2014 Writeup: http://open.org.kh/en/open-cambodia-2014-collaborative-learning-cambodian-ngos#.Vfv1siGqrBE

2011 Writeup: http://www.opendevelopmentcambodia.net/blog/open-cambodia-conference/

When you see these long sticks with snares at the end, you know everyone is gearing up for collecting some yummy fruit. The rains haven’t started yet, but given the heat of late, bring it on!

Tags: cambodia,mango,khmer,fruit

In your kind home you taught me / To chant Pali reverently,
Treat books with care, so gently, And to daily humbly pray

To the Three Jewels, our teachers / And all creatures, ’til the day
You and I must fade away, Die and decay, chasing peace.

Above: Khmer Arts Academy Performance, April 2009.

Last year when Trent Walker’s teacher (Prum Uth of Cambodian Living Arts) passed away, Trent was moved to write a song in English, sung in the meter of Smot chanting.

Smot is sung in Pali and Khmer, and an English approach demonstrates its vernacular utility. (Trent will be the first to admit that he’s not the world’s premiere Smot singer. However, in terms of innovation, he’s demonstrating some really interesting things about how we percieve this art form.)

Commonly, Smot is associated with funerals, but more broadly speaking it’s religious music, used for ceremonies, consecrations, healing, gift giving ceremonies and more. Get the full details on Trent’s blog.
http://ttwalker.blogspot.com/2010/02/lectureperformance-on-cambodian-dharma.html

Tags: cambodian,dance,khmer,smot

Or did I make any? Hmm, kind of stumbled backwards into the New Year.

Enjoying the way things have been going lately, from the enthusiasm of the recent Saints Game
http://tinyurl.com/ygsn7dy
http://www.keithakelly.com/SB44_SAINTS_WIN.mov
to the double-whammy of Chinese New Year (Wear yr red underwear 4 good luck!) and Valentines Day. All gearing up to Khmer New Year!

I’m not going to burden *you* with my resolutions, but one is to web up more of my sizeable backlog of goodies – photos, comics, video, tidbits. Some I’ll post in the present day, some on the date when they actually happened.  (‘Retroblogging‘?)

Above: a set of some photos taken in Long Beach. Reminiscent of Mexican  ‘Loteria’ imagery with a twist.  Full glory at: http://jinja.apsara.org/category/lbctrainart/ or http://www.flickr.com/photos/jinja_cambodia/sets/72157623430059858/

Quintessentially Cambodian.

Click for larger image.