N E P t u n e: My life

Facebook is awesome !!!!

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 10:33:48 GMT

Well, I am not going to make this blog become a monthly updated blog but actually it has been more than one month since my last update; uhggg, bad owner huh? Honestly, Facebook has been attracting my time these days and that made me almost completely forget... Space; I am sorry, but just trying to be as honest as possible. So anyways, these are what have been happening in my life...

I had a freezing Tet (again, Tet is lunar New year) this year. I had never been like that before, so I did not hang out much. Until the 6th of Tet, I took a train and head up to Hanoi. It was so nice with sunny and warmer weather up there. 3 days in Hanoi were just in the circle of shopping and eating and sleeping and I walked a very long day everyday then; it is kind of killing time but also enjoying the fresh air (just the way I say; not really fresh).

Back home just for 2 days then I did an awesome trip with 3 other friends.We... went... to... Thailand (I did look for you Saksinee ). Our first stop there is Mukdahan and we kind of very impressed how quiet that city is. We thought it was on a holiday or something so no one get out of their houses; but no, it was just a normal day. We were dropped at the bus station at night and fumbling the way how to get downtown. We found a Shell gas station just few steps away from the bus station. We got there and hopefully could figure out some useful information or the direction. Shoo, no one there speaks English. We tried to use body language and the map on our hand, but... When we were leaving the gas station, there was a guy drving his small truck there to get some gas. Thank God he knows some English. We asked and he said "I'm going on the same way to get downtown too so I could give you a free ride". We were so glad with that, jumping on the back of his truck and enjoy the place.

The next day, we arrived in Khonkaen. There is a friend of my friend, I mean my friend's friend, not my friend but we made friend and she is now my friend; so that is a friend anyways ( what the hell am I talking?). Whatever, but we got a great chance to stay with her at her house there. She is very nice, as Paul said "better than good". She took us around Khonkaen and showed us the direction to hang out when she is busy with classes. I have got a chance to try lots of amazing Thai food. they have the best curries ever, but really hot and spicy. Just imagine how you are while eating those curries, your nose is running, snuffling sound and saying "yummy yummy" continuously; ohh, I can't wait to have those super good food again.

There also are bunch of other good food there. In the following picture is a food that I don't even remember its name but it includes sticky rice with mango and coconut juice I think. I have tried a piece of that and it tastes amazing.

I could not show you the others cause I did not take any picture of them; my fault. But we tried Japanese food at a very nice restaurant intown. Thanks Lauren for that awesome meal.

Thailand has a weird 3 wheels vehicle. If people use it for a taxi, it is called a tuk-tuk, but if it is a public vehicle, it would be called a songteuw. Here, we are riding on a tuk-tuk and one more thing is that people drive on the left in Thailand so that is why the next picture was taken when Paul and I were stopping for the red light and we both confused that little kid was driving a truck.

In this picture is I and Paul proudly riding on a motorbike without helmet to the bank for some money exchange. Driving on the left is kind of strange to me. We were stopped twice by Thai cops within couple minutes because of no helmet but when they figured out we are farang (that is how Thai people call foreigners), the conversation was switched over... cops: "where are you from? where are you going? have you known where the bank is? I recommend the Bangkok bank, fast and easy and no need passport".

Thailand is a pagoda country, pagoda is everywhere. I visited an amazing pagoda and could not say anything except "awesome". Let show you some pictures I have...

This is a serious recommendation: you SHOULD try Thai massage before you die. It takes an hour and a half for one time and the move could make you fall to dream when you are laying down on a comfortable place. I found these funny restroom signs at the massage place and I think I would never find things like this again at other places.

This for people who are male And this for the opposite sex people

It is just the way how you do that and it is very visual.

The next stop of us is Koh Chang island. We took a night bus from Khonkaen to get to Bangkok and got a taxi at around 2 AM to go the Trat I think, where we catched the ferry to arrive the island. The beach where we stayed is Long Beach and at the Treehouse.

Paradise, huh? I really enjoyed the sunlight and cool water there, the coral is beautiful too that I brought one home even though it was terribly heavy caring with my baggage to me. Food at Kho Chang is delicious but unfortunately, everything is charged double or treble at least. But I mean it is worth it.

Thailand is a great trip to me and I am glad I made it. A good thing is that I got to know a pretty special friend in Khonkaen...

Back Hue, I got stuck with bunch of work. I am kind of running in a race with all of my work now and I feel like I am gona die with some of those. But anyways, today is still good so let enjoy life!

And the last thing in this post is to a great friend, "welcome back Hue, Julie !!!!". It is so great to see and hang out with you again. Now I know it is real.

Hope you all are enjoying life!

I gotta vanish now.

PS: On facebook,... (I know, I should not mention facebook again here) I have just created an open group calls Addicted to - ORCHID - Fan Club for anyone who loves orchid. This is the link http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=9094873508&ref=nf and I think you probably have to sign in to access that link. Anyways, I just want to let you guys know about the group and if anyone wish to join it, you are more than welcome to join our group. Thank you and bye for real.

Life is beautiful

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 16:18:42 GMT

So the wedding finally happened pretty perfectly as we were expecting. My sister was very excited and happy with that and us too. Almost all of our guests came that night to share happiness with us and that's why the hall looked tight with about 450 people there. The party was started by an imposing dancing act and then five handsome guys (I mean as handsome as... me lol) processed the five wedding cakes with a very solemn moment.

