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Published On: Oct 30, 2006 02:28 PM
Total entries in this category:
Published On: Oct 30, 2006 02:28 PM
Mon - May 29, 2006
Make yourself at home
Building teams here don't just visit the
site each day in time for work; they live in the building site itself. Whilst
I've seen this happen when people renovate their own homes in Australia, this
applies equally to every type of building project here, including large office
blocks.
As a result, the builders need to make themselves at home. They put together a makeshift kitchen, bedrolls come out at night, and, of course, laundry needs to be done, and hung where possible throughout the shell of the building.
As a result, the builders need to make themselves at home. They put together a makeshift kitchen, bedrolls come out at night, and, of course, laundry needs to be done, and hung where possible throughout the shell of the building.
Posted at 02:56 PM
Sat - May 6, 2006
Thu - April 27, 2006
Real Life
If students want to come and study at a
language school, they need to do a "placement test" so they can be put in the
right level class. The students do a written (multiple choice) exam, some
writing, and then a speaking test with a native speaker (like
me!).
One of the questions on the written test is to speak about their family and friends. Most students have a preset blurb on their family. It goes something along the lines of: My family has x members. My mother, my father, my x brothers, my x sisters, and me. My father is an x. My mother is an x. My sister/brother is an x. I love my family. We love each other. We are very happy. (Of course, this is all to varying levels of grammatical accuracy).
Seriously, this must be taught in school. Every single person responds to any question about their family in exactly the same formulaic way. And of course everyone loves each other very much and everyone is very happy.
But in real life, it seems things don't exactly follow the formula. Two occurrences from the past week:
1) An education in Vietnamese.. umm.. Education. By a Vietnamese student subjected to same. A member of a class of 60 (SIXTY) students. Her friend has problems with their family where their mother and father are fighting and their father has left/was told to leave the home for some days. In the interim, the young person fought with their parent, getting so upset that they then went and drank lots of wine before class. Turning up drunk to class was an amusement to classmates, but, of course, the teachers (with 60 students to teach) didn't notice. This person then had to go home early from school to meet their father so that their mother would let the dad back into the family home. (sorry about the vagueness, but I don't want to disclose any identities).
2) Another person. A young man of early university age. His parents are fighting (and may be - shock horror - divorcing) because his father has another woman and his mother knows about it. But it turns out that he - in fact - has 2 sisters by "the other wife" - one older and one younger. This means that this relationship has been going on for over 20 years! And they are fighting now? I wasn't able to understand WHO was the actual wife and who wasn't. I asked if he talked to his sisters about the parental fighting (before I knew they were in a different family) and he said - in typical vina-style - that he "chats" with them (on Yahoo/MSN chat sites).
Which reminds me of another twist on the "traditional" family in VN.
Last year I had a lovely, professional woman as my student. She was great - so alive. She wrote lots of essays and spoke about her lovely child and her wonderful husband. She then enrolled to the next level class and I was the teacher. It was so strange because she started to talk about her boyfriend. I wondered why. She had grasped the "husband" concept before. One day she referred to her boyfriend and someone asked her about the boyfriend and the child. She did this big extravagant gesture saying "husband out, boyfriend in". Shocked expressions all around (and a little high five) from the VN ladies in class!. OK! Then she proceeded to write all about the boyfriend in one of her exams. All about how her boyfriend was very "strong in love", etc. Just a leeetle bit too much information from the student. *Blush* from teacher.
It's somehow reassuring to know that life goes on here - with all the ups and downs - the same as it does everywhere else. No-one's perfect and we're all just trying to live a reasonably happy life and deal with whatever comes our way with some level of grace.
One of the questions on the written test is to speak about their family and friends. Most students have a preset blurb on their family. It goes something along the lines of: My family has x members. My mother, my father, my x brothers, my x sisters, and me. My father is an x. My mother is an x. My sister/brother is an x. I love my family. We love each other. We are very happy. (Of course, this is all to varying levels of grammatical accuracy).
Seriously, this must be taught in school. Every single person responds to any question about their family in exactly the same formulaic way. And of course everyone loves each other very much and everyone is very happy.
