Beyond the Stormy Clouds

Lift Me Up by Kate Voegele





This road is anything but simple
Twisted like a riddle I've seen high and I've seen low
So loud, the voices of all my doubts
Telling me to give up, to pack up and leave town

Even so, I had to believe
Impossible means nothing to me, yeah

So can you lift me up,
Turn the ashes into flames‘
Cause I have overcome
More than words will ever say
And I've been given hope
That there's a light on up the hall
And that a day will come
When the fight is won
And I think that day has just begun

Somewhere, every body starts there
I'm counting on a small prayer,
Lost in a nightmare
But I'm here, and suddenly it's so clear
The struggle through the long years
It taught me to outrun my fears
Everything worth having, oh
Comes with trials worth withstanding

So can you lift me up,
Turn the ashes into flames‘
Cause I have overcome
More than words will ever say
And I've been given hope
That there's a light on up the hall
And that a day will come
When the fight is won
And I think that day has just begun

Oh, lift me up
Oh, lift me up
Oh, lift me up
Lift me up
Lift me up
Oh, Lift me up

Down and out is overrated
And I need to be elevated
Looking up is not enough
No, I would rather rise above
So can you lift me up

Turn the ashes into flames‘
Cause I have overcome
More than words will ever say
And I've been given hope
That there's a light on up the hall
And that a day will come
When the fight is won
And I think that day has just begun

Oh, oh, oh, just begun
Lift me up, yeah, oh, oh, oh, yeah, now
Oh, oh, lift me up
Lift me up
Lift me up

Blooming Daisies on my Stool

Currently Listening to:

Hard Knock Life

from the musical

Annie

by

PLAY

(version).

I could almost lick the virtual cobwebs off my blog. It's been almost a month? Or more? You do the math. I apologise. Moi was quite busy with travelling, being sick and growing the pig in me! :)

A little update:


- July: Vacation to to Indo (1 week), Vietnam (1 week) and Kuching (1 week). Being on Air Asia plane 6 times a month (through and flow) is no joke. I can practically memorize their song list (all the same songs for every flight!) and menu. Wait, scratch that, 5 times only. My flight to Indo was MAS, hehe.

My last post was on departure to Vietnam. Well, that was a very nice trip, MAYBE I'll blog about it, hehe. Depends really. Pictures in facebook lo. Then it was us girls to Kuching, home of darling Carissa sweetheart. Her family was so hospitable and nice! Pics in FB, other than that, I might blog about it, hehe. I shall try. Lotsa pics and stories and I just don't know where to begin. :)

- Back from all the travelling, the Potato fell terrribly ill. For a week. Long story, but to cut it short, it was no fun! :P

- Erm... lots to say really. But much of it is either too long or too private or just not in the right words to be said.

Bacially, it's been a rollercoaster. When my days are calm, somehow I'm not. It's just this irony I'm dealing with.

Will blog of it... maybe. Better not hope on it. I'm not sure of anything now myself.

One thing I'm sure is God is good and I'm okay or will be okay.

Have a nice day and God bless. :D

A Blink in Time

Currently Listening to:

The Day the World Went Away

by

Nine Inch Nails

OST: Terminator Salvation)

(Picture not taken by me but from Wikipedia)

NICE???

This is Halong Bay, Vietnam.

This is where the Potato will be spending her weekend.

A beautiful natural wonder protected by UNESCO and the top tourist attraction in Vietnam.

That is after she tours the city of Hanoi of course! :D

It's 12:30AM now and in approximately 2 1/2 hours, the Potato's alarm is gonna go off. And in another 3 1/2 hours, the airport cab is gonna be waiting at her front gate. And in a funny way, the Potato has no idea what time her flight is... LOL. So she presumes it's bout 6:30-7AM?

Yes, the Potato is going for another vacation with her beloved daddy and mummy. And this time it's to the land of the 'Great South' of Vietnam!

HOWEVER...

Due to their horrible sleeping pattern that the Potato is currently facing now, she is wide awake while she is suppose to be zzzzing away. :(

Hence the blogging...hehe.

She will be MIA from the 16th-21st of July so please don't call or sms (unless needed) to save your phone bill money cause it cost double-triple with the international line thingie. The Potato apologises for those oblivious souls who did so during her week in Indo... :P

Do take care people and have a blessed week ahead.

