Oct 2008

On November 15th, come to Green Mango for a night of fantastic entertainment, in the meantime supporting the work of Village Focus International (Cambodia) and Blue Dragon Children's Foundation (Hanoi).

Entertainment includes British/Nigerian singer Kehinde, Tango and Belly Dancing performances, live music, shishas and lots lots more.

Lucky door prizes and raffle on the night. Suggested donation 100,000 VND, which includes one drink and nibbles on entry.

Village Focus International (www.villagefocus.org) operate projects supporting vulnerable Cambodia children and landmine survivors.

Blue Dragon Children's Foundation (www.bdcf.org) assist young disadvantaged Vietnamese to break out of the poverty cycle.

Please visit their websites for further information on their projects.

For further information, please call (Vietnamese phone numbers) - Catherine Ellis on 0123 869 1623 or Green Mango on 04928 9916.

Please note that there is no parking available at the venue.

Green Mango is located at 18 Hang Quat, Hanoi.

When I say downpour, I mean downpour. Looking out my apartment window you wouldn't even think that a road had been built. The murky brown water blankets the roads, making life that little bit more difficult.

Last night overnight it was storming so heavily. Thunder, lightning, the whole deal.

I sit in my apartment, unable to leave, bored as hell, feeling trapped. Jailed. Imprisoned. I can't move, can't breathe, can't walk, run, drive, or anything.

So I leave. I venture down the 8 floors because the lift does not work, I clamber onto my bike with helmet, facemask and thick warm jumper in tow (all red of course), then with one last big breath of air I be brave and head out into the middle of nothing. Just water, surrounding, what, 20 or so apartment buildings in the estate. I get about 100 metres before I stop and rethink my decision. Should I continue or should I stay at home? Hmmm, I see 3 men on a motorbike driving through the water. So I continue.

I drive through the water which hits the edge where my feet are supposed to go, through the water that Melbourne has been deprived of for so long and through the water that makes me a slightly better motorbike driver.

I kind of feel like a stuntman. Ok, I probably looked more stupid than cool, but it felt cool to me.

So I decide to take the short way, because the long way, visible from my apartment looked too much of a hassle. The long way probably would have been better.

Looks can be deceiving right?

I drive about 300 metres to the roundabout (one gigantic roundabout mind you) which joins a massive highway and a road that hits a small tunnel, which of course, is completely flooded.

I again re-think my decision. With hmmm, maybe 1000 other Vietnamese people on motorbikes, in taxi's, cars and 4WD's. Nah, I think, I have to keep going! It's my day off, and I kind of want to do something productive rather than sit at home.

So I stare blankly at the floods on Tran Duy Hung street for a good few minutes, exhanging smiles and looks of confusion with other motoryclists. Some people dare to brave the risk, while others sit, waiting....waiting.....waiting. Waiting for what? For the water to evaporate? It's going to keep raining, and the roads aren't going to clear.

Some Honda Dream owners, attempt so greatly to kickstart their motorbikes which have decided to die on them in the middle of massive flooding.

But my Daniel, my sexy sexy Yamaha Nuovo ventures out into the cold, wet suburbs of Hanoi, without flinching, and he keeps going, every so bravely, despite getting so wet. This really was a test for Daniel, a test on our relationship. And he didn't let me down.

We drive, say 500 metres before having a break on the intersection of Tran Duy Hung and Ngo 61, in which my school is situated. I really want to go pick up something from work, but there is too much water, and Daniel says no, by being a little reluctant to start again.

But he starts, and we drive a good 10 minutes without trouble, before I go down some small side streets, through backalley's, on the footpath's and wherever else I can put down my two wet feet on solid land.

We find a cafe which looks warm, with parking space for Daniel, so I decide to just "chill", have lunch and worry about the trip home later.

Weather is a funny thing. It's the only thing that no human can actually control. Unless we're in a Truman Show like bubble, we literally cannot do a thing to start, stop or change the weather.

Rain provides relief for countries in drought, yet chaos in cities with 4 million people, too many motorbikes and sometims inadequate roads and footpaths (i.e. Hanoi).

Mother, the rain won't (shouldn't) be as bad by the time you get over here, so do not worry.

Aaaaah rain, the giver of life, yet you seem to take so much away from my life. Because the bad thing is, I can't go anywhere. It took me 30 minutes to get to a cafe that is only normally 5 minutes away, I can't see friends, I can't go out tonight (well probably not, but it's only 2:30pm), and I can't get to my private tutoring class tonight because both of our buildings are surrounded by water.

But I cannot complain. It's all an experience and I have had lots of fun in the meantime.

Ok, so photos:

Love.
Cat.

Obsession: ob·ses·sion; noun; the domination of one's thoughts or feelings by a persistent idea, image, desire, etc.; the state of being obsessed.

I have several obsessions: travel, family, friendship, my pets and other animals, oxygen, the outdoors, fitness, sport, strength, dancing, music, romance, the beach, culture, people, spontenaity, love, and Daniel Craig.

(Daniel Craig: person - actor; sexiest man alive).

Oh, and of course, LIFE.

Life: noun; the general or universal condition of human existence; the condition that distinguishes organisms from inorganic objects and dead organisms.

So let's focus on life. Join me, won't you?

