Just two hours before everything has to be packed and delivered to the Hue train station. Wonder if we will make it?
Packing is such an intense experience, one is certainly happy when one arrives and finds out that most everything that one forgot can be purchased locally at 1/2 the price, not […]
Archive for the 'This'n'That' Category
May
2007
2
Packing ain’t fun
Published by The Alchemist? 1 year, 3 months ago in This'n'That. 1 CommentApr
2007
30
Are Americans Being ‘A-merri-CON(ed)’?
Published by The Alchemist? 1 year, 4 months ago in Travel Experiences and This'n'That. 1 CommentOne rule-of-thumb is that if the videos of any event are systematically removed by government agencies it is an indicator or signal of a “false flag” or “psy-op” (psychological warfare) operation.
Apr
2007
30
Impact of Coming Back
Published by The Alchemist? 1 year, 4 months ago in Vietnam and This'n'That. ClosedIt’s been predicted that the next exodus of “BOAT PEOPLE” will be North Americans searching the world for work.
Apr
2007
30
Last Days in Vietnam — Part 2
Published by The Alchemist? 1 year, 4 months ago in Vietnam and This'n'That. 1 CommentI am amazed at how much the modern, scientific mindset robs almost everyone of any time for introspection. Keep moving and always be entertained by something outside of oneself or ingest an addiction of some sort.
Apr
2007
30
Last Days in Vietnam — Part 1
Published by The Alchemist? 1 year, 4 months ago in Vietnam and This'n'That. ClosedWe’ve already started packing — on May 2nd, we will ship the large plastic foot lockers by train; on May 4th-5th, we will take the train from Hue to Saigon and on May 6th, we fly EVA Airways from Saigon, Taipai, Seattle and finally arriving May 6th at approx 9:30pm in Portland, Oregon.
Mar
2007
26
Gina’s Memory Day
Published by The Alchemist? 1 year, 5 months ago in Vietnam and This'n'That. 1 CommentWe just celebrated Gina’s first memory day — she died one year ago today at approx 4:00am. A bit of the Vietnamese tradition “rubbing” off. Megan also wanted to celebrate because she has been doing it since her Grandfather died last June 14th, 10 days after we arrived in Hue, Vietnam.
We celebrated Gina’s memory […]
Mar
2007
12
Converting VCD vs SVCD
Published by The Alchemist? 1 year, 5 months ago in Vietnam and This'n'That. ClosedIn the Americas and Europe, we use DVDs, but in Asia, they use VCD, SVCD, DVCD, but not DVDs. Being here, I’ve learned to convert DVDs and DivX files into VCD format so it can be played on the TV.
Today I had to decide whether to convert the Home Alone DVD into either a […]
Mar
2007
12
CELTA Training Postponed
Published by The Alchemist? 1 year, 5 months ago in Vietnam and This'n'That. ClosedIt was one very hard decision. I was even on the telephone yesterday midday asking Keith, who teaches English in Hanoi, questions regarding the Vietnamese work visa papers and his advise regarding when to attend the CELTA course.
The work visa papers are very complex here in Vietnam and it would be much better if […]
Mar
2007
8
Almost End of the Trail
Published by The Alchemist? 1 year, 5 months ago in Vietnam and This'n'That. ClosedOn the downhill run — 1 1/2 months left until we return to the US. Time has certainly sped by, don’t know where the time went.
Megan has certainly learned Vietnamese well enough to talk with all her playmates. I know that she needs to learn more vocabulary and more advanced sentence structures, but first we need to have her start reading.
Mar
2007
1
CELTA in Bangkok or Hanoi?
Published by The Alchemist? 1 year, 6 months ago in Vietnam and This'n'That. 1 CommentStruggling with the decision of whether to spend approx $1,500 to take the 4 week CELTA1 course.
CELTA is overseen by the University of Cambridge to teach native English speakers the ins-and-outs of teaching English to non-native English speakers.
In the US, one must obtain a MA2 in English (and probably a teaching certificate) along […]
Feb
2007
27
VNPT’s (NON) customer service
Published by The Alchemist? 1 year, 6 months ago in Vietnam and This'n'That. ClosedThe Vietnamese telephone company [VNPT] has a “customer service” department which Mai and I visited yesterday and I delivered a written complaint.
Their employee, who supposedly spoke English, had attended an English class fifteen years ago with Mai when she worked for the post office. Mai had to translate because his understanding of […]
Jan
2007
12
Birth of a New Economic System?
Published by The Alchemist? 1 year, 7 months ago in Vietnam and This'n'That. 1 CommentJust heard on a lecture that Hugo Chavez’s approval percentage in Venezuela is 70% and President Bush’s approval rating in the USA is 30%.
Is there something wrong with the social conditioning and/or mind control in the US?
No wonder Venezuela’s Chavez is giving the multi-national corporations a “fit.” US interests tried to overthrow […]
Jan
2007
11
What’s Megan doing?
Published by The Alchemist? 1 year, 7 months ago in Vietnam and This'n'That. ClosedMegan is sitting next to me on a mat on the floor with her five-year-old cousin, Win, playing a Putt-Putt game on the computer.
Normally, Megan’s game playing is strictly limited and she is not allowed to watch English movies nor games during the daytime. She is allowed to utilize http://www.pbskids.org website for […]
Oct
2006
20
Superstition and Fear Reality
Published by The Alchemist? 1 year, 10 months ago in Vietnam and This'n'That. 2 CommentsWhile Vietnam has 85 million people and is about the size of Ohio, the people have been kept extremely isolated during their whole history.
Only a few were educated and most were illiterate. In fact, the lady who I buy BUN from each morning cannot read. Mai wrote some instructions for Megan’s bowl of […]
Oct
2006
20
Is Vietnam is secretly (Fascist) Republican
Published by The Alchemist? 1 year, 10 months ago in Vietnam and This'n'That. ClosedFor over 50 years the people of Vietnam fought for their version of freedom for Vietnam. After the war ended in 1975, I have met people from both the North and South who feel extremely disappointed concerning the condition of the corruption, addiction and total government control of the Vietnamese society now. The dream they fought and died for never happened.
Oct
2006
20
3 Yrs of Mourning; but TV Ok.
Published by The Alchemist? 1 year, 10 months ago in Vietnam and This'n'That. 1 CommentBecause I played energetic, joyful music the neighbors started complaining because I was playing music and not mourning for THREE YEARS for my father-in-law’s death. I told Mai that her mother and sister listened to music everyday on the TV and that didn’t seem to be a problem.
I told Mai if the family really wanted to display suffering, they should turn off the TV for three years! That would be suffering.
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