District 9
I can’t remember the last movie I saw in the theater. I think it was 27 Dresses with Sarah and the girls. That or it was Enchanted with Holly and her daughter and friends. So I was particularly keen when my friend Mette suggested we go catch a movie last night. District 9 opened in theaters here last night and was one of the better choices in the line-up.
No matter that we had just had a quick bite, we got popcorn & candy and coca cola. How could we not? In Asia (and this may be the case now in the States too) you can choose between caramel popcorn and salty. There is no oily butter to squirt all over the place, though. The ticketing process is pretty up-to-speed here too, where you choose your seats as you buy your tickets. I like this feature tremendously.
I really liked District 9. I liked the way it was filmed, I liked the concept and I liked that I’m thinking about it the next day, still. It’s good when a movie sticks with you. Granted, I’m not so fond of freaky movies like I am Legend. While I love Will Smith and thought he was amazing in that movie, I still have nightmares occasionally about those mutants. Freaky!
I liked that I sympathized with the aliens in the movie – that was the story’s intention. But I also have been thinking about the fact that we attach so many human qualities to aliens in films, it’s a little bothersome to me. I found a comment from the director:
“Unfortunately, they had to be human-esque because our psychology doesn’t allow us to really empathize with something unless it has a face and an anthropomorphic shape. Like if you see something that’s four-legged, you think it’s a dog; that’s just how we’re wired… If you make a film about an alien force, which is the oppressor or aggressor, and you don’t want to empathize with them, you can go to town. So creatively that’s what I wanted to do but story-wise, I just couldn’t.”
But I disagree. Why do their weapons have to be guns? Why, when they are angry, do they have to beat their fist on a wall? Why do they even have to eat food? (Admittedly, the cat food idea was amusing.) Why can’t they speak by just putting the words in our heads or get angry by turning purple or something? Why would our bullets kill them? Why wouldn’t their weapons be simply a noise which pierces our ears or a look which leaves us blind, or a touch which burns the skin? Why do they need weapons to kill us at all?
I don’t mind so much the aliens looking a bit like humans, two legs, two arms, eyeballs, whatever. But I do think that we can be more creative than to attach human behavior and human-esque technology to them. So this is part of what I have been thinking about since last evening. I’m not missing the point of the story or the themes or message…got it. But I’m left with a lot of questions about those damn aliens!!!
Anyway – it’s a good flick, well filmed and if you haven’t seen it, treat yourself! I forgot to mention that movies here are only 80,000VND. That’s just $4.50! Sweet! I may just have to go more often!
Tales from the Taxi
So another evening and another taxi ride home. Traffic was horrible this evening. And my taxi driver was certifiably crazy. While I appreciated his interest in practicing English (the teacher in me is ever-present), I wasn’t really in the mood to speak in broken sentences, smile politely and uncomfortably and make nice. It was a long day. Yup – not really in the mood to talk to a crazy cab driver after my really “fun” 12+ hour day.
I am closer and closer to renting a motorbike because for ONCE I would just like to step into a taxi and…
- not have it smell like super stinky sweaty something or rather (I am constantly reminded of the Seinfeld episode with the valet driver/car smell). I also don’t love it when whatever the smell is in the car gets on my clothes and I can faintly smell that stench all day (I have a strong sense of smell).
- have the driver actually, truly, really know where we are going
- upon giving directions to a clueless driver, have them actually listen instead of argue with or ignore me
- when pointing which direction to go, the driver doesn’t follow the line down my arm and finger to see the direction I’m pointing in
- on excursions different from the home/work route, the driver doesn’t insist on taking the long way around, making that extra buck
- the driver actually knows how to operate the vehicle – for example, understands that you cannot shift into 5th gear at 20MPH. AND that you cannot take off from a red light in 3rd gear OR that the rumbling of the car means you are in too high a gear for 7MPH
- the driver doesn’t answer his cell phone while driving, slowing down and nearly causing numerous accidents – driving in Hanoi requires your full attention.
