Sao Lao

Since it’s the end of the month, I have a special treat for all you Sao Lao fans out there. Lao Star Channel has a few programs geared toward Sao Lao whether it is about beauty secrets and tips on healths, and many Sao Lao related issues.

This episode is about how to dress for your body and how to look better with makeup, plus other health and beauty advice. Enjoy.

After dining on sashimi and summer oysters at Hotel New York Restaurant, we went to see the Dark Knight at Pathé De Kuip. The movie theather is in an area with other attractions such as the football stadium De Kuip and the Ahoy Halls. This area is about 10 minutes by metro from Hotel New York Rotterdam.

We drove there and took us awhile to pay for parking. Over here you have to pay for parking at just about anywhere you go and it is either pay by the hour or by minutes. At Pathé De Kuip it is 50 Euro cents for every 23 minutes. The parking meter only takes Chip Knip payment or a credit card. Chip Knip is a payment feature on your bank card that you can load a certain amount of money from your bank card (debit card) to the Chip Knip part. It is a “must have” feature on the bank card that I can’t live without. To pay for copy card at my university for example required a Chip Knip. Same goes as trying to buy a cup of tea or a bottle of water from the vending machine at the the university.

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Hotel New York is located in Rotterdam, on Kop van Zuid area, near the center of Rotterdam. From its parking lot you can see the hotel stuck between the two imposing buildings to the left and to the right. Hotel New York has the best view of the harbor. You can see the Erasmus Bridge aka the Swan Bridge in the distance. Luxor Theater is only a few meters away from the hotel. A few meters from the theater is the metro station (tram) to take you around town. If not then you can take water taxi to just about any place in the area.

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The last time I went to Hotel New York Restaurant was in March of this year. I have been so busy since then and decided to treat myself over the weekend with dinner and a movie later. We got there a few minutes late because of the Summer Carnival in Rotterdam. I was not feeling well so I didn’t order much and had sashimi as starter and later a dozen Dutch oysters and an order of wulken on the side. They ran out of Dutch oysters so I had a more expensive oysters. They didn’t taste as good as Dutch oysters and smaller in size but in the end I only ate half of the other.

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Tips on when is the best time to eat oysters. The best time of the year to eat oysters is during the months with letter “R”. Of course there is an exception to the rules.

The first ever Lao Music Awards was held on July 26, 2008 at Lao National Culture Hall. It was a night to celebrate and recognize the accomplishments of Lao music industry and artists.

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I have marked my calendar for the Faculty of Social Science graduating ceremony on October 10, 2008. The Master of Political Science (MPS) students will be individually recognized for their completion of the program. For those that will not be completing their degree requirements by August 31, 2008, they will have to register by September 1, 2008 for another term and can still graduate either in November or December of this year.

As for this moment I have no idea where the graduation ceremony will take place. The students from the Honors Class last year had their graduation ceremony at Hooglandser Kerk or Hooglandse Church. Below are the photos from the day time ceremony.

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After three weeks of waiting, my new digital camera finally arrived two weeks ago. I saw the massive ads for Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5 a couple of weeks before the European Football matches and decided to do some reasearch on the brand and model. I have been thinking about getting a new camera this year but was not sure if I would be faithful to the Ixus line from Canon.

I fell in love with both Ixus 400 and 800 and thought I would buy another Ixus. But after some comparison on price and performance I decided to give Panasonic brand a chance. After all it is my mother’s favorite brand from TV to DVD player and the thinks so highly of this brand and of its lasting quality.

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May was a very hectic month at Leiden University. Between preparing for Final Exams and completing the Thesis, we were busy with student elections for next year. From May 7-22, we were greeted with candidates from various parties, courting for our votes. Voting is secret ballot with students login on with their username and password and casting their votes.

I didn’t like the idea of having the laptops out in the open like that and prefered to cast a vote in private. Does my vote make a difference? Le’ts hope it does for the sake of all the international students that will be coming here for their study. If we scream loud enough, perhaps they just might listen to our grievances.

The weather was very nice in May for a couple of weeks. It was too warm to be inside and most people were heading to the beaches. While the majority of my classmates took a break from typing their Thesis I did not treat myself to such pleasure. The only break I gave myself was buying a new laptop so I could sit outside now and then and study in an enviroment that was much better than staring at the four walls.

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