David's cooking ;-)

This afternoon, after school David insisted that I come to his place, so he could cook something for me to eat, "sister, you are too thin, you should eat", and yeah he really meant that I have to eat ;-).

He probably thought I didn't eat enough at home or something ;-). So, he made a delicious soup, rice-noodle fried with sour kraut, and rice with red-beans. A weird combination for dinner but well I liked it and appreciated his gestures. Especially, when David packed soup and noodle for me to bring home for uncle. People like that you don't find every day here, not even in years.

So I guess I am lucky.

Fox's present from HK

Saw Fox this weekend, he came back from his trip back home. Was nice to catch up, talk about everything, holidays, friends, plans as if it has been ages that we didn't see each other. Weather was nice, a bit cold, but the sun was not shy to show itself, so we stayed outside Belga Cafe in the afternoon, enjoying the sun, looking at people, talking about bird flu when we saw many pigeons in the Flagey lake, talking about Olympic Winter games, about who is now pregnant ;-). Gosh, I feel as if there are only pregnant women and babies around me recently ;-P.

Fox brought some Chinese green tea and this cooking book from HK for me "to practice" ;-), so I hope in the next couple days, I will try to make some dishes. Will have a big party going on in mid-Mar ;-P

Sam bo luong-supposed to cool your body ;-)

This dessert is served cold, and it helps you to sleep well, very good for your body.

Ga xao xa ot-chicken sautee in lemon grass and chilly

Canh khoai mo- simple potage, violet ;-)

Adding a bit of maple sirup..delicious ;-)

Making Japanese green tea ice-cream

Mika and Yoda

Life and Limb-Jamie Andrew

I have been reading climbing stories, so after re-read Touching the Void, I read this book "Life and Limb".

It is similar to Touching the Void, also as sad, as driven, as compelling, but with a sense of humour. It must be amazing, breath taking to be on top of world, like many climbers say, and yet reading Jamie's story, I am sure it is.

He lost his limbs, but went back, reaching the summit again, isn't that amazing to allow yourself to live your own passion, and have family members supporing you? Not many wives want husbands to go out to where the danger awaits, maybe one who understand what it likes to see what their husbands see?

The more I read about these stoires, the more I want to get on with a real adventure ;-), not because it's dangerous, only because I want to live the unique experience...Hmm

Anyway, I am going to Waterstones bookshop after lunch to smell and check out some books ;-). No better way to spend a rainy day than in a bookshop or a museum.

Unicef

I received an invitation to the Expats Unicef open door from a friend, and went to the event last Monday. To be honest, most of my friends are skeptical about these charity organisations since you don't really see the efforts you give in result in some realistic forms...

But if you don't get involved, you will not know it yourself. The Expats Unicef is a volunteer organisation that assists the Belgium Unicef, so the fund that this Expats Unicef is transferred to Belgium organisation. They deal mostly with English speaking community in Belgium, and most of the activities are run in different subgroups such as: Fundraising, campaigns, editorial materials...etc. So, we can, with our availability to help them with these activities, for instance, help them to work on their website, newsletter, events such as Sport event, pub quiz, dinner dance...to raise money.

This year the main campaign of Unicef is "Children in Conflict" about children in war, but there are many big campaigns to fight Aids in children. Their funds mostly go to Africa and Laos.

Anyway, it's always worth to try ;-), then decide whether to continue or not.

"Seven swords" is out in Europe, makes me remember when I saw it in theater of VN, it's a cool movie, a little bit too dramatic, but I have to say it gives a new breath to the entertainment of China, too. Talking about that the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFFF) is on agenda, I am more interested in some Asian movies, I guess because it relates to the "ghosts" that I used to (and still now) scared of ;-)

BTW, another cool movie, hopefully the new version is still not that bad...

Click here

The "boat people" of Vietnam

Last Sunday, uncle invited his mafia group over for lunch, and two of them belonged to the "boat people" group, which means these people left VN in the 80s, just after the VN war ended.

When I listened to their stories, which were of course nothing new to me, it made me wonder why they fled while they were awared of the danger (hunger, Philipino, Malaysian, or Thai pirates...) that awaited for them. Women were raped, men were killed, or sometimes they were faced a horrible survival choice to kill their own people to live, thousands of Vnese died but yet people just keep on leaving the country. To me it was an adventure to look for a treasure like many India Jones movies we have seen, only that it was real, and involved many children and women as well.

I still remember many times my grandmom paid a lot of money, gold, everything that my grandparents earned before the end of the war in order for my youngest uncle, and aunt to flee as well. Many times they were kept in prison for leaving the country in prisons that were deep in the Mekong delta, many times my mom had to visit my grandfather, my uncle and aunt. My youngest uncle had been in Cambodia, I meant they found every possible way to leave VN, to be in the new land. Yeah, many foreigners do not understand why, but only you lived it, you would know how it was like to lose everything you had worked hard to earn, EVERYTHING, and being put into prisons or one member of your family died.

Many people who travel to poor countries like VN usually say that we are poor but happy. I guess there is a price for everything. If we want to have better living conditions, i.e. convenience and comfort, unfortunately we have to work hard to pay for it. Thus, more stress, more nervous breakdown, more depression, more worries. I don't think we can take the way that people who live there to adapt here, it is just different.

It is not about we want to get rich, but I don't think equal opportunities exist in this world. When people are born in a better place, that already is an advantage.

