Another gloomy day in Hanoi. The light mist in the air makes it feel like Lunar New Year is upon us... and it is. I have a solar-powered Citizen Eco-drive watch that is dying for some sun. When the battery gets low it clicks off two seconds at a time and this usually only happens when I put the watch on a desk in the apartment for days on in. I have been wearing my watch daily, but today I noticed it has been clicking off two seconds at a time just because the sun hasn't been out for days; maybe weeks.
Today is the last work day for most people before the Tet holiday begins in earnest. Local papers have been full of articles about the traffic on the streets and the long lines at the super market. Anyone who tries to tell you Tet is about anything other than hour-long queues in the market and bumper to bumper traffic has really missed the true meaning of Tet.
Lucky money is another Tet traditon. This is a custom of parents and friends of parents giving "lucky" money to kids in red envelopes. It sounds like a great tradition that the kids would love... and they do... but one has to be careful about how much is given to the children. If it is a child of a friend or family, the monetary amount should be between $2.50 and $5. When you start thinking about how many of your friends have kids, this amount can start to add up quickly. Fact is, the only people that make money during Tet are children... everyone else loses their asses!
Chúc mừng năm Tân Mão
An Khang, Thịnh Vượng
Happy Lunar New Year of the Cat
Peace and Prosperity to you
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Megan's Camera Arrived
As previously noted, I ordered Megan a Panasonic G2 4/3 SLR. I ordered it off Amazon.com, and without going into too much detail I had some issues with the method of shipment pertaining to the lithium battery and the package was delayed. The camera was supposed to arrive around 10 December, but I didn't get it until yesterday.
Megan had wanted this camera so bad, and for so long, that it was really painful for her to have to wait for nearly two months before getting her Christmas present. She had just told me last week that she was going to stop asking me if her camera came because it made her feel too bad to think about it.
When I got home from work, Megan was at her friend's house so I placed some I-tunes gift cards that also came in the mail on her computer keyboard and I placed the camera behind her laptop screen. When she came into her room, I pointed out the gift cards and also reminded her that she should close the lid on her laptop if she wasn't using it to prevent dust from gathering on the screen. She gave me the look (the one that all teenage girls give their fathers when they are told what to do) and then closed the lid. Holy Cow! She burst into tears that rivaled the hysterics on the fat ladies on The Price is Right. She spent most of the rest of the evening playing with it. I am just glad it came in working order.
Megan had wanted this camera so bad, and for so long, that it was really painful for her to have to wait for nearly two months before getting her Christmas present. She had just told me last week that she was going to stop asking me if her camera came because it made her feel too bad to think about it.
When I got home from work, Megan was at her friend's house so I placed some I-tunes gift cards that also came in the mail on her computer keyboard and I placed the camera behind her laptop screen. When she came into her room, I pointed out the gift cards and also reminded her that she should close the lid on her laptop if she wasn't using it to prevent dust from gathering on the screen. She gave me the look (the one that all teenage girls give their fathers when they are told what to do) and then closed the lid. Holy Cow! She burst into tears that rivaled the hysterics on the fat ladies on The Price is Right. She spent most of the rest of the evening playing with it. I am just glad it came in working order.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Company
Just before I came home from work yesterday, Diep called me on the phone. She wanted to make sure I was coming home on time and to let me know that we had company.
When I got home, Diep was sitting with her second cousin (at least I think that is what your mother's brother's daughter's daughter is) and husband. Her name is Ngoc and she is 20 years old. She and Nguyen, 28 years old, got married a couple of months ago and were together in Hanoi while Nguyen took care of some business he had with Metro. Metro is the closest thing to Wal-Mart we have in Vietnam and he is the Feng-Shui guy for them... that is to say, he is the one that makes sure the products are displayed in the proper location within the store.
Ngoc and Nguyen had somewhat ambushed Diep by calling on the spur of the moment and showing up at the apartment just a little while later. I am not sure how much of this was Diep's fault and how much of it was theirs, because Diep very easily could have pressured them into visiting the house. Anyway, by the time I got home, Diep was ready to take them out to eat hot pot and I was invited, whether I wanted to go or not.
The hotpot was good but I felt a little uneasy the whole time because Diep was still giving me the silent treatment from two days earlier, as of that morning. She seemed okay for the moment, but I, of all people, know how small that dime is that she can turn on. Why, you may query, was I getting the silent treatment (which, by the way, is the least effective punishment she can throw at me because I like the "me" time)?
