I like to have my morning 10,000 steps done before the day starts but today the phone rang to say the television man was coming to fix my television. It hasn't worked for a couple of years and I couldn't care less. The channels couldn't be changed, the volume remained loud and I couldn't turn it on and off except from the wall. Vuth thought it was ridiculous having a non-working television so he invited a worker to come and repair it. It's a big contraption and it took a while to get it removed from its stand and then there were about four dozen screws to be removed. The man checked everything and, after over an hour of searching, he said he had no idea what was wrong with it. Another hour was spent putting the back on again and fixing it to the stand. I suggested it might be the remote so Vuth picked it up, pressed 'On' and everything started to work. We have no idea what happened but now it's working perfectly. At least I think it is as two days later I still haven't bothered turning it on.
More to my liking was a talk on the BBC about the talking drums of Nigeria and Senegal. I had some knowledge of what they were discussing as I'd come across the drums in northern Nigeria. When I taught at the school I'd often heard a voice coming from a nearby village, along with what sounded like a musical form of Morse code. When I asked the boys about it they said that the man was a praise singer and he was hired to sing nice things about those who paid him to do it. The drum actually spoke to those who understood the rhythmic tapping of the praise singer.
The two men from Senegal and Nigeria gave examples of what their drums could "say", and it was fascinating that people understood what the drums were saying. For example, they might be saying, "Hello, how are you? I am coming to visit you today." The way the drum was hit - high and low notes, fast and slow, spelled out the words. It would definitely take longer but I bet it would be more fun than using a mobile device.
I am debating whether or not to return to Canada as a new man. Apparently, I can be in touch with a company that would have me strip to my underwear. I'd then stand in a 'box', hold onto some handles, and a machine would create an image of yours truly. The company would then use algorithms to decide which shirt, jacket etc would best suit me and they would arrive in the post. One particular company in Germany has over half a million clients. I'm not sure I want a computer programme deciding what makes me look my best. I don't even understand algorithms. Life would be boring if we all looked perfect; part of the fun in life is being able to say, "What on earth made him wear that?"
Val arrived from Battambang on her way back to the UK. We met in the evening and we had a walk along the riverside. It was dark and it's even more difficult crossing the roads than in the day time - I often felt someone tugging on my sleeve. Years ago, when I was in India, I used to say to people, "I'll take care of you while we are walking on the sidewalk but, when we have to cross the road, you are on your own." It's bad enough trying to get oneself safely across the street without having to worry about others. Val had missed the final meal with the dental group so I decided to take her to the same restaurant - The Titanic. It's an enormous restaurant and it stretches along the river bank. We chose a table overlooking the water but eventually moved to another area where there were fans because the flying insects were attracted by the lights.
The menu is enormous and I'm one of those people who becomes a nervous wreck if there's two items on the menu. I moved back and forth, struggling to find something to order; I'm not looking for something I'd like because I'm the sort of person who enjoys anything. I finally settled on a couscous dish as I have been living on rice and noodles. Would you believe it! It wasn't available. I couldn't face looking through the menu so I ordered a dish I know off the top of my head - fish amok. This is a traditional Cambodian fish dish cooked in coconut; it's very nice so I didn't mind. Val also enjoyed her fish cooked with ginger so it turned out to be a good evening until we had to run the gauntlet and cross the roads again
