The trip report for the journey to Saigon that Tawn, Ryan and I took has been posted on airliners.net. 

You can click HERE to read it.

Last night I went down to the Roxie Cinema in the Mission District and watched a fantastic, thought-provoking film: CSA: The Confederate States of America.  (The flash intro will take a bit to load if you don’t have a high speed connection)

The movie is a faux documentary, supposedly produced by a British broadcasting company.  It takes a look at an America where the South won the Civil War.  The movie is built to look like a film that is being shown, controversially, for the first time on television in the States – complete with the TV introduction beforehand and commercial breaks throughout that serve to drive home the points the real film is making.

Excerpting from the film’s website:

“Beginning with the British and French forces joining the battle with the Confederacy, thus assuring the defeat of the North at Gettysburg and ensuing battles, the South takes the battle northward and form one country out of the two.

“Through the use of other fabricated movie segments, old government information films, television commercials, news breaks, along with actual stock footage from our own history, a provocative and humorous story is told of a country which, in many ways, frighteningly follows a parallel with our own.

“After victory, President Davis brings slavery back to the northern states by offering a tax rebate to businesses and households who will buy and own them. Liberals move to Canada. The nation chooses an expansionist policy and conquers Cuba, Mexico and South America.

…

“Through it all, we follow a political dynasty, the Fauntroy family, who lead the country through its triumphs and tragedies.

“We arrive to a today that, in many ways, we recognize. Although a nation that is content and prosperous, there is a tremendous divide within and suspicious eye without. Current politicians refer to us as two countries and perhaps, other than geographically, there is no difference between Red and Blue or North and South states. We have always struggled as to whether we are the United or Confederate States of America.”

Really, it is a shocking film because it takes something that we might initially dismiss as a preposterous thesis, and thinks it through very carefully.  The end result is that we’re able to look at many of the stands our country takes, ostensibly on the moral high ground, and recognize that there is a veneer of hypocrisy to them. 

I’d encourage you to see the movie if it is playing at a cinema near you.

This morning I received a call from my sister, who on Sunday gave birth to my second niece, Ava.  While my sister has been released from the hospital, Ava is still in neo-natal intensive care.  It seems that she is experiencing a problem with the valve from her stomach into the rest of her digestive track.  Basically, the contents of her stomach aren’t draining as quickly as they should.

Doctors are trying different things, looking for a non-surgical solution.  One is low doses of a muscle relaxant, in the thought that the muscle that controls this valve may be spasming. 

Another option is to go in for surgery, but of course this would be after non-surgical options are attempted.

While Jenn didn’t remember the name of this ailment, it is “not uncommon” in baby boys but is more uncommon in baby girls.  Nonetheless, the primary doctor handling the case has seen it before.

So that’s the factual side of things.  On the other side, Jennifer is worried, of course.  But at the same time, looking at the challenges that some of the other infants in ICU are facing, Ava is in much better shape.  It is frightening, though – you come to expect a perfectly healthy baby and you feel so powerless because there isn’t a thing you can do to help her.

Aside from that, Emily (niece #1 just a few days shy of 3 years old) is very unhappy that her mother hasn’t had much time for her as of late.  Without a doubt, she’ll face some continued disappointment at not being the center of the universe.  But she’ll get over it in time.  I’ll be there later in the month and will make it a point to spend some time with her so she knows how special she is.  And also, maybe take on some babysitting duties so Jenn and Kevin can get out of the house.

San Francisco continues to be unbearably cold.  The rains picked up again this afternoon after some beautiful sun and blue skies.  But the wind has been gusting all day and the windchill is now at freezing.  Yucky.

Brad sent a picture this evening of his two children, Evan and Cara, wearing the t-shirts from Jim Thompson Company that Tawn and I bought for them.  Trying to figure out what size t-shirts to buy was a major challenge, but it looks like the fit alright.  The theme: elephants.  What else?

I spent the morning working from Anita’s house on projects for IKON.  There is a major deadline looming over me and the documents I’m creating seem to take much more time and energy than I’d like them to.  But then, if I want them done correctly, I guess I have no choice but to put the necessary effort into them.

