Tặng Chú

1. Bạn nhiu tuổi?
- 23 tuổi 8 ngày

2. Bạn có độc thân?
- Không nhưng mà hiện tại đang sống độc thân

3. Bạn sẽ kết hôn lúc nào?
- Trong khoảng từ 27-29 tuổi (đến năm 29 mà vẫn chưa cưới thì ra đường tìm anh nào đẹp giai, kề dao vào cổ bắt cưới)

4. Bạn có nghĩ bạn sẽ cưới người bạn đang hẹn hò không?
- Hi vọng là có nhưng mà mong manh lém, tại xa nhau

5.Nếu không bạn sẽ cưới ai?
- Chịu

6. Ai sẽ làm phù dâu/rể của bạn?
- Chắc là bạn thân, nhưng bít chọn đứa nào nhỉ?

7. Bạn tổ chức đám cưới ở đâu?
- Santorini, Greece :D hehe

8. Bạn sẽ tổ chức trăng mật ở đâu?
- Nơi nào có biển xanh cát trắng và nắng vàng, chắc là một địa điểm nào đó ở vùng Caribbean

9. Bạn sẽ mời nhiu khách?
- Mời cả Hà Nội luôn, ai bay được sang Greece thì dự há há

10. Sẽ có cả bồ cũ nữa chứ?
- Chắc mời 1 người

11.Bạn muốn bánh kem nhiu tầng?
- Hơ, chưa nghĩ đến

12.Bạn tổ chức đám cưới lúc nào?
- Chưa tính đến

13.Những bài hát sẽ chơi trong đám cưới?
- Ôi giời ơi nghĩ sao nổi, lúc đấy kết bài nào thì chơi bài đấy.

14. Buffet hay bàn tiệc?
- Buffet (xem được bn người đến dự đám cưới mình nhỉ?)

15. Champagne hay Vang?
- Cả hai, ai thích gì uống cái đấy.

16. Còn trang phục?
- Thoải mái, lịch sự là được

17. Tiền hay đồ đạc?
- Gì cũng quý, gì cũng lấy.

18. Bàn tiệc 10 hay 12?
- Buffet mà, ai ngồi đâu thì ngồi

19. Món ăn thì sao. bao nhiu món nè?
- Hic, ặc ặc, chưa nghĩ ra

20. món tây, ta, tàu?
-Nhưng mà làm gì có ai đến dự đám cưới, nghĩ làm gì nhỉ?

21. Nghi lễ thì sao? đơn giản hay hoành tráng?
- Đơn giản, càng đơn giản càng tốt (ghét nghi lễ đám cưới của vn)

22. Bạn mong ai có mặt nhất?
- Những người quan trọng

23. Còn ai ko mong nhất?
-Không mong thì ko mời

24. Bạn muốn có mấy đứa con?
- 3, 2 đứa sinh đôi 1 gái 1 trai :D

25. Bạn sẽ ghi lại đám cưới của mình chứ?
- Tất nhiên, đám cưới nhất định phải có thợ ảnh, máy quay thì... nghĩ đã

26. BẠN MUỐN BIẾT WEDDING PLAN CỦA AI NHẤT TIẾP THEO?
- Em Vịt

I've done 88 out of 132 Stupid Things

Level 1
(Yes) Smoked A Cigarette
(Yes) Smoked A Cigar
(Yes) Kissed A Member Of The Same Sex (multiple times but i'm gonna leave it for your imagination)
(Yes) Drank Alcohol

SO FAR: 4

Level 2
(Yes) Are / Been In Love
(Yes) Been Dumped
(No) Shoplifted
(No) Been Fired
(No) Been In A Fist Fight (Noone told me so, so that No)

SO FAR: 6

Level 4
(Yes) Had A Crush On An Older Person
(Yes) Skipped School
(No) Slept With A Co-worker
(Yes) Seen Someone / Something Die (my bird died on my hand)

SO FAR: 9

Level 5
(Yes) Had / Have A Crush On One Of Your Facebook Friends
(No) Been To Paris
(No) Been To Spain
(Yes) Been On A Plane
(Yes) Thrown Up From Drinking

SO FAR: 12

Level 6
(Yes) Eaten Sushi
(No) Been Snowboarding
(No) Met Someone BECAUSE Of Facebook/Myspace
(Yes) Been in a Mosh Pit

SO FAR: 14

Level 7
(Yes) Taken Pain Killers
(Yes) Loved/Liked Someone Who You Can't Have
(Yes) Laid On Your Back And Watched Cloud Shapes Go By
(No) Made A Snow Angel (i thought it was lame)

