When I left home to study at college. I missed my cat very much. To cope with it, I have raised a lady cat named Alex. She was a little beauty, tailless cat. She likes to be cuddled as normal cats do. One day, Alex appeared to look like she was pregnant. I was not surprised. Due to I love her very much, I gave her every meal I had. Days passed and her tummy grew very big. She seemed less active.

One day I don’t remember when, Alex ran to me with tearful eyes as we always looked into the eyes for communication. I feel something must be urgent and she needed my help. Yes, Alex was on the way to delivery her babies. I was to frighten! I didn’t know what to do and Alex kept running forward and backward and that caused me more trouble. I wished she would stop her unrest movement.

Luckily, I found my small wardrobe for her to deliver her offspring. I thought she would stay there until she has finished her process and I walked away. Again this little lady cat ran out and stopped me and started to yell at me. Didn’t know what to do, I sat by her again and waited her until she painfully gave birth to her four cute kittens. I was so delight to become a midwife for my cat. And it was end of my business and left her to read books.

Not long, Alex came again with frightening eyes. She bit my toes. It didn’t hurt but she made me angry. She just sat at the end of my bed and went nowhere. She kept crying and yelling at me (That was how I felt). I ran out of my patient and I yelled at her! What’s wrong with you? She suddenly turned her back to me but still sat there crying. I dropped my books and got up from my bed. Immediately, Alex led my way. I followed her who kept turning back to see if I walk after her.

Then I knew that Alex needed my help to tell my girl friends to stay away from new born babies. The girls who were so curious to see the new born kitten, picked them up and had a look and another one came and did the same thing. I could feel the pain Alex felt about it. As a gentle cat, she could do nothing to keep these people to stay away for her offspring and that was why she came to me to ask for my help again. I angrily told the girls asking them not to touch them or they would cause the young cats sick. They understood and left. Now Alex was alone again with her cute kitten and ready to nurse them.

Alex had taught me something! One thing is animals can make a trusted communication with human and they love their kids as humans do. Ten years ago but I still remember that day vividly.

Everyone was crying and found it hard to believe that this could happen to a young, educated girl like her. Only 23 year old, beautiful, tall and slim, she had many friends around her.

Among the grieved people, i didn’t cry! I just sat and watched other crying wondering as if they were just acting! i understood that i had a state of denial but i wished that it was a dream, a silly one or a faked one. I was not able to cry only until the holy man told me that it was the last chance to have a look at her face. Immediately, i knew that it was not a dream. It was real. She was dead and i didn’t know why?? and i became angry with her for a reason that i could hardly tell.

After crying to tired myself, i heard the voice of her. I knew clearly it was hers. She cried and let me hear her. The voices was beautiful. The crying voice that i would not want to stop hearing. To the immediate sense, i told one of my three grand mothers about it. She got me wrongly. She hurriedly came to the Buddha status and pray that the voice would go away from me. I became even more angry with her even if i knew that she only did it for the good. Since then the beautiful voices never happened again and of course i knew that she loved me. I wanted me to be safe and sound. But again she got me wrongly!! i wanted it so much!!

I remembered how people treated me when she was arrived as my youngest sister. They told me that now my parents was having her, they would stop loving me!! I hated it but i could do nothing besides the hate towards my innocent sister. I wanted to touch her but my mother would not allowed me because she afraids that i would cause harm. Than made me even hate the litter one. We never had a good relationship as sisterhood.

Our sisterhood was a bad one. We never share good words. Such a bad sister i am and I always feel guilty! always!

To stop the innocent jealousy, i advocate with people by telling them not to tell children that they unloved or unwanted. Today, Vorta loves his sister very much. He shows his care and i don’t see that he feels jealous with her at all.

Phina

I turned to many local students to help. At first, they were very helpful but due to their busy schedule i could not find access them especially at the end of the semester.

I know that i was a Psychology student and i understand about anxiety, depression and many other mental health issue but i couldn’t believe anxiety could cost me so much problem.

Now the second semester has started. I feel more secure, more ease. I could understand English more than the first semester, the hardest one in my life.

I was on the train to my school as usual. I was very amused by a very little boy who kept asking his daddy all the way. Not only me but people who sat around also were also amazed. The father kept answer his son’s questions very patiently and happily.

Compared to Cambodian children, they are not encouraged to talk like that. Maybe now some people have changed their attitude but there are many still.

I wish Cambodian children would enjoy their full rights and always in the top priority of every people.

Phanady

Blog.al.com and Australian Network News
By Phina So

The article is about a newlywed husband who killed his new wife on a honeymoon trip to Australia. According to the blog.al.com, the American couple met at the University of Alabama and had been dating for several years before they became engaged in 2003. The husband and wife went to Queensland and visited the Great Barrier Reef where Tina died just 11 days after they got married.
Gabe was sentenced to four and a half years jail with a minimum 12 months behind bars by the Supreme Court of Queensland on a manslaughter charge. Later it was extended to 18 months by Queensland’s Court of Appeal. By his case, people call him the honeymoon killer.
Many people think that Gabe intentionally killed his wife. There are questions of why he could not save his wife in that tragedy as he is a skillful and trained diver. A fellow diver told the news that he saw Gabe hug his wife before he was seen on the surface while Tina, a novice scuba diver, immediately sank to the bottom without her air supply. Gabe said Tina kicked his mask off and sank too quickly so he could not manage to help her.
The Attorney General Troy King of Alabama State wants to punish him for capital murder and he accused the Australian government for failing to bring Tina to justice.
Regarding the Australian Network News, Gabe will be deported from Australian to the United States after he is released from the Australian jail. He and his lawyer will discuss whether Gabe applies for a protection visa.

Barack Obama Video Supports Gay Teenagers

The article is about Obama’s response to the recent death of gay American adolescents. Those young people killed themselves after they got teased and bullied last month. The president’s video shows his backing for gay teenagers and was welcomed by many activists. He provided an influential speech which aimed at those who feel they do not belong. He said he doesn’t know how a gay feels but he personally realized that it is very difficult to be different from the majority group. According to the article he pointedly added that it is very privileged not to be like other, it is a source of pride and a source of strength.

Many websites and projects were established to provide assistance to vulnerable gay youth and recently they aim to have such activity at school.

Cambodia Daily, October 23-24, 2010

It was not the Koh Pich stampede that attracted me to read the article but the word Déjà vu did. The writer used many interesting and powerful adjectives to describe the scenes and emotions of the people. It takes about 15 minutes of my time to understand it and of course I have to read it twice. Sometimes, I have to check the dictionary to study the difficult words many times but I found out that they are the right words to tell readers how people feel at the particular time or event. In fact, the writer introduced an ongoing scene which followers could follow easily. The article also describes how he half was awaked by many ambulances’ sirens and the decision to get up to see what was happening. When he got to see the real picture of the Koh Pich stampede victims, he remembered how he witnessed innocent Cambodian people die massively during the Pol Pot regime. He seems to hear similar voices speaking in Khmer of agonized horror, of helplessly seeing their loved ones perish in agony. I think it is one of the reasons the journalist introduced the Déjà vu.

He is very stylish! Isn’t he?

I will introduce the blog to Vutha’s aunty who live in United States.

Thana,