BONDI BEACH, AUSTRALIA
January 1, 2002!!!
Last night we had another exquisite dinner at the hotel restaurant before heading down to the Circular Quay and the Sydney Harbour / Opera House courtyard area to watch the fireworks over the Sydney Harbour bridge. I have lots of pictures of the Opera House - too many: Opera house from the ferry, Opera house from the bridge, Opera House from the quay, Opera house with New Year's Eve Crowd, Opera House with Hani in front, Opera house from the east, Opera House from the west, opera house with fireworks, Opera house with full moon, and so on. Kim took her own set. We ended up meeting a bunch of Columbians who were there studying and headed to Hyde Park afterward for some salsa dancing (at least for the Columbians), which they were all born to do and I was not. So Kim and I turned in early, leaving the park close to 2 am so we could get an early start today.
The Sydney bush fires caused a bit of haze and smoke our second and third days here, but by today it's completely cleared up although it's a bit hotter than the last few days. We just got back from Watson's bay, which has a nice eastern seaside small town feel to it, and where there's The Gap (perhaps namesake of the clothing brand?). Kim and I just walked ourselves to the beach, will check out the lay of the land, and set more to report later as we're both ready to get to the sandy front and out of this internet cafe!
Now to the beach - Kim and I are going to be sure we "Stay between the Flags" and I suppose that means "within the shark nets" as neither of us would like to be dinner for Jaws tonight.
Happy Happy New Year!!!
December 31, 2001
December 30, 2001
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
December 31, 2001
Kim and I set foot on Australian soil two days ago and so far managed to get ourselves into a five star hotel only blocks from the Circular Quay and started off with a magnificent dinner that I will describe in detail later! Our days have been full - we've hung with some sharks, seals and man rays and touched an anemone at the Sydney Aquarium. We took a cruise around the bay, had a massage at our excellent japanese restaurant during lunch, and we head to the zoo this afternoon. More to blog later.
Hope you all have a happy happy new year!
Love,
hani
December 27, 2001
Bangkok, Thailand.
December 27, 2001
I've arrived safely and I swear, the hotel must have a cable or DSL line, AT LEAST ! for I am not left waiting for byte by byte to download.
I'm at the Narai hotel, and will rest for an early morning awakening to head to the Grand Palace, a load of Wats, and a walk through Chinatown. Am not feeling up to much right now for wandering the city alone at night as it's my first night and it feels so incredibly foreign. Am not much in the adventuring mood yet. That'll kick in when I go hiking in the rainforests in Australia. Or maybe by daylight over here. I'm right in the heart of downtown on Silom Road, which is great - everything is really in walking distance.
It's strange - how foreign Asia really is to me! Although in Bangkok, the roads are much better - more like in the States and the variety of cars and vehicles is similar - I keep seeing my Honda Civic everywhere, which is a rarity in Saigon (Saigonnese who own Hondas usually get the higher end Accord). Of course, the language is totally new and so is the script. Gratefully, everything is also in English.
Prices are relative to that in Vietnam, and bartering is similar common practice. Hopefully I'll be better at it here than I am in Vietnam. I'll mostly do some sightseeing, and doubt I'll do any shopping since I don't want to lug it all around Australia with me. On the way back, I am only here overnight for about 12 hours so doubt that I'll head back into town.
OK. A shout out to my peeps back in Saigon. Gone one day and already, I miss them. You know who you are.
Love
Hani
December 27, 2001
I've arrived safely and I swear, the hotel must have a cable or DSL line, AT LEAST ! for I am not left waiting for byte by byte to download.
I'm at the Narai hotel, and will rest for an early morning awakening to head to the Grand Palace, a load of Wats, and a walk through Chinatown. Am not feeling up to much right now for wandering the city alone at night as it's my first night and it feels so incredibly foreign. Am not much in the adventuring mood yet. That'll kick in when I go hiking in the rainforests in Australia. Or maybe by daylight over here. I'm right in the heart of downtown on Silom Road, which is great - everything is really in walking distance.
It's strange - how foreign Asia really is to me! Although in Bangkok, the roads are much better - more like in the States and the variety of cars and vehicles is similar - I keep seeing my Honda Civic everywhere, which is a rarity in Saigon (Saigonnese who own Hondas usually get the higher end Accord). Of course, the language is totally new and so is the script. Gratefully, everything is also in English.
Prices are relative to that in Vietnam, and bartering is similar common practice. Hopefully I'll be better at it here than I am in Vietnam. I'll mostly do some sightseeing, and doubt I'll do any shopping since I don't want to lug it all around Australia with me. On the way back, I am only here overnight for about 12 hours so doubt that I'll head back into town.
OK. A shout out to my peeps back in Saigon. Gone one day and already, I miss them. You know who you are.
Love
Hani
December 25, 2001
Saigon, December 25, 2001
Christmas does NOT feel like Christmas here. I had chicken noodle soup for dinner tonight and I'm exhausted - I'm going to bed soon.
Spent all night playing cards (teaching Gin Rummy & Hearts to my vietnamese friends) and then went straight over to the Mekong Delta and across the new My Thuan bridge which was built in conjunction with (or by) Australia. It was a 3 hour drive that really resulted in a small boat ride to a lychee orchard, and then back 2 hours to Saigon.
In my exhaustion, I fell asleep while grammy was talking to me earlier about past life events, after she told me that my brother (Forrest Gump) got a 100% raise and how that good news has made her aching bones a little bit less achy. So, good night. I'll try to log on from Australia.
h.
by the way, emails are always appreciated.
you've got the address.
knowing what you're all up to gives me incentive to actually keep blogging, even if you're just describing a visit to the grocery store. It makes me less homesick!
Christmas does NOT feel like Christmas here. I had chicken noodle soup for dinner tonight and I'm exhausted - I'm going to bed soon.
Spent all night playing cards (teaching Gin Rummy & Hearts to my vietnamese friends) and then went straight over to the Mekong Delta and across the new My Thuan bridge which was built in conjunction with (or by) Australia. It was a 3 hour drive that really resulted in a small boat ride to a lychee orchard, and then back 2 hours to Saigon.
In my exhaustion, I fell asleep while grammy was talking to me earlier about past life events, after she told me that my brother (Forrest Gump) got a 100% raise and how that good news has made her aching bones a little bit less achy. So, good night. I'll try to log on from Australia.
h.
by the way, emails are always appreciated.
you've got the address.
knowing what you're all up to gives me incentive to actually keep blogging, even if you're just describing a visit to the grocery store. It makes me less homesick!
December 24, 2001
saigon, december 24, 2001
so tonight i'm going to a vietnamese christmas party - who's to know how it'll be, but i'll send a report afterwards.
tomorrow i head to the mekong delta with cousins Hung & Heather only for the day. Reports on that as well. should be fun.
day after i gather things for the trip to australia and then i'm off down under
hope you're all enjoying your holidays
cheers,
h.
so tonight i'm going to a vietnamese christmas party - who's to know how it'll be, but i'll send a report afterwards.
tomorrow i head to the mekong delta with cousins Hung & Heather only for the day. Reports on that as well. should be fun.
day after i gather things for the trip to australia and then i'm off down under
hope you're all enjoying your holidays
cheers,
h.
December 22, 2001
Okay, just got through writing a blog report when the computer crashed. So, in brief – I’m hanging out here with Hung and Heather who’re visiting from Northern Cal (Hung is our first cousin on dad’s side) and I get to speak ENGLISH and it’s GREAT.
Bought my one-way ticket on Thai Airways today to Bangkok – I travel on Thursday and then leave on Friday for Sydney (arriving Saturday morning) and meeting with Kim at the airport. Then we’re off to enjoy some rainforests, hiking, camping, coastal driving, snorkeling, maybe some glacier walking and we’ll pass on the bungee jumping.
Hope you all enjoyed your latkes without me, and the rest of you I’m wishing juicy turkeys for Christmas.
Happy New Year, all! I’ll try to write from Sydney!
Love, Peace, and JOY
HANI
Bought my one-way ticket on Thai Airways today to Bangkok – I travel on Thursday and then leave on Friday for Sydney (arriving Saturday morning) and meeting with Kim at the airport. Then we’re off to enjoy some rainforests, hiking, camping, coastal driving, snorkeling, maybe some glacier walking and we’ll pass on the bungee jumping.
Hope you all enjoyed your latkes without me, and the rest of you I’m wishing juicy turkeys for Christmas.
Happy New Year, all! I’ll try to write from Sydney!
Love, Peace, and JOY
HANI
December 20, 2001
I added photos to the Hanoi link - check it out again.
I'm moving Chuong's stuff in tomorrow & the day after, holiday party at the ex-office, and running around to the Consulates to get my visas for Thailand and Australia (none needed for New Zealand!).
will be spending only one full day on my own in Bangkok before heading down under. Anyone have any suggestions?
h.
I'm moving Chuong's stuff in tomorrow & the day after, holiday party at the ex-office, and running around to the Consulates to get my visas for Thailand and Australia (none needed for New Zealand!).
will be spending only one full day on my own in Bangkok before heading down under. Anyone have any suggestions?
h.
December 18, 2001
Saigon, December 18, 2001.
Okay, and how cool does THIS sound for Australia:
Rainforest Adventure Hiking
Day 1 (LD):
Travel up the Goldsborough Valley to the Atherton Tablelands. Spend the day trekking along ancient Aboriginal rainforest trails. Swim in crystal clear mountain streams and explore the rainforest before reaching camp for the night, at the top of a 50 metre waterfall. After a hot meal and discussing the days events, snuggle into your sleeping bag and waterproof hammock for a good nights sleep under a canopy of stars and suspended over a luminous mushroom plateau, in the middle of an ancient rainforest wilderness.
