Pink Chopsticks

Things are getting a bit hectic, so I’m not posting as much as I’d like to but at least I’m not leaving the gaps for weeks on end. Anyway, I’m a little busy right now, with school almost ending here in Phnom Penh and my daughter and I are also leaving for a month-long vacation.

No worries, I’ll still be updating my blogs. Hmm, don’t I just love wifi and portable netbooks? And thankfully, the places I’ll be going to would have internet access for sure so updating will be easier.

So where are we going? Mostly just nearby places here in SE Asia. We’ll be making a short stop here..

Then here..Oh, I miss smoggy, lively, colorful Manila!

And of course, I’ll be spending a lot of time with my parents in Bicol, Philippines!

I’m pretty sure you guys can guess where those places are.. I’m also hoping I get the time and a cooperative weather to visit.. Caramoan, Camarines Sur..

Let’s say, I’m so excited I’m seeing my parents after almost 2 years and I’m also hitting Manila’s humongous shopping malls, and not to miss – Divisoria – Manila’s bargain haven. I’ll be bringing back lots of photos for sure..

International singing teen sensation and the Philippines very own, Charice Pempengco (or simply Charice) have also conquered US Billboard Hot 100 aside from doing exceptionally well on iTunes and Amazon with her single “Note to God”.

The single was produced by David Foster (the guy behind Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Michael Buble..) and written by Dianne Warren. The single was first performed on Oprah and has been receiving good reviews.

Watch the video of her performing ‘Note to God’ on Oprah..

Charice Pempengco – Note to God – Sings for Oprah – Awesome video clips here

Lucky lucky girl! Congratulations, Charice! We hope to see you conquer more..

Asia is becoming more and more the place to travel for a lot of Westerners. It’s easy to see why. The Asian region is so diverse and exotic when it comes to its people and its culture. A lot of Western tourists though a bit intimidated by traveling to Asia than traveling to Europe, the US or South America. The language is a big factor.

But now that the Asian region is opening up and becoming partially Westernized, traveling to Asia can now be easily enjoyed. Here are some tips on how you can have some adventure and new experiences when you travel to Asia.

Keep in mind that Asia is the biggest continent. It is not homogenous and not all countries you can cover by simply taking a train. Asia is comprised of several countries with hundreds of different cultures you can explore. A lot of islands can be found in the Asian region as well.

The best thing to do first is to find out which are best interests you. You may want to explore: • East Asia which includes China, Mongolia, North and South Korea, and Japan. • Southeast Asia is composed of Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei and the Philippines. • South Asia region includes India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal and Bhutan; • Southwest Asia includes Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Cyprus, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait; This region is also called the Middle East. • Russia and the states of Central Asia – Kazakhstan, Kyrgystan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan Uzbekistan.

Learn about travel restrictions and the visa requirements of a country before you embark on your Asian travel. Some of the countries above are not safe for travel. North Korea most probably won’t give you a visa while other countries like Malaysia, Japan, Singapore, Philippines, Cambodia, Thailand are easier to get in to.

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Hello! Ni hao! Konnichiwa! Chao! Mabuhay! 

I’m PinkSushi and welcome to Pinkchopsticks! This blog is all about living, exploring and celebrating all things Asian. Why Asia? I am an Asian. I was born and raised in the Philippines and now I’m living in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. I am proudly Asian. 

Traveling around different Asian countries made me realize just how unique and diverse Asia is. Not only in geography and natural environment, but also in people, languages, culture and traditions, lifestyle and more.

Asia is the world’s largest continent and covers about 30% of the worlds total land area. Asians make up about 3/5 of the world’s population with more than 4 billion people. So what could be better than exploring the richness in culture and diversity of the Asian region?

I’ll be making regular updates on Asian culture and traditions, trivia, fun finds, travel and places, cuisine, lifestyle, technology and innovation, latest news, well just about anything Asian.

As for the site name – Pinkchopsticks, Pink, because well I’m a girl and I love pink. Chopsticks, I asked several people what are the first words that come up to their minds when they hear the word Asia, and I got several answers of: chopsticks! Hence the name Pinkchopsticks. I’ll also be using the penname PinkSushi.Hmmn, obviously, I love Japanese sushi..

Thanks for visiting this site and hope you stick around and visit again. I’d really appreciate it if you can drop me a comment or a suggestion on how I could improve the site as well as topic suggestions. Do get regular updates from Pinkchopsticks, subscribe to my feed..

If you want to get in touch, feel free to use my Contact page (no spam please..)