sunday morning aka Dad's birthday

today is dad's 62 birthday. seems very happy and pleased with everything. had a nice swim this morning followed by a fruit smoothie and puttering around including emails. i'm wearing khaki skirt and brown sleeveless top. dad is about to get his massage and i will attempt packing my bags in anticipation of a 415 monday morning departure. makes me a bit sad knowing i'll be leaving so soon.

saturday night wore a black square neck longish dress. went to dinner at my favorite place, le bordeaux. had the rack of lamb which was wonderful and we shared a choco mint souffle. absolutely lovely evening.

saturday i attempted to find some cuff links for dad's birthday present. i guess they really dont specialize in them (not much need for french cuff shirts here). they had few options mostly with tie clips. and they were not interesting at all. ended up with a decent pair of mother of pearl set in white gold/silver just a triangle shape. he seems to like them okay.

got a little massage then went to mekong merchant for a light lunch at 3pm. ms. han came in the morning to fix breakfast and tidy up. then left around 11. sad to say farewell to me ... she likes having someone around to fuss over and chat with i think. she's a real keeper.

we arranged earlier for some special flowers for the center hall table. they came and assembled the most amazing arrangement .... rivals the hyatt's display! dad was so pleased with the results and that's a nice feeling.

our sunday will probably consist of going to city and checking out some speakers for the tv, then a light lunch and tonight we'll have our "last supper" at the hyatt. early morning wake up and ride o airport. doubt dad will go along for the ride. basically i just jump out of car and go to ticket counter and not real chatty at 430. its the same thing when i take him to raleigh at 4am ... he sleeps while i drive so no chat then either!

probably last post since i'll shut down the laptop later and check that off my departure to do list. leave keys, leave cell phone, leave id card, etc. i hope my trips will be longer and more often and would love to bring each of you along.

saturday morning

friday night had potential for a good night but ....
got my watch fixed, a couple tee shirts, walked around looking for a birthday present for dad (wanted to get him some martini glasses) but no luck. then he mentioned a bowl for the center hall table but nothing thhere either. walked my feet off and had to stop twice even with my map in hand. then had lunch with ms. han of pho ga (chicken noodle soup). afternoon was puttering around, walking compound, checking out remodeling of some houses that were open. they seem o have a lot of little rooms with doors and walls --- much prefr the open light floorplan of this place.

friday night wore new grey silk dress and it was nice. went to legend hotel to meet the supplier couple. well they took us to the hotel buffet. first omen. too much food, too many options, up and down, never know what actually has been eaten. and the nice lady gave me my own crab ... not exactly a dainty thing to eat and pull apart. and then there was the wine. bottle of red, bottle of white. and many many cheers. i had a small crepe with bananas and orange sauce for dessert which was the best part o the meal. dinner was at 630 so we were finished early so we went to hyatt martini bar for nightcap and people watching ... lots of girls hoping to get lucky. mostly vn last night with few tourists but a couple regulars that i recognized. this photo does not do it justice, but the bartender/maitre d' did a stack of stemmed glasses then poured a puddle of alcohol in the base of one glass then lit it up. quite impressive. he obviously has lots of skills in that department judging from the way he flights glasses and bottles around.

ride home proved interesting ...

today is saturday. dad swam. i stayed at the house. wearing white skirt and blue sleeveless linen top. dinner otnight is le bordeaux, my favorite restaurant. french obviously. maybe just two of us maybe with jess and nee.

the house is filled with flowers right now. seems every department at work sent a floral arrangement to dad and they all came home on friday. looks sort of like a funeral parlor! photos will be posted.

somehow my email mailing list was again violated and another viagra email went out while i was at dinner. i noticed i get a lot of spam here on this laptop so maybe that's the source this time.

so tomorrow is dad's 62 birthday. whoopie. if you intend to contact him, let me know so i can make sure he's around the computer and try to do it in the morning (but not between 10-11 am as he's getting a massage at the house). might be strange knowing a massage is going on upstairs and hoping it's all on the up and up (bad choice of words?)!

i guess i'll do some pre-packing and deciding what goes and what stays. next trip will be after october market. pretty easy since i leave a set of toiletries and cosmetics here, take my jewelry, leave shoes and handbags, and a good assortment of clothing. rained last night while we were at dinner and on way to hyatt. today is just cloudy and humid.

friday morning already

hard to believe how quickly this week has gone. yesterday's trip to the factory was nice but dad was distracted or busy and a bit bothered. anyhow saw all those i had not seen lately and got to have lunch with them and then saw te new october samples going to market. back at the house by 315. sofa delivered and swapped out. elegant sofa. walked compound about 5pm since i finished my 3rd vince flynn book. one more book (not vf) left on kindle.

went to hyatt for dinner. one cocktail, one wine. dinner was a shared duck sausage that was fantastic with some sauted leelee flower. moods all improved. wore black and white capri and black silk top.

dinner tonight with supplier and his wife .... need to get my watch fixed. the pin came out of the band.

mosquitoes are biting but thhey don't last long. one day and they're gone. not like at home where the lump and swelling lasts days. no rain lately at least for two or three days.

the other thing i forgot to mention was there's a lot of nit picking going on around here. well not here here but around. at first i thought it was some hair braiding but its not. maybe its just someting to kill time in the booths and shops but they take turns going thru each others hair a lot. i was under the impression that nits dont adhere to thick coarse hair which is mostly the case. but that theory isnt exactly proven.
dad went for a bike ride around an phu neighborood outside the compound. that's always a worry but he has his phone and should be okay at 6am. no plans for his birthday other than it being my last night so i think we'll keep it low key and intimate!! 62 is not a real milestone these days.

thursday mornng

quick update i'm going with dad to factory this moring after his meeting. yeah! he reluctantly agreed as is his way.

last night dinner was a beautiful whole fish ms han prepared with broccoli and carrot. amazing. dad said it wasnt hot/spicy enough but she didnt want to burn my mouth.

wore khaki walking shorts all day.

today wearing black skirt with multi dots and pink v neck.