Overnight: Hammock Camp
Day 2 (BL):
Experience the joy of waking up to a myriad of bird sounds in the wilderness. After breakfast and a relaxed start to the day set off to explore one of the last unspoilt rainforest areas left on earth. Returning by a different route we cross mountain streams and pass magnificent waterfalls in the shadow of Mt Bartle Frere. At lunch, swim and relax at the Upper Chucka Lunga crossing, leaving in time to walk out and return to Cairns.
Let me answer that. VERY cool.
I will tell you all about it.
Hani
Okay, and how cool does THIS sound for Australia:
Rainforest Adventure Hiking
Day 1 (LD):
Travel up the Goldsborough Valley to the Atherton Tablelands. Spend the day trekking along ancient Aboriginal rainforest trails. Swim in crystal clear mountain streams and explore the rainforest before reaching camp for the night, at the top of a 50 metre waterfall. After a hot meal and discussing the days events, snuggle into your sleeping bag and waterproof hammock for a good nights sleep under a canopy of stars and suspended over a luminous mushroom plateau, in the middle of an ancient rainforest wilderness.
Overnight: Hammock Camp
Day 2 (BL):
Experience the joy of waking up to a myriad of bird sounds in the wilderness. After breakfast and a relaxed start to the day set off to explore one of the last unspoilt rainforest areas left on earth. Returning by a different route we cross mountain streams and pass magnificent waterfalls in the shadow of Mt Bartle Frere. At lunch, swim and relax at the Upper Chucka Lunga crossing, leaving in time to walk out and return to Cairns.
Let me answer that. VERY cool.
I will tell you all about it.
Hani
A forward from my sister, Kaly. It's a Thomas Friedman editorial from the New York Times and worth the read:
December 9, 2001
Ask Not What . . .
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
News anchor Tom Brokaw tells the story of meeting a young New York City fireman a week after Sept. 11. The fireman had just participated in a memorial service for some of his fallen colleagues and the two of them talked about the tragedy. "As I said goodbye," Mr. Brokaw recalled, "he grabbed my arm and his expression took on
a tone of utter determination as he said, `Mr. Brokaw, watch my generation now, just watch us.' " As the author of the acclaimed "The Greatest Generation," the story of the World War II cohort that saved America from Nazism, Mr. Brokaw told me he knew just what the man was saying: " `This is our turn to be a greatest generation.' "
There is a lot of truth to that. I have nothing but respect for the way President Bush has conducted this war. But this moment cannot just be about moving troops and tracking terrorists. There is a deep hunger in America post-Sept. 11 in many people who feel this is their war in their backyard and they would like to be summoned by the president to do something more than go shopping. If you just look at the amount of money spontaneously donated to victims' families, it's clear that there is a deep reservoir of energy out there that could be channeled to become a real force for American renewal and transformation - and it's not being done. One senses that President Bush is intent on stapling his narrow, hard-right Sept. 10 agenda onto the Sept. 12 world, and that is his and our loss.
Imagine if tomorrow President Bush asked all Americans to turn down their home thermostats to 65 degrees so America would not be so much of a hostage to Middle East oil? Trust me, every American would turn down the thermostat to 65 degrees. Liberating us from the grip of OPEC would be our Victory Garden.
Imagine if the president announced a Manhattan Project to make us energy independent in a decade, on the basis of domestic oil, improved mileage standards and renewable resources, so we Americans, who are 5 percent of the world's population, don't continue hogging 25 percent of the world's energy? Imagine if the president called on every young person to consider enlisting in some form of service - the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard, Peace Corps, Teach For America, AmeriCorps, the F.B.I., the C.I.A.? People would enlist in droves. Imagine if the president called on every corporate chieftain to take a 10 percent pay cut, starting with himself, so fewer employees would have to be laid off? Plenty would do it.
I don't toss these ideas out for some patriotic high. There is a critical strategic point here: If we are going to be stomping around the world wiping out terrorist cells from Kabul to Manila, we'd better make sure that we are the best country, and the best global citizens, we can be. Otherwise, we are going to lose the rest of the world.
That means not just putting a fist in the face of the world's bad guys, but also offering a hand up for the good guys. That means doubling our foreign aid, intensifying our democracy promotion programs, increasing our contributions to world development banks (which do microlending to poor women) and lowering our trade barriers for textile and farm imports from the poorest countries. Imagine if the president called on every U.S. school to raise money to buy solar-powered light bulbs for every village in Africa that didn't have electricity so African kids could read at night? And let every one of those light bulbs carry an America flag decal on it, so when those kids grew up they would remember who lit up their nights?
The world's perception of us and our values matters even more now, and it is not going to be changed by an ad campaign, or by just winning in Afghanistan, as important as that is. It will be changed only by what we do - at home and abroad. This war can't end with only downtown Kabul on the mend, and not downtown Washington, Chicago and Los Angeles. Remember: the victims on Sept. 11 were a cross section of America - black, white, Hispanic, rich, poor and middle class - and that same cross section has to share in the healing. If we've learned anything from Sept. 11, it is that if you don't visit a bad neighborhood, it will visit you.
The first Greatest Generation won its stripes by defending America and its allies. This Greatest Generation has to win its stripes by making sure that the America that was passed onto us, and that now claims for itself the leadership of a global war against evil terrorists, is worthy of that task.
Mr. President, where do we enlist?
-Thomas Friedman, New York Times, December 9, 2001
December 9, 2001
Ask Not What . . .
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
News anchor Tom Brokaw tells the story of meeting a young New York City fireman a week after Sept. 11. The fireman had just participated in a memorial service for some of his fallen colleagues and the two of them talked about the tragedy. "As I said goodbye," Mr. Brokaw recalled, "he grabbed my arm and his expression took on
a tone of utter determination as he said, `Mr. Brokaw, watch my generation now, just watch us.' " As the author of the acclaimed "The Greatest Generation," the story of the World War II cohort that saved America from Nazism, Mr. Brokaw told me he knew just what the man was saying: " `This is our turn to be a greatest generation.' "
There is a lot of truth to that. I have nothing but respect for the way President Bush has conducted this war. But this moment cannot just be about moving troops and tracking terrorists. There is a deep hunger in America post-Sept. 11 in many people who feel this is their war in their backyard and they would like to be summoned by the president to do something more than go shopping. If you just look at the amount of money spontaneously donated to victims' families, it's clear that there is a deep reservoir of energy out there that could be channeled to become a real force for American renewal and transformation - and it's not being done. One senses that President Bush is intent on stapling his narrow, hard-right Sept. 10 agenda onto the Sept. 12 world, and that is his and our loss.
Imagine if tomorrow President Bush asked all Americans to turn down their home thermostats to 65 degrees so America would not be so much of a hostage to Middle East oil? Trust me, every American would turn down the thermostat to 65 degrees. Liberating us from the grip of OPEC would be our Victory Garden.
Imagine if the president announced a Manhattan Project to make us energy independent in a decade, on the basis of domestic oil, improved mileage standards and renewable resources, so we Americans, who are 5 percent of the world's population, don't continue hogging 25 percent of the world's energy? Imagine if the president called on every young person to consider enlisting in some form of service - the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard, Peace Corps, Teach For America, AmeriCorps, the F.B.I., the C.I.A.? People would enlist in droves. Imagine if the president called on every corporate chieftain to take a 10 percent pay cut, starting with himself, so fewer employees would have to be laid off? Plenty would do it.
I don't toss these ideas out for some patriotic high. There is a critical strategic point here: If we are going to be stomping around the world wiping out terrorist cells from Kabul to Manila, we'd better make sure that we are the best country, and the best global citizens, we can be. Otherwise, we are going to lose the rest of the world.
That means not just putting a fist in the face of the world's bad guys, but also offering a hand up for the good guys. That means doubling our foreign aid, intensifying our democracy promotion programs, increasing our contributions to world development banks (which do microlending to poor women) and lowering our trade barriers for textile and farm imports from the poorest countries. Imagine if the president called on every U.S. school to raise money to buy solar-powered light bulbs for every village in Africa that didn't have electricity so African kids could read at night? And let every one of those light bulbs carry an America flag decal on it, so when those kids grew up they would remember who lit up their nights?
The world's perception of us and our values matters even more now, and it is not going to be changed by an ad campaign, or by just winning in Afghanistan, as important as that is. It will be changed only by what we do - at home and abroad. This war can't end with only downtown Kabul on the mend, and not downtown Washington, Chicago and Los Angeles. Remember: the victims on Sept. 11 were a cross section of America - black, white, Hispanic, rich, poor and middle class - and that same cross section has to share in the healing. If we've learned anything from Sept. 11, it is that if you don't visit a bad neighborhood, it will visit you.
The first Greatest Generation won its stripes by defending America and its allies. This Greatest Generation has to win its stripes by making sure that the America that was passed onto us, and that now claims for itself the leadership of a global war against evil terrorists, is worthy of that task.
Mr. President, where do we enlist?
-Thomas Friedman, New York Times, December 9, 2001
December 17, 2001
Spent most of today running more errands for the apartment.
In between, I invited my entire office to Dong Du Cafe for lunch, 11 of us, and ice cream for dessert.
Yum.
Saigon is a small world. Today I met a french man who knows my aunt and he recognized me from a restaurant wherein I had dinner the other night. "Tres forte, sa presence," he exclaimed. Then I met a couple who has been to my parents' home in Arlington and the guy is a first cousin of my now former boss from my job here in Saigon.
Life is generally good. I'm planning a few more trips over the next weeks. I'm getting things done in Chuong's apartment. Soon it will be livable!