SO FAR: 17

Level 8
(No) Had A Tea Party
(Yes) Flown A Kite (luv my childhood)
(Yes) Built A Sand Castle
(No) Gone Mudding (Off Roading)
(Yes) Played Dress Up

SO FAR: 20

Level 9
(Yes) Jumped Into A Pile Of Leaves
(Yes) Gone Sledging (sand sledging haha)
(Yes) Cheated While Playing A Game
(Yes) Been Lonely
(Yes) Fallen Asleep At Work / School (for sure ^^)

SO FAR: 25

Level 10
(Yes) Watched The Sun Set
(Yes) Felt An Earthquake (wish I could)
(No) Killed A Snake ( i watched many got killed)

SO FAR: 27

Level 11
(Yes) Been Tickled
(Yes) Been Robbed / Vandalized
(Yes) Been Cheated On (well...)
(Yes) Been Misunderstood

SO FAR: 31

Level 12
(Yes) Won A Contest
(No) Been Suspended From School
(Yes) Had Detention (for being late haha)
(Yes) Been In A Car / Motorcycle Accident (a very minor one)

SO FAR: 34

Level 13
(Yes) Had / Have Braces
(no) Eaten A Whole pot Of Ice Cream In One Night (i'm not that fond of ice cream)
(No) Danced In The Moonlight

SO FAR: 35

Level 14
(Yes) Hated The Way You Look (its over)
(Yes) Witnessed A Crime
(No) Pole Danced (havent tried yet, maybe in BParty^^)
(Yes) Questioned Your Heart
(No) Been Obsessed With Post It Notes

SO FAR: 38

Level 15
(No) Squished Barefoot Through The Mud
(Yes) Been Lost (Duh who hasn't)
(Yes) Been To The Opposite Side Of The World (right now, rigth?)
(Yes) Swam In The Ocean
(Yes) Felt Like You Were Dying (it was bad, but dont think was dying)

SO FAR: 42

Level 16
(Yes) Cried Yourself To Sleep
(Yes) Played Cops And Robbers
(Yes) Recently Coloured With Crayons / Colored Pencils / Markers
(Yes) Sang Karaoke (luv that)
(No) Paid For A Meal With Only Coins (have more coins than rag :p)

SO FAR: 46

Level 17
(Yes) Done Something You Told Yourself You Wouldn't
(Yes) Made Prank Phone Calls (very funny ^^)
(Yes) Laughed Until Some Kind Of Beverage Came Out Of Your Nose (specially with my buddy)
(Yes) Kissed In The Rain (smt have to)

SO FAR: 48

Level 18
(No) Written A Letter To Santa Claus (kind of)
(Yes) Watched The Sun Set/Sun Rise With Someone You Care/Cared About (always want to do this once more)
(Yes) Blown Bubbles (can make a double ;))
(Yes) Made A Bonfire On The Beach or Anywhere (i didn't make one, other people did)

SO FAR: 52

Level 19
(No) Crashed A Party
(No) Have Travelled More Than 5 Days With A Car Full Of People
(Yes) Gone Rollerskating / Blading
(Yes) Had A Wish Come True
(No) Been Humped By A Monkey (that would have been hilarious)

SO FAR: 54

Level 20
(Yes) Worn Pearls
(No) Jumped Off A Bridge
(Yes) Screamed "Penis" or "Vagina"
(No) Swam With Dolphins

SO FAR: 56

Level 22
(Yes) Got Your Tongue Stuck To A Pole/Freezer/Ice Cube (frozen to the .. tongue )
(No) Kissed A Fish
(Yes) Worn The Opposite Sex's Clothes
(Yes) Sat On A Roof Top

SO FAR: 59

Level 23
(Yes) Screamed At The Top Of Your Lungs
(No) Done / Attempted A One-Handed Cartwheel
(No) Talked On The Phone For More Than 4 Hours
(No) Recently Stayed Up For A While Talking To Someone You Care About (haha i am shallow)

SO FAR: 60

Level 24
(No) Picked And Ate An Apple Right Off The Tree
(Yes) Climbed A Tree (sure, like it so much)
(No) Had/Been In A Tree House (kinf of)
(Yes) Been Scared To Watch Scary Movies Alone

SO FAR: 62

Level 25
(Yes) Believed In Ghosts=
(Yes) Have had More Then 30 Pairs Of Shoes (if you count from the time i was born)
(No) Gone Streaking
(Yes) Visited Jail (to pay a speeding ticket)

SO FAR: 65

Level 26
(Yes) Played Chicken
(Yes) Been Told You're Hot By A Complete Stranger
(No) Broken A Bone
(Yes) Been Easily Amused

SO FAR: 68

Level 27
(No) Caught A Fish Then Ate It Later
(No) Made A Porn Video
(Yes) Caught A Butterfly
(Yes) Laughed So Hard You Cried
(No) Cried So Hard You Laughed (?)

