Category Archives: Personal Interest/Experience
Having fixed price is better
Today, I went out looking for a keyboard protector for my new mac book pro and I began realizing that having a fixed price for goods is far better.
When every shop sticks the price tag on products, customer like me doesn’t need to bargain because I can just go through different shops checking and comparing prices. Moreover, by doing this, I don’t think that the shops dares to increase too much price if they want to compete with the others.
Micro Keyboard Surface Preservative Protective Film For MACbook Application
The problem here in Cambodia is that not many shops put the price tags on their products, so prices vary depend on different sellers. The real example is that this afternoon, I went to a computer center asking for my laptop keyboard protector and the seller show me the brand of Micro For Macbook Application made in China. The online price is US $5.79, but that shop set the first price is US $10. When I asked what price they actually wanted to sell, they claimed for US $8. However, when I went to another shop, the seller set the first price of US $5, and the price dropped to US $4 immediately after I asked how much she actually wanted to sell.
From the above example, we can see that the price of the same goods is double. If you are good at bargaining, it will not be a problem; however, for a person like me will face a big problem because I don’t like bargaining. In conclusion, I prefer having the fixed price though sometimes the price is a bit more expensive, but I don’t feel being cheated too much.
17/11/2011 By: Dara SaoyuthMy new printer
More and more documents required me to read in order to write my final thesis proposal. I experienced handing in my homework late because of finding printing-house.
Also, I have to read and edit some articles by myself now, and I realize that my eyes cannot look into the computer screen for a long period.
I hope that with my new printer, Samsung SCX3200 could ease my works and improve my productivity.
My new printer - Sumsung SCX 3200
10th anniversary of the Department of Media and Communication (DMC)
The Department of Media and Communication (DMC) established in 2001. Today marks the 10th anniversary of the department, and we celebrated the event at the Cambodiana hotel.
The event was separated into two parts: the conference session in the afternoon and the dinner party in the evening.
In the afternoon event, there is also a debate session on “new media are the most effective platform for social and political participation”. This is the first time in my life that I became one of the debaters in the oppose group.
Please find some photos below from the event:
By: Dara Saoyuth 21/10/2011
My farewell dinner
I am a bit sleepy now, but I come to leave a message that I have a very good time tonight having dinner and hangout with some reporters of the Star publication, where I have spent my two-month internship. It’s not a big party actually; we just went out to have dinner together and chitchatted.
There were six people tonight- 4 reporters, my friend from Cambodia, and I. I like them so much, and I think I am closer to them than the others at the workplace here, maybe because I followed them on assignments more often:)
Last but not least, I’d like to say thanks you to them for coming up with an idea of having a joint dinner before my friend and I go back to my country. I would say that it’s a nice farewell that I haven’t expected. I will see at least 3 of them again soon because they will spend their holiday this year in Cambodia.
Good night and thanks you again Justin, Christina, Karr wei, and Sharmila.
My farewell dinner / by: Dara Saoyuth
Related articles
- My assignment today_27 Sept 2011 (saoyuth.wordpress.com)
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My assignment today_27 Sept 2011
I am back again!
Well, today assignment made me get up so early at 7:30am (maybe early for me only lolz!). I set my phone alarm at 7am, but my fingers faster than my eyes that they reached the phone first and turned it off right away. As soon as I got up, I had to rush because I hadn’t prepared anything from last night since I was so tired and sleepy. First, I put some packs of snack and a full bottle of fresh water into my bag because it’s the lesson I learn from my last year intern place at Agence-France Presse (AFP) that a photographer told me to be ready before going out if we have to go somewhere far away that we never know. “The two important things you have to take with you are ‘food’ and ‘water’,” he told me while handing me two packages of instant noodles.
Besides food and drink, I had to search on my messy table for a camera, a recorder, an earphone, a notebook, 2 pen, and reserved batteries for my recorder. Then, I had to surf on the internet for some information of the place before I left.
Sungai Buloh train station / by: Dara Saoyuth
At 8:30am, I arrived the KL Sentral, where I have to take a train to the Sungai Buloh station. At 9:45am, I arrived the Sungai Buloh station, and had to wait for a Cambodian to pick me up. His name is Tar Sovan, and he is a nice, friendly, and helpful guy. He brought me to the Cambodian village and introduced me to some other Cambodian people. Over there, I first sat on a table order Banh Chhev (a kind of Khmer food), and coffee ice with milk. I was so surprised to see everyone around me is Cambodian even the seller of the food I was eating. While I was eating, I also chit-chatted with some Cambodians to know some backgrounds of the village and to listen to their experiences before leaving for Malaysia. They all have very different but interesting stories to tell.
