I was walking aimlessly around the city of Phnom Penh when I heard vibrant sounds of music in the air. I followed the music and found myself in Preah Ang Dorngkeu Shrine.

While I am not religious (spiritual, but not religious), I have always been enthralled by watching believers pray in religious spaces. I guess it is something about their earnestness and softness, sometimes even desperation. I always can't help but to imagine what they might be praying for; and it touches me that regardless of backgrounds and economic status, what people pray for may not be that different after all.

I stayed for a while, moved by this very thought of humanness... until I started seeing caged birds being sold and bought. I do not understand much, but it seems part of the ritual to buy a caged bird (or two?), make a prayer and then release the bird. It provoked another thought in me - is the pursuit of freedom free after all?