wednesday morning

dad went swimming, i stayed home and checked emails and election results (after getting laptop back online). breakfast for dad was a new adventure - bahn mi which is a small baguette with a thin layer of meat, pate, some chili, and veg served warm. ms. han picked it up on her way in for 50 cents (10,000 dong). he has his fruit so that balanced it out. i delayed fruit for later but did have half a croissant. wearing khaki walking shorts and white linen blouse.

tuesday night we went to dinner with the same guy from sunday night who is leaving for gso today. took him to hyatt. cocktail at the bar then dinner (not in front of fish tank this time). dad ordered for the table .. wok cooked grouper, appetizer platter for 3 (minced shrimp on sugarcane, softshell crab, spring rolls all in miniature). wore my black talbot dress with pearls after many other were rejected. skirt too long, shirt to baggy, not in the mood for that, etc etc. so went with basic black dress but wore the pink slides to mix it up.

tuesday afternoon went to the pool for two hours. alone except for one guy doing laps. odd since school hasnt started yet and no kids around. i think school starts on monday. read a lot of the last vince flynn book on my kindle. at the pool they put in a new trampoline for kids. they have a nice playground set up with riding toys and rocking things for all ages.

anxiously awaiting michigan results.

Tuesday morning

obviously monday was not a day worth writing about. dad went for walk or bike ride, dont really remember but i stayed home. breakfast was the usual fruit, coffee, toast. dad went to office, i read and wanted to go for a walk but rained early so hung out at the house. ms han did a lot of work. ...mostly laundry like 12 shirts and floors and baths. she works very hard. there isnt much email coming along since its a weekend. had a nice lunch with ms. han. then she made dinner for us of pumpkin soup and a pancake filled with a little meat and sprouts ... it ends up sort of like a taco but the green leaf (lettuce or mustard leaf) is on the outside and filled with the pancake stuffing. the pancake is sort of a flour mixture but not puffy. crisp and thin. yummy. watched an hbo movie then a dvd. nice evening.

today is half price day at anthony george salon so i will definitely go and get the nails done. the last color was a bit drab. would be tempted to get more done but i've done a lot of pampering and it might be overkill!

hopeful for good election day in michigan primary.

wore a jcrew melon colored skirt and white linen blouse on monday. today blue skirt and orange sleeveless tee! tonight we'll go out for dinner. maybe italian but that's always subject to change. right now don't feel like italian.

around town

this is a unisex facility at mekong mechant restaurant

Park Hyatt powder room - nicest one in town

i've been to a lot of toilets around town and decided they were all pretty unique. here's a sample of a few ... this was a lovely piece of porcelin(?) but unfortunately the urinal wasnt matching.

this one had nice tilework on the walls at the massage/nail/facial salon.

obviously i was unable to figure out how to post them with message so this is how it finished.

sunday afternoon

basically another sunday afternoon. dad wanted a massage.

having already had a few manicures, pedicures, body massages, hot rock massage, foot massage, i decided today was a good day for a facial. expensive asit turns out ... 40! about one hr ten minutes of working on my face and chin and shoulders. first it was cleaning and scrubbing, then some vibrating thing, then some suction thing around the nose and chin (guess i had needed some pore cleaning). dad got his two hrs. i got a gel type face mask applied and thats when i realized clostophobia was a definite possibility. i had a couple sneezes that shook the mask loose. when all was done, my face felt so nice and clean. needed to reapply makeup and do something to the hair! met jess and nee at intercontinntal lookig at apartment again. 3br. still low ceiling, didnt check water, small balcony ... pros and cons list still the house is a better deal - it would be over $200 a day to live there plus utilities and parking and thats not cheap but the view is pretty nice from up there .

walked to store, checked out bose speakers, new dvds, dad's linen shirt, and finally my silk dress. it was ready, finished. bagged it up and we went home. however when i got home the placket doesnt lay flat so it will need to go back. placket is the thing covering the buttons ... probably needs a good press or maybe a snap. lunch at mekong merchant. skys opened of course. had kiddie siz fish and chips. and a glass of wine. wearing black capri and white linen with ruffle. walked home in rain....kind of nice and refreshing altho dodging puddles was a challenge. in the end it was just as easy to walk thru the puddles. now watching quiet america dvd ... dad missing most of it since its nap time!

tonight dinner with designer ... no details known.

sunday morning

cant seem to say or do anthing right. breakfast was bland (eggs were fresh so dont know why). toast was cut too thick, should have had ham instead of bacon, blah blah blah. somedays i just can't win.

saturday night was nice. dinner at hyatt. i had a couple appetizer dishes (crab cake, tomato/cheese). went to martini bar and that was really nice as well. didnt over indulge! wore a long black dress with low back scoop ... not evident in the photo.

who know what today will bring! update later. tonight is dinner with designer probably at the deck following cocktail at the house. rained a lot early last night as we were leaving for dinner but stopped during dinner. really humid this morning.

saturday afternoon

well where do i start ... guess with last night. met dad at airport which was not exactly exciting. but it got me out of the house. he was not hungry and not interesting in going out (i was wearing a nice skirt and black cowl collar top). back to house and he showered ad unpacked from his trip. had a conference call and then just chilled ... ate some toast and anchovies, i had left over fried rice.

saturday morning he was tired but managed to go swimming. breakfast was fruit, coffee, toast, yogurt (him). i wore navy bermudas and white ann taylor tee. jess came and they went to work togther.

i taxied to district 3 market ... mainly household stuff,not a tourist in sight, aisles and aisle of fabric. when walking in the wet market (meats, fish, produce) side a little girl about 3 pulled her undies down and squatted right there on the dirt floor .. peepee. okay. then headed to a shoe shop since i feel my shoes are a little outdated. got some heels.

back to district 1, center city. went to tailor to get the silk dress that should have been ready wednesday. well this time, they made the button holes and had it dry cleaned(pressed) but no buttons! OMG this is about the 3rd trip. frustrating for sure.

had a latte at gloria jeans, went to gourmet shop looking for fig jam ... out of stock. then to banthan market. taxi back to an phu district 2, stopped at mekong merchant for lunch about 130, power went out but i had gotten my salad. took a long time for generator to kick in. bored yet?? not exactly a page turner blog! went to supermarket for some bacon and ice cream for dad. walked home and about #7 lily the rain started ... booked it to #23 lily and then the rain really opened up. very overcast all day.

