L.O.V.E through Time..

A post to celebrate all sorts of love through time, a little delayed saying "Happy Valentine's Day":

L.O.V.E... ~ I'm gonna get married next.. (?)

I'm thinking about a nice song with that title.. it's not me next month, or next year,.. but who knows? The future is indeed subjective!

"L is for the way you look at me
.O is for the only one I see
.V is very, very extraordinary
.E is even more than anyone that you adore can

Love is all that I can give to you
Love is more than just a game for two
Two in love can make it
Take my heart and please don't break it
Love was made for me and you"
- L.O.V.E by Nat King Cole -

And our hands are locked forever.. in love! :x

Love is in the air, so is sweet smile of happiness.. :-)

Time to blossom on my sister's Big Day - it represents the Day well, doesn't it?

It's the One Day that every girl dreams to be perfect, even since she's little.. No matter how it turns out, when we look back, it is, still, one of the happiest days in our lives....

Mum & Dad, love you always..
"Wonderful seen. DOF perfect." - a comment from a flickr's friend.

Happy Lunar New Year!!!

"Tết Tết Tết Tết đến rồi
Tết Tết Tết Tết đến rồi
Tết Tết Tết Tết đến rồi
Tết đến trong tim mọi người..."
- a Vietnamese song "Mùa xuân ơi" that brings up the feeling of coming Home to the family in the New Year festival. "Dù đi đâu ai cũng nhớ, về chung vui bên gia đình". The "Tết" festival is coming right outside the door, in the heart of all people.. -

In China and Vietnam we celebrate New Year according to the Lunar calendar. Today is the first day of the New Year: "Chúc mừng Năm Mới" - Happy Lunar New Year, everyone! Wish you warm feelings of happiness and laughters throughout this Year of the Snake!!!

"Hoa đào đón Tết" - our traditional cherry flower in the "Tết" festival in the North of Vietnam, in the South there're "hoa mai". "Ngày Tết đến phố xá đông vui, người đi thăm đi viếng đi chơi, người ta đi mua sắm Tết..."

In this entry are some photos about the "Tết" festival in my hometown Hanoi just about one or two weeks before the celebration. Many people go to a flower market and buy the traditional flowers and plants for the decoration at their home. The presence of these traditional flowers already indicate "Tết" in the family. The photos I have taken in the year 2009, when I was at that time still working in Singapore and just came home for a short holiday during the "Tết" (only now when living so far away from Home that I got a little more appreciation for the time I lived in Singapore in which it was convenient to fly back to Hanoi). So in 2009, in the mood for a "slide of Tết's atmosphere", a friend of mine and I walked around the streets and a flower market in the Old Quarter near the central Hoan Kiem lake, to appreciate the warm feelings of our "Tết" all in the cold air, in the crowded streets, the noisy sound and hurry of people selling and buying plenty of different colourful decoration things, "Tết" in the smile of an old lady who got for herself those spring flowers, or in the true happiness of a young guy having in his both hands a little "Tết".. and much more...

"Nghe âm vang bao câu chúc yên lành
Đất nước gấm hoa yên ấm an vui.."

Traditional "hoa đào và cây quất ngày Tết" - spring flower and tangerine plant

Spring smile.. She must probably have thought of her own little happiness (the spring comes or perhaps love?) that brightened up her charming smile!

She has said to me: "Ôi con bé này rỗi việc hay sao mà đi chụp ảnh bà già này" then she made a simple so joyfol laughter! Her reaction was so warm, that brought a smile into the little girl's face. Not many people expected how happy that girl was to get a warm feeling of "Tết" and hometown..

A little warm joy of "Tết" festival..

Cherry flowers in "Tết" market

Special gift to a sweet birthday girl!

A birthday gift to my sweet lovely sister!
Miss you and my cute twin nephews much!!!

Sweet chocolate temptation with love
           

Berlin - Hanoi, 06.02.2013

There's always light, and hope..

Poppy blossom near a small village Kühnhaide in Germany, July'2010.