God bless and XOXO~! :D

Dancing Sunshine :)

Currently Listening to:

Here I Am

by

Leona Lewis

OKAY....

I know it's been light years since I last blogged but hey sometimes life catches up with you and you just gotta deal with it. And I've dealt with it and hence the absence. :)

But also because some loving people who keeps pestering me to clear the cobwebs in my bloggie, tehee...

So where do I start?

What life has held me recently:

- Final of final exams
- Friends
- More friends
- Vacations
- Outings
- Meetings
- Sleepovers
- Makan to the MAX sessions
- Hang outs
- Movies
- Etc

Pretty busy somehow....tehee....

But most of all, God has been good in my life. :D

I have learned that by God being good in my life does not only meant that it is seen in His blessings, my happiness etc, but also in His grace, mercy, joy, perseverance and peace during hard times. The list above may seem nice (and yes, most of them are) but through them, heartbreaks, tears, suffering and pain drove by. I have to admit, I went through the toughest time in my life this very month. But it is through this time where I experience God the most in my life. I learn to surrender and to abide in Him and He delivered me, sustained me, helped me and comforted me. I knew it was Him for I know I wouldn't have made it without Him. I would have broken to pieces but here I am because He is so real in my life. He showered me with grace, peace, joy and rest despite my thundering storm and I know that my God is real and so awesome!

I've learned 2 very important things through this hard month, which was to:

TRUST AND OBEY

To Obey in His will and know that following Him is the right and best thing to do. Even when you don't feel like it, even when it breaks your heart, even when it is against all odds for when you choose to obey, God sees your heart and honours you back (ten fold). All you have to do is obey and His will will be done in your life (And His will/plan is ultimately the BEST). :)

"His will is not for your consideration but your obedience."

(Pastor Shawn Kong)

To Trust that He has the best interest (that is yet to come) for me, that He'll take care of everything, that He is sovereign and I shall not be left lacking. To trust that He will carry my burdens, my worries, my brokenness, and my past. That He will sustain me, provide, bless and love even when I am not at my best. To trust that as long as I obey, depend and faith in Him, it's all gonna be okay and even great too (trials may befall but the joy of the Lord will sustain me). :)

Though hardships are still not over and are bound to get worse, I want to learn to trust and obey in Him. Even when I can't feel Him, even when I can't see the hope and even when I feel like falling. Because ultimately I know that He is in control and that I can still smile and be joyful in Him. :)

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
(James 1:2-4)

I thank Him for His grace and mercy. I know He is prunning me now so that I can bloom.
And I will bloom for Him and His glory. :)

I shall update more soon.... hopefully. Tehee...

Have a blessed week and may the Lord shine upon you. :)

At the End of My Rainbow

Currently Listening to:

Double Concerto

by

Johann Sebastian Bach

Performed

by

Itzhak Perlman and Isaac Stern.

The Potato is going to fall in a love in a fun fair/carnival and you're invited.

So please be there....

We'll meet on the carousel and kiss on the ferris wheel. :)

The Blooming Rose....

Currently Listening to:

Alive

by

Jennifer Lopez

(OST: Enough)

Father,

I acknowledge that You are the Lord of my life. The centre of my world, my creator and loving, faithful God who's grace is ever abundant. You are great in everyway and nothing is too big for you to handle.

I am so sorry for my weaknesses. For my lack of faith, for my disobedience, my weary soul, my failing heart, my selfishness, my pride, my anger, my lusts, my gluttony, my jealousy, greediness and all my sins. Change my heart and lead me to the path of repeant and forgiveness.

I thank You for everything. For Your blood, Your love, Your mercy, Your grace, Your word and Your blessings. I thank You for a loving family, for caring friends and a blessed life. Thank You for being my God.

I want to commit my friends and family, those who are far, to You. I pray that You'll continue to protect and bless them. To open their hearts to You and to lead them to Your path and will. I pray that You'll give me the disernment to be sensitive, the wisdom to know and the heart to reach out. Give me the burden to love more, to be patient, to be brave, to be faithful, long-suffering, strong and wise in You. Strengthen my faith in You that I may lead a encouraging testimony for You to others around me. Protect me from evil and unrighteousness and hold me steadfast when trials befall me that I may be still and know that You are God. Humble my heart and keep my focus on Your prize and not my own. Take Your place in my life and may I be pleasing to you. Use me Lord and take me as I am.