tonight we have dinner with the new GM or whatever he's called of TA ... actually worked with harveylong ago at maitland smith. as well as jess and nee. i'll wear black dress and new shoes. lets hope all goes well!

friday morning

woke about 545, showered
wearing black/white emroidered skirt and white sleeveless talbot tee
just a quick update by 10am on friday. went to clinic at 730 for fasting blood test. in and out quickly and had a coffee waiting in the car.
fried the hair dryer the other night as i was halfway done doing my hair. fortunately a quick call to Ms. Han and she had a small spare in the laundry room. it was actually the first dryer she bought and dad thought it was too small so she got the bigger one for me. then earlier that same day had a guy out to fix the microwave ... it wasnt rotating. that was $34us to replace the rotator thing.
no plans for today ... i think ms. han is making fried rice for lunch. dad is coming back tonight and i will meet him for dinner. he prefers hyatt so that will be fine with me. they do fuss over him and the meal is always good. but we might be going there tomorrow with some employees so i'll have to check that out. rain continues most late afternoons. then its steamy and humid.

today page 3 headline: hospitals swamped with fever victims. 100 children daily, 60% from the provinces, each bed has to accomodate 3 or 4 patients in the dengue fever ward.

thursday afternoon

khaki skirt, white tee again

so i decided to get a little medical check up since using the insurance in nc usually requires paying up front then getting reimbursed. thought it would be simpler to just do it while i was here with time. so 1230 today i had my first vn medical experience. dr. nicole from new zealand, nice person. pap, breast, heart, bp - mammogram not recommended here, should go to a place of more advanced medical techniques (i.e. singapore, bangkok, hong kong, etc.). and as it is, my pap smear was sent out of vn for processing. bp was elevated....no surprise there! ekg normal. fasting blood test still to do (maybe friday morning). but i didnt even get weighed! that's probably whhy the bp was elevated....i was freaking out about getting on the scale. ha ha all in all, $14us deductible so not.

went to pick up my silk dress that was to have been ready yesterday. it wasn't. they made it look like a sleeveless coat ... not a dress with buttons. so maybe tomorrow.

evr hear of the movie "someone like you" hugh jackman, marisa tomei ashley judd ellen barkin? it just started so being a huge jackman fan, i guess i'll watch it. i had left over soup when i got back ... yummy.

another headline, etc

poachers feed taste for jumping chicken.....gearing up for a hunt is like preparing for a covert militarymission. moonless night, camo, powerful torch to stun the target and a knife for a quick silent kill. ah they're talking about frog hunting.

thursday was another day hanging around mostly. read a lot, walked a lot, went to river, started going to pool for a swim, got half way and the clouds came ad rain started. had a massage in the morning ... she's a very curious person. how long have you been here, how long are you staying, when are you leaving, when are you coming back. not really comfortable sharing all that info. she's good as the massage but gets really close to the hoo ha and practically does a breast exam. went to sally cox's house in the afternoon for a cup of tea. she has a massage girl that she'll give me her name too. i wore a white cotton skirt and linen blouse in the morniig. also had the ta IT guy out to help with skype microphone. so now i have audio out but no webcam connected. lunch was pumpkin soup. evening plans were dinner at mekong merchant (salmon) with andy the young guy. he's pretty quiet and lost at times. wore khaki skirt and white tee.

right now i'm watching bull durham. i'd forgotten how good this was. its' great. had croissant for breakfast with coffee and a little side of fruit. woke up to rain this morning and now its overcast. so many references in this movie that i never got before. guess i'll finish watching this and then go for a walk.

recent headlines

hand-foot-mouth cases on rise 30 children in hcmc were treated last week

city dumps 80% of sewage into rivers ... deptof natrual resources and this and that. 200-240 meters of sewagebeing dumped into rivers and canals.

and i thought greensboro news wasnt good!

happy birthday wiley and elizabeth

happy birthday to two of my favorite july birthday people (emily of course is the other favorite). dad has gone to shanghai and hong kong today, returning on friday in time for dinner. so i'm left to do my own thing. thought about beach or mountain trip but i think that would be better knowing it won't rain and that's a tough call. so i'll see what i can get into.

i've stopped working light switches around the house because it gets me in trouble if the switches have been dimmed. only lights i switch on have a knob or foot switch. i don't play the stereo either because if i mess up the sound or leave a cd in it, that's another reason for trouble. ugh.

mosquitos ... have i mentioned them? omg they are everywhere and so annoying. i think i've only killed one and they have gotten me back. dragonflies too. those litle things flit all over.

i went to town today after dad went to airport and had lunch at hyatt alone pretty much on principal. i'll pay for it later when i get on the scale! one cheeseburger altho i left about 1/3 of it. wearing black skirt with multi colored dots and blue sleeveless knit top

looks like the rain might be back this afternoon which was to be my pool session. oh well. i did get two tops made ... linen. will be nice i hope. my dress isn't finished yet ... silk. its actually a "remake" of a shirtwaist dress that i probably wore to emilys gds graduation.

hope the wilsons have a wonderful birthday. look forward to lots of pictures. xoxo

stuff

finished my second vince flynn book of this trip. i think i have one more vince flynn and some others available on kindle.

the lizards are fast little things that scurry around the fountain. and they appear a bit chunky.

last night we noticed a fish in the fountain but it might have been intentionally put in to clean it up. must ask the gardener in charge of that stuff. and about a million tadpoles.

the international herald tribune arrived the other day with a story about hilary clintons visit to vn and hannoi only there was a good portion of the text blacked out.

today there's a story in the paper about the department of this and that banning addictive computer games for the sake of the children and they will lead to junenile crime and truancy. guess that's why scrabble on facebook won't work!

wishing wiley wilson a happy fourth birthday. i almost made it when he was born but got there a little after the fact.

i was just out for a walk and saw a golden retriever with a bandaged around her middle. she had an "operation" according to the woman walking her and it reminded me of sophie and healing from her operation. i hope she's okay.

i probably should bring over one of the dvd sets of pride and prejudice. that would be good viewing ... havent seen it on their shelves.