- the driver doesn’t madly beep his horn, flick his lights and tail the cars in front of him. When this happens, all I can think is that he would be a casualty of road rage in Los Angeles. I have not yet gone numb to the horn honking. Hope not to.
- not wanting to use the passenger floor board as my imaginary brake pedal, and sometimes gas pedal too!
- not quickly shut my eyes in fear that we are going to cream the lady and her kids on the motorbike
- the driver doesn’t hit a motorbike and then get out, scream and yell at the woman, escaping blame for the incident simply because he’s yelling and she’s not because she probably slightly in shock and a bit banged up.
- the driver “actually” has money in his wallet to make change. I’m not that friggin’ generous to leave you double the fare.
- step out of the taxi without getting dust, dirt or some sort of muck on my pants
And while we are on the topic of transportation, I just have to say here that the motorbike drivers here totally freak me out. I feel like I’m being stalked when walking around. It’s so creepy to be strolling down your street and hear from the shadows of darkness, “Moto?” And this is all said in low voices with a boogey man in the voice. Seriously – freaks me out. I especially hate it when I am walking roadside and a motorbike driver approaches from behind and nearly whispers in my ear as he’s slowed his bike next to me, “Moto?” We’re lucky I haven’t punched someone yet and instead have acquired the ability to give them the look of death which requires no words and they drive on. Seriously. Me no likey!!!
My buddy Pete has put me in touch with his friend who rents motorbikes. So be prepared, my friends. I may just take to the streets over the weekend. The freedom of driving around whenever and wherever I want has become irresistible!
One of my favorite people – EVER!
You never know who may walk into your life and what role they will play. I’ve met tons of people while traveling and some merely remain an acquaintance or a facebook friend who I chat with once in awhile. Others have become more significant in my life, like Annette, who I took the Thai cooking classes with and who will visit Hanoi this year. Darrin already made a visit to Hanoi and is someone I will most likely see again in some part of Asia.
Of course since I’ve been here in Hanoi, I’ve met a good handful of new friends. Sarah and Shane, Anton and all the handsome French boys. I always enjoy meeting new people and enriching my life with more friends. Kurt and Anna, Dean and MJ are simply a regular part of my life. They are like family to me, I have grown so comfortable in their presence. I cannot imagine Hanoi or vietnam without them.
And then there is Pete. Pete and I met last year when I was traveling in Vietnam. I made the journey on an overnight train to Sapa. I didn’t make a room reservation, as I figured I could just book one when I got there. I had e-mailed Pete to see about room rates and what not, but never confirmed.
I arrived in Sapa during an absolute downpour. Getting a bus to town was a task in itself. I paid twice for the ride because I unnecessarily bought a ticket, boarded a bus and was told I had to pay the driver. Once I got off the bus, I had a swarm of people around trying to take me to their hotel. It was Calgon moment for sure. Without a cell phone, and with no map of Sapa on hand (I was just planning on walking around at leisure and discovering the place), I was at a loss as to where to go and what to do. So I sat in a cafe and ordered a coffee and soup.
I felt that buying a meal entitled me to ask to make a phone call. I did, at least, bring the Sapa Rooms hotel number and convinced the staff that I must make the call. About 20 minutes later, a cute little gal came to pick me up. It was still pouring rain outside and even with an umbrella, we were both drenched by the time we made it up the hill and to the front door of Sapa Rooms.
Pete opened the door and said, “Welcome! You look like you need a cup of coffee and some fresh towels. Want to have a seat?” And with that, Pete graciously stepped into my life and became a person who will be with me until we are old and wrinkled.
He still lives in Sapa. I am due for a visit. But he often comes to Hanoi and we have enjoyed some very fun nights out. We usually start with dinner, a few drinks somewhere and then depending on the weekend and such, at an after-hours bar which lends its own separate blog post. It is quite the scene.
