tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14340820700460197132024-03-13T18:08:55.233+07:00The West Lake ReviewUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger67125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1434082070046019713.post-11317595772458790052016-06-07T10:17:00.002+07:002016-06-07T15:34:51.731+07:00New website<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<br />
Visit <a href="http://www.zacherman.com/" target="_blank">www.zacherman.com</a> for more about Zac Herman.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1434082070046019713.post-34227869739717458202014-08-17T12:01:00.000+07:002014-08-17T15:12:53.666+07:00Purpose<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>
<w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>
<w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
</w:Compatibility>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276">
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">For all generations
of students</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Water<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">wipes clean what is soiled <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">nourishes and renews all things <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Fire <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">drives away darkness<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">upholds the light <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">creator of civilization<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Flower <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">absolute beauty<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">absolute fragrance<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">though the land is a wasted desert <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Pebble <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">knows<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">it is a cell <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">of a skyscraper <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<br />
-<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Mục đích<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Tặng các thế hệ học
trò<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Nước<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">gột rửa tát thảy những dơ bẩn<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">nuôi nấng và làm tươi mới vạn vật <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Lửa <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">xua đuổi bong tối <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">duy trì ánh sáng <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">tạo lập văn minh<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Bông hoa <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">đẹp hết mình <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">thơm hết mình <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">dù đất đai cỗi cằn hoang mạc <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Viên đá nhỏ <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">tự biết<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">là một tế bào <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">của tòa cao ốc chọc trời <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">-Lan Hoàng Miên, <i>Mơ về ngôi rừng </i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><a href="http://vanvn.net/news/5/2875-tac-gia-lan-hoang-mien.html">Tác giả Lan Hoàng Miên </a> vanvn.net</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Trans. Zac Herman </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment--></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1434082070046019713.post-4582519446797773922014-08-17T11:02:00.000+07:002014-08-17T11:02:40.194+07:00A Refrain<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>
<w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>
<w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
</w:Compatibility>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276">
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>
<w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>
<w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
</w:Compatibility>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276">
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Times;">The sun has set<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Go home, my love!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Don’t stand there looking at my house<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Times;">It looks just like all the
rest
</span><span style="font-family: Times;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Times;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Go home, my love!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Don’t sing by my window anymore<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Times;">The song you once sang<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Times;">By your own window<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Times;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Times;">The moon is down<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Go home<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Times;">My love! </span><span style="font-family: Times;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Điệp khúc</span><span style="font-family: Times;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Nắng đã tắt rồi</span><span style="font-family: Times;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Về thôi anh yêu!</span><span style="font-family: Times;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Đừng đứng nhìn ngôi nhà của em</span><span style="font-family: Times;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Times;">có vẻ giống những ngôi nhà khác</span><span style="font-family: Times;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Về thôi anh yêu!</span><span style="font-family: Times;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Đừng hát mãi bên cửa sổ nhà em</span><span style="font-family: Times;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Times;">bài ca anh từng hát</span><span style="font-family: Times;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Times;">bên cửa sổ nhà người</span><span style="font-family: Times;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Trăng đã lặn rồi</span><span style="font-family: Times;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Về thôi</span><span style="font-family: Times;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Anh yêu!</span><span style="font-family: Times;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Times;">-Lan Hoàng Miên, <i>Mơ về ngôi rừng </i></span><span style="font-family: Times;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Times;"><a href="http://vanvn.net/news/5/2875-tac-gia-lan-hoang-mien.html">Tác giả Lan Hoàng Miên </a> vanvn.net </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Trans. Zac Herman </span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 24.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">
</span></div>
<!--EndFragment--><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large; line-height: 24px;"> </span></div>
<!--EndFragment--></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1434082070046019713.post-30786410384063418012014-08-17T06:10:00.000+07:002014-08-17T09:27:47.634+07:00Two Years with Debris<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">At the end of 2009, Vinh Quyen visited the US to introduce the first edition of “Debris of Debris” at the College of Saint Benedict, Minnesota. The college’s publishing house printed a limited number of copies for in-house use. The author then spent an additional two years making further revisions to the novel and looking for an English language editor and a publishing house that would be able to bring his work into the homes of readers throughout the world.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #333333; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 7px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 7px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">In order to tell the full story of a war, one must certainly include the aftermath of its destruction. That is why “Debris of Debris”, the first Vietnamese authored English language novel written in Vietnam by writer and journalist Vinh Quyen, is such a valuable contribution to Vietnamese history and literature: as one of the main characters states “to survive the war is one thing, but to live happily in the post-war time is another.” This book is the voice of the lost generation of young Vietnamese intellectuals picking up the “debris” of their lives and trying to start over immediately following the end of the Vietnam war in 1975.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 22px;">So, that is why I agreed to edit “Debris of Debris.”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #333333; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 7px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 7px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">After reading through the manuscript, I came to the conclusion that “Debris of Debris” is a story not unique to Vietnam, but is one that applies to any modern day post-war period. The novel will have particular appeal to Americans that have experienced war firsthand, or are interested in learning more about the post-war hardships faced by American soldiers after the Vietnam war because their experiences are surprisingly similar to those of the characters in “Debris of Debris”. I also hope that younger generations and people who were fortunate enough to never have gone to war can get a sense of the extent to which war affects an individual’s life by reading Vinh Quyen’s story. Readers will be exposed to the universal values of what it means to be young during times of hardship, to lose a love and to later reunite with them, to struggle with finding one’s identity after it has been stripped away, and to fight for a cause believed to be just even if it means risking one’s life.</span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">
