I saw the Backstreet Boys here in concert. It was really interesting to go to a concert here. Everyone sits in their seats and they're pretty well behaved. I'll never forget the young man sitting next to me screeching, he was just SO excited and definitely in his twenties. All of the guys around me knew all of the words. I don't know many guys in the States that you could pay to see the BSB. Oh well, it was a good time with the girlfriends I've made here. The bathrooms... I won't get into, but ugh so gross.
Bob Dylan will be here in two and a half weeks, but I'm not going. I put my life on hold in November to go see him. He, sad to say, wasn't good enough to see again within the same six months.
There's a four day weekend coming up at the end of the month, I think my coworkers are trying to go to Da Lat or Phu Quoc... I've heard Phu Quoc is JUST a beach, no other options, "they force you to relax." My vote will be for Cambodia. Either way it'll be great to get out of the city and breathe a little fresher air. I went to the American War museum and Vung Tau last weekend. Educational (America bashing) followed by a nice day at the beach. Next time I'll have to stay the whole weekend. I made a traveling buddy (Shane) from Australia, so adventures ahead.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Extremely Loud (& Incredibly Close)
The book referenced in the title is one of my favorite books, written by Johnathan Safran Foer about a 9-year-old boy on a search to find out about a key left behind his father, who was killed during the 9/11 attacks. I personally found it to be really beautiful and touching, bursting into hysterical fits as well as tears throughout the book. Anyway, they're making a movie based on the book! I haven't been more excited since finding the date of Harry Potter 6, 7.1 and 7.2. I hope the story line flows well. Either way, I can't wait.
I'm not getting much reading for pleasure done. I read all day at work and the idea of looking at another word once I get home is just horrible. I'll get used to it; I can't ever find anything interesting on TV, so eventually I'll HAVE to revert back to books. In the mean-time I've still got the entire Audrey Hepburn collection to get through.
The title also refers to how freaking loud this country is. Horns, buses, more horns, the languages people yell all day every day, the television in my apartment, motorbike exhausts. I'm pretty sure I'll be deaf three years earlier than I would be had I not lived here.
Danielle is gone now; she had to leave two months early due to a death in the family. I went to her place Saturday and sat around, not helping her pack, but not hindering the process either. We got some lunch with Romain and all of our friends came over her place to say goodbye, as she caught the midnight plane outta here. She accidentally sprayed her pepper spray, it was HORRIBLE! At least now we know if you spray it indoors and need to escape, you'll be the only person unaffected. I think we all laughed until we were nearly in tears; whether the tears were legit or if they were left over from the pepper spray, I can't be sure.
Today I am not leaving my apartment, I think it's necessary every other week to just bum around in your space. But too much more than that and I feel like you're wasting this great experience.
I'm not getting much reading for pleasure done. I read all day at work and the idea of looking at another word once I get home is just horrible. I'll get used to it; I can't ever find anything interesting on TV, so eventually I'll HAVE to revert back to books. In the mean-time I've still got the entire Audrey Hepburn collection to get through.
The title also refers to how freaking loud this country is. Horns, buses, more horns, the languages people yell all day every day, the television in my apartment, motorbike exhausts. I'm pretty sure I'll be deaf three years earlier than I would be had I not lived here.
Danielle is gone now; she had to leave two months early due to a death in the family. I went to her place Saturday and sat around, not helping her pack, but not hindering the process either. We got some lunch with Romain and all of our friends came over her place to say goodbye, as she caught the midnight plane outta here. She accidentally sprayed her pepper spray, it was HORRIBLE! At least now we know if you spray it indoors and need to escape, you'll be the only person unaffected. I think we all laughed until we were nearly in tears; whether the tears were legit or if they were left over from the pepper spray, I can't be sure.
Today I am not leaving my apartment, I think it's necessary every other week to just bum around in your space. But too much more than that and I feel like you're wasting this great experience.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Happy St. Patrick's Day from Vietnam.
Apparently it's 86 degrees outside today, but since the norm is upwards of 95, it feels a lot cooler, even the humidity is down, it's a beautiful day by my standards. Everyone keeps saying we skipped the hot season and have gone straight to rainy season, and it is QUITE rainy, if it rains, you're soaked in three seconds, but it's completely tolerable... for now. I'm still struggling with the Celsius/Fahrenheit conversion.
Tuesday I went to Lush, which I think if I skipped just ONE Tuesday my roommates would have me replaced in the apartment. It's always a really good time, but I always end up staying out too late. "Why is Tuesday so much fun and Wednesday the worst day of the week?" "Because Tuesday is ladies night and Wednesday is hang over day." Touché.
