Christmas in Saigon




Saigon isn't as much a photo as it is a soundfile. Got here yesterday, Christmas, and careened straight into the cacophony of a gazillion mopeds whizzing around. Oh, and everyone's really liberal with the honking.

There's a lot more movement here than there is in Hanoi. A city in perpetual motion. Six million people who all seem to be on the streets, all in a hurry to go someplace, all at the same time.

The streets kinda look like Singapore in the 60s. Well, except for the mopeds. Storefronts that are a mess of goods, street-vendors balancing baskets of coconut water, fruits and other edibles on their shoulders. Then, suddenly, in between a row of dusty stores, bursts of cool modernity punctuate the street - Decor stores that look like they came right out of Manhattan, chill clubs. It's like NY's Nolita and Chinatown sharing the same street.

Faves so far: Gaya - for really, really urban, very pricey furniture, clothes and decor; Saigon Kitsch - for, well, what it says, Lost Art, for really cool modern furniture with a retro twist.

View from my hotel room at ANA Hotel

Makes it easier to work late when you get to look out on a view like this. It was strangely peaceful looking out into other office buildings late at night, and a freeway of cars still busily zipping around.

The View: Mori Museum of Art


Went to this place called The View when I was in Japan. It was in Roppongi Hills, in the Mori Tower. All new and very shiny.

Went there on the way to the Mori Art Museum. There happened to be a Sugimoto exhibit here. http://www.mori.art.museum/html/eng/

I've seen some of Sugimoto's stuff in NY but this is the first time there's been an exhibit of this scale. (It's on till Jan 9th in Tokyo and then it goes to the US. It's totally worth catching) His images play around with themes of perception of time and space - you might have seen large B&Ws of what looks like empty cinemas. But it's a movie theatre whose audience has come and gone because he's exposed the film for like...two hours. So much for photography capturing one point in time.

He also had images of sculptures that represent mathematical theories and equations. Really clean, sleek...you might have seen it in the NY Times mag a couple of months ago. I actually saw it on my usual train ride from Tarrytown to Grand Central.

Man do I miss that - the NY Times mag. Soch gave me her copy of the New Yorker last week to help me miss NY less. But, what I do miss is that Hudson line train ride with my Sunday NY Times and my iPod.

Harajuku

Was in Tokyo for a meeting Monday and Tuesday, so hung out in super-trendy Harajuku Sunday afternoon.

Teeming with teens - the vast majority of them so stylishly dressed (short skirts, brightly coloured stockings and boots are so in) I felt like some old dowdy aunt.

Lots of boutiques, pseudo-Italian cafes, Zara, and Gap... (Can't escape the Gap).

For a great description of Harajuku, check out Gwen Stefani's single "Harajuku Girls".

Work Life Balance

People work really hard here. My co worker in Beijing took off early today - 7 30 on a Friday. He and his wife were meeting friends for dinner.

Thursday night I was pinging a colleague about something at 7 - and she was going to the gym after.

I went to a wine tasting organised the Young Professionals Chapter of the Singapore Computer Society tonight. It's for IT professionals under 40 to network - useful - since you really can't get by without partnering with your counterparts from the other IT companies. And a glass of Shiraz and Merlot and Cab Sauv makes it go down easier. Hmm - wonder why they were doing all reds t'nite.

When Howie asked me if I wanted to go I thought it would be full of stuffy, buttoned down...nerds. But it was really quite a lot of fun. We gotta get more women to attend those things - it was 70% guys.

7am tennis game in the morning. Gonna get some zzz's now.

To the NY/CT crowd: happy thanksgiving. BTW - it's 30 degrees C here...it's about 30 F there? Hee hee.

Test Drives

Test drove two cars over the weekend. Both Miatas. One was the new 2 litre and the other was a one year old 1.8 litre.

Does anyone REALLY need a Miata or is it one of those that fall squarely in the WANT category?

Haven't decided if I should or shouldn't yet. Yeah, they were much, much cheaper in NY but there was no way I was going to risk driving a light, low, small car in the winter on icy roads. Driving in the snow freaked me out enough as it was.

Had dinner last night with a couple of people I worked with 9 years ago. (Curry soft shell crab at Thai Express. Yummy. That place is great for a semi-fast food / chain joint - not as good at the no air-con laksa/ kway teow places on East Coast Rd - but they're two different things). Been otherwise catching up with various people and it's been great. There's something to be said for friends whom you know will be there for you but wouldn't hesitate for a second to let you know when you're full of shite.

