A PLACE FOR SIDEWAYS TRAINS OF THOUGHT
Last year I stood on a corner at a crossroads in Hanoi where a stream of motorcycles, scooters and mopeds was going east to west and another south to north and both flows were heading for each other. A crash seemed inevitable, unless one stream suddenly gave way. But as if it were a baffling... Continue Reading →
Some time ago I posted an article on my liking for random walks, in which I outlined an insanely complicated method to get to places you weren't planning to see. Recently I found another way to go to randomly explore the world, without getting up from my chair. A few days ago, as I was... Continue Reading →
This is a duck I encountered on Malta as it waited on one leg on dry land... ... because of the no bathing sign ? ... ... and the dog on duck patrol ? If you want to know why the duck is in a yoga position, here is a very pretty Vietnamese legend which explains it. (Taken... Continue Reading →
While I was looking for information for my post about Huong Thanh, I came across a dozen other references to things I didn't know about Vietnam. One of these was to a woman named Ho Xuan Huong (Hồ Xuân Hương) who was probably born in the period from 1775 to 1780 and lived till 1822. Ho Xuan... Continue Reading →
Unfortunately, I know next to nothing about Vietnam and even less about Vietnamese music, but I have been wanting to share my appreciation of Huong Thanh ever since I heard her cd Mangustao. In it she blends Vietnamese music with jazz in a way which joins hands surprisingly. There is a lilt in her singing which reminds me of... Continue Reading →