Waiting for Dawn

Holidays

Fri, 09 May 2008 10:37:50 GMT

Hmm, it seems like half my posts these days are about holidays... but then I guess that's one of the reasons I like this job so much.

Right now I'm on holiday, for a little over a week, as the 10-week course just came to an end, and the next one doesn't start until a week on Monday. Unfortunately, this time I'm a bit short of cash so can't actually afford to do a big trip - although given that I've just had a couple of week-long holidays in a matter of weeks, that's not too much to complain about. I might get out of the city for a few days next week, or I might not.

My next holiday after that is not a school holiday, nor is it really my idea. My dad and stepmum will be celebrating their 20th anniversary at the beginning of July, and they chose to do it in Paris. Which is not too convenient for me, but I'm hardly going to say no, and at least it's a direct flight. I've just been to Paris once before, way back in 1995, but that was in the dead of winter, so this time should hopefully be more fun.

Despite being in close proximity, I don't think I'll have time to get over to Scotland. The main reason to go (other than the food) would be to visit my sister & her family, and they'll all be in Paris anyway.

Top Three Earworms

Thu, 08 May 2008 16:20:50 GMT

In terms of frequency of infection, what are your top three earworms? (Or if you have too many to figure it out that accurately, what are three of your top earworms?)

Mine are:

Galvanize - The Chemical Brothers
Hey Ya! - Outkast
Until I Get You - Hanoi Rocks

The first two I understand, though I'm not quite sure why the last one's there. It doesn't even have anything to do with Vietnam. But it's still there.

So... where was I?

Tue, 06 May 2008 15:34:02 GMT

Oh yes, Tokyo. Well, now I'm back in Saigon, but let's cast my mind back to that faraway time and place for a moment...

Tokyo surprised me. It didn't surprise me in terms of what I found there. The place really hasn't changed much from when I was there 10 years ago. Sure, maybe the occasional shop or two, but I went to a lot of shops that are still there from way back then, which was nice in a way. And on the trains, with their happy yet melancholy jingles announcing the arrivals of trains and the closings of doors, it was like stepping into another time zone.

If anything, the most significant change that I noticed in the city was that the cellphone shops all look like perfume shops now, with their silver walls and all the metallic, pastel products. But I can't say that's a huge difference.

No, there were no changes to surprise me here. What did surprise me was the fact that I don't seem to be finished with the place yet.

And for many years, I was sure I had. A strange thing happened when I was living in Tokyo 10 years ago. I'd went there full of confidence, all ready to learn all I could about the language and culture. And then gradually, as I was there, I realised I was more interested in Chinese culture. Whether it was guilt at the fact that I hadn't learned enough from my own background (in Hong Kong, that is), or something else, I don't know, but it couldn't have happened at a worse time, and caused a strange internal conflict in me... so in the end I left, and never really went back.

But this time I did go back, by chance really. I had a holiday at this time, and my dad was going, so I went. Might not have been back for another ten years otherwise.

But I began to take joy again in all the little things around me again, like the aforementioned trains, the shops, the roads. Even the slightly chilly, drizzly Tokyo weather. But what really did it for me was the language. Because despite abandoning it, I once did speak the language reasonably well, and it all started coming back to me again. For the first time in years, I really enjoyed understanding and being able to read (and think, to a degree) in that other language. And I realised I didn't want to abandon it forever.

I haven't changed any of my plans just yet - stay here at least until the end of 2008 and see how I feel, stay another year after that if I'm still happy where I am - but I'm definitely looking at Japan now as one of my options for moving on once I've finished here... and then finish there what I once started.

Last Hour in Tokyo

Mon, 05 May 2008 08:06:23 GMT

Of course, this is the first hour in Tokyo where I'm actually posting. But I've had a great time. Sort of a shame to be going back so soon, but on the other hand, at least my wallet will feel better for it.

Got more to write about my time here soon, about such things as epiphanies, remembering language, delicious food, and of course the electronic toilet with a mind of its own. But I'll get to all that in due time, once I'm back in Saigon. Right now I'm just going to relax in the business lounge for about 20 minutes before I head off to my plane.

Hope you've all been enjoying yourselves. Will check in with your own LJs as soon as I can.

Koninginnedag!

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 19:47:14 GMT

So how did I spend my evening in Hong Kong? By celebrating Queen's Day, of course! No, not a celebration of Elizabeth, but a celebration of the Dutch queen, specifically the birthday of Queen Juliana.

A bit odd? Okay, perhaps I should back up a bit.

