.. coming back soon

.. well, this is just to let everyone know that i would be posting extensively again soon.

.. medical report

.. just a short update, went for a full medical check up yesterday and the reports are out. Full means, it includes x-rays, colour blindness test, urine tests, blood tests, reflexes,immunities, hearing tests .. bla bla bla. No short cuts this time (i actually got one made by a friend of mine for free, which works as a doctor in a Goverment military hospital, but it was rejected)

.. due to really stringent Vietnamese laws it has to be done. Hopefully, if my application for the work permit is approved, i do not have to have 2 pages of my passport taken up every single time my visa is renewed. My stay in Vietnam would be extended to at least one year. The approval of the work permit would also pave way for application of permanent residency and a driving license.

.. yes you heard me right, a driving license. I would have my Malaysian driving license translated and apply for a Vietnamese one, which apparently never expires. You just do it once ! Maybe that explains why the Vietnamese don't have as much fireworks display compared to Malaysia. I don't want to elaborate on this .. i think it is understood.

.. and oh ya .. back to my first ever medical report after 29 years of living this life, i am perfectly healthy ! No HIV, no heart conditions, no illnesses, no problems with my reflexes, i am not colour blind .. and the list goes on and on. It was terrifying when i first went (for those that knows me well, you know my working conditions .., and sleepless nights of course .. ) because i am not very sure on what is going on inside me.

.. the only thing that needs to be done now, is getting my Hepatitis immunization. I am immune to everything else aside from this, and i am currently living in a country which has really high risk of contracting it. Once i get the reports, perhaps i would try to have a copy of my X-ray immortalized here in this blog. This really brings blogging into a whole new level .. hee hee .. instead of having a peek into my thoughts, readers would actually have a peek into me !

( PS : I would definitely leave the lower body scans out, so this is still not rated PG - 18, it is safe for underage readers )

.. music is said to be the speech of angels

.. finally, another long awaited update that i had planned for my blog. I've added a music stream, which would at the same time highlight creations by artists which i hold high in praise. Some of the uploaded contents would be accompanied by lyrics under music tags, usually those which had been masterfully crafted.

.. navigation is easy, under the end of each song, you would find artist name and album, just find the song in the MediaMaster widget to the right and press play! It might take some time to load, that is why i place the widget way down bottom.

.. also, you are not allowed to download these musics, i would only put up streams for albums that i own myself. Please support original !

.. friendship improves happiness, and abates misery, by doubling our joys, and dividing our grief

.. it was a great outing last night. A small gathering, nevertheless an interesting bunch of more than 30 turned up, born from a tool named facebook that is used by people with bad memories to remember names of their friends and spam the same friends with useless applications (.. well not all).

.. created back in September last year, this group aptly named Expats in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), with a group of 250+ members strong, attracted me when i first came to Vietnam, being a community which binds expats like me together, sharing a common goal, familiarizing ourselves with the intricacies of foreign cultures and laws. We began with introductions of ourselves I was placed in a position quite difficult as i was sitted right in the middle of a very long table arrangement. Stuttered a bit and was more like talking to myself as its difficult to maintain eye contact with anyone .. 15+ on my left and the remaining 15+ on my right .. left right left right .. zz. Confusion and disarray !! How could i even claim myself to be a good sales person dealing with the multi million AV industry after this experience ?

.. things got slightly under control later as i moved about trying to remember names and strike up conversations. There might be some that i missed out, but that is what facebook is for, to further develop the relationship that is hanging on a fine thread just because you have bad memories.

.. the day got better as i developed a bad throat from talking too much. LOL .. not better because of the bad throat, but better after i moved to the pool table when the soreness heated up. Met up with the owner of the restaurant which we gathered in, which happens to be a good friend of my director. He introduced me to another regular of his which plays Snooker! And both of them would introduce me to another friend which plays professional snooker .. looks like i could have my regular practices again soon.

.. this post might sound boring as this is not my preferred style of writing. Usually the boring stuffs i would just label it as news, for the benefit of those who would just want to ignore it totally. It is nonetheless important to me as it signifies small achievements that will change my life as an expat one way or another.

.. till the next post, ciao

.. what we call results are beginnings

.. as you all can see, there is a slight change to my blog. There is an addition of my own banner, which i would change from time to time as showcase of my passion for digital art. I'm starting with something simple first, as I'm just too stressed from the amount of paper works i had done and compiled earlier today. There is also an addition of a footer below, which would double up as my email link, to those who would want to contact me personally.

