Some Like it Scott

Hanoi photos post…

somelikeitscott — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 14:02:49 +0000

I have to admit that I find photo posts easier to do than wordy posts. My mental faculties have been heavily taxed lately, and while photo posts are actually probably more time intensive, they don’t seem to take quite as much out of me. To be sure, I love words and language, but the activity of writing requires a certain kind of patience and attention to detail that I am all too often reluctant to invest in. There you have it; after three not particularly well structured sentences, I’m spent. Instead of me continuing to read my blather (noun?) about nothing, enjoy a series of photos taken during Aviva’s last visit to Hanoi. She wrote a travel piece on the city and commissioned me to follow her around (as I generally do anyway) and take photos.

Enjoy…

This is the freaky mannequin head that lives upstairs at Puku (God, I love that place)

More Puku

2/3 of usual Puku meal: juice & cappucino (only missing is the Eggs Benedict)

Some Poinsettas at a pagoda near West Lake

The counter at which I order the delicious Eggs Benny

The last two feature Lake Truc Bach, the small island upon which I live…on…

Near West Lake where all the fancy pantses live

In case you weren’t aware, Binh hearts Linh

Until next time…

Beach Holiday…

somelikeitscott — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 04:56:02 +0000

Rather than spend my Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year) holiday family and friendless in Hanoi, I took a trip to Thailand to see my favourite Canadian expat in Asia, Aviva.

We started in Bangkok, as always, before taking a much needed and endlessly enjoyed beach holiday to Koh Samed.

Samed is a gorgeous little island, about three and a half hours out of Bangkok by bus and ferry. There are numerous white sand beaches all along the coast of the island, all contained within a national park. We stayed on one of the cheaper backpackery beaches with wonderfully fine sand and copious friendly dogs. We stayed in a rustic little beachside resort, peppered with what are best described as tree-houses, containing nothing more than mattresses and a fan. We splurged for one of the concrete structures with a private bathroom. There was no A/C, but actually the fan was all we needed. The mattresses, however, were rock solid, and I don’t think either of us got a great sleep either night we were there. I will say, it was the least I’ve ever gotten for $20 for accommodation in Asia, but it in no way hindered our enjoyment of the idyllic wonderland that is Koh Samed.

All along the coast were similar resorts with beachside restaurants, a few of them on mats right down on the sand. We tried as many of the restaurants as possible, sampling everything from Phad Thai to seafood to hamburgers and Western breakfasts. And at every turn, there was a sad eyed (but well-fed) dog begging in the sand for table scraps. That is when Aviva wasn’t chasing the dogs around the beach and into the surf.

As the holiday coincided with the Chinese New Year, there were a number of eye popping fireworks displays. They also do something very cool big paper lanterns, which they torch and then release into the sky. Needless to say, sitting in the sand and watching these things float away, it was a very nice atmosphere.

After two days and countless beers on the beach and trips into the sea, we returned to Bangkok to enjoy its unique spirit before I had to turn around and come back to reality in Hanoi.

So, now I’m right back into the grind, but I will say that my batteries are very much recharged. Aviva wrote a very nice travel piece about Koh Samed for ANN magazine, so look out for that if you happen to be flying in the region on a Star Alliance flight. In the meantime, here’s a handful of photos.

Until next time…

R.I.P. Mojo

somelikeitscott — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 15:44:56 +0000

No sooner did I post about the furry little addition to my household than did tragedy strike. As of about 1:30 pm Sunday Feb 11, Hanoi time, my little kitten Mojo shuffled off this mortal coil. Her passing stemmed from an accident she suffered on Friday. I wasn’t home when it happened, but apparently she fell from the tree in front of my house and seriously injured her back. She was X-Rayed on the weekend, and while there were no fractures, she suffered significant damage to her spine and nervous system. Confident she would never recover, the vet recommended she be put down. I agreed. I was with her until the end. There is comfort in that.

Godspeed little kitten. You weren’t with us long, but you will be missed.