After shopping for a new camera battery, some much-needed hair cream, and a few DVDs, I met up with my friend Matt, who was attending a get-together at another friend's house. There was delicious chicken lasagne, vodka mix drinks, and the chance to enjoy such cable TV delights as "The World's Most Amazing Videos" (ie. one hour of people almost dying from various disasters), and the Tom Cruise War of the Worlds. And of course plenty of talk.

After this, one of Matt's friends insisted on heading to Dragon-I. The problem with this place is that it's members only. None of our group were members, although the person wanting to go knows a few. Matt complained that once again all the girls would get in just fine, but the guys would have to pay the cover charge. This happened. So myself and Matt (the only two guys in the group) decided not to bother.

But one of his friends was at a bar nearby, in Lan Kwai Fong, celebrating the Dutch holiday. So we headed down there.

My god it was packed! I've never seen the street so packed apart from on New Year and the Handover. And it was packed with Dutch people. Shoulder-to-shoulder, the whole street was just filled with Dutch people. I've never seen so many Dutch people before in my life, and I've been to Amsterdam!

But we joined in. It was festive, and it was good company (although some of the music was a bit strange - though most people there didn't seem to mind so much.) Also, La Dolce Vita (the bar I ended up in at midnight on the Handover because I couldn't get further up the street) was all done up in orange, and pictures of the current Dutch queen, and her mother, whose birthday is the cause of the celebration.

We got to talking about F-Stop (a bar on Lan Kwai Fong we used to often go to, the one I was trying to get to by midnight on that fateful evening). Matt was sure it was much further down the street than I had said, but I knew otherwise. Back in 2002, I'd been to the place, though it was no longer F-Stop. Now, it was a place called Lost. The tables and chairs are different, but everything else in the interior (apart from the lighting and the choice of drinks) is exactly the same.

I had a pint of Desmond, Matt had a Bloody Ben Linus, and Matt's girlfriend, To Mai, had a bottle of Penny. Okay, so I lied. There was no smoke monster, no magic room, and no conspiracies. Although we were on an island.

It was a great place to finish the night.

I decided to take the bus back to my hotel, instead of a taxi, because that's what I used to do when I lived here before. Not as fast as the taxi, but much faster and more convenient than trying to take the subway home late at night in New York. I only had to wait about 5 mins for the bus. Didn't take me long at all to get home.

Today I have a similar fate ahead of me as yesterday - have to leave in three hours for the airport. But at least it's a longer flight this time. I have to say, though, that I almost wish I wasn't going to Tokyo right now (and not for that reason). Though I'm sure it'll be fun.

Hazy Afternoons

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 07:52:52 GMT

Here I am! Despite the short plane ride, I seem to have managed enough sleep to keep me going the rest of the day.

As the subject line says, it's a bit hazy and grey right now. But since the hotel was busy and my room wasn't available, I was upgraded to a harbour view room, which will do me just fine, thanks. (My dad does have a house here in HK, but for various reasons - distance from town and non-availability of my old bedroom - he puts me up here instead.)

Have to get a bit of shopping done now (my only chance this trip) before I meet up with a friend for dinner.

Long Nights

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 23:50:58 GMT

As yesterday was the last day of school for about a week, it was an evening of much rejoicing and drinking among the teaching staff. I did not let my early morning departure sway me from this.

I got home at 4am, and with the help of much Red Bull, I am set to head off to the airport, to fly to HK, in about 20 minutes.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), it looks like I have another evening of drinking ahead of me tonight in HK, after which I'll have to head off to the airport again at a similarly ridiculous time, to go to Tokyo.

After that, I may just sleep for a while.

I'll be bringing the laptop with me, but in case of wifi problems, etc, have fun while I'm gone!

You Meme

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 17:28:44 GMT

I have been drawn into this one again, this time via zoje_george here.

A few of you may have responded to this before, but even if you have, don't let that stop you, because it's surely been a while :)

A short meme:
Comment and I'll...
1. Tell you why I friended you.
2. Associate you with something - fandom, a song, a colour, a photo, etc.
3. Tell you something I like about you.
4. Tell you a memory I have of you.
5. Ask something I've always wanted to know about you.
6. Tell you my favorite user pic of yours.
7. In return, you must post this in your LJ.

Okay... go!

Stepping Out of History

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 17:02:37 GMT

I was going to have a quiet night in today. But then I got a phone call, from a mysterious (but local) number.