St. Patrick's Day was quite an adventure, everyone around the world, not just in the US, thinks they are Irish on this day. Which is funny because I'm pretty sure they don't celebrate St. Patrick's Day this way in Ireland (Just like they don't celebrate Cinco de Mayo in Mexico as well celebrated as it is in the US). No "Irish potatoes" to be found anywhere though... that was intensely disappointing, also not a worldly food, it might just be a Jersey thing based on my limited research. I met a nice group of Australians, that have since gone back or to London, in what I suppose could be considered an Irish Pub. That's something that I don't think I'll get used to, the transience. I've also noticed where the US has a lot of people with Italian or Irish backgrounds, a lot of people here are Australian or German. That's easily my favorite thing, meeting so many people from so many backgrounds.
I am still settling overall. I have to work this Saturday due to silly office politics, no sense complaining about things I can't change. But I think Julien (the French head of marketing at my company) and I are going to meet other people from the office in Vung Tau (the closest beach to Saigon) when we get off at 12. I'm hoping to head up to the Mekong soon, I hear it's a good day trip. My roommates are trying to convince me to go to Kuala Lumpur, and I'd like to, I just am not quite ready to shell out the money for that. I am, however, ready to spend an entire day at the spa (full body massage, hair wash, cut and dry, manicure, pedicure, and facial) for ten whole dollars. Unbelievable.
Tuesday I went to Lush, which I think if I skipped just ONE Tuesday my roommates would have me replaced in the apartment. It's always a really good time, but I always end up staying out too late. "Why is Tuesday so much fun and Wednesday the worst day of the week?" "Because Tuesday is ladies night and Wednesday is hang over day." Touché.
St. Patrick's Day was quite an adventure, everyone around the world, not just in the US, thinks they are Irish on this day. Which is funny because I'm pretty sure they don't celebrate St. Patrick's Day this way in Ireland (Just like they don't celebrate Cinco de Mayo in Mexico as well celebrated as it is in the US). No "Irish potatoes" to be found anywhere though... that was intensely disappointing, also not a worldly food, it might just be a Jersey thing based on my limited research. I met a nice group of Australians, that have since gone back or to London, in what I suppose could be considered an Irish Pub. That's something that I don't think I'll get used to, the transience. I've also noticed where the US has a lot of people with Italian or Irish backgrounds, a lot of people here are Australian or German. That's easily my favorite thing, meeting so many people from so many backgrounds.
I am still settling overall. I have to work this Saturday due to silly office politics, no sense complaining about things I can't change. But I think Julien (the French head of marketing at my company) and I are going to meet other people from the office in Vung Tau (the closest beach to Saigon) when we get off at 12. I'm hoping to head up to the Mekong soon, I hear it's a good day trip. My roommates are trying to convince me to go to Kuala Lumpur, and I'd like to, I just am not quite ready to shell out the money for that. I am, however, ready to spend an entire day at the spa (full body massage, hair wash, cut and dry, manicure, pedicure, and facial) for ten whole dollars. Unbelievable.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Not everyday is great, but great things happen everyday
I thought it was the 11th or 12th to give you some idea of how quickly time is going. It’s been a while since I wrote, almost three weeks, I’ll have to piece things together through emails and Skype conversations. The internet has been even more unreliable since about a week ago. As it turns out there’s a damaged cord in Vung Tau, particularly the connection from Vietnam to America. Rumor has it we’ve got another week or two before it’s repaired. I have to admit it’s easier to be zen about things when you finally have some sort of answer to the question, even if it seems mildly ridiculous.
Things are settling down a bit and I feel like I’m falling into a routine. Not every day is good, but something good happens every day; if I’ve said it once, I’ve said it 100 times. Plenty of negative thoughts cross my mind, often multiple times a day, but like I implied I’m trying to be more zen about everything.
Last Thursday I moved into my new apartment with Tracey from Manchester and Lizzy from Ann Arbor. I still don’t know if she has a friend or sibling old enough to know Pete Creekmore. The acquaintance you hold with people is so strange. Vietnam is proving how small the world really is.
Danielle helped me bring all of my stuff up and we went for dinner and quiz night at Le Pub. I’ve heard such wonderful things about it, but I found it rather dull. I decided to head home out of exhaustion. First night in my beautiful apartment.
Wednesday I worked and that was about it. I was completely exhausted. The girls and I watched most of Never Let Me Go, but all decided to head to sleep around ten. I think majority of my exhaustion stems from the heat, walking around in it, and sweating out all of the energy you consume. Now I’d really like to finish the film, but I don’t know what happened to it.