Oh, and I saw Hung and Heather a couple of days ago. Hung is our first cousin (his mom is dad's sister) who lives in northern California and they're in town for a visit. Hopefully we'll head to Mui Ne together before the holidays. More to write, but I'm feeling lazy.
h.
In between, I invited my entire office to Dong Du Cafe for lunch, 11 of us, and ice cream for dessert.
Yum.
Saigon is a small world. Today I met a french man who knows my aunt and he recognized me from a restaurant wherein I had dinner the other night. "Tres forte, sa presence," he exclaimed. Then I met a couple who has been to my parents' home in Arlington and the guy is a first cousin of my now former boss from my job here in Saigon.
Life is generally good. I'm planning a few more trips over the next weeks. I'm getting things done in Chuong's apartment. Soon it will be livable!
Oh, and I saw Hung and Heather a couple of days ago. Hung is our first cousin (his mom is dad's sister) who lives in northern California and they're in town for a visit. Hopefully we'll head to Mui Ne together before the holidays. More to write, but I'm feeling lazy.
h.
December 16, 2001
Sai Gon. December 16, 2001
Have just spent lots of time over the weekend eating good French food with dear French friends and working on improving Chuong’s (my) new apartment. I carried a chair up to the third (Asian third is like European third which is American Fourth) floor even though the cab driver didn’t think I could do it. Hell, I used to lug the mountain bike all over New York up and down the subway stairs (why does one take subway when one has a bike? Ask a NYC biker in training). I can carry a chair up a few flights of stairs.
The ugliness in the apartment is slowly subsiding with small improvements. Hopefully by week’s end, I’ll be able to move in, although I still have much to do before I go to Australia.
Vietnam is funny right now because there are Christmas decorations everywhere. Although there are quite a lot of Catholics here, almost all Vietnamese celebrate Christmas for fun and they are sooo un-P.C. about it all – they don’t know about dreidels and Hanukkah here. But it’s odd to see Christmas trees and garlands while it’s still in the upper 80’s and we’re all in shorts.
Kim and I are getting the details ironed out for our trip to Australia. We’re going to try to drive up the coast, go to a rain forest, do anything cool that we encounter and head to New Zealand. I’m also going to squeeze in a trip to Bangkok in the beginning of my trip, and spend two days there. So cool. I can’t wait.
Have just spent lots of time over the weekend eating good French food with dear French friends and working on improving Chuong’s (my) new apartment. I carried a chair up to the third (Asian third is like European third which is American Fourth) floor even though the cab driver didn’t think I could do it. Hell, I used to lug the mountain bike all over New York up and down the subway stairs (why does one take subway when one has a bike? Ask a NYC biker in training). I can carry a chair up a few flights of stairs.
The ugliness in the apartment is slowly subsiding with small improvements. Hopefully by week’s end, I’ll be able to move in, although I still have much to do before I go to Australia.
Vietnam is funny right now because there are Christmas decorations everywhere. Although there are quite a lot of Catholics here, almost all Vietnamese celebrate Christmas for fun and they are sooo un-P.C. about it all – they don’t know about dreidels and Hanukkah here. But it’s odd to see Christmas trees and garlands while it’s still in the upper 80’s and we’re all in shorts.
Kim and I are getting the details ironed out for our trip to Australia. We’re going to try to drive up the coast, go to a rain forest, do anything cool that we encounter and head to New Zealand. I’m also going to squeeze in a trip to Bangkok in the beginning of my trip, and spend two days there. So cool. I can’t wait.
December 12, 2001
It's nearly 3 am. I'm still online 'cause Kim - who is going to Australia & NZ with me - and I have just decided to skip Melbourne so we can go scuba diving in the GREAT BARRIER REEF in Cairns. HA! We're spending New Year's in Sydney. It's summer in Australia! (Not that it isn't tropical here, but hey...)
cheers
h.
cheers
h.
December 12, 2001.
A day and a half off and besides sleeping in, i've been pretty busy.
Last night, Chuong and I went to the remembrance ceremony commemorating the 3 month anniversary of the attacks in America, held at the US Consulate here in Saigon. It was brief, though moving, and I'm glad I went. I then dropped in on a friend's holiday party where we had an authentic turkey & homemade stuffing dinner. I was THRILLED. For an evening, I felt like I was back home.
I spent all day today running around town with my friend Tina (my former boss's wife) to buy lighting, shelving, furniture, linens, and everything else I’ll need to be comfortable in my new apartment. New apartment? Oh, it’s Chuong’s, really, but he’s out of town about three weeks a month and his place is yards away from Dong Du Cafe, smack in the middle of the city center (about 100 meters from the Opera House). So, as his lucky auntie, I get to be the official housesitter and interior decorator. [sigh of relief!] Finally, my own space!
Once I’m finished dealing with the construction and cleaning, I’ll be ready to move Chuong in at 10 am on Saturday morning (mid-lunar month) which we’re told is a “prosperous” day for us to move him in according to the laws of geomancy. His friend Phung is bringing the fruit and incense to offer to the Buddhas and then I can let the movers bring his stuff up. I told my friend Lan to get me a bag of rice – it’s what mom and dad give us when we move into a new place – symbolic for always having food on the table.
I’m trying to upload as many photos as I can for the albums, but I don’t have much time. I’ll try to get the rest up by Monday.
I am still being eaten by mosquitos.
xo,
H.
A day and a half off and besides sleeping in, i've been pretty busy.
Last night, Chuong and I went to the remembrance ceremony commemorating the 3 month anniversary of the attacks in America, held at the US Consulate here in Saigon. It was brief, though moving, and I'm glad I went. I then dropped in on a friend's holiday party where we had an authentic turkey & homemade stuffing dinner. I was THRILLED. For an evening, I felt like I was back home.
I spent all day today running around town with my friend Tina (my former boss's wife) to buy lighting, shelving, furniture, linens, and everything else I’ll need to be comfortable in my new apartment. New apartment? Oh, it’s Chuong’s, really, but he’s out of town about three weeks a month and his place is yards away from Dong Du Cafe, smack in the middle of the city center (about 100 meters from the Opera House). So, as his lucky auntie, I get to be the official housesitter and interior decorator. [sigh of relief!] Finally, my own space!
Once I’m finished dealing with the construction and cleaning, I’ll be ready to move Chuong in at 10 am on Saturday morning (mid-lunar month) which we’re told is a “prosperous” day for us to move him in according to the laws of geomancy. His friend Phung is bringing the fruit and incense to offer to the Buddhas and then I can let the movers bring his stuff up. I told my friend Lan to get me a bag of rice – it’s what mom and dad give us when we move into a new place – symbolic for always having food on the table.
I’m trying to upload as many photos as I can for the albums, but I don’t have much time. I’ll try to get the rest up by Monday.
I am still being eaten by mosquitos.
xo,
H.
December 11, 2001
December 11, 2001.
I've been damn busy so sorry to the last 10 hits... I've only had time to change a bit of the blog look, but none to update.
In brief:
I stopped working.
I am on vacation until March or April.
I am going to Bangkok, Australia, and New Zealand from December 27 to January 18.
I am going to eat like a queen for the Tet holidays in Vietnam.
I am going to Angkor Wat in January.
I am returning to the USA on February 18.
I am going to Dalat, Danang, Hoi An, Phu Quoc, and the Mekong Delta sometime in between now and my return.
Life rocks.
H
I've been damn busy so sorry to the last 10 hits... I've only had time to change a bit of the blog look, but none to update.
In brief:
I stopped working.
I am on vacation until March or April.
I am going to Bangkok, Australia, and New Zealand from December 27 to January 18.
I am going to eat like a queen for the Tet holidays in Vietnam.
I am going to Angkor Wat in January.
I am returning to the USA on February 18.
I am going to Dalat, Danang, Hoi An, Phu Quoc, and the Mekong Delta sometime in between now and my return.
Life rocks.
H
December 06, 2001
December 04, 2001
Saigon, December 4, 2001
I’m at the office – on another deadline as we send films out day after tomorrow. I plan on working till around the 21st and then, if all goes as planned, head down under. If I can help it, I’ll spend Hanukkah in Vietnam, Christmas in Australia, and New Years in… New Zealand? Flights from VN through Bangkok are only about $600 to get to Australia. That’s as cheap as NY-CA!
Last week I went to see the London Festival Orchestra at the City Opera Hall. It’s a beautiful building, built in 1900 most likely by the French. It’s very western and made me feel (a tiny bit) like I was back in NY listening to live orchestral music (and I wasn’t in a loud horns/soft strings dead spot like in Avery Fisher Hall). There was a bird fluttering around the dome near the upper tier of the hall – I actually wondered if it was a Vietnamese stunt or a poor trapped bird. By the time we were through with Tchaikovsky, the bird disappeared just at intermission.
Life goes on in Vietnam. It’s still hot, though it’s winter. That means bearable heat, opposed to unbearable heat. Much construction continues in Vietnam, including the main road along the Saigon river where we live. They’re working on expanding the road and gentrifying the area over the next two years. It also means that a lot of people will lose their businesses and their homes (on property that actually belongs to the government anyway, but then again – the government owns all the property in Vietnam).
Oops. Mike just popped up on messenger. I’ll finish up later!
I’m at the office – on another deadline as we send films out day after tomorrow. I plan on working till around the 21st and then, if all goes as planned, head down under. If I can help it, I’ll spend Hanukkah in Vietnam, Christmas in Australia, and New Years in… New Zealand? Flights from VN through Bangkok are only about $600 to get to Australia. That’s as cheap as NY-CA!
