In another 45 days I will be officially jobless.... till now I haven't found the right job for me... there are still faint traces of hope for an extension of my current job (for another 4 - 6 months) but.... anyway, I'll keep my fingers crossed....
Hey.. only now I realise that it will be sad for me to say goodbye to my colleagues.... we've been working for 3 years together... though things are not always sweet, and I sometimes complained *kangmas, hope u don't mind my complaining* but in general I'm happy working with them.... some people said my office is the best place to work.... hmmm I think I agree with them..... *I have to remember to bring lots of tissue to the farewell party*
In 14 days comes December.... eventful month... we'll be taking a small step toward our future together....I'm turning 28.... and I will know what will happen to me regarding my job....
Tuesday, November 16, 2004
Tuesday, November 02, 2004
Ho Chi Minh City, Oct 25 - 27, 2004
October 25, 2004
Woke up early this morning to see my kangmas, his elder brother and his elder brother's friend. They were leaving for Siem Reap. The sun was shining so bright and the sky was blue.
I tried to sleep again but could not, then I went to the office to check my mailbox and do some printing for the final preparation to Vietnam. Then I went to Future Park to the fitness center, bought my lunch at a vegetarian food shop (though I lost my apetite). Missed my kangmas much.
We landed at 19.47 after 1.5 hours flight. The airport looks modern, newly renovated, and located in the city center! Our Vietnamese colleague said that the government plans to build a new airport about 50 km away from the city, in another province.
There are many modern buildings, bathed in light : café, hotel, restaurants side by side with some old, tattered buildings. I regretted that I did not bring any camera. The Continental hotel where we were staying is located in a shopping avenue, just beside the Opera House and near the City Hall. So many shops around and the market is not so far away.
The Continental hotel is old (built during French period, I'm not sure what year) but clean, the furniture looks like Chinese antiques. The bathroom is separated from the WC. The room is quite spacious. But they charge for the water (18,000 d + 15% tax and service charge). They give 2 card keys even though I was staying alone.
The meeting venue also has antique Chinese styles. The chairs and tables in the meeting room looked so antique. The traffic is awful like there was no rule at all. I was so scared to cross the street. I walked with my colleague, I didn't know whether I would be able to cross at all if I was alone. Joe (and later B.G. also) said that the trick is just to go ahead, don’t hesitate, the motorcycles will adjust their speed and position to your position *wow, what if they miss?*
There are many ladies selling illegal copies of ‘lonely planet’ and some other books along the street.
October 26, 2004
The food was very good everywhere I went, the people I met were very nice too. After the seminar I went to the market *kalap mode: on*. The market was huge, it sells mostly carvings, clothes, bags and sandals. There are soooo many nice ao dai (read: ao zai), so graceful and lovely and nice night gowns too. I bought a nice red-black one (I'd been wanting this for so long, when I saw Vietnamese girls wearing this in AIT graduation). There are also many fake branded goods (bags, wallets - Prada, Burberry, Gucci, you name it).
Then my Vietnamese colleague picked us up to have dinner at his house. His wife cooks very excellent dishes. The dishes were:
1. Spring roll: the skin is thin, white and has bee-hive or sponge-like texture. There was a shrimp in each roll, with its tail coming out of one end of the roll
2. Banana flower and pork salad
3. Rice paper with the filling: sawi putih, star-fruit, pineapple, steamed saba fish, basil leaf, then dipped in fish sauce with pieces of chilly
4. Soup with pieces of egg and carrot rolled inside beef meat, eaten with baguette
October 27, 2004 - Last minute shopping
As I was leaving that afternoon, at 08.30 I was ready for the minutes shopping. I found some nice dolls, some snacks, chamomile tea (not so Vietnamese, it was Dilmah tea) and fake copy of lonely planet about China (for 5 USD only, but turned out that the quality is very bad, worse than the one about Vietnam which I borrowed from kangmas' friend). In the supermarkets, we have to put our bags in a locker and took the key, first time I saw in ASEAN countries I have ever visited.
Arrived back in Bangkok at about 16.00, home sweet home, I was so tired, I went to have Thai massage in Future Park, it was very nice, 180 B for 1 hour. Then I had facial treatment and haircut too, coz the next day my kangmas would come from Siem Reap ;-P
Woke up early this morning to see my kangmas, his elder brother and his elder brother's friend. They were leaving for Siem Reap. The sun was shining so bright and the sky was blue.
I tried to sleep again but could not, then I went to the office to check my mailbox and do some printing for the final preparation to Vietnam. Then I went to Future Park to the fitness center, bought my lunch at a vegetarian food shop (though I lost my apetite). Missed my kangmas much.
We landed at 19.47 after 1.5 hours flight. The airport looks modern, newly renovated, and located in the city center! Our Vietnamese colleague said that the government plans to build a new airport about 50 km away from the city, in another province.
There are many modern buildings, bathed in light : café, hotel, restaurants side by side with some old, tattered buildings. I regretted that I did not bring any camera. The Continental hotel where we were staying is located in a shopping avenue, just beside the Opera House and near the City Hall. So many shops around and the market is not so far away.
The Continental hotel is old (built during French period, I'm not sure what year) but clean, the furniture looks like Chinese antiques. The bathroom is separated from the WC. The room is quite spacious. But they charge for the water (18,000 d + 15% tax and service charge). They give 2 card keys even though I was staying alone.
The meeting venue also has antique Chinese styles. The chairs and tables in the meeting room looked so antique. The traffic is awful like there was no rule at all. I was so scared to cross the street. I walked with my colleague, I didn't know whether I would be able to cross at all if I was alone. Joe (and later B.G. also) said that the trick is just to go ahead, don’t hesitate, the motorcycles will adjust their speed and position to your position *wow, what if they miss?*
There are many ladies selling illegal copies of ‘lonely planet’ and some other books along the street.
October 26, 2004
The food was very good everywhere I went, the people I met were very nice too. After the seminar I went to the market *kalap mode: on*. The market was huge, it sells mostly carvings, clothes, bags and sandals. There are soooo many nice ao dai (read: ao zai), so graceful and lovely and nice night gowns too. I bought a nice red-black one (I'd been wanting this for so long, when I saw Vietnamese girls wearing this in AIT graduation). There are also many fake branded goods (bags, wallets - Prada, Burberry, Gucci, you name it).
Then my Vietnamese colleague picked us up to have dinner at his house. His wife cooks very excellent dishes. The dishes were:
1. Spring roll: the skin is thin, white and has bee-hive or sponge-like texture. There was a shrimp in each roll, with its tail coming out of one end of the roll
2. Banana flower and pork salad
3. Rice paper with the filling: sawi putih, star-fruit, pineapple, steamed saba fish, basil leaf, then dipped in fish sauce with pieces of chilly
4. Soup with pieces of egg and carrot rolled inside beef meat, eaten with baguette
October 27, 2004 - Last minute shopping
As I was leaving that afternoon, at 08.30 I was ready for the minutes shopping. I found some nice dolls, some snacks, chamomile tea (not so Vietnamese, it was Dilmah tea) and fake copy of lonely planet about China (for 5 USD only, but turned out that the quality is very bad, worse than the one about Vietnam which I borrowed from kangmas' friend). In the supermarkets, we have to put our bags in a locker and took the key, first time I saw in ASEAN countries I have ever visited.
Arrived back in Bangkok at about 16.00, home sweet home, I was so tired, I went to have Thai massage in Future Park, it was very nice, 180 B for 1 hour. Then I had facial treatment and haircut too, coz the next day my kangmas would come from Siem Reap ;-P
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