Every Day Is Ao Dai Day

My pitiful attempt at ao dai art-ing. I waited for the woman wearing ao dai at the corner of the park near Notre dame Cathedral just to get a good shot and look what I got. You can see women wearing ao dai in the city just about every day. This pic shows what I love most about Vietnam. It has clearly not forgotten its history. Yet.

The same is not true in my own country. If a woman wears a baro't saya, the traditional dress of women in the Philippines, the natural assumption is a) she's a public school teacher and today is filipiniana day b) she's a politician/public school teacher/government employee and she's attending an important community/school/ function in which she needs to showcase her "patriotic spirit" by wearing such and such.

(There was a time when the government required their employees to wear filipiniana clothes on a certain day of the week. Hence, the term filipiniana day. Not sure if it's still being implemented, though.)

Che:A Revolutionary Martyr Turned Sweetie?

This should have been titled My Foray Into The World Of Che.

I am known as Che by my friends. I have a dry humor and an acerbic tongue. This nickname stuck when I went to college and I realized that my then new found friends could not pronounce my original nickname well. I got tired of correcting them like an elementary school language teacher. So I accepted it. I just shortened my real name.

Che I became.

Still in college. I discovered Che. I mean my namesake Che Guevara, a marxist revolutionary marytr who was born in Argentina. He was an important guerilla leader in Cuba. You've probably seen his image in some shirts as he has been adopted as an "icon" by some popular brands. These brands are capitalizing on his image, thereby making profit out of him.

Ironic it is.

In Vietnam, I had a taste of che. Literally. Apparently, it is a dessert enjoyed by many people here, especially in the South. I tried it the night I arrived in Ho Chi Minh in Quan An Ngon Restaurant.

Yummy it was.

I know that in other countries che may have a different meaning, too. I am looking forward to discovering those che's. Meanwhile, I am going to enjoy che in Vietnam while I can.

Viva la Che!

Cultural Discourse In The English-Language Vietnam Blogosphere

I finally joined the blogosphere in order to have contact with my friends in the Philippines. I now have two: a personal blog and this, my public blog. Since I am in Vietnam, I have been perusing some Vietnam blogs lately and what do you know, I found an interesting article about cultural discourse in the Vietnam blogosphere. Lesson: THINK before you (I) blog.

This is an excerpt. To read whole article (edit: written by Mark Robertson), go to global voices online.

Recently there has been a very lively discussion in the English-language Vietnam blogosphere about the phenomenon of the self-proclaimed expat expert... An example of this kind of cultural dialogue is a discussion amongst Vietnam bloggers on the nature of Vietnamese social relations. This strand began with several posts in Six Months in Hanoi about the contrast between Vietnamese and Western patterns of socializing. In one post, HanoiMark describes a mixed party in which these patterns were in stark contrast: the fluid networks of Western expats vs. the family-like groups of the Vietnamese. In another post he tries to understand the nature of “closed social networks” or “groups” among Vietnamese friends. While Western modes of socializing often involve mixing circles of friends and creating new acquaintances, the Vietnamese approach affords a spontaneity and intimacy between friends that is perhaps less common in the West.

Coffee, please

La Fenetre Soleil Corner Nam Ky Khoi Nghia and Le Thanh Ton Streets, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City

I just discovered this coffee shop, La Fenetre Soleil. Great place to laze the afternoons away. Its decor is shabby chic with mismatched tables, sofas, and chairs. It's difficult to find a nice coffee shop sans gawking old white and vietnamese men (who are on the look out for mistress number 10) but this coffee shop offers a refuge. It's frequented by young locals but a few expats are discovering it. However, the stairs leading to this cafe: ugh, ugh, ugly. Still, great place.

Of (S)miles and Men

Seems life offers no worries for this xe om driver who's catching up on the day's news in the park. With a xe om or motorbike taxi used to transport passengers (mostly tourists) to different parts of the city and a few rests in between trips, everything is just dandy.