No time to write just yet but here are some pics for now…TBC…

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On the night of January 24th, 2008, I moved from DN to HCMC. During the days that led up to this event, I spent some time thinking about the things that I would miss about the city.

I met a lot of great ppl here and I really wish (as always) that we could just transport all the ppl we love into one fabulous location to live in forever and forever…but alas, that’s just a dream that will not happen

Highlights that I will miss dearly include:
–my motorbike repair shop…These guys fix up Cathy (aka my motorbike) like nobody’s business and they’re so cheap (overall pre-SGN repairs = 100,000 VND = $7) and friendly and trustworthy. Tis always service w/a smile. 43 Hai Phong Street

–my church and ENGLISH mass!!!! The priests, choir, and sisters have always been so kind to me. IT’s at 10:30 am on Sundays at the pink cathedral FYI.

–my Korean roommate and the delicious and cultural enlightenment she’s brought into my life = movies, celebrities, and food!
Did I mention that I love Korea? Onhi Hye Jong and Boram-shi are the absolute best-est ppl

–motorbiking sans traffic! The ride to Hue is kinda, ok super, dangereux but the village and beach roads to Hoi An can hardly be beat….no more cows in my paths I think

–the darn good DNian breakfast! My fave is bún riêu (tomato-crab-based broth w/noodles) and a side of cold sữa đâu nành (soybean milk..correct me if my VNese accents are off…I still suck!). All this goodness for about a buck! Gotta luv it

There’s more stuff but I must jet…my mommy’s in town so can’t be blogging while she wants to par-tay n’est-ce pas?

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Finally being able to connect my camera to my computer = uploading! Prepare to be bombarded with photos (BTW silk dress = $20 in Hoi An….yes…..get thee to a tailor QUICK!

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Tis me and I’ve just moved from Danang to Saigon and let me tell you, it’s been a long time coming! The weather is much more agreeable and I’m just thrilled to be here You won’t ever see me complaining b/c I just can’t……

Here’s the dizzy tizzy that I’ve just been through:
4 HEAVY bags on an airplane…I got my fave gal, Cathy (motorbike), on the train and we’ll be reunited tomorrow…I wonder how she’ll cope with SGN….

My dad called me CHEAP which propelled me to buy a new cell phone. Twas true that my old one kinda super sucked and was dying since last year but I just didn’t want to buy a new one. This new Nokia is pink, not my fave colour, but it was b/w rose and black and all that know the real Cathy know that I can’t do plain Jane practical and that I must use some pizzzzzzza….no, make that pizzzzzzzzzzazzzzzzzzzz! = pizzazz (c’mon laugh!)

Vernon and Cathy say I’m not funny! Vrai ou faux?

My dear pal Mimi organized a PARTAY to celebrate my move among other things and it was so much fun….It’s been absolute ages but I had a terrible post-party hangover…I’m still not all recovered and it’s been almost 24 hrs but I did meet new ppl in my new city and reconnect with old pals and dance around and have fun and just realize how gosh darn lucky I am to be doing my thang in Ho Chi Minh! Woot woot!

Big hits of the last day:
–found my hip hop class and it’s taught by a Canadian Viet Kieu (overseas)!
–Backstreet Boys…who else do you turn to for some comforting classic hits?
–FRIENDS…I feel like I have a million and compared to my previous (sad-ass) existence in DN for the last couple of months, it’s true!
–street food rite outside the house!!! OMG! This beats my old evil neighbours and funeral parlour hood by a thousand-fold! Hoang thanh = wontons and noodle goodness accompanied by Dijon mustard? ????? ????? Whatever!
–my FRENCH SPEAKING landlady! I think after paying some serious dues in DN, my life in SGN is rocking and I’m reaping some mega benefits…yea for the karma or whatever comes around goes around kind of phenomenon that’s happening to me rite now 

Seriously I could go on and on but I won’t for now….
Last words: MY DAD ROX; MY MOM’S IN TOWN SOON; and my sisters forgot the new music for me in Vancouver. It’s ok though cuz I’m getting some more LUSH!

Yayayayyayayayayayyayayayayayaya! Luv u!

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OK obviously tardy! But I need to describe this for recordkeeping’s sake. Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse! Ummmm yeah rite, this is VN and it’s a noisy place even in the village.

From 430am to 7am, I would wake multiple times due to a variety of oh-so-wonderful sounds
–Early church bells
–Blaring coffee shop raver music at 6ish
–Auntie’s loud voice/snores/jingle jangle
–Mosquito terrors

No wonder I was cranky when I finally got out of bed at the obscenely late 8am…ok once I did sleep til 10…sue me!