I am nearly convinced that Pete and I are twins separated at birth. We are kindred spirits. And we cannot stop talking! He is one of those friends that after a night together, my cheeks and sides hurt form laughing so much.
I’m also incredibly proud to call him my friend, as he is an amazing soul. He does A TON of community and charity work up in Sapa, making a better world for so many villagers up there. He teaches, provides clothes, food, and even works to get showers installed at schools in some of the most remote areas. He does so much for others. He is so full of love and generosity. I just adore and admire him with the most genuine affection.
My life is good in Vietnam, but Pete makes my life way, way brighter. It’s good to have such friends.
On the Bright Side,
Shanna
Get this OUTTA here!
I’m lucky to have a TV. I’m lucky I can catch CNN and BBC, The NatGeo Channel and Discovery. HBO, Cinemax and the Hallmark channels often have a decent movie on. Soccer and sports channels are prominent and CNBC is a good one, too.
BUT BUT BUT…for television programs, there is only the Star Channel. And for God-knows-what reason, they have decided that this asinine program is a good one to import. Oh yeah, great choice. Just the program we want to represent America. The previews are enough to know that this is pretty much the stupidest TV show EVER EVER EVER.
For crap sake, take the damn thing off the air! Pull the plug and leave those stupid people in the jungle to fend for themselves. The world would be better off without them and this stupid show. Yuck. Blech. Icky. Ugh.
On the Bright Side,
Shanna
Hanoi’s 1000th Anniversary
In just about a year’s time, the city of Hanoi will be celebrating it’s 1000th Anniversary. Considering my country is a fraction of that age, this is quite a milestone. After living in a country where festivals and summer firework shows are the norm, I’m eager to see how the Vietnamese celebrate such an amazing moment in history.
Just as people speculate whether Beijing would be ready for the Olympics, South Africa for the World’s Cup, the speculation begins about the organization and progress for celebrations in Hanoi.
Below is an article I found in the ThanhNien News:
With 700 days to go until the Thang Long – Hanoi 1,000th Anniversary, the celebration’s director’s chair is still unfilled.
That means there is no one person in charge of overseeing all of the 80 affairs schedules for next year.
But Nguyen Khac Loi, deputy director of Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said there was no need for one central director as celebrations would take place throughout the country.
“There will not be a general director, instead we’ll have directors for each event around the country,” he said. “This is a collective program from north to south, so there is no need for a general director. We only need the National Steering Committee to supervise the events.”
Of the 80 performances, ceremonies and activities, the department has been assigned to organize 50 of which it has agreed to complete plans for the other 30 before the end of this month. The plans will then be evaluated for approval by a quality board under the committee.
Loi said he has invited many of the country’s leading entertainment writers and directors all over the nation to create each ceremony.
But many involved still think there needs to be one central person in charge of everything
In need of a captain
Nguyen Trong Tuan, deputy chief of the 1,000th Anniversary’s National Steering Committee, told online newspaper VietNamNet that the committee was still waiting for the right candidate to give the general directorship to. He said many famous directors experienced in organizing major festivals and events probably didn’t know much about the 1,000th Anniversary as information released had been sparse and ambiguous so far.
“The public has not been given a chance to understand the event yet,” Director Le Quy Duong told Thanh Nien Daily. “Directors like me haven’t been given a chance to contribute, even just a small part, to the largest celebration of our 1,000-year history,
“There has been no public forum for the public to voice their opinions on the matter and everyone seems to flinch from participating. Some are even afraid of their ideas being stolen. Maybe the producers have not cast the anniversary in the right light,” he said.
VietNamNet quoted director Pham Hoang Nam as saying it might be too late to choose a general director and that such a selection should have been made in the beginning of the planning process.
“It is really strange that there is no general director for such a big event,” he said. “They [organizers] ought to have a test to select the right director, but it is too late to talk about this ‘imaginary’ event. Nothing will come true if it is just based on dreams and ideas. Fundamentally, the event already lacks solidarity, professionalism and national pride.”