Kien, come home…

somelikeitscott — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 02:13:16 +0000

So, while I was away in Canada my cat Kien ran away from home. It was never uncommon for him to be outside for a few hours at a time or occaisionally overnight, but he’s now been missing for about six weeks. I’ve heard so many stories about cats coming home after months or years, so I remain hopeful, but I’ve also heard a lot of stories from locals suggesting some sort of foul play is a distinct possibility.

So, when I returned to my house in early January there was no cat to greet me. That was until Huong – my housekeeper, a very sweet woman – took it upon herself to bring me a new kitten. At first, I was certain I was going to get rid of her, not least because the Chihuahua was very nervous early on. But in the days that followed, they bonded, and the dog is now comfortable (the cat was at home from day one). It seems now as though the cat will stick around, at least for a while.

I’ve mentioned this story to a couple people, and they’ve requested pictures, so here they are.

Until next time…

It’s been a long time…

somelikeitscott — Sun, 21 Jan 2007 09:19:10 +0000

I won’t make excuses or apologies. I’ll just quietly start posting again. Only, I’ve got an awful lot on my plate right now, so I can’t promise a whole of effort here. But I’ll do what I can.

I’m back in Hanoi after a nice – albeit short – visit to Toronto for the holidays. It was excellent seeing my family – they know who they are – and some of the scenery that I forgot how much I missed. In fact, here’s some of it now.

The following is a handful of shots I took with my new D-SLR. I’m still learning the ins and outs of the camera, but I really love it. I had almost forgotten the joys of shooting reflex. Without further adieu, here’s the stream behind my grandparents’ house…

Until next time…

To make itself presentable to the rest of the world, America should trim away its Bush…

somelikeitscott — Sat, 18 Nov 2006 05:46:46 +0000

Ho Chi Minh looms as Bush touts Vietnam lessons – CNN.com

It’s a beautiful day in Hanoi, 25 C, partly cloudly. The city’s downtown is happily largely unaffected by all the APEC hoopla. I’m lucky enough to live and work in areas where there isn’t need for tight security. For instance, after a particularly late night at work on Thursday – and despite a supposed midnight curfew for restaurants and bars – my boss and I retired to a popular Hanoi restaurant for “a drink.” Next thing I know, it’s 2 am, and we’re on the dance floor with dozens more drinking Moet straight from the bottle. Take that you lockdown nazis!

I haven’t seen Bush – happily – but my roomate has. His motorcade twice passed her office bulding yesterday, and she caught a glimpse of self-interest personified. He was hanging out the window of one limo waving, while his well-loved Secretary of State occupied a stretch to herself, also greeting the gawkers in fast motion. Why do you never have a water balloon ready when you REALLY need one?

Haven’t heard much about Mr Harper (Canada’s PM for my non-Canuck readers), but I know he’s here. Apparenly, he will be meeting with Hu Jintao after all.

Harper, Chinese president in awkward dance over potential meeting in Hanoi – Yahoo! News

Don’t relent, Stevo. Stick to your guns. Of course the D a l a i L a m a* deserves honourary Canadian citizenship. He’s the best living example of patience,
empathy and peace I can name. Chinese opposition to him is purely partisan.

Do you want your government conducting nuclear tests in your backyard while concurrently seeking to systematically eliminate your unique cultural identity? Then you can understand the D a l a i L a m a ‘s position.

God bless him.

But of course, T e b i t is of such “strategic importance” to China, so what the hell do I know?

Until next time…

* Funny formatting / spelling is my attempt at circumventing China’s search engine filters.

I only know Ho Chi Minh….

somelikeitscott — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 13:05:04 +0000

Here’s what one of Canada’s national newspapers is reporting on the APEC summit in Hanoi. It gives you a pretty good idea of what’s going on. Although, I must say, it’s more or less business as usual where I am.

globeandmail.com: Hanoi in near lockdown for APEC summit

It is true what they say about Vietnam being virtually free of violent crime – at least directed at foreigners. I can’t tell you what the situation is between the Vietnamese, themselves. Obviously, it’s never reported on in the English language press.