In Jesus's name, Amen.

Of Heartfelt Smiles

Currently Listening to:

Jesus What A Saviour You Are

by

Christ For The Nations

I LOVE YOU PEOPLE!!!

I love you with the Love of the Lord!

The Blood of the Lamb in My Life...

Firstly before I say anything else, I wanna say all praise be to Him! For His love, grace, mercy and glory! It is undisputable! He is so awesome and I am truly honoured to serve an amazing God! :D

Thank you Lord for dying on the cross for our sins. Thank you for loving us so much. May I live a life honourable to you and continue to shine for you according to Your word. :)

Okay, next line of words is....

Sorry I have not been updating for the past couple of weeks! LOL!

It's been a really busy and hectic 2 weeks for me with 3 major assignments due one after another long with practises and preparation for Easter. But all is worth it! God is good!

About Easter, it was awesome~! Again, credit goes to Him first! Easter Vibe was great, Sunday Easter service was amazing and the skit performed not only touched hearts but mine too (was acting in it)... It is indeed wonderful to minister to others and be ministered as well. :D

For more details, pictures and fun, do check out here bout Easter Vibe Celebration. And lotsa love and well wishes to the lovely people who make it happen!!! You guys are awesome!

As for now...

I am so relieved now after submitting my last assignment (for now) and guess what? It's officially Easter break (one week) now!!! Wohooo...!!!

I am planning to spend it with myself, pretty much. Yes I know it's kinda anti-social and selfish, but I've been so busy lately that I'm kinda tired physically (lotsa aches too) that I just wanna see myself through these holidays by resting, sleeping, doing my own things and catching up with myself (lol).

Not to mention I wanna devote this time with Him too.... :)

I need my quiet time. To speak and to be spoken to.

I've currently taken a new habit of wanting to healthy (dont' know konon or not for now)...

Wakaka, I know... me healthy??? Unbelievable right?

Here's the thing, I've been noticing that I've been consuming a lot of oily and fried food lately and pimple are just screaming out (stress added to that too) along with a thicker waistline (gasp). And after doing my Conflict Management assignment on issues management where my research topic was about managing obesity in Malaysia, many things start to sink in. Believe me, when you go through so much reading on obesity and knowing the heavy facts... things change a little. For example, with my current eating habits and favourite choice of food consumption, I am on a high percentage of 50% or more to be obsese later....OH NO!!! And also... on the highway to an early funeral! *gasp*

So I've taken a some condsideration into moderating my eating habits and start exercising (don't pop your eyes people! lol). Of course I'm not going to be anti-fast food (after all, McD and I have a contract, lol) or be a vegetarian. I am still going to eat the things I like (maybe NOT so much....konon) but balance it up with lotsa veggies and fruits (I know.. unbelievable right?)...

And of course exercise.. which I have still yet to do... hmmm....

Anyways, I'll try to update my bloggie more, hehe. And do keep coming. If anyone of you are free or in need of company to eat Ikea Swedish meatballs with, I'm here. Tehee.. :)

Have a blessed week people and may God's love shine on you! HUGS! :D

p/s: oh, and here is a big cheers to all my friends especially the angels of my life who have encouraged, supported and loved me for who I am. I am so blessed to have you girl! *hugs*

Night Rainbow....

Currently Listening to:

One Tree Hill;

Season 6,

Episode 18

The Potato is glad and proud to have observed Earth Hour with daddy and mummy~! :D


I know there are many cynical and skeptical people out there who thinks this is a stupid and useless thing.... But what they don't see is the bigger picture of it.

The bigger picture where the world, people, citizens (all different in their own way) stand united for a good course. To make a statement and to make a difference. And yes, one dark house can make a difference. For you bear a testimony to the world and you made a stand.


"A single grain of sand can tip the scale and one man can be the difference between victory and defeat." ~ Emperor of China, Mulan.


