Tag: General store

Point A To B

We make that trip all our lives. To and Fro. Back and Forth. Arriving and Leaving.

The Goodbye Girl. The Run-Away Bride.

The Mid-night Cowboy. All feels restless Gotta be somebody, going places. This time, point B happens to be Mars itself.

Young people can muster up the courage to go to far-away wars, but dare not venture to South Side.

When B is too close to home (the last few inches are the toughest distance to cross), it’s psychological, not geographical distance e.g.when B is your estranged relatives, your difficult siblings or your X’s.

Somehow, it’s a long trip home if we are not in good terms.

It just is.

Many of us just stay put at point A whose Point B is the general store, or the post office.  For some shut-ins, B and A are the same.

Creative folks refuse to accept that the straight line between A and  B is the shortest. They want style, twist and shout, over and back, or spiral in coils before landing (thus milking the trip out).

We thank them for thinking out of the box. This country needs creative folks: architects, designers and coders.

They don’t sleep much at night. In fact, that’s when they are hard at work.

Bringing us better looking buildings and greener use of space. In-style clothes, shoes, glasses and hats.

Slicker version of WordPress, more integrated communication and command of thoughts and ideas.

The world is a better place thanks to them.

The ROW (rest of world) envies them, imitates them and copies them.

You know you hit the spot when the Chinese start churning out look-alikes.

Let them.

Go on to the next spark, follow the next urge.

Turn things inside out (Madona and Jane Fonda during the 80’s wore underwear outside).

Spell GaGa backward.

AgAg!

(she is going to kill me).

From A to B, a straight line is not necessary the shortest.  Who is to say.

Meanwhile, right after reading this, you will go from point A to point B again. Take the scenic route. Enjoy the city on the Hill. The long view. Take a leisurely Sunday Drive. Order a chili dog. Indulge. Pampering. Eat, drink and be merry. We need it. It’s been too much of point A to point B. Rest up. Until you feel restless again, Papillon.

Little space lots of room

Saigon wasn’t built or planned for 10 million (back in the 50’s, its population was 1 million).

And certainly not when scooters are on fire as happened lately.

Raging hot. World in flame. Flashback of Monk Thich Quang Duc protesting dictatorship (Tunesian’s style).

I fight for my jogging lane, negotiating between the sidewalk and the drainage.

It’s a busy street (CMTT). Any time of the day. Even at 3 am when seafoods merchants divide their catch.

Even in the alleys, you will find more shops: alteration, general stores, beauty salon etc…

People live in boxy homes. But not cardboard boxes (rainy season has just started ).

No evidence of homelessness as much as in Skid Row or S. Central LA.

More room in the alley, little space in the streets.

Mexicans would feel at home here, hearing loud music from retail stores.

Fashion stores, sweet-cake and coffee shops (western-style cappuccino, espresso, smoothies).

The Filippino band found their new home at the Hard Rock Cafe. The Pitch Black got a bright future . Not bad for kids from Barangay, near Bataan (where Vietnamese and Cambodian made their stop on the way to America back in the early 80’s). As of this edit, I heard they were disbanded.

When I am back to the US, jogging on the trail of a deserted golf course, I will miss all this.

Little elbow room, yet lots of heart.

Nuong nhau ma song (relying on each other to make it through).

There was always one more bowl and a pair of chopsticks back when I was growing up. Anh xoi com chua a? Have you eaten today?