Tag: Rain

Rain and tears

In the three months that I was in Vietnam, I have seen more rain and tears than 3 years in the US.

When it rains, it pours. Then, it all of a sudden clears up. Branches and trees start to breathe and “branch out”.

The tears’ part came from funerals that have a way to announce themselves, some even hired gay performers to lament on the bereaved’s behalf.

But not all are rain and tears here in the city.

I just viewed a clip taped at ICT conference last year,  showing pole dancers (w/out the poles) in between general sessions.

The entertainment agents here are also busy at events all over the city.

Things are looking up even as rain and tears flow down.

What is down will sow the seeds for what is up.

Environmental and social ecosystem: learn from others’ mistakes,

stay in the forefront of change and surf the waves.

We still see Monkey Bridge outside the city.  Other bridges are more modern, but shared by bikes, buses and trains.

During my time away, I guess there were enough rain and tears to overflow city rivers and canals.

Younger generations just take things at face values. Besides, why ponder and bewildered by things one cannot change. Just be on the move, constantly. People in motion. Fingers in motion (playing games). Products and services in motion (KFC and pizza delivered on bikes).

I heard that catering is an emerging business. Why not “in-home” cuisine as prelude to in-home care. Enough rain and tears. Now is the time for laughing and not lamenting, joy and not sorrow.  Enough rain and tears to last a life time. From here on, update that software version in the head to enjoy Peace Time Vietnam.

Wash away

Rain pours so hard here in Saigon. It feels like a city wash. Yet bike traffic never ceases.

Wet city streets didn’t stop weekend spontaneous racing.

Hard-earned money got washed away just as quickly as it is earned, mostly at beer stalls. People press RESET and go on. It’s not too different elsewhere.

Just differs in intensity and speed. Beer consumption is now ranked in the top 3 countries.

BBC News ranked Vietnam as number 7 most-risked nation in internet security.

In life, I also noticed an army of private security at every establishment.

It is not unusual to walk into a night club, just to find yourself surrounded by people: server, waitress, security and manager.

This spontaneous entourage would empty your wallet as quickly as a New York minute.

Meanwhile, everyone else is asleep, occasionally disrupted by the sound of street racing.

And when it rains again the next day, everything seems to take second place to the one and only priority: stay dry and stay alive (with bikers in front and next to you splashing water into your face). Pedestrian lights are now installed, with visible count-down to allow enough time for an amputated man to crawl across the street.

I admire his drive to survive here. And to everyone, it seems like a daily walk in Central Park.

I too press RESET a lot while here. A splash in the States will only be a free windshield wash. But everyone here seems to take nature’s disruption in stride. I have seen bikers talking on the phone, smoking while zig zagging through an alley. Or in the back seat, not just a lady with a cone hat. But the lady with a cone hat and her two baskets of donuts, balancing on her shoulders with a cane. Anything and everything is transported on wheels . Rain or tears couldn’t stop people in motion. Storm only serves as city-wash. It will take a few more decades to clear away the legacy of war, making way for peace and true prosperity. By the time you finish reading this, our amputated man has already crossed the street on his hands, asking you to buy a lottery ticket. He has already emerged a winner in my book.