It is about a change of mind, a mentality, a mindset, to become a civilised world. To move on to a more advance way of life where we care not only about ourselves bout also for the future of others. :)

So, if you're making a stand, be it for or against, do think, is it's for a bigger picture? A bigger course? A bigger vision? A bigger mind? A bigger world? Or some form of selfishness?

Because you can make a difference.

So stand out and stand loud! :D

"It's okay to be the one person to try to make a difference in the world. Cause sometimes all it takes, is one person to change the world". :)

~ Philee ~

And so the wise said....

Do not curse or swear.... :)

You are what you speak

(*Click above*)

Aurora....

Currently Listening to:

The Day I Fall In Love

by

James Ingram

The Potato is back!!! Her trip to Turkey was amazing! She travelled almost half the country (which half of the tour was spend coaching in the bus from city to city- blessedly she bought her Twilight book to read - twice!)

Weather there was so good, cool to cold and sunny! According to my research (before going), it was suppose to be cold and wet, but blessedly it was not! :) Winter was great! Temperature ranged from -4 degrees to 15 degress; depending on places. The South seemed much more colder - and SNOW was a fantastic attraction for pictures in Cappadocia (most South) which took a mere 11 hours (by coach) to travel to!

The Potato is not gonna upload pics yet as there are almost 800+ pics which have yet to be sorted according to day, place and preference. Let's not forget the editing of size for easy upload, hehe. Most probaly pictures will appear in Facebook first - hopefully by this week.

Just so you know, the Potato fell ILL on the second last day of the tour! Blessedly it was almost the end of the trip, if not DIE wei, hehe. I think she got it on the Boisborus Cruise - it was freaking freezing. So much for overestimating her tolerance for the cold. It was horrible after then - fever, flu, cold, cough, sorethroat, phlegm, headache, bone aches and piercing coldness in the body! Had a lot of panadols then and the moment she got back to KL, she had to see a doc and got an injection on her butt! And it was far from pleasant. she shall not go into the details in which she resents the doc for still prescribing her with tons of medications the size of her pinky and how awful each pill tasted down her throat!

And the flight was horrible! It made the sickness worse and the uncomfortable seat nearly cracked her bones inside out - 12 hours!!!

Note: The Potato despises Malaysian Airline Seats - Not short people friendly seats!

From KL to Dubai (vice versa) - 7 hours
Transit in Dubai - 1 and a half hours
Dubai to Istanbul (vice versa) - 4 hours

A little preview here of whats to come: Family pic - mum, aunt (second), the Potato and aunt (fifth) in Cappadokia with 'fairy chimmenies' - and yes, the white colour in the background is snow. :P

Thank the Lord Almighty for a safe and beautiful trip.

All glory goes to Him, Amen! :D

The Smell of Sunshine

Currently Listening to:

When The Stars Go Blue

by

Venke Knutson and Kurt Knilsen

I praise God for He is ever GOOD and FAITHFUL!!! He has blessed me with joy, peace, wonder, love, friends, family, amazing people and so much more. Though my week was terrible and ever tiring, He was there for me all the way; never leaving me, sustaining me and I would not have made it through as well as I am now without Him. Praise be to God Almighty!!! All glory to Him! :D

Thank you to sweet people (friends) in my life for encouraging and blessing me through my trying days. I heart you guys. :D

Real Flowers, yes we are~!

Currently Listening to:

I Love To Sing About My God

by

Brendon and Cathy Clancy

Broga Leadership Camp was awesome~! Had so much fun, enrichment and joy. God was and is (and will always be) gracious and faithful. The participants were cooperative, facilitators were helpful/supportive, activities were exciting and live was good. It was very tiring (came back with lotsa muscle aches, hehe) but fruitful none the less. I wanna give Him all the praise and glory, Amen!

Pictures will come later (if im not too lazy to post it, hehe - either way, it'll be in facebook) after I get them from Carissa dear (our beloved chair facilitar). Thanks to our lovely photographer - Joyce!

I have never felt so dirty, wet and icky in my life...Hahaha... drenched in rain, mud and dirt for the whole day. But the bath for worth it, hehe. Had high ropes, obtacle courses, pond rafting and flying fox! I love the 3 hour jungle-trekking! It was super tiring - I pulled a muscle. But fun none the less. The company was good and help was everyway.