sunday meanderings

sunday is always an interesting day. no work so we had a nice breakfast (well decent with no complaints). sat around then went with dad for a noon haircut. he has a new young guy working for him and he's coming for dinner tonight and i'm cooking. will be interesting. i left dad getting his haircut and went to market then meet him about 115 for lunch. i had fried rice, he had sardines. i had to beg him to hang out with me this afternoon and get the groceries for dinner. he wasnt happy. we went to a gallery, looked at some art. then went and got the steaks and veggies for dinner. its always interesting being out of your element in anothers kitchen.

some obvservations: they play a sort of mahjong on the streets, men sitting around litle tables with tiles. well i thought it was a nice little game but then i realized seeing more and more that theres some wagering involved. also there are lots of little shoe shine, shoe repair guys sitting around the sidewalk.

second full day of rain. all thru the night and all day today.

wearing black and white check shirt and black tee. nothing fancy.

wish me luck on this meal tongiht. at least i can't screw up dessert....vanilla ice cream!

updating

havent felt much like blogging. had a disasterous date night on friday. i looked nice wearing a black lace skirt and white ruffled blouse. friday ms. han had the day off so i was the maid. i did a good job. i made a nice breakfast of poached egg on english muffin and coffee. rain in the afternoon is pretty common. actually storms with thunder and lightening and buckets of water. well i dont really remember what i did but probably went to the city and wandered. then dad and i went to the hyatt for dinner. two cosmos later dad asked for a bite of my steak. i cut him off a little piece and proceded to transfer it to his plate when it slipped off my fork and knife and landed in his lap. image his reaction! overreaction! etc. you would have thought i did it on purpose. no more sharing my food. then we went to the martini bar and it was downhill from there.

so then saturday came and ms. has was back. she did her thing and i went to the city and sat by the pool til the rain came again. i wore khaki bermudas and brown top. dad worked and then we went to look at the new toyota fortunner (aka 4runner) that he wants to trade in the land cruiser which is too big and too expensive to operate. grey. we also went to look at apartments in the intercontinental hotel that he might want to move to. not sure why he'd want to give up the garden and beautiful home ... apt has combination living room, kitchen and i know how he doesnt like smells in the house; balcony but very shallow, nice view of river and city; room serice, housekeeping, no garden, low ceilings. intercontinentla pool and health center. water pressure bad for showering. closet has combination washer/dryer machine. guess he'll decide. but it was nice that i got to see it.

sunday: dad swam in the rain, wearing black and white skirt and black tee. i cooked breakfast on english muffin with tomatoes and coffee. we're still trying to work out what we're doing. dad said he might get massage but i can't go along??? dinner tonight with his new employee and either i cook or we go out. hmmmm.

friday 545am

rather pleased i made it thru most of the night altho i did watch hbo movie before bed bloody valentine? what was i thinking.

dad has gone for a bike ride helmet and all. ms. han is off today so i'm the maid. have to do my own cooking and cleaning!

dinner was at a japanese place LaPhong ... had mushroom soup, tempura, suchi. nice meal but the next table were obviously two loud men who smoked so usually a pleasant environment got a little smelly.

i wore white blouse and melon colored capris. i was looking at the closet of clothing i have accumulated and realize i will never get to wear most of it this trip. maybe next time! hilary clinton was in hanoi yesterday and i think all the us consulate folks in the compound must have gone up for the day.

think i'll go for a little walk and see if i can catch the sunrise. probably late should have gone earlier.

4pm thursday

an early start this morning thanks to my on going insomnia. about 610 walked to pool and watchd dad swim and took a video for wiley to see pop swim (his idea). breakfast of fruit and coffee. decided to knock off a lot of errands today. long list started by walking to supermarket and finding a little pencil sharpener (eyebrows); then went to remodeled gourmet shop and found a couple things but no english muffins; went to atm and got some dong; brought home eggs, jams, chorizo. then took taxi to city post office looking for a couple satin zipper wallets that they apparently no longer carry in the gift shop. on the way there, i noticed an eyeglass center that carried david yurman frames so i checked that out. the frames were not exactly stylish plus they were over $300US. next went over to diamond dept store and found they don't carry toasters (dad requested a new one). somehow i got muddled up and lost my bearings and was walking the wrong direction for dong koi street. which then amounted to my first motorbike ride for a grand total of 20dong which is just over a dollar. i pretty much kept my eyes closed and hung on tight to the bar on the back of the seat. the helmet did nothing for my hair! went to Tax Store looking for a new cd Audiophile II or III. beautiful voices. no luck. however on the way out i noticed an electric applicance section selling toasters. somewhat of a fiasco but i got one for 700,ooodong. then popped into jewelry store to get the appraisal info for insurance....that took a few minutes. then i figured i should have a foot massage with #19. absolutely wonderful. walked to other gourmet shop looking for thomas english muffins, nothing. then went to veggy's another gourmet shop and found them, some cheese, sundried tomatoes. now my bag is getting very heavy ... toaster, groceries, etc. left there an went to linen shop because dad wanted more placemats and napkins...okay put them in the bag too. hailed a taxi and headed back. however got driver to stop at two plant places because dad wanted some more color in the garden ... he wants variations of green around the fountain....but we must have all the ground covers they make. got some purple plants. lunch was leftover pizza. decided to watch a dvd Leap Year ... not a masterpiece but entertaining. and then the rains came again. its buckets again. wearing black capris and white linen again. tonight hope to go for sashimi. tomorrow i want to go to mekong merchant for date night; then saturday to hyatt. ms han has day off on friday and saturday so i'll be the maid! that's why we're eatig out!