Last week I went to see the London Festival Orchestra at the City Opera Hall. It’s a beautiful building, built in 1900 most likely by the French. It’s very western and made me feel (a tiny bit) like I was back in NY listening to live orchestral music (and I wasn’t in a loud horns/soft strings dead spot like in Avery Fisher Hall). There was a bird fluttering around the dome near the upper tier of the hall – I actually wondered if it was a Vietnamese stunt or a poor trapped bird. By the time we were through with Tchaikovsky, the bird disappeared just at intermission.
Life goes on in Vietnam. It’s still hot, though it’s winter. That means bearable heat, opposed to unbearable heat. Much construction continues in Vietnam, including the main road along the Saigon river where we live. They’re working on expanding the road and gentrifying the area over the next two years. It also means that a lot of people will lose their businesses and their homes (on property that actually belongs to the government anyway, but then again – the government owns all the property in Vietnam).
Oops. Mike just popped up on messenger. I’ll finish up later!
December 03, 2001
All right – word just in on what a blast Lisa's brunch was. For the New Yorkers that missed Lisa Kirt’s fabulous Sunday Brunch and Holiday Studio Sale in Brooklyn today, YOU STILL HAVE ONE MORE CHANCE! And if you have good taste in design, and a stomach for authentic Italian pastries, then you MUST present yourself at Lisa’s on Sunday, December 16 for your chance to get gorgeous KleinReid Ceramics and a first hand visit of their studio.
Here’s the excerpt of Lisa’s invitation (extended to all of you), and you ought to RSVP (to lkirt@yahoo.com) to make sure you get your share of the pastries!
you are warmly invited to my annual december brunch and holiday studio sale
for those of you receiving this email for the first time, this is your chance to buy near perfect seconds and discounted firsts at KleinReid, designers and producers of hand-cast porcelain. dansk has produced several lines of KleinReid dinnerware, they've been profiled in the nytimes, their work has been featured in every major design magazine, and their vases are sold at fine stores around the world. all objects are useful, beautiful, and affordable (prices start at $10). and the boys are from OHIO! go figure!
italian pastries, coffee, juice, holiday salsa & jazz at my house, then visits to the studio, which is just one block away. you can drop in any time either day. you can also
just come over to hang out or mambo in my kitchen with me -- shopping is optional. and i can point you toward bedford avenue, if you want to check out the hip shops and cafes.
i'm doing two brunch/sales this year, to offer people more options -- and to try in some way to make up for the fact that KleinReid is not opening its own store (read here:
economy). it's been a hard fall for everyone, and artists are no exception.
here's the scoop:
sunday december 2
AND
sunday, december 16
11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
RSVP by responding to this email with the date you'd like to attend. feel free to forward this email along, and to bring friends. the more, the merrier. ALWAYS.
566 metropolitan avenue, #4 / williamsburg, brooklyn / 718-963-0879
lorimer stop of the L train / metropolitan ave stop of the G train
detailed directions upon request - my house is just 10 minutes from union square.
and you can also check things out on www.lisakirt.blogspot.com (I’m clickable)
So, on my recommendation, GO! And you will NOT be disappointed!
I will write more about Vietnam when I can find more time, as I seem to have left some of it in Hanoi. Just back from a 2 week vacation and we're preparing for films for the new magazine so I'm off to get more work done (I have to remind myself sometimes that I'm retired, and this is really just for fun...)
Here’s the excerpt of Lisa’s invitation (extended to all of you), and you ought to RSVP (to lkirt@yahoo.com) to make sure you get your share of the pastries!
you are warmly invited to my annual december brunch and holiday studio sale
for those of you receiving this email for the first time, this is your chance to buy near perfect seconds and discounted firsts at KleinReid, designers and producers of hand-cast porcelain. dansk has produced several lines of KleinReid dinnerware, they've been profiled in the nytimes, their work has been featured in every major design magazine, and their vases are sold at fine stores around the world. all objects are useful, beautiful, and affordable (prices start at $10). and the boys are from OHIO! go figure!
italian pastries, coffee, juice, holiday salsa & jazz at my house, then visits to the studio, which is just one block away. you can drop in any time either day. you can also
just come over to hang out or mambo in my kitchen with me -- shopping is optional. and i can point you toward bedford avenue, if you want to check out the hip shops and cafes.
i'm doing two brunch/sales this year, to offer people more options -- and to try in some way to make up for the fact that KleinReid is not opening its own store (read here:
economy). it's been a hard fall for everyone, and artists are no exception.
here's the scoop:
sunday december 2
AND
sunday, december 16
11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
RSVP by responding to this email with the date you'd like to attend. feel free to forward this email along, and to bring friends. the more, the merrier. ALWAYS.
566 metropolitan avenue, #4 / williamsburg, brooklyn / 718-963-0879
lorimer stop of the L train / metropolitan ave stop of the G train
detailed directions upon request - my house is just 10 minutes from union square.
and you can also check things out on www.lisakirt.blogspot.com (I’m clickable)
So, on my recommendation, GO! And you will NOT be disappointed!
I will write more about Vietnam when I can find more time, as I seem to have left some of it in Hanoi. Just back from a 2 week vacation and we're preparing for films for the new magazine so I'm off to get more work done (I have to remind myself sometimes that I'm retired, and this is really just for fun...)
November 26, 2001
November 26, 2001
If you have an online log or website, click on Link & Think which is dedicated to World AIDS Day (December 1) and connect your site!
I have been back at the office only one day though it feels like an eternity. I heard from the bike tour company today that they will be sending applications at the end of December so it is still hopeful that I can be a bike tour guide in Europe. Of course, that all depends on how the tour season might turn out this coming summer. I'll keep hoping and we'll see.
I ran into my aunt's fortune teller at Dong Du Cafe today and she wanted to tell me my fortune. Since I was in a hurry and on my way out the door, I told her my fortune to save her the trouble - that I'll only encounter happiness and ease and luck in my life. The others around her asked if that was true and she said "you can see it in her face" so I guess that's a good thing, huh? I didn't have time to tell her the rest of my future - that I'll never be rich in dollars but I'm rich in family and friends, and that I'll be happier working with people outdoors or in schools or other meaningful places, and not in 9-5 office buildings. I'll especially be happy if I could be a bike tour guide in Italy and France next year. We'll see how lucky I really am.
h.
If you have an online log or website, click on Link & Think which is dedicated to World AIDS Day (December 1) and connect your site!
I have been back at the office only one day though it feels like an eternity. I heard from the bike tour company today that they will be sending applications at the end of December so it is still hopeful that I can be a bike tour guide in Europe. Of course, that all depends on how the tour season might turn out this coming summer. I'll keep hoping and we'll see.
I ran into my aunt's fortune teller at Dong Du Cafe today and she wanted to tell me my fortune. Since I was in a hurry and on my way out the door, I told her my fortune to save her the trouble - that I'll only encounter happiness and ease and luck in my life. The others around her asked if that was true and she said "you can see it in her face" so I guess that's a good thing, huh? I didn't have time to tell her the rest of my future - that I'll never be rich in dollars but I'm rich in family and friends, and that I'll be happier working with people outdoors or in schools or other meaningful places, and not in 9-5 office buildings. I'll especially be happy if I could be a bike tour guide in Italy and France next year. We'll see how lucky I really am.
h.
November 24, 2001
Sai Gon, November 24, 2001
Jeff has just headed back yesterday and stopped in Singapore. We had a very full trip that began in Hanoi with beautiful weather. We took a day trip out to the Perfume Pagoda outside of Hanoi and hiked two hours to the cave pagoda. The highlight of the trip is the boat ride to get to the Pagoda path. I'll send pictures, as I can't really begin to describe it to you.
A couple of days spent in Hanoi, and I also met with some friends in the north. I saw a surprisingly well performed play in Vietnamese while Jeff got caught up on jet lag his first day in Hanoi. Another evening, we went to see the water puppetry, a traditional and ancient Vietnamese entertainment.
We headed to Halong Bay on Monday for a day trip. There are over 1500 islands that dot the landscape and small grottoes and caves worth exploring. The Vietnamese tourism has done some work to assist tourists, but they've only managed to make the caves look a little bit like the It's a Small World ride at Disney World.
Sapa Valley is a wonderful cultural exhibit and we went with a small tour (seven people total) where we had the opportunity to sit with some of the local ethnic minority families of the H'mong and Dzay tribes. It was like a field trip to the Museum of Natural History, only real and contemporary. We hiked three hours our first chilly day there, and five hours on our second day, which happened to be sunny and beautiful. Jeff and I took the overnight train back to Hanoi and I froze for the 10 hour trip in my bunk as it was only 12 degrees Celsius on the train and I hadn't a blanket.
In Saigon, Di 10 treated us royally and had wonderful meals prepared for us, as I had expected she would. All vegetarian / seafood dishes and lots of Nelly Natural Italian Ice Cream. Jeff and I spent a day going to Cho Lon (Sai Gon's Chinatown) where we rented cyclo drivers who took us around the city to seven different pagodas.
Mr. Ngoc & Mr. Thuong, directors of Saigon Mui Ne Resort paid same kindness and VIP treatment to us in Phan Thiet. They invited us for drinks at the bar, then dined with us, and Jeff was given all the free Nelly ice cream he could consume. They also gave us a sauna & massage treatment on the house, and a souvenir t-shirt to each of us. We again were met with great weather, and were able to take side trips to the Cham temple, the red sand dunes, and the Mui Ne bay.
After rest and relaxation on the beach in Mui Ne, Jeff and I headed back to Saigon and home where we had a very beautiful Thanksgiving seafood lunch ("like eating at a gourmet restaurant," Jeff says). We then headed back to the city to run our last errands, go on a final shopping spree, and eat auntie's great pizza and gnocchi at her restaurant for our Thanksgiving dinner before getting home to get packed.
