Zeus Sok Koo 2

Zeus on his third birthday =)
                 
                           I used to have a major fear of dogs. One time my cousins' Pitbull chased me into the street and I almost got ran over by a car. That same Pitbull bit my cousin's lip when he was visiting from Canada. Furthermore, that exact same dog chased me at my cousin's house and bit my foot. I still have those bite marks on my foot. Therefore, every time I saw a dog, regardless of what size it was I would have a panic attack. I never wanted to have this fear of dogs. I thought they were so cute. It was just that every time I saw one i assumed it was going to attack me.
 Then, one day Zeus came into my life. One of the best things that has ever happened to me.
My older sister had a boyfriend (now husband), who lived in South Bridge, MA. She told me and my twin sister that we were going to sleep over. When we finally reached his house I refused to get out of the car. That was when I saw Zeus. I was so scared and upset at my older sister. There I was, a fourteen year old girl, who refused to get out of the car because there was a dog. How embarrassing! All his family members (lots of them!) were waiting outside to greet us, but honestly, that was the last of my worries. I thought to myself, "How would I get into the house without having to go near that fat dog?"
                         So eventually, I did get out of the car. I grabbed my bags, closed my eyes, and ran into the house. I threw myself, as well as my belongings onto the couch and froze. He followed me! Yup, there he was sitting down right in front of me. His head was tilted downwards while his eyes looked up at me. He was the cutest thing in the world! Then, my brother in law came to my rescue! He put Zeus on a leash and told me to run into a kitchen to grab an ice cube for Zeus. I did it. I actually did it. I came back, still a little tense and threw the ice at Zeus' paws. My brother in law looked at me and laughed. He said that I can put the ice in Zeus' mouth and he won't even try to bite me. So once again, I did it! All of my worries were gone. From that moment, I felt an obsession for dogs. All I wanted to do was sit next to Zeus, pet him, feed him, and take him out. It was just that easy to get over my fear of dogs.
                            Since my brother in law moved into my house for a period of time, Zeus had also moved in. I loved waking up to him in the morning. I love the way he looks at you when he does something bad. I love the way peeks his head into my room to check if I'm there. I love how he will only go to bed if I'm there with him. I love how he whimpers when he wants to come sit near me and the door is closed. I love the way he struggles to get under my legs when I'm watching T.V. I love him so much. I never knew I could love a dog the way I love Zeus. He is the nicest, most gentle English bull dog in the whole world.  

                       

Zeus in big trouble 

Zeus trying to jump on my bed

       

 

Cambodian Weddings 1

I love going to weddings. Most of all I love going to Cambodian weddings. 

I've been fortunate enough to have helped both my older brother(left picture) and older sister(right picture) with their weddings. Cambodian weddings are very different from American weddings. It is much longer and tiresome, but all worth it. Traditional Cambodian weddings last several days, but in America some Cambodian people shorten the ceremonies. I really don't know how many ceremonies there are, or even their purpose, but they are all essential in getting married the "correct" way in my heritage. Of course, all weddings run on different times, but I am going to share a few experiences of a Cambodian Wedding in the way that my family does it.

           The first day the whole household has to be up around four o'clock in the morning in order to get ready for all the guests who usually, arrive around six. When it hits seven o'clock the ceremony begins. The whole ceremony is basically acted out.The groom and his family awaits the approval of the bride's family to enter the house. After, the bride and groom are supposedly introduced to each other for the first time. Then, the groom's family enters the house baring gifts and valuable food such as a pig. From there on the bride and groom are to sit with their legs crossed throughout the entire day (except when their changing into a million different outfits for the different ceremonies). For instance, there is the ceremony in which, the monks are blessing the couple. Furthermore, there are ceremonies in which the guests tie a red yarn (blessed with water by the monks) on the couple's arm. Not only that, but the most emotional ceremony of the day would be when the bride and groom's parents take a moment to let go of their child and send them off with their beloved ones. Khmer weddings are very exact and detailed. That is why the ceremonies are spread out over a duration of two-three days. My parents, however find it overly exhausting to have weddings last that long so the first day consist of the most important ceremonies, while the second day would be the reception. The day of the reception is just as hectic as the day of the ceremonies. Both my brother and sister had over five hundred guests show up at the Hong Kong Restaurant. It was really hard to get them all seated, but overall I could say both of the weddings were successful.

I've never had greater memories than the ones that I have made at my brother's and sister's weddings. The parties didn't end until the morning. The food was absolutely delicious. Not only that, but all of my family from Canada, Texas, North Carolina, etc. come together to share these special moments. I can't express the happiness I feel to see my siblings walk down the aisle with the people they love and I love as well. Each time a wedding ended, I get so sick and always lose my voice, but I don't care because I love weddings. No worries though! I am in no rush to be having a wedding of my own!