A birthday gift from me to my dear childhood girlfriend: Happy birthday, my dear! Wish that you will find what you are searching for, make your own way in life to your true happiness and be able to develop your full bright potential. I know you can and you will. With lots of love, your dear.

29.01.2013

Home sweet home Hanoi, World Heritage site Ha Long Bay and Cat Ba island

Top things to do when visiting Hanoi and North Vietnam

Adding to my eventful year 2012 was a hometown visit after being away from home since about one and a half year. At first I actually did not intend to go home this year, but perhaps with a bit of luck, one conference in which I presented a paper was organised in Taipei. Therefore, I combined a one-week conference trip to Taipei with a two-week home visit. It was also the first time Dustin came along to Asia and to my hometown Hanoi in particular. So it was kind of special. In addition, it was also a right time to attend the wedding of my close girlfriend, which I was as well looking forward to. Overall, I was very happy to visit my family at home, although I must say this trip, together with the other events from the middle to the end of the year, has placed much pressure on my work before we could really have some kind of holiday.

For this entry, I would make a list of suggestions considering myself as a local tour guide about where and what a tourist could do when he/she likes to visit Vietnam. Talking about top things one should do when visiting the North of Vietnam, I would start with what has pleased Dustin the most in our trip, so it is a recommendation looking from a foreigner's perspective. As a result, the activities I will mention will not follow our actual travelling route (as we have visited first the capital Hanoi), but rather from the most enjoyable experience to a less pleasant one.

1. Three-day-two-night Ha Long Bay and Cat Ba island

World-Heritage-site Ha Long Bay, Vietnam

It was really enjoyable to visit the World Heritage site Ha Long Bay. We have booked a all-included-tour with an agency whose office is located at Hang Bo street in the Old Quarter in Hanoi. Before we could book the best price for our three-day-two-night Ha Long Bay and Cat Ba island trip, we have looked and asked around at several travelling agencies. It is a recommendation to ask around, especially for a tourist. The prices could fluctuate quite significantly, the normal price would be US$195 p.p. for overnights in normal basic hotels. We could make a blast price of less than half of the normal price with two overnights in a four-star resort at the Cat Ba island. As mentioned, all was included, from a pick-up-car-drive for about three hours from Hanoi to the Ha Long Bay habour, a ship/boat drive through the Ha Long Bay, a short kayaking on the way, a visit to a cave, a transfer to the resort in the Cat Ba island, then a visit to the Cat Ba National Park to the boat drive back through the Ha Long Bay and a car drive back to Hanoi, plus all meals. ^_^


Visiting Thien Cung cave at the Ha Long Bay - the colours are artificial from lights


Dawn at Cat Ba Island looking from the resort's room

Here are some more photos:

Hanoian spring roll with noodle

One of my favourite food:

Bún nem

Lieblingsrezept: Vietnamesiche Frülingsrolle mit Reisnudeln Zutaten (4 Personen):

Frühlingsrolle: - 20 Blätter Reispapier - 1 Hand voll frischer Sojasprossen - 150 g Glasnudeln - 500 g Schweinehackfleisch - 3 Ziebeln - 2 Karotten (in Streifen) - 10 getrocknete Garnelen (optional) - 1 Ei - 100 g getrocknete Pilze (50g getrocknete tungkow Pilze u. 50g Mu-Err Pilze)

Reisnudeln + Salad + Soße: - 300 g Reisnudeln - 1 Kopfsalat - 1 Bund Koriander - 1 Tasse Fischsoße (Nuoc Mam) - 1 Limette - 1 Knoblauchzehe - 2 kleine rote Chillischoten - Salz, Zucker

Zubereitung der Frühlingsrollen:

- Glasnudeln und Pilze in eineSchüssel mit Wasser zum Aufweichen geben

-  Nach kurzer Einweichzeit aus dem Wasser nehmen und in kleine Stücke schneiden

-   Zwiebel in kleine Stücke schneiden

-  Korotten in dünne kurze Streifen schneiden

-   Sojasprossen etwas zerkleinern

-   Garnelen in heißes Wasser geben und anschließend mit einem kleinen Hammer „plattklopfen“

