june_jrnl2002.page

Welcome to my mind....

This is my journal about my travels in Vietnam. It is more of a chronological itenerary, with a few insights and observations. But for more in-depth views, i will set up an article section soon.

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June Journal 2002 [Page 01]

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June 28, 2002

My friends from the Philippine Embassy invited me to join them to Cat Ba, a beach 60++km from Hanoi.  They say its a great place, comparable to Nasugbu Batangas (well, not really that eye-catching like Boracay, but what the hell. ^_^).  Any place is worth looking if you're new in town.

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June 27, 2002

Have updated the Hanoi site.  I used another yahoo account to make this one cuz geocities offer little KB caches.  I never wanted to make the pics smaller so anyone who are interested in saving the pictures are free to do so, as long as they give due credit. ^__^

Ha-Long bay is great!  The scenery was straight out of Fushigi Yuugi, where lofty peaked mountain islands tower above serene waters in the middle of the bay.  We took a ferry ride to one of those island peaks, went ashore and visited the caves. Unfortunately i did not bring my digital camera (i have a history of dropping very expensive electronic equipment in seawater) so instead i brought along a conventional film camera.  I still have to have them developed.  Believe me, i cant wait to scan and upload!

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June 25, 2002

Attended a book launch of a premier Vietnam National Artist name Bui Xuan Phai (pronounced as Boo-wi San Fai).  His works represent the usual themes of Vietnamese social life, scenery, its people and the economy.  But what really interested me was not just his paintings, but his views of life in relation with Art.  He was one of the few artists who kept a detailed diary of his life and works from 1960 until his death in 1988.  He wasnt radical or cynical, something you'd expect from a person who went through a war.  Instead, he was simple and practical, yet lyrical and poetic.  I bought one of his books "Under the light of the oil lamp".  What made this special from the other bigger, thicker and more picturisque books was that it wasnt an autobiography about his life, but quotes and insights taken straight from his diaries.  I took pictures of his works.  I'll post them up soon.

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June 24, 2002

Still havent uploaded the website.  Hafta finish this before Wednesday cuz ill be going to Ha-Long Bay.  Said to be a really nice place to visit, with all the underwater caves and a mysterious place called Echo Beach.  I gotta see it for myself. ^_^

Yey!  Go Korea!  Im kinda biased cuz im glad an Asian soccer team got into the semi-finals.  Never mind the referee controversy.  The giant Germans may be quite an obstacle for Korea, but you know me, im always rooting for the underdog.

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June 19, 2002

Haay, its so freaking hard to make a website without Dreamweaver.  I just have to be dependent on Yahoo for web stuff (although i am not satisfied with the end product).
Anyways, i hope this virtual photo album of mine will satisfy your curiousity on what im doin here in Vietnam.
I  miss you guys already.  *sighs*

Anyways, this will serve as a diary for me.  Hope you come visit me (in this website) often and log on my guestbook. ^_^
So many things to discover!  But i still miss the already familiar.

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