I was at work…..my ears started to pick up some odd sound….familiar and very loud…..it was throbbing pretty hard. Heart palpitations – 2 of my Asian friends called it -, the kind of sensations where you can feel and hear your heart beat pounding fast, at times skipped beats. Pretty serious stuff. I called it ‘episode’.
Throughout the day…and the next 3 days, it was pretty frequent that I had such ‘episode’. Was not very pleasant nor fun. So I took the liberty of stop drinking caffeine, saying no to my 3 cups of coffee and 2 cups of tea per day was pretty shocking. I rushed to tell others and my family about it the next thing I know….I got everyone worried. My dad decided to check my pulse and record my blood pressure right away, wise things to do, and of course after he’s ‘through’ with me about my lifestyle and the non-exercise ‘habit’ of meself. Great. Here I was worried enough about my heart and also got told off for it.
I spent my entire weekend lying in bed…taking things slow, doing some deep breathing once in a while. The first night the ‘episode’ hit, it was too much to bear….I hardly had any sleep. My heart rate went up to 114 (double the normal standard), and my blood pressure also was in trouble, ‘it got stuck’ my dad say. When you use one of those machine, there’s 2 numbers to look out for and apparently the upper and lower no must equal to 40, mine was either 50 or 30….not good.
….the week was moving slow and fast….Sunday was really bad, I felt like a vegetable the whole day and had to skip Mat. V’s yummy cold cut dinner. To add to the ‘drama’, I spent my time in front of the dvd player…watching ‘ Desperate Housewives’, how appropriate.
I went to work normally on Monday….with the aid of the med over the weekend, something my dad gave me pretty cool stuff, 3 tablets per intake, 2 was vitamin & the other must be for the heart. All my friends insisted I urgently visited the hospital and should not wait until my Tuesday morning check up.
The hospital on a Tuesday was busy…I did a electrocardigram test and blood test….to examine the entire system bio-chemically speaking. There was a bunch of nurses, newbies gathering around my bed learning how to withdraw blood from the right hand vein while I was lying half naked on the bed, of course with cloth covering the significant bits. Then they went off to observe other things. The test was ‘ok’. Everything within the limit but doc said I urgently need to work on the excising part. In fact my blood pressure is a bit low, meaning prone to sickness.
Since the weekend, my dad urged me to take up his 5 slow breathing moves every morning. Each move must be done in the odd numbers only and the key is not to do it fast but slowly and together with breathing. Now to breathe correctly is totally new now for me. After 5 days of doing the move, I have just upgraded into 7 times per move and my sweat already starting to pour. In addition, I also use the machine at home to do some slow swing step. The key to the breathing session is also to open all the window early in the morning, taking all the positive air in, inhale from the stomach and breath out solidly. It was difficult at first, but I got the hang of it now…..the funny thing was I did not feel like I needed a coffee after the session.
I guess caffeine was not particularly suitable for me, well for a hyperactive person like me who is also working in a stress-prone zone industry where juggling more than 1 thing is our expertise.
I stopped taking the med on Monday….not feeling 100% but the heart did stop protesting.
Cũng trong tháng 7, sau đám cưới Liên Chi, tại Q-bar, mình và Shaun ngã ngớn….xỉn lắm rồi nhưng vẫn ngựa như thường.
Và chỉ một tháng sau…tiệc Dose ấn tượng đầu tiên đầy kỷ niệm, sáng hôm sau thức dậy mặc quần áo tiệc say xỉn hôm trước đi ăn sáng tại Au Parc…gặp ông khách hàng….
(Chris chụp tấm này)
Mình và anh Adam
Nhớ lại lúc tháng 2 đi Hội An trước khi Paul về nước
Còn đây là event đầu tiên của mình, khách hàng Chile
(Trên lầu của Cepage)
Còn đây là tấm chụp lúc đón đồng nghiệp Manila qua….với 2 sếp
Thorsten….đồng nghiệp người Đức, và cũng trở thành bạn khá thân, anh ta có đôi lúc thật bực mình nhưng cũng đáng yêu, cũng khá là điệu
It was sometime last week….that walking was back again. I parked my bike in Sheraton and Saturday mid morning in the thanh pho was a bit cooler lately. I caught the bus again….a feeling of ease…..finally its like the world is slowing down when for once you dont have to worry about traffic. I got to walk from bus stop again to Dong Du, with my ipod headphone on….and those staring looks from the bus passengers and the bikers on the busy Nam Ky Khoi Nghia. Maybe they will never get it the feeling almost liberated.