The afternoon was spent at the office of the SF Int’l Asian American Film Festival (click the link on the left side of this page to learn more) helping prepare for next week’s opening night.  The challenge of the day: we need to mount four slide projectors in the projection booths at the theatre so the sponsors’ slide can show on screen.

So this means we need some sort of stands on which to place the projectors.  Nothing pre-made seems to be meeting the unique space requirements of the Kabuki Theatres’ cramped booths, so I sat down with a pencil, straight edge, and paper and tapped into my long-dormant drafting skills.  The initial design, once I went to the lumber store to calculate costs, was a bit pricy, about $80 per stand.  A radical redesign, with less structural integrity, whittled the price to about $35 per stand.  Hopefully it is sturdy enough to survive a week.  I’ll construct them on Friday with the help of an intern.

Really awesome photo of a United B747 at Narita on Airliners.net – small version of it is here but you can click here to go see the full thing.

Brendan Vanderwerf took the photo and not only captured amazing lighting and color, but also the clarity of the picture is amazing!

I’m very excited to report that Sunday evening, halfway through the Oscars, my sister gave birth to her second child, Ava Elizabeth.

Ava was 18″ 6 lbs, 7 ounces (45.7 cm / 2.92 kg) at birth and both mother and niece are doing well.  This morning niece #1 is going to go visit Mom and kid sister in the hospital.  Jenn’s done a lot of work trying to prepare Emily for her new sibling, so we’ll see how Emily reacts.

On other news, I arrived in San Francisco on Saturday morning after a relatively painless 20-hour journey from Bangkok.  I was fortunate that on both the BKK-NRT and NRT-SFO legs of the trip I had friends from UA working the flight.

Actually, BKK-NRT was someone I had only heard about from Tawn, but had never met: a former regional flight attendant who moved to the Narita base many years ago.  He had heard my name, and recognized me on the passenger manifest.

On the NRT-SFO leg, I was very fortunate that another friend swapped his schedule to work the trip, since I was seated in Economy class.  Using classy discretion, he made sure that my wine was from First Class, warm nuts appeared with that wine, and my breakfast before arrival was a nice fruit place that had come from a galley further forward in the plane!  Thanks!

Of course, my preference would have been to have Tawn on my flight – but since that wasn’t possible, I’ll settle for other friends instead.

The weather is wet and rainy here in SF, and while I’m glad to be visiting I sure wish I was back in warm Bangkok!

Tuesday evening, Ryan’s last day in Bangkok, we met up with a friend from Airliners.net, Jack, and went to Vertigo – the rooftop bar and restaurant on the 69th story of the Westin Banyan Tree hotel.  It was a swanky place to take in the view and enjoy lychee martinis, celebrating Ryan’s trip and also having a chance to meet Jack for the first time.  Jack (sorry, no picture to post) is Thai but graduated from KU and still lives in Kansas City working for Sprint.  Of course, I only met him after I moved to Bangkok so was unable to take advantage of his Thai restaurant recommendations in KC while I lived there!  For all of you still in KC, Thai Orchid is the place to go, not Thai Place.

Ryan made it to the airport in one piece, I believe, although I haven’t heard from him yet so don’t know if he really is back at home or got stuck in Taipei.  It was nice having him in town and getting to spend more time with him than I have in a decade or more.  I’ll look forward to meeting his girlfriend, Sabrina, when I’m in SF.

Yesterday was my final examination for Module 3 of Thai language classes.  Knowing that I was going to repeat the class anyways, I didn’t bother pressuring myself over the test.  Quite relaxing to walk in and not have any beads of sweat on my brow.  Other students who will also repeat the class didn’t even show up for the test: there were four absences in a class of 12.  Sure enough, I knew what I knew and didn’t know what I already knew I didn’t know.  And now that I know what is on the test, I’ll be able to better prepare over the next two months for it.

After the test I met up with Dave and Monty, who are back in town after visiting Chiang Mai, Phuket, and Ko Phiphi.  Mentioning them previously, they are friends of Tod’s and another Thai guy in SF that Tawn knows.  They’re a great couple and I’m glad we had another chance to hang out before they return home to SF on Saturday.  Sounds like Chiang Mai was fun but their Phuket and Ko Phiphi experiences could have been more enjoyable. 