</span>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">I did not know much about the book’s author when I began to work with him, but as time went by, I came to learn that Vinh Quyen holds a senior position at Lao Dong newspaper, one of the most widely circulated newspapers in the country, has published hundreds of articles and short stories and more than a dozen novels, is a scholar of history and languages, and is well known and respected in the world of Vietnamese literature and journalism. Over time, the editing process became a partnership between the author and myself and together, we were able to unite our two cultures by creating a story authentically Vietnamese yet fully accessible to a Western audience. I also realized, however, that I had placed myself in a challenging position because, as a native English speaker in a foreign country like Vietnam where English is neither the native language nor a widely used secondary language like in countries such as the Phillipines, India, or various European countries, I myself must often make the final decision in how an English text is arranged.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 7px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 7px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Could I have edited “Debris of Debris” if I had never lived in Vietnam and did not understand the Vietnamese language? Maybe, as limited firsthand experience of a country and its native language is not uncommon for editors of specialized and translated texts from around the world. But, does living in Vietnam and understanding the language at least give me an advantage in the editing process. I believe that it certainly does, because a story, no matter how good it is, still faces the natural cross-cultural limitations of the linguistic and societal conditioning of its author; therefore, it is the editor’s role to understand the meaning that the author wishes to convey and to “translate” it by adjustments in both language as well as context, into a form that the target audience can relate to. After three years of living in Vietnam, studying the language, participating in the country’s literary culture by publishing short stories and articles in various newspapers, as well as and especially communicating with the author on a regular basis, I have developed a deeper understanding of the world in which the novel was created and can more easily grasp the author’s intentions behind his words.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #333333; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 7px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 7px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">I cannot help but feel mixed emotions about the end of this journey. I am excited to review the newest edition of the book, which contains in it so many hours of my time sitting in my office twirling a pencil on the tips of my fingers as I try to think of the perfect word or phrase to express the author’s exact and subtle meaning, and I am anxious to hold the newest printed manuscript and to feel the weight of the paper in my hands. But, on another level, I wish editing this novel would never end, for I cannot deny that the book has been a constant part of my life for two years now.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">-Zac Herman</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://tuoitrenews.vn/lifestyle/6102/two-years-with-debris">Two Years with Debris</a> tuoitrenews.vn </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.doanhnhancuoituan.com.vn/?p=27694">Hai năm cùng Mảnh Vỡ </a> doanhnhancuoituan.com.vn </span></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1434082070046019713.post-45276482285689848612012-08-30T21:30:00.000+07:002014-08-17T10:14:58.463+07:00台北 101<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:UseFELayout/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
</style> <![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 19px; line-height: 28px;">The 85<sup>th</sup> floor of the Taipei 101. Looking out the window, it doesn’t seem so tall. A blanket of smoky grey clouds rest just above a clear view of the city below. Veins of golden light cut through its black, pulsating urban heart. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 19px; line-height: 28px;">Someone at the table tonight said the lights below shimmered like diamonds. I can see that.</span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 19px; line-height: 28px;">It looks cold outside, but there’s really no way to tell. I heard there were a lot of trees in Taiwan; there are. The scenery in the distance is beautiful. Misty green mountains straight from those old Chinese paintings meditate in the distance.</span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 19px; line-height: 28px;">Of course, looking down at anything from a great height adds an element of beauty to it. But, when the initial moments of awe pass, I find myself standing there alone in silence with my hands shoved deep in my pockets, and I start to notice the buildings here are stained with soot. Boxy AC units hang precariously from great heights. Rows of white undershirts dry on balconies. Maybe this is the real Taiwan. At least the people here are nice, nicer than the people in Hanoi. I don’t know. After I travel to Tainan tomorrow, I’ll understand more.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px; line-height: 28px;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: 新細明體; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: ZH-TW;">I feel so far removed from reality, standing on one side of a pane of industrial strength glass, looking out onto an entire city. I ask myself if this was intended to make a person feel privelaged, or to make them feel even more isolated from the rest of the world. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: 新細明體; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: ZH-TW;">I go to the bathroom to take a piss and collect my thoughts. The wall behind the urinal is a floor-to-ceiling glass window. It was the most beautiful view I’ve ever seen while taking a piss. I was almost grateful.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: 新細明體; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: ZH-TW;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: 新細明體; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: ZH-TW;">-Zac Herman</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: 新細明體; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-language: ZH-TW;"><a href="http://laodong.com.vn/Lao-dong-cuoi-tuan/Tan-man-Dai-Bac-101/77841.bld">Đài Bắc 101</a> laodong.com.vn </span></span></span></div>
</div>
<!--EndFragment--></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 28px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 28px;"><!--EndFragment--></span><br />
<!--EndFragment--></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1434082070046019713.post-23024886588658085442012-02-27T23:33:00.002+07:002014-08-17T13:42:58.943+07:00I'm Crazy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I lie outside what is real,<br />
You sit within a dream.<br />
We're so very far apart,<br />
Such longing; what can be done?<br />
<br />
I gulp down lines of letters,<br />
I bite through words of verse.<br />
I bite, bite, bite, and bite,<br />
Until I can no longer breathe!<br />
<br />
Anh điên<br />
<br />
Anh nằm ngoài sự thực<br />
Em ngồi trong chiêm bao<br />
Cách nhau xa biết mấy<br />
Nhớ thương quá thì sao?<br />
<br />
Anh nuốt phứt hàng chữ<br />
Anh cắn vỡ lời thơ<br />
Anh cắn cắn cắn cắn<br />
Hơi thở đứt làm tư!<br />
<br />
-Hàn Mặc Tử<br />
Trans. Zac Herman</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1434082070046019713.post-82830429454067216162012-02-08T15:22:00.001+07:002014-08-17T10:24:14.338+07:00William Spends a Night in the Park<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
William grabbed his bag from the shelf overhead and stepped down onto the pavement. When he got off the bus, it was already dark. From where he stood, William was about ten blocks away from the only park in the city, a place he used to avoid after the sun went down. Now, however, it seemed like a welcome respite after such a long trip. The walk was refreshing and it felt good to see the sky again, to be alone again and feel his suffocated mind begin to clear. As William walked down the street, he looked into the store windows and was drawn to the warm lights and pretty faces of the employees inside. The streets weren’t crowded, but there were just enough people out to remind him that he wasn’t on the mountain anymore, that the woods he had grown to love and depend on over the past few months were long gone, gone forever maybe, unless he could figure out a way to get back to them one day.</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
William reached the park about an hour later. The entrance lay just across the street; a silver archway inscribed with the name of an important member of the city everyone had long since forgotten. He found a clearing situated well off the footpath, laid down his bag and stretched out on the cool, even blades of grass, and looked up at the crescent moon. The stars were shrouded by streetlights, and the sky appeared distant and unfamiliar. William lay there listening to the electric buzz of lamp posts, closed his eyes and reflected on one memory in particular from his time on the mountain.</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
One morning, as he trudged through the thicket of the forest, William suddenly stepped out into a field where a young deer was grazing. Its head shot up and turned in his direction. William paused to admire its golden coat shining in the sunlight, its slender neck, and trembling shanks. A few seconds later, the deer dashed off across the field, leaping several feet into the air with each powerful thrust of its legs.</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
*</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
William prepared to leave the park before daylight; he took a deep breath, lifted his bag up onto his shoulders and swayed slightly, dizzy with hunger. He looked around, but couldn’t see much through the fog and the steam of his breath. William started off walking in no particular direction, reluctant to end up anywhere, yet not wanting to stay in any one place for too long. It reminded him of the day he decided to<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>step out of his house and never look back. Although he had no plan, William had a great sense of purpose.<br />