Other problems
This void appears to have manifested itself in several problems in the planning of the director-less event.
A major film project to celebrate the capital’s history, Thai to Ly Cong Uan (King Ly Cong Uan), has just been deemed infeasible and replaced by Chieu doi do (Proclaim to move the capital).
None of the artifacts for the archeological exhibit Gui toi mai sau (Sent to the Future Generation) have been chosen, while organizers had originally set the deadline for doing so in 2008.
The exhibit aims to show off 1,000 cultural artifacts from the last 1,000 years of Vietnamese history.
Organizers had originally said they would recreate a massive archeological dig and place the artifacts at the mock-up site as if they had just been dug up. But they had not taken into account the underground water systems in Hanoi’s museum quarter, where the event will take place, so they have had to cancel the unique presentation. An alternative has yet to be proposed.
Reported by Y Nguyen-Kim
On the Bright Side,
Shanna
What else can I carry for you?
I am a mule.
mule [myool]
noun
def. A mule is the offspring of strictly a male donkey and a female horse, typically sterile and used as a beast of burden.
I would like to clarify immediately that I am not a mode of transport for illegal drugs. But over the last several months, as I’ve traveled between Vietnam and Laos, and back and froth from Hanoi to Saigon, I have carried my fair share of boxes of materials and things our hospitality team members needed. No worries.
This weekend, I am headed to Bangkok. I am cashing in on a whopping 1.5 days of vacation and heading out on Thursday night. It’s a mini, mini-vacation. Friday is health check day, as Bangkok’s hospitals are state-of-the-art and provide a wonderful and complete check-up service. I’m actually looking forward to this, as it has been two years since I did this in Japan. I am overdue.
I’m going out with some colleagues on Friday night and hopefully meeting up with an old college buddy Saturday. Every other moment of my time will be consumed with shopping. Indeed, my intention is to take an empty suitcase and come back with an over-stuffed one. (But one which does not go over the Air Aisia 15kg limit.) But I reiterate – this is a vacation weekend for me!
My colleagues in Bangkok had a lightbulb go off in their heads yesterday and I was asked to carry over some brochures…and a few bottles of wine. If you live in this region long enough, you know what’s up. And they know I’m coming to shop. And coming with an empty suitcase. Shanna can be our mule! Cool!
Me being me, I agreed to bring the 3 bottles of wine and the 10kg (??seriously??) of brochures. But today, I got another phone call and another request to transport goods into Thailand. The Bumrungrad Hospital rep in Hanoi asked if I could take some food to one of her friends who is getting treatment for leukemia. How in the world can I say no to that? Of course the agents of Air Asia can say no to my suitcase if it is over the 15kg limit…that or be happy to get more money from me!
So as I pack my suitcase tonight, I am trying to pack as lightly as I can, simply so I can pack everyone else’s stuff to carry over. I don’t mind being a good friend and serving as a mule in this situation. Beast of burden. Fine. I just hope the part of being typically sterile isn’t true! Yikes!
On the Bright Side,
Shanna
Whoah! Chill Out!
On my way home this evening, I had to stop at the ATM, the market and walk home in this sticky humidity for about 10 minutes – in my work clothes and heels. Yuck. Running these errands after work allowed me to get home by about 7pm. Not so bad. I was pretty happy.
As I headed down the ramp, turning the corner toward the main part of Lane 31, some motorbikes came up the ramp and I could hear a few behind me. I learned super quickly to stay to the outside of this 90 degree turn – I nearly got run over 3 times the first time I walked home on the inside of the turn.
As all the motorbikes met in the middle, a young kid without a helmet thought it a good idea to pass other bikers going up the ramp. The foreigner on the big motorcycle going down the ramp did me a favor by staying on his path and not swerving to miss the kid, nor to run over me. The kid’s biked smacked the side of the foreigner’s bike and then bounced off the side of another bike he was trying to pass. His bike hit the pavement, he sort of popped off the seat and managed not to get run over.
