A short entry in e middle of the day

Just feel so stale. Not that there is nothing here to interest , but I just feel dead. No interesting conversation here. Either with people who don’t understand what you talking about , if not, its about work culture and ambitious. I miss the talking about rubbish and nonsense with Dango. Like what she said , a nice chat. A nice chat about anything at all is a nice chat. Just watching tv is nice with Dango. Now? Got many shows on cable here, but its just so boring to me. Just to get by another day to me. I feeling more and more tired day by day, by the idiocracies here and a lack of intelligent conversations. And very soon, my isolation will be taken as a sign of weakness and to be mocked at. Seriously I think Vietnamese are persistent people…in a way stubborn and impatient but they do want to get things done fast. However, the irony is that they are impatient when they don’t know what you are trying to do or say – especially when you are trying to tell them their mistakes. When they finally realized it, they will just laugh. Well, nobody is laughing with them though.

So tired......and doggies galore!!!

Back in a internet cafe after a hiatus of 2 weeks. Thought my time in internet cafe are over once I moved into a apt but who knows Im on the move again barely after 10 days of stay cause my roomate didn't manage to continue the lease on time ....Don't think she knows what she wants. But it could be a blessing in disguise cause if not, I think I need to put up with her even longer! Can't stand the stinking sink with all her unwashed dishes as well as needing to fight with her for internet. And with the maid only coming once in a week, the place is actually pretty messy and unkept.

Anyway, I found a room at Phu My Hung today sharing with the guy owner recommended by a colleague. It's cheap and good considering he is hardly home plus there is no lease involved, thats what I like best. BUT the room is only available after 6th April, so meanwhile I have to find some place to stay temporaily. I went to the backpacker district where I stayed with Dango during out last trip. I thought I could make it. But after looking at a few, climbing the forever endless stairs, my legs are actually wobbly already. The cheapest I can find with what I need decently is $13 USD a day. Considering I need to stay 10 days, its $130USD. However, the environment kind of put me off. It like walking with a $#!@ target on my forehead with biketaxi drivers harrassing non-stop. The only good things is that the food options there are endlless as well as cheap laundry. Laundry is one of my main concern but if I can put up with 15 days of no laundry serivice previously, I'm sure I can put up with 10 days. Oh yah, surprising is that the lady at theYellow House Hotel remembered me as I stayed there 4 mths ago! I thought she won't remember me but she did. I still like her English..it is so hard to come by. Sometimes I readlly can't stand their English. My other option is the hotel near my present apt now. It's $15 USD a day but the environment and condition are better with wireless internet so I don't need to fret over internet everynight. It's quieter also as it is an expat district. And when I moved to the guy's place, it will also be more convenient. I think I will move into that, and I will take a look at their rooms when I get back today.

Ok, back to what I wanted to post which I can't cause the neighbour wireless seem to anti blogger.com.

This is their "Bao" , I scout for 1 for my lunch one day and it cost $1 sgd but it's huge. Not bad..with a salted egg inside with the meat somemore.

One day, another colleague gave out these around our dept..Hmm..those brown "big peanut" lookalike is actually tamarind. Its nice. They are sold in SG too but they would have taken the flesh inside out and packaged them instead of the raw form. This is the 1st time I see how Tamarind looks like. The green "dumpling" is actually meat w gluttonious rice but it taste quite horrible. Hm btw when they say with meat, it usually mean meat fats. Horrible again.

I also saw how dragon fruit plant is grown. Have you even though is dragonfruit grown on a tree or wat. It is a strange looking plant but too bad I don't have the picture.

This is one of the grocery trip result. Guess how much for all these - half a pineapple and 3 yogurts? $1.20 sgd.

The pug in e cage is at one of the aquarium shop near my apartment. Its quite cute actually when you go near it cause it's wagging its tail nonstop. Dango says his eyes too bulging..hmm..I thought all pugs got bulging eyes...

