Many thought I was out of my mind when I declared that I would visit Vietnam on my own. "Take a tour" was the standard response but me being the adventurous type, decided that I would, like what I had done on many holidays, do a free-and-easy kind of holiday on my own with a friend. Being the fussier one, she left it to me all the arrangements and to plan our itinerary.
Of all my vacations, I think I spent the most time planning for the Vietnam getaway. I spent a month reading about the history from as far back as the 11th century - the more I read, the more fascinated I became and the higher my expectations. Even when I went on a six-week trip around 11 European countries years ago, I don't think I read up as much. But of course, the difference is the availability of the internet now.
After visiting many websites, I finally booked a room at a downtown hotel (can't remember the name and cannot locate my moleskin where I recorded my journal entries) @ 40USD per night x two nights. During the flight, I had made friends with a Vietnamese gentleman sitting beside me. A postgrad student at Universiti Malaya, he agreed to help us to get to town and said that we could either take a cab and pay 70USD or the public bus and pay 7RM. Of course we did the latter although I must say it was quite cold waiting in the open for the bus to come. The temperature was 16 degrees.
I hauled my haversack into the bus and sat at the back. Eeeeeew! I could not believe what I saw. The man sitting next to me was carrying a plastic bag filled with fat succulent SCORPIONS! When I asked him what they were for, he gesticulated and implied it was for dinner *faint*.
By the time we reached the main bus station, we said goodbye to our Vietnamese Samaritan whose girlfriend was already there waiting for him . She arranged for us to take a cab to our hotel. I thought it was odd that the cab driver had never heard of the hotel and did not know the name of the road. Since I had done my homework, I showed him a detailed map which I had sourced from the internet.
The patient cab driver manoeuvred his way in and out of the tricky streets of Hanoi and when he reached a certain point, he started weaving through backlanes in nail-biting suspense. He even stalled the car at a few places. got out and shifted the motorcycles and bicycles that were in his way. Suddenly, he stopped and asked us to get out.
Hmm how can it be? It was supposed to be a 4-star hotel that had just been refurbished. We got out of the cab, paid him and walked down the dark back alley with hearts that were pounding with fear.
Well, it was the correct hotel but nothing like the photos we saw online. I felt so cheated. When the receptionist asked us to follow her, I got the shock of my life when she entered the smallest elevator I had ever seen. Thank God our room was on the third floor for I was at the brink of vomiting from claustrophobia. Another shock awaited me when she opened the door to the room. Again, it was nothing like the online pics.
After dumping our bags, I consulted my Lonely Planet and figured that the best way would be to leave for Halong Bay the next day to get away from that overpriced hotel. We left the hotel and looked for tour operators and found one at12, Hang Manh Street (I still have the brochure). Happily we booked a tour to Halong Bay and the receptionist assured us that everything we saw in the beautiful glossy brochure was real so we paid 65USD for three day-two nights at Halong Bay with breakfast and dinner, transportation and also hotel. We thought we had recouped our losses since we had paid 40USD for the hotel room per night.
Then we went for dinner and got ripped off again. During my 6-week tour of Europe, I only got ripped off ONCE in Rome when I dined with my travelling mates - a Canadian girl, two boys from LA, a Mexican girl, a guy from New York, a Japanese girl and my colleague A.W. But in Vietnam, *sigh* I got ripped off like three times. Anyway, it was a five-course dinner in a fancy restaurant and I thought it was 25USD for two persons as the menu said that the portions were for two and I stupidly thought the price was also for two until the bill came. Anyway, it was a lovely meal. For starters, we had cocktail prawn salad followed by sauteed pumpkin leaves and then huge tiger prawns deep fried in rice crackers. Next was pho and dessert was some kind of coconut tart.
Feeling very stuffed, we made our way back and after washing up, promptly fell asleep without adjusting our watches to local time. I set the alarm to Malaysian time so you can imagine what happened - we woke up at the wrong time and when we went down for breakfast, all were still asleep at 5a.m. Anyway, much later, we did go down at the right time after I got an earful from my girlfriend!
The drive to Halong Bay was long and bumpy. When we reached the pier, we made friends with other backpackers including a girl doing her masters at UCLA, a German guy who cycled around China and a few other French and British backpackers.
The cruise around Halong Bay is simply marvellous and I wrote some of my best romantic poems there most effortlessly. One of the natural wonders of the world and a UNESCO Heritage Site, Halong Bay is truly a remarkable destination. Over 3 000 islands protrude from the sea with red sailed junks. The feel of the cool gentle breeze caressing my cheek as I sat on the open deck with the other backpackers exchanging travelogue notes is unforgettable.