<br />
-Zac Herman</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://tuoitre.vn/tuoi-tre-cuoi-tuan/van-hoa-nghe-thuat/499244/William-qua-dem-trong-cong-vien.html#ad-image-0">Chùm truyện ngắn của Zac Herman </a> tuoitre.vn </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1434082070046019713.post-59398298500020167152011-11-30T20:19:00.001+07:002016-06-07T15:35:05.387+07:00Who can fly?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "times" , "freeserif" , serif; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;">Visit </span><a href="http://www.zacherman.com/" style="color: #447adf; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 18px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">www.zacherman.com</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "times" , "freeserif" , serif; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;"> for more about Zac Herman.</span><br />
<br />
I've tried a lot of things in my life already, but I've never tried to become invisible. I've tried a lot of things, but never tried to fly. Last night I tried both. Stepped out of my house about 1 a.m., late, walked over to West lake. Quiet; no, silent. A couple of motorbikes passed by me on the narrow streets, a couple of rays of light pierced my eyes. I stood there leaning against the guard rail in the fog, staring out into a black vacuous space. The streetlights on the far side of the lake created a warm, comforting mirage; more beautiful than the side where I stood. It was at that moment I became invisible; but not only then, even now I am. No one can see me. Success. Now, on to the next part. I went home and climbed the stairs to the roof of my house, then jumped off.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
-Zac Herman</div>
<br />
<a href="http://aibietbay.blogspot.com/2011/05/ai-biet-bay.html">Ai biết bay?</a> aibietbay.blogspot.com</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1434082070046019713.post-52090774293338478642011-11-30T19:54:00.003+07:002014-08-17T15:12:22.613+07:00The Urban Farmer<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I am an urban farmer who lives on the roof of an eight story apartment building. It's here that I tend my garden day and night. Tomato vines wind their way around the balcony rails and a few pumpkins have been placed in the stairway. Roots of the tangerine tree pierce through the cracked porcelain bathtub I filled with soil. The jagged buildings nearby make me think back to the Ba Vi mountains. The dense canopy of trees below are like fresh green rice paddies. Cars honking their horns in the street are the calls of the egret, and stray dogs are the grazing buffalo.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
At night I sometimes look into my neighbour's windows and see them walking barefoot through their living rooms, see them watching TV, or feeding a crying baby; I even see them staring back at me. When I get tired, I lay down on the cement rooftop and sleep under the stars.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
-</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
This morning the trees are still, the air, humid. The streets are already bustling with traffic, and the voices of workers rise up from below. But, these things don't have anything to do with me, don't have anything to do with an urban farmer.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
-Zac Herman</div>
<a href="http://www.thanhnien.com.vn/pages/20110814/doan-van-cua-zac-herman-nong-dan-do-thi.aspx">Nông dân đô thị </a> thanhnien.com.vn </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1434082070046019713.post-9158354951898084582011-11-19T22:40:00.000+07:002014-08-17T10:02:30.784+07:00Lunch with Viet<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">“I’ve jumped off a ship twice in my life; once on a cruise to St. Petersburg, the other as an illegal immigrant about a mile off the coast of New York City. I swam the rest of the way to shore.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Viet stirred his jasmine ginger tea.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">I believed him, I had no reason not to.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Jesus Christ,” I said and laughed. Inside I thought, “Jesus Christ” but wasn’t laughing.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">-Zac Herman </span></div>
<!--EndFragment--></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1434082070046019713.post-88432746941477421402011-11-15T20:32:00.004+07:002014-08-17T13:33:06.409+07:00The Chrysanthemums<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="border-collapse: collapse;">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></i></span></div>
<div style="border-collapse: collapse;">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For Teacher Pham Vinh Cu</span></i></span></div>
<div style="border-collapse: collapse;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The chrysanthemums you brought me</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Like pale violet lilies</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Bid the white walls</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Of the convalescence room</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">To glow without cease</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">-</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It was three forty-five in the afternoon</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The sun shone like gold</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">On the church bell tower</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And the prayers rose up</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">from the shining chrysanthemums </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Những bông cúc</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Kính tặng thầy Phạm Vĩnh Cư</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Những bông cúc người mang cho tôi</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Như những bông lyla tím nhạt</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Khiến những bức tường trắng </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">của nhà dưỡng bệnh</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">cứ phát sáng không ngừng </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">-</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lúc ấy là ba giờ bốn mươi lăm phút chiều</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Ánh mặt trời rực vàng</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">trên tháp chuông nhà thờ</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Và những lời cầu nguyện dâng lên </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">từ những bông cúc rực ánh sáng.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lan Hoàng Miên, <i>Mơ về ngôi rừng </i> </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://vanvn.net/news/5/2875-tac-gia-lan-hoang-mien.html">Tác giả Lan Hoàng Miên </a> vanvn.net</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Trans. Zac Herman </span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1434082070046019713.post-50607287528458153592011-10-23T22:21:00.000+07:002014-08-17T08:04:19.446+07:00House Hunting in Hanoi<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> <!--StartFragment--> </span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Part 1: You don’t know what you got ‘til you lose it.</span></i></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">I decided it was time for a change. So I got in contact with a few local real estate companies and let them know I was in the market for a new place. Over the phone they seemed helpful but not entirely interested. Then, I told them my budget and they became very accommodating.</span><span style="font-family: Times; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">This is the first time I’ve been on a “house hunt” in Vietnam. My current apartment had been prearranged for me by the company I work for. So, after I arrived here, I just showed up at the door, was given a key, and that was it. Until recently, I had never experienced the trials and tribulations of searching for a decent place in Hanoi, and until now I never fully appreciated my 100% foreign occupied, security controlled, fully serviced, West lake gem of an apartment.</span><span style="font-family: Times; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Part 2: Why the change?</span></i><span style="font-family: Times; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">No matter where you live or what you do, almost all of us face the dreaded commute to and from the office every morning and evening. I work in the center of Hanoi and at the same time live about as far away from it as possible. Let’s just say I can easily contemplate an extensive stretch of rice paddies from the roof of my apartment building. My wife, too. We agreed that losing 90 minutes of our life each day to the chaos of Hanoi streets was no longer an acceptable use of our precious time; we would much rather spend it watching movies on HBO.</span><span style="font-family: Times; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Part 3: I hear you, I’m just not listening.</span></i><span style="font-family: Times; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">It seems that the real estate agents I contact, whether through the phone or email, are never the same people I actually end up meeting. I only figure this out after I meet the agents in person and address them by the wrong names, and soon after realize that they have no idea what apartments I am interested in viewing, not to mention any of my preferences or specifications. I try to explain myself again, but to little avail. I am typically guided to a number of homes on a predetermined list jotted down in pencil on the back of a folded scrap of paper. Following my comments after viewing a site, the tour is adjusted and improvised accordingly. I also meet with a pair of agents as well, meaning one girl and one guy. The girl knows a sufficient amount of English, is friendly, and claims to understand exactly what I’m looking for. From what I’ve observed, it is the guy’s job to drive the motorbike, look bored, and occasionally complain to his colleague in Vietnamese. The issue I most often encounter is that, although the female member of the couple supposedly understands my requirements, she leads me to progressively worse homes as the tour continues on; apartments and houses that stray further and further from the standard. The kitchen appliances become older, the bedrooms smaller, and the roads leading to the buildings transform into streets and eventually shrink to alleyways lined with wilting vegetables. The initial apartment building we viewed contained an underground garage for cars and motorbikes. Shortly after, however, the garage was replaced by a driveway, then the driveway became …a living room.</span><span style="font-family: Times; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><br />
