Tasty Dog in the Kingdom:  This Cambodian Life #74.  Exciting events in Phnom Penh lately including an exhibition and viewing of films from the 60s and 70s.  Delilah sees a famous director and actress from Back in the Day, then gets to watch one of these films, filled with all the gore, magic and outrageous plot twists that you could ever want.  On a more serious note, Delilah also gets to see the Prime Minister speak.  A pretty happening week over all. 

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Ros Sereysothea rocks the world with The Night We Met.  oh what a night.  Too bad they didn’t have this song last night at the beer garden. 

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #73.  The show might take a bit of a depressing turn this time, but that is life.  It’s Pchum Ben time again, so perhaps some ancestors are spreading some nefarious influences.  Delilah covers a surprising turnaround imposed on the Cambodian judiciary,  the long arm of the American legal system and a bit of a strange comment coming from the man in charge.  And…finally this show is dedicated to Wah-wah.  RIP, sweetheart.

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Sin Sisamuth lends his voice again to give us all a bit of a lift.  Also because if you are ever out in the countryside, you can say you like Sin Sisamuth and you will have made a friend.  Good stuff.

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #72.  Delilah Marie has a strange new malady and so goes to the doctor.  However, no fancy expat clinic provides the diagnosis, but a regular Cambodian doctor on Street 110 for just $10.  At that price, you don’t even need to fool with insurance!  She then launches into the topic of acid throwing, a sad but too prevalent form of retribution and revenge for jilted lovers and jealous wives.  Just be careful who you entangle yourself with when visiting the kingdom.

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Sin Sisamuth serenades you with Rainy Nights – since that seems to be the common weather pattern lately… 

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #71.  On a bit of a ramble this evening, Delilah goes on about her speech with a Minister (and this would be one of those referred to as “Your Excellency” , after which she was late to a very early lunch, then you hear the on the edge of your seat story of how she scratched her eye watering her plants (try to stay away for that).  And after that, she rounds off the episode of her trip to the Buddhist Wonderland of Oudong, where you wander up and down steps on top of a mountain, check out the stupas and then get your fortune told for $2.50.  

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The opening and closing music is from Tep Mari, called Saa Thoukar, from Cambodia Living Arts with their 2004 Cambodia Masters Performing Project collection.  A thought it was a nice plinka plinka to go with the Buddhist Wonderland. 

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #70.  Delilah Marie is back from vacation in the homeland and is in a bit of a contemplative mood.  The big questions being: Is it time to move on?  Or does she really just need a longer, more robust vacation?  After pondering life’s choices, she also catches up on the latest Cambodian news, which of course involves some forced relocations, the not-so-shocking scandal surrounding secondary school exams and the best places to find the news and latest gossips: at the expat networking event, where you too can crash the party for free wine and food. 

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Sin Sisamuth is singing Beloved Girlfriend, if you care to find one. 

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #69.  Delilah invites another special guest to the show.  Today, we hear from Howie the Dentist, who has a hobby that has a life of its own.  But you are welcome to venture into the world of an avid twitcher, where you can hear a bit about the orange necked partridge, the green jungle fowl and the giant ibis, just a couple of the plethora of birds of Cambodia.  Not to mention hearing what special poop a special dog found in Mondulkiri. 

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Just a little bit of Sin Sisamuth to keep you company because I know you missed his golden voice. 

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #68.  Delilah ponders if her time in Cambodia is done.  So she takes a trip to neighboring Lao and rediscovers the joy of silence, cleanliness and good lighting in the UNESCO heritage city of Luang Prubang.  Then returning to Cambodia, she once again feels that connection to the Kingdom – with its chaos, dirt and noise, it’s still home. 

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Ros Sereysothea sings If You Wish to Love Me from Cambodia Rocks, Vol 2.  Because nothing is more loveable about Cambodia than its 60s rock stars. 

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #67.  Exciting week in the big city, with Delilah talking about the Royal Plowing Ceremony, the King’s birthday and every queen’s week, which is Phnom Penh’s first gay pride.  You can hear how the crops are predicted to do this year,  how old the beloved monarch is and where to go to get some drag queen action of your own.   Only, of course, if you have a “friend”  that is gay and need to offer “them” some suggestions. 

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Sin Sisamuth is singing about his beloved girlfriend in honor of gay pride.  I passed over the I Love Women song, since there really didn’t seem to be all that many lesbians out and about. 

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodia Life #66.  Delilah hits on a couple of topics including the incessant powercuts, multitudes of mangoes and the rainy season begins.  Delilah drives by the traffic police then laments about disobeying the law, but justifies it because she is not an over privileged daughter of the rich and powerful and doesn’t drive a lexus. 

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The music today is Sin Sisamuth and Pbaan Roan singing.  I have been unable to puzzle out the lyrics, but I would put money on it that they are talking about love. 

