Vietnamese coffee pwnz j00

I brought back a bag of Trung Nguyen #3 from Vietnam, mostly as an afterthought. I figured I'd need it, since I'd be jetlagged and I had finished off my last batch from Beethoven before setting out.

Well, I'm so glad I managed to stuff it in my suitcase, because this iced coffee I'm drinking now kicks some serious ass. Melted Haagen-Dazs, anyone? It was worth it even though it took an eternity to brew (metal drip), and even though it'll probably keep me up all night. But who cares when we're getting five earthquakes a night anyway?

Next I'm going to try it through the AeroPress with a long wait and double filter, because what's more fun than brewing with the AeroPress?

Can I get a hallelujah?

In Google reader you can now add a comment to shared items. That pretty much seals the deal; my shared feeds will gradually replace this blog. I spend a few hours a month blogging compared to several hours a day reading feeds.

I could profess my love for Google reader some more, but I do have to say it's draining to come back from travel and see 1000+ unread posts. It's a good thing I don't have a real job.

Check my shared feeds here and also up and to the right.

home is where the convenience is

I barely registered leaving Singapore this morning on a 6AM flight. I've been sleeping intermittently through flight, movies, meals, regular trains, bullet train, subway since then. (Ooh, I did get to see Jumper and a fantastically cheesy bollywood movie called Aaja Nachle. They really have the weirdest mix of movie selection on Northwest flights. Home Alone 3? Phonebooth? Why?)

I got into Sendai a few hours ago, and it actually feels really good to be back in Japan...if not a little weird. It's weird being the tourist amongst the Japanese again, when a few days ago I was having fun picking the Japanese out from the other East-Asian tourists.

Anyway, it was good that we transited through Singapore between Cambodia and Japan. At least, there's less sticker-shock that way, though no less culture-shock going from ethnic melting pot to near-homogeneity.

I've been sifting through mail, laundry, and photos for the past couple hours, but I should be sleeping. I'll probably lie awake with regret, because I really should have eaten more mangosteens.

Southeast Asia 1

Singapore's Changi airport has a pretty fantastic reputation: fancy lounges to sleep in, showers, a pool, a gym, whatever you want. Bountiful amenities notwithstanding, when you arrive at 1:45am, bleary-eyed and stiff-jointed, it is really fucking hard to find a place to crash. We ended up getting a hotel in the red light district for the night. (No bed bugs, yay!)

We spent the next two days wandering about the city, being baked alive in the tropical heat. It is really, really draining to be out in midday...just wake up early and do stuff or sleep through it. My duffel, similarly exhausted, finally split open along a side. It served me a good 10 years, but I found a cheap and stylish replacement in Little India. Singapore is a tiny city divided into cool ethnic villages (e.g. Chinatown, Little India, Arab Street) -- allowing you to walk from a Buddhist temple to a Mosque in less than five minutes. However, Chinese food seems to dominate as the cheap fast-food of choice on the street and in hawker centers alike. What really matters is I finally got to have my siu gap ho fun (roast duck rice noodles).

Now we're in the Old Quarter of Hanoi, where I will probably die as so much roadkill -- flattened by a stinky herd of mopeds. Christ, the HONKING! It never ends! Do NOT wake up here with a hangover. Crossing the street here is like being Frogger in a very dense, noisy level. Walking around for a couple hours leads to sensory overload. Food, however, is stimulating in a good way and tasty cafes are a dime a dozen.

Restaurant and hotel staff are sweet, but most of the locals in this area of Hanoi do not give a flying fuck about tourists. I can't speak for other areas of Vietnam, but many are indifferent (once they realize they're not getting your money) and some are downright rude. Living in Japan, I take pleases and thank yous and common courtesy for granted.

I was looking at some items in a market today, and I was blocking a woman's path. She had a heavy bundle of goods on her head, but she didn't give me so much as a warning -- just yelled "OY! OY!"and swatted me upside the head with a book in her free hand. I felt bad for being in her way, but I also wanted to punch her in the face.

We're gonna check out the west side of town tomorrow, starting with Ho Chi Minh's embalmed corpse. Maybe that will be less intense.

Hinduism is OLD

I found a nice site for a quick history brush-up (before I embark on my little Southeast Asia tour). Reasonably accurate, 90-second flash animations for that instant gratification we've become so used to.

Maps of War