The groom and the bride were leaded into the hall by a group of fashionable and wealthy young people holding fireworks and walking in front of all is a cute couple kids who are my friend Ken and Heather's little son and my niece. I think this part attracted everyone's attention most. I should post some pictures here so you guys could see how the wedding looked but unfortunately that I still have been waiting for the pictures, so there will be a new photo album soon.

Eveyone was satisfied with the wedding and it was just almost 10 days away from Tet (lunar new year). Aunty came back Hue from Houston this year and we have had family meal almost everyday. It's kind of being busy but I feel pretty excited with the warmness of family reunion.

School was pretty crazy this year right before being off for Tet. I was still working on the 27th of Tet (means the 27th of December, lunar calendar - 3 days away from Tet). We are changing our training system into credits system so have to recompile all the curriculums. I have to work on 3 subjects and 2 of them are new to me and that should be finished after Tet.

I enjoyed these 3 days with family and meeting with some old friends who were back home for Tet. We went out for some great and special food here and hung out at the flower shows to get some for house decoration. I actually cold and drizzling here sometimes so kind of wet and not my favourite weather to hang out.

Well, it's just less than one hour away from the new year's eve. The year of mouse is coming. But the feeling is just normal; I don't know why. I could say I'm not as much excited as I was when Tet is coming while I still was a kid. That because of people's age or life is changing? No making banh chung, banh tet at home, even no new clothes... so, I don't know but it just something happens.

Anyways, happy Tet to everyone even most of you have no idea about this biggest holiday in Vietnam. But who cares

Ring the New Year

Tue, 01 Jan 2008 14:02:43 GMT

Hi all in the new year,

I could tell last night was super fun to us spending time at a bar that calls Brown Eyes. I and Liz were going to this place once before but we did not know their address until we got their advertising brochure by chance. So last night, on New year's Eve, is the first time we have been there...

Before going to the bar, we had dinner with good food at a Vietnamese style restaurant that is famous for "com nieu" (rice cooked in small earthenware pots). I took Liz on my motorbike and Paul, Eva and Emily biked on their bicycles. It was funny that Liz didn't have a helmet so I had to wear my rain coat so she could hide in it from the police even though it was not raining. I was the only one wearing rain coat and driving on the streets then; hopefully people didn't look at me as a weird guy then.

We got to Brown Eyes finally. Not many people there yet cause it was pretty early to go to the bar then. But that brought us something special as a good sign in the last hours of the old year as well as for the new year. We got free drink for everyone of us and Brown Eyes shirts as the present for the 20 first guests coming last night...

On the way to Brown Eyes Ordering our drink Enjoying the cocktail

Eva and I and Liz Emily and I Drinking champagne outside

I went to the pool table with Paul and Emily to play some games. I did some nice shoot but not lucky and good enough to win Paul. After the game, I could see the bar was getting crowded with lots of people coming. We met Tyler and Lucas, with his girlfriend and some other new friends there. We talked for a while and joined the dancing group. The music is super loud with wonderful green and red laser lights. People were dancing crazily and that is really fun and overenthusiastic. I could not stay long at the dancing area...

The immortal Happy New Year song resounded meaningly on the New Year's Eve moment. Everyone was sharing love and wishes to each other. I had a strange and happy feeling being with friends there at that moment. We held the burning candle in our hands and singing the new year song... It turned 2008, noisy music came back and people kept dancing...

We got outside, stayed at the courtyard of the bar and opened a bottle of champagne. Cheers and happy new year !!!

I and Liz got back home at around 1.00AM and we wouldn't go to bed until almost 2.00 o'clock. We were so tired and sleepy. But Liz had to get up for a meeting at 9.00 in the next morning and I could sleep in... And I understand how her feeling is on the New Year's Eve being away from home...

Happy New Year !!!

Posting from Quang Ngai

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 14:14:32 GMT

Hello all,

I'm sitting at the lobby and typing this entry at the Central hotel in Quang Ngai, a province about 400Km (maybe ) away to the South from Hue. I just come here this morning by bus to meet my instructor for the graduation thesis next year. I'm going to stay here just for a day and going back home tomorrow, so time on the bus is much longer than time I spend to work with my instructor here. It's weird but worth it I hope.

Back to the last few days, I spent most of my time with the group of college students from College of Charleston in America coming to Hue this time for some Think About the Children's work. I could tell it is a pleasure to help them with charitable work. We planned to visit the kids at Duc Son orphanage again and to go to three villages at the coastal area of Thua Thien Hue to visit the poor kids. Everything works okay finally even though that is a long story. We hung out sometimes over some bottles of beer or some cups of cocktail at "Why not" and "DMZ" bars at night and I enjoyed playing pool with some of the students even though I didn't win a game; boohoo. I have just posted a new photo album calls "Think About the Children" that includes lots of pictures I took during those days. Hope you guys will check it out. Looking at the pictures, I already felt missing everyone... Wish all have a great time and good experience in Vietnam and have a safe flight back home.

Oh, I have to go now. Sorry. But there is one more thing I want to say before leaving: Wish you all a merry Christmas next week!

Bye and I will be back soon, I hope.

Every week flood

Fri, 16 Nov 2007 13:50:31 GMT

Oh my...

You know, right after the badminton competition was over, Hue was flooded. That began in the evening that Doug and mom Cindy came down Hue from Hanoi on a night flight. I met them in the next morning and that was so great. Doug went outside with Mr. Cu, the owner of famous Mandarin cafe in Hue to take photo on that bad flood; he also posted about it on his blog. That is the 4th flood within one month. I also added some pictures from my camera at the bottom too. Check it out!