But in real life, it seems things don't exactly follow the formula. Two occurrences from the past week:
1) An education in Vietnamese.. umm.. Education. By a Vietnamese student subjected to same. A member of a class of 60 (SIXTY) students. Her friend has problems with their family where their mother and father are fighting and their father has left/was told to leave the home for some days. In the interim, the young person fought with their parent, getting so upset that they then went and drank lots of wine before class. Turning up drunk to class was an amusement to classmates, but, of course, the teachers (with 60 students to teach) didn't notice. This person then had to go home early from school to meet their father so that their mother would let the dad back into the family home. (sorry about the vagueness, but I don't want to disclose any identities).
2) Another person. A young man of early university age. His parents are fighting (and may be - shock horror - divorcing) because his father has another woman and his mother knows about it. But it turns out that he - in fact - has 2 sisters by "the other wife" - one older and one younger. This means that this relationship has been going on for over 20 years! And they are fighting now? I wasn't able to understand WHO was the actual wife and who wasn't. I asked if he talked to his sisters about the parental fighting (before I knew they were in a different family) and he said - in typical vina-style - that he "chats" with them (on Yahoo/MSN chat sites).
Which reminds me of another twist on the "traditional" family in VN.
Last year I had a lovely, professional woman as my student. She was great - so alive. She wrote lots of essays and spoke about her lovely child and her wonderful husband. She then enrolled to the next level class and I was the teacher. It was so strange because she started to talk about her boyfriend. I wondered why. She had grasped the "husband" concept before. One day she referred to her boyfriend and someone asked her about the boyfriend and the child. She did this big extravagant gesture saying "husband out, boyfriend in". Shocked expressions all around (and a little high five) from the VN ladies in class!. OK! Then she proceeded to write all about the boyfriend in one of her exams. All about how her boyfriend was very "strong in love", etc. Just a leeetle bit too much information from the student. *Blush* from teacher.
It's somehow reassuring to know that life goes on here - with all the ups and downs - the same as it does everywhere else. No-one's perfect and we're all just trying to live a reasonably happy life and deal with whatever comes our way with some level of grace.
Posted at 10:47 PM
Tue - April 4, 2006
No DS
Did you know that Hanoi doesn't have
Daylight Saving time? We're so close to the Equator that it's not necessary -
the lightness/darkness change between seasons is relatively
small.
It's strange so say, but Hanoi can be very consistent in some regards.
It's strange so say, but Hanoi can be very consistent in some regards.
Posted at 05:49 PM
Tue - March 28, 2006
Orders Taken
A must-have for every house-hold. Yes, the
Uncle Ho flashing, digital wall clock. Pure (I was going to say "timeless")
elegance for your
home.
Posted at 09:54 AM
Thu - March 16, 2006
Friends
When we moved to Vietnam, Russell's boss was
a lovely guy called Mr Hung. He didn't speak great English and we spoke zero
Vietnamese. Needless to say, communication was a *bit* of an
issue.
The thing is, though, that Mr Hung invited us (both of us, I'm sure, so that Russell had someone to talk to), to every single company event. He made sure that we were included. He invited us to his house for lunch during Tet. He extended the hand of friendship so often and so generously that I'm afraid we really took it for granted. Going to an event and sitting there among many people chatting and having fun, whilst only being able to speak either together or haltingly to other people, is kind of tedious, no matter how kind-hearted the invitation.
But then Mr Hung moved to another area within the company. A good move for him. He's doing well and definitely seems to be enjoying life.
We saw him on Tuesday after several months. For all 3 of us (Russell, Hung and myself), it was really great to reconnect and it really did feel like meeting an old friend. He asked us to lunch today and we went along. We had lunch with Trip , another colleague (Quyet) and Mr Hung. It was lovely. Having lunch together felt so much like chatting with good friends. We can and do chat about all sorts of things. It's interesting and fun. And it's feels like there is a real connection with Hung and Trip, who watch out for us and make such an effort to continue the friendship.
I realised today that these are lovely and genuine friends. We had a great time at lunch. And I, for one, really look forward to the next time we meet.