Turned out it was my old high school (and, very briefly, primary school) friend Ajay, who is currently in HCMC on business. I haven't seen him in years! The last time I met him was also a chance encounter, but that time it was the sort where you just bump into each other somewhere in Hong Kong, which isn't that uncommon.

So I changed my plans, and we met up at Quan An Ngon, which was great. I'd never been to the one here before, but had been to the one in Hanoi, and this one lived up to my previous experiences. After that we hung out for a while down at the Navy Bar.

I realised that, with the exception of family, I've known him longer than anyone else I'm still in touch with.

This is exactly the sort of reason Facebook is great. Without that, this sort of chance encounter never would have happened. Very unexpected, but very cool.

Relating to people: Fiction writers, travellers, Dragonball, Third Culture Kids, and all that...

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 17:31:18 GMT

I've been thinking recently about the sort of people I tend to relate to and feel closest to. Of course, there's no one fixed answer to that... as with everything, it depends on so many variables, and often the people you end up closest to are some of the people you least expect.

But I do see some trends.

For now, we'll be talking about easily-definable groups. Most people belong to many easily-definable groups, of course, but you tend to match with other people in maybe one or two of those groups at most, rarely all of most of your groups (well, I rarely do anyway, and this is a me-centric post, so we'll go with that.)

Let's start with the most relevant group to this LJ's f-list: the spec-fic writers. This is an obvious one. Most of us are doing quite different things in life, yet at the heart of it all, we're all striving towards a similar ambition. It's an easy thing to relate to each other with. And yet I don't feel particularly close to most spec-fic writers I know. Maybe it's because that other stuff is so different, and even with these same goals, our minds are often off in other directions. My VPX tribe, that's a different matter though. A common experience, a common bond, something we all went through together. Even given how fleeting it was, it turned into something powerful.

Then of course there's travellers. Right now, pretty much all of my colleagues are, by definition, also travellers. We've all had the travel bug, and most of us still have it. Very few plan to stay in Vietnam for the rest of their lives (though there are a few), and we all have that shared outlook. We can share things, but does it produce a powerful bond? Well no, not by itself. As with all (okay, most - I'll get to the rest later) of these little categories, there's so much that just isn't shared, even while we do share the same job and love of travel.

But occasionally some of these things will come together. A few days ago I had the first decent conversation about Dragonball I've had in years... pretty much since the days I used to obsessively watch the show. And it was good... and led onto other conversations, to Journey to the West (which came about entirely separate from the Dragonball conversation), to comics (Preacher, Sandman, Watchmen) and good TV. And even to spec-fic writing. And of course, given where we are, and where we're both from, the whole travel angle. I was pretty surprised at the merging of all these different things, and it was a great night.

But there is that one category that transcends all that, which you will have already figured out if you read the subject line. Third-culture kids. Because a shared love of travel is one thing, but for us it's different... we're a people that find it hard to point to one place and call it home, people that, when asked "where are you from?", the answer is a big, lengthy discussion. We all come from vastly different backgrounds. We all have vastly different goals and interests. And yet, when we get together, somehow there's a really strong bond there, even if we've never lived in any of the same places in our respective pasts. It's also entirely irrespective of other interests and ambitions... I've felt it even with people I don't share many interests with at all. But it's there, and is somehow the strongest of all.

Okay, I've probably babbled enough. Some of this might seem quite obvious. Some of it might not. But it felt like just the sort of thing I wanted to put into words right now.

Mui Ne - The Pictures

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 17:17:48 GMT

I've finally got around to putting up the pics from my Mui Ne beach holiday earlier this month. Here they are:

Vietnam - Mui Ne - Beaches & Bungalows

Vietnam - Mui Ne - Dunes and Streams

Epic Journeys #215: The Quest for Stuff

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 15:23:42 GMT

Earlier this week, I found on my desk at work two slips of paper, both entirely in Vietnamese, that looked suspiciously like they might be post office notices. I checked with the Vietnamese admin woman in our office, and sure enough, that's what they were. It also had an address, a street somewhere in District 7 that I'd never heard of. She drew a map for me, and I also asked a fellow teacher, who gave me some directions.

After work that day, I headed out to try and find it, since the post offices here close at 8pm and thought it would be nice to just get it over with. I failed. I ended up driving up, down, and around all these interesting little roads in District 7, while doing my eyes no favours with all the dust getting caught in my contacts.

