Mark, writer of Stickyrice food website turned 41 the other day. It was a busy and eventful day, a bit weird but fun. We went for the hair cut after a breakfast of beef noodle shop. This was followed by some ten-pin bowling and late morning beer drinking. In the afternoon, we went to the huge Metro supermarket for another Sticky associate whose got married yesterday. We spent almost 3 hours there, wandering around, checking out the prices waiting in checkout lines with a million other people. Sunday is not a good day to go there! In the evening, we went out again for dinner at Wild Lotus with Kate, Mark and Kate's Father. It was a nice evening and the food was delicious as always.
Mark seemed to have a nice day and was happy with his new hair do. I hope he enjoyed his birthday.
There are lots of crazy ideas in house design in Viet Nam which is not surprising when you think about our history. In the big cities and even in the countryside, there are so many big architecture firms.
You may laugh when you look at these pictures. Some of them are so ugly with terrible colours and strange ideas. Along with the traditional ochres, I've seen bright pink, purple and green houses here in Hanoi!
Is this a King's crown?
What is this ?
I talked to a lady seller on the street today. She said to me that she earned 25,000Vnd per day wandering around the old quarter, starting her day at 7am and ending it whenever she finished selling her stuff.
A little sweet, a little bit buttery, her produce was edible yams and sweet potatoes. Cakes and sweets can be made from them or they can be enjoyed as a simple snack. They are especially popular in the winter.
Cassava is another common food for Vietnamese who eat it mixed with rice or dipped in salt, sugar and chilli for their meals. This is not really something to eat everyday, but it's good on occasion. They are filling, can be eaten hot or cold and are sold all day long.
Hang Tre (Bamboo) street is the only street where the business remains the same as the name. They sell all products made from bamboo such as ladders, sticks and house foundation. Bamboo is such a great tree from Asia which is strong, pliant and it is the only wood which doesn’t rot due to the humidity in such tropical countries like Viet Nam.
We started the afternoon by meeting up in front of Hanoi towers. A mixed group including one from Iran, four Aussies, one English, one Kiwi and me - Vietnamese with the Vietnamese soldier's hat on. Everyone on the street looked at us and smiled and thought it was funny. They possibly thought that we were strange or that we were doing some act for charity. We went to Hanoi Starbowl for a few games and beers, then down to the funny video arcade games. Most of us had never ever been bowling before and I had a sore thumb for a few hours afterwards.
After bowling, we went to Highway4 for dinner and drank some plum wine which was strong but satisfying. We ordered heaps of food and everyone seemed to enjoy the meal after a couple of hours of bowling down the balls.
The next place on the itinerary was a very luxurious place, the Hanoi Hilton Opera hotel, where listened to a Spanish guy singing in Spanish of which we couldn't understood a word. He seemed very helpful, using the microphone to call the waitress for us - cheers mate! The problem for us was the bill, my goodness me, my eyes almost popped: seven beers, one big bottle of water-and the damage was 490,000Vnd. We consoled ourselves that we deserved it.
We left the luxury for the Bia Hoi called Lan Chin, had a couple of beers each with crackers, peanuts and the bill was like nothing compared to the other places. The beer is really good here, the staff very friendly.We tried to get into the Relax bar and Seventeen Saloon but we couldn't because of the fire drills going on that night. This was a nuisance because we wanted to make a surprise for Mark for his last free night. Anyway, we kept going to Le Pub for more beer and waited for the girl group (hens party) to join us.
Finally, the girls arrived, a bit under the weather but dressed in very nice Ao Dai(traditional long dress). Kate - Mark's wife-to-be looked so gorgeous in Red even after much beer and happiness.
I went home at about 12.30 Am because I had to work early the next day, but all of them left there at 6am, probably a bit drunk. I don't know what went on after I left, but surely I know, they all had a good day. Mark and Kate will be a happy couple forever- Congratulations to you guys from the bottom of my heart.
Spread some mayonnaise on a bread roll, add some grilled fish in the bread roll and heat it in the oven. After five minutes, take the bread out of the oven, add some chilli sauce, fresh coriander, lettuce, cucumber and tomato. Wow, so yummy.
It takes a few mins to make it at home, and even though eating out is really cheap in Vietnam, there is something satisfying about preparing a meal for yourself.
Burning incense is a custom associated with Buddhism in Vietnam. People light incense almost every day at their home altars for their relatives who have passed away, for their business and for the pleasant smell which creates a warm atmosphere. The way the incense sticks are placed into the incense burner on the altar after praying is also important. People say that when the incense finishes burning, the shape of the remains can mean that the god received or rejected your prayer.
