We have freedom of travel here in Vietnam. I can go anywhere I want without worry of delays or sickness, and Diep and I have traveled quite a bit on little weekend hops. But, before the pandemic struck, I was really hoping for a longer vacation in the US, or somewhere outside of the country. Now, I can't leave because it will take two weeks of quarantine to get back to normal. I would just take an extended leave and stay home in the apartment, but even that is difficult because the work we are doing is largely shouldered by yours truly, with no back up.
Enough with the woe is me, though. I did manage to get to Ninh Binh last weekend with Diep on a team-building off site trip. Ninh Binh is as beautiful as it is hot. We took a boat trip in a national park and stayed at an amazing resort hotel for one night. I was most impressed with the lack of trash evident on my boat trip. Every other time I have been on the water, in a boat or at a pier, all manner of trash is easily spotted, everywhere. This was the first time I ever noticed a tourist area without relatively little trash strewn all over the place. If I did complain, it would be two things: 1) We ate goat at every non-breakfast meal, often more than one dish, and 2) The travel to and from Ninh Binh sucked up a large part of the weekend.
 |
| Emeralda Resort Hotel, Ninh Binh Province |
 |
| Van Long Wetland Nature Reserve, Ninh Binh Province |
I also did a two-day Temporary Duty site visit trip to Thanh Hoa and Quang Binh Provinces. It was mostly riding in a car and flying in a plane, and a lot of interpreting. Nevertheless, it was getting out and starting to feel like we are getting back to normal.
The recent travel really affected my exercise and diet routine, though it has been going very well. I read a book on intermittent fasting and was able to take some good pieces of information out and apply the principles. I am also getting better at running, and upping my loads on the weights. I am more focused on the prime movers, and less on mirror muscles, and I feel better for it. I just need to keep it up.
As far as reads, as I mentioned, I read The Complete Guide to Fasting, by Dr. Jason Fung and Jimmy Moore. I had read quite a bit on the internet about shorter, intermittent fasting; but Fung covered longer fasting periods as well. It was the motivation I needed to try a longer fast. Even though it was only 64 hours, it was long enough to see how I reacted to that longer fasting period. Not eating for two days was a little scary, but it wasn't really as hard as I thought it would be. Fung talks about longer five-day to one month fasts, more directed towards those people with certain types of cancer and type-2 diabetes, and he covers the physiological effects, which I appreciated. My travel hasn't been conducive to fasting this past week, and I still have challenges with a wife who seems to think pulling out snack food and evening beverages is the best way to harden my resolve when I am fasting; but I think I will be experimenting even more in the near future. It has led to a lower weight on the scales, and a smaller waist size, even if it is a modest improvement. It is probably only one of maybe three diet and/or exercise books I have read cover to cover.
I also read Go Set a Watchman, by Harper Lee. It started out slowly and I almost put it away, but it got much better on the back half of the book. Harper Lee was definitely a gifted storyteller and I am sorry that she was sucked into so much racial controversy recently. It's a good story with some real perspective and ideas you can chew on.
I also read Girl at War, by Sara Novic. Sara Novic is deaf, but she lost her hearing gradually. She is a wonderful, talented writer. I very much enjoyed this story about a little girl born in Yugoslavia, caught up in the war of the Serbs and the Croatians. Even if it is a fictional novel, it provided enough perspective that I will pay more attention to this piece of history next time I see it in the news.
I'm still looking for the online course I want to finish this year (part of my resolutions.) I believe I will focus on The Great Courses course, titled, "The Art of Storytelling, From Parents to Professionals." I believe in the power of great storytelling, and I think I have a lot of experiences I would like to capture on paper, or tell at public forums. But, I also feel I lack to knowledge and technical know-how I need to convey these stories for maximum effect. I will try to post my progress and my perspective on the course.
Last but not least, Megan has been doing great things, and I am very proud of her. I wish I had been as astute and deliberate in my life choices as she seems to be at this moment.