The thing is, though, that Mr Hung invited us (both of us, I'm sure, so that Russell had someone to talk to), to every single company event. He made sure that we were included. He invited us to his house for lunch during Tet. He extended the hand of friendship so often and so generously that I'm afraid we really took it for granted. Going to an event and sitting there among many people chatting and having fun, whilst only being able to speak either together or haltingly to other people, is kind of tedious, no matter how kind-hearted the invitation.
But then Mr Hung moved to another area within the company. A good move for him. He's doing well and definitely seems to be enjoying life.
We saw him on Tuesday after several months. For all 3 of us (Russell, Hung and myself), it was really great to reconnect and it really did feel like meeting an old friend. He asked us to lunch today and we went along. We had lunch with Trip , another colleague (Quyet) and Mr Hung. It was lovely. Having lunch together felt so much like chatting with good friends. We can and do chat about all sorts of things. It's interesting and fun. And it's feels like there is a real connection with Hung and Trip, who watch out for us and make such an effort to continue the friendship.
I realised today that these are lovely and genuine friends. We had a great time at lunch. And I, for one, really look forward to the next time we meet.
Posted at 08:59 PM
Sun - February 26, 2006
Couple of pictures
Here are some pictures from our house. It's
the foggiest, wettest and coldest time of year at the moment. It's really
depressing - grey, grey and more
grey.
This is looking out towards Hoan Kiem Lake (central Hanoi) from our roof.
This is looking out from our front door on a rainy morning this week. It's looking away from the lake. See the traffic policeman talking to the guy with the car? Someone's getting a ticket, I think.
And this is a bigger view of the roundabout. The roof in the bottom of the pic is the police station next door to us.
This is looking out towards Hoan Kiem Lake (central Hanoi) from our roof.
This is looking out from our front door on a rainy morning this week. It's looking away from the lake. See the traffic policeman talking to the guy with the car? Someone's getting a ticket, I think.
And this is a bigger view of the roundabout. The roof in the bottom of the pic is the police station next door to us.
Posted at 01:55 PM
Tue - January 17, 2006
The Furniture Saga
So we moved into this furnished apartment
(as most rental properties are in VN) and we loved it. All cool! Great place,
great view, great furniture.
Then there was the whole roof saga - as documented previously . Feeling in the end - false advertising. They showed us the house without the sign and got us to move in and then put up the sign. Really annoying - but over now.
THEEEENNNNN... the latest.
This week, I was home and got a knock at the door. One of the rental company staff and another man asked to come in and proceeded to stick stickers on some of the furniture in our home.
I then got email from the rental company staff member saying that the furniture was the "other landlord's" and so we need to replace it. Just so happens that every single item the other landlord wants to take is everything nice in our apartment. Grrrrrr!!!!
We are SO tempted to tell them - NO! The lease has every item listed as part of the 12 month agreement, and we're not even up to 6 months yet! The nerve of these people. Especially when the rental guy mentioned only replacing what we "need"! i.e. not everything!
Tomorrow we are going to look at "replacement" furniture. It better be good!
At the risk of sounding completely paranoid - ever feel like you've been completely scammed??? It just feels like more false advertising. Here, rent this nice apartment with view (that we're going to take) and lovely furniture (that we're going to take). ARGH!!!
Next they'll be telling us that they're building on top of our treasured open roof space or renting the spare bedroom to someone else!
MORE #1: Guy was supposed to arrive at 8.30 this morning and turned up 20 minutes late. Then we were supposed to go to a showroom to see the furniture. The "showroom" consisted of La Thanh street, which is an enormous long street with millions of furniture stores (largely crappy). Both Russell and I went thinking the whole thing would take a fairly short time, and when we realised what he expected us to do - go up and down this street looking from the motorbike into a million furniture stores - I think Russell was going to give it a miss, and I offered to do it on my own. But he stuck it out. Champion!
We spent about 3 hours going up and down the street. Anything remotely nice, interesting, or just plain not-tacky was deemed too expensive, too religious, too "old style".
