Barbecue

While I was away Keisuke finally got us a barbeque, a real Vietnamese style one. This Friday Thoa helped us get it started and then some friends came over to try her wonderful shrimp skewers, with plenty of "tinto de verano". Very summery.

During the weekend we also had time for a fairwell party for some friends moving to Uzbekistan, and a dip in the Jafa pool in Ciputra.

The future?

My lines just never seem to be the same as on these kind of images...

The past. The future.

The future? Futuristic? But, why is he sitting there, when there is plenty of comfortable space in the waiting (not construction) area around the corner?

The Singapore - Holland - Belgium tour

Don't think I have even taken as few pictures when travelling. Maybe most of the places were just too familiar/boring? Or I actually had to work most of the time?

Swosch. Singapore highrises passing by in the taxi.

Absolutely no time for hiking. But nice view from the meeeting room.

And before I had time to say Singapore Sling I was on my way to next country. This kind of clouds must be soft to fall on.

Along the canal in Leiden, a small Dutch university town.

No time for this, but closed anyway...

In Brussels they really like big black glass buildings. Too many offices an too many bureaucrats for my taste.

And then... blue skies, puffy white clouds, fresh green leaves on healthy clean trees. In the middle of the city. Compared to Hanoi, European cities sure have a few advantages.

My family

Even greater than going away for a week or two every now and then, is coming home to my family again. Although today Keisuke took off for a week in Japan, to hang out with friends and for some administrative matter. He needed new passport photos of himself and the kids:

Lazy days before work

This week we have enjoyed summer coming back with this year's first heatwave and a couple of hot and sunny afternoons in the pool, and later a couple of days of heavy but lovely summer thunderstorms with loads of rain cooling everything off a bit. Summer for sure is here, finally.

Honomi and Kai at Sedona.

Keisuke's got a couple of weeks off work and we enjoy local lunches in the area, like fried won ton with ham and noodles and won ton and shrimps in soup.

And tomorrow I am off to Singapore for an intensive week of work, covering Holland and Belgium as well.

Coffee and fish

Yesterday we went to Truc Bach to have a coffee at Hanoi Cooking Center where they serve Hanoi's best capuccino, with absolutely no plans whatsoever to come home with a bunch of fish and other aquarium utensiles... Now four small pink fish - Hana's choice - and to larger stingy looking black fish - Kai's choice - and a couple of others, live together in a large glass can in our living room. The kids love it, want to feed them all the time.

Just need some sand and stones at the bottom.

Happy Birthday Hana 3 years

Today is the "real" day and Hana got celebrated in school with crown and singing and cake and all. Keisuke and I brought "marängsviss" which of course was highly popular.

Renad and Hana, waiting for cake.

And I always wonder how they get ten three-years-old to sit around the table, behaving fairly well. At home it is impossible with just two...

Other than that, Hana's got classmates from Argentina, Japan, Spain, New Zeeland, Denmark, Vietnam, Italy, Israel, Australia and Britain. A lovely mix.

The magician

For the birthday party we had booked a magician to come entertain the little ones. We had informed him that the kids where three years old so please, a funny but age appropriate show. And - no animals.

He showed up an hour late and started by getting a bunch of doves out of his hat. Then he threw a raw egg on a little boy (of course we all thought it would be bolied, por favor, luckily Kai managed to catch the one first threwn at him...), and, fussing rather unappropriatley inside another one's pants, he found another dove there. Then, failing with one trick, he poured a glass of milk over another and then almost set fire on Ayla during his grand finale. As if this wasn't enough, he poured a small herd of little duckings out of the bucket where he finally had managed to throw in the burning papers. They started to run around the cafe in panic, immediately chased as they were by twenty excited three-years-old, until some responsible parents managed to catch and save them. By then the magician had disappeared, apparently getting dressed or packing up doves or something.

Enjoying (?) the show.

Ayla, before the fire and the ducklings...

In the end, nothing to get upset about. We're all used to expect the unexpected and by now it has more or less turned into the expected. Anyway - it's not him. It's the country. Or the culture. Or what?

Birthday and party

Yesterday we celebrated Hana's birthday, just a little early, but as it was the day of the party we thought it might be just as well.

In the morning we did it the Swedish way, with singing and candles and presents and breakfast in bed.

And later it was time for the big party, at Lol Cafe and together with classmate Ayla who just turned three as well. Twentysomething kids and loads of parents and loads of fun.

Ho Chi Minh in party mood watched over us.

Jack fruit

Totally not a favourite of mine, but must be pretty popular as there are bicycle stalls everywhere offering them. It smells bad, I think. Sort of like a light version of Durian, and that, for sure, is not a compliment...

Summer is here

What a lovely day. A warm breeze, old leaves falling of the trees, dancing in the air, while new green ones are already making the city feel at least a little bit greener. In the morning I went into town to get some stuff for the little birthday party coming up this weekend, and it is wonderful to see people everywhere, enjoying lunch or something cold to drink in the shadow under the trees on every street. In the afternoon Hosea came home with Kai. Off went the clothes and on went the water hose. Loads of fun in the sun.

Icecream and garden play.

Sunny streets.

Tea and newspaper in the shadow.

Long weekend

We skipped Labor Day and Liberation Day celebrations and dedicated the four day long weekend to doing very little, spending time with friends and at home.

Needs a hair cut, but refuses. Has seen a cool soccer player in some video with extremely long rasta locks and now wants the same...

Little friends. Hanging out at Lena's place. In different classes in school, but teachers frequently find them playing in the garden together, sneaking away to speak Japanese.

Jordy visiting. An awesome Australian dude, who teaches Kai awesome expressions. Like awesome. To be used all the time.