The next day, I headed out before work, armed with an actual Ho Chi Minh City map that had the correct road on it. It was further out than I'd expected, but I eventually found the road. Then I proceeded to drive all the way up and down that road, trying desperately not to be hit by the huge trucks zooming past in both directions, as I looked for the correct street number, which was 81/1C. I found number 81, which was an electrical appliances shop, with absolutely no evidence of post office-type activities anywhere to me found.

I did eventually find a post office, way, way off from this location. So I went in and asked them. The friendly security guard told me that what I wanted was the other post office on this road, which was about 2km further down the road. But it was already time for me to head off to work, so I had to give up yet again.

Finally, today, I zoomed off again. I found the post office in question. It did have the number 81/1C, even though none of the other buildings on this stretch of the road had street numbers even remotely similar to this one. I went in and my two packages were there. They even fit nicely under the seat of my bike.

Now it's like my birthday all over again. From my sister, I received the Life on Mars DVD sets (for both series 1 & 2), and from krylyr, I got a couple of DVDs that I'd left at his place, and I finally got my contributor copies of the Renard's Menagerie issue with my story in it. It's the first time I've seen a story of mine in print, which is pretty sweet :)

I've Been Recursive Meme'd!

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 19:03:46 GMT

... by justin_pilon. Of course, I'll have to inflict it on some of you too.

Here are your rules. (You've seen this one before, this is just a 'recursive' version)

1. Pick up the nearest book.
2. Open to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people and post a comment to justin_pilon's blog (your tagees will post to mine, etc.) once you've posted your three sentences.

The Five Chosen are:

krylyr
avocadovpx
bogwitch64
jenwrites
evangoer

And my three sentences:

"Framing the two door gods and the pair of stone lions assigned to keeping out evil spirits are gilt panels depicting petrified scenes from traditional Chinese court life - dangers, musicians, noblemen in sedan chairs, a game of chequers being played.

When Cho Lon's Fukien congregation established this pagoda well over a century ago, they dedicated it to the Goddess of Mercy, but it's A Pho, the Queen of Heaven, who stands in the centre of the main hall, beyond an altar tiled like a mortuary slab. A pantheon of deities throngs the open courtyard behind her, decked out in sumptuous apparel and attracting a steady traffic of worshippers."

From The Rough Guide to Vietnam, which I still had out by my computer from just before my beach trip.

Back from the Beach

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 18:24:34 GMT

For my birthday, I headed up to Mui Ne, a beach resort about 5 hours by bus from Saigon. Boun had just flown over from Laos the day before, so of course it was a wonderfully romantic beach getaway.

Beautiful place too. We stayed in a bungalow at a really nice (but cheap) place right on the beach, and the sea was gorgeous... very warm, and if it wasn't for the waves, I might have just sat in the sea all day. Boun had never been to a beach before, and really loved it.

Occasionally, as I was napping or chilling out, Boun would wander off to the main road and come back with a box of grilled prawns, which she couldn't get enough of.

There were other interesting sights beyond the beach, such as the Fairy Stream (which seemed to me more of a Jawa habitat than a fairy one), the "fishing village" (plenty of fishing, not so much on the village), the sand dunes (another Tatooine landscape), and the Magic Road (where things roll up instead of down). No, wait... that last one must have been on my recent trip to Craggy Island. I always get the two confused.

There were also many animal interactions, from Boun playing with the little dogs at the bungalows, to Boun catching a frog one night and dancing it about in mid-air, much to its terror, to Boun getting used as a monkey's climbing frame at the sand dunes (it also stole one of her shoes, which took a lot of effort getting back.)

Was a shame to have to leave so soon, but Boun will be here a few more days so there is still more fun to be had.

A Box of Stuff!

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 11:26:28 GMT

I finally got my first box sent over! Being Vietnam, they weren't going to give it to me unless I paid their tax first, but after a stern talking-to from the HK branch of FedEx, they finally charged that to the sender's account like they were supposed to.

The mostly contained books. Some fiction, mostly stuff I've really been meaning to read, and also my Chinese classics (Strange Tales from the Liaozhai Studio and Journey to the West), and some non-fiction, mostly stuff about the Silk Road, Buddha relics, etc. Also my photocopy of the incredibly difficult to find Pirates of the South China Coast, which should be an even more interesting read now that I'm in Vietnam, as the rise of organised piracy in South China owes its existence to a Vietnamese civil war.