-  Alle Zutaten in eine große Schüssel geben

-   Schweinefleisch und das Ei ebenfalls in die Schüssel geben und alles gut verschieschen

-   Zugabe einer Priese Salz und Zucker (evtl. auch Gewürze für Frühlingsrollen)

- Alle Zutaten nochmalsgut miteinander vermischen

-  Eine Scheibe Reispapier auf einen flachen Teller legen und eine kleine Menge der zubereiteten Frühlingsrollen-Paste an einer Seite dazugeben

-          Beginnend von der Seite mit der Frühlingsrollen-Paste wird das Reispapier aufgerollt (bei zu trockenem und sprödem Reispapier evtl. mit etwas Essig befeuchten)     

-  Beim Rollen der Frühlingsrolle ist auf ein möglichst enges Zusammenrollen zu achten

-  In eine Pfanne etwas Öl geben und erhitzen

-   In das heiße Öl die fertig gerollten Frühlingsrollen legen

-  Frühlingsrollen von beiden Seiten goldbraun fritieren

-  Die fertigen Frühlingsrollen auf einen Teller geben (zum Aufsaugen des überflüssigen Öls Löschpapier oder Taschentücher verwenden)

         

Chilli-Soße: (alternativ kann die Soße auch fertig im Supermarkt gekauft werden)

-  In einer kleinen Schüssel die Chillischoten zerkleinern

- Knoblauch in kleine Stücke schneiden und ebenfalls in die Schüssel geben

- Etwas warmes Wasser und eine Priese Zucker hinzugeben

- Die Limette halbieren und ausquetschen

- Den Limettensaft ebenfalls in die Schüssel hinzugeben

- Danach eine kleine Tasse der Fischsoße dazugeben und alles in derSchüssel gut verrühren

Reisnudeln:

- Reisnudeln in kochendes Wasser geben bis diese weich sind

-  Kopfsalat und Koriander in kleinere Stückeschneiden und in eine separate Schüssel geben

- Die weichen Reisnudeln aus dem Wasser herausnehmen

Anrichten der Teller:

- In die vier kleinen Schüsseln (jeweils eine pro Person) zuerst etwas Salat geben

- Darauf die Reisnudeln geben

-  Die fertigen Frühlingsrollen in kleinere Stücken schneiden und auf die Reisnudeln geben

-  Etwas von der Chilli-Soße darübergießen und mit Koriander dekorieren

Servieren der Schüsseln

English version below:

Ho Chi Minh City and Nha Trang in South Vietnam

To summarize the whole trip: "Exciting, something new in something similar!! Sweet, Nha Trang - a place to be my future home.." :-) Happy family reunion: holiday with my Mum is always pleasant; what a pity my father was too busy to join us. To me, this trip was kind of a "meet the parent' experience at first, but later also a celebration to the best news recently: my sister's having twin!! :x

(Bonus after the trip: I am actually seeing me in few years (or maybe longer :p) spending more time here in Nha Trang, where else can be better: beautiful beach, tempting delicious seafood, cool weather, & a dream garden home with dream parent-in-law & little "Nai" (his family's cute dog). I think I'm too old now, hmm hmm).


Nha Trang dreamer
View on Large
-another pic -
Comment from a very nice flickr's friend Loentje :o) "That's an awsome shot. Great light. I love the detail on the shute! Awsome job and it looks like a lot of fun too. I've never done that, but always wanted to. Maybe one day I'll take a chance a go for it."



The first thing one should probably know about Ho Chi Minh City is that the weather is constantly hot, in summer it could be extreme.

Hanoi - there is no place like Home!

"There's no place like Home.." It was the first trip of my Bear and me to Hanoi together.. a lot of happy memories & fine romance :-). The most surprising thing to me is: I've never ever seen Hanoi that beautiful... I guess I've been living away from home for so long.. November 2008.


Cầu Gỗ Đinh Liệt lúc trời chạng vạng tối..1 ngày trở rét...
I was on motobike and made a quick stop to catch this. The colour of the old street, a foreigner on a bycicle, the short sleeve in a cold windy day vs. the man with bulky bag in winter jacket (the street was quite crowded),.. all of that in nearly twilight & something more that I can't explain (maybe it was my emotion on the day) really moved me.