My personal connection to APEC is that the company for which I work was asked to provide gifts for Mr and Mrs Moron plus his main yes-person. He, or I should say the American people, received a very nice – if overtly feminine – golf bag. One of the other people from our office – a Yank - and I were joking about which kind of animal excrement to leave inside. We settled on “chicken.” Was is H-591 infected? Only time will tell.

For those of you out there without a sense of humour, I’m joking. Of course, it wasn’t infected.*
____

Also from the Globe & Mail, this article about Canada’s souring relationship with China. Finally, I have found something for which I can respect Stephen Harper. China’s human rights record is appalling, and if Harper has the fortitude to make Canada’s point rather than pandering to economic whims, then I salute him for it. Now, he just needs to get his shit together with respect to the environment, and we’ll be in good shape.

globeandmail.com: PM says he won’t sell out human rights

Thanks to Aviva for bringing the first article to my attention.

*And, no, I didn’t actually do that. It was a lot of fun to think about, though…

Until next time…

They’re all coming….

somelikeitscott — Sat, 11 Nov 2006 05:13:59 +0000

Hanoi will be kind of an unpleasant place to be for the next couple weeks as hundreds of international delegates stream in for the APEC summit, among them Commander Cuckoo Bananas and his gang of cronies.

You can see the changes all around the city. There are welcome signs on every corner and brand new garbage cans dot the sidewalks. Bars are closing by midnight, and all the pros who hang out behind the Hilton have been ushered off the streets. Yep, as if they’re throwing their first dinner party, the gov’t wants this conference to go absolutely perfect. I think it probably will, but that doesn’t stop me from hoping to see some sort of ruckus. Security will be extremely tight – houses near the Sheraton are having their windows sealed shut to stymie snipers – so I don’t expect violence, but I’d love to hear about a protest of some sort. I’ve thought about staging one of my own, but I’d like to stay here for a few more months, at least, and if I protested, I could basically kiss my visa goodbye. Oh well.

I’m more worried about running into the aforementioned “leader of the free world.” There’s an outside chance we’ll see him in our store – if not the main course, possibly a side of “Rice” – and if that happens, I won’t be able to stop myself from speaking my mind. Hopefully that doesn’t precipitate me losing my job. I don’t think it would, but maybe I better stay up in the offices just to be safe…

Until next time…

I bag to differ…

somelikeitscott — Wed, 01 Nov 2006 07:15:39 +0000

So, some time ago at work, I got word that the production department was going to have to change the shape of a particular bag that will appear in an upcoming collection.

Apparently, there had been complaints from agents who had been showing the bags at trade shows. It seems that a number of people noticed the resemblance of the shape of the purse to ladies’ underwear.

Admittedly, I have embellished the photo a touch to exaggerate the effect. Still, the underpants comparison was made by numerous people.

I cracked up at length when they told me. I think it was my highlight for that particular week. I still giggle about it. Hope you do too.

Until next time…

Where I live…

somelikeitscott — Fri, 27 Oct 2006 11:27:18 +0000

It’s been an extremely busy week for me. Hence the lack of the updates. To rectify the situation, here’s a post that’s short on words and long on pictures.

These are shots of the little lake near my house. It’s called Truc Bach (pronouced Chook Back), and it’s famous for being the body of water into which American Senator John McCain parachuted during the American War (or the Vietnam War, if you prefer). The young Mr. McCain was subsequently “checked into the Hanoi Hilton,” and the rest is history.

It’s a very nice area that surrounds Truc Bach, very quiet and peaceful (relatively speaking). It’s a very popular place for foreigners to want to live, and while it’s becoming gentrified, it’s still a neighbourhood with a lot of character. I live on what is technically an island that is famous for a particular dish, called Pho Cuon, which consists of marinated beef strips and veggies wrapped in rice noodle paper. It’s a delicious snack that attracts young Vietnamese friends and lovers from all over the city at dinner time.

Enjoy the photos.

This is where the “Cool Teens” eat their ice cream. Obviously, I’ve never been.