234am

pretty much done sleeping for the night. i could tell dad wasnt in mood to take me out so agreed to order take out for dinner after the guy left. i got salmon, he got salad. my outfit yesterday consisted ofwhite ruffled linen blouse and navy capris. my outfit now is a white cotton nightgown! pretty wide open for the rest of the day here. nothing that i have to do so that means i'll go to city and wander the streets, maybe go to a museum depending on the weather. and if nothing else, i can always get a foot massage! i have to figure out how to pay the amex bill. i don't know if these lines are secure to do it online (last time sarah paid it over the phone using the landline that is associated with that account). got a couple days to work it out. i would like to do 3 months here next time to see how it goes. perhaps including christmas and tet -- dad definitely should be able to find time to do a little get away somewhere! maybe australia even. then next year you should all plan on making the trip for christmas which actually isnt a holiday. good enough for now so i'll go read my kindle book.

wednesday dinner hour

recap a bit early today! wore black talbot golf shirt dress. it rained amazing amounts today. we invited jess' daughters for pizza and swim ... as the pizza was being delivered the rain drops started and then all the heavens broke loose. havent seen that much rain here ever. finally cleared enough for a walk around compound with them to at least show them the pool they could have used today. of course jess has visions of one day moving into this house in hopes that harvey will go elsewhere. sort of unnerving really. anyhow they left about 230-300. in the meantime the blue shirt army arrived. guys taking the TA cocktail back because it wobbled. guys cleaning the overhead ceiling fans and the a/c units. and the electricians who were working on restoring power to the first floor. everyone finally left and ms. han had clean up duty. lots of debris on the patio and wet footprints. she got it done. took a 5pm shower because it was one of those muggy days. now wearing white linen sleeveless ruffle top and jan. table returned after 5pm. i bet they stopped everything and that table became a priority. they are so rattled by harvey. now i'm tired and its 745pm. dad had 5pm "meeting" in the city and nwo has a guy in the dining room which is why i can blog at 745. he sure does love to work. dinner will be late. that's it for today.

2:37 am

2am blogging is not always the best and sharpest ... but i'll give it another try. tuesday was a little busy. new cocktail table delivered. square instead of rectangle. wooden top instead of marble. both very heavy, case of wine delivered. nice lunch of fried rice and shrimp. mr. paul is at his house packing up to move back to thailand so theres no swimming there for me now...i have to go to compound pool. got my manicure and waxing so that was a good accomplishment. went into city and wandered. broought a linen top here with me that i want to get made in another color (ITS A MERONA BRAND). went to a couple tailors but didnt order yet. got a belt since i left mine home. it was raining so i was very worried that i'd leave the umbrela in a shop. walked around, found a shop selling fancy lotions etc and someone told dad he should use shower gel so i wanted to get him some. found a nice one bamboo scent ... not floral. then went togourmet shop and picked up some sour dough bread since i know dad likes that and i really want to try to make him enjoy my visit too. then back to house probably around 430. napped a little but dad was home around 5 and we were leaving at 615. he showered after work and didnt like the shower gel scent. could have just said thanks first before dissing the stuff. we drove to jewelry store and picked up my new diamond ring. photo will be taken and posted. very nice and i'm a lucky lady. then to hyatt for jess' daughters 15 birthday dinner. his daughters live in denmark with their mother and he gets them for summer holidays. jess invited me to join them at a beach weekend but i said only if he could get harvey to go too. i certainly don't want to go off without dad ... but he sayys he has to be at the factory since no one else is around. hope we find something fun to do. this took 13 minutes to update so now i'll head to bed and see if i can zone out for a couple hours more. forgot to mention i wore white capris and blak and white striped sleeveless top black belt. but for dinner i wore a long jones of ny black crepe dress, diamond bracelet, diamond ring and diamond earrings. pulled out all the stops but why not!

Purple Plants Part Two

do you remember the purple plants from last visit? i was anxious to see how they adapted to their new environment around the fountain. and i fully expected them to have grown big and lush and filled in as a ground cover since they did so well in the pots on the back patio.

not so much....seems the snails have made gourmets of themselves on the poor little things. they look dreadful. i fear they will be completely gone before too long. might have to go back to being pot plants which means we have empty garden around the fountain again and that's not a good thing.

2AM

having a hard time staying asleep. doing a lot of reading. monday i hired a driver for 800,000dong which is $40ish, went to 4 nurseries for some garden plants, went to metro (costco) and had ID photo card made; went to city looking for birthday gift for jess' daughter. we're attending a dinner at hyatt on tues night for her. i think shes 13-15 and i wanted a juicy tee shirt but no real juicy shop here just knock offs at market. came back to house, had driver all day but no where else to go. worse navy bermudas and white sleeveless tee. had the guy out to work on laptop so i can get on facebook. dinner home was pho go (chicken noodle soup). i ennded up at esprit shop for the tee with bling. what do i know. dad suggested a nice pashmina so i know a little more than him. tuesday i think i'll get manicure for sure. i get my new jewelry tomorrow .. a ring had to be resized. maybe i'll take a photo for one of the next blogs. i really deserve it.

sunday

dad swam, i watched. breakfast of fruit, coffee, croissant. watched tv then went for massage .. dad got 2 hr, i got 1 hr with toenail polish change while waitig. went to lunch at hyatt ... chopped cobb, steak tartar bottle of wine. rain while eating but stoped so we went shopping. looked at fabric for linen sportcoat and dad got 3 shirts ordered. also stopped in jewelry store and found a nice birthday present! wore black skirt with multi polka dots and blue top. back to house, went for a walk, got a case of wine, watched tv, made some supper (left overs for me). watched british open and DateNight video with dad. tried to sleepbut not working. its 315am.

saturday Pm

nothing exciting. we went to anthony and sally cox's house for cocktail at 5pm since it was their 15th wedding anniversary. we had a drink or two (i had sprite) and then went tomekong merchant for dinner. i wore black skirt and black and white silk top. ate carbonnara. like i said, nothing exciting. dad bought me flowers on the walk home. then we both sort of fell asleep on the sofa watching golf. i'm sure that isn't his normal saturday night altho he says he stays home!

back to VN

woke up on thursday at 610 with very little to do. dog was already gone; bags were packed, just had to shut down, lock up, tidy up, shower and wait for my ride to airport. sallie came at 845, i was thru security at the airport by 905. uneventful trips to chicago, then went to red carpet lounge for a nice diet coke and waiting for the next leg of the trip. 14 hr flight to hong kong went well, slept, watched Date Night with Tina Fey that was quite entertaining; did not watch miley cyrus or how to train a dragon; had a dinner of chicken and rice, skipped the noodle soup, rested. no one was in middle seat so it was spacious. arrived hong kong on time with lots of time for the red carpet lounge. had a cheese sanndwich, carrot soup and some diet coke. boarded early but waited because of typhoon in the area had departures backup at airport. harvey met met after i quickly went thru baggage claim and immigration.