We cruised around the bay to contemplate the amazing and stunningly beautiful and spectacular limestone islets including Dinh Huong Island, Ga Choi island, Dog island and of course Thien Cung Cave, which is one of the most beautiful caves in Halong Bay.
By the time we reached the pier, we had to take another van to town and then we had another shock. The hotel was not the one in the brochure!!! Anyway, we had become quite numb by all the surprises that this time, we took it in our stride and made the best of what we could. Sadly, I lost all my pics when my computer crashed last year and I did not back up the photos so I have none to show you in this post except for a few taken from the internet.
I reckon the best part of Halong Bay town is the friendly folks and cheap beer! Our evenings were spent largely on the promenade, something like Gurney Drive, drinking along the sidewalk and watching people walk by.
The food on the island was nothing much to scream about but the staff were certainly eager to please. The next morning, we made our way to Cat Ba National Park together with a couple of French backpackers. I did not know that the hike would be so steep. Since I had my spinal injury from a hiking accident in 2002, I was petrified and extremely cautious when hiking up and down. In fact, the guide had to help me all the way and needless to say, I was the last in the group. If he had not pulled me up the rocky ridges, I would have set up home in the hills of Cat Ba National Park. Somehow, I was just frozen with fear that I might fall and get another injury. When the whole hike was over, I gave the guide a big tip and went back to the hotel with a splitting headache and fever. As usual, I cannot take overexposure to the sun but it was exhilarating - the view from the top - awesome!
After two nights, we made our way to Hanoi and checked into Blue Sky Hotel which was recommended by our other backpacker friends and it only cost us 8USD per person per night (ensuite!!) including breakfast. The pretty and friendly receptionist there arranged for our trip to Hue, the ancient capital of Vietnam the next day and even got us the train ticket there and flight back. I was quite shocked at the train cubicles which were small and cramped. On either side are bunks in three levels. Unfortunately, mine was the centre bunk and I had a bad attack of claustrophobia until i could not breathe and had to stand outside for the greater part of the journey. Serves us right for making the bookings much too late and as such, we could only get air tickets from Hue to Hanoi. Still, it was a good experience for me.
Now Hue is really something else. Hue is located in Thua Thien prefecture and is in the central part of Vietnam. Located 660 km from Hanoi and 1080 km from Saigon, Hue has always been considered the fulcrum of Vietnam's two rice baskets, the Red river delta and the Mekong delta. Hue became the name of Vietnam's most well known ancient capital because of the local mispronunciation of the word Hoá in Thuân Hoá.
Most of the people in Hue speak French so I had a great time trying to converse and trying to comprehend what they were saying to me. Very rich in culture, Hue also has fine restaurants and interesting pubs. In the day, we visited the old palace and many tombs of the kings which are so huge and beautiful!!
After another three days in Hue, we finally ended up in Hanoi again and stayed in the French quarter with just about enough time to tour the area before we flew home. Frankly, of the three places, I love Halong Bay for its scenery and Hue for its culture and cuisine. Hanoi - hmmm not too bad for the history but the whole area is far too congested, noisy and crazy for my liking - such a sharp contrast from Halong Bay and Hue indeed. Honking seems to be a national past time and it begins as early as 5.30a.m. Crossing the road is akin to a fear factor activitiy and you have to visit Hanoi to understand what I mean! The best part is the artists' area - somewhat like the one in Bohemian Montmartre area in Paris near the Sacre Coeur. It was only in Hue that I saw pretty ao dai clad damsels cycling in the most unusual way reminiscent of Penang in the 1960's.
We visited the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, One Pillar Pagoda, walked around West Lake, went to the Literature Temple Quoc Tu Giam, Museum of Ethnology and of course the old quarters and a couple of other places which I cannot recall. What amazes me is how well organized are the roads and shops. Business activity is so regimented e.g. each street specializes in one activity e.g. hardware or clothing or shoes etc. Squatting by the roadside on the short stools and slurping pho as the winter wind blew at my face was truly unforgettable.
The ten days I spent there were most unusual, restful and eye-opening. In my heart, I realized that Vietnamese are intelligent, well-organized, a cohesive social unit and would probably overtake Malaysia one day in many areas. Often times, I look back to those happy, restful times I had in Hanoi, Hue and Halong Bay and I will surely go back one day....not just to relive those memorable moments but to make more unforgettable memories...