I do actually think I'm obsessed with this city. Hanoi. The city that's building Vietnam's tallest building across the road from my apartment. The city that retains what's left of it's French Colonial culture. The city that is ever so accepting of Americans, English, Australians, despite the past. The city that continues to surprise me in ways I never would have imagined.

But NOW; now, that I've experienced another culture, another nationality of people, and another language, I'm now obsessed with travel.

Travel: trav·el; noun; the act of traveling; journeying, esp. to distant places; to go from one place to another, as by car, train, plane, or ship; take a trip; journey.

I'm not really in the mood (just yet) for going back home to Melbourne (does that offend/upset anyone?). I think after this, I'll go somewhere else. I really don't know where this life will take me, or why, but I just guess you have to hold on for the ride right?

Obsession is safe in small doses. Too much and you'll drive yourself (let alone others) crazy.

Love.
Cat.

P.S. No, I'm not actually "obsessed with" Daniel Craig. I'm just in love with him.

Bad humour: noun; the inability to make people laugh when you really, oh really do try.

I love running. I not only love it, but it makes me feel, well, I guess, free. It sort of has this affect on me, making me feel like anything at all is possible. But Hanoi is good for running. Ok, yes the footpath's are just terrible for running because of the amount of obstacles (motorbikes, piles of rubbish, potholes etc), but the lakes, OH THE LAKES. I cannot speak more highly of the lakes, scattered everywhere around the city. Yes, I do have a small love affair with the lakes here, because they are so picturesque, especially at night time. While I'm running at night time, there are hundreds of couples crowding the banks of each of these lakes.

PLUS, the good thing about running around a lake, is that you can actually see how far you go. One lap, then you think, why not do two, why not do three, four, five? Yeah it makes you feel tired, and worn out and exhausted or whatever, but as Nike says, why not just do it.

So right now, I'm training for a 10km run in Angkor Wat, Cambodia. The run is organised by Village Focus International, a charity supporting vulnerable children in Cambodia and landmine survivors. There are other run events (marathon, half marathon), bike events, events for the physically impaired, and even a cyclo race! (google it if you don't know what a cyclo is). I decided to do the 10km, because, well I've never ran more than 6, and I only gave myself 9 weeks to train. Well it's coming up fast, on the 6th December. And I am trying my hardest to train hard, it's a lot more motivating when I'm running for a really important cause.

If you don't know much about the history of Cambodia, I highly suggest you google it and do some research, because the country in general, and what it's people have been through, is a lot less known to Westerner's as say, for example, Vietnam.

If you would like to sponsor me for the run, you can visit Village Focus International's site at http://villagefocus.org/angkor_marathon/index.htm. This will give you lot's of info about the event, and also some info about VFI. You can sponsor me by finding my name on the sponsor page.

It's all for a good cause, so sponsors are very highly appreciated, but at the very least, please educate yourself about the work that these type of NGO's do in Cambodia.

I am holding a benefit concert on the 15th November in Hanoi, with a friend of mine who will be singing, tango performance, belly dancing performance, shishas (google it), and lot's of other extremely cool things. Half the proceeds will be going to VFI, and half are going to a local Hanoian charity supporting similar projects, Blue Dragon Children's Foundation (www.bdcf.org).

If you will be in Hanoi on that date, or know anybody in Vietnam, please spread the word! (Ok, my chances are slim, but the power of word of mouth can be rather effective). If you want more information just email me.

Oh! And corporate sponsors are always welcome!

AND REMEMBER, just think, can you run 10km? It is no easy feat.

Love.
Cat.

P.S. Motivating thoughts, wishes, messages, comments, phone calls, emails are of course welcome.

Thankyou!

As Guido says in Life is Beautiful, “When in the city you are free to do anything you like! You can yell in the street if you like!”. But when his friend does yell in the street, Guido remarks “What are you doing? Are you crazy?” and he get’s worried about what people will be thinking.

In Melbourne, sometimes I felt like that. Like you can do anything, but then again, you’re worried about the consequences. The judgement of others, what other’s are going to think, and how you compare to the people around you. Some people are so caught up in this (I am guilty of this too) that they do not do what they truly want. They worry more about image.

But here, in Hanoi, for me personally, it’s the opposite. I feel free to ‘yell in the street’. Not restricted by anything superficial. Not worried about being judged. Because none of that matters. When you feel free, you are really living. Feeling like you are on top of the world, like nothing can stop you from achieving your hopes and dreams. Not bound by expectations of friends and family, or restrictions on what you should and shouldn’t do.

Life in a foreign country is exactly that. Foreign. Until you get in a routine. I think now I am in a routine. Enough to say that I feel comfortable living here. But I keep thinking about next time. Where should I go next? What should I do? I feel like I have the whole world to “conquer”.

The Maldives? Madagascar? Guatemala? Quebec? Papua New Guinea?

Melbourne?

Nah, there’s too much to see!

I’m not sure. But there’s one thing that I am sure of. I’ll be doing what I truly want to do. Really living. Because some people just live, and some people really LIVE. I choose to do the latter.

Every day in Hanoi is exciting, there’s always an interesting story to tell by day’s end. A funny sighting, an incident at the supermarket, a lovely person that you meet. Anything.

We’re only human right. We need some excitement. Something to remind us that life is worth truly living.

So go live. And enjoy every second. Because life really is beautiful.

Love.
Cat.