Last Christmas, my fave gals were in town. This Christmas, I was among family, just not the ones I usually see at this time.
Here were the notables of the visit:

–Construction outside gram’s….of course they don’t use safety barriers so they were swinging that jaw-like contraption that breaks up dirt and scoops it away until I hollered that I needed to get in the house! (No alternate route to the ppl’s homes either)

–Midnight Mass, no, not really! It was at hmmmmmmmm 7ish til 11ish? It was loud and outdoors and the temperature was slightly warm with a cool periwinkle sky and stars to match…I noticed that many ppl were staring at me on this evening and I thought “ok, I’m obviously a foreigner but whatever.” Reasons: I was like the only person apart from a toddler wearing glasses, and I had on a delicate dress which didn’t fly with the fact that there were no benches and so everyone except me was sitting on their sandals…that was a bit painful! And yes, I’m a foreigner who thought we might have church inside the actual building.

It was a nice service with lots of storytelling and VNese dancing…

–Prices slashed down to zero! I don’t usually pay for much when I visit grams cuz auntie and all lo (take care) of me. This time around I also got a sweet haircut and nails painted for less than a buck! Sweet!

–Family! I hung out w/grams, 2 aunties and 1 cousin and parents’ friends etc. Highly notable: present from Daddy = cornichons, or should I say N.American style pickles, packed in a plastic jar and wrapped tightly to avoid leakage. Now, that’s a gift from s/o who loves ya!

All in all, not a bad way to spend Christmas away from home!

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I “killed” it. Not really my fault but as I opened the bathroom door, he hit the floor and SQUAT, dead there he lay. IT was kinda nast but I didn’t really know if it was dead or if it was just lying on its backside like those nasty cockroaches with their legs flailing all over. So I waited a day to see if he would just go away….

“MURDERER!” chanted my roommate when I told her the news. Really supportive she is.

On the second day after we determined that no, he would not just go away, I had to sweep him up and dump him out. That was gross cuz he was stuck to the ground and so I had to flip him into the dustpan and saw his dead lil eyes and soft, creepy body…why do these things die so easily? Now he’s in our garbage bin…I refer to it as the gecko head.

Eieyyyyyyyyyyyyucckers! Anyway, what’s done is done. PICS to come…just bot batteries and need a blasted card reader and then I can upload again.

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Seriously, I should be writing reports and articles, not blog entries…but somehow, the allure just isn’t the same.

I must come back here and do this properly but here are the brief updates since last time on CATHY’S BLOG. (Use your best announcer’s voice!)

Dec 20 or so = headed to Grandma’s in Cam Ranh for “Christmas in the Village” (again, broadcaster required) starring yours truly, 2 aunties, one cuz n his wife and the adorable, quirky ol’ grams..WAIT…add to that, 2 evil kitties that glared at me while I brushed my teeth in the yard….who’s the king of the castle anyway? They were mean!

Dec 28th ish = off to SGN for city fun and new year’s….wasn’t so into it and subsequently left “party” clothes at home only to have to buy new ones at “city” costs (this wasn’t the village where hair n nails were $0.70 cents combined!) but it’s all good….got the bestest news of the year: Moi, je vais bientot demenager et vivre a HCMC!!! Wooooottttttsie mooottttsie! Seeing old pals in new places is def FUN!!!! Highlights: James! The Mac was back in VN if only for a brief stint. Borama, the fabo Korean! Oh and I just love Zen Plaza, the most fabo of malls w/one of a kind designs (yes JL, come back!). Best of shopping for gals who luv clothes and for those who don’t, well, this place will get you started

Jan 4th = after apartment shopping with multiple real estate agents and friends, I head back home to Danang. To the empty house and the empty life where I can’t call anyone up cuz there isn’t anyone to call…(Hello? Is it me you’re looking for? I just wonder where you are….) Most friends move away and I am here to stay…NOT! BUT I must say, I do have the bestest roommate ever (Miss Hye Jong Le) but we are, alas, moving on with our lives…she will leave too so it’s not like I’m ditching her. For now, we’re hanging and today, I was planning to work at home all day but at 9am the electricity was out and after waiting for an hour, it looked like we were outta luck so after a no-power-required brekkie, we went for a sauna, steambath and massage combo all for $10 USD! = just an example of the randomness of Danang = roomie lost her pendant in the steambath and the staff had to break the wood to retrieve it (this was not part of the plan). Then we ate and found a baby cockroach in our beef salad (my first time in DN!) and then I came home to find that the power was still not on at 3pm so after paying some bills and hoping and wishing that I could use my computer, it’s baaaaaaaaaaaaacccccccck and then I proceed to facebook and blog instead of work….oh troi oi!

COOKING SCORE of domesticity
Nha Trang = 0 times in 6 days…auntie took care of me/nights out = 0 unless you count visiting relatives and going to Midnight Mass

Saigon = ate delivery at home twice and microwaved pizza once and washed dishes once within a week/restaurants = 8

Danang = 4x in 3 days = chicken wings, pasta, zucchini stir fry (who doesn’t luv this veggie?), jellos and risotto, cookies, and quesadillas to come Anyone coming to dinner?

So where’s my home now? Obviously DN but will the cooking continue in the BIG city? Hmmmmmmm?

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