Finally! We picked some stuff that was.... well... okay. We were still pretty annoyed but we figured it was a reasonable compromise and would finish the whole issue.
MORE # 2: THEN!! This afternoon I got an email from the guy saying that the landlord would only pay for 2 out of about 8 things that he was taking!!!! AND.... they wanted to take all the stuff for the landlord during this week and not replace any of it (most of our furniture!) until after Tet!
ARGHHH!H!!!! What can you do? It's not that hard. Sign a lease for an apartment with furniture and the landlord is supposed to leave you alone to live in it for 12 months. As long as you don't destroy anything then what could be the problem?
So we both had a collective tantrum this afternoon and I was told by the guy, amusingly, not to get angry because "I will make you pleasure". Ummm... I just want the furniture thing sorted, mate.
The saga continues...
Then there was the whole roof saga - as documented previously . Feeling in the end - false advertising. They showed us the house without the sign and got us to move in and then put up the sign. Really annoying - but over now.
THEEEENNNNN... the latest.
This week, I was home and got a knock at the door. One of the rental company staff and another man asked to come in and proceeded to stick stickers on some of the furniture in our home.
I then got email from the rental company staff member saying that the furniture was the "other landlord's" and so we need to replace it. Just so happens that every single item the other landlord wants to take is everything nice in our apartment. Grrrrrr!!!!
We are SO tempted to tell them - NO! The lease has every item listed as part of the 12 month agreement, and we're not even up to 6 months yet! The nerve of these people. Especially when the rental guy mentioned only replacing what we "need"! i.e. not everything!
Tomorrow we are going to look at "replacement" furniture. It better be good!
At the risk of sounding completely paranoid - ever feel like you've been completely scammed??? It just feels like more false advertising. Here, rent this nice apartment with view (that we're going to take) and lovely furniture (that we're going to take). ARGH!!!
Next they'll be telling us that they're building on top of our treasured open roof space or renting the spare bedroom to someone else!
MORE #1: Guy was supposed to arrive at 8.30 this morning and turned up 20 minutes late. Then we were supposed to go to a showroom to see the furniture. The "showroom" consisted of La Thanh street, which is an enormous long street with millions of furniture stores (largely crappy). Both Russell and I went thinking the whole thing would take a fairly short time, and when we realised what he expected us to do - go up and down this street looking from the motorbike into a million furniture stores - I think Russell was going to give it a miss, and I offered to do it on my own. But he stuck it out. Champion!
We spent about 3 hours going up and down the street. Anything remotely nice, interesting, or just plain not-tacky was deemed too expensive, too religious, too "old style".
Finally! We picked some stuff that was.... well... okay. We were still pretty annoyed but we figured it was a reasonable compromise and would finish the whole issue.
MORE # 2: THEN!! This afternoon I got an email from the guy saying that the landlord would only pay for 2 out of about 8 things that he was taking!!!! AND.... they wanted to take all the stuff for the landlord during this week and not replace any of it (most of our furniture!) until after Tet!
ARGHHH!H!!!! What can you do? It's not that hard. Sign a lease for an apartment with furniture and the landlord is supposed to leave you alone to live in it for 12 months. As long as you don't destroy anything then what could be the problem?
So we both had a collective tantrum this afternoon and I was told by the guy, amusingly, not to get angry because "I will make you pleasure". Ummm... I just want the furniture thing sorted, mate.
The saga continues...
Posted at 03:36 PM
Fri - January 6, 2006
The Roof
In July 05 we decided our old house was
waaaay too big and our landlord was driving us crazy, so it was time to move. We
looked around for a few weeks and found our current apartment. Our requirements
for a new place included: a) must be small and b) must have outdoor area for
dog.
Anyway, we were happy with our apartment. It's at the top of a 5 floor building, so we have a lounge/dining/kitchen area and bedroom/bath on one level, and then another bedroom/bath and roof area upstairs. Excellent! We really loved the roof as it was open on 3 sides. The high-up view around the Old Quarter is so cool! We had big plans for a great sitting-out area!