My friend admits it’s difficult to get up early since he’s living in the city but once in a while when you do have a chance…it’s the best time in this hectic and polluted town around 6am. I simply think it’s rare to walk around in the city….people would almost gaze at you like strangers from another country.
Recently well….actually it’s nearly 2 years living at home that I feel a bit choked…choked of my own body mass, the kind of progressive establishment that was somewhat unexpected but Im too helpless too scared and lazy to do anything about it. I joked once with my best pal about association of myself and a sausage. Consequently, I ended up giving away more than 100 pairs of good quality jeans, well at least they are in good hands.
The pavement of HCMC is a joke…well not to mention lately they have been invaded by almost every vehicle in each city trying to get over the disrupted and prolonged construction area on the streets, I dont think the pavement’s foundation can take it. I know this…. my xe om rider does it all the time.
Time to one self is a good thing. Strongly encourage those who have not done so to give it a try. I know a dude who cant stand being alone. I used to have a bit more time to just wander around D1 in the weekend….looking at shops and acting ‘me’, always end up getting mistaken for some foreigners shopping around the tourist area.
It’s the walking time that makes you wonder..you wish you had more time to be sane again….to just forget everything and just walk….and hoping that my sausage thigh later wont get hurt….until then….walking seems to be a pleasant treasure….hard to find.
Some of what walking with a camera can do to you….some ok photos.
LoLa perfume….never been a M.J fan for perfume but cant resist the bottle. Plus have not bought myself new perfume for gosh knows when. Thinking I deserve this.
Does Popeye’s strength spinach comes in a ready to eat can? Can I order x1 year supply?
My room desperately needs a turquoise modern piece of art work, maybe oil on canvas to make up for the space and mini make-over. Vy and I both think turquoise would work best. Im looking for a contrast, something ultra modern in the desired colour that would bring my house decor out…the Asian/Spanish/Moc inspired mixed with modern art?
What is the secret ingredient for how NOT become a sausage?
Or…indulge in something a bit more geeky, yet this will give me the freedom for the next 365days – independence from photography standpoint, price starting from 700USD (phew..heavy weight this one)
Or….save some cash and splurge on….trip to Istanbul staying at W Hotel Group, this below room!
Actually there’s one feasible item, get a piece of wood, paint black, in a long rectangular shape for the white floral velvet lamp shade. Probably cost nothing if it’s free…enough to put in bathroom. But tall body to hold the shade up high.
Or…a Torso…I’ve always wanted one….
or a book stopper! Yeah this is what I also need…Say 20?
Now it’s 6pm on a Friday…..enough for a short wish list and burn a whole in the pocket…..2009
After 36hours in Ha Noi with Theo, I think he’s a cool kid, a cool dude.
Theo is approx 4 months old now and he has characters. Some other parents I know struggling with their kids’ odd sleeping hours, their nasty irregular yelling and demanding, or concerns over the health of such young ones, vulnerable and fragile as they are.
All Theo ever does is the occasional yelling when he’s hungry or want to be carried around instead of sitting at one place more than 1 hour, which in fact is not a bad thing. He eats/drinks, sleep, shit, play, and that is about it for Theo. The guy lives a simple life.
I’m not a big fan of young kids. They yell, I yell, bad deal for both parties. But with Theo it’s a totally different experience. He has the amazing cute eyes are are huge, long lashes, and a irresistible kissable cheeks. Theo sleeps just like us, in fact his routine should be followed by some adults. He does to bed at 10pm and wakes up at 8am, which is a more than a descend amount of sleep not only for him but for his parents. Ah he’s also very useful in the morning as an effective alarm clock. At approx 8am, he will start his call, and everyone will wake up, everyone, even the uncle Big C and Aunt Ann (despite the wasted night before and a bad hangover in the morning) who are Sunday sleep-in creatures. In other words, his yelling nobody can stand!