saturday .. dad went swimming then to work. didnt sleep well but thats normal. might need a nap. reading vince flynn book so that keeps me entertained. no facebook yet unless i figure out how to bypass block.

one more sleep

tuesday - dad is in china until 4pm return. we're scheduled to go to my favorite restaurant tonight ... a bit of bad timing as i dont really like to eat a big meal before a long flight ... not a comfortable thing. its le bordeaux. beautiful french fancy. and quite expensive. anyhow timing and scheduling were a bit of a problem. but the main thing is i get to go. today i'm wearing black capri and leopard print top. went to town for some fabric samples for a sports coat for dad. got myself two silk knit tops (on sale 50% off winter weight). back for luch with ms han about noon. pho of course since its another favorite (in addition to her salads and soups). packed suitcase and it currently is 43 lbs so i have 7 pounds wiggle room (but i also have a new tote which has shoes and other stuff). hope i get thru customs as easily as other trips.

monday night ms han took me to ban than market at night. a whole different world. they set up market on the streets ... amazing. all these booths or tent like structures pop up and everything is for sale and quite inexpensive. wish i had waited to do my shopping! now i know much better. same stff i already got but i bet it was a bit cheaper. then we had dinner at one of the street resaturants also set up and taken down every night at midnight. it's quite an operation to see these people setting out their wares on tables, with overhead fans, lighting, stools, etc. pretty interesting marketing strategy. cant actually see dad ever going other than for the adventure of it but its' pretty amazing. scooters, people, kids, noise all over the place. taxi home about 830 and watched tv til 10.

wednesday morning will be hectic. 6am flight so will likely leave around 415. to hong kong then hang around for chicago flight. some days it seems like i was gone forever and some days it seems like it was such a quick trip. guess that's good. i've created enough havoc around here i guess but no one is running me out of town. uncle ho's birthday this weekend so the town is all decked out in lights and flowers. i think he'd have been 120. now i'll go for a walk around or sit by the pool and read. i'm sure there will be a lot of changes by the time i come back again.

monday

well the daughter of the veneer suppliers arrived around 10. the daughter of harvey's sourcing guy arrived at 11. we went to the pool and they swam til noon or longer. played very hard. then we ordered pizza for delivery and they were starving. following a hannah montana dvd they decided to go swimming again around 140. i think emma's parents should be here around 2ish. they have a 7pm flight back to paris. thank god i am no longer a parent of a nine year old girl.

but the big news of the morning is the purple plants are in place again. well not exactly how i envisioned them but they're in the fountain garden bed. i thought they should be in 3 separate sections with room to spread but i knew they didnt agree and that's how they were planted .... all around with no separation. no big deal and it looks nice, but why do i waste my time telling them how i want it done if its not done that way. oh well. photo will be posted when i can get the card in the slot.

wearing navy shorts and pink blouse.

harvey is in china. only called once to check on emma and make sure she was doing okay. he'll be back on tues afternoon then we plan a nice dinner at le bordeaux, my favorite restaurant.

sunday night tv

dinner in tonight ... actually got delivery of some carbonnara and salad that we shared. dad goes to china tomorrow bt will be back on tuesday. we flipped on the tv and saw jamal mashburn on espn reporting on some pro basketball stuff. quite funny. he was very well spoken and knowledgeable. went to district 3 today - a real waste of time. swam a bit bt then decided to get go somewhere since dad was having his two hour massage and i didnt want to hang around ... and splashing about the pool got old after the first 30 minutes. so went to district 3 but the streets and walk were so torn up it was a challenge to walk in a line and no shopping that i cared to do. blue shorts and white tee. nothing special.

quick summary

sunday .. dad went for a swim, then we had coffee and walked to mekong merchant for breakfast. he had scrambled with bacon, i had one egg benedict. nice casual morning. dad went to work at 10, i walked back then taxi to city for foot massage, picked up some beads and looked at dvds. taxi back at 1pm. wearing tan print capri and white tee.

saturday ... night we went to hyatt for dinner with veneer suppliers from paris. shared fish and prawns among four. wore same outfit that i wore friday night! black/white checked shirt and black top (dad asked if i was running out of clothes). blue top and khaki capris during daytime. had nails done by ms hans daughter. declan came to visit with his nanny. he's one week older than bobby and i don't think his feet ever touch the ground. bobby does a lot more from what i can see. declans parents are us consulate people. he sits on his bum leg folded and scoots across the floor using his other leg.

apparently according to dad i've alienated his household staff, on friday, for the cocktails for 12, everything was organized and ready to go. i did not feel a need for ms. han to stay late and help so i said she could go home normal time to her family. well that's not what i should have done. i should have had her stay. instead she came on saturday to clean up the kitchen. then the other household person that i likely pissed off was the gardener. he works half a day here. on friday dad wanted some plants in the fountain area where there were some empty space. we had a 3 way conversation with ms. han, mr. bau and me. i said i wanted a purple planter divided into 3 groups and planted in 3 areas. thought i made it clear. well he left about 1230 and there was no planting done and guests were coming. so.... i did it myself. transplanted the ground cover purple plants to the fountain area. next day they were all pulled up because they cant be just transplanted without acclimating to the new position (back yard to front yard?). dad was angry i did it myself but i knew he wanted plants in there before the guests so i thought i was doing the right thing. wrong! now i'll just sit and watch my fingernails grow. no more trying to pitch in.

friday

loved all the new blogs and flickr picks ... enjoy waking up and seeing the pictures. friday was a busy day since we were entertaining 12 for cocktails from louis shanks in houston. ms han and i went to metro (costco) for soda and ribs and a couple other things. then to veggys for some horsdorve bread (no luck) then the gourmet. wore khaki shorts and green top. made mini salmon/sour cream/caper bites and ribs on bbq. nice cocktails. dinner at The Deck .. wore black and white sirt with black top. dad was pleased so that was nice.

more

thursday: walked out of gate and two doors away the us state department vn guard said "good morning madam"; me: good morning; him: how are you today? me: hot, how are you? him: me too.