"Dường như ai đi ngang cửa,
Gió mùa đông bắc se lòng..."

"Em ơi, Hà Nội phố
Ta còn em mùi hoàng lan.. ta còn em mùi hoa sữa..."

"Ta mơ thấy em.. ở nơi kia xa lắm
Một Hà Nội ngây ngất nắng.. một Hà Nội run run heo may...."
- nhạc Phú Quang -


West Lake special banh tom
I loved it when I was little. There were often special days for my sister & me to have (or to be 'awarded' :-D) this prawn cake dish w/ our parents.. Now I still like & recommend it :-)



Water puppet show
My Bear & me managed a little time in our tight schedule (B->) to enjoy water puppet show near Hoan Kiem lake. It's been a long time since I saw it, and now the feeling kind of different. The show was simpler but more interesting to me (time definitely has some effect). I recommend this! The ticket is cheap by the way, just try to book some time in advance as the show can be crowded.


Simply happy!
why was I so happy? Because it was an outing @home w/ my 2 best friends: Khi con & PA (of course w/ my dear Bear as well :-P). We had morning coffee at Hang` Hanh` street then went to Van Mieu Quoc Tu Giam. The weather was nice: breeze & was a little bit cold, but still sunny. How nice! Just remember to smile! when you do, all the worries seem to be faded away. It's true to me though :-)


Part of the Van Mieu enchanting feature is this red colour!


Hanoi's beautiful St. Joseph's Cathedral
Tough my hands and brighten my days, I wanna brighten yours too :-D.

"..In the end only kindness matters.... My hands are small I know But they're not yours, they are my own... I am never broken We are never broken We are God's eyes, God's hands, God's heart.........." - Hands delightful song by Jewel -

"..If God had a face What would it look like? And would you want to see If seeing meant that you would have to believe In things like heaven and in Jesus and the Saints And all the Prophets......" - What if God was one of us by Joan Osborne -


In front of the St. Joseph's Cathedral


" Bài thánh ca đó còn nhớ không em...?"
- Bài thánh ca buồn by Elvis Phương - This song's related to a sad memory of mine.. One of the saddest. Although the photo has nothing to do with that sad memory, I still think of the song when I look at it. And the wonderful thing of life is "when one door is closed, there'll be another door to be opened before us". ..That's what I learnt from my sad experience, & I am really thankful for what it brings me today & how it really has changed my life.. To be sad to know how happiness is. To be in pain to feel how cruel the circle of life could be.. And after all, to feel peaceful & to be loved! To live life to the fullness :-)

"Your beauty comes out even without a smile. You have a very beautiful face and angels would be jealous of you looks. Regards" - a comment from a flickr's friend, jjdo.



@City View Cafe at home The view over Hoan Kiem lake is stunning ", It was a beautiful sunny day after the 'historic flood'. The air was so warm! :-). What I like in this photo is the sunshine to be all over the lake & make it look really bright (",) it was so good to feel warm & dry after a long raining week.
View On Large
HN 07/11/08

"The only thing stunning is your beauty. Very nice picture of you" - a comment from a flickr's friend, jjdo.
"Hi, I visited your pictures again, and you have lots of interesting items. Photography is in your heart. But, I have one question. How come you are so beautiful? Please answer with a few words or only one sentence. I understand your beauty is not complicated and is very natural but I want to hear it from you."
"a gorgeous portrait, the flower is only overshadowed by the woman's beauteous smile!" - a comment from a nice flickr's friend, i_still_believe_in_u.



Worry-free seems to be far far away...

Does his look bother you? It did me, when I was walking down Nha Chung street to the St. Joseph's Cathedral. He sat there, in the right corner of the street in front of the church, motionlessly, only his look so moody that moved me softly..


Colour version above: Cau^` Go^~ street in nearly twilight"

"Hôm nay tự dưng nhớ Hà Nội đến nao lòng.. partly because autumn here is almost as cold as early winter in Hanoi. There's really no place like Home! :-)