So finally, I got the second prize in the badminton competition. I tried it hard but could not win the final match but I am glad that people know how I can play through this competition.

Back school after the competition and flooding time, I found classes are so crazy. Essays, seminars, specially writing the outline and getting ready for the graduation thesis next year, and prepare for the English club, activities of the Youth Union (I said I can't do and don't want to do but people still push me into this duty); all of work make me feel busy even just thinking of them. But being busy, even so busy is a good thing to me at the moment for some personal reason...

... I am happy I could speak out, I am glad someone is listening to me and I feel warm to know that I have been shared what happens in my life...

Wish you back home safe!

My mind is busy at the moment, VERY BUSY!

Stuck !!!

Wed, 07 Nov 2007 06:09:09 GMT

Thanks all friends for reading and leaving messages on my blog in recent days. I'm currently really busy with day and night classes and getting ready for the badminton competition this weekend. I will play men's singles and men's doubles. So, I will not have time for blog as well as reading and leaving comments on yours until next week. Sorry for that and I will be back soon with stories.

Just a quick post before leaving for class. Hope you all are enjoying life. Peace!

Blog - A Re-connecting Solution

Sat, 13 Oct 2007 07:03:00 GMT

3 hours after posting the previous entry to inform the... whole world that I am blogging back, I got a phone message: "Hey Tuan! Do you sill use this number... I hope so. I just read your blog today. I'm working in Hue now. When you have free time we should meet up!". Tyler, yes Tyler, I was surprised. I actually did not remember I gave him my blog address so I was wondering how he knew I had posted new thing on my blog so quickly...

Tyler is a VIA (Volunteer in Asia) had been teaching English at An Giang University until last few months. Last time I met him is in Long Xuyen, when I went down there for a invigilation work of Hue University. Uhm... no, I was lying, last time is in Hue, having coffee on the river band. And then, we had just texted to each other once or twice. I thought he might move back home in the US but... he is currently living at a place much much nearer, 3 minutes driving or 2 seconds flying from my house here, in Hue, I think. There is a picture of him at the bottom of this post (picture is from Tyler's blog, and that is the nicest one that I could find; thanks! ).

We met up this morning and had a good talk together over a cup of coffee. We sat in a nice roadside cafe, enjoyed a pretty dry place in a Hue hard raining morning and got to know about the recent time of life of each other. Tyler is doing an exciting and meaningful job that is teaching English for kids at an orphanage here. It seems like looks more stately than the previous times I met him in Hue as well as in Long Xuyen, he said he should prove being a good image in the orphans' eyes... (so no drinking late outside at night, no sleeping in, at least except weekend... sorry )

But anyways, hearing from friends who had gone with the wind for a while or long time is very nice. I should say thanks to blog and... cellphone (in case cellphone is claiming its merit) to help me to communicate with friends. Now, I know a friend is living here and I could have someone talking to and enjoying morning coffee with me when we have time...

Okay, I'm going to take a nap now, to... 4.00 or 4.30 PM - a free Saturday afternoon ; I don't have to be an image of anyone !!!

Chocolate ocean guy (Beard was shaved already...)

Divorce is ... I don't know. But I'm back !!!

Wed, 10 Oct 2007 04:20:54 GMT

Dear friends who hear that I am calling out loud and friends who don't,

I had devorced this space for 4 months and that means 4 months I had lived without blogging. I am not going to compare stopping blogging with divorcing a wife but actually, deciding to play again with blogging looks like remarriage that old wife. I promise to myself... "I should do better this time", but... uhm... well, I SHOULD

Life has been going well to me. Some of you may still remember, I hope, about my Netherlands scholarship application and I got the reserve place but... not enough, I was excluded finally after almost 3 months of waiting cause no one cancelled his/her place . So, I keep working on my MA degree here for this last year. I am currently "soaring" with lot of ideas for the MA graduation thesis and sometimes "lots" may obstruct making choice. I don't teach this semester (until next semester, with 2 classes would be fun) but have to study 8 courses which means 8 essays are waiting for this poor student.

In the recent months, an event, family event had happened that is my grandma passed away. I had received lot of condolences from friends and close friends and on this Space, a condolence from Saksinee and I would love to say thanks for that and sorry for not replying for some reason. But especially, I wish to say a warm thanks to everyone! Until now, my family had finished the 3 most important rites for my grandma; the funeral, the 50th day ceremony and 100th day ceremony. I hope to show you another entry talking about the meaning of these ceremonies in Vietnam (actually, in Hue; up to the North and down to the South, people have a bit different culture and meaning of the dead ceremonies).

Before writing this, I was curious to know how my blog friends have been and I have taken a blog tour to get update. Uhm, I haven't looked all, just most on friends who was communicating to me frequently and... luckily to see Michiko is still blogging thoughtfully; Sakisinee had some entries about her Atom and Vietnam, she is trying to keep blogging but hasn't had any new work since September 29; SkRuMshZ is still writing about daily life and "Song of the day". However, Lisa with cute writing hasn't had any update since September 03; good blog friend Ginger has stopped blogging since May 02; and Borgqueen101 has disappeared since February 21 . And more... Anyways, I wish to get update from all blog friends and try to "remarriage" blogging. Out of MSN Space, I still keep reading Virtual Doug sometimes to know what happen to my old man friend and mom Cindy. They are coming back Hue soon (read this). Preya with Dreaming of Hanoi now moved to a new web address http://www.preyanka.com/ and still blogging about life around her. Fun thirstythong is still playing blog but slowly; Lace is still posting pictures on her cute kids; Antidote to Burnout is blogging most on design and construction; and more more more...