I think my life has been shortened because of all the exciting experiences I had today. As early as 7.45 a.m. when I logged on to ping my blog post, I discovered to my horror that my laptop crashed thanks to smart alec me who installed this and that last night ...After a few futile phone calls to here and there, I managed to get teleadvice from J to reformat everything. Immediately when I succeeded, I quickly arranged with busy CW to schedule IT lessons.
And then there was work. By the time Michelle came at 11 a.m., not only did she bring me lovely pineapple cakes from Taiwan, but she also disclosed bad news.
"Did you know that Times bookshop is having a sale at Island Plaza?" she announced while gloating with folded arms. Obviously she knew that I had no idea about the sale :(.
"Oh - I guess I should not have told you because you would be buying more books," Michelle replied with a wide grin on her face.
Arrrrgh!!! She knew that my New Year resolution was to buy only six books this year and I have already bought two...
By the time she left at 12.30p.m. I started cooking lunch with a troubled heart. As I prepared the ingredients and other stuff for my tom yam fried rice, I was thinking of books books books. No wonder my son complained that it was not spicy enough :(.
Should I or should I not go to Island Plaza for the sale? The last time Times had a warehouse book sale, I ended up buying ninety books but then you see, I don't spend on clothes or perfumes etc. and only indulge in books, coffee and wine :-).
House cleaning chores followed and I was plagued with the same thought with every stroke of the broom and mop.
Swish I can go. Swish I should not go. On and on my mind was spinning...It was the same mode when I did my ironing.
By 3.10p.m I had to take my boy for his piano class which was rescheduled from Sunday. After dropping him, I had two choices - head for Giant at Penang Plaza or drive like a mad hatter to Island Plaza, shop for books in twenty minutes and pick my boy by 4.15p.m.
We reached his teacher's house at 3.20p.m.The minute he got out of the car and slammed the car door, I hit the accelerator, made it to Island Plaza by 3.40p.m. and ran up the escalator.
SHUCKS!!! So many rows of books, some of which were in dimly lit areas! How can I scan the titles by 4.10 p.m.??????
Well, I did it. It was a restrained harvest so to speak. I managed to buy the following:
1. Ken Follet's "The Pillars of the Earth" 35.90Rm -30% I read this one years ago and lent my copy to someone who never returned it :(.
2. John Grogan's "Marley & Me" 32.90RM - 30% This one is a gift from my friend Sandy who wanted to buy it for me on Sunday as an Easter present but I declined saying that I should wait when this one is on offer and I am glad I did...a savings of 9.90RM
The following books I got at a scream - 3 books for 10RM. SCREAAAAAM!!!! *heart palpitating*
1. Band of Brothers by David Phillipson
2. The Butterfly Effect by Pernille Rygg (I had to get this one cos I love the movie!!!)
3. Memoirs of Han Suyin by G.M. Glaskin (I read most of Han Suyin's books in primary school.)
4. Kepler by John Banville (who won the Booker Prize for The Sea and also many other awards for other books)
5. Home and Exile by Chinua Achebe (one of my favorite authors who also wrote Things Fall Apart which I have read like five times)
6. The Quarry by Damon Galgut (whose books have been shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize and Commonwealth Writers' Prize)
7. The Service of Clouds by Susan Hill (another of my fav authors)
8. The Taming of the Shrew by Shakespeare (which I have read a few times but just had to buy it cos it is 3.30RM)
9. Jonathan Livingstone Trafalgar Square Pigeon by David Lines
TOTAL: RM78.16
What a fantastic bargain!!! After paying for my selection, I ran all the way to the elevator, drove at breakneck speed and picked up my boy at 4.20p.m. Phew! Rushing here and there certainly gave me a mega adrenalin rush and after my evening exercise, I will settle down to what else - devour my harvest!!!! Yippeeee! Although the selection of books good, it is not as fantastic as the ones last year where I got my Freakonomics for only RM8 and many other incredible bargains for famous titles. Otherwise, yours truly will be in dire straits. Still, I am happy for the wonderful mark downs for certain titles.
The sale will be on till Sunday but I will be a good girl and I will TRY not to go there again :-). If you are from Penang, why don't you swing to that part of town and take a look at the array of books on display? I am sure you will be tempted, especially by the 3 books for 10RM offer (some of which are hard cover editions!).
Take care and have a lovely evening!
How often do you not say or do something because you're worried about how it'll be perceived? For most of us, myself included, this happens more often then we'd like to admit.
