Running with my eyes wide shut
Everytime I update, my changes seem to be so drastic. I’m so accustomed to big changes that if they weren’t to happen every once in a while, i’d feel lost. I think that’s what even brought me here to Asia in the first place.
Let me take you on a mini stroll…
The lovely Isabelle** and I took a business trip to South Korea. As soon as we arrived in Seoul, we took the KTX to Busan.
**my new roommate from California here to continue her International modeling career, woo Issy!)
My first cross country train ride.
This was a business trip so we didn’t do anything else but go to the Content Market (BCM2009) ate Korean food and dance around in our room (literally).
3 comments May 27, 2009
Hope You’re Listening
Hello world
Hope you’re listening
Forgive me if I`m young
For speaking out of turn
There`s someone I`ve been missing
I think that they could be
The better half of me
They`re in their own place trying to make it right
But I`m tired of justifying
So i say you`ll..
5 comments March 8, 2009
Real Life Construction
1 comment March 5, 2009
Mystery of Places
The sun shines a lot brighter today and the heat is beating down my face, I am on my way to my parents house to visit them for the first time in nearly six months. They swing the door open with joy as I lug two incredibly huge black suitcases into the living room. I suddenly realize I am no longer in Vietnam. The air conditioner softly gazes my face with it’s cool breeze. I’m greeted with warmth and food from my parents and my nieces and nephews shower me with questions about my life in Vietnam. Suddenly, I am rushed with the thought that I had to be at work the next day. The office is a mess, there are tons of emails to reply to, and no one knows how to speak to the account lady at VTN. I’m panicking thinking how the hell I was going to get back in time to Vietnam to make it to work!
I get off the airplane and greeted by a handsome yet familiar face. He smiles at me and walks towards my direction at the pick up station at the LAX airport. We spoke about life and everything else in between on the ride back home to his apartment. Although my stay would be short, I know it would be worth while, we’d waited for this moment for so long. The next morning, I frantically pulled myself out of bed and quickly stuffed my belongings into the small suitcase. I then realized I had only purchased a one-way ticket from Vietnam to Southern California and had no idea how I was going to get home. The traffic noises and hustle of the city flashes before my eyes as I sit at his door steps utterly anticipating the moment he comes back home with my return ticket in his hand.
Then suddenly the sound of bulldozers, hammers, chainsaws, and Vietnamese workers peak through my bedroom window. I slowly open my eyes and realize it was all just a dream, I was in my bed in district 4 of HCMC.
I can’t seem to figure out why this has happened twice to me. Whether or not I enjoy my stay THAT much here in Vietnam, the states is still my home. My comfort of living, family, friends, and what used to be my life. I can’t seem to figure out what my life really is anymore. Rather, I’m just trying to figure out what I want to do in life and hopefully everything else will fall into place. The most valuable thing living abroad has taught me is that, while the world is spinning and everyone else around you is moving fast (or slow), you have to always live at your own pace and be in the present with yourself. Planning for the future is great, needless to say I’ve done way too much planning for myself I sometimes forget what it is I really want to do. Live it all right now while you can. I’m not going to be all cliche about it, but there are just too many great things to do in life (now) then to put it off till tomorrow. And there are also too many great things to see than to sit back and watch the world pass you by, right?
2 comments March 3, 2009
Getting it crackin’
Music selection here is limited, I thought bringing my ipod along will help ease that music crave but there are rarely any chances to pick it up and just straight jam! No radios riding on the back of a moped! MTV Asia is awsome though, their selection of music (late at night) have a wider variety compared to MTV at home. Aside from the my music lapse, I’ve been working around the clock getting this shit to start cracking!
My training days with Language Corps is now over, i’m ready to focus my time on my new job here in Vietnam. My plans have yet rerouted. Instead of traveling to Shanghai to teach, I will settle here in HCMC to work as Director of Production for a new gameshow here in VN. It’s tedious work, but well worth the efforts. Learning new things daily, I guess all the work I put towards the past projects have really come together. The hardest part is converting English to Vietnamese and then back again both verbally and written!
