Man, it’s 6:21 am in Ho Chi Minh City and though at least hmmm 60 million locals are probably up and about, this is rare for me….the last time I was up at this hour was….oops, it was Lunar New Year for the past few weeks… so let me rephrase that, the last time I was up at 6am in my NORMAL life in Vietnam was so long ago that I can’t even remember! I’m saying it was at least a year ago…I have to say that I don’t miss those 6am flights to Danang or Phu Quoc at all

So why am I up anyway? I’m not an early riser. Well, truth be told, I’ve been up since 3:30 and I went to bed at 1am. What’s the deal, crazy lady? That’s what I said at about 3 after tossing and turning for awhile.

Again, this rarely happens to me. I usually snooze like a log and delay my alarm for an hour each morning. I can sleep to 11 without feeling guilty but when I sleep til 3PM, I’ve got issues! But once I’m in this state, I gotta get up cuz there’s no more use in pretending that I’ll be sleeping anymore.

(EXCUSE ME FOR NOT POSTING PICS: I AM CAMERA-LESS CIRCA JANUARY 2009.)

So what to do? Well, I’ve been listening to Alicia Keys, just this one song, for about 3.5 hours. Can you see that I can obsess easily about things?

So tonight, I’m gonna find a way to make it…
–without sleeping
–without complaining (failed already! Oops!)
–without bothering too many friends on Skype and text and intl phone calls (I think I’ve contacted almost 10 ppl in the past 3hrs.)

The only reason I can think of for being awake at this hour for me is: EXCITEMENT!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!
March seems to be the month for me for all my life in Vietnam.
2007: Ended internship at the University of Danang and got hired by EMW
2008: Started documentary film project for East Meets West Foundation (life-changing and breath-taking experience)
2009: Completed my full-time contact at EMW and entered the world of work instability and freelance (and sleeping to noon )
2010: Have new development projects looming (school and house construction!) and suddenly the mind is on fire!

It’s so interesting but in my life, when it rains, it definitely pours! So it seems like it’s goodbye chill time and hello multi-tasking. I just have to make an effort to not be a workaholic this time So on this sleepless night, I have thought about and actually started three new projects! And have reconnected with numerous ppl who I kinda neglected during my grad school application process.

Kiss kiss to all!

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Hey pals,

After months of neglect and trying to keep up with emails and lives of faraway friends, I have decided to start writing again.

I don’t have my camera this year as I left it in Canada on my last trip home but I do have friends who take snaps for me.

Anyway, a recap is going to take too long so for now, here’s some pics of a recent visit to an elderly home where we celebrated the lunar new year.

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Since I’m back in VN, tis time to slowly make progress on the blog so here goes

the best shop for all day fabric dreams and seamstresses

sizzling mussels and yummy dummy bread

Food was a highlight: crunchy peaches, ripe figs, al dente squid ink pasta, fois gras, chez Paul, daily baguettes, kir (white wine and cassis/black current syrup)….yum yum yum yum yum!

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Being in Europe means learning about this type of lifestyle….I pity North Americans who have only a few weeks of vacation and who therefore have to rush round all day long seeing world-class sights and not having the time to really appreciate them.

But I digress….I’m in BCN avec ma famille :0) Well, the older members actually as the younger members are at home in Canada.

Reunion occurred at the train station as I was greeted by my dad’s everlasting smile and bien sur, no hug from older bro but we’re just not like that. Mom was in the apartment chilling out and cooking and it was better that way since I had a heavy, heavy bag and a massive hand-sized bruise to match…not so many elevators in France and I knew it would prob be the same at my bro’s place.

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After a couple hours, it felt like home and like we don’t live on different continents…family is good that way  Parents repeating themselves over and over and all of us bossing each other around.

note my plate vs my bro´s!

OK so the Cathy take on travel is not to see everything anymore b/c chances are that I’ll be back in these places one of these days….not so sure about BCN but at the same time, I have an espagnol-obsessed sister so it could happen and also, the architecture here is to die for so it should happen.
But the key is quality and being lazy, not rushing round half the world anymore.

HIGHLIGHTS
- Antonio Gaudi and his fantastical creations…the key to joy-inducing, colourful palaces and rooftops is apparently wealthy patrons but hey it works and contributes to the world’s riches.

