Nat and Ian

Both Nat and Ian are down with a flu bug.

Nat has cleared her fever phase but Ian is in the midst of his fever phase. Around 38 plus degrees and no appetite. Hopefully this will clear very soon by tomorrow.

Nat is almost back to her usual self - mischievous and precocious - I can hear her from the second floor shouting at Pooch!

Which is good.

Hope Ian recovers soon. Miss his usual self.

Winter again in Hanoi

Winter left us almost three weeks ago.

But it has come back again with a vengence. The temperature has fallen back to the teens. It is wet everyday and as you can imagine, mud everywhere.

According to a news report, it is because of a passing storm. Hopefully it will clear up soon.

If not, we got to break out all the winter wear again!

On the flipside, Pooch is happy as she can spend her time in the house since it is too cold outside.

Happy dog.

Felt like Eric Clapton Tonight

Was out with Nicole, attending a function.

We don't really attend such functions together, mainly because the children normally need her more at home. Moreover, Nat was down with a flu bug.

But we went ahead, partly because we had given in a way a commitment to attend. Partly also because we had managed to bring the fever down.

To me, it was worth it for one simple reason.

Nicole looked gorgeous in her outfit. Flashback to 1997 when we first met. My breath was taken away. Wow.

Gosh. Now I really understand Clapton's Wonderful Tonight!

: )

Thanks, wifey. You were wonderful tonight.

We have a new member in the family!

We have a new member in the family.

A Bassett Hound.

Nicole found it in a pet shop along Cho Buoi near our place.

The lady at the shop told her that it was 8 months old but given the size, Nicole suspected that it was much older, and she was right after she was inspected by the vet, who told us that she was at least 1.5 years old!

Well. Not surprising given that things are always not what they seem in Vietnam.

After a few days of careful thought, Nicole and Ian decided on the name "Pooch".

Pooch is amazing because she understands English commands like sit, down, paw and fetch, which seems to indicate that she was obviously a dog that was once raised by an expatriate family.

I am glad that Nicole found Pooch. The family is now busy with her, which is a good thing.

Will update over the next few days.

Hi

Hi.

Been a while. Will start writing again soon.

Later!

Witnessing History

I saw Uncle Ho yesterday.

It was a poignant moment for me.

My Honours thesis was on the prelude to the Vietnam War. I read books about him but I never thought I would be in this country and to have the opportunity see him.

The mood of the visitors in the Mausoleum was solemn. Understandably so. The awe and respect were clearly etched on the faces of the Vietnamese filing past his body.

I went over to the museum, which was rather tastefully done, on his life and achievements. Going through the photos and reading what the great man had said over the years, gave me a better understanding of Vietnam's history, much of which was covered in pain, sacrifices and sorrow. Of course, there will be many sides to the story but here, I have the chance to read this side of their story.

We who lived in countries that have enjoyed years of peace and prosperity should really appreciate what we have.

Ok. Later.

Being Obnoxious

Played badminton today. Was looking forward to it. Had a good warm-up and then a new chap appeared.

I met many people in my life but this chap takes the cake for being really obnoxious.

He took it upon himself to "train" me during the game. He criticised my every more. He physically manhandled me to position me at the spots he thought I should be. He raised his voice like an adult to a young child.

In short, he was an ass and a real pain in the you know where.

I kept my cool. I told myself that he was not going to spoil my night. But I had enough of him being so full of himself. Indeed, when a friend at the game offered to get me a new racket since my current racket had problems with the strings, the pain could not help it but added a snide remark that it was not a problem with the strings. Enough was enough, I left earlier. He tried then to be friendly but he knew that he crossed the boundaries of being polite. It did not help when he called me "Ah Drain".

Haha. It was funny in a rather painful way. What to do, I asked myself.

Anyway.

Will have a guest in town from tomorrow. Going to be a long and tiring weekend.