Week 18: The Return of DJ Rice Cooker

For the past few months as a voyeuse/flaneuse in Hanoi, I've seen a lot of social phenomena, all of which will justify no small amount of cynicism. One in particular seems indicative of the rapid-change-without-internalization paradigm. I call it the "fat rich Hanoi kids" phenomena. Rich Hanoi households, believing that the dairy-rich western diet is the reason why Westerners are so tall, engorge their children on milk and dairy products (usually sugary -sweet flavored UHT milk). Their kids do not end up growing taller, but wider--a large number of children from well-to-do Hanoi families are obese. Milk and dairy have never been a staple of the Vietnamese diet (which accounts for why my parents hate pizza so much), and its seen as somewhat of a status symbol to be able to afford milk for your kids.

On another note, I think I just inherited a new kitty timeshare. My landlady just got a kitten for her daughter, who manhandles and (in my opinion) mistreats it. The kitten, wrenched away from its mom too early, spent the first week or so crying its eyes out. The little girl, believing that she's helping the kitten, held its head it her fist (kids have no idea how heavy-handed they can be) scrubbed a tissue over the kitten's hugely swollen eyes, much to my horror. The girl plays with the kitten like a rag doll, and ties it outside when she's at school or sleeping (its currently hovers around 55 degrees outside). Feeling terrible for the kitten, I asked the child if the kitty could stay with me during the day and at night--she could come and bring the kitten down whenever she wants. The girl reacted swiftly and violently, throwing a temper tantrum of epileptic proportions. She kept screaming, "Its my kitty!!! She's trying to take my kitty away!!!" After that episode died down, I waited a few weeks before bringing the kitty up anyway, and the child has since accepted that the kitty stays with me while she's at school and at night. Its kinda nice--I have a cat's love and company without all the expense and work. So does that mean that I am a "Woman with a Cat," complete with all the spinster-connotations that implies?

So I just had my first day at the archives. Nothing exciting to report--no lost documents, long-forgotten, rediscovered by me. Just poked around the card catalog a bit, got a feel for the place. I read the regulations, and wrote out the first request forms. I don't think I will have a chance to get real work done there until after New Years.

The next month is going to be a really busy one, I just realized. A bunch of my friends are coming (YAY!!!!) My college friend LK and her mom are flying in for New Years', my grad school friends SA and NM arrive in early January, and my friend G around the same time. I'm so glad to see my friends--I've missed them so much!

I received my Christmas present from Ruin today. It was the best present a music-obsessed fan could hope for--Ableton Live. Its a music production and DJ software, audio recording and sequencing tool--I am SO stoked! Its the software used by artists like Daft Punk, Underworld, Nine Inch Nails, Garbage, Interpol, and Sasha. Dave calls it "Instant Dissertation Killer." I call it "Sanity Savior." This kind of musical dabbling is exactly what I need to establish my mental comfort zone--its something completely different from my job, and fun too (and good for my liver, as no alcohol is involved). The program, I admit, is a bit too technical for me--but I'm up for a challenge. So to my friends--expect a bombardment of mixes hailing the return of DJ Rice Cooker. (DJ Rice Cooker was a pet name for me given by my college roommates when I burnt rice once while making dinner.)

Will write more later. Sleepy...must take nap. {Yawn}