We live in a culture that is starving for authenticity. We want our leaders, our co-workers, our family members, our friends, and everyone else we interact with to tell us the truth and to be themselves. Most important, we want to have the personal freedom and confidence to say, do, and be who we really are, without worrying so much about how we appear to others and what they might think or say about us.
Sadly, however, even though we may say we want to live in a way that is true to our deepest passions, beliefs, and desires, most of us don't and it's not that easy. We've been taught by our parents, teachers, spouses, friends, co-workers, politicians, the media, and others that it's more important to be liked and to fit in than it is to be who we truly are. In addition, many of us assume that who we are is not good enough, and therefore we're constantly trying to fix ourselves, or to act like others who we think are better than us.
However, as the famous 19th century author and poet, Oscar Wilde, so brilliantly stated, "Be yourself, everyone else is already taken."
What it Really Means to Be Authentic
Authenticity is about enjoying a new sense of freedom to be who we really are -- ourselves, natural and without a mask in our relationships, our work, and our life. It takes courage, commitment, and depth to:
* Look within ourselves.
* Tell the whole truth (even when we don't want to).
* Be vulnerable .
* Admit, own, and share our true thoughts, feelings, desires, insecurities, passions, embarrassment, dreams, and more.
However, being open and real about all of these things (and more) is what it means to be authentic in life.
Five Principles for Being Your Authentic Self
In order to utilize the power of authenticity in your life as a way to enhance your relationships, increase your fulfillment, and empower yourself, here are five key principles:
1) Know Yourself -- Make a commitment to your own personal growth. Discover more of who you are. And, seek out and allow the support, honest feedback, and guidance of others.
2) Transform Your Fear -- There's nothing wrong with having fear; it's the resistance and denial of fear that is the real problem. When you admit, own, feel, and express your fear, you have the ability to move through it, transform it, and utilize its power in a positive way. Taking action in the face of fear is courageous and empowering.
3) Express Yourself -- Have the courage to speak your truth boldly. Deal with conflicts directly. Express your emotions fully. Be vulnerable and real about what you think and how you feel. While on the surface you may worry that this will be seen as "weak"; in actuality, expressing yourself completely gives you access to real freedom and power.
4) Be Bold -- Live, speak, and act with courage, passion, and truth -- even if it's difficult or scary. Go for what you want in your work and in your life. And get back up when you fall down, which you will.
5) Celebrate Who You Are -- Appreciate and honor who you are, what you do, and the gifts and talents that you have. Celebrating yourself is not about being arrogant. It's an awareness of your own power, and it's the key to self-confidence, fulfillment, and authenticity.
Being your authentic self is not for the faint of heart, but once you're willing to truly engage and do the work to become more real, your life, your work, and your relationships will be more exciting, meaningful, and fulfilling!
About the Author:
Mike Robbins is a best-selling author, sought-after motivational keynote speaker, and personal growth expert who works with Fortune 500 companies, non-profits, schools, and groups and people of all kinds. He and his work have been featured on ABC News, the Oprah and Friends radio network, and in Forbes. To learn more about his new book, "Be Yourself, Everyone Else is Already Taken," and to receive free bonuses with your purchase of it from other authors like Jack Canfield, Marci Shimoff, Gay Hendricks, and many others, go here: http://www.BeYourselfBook.com
These are from a book called Disorder in the American Courts, and are things people actually said in court, word for word, taken down and now published by court reporters that had the torment of staying calm while these exchanges were actually taking place.
ATTORNEY: What was the first thing your husband said to you
that morning?
WITNESS: He said, 'Where am I, Cathy?'
ATTORNEY: And why did that upset you?
WITNESS: My name is Susan!
____________________________________________
ATTORNEY: What gear were you in at the moment of the
impact?
WITNESS: Gucci sweats and Reeboks...
____________________________________________
ATTORNEY: Are you sexually active?
WITNESS: No, I just lie there.
____________________________________________
ATTORNEY: This myasthenia gravis, does it affect your memory at all?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: And in what ways does it affect your memory?
WITNESS: I forget.
ATTORNEY: You forget? Can you give us an example of something you forgot?
___________________________________________
ATTORNEY: Do you know if your daughter has ever been
involved in voodoo?
WITNESS: We both do.
ATTORNEY: Voodoo?
WITNESS: We do.
ATTORNEY: You do?
WITNESS: Yes, voodoo..
____________________________________________
ATTORNEY: Now doctor, isn't it true that when a person dies in his sleep, he doesn't know about it until the next morning?
