'Twas the Night Before Christmas

I'm not much for crowds; I get claustrophobic when I can't see what's around. But Asian crowds aren't so bad because everyone's so small. And last night (Christmas Eve), the streets were filled.

From the Opera House to the Ben Thanh Market, a critical mass of people, some walking but most on motorbikes, congregated to celebrate. While the outer lanes of traffic slowly lurched along with riders waving the red flag of Vietnam, the central lane down Le Loi was jammed with groups of people loitering around the odd drum circle (by drum, I mean any thing not tied down: bucket, water cooler, pots and pans, etc.).

But were all these people really that excited about the Fat Guy shimmying down their palm tree? Were they hoping to get their names on the naughty list? Were they out buying milk and cookies? Had they forgotten that Buddhists don't worship idols?

Hell no.

They were celebrating Vietnam's 2-1 victory over Thailand in the first round of the AFF Suzuki Cup Finals. This was a sweet win for Vietnam, pitted as the underdogs, and now the boys will bring it home to play the final in Hanoi on December 28th.

I Got Mail!

My first and probably only Christmas card of the season came in the post today. I was pretty surprised to get it. 

First off, let me admit that I'm a snail mail whore. Ever since a friend gave me a wax seal engraved with my initials, I've been addicted to sending personal notes. And don't get me started about the paper; I'm obsessive about my stationary, preferring a handmade stock out of Italy (I forget the name) that is as smooth as silk to the touch. I even ripped a page out of Karl Rove's book, adorning vintage stamps to my envelopes.  

But not only was it great to get a physical Xmas card in a foreign country and in a time when the status quo is the flashy e-card, I was more impressed by the fact that it was from a creative agency based in Australia, whose services I chose not to use. 

Accepting rejection is an art. And trust me, there'll be a time when I say yes to these guys.  

Radio Silence

Please excuse me for my radio silence. I've been a little preoccupied, not that you care. Plus, I'm on constant beach-time here in the tropics.