really the orchid garden, although small... [YEAH]

Note: this was my 7th time (maybe the last, too) to perform coconut dance. Many mistakes, still.

CSAN KNY Party

The party is the biggest annual event organized by CSAN, which receives around 100 guests. The one last night was just crowded and enjoyable as the previous years. The foods including samlar machu krerng, bay chha, nhoam... were real delicious. The main performances were...

Robam Sovann Machha (Golden Fish Dance)

Performed by R & K

...and Robam Nesart (Fishing Dance) performed by 6 newcomer students to NU

Then, followed by...

Khmer Salutation (Sampeah) Show,
starring 5 Cambodian gentlemen and 5 multinational ladies

...quizes, games (cancelled due to technical problem, I supposed), free dancing......

Note: It was so bad that I and some friends missed the group photo :-(

Happy Khmer New Year 2553

Be blessed...

Bronz-ization

CSAN Badminton Competition, 2008, Double Mix
(18 Nov 2008)

CSAN Bowling Championship, Fall 2008
(23 Nov 2008)

Please don't call this post a showing off. First, it was obvious and effortless (I didn't deserve it; it was thanks to my badminton partner). Second, it was just my luck (although I didn't pray for it... ehe...). Foremost, I was disappointed at the bowling game; it should have been a friendly-cum-challenging game as it's always been. The joy of bowling doesn't lie on the trophy or medal... My effort in the sleepless night and busy time was totally in vain due to the disrespect to and especially the intolerance for each other. I'm really sorry for such a mismanagement... m(_ _)m

Coconut dance, Ver. 5

It was a performance @ a welcome party in Kota Town to surprise 5 Cambodians from CJCC on a 2-week trip (???) in Japan. Gonna see them again on NU's campus on Sept 11.

>>> No cameraman; no video.
>>> About the dance? ... There is still room for improvement. Lolz...

Hikoza Festival @ Kota Town

A walk to...
Drum performance
Cheat holding the CHEAT's flag
Japanese popular dance with a tool similar to Khmer's KRAB.

Traditional Cambodians Vs. Ancient Japanese

(together with koankat KH & JP... Lol...)
The chairman of ??? giving speech and then getting a bouquet delivered by an helicopter. Cool ne!

The rising stars of the coconut dace!!!

Waiting for our turn to rock... Lol...

(Ricky is always ready for camera.)

Here is our performance, version 4 (with a new member with her 1st ever dance; awesome!)

The parade by school kids The organizer, Kota International Association (if I'm not wrong)
The night walk amid the parade
Samba by the Brazilians, shaking non-stop all the way. Awesome!!! The parade of Cambodia's cart, accompanied by our popular songs and dances (CD/tape player plus live).

>>> Super sticky and tired, yet full of fun and joy. Not a guilt to be wild for once in a while!!!

LPP and stforever are a good read under the same title.

A quick ad for Meidai Sai

What: Food sales @ Meidai Sai or NU Festival (6-8 June)
By whom: Cambodian students in Nagoya
When: Sunday, June 8, 2008 @ 10am~6pm
Where: In front of Toyota Auditorium, NU

>> Menu:

Rice porridge with meat

Kroab Khnol (made from yellow bean)

Cha Huoy (Jelly) with Jackfruit & Longan

Knight and Knave: How a public policy should be made?

Such an interesting topic to be presented (by Bong Pheap, D3, GSL) and discussed in this evening's Khmer Zemi.

- Knight: altruism, altruistic behavior, collectivist, public-spirited.
- Knave: self-interest, economic man.

>> Discussion Questions

1. Suppose that public sector workers motivated in part by knightly considerations are paid less than they would need to be to generate the same work effort if they were completely knavish, are they being exploited?

n2. Because there are mix of people who have different motivations, being knightly or knavish, how to design a policy to align both knightly and knavish motivations?

>> Reference:
Le Grand, Julian. 2003. Motivation, agency and public policy: Of knights & Knaves, pawns & queens. Oxford University Press.

KNY Party in Nagoya

This is CSAN's 5th (and my 2nd) Khmer New Year Party in Nagoya. It was really exciting for all of us here to have a chance to show not only our dances and food, but also a sense of cooperation in bringing about such a nice celebration in this far-away land. Most of the foreigner participants were amazed. Even though it was a hectic preparation and event in which I could hardly enjoy, I feel it's worth the effort. Everyone did enjoy!!!


The stage

The display

The food


The people

HAPPY KHMER NEW YEAR, the year of RAT, BE 2552!!! Be blessed by the New Year Angel with health, wealth and love!!!

Note: Too busy to take photos. Luckily, there are a cameraman and a photographer; more photos are coming later.

CSAN to hold Khmer New Year Party

Designed by LPP (7 April)

When: Friday, 11 April 2008, @ 5:30-9PM
Where: Presentation Room, F1, GSID, NU
What: Main events include
- Video of "Cambodia Today"
- Robam Kuos Tralaok (Coconut Dance)
- Quiz about Cambodia
- 7-color dress fashion show
- Cambodian popular dances...
Menu: Main course and dessert include
- Khor Ko (beef cooked with Cambodian spices)
- Chha Krerng M-tes Plaok (stir-fried chicken & bell peppers with Cambodian spices)
- Nhoam Sach Moan (Cambodian Salad)
- Krob Khnol (molded yellow bean)
- Cha Huoy (jelly)
- Fruits (strawberry, banana & orange)

Welcome Patry, Spring '08

The newcomers to Nagoya this spring


A scene where P & Y were working very hard... But, no one knew what P & Y were thinking and scribbling about! Oh, you can refer P & Y to whomever because P can be Purple or ... and Y can be Yellow or ... Lol!!! Thanks for the shot, Phy!

Graduation and Farewell Party (Spring)

The graduates and graduates-to-be

All

CSAN Committee '08

CSAN's Bowling Championship, Spring '08

CSAN's Year End Celebration

An all-together photo
(Some are missing, actually!)

CSAN General Assembly 07

@ CSAN General Assembly 07

@ CSAN General Assembly 07

Ballots voting for CSAN's President 08

CSAN Committee 08

An all-together photo
(Possdey, thanks indeed!)

As its name suggests, CSAN (Cambodian Students Association in Nagoya) is a student organization founded by Cambodian students in Nagoya in 2003. CSAN is created to build up a sense of solidarity and mutual learning and communication among all of our Cambodian students here. To me, the association is a symbol of unity of our country folks in Nagoya as well as other regions in Japan, a land far from home. Here, with CSAN, we enjoy its academic activities, cultural events, sport activities, parties and esp. its assistance whenever and wherever needed.
As everyone can see, the 2007 committee had done a great, if not perfect, job. I really appreciate its efforts for the whole community. I've been amazed at first by the success of Khmer New Year party when I just arrived in Nagoya and then by today's GA including the presidential election; I've been inspired by the spirit of teamwork and effective management of the committee. All in all, such performance and experience are specially invaluable for the next committee to learn and to progress CSAN. This would mark a significant step forward in my life. Let me, together with other members, do our best in any form (learning, sharing, accepting, criticizing, thinking critically, cooperating...)
Here we go, CSAN Committee 08!!!