in the city that afternoon, an elderly couple approached me and asked if i knew if a supermarket was nearby. another inquiry! i'm getting to be a regular at answering tourist questions! anyhow i explained that to my knowledge there wasnt anthing in the city but they should look for a circle k which is like a 7-11 or milk bar (i think they were british or australian). the just were looking for some milk or drinks i think.

friday: dad invited 12 for cocktails tonight - shanks contingent customers from texas and some mgmt. stress level goes up when he entertains.

this and that

there are no baby boomers around ... or very few. the 55+ to 65+ yr old men have all gone since the war. a whole generation of men pretty much gone. interesting.

sitting have a cup of coffee this afternoon across from a constrction sight ... no OSHA rules apply here. guys up on scaffolding wearing flip flops and baseball caps.

raining in the afternoon lately but pretty scattered. some parts of town get it and some dont.

thursday ... two years ago today according to ms. han that harvey moved into this house. we had our first bbq lunch using the bbq i got last time i was here in november. it has never been used before. ms. han made skewers of shrimp wrapped in bacon and some veggie skewers. it was fun. room for improvement but we had to start with something. chicken, fish, ribs all possible.

taxi to town and did some shopping for things to bring back. i'm sure my suitcase will be over the limit again. might have to leave my summer clothes here and get new ones in nc! staying in tonight to help harvey's condition - ms. han made pumpkin soups that should help.

more tidbits

you've all seen the email wih the crazy people carrying stuff on motor bikes ... well believe it. they carry building materials (2x4s', pipes, ladders, cable, etc.). i saw two guys on a motor bike with a big screen tv and a dvr in a box sandwiched between them. saw a guy with crates of ducks or chickens; saw another with a big basket probably with something in it. its pretty interesting.

today is Wednesday ... usual morning routine, dad swam, i showered did emails, had breakfast, went for walk to river, read kindle, then went to wine shop and ordered 12 bottles for delivery, then for swim about 11 then lunch at 1230 (smoked salmon salad bean sprouts, lemon, onion, garlic, lettuce, and other stff). went to town, got a couple things at ben than market and saigon square. had ice coffee at highland coffee, taxi back at 345. dad home at 5 ... stomach problems from last nights dinner he thinks. on my own for dinner since he has customers and no females. went to mekong merchant for salmon dinner. wearing checked capri and black top. wore navy shorts and orange shirt during day. very hot. ms. han loved all the shipment goodies. particularly loved the thai chinese cookbook (from costco) and the bathroom scale. and the garlic peeler if you can imagine that. dad's bike, helmet, waterbottle all made it too. and i'd forgotten i put some stuff for me (disposable razors, face lotions, etc. which was a nice surprise).

Tuesday - went to a crazy Hanoi style restaurant for dinner. super casual. food was spicy. loud talking hanoi people at next table, which is typical i;m told. white linen and peach capris. the shipment was delivered to the house late afternoon ... ms. han hasnt seen everything. hope she is happy with all the stuff.

monday etc

i'm convinced vietnam is where the game of chicken started. cars, bikes, motorbikes, trucks all vying for the same spot in the road. and lanes in the road are only a suggestion. i sure hope dad never decides to drive here because he'd certainly have major road rage. they actually all work it out very well for the most part zigging and zagging thru traffic. trucks are not permitted to enter city center until 9pm so they are lined up along the entry streets waiting to get in ... long line of trucks. a taxi ride to the city is about 80,000 dong = $4+ pretty easy to do. dial #6 on the house phone, that connects to the guardhouse, tell them taxi at #23 and it just shows up. or a five minute stroll to the guardhouse if its not too hot or if i have to go to the atm at the supermarket.

monday night dad had a biz dinner so i was on my own. okay with that. walked down to river for dinner at Boat House. wore black and white checked skirt and black tee. super casual.

monday we had a nice breakfast, then i walked to river and around compound, 1030 went to swim in pauls pool, lunch with ms han at noon fried rice (awesome) then taxi to town. went to tax store (not sure why its called that bt its 4 story shops); walked to russian market got tee shirts (I love Pho). checking out wallets and sportsacs, walked to notre dame cathedral ... long hot walk. decided not to get cappuccino but caught taxi for ride home at 4pm.

tuesday is half price day at anthony george - local hair, nails, waxing, etc. place. might go for polish change. did i mention that when they do nails it's just nails, no massaging of arms and hands? thats the best part. dad is taking me to some restaurant tonight that i havent been to ... guess he wants to make up for leaving me home last night! ya right! wearing the khaki skirt and brown tee today. another hot day ahead. 38+ forecast. but the exciting news is that the shipment which left high point in january (or should have) has now cleared customs and is being unpacked so might get delivered today. that means dads bike, helmet, ms hans hula hoop, towels, candles (made in vietnam!) and a bunch of other stuff i dont even remember should be here soon. ms han will think she hit the jackpot.

mothers day 2010

mothers day is not a big deal here although some hotels put ads in the papers for brunches and lunches. dad actually went to the factory today since he's been gone for a few days and they were working and he needed to check the factory. i puttered around the house then went for a foot massage - a tall skinny girl but she can work her hands and my muscles. she starts at the head and rubs the temple and head, while feet are soaking. then wraps feets to dry them and the works the feet and toes and ankles and legs. then the arms. then shift position and she does the back and neck. 70 minutes of pampering. and fully clothed! met dad and jess at mekong merchant for lunch about 1pm. i had a cheeseburger! dad had pizza and jess had chicken caesar. dad and jess spoke work. quiet afternoon and evening with nothing to do. tried to watch a dvd leonardo decaprio shutter island - stupid movie, didnt finish. wore black capri and striped knit top. thanks for the emails and blog updates. miss you all and love you. don't have little piece to hold camera card and insert into laptop so cant transfer pics from my camera yet. and the laptop doesnt take the card without the sleeve.

catching up

Wednesday May 5 - h swam, i finished packing for m trip to ho ahn. breakfast was the ususal cofee, juice, fruit, croissant with dad having some yogurt too. i then did some emails. at 945 we wet to the airport for harvey's flight to shanghai and my noon flight to danang. then got notified that my fliht was cancelled and i was rebooked on 2pm. so back to 23 lily for lunch with ms. han - pho ga (i.e. chicken noodle soup). mr. hai took me to airport at 1215. flight to dannan, arrived 310. half hour trip to the resort hotel. ate orange in my very nice beachfront room. rested a bit then to dinner at 8pm which was a buffet so i ordered a pmpkin ravioli meal. 915 returned to room for some tv. ver german feel to the place. tourists. fell asleep watching state of play. woke at 2am and watched some cnn. wore khaki sirt and beige capri! one outfit only - no one to impress.