Also, my copy of The Adam and Joe Book, which I'd forgotten was in there, but am so grateful to get back again, one miniature bronze Buddha statue, a few salvaged Star Wars figures, and two Buddhist wall hangings,

I have a few more boxes still to be sent - some DVDs, a few clothes (including my hiking boots, I believe), possibly Orinoco the Womble and maybe King Louie the orang-utan. Everything else (that is, everything from the boxes not marked "express") I decided to abandon, since being away from my stuff for so long has given me a bit of a Buddhist non-attachment perspective about things (though obviously not a complete one.) However, after making that decision, I backtracked a little bit, and had to write another note asking that my Dragonball/Buffy/Angel/Firefly DVDs be preserved too. Especially the Dragonball. Took me so long to collect all them to begin with.

The rest, however, is going, and there may be a few things I regret losing later, as I remember what they are, but I think overall it's for the best. I can build a new Empire of Stuff later, when I feel ready again.

An Unexpected Change of Plans

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 13:38:45 GMT

I have another break coming up, between April 30th and May 5th, and I was hoping to take advantage of that by zipping over to HK for a few days. But it looks like that won't be happening now.

Here's what did happen:

Me (to Dad): I was thinking of coming over to HK for a few days on April 30th. Are you gonna be around?
Dad: Oh... we were thinking of going off to Tokyo for a few days on May 1st.
Me: Oh.
Dad: Wanna come?
Me: Erm... okay.

And the tickets are being booked even now.

On the one hand, I did want to get back to HK to hang out with some friends and climb some mountains. But on the other hand, there will be plenty of opportunities to go to HK in the near future, whereas I might not get back to Tokyo for a while otherwise. Besides, I haven't been back to Tokyo for six years. And I could really do with brushing up on my dormant Japanese language skills.

So that's that. Should be fun :)

Return of the Shows

Sun, 06 Apr 2008 10:30:00 GMT

Battlestar Galactica is back! And oh, what a glorious return it was! There were a few missteps towards the end of Season 3, but all was forgiven with the awesome Season 3 ending, and the Season 4 opener gives me even more hope. Now we're on the final stretch, presumably marching relentlessly towards the final showdown, and I can't wait.

Also, Doctor Who is back! Except I don't really feel the exclamation mark is warranted this time. It was all rather mediocre and eye-rolling... hope this doesn't set the tone for the whole Series 4.

The Best Of...

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 18:14:48 GMT

Are there any bands/artists who you tend to listen to their Best Of rather than the individual albums?

Meme: Firsts

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 18:40:32 GMT

nicked from zoje_george

The first thing I do when I get home from work: Drop my bag on the sofa, empty my pockets, and leap onto my bed to check the internet.

The first thing I do when I get up in the morning: Go back to sleep until the second alarm goes off.

The first thing I do when I get up on days off/the weekend: Check the internet. Then maybe call my friends and see what they're up to. Or just prepare to chill out all day.

The first thing I do when I get to work in the morning: I tend to prep my lessons first, then grab lunch and read or just hang out for a while until classes start.

First real grown-up furniture I bought: I have never bought real grown-up furniture.

The first 45 I ever owned: I just realised I don't know what these numbers even mean. I had a Muppet Show record and some Disney stuff (The Jungle Book, The Rescuers) when I was a kid, but I have no idea how the numbers work. Obviously I didn't own much vinyl at all after that.

The first apartment I ever had: Well, there was the flat in Cowane Street, Stirling, and the little studio in Sakura Heights, Tokyo, but those always seem a bit too transitory to think of them as the first one I had. The first one I had during my working life was the one in Kowloon Bay, Hong Kong, and I still have very fond memories of that place.

The first car I ever owned: I've only ever owned one car, an ice blue Toyota Corolla.

The first job I ever had: The first time I ever worked was making plastic bits at my grandad's factory in Leith during summer visits to Scotland when I was 13 & 14. But the first real job I ever had was in Hong Kong at age 18, where bizarrely I worked as a layout artist for a book about airports in China. It was shit, but the guy running the company thought it was pure genius. He also thought that about himself though, and was convinced that he had singlehandedly made millions for the South China Morning Post during his previous job. I only worked there for about two months, and then never worked again for six more years (apart from freelancing for a local magazine).

The First big trip I ever took: With my parents, trips to Belgium & Germany, Morocco, and Hong Kong (in the days before my dad had moved there). Then plenty of little one-week trips to various Asian destinations. The first one I really think of as a big trip though was my first trip to Nepal in 1993, which was a school trip. And the first big trip I did on my own (apart from studying in Japan, which I don't count as a trip) was three weeks across South China in 1999.

