i'm a vietnam vet, yes i am
Saturday, August 12, 2006
Second day here in Ho Chi Minh City. The entire day was spent at the Mekong Delta, the journey there started off at 7am with a coach from the city, then transferring to a 40seater boat to cross the Mekong River (bringing us to Phoenix, Tortoise, Unicorn and Dragon islands, the 4 sacred animals of Vietnam), next to a 10-seater motorized bumboat that brought us to the canals and finally to a 4seater sampan that rowed, rowed, rowed us along the narrow tributaries of the Delta. Lots to write about, I shall do this another day. Now its time to rest my aching body at this internet cafe overlooking De Tham Street, a backpacker's haunt buzzing with people from all over the world walking around in their berms and singlets lugging their huge bags around. The sun has set and the night market is alive!
A trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels is up next tomorrow. Gotta wake up bright and early, tonight I'll just walk around Ben Tham Market, I'm sure there are excellent bargains that are nowhere to be found except here in HCMC. But before I leave this cafe, I would just like to get something out of my system, something I've been wanting to do this morning when I woke up but didnt have a chance to because I was rushing. Ready? Ok .. 1, 2, 3.. Here goes...
"GOOD MORRNING, VIETNAAAAAAAM!!!!!"
:)
A trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels is up next tomorrow. Gotta wake up bright and early, tonight I'll just walk around Ben Tham Market, I'm sure there are excellent bargains that are nowhere to be found except here in HCMC. But before I leave this cafe, I would just like to get something out of my system, something I've been wanting to do this morning when I woke up but didnt have a chance to because I was rushing. Ready? Ok .. 1, 2, 3.. Here goes...
"GOOD MORRNING, VIETNAAAAAAAM!!!!!"
:)
shades of mediocrity
Thursday, August 10, 2006
I turned 33 two days ago on 8/8.
It was a pleasant surprise to receive this sms from pàdawan at 10am on my birthday:
Thats it.. 33.. join one 3 to another mirrored 3, and u get an 8. A standing infinity. I've come full circle. The lost years from 30-33 are best remembered objectively, with the head and not the heart. And that is how I will view life from now onwards, for the heart makes illogical decisions and can be taken advantage of. The head thinks. I replied to a few sms birthday greetings with "Guess I'm all grown up now, no more time for silly mistakes", and somebody replied back "You're a late bloomer". Geez, if you put it that way, yeah, I learnt all these only after I turn 30, when most people already experienced it during their twenties.
8. 33. 73. 60,000. Merely numbers. My sanity is more important.
I had a lovely time with the gang on the eve of National Day, celebrating our birthdays together, me (8th), Sofian (9th) and Daniel (11th). From 8-11:30pm, us August babies were given a dinner treat from Drey and KC at Simpang Bedok. Silly conversations and crude schoolboy jokes aside, I could see that all of us have somehow grown into adulthood, but still grappling with certain parts of our psyche that are lingering and waiting to be rid off. I was consciously focusing out whenever there were triggers and flashbacks, and with more time, I am certain it will fade away from the heart, and move into the logical brain for data storage.
National Day itself was spent at the gym in the day and with the family after that, with another dinner treat at Changi Village's Nasi Ayam Penyet. Baby Sarah is going to be 6 months old soon and becoming quite the princess around the house lol!
I'll be flying off tomorrow to Ho Chi Minh City and will be back on the 15th. I'm not sure whether there are internet cafes there? The place is a mystery for a first-time visitor like me. I hope Saigon will be the one place where the heart can take a rest, and for the body to fall into deep slumber at night. Will take lots of photos there and put all the other previous photos in my soon-to-be-opened gallery. I promise!
It was a pleasant surprise to receive this sms from pàdawan at 10am on my birthday:
"= ) you noe what? In my dream this AM, i happen to take 33, give it a line across, flip one 3 to the other, and finally duplicate it to form 8/8."