Soon after we moved in, a couple of workmen appeared on the roof, doing some work. They seemed to be installing some sort of frame. Naively, we thought that it was some sort of security grille as the rest of the house has these on the windows. So the workmen were there most days for a couple of weeks, and then one day we returned home to find that they had gone, and seemingly finished their work. And what they had left was an enormous, disgusting frame contraption along the whole left side of our roof.
We spoke to the landlord and asked what was going on. He was all apologetic along the lines of "someone was supposed to tell you" - and obviously hadn't - that they were putting up a billboard along that side of our roof. WHAT!? We had literally just moved in, and no one had ever mentioned THAT when we signed the lease, but it had obviously been organised since it started SO soon after we moved in. We were furious - who wants to sit behind an enormous billboard? Surely the people living in the house should be ASKED first - we signed the lease for the apartment as it was, not as it was about to be with billboarded roof!
The landlord did the "oh, please have sympathy for me" thing. (What about US!?) We said that we would accept the frame, as long as the billboard was raised up so that we would still have the view from our roof intact. He agreed - a compromise had seemingly been reached.
The frame remained, with no billboard, for another couple of months. Not knowing how the whole thing would turn out, we didn't go ahead furnishing the roof area. And thank goodness! One day, a bunch of workmen came and put the billboard up which covered from floor to ceiling of that whole side of the roof! Explicitly against the compromise that we had agreed on. ARGH!
We went back to the landlord who told us that - unfortunately - the sign would not be stable enough if it was raised higher and - again - please have sympathy for him...grrrr.... Our argument was: well if you can't put it up per our agreement, then you shouldn't have put it up! They didn't even tell us this whilst they were putting the monstrosity up, and we live here! The landlord then said they would try and see whether they could raise it up higher somehow. So time went on with this horrible billboard on one side of our roof.
Eventually, we came up with a compromise that they could put bamboo blinds on the inside of the roof along the side where the billboard is. This way, we wouldn't have to see the billboard, but they could leave it up. We thought it was pretty reasonable.
We then received an email from the landlord saying they would be sending someone to remove the whole sign! We responded that they didn't have to, as - as per previous correspondence - we were prepared to compromise. No response.
Then yesterday, a load of workmen turned up and removed the billboard, and today they are removing (EXTREMELY LOUDLY!) the frame that was attached to the side of the roof.
It's so weird! At first I felt really guilty for being so unco-operative, but we DID offer an alternative solution. It seems like such a waste of time and effort on their part when they could have had a different solution. Russell thinks they found a better place to put the sign, so decided not to bother with compromise.
Roof saga over - hopefully!
Anyway, we were happy with our apartment. It's at the top of a 5 floor building, so we have a lounge/dining/kitchen area and bedroom/bath on one level, and then another bedroom/bath and roof area upstairs. Excellent! We really loved the roof as it was open on 3 sides. The high-up view around the Old Quarter is so cool! We had big plans for a great sitting-out area!
Soon after we moved in, a couple of workmen appeared on the roof, doing some work. They seemed to be installing some sort of frame. Naively, we thought that it was some sort of security grille as the rest of the house has these on the windows. So the workmen were there most days for a couple of weeks, and then one day we returned home to find that they had gone, and seemingly finished their work. And what they had left was an enormous, disgusting frame contraption along the whole left side of our roof.
We spoke to the landlord and asked what was going on. He was all apologetic along the lines of "someone was supposed to tell you" - and obviously hadn't - that they were putting up a billboard along that side of our roof. WHAT!? We had literally just moved in, and no one had ever mentioned THAT when we signed the lease, but it had obviously been organised since it started SO soon after we moved in. We were furious - who wants to sit behind an enormous billboard? Surely the people living in the house should be ASKED first - we signed the lease for the apartment as it was, not as it was about to be with billboarded roof!
The landlord did the "oh, please have sympathy for me" thing. (What about US!?) We said that we would accept the frame, as long as the billboard was raised up so that we would still have the view from our roof intact. He agreed - a compromise had seemingly been reached.