WITNESS: Did you actually pass the bar exam?
____________________________________
ATTORNEY: The youngest son, the twenty-year-old, how old is he?
WITNESS: He's twenty, much like your IQ.
___________________________________________
ATTORNEY: Were you present when your picture was taken?
WITNESS: Are you shitting me?
_________________________________________
ATTORNEY: So the date of conception (of the baby) was August 8th?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: And what were you doing at that time?
WITNESS: Getting laid.
____________________________________________
ATTORNEY: She had three children, right?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: How many were boys?
WITNESS: None.
ATTORNEY: Were there any girls?
W ITNESS: Your Honor, I think I need a different attorney. Can I get a new attorney?
____________________________________________
ATTORNEY: How was your first marriage terminated?
WITNESS: By death.
ATTORNEY: And by whose death was it terminated?
WITNESS: Take a guess.
__________________________________________
ATTORNEY: Can you describe the individual?
WITNESS: He was about medium height and had a beard.
ATTORNEY: Was this a male or a female?
WITNESS: Unless the Circus was in town I'm going with male.
_____________________________________
ATTORNEY: Is your appearance here this morning pursuant to a deposition notice which I sent to your attorney?
WITNESS: No, this is how I dress when I go to work.
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: Doctor, how many of your autopsies have you performed on dead people?
WITNESS: All of them. The live ones put up too much of a fight.
_________________________________________
ATTORNEY: ALL your responses MUST be oral, OK? What school did you go to?
WITNESS: Oral.
_________________________________________
ATTORNEY: Do you recall the time that you examined the body?
WITNESS: The autopsy started around 8:30 p.m.
ATTORNEY: And Mr. Denton was dead at the time?
WITNESS: If not, he was by the t ime I finished.
____________________________________________
ATTORNEY: Are you qualified to give a urine sample?
WITNESS: Are you qualified to ask that question?
______________________________________
And the best for last:
ATTORNEY: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you
check for a pulse?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for blood pressure?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for breathing?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: How can you be so sure, Doctor?
WITNESS: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
ATTORNEY: I see, but could the patient have still been alive, nevertheless?
WITNESS: Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive
and practicing law.
HAVE A NICE DAY!
To me, I often think of life as an adventure. Some days, I wake up feeling energetic and attack my household chores with much energy and enthusiasm. Other days, if the weather gets too dreary, I get bogged down with the gloomy atmosphere. All in all, our perspective to life determines the type of experiences that we can reap from it.
1. Life is an Adventure
Life can be an adventure if we are usually looking for something new to break the monotony of routine or to get to somewhere we have never been before.
2. Life can be like a tour to an exotic spot
When we go on a tour, we make grand plans and then make those dreams and plans come true. Similarly, we should do the same in our daily lives and plan our schedule so that we can maximise every second instead of letting it slip away in the twinkling of an eye.
3. Life is like an open classroom
Each day of my life, I wake up with the expectancy that something wonderful will happen. I have the hope that the new day will be different because I can learn and grow intellectually and be smarter than what I was. It is so different from my younger days when I was grumpy and negative. Boy am I glad I have changed.
4.Life is a dynamic experience where there could be diversions
You know, I used to have a very rigid personality and always wanted things to work out MY way and if things went out of synch, I would be so upset.
But now that I am older, what the heck! Yeah, we may have plans but sometimes it is the diversions that bring us the spice of life. What about you? Are you diversion averse? Now I allow myself to get out of the box. Life is short and you can take some diversions. That will put some adventure in your life!
5. Live life with an expectation that there can be breakdowns:
Have you ever gone on a holiday that didn’t have breakdowns? Not many.Yet, years later, we laugh and remember them clearly. But we did not do so at the point when it occurred. What about your life? Are you frustrated by the the hiccups in your life? Try looking at them from the perspective that you have 20 years from now. That will make a whole lot of difference!
6. A focus on fun:
When we live our lives, an over emphasis on achievement can be so burdening and depressing. In my classes, I always tell my students - enjoy the term paper or enjoy the homework or even enjoy studying for the test and of course they will look at me as though I am an alien from another planet.. But if we enjoy living (not in excesses of course), life is worth living because our walk will be lighter, smiler broader and heart happier.
7. A clear destination:
Ultimately, our life must have a clear destination which is our goals that give us purpose. What about your life? Do you have a clear aim and purpose that you are working toward? Set your sights on a clear destination! Treat and live life as an adventure and live it to the fullest!
God bless you!
