~Audi alteram partem~

You know your part of the story. Now hear the other side.
Cos everyone just want to be heard
.

English proficiency

Another interesting, thought-provoking conversation with my (other) colleague:

Her: *saying this cannot be done, that cannot be done* It's impossible
Me: Nothing is impossible
Her: Are you endorsing Nike?
Me: What?
Her: I mean Adidas
Me: Oh, you mean "Impossible is Nothing"? That one is "Impossible is Nothing".
Her: ....
Me: Yeah, that's Adidas
Her: Tit for tat, tat for tit, it's the same.
Me: ....

Limpeh clap for you

Gloom

First morning without him, and even Singapore is gloomy.


Passion

How do you know what your dream is, you ask? It's when you can't stop thinking about it, until you do something. And once you're doing something to reach that dream, you can't stop moving.

What is passion, you ask? It's when you can't stop yourself from working for it. Even when everyone doubts you, mock you. Even when you question yourself. But you can't help to keep working for it.

Conor McGregor's obsession

Six cities in six days

1. Hanoi - 19 Aug

Had to meet a kabajillion people for this trip. But that means a kabajillion food.
Vietnamese beef noodle, pho
The mandatory pho. Costs just around SGD2 (VND35.000)
Vietnamese pigeon sticky rice
Pigeon sticky rice. WHAT?! That's right, pigeon sticky rice.
If you're wondering, pigeon meat tastes like pork but with much softer texture, and minus the smell. 
Got hit by a motorcycle when I was walking in Old Quarter. That's the first. But the driver is so pro that she (yes, it's a SHE) stopped at the right time and "only" nudged on my ankle with her motorcycle front wheel.

2. Vinh - 20 Aug

Vinh, Vietnam Airlines
Yes, that's the airplane we had to take to reach Vinh.
It's by Singapore Airlines.
Homemade Vietnamese food
More food! This time all is homemade.
Can you believe they cooked all of this within a couple of hours!

3. Cửa Lò - 21 Aug

Cua Lo beach, Vietnam
Just about half an hour drive from Vinh, Cua Lo has different atmosphere being right on the side of a beach. And what a beautiful beach it is! We're here, of course, to have dinner of fresh seafood.
Not so impressed by the cookings though, not sure if it's the restaurant's fault or I'm not a fan of the cooking style. Except for the oysters. Well it's oysters. You can't go wrong with them.

4. Da Nang - 22 Aug

Danang is surprisingly clean and safe. I have the vibe of Penang, where we can walk by the roadside because there is a roadside, and because people or cars won't bother you.
Also surprisingly, there's so many Koreans! The annoying thing is, they're all eating Korean food or french fries. That's sad, when you can get these kind of food:
Central Vietnamese food
This is hands down the best meal I had in our Vietnam trip this time.
Sun-dried squid, garlic oysters, morning glory (kangkong), mi quang, and beeeeerrrrsss.

The highlight of our dinner time in Da Nang: Cha ca or Vietnamese fishcake, and mi quang or literally the noodles from Quang Nam area: 
Chả Cá Thăng LongMì Quảng
The first time I had cha ca in Hanoi, it wasn't to impressive. But this time, it's so mind-blowing, I even finished all the vegetables! Funnily, it's the first time my Vietnamese boyfriend had mi quang, and I proudly claim that I'm the one who told him about it. We liked it so much during our lunch, we just have to find it again for our dinner.

5. Hội An - 23 Aug

Hoi An at sunset

Just a half-hour drive from Danang, Hoi An is great for day trip. The UNESCO site is tiny, you can walk around it in one hour. It's very photogenic. Just in a few hours we're there, we saw at least 6 couples doing pre-wedding pictures.

Hoi An ancient city
But another highlight is of course the food scene. There's a stretch along the river that's dedicated for food stalls. Some of the things we had are dry pork noodles, mini egg pancake, and Vietnamese pancake (respectively cao lầu, bánh căn, bánh xèo), the last being my absolute favourite.

6. Hue - 24 Aug

We weren't planning to drop by here. It's our last day but our flight is at night. There's nothing much to do in Danang except eating. So we decided to visit Vietnam's ancient capital city instead.
With 2 hours drive away from Danang, it's a bit further that I expected. It feels a bit rushed since we only spent a few hours here.
Vietnamese dessert Bánh Ít Lá GaiCentral Vietnam Pork NoodlesHue Lemongrass skewer (Nem lụi)
Vietnamese steamed riceVietnamese fried chicken
Who am I kidding, we're just there to eat. Went to the old palace to take a glimpse but we spent more time to eat. Omg, ya'll. If you think Vietnamese food is nice, you should try Central Vietnamese food. I'm so upset with myself that I didn't go there earlier.

Random thoughts from this trip:

  • You have to spend at least 2 days in each city of Central Vietnam (Danang, Hoi An, Hue). Because you need at least the space of 3 meals a day to enjoy the food they have to offer.
  • That's all, that's all the thoughts I have from this trip, just food-related.
Children are blessings? Nah..

My antinatalist-self: AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
  1. We all know it's not "a few" sleepless nights.
  2. There's no guarantee he will grow up to love and respect you. It is not a given thing, you have to be a respectable person for your children to respect you.
  3. Children, like pets, are not blessings, they're responsibilities. I hope more people realise this so we have fewer entitled parents in the world.