Miss Saigon

My new Karen Walker high waist jeans arrived yesterday. It's soooooo cute! And it fits me perfect. I'm so happy. I will match some 70s style shirts with this jeans.

It is nice to receive mails (real mails, not e-mails), especially air mails. My friend Roberto sent me a post card from Argentina. It was nice even though it arrived after he was back in town. I remember Steven sent me a card from somewhere, and Nida from Jordan . That made my heart really warm. Well, I should do it myself when I have chance to travel abroad next time.

I remember it was so troublesome to make an international calls in Saigon, Vietnam, back in the early 1990s. Since I was staying at $5 per night motel, there was no phone with international connection. I had to go to a post office. I explained to the clerk at the window I wanted to call may family in Japan and filled up a form. Then I was assigned to a booth, picked up a phone receiver, the clerk said "ok, now you talk." Internet connection was out of questions. Oh, and I remember when I tried to cash a traveler's check in a Laotian town, a bank teller told me he was going to charge 25% fee. 25%!!

Well, I heard Saigon has been transformed into a modern city, and it is now one of the favorite destinations of Japanese "OL" (office ladies....one of the Japanese English term). Good for local people as it brings a lot of money to the city. But I have to say I somehow miss the atmosphere of old Saigon. Waking up with voices of peddlers, chatting with locals at a street stall, sometimes having quarrels with cyclo drivers over the charge, taking a nap along the Saigon river watching boys swimming.....I really miss it.