To make a long story short, some asshole was on a motorbike with 300 pounds of bottled beer strapped onto pannier-like side crates taking off from a red light just a little ahead of me. He lost control and veered sharply towards me and I sped up trying to get clear of his impending fall. I didn't slow down because it was a large crowd at the light and I thought it would be equally dangerous to just stop while the momentum of the masses was moving forward. Diep actually saved the guy from crashing by putting her knee into the beer crate as he was tumbling down. She said it hurt AND that it was my fault for driving too close to him (everyone was two inches away from each other). I was unwilling to accept the blame given there are laws in Vietnam against driving a motorbike that is overloaded, AND that he was the one that veered sharply into us. So maybe it wasn't such a short story after all.
Anyway, back to the company. We had a good time at the hot pot restaurant. I would have actually been given a pass on my previous bad driving behavior except I took exception to Diep lending the newlyweds my motorbike while they were in town. I couldn't say anything while she was offering because that would have been sure death for me, but I also couldn't not say anything later. This guy comes to Hanoi regularly (three or four times a year) and the last thing I want is to feel obligated to give up my motorbike every time he is in town... this is precedence she is setting. Also, she wanted to invite them to spend the night while they were here. What the hell?! Why don't we all just go live in a community tent with all of the beggars? Ngoc and Nguyen weren't even asking! AND, I just met them for the first time...AND Diep doesn't even know these people.
I guess it doesn't take a genius to figure out I am still getting the silent treatment. When will I learn?
When I got home, Diep was sitting with her second cousin (at least I think that is what your mother's brother's daughter's daughter is) and husband. Her name is Ngoc and she is 20 years old. She and Nguyen, 28 years old, got married a couple of months ago and were together in Hanoi while Nguyen took care of some business he had with Metro. Metro is the closest thing to Wal-Mart we have in Vietnam and he is the Feng-Shui guy for them... that is to say, he is the one that makes sure the products are displayed in the proper location within the store.
Ngoc and Nguyen had somewhat ambushed Diep by calling on the spur of the moment and showing up at the apartment just a little while later. I am not sure how much of this was Diep's fault and how much of it was theirs, because Diep very easily could have pressured them into visiting the house. Anyway, by the time I got home, Diep was ready to take them out to eat hot pot and I was invited, whether I wanted to go or not.
The hotpot was good but I felt a little uneasy the whole time because Diep was still giving me the silent treatment from two days earlier, as of that morning. She seemed okay for the moment, but I, of all people, know how small that dime is that she can turn on. Why, you may query, was I getting the silent treatment (which, by the way, is the least effective punishment she can throw at me because I like the "me" time)?
To make a long story short, some asshole was on a motorbike with 300 pounds of bottled beer strapped onto pannier-like side crates taking off from a red light just a little ahead of me. He lost control and veered sharply towards me and I sped up trying to get clear of his impending fall. I didn't slow down because it was a large crowd at the light and I thought it would be equally dangerous to just stop while the momentum of the masses was moving forward. Diep actually saved the guy from crashing by putting her knee into the beer crate as he was tumbling down. She said it hurt AND that it was my fault for driving too close to him (everyone was two inches away from each other). I was unwilling to accept the blame given there are laws in Vietnam against driving a motorbike that is overloaded, AND that he was the one that veered sharply into us. So maybe it wasn't such a short story after all.
Anyway, back to the company. We had a good time at the hot pot restaurant. I would have actually been given a pass on my previous bad driving behavior except I took exception to Diep lending the newlyweds my motorbike while they were in town. I couldn't say anything while she was offering because that would have been sure death for me, but I also couldn't not say anything later. This guy comes to Hanoi regularly (three or four times a year) and the last thing I want is to feel obligated to give up my motorbike every time he is in town... this is precedence she is setting. Also, she wanted to invite them to spend the night while they were here. What the hell?! Why don't we all just go live in a community tent with all of the beggars? Ngoc and Nguyen weren't even asking! AND, I just met them for the first time...AND Diep doesn't even know these people.
I guess it doesn't take a genius to figure out I am still getting the silent treatment. When will I learn?
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
My Sister's Keeper
Monday, being a U.S. national holiday (MLK day), I had some free time in front of the TV. My Sister's Keeper was playing on one of the movie channels and I got caught up in watching it. I didn't get in on the beginning, but that was okay because I had seen the beginning a few months ago with Megan. At that time, something came up and I had to go do something else so I missed the rest of the movie. I asked Megan later if the movie was good and she said yes, but then when I asked if she liked it, she said no. It wasn't until I started watching it again that I realized what she meant. The movie was profoundly sad (and I am not sure if that description really accurately depicts how sad it was). It is sad even if you have never lost a loved one to cancer and even moreso if you have. I guess the hardest thing for me to understand is why I actually sat through the whole movie even though I knew, hope beyond hope, that the girl was going to die. So, if you are ever feeling uncontrollably happy, I do recommend this movie... it should take the edge off of the glee.
