Missing the EPL

God, I can't believe I'm saying this.. but I miss the EPL.

True, True

The funny thing is that McCain's wife's fortune is based off of a Budweiser distributorship.

Past is Prologue

I came into work late this morning because I stayed in to watch the much anticipated Biden-Palin show off.  That, and to watch the Cubbies continue to frustrate their fans.

Anyhow, like most things political in the U.S. these days, I don't see this debate changing the landscape must.  As Denny Green said in a different context (coincidentally also in reference to a Chicago team), "they are who we thought they were." Folks' opinions are entrenched and it won't change - I thought Palin was under-qualified before and this performance just furthered that narrative in my mind.  

I'm not really a Biden fan, but I appreciated his homerun (or at least a triple) performance.  The media will latch onto things, like Palin's odd multiple winks to the nameless Americans behind the camera lens, and Biden's retort of "Past is prologue."

You'll likely hear that line quite a bit in the media analysis of things - the funny thing is, I would gather 75% of Americans don't exactly understand it.  I certainly don't.  I mean, I understood his intent given the context of the debate, and I've probably read more prologues than the average American, but such usage of the term "prologue" is wholly uncommon.  

The media will love it because most journos believe they are great writers trapped in a more pedestrian position.  To me, it just sounds like someone speaking over the average informed person's head.

On the flip, Biden spoke about his family some and paused a bit in the middle, due to the sadness in his heart, when he recounted the tragic death of his wife and two (?) children in an auto accident.  I paused a bit while listening to him.  

And yet again, I didn't know such personal history - but I sure know the background on Palin, her husband, her kids, and her in-laws.  The Dems really need to work harder at personalizing their candidates.          

Level 23 at the Sheraton

So I was at Level 23, the bar/club on the 23rd floor (natch) of the Sheraton Hotel off Dong Khoi in District 1.  It's one of the few places in town where one can grab drinks in mixed company, out on the town discussing work b.s.

Like all hotel bars around here, the house band is an imported lot.  It had been a while since I've been there, so I didn't know that the rather enjoyable American-based cover band, with their Jamaican lead songstress, had finished their 6 month gig.

When I saw the bassist in my local KFC picking up some chicken for lunch, and trying to pick up a fellow customer who was eating with her infant son, I didn't know it was the last time I would see him.  I was paying him some attention because there are very few African-Americans in town on business - they're usually here as tourists, while the black business folks are from the UK and its former colonies, or African blue collar workers.  Another customer, this one a local dude in his 50s or so, hit on the KFC female staff three decades his junior, and got her number!  I didn't know KFC was such a hopping joint.       

Anyhow, the new cover band seemed to have hailed out of Europe.  One of the guitarist is from Sweden, but he wouldn't play ABBA!  They do the same cover songs as the previous band, but they kinda suck at it.  It sounded more like an enthusiastic company karaoke night, than a professional cover band.  Particularly funny was a rendering of the Nelly Furtado/Timbaland hit, Promiscuous Girl, by a duo that looked more like blond Kelly Clarkson and Moby.  The Moby-lookalike doing an Akon song was enjoyable as well.    

Too bad that wasn't the highlight of the night.

I left pretty early because I'm not a big fan of American Idol.  So I got to the elevator and another guy was leaving as well.  As I wait for the elevator, he starts bitching at the Sheraton staff, calling them "dogs" in English and telling them to 'come here like little dogs'.

Alright, I understand that it can be easy for some people to get upset at the local staff, more so at places where they serve you alcohol.  But there is appropriate cursing and there is shit that is out of line.  I'm a New Yorker, cursing is second nature.

You can throw as many f-bombs and motherfuckers around, but you don't call people certain things unless you want your ass beat.  Don't call someone a monkey.  And don't call someone a dog, especially an Asian person.  The signage referenced below in Bruce Lee's flick may be an anachronism, but, if you are of a certain age, then it's part of your understanding of what's acceptable and what's not acceptable.

