11 reasons why i havent blogged in ages

1.Did photography work for a New Zealand Magazine

I was commissioned by a Kiwi Magazine in Auckland to shoot Dean Williams, who used to be a big media personality in New Zealand before moving to Cambodia to open a funky cocktail bar called Miss Wong.






2.Sent my son to school for the first time

Yup, he’s officially a student at the International School of Siem Reap as we’ve been trying to convince him for the longest time that he is NOT Yet an adult.




3.We’re building a new store

We’re expanding and we’ve just opened a new store at the Alley West called POETRY. It’s a total lifestyle experience offering Don’s clothes, vintage finds, original jewelry from designer friends like Jor-el and Tita Jaki all the way from Iloilo, Philippines and a gallery for my work on “words” as well as for other up and coming artists based in Cambodia and the world over.








4.Opened up a solo exhibition at the Angkor National Museum

The Saffron Spirit makes its way to the Angkor National Museum alongside the kingdom’s ancient treasures. I couldn’t have been more thrilled!




5.Prepared for a trip home

Spent two weeks in Iloilo picking up pieces of my childhood memories and rebuilding our home after the devastating flood last year. Most of our family pictures were gone and my paintings and artworks have vanished into oblivion, but all is definitely not lost…



My mom, lost 90% of her garend and plants which is her source of life and income... but she has moved on quite well....




We had a reunion with relatives on my mom's side so we are slowly rebuilding our connections and lost memories.... all the lost pictures, books and what nots would have to be relished again... on a new perspective....


6.Turned another year older in Cambodia

Celebrated my 31st year of existence on this planet with family and friends. I actually shared the birthday week with Vincent, one of my photographers and good New Yorker friend Elizabeth Kiester.




7.Am being featured in a magazine with two great friends

Fah Thai Magazine, Bangkok Airways’ inflight magazine, is doing a feature on me, Don, and Elizabeth on our efforts to make Siem Reap the next best fashion destination in the planet. Hehehee.


8.Did a load of wedding shoots and temple shoots

Work work work. Need I say more?


9.I’m helping redesign the National Museum in Phnom Penh

One of the projects I’m really looking forward to do! Got in through the help of American friends John and Narisa McDermott!


10.Did a Suitcase Sale

One of the cool stuffs we’re doing on the Alley West…


11.Prepared for my sister’s graduation

After 4 years of gruelling tuition payments, and other miscellaneous out-of-this-planet expenses, my sister Love Grace has finally finished her Nursing degree...

The ceremony in itself was more suffering that you could bear than 4 years of school combined... the graduation lasted almost 7 hours and the keynote speaker spoke for more than 2 hours! To top it off, there were almost 500 nursing graduates alone! There were around 300 honor graduates (cum laudes, summa cum laudes and magna cum laudes)... the reddeming point is that my sister got an award for outstanding nursing graduate from the Baptist Church Organization in Ohio. She also got a loyalty medal for going to the same university from kindergarten.

I think they ought to give awards too for those who endured the entire ceremony...

sundays with sarah

Our Sundays are usually spent at home cooking up some experimental cuisine with friends, reading a book, catching up with blogs or doing marathons of Heroes or CSI. But this Sunday is special... aside from having really cool, crisp weather (the mercury tipped at only 16 degrees!) , it's also the birthday of a dear friend - Sarah, who also happens to be my wife's boss.

She was actually my boss when I first moved in Cambodia as a graphic designer for a hotel, but after a year, I decided to quit and put up my own graphic design studio. But unlike other bosses who would shake you off their lives after you resign from work, Sarah on the other hand, supported this decision all the way and loaned me ALL the money I needed to start up - from purchasing computers, cameras, printers and all! Now where can you find a boss like that?

So on her special day, we all ran our heads and hands together to give her a special bash...


We took advantage of the cold winter winds from China and set up our garden with a neo-Khmer barbecue- themed feast. I bought two ceremonial umbrellas from the market, 10 meters of fabric, and voila! Instant garden lounge!


The debutante - just turned eighteen. Again! :-)

Sarah has actually just recently returned to Cambodia after stints in China and Malaysia. Now, my wife works for her at the Sothea where she is the General Manager. Still looking cool after recovering from a major flu after returning from a weeklong trip in Cannes, France two weeks ago.


Faith, Freedom and Brother Bear


Don, down with a major upset stomach since yesterday still managed to pull his designer pants together to join the celebration. He took care of the cake.



the feast begins!


Fare consisted of grilled seafood, grilled pork, vegetarian elbow macaroni soup, couscous, tuna salad, fresh mangoes and strawberries as well as a plethora of ice cream and desserts.


Freedom had chocolate crispies for starters and had half a tub of ice cream for his entree.


Slam dunking a strawberry whole... my three year old eats anything and everything!


Chilling out after lunch. Sarah went to the orphanage with Olive and Savourn thereafter while Faith and Don went on with their usual vintage shopping ritual at the Psar Krawlajn.

We wanted to invite U2 for a private concert for her birthday but we couldn't afford that just yet.... so from the bottom of our hearts and our Havaianas... Happy Birthday Sarah!

go team freedom!

My son Freedom is turning 3 this August 6, but we are throwing a party for him on the 8th to coincide with the opening of the Beijing Olympiad (where I am going in a few weeks!). This means the overall theme will be Olympics of sorts. There will be great fun games for kids like triathlon, archery, 15 kilometer marathon, synchronized swimming, 10 meter platform diving (okay, okay, I'm exaggerating) and of course, there will be gold medals for the early bird.

Chinese food, anyone? Or Peking duck perhaps?

There will also be the lighting of the cauldron, a humongous and scandalous fireworks display, a performance from the Beijing Opera and a showdown of Shaolin monks. It doesn't hurt to dream, right? Well, as they say in the olympiad... dream higher, stronger, further...

See you guys at the Ramos Family Nest (no pun intended for Beijing's Bird's Nest) on 08.08.08!

And oh, no boycotts please!

my son named Freedom

My son Freedom is turning three in a couple of weeks. I am simply amazed how each day adds so much personality to him especially that there's quite a lot of "personality" traffic in the house that he can derive his molding years from. Aside from me, nannie and my wife, we have around 7 Khmer staff who Freedom hags-out with every now and then- all with different outlooks in life. My wife is a shopaholic and Freedom is definitely following in her footsteps on that department. Then there's Don - fashion designer extraordinaire and art gallery curator. There's Brewster - my graphic designer who's also a prolific dancer (he has his own dance studio now) and of course, his Ninong Kristian / KC who's big with music... and not to mention girls. With the diversity of people around him, I hope he doesn't get confused with what he's gonna be years from now...



Bringing out his Miles Davis side...



Patrick Demarchelier or Mario Testino, isdatchu?



Training for the Tour de France ala Lance Armstrong



Whatever he will be, he's free to do what he wants and he will definitely soar high! Afterall, we didn't name him Freedom for nothing...