RELENTLESS!

Relentless! That's the only word I can use to describe the past month or so. By "relentless" I'm not talking about all the honies jockin' this American cat or every single radio station over-playing Richard Marx, Celine Dion, Backstreet Boys, and 98 Degrees, but I'm speaking simply about the RAIN. Yes, for past month, the raining season decided to begin a few months ahead of schedule. Most days it rains about 3-5 times a day for about 30-45 minutes each time. There have been several days however, where it rains the majority of the day. Even then, it stops NO ONE from driving their motorbikes to work, school, or the market. Amazing is all I can say about their "relentlessness" when it comes to work.

As for work, I'm enjoying myself and learning more and more about the Vietnamese market, especially with respects to marketing and advertising and what drives consumers on this end of the world. Here's a pic of yours truly on the job:



My typical day begins with my alarm clock (the roosters next door) going off at about 5:30am. I grab some breakfast and am out the door by 7am. Work is work, nothing really special yet. I get home at about 7PM and then eat dinner w/ my family (grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins). After that, depending on the weather, I chill w/ the "Godfather" of the family, my Gramps! He can't hear a lick I say but sure as hell can talk. He tells me stories about his life in Vietnam about 70 years ago. My gramps is pushing 90 and his mind is sharp as a tack! Weather permitting, I will often push him in his wheelchair around the neighborhood and we'll just gaze at all the pretty ladies walking by. My Gramps has good taste!

Me and the Godfather cruisin':



Here's a pic of my Grandma (not as healthy as Gramps) and Grampa during Christmas. This is her Hip-Hop "why you frontin'" pose:



Other than work, I spend most of my time eating. That's right nothing new huh, those who know me well, know that all I like to do is eat--relentlessly! I've been fortunate to be able to try a ton of different types of foods and delicacies. Everthing has been truly delicious and mouth watering. At first, when you think about some of the things that I have devoured, your first thought might be "are you f&$*#in' serious" or "shit, I'm calling Animal Protection". My reply: "yeah I know, but you gotta taste this shit...it's damn good!" The saying is "When in Rome, do as the Romans do"...well, when you're in Vietnam (or Southeast Asia) you do as the Vietnamese do and eat snake, dog, cat, alligator, eel, goat, pig face, and weasel MEAT! Mmmmm...finger lickin' good. Yeah, read that again...I did say cat, pig-face, and weasel meat! Honestly, the cat was by far the tastiest of the above. I am happy to say that I now consider myself well-rounded (no pun intended) to have feasted on K-9, Feline, and Reptile!

Check out some Feasting Photos. I don't think I should post some pics because when I get back to the States, I'll have animal protection peeps and PETA all over me. Plus, the blog may get shut down. At any rate...

They say this is chicken sauteed and marinated in Chinese herbal medicine..but I think it's quail..who knows, I ate it anyways:




Here's proof I ate that shit!





More Feastin' Photos:



Homeboy on the far right is a Priest...He drinks like a fish!



Give me some more...of whatever this is!



Me tryin' to front like a local:



And finally a bonus pick from my past--High School Prom...I don't even have this picture. I found it on the internet...via Myspace...damn, check out that Smooth Criminal:




Out Like Trout! Peace!