In other news, it is still cold in Hanoi. I think we have had more consecutive cold days in a row than I ever remember before. The only up side is that it isn't as wet as it has been in the past.
The 11th Party Congress is still in full swing and a new General Party Secretary and President have been elected. I will spare you, my reader, the names because they probably won't mean anything to you. Good news is, there are still two southerners in the Secretary-President-Prime Minister triumverate. That means I still have my excuse when someone notices I have a twinge of southern accent in my voice, and that is, "Two of your highest ranking national officials speak southern Vietnamese."
In other news, it is still cold in Hanoi. I think we have had more consecutive cold days in a row than I ever remember before. The only up side is that it isn't as wet as it has been in the past.
The 11th Party Congress is still in full swing and a new General Party Secretary and President have been elected. I will spare you, my reader, the names because they probably won't mean anything to you. Good news is, there are still two southerners in the Secretary-President-Prime Minister triumverate. That means I still have my excuse when someone notices I have a twinge of southern accent in my voice, and that is, "Two of your highest ranking national officials speak southern Vietnamese."
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Long Weekend
Today, I am doing my best to enjoy the rest of this weekend. Thanks to Dr. Martin Luther King Day, I get Monday off. Sweeter yet, Megan has to go to school. That means Diep and I can get some us time without feeling guilty about leaving Megan at home... not that she minds.
This Monday holiday also marks, in my mind, the official end to the holiday season. It just seemed to drag on for me this year and I am very happy to see it gone. Just too much goofing off. I wish I could use my holiday time to do the things I want to do, but more often than not, I am forced to do what others want or nothing at all.
Anyway, things are going to get very busy from here. I have a full year ahead of me, and I plan on getting as much out of it as I can.
This Monday holiday also marks, in my mind, the official end to the holiday season. It just seemed to drag on for me this year and I am very happy to see it gone. Just too much goofing off. I wish I could use my holiday time to do the things I want to do, but more often than not, I am forced to do what others want or nothing at all.
Anyway, things are going to get very busy from here. I have a full year ahead of me, and I plan on getting as much out of it as I can.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Party Congress XI
We are well into the 11th Party Congress in Vietnam and the traffic seems to have died down a little. Our office is in the heart of the Hanoi diplomatic / government quarter and we really felt it on 11 January - the day before the Opening of the congress. That was the day all of the delegates visited Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum and the re-direction of traffic away from that area overloaded all of the other roads in the general vicinity.
It may sound a little odd to my readers that the biggest impact the Party Congress has on me is the added traffic of delegates traveling to and fro, but I don't think we will see any real effects of the Party Congress until it is over, and even then I am not sure what real impact it will have. So far, I have only seen promises of real reform in government. That is a pretty ambiguous statement and I am not sure what that entails.
The weather is still cold and now I have the sniffles to up the misery factor. Forecast has it that a new cold front is coming through. No doubt, just in time for my weekend.
I am looking forward to the weekend, nevertheless.
It may sound a little odd to my readers that the biggest impact the Party Congress has on me is the added traffic of delegates traveling to and fro, but I don't think we will see any real effects of the Party Congress until it is over, and even then I am not sure what real impact it will have. So far, I have only seen promises of real reform in government. That is a pretty ambiguous statement and I am not sure what that entails.
The weather is still cold and now I have the sniffles to up the misery factor. Forecast has it that a new cold front is coming through. No doubt, just in time for my weekend.
I am looking forward to the weekend, nevertheless.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Photo-Mapping
I started usinng my panoramio account a couple of weeks ago and really dig it. It allows me to post my pictures and then map them. Google reviews the photos and places selected ones in Google Earth. These photos can be viewed in the appropriate locations when the user checks the photos box in the layers pane.
These photos can also be viewed by accessing directly to my panoramio account:
http://www.panoramio.com/user/buddynewell
I only regret that I didn't start mapping my photos a long time ago... I would have quite a collection if I did. It would be way too hard to find the locations of some of my better photos in some pretty remote locations, but I think I have some pretty good photos left in me just waiting to get out.
These photos can also be viewed by accessing directly to my panoramio account:
http://www.panoramio.com/user/buddynewell
I only regret that I didn't start mapping my photos a long time ago... I would have quite a collection if I did. It would be way too hard to find the locations of some of my better photos in some pretty remote locations, but I think I have some pretty good photos left in me just waiting to get out.
Cold Weather in Hanoi
It didn't take long for the cold weather to set in! It pretty much started right after our return from Nha Trang and Saigon on the winter break.