Lok Pu Savan (‘Lok Pu’ means ‘uncle’ in Khmer because in Cambodian culture, we always call people who are a bit older than us as ‘uncle’) brought me to a Cambodian market and left me there staying with her wife because he wanted to take some rests at home. I went around the market talking to other Cambodian sellers to know more information, and then back to Lok Pu Savan’s wife because she also sells some staffs in the market.
At Cambodian market in Malaysia / By: Dara Saoyuth
I stayed at her store from 11am until around 2pm before going to her house. We just spent time chit-chatting about this and that. She asked me a lot of questions, especially about my experiences working as a journalist and about my life here in Malaysia. I was happy to tell what I know, but I was stuck when came to a question “Do you already have a girlfriend?”. I think for a moment before replying that ‘I don’t have at the moment’. I was also surprised when she joked that she want me to be her son-in-law. 🙂 I supposed that my face turned red at that time, so I used my flexibility to change the topic and move to talk about life in Cambodia.
I left the market for Lok Pu Sovan’s house at around 2pm. His wife asked a girl to give me a lift from the market to her house, but I became a rider after not trusting her to be able to ride motorbike with me at the back. This is my first time to ride a motorbike in Malaysia, and someone shouted from behind that “Please ride on the left hand side! This is not Cambodia!)”. His house just around 5 minutes riding from the market.
Cambodian market in Malaysia / By: Dara Saoyuth
I have spent the rest of my times at their house, but just to talk with their uncles and aunts and watch TV. I could not interview at that time because Lok Pu Sovan wanted to take a nap. His wife also arrived the house later, and I just continued chit-chatting with her.
At around 6:15pm, Lok Pu Sovan said I could stay at his house for tonight or I better go now if I want to come back because it’s almost dark already. His wife also asked me to stay there for a night and back in the morning, but I felt so tired and I had many more tasks to finish that I decided to come back.
I arrived the KL Sentral at 8pm and I had to take a taxi back. This is the first time that I have to bargain the taxi fee. He said the taxi from KL Sentral not uses meter, and he demanded RM20 from KL Sentral to my living place while I spend only RM11 this morning to get there. He said how much will I give him. I decided to give him RM15, so he asked me to go inside the car. 🙂
He’s not a Malaysian. He’s a nice guy and he speak English very fluently. I’ve talked a lot with him, and when I asked him a question about “What do you think about life in Malaysia?”, I seemed to get a satisfied answer. He told me that “Life here is not bad. And I think one thing that is the same for all country, Nothing is free. You have to work for it.” He also asked about Cambodia “IS Cambodia going up now?”, and also ask about Vietname “How about Saigon?”. I think he knows a lot of histories about countries in South East Asia.
Now, I am at my condo again feeling so comfortable but also tired and sleepy. I might sleep early tonight and get up early tomorrow to try finishing works as much as I can.
There are a lot of interesting things happened to me today, but I could not write it all into a post. I hope I could review my post again when I am a bit more free.
27/09/11 By: Dara SaoyuthRelated articles
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My assignment today_26 Sept 2011
It’s 10:30pm already here, but I just come back from the assignment. Not many cars on the road while the rain were dropping. I know I would be more afraid if I went out for this assignment alone, but luckily, my friend from the same country followed me tonight.
Residents enjoy having dinner / by: Dara Saoyuth
At first, I didn’t have any assignment because I was supposed to finish my feature writing. Then, in the afternoon, my boss reached me and asked if I could go for tonight assignment. Without hesitation, I agree immediately. The assignment is about the Hari Raya Opening House which many people can join and have dinner for free. The assignment started at 8pm, but I have to stay there until the organizer, a parliamentary member YB Wee Choo Keong, free to give me an interview.
YB Wee Choo Keong giving an interview with TV reporters / by: Dara Saoyuth
I was worried at first because everyone talked in Malay that I could not understand at all. I asked my photographer to tell me what they said, but still I could not get the interesting information for my writing. With the help from my photographer (because he could speak Malay), at last, I have chance to interview YB Wee Choo Keong. He’s a nice person and he speaks a very good English. Now, I think I get enough information for the story.
A concert during the event / by: Dara Saoyuth
Meet a fresh reporter
Because of tonight event, I also met a female reporter from a Chinese newspaper. She’s so nice and helpful, and just started working for four months. She translate for me when people use Bahasa Malaysia language. I’m sure we will be able to maintain this networking.
What for today
Well, I’ve finished my feature writing about Cambodian maids coming to live in Malaysia, and tonight, I will try to finish writing about this event tonight.
I’ve also contacted with a Cambodian student who got scholarship to study in Malaysia. She’s also a nice girl and she’s very helpful. She introduced me to her friends who also studying and working in Malaysia. I’m sure that we will meet each other soon to listen to their experiences and combine that information with what I got from an interview with Cambodian students studying at Limkokwing Malaysia.