Thursday, May 6 - blue skirt and orange knit top all day! 9am and it was melting hot. woke early and watched sunrise over south china sea. then watched the rogr marris movie 61 on hbo - such an exciting morning. walked the beach a little bt it was hot. showered, breakfast, fruit, croissant, egg, coffee. saw a john hart paperback book in their "library" ... touch of home for sure. bought sunscreen for $6. went to old town shopping, sightseeing. got 2 silk tops. back to hotel and pool ... got some sun. horrible dinner at hotel. they are not exactly a gourmet kitchen bt more meat and potatoes and sauces. oh well. last night here anyhow.

Friday May 7. 6am wake up and watched tv and sunrise. water buffalo used on te beach to smooth the sand ... photo opportunity. breakfast actually got a bowl of pho ga. sat by pool in shade (wicked hot but breeze). couldnt walk from lounge chair to pool without burning soles of feet. they brought out five huge blocks of ice on thurs afternoon to cool the water. the kids swarmed the ice blocks to ride them in the pool. showered, navy skirt and white top. left for airport at 1210. stopped at marble mountain (gift shops mostly). uneventful after that. small local airport with lots of left over war huts for aircraft. harvey still in shanghai. mr. hai met me, had dinner with jess at nee at mekong merchant - small pizza. red skirt, white tee.

Saturday, May 8 - pretty quiet. DIY breakfast coffee, fruit. hung around house because they were repainting the front gates and it was hot. blue shorts and white shirt. walked to supermarket and got ice cream for harvey .. made it home before it was soup! went to mekong merchant for lunch - chicken caesar and bottle of water. mr. hai brought harvey home about 630 then we went to hyatt for dinner - shared chicken dish and had minced shrimp on sgarcane skewer. thats about the extent of my day. guys finished the gate. happy mothers day. love to all.

May in Vietnam

I thought I better get writing or i'll never catch up. This blog won't be as entertaining as Judy's or as eloquent as Roseann's, but it will give you my loved ones and idea of what's going on in Saigon this trip.

Starting on Wednesday April 28 - aka Sarah's 32nd birthday
(this part is basically so i know the drill next time and won't have to actually think about what to do). woke at 630; 845 to airport with sarah; 9:00 check in
pink knit top, black linen, patent mesh aerosole shoes - on time in chicago, boarded for HongKong at 1:05 EDT; 5:15 arrived in HongKong

Crossed Interntional Date Line so thursday april 29 was lost ; arrived HoChiMihn aka Saigon at 10:10pm; Mr. Hai and Harvey were waiting.

Friday April 30 was the start of the long holiday weekend in Vietnam - no one was working, city was congested. no Ms Han (housekeeper) ... what was i thinking arriving when she wasnt arouond. Harvey sawm i morning; jess and Harvey worked at the house, I did emails, went for walk, some reading; hot and humit. dad went for a massage, i took a nap in the afternoon. gave the driver the day off too. might have worn the khaki skirt and black tee although i dont remember. friday night we went to LaPlancha in AnPhu by taxi. i had carbonnara which was very nice and not too heavy cream based.

Saturday May 1 - harvey swam; quiet day, walked to supermarket with harvey, got cheese and salad lunch ingredients. dinner was at the hyatt with Ms Nee and Jess. harvey and i shared a fish cooked in the wok and a huge order of profiteroles which we took home since there were so many. today i wore a black tee and black and white checked skirt; at night i wore a black lace skirt and black blouse

Sunday May 2 - morning swim for harvey; i walked. cooked poached egg on toast, coffee. cleaned up kitchen; 11am haircut for harvey, i had foot massage which is actually the entire body but with clothes on $10. wore black capri with dots and white tee. met Jess at Hyatt for lunch since harvey was already there for haircut. had a burger which was yummy. dad had steak tartar. went dvd shopping ... got the whole first year of criminal minds. jet lag kicked in and at 4am we were watching monsters ball. dinner that night was a plate of cheese, pate and leftover profiteroles and a cup of tea. 8pm watched state of play on hbo.

Monday May 3 - dad walked; breakfast was fruit, oj and a croissant - ms han returned to work! black capri and white tee. i walked to river, read my kindle, did emails, lunch with ms. han of egg drop soup (homemade of course). went to club pool about 2. took short nap. dad home from work at 6. dinner home fried noodles, watched tv. still shaking jetlag.

Tuesday May 4 - dad swam; i puttered a little early. breakfast fruit, english muffin, juice, coffee. went to river and read. decided i was desperate and my hair needed cutting call mr. anthony george but it was his day off so at 11am i had a vietnamese guy cut my hair - trim it barely but that's okay at least its not flipping up and hanging over my ears. then took taxi to saigon square and picked up a few things for home ... get your orders in: longchamp tote, lesport sack, etc. i needed something for a little trip i'm taking tomorrow. dad has to go to shanghi from wed til saturday so i'm taking off for a little adventure to ho anh which is near danang. beach, siteseeing, etc. i'll go to the airport with him on wednesday morning and they've arranged for someone to meet me and take me to hotel. will be interesting but since i've spent half my married life alone, i should be okay. i come back friday afternoon and dad gets back on saturday. no laptop so wont be in touch. i got a cute little chanel tote/roller for $20. i'm not one to bargain but it's a nice thing. tonight dad and i are suppose to go to dinner with Paul M-S. one way or the other we're going out. Mr. Paul is moving out of the compound to one of his many homes in asia. we're trying to figure out how to move the fence so we can access the pool in his yard. i've only taken one photo and that was a bright red hybiscus flower.

i appreciate everyone updating their blogs and flickr photos ... i do miss seeing the boys after such an intense visit with everyone. need to get my nails done. havent done anything but they are pretty rough. its really muggy and humid, somewhat cloudy so i havent worked on my tan much. i think thats what i'll do at ho ahn.