The frame remained, with no billboard, for another couple of months. Not knowing how the whole thing would turn out, we didn't go ahead furnishing the roof area. And thank goodness! One day, a bunch of workmen came and put the billboard up which covered from floor to ceiling of that whole side of the roof! Explicitly against the compromise that we had agreed on. ARGH!
We went back to the landlord who told us that - unfortunately - the sign would not be stable enough if it was raised higher and - again - please have sympathy for him...grrrr.... Our argument was: well if you can't put it up per our agreement, then you shouldn't have put it up! They didn't even tell us this whilst they were putting the monstrosity up, and we live here! The landlord then said they would try and see whether they could raise it up higher somehow. So time went on with this horrible billboard on one side of our roof.
Eventually, we came up with a compromise that they could put bamboo blinds on the inside of the roof along the side where the billboard is. This way, we wouldn't have to see the billboard, but they could leave it up. We thought it was pretty reasonable.
We then received an email from the landlord saying they would be sending someone to remove the whole sign! We responded that they didn't have to, as - as per previous correspondence - we were prepared to compromise. No response.
Then yesterday, a load of workmen turned up and removed the billboard, and today they are removing (EXTREMELY LOUDLY!) the frame that was attached to the side of the roof.
It's so weird! At first I felt really guilty for being so unco-operative, but we DID offer an alternative solution. It seems like such a waste of time and effort on their part when they could have had a different solution. Russell thinks they found a better place to put the sign, so decided not to bother with compromise.
Roof saga over - hopefully!
Posted at 11:35 AM
Sun - December 18, 2005
Being Settled
I am beginning to have a theory about Hanoi.
It goes something like this:
Hanoi is hard to get to know, but when you do, you'll be friends for life.
I think moving to Hanoi (and the year that followed, more accurately) was probably one of the more difficult things that Russell and I have been through. Although tough, both of us have had some amazing and hard fought successes as well.
But now I think it would be safe to say that we feel a certain satisfaction with the fact that we are actually quite settled here. We have a life in Hanoi. Work, home, friends, people who know us around the neighbourhood. We know how to get around to anywhere we would want to go. We have favourite restaurants. We know where to get particular foods that we want.
We've had a couple of great vacations this year - Saigon and Hoi An - both awesome! And we're planning our next trip to Thailand at the moment. We're so lucky to be able to "pop over" to such fantastic destinations so easily. And we definitely want to explore the region.
When we first moved to Hanoi, the rush and noise and dirt was so full-on. Our house was SO big. And we had so many challenges ahead of us - work, language, relationships, the list goes on. Trust me, just getting food for dinner was a challenge at times.
But then you start to think that times of the day are "too quiet". We moved house to a nice apartment that is so easy to heat and cool and is so comfortable and convenient to our favourite place - the Old Quarter. Work settles into a routine and you get more comfortable. You learn a lot of language by immersion - and then realise how much you really do know!
And then... we started to feel settled!
So my advice to anyone looking to come to Vietnam - Hanoi in particular - is that you need to give it time.
Hanoi is hard to get to know, but when you do, you'll be friends for life.
I think moving to Hanoi (and the year that followed, more accurately) was probably one of the more difficult things that Russell and I have been through. Although tough, both of us have had some amazing and hard fought successes as well.
But now I think it would be safe to say that we feel a certain satisfaction with the fact that we are actually quite settled here. We have a life in Hanoi. Work, home, friends, people who know us around the neighbourhood. We know how to get around to anywhere we would want to go. We have favourite restaurants. We know where to get particular foods that we want.
We've had a couple of great vacations this year - Saigon and Hoi An - both awesome! And we're planning our next trip to Thailand at the moment. We're so lucky to be able to "pop over" to such fantastic destinations so easily. And we definitely want to explore the region.
When we first moved to Hanoi, the rush and noise and dirt was so full-on. Our house was SO big. And we had so many challenges ahead of us - work, language, relationships, the list goes on. Trust me, just getting food for dinner was a challenge at times.
But then you start to think that times of the day are "too quiet". We moved house to a nice apartment that is so easy to heat and cool and is so comfortable and convenient to our favourite place - the Old Quarter. Work settles into a routine and you get more comfortable. You learn a lot of language by immersion - and then realise how much you really do know!