So, just few things for you to know I "remarriage"... I am not going to promise anything but to me, live Space looks... cool now; yes, it really is...

Uhm,... long time no see

Tue, 01 May 2007 05:37:13 GMT

Well, well, well... the real life has been attracting me so tightly and I had no chance to come up here, on this virtual space to talk to all of my dear readers. Plus the system, I mean the network has worked crazily that I could not load my space and post or upload anything...

These recent weeks are the good time to me. The project with MEDRIX has been back with a training workshop for my students on using GPS for data collection and research. We had fun and great time. My students really enjoyed the course, they learned fast and lot from what we know and showed them. Doug is also a member of this training workshop as a photographer and... an instructor. He wrote an entry on this workshop (just click on the link to read his post). Oh, by the way, you could find a new photo album on this space that calls GPS workshop 2007 (thanks Doug and Mr. Bob for sharing your pictures). One of the success of this time working with MEDRIX is that we are both unanimous in planing for more workshops and activities in the future and we will have to do that more formal and more specialistic.

I have done with my class. We worked on our 30 practical periods last week but I don't really think they all could work well with the GIS software at the moment. Some of them could understand very well and proved to be smart but someone are exactly same same what they said at the very first period we met that is having no idea about computer. Also classes but it's my MA's degree ones, they started last week too and that have kept me busier. Actually, I'm enjoying a pretty big holiday in Vietnam and I have 5 days off work. I don't travel and essays of MA class are making me feel worse on this holiday. I haven't thought of that yet but I will have soon.

Sister came back home for few days not just to visit family, also to plan for something very interesting and important in one's life which calls engagement. It seems like my whole family feel good and excited with that. So, we got the schedule finally, engagement ceremony in July and wedding in November. Woo hoo, first wedding in my family and that should be a great experience.

So, I will have to be back work tomorrow. Let see how the holiday of my colleagues are...

PS: I'm thinking of a PERSON these days!

Welcome back !!!

Fri, 13 Apr 2007 16:06:50 GMT

Okay, it works again finally, I mean uploading pictures. And here you are...

   Yeap, they are back but this time, mom Cindy works with a team from MEDRIX on medical education and Doug is in the safe water development group; oh, and a little bit on the GPS training workshop with my school too :). We hung out together last night, went to Huyen Anh for dinner and all of us really enjoyed the 'bun thit nuong' and 'banh cuon' there and then I took them to a tea place calls Vu Di. She could have chance to enjoy the ginger tea she loves...
   We had good conversation last night on traveling in the US and Universities over there. Hanh could get the visa from the US embassy here and going to Colorado to be the maid of honor at Julie&Jon... REAL wedding. That made me think of what I had never thought of before because it was too hard, that is getting the US visa. I have stopped over at the website of the US embassy in Hanoi for a while and I found out it just takes 6 weeks (the longest the process can be) to ask for the visa. So, we talked a little bit about the plan visiting the US last night and I am so excited with that. I wish I will have time to do that in August or September. Cindy seems like she wants me to do the MA's degree at a University in the States and certainly I wish too but... I ought to have began saving money when I was 6 so hopefully I would have enough money for a MA course in the US now :). Just kidding but actually, it is so expensive with Viet students if no scholarship of fellowship is offered.
   Anyway, it's good to have them again here in Hue. We all are busy with work now but still trying to find time to enjoy being together over the meals...
   And I hope all of you guys have a great weekend. I will be back soon next week with some exciting jobs I will have to do. Bye for now.

Unlucky as soot

Sat, 31 Mar 2007 08:41:50 GMT

Today is properly the most unlucky day in the unlucky days of this unlucky March to me. I brought my HP laptop which is more precious than diamond to school for a practical class and it was poisoned by a Trojan that is one of the "rare and valuable" species. Windows Defender could detect it but still had to give up and leave its lot to chance; adrift destiny! Thus, whenever I turn the computer on and start it, 80 or 90% of the memory is sacrificed to that bad Trojan to enjoy; and as for the whole monumental system, it's running ploddingly and I have to wait for so long, yawn ten or so times until the system finishes the process of opening the... My Computer window. That hurts!

Despite the heart-broken fact, I decided to try to backup all the data and build the system again from scratch. I immediately thought of the desktop computer that has been put in mothballs for a month. Have to fix it first! I stayed at home that afternoon and had half a day off work and enjoyed a nap by the way; and then, time to wake up, turn off the alarm and bring the computer to a PC shop to solve the problem. Nevertheless, the desktop computer is not really "sound in mind" even it has been fixed already; sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. And I lose pretty much salt because of being bathed in sweat while using that computer; don't really know when it will die...

Thus, I may have no computer for tomorrow class; it's like an artist performs a solo saxophone act without the help of the trumpet. Or if I could borrow a computer somewhere, there would not be any data and applications in it to show the students, you guys will not have chance to enjoy that. In that way, you guys just keep blaming the fortune, I don't even wish that...