SO FAR: 70

Level 28
(Yes) Mooned/Flashed Someone
(Yes) Had Someone Moon/Flash You
(Yes) Cheated On A Test
(Yes) Forgotten Someone's Name (dont give me more than 3 names at the same time)
(Yes) French Braided Someones Hair (for my mum and my sis but was a mess)
(No) Gone Skinny Dipping (only with swimming suit)
(No) Been Kicked Out Of Your House

SO FAR: 75

Level 29
(Yes) Rode A Roller Coaster
(Yes) Went Scuba-Diving/Snorkeling (this summer I guess)
(Yes) Had A Cavity
(Yes) Black-Mailed Someone
(No) Been Black Mailed

SO FAR: 79

Level 30
(Yes) Been Used
(Yes) Fell Going Up The Stairs
(Yes) Licked by A Cat
(Yes) Bitten Someone
(Yes) Licked Someone

SO FAR: 84

Level 31
(No) Been Shot At/Or At Gunpoint
(Yes) Had Sex In The Rain (if doing it in a car while it was raining count)
(Yes) Flattened Someones Tyres
(Yes) Rode Your Bike/Driven Your Car Until The Fuel Light Came On (oh yeah all the time)
(Yes) Got Five Pounds Or Less Worth Of Fuel

SO FAR: 88

25 things (the facebook tagging game)

I'm bored and really don't want to post it on facebook, too many strangers!!!! Haha.

1. I'm not so crazy about shopping, well that translates to i'm always broke so i never go shopping. I would rather spend money on good food. I tend to go the mall when feeling lonely or upset but not intend to buy anything. But then i would feel worse at the mall, seeing people and stuff... so the day gets worse. Plus, shopping gives me headache.

2. My mood swings according to the weather. If it's cloudy and grey and rainy, i get grumpy and negative. But if it's bright and sunny and warm, i talk non stop. Winter is when i get depressed because i have to use a lot of energy to stay warm. And so now i have a dilemma: i can't move to NYC it's too cold up there. The Bahamas would be super nice.

3. I'm not a pet person because i can't take care of anything. I would love to have a dog, but there will be a dog sitter attached to the dog. And i'm allergic to cat. I used to have hamsters, and parakeets, and snails (yeah), and turtle, and crazy little insects (like stone worm).

4. My next country to visit is hopefully somewhere in Europe. I can't see that day coming anytime soon thou. Oh my dark future, can't even see the light at the end of the tunnel.

5. Fav. tv show of all time is Friends. I cite Friends in my daily life. My new fav tv shows are the office and 30 rock.

6. I love photography, i love taking picture of other people.

7. I want to live near water, like a house/condo with a view of a lake, the ocean would even be better. I dreamed of having a villa on the beach of Nha Trang, unfortunately my parents didn't buy the villa, instead they broke up. Water calms me down when i'm frustrating and crazy.

8. I have very short term memory, that's why i don't remember anything about history or psychology or anything at all, except for technical stuff like how high is kitchen counter top and codes. My friends would tell me a story about myself, and it was like something she completely made up.

9. I used to play piano for 7 years, and then realized that i sucked at it, so I quit. My music path is not very bright. Even thou... i recorded 2 CDs and some more songs here and there... they are not allowed to be listened by anyone.

10. I love food. I enjoy the original flavor, the true taste, so i don't use soy sauce when eating sushi, or put chili in my pho*. I love korean food, japanese food, thai and indian food. Of course i love vietnamese food the most.

11. I love Hanoi, love it so much it hurts everytime i leave.

12. I'm not afraid of scary movies. But sometimes i get paranoid about dark spaces especially in a big house.

13. I don't own a tv, so i never watch tv, but i do watch shows online during dinner.

14. I need jeans, desperately.

15. I love dating guys who can cook, because then i won't have to and they usually make super tasty food. I hate it when a guy cant even make pasta but picky about food.

