It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. . .

Not really.. . . but, It sure feels like it! Did you know they sell Poinsettias in Vietnam!!! Crazy isn't it! I went to my favorite botanical shop in Phu My Hung the other day to buy another one. There's nothing special about this particular shop other than 1. they are friendly and 2. they do not stare at me crazy, like "Who is this dark-skinned girl". And since they know my face, which isn't hard to remember, I just keep going back. They have the dark red variety, white, a hybrid of red and white so they have a pinkish quality, and they also have a rose-like poinsettia variety that looks elegantly posh. So I bought another pinkish type. I'm getting ready for my mother. She'll be here this Friday! I can't believe she's coming, but I'm really excited. I'm excited to have someone to speak English to, I'm excited to see her face once she's gotten off the plane and spent 24+ hours with Asians, I'm excited to show her the city and alll the places I've grown accustomed to and I'm excited to spend quality time with her beach side facing the Sulu Sea. Ballin on a Budget!

K.I.M. (for you tribe called quest fans)

I can not believe it is almost 2012!!! Why does everyone say that? Actually, I CAN believe it cause this year has been tooo long. Well I may not hit my 100 post marker, but it's all good. I will be posting more photos soon, so look for that. I know the last couple of posts have been quite negative, maybe a bit "bitter". I'm not really bitter, just annoyed. I've come to the conclusion that almost every company sucks. The goal is to hire the best qualified person, to do as much work as he/she possibly can, for the cheapest cost possible. I get it. If I had a company I wouldn't want to spend 50,000/year USD on a professional when I could spend 15,000/year USD on an intern, or 400/month USD on a Vietnamese graduate. And according to RIC, If saving money means no adequate health insurance, then so be it :-/ So, with every job experience you take away the good, the knowledge, the experience and keep it movin'. Keep pushing towards your goal, and wake up one day closer to fulfilling your God-given destiny. "Aint' no time for shuckin and jivin'. . ."

And so, I'm offering this simple phrase, to kids from 1 to 92. . .

Christmas is not about you.

Last Friday the company of my j-o-b held a holiday shindig in a bar somewhere in central Ho Chi Minh City. Like the graduation show this past year, the party was held at the most inconvenient time, 4:30 pm. Classes are scheduled 3-5pm. Of course some lecturers including myself raised the question of, why? would the party be held this early. And of course the company responds with, "you're allowed to leave at 4:00 pm, you can make up the time at a later date." LMBO, spsssshhhh, ummmmmmmm please explain to me when LATER would be? The last week of classes is next week. I love that they think they can dictate how I spend my time.

Any who, so the kicker (as Nicole would say) to this shindig (did you know "shindig" is a real word?) were the "Raffle" prizes, lol. As our director's way of enticing us to be there on time, he sends out an e-mail, listing all of the prizes we could potential win. As my day progressed I managed to teach my class and cut out at 4:20 pm, but since 4-5 pm is "every-Vietnamese-parent-picks-up-their-child hour" It took a good 35 minutes to get home, when I only live 15 minutes away. So by the time I got ready to head out, the party is now an hour or so finished, and I missed the glorious "Raffle" prizes, when I went outside there was not a taxi in sight (so there goes another 15-20 minutes of waiting), and the cyst on my left ovary was causing some pain, so no, I was not about to intensify that with a bumpy motorbike ride. Besides who wants to be exposed to the elements when you're all dressed up. Needless to say, I didn't make the holi-day par-tay. I later heard I missed out on winning a deluxe-type gigantic rice cooker. OMG, how I needed that :-/ I'm glad I ended up not going. It gave me energy to spend time with visiting friends. Plus, I do not feel connected to this organization. I do not support their philosophy of education, or corporate responsibility. How can you find the money to buy: a Plasma TV, gift certificates, rice cooker, cell phone, and other "Raffle" prizes, but you can't seem to find the money to pay for my HEALTH INSURANCE?!?
Something is not right.

<)kdfjk.xfbjbxfjfbjkbfb N R(W&Q^Q^ERT&^$%%#^# Q)Q)Q)ER()(E!!!!!!!

I would love to punch the stupidity out of someone right now! And yes I have a few people in mind. . .