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Have you ever wondered how some songs deliver just the right emotion? How do they know what’s relevant and resonating? Chicago‘s If You Leave Me Now, for instance. On these blogs, we often mentioned the eccentric, the peculiar and oddities. Rarely do we put much effort articulating those feelings and God forbid, meltdown or breakdown (Newtown,…
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First-timers to Saigon are shocked on arrival: the dance of two-wheel traffic. Some even had to flag down a cyclo (three-way cycle) to take them across the street. An Ivy-League Math Prof was killed when crossing the street. He was there for a conference on solving traffic problems. I have slowly built up confidence and…
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In the late 80’s, PacTel Cellular boasted seamless connection from San Francisco to San Diego. That is, if you had a battery pack to power the wireless devices (MicroTac? Motorola). Remember this was pre-Twitter days. Now it’s 12/12/12 and the Mayan’s calendar is soon running out. Back when Marconi was experimenting with sending signals across the…
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We are not invited into this dysfunctional family of three generations, all 750 pages of it. Crime fiction, social commentary and extremely hilarious saga. I stayed up late last night for its racing conclusion. A year and a half ago, I read Freedom by Franzen. As engrossing as Fraction of a Whole. This family questioned everything, but centrally,…
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A few blogs ago, I wrote about Noel Decoration in Saigon. A few weeks from now, the glitters will have been all gone. Party is over. Then, it’s a long grind. 2013. The quants have already crunchedl year-end data: sunk costs, margin, consumer behavior (irrational at times – hint: sell spirits over the holidays). The monks look on…
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My generation have been a betweener one: from Mandarin to Mobile phone system, from French Colonial to Fashion TV (with Asia Next Top Model). The saying goes like this “Vong Anh di truoc, Vong Nang theo sau” i.e. when a man passed the King’s exam, he went home to the village , with his lady in tow. Now, it’s the Model who get…
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It’s like Who is on First, or the Who. It’s you who is the Who. You need to get the bugs out to uncover the better version of yourself. Everything up to this point is payload: family advices (ill or good-will), the institutions (and college loan) and work places. Some of us found out the…
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Saigon currently is under a shield of grey. The weary, the worried put on ponchos, just to take them off. False alarm. Oh Come Ye O Faithful blasted out from neighboring homes. Christmas is in the air. but not for those who make a living hand-to-mouth, and there are a lot them. Maybe this year is the year…
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In front of Eden mall, Saigon, Christmas ornaments are on display. People here love to come and take pictures. It’s a tradition. It’s their annual pilgrim, blending East and West (Noel decorationas prelude to Tet’s celebration). Sidewalks still uneven. Tourists still trip over loosed bricks. Yet they keep coming. The other boulevard (Ham Nghi) with Old…
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Thang Nguyen 555 