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August 20, 2009
I Love HK
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China has good Feng Shui. The city is just about as packed with people in high rise office and apartments as it could be. However, it is easy to leave this Amazon of the world's concrete jungles. I went on an early morning run from my city hotel and quickly found myself running along a sleepy coast highway and swimming on a rocky, deserted beach.
Maybe that is not the kind of Feng Shui that $500 per hour interior designers in Shanghai and New York practice, but what I am getting at is that Hong Kong seems to have a nice balance of different elements. The city is very Chinese, but as a result of the centuries of British rule, there is a thriving Western community - not just expats, but people who have actually grown up in the territory. The city's cuisine also has depth and variety, everything from inexpensive noodle houses to the hautest of haute cuisine.
For now, I am enjoying the motorbike exhaust in your face, developing country chaos of living in Saigon. This city is a rebellious teenager, while Hong Kong is decidedly middle aged and settled. Hong Kong has a piece of my heart, and it is a place I could feel comfortable living when I am more settled as well. My Hawaiian friend who lived there last year even told me that there is some surf on the other side of the island...
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August 15, 2009
The Doctor's Orders
Thở bằng mũi - Breathe through your nose
The air in the streets of Saigon is suffocating - filled with exhaust from old two stroke motorbikes, soot from diesel container trucks, and construction dust. Driving home from work is the lung damage equivalent of smoking a pack of cigarettes. I hear that breathing through the nose is one way to limit the impact on the lungs because the hair in the nose filter some of the particles.
Oh yeah...A facemask is another option for air filtration...
Không đi giầy trong nhà - Take your shoes off in the house
Growing up in Hawaii, which has a strong Japanese influence, gave me the habit of leaving my shoes at the door out of respect. This custom is especially important here in Saigon, where the streets are filthy but homes are kept spotless. Moreover, many families dine sitting cross legged on a straw mat on the floor. All the more reason to kick off those grimy shoes at the entrance.
Không nhổ lông mọc trên mụn ruồi - Don't pull out that hair in your mole
Why? It may cause cancer. Not sure if I completely believe that, but the thought has scared me enough to start trimming my mole hairs instead.
Khi ngủ, không đặt tay lên ngực - Don't sleep with your hands on your chest
The heart is a fragile organ, and resting hands on one's chest for sleeping hours can put unnecessary pressure on the cardiovascular system.
Khi uống bia rượu, phải có mồi, đồ ăn - Make sure to eat while your are drinking alcohol
I am fine with eating a handful of salted peanuts while I am sitting at the bar with a beer. However, when drinking with some of my local buddies, I find myself having to constantly refuse the pieces of sausage, barbecued squid, and dried beef that they put in front of my face after every sip. Here, eating goes together with drinking. Apparently, it is better for the stomach, but I think that all that eating gives me a worse hangover than the beer...
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