God is indeed awesome. Leaders are everywhere (they just need to be cultivated), stepping up and growing ever so amazingly. I believe we are all destined for greatness (and we all leaders), we just need to ask Him to open the doors.

So much to share but so little words. Hehehe.... let's just say... it was a good. Learned a lot, experienced lotsa new things and shared much wisdom with one another.

All credit goes to my lovely commitee team (Carissa, Fish, Ying Hui, Tabitha, Nabeelah, Brandon, Alex and Jonathan)! We make a great team. It was awesome leading together and learning from you guys.

What's more exciting is, there'll be another Broga Leadership Camp in November (since this one was so good, we were ask to organise another one) and I was asked to facilitate again (thanks for believing in me Carissa dearie). Let's hope it won't clash with my exams. I pray God will contiue to work and more leaders will be raised. :D


Here's a pic which I got from Alex's blog....

This is during our Leadership Session (with our invited guest speaker) - note, the girl in blue (top) and pink (bottom) walking in the 'crowd' is moi. Hehe....

The week has been pretty busy (even after Broga Camp). Busy, but very fuitful. Hehe, as said, God is gracious and amazing. Had ENLI (Every Nation Leadership Institute) Leadership class after coming back from Broga Camp (Carissa and I were so tired that we slept during the 10 minute break - out of our 3 hour class) that very same day. Then it was a great time of music/vocals training and worship practise on Sunday before heading off to Yuen's Steamboat (after service) to celebrate Carissa's 20th Birthday! Later on, it was (and still is) week days filled with assignment meetings, classes, dance practices, friends, outings, and fun! :D

P/S: To Fish (Caring and darling friend - my camp partner in crime and more), Ying Hui (sweet and understanding companion) and Carissa (the sunshine of my life), thank you so much for being a blessing in my life. You girls are seriously precious to me and God's gift to me to help me grow. I am ever grateful to you and love you sweethearts to bits.

Last but NEVER least, my Lord God Almighty. You are ever awesome!!!!!! I owe it all to You! Praise be to You forever and ever!

Blessings In Disguise

Currently Listening to:

The Love That You've Been Looking For Is Here

by

98 Degrees.

God is good.
(Period) :D

I had a busy week and more to come but all is fruitful and a blessing in everyway.
I wanna thank Him for everything, up and down.

*SMILES*

Blessed week people!

Hugs!

A Spark of Miracles!

Currently Listening to: One Way by Hillsong

I attended a Healing Rally by Bishop Rovert Kayanja which was recently hosted by ECF (the church I'm currently attending) at a big Chinese Pestaurant in Puchong. And it was awesome to the max!!!! It was my first time witnessing miracles with my own two eyes and how amazing God is. The deaf were healed and the blind saw light again.... right before my very eyes!

How can one witness such and not believe?

And yes, I believe, I believe and MORE! There is no doubt of it. My God is ever real, true, gracious, loving, glorious and FANTABULOUS!!! :D

It was amazing. It was miracle in the making. And it was real!

Here are some pics and videos I managed to take.... sorry if it's blur... I used my camera phone (only 1.3 megapixel). There are so much more, but I couldnt continue taking pics or videos anymore throughout the nite for I was too busy clapping, shouting, being touched, crying and giving Him praise for His awesome miracles!

He called forth the deaf (left)and blind (right)....

And we all prayed.... lifting our hands, hearts, mind, voices and all to Him

And the healing begins...

Blurry pic... This is Bishop Kayanja, the vessel of God's healing to the deaf.

And we all clap, shout and give praise to Him... for the deaf was could now hear again!!

You have no idea, how amazed, touched and happy I was.... Witnessing his grace and awesomeness was amazing!

Praise be to Him!!!! :D

And God touched more people that night... not only the deaf but also the blind. Lives were changed and by witnessing such, I knew I serve a great, almighty and awesome God! Amen!

And that, is undeniable -ever!!!

Here are some videos I managed to take...

This second video is amazing because I managed to capture moments where God (through Bishop Kayanja) healed a deaf (from birth) girl... It's a little draggy and long in the beginning but it's worth it when you witness the miracle and hear the roars of praise to Him. God is awesome (yes, I've said it many times but I won't ever stop for He is so much more then that)!!