First big thing I bought with my own money: I guess it would be a heavy metal CD, bought with some of that cash I earned at my grandad's factory.

First real crush: Plenty of them from 13 onwards, but the first one that really mattered was with this girl when I was 16, and I was too pathetic at the time to do anything about it. It's the one I always think "what if i could go back..." about.

First real kiss: Age 8. Seriously. I was starting to turn into a bit of a precocious kid in primary school.

First date: Age 18. Yeah, that is a bit of a discrepancy. I think what happened was I moved to HK at age 10 and everyone and everything was new and my growing confidence retreated.

First sexual experience: Three weeks after the answer to that last question. Same girl, of course.

First break-up: 8 months after the answer to the First Date question.

When I see the South China Sea, I figure I'm home.

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 17:07:43 GMT

Just back from a weekend by the sea, in Vung Tau. Stayed at the same hotel as last time, but this time got the room with the huge outdoor patio overlooking the little beach, which didn't cost a whole lot more.

Last time I visited I woke up way too late every day, but this time I made the effort to get up in the morning, so I got more done. Specifically, actually getting into the sea this time, and also climbing up a big hill to the lighthouse at the top, which treated us to some great views of the area. Next time I go, I might try climbing the Jesus hill - apparently you can climb inside the Jesus statue and look out his head.

Also, on Saturday night, played a new game we like to call Sofa Darts. Each person gets one dart, and you have to throw it at the dartboard on the opposite wall while remaining seated on the sofa. Sometimes just getting your dart to stick on the board was enough to win. We had already drunk too much by that point for it to be an effective drinking game, but it seems like it could be quite easily adapted into one.

And thanks to the manager at one of the bar/restaurants, I found a shop selling HP sauce, which is good, because my supplies had just run dry and I had bacon sitting in my fridge feeling useless and unwanted.

Elsewhere, it has been a weekend of Fun Things Happening. My dad called me on Saturday and reminded me that it was Rugby Sevens weekend... always a fun, festive time in HK, and I'd really like to get back for it sometime.

And drumiller just hosted a VP party way across one of them big oceans somewhere. Would love to get back for one of them too, but obviously that's going to take a little more doing. But that's not to say it won't happen...

2+2=5

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 19:05:16 GMT

Turns out, Hail to the Thief is sometimes exactly what I want to listen to.

Also, I still can't help thinking that the perpetually "upcoming" Guns N' Roses' album Chinese Democracy is nothing more than a vaguely clever metaphor.

Fast and Slow

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 08:19:16 GMT

Just received a package from Amazon.It took just a week to get to my desk at school. If only the Vietnam postal system/customs could treat my package from krylyr with the same respect!

April Plans

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 13:31:07 GMT

So, those plans I mentioned I was working on...

My girlfriend, the lovely Boun, is coming to visit me in Vietnam! She'll arrive on the Saturday before my birthday, and then the next day we'll most likely head up to a nice beach resort for a few days, where we'll be over my birthday itself. Haven't arranged the actual beach resort part yet, but I'll do that soon. After that, it will be back to HCMC for the rest of her trip.

She'll be here for over a week. I'm quite excited :)

Food!

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 14:57:00 GMT

The University is still only a single building, but it's ever-expanding, and recently opened a new food court, with Vietnamese, Thai, and Bread & Pie options.

Today I tried the Bread & Pie place for the first time, and had a wonderful, delicious beef pie. Ooh, it was awesome. Best thing I've ever eaten on campus, and so much better (and cheaper) than the shite they serve at the staff caff.

Brief Notes About the Weekend

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 18:41:37 GMT

On Saturday Night several of us descended upon Apocalypse Now for a night of dancing and drinking. This included me, a couple of other teachers, and also Ly from the Navy Bar and her housemate. Was lots of fun.

When we headed upstairs later, we discovered quite a few other people we knew, and there was much rejoicing. It reminded me of the clubbing episode of Spaced in some ways, with a few notable exceptions - no A-Team theme, for a start, although there were plenty of great tunes. We stayed until closing, then a few of us headed elsewhere until we could stay awake no longer.

Sunday was The Warriors night at my apartment. Watching the DVD, that is, as one of our friends is obsessed with it, so we figured we should eventually see what all the fuss was about. I liked it a lot - nicely stylized and cartoony, very well done on the whole, though the resolution towards the end was done a bit too neatly, thus the climax comes earlier than it should.

Monday - not much of anything really. Back to work tomorrow, but for once I have to wake up early to do a few things first. Which means of course I can't sleep right now.