Making incense is really difficult according to the lady I talked with today, not because of the shape but because of the aroma and the different ingredients needed to get it right. Incense is made from botannical produce, and there are about 20 kinds of aroma. Huong Tram is one of the most popular ones for Asian people and is made from the tree of the same name. 
There are a few kinds of incense that, when you light them, give off hydrocarbons which can be harmful.
Internal organs porridge no doubt sounds horrible to most people, just the name. But when you eat it, you'll fall in love with it. For Vietnamese like me, it's just so delicious.
From the small intestine, kidney, blood, liver, stomach and heart a few quite different delicious dishes can be made. However, there are two common dishes, one which is steamed and the other is stir fried with vegetable pickles and onion. People drink wine and beer with this dish. One plate of offal is enough for four. I'm sure most westerners would need quite a few beers or wines before they even tried this dish. What do you think?
We bought Misa almost four months ago and can't believehow much he has grown. He's such a cute nice dog. All my friends love him. I usually bring food from 
He loves going out by motorbike, standing on the front like he's driving or by taxi. He always tries to sit on the sofa as he thinks he's a human being. Misa also enjoys having showers and playing in the park or walking down the road. He knows when we return home and he's usually looking down from the roof to get our attention. We love Misa even though he pisses in the wrong place sometimes.
Shoe repairing is such a common street business in Viet Nam. This old lady opens her business from 8am til 4 pm with her very simple shop, a few small chairs, a small machine standing right next to the tree, with shoes hanging as a crazy advertiserment on the wall. It's a classic! She is so friendly and her shop looks busy with heaps of shoes around her in various stages of fixing. It's better to get your old shoes repaired rather than spending a lot of money on a new pair, don't you think?
I went to the market, bought some veggies and invited some good friends over to have grilled fish kebab at my new house. JC brought some mayonnaise and bread, 
A very simple night on our roof, looking over the lake, the hot barbeque keeping us warm, drinking beer and soft drink, having fun.
The best time to wander around is after Vietnam's victories in the football competition. You'd be surprised about how crazy the Viet fans are about football. They ride around shouting "Viet Nam Viet Nam"- "Vietnam Vô Đich"(Vietnam are champions!) or shouting the goalscorers' names till 1 or 2 am non-stop. This is an exciting time for foreigners and most of them can't believe that Vietnam is so crazy about football.
Last night, the SEA Games concluded and the highlight was that the Vietnamese national womens' football team scored the hat trick of three gold medals in a row. In total, Vietnam won 71 gold medals and finished third on the medal ladder. Once again, the male football team lost in the final to Thailand. Even though they lost, Vietnamese fans still hung around the streets, some very upset.
You may see me sometime in that big group in the Vietnam red T-Shirt with the yellow star, just because I am a normal Vietnamese who loves watching, supporting and celebrating my national sports teams achievements.
West Lake has such a beautiful and peaceful surrounding atmosphere. I can't believe how quiet it is in the evening. I fell in love with this place ages ago before we all moved here. My friends, Kate and Mark, moved here two months ago and they kept telling me to move over. Finally, we found a house that suited our budget and moved in the last few days. We have a small two-storey house with front and back yards, a lake view and green gardens out the front.
Sitting on the top roof looking over the lake at night with low lights, drinking beers with friends, the soft winds flowing around makes me home sick but relaxed. I am such a lucky guy to have found two different houses, both nice and reasonably priced.
This is one of the best areas in Hanoi where many foreigners live which means it's very secure and quiet. It's worth every penny.
Grilled pork on a stick with chilli, lemongrass and fish sauce is a common snack for Hanoians which is easily seen on almost every street in Hanoi. They can be eaten with bread, rice or simply by themselves standing right on the street.
I sometimes drink Bia Hoi at Bia Hoi corner in Ta Hien street and order my pork stick from the lady next door to drink beer with. I occasionally do this on my day off. Her pork meat is good, less fat than other places and she is friendly. Just before serving them, the lady bastes the meat with some more chili sauce. It's the best when it's hot.
Hang Bac (Silver Street) mainly sells gold and silver but there are also some other businesses such as rock engravers, silk and souvenir sellers. There are heaps of travel agencies, small hotels and DVD shops which stock all of the latest movies.
At the other end of Hang Bac is Hang Bo(Bamboo Basket) streets used to be the craft specialty of the street. Today the basket businesses have disappeared and been replaced by many other businesses such as banks, restaurants, clothes shops and hotels.