I encountered the white dog during my early morning runs. I guess it belongs to local cause it looks unkept and it was running around freely. When it 1st saw me, it was wary as I stop to take a picture of him. The funny thing was that when I did my 2nd run throught the same street, he saw me from afar and ran towards me. We are like running towards each other like a lovers like that...but when it gets near me, he stopped and wait...haha. The 3rd picture is just of a owner walking 2 dogs in the morning. One is a chihuahua which I think too small in the picture, the other looks like a spaniel mixed.

ok, that it for all pictures at the moment.

I quite like the current cafe as its very normal for a single person to plong down and suft net and no one would raise an eyebrown. In sg, I think they would look at you when you come in alone and sit for long.

OH yah, I also bought our favourite "carrot cake" when I passed Ben Thanh market today. the shop now is like quite popular with tourists stopping for a taste. I haven't eat it yet, I'm going to bring back and add an extra egg and heat up in the microwave. Yum yum!!

I went into the Ben Thanh market as I try to see if I can get a pair of pumps but its too hot and I was so tired so I gave up after awhile...

Hmm...hope to be able to chat with Dango tonight...

Early morning pictures...

Just kena suan whether I know what is keh keh....Huh..if I dunno..hw I keh keh the previous night ....=PP

The ice cream I bought came in a styrofoam box..cute. Iniatlly i tot it was cheap $1.5sgd for 450ml..then later I realised their yogurt cheaper ..and nicer too. The durian ice cream taste was so fake....

When running this morning around my apt and saw a korean lady walking her two dogs. This is a rare sight cause having pets is that not well known idea in vietnam..at least for the locals. One is a chihuahua and the other seem to be like a big pomenarian...

This is one of the many nicer houses I saw in my runs...... You might think many people lived in a house like this...you be surprised cause it could only be 1 person

Some pics

Went to a bigger supermarket in the evening today...on the way I saw this...no prize for guessing what this shop sells ..

Then this is my "condo" seen from afar...look like tampines dango says...

In my apartment....free show...

Moved in on last Thursday with a fren who is kind to share her flat..for a price of course. Was telling Dango that I have something to blog about living with my roomate -- someone brought up in holland...

1st night here got a shock when she started changing into very short short and wear spagetti without bra...I try not to appear surprise and avoid looking at anything. But ever since the 1st night, it like I have seen her naked breast everyday cause she wears skimky nitegrown everyday. One way or the other without even trying. hmm.... I think I'm the envy of every man. Good looking girl ..good body..although not voluptous but very slim..hmm.. but it did nothing to me leh...

We gotta move by end of march again..so if i can find a nice apt near here, i rather stay alone..its not what but jus feel restricted in some way. Hm...

1st night at my new place

Tonite will be my 1st night at the apt I'm sharing , at least for 2 weeks, with a flatmate. Don't know how it is gg to be...Thk I might be happier if I'm back alone. Hmm.... I got no bedsheet...irrittaing....

Hm...sometimes I wonder did I make the correct decision to come to vietnam. Thought about what I gave up....sigh...good and bad i guess....if I didnt need to give up something, one also wouldn't know.

I thought my times staying in hostel for 3 yrs is worse..but I dunno ...maybe the older one gets, the hard it is. Hostel technically is worse off...hmm..3 yrs summore...but i here only 2 weeks...maybe tats why.

Argghh...hope tonite got water

What i miss....

This morning after my breakfast as I lay on the bed watching tv... i start to remember how I feel before I doze off last night - I start to remember things...I think one will find one tries to remember things...Just thinking...I start to remember the weekends morning where we drive to eat prata... It's not just the memories of what we did...but I was trying to remember how I felt then....your each expression, your each word... Those are what is going to accompany me now. And sometimes I panic when I can't seem to remember... can't remember the feelings that comes with the memory.


What do I exactly feel now? I don't really feel homesick ..yet. Cause if I do now, I think things are going to be tough for me. For me now, I see only how 1 week pass then at the end of the week, I will feel more relieved that there is less 1 week to go till 6th April.
Anticipation is good but too much will only build up for a disappointment. I felt that I am trying to empty my brain. You know, just get to the routine and refusing to spend time thinking. It doesn't help when the work is not that indulging. TV at night is getting abit boring.
Life here is not very different from life in SG when I come to think about it. I don't go Orchard very often either so its not the shopping. I miss being together with you. I miss being understood. I miss being naughty with you. I miss talking rubbish with you.

