Jan 22 2007
About Toe
Toe and her husband Honey have been living in Cambodia since 2002. They entered the same Philippine government office in 2000; Honey fell madly in love with Toe (or so she claims 
); they got married in 2002; and two weeks after their wedding, they got shipped off to the land of Angkor to work for their motherland, the Philippines, as well as to share the next six years of their lives (until 2008).
Toe took up music in college (like Mom) but when she graduated after seven years (yes seven!) from the Conservatory of Music, she realized she was tone-deaf. She went on to become a lawyer (like Dad) but never practiced law because she immediately entered the Foreign Service after the bar.
However, after all those years of school, what Toe really wants is to be a housewife and a stay-at-home mother, except that she doesn’t have any children… not even a cat or a goldfish. She has a brown thumb too and is known to kill even the most hardy cacti. She’s also terrible with housechores and her cooking is limited to toasted bread and fried eggs. It’s a good thing that Honey does all the cooking in the house or they would survive on corned beef and luncheon meat everyday.
Toe accidentally started blogging when she accidentally chanced on a blog and accidentally hit the “Get your own blog” button. Before that “accident,” she didn’t even know what a blog was and thought that it was the name given for used chewing gum stuck under a desk. Before that accident, she would just write long annoying e-mails to her family and friends about her life. Now, she can write long annoying blog entries to the rest of the world.
Toe tries her best to be semi-anonymous in her blog but her Mom (frequently commenting as Mommy) keeps on giving her identity away by addressing her by her real name. Also, no matter how anonymous she tries to be, everytime she writes an entry, she reveals more and more about herself and blog readers get to know her more by her blog than by reading her CV.
This is about Toe’s life in Cambodia (it’s also about Honey’s life because their lives and souls are intertwined like the braids of a rope), about her beloved Philippines, about her big crazy family, well… you know the rest…
You can e-mail Toe at this address.
Toe and Honey are both camera-shy.
interesting blog. nice read.
Thanks larrybored.
Hello, I’ve been visiting your site several days now since you commented my site, and I’m enjoying your insights.
I also have added you under my “great reads” section.
Wish you the best.
Oh, thanks waketrex. I find your blog very interesting and very nationalistic, as well.
impressive impressions..
i added you to my links.(well, it’s for my own consumption really…i tend to forget the blogs that are worth reading – like yours.so i link…heheheh)
Hi Radueriel.
Thanks so much… I really appreciate it. 
Dear TOE,
Thanks for your insightful article on Cambodia. I am a line producer for the OFW show of 700 Club Asia airing on QTV11 and I am using some of the info you provided for our Cambodia episode. Write on!
Blessings,
Jenni
Dear Toe,
accidentally found your accidental blog when i was researching on cambodia.
papunta akong phnom penh,kasama ko asawa ko, dating staff, at co-teacher sa UP. may seminar kaming gagawin para sa UNESCAP.
maitanong ko lang_if it is not an imposition:may suggestions ka ba na magandang puntahang kainan na hindi mahal nguni’t kanaisnais?ano tingin mo sa “happy pizza?”
dahil ang seminar ko ay dalawang araw, balak ng asawa ko pumunta ng siem reap-mag isa.babalik sya sa pangatlong araw, which is my free day bago makabalik ng bangkok on day four. would you advise it as wise for her to be travelling alone?
salamat,
rudy
ps nga pala, bukas po alis naman patungong phnom penh via bangkok
pps dati din akong nasa pamahalaan,ngayon naghihintay ng appointment sakali
ay sorry, di ako nakapagsabi- salamat.
That is a nice piece of introduction you got in there. Your name drives my curiosity. I have to thank blogrush for chancing upon your great looking blog. The contents must be pretty good. I have to come back for more.
Oh, a diplomat.
Hey Toe,
I didn’t see a contact page on your blog so I’ll just post here.
I was just wondering if you know anything about this site/program, it’s currently running in Cambodia apparently:
https://www.microplace.com/listings/listings_in_region/southeast%20asia
On another note, I change my blog address to:
http://waketrex.com
great blog! keep on blogging
You are really fun and interesting. Do you have an unmarried sister by any chance?
Oops! I forgot the smiley…
i found your blog about the fso exam quite entertaining and scary =) its a good and informative read =) might check out your other stuff as soon as i am finished worrying about the fso haha
hi toe
(or tita. haha)
im just curious if you are now a fluent khmer speaker.
i have lots of cambodian friends here in california and i wish you could share some khmer phrases with me
i read a couple of your blogs and i noticed that you really do write nice. NO, not nice. excellent
keep writing!
wow! im excited to go back to Cambodia, i hope I could see Filipinos there! When I was there, I haven’t met any of our countrymen!
God bless!
Is this published in Cambodia…still ? I am indeed happy to have discovered your blog. You write very well and you don’t bore us. I like your humour and the way you express yourself living in a foreign land, how you promote Cambodia and Philippines at the same time. You’re simply great Toe
!
Hi!
Would you like to be a distributor of hand made malunggay soap?
Please email me malunggaysoap@gmail.com
i accidentally click your link from annamanila’s blog.
i had fun reading.. surely i’ll come back for the archives. hehe.
i’ll add you to my link ha?! thanks.