Someone says "pros" and "cons" go together. I don't know how that is in other cases but in this case, it's absolutely right. Commenting mathematically, philosophically and logically, if computer did not appear, be used and make people dependent on, there would not be my pang today; if there was not "pros", there would not be "cons". But, not having opportunity to play computer games and chatting is so regrettable; losing 2/3 of life! Or, if there was not that diabolic Trojan,... oh, yeah, if there was not virus and trojan, there would not be the pang today but still have chance to play games and chat. Woo hoo, could you see that? the universal truth has been found !!!

(This entry is also written in Vietnamese on Yahoo)

Just brief daily updates...

Thu, 22 Mar 2007 04:28:44 GMT

You know, I could not imagine how teaching would make me busy but in fact, that is consuming most of my office hours. I have spent some of the events in my daily life recently and just want to blog very briefly about them. Actually, they do not really sound like an EVENT, not that special; just normal and daily... events (sorry for making this confusing, eheheh).

1/ Sport at 5.30 AM

Hue University is going to celebrate 50 years of foundation and development and it seems like there will be a huge anniversary in few weeks. One of the activities we have is a soccer competition and participants are Colleges and Centres which are belong Hue University. You might guess that my name was writen down on the soccer players list of the College of Sciences and it was a "destiny". At the very first time of practicing, the team was divided into 2 for a game and no one in my half team standing in front of the goal to be a goalkeeper. Certainly I felt unsecured for my team with an empty goal so I "sacrificed" myself to a the goalkeeper (actually, I don't really like being a goalkeeper cause that is the most boring job in the boring jobs that I could know). And I was successful on snatching the ball several times then the coach said "I've already found a goalkeeper for the team". Mannnn! God always gives what you dislike...

And as a part of my daily life these days, I have to wake up at 5.15 AM, drive to the college and practice snatching the ball. I still don't know how to throw my body to catch the ball as the professional players can do on TV, I just move right and left on my feet and save the goal most by using my... feet . I know, but in fact, my feet can reflex much better than my 2 hands now.

Hue has been drizzling and a bit cold these days and please sympathize with me that getting up at 5.15 AM to play soccer is the hardest thing in the world that people can do. I have shirked practicing for 4 days already...

2/ Mom had a short vistit in China and was back with many clothes

The first time she really goes abroad. Stuffs in China are very difficult to buy with her; good looking things are always expensive and the cheaper ones look ugly and too flashy. She almost did not buy anything that really made in China. Stop at the border area on the way back home, she found out things there are same same in China but prices are much lower and she started spending money on that as she wished to do. I got some new clothes and stuff, 3 T-shirts, 3 shorts, some cool... underwears and a backpack with "surprising" prices.

3/ Work at school are going well but schedule is tight

I finally got the permission from the boss and my boss to arrange a training workshop for my students. We will work on applying the GPS technology on collecting data and research. MEDRIX will come base on a small cooperation with my school we will work together on this workshop. I'm waiting for that.

Some of the researches are at the high tide period so we are racing with time; plus classes I have to take at postgraduate degree and class I teach. Grading paper takes lot of time to read over what students write on their papers...

Well, I hope to be back soon with some interesting entries on fun things in Hue or something like that. But have to say bye for now...

Just because of Tet

Sun, 25 Feb 2007 06:18:04 GMT

   Tet is over actually. As I promised in a previous post that I would mention the worship on the 3rd of Tet to you because it's an important worship in the "Tet worship system" in Vietnam as well as in Hue but I didn't have chance to take a picture that day; I was outside with some colleagues. You know, Tet is always busy to people (it is fun busy) and you can't have a realizable plan for the days of Tet cause your plan would be subject to be broken when you stop someone's house....
   Okay, here is a brief description for the 3rd of Tet worship which has the purpose of saying goodbye to the ancestor (we welcomed them to come back home for Tet at the New Year's Eve party). In fact, it's absolutely similar with other worships that we have on Tet. Preparing food, some families prepare just normal food (with meat, fish, chicken,...) for the worship but some used to have vegetable food for that, especially the Buddhist families. And the way people serve food at this worship is same same; incensing, burning paper-money (known as unreal money or hell-money) and paper clothes... It's just different when people pray at the worship; what they pray, what the purpose of the worship is. And certainly, you could guess what people would pray at a saying goodbye to their ancestor worship; people also pray to the ancestor to bless them, support them and bring them what they wish to have in the new year. As other family worship, this is also an opportunity to have a family meal on Tet and as I told you, this year, I missed this meal, as I did last year too.
   If someone ask me "what is the thing that you put in your stomach most on Tet?" I would give a very quick answer: "alcohol". Drinking alcohol (beer or wine) has been becoming a... Tet culture. It depends on the weather to have beer or wine; if it's warm (like this year, it was very warm, even hot like in the middle of summer - Preya mentioned this in her latest post), beer is the best choice, but when it's cool and drizzling (Tet weather as usual), wine is preferred. Every house has alcohol on Tet to entertain guests. Just few cups at each house and so many people (relatives, colleagues, bosses, old friends, new friends, close friends, old teachers,...) you have to come to visit, plus many different kinds of alcohol mixing together in your stomach, wooow, you would get drunk easily and to me, very quickly.
   The 7th and 8th of Tet (yesterday and the day before yesterday) are the early working days to me. Actually, I will not back to work until the 10th of Tet (I mean tomorrow) but I have my first class right on the first day back to work so I need a good preparation for that. Typically, most of students don't get back to school on the right day, always few days later so they could enjoy Tet longer. But I hope that will not happen to my students. I enjoyed Tet enough and now ready to back work and I wish my students did too. I'm excited to work with them tomorrow. Can't wait...

