5: Food, roof and peace

5/12/09 Tuesday

Woke up very hung over (hm, imagine that)

Stretched a bit, neck doesn’t hurt surprisingly (that damn right side still), very hard surfaces, the chairs, the mattress (making my arms go numb though) as its right next to the floor ~3” of padding, if that.

Went to market: Kinda stupid only following around with family, may as well cruise around by myself…can’t speak the language, plus Sammie is relegated (self, or by them, it goes back and forth) to her escort and her whims, I needed to pick up a travel pocket book and run around. I get pissy though, get Sammie moving on the beach, or going somewhere. Note that we have only gone to the temple and shopping at a grocery market, while getting good coffee, were basically at the house all the time (edit: mostly this was due to the honoring celebration of the grandfather, which necessitated feasts, family gatherings, ergo not leaving the house much).

Found a hookah lounge: HABIBI! Will try to get out there, its 110.000 a bowl ~$5 in my mind (actually $6, gotta roundup with that 18:1 vs my 2:1 calculation) shouldn’t be too bad, I can do a video review.

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Ate more durian..I assisted with this MONSTER ass sucker, it took over 2 minutes of leveraging my weight and strength to crack it open, all the while MO HI BA YOOOOOO’ing (some of the snails from the market as well).

Wanna get the router going, as I could at least 1) be blogging, though there IS something about writing by hand which helps the soul…versus typing, I mean. 2) applying for jobs, I still need one when I get back, gotta come back to the American Reality :D 3) will have to download my podcasts (ohhhh that sounds way too connected) 4) I wanna get my grades, I have 3 of em so far, one A-, the rest A’s, so good shit.

Is the router broken? Makes no sense…all the links are good, lights are up, but…broken in flight? Really annoying..and I’m sweating like a maniac.

….got a new CAT5 cable down the road, 20.000 = $1.1 for 12 Feet..hows that for the US OVERPAYING FOR SHIT!? Hahah.

Still nothing..and FORTY minutes later it was all: Acquire IP Address Automatically. LOLLL. I’m good at computers, rather, I learn quickly, but I’m not a networking or server guy in the slightest…though I should be, might get a job :D

Can at least use the internet, but the Vietnamese UNPLUG everything, so if the computers not in use, the router is down :D AHHAHAHAHAH.

Dull night, the Uncle (not the older dark one, the Aunti hubby) was supposed to show to go to the hookah lounge.

(some random pics, note the pool hall, interesting game I’ve never seen where there are no pockets, they play only with a yellow, red and the que ball, noting points on a chalk board. I beat her 3:1, she was probably distracted by the mildly attractive gals who sit around, take orders for drinks and are required to rack the balls..lol)

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Watching dubbed TV

Also, when the men are away (plus, all those people were over for the “celebration” of the grandfathers passing..or was it the birthday??? Can’t recall, but requires

Honoring the memory of the Grandfather:

partly by cooking the ENTIRE meal, then lighting incense sticks (20 min or so), and letting those burn out, while pouring out (see some pictures) homemade vodka or wine into 4 shot glasses: at first, only the first two, then slowly fill the other two, so you have four shots. When the incense is dead, the meal is ready, and you throw out the liquor. CHEERS TO MAH DEAD HOMIES!) the meals are MUCH less intensive, like 1-2 dishes (like 90% of Vietnam is, while our first few, and a few more meals later with more people (the men) are like 4-6, sometimes 8 dishes).

Anyway, afterwards, bored nic-fitted out, bought a pack of ciggies. Smoked 2 downstairs, then cruised out to the roof, I guess Sammie bummed out on the roof earlier when she couldn’t find me (getting ciggies..it was $1 for a pack and a lighter). I smoked more out of boredom then anything, which reminds me of prison, and how people just smoked to Smoke, something to do, especially when you’re rolling your own shit.

Hung out on the roof myself later, inviting Sammie but she had gone to bed.

Epiphany

Relaxing mediations, emptying of the mind and I just concentrated on the city sounds. All at peace, and all is well.

It started with just walking around the roof, smoking a ciggie (or five) and checking out the city..slowly absorbing the sounds, enjoying everything around me.

I later sat in the chair up on the roof, which is a pretty old rocking chair..I fell into a weird serenity. Its rare for my mind to completely clear, and just relax INTO the environment around me, I started laughing, it was so beautifully clear, I was at peace and completely content with who, where and what I was. I knew exactly what was going on, where I was, and why it was silly, though my wish, to smoke at that time.

The only other time I have experienced such a pure moment of bliss, peace, and being completely at One with the world (even in a really loud busy city)..very interesting.

I felt so at peace, and so…strange, that it was more interesting that I had no liquor, prescription pills or anything of the kind, only my own mind, and the power thereof.

More interesting, a day later I told Sammie about it, how relaxed I was etc, her Grandpa (whom they were honoring earlier) had died in his sleep in that chair.) Good times.

Video is just the sounds of the city after walking around at night on the roof a bit.