</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Part 4: A Buyer’s Market.</span></i><span style="font-family: Times; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><br />
</span></i></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">With the global recession and recent crash in the real estate market, it has become increasingly difficult for owners to rent out their houses and apartments to tenants at a profit. If you have money and the ability to negotiate a little, you can get a great deal on a home right now. This is what is known as a “buyer’s market”. In California for instance, house prices are just reaching 2/3 of their former value and before that, many homes were mortgaged at half their original purchase price; a tough time for sellers and a very good time for buyers, or renters in this case. And that’s where I come in. The situation is actually not so different in Hanoi right now. Because there is an excess of apartments for rent, whether it be explained by the recession, the excessive speed of urban transformation in developing countries, or any other economic factor for that matter, the bottom line is that there are a lot of great options to choose from. So, why am I complaining so much that I can’t find a decent place? Because the truth is that I have indeed seen some apartments downtown that were remodeled beautifully; hardwood floors, new furniture, stainless steel appliances, marble bathrooms, many of which would be considered exceptional even by American standards. So then is it the price? It’s not the price either, because as I said before, I as a buyer have the power of negotiation in my hands, and many landlords will readily lower their monthly rent by several hundred dollars in return for a one year contract, as well as provide any additional furniture the tenant demands. Not bad.</span><span style="font-family: Times; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><br />
</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Part 5: “Location, Location, Location.”</span></i><span style="font-family: Times; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><br />
</span></i></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">There’s a saying in America related to the success or failure of a piece of real estate, no matter what you choose to build on it: “Location, location, location”. That’s it. That’s my problem. I would go so far as to say that the unfortunate location of some of these beautiful apartments is absolutely tragic. It’s easy to see that the owners have spent thousands of dollars remodeling their apartments in the hope that it would be enough to compensate for the noisy streets, dirty food stalls, massage parlours, and dilapidated houses that surround many of these properties. While the interior of a home can be completely changed, the location of that home cannot be moved an inch. </span><span style="font-family: Times; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Time and time again I regretfully inform my well meaning female salespersons, “you know, I actually really love this apartment, but again, it’s the location..I just can’t consider this one as an option.” or “if this house was over there, (pointing to a beautiful park, embassy, or other picturesque plot of land that it could never possibly be relocated to) then I’d definitely choose it,..but it’s not (shrugging shoulders).” The girl smiles sympathetically. The guy stares down at his shoes and sighs, for he understands just enough English to know that this foreigner is not satisfied, and perhaps may never be satisfied.</span><span style="font-family: Times; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><br />
</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Part 6: Castles in the Air.</span></i><span style="font-family: Times; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><br />
</span></i></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">I remember giving one of the real estate agents the following piece of advice; “just imagine a house or apartment from West Lake district; spacious, clean, secure, surrounded by friendly people, a small park for kids…and you move that home as close to the center of the city as you possibly can. That’s what I want.” I tell them to help me because I don’t know Hanoi very well, and maybe there are some neighborhoods like this that I have not yet been introduced to. But to be honest, for the nearly two years I’ve lived in Hanoi, I have never seen a place that even comes close to what I am searching for now. Maybe I’m just chasing after castles in the air, for deep down I know that there is only one West Lake district. The center of the city is another world all its own, and by nature these two ways of life cannot coexist.</span><span style="font-family: Times; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><br />
</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Part 7: Reason for Hope, Reason for Disappointment.</span></i><span style="font-family: Times; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><br />
</span></i></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">I’ve recently heard news of a new Western style housing development under construction on the other side of the Red River. So far, the Ciputra International City has been the pioneer of extensively planned self-sufficient residential communities in Hanoi, but the Vincom Corporation, most well known for its Vincom Towers Mall downtown, has a few ideas of its own. In Long Bien district, a largely undeveloped tract of land is scheduled to become Hanoi’s new suburbia. Yes, with sidewalks and everything; a luxury many Hanoians have yet to experience. Not only sidewalks, of course, but gridded streets, parks, a shopping center, schools and even a hospital. Rumour has it that this community will reach fruition by the end of the year, but knowing how things often go (awry) in Vietnam, it will most likely take a little, or a lot longer than expected. I try not to put my hopes on this potential new home of mine, and continue to dedicate my lunch breaks to motorbike tours around Hanoi. I’ve received the benefit of learning much more about the city through these recent excursions, but ironically, the more I learn the more disappointed I become. I hope that in the future, the “location, location, location” of these beautiful new apartments that are popping up throughout Hanoi can attract rather than deter foreign professionals like myself from enjoying the ever evolving, ever colorful capital of Vietnam. This will not only increase the convenience of everyday life for expatriates but, more importantly will serve as a valuable way for the foreign community as a whole to establish a closer relationship with their Vietnamese neighbors. Within the urban development taking place in major cities throughout Vietnam, there is both reason for hope and reason for disappointment. I hope that in the near future it is the former we are celebrating rather than the latter we are lamenting. </span><span style="font-family: Times; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Either way, I’m still optimistically on the lookout for my castle in the air. </span><span style="font-family: Times; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">-Zac Herman </span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<!--EndFragment--><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span><br />
<!--EndFragment--></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1434082070046019713.post-64242618638720247002011-10-23T20:21:00.002+07:002014-08-17T04:30:16.555+07:00Autumn is Coming<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">A row of gloomy willow trees stand together in mourning,</span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Tahoma;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Their hair falls sadly to the ground like a thousand streams of tears;</span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Tahoma;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Can't you see that Autumn is coming-that Autumn is coming?</span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Tahoma;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">With a coat of faded apricot woven from golden leaves. </span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Tahoma;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<i><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">(excerpt)</span></i><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Tahoma;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Đây mùa thu tới</span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Tahoma;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Rặng liễu đìu hiu đứng chịu tang, </span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Tahoma;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Tóc buồn buông xuống lệ ngàn hàng; </span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Tahoma;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Đây mùa thu tới - mùa thu tới </span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Tahoma;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Với áo mơ phai dệt lá vàng.</span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Tahoma;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<i><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">(trích)</span></i><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Tahoma;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Xuân Diệu</span></div>