But for such a cute face, who can say no.
By the way, he talks a lot.
Ha Noi’s weather starting to turn. Getting chilly but the air is good. So after breakfast, 4 of us went for a 40min walk around the Ho Tay with Theo resting in The Con Lua’s arm. We went pass some sort of old French library, still in used with a portion of the building left abandon. Wondering why! A few locals finishing nearby but if noticed further (actually I have proof) dead fishes are floating on the lake’s surface not so far away. This must be a very poisonous lake. Rubbish is one and chemical disposables probably the main cause. Shame really!
[a hem....I bought glasses from 89 Nguyen Du shop called Chien Beo - well it's not really a shop more like a trash place with broken frames, broken window but if anything stands out, grab them, it's like a hidden jewelry box, styles can varied from various shipment. 200.000VND per glasses, no bags. I got 1 Versace black shades and 2 Carolina Herrera New York].
Also for a bit of shopping experience, check out TanMy design showroom for local Vietnamese design namely Ha Truong, Minh Hanh, Ha Linh Thu, Huy Vo and Grace assessories. The three-storey showroom also has a cafe with great photo gallery and a calm atmos maybe with a bit of trendiness (so not so relax feel). Loved the Ha Truong current collection and of course Minh Hanh brand. It’s good to have a local designer showcase in a desirable manner.
….after the Highland breakfast, we ventured to the Ba Da pagoda, one of the oldest in the city, in the little hem/alley just opposite the cafe.
Update on another dose of Theo – and his arrival in HCMC. We entertained him at Son Ha resto and then ‘dragged’ him to Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf by the Metropolitan building last night, too much excitement, he could not sleep around 10pm, instead starred and gazed his cute eyes onto the light beams of the Thanh Pho, his cheeks seemed to expand, his ears attached to the sound of the ice-cream man’s catchy ad tune. He was all hyper, drawn into the beats of the Thanh Pho. The weather is much cooler than in Ha Noi consequently he doesn’t have to pack onto his tiny cute soft skin delicate-but-strong body tons of fabrics. We concluded also last night that he likes Saigon beer, the beer bottle cheered him up.
What a wicked 4 months old kid. Just so relaxing and groovy.
Just had a debate with my friend about Home. Everyone knows it’s where the heart is…sort off….
I lived abroad for a while, 8 years of living on my own, I moved quite a bit. I used to live with some home-stay family, a small town house; flatted with a difficult gay in a typical NZ house in West Auckland; shared a house near a highway; lived in a tiny square downstairs from a noisy couple; lived in a flat nearby many resto; emerged myself in a house with 9 people – most of them were hippies; lived in a Dom room and an old stone house. I arrived home just in 2007 and I dread the feeling of being ‘lock’ at home, not being able to do things freely.
Some aspect of it is true, I cant take guys home, and my parents are living downstairs. But I have more than just a dozen of reasons why I love living at home at the moment…
1. I like my room – it’s not finished or near where ideally I would be 100% happy with but I’ve grown to like it
2. I like the peace and quiet of the surrounding. My house is near the river and although we’re not big on landscaping we have enough trees to feed our oxygen for 3 of us.
3. I particularly enjoyed the self-sufficient garden. We have fruits, herbs (enough to throw a full on garden salad), and poultry (including organic chicken, turkey, fish, turtle).
4. There’s no better way to be far away from town, not living directly next to someone, keeping me sane most of the time.
5. My house’s kitchen is not ideal, and this would be one of the off point about the place but I have all the gear I would need to cook up something impressive to entertain friends.
6. I can make a mess and not having to worry how to clean it up later. Having a maid is a standard thing, but then I can always find things to do with my room despite having it cleaned.