You don't call someone a dog in this context without intending to attach its most vile meaning - after all, the reason Dottie Pepper's quote is so funny is because (a) it was an on-air gaffe during the Solheim Cup (women's golf version of the Ryder Cup, for you non-golfers out there) and (b) she's such a goody-too-shoes that she didn't use the term she wanted to use, which was "bitch," to refer to the US women golfers.  This dude was not trying to avoid saying bitch.             

So I kindly told him to not use such language, and it escalated to me cursing at him.  Dude was some American (tourist?) who was upset because he was being kicked out of Level 23.  Man, this is Vietnam, it's like 9:30-10pm on a Friday night - what kind of royal asshole must you be to get booted from an expat bar at such time and place?

It was pretty fun cursing at someone on another's behalf.  So a fun night all around.      

Brutal Beijing Olympics Crackdown

Oh my god, the brutal detainment!  This Reuters clip, courtesy of With Leather.  

 

 I just love it when people complain about "abuses" that they have no inkling of.  I bet you this is the first time they've been to China.  Are places like China, or Vietnam, perfect?  Of course not.  Could the government do a better job with respect to citizens' rights?  Of course it could - but all governments in the world usurp the power of the people.  It's about hitting the right balance.  Vietnam is not there, but neither is the US.

But, living here, that is hardly my concern.  I'm more affected by the economic hardships that I see daily.  The other day there was a Bentley Continental Flying Spur parked on the street - and across the street, a grandmother was laying out newspaper on the sidewalk for a kid about 4 or 5 to take a nap.  But that's not sexy enough for t-shirts and banners.  

Skype Tools

Living overseas means lots of Skype time.  I think I've spent over $50 in Skype credit calling to the US in the past three months - that is a lot, considering that computer-to-computer calls are free.  

Recently, what I wanted to do is to call up our home in the US in the middle of the night, get Skype to automatically answer, and get it to automatically transmit video back.

Sorta like the "DIY Home Security System" hack from these 25 Tips to Improve Your Skype Experience from VoIP News.  Of course, it is pretty easy to set up a new Skype user, put yourself in the contact list, set to auto answer and auto video out in the Skype Preferences. 

But the trick really is to have two Skype accounts running concurrently on one computer - that way, on your "normal" account, you do not auto answer with a video out.  

Some Googling led to this Applescript (OS X) called Peek-O-Matic.  This script, by Andreas Schuderer - allows for two concurrent Skype sessions for different users.  One can be the "home security user" and the other the "normal" user.  Handy little tool, it is.  The version on the site, v0.4 is for Leopard.  Ask for v0.3 if you are running OS X 10.4.

Finally, if you have the bandwidth and the hardware, here is how to improve Skype's video quality on OS X.    

A Screaming End to the Year

We met Tet with a scream:

New Year's Eve Video

Christmas in Hanoi, the Video(s)

This is outside Nha Tho Lon (St. Joseph's Cathedral), around 8pm on Christmas Eve.

The entertainment at the Christmas Eve dinner - a dancer at Finnegan's Pub doing his Michael Jackson *and* his Michael Flatley impression:

Best Advertisement in Vietnam

Local media buys are sloppy, lazy and derivative. This advert, which runs prior to the opening credits at the movies, is pretty funny.



This was recorded about one month after it started to be shown locally. The first few times the audience saw this, the entire theater laughed. Or at least giggled a bit.

The joke is lost on ya if you don't understand Vietnamese, and never dialed a busy cellphone here. Basically, the adcopy, in the tone and style of a Viettel busy signal announcement, says 'the person you are calling is unavailable because they are sitting in a movie theater, please call back later.'

Kid's a Video Star

Pullin' back the curtains a bit on this here sorta anon blog. But the kid's worth it. For those interested, two words: Code Pink.

AFC Cup Action

Ok, not so much Asia Football Cup (AFC) action as is post-AFC action. This is what the streets of Hanoi looked like after Vietnam, one of the 2007 AFC host countries, surprisingly took down the UAE 2-nil in an opening round game.



This intersection is close to Hoan Kiem lake - there was much more traffic circling the lake, but my phonecam wasn't ready for that action.