Friday morning we were off to the airport, and although I had hoped to get to Dalat to meet up with Chuong in the afternoon, flights were full and so I said goodbye to Jeff at Tan Son Nhat International and played hookey from work for the day. Our trip really seemed to fly by, and in some ways, it's hard to believe that Jeff was really here in Vietnam! It was wonderful to hear my native English and to be able to really go around Vietnam like a tourist with Jeff. I have lots of pictures to show for it!
Anyone else interested in visiting? I'm running out of time here (and mom and aunt 5 and aunt 8 are all coming in January)
Jeff has just headed back yesterday and stopped in Singapore. We had a very full trip that began in Hanoi with beautiful weather. We took a day trip out to the Perfume Pagoda outside of Hanoi and hiked two hours to the cave pagoda. The highlight of the trip is the boat ride to get to the Pagoda path. I'll send pictures, as I can't really begin to describe it to you.
A couple of days spent in Hanoi, and I also met with some friends in the north. I saw a surprisingly well performed play in Vietnamese while Jeff got caught up on jet lag his first day in Hanoi. Another evening, we went to see the water puppetry, a traditional and ancient Vietnamese entertainment.
We headed to Halong Bay on Monday for a day trip. There are over 1500 islands that dot the landscape and small grottoes and caves worth exploring. The Vietnamese tourism has done some work to assist tourists, but they've only managed to make the caves look a little bit like the It's a Small World ride at Disney World.
Sapa Valley is a wonderful cultural exhibit and we went with a small tour (seven people total) where we had the opportunity to sit with some of the local ethnic minority families of the H'mong and Dzay tribes. It was like a field trip to the Museum of Natural History, only real and contemporary. We hiked three hours our first chilly day there, and five hours on our second day, which happened to be sunny and beautiful. Jeff and I took the overnight train back to Hanoi and I froze for the 10 hour trip in my bunk as it was only 12 degrees Celsius on the train and I hadn't a blanket.
In Saigon, Di 10 treated us royally and had wonderful meals prepared for us, as I had expected she would. All vegetarian / seafood dishes and lots of Nelly Natural Italian Ice Cream. Jeff and I spent a day going to Cho Lon (Sai Gon's Chinatown) where we rented cyclo drivers who took us around the city to seven different pagodas.
Mr. Ngoc & Mr. Thuong, directors of Saigon Mui Ne Resort paid same kindness and VIP treatment to us in Phan Thiet. They invited us for drinks at the bar, then dined with us, and Jeff was given all the free Nelly ice cream he could consume. They also gave us a sauna & massage treatment on the house, and a souvenir t-shirt to each of us. We again were met with great weather, and were able to take side trips to the Cham temple, the red sand dunes, and the Mui Ne bay.
After rest and relaxation on the beach in Mui Ne, Jeff and I headed back to Saigon and home where we had a very beautiful Thanksgiving seafood lunch ("like eating at a gourmet restaurant," Jeff says). We then headed back to the city to run our last errands, go on a final shopping spree, and eat auntie's great pizza and gnocchi at her restaurant for our Thanksgiving dinner before getting home to get packed.
Friday morning we were off to the airport, and although I had hoped to get to Dalat to meet up with Chuong in the afternoon, flights were full and so I said goodbye to Jeff at Tan Son Nhat International and played hookey from work for the day. Our trip really seemed to fly by, and in some ways, it's hard to believe that Jeff was really here in Vietnam! It was wonderful to hear my native English and to be able to really go around Vietnam like a tourist with Jeff. I have lots of pictures to show for it!
Anyone else interested in visiting? I'm running out of time here (and mom and aunt 5 and aunt 8 are all coming in January)
November 18, 2001
Sai Gon, November 19, 2001
I'm back in Saigon with Jeff and we wandered about a little bit today. We spend another day in Saigon and then on Tuesday head for Phan Thiet / Mui Ne to the beach. It's late and everyone in the house is asleep but I can't rest, though tired. However, I am too lazy to really write much except to say that Jeff and I have been able to visit Sapa Valley, Halong Bay, and the Perfume Pagoda in northern Vietnam. Much to report that I'll send later.
h.
I'm back in Saigon with Jeff and we wandered about a little bit today. We spend another day in Saigon and then on Tuesday head for Phan Thiet / Mui Ne to the beach. It's late and everyone in the house is asleep but I can't rest, though tired. However, I am too lazy to really write much except to say that Jeff and I have been able to visit Sapa Valley, Halong Bay, and the Perfume Pagoda in northern Vietnam. Much to report that I'll send later.
h.
November 13, 2001
Hanoi. November 13, 2001
Jeff and I are okay and traveling well. We leave for Sapa Valley tonight by night train and arrive there early in the a.m. tomorrow. We had a relaxing day today since it rained (our first day of rain as we've had beautiful and perfect weather these last few days) and each had a massage. Yesterday we were at the renowned Halong Bay and got beautiful landscape shots of the countless limestone structures jutting out from the sea.
We heard the bad news today and it's sombering, but we are moving forward with our travel plans despite how depressing the news is.
On Friday we return to Hanoi and will head southward. Till then, H.
Jeff and I are okay and traveling well. We leave for Sapa Valley tonight by night train and arrive there early in the a.m. tomorrow. We had a relaxing day today since it rained (our first day of rain as we've had beautiful and perfect weather these last few days) and each had a massage. Yesterday we were at the renowned Halong Bay and got beautiful landscape shots of the countless limestone structures jutting out from the sea.
We heard the bad news today and it's sombering, but we are moving forward with our travel plans despite how depressing the news is.
On Friday we return to Hanoi and will head southward. Till then, H.
November 07, 2001
Belated posting
Saigon. November 5, 2001
Just back from a long weekend in Nha Trang, one of Vietnam’s coastal towns, with Chuong. I left the office at 2 on Friday and was sitting on the beach in Nha Trang by 4. The flight is less than an hour, and the airport is about 200 meters from the coast. Chuong picked me up from the airport and took me straight out to the Café Lousiane where we hung out on the beach chairs in the unseasonable sunny weather we were lucky to have. We then dropped by some friends’ where we were staying, and later in the evening went back out around town. Chuong also took me to the Ana Mandara resort – one of Vietnam’s nicest – where we sat at a private table on a dock and shared Grand Marnier’s with the full moon and its glorious reflection.
Our weekend in Nha Trang met us with perfect weather – it rained only at night or while we were indoors – and we managed to take a little motor boat along the Cai River, where Chuong owns some property. He also drove me all around the small town by motorbike along the main roadway where kids play soccer in the middle of the street. Nha Trang is really sweet, but unfortunately, it’s undergoing a lot of construction. Chuong and I have decided that what each town in Vietnam needs is an Aesthetics Director. The Vietnamese have supremely bad taste in quite a lot of things, and the construction of a WATER PARK along BEACH FRONT property is typical of their inanity.
Chuong was raised in Nha Trang, and half the town still knows his father. We had a jellyfish noodle soup at a place he frequented for 40 years. I also got to go to Hon Chong, a rocky overlook near a small bayside area of the ocean (I’ll send a few photos later) and had snails, cuttlefish, and clams by the shore. Sunday afternoon we spent outside of the city at Anh’s house, a friend of Chuong’s, where we had a local dish called “Goi Ca.” It’s a salad dish with fresh fish and endives that you roll in rice paper and dip in a special soupy egg-drop sauce. By late afternoon, he and I were back on the plane to head for Saigon and I was ready again for western cooking (this time, I’m craving good salsa and enchiladas).
I’m back in the office with a book to layout by Thursday and a flight to catch on Friday. It looks like Jeff is coming for REAL and we’re gonna visit the north by week’s end.
H.
Saigon. November 5, 2001
Just back from a long weekend in Nha Trang, one of Vietnam’s coastal towns, with Chuong. I left the office at 2 on Friday and was sitting on the beach in Nha Trang by 4. The flight is less than an hour, and the airport is about 200 meters from the coast. Chuong picked me up from the airport and took me straight out to the Café Lousiane where we hung out on the beach chairs in the unseasonable sunny weather we were lucky to have. We then dropped by some friends’ where we were staying, and later in the evening went back out around town. Chuong also took me to the Ana Mandara resort – one of Vietnam’s nicest – where we sat at a private table on a dock and shared Grand Marnier’s with the full moon and its glorious reflection.
Our weekend in Nha Trang met us with perfect weather – it rained only at night or while we were indoors – and we managed to take a little motor boat along the Cai River, where Chuong owns some property. He also drove me all around the small town by motorbike along the main roadway where kids play soccer in the middle of the street. Nha Trang is really sweet, but unfortunately, it’s undergoing a lot of construction. Chuong and I have decided that what each town in Vietnam needs is an Aesthetics Director. The Vietnamese have supremely bad taste in quite a lot of things, and the construction of a WATER PARK along BEACH FRONT property is typical of their inanity.
Chuong was raised in Nha Trang, and half the town still knows his father. We had a jellyfish noodle soup at a place he frequented for 40 years. I also got to go to Hon Chong, a rocky overlook near a small bayside area of the ocean (I’ll send a few photos later) and had snails, cuttlefish, and clams by the shore. Sunday afternoon we spent outside of the city at Anh’s house, a friend of Chuong’s, where we had a local dish called “Goi Ca.” It’s a salad dish with fresh fish and endives that you roll in rice paper and dip in a special soupy egg-drop sauce. By late afternoon, he and I were back on the plane to head for Saigon and I was ready again for western cooking (this time, I’m craving good salsa and enchiladas).
I’m back in the office with a book to layout by Thursday and a flight to catch on Friday. It looks like Jeff is coming for REAL and we’re gonna visit the north by week’s end.