Ahhh, I've caught cold and my nose is running. Very uncomfortable !!! hic hic...

Tue, 30 Jan 2007 09:07:23 GMT

A relative I had never met

Sat, 13 Jan 2007 04:07:05 GMT

I met 'anh Thuy' yesterday at my house when he came to visit with his father and uncle. As I said, we are relatives, uhm... his grandmom (dad side) and my granddad (also dad side) are brother and sister; so pretty distant relatives. But whatever, we met each other the very first time. He was born over there, in the US so he speaks English and luckily, he understands and can speak a little bit Vietnamese. He is 3 years older than me and kind of friendly and open and we found the confortableness talking to each other even though at the first time meeting together. He said this is the first time he goes abroad. He has a busy life in California, teaching at a high school, studying on his Master's degree and working on his business and all of those had sticked him in that place, no travelling.

He came to Hue this time because of his father who had decided to come back home for the rest of his life after detected he has cancer (stomach). He and his kids (one son who is Thuy and one younger daughter who has American name, Cela) really love each other. And he doesn't want his kids to see he is dying. And one of the things he wish his kids to do before passing away is that they get a chance to come back their motherland, to see and know about the place where their father grew up...

Thuy's dad and other relatives keep showing him a lot of things about Vietnam, about Hue, about family, about tradition and relationship..., about everything of this life that he ought to have known long time ago. He is interested in that and loves that; that's good anyway cause I have known some 'Viet kieu' doesn't really want to get to know about their motherland, just always complain at these dificulties, those terrible things and talk incessantly about 'good' America or Western countries. That's too material and they don't know how to acknowledge the real value of life.

I took 'anh Thuy' around Hue and gave him a very quick city tour yesterday. We stopped by Lotus cafe, talking together over a cup of white coffee. We talked about his business and business here, about differences between life here and in the States, about our relationship with girls (girlfriends), about family, about culture, about food and drink,... and both of us have learned many things from each other. He has learned about how comfortable and relaxed life here is, how friendly, honest and soulful people here are, an enjoyable life in Hue that people have... and I have learned about a crazy life that I have heard over there, about the tricky things in a multicultural and complicated society, about everything is money and money, about the stories people were laughing at him just because he is a Vietnamese with a small Asian body and because he got the high study results while they think education means nothing; but also about a modern society which creates many modern and hard-working people...

It was worth it to me to take an afternoon off to spend time with him. At least, I found a pretty congenial relative and what we talked together made him understand better about this life. I realize the Vietnamese soul which was staying in his blood for long time is growing up right on his motherland. He is proud of being a Vietnamese.

Welcome back!!!

Fri, 12 Jan 2007 04:33:03 GMT

Doug arrived here while Hue was raining and freezing and I was at the middle of examination. I met him again as we made an appointment at Mandarin café after I finished the last test of my civil service employee examination. He was very tired and sleepy because of the long flight and time zone change and I was too because of exam, exam and exam. The cold of Hue could not overwhelm the warm in our hearts meeting each other again. Doug is still as in the past; still well-informed, still knowledgeable, still thoughtful, still comments deeply on things around and it’s good to know one of the things is that he still very comfortable being in Hue, where he calls home. We had dinner together at the Mandarin and then had to say goodbye to give Doug a chance to take a rest. By the way, I got some more hot chocolate from mom Cindy, woohoo.

I met him again another day, yesterday and picked him up to Huyen Anh to have ‘bun thit nuong’. Unfortunately, right by the time we came to the gate of Huyen Anh, a guy was carrying a board shows “Het” (which means ‘no more food’) to put it at the gate. Goodness, too careless, didn’t they know they would have a special customer today? So we had to go to the next places to pick one that we don’t often do. We stopped at the nearest place from Huyen Anh when all of those 5 or 6 places have their names which are very similar with Huyen Anh, like Hien Anh or Huyen An or something like that; just to make the tourists confused I think. He said that everything is so good and comfortable with him at the moment except missing his wife. Yeah, with Cindy here at the moment, all would be perfect to him, they are always together.

He got a motorbike to be around Hue by himself and sounds like he is busy reconnecting with friends and former students and also things with Mr. Cu (the owner of Mandarin and also his friend, whose sickness is the reason of Doug’s coming here this time). He is enjoying being home…

Good news brings worry

Thu, 28 Dec 2006 04:10:38 GMT

"... The admission committee of the Natural Resources Management Programme considers you eligible for participation in their programme ..." That is quoted from the letter that I have got from ITC yesterday. It sounds so good, isn't it? and I am really glad that I was accepted for a Master of Science course on Planning and Coordination in Natural Resources Management, starting 17 September 2007 till 6 March 2009 in the Netherlands. But, "... Therefore, I am willing to provisionally reserve a place for you in this programme, pending payment of our enclosed invoice. Note that payment of the total amount of our invoice should have reached us through our back account at the RABO bank mentioned in our invoice at least three months before the starting date of the programme, since I will need a considerable period to arrange a candidate's stay in the Netherlands and at ITC. If payment has not reached us in time, your candidacy will be cancelled..."