</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1434082070046019713.post-92191817573617209652011-10-13T01:09:00.008+07:002014-08-17T04:58:19.609+07:00Grandfather Moon<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 11px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The streetlights shimmered on the surface of West lake, and in her eyes as well. Thủy's eyes. The full moon was just beginning to rise over Hanoi.</div>
</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 11px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
"Daddy, buy it for me," she begged and pointed to a colorful plastic star, its delicate frame constructed from thin wood dowels.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
This would be her sixth Mid Autumn Festival. Neon spirals, stars, and rings dangled from the trees lining Thanh Niên street and caught the attention of every boy and girl that pedaled their bicycles past, lit the way for teenage boys speeding through traffic on customized Louis Vuitton Yamahas, and offered solace to tired men and women wearily coasting home with small plastic grocery bags swinging from their handlebars. The sidewalks were crowded with vendors selling over sized helium balloons mixed together with ferocious inflatable tigers left over from last year's Tet celebration. Multicolored pinwheels on wooden sticks protruded from blocks of dusty white Styrofoam, and illiterate artists sculpted tiny animals and super heroes from blocks of clay. Men clutching long bamboo poles fished leisurely over the lake's guard rails with the intention to sell their catch to the nearby seafood restaurants. Silhouettes of couples in love sat paired on stone benches gazing out on to West Lake where two-storey ferries circumnavigated swan shaped paddle boats.</div>
</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 11px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Her father handed the brown skinned woman a 20,000 dong note, kicked started his rusty Honda Dream motorbike and they rejoined the current of commuters hurrying home to dinner with their families. Tonight, Thủy ignored the "West Lake Ice Cream" shop, the bouquets of pink and yellow daisies at the florist's stall on the corner, and instead stared intently down at her feet, her tiny plastic sandals dangling precariously on the edge of her toes. She was thinking of what was waiting for her at home. She would get to see her grandparents who always brought her imported French chocolates, her uncle with the long goatee that reminded her of uncle Ho Chi Minh's portrait hanging in her classroom, and her two cousins Hoa and Trang, her two best friends. Besides New Year's, the Mid Autumn Festival was her favorite holiday of the entire year.</div>
</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 11px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
By the time Thủy and her father arrived, the neighborhood was already dark. Although many of the shops were shut tight, plenty of lights and loud conversation still burst forth from the windows of most of the homes, and the whir of motorbikes echoed in the narrow alleys. Thủy could hear young businessmen from a nearby bar shouting in unison, "1, 2, 3!... 1, 2, 3!" enthusiastically gulping down large glass mugs of cheap draft beer after a long day in a sweltering office. Tonight, it seemed almost everyone in Hanoi would be staying up a little later than usual, would be a little louder than usual, and would definitely be merrier than usual.</div>
</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 11px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Thủy's mother met them at the door. She unlocked the gate and it swung open on its creaking hinges.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
"What have you got there, child? Oh, my! What a beautiful star!"</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
"Yea, and an expensive star" her father added. "20,000 dong for this thing, can you believe it? Remember when they were only 2,000? I'm telling you, people don't care about tradition anymore, they just want to get rich."</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
"It's only once a year, darling," her mother reminded him. She then turned to Thủy and leaned forward to meet her shining eyes. "Thủy, after dinner mommy will put a candle inside of it and you can go out and show off your new toy to Grandfather Moon, okay?"</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
"Okay! Wwweee!" she squealed as she ran into the bright house.</div>
</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 11px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Inside, everything was as she expected. The first thing she noticed was the bitter smell of incense coming from the altar on the far side of the room. Fruits, sticky rice, and a boiled rooster had been placed at the center of the large wooden cabinet, two vases of fresh wild roses flanked either side. Beside the altar was the family's flat screen T.V. broadcasting a live performance of singers and dancers dressed in excessively bright interpretations of traditional Vietnamese village costumes. Men lined up side by side pretending to row boats on wheels over rivers of blue draped silk fluttering with the assistance of large fans. Dozens of women in glittering Áo Dài dresses sat on either side of the staged river bank gracefully plucking away at zithers and lutes, while fireworks shimmered in the background.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Her grandparents sat on the couch, which could more accurately be described as an ornately carved lacquered wooden bench, watching the show. Her grandfather was dressed in a snugly fitting 3 piece suit, complete with an ash grey wool beret. Her grandmother's outfit was more casual; a one piece home spun sky-blue blouse with black cotton trousers, and a black velvet scarf wrapped over her silver hair and tied under her chin. Thủy's two cousins lay comfortably on the cool laminate floor watching Japanese cartoon shows on their parents' laptop computer.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
On the opposite side of the room sat her uncle at the kitchen table with a bottle of Grey Goose vodka and two small shot glasses which he began to fill as Thủy's father stepped into the room. Thủy was immediately drawn toward the direction of her uncle, but not because she intended to mischievously pull at his goatee. Rather, she had caught sight of the elegantly carved watermelon centerpiece and ran over for a closer look.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Her mother only purchased this special item a few times a year in order to signify important family gatherings. The skin of the fruit had been carefully carved so that the layers of green, white, and pink created a three-dimensional image of a phoenix with outstretched wings, its long delicate tail feathers encircling a full moon. Little Thủy whispered under her breath,"Grandfather Moon."</div>
</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 11px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The family talked about many things that evening. Huỳnh still hadn't found a husband. Anh would be studying abroad in Australia next year. The Nguyễn's just bought a car, a Mercedes. The Lê's just bought a house in the new Long Biên development. But Thủy wasn't interested. She squirmed in her seat as the wooden wall clock lazily ticked away. She tried to listen, but the grownups used many words she didn't understand.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
"May I be excused, momma?" she timidly asked.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
"You haven't eaten your chicken yet" her mom scolded. "You know that you have to eat any food that comes from the altar, it's blessed by our ancestors."</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Thủy picked up the cold chunk of meat and peeled off the slimy yellow skin. She took a bite of the lean, chewy white flesh, set it back down in her bowl, and asked again.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
"Fine, you can go," her mother sighed with a wave of the hand. "But don't forget to take your cousins with you!"</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
"Let's go outside! Let's go see Grandfather Moon!" Thủy yelped, grabbing Hoa by the hand as Trang ran behind, trailing after her two older cousins.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
"Wait up!" Trang cried.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
"We don't wait for turtles! Catch up, hurry!" they giggled and ran barefoot into the tiled courtyard.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Although it was well past 8 o'clock, the courtyard was illuminated by the cooling white light of the full moon. It was already September, but the summer heat raged on and would continue through November. Tonight, however, a gentle breeze stirred the humid air and provided some relief to the grateful Hanoi residents. The girls ran in circles, jumped, and laughed. The courtyard was their secret garden, and they its fairies on that night. Watching over all of them, Grandfather Moon shone brilliantly.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
"Look, look...Grandfather Moon!" Hoa pointed towards the sky, her arm completely outstretched as if there existed the slightest possibility that she could touch it.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
"It must be far," Thủy added.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
"Where does he live?"</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
"At least one hundred miles away," Trang guessed.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The young girls' speculations were soon interrupted as Thủy's mom called them in. "It's getting late, nearly 9 o' clock already. Hoa, Trang, go with your daddy, he'll take you home now. Thủy, say goodnight to your cousins. You'll see them again soon. Good girl, now come with me, it's time for bed."</div>
</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 11px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Thủy's small bedroom faced east. Her mother pulled the thin blanket over her daughter's shoulders, and Thủy shut her eyes tight in a comical attempt at feigning sleep, believing this would encourage her mother to exit the room sooner than usual. Thuỷ's mother smiled, whispered "good night" and walked quietly out of the room, closing the door behind her. What an adorable child she had, Thủy's mother thought to herself.</div>