It’s amazing how things just change the ways you want it to by just believing in yourself and your efforts. Nothing is truly never waisted.
1 comment October 27, 2008
Khmer Excursion, Phnom Penh culture
It was a two week rendezvous in the beautiful capital city of Cambodia and just like that, I am back in Ho Chi Minh City. I still feel as if I will wake up tomorrow morning and walk to school just as I have for the past two weeks. I think it’s the warmth of the city that brings back so much fond memories. Everything was within a walking distance and if not, tuk tuk’s were available at every corner. Tuk Tuk’s are like the upgraded versions of the “xich lo” we have in Vietnam. It cost about 1-4 USD to get around town and suprisingly enough, they speak fairly good english. I practiced a few negotiation deals with a few and about two days into our trip, I was hopping on every tuk tuk at a local price. The locals have been pleasant and we didn’t encounter any misfortunes luckily. I was entirely nieve coming into Cambodia. I did no type of research and had no plans what-so-ever on where to go and what to do. I kind of wanted it to take me by suprise and it sure did. Beyond the golden gates of the palaces and temples in Phnom Penh lie great beauties and history of Khmer people (Khmer is the Cambodian language).
“Gate to Royal Palace”
The first construction of the Royal Palace took place in 1434 in Oudong, It was not until 1866 that Kind Norodom 1 moved the capital city from Oudong to Phnom Penh.The Royal Palace was then again rebuilt in 1866 and stands to present day. The is a huge site divided into three main sections and intersects four rivers.
Inside The Royal Palace.
Once you step into this grand luxurious place, your eyes will be mesmerized by partically every little detail of the structures, artifacts, decorations and natural beauties. I would’ve gotten lost without the map. Visitors are able to wander the palace but there are restricted areas. The Khemarin Palace compound is where Norodom Sihamoni, the present King of Cambodia currently resides.
Wat Phnom, Spiritual heart of the Capital(Phnom Penh). Monkeys and elephants roam the temple.
Aside from the wealth of history of the city, Now Phnom Penh is economically developed and a global tourist destination.
Phsar Thom Thmei built in 1937 (main shopping center)
Western-style is a global influence and has captivated the heart of Cambodia as well.
Phnom Penh Known as the “Pearl of Asia” in 1920s
7 comments October 10, 2008
Ankor What?
Took a 5 hour trip to ankor Wat this past weekend to visit ancient temples and palaces, do some historic educational training and all. Again, because this computer is so super slow and eating up .75 lousy cents per minute, I am just posting up a few good pictures. Siem Reap and Ankor Wat were both amazing and quite worth the long, vigorous bus ride.
As soon as we arrived, the rain was pouring heavily and the streets filled up with flood water. There are no type of sewer system so it literally stays on the land until it evaporates and clears away. We ate at a nice restaurant and decided to explore the streets of Siem Reap despite the flood. We only had two nights there and not enough time to waste sitting in a hotel room staring at each other. We took a stroll down Siem Reap into the restaurant, bar, and club section of town. It was as if the locals disappeared and the foreigners all came out to play. It was like 6th street in Austin, we went inside a bar recommended by our coordinator and each had a pitcher of mixed alcoholic beverages. A couple of pitchers and beers later, we had all forgotten we were a bunch of foreigners and danced the night away. 
Lannie, Leanne, my cousin, and I got a tuk tuk (wagon attached to a moped) and went back to our hotel. We took a late night swim and headed back to our rooms to get some well needed rest. Day two was filled with adventure, ancient old history, heat, and little kids haggling us.
Day 2
one thing i hate about Cambodia = their internet connection!
2 comments October 6, 2008
Email from my Dad
Live Simply, Care Deeply, Speak Kindly !!!
2 comments October 1, 2008