.. it is a small step, but the changes i made today are results which i had been putting on hold for quite some time now. Aside from the addition of the images, i have also made adjustments on the default html template to cater to my own needs, getting rid of limitations and unnecessary items. Took me quite some time to recall my html coding lessons, but i am more than satisfied with what i had achieved. Slowly, i would personalize this to my likings.

.. won't go on to much here, since most likely i am going to label this news.

.. petty updates but definitely an important beginning for me.

.. a room with a view

.. finally, my third official day in Saigon, and hopefully the unsecured Wifi network i am on, lets me finish writing this blog and publish it. It has been a hectic three days, a lot of purchases and cleaning done. Had slight difficulty, or rather loses, from my purchases, as i took advantage of the free delivery, of course on a bike. First, i lost my dustpan, which only had the stick delivered whereas the pan was no where to be seen. Second, i lost 4 boxes of tissues (which had really nice embosses on it !).


.. all these plastic bags, with plates and cups, bottles, detergents .. a lot of stuffs, was sent by an uncle, on a bike, delivered to my doorstep high up on an apartment which visitors had to pay 1000 dongs everytime you use the lift. It was a miracle, nothing broke, only my dustpan reaching without its pan.

.. the first picture above was taken from my room on the very first morning in Saigon. I did not even notice the existence of the bamboo and plants earlier, as i was too tired after cleaning my room ( the floor had to be mopped 3 times before i could walk on it bare foot without getting my feet dirty). It was such a suprise to me, to have such nice view, i really thought i was still dreaming, because there is no way bamboo could've grown more than 5 storeys high !

.. i was reluctant to wake up, being afraid that small window would all just fade into oblivion leaving behind a view of a bustling and smog filled Saigon City Center accompanied by the honks and beeps of traffic .. but somehow .. these sounds are already there ?!

.. reality struck hard, i have indeed woke up, but still fazed and surprised by the plants. Without delay, i reached for my phone and took the picture to record that moment before the effect is gone. What you see, is exactly what i have seen when i wake up on my first morning staying in a new place,

.. a warm welcome and and a very good morning.

.. there is still a few more items that needs to be purchased, which i should be able to sort out by this weekend, and by then, i would be able to call this home. I have even cooked my first meal today after being out the whole day shopping alone, a delicious fusion of Vietnamese and Italian which i created. Spaghetti lashed with olive oil with finely chopped onion stalks wrapped in omelet mixed with fresh taugeh and ham and sprinkled with the miraculous Vietnamese pepper mixed with salt and lemon which i had grown a liking to.

.. mmm, more experiments to come throughout my stay as i start exploring Vietnamese cuisine.

.. more updates to come once i get a proper internet connection. By then i would try to revamp my blog slowly. Would be looking forward to this weekend as well, as i would finally be able to go out and meet two newly made friends. Time to just kick back and relax this weekend, and start work on Monday, which would at the same time be my official exploration of Saigon as well.

.. good night, would provide views of District 1's (heart of Saigon)skyline next, from my balcony if i am able to get a good shot from my phone.

.. 3 days in Saigon

.. ahh, glad to be back in Hanoi after that short and hectic trip to Saigon. We accomplished so much within that short period of time. I don't even have enough time to take enough pictures or videos to share here. Still sorting out whatever pictures or videos taken there, deciding on which would be "appropriate" to be posted here, it would have to wait a bit.

.. closed a project in Saigon, which definitely would ensure i have enough to keep me occupied once i move there in June, yes, we have found a place there which would double up as our office as well. F#*%king expensive unit considering the facilities provided. Location was very good though, i am just barely 2 kilometers away from the heart of Saigon, district 1, where most action and businesses are concentrated. District 1 also has something similar to what we have back home, Jalan Bukit Bintang, a lot of designer items and apparels being sold amidst high quality fake goods.

.. for those who had followed my post, you would have realized that i had spent less than 2 weeks in Vietnam. Many would be curious, how the heck i would be able to survive if i move to Saigon, with no one to guide me !!?? I am in a country with very weird laws, and also a language that i am not able to comprehend, and now with less than 2 weeks of orientation, i am moving to Saigon already ? Alone ?