16. Even thou i'm easy going, i get mad when people are late and not keeping their promises. But then i have a best friend who's always late and breaking her promises. I get mad at her all the time and she says "you have to learn to be late". Great!

17. My fav drink is beer, all kind of beer especially stout. I don't like cocktail unless it's Long Island Ice tea. I only date guy who appreciates beer. I judge guys who doesn't like stouts (i am terrible).

18. I'm in love with my tennessee sweat pants. I can wear them everyday.

19. I am not as good as you assumed. So stop assuming.

20. Weakness: i cry every year on valentine's day.

21. I like yellow flowers, especially sun flower.

22. I'm on a soda diet, so i only drink water and coffee.

23. I'm lactose intolerant so i can't drink milk or eat too much milk product (that includes cheese, yogurt, cake, basically everything). But i can tolerate the pain pretty well.

24. I can swim, but that's about it. I am too lazy to do any other form of exercise.

25. It's very hard for me to make friends. I usually stay quiet with nothing to say, i only talk when feeling comfortable with the other person. It took me a year to start hanging out with my studio people.

Spring

Spring is not here yet, it's only the beginning of Feb but the weather is warm enough, bright days and clear blue sky. I wonder what spring is like in my Hanoi. The thick gray clouds disappear, exposing a beautiful blue sky that i have not seen in hanoi for a long time. What is spring like there? Is it warm enough to just wear a light jacket, jeans and flip flop. What's the color like? I can't think of any spring flowers... cherry blossom? Pink and a hint of green. People don't write poem about spring in hanoi, no song, no novel, not even a short article. Spring ties to lunar new year? Pink and green and orange, and yellow, and the red color of the holiday, it's a full spectrum when the day is cold and cloudy.

There's a type of flower that blossoms in the spring, small and timid, a flower i've never seen before. And there supposed to be green grass, lots of dews, lots of flower. How do i not remember anything about hanoi spring.

nothing-ness

I don't know what to write about. Being at home is nice and all, and for sure i'm not ready to go back to school, can't imagine myself having a job either.

My friends all have jobs already. Good jobs actually. One is working for a stock company, his family owns it. One is working in marketing department for Pepsi, her salary is the highest among all of us: $800/month. Another one is working for a television company, she collects and writes the news and reads them too so she'll be on tv soon, her salary is around $500/month. Not good to live in the states but for vietnam, that kind of salary might be considered high. What about me? I really have no idea what i would be doing after graduation. No idea. So far i have a job and got paid $200/month.

Maybe it's time to come up with a plan? I want to travel, to take a few months off before starting a job. That plan won't actually work because 1. money, and 2. i can't return to the US after graduation if i don't have a job offer. So if i have a job offer by May, they wouldn't want to wait for me for a few months before i can start working right? There we go, i won't be able to travel if I get a job.

Now. If I don't get a job that would be so sad. I want to work for a few years and get my NCIDQ, then probably go to grad school in architecture. Mom freaked out when i told her it would take 3 years and a half. She wants me to go home and get married. To whom? I can totally see myself not getting married till later, when everybody has children and when mom actually worries. Funny thou. It's not 20 years ago anymore, the idea of getting married before 27 to me is totally weird. I want my career and want to have fun first. But sadly, as realized, people here still get hitched too soon, a lot of them do so because "the doctor said so" (meaning pregnant). Oh and some people i know get married because the fortune teller said so "if you don't do it this year, you'll have to wait 3 years". I would totally wait if i have only dated the guy for less than 2 years. And why would i listen to the stupid fortune teller anyway, full of crap.

So I know how to hold a baby now. He actually smiles at me when i made funny face to him. He doesn't cry when i hold him anymore, that's a good thing right?

It's coming closer...

Around this time a year ago, sitting in a dark room with a glow of pink coming from the window, I bursted to tears feeling completely empty and lonely. It was the first day back in the States, it was only 24 hours after saying goodbye to Ha Noi. The song was playing in my ipod, that one song I try not to think about every time i leave. That one beautiful but very sad song about my dear Ha Noi, my dear city that I can never get enough of.

My friend translated the song into english, made it a poem, a rather incomplete one. I've listened to it countless time, tried to imagine myself at home sitting at some coffee place.

"Tomorrow, I'll be leaving Hanoi
Goodbye to each familiar tree and conner,
To each trilling sound of pagodas' afternoon bell
And sparkling lights on the Sword Lake...