Amazing ain't it.... PRAISE BE TO HIM!!!!

That night was only the first night. The second night however was even more awesome (according to all who went). But unfortunately, I couldn't go. :( :( :(

I would really like you to continue reading more about His glory, grace and AWESOMENESS here
It's a post composed by a dear friend (Carissa!!!!) who attended the second night of the Healing Rally. Her testimony is so beautiful (of His glory) that I had to pass the word and share (hope that's okay honey!). Please read and be more awed by Him! :D

Thank you for reading people and I hope it touched you and made you see how amazing and real God is!

Blessed be His name!

Sunshine on my window....

Currently Listening to:

You're Still You

by

Josh Groban

'Vibe' was awesome as usual!!! Love the Word, people, friends, fellowship, talks, activities, fun and Him. I'm so blessed to be there, God is amazing and I thank Him for His neverending faithfulness and blessings. :) Amen!!!!

I love it!

And tomorrow is gonna be another great day with friends, meals, a surprise birthday, lotsa karaoke and laughter. Praise be to Him!

And before you know it, it's a whole day M&M Kidszone training at ECF Puchong on Sunday! More praise be to Him and I pray His will will be unravelled more in me there.

God is amazing and faithful and yes, I've said it so many times. But I can't help it, it's because He really is! I have to tell the world and will never stop proclaiming it! Words alone are not enough, may my actions speak louder and by God's grace may the world see it too.

Glory to God for He is worthy in every way!

God bless!

Dancing Butterflies

Currently Listening to: Mighty To Save by Hillsong

(Love this song!)

Home alone again.... hehe.

Before I start randomly posting blog entries on my days and moods, I thought it was better to finish and complete my post on my trip to Cambodia once and for all. :D

There's nothing significant on day 6. We practically spend the entire morning in the hotel resting(woke up late), lazed around, had lunch before our tuk tuk came and zoomed us to the airport. Yup, it was short and simple. No more touring, shopping or sight seeing... it was baliking time. :)

Yes, so here goes.

Day 6 in Cambodia:

Phnom Penh International Airport and return to Kuala Lumpur

Checking in... Lotsa local Malays... Hehehe, we found out that there was this big rombongan from Malaysia balik-ing too. It's like sekampung... haha, a lot of em! They took the same flight back as us.
This is Mr. Hen. He was our tuk tuk driver and guide through out our stay in Phnom Penh. He's a really nice guy, honest and friendly. He was a blessing to our stay there. :)

Okay, that's all. Hahaha, what a short post this is. Just wanna complete it... Okay people. There you go... the postings on my trip to Cambodia dah habis.. the next posts to come, I shall try to upload real pics k. Lotsa folders waiting to be loaded. :)

Till then... have a nice week! Lotsa love and God bless!

Raining Butterflies!

Had a great week and awesome weekend...

Happy Merdeka btw...!!!

Been to 1 Utama 5 days in a row

Shopped

Watched 3 movies

Hung out with lotsa friends and family non stop

Pasar Malam

Klang Bak Kut Teh

Church

Big family dinner (Tan)

Lovely, hearty and friendly-laughing meals (friends and family)

Bonding moments *smiles*

Sweet conversations

Wall E obsession

Smiled too much till it hurt

Meeting 'old' friends

Meetng 'new' friends

None-stop girly chattering in the car...hehe.

Merdeka day outing :)

Friends

More friends

People

Uncle Hang's birthday

Jenny mei mei darling's birthday :D

Seeing more and more of God's faithfulness and blessings in me

Out 18 hours a day

Tired, but having fun! :D

Come rain, come shine!

God bless and HUGS!

The Window of my Soul

Currently Listening to:

Jesus Take The Wheel

by

Carrie Underwood.

"Like the promise of the sun, we were born to shine."

SO SHINE LA!!!!