And I took a look on the invoice... wooow, "... total amount is € 28,047.00. Total to be received before 17th June 2007 ...". Huh, I got a problem, how to find that amount of money when there is not any scholarship program for Vietnam that I can apply cause they all require at least 2 years work experience and I only have 1. Hic hic, a big question, from where is that money? Anyone knows any job that I can earn € 28,000 within only 6 months? I will much appreciate...

Almost 1 week staying home

Sat, 16 Dec 2006 14:11:13 GMT

To study, to write the curriculum, to get ready for one of the huge examination in my life, civil service examination. The curriculum, almost done. The super thick education law document, haven't touched yet. I feel sick thinking of it; 420 pages A4 font size 13, no picture... So boring! How could people learn by heart all of those? that's amazing, like miracle... Not out of worry until the exam is over, Jan 7th, 8th, 9th. Bad, now worse! final exams of MA class will be around then too, at the beginning of Jan. 5 subjects, that means 5 essays need to be done before the examination starts... haven't done anything yet. Just afraid those exams will fall to same days... nothing to say... give up. But if they won't, no way to carry all of those hard work at the same period of time... Christmas is coming, New year is coming, holiday is coming... no no no, examination is coming, hic hic... poor me! Will be a hard working Christmas, will be a staying home Christmas, will be a worried Christmas... Okay okay, stop complaining! Get back your work! hic hic...

Just how it feels

Tue, 12 Dec 2006 16:25:58 GMT

I felt like I found the right place to be and then I had been interested in what I had and what I had worked on. I had received the wonderful promises and I was feeling like I would touch them some day not really far from that moment during the hard days I had been trying my best to work. Sometimes, I had told myself: "Thanks God, my hard working and endeavour will be requited soon". I was hoping...

Unitl one day, everything is broken just because of a statement comes from the other side of the earth. No more promises, no more hopes. I feel like everything that I had tried with all my efforts to get is now empty around me, and like I have nothing now...

I begin feeling discouraged and I don't want to do anything. I am thinking of the new beginnings, I want to escape from the tired situation. But, I don't know what to do...

Hot chocolate and the beautiful messages, phone and emails

Tue, 21 Nov 2006 10:36:11 GMT

Yeah, 24 now ...

I got it !!!

Wed, 08 Nov 2006 06:33:22 GMT

Just got a nice postcard from one of my close friend from Turkey today. She is traveling around and enjoying every country she's been visiting for pretty long time staying there.

It sounds like it took more than a month to send here a thing from Turkey. But, yes, very nice, Hang. Thank you. So glad for that but missing you tons too. Hope to see you again soon and enjoy fun with you. Take care.

Yawn...

Sun, 05 Nov 2006 14:03:36 GMT

Life is still passing daily and I have not found a thing that is interesting to me in recent weeks. Tomorrow would be same same today and not different from yesterday. All I have had these days are classes and classes; and the thing is that those classes are not my interest and not really helpful to me (as I mentioned in a previous post). I was wishing I could have some time off to go somewhere or to do something that I enjoy. But it seems like it is not easy to have that chance at the moment. And it's happened to think of blogging but actually I am not sure what I want to blog...

Looking back the previous weeks, beside classes, I was busy preparing for the 30th foudation anniversary celebration of my University as well as some activities of my Dept to welcome our former students and students. I did not really feel good and was a bit like a fish out of water with my very few old friends at the party; while lot of students, including former students of other classes were ebullient with their friends. A bit disappointed anyway...

Then I missed the Halloween. I missed joining the games with my American friends last 2 years...

MEDRIX came here for more than a week and I and Mr. Robert were working on the proposal for a GPS training workshop for my students and finally MEDRIX could not meet with my boss to talk about our plan because of some reasons...

And I received an "invitation" to go to have a medical check-up for military service. Wow wow, lot of big plans of my life in the next 2 years. If I have to do military service (for 18 months), I don't even know what will happen to my life but for sure that my study career will be broken. Let see...

So, to make my blogging job more interesting, should I find some topics to blog? Maybe but I'm not sure if I have time to really focus on it. Ken might be right, people were eager having a blog and then let it falls into oblivion in the end for reasons... Doesn't mean I'm going to stop blogging.

Bad news...

Sun, 08 Oct 2006 14:34:17 GMT

One of my friends at the university, whose name is Huong; she is a friendly and quite fun gal with a good voice singing Viet country music. We are good friends together during the time we studied at the college and seems like we were getting closer a little more after 3 months staying and doing the graduation paper together in Saigon last year. After my class graduated, she moved back her home town in Binh Dinh, a province in the South of Centre coastal region of Vietnam, and she had a hard time looking for job. Time was passing and she still had not got a job to do. Then, I did not know why she moved up Gia Lai, another province in Vietnam but up on the mountainous region. I just heard she has a boyfriend there and had moved there because of him, but I was not really sure on that. Whatever... I had not heard anything about her for a while until I got a bad news last Tuesday that her husband has died. I could not believe on what I have heard. She married, that is so surprising to me. She did not let any friend know about her wedding, except Van, her close friend (I found out that lately). But whimsically, her husband died just 2 days after the wedding. Is it the destiny that people believe in? I have not known exactly the reason why he died, just heard that he had an accident at a solitary mountainous region, where they live and he died because of drowning...