I'm socialising more than when I was in SG. So in a way, I don't think I will be alone. And with chores to be done, I don't think I will be bored for long. But there is a thing inside nagging..... not sure what is it.




P.S As I was dazing in the cafe writing this...( I learning to slow down...) , I notice something interesting : the cafe ( similar to Coffee Bean in SG) offer valet parking for scooters.

1 week had pass

Just a post at the end of a working week..
The people here are quite well fed in this company..12pm sharp everyone go for lunch…and they have a nice pantry where there is coke and orangina ..and plenty of milk. Did I say they are heavy milk drinker? Yup they are…
Then Friday they have snacks for everyone…today is bubble tea and coconut jelly…its something like curd of partly coconut milk n water…nice..i tried abit out of a colleague’s.

Then I still haven’t found an apartment. Got a misleading tip n took a wrong bus and end up in dist 5!! Idiot! Then keep postponding till Sunday. Going to meet some Msia gals on Saturday. Hmm…

Yay..photos are up...

In a cafe on a lazy saturaday afternoon. It is fine except that I forget to bring the adapter plug for my laptop! Haiz.......got a good place in a fancy cafe summore..but I think I shall leave the cafe to go back hotel soon enuff..worse, forget to bring my book. With a book , at least I can still kill some time. Anyway below are some pictures I have taken with my trusty W800i hp

This is the view of my hotel room on the 1st night, right across the street is my office. The other picture is my hotel..renovated recently.


This was my 1st dinner in HCM. Was just walking around when I see people eating this..initally i tot its porridge cos i see the you tiao..but its mee tai mai ! not bad...with a big chuck of meat inside . And of cos with me adding lots of chilli. Their chilli are superb. Cost 14,000 dong ( equivalent $1.40 SGD) I was lookin for porridge but settled for this as its where the local eats.

I was let off early from visiting my office. Dunno what they ask me there to do what..waste of time . Anyway I walked around my office and realised there was many things there. There was a wet market..yaya surprising right...its like wet market in raffles place. Anyway, found a shop finally to buy a sim card..thats impt or else no one can contact me. But their mobile plans are confusing enough. Its like a prepaid card which got a daily fee but after that you can change a card which will do away with the daily fee? Hope so.

This is the lobby which I chatted with Dango everynight..Cant get connection in my room so no choice have to come sit in the lobby. There is a free wifi but the lobby is abit smoky and with mosquitos. That is why i feel its becos of these that we always end up quarrelling cause Im irriatted by the mossies....Last nite was better chat cos I was armed with Tiger Balm but connection was lost halfway..so had to end the night chat early.

Here is the cafe which I chatted with Dango on the 1st weekend. I'm currently in another cafe ( pics to be uploaded later). It not a bad place, hippy. Where the hip people hangs out apparantly. Wifi here is very popular and alot of people bring their laptop here to surf. That night had dinner with the 1st msia gal I met here, Sue. Dinner was at an Indian restuarant. Well cheap compared to Sg ..its cost about $8 SGD per person where in sg , it will probably cost you $15 at least bah. But after that, she suggested a coffee at Hyatt. Wow...its not so so environbment ...typical 5 stars hotel but it cost $6USD for a drink. Hmmm....She is ok..nice chatting but think she thinks too much...hmm..maybe its the result of being alone for 8 mths here. I hope I don't end up like that ...kinda weepy I can feel.

A coffee in a nice cafe will set you back about $1.80 to $3 sgd..of cos if you want fanicer drinks..it will cost you about $4, still cheap. Here is kind of cheap where food are concerned.