And then... we started to feel settled!
So my advice to anyone looking to come to Vietnam - Hanoi in particular - is that you need to give it time.
Posted at 06:55 PM
Sun - December 11, 2005
Propaganda Props
Ever since studying the Russian revolution
in history class I've had an interest in the Soviet style propaganda. Whilst
the Berlin wall may be down now and the cold war is at most a "fine and mild
war" now, that style of propaganda is still very much visible in Vietnam. You
can pick up mugs, badges and clothing all with reproductions of past campaigns,
I think the posters are the coolest though. You can get actual original posters
from the campaigns. Emma and I went looking one afternoon and there was one in
particular I really liked. It has a picture of Uncle Ho in the foreground and
Lenin in the background, all done in red and gold - quintessential propaganda.
One day when she had the day off of work she went to the shop, bought it and got
it put up at home by the time I got home. It takes pride of place in the lounge
room and I think it looks excellent, thanks
Ems!
Emma was saying that the guy who put the poster up was quiet impressed with the sentiment of the poster. In fact he asked why we didn't get it in English! Hmmm, they don't come in English, and besides that may diminish the feeling of authenticity somewhat!
Oh, BTW, the poster reads: "When he still lived he was a father, a teacher, a comrade and an advisor to us. Today he's a bright star to lead us to the socialist revolution." Ho Chi Minh regarding Lenin.
Emma was saying that the guy who put the poster up was quiet impressed with the sentiment of the poster. In fact he asked why we didn't get it in English! Hmmm, they don't come in English, and besides that may diminish the feeling of authenticity somewhat!
Oh, BTW, the poster reads: "When he still lived he was a father, a teacher, a comrade and an advisor to us. Today he's a bright star to lead us to the socialist revolution." Ho Chi Minh regarding Lenin.
Posted at 05:35 PM
Thu - November 24, 2005
Table for 3?
Behind our apartment, there is a very
popular "BBQ goat meat & hotpot (lau)" restaurant called Nhat Ly. It's
several stories high and busy all year round, all day
long.
At the end of a long day, the waiters look forward to having a good night's rest - on the same tables the customers ate at earlier! They push together several tables and then 3 or 4 people all line up on the "bed" to sleep.
This is what we see (sorry about the blurry pic) out of our bathroom window each morning. With the cold weather recently, they often pull down a blind and put on more blankets for more shelter.
At the end of a long day, the waiters look forward to having a good night's rest - on the same tables the customers ate at earlier! They push together several tables and then 3 or 4 people all line up on the "bed" to sleep.
This is what we see (sorry about the blurry pic) out of our bathroom window each morning. With the cold weather recently, they often pull down a blind and put on more blankets for more shelter.
Posted at 06:08 PM
Sat - November 19, 2005
A Blogger and her dog
Here's a familiar scene from home. The
picture shows Emma agonising over her next blog entry and Bella "Does my tummy
look big in this fur?" , agonising over when her next meal is coming
along...
Posted at 10:56 PM
Sun - September 11, 2005
Dinner Interruptus
I was cooking a roast dinner (with roast
potatoes and pumpkin; capsicum, onion, garlic and chilli; yorkshire pudding and
gravy) when I went to check on progress only to find that the gas had gone
out.
D'oh!
We cook from gas bottles here because pumped gas is very rare.
Needless to say, at 8pm on a Sunday night, we were out of luck in regards to a replacement bottle.
Plan B: Khazanna Indian home-delivery for dinner! But no roast!
P.S. You'll be pleased to know that Russell sacrificed his afternoon to welcome the gas man, and we now have gas and have just had "make-up roast". Very nice!
D'oh!
We cook from gas bottles here because pumped gas is very rare.
Needless to say, at 8pm on a Sunday night, we were out of luck in regards to a replacement bottle.
Plan B: Khazanna Indian home-delivery for dinner! But no roast!
P.S. You'll be pleased to know that Russell sacrificed his afternoon to welcome the gas man, and we now have gas and have just had "make-up roast". Very nice!
Posted at 08:54 PM