indian stalkers in the penh & other weekend highlights

And it's never going to stop raining so here are the Weekend Highlights:

FRIDAY

"Finnishing Post" Party at the swanky Topaz Bar/Restaurant where all the "business" people gather round for free drinks on the Phnom Penh Post (English-language newspaper in town)'s tab.  When I first got there I knew virtually no one, until Sweetie (Khmer girl running the ad placement at the Post) screamed when she saw me --probably because I was wearing jeans & heels instead of a long fancy dress like her-- and gave me a big hug. Thanks to her, I met and hung out for part of the evening with some other Khmer guys who told me jokes like, 

"Do you know what FORD stands for?"

 Me: American Tradition in car-making?  

"Found. Dead. On. Road."  

Never mind that the "R" comes before the "D."  

I must say the highlight of the evening was meeting Mr. Singh. In between free glasses of wine and bite-size delicacies, the story goes something like this:

[Out of nowhere a semi-attractive older Indian man in turban jumps at the opportunity of me standing alone for 5 seconds eating a tiny sandwich and sticks out his right hand] 

"Hello there, my name is Singh." 

I swallow, look up, wipe my hand on well... my jeans, and meet this man who runs the Chevy dealership in Phnom Penh.  The greeting is followed by him moving me across the room where it is not so loud and he can tell me how [Felipe, please do your best Indian accent here] 

"ForTy percent of theee people in this room are fake."  

Obviously this strikes me as a curious observation and albeit a rather normal one, for it is a showy business thing and real people don't come to these unless like me, they want free food and drinks. He goes on pointing out people I don't know when all of a sudden a person I know very well and would rather not disclose via blog comes up, gives me a big and says good-bye, all the while Mr. Turban seems engrossed with texting on his blackberry and then manages to slip the phone in front of me as I'm saying my good-bye. I half-ignore him, but happen to capture what he's texted... "F.A.K.E." I find the whole thing hilarious and hope the person was not able to read his phone. I then excuse myself right after and leave.   Since Saturday I have had three "missed calls" (ahem) and the following texts:

15:27:58:  "Hi melissa how r u... best wishes signh... ur gennuine guy... hahahahaha" (I hope he was on crack curry when he wrote that)

10:28:09: "Hi good morning have nice and funfilled sunday ahead... best wishes signh (perhaps he was sober now... I respond with a simple "good morning, yes, thanks, you too.")

 

2 MISSED CALLS LATER

22:05:21:  "Hi mel how is life u seems very busy"  (mel? seems?  at least no "best wishes")

Aaah such is life and my enormous luck with men.

SATURDAY

Went to two good-bye parties and one photo gallery exhibit on rubber plantations in Cambodia.  Nothing particularly funny occurred at any of these except that they were fun yet sad events, saying good-bye to a colleague going back to France and a friend moving on to do NGO work in Afghanistan (makes me feel like I'm on holiday here). 

Besides avoiding my new found Indian Sheik phone stalker, Deepika, my cool normal American-Indian (clarification: from India) burnt-out lawyer friend and I spent the day at an HIV/AIDS home orphanage near Wat Sam Kosal (the orphanage may or may not be part of the Little Sprouts Maryknoll program).  We brought the kids some candy and play with them for a bit. I burnt my feet on pavement trying to play soccer.  London Bridges was the hit song with the kids as well as taking numerous photos of them at their request. They are really cute kids and I'm glad Deepika showed me the orphanage. My goal now is to get a group of people to start going every weekend (following in the tradition of another friend who just left).  

SUNDAY

Slept in. Read a lot. Biked around town. Aaaand finally played some volleyball!  A Colombian friend of mine and her cute 7 year old daughter invited me over to play with some UNDP people, so it was my first official international non-formal game of sand volleyball! 

That pretty much wraps up the weekend and it hasn't stopped raining so I presume I will now venture out on my bike and battle flooded streets. Lovely.