honey i'm home

by loven ramos

SUPER SOVANN - a third world super hero is born!

I've recently doodled my way into creating a comic series in facebook and was happy at how my friends reacted to it. What was funnier is that how I get friend requests from random people I don't know but who just loved it! Here goes SUPER SOVANN!

water of life

Cambodia is home to Southeast Asia's biggest lake - Tonle Sap which for many Khmers, represents the lifeblood of the country. On its ebbing tides was forged one of the world's greatest empires - Angkor.


More than a thousand years later, life still goes on and living still exists on its waters. I have been fervently visiting the lake but am still mesmerized by its vastness and silent power... and more importantly, how the people have managed to survive it.

The most recognizable part of the lake to the outside world is the floating village of Chong Kneas...


Most of the homes here are floating, which means they are built on boats or on barges - making it easy for dwellers to transfer their homes wherever they want. Now who will ever evict you?


Shopping is also very mobile - why go to the market when the market can go to you? Now if only H&M's Comme des Garcons is peddled this way!

Here, only two things are essential - a sturdy pair of legs and a spool of courage to brave the unpredictable waters...

Friendships can be forged on water...

or on land...

Make your way to school or the school makes way for you (at the end of the day, the floating school brings its students home! No kidding!)...

Fancy a game of basketball on a floating gym? Now let's see if Kobe Bryant can still make a dunk while being seasick!

Waiting for the day's catch...

...sometimes, the waiting pays...

...but some simply wait... and wait... and wait...

The lake and its shores are throbbing with lost souls finding directions...

and its young souls...

...eager to find life's answers...

Here, one is surrounded by water, but thirst is still enevitable.

But for those who thirst spiritually, the floating karaoke church (a former karaoke pub converted into a catholic church!) is a good place to quench your souls...

a sizzling cookbook!

I'm very lucky to be part of this very exciting project - a Cambodian Cookbook of which the entire proceeds of the sales go to helping Khmer street children find a better life through the organization called Green Gecko.

Headed by Aussie Tania Palmer and Khmer husband Rem, the couple started out the project by providing shelter, food and education to street children they've met begging and loitering the avenues of Siem Reap. Now, it has grown into a well-respected institution and is now giving gecko love to around a hundred kids! Buying this cookbook will help them a loooonnnggg way!


This cookbook project was initiated by another dear Aussie friend Yvette - who got me on board as photographer, food stylist and book designer. Fellow spoolworks teammate Brewster Bonifacio did the full lay-out with Yvette. The original printing of the book was done in Australia, but after a few weeks, got sold out! So hence, a Cambodian edition was done. This proved to be a pain in the neck because color separation here is not as prime as abroad, but after changing printers THREE TIMES, it is finally out!


SEAFOOD IN KAMPOT PEPPER - The kampot pepper used here is the star of the Kmer kitchen and is one of Cambodia's biggest exports. Haute French cuisine uses this fantastic pepper thoroughly. This pepper is better eaten whole and raw.


BANANA BLOSSOM SALAD - This is definitely a beautiful dish - with the perfect balance of herbs and chili without overwhelming the taste of the banana blossom.


GLASS NOODLE SALAD - The shrimp version tastes better (since I don't eat other meats!) but I had fun putting this together on a stone knife sharpener! As in most Asian salads, the basil is the supreme flavor innovator on this dish...


FISH SALAD - This is another favorite of mine. What sets it apart from the other 'ensaladas' are the herbs and the freshwater fish!


SEAFOOD CURRY - One of India's best gifts to the world - the curry... every nation has probably a version they call their own! Our Khmer house cook makes a wicked version of this!


GRILLED SEAFOOD - It may look just like any grilled seafood, but the secret here is the marinade and the pepper sauce!


The hardest thing here was "arranging" the noodles in such a way that they curl up gracefully yet naturally. The vegetables were stir fried separately for arrangement purposes.

I purposely excluded Cambodia's national dishes - the AMOK and the LOK LAK so that leaves you to discover the book fully...

Contrary to popular belief that Cambodian cooking is a shadow of Thai and Vietnamese cooking, let us remind you that a thousand years ago, Siam and Vietnam were mere provinces of Angkor (Cambodia), that's why I don't think the similarities in their cuisine were copied by Cambodia... but whether you refuse to believe it or not, Cambodian cuisine is an adventure you should not dare to miss!

the wedding photographer

I can never imagine myself being a wedding photographer. Back in the Philippines, my training in photography has always been photojournalism - from frontline news to socially-sensitive awakenings, I've always imagined my photographs to have substantial meaning.

But actually, I discovered that in shooting weddings as well...

I never thought there is so much joy and meaning in recording other people's happiest moments and the beginnig of their journeys together - even though without assurance that they are going to be together forever or not. But capturing that very essence and force that have brought two tides together as one ocean is a fulfillment I never thought I will enjoy.

Also, it helps that my clients are not demanding at all... as a matter of fact, I am the one dictating everything... from the locations, poses, and props!


After their traditional Khmer wedding ceremony, there was a shadow puppet performance done on a 17th century pagoda for the couple and their family. After the show, I asked the bride and groom to play around with the large leather puppets...


This was a rain-soaked photoshoot as it rained the whole morning in Angkor Wat, but instead of ruining the shoot, the weather added more to the mystical mood of the temple...


The Japanese couple in ful traditional Cambodia garb...


In contrast, this shoot was done on an ultra humid day in summer - we have to wipe the couple's faces every five mintes and retouch their make-up! We were all melting in the heat of the sun! But we couldn't complain though... the sky was gorgeous and the colors crisp and amazing...


Goofing around at the poolside of Amansara - the former holiday residence of the Cambodian king in the 1960's...

Prelude to a blissful life....

Don't you wish they all end in happy-ever-afters?