She is shocked I bet. As a monitor of class, I contacted some friends and went around that day with the hope that we would have a small group heading Gia Lai to visit Huong. But it takes almost a week to go there and come back so... hard to ask for a week off work and especially, that time is just right after the Xangsane typhoon passed so could be easy to understand why my friends could not join the trip even though they really wanted to go there to see her. I was unsuccessful. So what should I do to express to her that the whole class are interested in her and want to offer the sympathy to her at the moment? And I am trying to collect money from as many members of my class as possible and send her. And hopefully, that few money will be useful to her in the hard life up there when her salary is still very low. Imagine US$ 21/month. I have called her and talked to her for a while. She said things are okay now but... I don't think so, through her voice.

Below is the only picture I have that Huong is in it. She is the girl in the orange shirt, right on the front and middle of the picture.

Something happened in Long Xuyen

Sat, 26 Aug 2006 15:39:17 GMT

Have I been heedless of writing my blog these days? That's what my friend and some other people are wondering. I said ... yes. Because I have been so busy working on the project and getting ready for the new academic year at the university. But the more important is that life has nothing exciting to write and it keeps repeating the same thing everyday like going to work for whole day and getting back home and going to bed early because of feeling tired very soon and going to work in the next morning and ... again and again. I could not write the same thing on my daily life many times cause that's so bored. I'm waiting for something new in my job in the new university year, maybe.

Let I show you something on my trip to Long Xuyen last few days. I experienced that don't go to the Delta area from Hue or somewhere in the North like I did. Staying on the train to Saigon for loooong time and right after you get there, take the van to go to the Delta provinces for 5 or 7 more hours. You would die then,so tired. Almost 1 day moving on the hard vehicles. As you could guess, I was very tired when I got to Long Xuyen. I spent the whole afternoon for relaxing and was getting much better. And working on the exam for the next 2 days. Wow, I couldn't believe how bad the distance learning exams are. No I should say how super bad they are. People were cheating with the normal faces like nothing happens. If I did the right thing of an invigilator, there would be no one sitting in the exam room after 10 minutes since the exam started. They are all cheating. Most of them are old, were born in the 1960s and they take that class for the certificate, not for the knowledge. Even some of them had never came to class, still taking the exam and get the degree. I could not take their exam papers and deal with their break because with distance learning, cheating in the exam is something accepted but no one says that. And I don't want to be a hero or a hippie with nothing I could do to help the situation getting better. But keep thinking of that, I can't accept it. I don't know what I could I do with my little capacity but I am sure that Vietnamese education has SERIOUS problem. Okay, I will stop for that but should have a forum for discussion, lot of bad things we have not known.

The last day in Long Xuyen, I enjoyed time with Tyler and some new friends there. It was Tyler's birthday and we went out for dinner and drink then. It was fun but I could not drink a lot like people there.

I am sorry that the guy in the restaurant that I asked to take a picture of all of us, he didn't do a good job so in the first picture, I'm not able to be there. I was sitting next to Tyler (the American guy on the left side of the picture) so I should be at the bottom, on the left corner of the picture . The Viet people there are from An Giang University and other Americans are the volunteers. And people on the second pictures, they are some new friends I met at the cafe place we came after dinner.

And here are some pictures on Long Xuyen that I took from my room, at the hotel where I stayed.

Long Xuyen is not a really nice place I think. I still like Hue better but for sure, I enjoy the weather there better than in my hometown; not raining for 2 or 3 months down there . But people I met there are very nice. Oh, and one more thing, things are cheap in Long Xuyen, at least, cheaper than Hue. But remember, Hue is called like a cheap place in comparison with others places in Vietnam. So, Long Xuyen could be a good place to live for ... short time; long time may be bored I guess.

Long time no see

Fri, 18 Aug 2006 02:24:13 GMT

Hello all of my friends,

Yeah, I know. I had not posted a thing for long time and some of you have wondered what's wrong with me. It's nothing, just because of work. As I mentioned to you in some previous posts that I am working on a community project during the summer break of the college, I have to drive to the coastal areas almost every 2 days to work these weeks. Work was so interesting to me at the beginning but I was feeling tired and tired soon. Life there is very poor and people have to work hard everyday to earn their daily food. Most of them had lived on a small boat on the lagoon before (some families had 8 or 10 people on only 1 boat) and then they moved to the bank, built houses and have lived there. I am sure that when you see their houses, you may ask in your mind "how could they call that poor tent ...a house?" But them all say they were so lucky to have those places.

My job there is designing the planning map for the water area, dividing it into parts and use them reasonably. I had to go through all of the area, use GPS to locate almost everything I saw cause we have to build a map with large scale. Driving 50 Km and walking about 10 Km everyday, that was so tired. I stayed there over lunch and eat with people there (we paid them to prepare food). Things there look dirty for me and flies always around the our food. A little bit scary eating them but I was so hungry after work so ...no choice. And I had had stomachache for ...3 days. Poor guy. Anyway, I am happy that I have done my job there. Now, just stay at home, analyse the data and map.

I said no traveling this summer but this might be a small travel for me. I am leaving for An Giang this morning to participate in an exam. No, not taking the exam, invigilating. the group's plan is that staying there for 3 days but I am staying there for 1 more day to be at Tyler's birthday party (he is a friend that I met here during the summer, he is teaching English in Long Xuyen but came to Hue for the summer program). And then going up Saigon myself and staying in Saigon for 3 more days. I am planning goint to Tay Ninh and pass the border to go to Cambodia for 1 day. I hear about the casino there and want to see it. The new academic year will begin right after I get back home. And ... will be busy again.

Anyway, I will try to show you something on my trip this time for sure. It will take at least a week to see something new on my blog. So ...be patient!