Everyone paused. The foreign guy looked at the kid and in a thick British accent yelled, “It serves you fucking right. (pause) It serves you fucking right.” And then he zoomed off. Smart of him to do before he really drew too much attention to himself. But there was no, “Are you OK?” or even an ‘”I’m sorry” on either side of the collision.
All I could think was – WOW. I really hope that I never get in an accident once I do actually get a motorbike. And on top of that, I really hope I never get that bitter and angry about life in Vietnam. The foreign dude had a super red face and was really, really pissed.
This week has been a tough week for me professionally. No doubt, life here requires a bit of grit. I am a bit overwhelmed at the moment with all that is on my plate. And I feel I don’t have a good balance between personal and professional life. I really don’t want to feel guilty during all the moments in my free time when I am not chained to my computer working. What has become the norm is that my time during the day is not my own. I spend FAR too much of it helping my staff figure out how to do their job, editing and proofing English, approving artwork and putting out fires. By the time the end of the day comes, I often feel I have accomplished nothing, and long to go home to peace and quiet, simply so I can actually cross of one item on my TO DO list!!! But we all know how that goes. You arrive home exhausted and spent, and very little of what you turn out in the evening is actually quality stuff. I long for a “do not disturb” sticker for my forehead. Even then, I think my staff would ignore it.
I am still traveling on a windy path trying to find my way here in Vietnam. I wrote to my friend Holly today:
I am also struggling with the fact that our local staff here are just not up to speed – to put it politely. I spend so much of my day being teacher, mentor and coach, that sometimes I feel like a kindergarten teacher instead of a Director, Sales & Marketing. The role of teacher is not foreign to me (obviously), but when they don’t know how to do something or a poor decision costs us business, it’s hard for me to accept this and not get upset. And “upset” is not an emotion which is OK to display in this culture. So I’m finding my way of how to get things done and how to steer the horse to water AND make it drink!!!
The Vietnamese, while they have many good qualities about them, lack some very basic skills which would help them better succeed in today’s modern business world. Their English is actually pretty good, but decision making, organization, professionalism, work ethic and others are lacking. Work ethic is a biggie. I think what gets me is that I end up spending numerous additional hours in the office or at home doing my own projects/work because in the regular working hours I am all too busy helping them do their job. And so when I get a “Where are we on the ABC project?” from my higher-ups, I get so frustrated, feel stressed out and allow myself to feel so inadequate. And that’s not a pleasant feeling! I have yet to feel like I am reaching my professional theme this year – Knock it Outta Da Park!
I am going to Bangkok this weekend for a health check and a shopping excursion. And a break. I need to get out of Hanoi on non-business related matters. Never mind that most of my shopping will be for work clothes, a business card holder and shoes suitable for the office. I’m spending time just for me, and it is important to replenish my enthusiasm from time to time.
There is no question that life in Hanoi, life is this complex and fascinating culture of Vietnam is much more of a challenge than I anticipated. There is simply no comparison between Japan and Vietnam. Two totally different animals. After nearly 8 months here, I would say it is about time that reality smacks me in the face and I allow myself to feel a bit of culture shock. I think I’ve avoided it quite nicely by hiding behind the “I’m new” motto. Now that I am in my good and sturdy home, now that the work has piled upon my desk, that I have made some friends and figured some things out about life here in this 999 year old city….I realize I have to buckle up and prepare myself for a very bumpy ride. Bumpy but rewarding.
The important thing to note is that I am sitting in the driver’s seat and I am ready for a super long road trip. I still don’t know what is in store, but I am ready. A bit shaken and in need of a good night’s sleep, but ready for more. I really want to find out where this journey will take me.
On the Bright Side,
Shanna
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