Tomorrow morning (Saturday) I fly out bright and early to San Francisco.  I’m spending three weeks there working with the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival, followed by one week back in Kansas City so I can see my family and my new niece or nephew who should be born any day now.

So that leaves today to get everything done: packing, laundry, pick up dry cleaning, water plants (and hope Tawn remembers to keep watering them!), purchase a replacement water filter for the clothes washer, etc.  Busy!

Read part 1 of the story here

We returned home very late Monday evening from a whirlwind trip to Ho Chi Minh City.  I took about 450 pictures and will be attempting to sort through them quickly and publish the highlights.  The trip was very enjoyable and some additional memorable moments include:

• Taking time-exposure pictures at the public outside the Rex Hotel, and having a five year old boy and his three year old sister come over from their family to see what I was doing.  The curious boy wanted to play with the camera, so I set things up and was letting him push buttons.  He and his sister would squeal with delight after the flash went off and they could look at the image in the screen.  Thank goodness for strong batteries.
• Eating fresh grilled prawns at a smoky barbeque restaurant.  The half-kilo of prawns arrived in a plastic bag, still alive and jumping about.  The waiter then showed us how to grab the prawns, turn them over, and use a toothpick to sever their main nerve before throwing them on the table-top grill.  Watching them continue twitching for the next half-minute was a macabre experience but made for really, really fresh food.
• Taking a break from the afternoon heat and stopping at the buttercup yellow Fanny’s two days in a row – and enjoying locally-made cinnamon and young rice ice cream while sitting on the covered patio with fans blowing a strong breeze and drinking ice-cold water.
• Watching young couples gather on their mopeds at the park, hundreds of them, finding a little bit of private time together away from their families.  They perched on the bikes, cradled in each others’ arms, enjoying privacy in a crowded public place.

Viet Nam is a fascinating place and I’m eager to return, next time to see Ha Noi and Ha Long Bay.  Stay tuned for pictures.

Read part 3 of the story (with pictures) here

It is a warm Saturday afternoon in Ho Chi Minh City (hereafter abbreviated to HCMC) and the air-conditioned comfort of an internet cafe is the extent of my adventurousness as Tawn and Ryan both take naps at the hotel after a morning of sightseeing.

Impressions of HCMC after 30 hours:

• While they say Ha Noi shows it more, the influence of French colonialism on HCMC is unmistakable.  The grand boulevards, roundabouts, epic government buildings, French bread sandwiches, and strong coffee are testaments to the French.  And the Vietnamese have taken these things and done well with them, adding their own style.
• Traffic is worse than Bangkok, but not.  There are many, many more streets than in Bangkok but they are mostly smaller streets, a lane or two in each direction.  But they are filled with more mopeds and bicycles than you could imagine.  And they drive fast!  A common sight, one I’m still trying to get a decent photo of, is a family of four perched on a single moped: Dad driving, Mom sitting behind him, holding tight to the toddler who is standing between Mom and Dad, then junior is sitting behind Mom.
• The young ladies dressed in their ao doi and conical hats are incredibly beautiful.  Vietnamese, like many Asians, seem to place a premium on avoiding sun exposure.  So the young ladies are dressed in elegant, long-sleeved dresses that cover a long pair of pants.  These are often silk and are always white.  They even ride the mopeds (or drive them!) wearing these outfits and the outfits make the action of driving through the traffic look that much more graceful.
• Vietnamese who hawk to tourists are incredibly pushy and direct, to the point of annoyance.  Everyone else, though, is incredibly inviting and welcoming.  We ate dinner at a very out of the way outdoor restaurant, located 100 meters down a side alley away from the tourist district.  It specialises in banh xeo, a rice flour crepe filled with shrimp and bean sprouts and served with a heaping plate of lettuce, basil, mint and other greens.  You use the lettuce as a wrapper and place the herbs, banh xeo, and fish sauce and vinegar condiments inside and eat as a mini burrito.  The waiter came over several times to help guide us through the intricacies of using the wide array of condiments and our meal was all the more enjoyable for it.
• The visit today to the War Remnants Museum was a depressing one.  It is the chronicling of the atrocities committed against the Vietnamese people by the Chinese, French, and Americans.  As you might imagine, it presents one side of the story, although I’m hard pressed to really understand what the other side of the story (the Chinese, French and American one) is.  Most of the photos and documentary evidence are from non-Vietnamese sources such as the Associated Press and United Press International.  In all, it captures well the high price paid for war, a toll bourne particularly by civilians.
• The visit was a sobering one, and it was particularly impactful on our friend Ryan, who fled Vietnam with part of his family in 1977.  I cannot fully imagine the feelings associated with seeing the images of brutality inflicted on your native country by foreign powers, and am thankful I’ve never had to live that nightmare.  Certainly it is a reminder that every man and woman has the responsibility to raise his or her voice in support of peace and non-violence.