Of course, nobody wants to stay away from their family, from where they were born, not especially Vnese or any other Asians where the culture is collectivity. So, my parents generations ask "what about you young people?" "how do you feel about the situation of VN?" "do you see any difference between before and now". Unfortunately, we were born after the war, we don't live the war, we hardly understand of why the Vietcong lost the Tet Mau Than in 1968, a year that many Vnese died, or whether Ho Chi Minh is a good guy or bad guy...We only know that it's our country, it's where our parents are, where memories of childhood stay. We don't care much about politics, of course we complain about many things, but if we could earn enough to support family, and if from time to time we could help others, that's already a happiness.

Saigon or Ho Chi Minh, South or North VN, does it really matter? After all, aren't we Vnese?

Pork's shank with green jackfruit and wonton

Lifestyle

We have been blaming junk foods a lot for obesity, unfortunately they are not the only ones who should be blamed.

Apparently in the past, children were exposed to much more sweets and bad foods. Children were given load of cakes, tart that were made by their moms with full cream milk after meals, and the principal meals were usually with lots of meats, fries, and lots of different creamy sauces. However, children were much more active with physical activities than now. They would run out and played all day. I remembered when I was small, me and my sister used to sneak out of the house to pick flowers, to steal eggs in the bamboo bushes(I am not proud of course, but it was fun), to climb on guava or plum tree to pick fruits.

Of course technology has helped us to work with less and less physical enegy, most of the production process is automated...Kids spent more time to play computer games than actually go out on the playground. So, we don't get fat because of junk foods but because of the convenience of things.

Talking about kids, recently I have heard about babies almost at 100% of conversations ;-). One of my Vnese brother's wife is two months pregnant, and I am asked to be the "God-mother", so, I have been painting and re-making a baby cradle from an old arty cradle that I found on the Sunday market in Place Jeu de Ball. It's gonna be so beautiful as a gift. Well, I am probably not gonna be here in October when she gives birth though ;-( (talking about that, the baby will be born same month as me ;-)) . That makes me think of baby names ;-), if I have a girl later, I will definitely name her "Dharma".

Yeah, babies and pregnant women ;-), they have become a potential market apparently. Since women have become more independent, their jobs are reasons for them to look good during their pregnancy ;-), and on the top of that, their income also allows them to do so.

Another trendy thing, but nothing to do with babies ;-) is private restaurant, where one cook will receive about 10 persons to his or her home and cook for them. Guests can even bring their own wines. The concept is launched in HongKong during the South-East Asian financial crisis, where most people found themselves out of business, and private restaurant is a way to survive. Hygenic standards are not important for this sort of places, providing the place has a relax, friendly, cosy atmosphere, where you can enjoy good foods, and drink your own wines, talking to other people about foods and drinks ;-P. The concept is now coming to London, I guess soon it will be big here.

That probably is something I want to do at the begining if I open a restaurant, lowest starting budget and cost ;-).

Sticky rice cake wrapped in banana leave- Banh it

With Ruben

Got the rythm of the bamboo yet? ;-)

Mister Binh and his magic ;-)

Small Dragon dance

Bamboo dance

Rehearsal n real

Rehearsal and real

Prep

Damn!!!

I thought I would be millionaire ;-P, oh well, continue to work our *ss off ;-).

Click here

Looking for lucky numbers? ;-)

Spend 2 EUR, and earn 183 000 Euros!!!! Call 0472 214 709, cheap rate 1000 Eur per number ;-P

Ahah, Euro millions, together with some friends, we are trying to be millionaires without much efforts hehehheh.

Anyway, I am celebrating my exam results tonight, my grades are beautiful, really happy, especially finance!

The effect of economic growth

Several articles on Financial Times were on the China's economy. Recently, China has taken the place of the UK to be the fourth country with strong economy.

I guess everybody has somehow expected this due to the fastest growth in China in last few years. However, this growth is giving a serious environmental effect in China as well as the unbalanced spread of the rich and poor. Apparently, economists expect China's productions of cars will increase enormously, and at the result the use of gaz and petrol also rises up. China is now the second country after the US to produce the green-house effect. We have recently seen the Chinese in Hunan province has been drinking polluted water, and their soil has also died due to chemical products.

A month ago, there was an article on Times, China government is encouraging Chinese car makers to start researching on the hybrid technology, and Toyota as well as Volwagen will open factories there to produce hybrid cars, which are more environmental friendly.

With the economic growth that is concentrated in big cities, and provinces living the smaller ones at the slower pace, the social class in China will be bigger and bigger between people. I guess the rich will become richer, the poor will get poorer. There is little middle-class, I guess this problem is even worse in India. Most companies in Europe are outsourcing or shifting their production to Asia, especially in India.

VN is surely the next small China since the government is copying China's model, so this problem we all fear!

Sony is apprently getting back on track with Sir Howard Stringer' plans. They have ended their last quarter with positive operating income thanks to an increase in sales of several business units, among which the PSP during Xmas time. However, management is still worrying for the fierce competition in their TV market. The firm is also launching the PS3 in spring (timing is not confirmed yet), hopefully the sale will be good then. Cutting cost is one of the strategies, and of course job cutting belong to this category, Sony is still planning on laying off people until 2007. And they have stopped producing AIBO, their favourite robot pet.

Me, I am thinking about a B&B, if I am building one later, surely it has to have a star rating ;-). Therefore, I think it should have a personal touch, maybe fresh flowers, personal welcoming notes to guests together with welcoming tray (beverages tray), then a tray of local products such as fruits to put in guests room...Little things that make all the difference. After all, we should welcome them as a guests of the house instead of the stranger staying in the house...Exciting ;-P

Part of my dreams

I thought there wasn't something like this in VN, but obviously it exists in Hanoi, and that was what I had in mind after the training in US.

Anyway, maybe I just open another one in Saigon to help Saigon street kids later. This is great.

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