A Khmer venture

Saturday, March 26, 2011

A day in the life
The van journey gets us in for 8a.m. I grab an authentic Cambodian 3 in 1 coffee before settling down to work. The 3+9 forecast is today’s topic. The accountant is asked to spend the next hour analysing which assertions should form the focus and quantify all impacts. I take a break and try out the aquaponics. We sit down again and discuss her output, challenging ideas put forward a la Alan Sugar (without firing her). Then explained additional areas for consideration. In the afternoon I ask the accountant to lead the forecasting meeting with the project manager on the back of our discussion. He fires more tough questions her way. A two hour epic, deliberately allowed to overrun and spilling into other work areas. Because the task itself was a side issue; the accountant’s soft skills were being tested and there were positive signs of increasing confidence in this area as the day drew to a close.

An aquaponics massage

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Diversification is the name of the game
February deliverables finalised. Defined responsibilities, sequencing, resource requirements and revised timescales for March. Key performance indicators ready to go having commenced activity management. Available funding splits quantified.
Had a few drinks with the expats on St. Patrick’s day. Travelled to Kep at the weekend and sampled the fresh crab. This included a day driving our own motos on open highways and around Kampot Province.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Cambodia leaves it's mark
Process designs around donor funding allocation and activity management have been communicated to staff, to help meet objectives set. Implementation to commence next week. Also reviewed processes that start with the financial close and end with the production of the management pack. A bunch of clowns turned up on Monday. No....real ones, all the way from Romania. Part of a community day for the acid survivors & local kids. Friday: Phnom Penh’s bar scene is ‘colourful’.  Sunday morning: bloody strike to the dome. The mark isn't the almost certain scar. More the passing moto driver, who helped cut out the bleeding, drove me to the doctor and refused payment.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Down to business
It's been good. A radical change from what I'm used to. True front-to-back. Spent the first few days absorbing as much information as possible. Then sat down with the CFO to discuss my plans and agree objectives. The acid survivors are on site, so we have an opportunity to speak. I get a van to work every morning at 7a.m. (before usually nodding off again), with the rest of my colleagues picked up along the way. Good for team bonding, and not just the collective snoring.
Sunday was a day of quad biking through isolated villages along the Prek Thnot river. Rice fields, gravel tracks, banana planations, lakes, pagodas and vibrant communities.

Sunday, February 27, 2011

All play no work
31 hours spent exhausting the film catalogue on Singapore Airlines' on flight entertainment system, before arriving in Phnom Penh on Saturday. Straight out to Siem Reap the next day, catching the sunset at Phnom Bakheng. A day at the Angkor temples (yep, and there's......another one) before a good day at the floating village of Chong Kneas, observing all types of improvisation & handing out books at the school to pupils. Battambang inner circle; eating at night with locals before we hit the town. Back to Phnom Penh to check in at the accommodation arranged for me and meet up with the project manager.