What for tomorrow
I have to travel a long distant alone again tomorrow, but as always, I love this kind of travel. I will go to visit Cambodian village in Sungai Buluh, one part of Malaysia. I got a contact from the Cambodian Embassy in Malaysia of a Cambodian who came to live in Malaysia since 1990. He is a nice guy and he said that tomorrow, he will come to pick me up from the train station at 8:30am.
I have to get up early again tomorrow and catch a train at 8am from Kualalumpur to Sungai Buluh station which take around 30 minutes traveling. Then, I will travel with him to the village. He told me that there are around 400 Cambodian families living in that area. I should not say much right now because I want to wait and see the real situation when I arrive that place.
I better end my post here for tonight because there are a lot of things I have to finish.
Thanks you all for reading my posts and come back for more. Without all of your supports and encouragements, I would not have feeling to write these posts.
Good luck and Good night!
26/09/2011 By: Dara SaoyuthMy Facebook is ACTIVATED again
Image via CrunchBase
At last my previous account on Facebook (Dara Saoyuth) is activated again. It’s almost a year already that I cannot access to this account since it was temporary suspended because I confused to use this account on another website that is similar to Facebook (I was cheated!).
Today is a birthday of a person I know and like, but since we have some misunderstanding, my new Facebook account (Saoyuth Dara) that created after the previous one was suspended was removed from her friend list.
I want to send her a HAPPY BIRTHDAY message, but I cannot do via Facebook. The only way I can think of is to try to access my previous account in the hope that she is in the list and that I will be able to post on her wall.
My attempt was failed though I was succeed in restoring my previous account because this account was blocked since before we know each other. Even though I am having a little frustration, I’m happy that I can get my account back and start to connect with people in the friend list again.
As soon as I log into the account, I can see 92 friend requests, 29 messages, and 22 notifications. I think they all might not know that my account was suspended. Now, I can get to them again.
26/09/2011 By: Dara Saoyuth To be able to restore this account, I was required to enter my “PASSWORD” and then named 5 people from my friend lists so that Facebook can make sure that this is really my account.My assignment today_23 Sept 2011
Today, I don’t have to go out for an assignment because my boss said that I can stay in the office trying to finish my story as much as I can.
Besides that, it’s my turn today to present in front of my bosses and colleagues. I’ve chosen a topic about Khmer manuscript to present since it’s one of Cambodian heritage.
My presentation today / Photo by: Noy Kimhong
I’m so happy after I’ve tried my best for this public speaking:)
23/09/2011 By: Dara SaoyuthRelated articles
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My assignment today_22 Sept 2011
Dear Student Blog visitors,
Since I’ve been here in Malaysia, today marked the second time for me to have a meeting with Cambodians. Yesterday, I met the Cambodian ambassador in Malaysia, princess Norodom Arunrasmy, and some of the embassy staffs. Today, I went to meet some Cambodian students who come to study at Limkokwing University here.
This meeting is for my article which is about the lives of Cambodian students who come to study abroad. From the article, you can expect to know what challenges they have to face, and how they can adapt to the new environment without any relatives around except their friends from the same countries.
Today also marked the 1st time for me to travel for a far distance alone for an assignment. It took around 45 minutes from my office, the Star publication, to the Limkokwing university in Malaysia which located in Cyberjaya. I’m so exhausted, but at the same time excited to meet people from the same country using our national language in our conversation.
Group photo with Cambodian students who come to study at Limkokwing university in Malaysia / photo by: photographer from the Star pubication
I’ve chit-chatted with them for around 3 hours before I came back to the office. I prefer not to call it an interview because I don’t think that I can get the real feeling inside my interviewees if I make this conversation into something too formal.
So, it’s just about friends sharing what they have learned and experienced, and I just bring what they told me for other people who will read my article.
I will try to finish the article as soon as possible because I have only 12 days more in Malaysia. Please stay tune for the article!
Tonight, I have so many works to do, so I’ve decided not to have a look at my Facebook page. I have three more feature stories to be finished – Cambodian maids working in Malaysia, Lives of Cambodian students coming to study in Malaysia, and Dog breeding sharing experience. I might be able to finish only 1 of them by tonight because I also need to prepare some slides for tomorrow I have to do public speaking in front of the Star metro staffs and bosses. I’m so excited and hope i can do it well tomorrow.
Have to say good-bye from my blog now; otherwise I cannot finish my plan for tonight.
Thanks for coming back to read my personal stories as well as some other information on this blogs.
Hope to see you all again soon.
Yours,
Saoyuth, Student Blog author
22/09/2011 By: Dara SaoyuthRelated articles
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Student Blog 