.. Saigon is the business capital of Vietnam, which attracts a lot of tourists. At the same time, it has expanded so much for the past 10 years, it now has a total of 12 districts (correct me if i'm wrong). The population and development is so rapid and dense that every single piece of land is squeezed dry of space. I was pleasantly surprised that almost half of its population speaks Cantonese. I finally ordered my first meal in Vietnam without help ! One bowl of wanton mee please (cantonese).. ahh .. bliss !

.. also, i have made enough friends within that short period of time, to ensure i have company upon my arrival. I have even made promises to play tennis weekly with these newly made friends (one problem though, i don't know how to play tennis). Saigon is filled with expatriates, and it is very easy to fit in. They form an unofficial yet closely knit society, which helps each another out in times of need. I guess, i would blend in just as easily. It would not be an adventure without the challenge right?

.. expect more to come as i sort out my life slowly in Vietnam. Adaptation is not an easy task, and learning a new language is way to much of a behemoth task for me to do in 2 weeks. I would definitely include more pictures and videos once i settle down, in the meantime, i am preparing for my move to Saigon, a lot of items needs to be furnished into the apartment.

.. a new life, a different ending.

.. is it safe to blog in Vietnam ?

.. only today i figured out on why i could not access my own blog, but still able to publish. Vietnam is blocking access to a majority of free to use blog sites like blogspot and typepad. I am in doubt now, is it safe for me to continue blogging ? Would pictures i put up be controversial enough to land me in trouble ? I am a visitor to a different country, and i didn't realize that such restrictions exists. Dear friends .. please comment ...

.. space, not the final frontier

.. a big hearty congratulations goes to Dr Syeikh Muszaphar Shukor for being the very first Malaysian to be in space. I am in all means a Malaysian, and very very proud of being one despite the title above might sound satirical. One of the many firsts for Malaysia, and i am sure more would come in near future. Keeping up with the muhibbah spirit, to all Malaysians reading this, lets shout in unison,

.. Malaysia Boleh !!

.. so what is next to conquer ? We had done Everest, we had done the north pole, and now into space .. high in hopes would be walking on the moon as said by one of our Malaysian minister's, Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu.

.. personally, i think what everyone is missing out would be the depths of the ocean. The depths still holds many secrets to date, and many is still left undiscovered. Somehow, the vast depths of the ocean is always left neglected, even in the movies ! How many deep ocean movies can you name now .. hmmmnn, Finding Nemo, Atlantis, Jaws?, Titanic???, .. those are the only few i can only recall. And how many space themed movies can you recall, LOL, all six episodes of star wars, countless spin offs of Star Trek, Aliens, Total Recall, Doom .. endless.

.. i am not a scientist or researcher, and this would be just my 2 cents, and in no position at all to condemn anyone, but why is it so hard to explore the depths of the ocean? You get more in the ocean than in space, in space you are a tourist, you go in space, you take pictures, you take souvenirs (samples), bla bla bla .. space is just oblivion, you dont even get to see aliens!

.. in the ocean, a whole new world awaits. There is still life down there, creatures that could have survived the age of the dinosaurs, or even way much earlier than that. The depths of the ocean is much closer to home, and i do hope, that in near future, if there is really plans from the Malaysian government to have a swim, i would be their first choice since i debated it first.


Disclaimer : I am in no way at all critisizing anyone at all, this is only my 2 cents and please do not take offence in this. No mermaids are hurt in the process of writing this. Malaysia Boleh !!

.. death

.. death, and a very bad way to start off the morning writing a blog of this topic. My deepest condonlences to my friend for the passing of her mom yesterday morning. I have lost those dear to me before and i share your grief and sorrow.

.. it would be difficult to cope for this lost, death leaves a void where used to be occupied by love, tears and laughter. A friend's lost is my lost too, it brings a surge of emotions flooding and numbing all my senses .. fearing the thought .. of how i would feel, if i am in her place ..

.. love is what made us human
.. grief made us human
.. tears made us human
.. laughter made us human
.. we are so fragile

.. how often you found yourself ignoring everything else around you when you laugh or cry .. or cuddled with your loved ones ? Every single subtle pulse of his of her heartbeat fuels your desire to live on, doing everything you could, sacrifices, remembering every pulse of your shared life with your loved ones .. and your family and friends.

.. how do you define life, if you do not share it with another ?
.. but how do you define life,
if you have lost another which you share life with.

.. to me, what matters most is what happens in between,
.. what matters
.. is what happens in between life and death
.. in the end, it would not matter to you

.. in the end, it would matter to those who loved you
.. the least you could do,
is to leave them with something meaningful

( .. in memories of those dear to me )