My dear Hanoi, how each wind excites my heart
A whispering wave on the West Lake's surface,
In a peaceful afternoon, I listen to the wind singing...

It's time for a farewell, my dear Hanoi,
How touchingly the summer's rain comes.
Hanoi dear, what else still bothers you?
Memory of you I will never forget...

Wishing one day I could come back,
Walking by your side on Hanoi's streets,
I would still have you like days in the past.
Now we're parted, but will meet again,
My dear Hanoi..."
_NXH_

I have not heard afternoon bell from pagodas for a long time. I have not stopped just to look at West Lake, I have not stopped just to look at Sword Lake. Leisure is how Hanoians lived, they drank coffee and let the day went by slowly into imagination, and i have not done that in a while. I no longer visit 13 Dinh, no longer feel the urge to sit on the tiny balcony over looking Sword Lake. 13 Dinh only exists in my memory now, once my hide away place, one contains all my pain and secrets, a place where we talked by eye contacts and listened to death metal.

Oh, my dear Hanoi streets.
I still remember you with the perfume of orchid.
I still remember you with the perfume of milk flower.
The quiet street whispers with rain.
A girl waits, her long hair wet, covering her shoulders.
I still have you, Hanoi, and the memory of the lonely tree in winter.
I still have you, the lonely street corner in winter.
The lonely cresent moon in winter.
That winter, in a collasped house, sounds of a piano echoed.
The afternoon prayer is over, but why still echoes the bell?
I still have you, ever green, though time has gone by.
In an afternoon when the girl waits, her hair radiant.
The artist wanders on streets,
suddenly unable to remember even a street name.
I still have you, the old streets covered by moss
An uneven tile roofs fill my heart with memories.
West Lake in the afternoon echoed with waves.
Twilight came unexpectedly.
Oh, my dear Hanoi streets.
_Translated by David Lamb_

Photo day 2

The next day we met up at "Flag pole" Highland coffee (well, don't know the real english name of that thing). The coffee place sat in the court yard of some war museum next to a huge brick flag pole that looks like a light house and you can go up to the top. Afterward, we went across the street to Lenin park where there's a big statue of Lenin standing proudly. Well... we just hung out there, tried to ride Mr.Tru*'s crappy dirty bike.


Hang and I on my bike (motor scooter). We hate wearing helmet.


This is our table at the coffee place. My most favorite thing to do is to explore hidden or unique coffee shop.


This is a bigger view of the place. Hanoi is so small and everybody seems to know each other. I met that pink shirt guy the night before when he looked at me and said "you went to Giang Vo junior high". Apparently he did too but I don't remember him at all. The brown shirt guy i met right there for the first time. He looked at me and said "Are you Hin?" I was like, oh my god how did you know my name. He said "you and Xuan Hai used to hang out a lot a few years ago, right? I went to high school with him." ...... Wow! Hold on a minute, i've never seen you before, and Hai has never mentioned you before. Turns out, that guy and my friend were not close friends, but that guy hung out with my friend's ex who knows me and things got complicated.... blah blah blah. So crazy.


Bonus: A picture of my best friend on my photo day 3, i was my model for the shooting session.

Picture time

Me and my grandma and my cousin at another cousin's wedding.


We went to Ba Vi (my hometown too) to visit an orphanage. I spent a lot of time in the infant building because I'm obsessed with babies (just looking at them). This baby girl is Chieu Xuan, she's two and she was really sweet.


At Loo Christmas night with my brother. I had an asthma attack there because the kids lighted up fire strings (whatever) at the same time, i inhaled that and my air way just closed up so fast. I didn't have my inhaler with me so i was coughing and trying to breath, good thing it didn't completely close up.


We spent 2 afternoons taking pictures, it was so much fun. On the first day, we started out at the Hanoi Opera House, one of the most beautiful building in Hanoi, one of the most beautiful place to hang out too. This picture is taken in the court yard of the opera house, where there's a famous Highland coffee and the fancy Nineteen 11 restaurant.


