dickcherryheadspace

What i'd really like to do right now is take a breath.

Turn around, look that bull called Life square in the eye.

For a change, advance upon it. Take it by the horns. Wrestle it to the ground, stand on its neck and say, No. Life, you are my tool, not i yours.

Your partnership with Life is brief. It should be made to dance to your tune, and mine, more often.

That kind of defiance requires strength, vigour. More difficult to find as years roll by.
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1. There is no 'underclass' of people in VN, at least in Hanoi. There are no gypsies. Though, having pale skin is seen as desirable. Most of the garbage collectors are women, is that significant?

2. You never see small cockroaches in Hanoi. You only ever see fully grown ones about 4 cm. long.

3. How is a person ever supposed to get anything good done when s/he has to spend so much time at work?
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You might remember how Ron Wilkes won a photo competition with some tricked-out 'tilt shift' (toy town) photos. Well, no matter what you do, someone else has already done it better. Check out this amazing tilt-shift video of Sydney harbour (may be slow to load).

Bathtub V from Keith Loutit on Vimeo.

Most houses in Hanoi are tall: four or five floors or more, and very narrow. Ridiculously narrow, sometimes. Like inside you could spread your arms and touch the walls. Someone told me once that's because you pay more tax on a wider house. Not sure if that's true.

One of the characteristics of the Sofia cityscape is that many people live in big old panelki (apartment blocks built from panels). I was surprised that Hanoi had no panelki, but then the other day i spotted some little ones on Nguyen Trai street (click picture to enlarge). i'm curious what they're like inside.
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Monday is my day off. i usually go for a banh da cua in a little back street near the Hanoi opera house. It's a noodle dish with veggies, chili, nuts, pork, and little patties made from crab meat. Very yummy, and easy on the wallet - less than one US buck.

The chick who makes it has a nice face, but she doesn't smile a lot. She looks young, but her body seems a little worn out. When i look at her, i wonder what she does for fun, what sort of expectations she has of life.
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View dickcherry's Australia - streetview in a larger map

Google Maps is one of those things that makes you say Hurray for the internet. Some time ago i heard about its Street View feature - you know, you can take a 360 degree view from street level. i had the impression that its coverage was pretty limited, though - just a few places in New York or Washington DC, maybe.

i only discovered last night that large parts of Australia are included. i am totally blown away. i just visited my Mum's house... i mean i was standing right out the front, man. i've been visiting a few other places, including the Grand Arch at Jenolan Caves. Pictured is the house i grew up in, on Sydney's northern beaches. In this window, look west. It's the white house behind some trees and a low, white wall, a 4x4 parked in the driveway. i haven't seen that place for years!

Just how the hell google had the resources to create panoramic street views of half of Australia is incredible. But there it is - hopefully more places in the world will follow. But now i'm off for a virtual walk around the old neighbourhood. Super, Ultra, Mega cool.
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Tabloid icon M. Joseph Jackson has gone to be with Allah, according to his brother, Muhammad Abdul-Aziz (formerly: German Jackson). No surprises there, really. Michael Jackson has been an archaeological relic for the last 20 years, really.

Today i moonwalked a little, and said 'Chamone!', 'Eeh-hee!' and 'Owww!' several times, as my own personal tribute.

Jackson's early death crystallises his tragicomic life perfectly, elevating him, beatifying him, assuring him a place in the rock 'n' roll firmament equal to his sainted father-in-law, Elvis Presley.

You won't see his like again: rich pop stars these days have teams of assistants to stop them from being too outrageous, neurotic, or self-destructive.

Funny thing is, i thought about MJ for a moment this morning, before i heard he was dead. Spooky. Michael would have liked that.
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Now, whirl.
Go.
go there.
a place.
Oh God, it's a beautiful place.
is it a busy place? is it empty?
is it ugly too?
are you lonely?
devour everything you touch with you.
devour everyone.
Whirl.
see things, have things, be things.
see that thing?
find it. learn it. steal it, use it
Hold it. For a moment. Stop.
now Go ahead and break it. start again
...whirl.
see her coming?
now you know what to do
Anything.
anything at all
take it. grab it. Let it go
cry. like a girl.
and
Whirl

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Well, it may be unbearably hot and humid here in Hanoi, but at least near my place it's peaceful and quie...

Oh.

That's the problem with developing economies. Too much development.
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Australia zokay. you could go a long way to find a place with such nice beaches, cute animals, and such high security and wealth.

Did i say high security? That's apt. You may take photos within the defined boundaries of the suburban plot you have mortgaged off 25 years of your life to pay for. Or designated tourist areas.

Switch on the TV, and be reassured that we're still a member of Planet America. But uh-oh, there's trouble about, within the land. That will be down to the Lebanese, or the Aboriginals, or some other immigrants.

There's trouble without the land, also, but that's far away, in those loser parts of the world, I can't remember. Doesn't matter, for we are safe here, a million miles from trouble. And only the good and upright may climb aboard the Fortress Island.

Though my universe is a suburb, I live the bushland frontier. Though I am an office worker, in my breast beats the heart of an outlaw. Like every white man here, I can surf a board, fight a crocodile, and shear a sheep. I am the straight-shooting envy of the World.
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The heat in Hanoi is enough to given you a wooden head. It's not just me. Everyone here has slowed down, people seem tired. Today it was (according to BBC Weather) 38 degrees in Hanoi, but it felt noticeably cooler than the last couple of days. Now that is crazy.

Anyway, the heat started me thinking about the physics of heat loss in the human organism (hey, it's important in the tropics).

In a basic way, i now understand how sweat cools us - the energy required for your sweat to evaporate (become water vapour) draws heat energy from the water on your skin, and thus from the surface area of your skin covered by water. i'm surprised how efficient it is. All part of God's Wonderful Plan, of course (yeah right). i'm covered in sweat as i write this.

Sweating for heat loss is less efficient in high humidity. Now my knowledge gets a little hazier, but here goes. There is a limit to the amount of water vapour that air can carry (30 grams per cubic meter at 30 degrees?). After that amount, no more can be lost to the air, and sweat as much as you like, it will not evaporate, and it will not cool you. That's why heat and humidity together feel so bloody uncomfortable. i am there now.

Thank God (there He is again) for fans. Moving air makes you feel cooler thanks to the wind chill effect. Now here i don't understand how it works. When i turn on a fan, i know the moving air it creates is the same temperature as the still air. Why does moving air cool us more than still air? i've checked a few sources on the internet and i'm still unsure.

But i'm not thinking clearly. It's too hot and humid.
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