This was my dinner few nights ago..Was abit nippish even after my snacks in my hotel room. So I saw a street side hawker peddling this downstair outside my hotel so I just tried . Not bad, inside is scrambled eggs and with pork and cucumber, tomatoes and chilli padi! Yeap..so hot till I cried in the lobby cause I was eating it while chatting with Dango. People must have thot why i cried. Anyway the lobby people are used to me after so many days. Last night , 1 ursher is still kind enuff to point a empty sofa seat to me ..haha

Tommorrow I'm going to Phu My Hung to check out an apt to share with a Holland Viet Kiet. Nice gal so far...I guess I need to bunk in with her at least even if we cant share a flat. Sue also invited me to bunk in with her when she is back from US...but she have only 1 bedroom..and she said if I don't mind, can share her king sized bed cause she is not a Lesbian! HA HA HA....the joke is on her. K la, I know I bad.

The two msia gals I'm supposed to meet told me they going for a movie but I had already seen that movie..Here the movie is quite behind time. So i rather buy DVDs. Talking about DVDs, I bought 6 for $9 SGD only! Going to watch with Dango when I'm back.

Sunday post...

Below is what I wrote in my hotel room before I slept:

Wanted to sleep late today but end up waking early as usual..hmm…went out 11ish to find a café to chat with Dango..It was a nice café…with gays n I saw the 1st butch here.
I thought about many things…but when it comes to writing down, everything is such a blur…. One of the things I thought about is whether I would I do on weekends after I found a apt. I used to think I will be fine with watching tv and maybe cook abit and do housework but now it seem it will be depressing. Its not the standard of living cause with money, everything can be the same . But yet….

I was telling the msia gal colleague when we meet to have dinner that Im getting irriated walk on the streets cause I do not like being harassed. I feel like I’m being watched all the time when im on the street. I don’t like that. I also nearly got knocked down by a bike today. I am starting to want to hibernate myself. And it dreads me that tomorrow I gotta work. Maybe it’s because I’m not too sure what Im working on now..or rather how to start it. But with familiar stuff, I think I will be feeling better. I feel fake. I feel I have to fake to socialize when I do not like to. But I guess soon my real self will show itself….but yet I don’t like that because I’m very anti social. But with all the pro and cons of socializing, I guess I rather put up with the inconveniece of being lonely.

I suddenly miss dango a lot after my trip to the café. I just feel that I have to connect with her again. To be connected so as to be able to express my thoughts whenever I want and to hear her talk about anything. I hope next week fly past…and I can find my apt soon. Time used to be fast at cityindex…maybe cause Im doing my things. I want to start my things asap too…to escape from all these unfamiliar stuff…

1st post from Vietnam

Sitting at the lobby of my hotel on the 1st saturday since I arrived. Only been here since weds and it has been a whirlwind since. I have some pics which I wanted to load but the IT dept of our company is so strict with what we can do with our laptops. Even MSN is not possible and after some work, I finnaly installed Skype and yahoo messenger. Skype really works well with voice and I have been able to talk with Dango. Know she missed me alot and I missed her too.

My 1st night here was a nightmare as I encountered some "thing" in the room. It had scared me that I didn't slp the 1st nite and went to work the next day feeling so shagged. 2nd night I have to on all the lights and tv and even though I woke like 5 times that night, I was lucky to grab some sleep.

Work is a headache as there are some viet that are not very friendly and cooperative. I really hope I can finish up what I'm expected to do and move on. Some colleague have been helpful esp those that are in different depts.

Im supposed to meet up with my sis friend who is also working here tonite for dinner....abit dreading but im interested to know what he is working as. I'm tired now as I have woke early to run along the riverside....sound nice but its not as the river is smelly and I think Im covered with dust on the way walking back to the hotel. Then I went to look at some apt and was disappointed cause last nite I went to the an colleague place, a malaysian gal working in the same company. Her apt was nice although exp...but at least it was spacious. I guess I have to up my budget if I want a similar place with laundry done for you .

Every night so far I have been staying up late to chat with Dango. Know she is tired too as our time difference is an hr...I think im falling sick...thoart is not well today....haiz...betta dun talk too much tonite.