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #65.  Three items of note are covered this action packed week.  Not only is it Khmer New Year, but the Khmer Rouge Trials have “resumed” , which really means that they have actually begun after two years or so of preparation.  And Delilah escapes to an island paradise for a week and returns sounding relaxed and somewhat happy. 

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As with all new years’,  you get Ros Sereysothea singing New Year’s Eve.  And because I love a guitar solo, you can that included in as well. 

TD-TV#9. Lucky the Dancing Elephant.  You too can pay a few dollars to see Lucky sway back and forth to the hits of yesterday and today.  If you want another, I have one more.  Lucky also collects money from the audience after his performance.  You really think I’m kidding about this being the Kingdom of Wonder, don’t you?

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Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #64.  Delilah, in a much reduced vocal state, does her best to not whine about the heat during the hot season, which has most definitely arrived.  So you hear about activities to avoid the heat, which alas, includes malls and shopping.  Delilah is looking for a pair of running shorts, in vain, but sees something else much much better. 

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Sinn Sisamuth is singing something like Jom Rieng Muay Bot Diang Min Chop.  He’s the man, isn’t he?

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #63.  Delilah introduces you to the sounds of a house warming party – on her street, just 50 meters away, so you too can feel the thump and bump.  Other topics covered, perhaps somewhat randomly, are the draft NGO law to keep those organizations in check and a bit about some recent crime statistics.  You didn’t know that Cambodia was one of the safest places in the world., did you?  Well, the Ministry of the Interior says so.  Believe them.

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Our favorite singer is back, Sinn Sisamuth, singing about stuff.  If you want to send me your interpretations, feel free. 

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #62.  Delilah rambles on a bit about happier subjects covering the latest adventure, a motorbike trip to Mondulkiri.  You can hear what those holes are on the hill and where you can stay and shower outside.  A very exciting trip, including waterfalls, narrowly avoiding an international incident (at least in my mind!), a covert photograph of the Vietnam border, some beautiful and remote roads and a welding experience at a local mechanic’s. 

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The music is Tep Mari’s Saa Thoukar, from the archives of Cambodia Living Arts. 

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #61.  Delilah shares a weird story about the hidden costs of being a vet in Cambodia.  One could never have guessed, but there might be safer career choices.  Then she goes on a tour of the backpacker district of Boeung Kak before it’s gone.  She leaves with no drugs and no sex, somewhat of a victory, you could say. 

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Sinn Sisamuth is singing about the Women of ’72.  I know I’ve played this one before, but I like it.  And if you had taste, you would too.

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #60.  Delilah skirts both sides of Cambodian reality in episode 60.  From bullying shops to opening on Sundays to get bedding, bath and kitchenwares to recounting another heartbreaking story of the urban poor being forcibly removed from their homes in Dey Krahom.  Jinja has archived all the Dey Krahom electronic info with photos, videos, etc. at http://jinja.apsara.org/dey-krahom-info/.   You can also join a Facebook group about Cambodian evictions if you want…. So many activities and so many still under threat of eviction. 

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The music is a song written by the community leader Chan Vichet and sung by the Dey Krahom community.  It’s called Do Not Agree about the last offer by the municipality to pay them $20,000 to leave their homes. 

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #59.  Suffering a mysterious back ailment, Delilah resorts to yapping on about contemporary issues and updates in the Kingdom.  Listen, if you dare, to a bit about why sweatshops aren’t so bad (file under: could be worse), feedback about the opera (file under: religious police) and a few excerpts from a recent human rights watch report and the government comment (file under: only in the Kingdom).  

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The music would be track #3 off the best of Cambodian Oldies.  I would venture an educated guess that it’s Sen Sisamuth.  Enjoy.  Sway.  Think of the tropical days spent underneath a sugar palm tree. 

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: This Cambodian Life #58.  On the eve of yet another holiday, Delilah explains a bit about the perceptions behind this particular national event but ends up just confusing herself and any remaining listeners and, alas, drifting into politics again.  As everything in Cambodia, it’s complicated.  Stay tuned though, at the end you hear about a common item that was invented in Cambodia and how it got its name. 

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Chek Mach and Ensemble perform Sorylong in the bassac genre from the archives of Cambodia Living Arts (www.cla.org).

Tasty Dog in the Kingdom:  This Cambodian Life #57.  The big excitement, well maybe not that big, is that Delilah is now LEGAL (ish) and will be fearing the police just a tad bit less.  Other news is Christmas in the Kingdom, a brief respite at a lovely beach post-Christmas and Delilah meets a movie star.  Never dull, is it?

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In honor of the new year, Ros Sereysothea is singing New Year’s, which is Jol Chnam Tmei, if you want to sing along.