Another view of the court yard

Vietnamese wedding

I went to my cousin's wedding today, it was a happy day for the couple but at the same time exhausting for everybody including themselves, parents and guests.
Vietnamese weddings are complicated and they get bigger and bigger over the years. Mom said her wedding was simple, they only served tea and sweets, and there was another small celebration with food for family members. I remember seeing pictures of her wedding, she dressed in a traditional ao dai, there were two rolls of tables in a court yard... It looked like a happy stress-free day.
That was 23 years ago. Nowadays, weddings are big and wasteful. Weddings are for parents instead of the groom and the bride, because the majority of guests are parents' friends. Everybody gets to eat, to seat in a big hall, there's a professional speaker and walking down the aisle and popping the champagne bottle. The number of guests can easily be 600 or more.
Let's do some math on my cousin's wedding: they actually have 2 weddings. Today was the first one with only the bride's side, which means the bride's parents' friends and family. There were 80 tables, 6 each, that made 480 people. Not all 80 tables were full, there were about 10 empty ones which means the food for those tables will not be eaten. The groom's side will have more people, which means another 80 tables? that makes 160 tables and 960 guests. Holy crap!
The happy couple had to stand by the door greeting guests coming in. Then they walked down the aisle together (technically entered the room and walked to the stage together). Then the bride's father made a speech, sometimes all parents get to talk. Then they gave each other rings, then poured champagne, then cut the cake (that no one gets to drink or eat). After all that, the couple had to go to each table to thank people for coming, to be congratulated and toasted. When they're done making a round, they had to stand by the door as people were leaving.
As for the food, it's always the same for every weddings: green beans sticky rice, some soup, chicken, stir-fried vegetable, beer, soda, squid cake, shrimp, etc. The food wasn't any good, and there were a lot of left over, and once you're done eating off you go.
After the wedding, the bride goes home, exhausted that she can hardly take her dress off. The groom is being dragged somewhere else with his friends, always come back completely wasted. The wedding night is out of the question. Then 2 days later, it all happens again: another wedding for the same couple, this time it's even bigger, double the size of the first one. More money, more wasted food, and i'm sure the happy couple will never want to go through all that again.

I went home and told mom "if I ever get married, you're not inviting your friends to my wedding, if i can't have a small tiny wedding then I won't have one at all." Mom just laughed at me, she said it's a unavoidable tradition. I believe it will change eventually.

It's not the same without you

I realized that on my way to the visa office this morning, a weird feeling - somewhat lonely- fills up inside. I got out of the house at 9:15, didn't have any plan for the rest of the day. Not even breakfast with the girls, not even a cup of coffee. Everyone's busy working and i'm the only one on vacation. How sad!

I got my visa, but the interviewer caught me off guard when he asked "what's your mascot". All i can say was "Smoky!" I wasn't supposed to be nervous and I was. He declined a lot of people this morning, and i think he was being very reasonable. There were people who couldn't even speak english but wanted to go to college in the US. This one guy even had a list of questions he might be asked during the interview and an acceptant letter from West Texas A&M, and the interviewer asked him "What color is my shirt, what day is today, what month is it..." Of course he was rejected. One girl got really upset but she didn't speak any english and she picked the school because her relatives live in that city => she probably will end up at a nail shop instead of college.

I finished 2 designs for the cover of my portfolio yesterday. The 2nd one looks better, maybe the color is not quiet there yet. I tried to pick a different color but they didn't look right, didn't feel right. Red is just too girly, yellow is too bright, blue is depressing, purple is cheesy, green is the right shade and lime green is perfect.

Got my hair cut, not too short thou. I told the hairdresser to cut it whatever way he wanted, he was super excited and did a good job. The salon was super busy thou, you can't really walk around in there without getting into the way, hazard hazard.

Dear you: Hanoi is not the same without you but I can deal with it. Can't find anyone to go to Nhac Tranh with me thou, how lame. I miss our "people studying" afternoons over coffee and tea, people think i'm weird for doing that and no one would do it with me.

Traffic is terrible by the way, it's worse than last year, there's no easy way to go home without getting stuck in traffic, any time during the day. What caused all these madness? I feel like the population of Hanoi has multiplied by n+1 times. I see a lot of 17, 34, 19 license plates, and more cars. See that big red light at the theater, true they have left turn signal but at the same time, the other side get to go too so it's a bundle of people trying to get thru a knot in the middle of the intersection. Plus, people would start going when the timer hits 3 seconds or they just simply run the red light if there's no cops. And I really can't deal with driving a car here, driving a scooter is hard enough. Remember those day we strolled around slowly, just really relaxing? Yeah i can't do that anymore because i have to keep dodging people and cars. 1 day of driving can easily costs half a tank of gas because of all the traffic. What caused all these madness? Where did those people come from?

Went to see your mom the other day, I met your cousin for the first time too. She looked well. Why didn't i get to meet her before? Hanoi will never be the same. I want my 5000d bowl of pho but it costs like 20,000d now. Inflation sucks.