Thats it.. 33.. join one 3 to another mirrored 3, and u get an 8. A standing infinity. I've come full circle. The lost years from 30-33 are best remembered objectively, with the head and not the heart. And that is how I will view life from now onwards, for the heart makes illogical decisions and can be taken advantage of. The head thinks. I replied to a few sms birthday greetings with "Guess I'm all grown up now, no more time for silly mistakes", and somebody replied back "You're a late bloomer". Geez, if you put it that way, yeah, I learnt all these only after I turn 30, when most people already experienced it during their twenties.
8. 33. 73. 60,000. Merely numbers. My sanity is more important.
I had a lovely time with the gang on the eve of National Day, celebrating our birthdays together, me (8th), Sofian (9th) and Daniel (11th). From 8-11:30pm, us August babies were given a dinner treat from Drey and KC at Simpang Bedok. Silly conversations and crude schoolboy jokes aside, I could see that all of us have somehow grown into adulthood, but still grappling with certain parts of our psyche that are lingering and waiting to be rid off. I was consciously focusing out whenever there were triggers and flashbacks, and with more time, I am certain it will fade away from the heart, and move into the logical brain for data storage.
National Day itself was spent at the gym in the day and with the family after that, with another dinner treat at Changi Village's Nasi Ayam Penyet. Baby Sarah is going to be 6 months old soon and becoming quite the princess around the house lol!I'll be flying off tomorrow to Ho Chi Minh City and will be back on the 15th. I'm not sure whether there are internet cafes there? The place is a mystery for a first-time visitor like me. I hope Saigon will be the one place where the heart can take a rest, and for the body to fall into deep slumber at night. Will take lots of photos there and put all the other previous photos in my soon-to-be-opened gallery. I promise!
come take a walk with me
Sunday, August 06, 2006
2nd day here in Bandar Bersejarah Malacca. I got my fix, ate assam fish-head and chicken rice ball for lunch. Also bought what my mom wanted - belacan, gula melaka and coffee powder. Oh! and 2 BUM bermudas at 50% off. I'm a happy duck!
Speaking of duck, caught the midnight screening of the movie "Click" last nite at Mahkota Parade. For an Adam Sandler movie, this one had a message - its about family and not missing out on the good (and bad) stuff of being in one, raising one, and growing old together as one. The dog in the movie, Sundance, was practically humping a toy duck throughout the show. Good time-filler for a lazy weekend, otherwise, there are other movies that will be more worthier of your money.
Walking along the streets of Malacca earlier on reminded me of another movie, The Lakehouse. This state has got really wonderful architecture, with influences from the Dutch, Portuguese and the Peranakans, and not forgetting the locals. Some of the places has been restored wonderfully, making use of the large floor area of the shophouses and creating nifty living and office spaces that would wow visitors from anywhere.
In the Lakehouse, Alex takes Kate through a walk in Chicago by a letter and leaving her a marked map, showing her all the admirable and interesting buildings. "Come take a walk with me" he says, and she follows the tour, going from one building to the next, and at the end of the walk, finds a graffiti on the wall of an alley that says, "Kate, I'm here with you, thank you for letting us spend our Saturday together."
Ok I am not imagining I am Keanu or anything, hardly, but when I was walking it made me easier for me to think that another person was beside me and we were exploring and I was showing and explaining the little I know about the architecture and stuff. And we were having fun.
At this point of time, allow me to waste some bytes and write down the usual sad stuff. - It still hurts. I shared with you everything. I brought you to all the places I've been my entire life, told you everything I knew, gave you what you wanted and made sure you are smiling and warm at the end of each day. Its a shitty feeling to have given my all, and ending up with this.
Ok DONE. Back to the Lakehouse. In one scene, Alex asks Kate, in a voice over "How's your sunset?" and Kate replies, "It's perfect". He then says "I only wish you were here to share it with me." Its 730pm here in Malacca and its sunset. Do I need 2 years like our Lakehouse dwellers to finally enjoy sunsets with the one I love and the one who truly loves me back? If that is the case, then I'll wait.