</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 11px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Thủy opened her eyes, carefully at first, then lifted her head from the pillow and sat up cross-legged at the window sill adjacent to her bed. Her tiny fingers were barely long enough to grip the protective iron bars bolted to the window frame. She held on tightly and pressed her cheeks against them as she strained to catch one last glimpse of Grandfather Moon before he made his nightly journey into the Western sky.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
"So small," she thought. "So small, yet so bright."</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
"Are the children like me where Grandfather Moon lives?"</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
"Are the children like me, 100 miles away?"<br />
<br />
-Zac Herman</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://www.thanhnien.com.vn/pages/20120929/ong-trang-trong-mat-be-truyen-ngan-cua-zac-herman.aspx">Ông trăng trong mắt bé </a> thanhnhien.com.vn</div>
</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1434082070046019713.post-85061914984082827722011-10-02T03:18:00.002+07:002014-08-17T09:39:50.597+07:00Welcome<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A silhouette, a pebble or a petal<br />
Rests on the surface of my balcony.<br />
Tonight was cool, but now it's cold<br />
I shiver in my coat of Autumn dew,<br />
And wonder if my wish came true;<br />
The heat, that it be mercifully dismissed<br />
(Of course, the sun along with it)<br />
And wonder if I'd regret it soon.<br />
<br />
Alas, the scent of nothingness,<br />
My mind is filled with empty thoughts.<br />
When can I expect the Sleep;<br />
The great Deliverer of Peace?<br />
I'm tired.<br />
Please hold me as I start to dream<br />
Of headlights piercing through the trees,<br />
Comforting me.<br />
I prepare to greet you,<br />
"Welcome."<br />
Or should I not say anything?<br />
I won't.<br />
<br />
-Zac Herman </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1434082070046019713.post-11305714861381740962011-09-24T22:51:00.004+07:002014-08-17T13:39:10.199+07:00Is it Autumn yet?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">Setting</span></u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">A French-style sidewalk cafe in Hanoi.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">Players</span></u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;"><b>Gentleman 1</b>- Sitting at a table with two chairs. Smoking, drinking coffee.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;"><b>Gentleman 2</b>- A folded newspaper under his arm.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">They are both wearing suits, both look and act proper (even overly polite) to the point of being a little stiff and slightly awkward, though friendly nonetheless.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;"><Curtain raises><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">Gentleman 1</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">: [</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">Center stage.</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;"> </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">Sits at a table smoking leisurely.<o:p></o:p></span></i><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;"> Takes a sip of coffee.]</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">Gentleman 2</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">: [</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">Enters from stage left</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">. </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">Walks deliberately toward<o:p></o:p></span></i><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;"> Gentleman 1. Hesitates briefly with a pensive look<o:p></o:p> on his face. Then, in a tone sorry to have<o:p></o:p> disturbed Gentleman 1:</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">]</span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">Gentleman 2</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">: "Beg your pardon, my good sir."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">Gentleman 1</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">: "At your service, my good sir."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">Gentleman 2</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">: "May I ask..?"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">Gentleman 1</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">: "Please do, please do."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">Gentleman 2</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">: "Quite a silly..."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">Gentleman 1</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">: "I should think it rather not, my good sir."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">Gentleman 2</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">: "Then I shall."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">Gentleman 1</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">: "As you will."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">Gentleman 2</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">: [</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">Pause</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">] "Is it Autumn yet?" <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">Gentleman 1</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">: "Not quite, not quite."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">Gentleman 2</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">: [</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">Hesitates</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">] "Are you..?"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">Gentleman 1</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">: "Quite sure, quite sure."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">Gentleman 2</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">: [</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">Hesitates, looks concerned. Sits down rather<o:p></o:p></span></i><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;"> abruptly and without invitation across from Gentleman 1, as if the news has caused him to<o:p></o:p> forget all sense of formality. </span></i><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">Puzzled expression. Doubtful </span></i><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">expression. P</span></i><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">ulls himself back together.</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">] "I see.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">Gentleman 1</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">: [</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">Changes the subject</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">] “I dare say…”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">Gentleman 2</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">: [</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">Forgets previous concern</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">] “These Hanoi<o:p></o:p> summers.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">Gentleman 1</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">: “Exactly.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">Gentleman 2</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">: “Do you recall..?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">Gentleman 1</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">: “Was it..?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">Gentleman 2</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">: “Yes, I think it was.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">Gentleman 1</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">: “The time we had..?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">Gentleman 2</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">: “The time that it..?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">Gentleman 1</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">: “In fact, it was.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">Gentleman 2</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">: [</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">Produces a handkerchief from pocket. Wipes </span></i><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">forehead.</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">] “These damned…”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">Gentleman 1</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">: “Agreed.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">Gentleman 2</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">: “Hanoi…”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">Gentleman 1</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">: “Indeed.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">Gentleman 2</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">: “Ah, em ơi! One black coffee, please. Now, where<o:p></o:p> was I?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">Gentleman 1</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">: “You were saying…”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">Gentleman 2</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">: “Oh, yes!...” [</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">pause</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">] “…Is it Autumn yet?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;"><Curtain begins to lower><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">Gentleman 1</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">: [</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;"><i>Pauses, then gestures with hand</i>] "I, uh..."</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;"><Curtain lowers past players><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">[<i>Gentleman 1</i></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;"> does not have enough time to voice his reply before curtain falls to stage.</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">End. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
