Ben Ngo

kidngo

Ben Ngo

Gorging on bowls of noodle soup in Ho Chi Minh City...



Oceania » Australia » New South Wales » Albury February 14th 2009

Ok, admittedly this isn't about travelling, but I haven't found anywhere else to put this for the moment. It's a little story I put together over 2 lunch hours and a friday morning. I find it amusing, so I hope you do too. The Story of Edward and Belinda - A Twisted Valentine's Day Fairy Tale. For Eliza, Happy Cholera Day! Once upon a time, there was a boy and a girl. Their names were Edward and Belinda and they were in love. They lived in a little cottage on a little street, amongst neighbours who also lived in little cottages on their little street. Every morning, Belinda would wake up first and say, ‘Good morning Edward my love!’ Edward would waken and turn to Belinda and say, ‘Good morning Shnookums!’ ‘I love you so much!’ ... read more

Asia » Vietnam » Southeast » Ho Chi Minh City September 17th 2007

Morning all, How's things? Hope you're all fine and/or dandy. Today's entry is thus: "I'm only happy when it rains, I'm only happy when it's complicated, and though I know you can't appreciate it, I'm only happy when it rains...." Garbage - Only happy when it rains I like it when it rains in Ho Chi Minh City. We're halfway through the rainy season at the moment, and it rains every second day. Sometimes it's a quick 20 minute shower, sometimes it lasts for a few hours. When it rains though, it's not like a few drops out of a cloud, it's torrential rain with a thunder and lightning extravaganza! I like the rain for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it makes me happy that rain does actually exist and occur and is not a figment ... read more

Asia » Vietnam » Southeast » Ho Chi Minh City September 10th 2007

Afternoon all, How's things? Hope you're fine and/or dandy…. It's September, and dutiful osstrayan that I am, I watched my footy team on TV over the weekend and amazingly they won. Fingers crossed for next week :) No blurb today. This week's entry is thus: "No no limits, we'll reach for the sky! No valley too deep, no mountain too high, No no limits, won't give up the fight! We do what we want and we do it with pride...." 2 Unlimited - No limits In Vietnam I sometimes feel like I'm stuck in a time warp. There'll be days when I have moments that make me feel like I've regressed to being a teenager again in the mid 90s. This was definitely the case on my visit to Dam Sen water park. I was at ... read more

Asia » Vietnam » Southeast » Ho Chi Minh City August 31st 2007

Howdy all, How's things? Hope you're all fine and/or dandy. Now, I have to be honest, I wrote this one at the start of the year but never got around to sending it for some strange reason. A lot of it still rings true and the experience here rarely ceases to amuse. I would have written a proper one but it's just waaay too busy at the moment, and the moments of inspiration have been few and far between, despite the number of showers and visits to the can I've had to try and induce it. Anyway, this week's entry is thus: "Well look here until then, They're gonna buy your life's time, So keep your wick in the air, And your feet in the fetters 'til that day…" The Shins - Australia Here I am ... read more

Asia » Vietnam » Southeast » Ho Chi Minh City August 22nd 2007

How's things? Hope you're all fine and/or dandy. Wow, it's been a whirlwind few weeks since I've arrived back in HCMC (Saigon), so the creative process has been hampered significantly by just a general lack of quiet time. I mean, how often are you just there with little to no stimulus around you to concentrate of creative endeavours?? Really the closest one gets to quiet contemplation nowadays is the time in the shower where there's only you and the sound of running water. Well it's either that or the thunderbox, but most of the time people don't even relax when they're on the can. They're too busy filling that satisying moment of release with a newspaper or book. Time on the can is probably one of the few periodsof pure relaxation in your day, when really ... read more

Asia » Vietnam » Southeast » Ho Chi Minh City August 2nd 2007

Evening all, How's things? Hope you're fine and/or dandy. Admittedly I'm not crash hot at the moment as I'm coping with the fact I encountered too many chillies yesterday in my soup. Who would've thought that possible? Certainly not I…. This may have in fact affected my ability to write, so this one may have taken a turn for the absurd, but hey, torturous burning sensations either takes you to a higher plane in understanding truth, or it gives you a mild sense of delirium. Hahahehehohoho….. To all those I've added to the list recently, apologies for leaving you out, it was an accident. If you're bored/curious and want any previous entries, let me know and I'll send them through. And of course, let me know if you no longer wish to receive these emails. Anyway, ... read more

Asia » Vietnam » Southeast » Ho Chi Minh City July 19th 2007

Hi All, How's things? Hope you're all fine and/or dandy. This is the last entry for July as I am heading for a week holiday back home in Australia. I'll try and tell you more silly stories when I'm back in vietnam in August. Til then, look after each other, and hopefully I'll see you if you're in melbourne :) This week's entry is thus: ********* AMY, LEELA, KIF and ZAPP are all on a double date. Kif is awfully shy. AMY: Kif, you're so quiet. You haven't said a word all night. KIF: Well, um, um ... hello. AMY: 'Cause I was really hoping we could talk and stuff. Kif stutters and gasps then drinks a glass of wine and in desperation takes out Zapp's book of sleazy one liners. Zapp smirks and picks his ... read more

Asia » Vietnam » Southeast » Ho Chi Minh City July 12th 2007

Evening all, How's things? Hope you're all fine and/or dandy. Not much going on here in Saigon, except it's 35 degrees. How's Melbourne? :) Anyways, no preface today. This week's entry is thus: One day I'll know there'll be a place called home…. One day there'll be a place for us.... - PJ Harvey I generally avoid talking about work when it comes to these emails, and for good reason. How often do people actually want to hear about work? Does it consume far too much of our lives? Usually. Is it interesting to hear about? Sometimes, but not usually. Unless you're in marketing that is, those marketing guys are hilarious and always joking about, i can't take anything they say seriously. 'I love you marketing guys, everything you say is hilarious because you're always kidding ... read more

Asia » Vietnam » Southeast » Ho Chi Minh City July 2nd 2007

Morning all, How's things? Hope you're all fine and/or dandy. It's been a heck of a while hasn't it? Thanks for all your replies, they are always welcomed and it's good to hear that they are read every now and again. To all those that have written and I have yet to reply, sorry, it's been a busy few weeks and I will try to get to them. So yes, it has been busy. Work has been busy, but outside of work there have been assignments, procrastinating from doing assignments, sleeping, procrastinating from doing assignments, eating, and procrastinating from doing assignments. And of course there was entertaining to be had, but that can hardly be called a chore :) And yay, assignments are over so I can chill out now, I'm very pleased because I can ... read more

Asia » Vietnam » Southeast » Ho Chi Minh City June 3rd 2007

Hey all, How's things? Hope you're all fine and/or dandy. I was just chowing down on some rice paper rolls and 'special' seafood rolls (which were not that special really) earlier today thinking I should be doing my assignments, but being the procrastinating wonder that I am, I was busily scribbling things for a blog entry in between mouthfuls of rice paper roll and baby coconut juice, trying hard not to get fish sauce or coconut juice all over my bits of paper. I can write while eating only because there's no one sitting across the table looking at me aghast :) Writing for me is a relatively solitary experience, much in the same way studying is. Sometimes it can be done with someone else, but generally things happen faster when you're alone and you're not ... read more




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