Thursday was another uneventful day, I think. I almost prefer them, at least for now. I may have gone to Scoozi with Danielle, Romy, and Bill… pretty amazing pizza for the other side of the world. Were we not sitting outside under an awning in the rain, were the servers and pizza makers not Vietnamese, and were there not cockroaches scuttling up my legs, I might have believed we were in New York.
Friday my exhaustion continued. Home and asleep by 10:45.
Saturday I met Isabelle by the opera house to have lunch at a Japanese restaurant – best chicken teriyaki ever. Ernst joined us. Good chat about retaliation against thieves and Harry Potter. Predictably, McGonagle and Snape are their favorites respectively.
Isabelle and I walked and walked. We stopped at the equivalent of Starbucks for a drink to let the heat dissipate. We walked back to my apartment and then got dinner at the restaurant around the corner from my apartment (Papaya). Went our early ways, another early night in bed.
Sunday I woke up early, did a little Skyping when it worked and went down to Bui Vien to Bobby Brewers to get out of my apartment but also out of the heat. I stuck around for How Do You Know and Sanctum before walking home. A wonderful way to kill a hot afternoon. It’s only going to get hotter, I have no idea when I’ll make it to the zoo or the War Remnants Museum (even though that’s inside).
Monday was uneventful.
And here we are at Tuesday. I walked home, as usual, bought some really cute pants along the way. We’re all getting ready to head out to Ladies Night at Lush, our first true outing as roommates. Work was dreadful; the internet is dreadful and this piece I’m working on is so factually incorrect. I did get to work on Klimt, Rodin, and Monet in between. Friday is my deadline, so hopefully the internet picks up a bit so I can get all my fact checking done efficiently.
Things are settling down a bit and I feel like I’m falling into a routine. Not every day is good, but something good happens every day; if I’ve said it once, I’ve said it 100 times. Plenty of negative thoughts cross my mind, often multiple times a day, but like I implied I’m trying to be more zen about everything.
Last Thursday I moved into my new apartment with Tracey from Manchester and Lizzy from Ann Arbor. I still don’t know if she has a friend or sibling old enough to know Pete Creekmore. The acquaintance you hold with people is so strange. Vietnam is proving how small the world really is.
Danielle helped me bring all of my stuff up and we went for dinner and quiz night at Le Pub. I’ve heard such wonderful things about it, but I found it rather dull. I decided to head home out of exhaustion. First night in my beautiful apartment.
Wednesday I worked and that was about it. I was completely exhausted. The girls and I watched most of Never Let Me Go, but all decided to head to sleep around ten. I think majority of my exhaustion stems from the heat, walking around in it, and sweating out all of the energy you consume. Now I’d really like to finish the film, but I don’t know what happened to it.
Thursday was another uneventful day, I think. I almost prefer them, at least for now. I may have gone to Scoozi with Danielle, Romy, and Bill… pretty amazing pizza for the other side of the world. Were we not sitting outside under an awning in the rain, were the servers and pizza makers not Vietnamese, and were there not cockroaches scuttling up my legs, I might have believed we were in New York.
Friday my exhaustion continued. Home and asleep by 10:45.
Saturday I met Isabelle by the opera house to have lunch at a Japanese restaurant – best chicken teriyaki ever. Ernst joined us. Good chat about retaliation against thieves and Harry Potter. Predictably, McGonagle and Snape are their favorites respectively.
Isabelle and I walked and walked. We stopped at the equivalent of Starbucks for a drink to let the heat dissipate. We walked back to my apartment and then got dinner at the restaurant around the corner from my apartment (Papaya). Went our early ways, another early night in bed.
Sunday I woke up early, did a little Skyping when it worked and went down to Bui Vien to Bobby Brewers to get out of my apartment but also out of the heat. I stuck around for How Do You Know and Sanctum before walking home. A wonderful way to kill a hot afternoon. It’s only going to get hotter, I have no idea when I’ll make it to the zoo or the War Remnants Museum (even though that’s inside).
Monday was uneventful.
And here we are at Tuesday. I walked home, as usual, bought some really cute pants along the way. We’re all getting ready to head out to Ladies Night at Lush, our first true outing as roommates. Work was dreadful; the internet is dreadful and this piece I’m working on is so factually incorrect. I did get to work on Klimt, Rodin, and Monet in between. Friday is my deadline, so hopefully the internet picks up a bit so I can get all my fact checking done efficiently.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Welcome to my humble abode, please remove your shoes at the door
My room isn't ready for viewing. Surprised? I didn't think so. Tempted to come visit? I know.
xo, L
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