A Breathe of Sunshine

Currently Listenin to: I'm Your Angel by Celine Dion

At last, after a lethargic PMS period, boring classes, mental emo-ness, physical laziness and mysterious headaches, I have finally installed the 'omph' to blog about my day 5 in Cambodia. :)

So on day 5, we were still in Phnom Penh and and the city tour continues. We visited the King's Palace, Watt Phnom, Russian Market and had a River Cruise. It was a splendid day as I never new the Kings's Palace was so huge with lotsa mini palaces in it. It was beautiful and filled with culture and err... Buddha statues...haha. Maklum la, Cambodia is a very religious country and Buddism is a man part of it. Many of the palaces were turned into temples. Many cambodians would often visit the King's Palace to pray (for free entry) while us tourists have to 'donate' USD 6 to enter. The pics coming up consist of the palace tour but unfortunately, photography is not allowed inside the palaces's internal domain (inside), hence only buildings. There are also no pictures on the shopping spree (yes, again shopping, almost hari2 there shopping) at the famous Russian Market because I had too many things in my hand (:P) then and it was really too hot in there (that I chose to hold my fan instead of the camera). So anyway.... let the pics begin and let the story continue.... :D

Day 5 in Cambodia: King's Palace, Watt Phnom, Russian Market and River Cruise

This tree here adorned the entrance of the palace. I find it to be really beautiful and interesting as it was uncommon and elegant looking. Note that it rarely has any leaves but the thin branches and pretty flowers. The flowers look really sweet upclose.
I just had to take a pic of this banana tree. Or should I say just 'banana'! Have you seen so many bananas (or so long) on one tree? I know I havent.
Map of the entire palace domain. It's pretty big. Or should I say very BIG. Click to view more.
From here onwards... there will be many pics of different palaces inside the whole palace compound. And I mean a lot! This is one of em...

Must kaki ayam when masuk...











Inside one of the palaces... because takde orang... I tried taking pics...hehehe. This, ladies and gentlemen is a giant golden foot print of Buddha.

Golden Buddha and if you look closely, it's adorned with diamonds.
There must be hundreds of thousands of buddha statues in the entire King's Palace and almost everywhere inside each palace is filled with buddha statues.
The walls of the internal compound... Cambodians just love to have history on their walls. :)
Then there's the exhibition rooms....Here, we have the significant (so to speak) white elephant of the king... oh, and with lotsa buddhas too.
The raja punya throne thingie when he tak nak jalan :P This is one of many, too lazy then to take all the chairs then.

There's an exibition room whereby lotsa golden elephants where put in display, the entire room glittered with gold!
Royal Seal... pretty nice to play with :P
Outside the palace... From the jalan besar...

Which by then, obviously, we dah habis our palace tour and moving on...

Did not take as many pics as I thought I would as it was really hot then and I really needed in my hand was my fold-able fan to make sure I didnt melt. :P

The interesting thing about Cambodia is that during their pilihan raya, they dont advertise like we do (TV, ads, banners etc). Instead... a few days before the election day, they'll have a really big and long convoy of the campaign like a big parade! FYI, during our stay in Cambodia, it was the election week.. :P So we had a chance to see how another country have their pilihan raya. These two pics show how it's all like. And mind you, we sat in the tuk tuk for 15 mins in the traffic waiting for the whole convoy to past. Imagine the length and amount of cars, people etc for it.

This is the Cambodian Parliment.
This is Watt Phnom. A monument / temple dedicated to the lady who founded Phnom Penh. There's only one picture as the camera was running out of space and again, the heat compelled me to stick to the fan instead of the camera.
We took a stroll after that alongside the river (in which we will take a cruise in the evening)...
Their makanan ringan or road side food junk.... Siput with salt :P

And after that, we headed to the Russian Market for more shopping!!! But no pics la (explained d why above). And then later we had a river cruise. What's so significant about this cruise is that this river leads and joins with three other rivers (it's something fascinating apparently to my dad) from different parts of the country as well as connecting to Vietnam. So we charttered a boat with 15USD for the entire cruise which was about 2 hours. We were hosted by a lovely family (the boat is their house!). It was a really sweet and comfy house/boat.

The banks of Phnom Penh and the other 'cruise' boats.
There.... is where Vietnam is.
Top of the boat... me parents enjoying the breeze.
The union of 2 (and behind is the third) rivers....
Sweet sweet daughters of the boat. My mum gave em little angpaus...haha.

*****

So that ends day 5 of Cambodia. Will be posting on day 6 soon and then HABIS! Hahaha.... hope you got a little exposure on Cambodia through my little bloggie. Have a nice weekend and God bless. Hugs!