We're not soccer fans at all, but I think we'll try to make one of the next two opening round games (versus Qatar and then Japan). Tickets were 40, 60 or 100k but at this point they'll need to be scalped. Lowest prices are about 120k right now, more when it gets closer to game time (at My Dinh Stadium, out in the Western 'burbs from the city).

Vietnam's top rapper, a 16-year old teen girl going by the stage name Kim, recorded a song for Nike (for free! c'mon, embrace the market economy already) to mark the AFC. I would embed it, but dunno how. You can find it at Nike's site, Choi Het Minh, which roughly translated means "play with all your might." She's more bubble-gum rap, and sorta average at that, but she earns an "A" for enthusiasm and marketing.

HmL, don't ya wish ya were here?

10.. 9.. 8.. Countdown Is On

Zero hours 10 A.M..

(William Shatner, 1978)

Best. Game. Ever.

2007 Fiesta Bowl: Boise State - Oklahoma. Too bad I didn't catch it live on the tube, but I gather this is how I'll experience American sports for the next two years.



The Superbowl is on Feb. 4, 2007. I wonder if there will be local broadcasts of it; if not, I'll resort to solutions like SOPcast and this Streaming NFL Games guide.

Fly Over of Tam Dao Golf Course

Flyover vid courtesy of YouTuber FlycamVietnam.

The Tam Dao Golf and Resort is about 45kms from Hanoi. Looks nice enough, and they seem to be really smitten by that large clubhouse, but its kinda flat and open. I'm used to losing balls in the underbrush and woods. It looks like I can attempt an approach from a fairway over at this place. Nice way to lower one's score.

Loch Ness Turtle

Who says there are no turtles in Hoan Kiem Lake? Check out this video evidence.

[via PeterHanoi]

Flying car

Found this video off of AutoBlog:



It's a commercial filmed in Chicago at the Marina Towers. It's an iconic building designed by Bertrand Goldberg, who has other structures all over Chicago, such as a building for Northwestern University's Medical School's Prentice Women's Center - a great place to grab a bite to eat at 3 am in the morning. And his designs weren't just for the fat segment of society. He produced the Raymond Hilliard Center, a public housing project on the city's South Side, a few blocks off of the South Side's Chinatown - as an aside, the North Side's Chinatown, around Argyle Street, is more like Little Saigon than Chinatown.

I lived for a bit in the Marina Towers. It's a bit neat to live there 'cause you can find postcards of your home (though I never sent any). As a living space, it was a bit difficult to handle. The pizza slice shape of the apartments made it difficult to arrange furniture; good thing I only had a bed, sofa and some speakers. The full length windows were great for exhibitionists, or those who wanted to live in a solarium. Finally, the two elevators and minuscule stairwells serving each building make for serious concerns in case of emergencies - living on the 50+ floor, I had the pleasure of walking down one morning when the power went out. Suffice to say, if I lived there today, I would look into getting a parachute. And I still have dreams about those herky-jerky elevators.

Amazing Race - Hanoi

The cult CBS television show, "The Amazing Race," made a stop in Hanoi that was broadcasted last night. It's neat to see parts of the world one has been to represented on TV - I guess that's part of the cult appeal.

For those who are fans, you know what this show is about; for those who are not (yet) fans, it's a race between two-person teams around the world, where along the way the teams have to complete various tasks and the slowest team on each leg of the race gets eliminated (or Philiminated as the lingo goes). The final team standing wins a million USD.

Here's a clip posted on Youtube.com by the user GoncheyRM. You can click on his/her name for the other clips of last evening's episode.

[clip removed because embedding it here causes browser errors - just go to the foregoing link]

The funniest lines of the night has to be:

"It's like Frogger, dude." - spoken by a competitor trying to cross a street in Hanoi; and

'For safety reasons, racers are not allowed to operate or ride a motorbike while in Vietnam' - a voiceover describing the limits on the racers.

Note that in a prior episode the producers had no difficulties with allowing racers to ride, and fall off, horses.