- Spanish tapas even though I have only had one night’s worth! Eating like a North American buffet master sometimes hinders appreciation but alas tis me  And yes I spilled my peach gelato into my hands and onto my mom….I am not the elegant daughter she wished for 

- THE BEACH! Man me and the rents were apprehensive bout the nudity but alas I will say it right here: I PREFER THIS FREEDOM AND THE PACKED, HOT BEACH MENTALITY HERE TO VIETNAM ANY DAY. You would never see a VNese elderly couple tanning and holding hands in the water like we saw today. There were grampas teaching their grandkids to swim and rub water on themselves…a topless pregnant mother…golden tans and happy, healthy people.

- Reading Gary Barlow’s autobiography and loving every minute of it! I know this is not a city-specific joy but of course it was the best way to beat the heat and man is it hot here…no A/C inside and though there’s def a breeze, it is not enuf during the hot noon hours. I love TAKE THAT and I love GB soooooooooooooooooo much and of course the book only confirms this> One disappointment is that he now lives in London but I don’t really know how to stalk him and I missed my chance earlier in July!

Off to Roma tomorrow for the second time! Yeah to revisiting the Vatican and eating pasta and pizza….I am looking forward to going home to exercise though….the Euro diet for me is much too much!

Xoxoxoxoxox love u Cathy

PS all the squares really should be either or You know which ones I use more ))))))))

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Hola Holding off on the Take That details for now, I must simply list things I’ve done so far. This is not a braggin’ rites kinda thing, it’s more to show you the wonders of France and the benefits of knowing another language

On commence:
1. Eating fois gras BBQ…that is the richest liver pate out there melting on a grill…imagine…I get stuffed just thinking about it!

2. Cycling around le parc de la Tete d’or in Lyon with its amazing deer, giraffe, botanical and rose gardens, exotic plants section, gorgeous green lake etc. (one of the best parks I’ve ever seen) and guess what, all this stuff is FREE!

3. Cremieu, which is the cutest little medieval town where Mika and SB live with walls and castles dating back to the XIII century! wowza!

4. Eating and drinking French style–I’ve discovered the art of le sirop. Fruit flavoured syrups make your water colourful and uber delicious. Did you know pate tastes better when it’s covered in a flaky crust? Yup, tis true and I think it’s called pate-croute but I could be wrong

5; Drinking deserves its own mention. The art is that you drink to appreciate (drunkness no good). I love me some kir (cassis/current or peach syrup in white wine) but I’ve tried Cremieu-brewed beer, pastis (licorice:annise flavour) with water or coke which is a true French classic and I’m starting to like rose wine again…a blend of red and white never felt so good! Yum, in moderation bien sur

6. Manicured gardens and so many types of flowers and trees that my poor lil allergic eyes can’t stop tearing up IT4S SO BEAUTIFUL HERE and I think I’ve taken so many plant pics that I will have to spend a whole month once I’m back at home just sorting through the tree pics!

7. Natural sceneries…I went to Annency which is bidding for the 2018 winter games and it’s a lake town at the foot of the Alps. Ahhhh now that’s what I call a ski town but it is gorgeous in the summer too as we pedal-boated round the lake and there was a outside waltzy ball where ppl were just twirling around just beside the lake! You don’t get that in Canada!

Of course there are a million more things I love about being here but I gots to go explore Toulouse so adieu, it’s time to say GOODBYE…I have no idea why The Sound of Music is constantly running through my head but it must be the melodic peace that I’m feeling on this trip

CIAO xoxoxoxox smoochies! cn

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friends from VN meeting up in Paris

Je suis tres heureuse ici )))))))))))

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When I lived here, on my first day in the city at the Eiffel Tower, I met a man who was nice to me. As I was naive, I was just happy to be speaking French. Long story short, he attempted to kiss me and as my French was in need of improvement, all I could say was STOP/arretez Monsieur!

And somehow in that year, I was a target for boys who also just tried to kiss me, tongue and all sometimes, even after talking in a bar for like 20 minutes. Needless to say, I was traumatized for the most of the next year and all my time in France.

So I’m not that young anymore and nobody was gonna get that close to me this time…..but then I met a Algerian-French family aux jardins des Tuileries (gardens) and there were three adorable children. The lil 4-yr old was running and catching pidgeons; his older sis was chasing him; and I struck up conversation with the dad and Myriam, the 6-yr old.

–Hi, what’s your name?

–Myriam.

–Don’t be shy. I just want to practise my French.

–How old are you? Tu es tres belle.

–Thank you! No, you are very pretty. I love your curly hair

–(She smiles bashfully.) You like curly hair? I like yours, black and straight.

Her father interjects, “Cathy is from Canada where your aunt and uncle live, but she lives in Vietnam right now, a country even farther than Algeria…”

–We’re going to Algeria tomorrow, taking a train then a plane!!!!!!!