It has been hovering between 10 and 12 degrees Celsius for the past few days and now it has dipped to 8 degrees as of last night. Hundreds of cows and water buffalo have died in the northern provinces and no relief is in site for the next few days.
The kids are the ones who are making out, though. Here in Hanoi, if the weather dips to 10 degrees or below, the children are out of school. I remember it had to snow in Mobile before we were out... but, oh joy! Getting out of school and enjoying the snow at the same time... that was great!
Quite honestly, even at 8 degrees, it doesn't feel that cold. The drizzle we had yesterday upped the misery factor, though. It made me glad I wasn't working out-of-doors.
It has been hovering between 10 and 12 degrees Celsius for the past few days and now it has dipped to 8 degrees as of last night. Hundreds of cows and water buffalo have died in the northern provinces and no relief is in site for the next few days.
The kids are the ones who are making out, though. Here in Hanoi, if the weather dips to 10 degrees or below, the children are out of school. I remember it had to snow in Mobile before we were out... but, oh joy! Getting out of school and enjoying the snow at the same time... that was great!
Quite honestly, even at 8 degrees, it doesn't feel that cold. The drizzle we had yesterday upped the misery factor, though. It made me glad I wasn't working out-of-doors.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Warts in the New Year!
I finally made it back to Hanoi, and though this trip to Nha Trang and Saigon was as good as a two week trip can get (in-country), I am glad to be back. Mostly because I felt I was losing all of the progress in my physical fitness program I had made just before departing.
Before I left on the trip I had been battling this huge plantar wart on the end of my second toe on the left foot. I ordered some bandages from Drugstore.com before I left that had an acid that would gradually eat the wart away while I slept (at least that was the promise the company made). The thing is, the bandages didn't arrive before I left and this thing was so viral, it would grow back in a matter of a day or two after I cut away the affected skin. It was a losing battle and I could feel the root going deeper. I had a wart on my toe before when I was a kid, but that thing was like a pet compared to this monster I am currently hosting and it eventually went away on its own after I picked at it enough.
I was desparate for something to hold it off until I got back home and I started looking for home remedies. After a little research it appeared I had two choices: 1) apple vinegar and 2) garlic. I opted for the garlic because it was much easier to get. Remarkably, after two weeks of intermittent applications (no accounting for drunken applications in poorly lit hotel rooms), it has reduced in size noteably and the pain has subsided greatly (not counting the tenderness caused by the garlic itself).
My bandages arrived while I was gone and I have them here at the apartment now, but I think I will try to finish out the garlic to see if it will totally get rid of it; especially now that I am more able to attend to the area. I feel positive that the garlic will win out in the end, but I do have to admit I am a little sick of the smell of garlic now.
On another note, I have been neglecting all electronic messages and correspondence while I was away. Megan had too much control over the computer and I just didn't feel like squinting over the netbook anyway. I will try to catch up, but I am sure I will have some missed responses.
It is unfortunate that we have our office email on the phone. Even if I have no intention of answering any but the most important emails, I still see them all go into the queue and I hate that. The burden of technology!
Before I left on the trip I had been battling this huge plantar wart on the end of my second toe on the left foot. I ordered some bandages from Drugstore.com before I left that had an acid that would gradually eat the wart away while I slept (at least that was the promise the company made). The thing is, the bandages didn't arrive before I left and this thing was so viral, it would grow back in a matter of a day or two after I cut away the affected skin. It was a losing battle and I could feel the root going deeper. I had a wart on my toe before when I was a kid, but that thing was like a pet compared to this monster I am currently hosting and it eventually went away on its own after I picked at it enough.
I was desparate for something to hold it off until I got back home and I started looking for home remedies. After a little research it appeared I had two choices: 1) apple vinegar and 2) garlic. I opted for the garlic because it was much easier to get. Remarkably, after two weeks of intermittent applications (no accounting for drunken applications in poorly lit hotel rooms), it has reduced in size noteably and the pain has subsided greatly (not counting the tenderness caused by the garlic itself).
My bandages arrived while I was gone and I have them here at the apartment now, but I think I will try to finish out the garlic to see if it will totally get rid of it; especially now that I am more able to attend to the area. I feel positive that the garlic will win out in the end, but I do have to admit I am a little sick of the smell of garlic now.
On another note, I have been neglecting all electronic messages and correspondence while I was away. Megan had too much control over the computer and I just didn't feel like squinting over the netbook anyway. I will try to catch up, but I am sure I will have some missed responses.
It is unfortunate that we have our office email on the phone. Even if I have no intention of answering any but the most important emails, I still see them all go into the queue and I hate that. The burden of technology!
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