Geez, when I have all the time in world in Singapore, I dont write. Now I'm on vacation and I park myself in an internet cafe and spend more than an hour surfing and writing my blog. Well time to get out of here. Dinner alone tonight, but I already stocked up with tarts (no, not THAT kind of tarts), yoghurt, buns (ok your brain is filthy), chips and other junk food back at the hotel room. Maybe I should get a proper dinner. Maybe not.
Be back in Singapore tomorrow! Until then, come take a walk with me..
Speaking of duck, caught the midnight screening of the movie "Click" last nite at Mahkota Parade. For an Adam Sandler movie, this one had a message - its about family and not missing out on the good (and bad) stuff of being in one, raising one, and growing old together as one. The dog in the movie, Sundance, was practically humping a toy duck throughout the show. Good time-filler for a lazy weekend, otherwise, there are other movies that will be more worthier of your money.
Walking along the streets of Malacca earlier on reminded me of another movie, The Lakehouse. This state has got really wonderful architecture, with influences from the Dutch, Portuguese and the Peranakans, and not forgetting the locals. Some of the places has been restored wonderfully, making use of the large floor area of the shophouses and creating nifty living and office spaces that would wow visitors from anywhere.
In the Lakehouse, Alex takes Kate through a walk in Chicago by a letter and leaving her a marked map, showing her all the admirable and interesting buildings. "Come take a walk with me" he says, and she follows the tour, going from one building to the next, and at the end of the walk, finds a graffiti on the wall of an alley that says, "Kate, I'm here with you, thank you for letting us spend our Saturday together."
Ok I am not imagining I am Keanu or anything, hardly, but when I was walking it made me easier for me to think that another person was beside me and we were exploring and I was showing and explaining the little I know about the architecture and stuff. And we were having fun.
At this point of time, allow me to waste some bytes and write down the usual sad stuff. - It still hurts. I shared with you everything. I brought you to all the places I've been my entire life, told you everything I knew, gave you what you wanted and made sure you are smiling and warm at the end of each day. Its a shitty feeling to have given my all, and ending up with this.
Ok DONE. Back to the Lakehouse. In one scene, Alex asks Kate, in a voice over "How's your sunset?" and Kate replies, "It's perfect". He then says "I only wish you were here to share it with me." Its 730pm here in Malacca and its sunset. Do I need 2 years like our Lakehouse dwellers to finally enjoy sunsets with the one I love and the one who truly loves me back? If that is the case, then I'll wait.
Geez, when I have all the time in world in Singapore, I dont write. Now I'm on vacation and I park myself in an internet cafe and spend more than an hour surfing and writing my blog. Well time to get out of here. Dinner alone tonight, but I already stocked up with tarts (no, not THAT kind of tarts), yoghurt, buns (ok your brain is filthy), chips and other junk food back at the hotel room. Maybe I should get a proper dinner. Maybe not.
Be back in Singapore tomorrow! Until then, come take a walk with me..
i walk alone, i walk alone
Saturday, August 05, 2006
I'm in an internet cafe somewhere along the streets of Malacca. Just had lunch; chicken rice, fishball noodle and tahu in oyster sauce. I've got time to spare till 8pm, so I walked and walked alone and .. ended up here. There's a sign that says "Dilarang melayari laman web yang berunsur sex" pasted on the wall of this cafe and its bothering me. I'm looking away..
Anyway, I felt a sudden pang of loneliness while walking just now.. I find myself calling out to.. arrgh F it. Focus out.
Warcraft noises are all around me. At RM2.50 an hour, I can stay here for hours. OR I could walk around again, find a humble department store to get myself lost in and find some cheap bargains. Need more polo and tee-shirts. Maybe catch a movie tonight. Tomorrow I'm gonna have my assam fish and chicken rice ball!
Cheers!
Anyway, I felt a sudden pang of loneliness while walking just now.. I find myself calling out to.. arrgh F it. Focus out.
Warcraft noises are all around me. At RM2.50 an hour, I can stay here for hours. OR I could walk around again, find a humble department store to get myself lost in and find some cheap bargains. Need more polo and tee-shirts. Maybe catch a movie tonight. Tomorrow I'm gonna have my assam fish and chicken rice ball!
Cheers!