H.
October 29, 2001
i'm writing to mike online right now and thought i ought to post a little bit since it looks like blog hits are up, and i've been a slacker.
So far, it looks like Jeff is REALLY coming this time. He's written for his fourth Vietnamese visa and will be here on the 9th if all goes as planned. For me, I just sent another book to the printers on Saturday, and we have another one going out on Monday the 5th. Hopefully I'll be squared away for my two week trip with Jeff along the coast of Vietnam. We'll have many more pictures to share by the end of the month.
This Thanksgiving, I'm sure we all have plenty to be especially grateful for, and I'm glad to know that my entire family will be together for dinner in New York City. I only wish I could be with the rest of you over there (my last Thanksgiving was at the Dolby's in DC with a Turducken) but luckily, I will have Jeff to spend Thanksgiving dinner with me, albeit a vegetarian one...
So far, it looks like Jeff is REALLY coming this time. He's written for his fourth Vietnamese visa and will be here on the 9th if all goes as planned. For me, I just sent another book to the printers on Saturday, and we have another one going out on Monday the 5th. Hopefully I'll be squared away for my two week trip with Jeff along the coast of Vietnam. We'll have many more pictures to share by the end of the month.
This Thanksgiving, I'm sure we all have plenty to be especially grateful for, and I'm glad to know that my entire family will be together for dinner in New York City. I only wish I could be with the rest of you over there (my last Thanksgiving was at the Dolby's in DC with a Turducken) but luckily, I will have Jeff to spend Thanksgiving dinner with me, albeit a vegetarian one...
October 24, 2001
Sai Gon, October 24, 2001
Oi vey, what a birthday! About two and a half dozen friends gathered on the rooftop patio of the 14th floor of Diamond Plaza Building (Hey New Yorkers, that’s high for Vietnam), complete with bar, grille, swimming pool, and a great view of the city lights. Di 10, the talented hostess and entertainer, prepared marinated beef ribs, fresh shrimp for the grille, roasted chicken (ga roti) with our family recipe for ketchup-garlic-buttered rice, fried calamari, garlic bread, salade nicoise, garden rolls in rice paper, and rice noodles with shredded shrimp. Of course, we had ice cream cake to top off the delectable meal.
Although strictly instructed – no gifts – nobody listened and so I came home with six dozen roses, a basket of orchids, a potted orchid, a bouquet of orchids, a bouquet of extraordinary mixed flowers, a bouquet of carnations, a bottle of gin and a dozen gifts to accompany the flowers (and gin). The weather was perfect for our outdoor barbecue with a nice rooftop breeze – it rained days before my party and again today, and I’m told we were really lucky. We all really enjoyed ourselves - I'll send you pictures if you ask and maybe Souris will post them on her website.
After the party, a group of us went off to a nightclub (with Di 10, of course!) where it was noisy and smoky and at the closing midnight bell, there was actually a P.A. announcement of my birthday and Phu’s, whose birthday is the 24th, and we had a round of champagne. Off to another bar for a short while, and then over to a Pho eatery where the gang had some noodles before the night ended. We all got home around two in the morning, and by the time I went to sleep, it was after three. Needless to say, waking up for work today was not pleasant.
Oi vey, what a birthday! About two and a half dozen friends gathered on the rooftop patio of the 14th floor of Diamond Plaza Building (Hey New Yorkers, that’s high for Vietnam), complete with bar, grille, swimming pool, and a great view of the city lights. Di 10, the talented hostess and entertainer, prepared marinated beef ribs, fresh shrimp for the grille, roasted chicken (ga roti) with our family recipe for ketchup-garlic-buttered rice, fried calamari, garlic bread, salade nicoise, garden rolls in rice paper, and rice noodles with shredded shrimp. Of course, we had ice cream cake to top off the delectable meal.
Although strictly instructed – no gifts – nobody listened and so I came home with six dozen roses, a basket of orchids, a potted orchid, a bouquet of orchids, a bouquet of extraordinary mixed flowers, a bouquet of carnations, a bottle of gin and a dozen gifts to accompany the flowers (and gin). The weather was perfect for our outdoor barbecue with a nice rooftop breeze – it rained days before my party and again today, and I’m told we were really lucky. We all really enjoyed ourselves - I'll send you pictures if you ask and maybe Souris will post them on her website.
After the party, a group of us went off to a nightclub (with Di 10, of course!) where it was noisy and smoky and at the closing midnight bell, there was actually a P.A. announcement of my birthday and Phu’s, whose birthday is the 24th, and we had a round of champagne. Off to another bar for a short while, and then over to a Pho eatery where the gang had some noodles before the night ended. We all got home around two in the morning, and by the time I went to sleep, it was after three. Needless to say, waking up for work today was not pleasant.
October 21, 2001
Sai Gon, October 21, 2001
I’ve had a super busy week out late at night nearly every day. Thursday night I went out with Linh, Khanh, Thang, Thien, and Phu to a very American bar where we consumed a bottle of Hennessy, and then went to another bar afterwards where I ran into two other groups of people I know in Saigon (both very different), and the people I was with also ran into familiar faces. Saigon is very very very small that way and this bar was one of maybe two that closed at 2 am instead of midnight like the rest. The following night I went to meet some friends at billiards (it’s only 25000VND an hour which is about $1.67 USD) and we went off to another bar (and was gratefully home before midnight as I was exhausted from the week’s play). All bars are relatively the same and play basically the same limited repertoire of music that Vietnam offers. It’s amazing how the conformity reaches into everything the people here do.
I had a very relaxing weekend - Saturday I lounged at home till evening, when I went out with my aunt and Chuong to a nightclub where there was live music, and then off to a very cheesy dance club where there were tens of dancing girls for rent by the hour (for dancing, of course). Chuong went back to the house with Di 10 and I to watch “Proof of Life” which I hadn’t seen. They fell asleep and I stayed up till 4 a.m. to watch the movie. Today Chuong, Di 9, Di 10, Phu, Thien, and friends of Di 10’s met at Binh An, a sort of resort-restaurant with live jazz music on Sunday afternoons, owned by Di 10’s friends. We had an excellent Vietnamese lunch and spent the entire Sunday afternoon lounging in the beautifully landscaped gardens (complete with lotus ponds and tiny patches of grass for golfing) with the live jazz band. Very nice way to spend a Sunday.
Tomorrow I’m back at work, and I will have two new employees working for me this week. Hopefully they’ll be capable of learning, as we’ve got a lot of deadlines coming up. Our new magazine is nearly a week late at the printers. Typical.
I’ve had a super busy week out late at night nearly every day. Thursday night I went out with Linh, Khanh, Thang, Thien, and Phu to a very American bar where we consumed a bottle of Hennessy, and then went to another bar afterwards where I ran into two other groups of people I know in Saigon (both very different), and the people I was with also ran into familiar faces. Saigon is very very very small that way and this bar was one of maybe two that closed at 2 am instead of midnight like the rest. The following night I went to meet some friends at billiards (it’s only 25000VND an hour which is about $1.67 USD) and we went off to another bar (and was gratefully home before midnight as I was exhausted from the week’s play). All bars are relatively the same and play basically the same limited repertoire of music that Vietnam offers. It’s amazing how the conformity reaches into everything the people here do.
I had a very relaxing weekend - Saturday I lounged at home till evening, when I went out with my aunt and Chuong to a nightclub where there was live music, and then off to a very cheesy dance club where there were tens of dancing girls for rent by the hour (for dancing, of course). Chuong went back to the house with Di 10 and I to watch “Proof of Life” which I hadn’t seen. They fell asleep and I stayed up till 4 a.m. to watch the movie. Today Chuong, Di 9, Di 10, Phu, Thien, and friends of Di 10’s met at Binh An, a sort of resort-restaurant with live jazz music on Sunday afternoons, owned by Di 10’s friends. We had an excellent Vietnamese lunch and spent the entire Sunday afternoon lounging in the beautifully landscaped gardens (complete with lotus ponds and tiny patches of grass for golfing) with the live jazz band. Very nice way to spend a Sunday.
Tomorrow I’m back at work, and I will have two new employees working for me this week. Hopefully they’ll be capable of learning, as we’ve got a lot of deadlines coming up. Our new magazine is nearly a week late at the printers. Typical.
October 12, 2001
Sai Gon, October 6, 2001.
In the meantime, I return to Hanoi, which I can only describe to you with a tiny bit of melancholy as Jeff was not there as had been planned. I went out early Monday morning of last week, and in the afternoon met with Khai, a friend of Linh’s. Khai drove me around town on motorbike, and all around Hanoi’s many lakes (Ha Noi means “River Exterior” as the Song Hong (Red River) runs through it. We drove through the charming Old Quarters (made up of 36 crooked streets), and then visited the newly renovated library for a drink called nuoc mo, which is kind of like xi muoi, which is a salted & sour sort of dried prune. Yeah, sounds weird, but it’s good.