Meanwhile Sammy and Nours chase birds and other park visitors sleep, take in the sites, and partake in other delightful conversations.

OOOOHHHH and it was MYRIAM and her sister, Nours, who kissed me this time, and on the cheek
They were the sweetest girls and family, just taking a park break before strolling les Champs Elysees! Now that is a stylish family outing, isn’t it?

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Hola!

Bref, I lived here in 2001-2 for school and it was def a learning experience.

Coming back after eight yrs had me thinking: what will it be like? Can I still speak French? Will they be nice to me?

Soooooooo despite the everlasting rep of the “difficult” French ppl or Parisians, I found them to be kind, helpful, and cute AND they are speaking English (willingly).

The streets are QUIET and cleaner than before…as in, dog owners pick up after their pets and actually French doggies gleam with shiny coats that even I, a drool hater, want to touch!

Not so many strangers tried to “befriend” me in that odd French “pick up” style and I haven’t heard too many suggestive “bonjour mademoiselle” as I did in the past.

All I can say is that I AM TOTALLY IMPRESSED§ §§§!!

There are motorbikes, bicycles, baguettes and artists galore!

Like Patrick Bruel sings: “Paris je t’aime…..” It’s a good song!

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Wow, it hasn’t even been a full day in Paris but I feel quite alive!!!! Despite this keyboard which will make editing more difficult, la vie parisienne est tres tres belle!

Now if only I could concentrate on work instead of speaking French and dreaming of fresh apricots; soft, Tunisian almonds still in their shells; and all the other Asian products they have here like miso soup in a packet and the Rooster chilli sauce which is a Westernized version not found in Asia (me and Duc “zee artiste” did a quick tour to pick up stuff for lunch)….I’d be in much better shape professionally but alas, that is a “downside” to being a traveling, freelance editor — Waaaaayyy too many distractions abroad!

I’ll give myself five more minutes. I’m staying with a friend of a friend and he lives in the 12th quartier and is VNese and is sooooooooooo fun and open and welcomed me with a jovial laugh when I called him up. He’s an artist working on his PhD “en beaux arts” who paints diligently by day…I’ll take a pic of his work in his studio–a meticulously neat room. He is not the stereotypical, wild and messy artist that one sees depicted in movies. And he keeps all his “tableaux” under his bed. I will get to see them later and will prob be the first person to post them online for the WORLD to see ))))))))))))

Now for those visual ppl, here’s a pic of me and my fave gal, Marisa, in London, the first stop on this tour…..no pics in Paris just yet!

Mmmmm cider! Luv camera timers when no else's around to take ur pic:)

OK overall post on FRENCH keyboard took 15 minutes! Ciao and lots of love!!!!!!!!!

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Well, in the past couple of months, I’ve been blessed with time to relax and do things that I ordinary don’t do when I’m taking care of editing deadlines.

Numero 1: COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE!!!!!
If you know me, you’d know that I don’t need this stuff to be wired. BUT the Vietnamese love it and man, it can be GOOD here!

Here’s my ode to TRUNG NGUYEN…it’s so much more delicious than Highlands so please go there and check it out! I’m beyond grateful to my pal, Ilya, for this heads up….afterall, TN has a second floor that’s smoke-free and that’s pretty much UNHEARD of in VN….love it!

Math permutation time: If Cathy and Julianne have coffee at Trung Nguyen while preparing for the GREs, and there are five types of coffee blends to choose from and each can be ordered without milk, with condensed milk, or with fresh milk, how many days can they do without ordering the same type of coffee? Since I’m now done with the test, I’m NOT going to go through the steps to find the answer! So there GREs! (Maybe s/o is just a teeny bit bitter!)

BTW I’ve been going there for a couple months and I’ve not yet tried all the combos of beans and milk! IT’s AMAZING!

Numero 2: Walking? I’ve tried to walk from my house to the downtown area…it’s 1km or so but the sidewalk can be pretty treacherous…however, there are payoffs. I was able to find a German restaurant that I had heard of for a loooooong time b/c I was actually walking slowing and observing what was on the streets instead of whizzing by on the motobike. I got some more exercise and my calves actually hurt which is a good thing

Numero 3: Actually SEEING scenic, VNese sites

I was able to see ppl on a boat piled high with bananas heading to docks where local merchants bought them to sell in the markets. I assume these bananas came up the river from the Mekong region. It was cool to see as I was walking over the bridge near my place. My mind is drawing a blank on other sites rite now, prob cuz I’ve been blogging for awhile, so I’ll stop and resume later…this year I promise!

merci et a la prochaine!
Cathy

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