Crossroads...Again
Well things have changed again... I mean I still love Vietnam and I still wanna be here..however it may be time for me to just step away for a while... Jobwise, I've been stood-up by the RV Centre and its the third time that this has happened and well I guess thats the end of my job hunt in Vietnam....

Going home for the chinese new year was a blast.... literally....Just 2 days and nights, well the higlight of my trip was the long chat I had with David through the night... We found out that we had faced similar difficulties as christians and well...its good to know that Im not alone....

Thailand was great, I had a good rest at the village. I slept in the attic and it was beautiful, hardwood floors, woven ceilings and a tiny wooden window which gazed upon the forest. The smells were wonderful..the wood, fresh mountain air, the aroma of the forest and the tea store in the next room... smells that just put me to sleep...

Then I was off to bangkok, wonderful city...as always... had a dinner with my potential employers and things were going great, I was willing to come over and they were very willing to hire me...but we had problems with the work permits....well its ok if things don't work out in bangkok....I can still embark on a project in Chiang Mai...the head registrar of the province wants someone to teach him english for a few months on a volunteer basis...food and lodging provided....hey why not....

I guess the most cool thing about all of the things that's happened/happening/will happen, is that Im resolved to give it all to God and well....Im not worried about whats to happen... Im chilled....

Photographing Hanoi
That's all I plan to do today... Woke up at 8...awaiting 10..having brunch by the lake, reading 'the hitch-hikers guide to the galaxy' and travelling all over Hanoi today to take photos... really excited

Teh Bao
Here's a little project Ive been working on....thinking back...I should have spent more time thinking the idea through

Ve Nha Nhe
Im coming home for the new year but just for 2 days..then Im heading up to Chiang Mai to visit Bruce and Dia whom I miss dearly... I guess its a good time to just go home especially after having so many dramas at work especially with my staff... The constant lying and deception really gets to me... I mean if you want to lie and cheat...don't get caught...and since youre dealing with me...you ll have to try REALLLLLLY hard not to get caught...

Today my staff asked if they could go home early because it's the eve of our holidays and I said ok and I told them that they could leave at 430 (which would be half an hour earlier) then they started to sulk and I said to myself that this is a privillage and privillages can be taken away at any time. Then they started telling me that so and so has to leave at 4 because she has to catch the bus home to the province and I said 'ok then she can leave at 4' ....Bo way kong (no words to say) so they 'lan lan' have to stay....

so after that, once the girls were alone the 'ringleader' then said 'nevermind, at 4 I will leave, don't need to bother about Toby'....wah daring siah....and so at 4 the 'ring leader' then popped her head in and asked 'so how's your mother?'....'Oh thats not good...' 'Hope she feels better soon'....'ok...bye....'

'OK BYE????" now wait a minute...she's not suppose to leave till 430... (duh... *raises eyebrow*) and how dare you use such a tactic of exploiting one's weakness to achieve your own interest?..... well I just let her leave and then at 430 I said to the remaining staff that it was time to go and I asked...'oh where's the 'ringleader?'' so one of the girls replied 'oh she left at 420....nevermind its Tet( lunar new year)...nevermind...'

So I replied ' I saw her leave earlier....Don't lie to me' and they were shocked... I guess no one has confronted them about their lies before...and it was a learning experience for me....and one for them too i guess....well the girls were worried big time 'coz its the first time my anger has reared it's ugly head...for the past week they have really taken advantage of the fact that I had given them freedom...But I guess different situations call for different management styles....so here comes the iron fist (...in the velvet glove?)

Of course I will maintain my policy to treating humans like humans... But my integrity towards myself and my work has to stand firm... sorry gals you were given an inch and you took a mile...

As the blossom blooms so will your bottom
Monday I bought a Narsissics flower because the girls at work have been pestering me to buy a peach blossom using the petty cash...and well...that would not be appropriate....So I braved the traffic and bought this beautiful plant and when I brought it to work the first thing which came out of their mouths were 'why didnt you buy the glass vase? Its prettier with the glass vase...'

Well I dont see you putting money into this?.....Anyways everyone complained about how ugly the flower was without the vase and I got really irritated and now its on my bike and Im bringing it home... I mean, what's up with the vase? If you think you can find a better one...just buy one for me then....wah lao eh... If I wanted a pretty vase I would have bought one....But I wanted a pretty flower right?

Thanks for sharin'
Yup David..thanks...

Eye Queue?
I have just received an email from www.tickle.com reminding me that it's been a year since Ive last done an IQ test with them....so here are their results

Congratulations, Lim!Your IQ score is 126 (same as last year)

This number is based on a scientific formula that compares how many questions you answered correctly on the Classic IQ Test relative to others. Your Intellectual Type is Word Warrior. This means you have exceptional verbal skills. You can easily make sense of complex issues and take an unusually creative approach to solving problems. Your strengths also make you a visionary. Even without trying you're able to come up with lots of new and creative ideas. And that's just a small part of what we know about you from your test results.

Phew.....luckily Ive not gotten any stupider...I think....

What the hell are you saying????
Woah! Today I the worse lesson ever...teaching at the night class is something I look forward to all the time...this time however things were very different...I only had 7 students of which only 1 spoke english....usually I would be teaching a class of students who are competent enough to understand basic english and that helps.......But Wah...today was a horror....

The students got very bored very quickly and very soon things took a turn for the worse... They didn't want to participate and soon were drawing and scribbling.....

The thing that demoralised me the most was having one of my students tell me that one of her other teachers told her that I don't speak english well and I have poor pronouncation.....WHAT THE HELL!!!! Wah...damn vindictive... ... but its very normal here to have jealous people to do things like this....so its totally irritating...wah can die......

Kill me.....