a little bit of happiness.... and its gone.

Work has moved out of the city of Hanoi to the province of Bac Ninh. Facilities and infrastructure is so much better but the work still remains the same, mundane.

The journey to work takes an hour on motorbike and there are 2 routes that I could take to work. The big highway with the speeding trucks, cross winds and roadside police stops or the rural roads through villages and farms. Well, its obvious that the latter is chosen. The roads out of the city feel rather tranquil with the passing villages where you get a glimpse of the simple village life outside the city. Kids running around, flying kites, people bringing their herds of cows and horses out to graze together with kids playing football. But what I found rather peaceful is the stretch of roads that passes by the many rice farms. Every time I pass it, it somehow feels different with the different lighting and stuff going on. I can’t help but feel a sense of serenity when I pass by these farms and rice fields with farmers working on then, but then I arrive at the big empty 4-lane road that leads to the industrial park which means I’ve arrived at work.

Reality check bro. fml.

Btw these roads are quite scary at night with no streetlights and it gets worst when it rains.

Musings from the cafe yet again.

So I don't know what has been happening to me. I'm not my usual  self these few days. I tend to be more pessimistic and grumpy at times. I'm not socializing with random ppl as much as I used to. In fact none at all! I went for a music festival ALONE and went out of it without knowing anyone new. This is really unacceptable. Nowadays, whilst riding to work, I find myself thinking really pessimistically emoing about my current predicament - not being able to have much free time to immerse into te culture and the fact that time is all wasted on a job which has no value to me. And I attribute it to the current situation I'm in. Shitty work conditions and stupid job scope. I really wonder if I can find any drive to carry on for the next 3 months anymore. 

Many people say I've got a good life of traveling. Yea it's true, ive seen many things, but they do not see the shitty side of things that I've got to face. And you can learn that everything isn't all that it seems and live by it. 

I really did not come here to see the warehouse the whole day. I came here to see Vietnam and maybe some Vietnamese girls haha. Come on... To some celestial power pls grant me that wish. 

Where is my adventure in Singapore?

Talking to a german who used to live in singapore in the 90s, i found out that there was a time where Singapore had a 60m outdoor natural wall and you could do some cliff jumping into the water as well. Where is it now? Where can the young Singaporeans experience the adrenaline rush of such activities anymore?

Musings from the coffee shop facing the road

Traveling has really broadened my perspective on world issues. sometimes I look upon my tiny country with its tiny issues and I can't help but smirk at those issues where my fellow citizens go crazy about with continuous whining and complaints. Not that condescending anybody here but it has helped me grow more appreciative of this little nation of mine.

Singapore is the only nation that has grown from a poverty stricken 3rd world country to a developed country within the span of 1 generation and I'm proud to say that I'm a product of this process. One of these things that amaze others is how the mindset of this society changed so rapidly during this period, from a very traditional conservative asian culture to a moderately individualistic one. But that being said, filial piety and family still remains the root of the society. Parents are still being taken care of and kids are raised with their own freedom of thought but Asian values such as respect to your elders is still inculcated. Although this little country of mine cannot be really spotted from space, it has placed itself on the world map for its own merits. Europeans, Americans (well maybe some, definitely not all) and Asia look to Singapore as a champion in its own right. However, this is not a reason for us to get complacent too. We must always remember that There is never a finish line in this race but rather if we start lagging behind the pack, we'll struggle to keep up and get left behind.