-Zac Herman </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif;"><a href="http://laodong.com.vn/van-hoa/nhung-trang-van-tieng-viet-cua-zac-herman-5706.bld">Những trang văn tiếng Việt của Zac Herman </a> laodong.com.vn </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1434082070046019713.post-89678546199526089022011-09-23T20:10:00.000+07:002011-09-23T20:10:08.451+07:00Autumn is comingA row of gloomy willow trees stand together in mourning,<br />
Their hair falls sadly to the ground like a thousand streams of tears.<br />
Can't you see that Autumn is coming-that Autumn is coming,<br />
With a coat of faded apricot woven from golden leaves.<br />
...<br />
<br />
-Xuan Dieu<br />
<br />
<br />
Đây mùa thu tới<br />
<br />
Rặng liễu đìu hiu đứng chịu tang,<br />
Tóc buồn buông xuống lệ ngàn hàng.<br />
Đây mùa thu tới - mùa thu tới,<br />
Với áo mơ phai dệt lá vàng.<br />
...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1434082070046019713.post-44513062514853833182011-09-16T17:36:00.000+07:002014-08-17T10:25:11.875+07:00Down South<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267"> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
</style> <![endif]--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">They say down South the wind blows cool, lazy summers, glasses of lemonade, porch swings, large shady trees where the sleepy dog sleeps in the shade. They say down South there’s a creek, water clear and fresh, you can see the smooth pebbles rolling downstream with the current, shades of blue, grey, and silver, fish shades of blue, grey, and silver. You’ll get nothing done in a place like that but get just enough done to get by, down South, they say.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">-Zac Herman <a href="http://tuoitre.vn/Tuoi-tre-cuoi-tuan/Van-hoa-nghe-thuat/499244/william-qua-dem-trong-cong-vien.html#ad-image-1">Chùm truyện ngắn của Zac Herman</a> tuoitre.vn </span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1434082070046019713.post-81475664905175319722011-09-14T18:53:00.001+07:002014-08-17T09:31:37.458+07:00Snow<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Last night it snowed, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Sky black and infinite. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">White flakes drifted down onto a silver hill. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">The moon was silver too- </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">It resembled frosted ice. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">I was on that hill, I had been waiting </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">But I didn’t know for what until it came. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">I shivered and smiled without a thought </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">For tomorrow; </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Of a dawn that would never come. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">I spun in circles, became dizzy. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">I laughed- </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">It echoed through the night, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Continued on </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Past what was known to me </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">And further on into the space beyond my reach.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">-Zac Herman </span></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1434082070046019713.post-25860918687028056412011-09-06T14:09:00.001+07:002011-09-06T14:13:50.283+07:00Fireflies<div class="MsoNormal">It’s very common for American children to catch fireflies during the summer months. We would stay outside until 8:00 or even 9:00 p.m. as the sun was late to set. We might be playing catch or riding bicycles through the neighborhood when all of a sudden we’d notice a single green glow hovering in the air before us. It would last for maybe three seconds before it disappeared. When we saw this, we’d run inside to get glass jars from the kitchen because we knew that this evening the fireflies would be out. As the sky turned from deep red to purple, our backyard became a secret garden where magic was real. When a tiny green glow was spotted; sometimes in the air, sometimes on the fence, sometimes in the grass, we would run to it before its light extinguished in the hope of finding its source, the fairy insect firefly. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">They are extremely peaceful creatures, with small rose coloured heads, a sunflower seed body and curious light bulb rears. They don’t bite, sting, or emit an odour, they don’t plague your kitchens or eat the wood of your house. They are special. They are perfect playmates for children on a warm August evening. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">As soon as one was caught, we unscrewed the tin lids of our jars and slipped them inside. They waited patiently, periodically glowing green in their own leisurely way, as more and more of their compatriots were added to the collection. By the end of the evening, a child might have gathered up to 50 fireflies crowded together in his litre sized jar, truly a sight to behold. Sometimes we placed a twig or a leaf inside to provide them with a few comforts of their garden habitat, but I don’t think they took any notice of it, they certainly knew the difference. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We would sit with legs outstretched on the grass and talk, turning the jars over in our hands, watching them tumble from one end to the other, from the lid to the base, from the base to the lid, tapping the sides to release the stubborn ones from clinging to the glass wall. We’d argue as to who caught more, trying to add up the number inside but losing count after the first dozen or so. Then, as the sky turned black (as all skies do every night), we’d become silent, lay on our backs and look up at the stars, breathe in the summer air, and try not to think about school which was fast approaching, and would arrive unwelcome at the beginning of September. Occasionally we’d playfully interrogate each other about which girl at school we liked, and spend a few minutes trying to pry out the secret before losing interest.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">It’s 9:30 now, getting late, my mom calls out to us from the porch, it’s time to come inside. </div><div class="MsoNormal">“Don’t forget to release those fireflies” my mom says,”you’re not bringing them inside this house, understand?”</div><div class="MsoNormal">Yes, we understand. It’s time to say goodbye. We unscrew the gold lids of our jars, the tin sound scraping against glass echoes louder than before as the night is quieter than before, with the exception of the crickets.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The first firefly crawls up to the very lip of the jar, pauses for a moment, extends the dull black shell that conceals its delicate wings underneath, and bends its legs slightly in preparation to jump out into the sky. Suddenly, its tiny wings flutter quick and silent and it disappears into the darkness. They no longer glow late at night. We watched this hypnotizing process repeat itself for several minutes, some of the more content ones remaining at the bottom of the jar, within their glass fortress. I remember leaving my jar on the back porch before I went inside so that they could exit at their own leisurely pace. I’d go to the kitchen and get something to eat, maybe watch some TV and get ready for bed. I’d quickly forget the events of the evening as I lay half asleep planning the adventures of the next day. Perhaps the fireflies also forgot me and my glass jar too as they moved on to other yards, to be caught by other children.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1434082070046019713.post-30713658252720617412011-09-05T13:15:00.001+07:002014-08-17T09:48:05.755+07:00Commuter Fish<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
This tree breathes in the fumes of the city, yet its trunk grows wider, its branches taller. This tree sips at the refuse of the gutters, yet its glossy green leaves return every Spring along with the dusty pollen of life. How I admire the persistence of nature, yet despise the persistence of Man. </div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
A streak of forked lightning, the clap of thunder and the rain begins to pour. The roads channel hundreds of frantic fish sweating under plastic ponchos flipping their fins, gasping for oxygen in a slick oily stream of exhaust.</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
-Zac Herman</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1434082070046019713.post-86136902194423402322011-08-28T21:14:00.000+07:002011-08-28T21:14:51.753+07:00Khám phá lại Hà Nội<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://dantri.com.vn/c135/s702-507929/mot-nguoi-my-kham-pha-lai-ha-noi.htm">Read the article here at Dân Trí online</a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="fon33 mt1"><span style="font-size: large;">(Dân trí) - Mặc dù viết ra dự định cho năm mới từ đầu năm nhưng mãi đến bây giờ anh người Mỹ Zac Herman mới "thu hết can đảm" gửi tới cho Blog 26. Tuy vậy, câu chuyện của anh không hề cũ chút nào, bởi nó là "cam kết suốt đời và sự tiến triển bất tận".</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> LTS: Mới sống ở Hà Nội chưa lâu, nhưng Zac đã thể hiện một tình yêu vô cùng sâu đậm với thành phố này. Sau khi đã quen thuộc tới "mòn lối" nhiều con đường, Zac phát hiện ra rằng mình cần phải "phát hiện lại" Hà Nội, và đó chính là dự định cho năm 2011 của anh. Dân trí xin trân trọng giới thiệu bài viết của Zac và hy vọng anh sẽ sớm viết bài "tổng kết" quá trình thực hiện dự định của mình.<br />
<br />