The remainder of our trip is unstructured, but we still have two full days.  A visit to Cholon, the Chinese district of HCMC where Ryan grew up, is a likely event.  Both to see what he remembers of it, likely not much, as well as to see the largest market in HCMC.  Coffee, a Vietnamese specialty, is on my shopping list.

Pictures will be added once I return to Bangkok.

Read part 2 and part 3 here

Wow!  What a whirlwind week.  We’ve had multiple guests in town, one of whom (Ryan) has been staying in our living room.  It’s been a lot of fun having guests, and with Thai language school getting tougher and tougher, there’s been a lot occupying my mind other than blogging.

But I’ll get back on track with that.

This morning Tawn, Ryan and I leave for Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.  This will be Ryan’s first trip back since he and his family fled the country in 1977.  Should be a very interesting trip.

When I return I’ll have several days in town before heading off to the US for the SF International Asian American Film Festival, so will be sure to update the blog then.  Check back soon!

Valentine’s was another in a busy series of days that will continue for the next two weeks or so.  After school and work, Tawn and I met at the Thong Lor Skytrain station about 6:40 and walked to Face – a very cool restaurant complex that features Thai food in one restaurant, Indian in another, and a bar, all in a series of restored Northern Thai-style houses.  The food is good, albeit a bit under-spiced, and the atmosphere is great. 

We were meeting Tod and a couple he has visiting from San Francisco, Monty and Dave.  Monty works for Yahoo and Dave for Apple.  They’re a nice couple and we’ll see them again over the next few days of their visit – pictures of them then.

Tawn had prepared a very nice Valentine’s Day present for me – a suprise night at the Central Sofitel up in Lad Prao, about halfway to the airport.  It is a nice hotel.  Unfortunately, dinner didn’t wrap up until almost 10 and we both had an early morning and decided it wasn’t worth the effort to drive up there and then have to fight traffic back in the morning.  Still, a really thoughtful present.

Some pictures:

Below: Our apartment on Soi Asoke.  Flower arrangements by Tawn.

Above: Tod joins Tawn for a smaller dinner two Sundays ago, before our trip to the Opera.  The menu: Spanish tortilla, pan-seared white fish with a tomato-chili compote, and sauteed mixed mushrooms.

Below: Dusk descends upon the Face restaurant complex, a Thai restaurant, an Indian restaurant, and a bar located in restored Northern Thai-style houses in the Thong Lor district.

Above: Shift change for security guards at the Thong Lor Skytrain station.  Militaristic formality among security guards is a feature of Thai culture.  They lined up, did some “about-faces” and then went on their way after a briefing.  All done with the characteristic sabai-sabai attitude.

Had some final communications with Ryan, who arrives tomorrow morning.  If all went well, his first flight should have departed about two hours ago.  His ankle is feeling better, but I don’t know if he’ll continue his plans to go scuba diving.  Right now, the plan is to combine all of our guests into one group on Friday and do the Grand Palace, Wat Po, Wat Arun tours in one fell swoop.

More people arriving soon: Paul Thies is back to visit his girlfriend Aori on Monday, and then Chi-hui Yang (director of the SF Int’l Asian American Film Festival) has a friend in town next week and asked if he could give him my number.  Busy time of year.  Must be winter in the US!