I guess that's the thing about being a nomad. It's not the physical location but the people around you that populate your map.

This Other Life

So - I went to a chamber music concert by the Tang Quartet Tuesday. Was at work late and didn't make it there till the interval. Missed the Schubert but at least I was there for the Shostakovich. I used to go to their gigs when they first started. Four cute guys who wanted to make classical music more accessible. They were like - the rock stars of the Singapore classical music world. Teenage girls would occupy a large part of the concert hall and throw the guys bouquets and bouquets of flowers. Hey - whatever brings classical music to the masses has my vote man.

http://music.nus.edu.sg/faculty/bio/tangquartet.htm

Played tennis Thursday. Ran earlier in the week...ran again this morning but late. 8 30am instead of 6 30. I figured it wouldn't be too hot since it was cloudy - but man, it was soooo humid I ended up going back to the air-conditioned gym and doing cardio on the machines instead.

So - I've been trying to replicate the things that I was doing in NY - running, tennis, restaurants, classical music - and it's not quite the same. I miss the NY gang. Like the ability to play the game Taboo with all those shortcuts and in-jokes. Doing the Nikon D 70 thing, having dimsum at Aberdeen, Malaysian at Nyonya.

Missing the NY crew doesn't mean I don't appreciate the Singapore crew. Everyone's been great here - hangin' out, including me in their stuff, taking me out to lunch/ dinner. I realise I've been away a while and it'll take some time to build up a tight circle of friends again. I'm just workin' on getting my new groove going. Wish me luck.

Oh yeah. I made an offer on a place. Condo, running distance from beach, 5 tennis courts (OK, there are hundreds of units in this development so I'll have to share) pool long enough to do some decent laps. It's a two-bedroom so the NY crew will just HAVE to visit and make use of the spare room. As for the Singapore crew - I'll cook for you once I move in.

It's been a week since I left NY.

Been mostly working and apartment hunting.

The great thing about my body not having adjusted to the time yet is that I actually get out of bed when my alarm goes off at 6. Been running / swimming before leaving for work. It takes me just five minutes to run to the beach from here. And the running track already has people by 6 45...and lots of senior citizens doing qi gong.

Oh - and my stuff hasn't been air-freighted yet (read clothes) which means I have an excuse to go shopping. And I don't even particularly like shopping.

T'nite was the first break I got. Went to an art gallery reception at the Esplanade with Nae, Johj and Shan. Ran into Mush and Nick. Wow!! People I actually knew! The exhibit, Pop Puri Singapura, was really cool. I especially liked Ketna's Patel's Asia Pop.

www.ketnapatel.com

Then we had Thai food. My soft shell crab curry was excellent. We spent almost $30 a person and that's a LOT of money to spend on food here. We ate like mad. Yep - that's one thing that's been consistently good here - the food.

So guys, this is it. I'm on an SQ flight from NY to Singapore. And after living in NY for almost five years, it feels kinda weird. BUT biz class seats on this flight FULLY recline! So at least I'll sleep OK.

There are like - 100 movies and TV shows, a small record store full of CD options, and games and all that on the SQ entertainment system.

Dinner was a crab/ lobster salad, with lamb shank (there was a bunch of other main course options). And breakfast this morning was a really good ricotta blueberry pancake and sausages.

In between you can order maki, beef noodle soup (surprisingly good), asparagus omelette, chicken breast with mash potatoes - and you can order that any time you like which is kinda cool since it means you don't have to wake up on someone else's schedule to eat. And everytime I go to the loo, which near the stewardess' station, they're like "would you like another Earl Grey, Ms Kan?"

Saw three movies, read the FT, and am 3/4 way through Freakanomics - a lot of fun, as expected.

So guys, how do you think I'll do on the East West transition this time around? The third time...but I'm not sure it gets any easier, leaving friends and places behind.

I'll miss you guys...I'll miss Manhattan - the theatre, the restaurants, the attitude, the neuroses, the music...and my second home Grand Central. How WILL the Hudson Line stay afloat without me?

I guess I'm leaving the buzz and energy of the capital of the universe to a place where it feels like a new universe is just forming...especially in places like Shanghai...and even Singapore feels a little different.

But you guys WILL be visiting - so I'll make sure I keep a spare room for available.

Oh yeah - I skipped my birthday since it was Nov 3 when I left NY and it'll be Nov 5 when I land. Does that mean I'm still...uh...21?