Week 11: Attack of the 75-foot Phallus

Halloween--fun times. Got dressed up and went to a party at the Ly Club--a bit dead. Ended up going to the Sheraton Nutz bar (after swearing never to go there again for the millionth time). Among the more memorable characters in costume: Austin Powers, the Incredibles, and a ton of witches and fairies.

Woke up the morning after Halloween to the first winter chill in Hanoi. Temperature-wise, it was not that cold (still not used to Celsius...and seriously, when is the US going to get on the metric system like everyone else?), but when I got on my motorbike....BRRRR!!!!!! The weather reminded me of winter in Berkeley--the drizzling rain, damp cold--the perfect weather for soup, layers, and lazy mornings. I love it! Hanoians have brought out their down coats and skicaps, which made me forget that Vietnam is actually considered a tropical country.

Got invited to a barbecue. Dao Anh Khanh is a well-known performance artist in Hanoi, and recently bought property in Hoa Binh, about 60 km from Hanoi. He invited a bunch of people out to his new place in the countryside for the debut his new sculptures. The drive up to Hoa Binh was pretty uneventful. We passed by Hoa Binh's new golf course, boasted as the largest in Southeast Asia. Now, I don't know very much about golf, but I don't know how many businessmen would schlep to the middle of nowhere for a few holes of golf. Murphy's Law struck while going uphill towards Khanh's house. On a narrow dirt road (made muddy by the rain), the car leading our caravan popped a tire, stranding our entire entourage on the side of a hill. It took about an hour to get the car fixed! Once that was resolved, it became clear that no one in our caravan seemed to know how to drive an SUV in the mud (downshift, people!!), instead opting to gun the motor, causing the SUV to slide and fishtail all the way up the hill. At one point, the car got stuck in the mud, forcing all available men to get out and push the damn thing out. L, his roommate M, and I ended up hitching a ride in the back of the pickup truck carrying the food and drink for the barbecue. I nearly lost my breakfast when I smelled the 5-gallon jug of rice wine leaking in the back of the pickup.

Eventually, we reached the compound. The first thing that greeted us was two colossal sculptures. Not knowing very much about art myself, I thought the sculptures resembled 75-ft high linga. In addition to the two already-existing sculptures, Khanh is commissioning another three on the property. Unfortunately, I missed the artist's explanation of the sculptures, which would have greatly helped out the art-ignorant like myself. In the shadow of these huge totems, we had a feast, with tons of drinks and food. Afterwards, M and I took a fun walk up the hill along a rocky trail, breathing in the fresh air and shooting the shit about sports and shoes, all the while trying not to fall and break our necks. Have posted pictures of the phallus, and of me, L, the artist and his girlfriend Martha.

Work news: I will be finished with digitizing by the end of the week. I'm a bit frustrated--I'm supposed to deal with the content of the newspapers, not this stupid clerical stuff!!! Anyways, this puts me only a week behind schedule. Not bad, considering I basically had to figure out photoshop by myself. November must be a crazy work month--Peter (my advisor) is coming at the beginning of December!

That's all for now. Must run--poker night tonight. Boys, bring your money. I'm feeling lucky...

Week 10: Happy Birthday, Kat!!!

Was Kat's 26th birthday today. I took her out for a birthday facial, and then had dinner with her and Javier. Kat and I are less than a year apart--every year, there is a period of about two weeks when we're the same age. I can't believe that we're in our late 20s. I mean, I still remember when Kat and I used to play funeral (yeah, we had a pretty macabre imagination back in the day) and make castles out of sofa cushions and blankets.

Thinking back, Kat and I had a great childhood. We never wanted for anything, we were well-loved by our parents. I love my parents' quirks--they never hesitated to drag us all over Europe and the Middle East, and they never begrudged us McDonalds' (hey who cares what kids eat, as long as they eat, right?). We lived in small-town Texas on 3 acres of land, and one of my fondest memories was sitting on the riding lawnmower with dad. I remember once when my dad came home from work with a trailer attached to his pickup truck--on the trailer was a used golf cart! Kat and I spent years afterwards devising obstacle courses and coming up with various names for unique spots on our land. (If I remember correctly, "The Gorge of Death" and Mount Olympus were a couple stops on our Pilgrim's Progress-esque golf-cart allegory...)

Our idyllic childhood was not without tragedy, however. A couple of days before I turned 9, our puppy died. Grizzly (named because he had the roly-poly demeanor of a bear) was the most affectionate, energetic, adorable puppy, always so happy to see us. Sometimes I thought that Grizzly's energetic tailwagging would knock him clean over. When he ate, the caked food on his face would remind me of a mischievous child with chocolate. When my dad would come home from work, Grizzly was so happy to see him that he would carelessly run out to meet him. One day, Grizzly's recklessness got him killed when my dad accidentally hit him. In retrospect, it seems like such a small event, but at that point in our lives, it was a huge tragedy. Weeks after, my sister and I would spontaneously burst into tears--my dad felt so bad.

I don't even know why I'm thinking about this--perhaps its because its close to my own birthday, a general sense of loss over growing up, or just a run-of-the-mill existential moment. Things affected me more viscerally back then--definitely not the case now. Its not that I necessarily feel my self getting more and more cynical by the day, but when I compare across years, I see the gulf between the childish wonder and freshness of my childhood, and the person(a) I am today.