…This is a kewl blogsite from a very kewl blogger… Rock on!!!
Toe,
I cannot find your email address on this page. I’d like to email you sana.
Toe,
Sorry, nakita ko na pala. I want to email you pero sana hindi mabasa sa blog na ito.Thanks!
About Ma’am Toe…
Intelligent, sincere, humble and kind.
Compassionate, good-natured and a loving person…with a good sense of humor…hope to meet you in person Ma’am!
Toe,
nice name and nice site… very informative !! esp the tips about cambodia.. i really want to visit the place.
yashi
btw, ano ba ginagawa ng foreign service…ano bang course para maka apply sa ganung work..:)
Hi Toe–
Finally a Filipino who owns an Alphasmart product. (And a Mac user as well). I thought I was the only one. BTW, there are Alphasmart users groups in both facebook and flickr. Try and do a search.
Robert
Hi Toe,
Was amused by your articles. Just found your blog and am still reading the whole lot of it now. Used to have the notion that FSO’s are weird, boring geniuses. Though I’d like to be one just to disprove my own crazy notion. Male FSO’s seems gayish in their nature, (perhaps overly behaved???) and female counterparts i’ve heard are like witches with weirdo characters..haha!!..sorry..but when i read ur blogs..I thought, and well actually believed that at least I’m encountering a normal one..Hail to you!..and hail to the profession!!!
tongski
Thank God! the site is up again
Hi,
I was just looking around online nung nakita ko yung mga blog posts mo at talgang I found them very interesting… Mayroon din akong blog posts tungkol naman sa mga relationship advice at http://loveadvice.pinoystruck.com.
Anyways, gusto ko sanang malaman kung pwede akong mag post ng blogs (as a guest) para sa blog site mo? Kahit na anong topic ang gusto mong i-blog ko ay ok lang, o kung gusto mo naman pwede rin na ideas ko ang gagamitin kong topics. Ang tipo ng blogs ko ay question and answer format, pero kahit na anong format ay pwede ko ring gawin.
So, kung ok lang sa iyo na mag post ako nang blogs sa site mo, let me know na lang.
Yours truly,
Jen
i like you Toe. you make me laugh.
dear ms. toe,
i passed the orals! thank you so much for your blog and your tips.
couldn’t have done it without you!
hi toe. i cant find your blog entry on the realities of foreign service. can you send that blog to me? I’m very interested about foreign service, right now I;m enrolled at Lyceum taking up Foreign service. thanks in advance.
Hi toe,
i was surfing on the net and i accidentally opened your blog and notice at about kamuning the KES, the market and many more we used to live in the block between K-C and K-D and yes I grow up in kamuning. nice to hear from people who still remenber the good old place where people are lovely.
andy
I love reading your blog after I read about the FSO. It made me laugh. bwahahahaha…XD
ay mali!…may kulang sa pangalawa kong pangungusap. What I mean was some of your blog made me laugh…XD
Hi,
I am reading a story in which the author used the word sompiah. It’s not in m-w.com, so I googled it and found your blog.
You might like the story, “Pol Pot’s Beautiful Daughter (Fantasy),” by Geoff Ryman, if you haven’t read it. I found it in The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year 2007, an anthology of short stories.
Regards.
Hi Toe! How are you? Boy, your blog gets some major mileage! My friends keep sending me links to your entries. Thanks for the FSE tips! I’ll probably take the exam in the next couple of years. Pandora hopes I decide to go to law school but haha, I don’t think I’ll survive doing what you guys do.
Is it possible to interview you for some research I’m doing on the ASEAN?
Do let me know if it’s okay. I’d really appreciate your insights!
Love to you and Honey!
hi toe,
got so inspired by your blog…been browsing it every night. it kept my mind off the 09′bar results.
i must admit that the law is my first love…but i guess not all firsts ends with happy ever after. I am contemplating on taking the fso exam since i feel that i need to have a career shift. well not really, i already am a civil servant who has a passion for reading, history and travel. i am in my early thirties and would really want to make a difference by serving my country while leading a fulfilling career.
do i still have a chance to make it as an fso? being underbar what are my other career options in foreign service? please give me your insight/ advise on how to start preparing for the fso exam next year. i would really appreciate your help. thank you!
PS: please continue being a true inspiration! God bless you and Honey!
Hi Toe! I stumbled on your page when I saw the fashion show that you put on 2-3 years ago via youtube. I am very impressed and a big applause goes to you and your crew.
I would like to know where you got the background music for it. I sincerely appreciate your help on this. More power to you!
accidentally found your accidental blog when i was researching on cambodia.papunta akong phnom penh,kasama ko asawa ko, dating staff, at co-teacher sa UP. may seminar kaming gagawin para sa UNESCAP.maitanong ko lang_if it is not an imposition:may suggestions ka ba na magandang puntahang kainan na hindi mahal nguni’t kanaisnais?ano tingin mo sa “happy pizza?”dahil ang seminar ko ay dalawang araw, balak ng asawa ko pumunta ng siem reap-mag isa.babalik sya sa pangatlong araw, which is my free day bago makabalik ng bangkok on day four. would you advise it as wise for her to be travelling alone?salamat,
+1
A very interesting and nice blog…