7. My neighbour is wicked. They always try to feed me, make clothes for me….and take care of the area pretty well – so all my clothes are safe int he neighbourhood.
8. My fridge never gets empty, there’s always food and drinks and I would never go hungry.
I used to flat with many other people as well as lived on my own in a 100-year-old house, but they’re all rental. And the problem is you would never be able to do what you want since it’s not yours. Apartments are another no-no for me as I often feel like a box being so close to someone’s house and part of a complex building. I remember when I was very young, my family was so poor that we literally lived in a room, and everything was in it. Perhaps since then I have allergy to small cramp spaces…But over the years, being away from home there’s times when you dont have a choice. It’s particularly not good for relationship when 2 people have to share a tiny place.
I understand very well that despite my comfort at home, I always have a problem of persuading other people to see and feel the same way with my house and whether it can charm others to like it like it does to me.
(Last look at Cowane street – Stirling)
(Below – guest room @ Ida in KL; View from guest room apartment @Ida in KL)
Mấy ngày trước bỗng dưng thấy thèm cuộc sống tự do tự tại phương xa, xa khỏi gia đình và nơi thân quen…..it happened when I was in KL, just last week, thèm the feeling of having a place of my own, small but big enough, thèm the feeling on the foreign land, new things to discover and the entire list of:
1. Cravings to have friends coming around on weekend and cooking up something homie? comfort food, a few good conversations and a couple of nice white wine bottles.
2. Cravings for going down the local pub with friends…a fully packed place where there’s no seats, loud and full of beers.
3. Crave to wake up around 10 am…sipping coffee…going down the local supermarket and pick some daily produce..preparing for dinner…
4. Thèm come home to something precious….maybe hai đứa ôm nhau nằm xem tivi, bên ngòai trời tuyết, mở máy sửơi nằm xem The F Word trên cái couch trong phòng khách…rồi ngủ quên đến sáng..
5. Thèm đi du lịch một mình….like last Xmas trip….cold, alone but not lonely…..then I can do my own things at my own pace and dont have to worry how my doings will affect other! Ego centric
6. Thèm club hopping ở Auckland….
7. Thèm một mùa đông, mặc áo ấm ra đường gió thổi tóc váy chạy nhanh về nhà ôm ly trà leo lên giường chờ người yêu!
My dad said something one day, after everything was done…..’why did you choose the red wall colour? You’re a hot-tempered person, why should you continue to be surrounded by such?’. I nodded my head.
Maybe he is right.
Yes however, I felt comfortable in it. I would not live elsewhere but my house. Moving back home normally equals living with the parents. But after being away for 8 years and tasted all the fun and trouble of flatting…all sort of stories, I dont mind the ‘elderly’. There’s things I cant do at home, or do with my home but I think I have much more freedom than before.
The project to decorate my space started out last year. It was not well-organised and I still feel guilty at times. I had no time to plan out the look and feel that I wish. My dad called me pretty much everyday and asked what titles I want, what colours of windows and all sort. So after the basic construction done…I did not know what to do.
The only thing I was proud of was the window me and my dad put together. I saw the design in one of the architek mag but had a lousy drawing. So my dad did put the holes into equal parts.
The challenge for me was I know what I like and dislike but the practicality and some constraints basically prevent a lot of ‘ideal’ design that could have taken place. I wanted a Spanish feel, warm colours and character.
My designer was a good consultant, yes there’s things that I would like to have changed and not 100% happy about. But it was an experience for me. Working with designer I realised it’s a personal affair. Your designer must understand your vision and the ability to communicate such vision into reality was a challenge. Plus during the decor time, I realised I did not know exactly what I want. And nobody is a mind reader. For the very first time, I had a private space that I can play around with and I just could not know what the heck it should look like.
So we come up with this look. To me it’s not finish and I want the style to evolve. Or perhaps in a few years time I would change into the milder version, something like French cottage.
But for now, this is where I called home. I might find flaws in it and try to fix things.I live here now, at least nearly a year since it’s done.
(All of the below pix are credited to Christian Berg)
or a book stopper! Yeah this is what I also need…Say 20?