Dự định năm mới của tôi là khám phá lại Hà Nội. Sống ở đây được hơn một năm, tôi đã vạch ra được những tuyến đường quen thuộc trong thành phố. Trên bản đồ, tôi có thể dễ dàng dò theo những dạng hình học tạo nên bởi những con đường chính đến và đi từ văn phòng của mình, đến và đi từ những nhà hàng, phòng tranh và viện bảo tàng ưa thích của mình. Đừng hiểu nhầm tôi, để đạt được việc này cũng đã đòi hỏi một nỗ lực rất lớn rồi, và tôi khá tự hào về việc đó. Nhưng gần đây, tôi chợt nhận ra rằng cái lề thói hàng ngày của mình đã vươn tới một mức độ tự thỏa mãn rất nguy hiểm, một cách sống chầm chậm trở nên cứng nhắc như đá, tự cố định như những đường ray xe điện chạy xuyên phố xá.<br />
<br />
Một cách quá thường xuyên, tôi nhận thấy mình đang đi xe giữa luồng người tham gia giao thông hối hả, vội vã lướt qua hàng trăm cửa hiệu dường như nhòa thành một khối hỗn độn những màu sắc và đèn neon. Sau một thời gian, tôi có cảm giác thế giới xung quanh mình thế nào đó mà đang tự sinh sôi theo một chu kỳ đều đều những mặt tiền, những thứ hàng hóa không rõ rệt và vô số cư dân mờ mờ đi lại ngược xuôi những vỉa hè bất tận. Cảm giác đó không khác gì với một nhân vật nhà Flintstones chạy qua một dãy nhà làm bằng đá dài tới mức vô lý, với cùng một bộ bàn ghế, lặp đi lặp lại lướt qua ở hậu cảnh.<br />
<br />
Điều này thật sự là quá tệ bởi trong thực tế Hà Nội là một thành phố của những điều cụ thể và, khi được cho cơ hội xem xét kỹ, có rất ít thứ có thể bị coi là giống nhau. Về mặt kinh tế, điều này mang một loạt ý nghĩa riêng và là một chủ đề riêng hoàn toàn khác, nhưng nói về văn hóa, đó là một đặc tính rất đặc biệt và độc đáo mà khách du lịch cũng như những người sinh sống ở đây đều nên tận dụng. Chưa tới một tuần trước, tôi dành hẳn một ngày đi bộ quanh Quận Hoàn Kiếm, trái tim của Hà Nội. Ở đó, hàng chục phòng tranh, những không gian văn hóa và những phòng trưng bày nằm san sát nhau. Các họa sĩ, nhà sử học và những người am hiểu giao lưu với nhau bằng những ngôn ngữ biểu đạt nghệ thuật đa dạng. Thế kỷ 21 dường như va chạm mạnh mẽ và cùng lúc lại hòa quyện hoàn hảo với những ngôi đền cổ và những tượng đài kiểu xô viết. Một khung cảnh thành thị với kiến trúc thuộc địa và những hồ nước xanh ngắt tạo nên một trải nghiệm phi thời gian lạ lùng, thu hút số lượng lớn du khách. Và ở đó, tại trung tâm thành phố, lần đầu tiên tôi nảy ra ý tưởng khám phá lại Hà Nội.<br />
<br />
Một người có thể bắt đầu khám phá lại Hà Nội như thế nào? Có nhiều con đường cùng dẫn tới một đích đến và ở thành phố cụ thể này, chà... có thật nhiều con đường. Ý của việc vận dụng sai lạc phép so sánh này của tôi là, đích đến của tôi là Hà Nội, một Hà Nội khác với cái mà tôi đã trở nên quen thuộc, và con đường mà tôi lựa chọn là con đường ít được đi, theo nghĩa đen. Ngày hôm đó, gần một tuần trước, tôi cố tình chọn một lối tôi chưa bao giờ đi, ít nhất là tôi cũng không nhớ được. Tôi len lỏi qua những con phố hẹp đến nỗi những người đi xe máy ngược chiều phải chạm vai vào nhau, và cuối cùng dừng lại trước Nhà Thờ Lớn. Tôi xuyên qua những đám đông vào giờ ăn trưa ngồi tràn trên các vỉa hè, và tỉnh táo tiến tới nhà tù Hỏa Lò. Với máy ảnh trên tay, tôi ghi lại những hình ảnh của Thư viện Quốc gia, Rạp Tháng Tám, và phố Lê Thái Tổ rợp bóng cây. Thoạt đầu, tôi cảm thấy mãn nguyện vì đã chinh phục được Hà Nội; song, không lâu sau đó tôi nhận ra rằng thực ra mình chỉ mới bắt đầu khám phá lại nó.<br />
<br />
Mối quan hệ của chúng ta với Hà Nội không nên bị nhìn nhận như một trận chiến tiếp diễn, hay nơi những khái niệm như chiến thắng và chinh phục có thể được áp dụng. Đáng buồn thay, chủ đề này lại vang vọng qua những câu chuyện của nhiều người nước ngoài ở đây, cả những người chỉ ghé thăm và những người sống lâu dài. Bản thân tôi cũng thừa nhận từng tham gia vào cuộc chiến tâm lý chống lại Hà Nội gần như ngay sau khi tới đây. Tôi vật lộn chống lại những cái được cho là xấu xa của những khác biệt văn hóa, bao gồm nhưng không giới hạn trong, sự bất đếm xỉa chung tới luật giao thông và giờ hẹn, sự phân biệt trong thứ bậc xã hội, và việc quản lý rác thải kém hiệu quả. Tuy nhiên, phải tới một ngày số mệnh định đoạt, tôi mới bị biến cải bởi một sự thật đã cộng hưởng sâu trong tôi từ đó, thay đổi nhận thức và sâu xa hơn cả là toàn bộ mối quan hệ của tôi với thành phố. Đó là thế này: Hà Nội rất giống với thành phố quê hương tôi. Cái vịnh nơi nước ngấp nghé nhẹ nhàng vỗ về những khu đất lịch sử nơi tôi lớn lên giờ đã trở thành Sông Hồng, với cây cầu công nghiệp Long Biên vắt ngang. Chiếc xe đạp địa hình 10 tốc độ tôi từng dùng để chạy trong những giờ tan tầm biến thành chiếc xe máy Honda màu đen. Rạp chiếu phim nơi tôi ghé gần như mỗi cuối tuần để xem những bộ phim chi phí thấp và được đánh giá cao từ khắp thế giới, nay là rạp Megastar nơi mới đây khiến tôi cảm động vì phim "Cánh đồng Bất tận". Mặc dù Hà Nội có thể không bao giờ giống hệt như ngôi nhà thời thơ ấu của tôi, nó đang nhanh chóng trở thành ngôi nhà thứ hai của tôi.<br />
<br />
<br />
Đối với tôi, Hà Nội là một thành phố của cơ hội chứ không phải sự giới hạn, của sự phiêu lưu chứ không phải sự đe dọa, và của sự biến chuyển chứ không phải thoái hóa. Và một lần nữa, đó hoàn toàn chỉ là vấn đề của nhận thức, của khám phá và liên tục khám phá lại; tất nhiên, nếu bạn chọn làm việc đó. Không thể hiểu được Hà Nội trong một ngày. Sự thấu hiểu thường đòi hỏi thời gian, sự kiên nhẫn, kinh nghiệm và chiêm nghiệm. Sau tất cả những gì đã được nói ra và được làm, dù sao cũng có thể là Hà Nội sẽ không bao giờ làm cho người ta hiểu được! Nhưng thế không có nghĩa là người ta không thể yêu nó chỉ sau một ngày. Dự định năm mới của tôi là khám phá lại Hà Nội. Đó là một cam kết suốt đời và sự tiến triển bất tận, mà không dẫn tới nơi nào cụ thể cả. Điều này có làm tôi nản chí? Ngược lại, nó truyền cảm hứng cho tôi.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1434082070046019713.post-61181725300468137982011-08-28T21:07:00.000+07:002011-08-28T21:07:34.060+07:00Người ở nước ngoài: Những di dân thế kỷ 21<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://laodong.com.vn/Tin-Tuc/Nguoi-o-nuoc-ngoai--Nhung-di-dan-the-ky-21/53053">Read the article here at Lao Động Cuối Tuần online</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1434082070046019713.post-73799394643176154172011-08-28T20:28:00.006+07:002014-08-17T10:22:52.833+07:00The Midnight Sun Shuts Off<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">God damnit! How much time have I wasted ironing my clothes? </span></div>
</div>
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I’m hungry.</span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">-</span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Glass clock hanging above the door tick-tocking away for no one in particular, not even for itself. I’m staring at the door below, thinking. I’m thinking and staring at the door below. I can feel the door knob turning before it actually begins to turn, like a premonition right before something bad happens. The door knob turns slowly. It’s 3 a.m. and the doorknob is turning slowly. Was it because I was staring at it? I notice that when I concentrate too hard on something it has a tendency to “happen”. </span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I remember awhile back I was wandering along the beach with my best friend around, I don’t know, 10 p.m. The soles of our shoes scraping against grains of sand that had been blown from the seashore onto the sidewalk, onto the road, into the grass. We were walking under these glowing streetlights that gave everything and everyone a yellow hue. The town was quiet, the air warm, the breeze fresh. I pretended to listen to my friend talk, all the while contemplating these golden glow magical streetlights. I came up with a silly name for them, I considered them to be like “midnight suns”. I looked up into one of the lights, stared into it, searching for a filament behind the glass. I wondered for a moment if I would go blind staring at this light in the same way they say you will go blind staring at the sun. </span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Is it true?</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I half asked myself, half asked the streetlight. Suddenly, the light shut off, dead. It was as surprising to me as if someone had shut off the real sun. Just like flipping a switch. The white afterglow halo hovered as a solemn reminder of the life that once dwelled within. I’m still not sure if by shutting itself off, the light was attempting to reply to my question. And if it was, was it responding with a “yes” or a “no”? What the hell am I talking about? Damn, my friend is still talking, he didn’t even notice. What the hell is he talking about? I reached up and put my arm around his shoulder, he’s tall, and I said “let’s just get a pizza or something”.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The doorknob stopped turning. No footsteps outside, no voices. Clock tick-tocking. The movement of the doorknob has brought to my attention just how still everything else in the room is. Movement and stillness cannot coexist. Rooster outside, what an ugly sound it makes. The room is heavy with stillness but the clock reminds me that time continues to pass. But the two cannot coexist, so I choose the heavy still atmosphere.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Be gone, clock! Be gone, time! Be gone, tick-tocking! Be gone, doorknob! Street light! </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">-Zac Herman</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://tuoitre.vn/Tuoi-tre-cuoi-tuan/Van-hoa-nghe-thuat/499244/william-qua-dem-trong-cong-vien.html#ad-image-1">Chùm truyện ngắn của Zac Herman </a> tuoitre.vn </span></div>
</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1434082070046019713.post-56151037483631754342011-08-01T01:40:00.000+07:002014-08-17T09:29:51.347+07:00One Sleepless Night, The Angel Rain<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
White lace caresses glass.<br />
All trace of fingerprints, of life<br />
Made transparent by the dark of night.<br />
A window to the great beyond, the sky<br />
Looks awesome from my corner post,<br />
My watch tower. The grey midnight Divine<br />
Watches over us, its children<br />
Baptised; a cascade of angels.<br />
Clear crystal purity reflects the blue, the gold<br />
Diminished border of West lake.<br />
Now tainted with the light of Man, the angels<br />
Crash against the treetops, roofs, and streets.<br />
I wish it could reach me, the blessèd rain<br />
Dampens the tiled surface of my balcony.<br />
I step outside, breathe in the air,<br />
Press my feet into the clay humidity,<br />
Look up to the sky, pray silently.<br />
<br />
-Zac Herman</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0