I then visited Hoan Kiem lake, notable for the pagoda that sits on an islet in the lake. Hoan Kiem means “Restored Sword” and the story goes that Emperor Ly Thai To returned his battle sword to a gigantic turtle in the lake upon his return from the Chinese Ming invasion. It is believed that the sword is still in the lake, and that perhaps the giant turtle found in 1968 – at over 2 meters in length – is perhaps the legendary figure. There is a pretty little red bridge that brings you to the Den Ngoc Son (Jade Mountain Temple) on an island in the Hoan Kiem lake where small groups of old men play co tuong, Chinese checkers. The temple was built some time during the Tran Dynasty (1225-1400) and lent a good view of the Hoan Kiem pagoda. Along the lake are weeping willows, stone benches, beautiful landscaping. Couples sit by the lake, vendors vend, promenaders promenade. (see photo when Souris gets a chance to post it)
After spending our afternoon there, Khai took me to have luong for dinner with his friend Trieu. Luong is a kind of scaleless eel / snake – I don’t really know what it is, but it’s a specialty of Hanoi. It was worth a taste. We drove around Hanoi some more and Trieu let me take the driver’s seat. I handled the Honda from there to Truc Bach lake (in my last blog I thought it was another one) where we sat for hours and hours having tea and drinks. Around 9:30 the streets were packed, as were all the tables and chairs around the lake as it was Tet Trung Thu – the mid Autumn moon festival. There was a full moon out, a few paraders and music-makers, and thousands of motorbikes. From our view across the lake, I could see streams of motorbike lights driving endlessly, like a chain of white Christmas lights. Chuong and a friend of his met up with us at the lake, and when we all parted, Khai and I cruised the streets a bit more before I finally headed back to the hotel.
Next day I slept in (Khai was in school – he’s studying to be a cosmetic surgeon in Vietnam) and I got up to walk the 3 km to Van Mieu (c.1070), where Confucious once studied. When I got there, Khai called so he drove over to join me. When I got to the ticket counter, I asked for 2 tickets. “Foreigner or Viet?” she asked me. “Viet,” I said, and handed her a 50,000 dong bill. The sign in the window said 12,000 dong per person. She asked me if I had a 2000 dong bill and I wondered why, but figured it was for even change. I handed her a 5000 dong bill instead. She then gave me my 3000 dong in change and my 50000 bill back. It turns out that it only costs Viets 1000 dong (about six and a half cents) for admission and foreigners nearly a dollar. In the end, it’s nothing either way, but the discrimination drives me crazy.
Van Mieu is set up in five courtyards, landscaped differently, and was once a University in Hanoi. Eighty-two turtle stellae (c.1484-1780) line one of the courtyards where 1,037 names of former graduates are engraved in the stones. Art students lingered about in the courtyard drawing and painting its structures and gardens, while Vietnamese and Western travelers alike wandered within it. There were some beautiful water puppets there (we didn’t manage to see a show) and you can see a photo of them if you go to Souris’ site (after she has time to post them).
October 12, 2001
Khai took me around the old quarters for some souvenir shopping, and when I was in one of the shops, I asked the shop girl how much for one of the bags they had, and she said “oh, I thought you were a foreigner.” And then she gave me the “Vietnamese” price for the bag. Good to know that my Vietnamese has improved enough that I can actually pass as a Vietnamese.
Later that night, Khai and Trieu drove me out of town a bit to the Cau Thang Long (Dragon Bridge) as the sun was setting. We drove through an entire strip of dog-barbecue restaurants (unimaginable) before we could get there. Driving along the river, we passed a soccer game with grazing cattle on one side, and oxen on the other. When we reached the bridge, we stood in the middle and I turned around and saw a huge red circle in the sky over the Hong River. At first I thought it was the sun still setting – it was so red and round. Then I realized as the minutes passed that the ball of light was rising, not setting, and that it began to glow an even red-orange as it rose and eventually the lunar spectacular lightened in the sky over the course of an hour. It was amazingly beautiful.
Finally on my third day in Ha Noi, Chuong and I spent some time together eating, drinking, visiting the History Museum, eating some more, and drinking some more. Cafés in Ha Noi are cute and charming, and it’s easy to find a nice place to hang out.
The following day, Chuong and I went to a family wedding (the daughter of one of my first cousins on my dad’s side) where I met about a dozen or so relatives (mostly first cousins and their grown children). It was a well produced Vietnamese wedding where the food was actually pretty good (and not Chinese) and the décor not tacky. Of course, there was the typical show of singers karaoke-style.
Eventually, life returned to normal upon my re-entry in Saigon, and I am now busy at work again, having just finished a deadline.
In the meantime, I return to Hanoi, which I can only describe to you with a tiny bit of melancholy as Jeff was not there as had been planned. I went out early Monday morning of last week, and in the afternoon met with Khai, a friend of Linh’s. Khai drove me around town on motorbike, and all around Hanoi’s many lakes (Ha Noi means “River Exterior” as the Song Hong (Red River) runs through it. We drove through the charming Old Quarters (made up of 36 crooked streets), and then visited the newly renovated library for a drink called nuoc mo, which is kind of like xi muoi, which is a salted & sour sort of dried prune. Yeah, sounds weird, but it’s good.
I then visited Hoan Kiem lake, notable for the pagoda that sits on an islet in the lake. Hoan Kiem means “Restored Sword” and the story goes that Emperor Ly Thai To returned his battle sword to a gigantic turtle in the lake upon his return from the Chinese Ming invasion. It is believed that the sword is still in the lake, and that perhaps the giant turtle found in 1968 – at over 2 meters in length – is perhaps the legendary figure. There is a pretty little red bridge that brings you to the Den Ngoc Son (Jade Mountain Temple) on an island in the Hoan Kiem lake where small groups of old men play co tuong, Chinese checkers. The temple was built some time during the Tran Dynasty (1225-1400) and lent a good view of the Hoan Kiem pagoda. Along the lake are weeping willows, stone benches, beautiful landscaping. Couples sit by the lake, vendors vend, promenaders promenade. (see photo when Souris gets a chance to post it)
After spending our afternoon there, Khai took me to have luong for dinner with his friend Trieu. Luong is a kind of scaleless eel / snake – I don’t really know what it is, but it’s a specialty of Hanoi. It was worth a taste. We drove around Hanoi some more and Trieu let me take the driver’s seat. I handled the Honda from there to Truc Bach lake (in my last blog I thought it was another one) where we sat for hours and hours having tea and drinks. Around 9:30 the streets were packed, as were all the tables and chairs around the lake as it was Tet Trung Thu – the mid Autumn moon festival. There was a full moon out, a few paraders and music-makers, and thousands of motorbikes. From our view across the lake, I could see streams of motorbike lights driving endlessly, like a chain of white Christmas lights. Chuong and a friend of his met up with us at the lake, and when we all parted, Khai and I cruised the streets a bit more before I finally headed back to the hotel.
Next day I slept in (Khai was in school – he’s studying to be a cosmetic surgeon in Vietnam) and I got up to walk the 3 km to Van Mieu (c.1070), where Confucious once studied. When I got there, Khai called so he drove over to join me. When I got to the ticket counter, I asked for 2 tickets. “Foreigner or Viet?” she asked me. “Viet,” I said, and handed her a 50,000 dong bill. The sign in the window said 12,000 dong per person. She asked me if I had a 2000 dong bill and I wondered why, but figured it was for even change. I handed her a 5000 dong bill instead. She then gave me my 3000 dong in change and my 50000 bill back. It turns out that it only costs Viets 1000 dong (about six and a half cents) for admission and foreigners nearly a dollar. In the end, it’s nothing either way, but the discrimination drives me crazy.
Van Mieu is set up in five courtyards, landscaped differently, and was once a University in Hanoi. Eighty-two turtle stellae (c.1484-1780) line one of the courtyards where 1,037 names of former graduates are engraved in the stones. Art students lingered about in the courtyard drawing and painting its structures and gardens, while Vietnamese and Western travelers alike wandered within it. There were some beautiful water puppets there (we didn’t manage to see a show) and you can see a photo of them if you go to Souris’ site (after she has time to post them).
October 12, 2001
Khai took me around the old quarters for some souvenir shopping, and when I was in one of the shops, I asked the shop girl how much for one of the bags they had, and she said “oh, I thought you were a foreigner.” And then she gave me the “Vietnamese” price for the bag. Good to know that my Vietnamese has improved enough that I can actually pass as a Vietnamese.
Later that night, Khai and Trieu drove me out of town a bit to the Cau Thang Long (Dragon Bridge) as the sun was setting. We drove through an entire strip of dog-barbecue restaurants (unimaginable) before we could get there. Driving along the river, we passed a soccer game with grazing cattle on one side, and oxen on the other. When we reached the bridge, we stood in the middle and I turned around and saw a huge red circle in the sky over the Hong River. At first I thought it was the sun still setting – it was so red and round. Then I realized as the minutes passed that the ball of light was rising, not setting, and that it began to glow an even red-orange as it rose and eventually the lunar spectacular lightened in the sky over the course of an hour. It was amazingly beautiful.
Finally on my third day in Ha Noi, Chuong and I spent some time together eating, drinking, visiting the History Museum, eating some more, and drinking some more. Cafés in Ha Noi are cute and charming, and it’s easy to find a nice place to hang out.
The following day, Chuong and I went to a family wedding (the daughter of one of my first cousins on my dad’s side) where I met about a dozen or so relatives (mostly first cousins and their grown children). It was a well produced Vietnamese wedding where the food was actually pretty good (and not Chinese) and the décor not tacky. Of course, there was the typical show of singers karaoke-style.
Eventually, life returned to normal upon my re-entry in Saigon, and I am now busy at work again, having just finished a deadline.
October 06, 2001
Sai Gon, October 6, 2001.
I'm back from Hanoi, but busy at work. While away, it seems things were not taken care of and the onus has fallen upon me to design a magazine that I don't wish to design. I'll get it done, however, and in the meantime, anticipate my next vacation.
