The Weekend is Here

At long last, the most important weekend for English football fans around the world is here.

The EPL is about to begin.

So excited. Of course, I do hope that the cable over here carries the games I want to watch.

I may however, have to watch a lot of them in Vietnamese. But hey, it might improve my language skills!

Anyway, for those who are supporters of Manchester United, the Carlos Tevez saga is at long last completed. Thank goodness.

It lasted the entire summer. It was exhausting.

Tevez's arrival has opened up new dimensions for United. It should be interesting to see how Ferguson plays him given the perception that he is seen as player in the same mould as Rooney.

I doubt there would be a problem. It would be fun at least.

But I will begin the weekend with Newcastle versus Bolton. A local friend has arranged to meet to catch the game over at Hilton. Will root for Newcastle though.

Badminton is fun but I suck in it

Had a good session again but today was bad for me.

My partner must be depressed by me today.

Guess it has been a long while since I last played badminton. Good reason to play more.

Anyway. Will try harder next time.

The recent storm is making the weather in Ha Noi a bit unpredictable. I was having tea yesterday. Right next to the cafe was a construction site. The workers were moving a huge slab of granite into position. When they put it down, a huge mushroom cloud of dust and sand particles was thrown up into the air.

And then to make things worse, a strong wind came by and blew the entire mass towards my direction.

It was horrendous. Like the movie "The Fog", it came at high speed.

I covered my tea but I suspect it was too late. It came at such a speed. Moreover, I had nowwhere to run or hide.

Lost my appetite for a while. Amazingly, the Vietnamese sitting around me were nonchalant.

They were clearly used to such events.

Preparing for an examination on Thursday.

Wish me luck. I need it. Lots of it.

Cheers.

Why One Should Never Gesticulate While Walking in Hanoi

We all know that the traffic situation in Hanoi borders on insanity.

Motorcycles are everywhere. When I say everywhere, I mean literally everywhere. Pavements act as carparks or in the case of Hanoi, bikeparks. You will even find motorcycles in shops.

With some many motorcycles around, walking around the Old Quarter can be challenging. There are pavements but as explained earlier, they are already filled with bikes. Moreover, the penchant for street food means the remaining space is also taken up by vendors.

So where do one walk? On the roads!

While walking back from dinner today, I made the mistake of gesticulating while talking to a friend. And then it happened. A bike went by dangerously close and decided to "kiss" my wrist.

Well.

My wrist is sore now but thank God it is not broken. I hope.

At least the lady riding the bike was apologetic.

But it is an important lesson.

Never gesticulate while walking along the Old Quarter!

There were some positives today.

Found a nice and cosy coffee house right next to Ho Hoan Kiem. Nice view and a good place to read or revise my work.

Nice.

3 more days to Charity Shield!

3 more days to the Charity Shield!

Yeah. Manchester United will meet Chelsea.

The Charity Shield by itself is not that important.

What is more important is that the English Premier League is about to start.

So exciting. A new season.

Looking forward to it.

Should be fun. The weekends in Ha Noi should be more interesting now. I guess more ordering in of food too.

Of Love and Family

I had a good trip back home.

Ian is a big boy now. In less than 20 days time, he will be six years old. Time really flies. We watched video clips of Ian when he was a toddler. It was hilarious but my heart warmed and my eyes teared to see how far along we have come along with Ian.

Thank God for His blessings - big and small.

Nat has also grown. She is now ten months old and from what I can see, becoming a loud and demanding baby. But bringing lots of joy to all at home. Just before I returned to Ha Noi, she started to point at people when asked to locate where they were.

It is always good to be present when the children reached a milestone in their developments.

Coming back to Ha Noi was tough, of course. To leave the children and Nicole behind is never easier.

I always grit my teeth and harden my heavy heart whenever I board the plane to return to Ha Noi.

Although I am kept busy by the language classes, I still spent much of the time thinking of the family. Of how much I love and miss them, how much I long to be with them, to hold them tight and to tell them face to face, how much they mean to me.

They mean everything to me. They keep me going even when the going gets tough, through times of despair and pain.

So Nic, Ian and Nat - when you all look up to the sky tonight and any other nights, always remember that someone in Ha Noi is also looking at the sky and thinking of you all right here, right now.