Song currently playing on iPod: Running Up That Hill (Kate Bush)

Kat told me this week that she's going back to the states for Christmas. I honestly don't blame her--she's been incountry for well over year now, and needs to get out badly. Frankly, I'm a bit jealous. She gets to hang out with mom and dad, eat good food, and take a breather from the stuffiness of Hanoi. Anyways, its been years since our family last spent Christmas all together, and I am starting to miss the familiar trappings of home. I still don't have Christmas plans yet, but somehow I have a feeling it will be pretty solitary. Its true that I don't go home but twice a year, but still, its good to know that home is a mere 4 hours away on a plane, as opposed to 20.

Crazy thing about the cat. After weeks of thinking that One Dollar was a girl, I caught her licking herself and found that "she" was definitely a "he!!" But the puzzling thing is, she has boobies. Is there a possibility that One Dollar is a hermaphrodite cat? How does that work?

Must run--bed time. More next week.

Week 9: Quarantines, Collisions, and Cads

I was about to go to sleep when I received an email from my friend Larissa, who told me to get off my butt and write another post already!!! So Larissa, here it is. Love you, sweet pea...

Have been in an exceedingly good mood as of late. I like my present mantra of "Work hard, play hard," which not only keeps me productive, but also allows for recreational activities as well. I just hope my liver can handle this type of schedule as well...

Freaking out about the bird flu. I missed a really important workshop at the US embassy on what to do if the avian flu pandemic ever happened (didn't get the email--must remedy this immediately). Instead, got all the info from L, over some really potent cocktails at Le Maquis. The only drug that even remotely works against bird flu is Tamiflu, which makes it damned-near impossible to procure in Vietnam. Must try to find a way to get some of this stuff--that's what an entire extended family full of doctors are for!! Other than military evacuation, other options discussed included self-quarantine, which means stockpiling 60 days worth of water and canned provisions. Locking myself in my house for 60 days--I think I would die of boredom first. I suppose it would be bearable if there was internet, tv, a shortwave radio, skincare, and maybe a group of friends to be quarantined with....

Crazy thing happened on Saturday night. My oldest friend in Vietnam Anh Tang and his fiancee came to pick me up for dinner. On our way to the restaurant, some guy cut in front of Anh Tang's motorbike and clipped it, causing Anh Tang and his fiancee to tumble into the street. The guy turned around, saw what he did, and tried to speed off. Anh Tang reacted immediately--he got up, booked it after the guy, and actually caught up with him. I don't think I've ever seen anyone run so fast! After taking the guy's keys away, we assessed the damage on the sidewalk. The accident scraped up Anh Tang's motorbike and busted his signal light. (Thank god nobody was physically injured.) The guy didn't even once apologize--instead, he said he had no money to pay for the damages and begged us not to call the cops. He reeked of alcohol, and slurred his words even as he made lame excuses about a loved one in the hospital. I pointed out that any decent human being would have stopped, not try to run off and shirk all responsibility. The guy eventually paid the damages, and left, but I can't help notice that the incident has somehow added a modicum of misanthropy to my increasingly cynical view of Vietnam...

Lost my phone last Friday. I was out dancing with a my sister, Javier, and a group of friends at the Apocalypse Now club (no joke). I followed my usual custom of taking only my cell, a tube of lipgloss, and some money, which all fit nicely in my pockets. During the course of the night, I noticed my cell was gone. Looked EVERYWHERE, but no phone. Someone either picked my pocket, or it fell out during the energetic dancing. The next day, I called my number--and some guy answered! I told him that he had my phone, and that I wanted it back. I asked him how much he wanted for it, and the guy hung up on me!! I hope that the horrible person that took my phone will get his one day--I totally believe in cosmic justice. So irritating--having to spend money on something you already bought!!! (I have since replaced the phone.)

Must go to bed. Long day at work tomorrow. More next week...

Week 8: Work Hard, Play Hard

I have a sneaking suspicion that the karaoke joint across the alley from my house is a "hugging" establishment. On the occasion that I come home at 4 am (which has become quite frequent as of late), I would see people leave the place in various states of disarray. The fact that the place is still open at 4 am in Hanoi of all places (where the local authorities' draconian measures to crack down on "social ills" has completely wiped out Hanoi social life after midnight) speaks volumes. Also, I haven't heard the usual warbling (akin to the sound of stuck pigs shrieking to the tune of "Oops, I did it again") usually emitted from karaoke bars. A silent karaoke bar open at 4 am? Hmmmm, suspicious to me.

Speaking of nightlife, I've been going out a whole lot lately. Been hanging out with N, a fellow Fulbrighter; S, a University of Hawaii MBA student doing his internship; L, a former Fulbrighter now working in Hanoi; and C, a UCSD grad student. To be honest, I haven't gone out this much since my old Chicago days--I don't know how long I can keep this up. I mean, going out on BOTH Friday and Saturday nights? Going out on WEEKDAYS? Insane. (I think I'm getting too old for this.) Anyways, we usually frequent this hiphop bar called The Toilet (No joke. Its Vietnam's stab at postmodern bar concepts), and any place with music conducive to energetic dancing and mild debauchery. To my credit, I still manage to be in the National Library at 9 AM the next morning. Have posted pics of C and L on a typical night out.

My newly-acquired social life does NOT, however preclude diligent execution of work tasks. Have been digitizing the newspaper issues at the National Library, and its going to take longer than anticipated. I didn't anticipate having to photoshop each and every picture (if anyone knows a faster way to do this, please help!!!!). Hopefully I can finish digitizing by the end of the month so that I can get started on other things. Freaked out a little last week, as I realized that my advisor will be coming to Vietnam in early Dec and I damn well better have some good work to show him....

Have to go. I'm babysitting One Dollar this week, and must stop her before she shreds all my delicates. More next week.