On Thursday when I returned from Hanoi with Chuong, we stopped in Di 10's Café ¤irectly from the airport. I saw a face I recognized, and instantly asked, "Xavier?" Upon the look of confusion I received in reply, I then immediately realized -- "Manu??" Sure enough, there was Manuel, the son of an old friend of mom and Di 10. Manu is Xavier's brother, and they are beautifully French-Vietnamese. I met Xavier for the first time in February during his visit here, and met Manu 15 years ago in Arlington when he stayed with our family for a month. As it turned out, Manu has been in Vietnam for a month, and was leaving that very day. Neither of us knew the other was in the country and unfortunately didn't manage to meet earlier (Di 10 was in Europe for a month, and she is our link). So we had lunch, caught up on life, and will hopefully meet again. It was incredibly nice to see Manu again after so many years. Our families share a mutual affinity for one another that transcend from our parents to us.
I'll write about Hanoi tonight and send pictures to post on Souris's site.
Till then. Bacione, H.
I'm back from Hanoi, but busy at work. While away, it seems things were not taken care of and the onus has fallen upon me to design a magazine that I don't wish to design. I'll get it done, however, and in the meantime, anticipate my next vacation.
On Thursday when I returned from Hanoi with Chuong, we stopped in Di 10's Café ¤irectly from the airport. I saw a face I recognized, and instantly asked, "Xavier?" Upon the look of confusion I received in reply, I then immediately realized -- "Manu??" Sure enough, there was Manuel, the son of an old friend of mom and Di 10. Manu is Xavier's brother, and they are beautifully French-Vietnamese. I met Xavier for the first time in February during his visit here, and met Manu 15 years ago in Arlington when he stayed with our family for a month. As it turned out, Manu has been in Vietnam for a month, and was leaving that very day. Neither of us knew the other was in the country and unfortunately didn't manage to meet earlier (Di 10 was in Europe for a month, and she is our link). So we had lunch, caught up on life, and will hopefully meet again. It was incredibly nice to see Manu again after so many years. Our families share a mutual affinity for one another that transcend from our parents to us.
I'll write about Hanoi tonight and send pictures to post on Souris's site.
Till then. Bacione, H.
October 03, 2001
Ha Noi, Vietnam. October 3, 2001
I’m visiting the office of one of Chuong’s friends right now (after a really wonderful french meal prepared by orphan students of a vocational school). I’ve spent the last few days wandering around Hanoi on motorbike with Khai (Linh’s friend) and Chieu (Khai’s friend). The sweetest part of Hanoi is its lakes. The other evening we spent about six hours drinking tea around Hoan Kiem Lake where it’s cool with weeping willows surrounding the lake.
Hanoi is much cooler than Saigon, although still hot, and the people in general seem less agressive. I’ve spent all my time riding around on motorbike, eating, and drinking. Yesterday, Khai took me all around the old quarters, with street names like Hang Bong “flower vendors,” Hang Giay “shoe vendors” and so on. There were once 36 streets in Hanoi where the locals would buy their specific goods at these little thoroughfares. Now, only a few remain, but thet all still have small boutiques and shops and many retain their old french charm.
There’s much to describe, but I will save it for when I return to Sai Gon. Only wanted to touch base here a bit and say hello. More upon my return tomorrow or Friday...
I’m visiting the office of one of Chuong’s friends right now (after a really wonderful french meal prepared by orphan students of a vocational school). I’ve spent the last few days wandering around Hanoi on motorbike with Khai (Linh’s friend) and Chieu (Khai’s friend). The sweetest part of Hanoi is its lakes. The other evening we spent about six hours drinking tea around Hoan Kiem Lake where it’s cool with weeping willows surrounding the lake.
Hanoi is much cooler than Saigon, although still hot, and the people in general seem less agressive. I’ve spent all my time riding around on motorbike, eating, and drinking. Yesterday, Khai took me all around the old quarters, with street names like Hang Bong “flower vendors,” Hang Giay “shoe vendors” and so on. There were once 36 streets in Hanoi where the locals would buy their specific goods at these little thoroughfares. Now, only a few remain, but thet all still have small boutiques and shops and many retain their old french charm.
There’s much to describe, but I will save it for when I return to Sai Gon. Only wanted to touch base here a bit and say hello. More upon my return tomorrow or Friday...
September 29, 2001
Saturday, September 29, 2001
Early birthday wishes for Nam-Tan for tomorrow as I'll be in Hanoi on Monday through Thursday with Chuong.
Linh and I had a change of lunch plans this afternoon. She came over instead and brought over a noodle soup called “bun moc” which is specialty of the North. Then we went up to Di 10’s room so I could work on the computer while she read some Vietnamese poetry, and then we watched “The Thomas Crown Affair” which I happen to think is pretty good mind candy. After dinner, I decided I was too lazy (and still to congested) to go out to Trinh Cong Son’s concert, so I stayed home to compose this rather bland blog report.
I will, however, brighten it up a bit by telling you a story about my brother, Forrest Gump. Lobo is, in Uncle Mike’s words, “the luckiest son-of-a-bitch” you ever met. Somehow, things always fall into his lap. And the thing is, he is inexplicably affable and absolutely charming. He’s the nicest kid you ever met. He’s an avid sports fan and music lover. He gets free clothes, free shoes, free CDs and free movies. He alphabetizes his DVD collection and likes to show you his organized household cleansers when you visit his apartment. Basically, super cool.
To give you some background, Lobo works for Fred Durst, lead singer of Limp Bizkit, among other things. Bo is Fred’s right-hand man. This job fell into his lap which was prefaced by the internship at Interscope which is thanks to Uncle Mike, of course. So the first time Lobo ever goes abroad, he is granted with an all-expense paid first-class airfaire trip to London where he stayed in a five-star hotel while on tour with Limp Bizkit just this summer. That’s just the beginning.
Kiki and I were instant messaging last night on Yahoo and here is the story I got from her after we were talking about how we (my siblings and I) all treat famous people like janitors (with the same due respect). Here’s her story:
kiki_h98: Have you heard about Lobo and the Seahawks?
hanihong1973: no, what's with forrest gump?
kiki_h98: Oh MY GOD!
kiki_h98: You'll love this.
kiki_h98: Lobo got to be friends with some agent guy who manages some players, one of whom is a player for the Seattle Seahawks.
kiki_h98: That player wants to be a rap artist or something so he and Bo have chatted lightly a few times.
kiki_h98: Bo saw them play some pre-season games where the guy got hurt. He called his agent friend and said, "Hey tell him I'm really bummed he got hurt but I'm looking forward to seeing him in the playoffs cuz I know they'll make it."
kiki_h98: So the PLAYER calls Lobo back and says, "Hey man, thanks for calling, that was really nice of you. I wanna fly you and five of your friends to Seattle for any of our games with all access passes and you can watch from the sidelines."
kiki_h98: So Lobo's flying three friends from Arlington and is taking the nephew of the guy who owns Interscope and another Interscope executive to the game.
kiki_h98: Friends + networking.
kiki_h98: This is our brother.
It’s all really too funny. Typical Lobo. Forrest Gump.
So that’s really all I have to tell for today. I love my family. They rock. xxoo Hani
Early birthday wishes for Nam-Tan for tomorrow as I'll be in Hanoi on Monday through Thursday with Chuong.
Linh and I had a change of lunch plans this afternoon. She came over instead and brought over a noodle soup called “bun moc” which is specialty of the North. Then we went up to Di 10’s room so I could work on the computer while she read some Vietnamese poetry, and then we watched “The Thomas Crown Affair” which I happen to think is pretty good mind candy. After dinner, I decided I was too lazy (and still to congested) to go out to Trinh Cong Son’s concert, so I stayed home to compose this rather bland blog report.
I will, however, brighten it up a bit by telling you a story about my brother, Forrest Gump. Lobo is, in Uncle Mike’s words, “the luckiest son-of-a-bitch” you ever met. Somehow, things always fall into his lap. And the thing is, he is inexplicably affable and absolutely charming. He’s the nicest kid you ever met. He’s an avid sports fan and music lover. He gets free clothes, free shoes, free CDs and free movies. He alphabetizes his DVD collection and likes to show you his organized household cleansers when you visit his apartment. Basically, super cool.
To give you some background, Lobo works for Fred Durst, lead singer of Limp Bizkit, among other things. Bo is Fred’s right-hand man. This job fell into his lap which was prefaced by the internship at Interscope which is thanks to Uncle Mike, of course. So the first time Lobo ever goes abroad, he is granted with an all-expense paid first-class airfaire trip to London where he stayed in a five-star hotel while on tour with Limp Bizkit just this summer. That’s just the beginning.
Kiki and I were instant messaging last night on Yahoo and here is the story I got from her after we were talking about how we (my siblings and I) all treat famous people like janitors (with the same due respect). Here’s her story:
kiki_h98: Have you heard about Lobo and the Seahawks?
hanihong1973: no, what's with forrest gump?
kiki_h98: Oh MY GOD!
kiki_h98: You'll love this.
kiki_h98: Lobo got to be friends with some agent guy who manages some players, one of whom is a player for the Seattle Seahawks.
kiki_h98: That player wants to be a rap artist or something so he and Bo have chatted lightly a few times.
kiki_h98: Bo saw them play some pre-season games where the guy got hurt. He called his agent friend and said, "Hey tell him I'm really bummed he got hurt but I'm looking forward to seeing him in the playoffs cuz I know they'll make it."
kiki_h98: So the PLAYER calls Lobo back and says, "Hey man, thanks for calling, that was really nice of you. I wanna fly you and five of your friends to Seattle for any of our games with all access passes and you can watch from the sidelines."
kiki_h98: So Lobo's flying three friends from Arlington and is taking the nephew of the guy who owns Interscope and another Interscope executive to the game.
kiki_h98: Friends + networking.
kiki_h98: This is our brother.
It’s all really too funny. Typical Lobo. Forrest Gump.
So that’s really all I have to tell for today. I love my family. They rock. xxoo Hani
