THERE REALLY IS NOTHING ON TV TODAY.................

Hello to all,

it's only a month since my last newsletter, but actually quite a lot has happened over that short space of time. I have a little notebook , and whenever something happens that I  think is 'blog-worthy' ......in it goes.

Those of you that know me well, know that really I am a frustrated advertising executive or marketing guru. So when I was staying recently at my usual hotel in Ho Chi Minh City, I thought I would take a snap of a great bit of lateral marketing thinking. If you run a 3 or 4 Star hotel, that is really good, with a great repuation, but you want to 'catch the eye' and differentiate from the many competitors, then what do you do? Well maybe you could have 7 Stars on your logo? Whoever thought this up gets a pat on the back from me.

So today, there really is nothing on TV. Not that I watch much here, but even if I wanted to go to the cinema today or to a concert, I couldn't.. For the whole weekend , the country is paying tribute to General Vo Nguyen Giap, who died last week, aged 102. I have to say that I had never heard of him, but this is the guy who saw off the French in the 50's and and Americans in the 70's. He was a national hero, and my taxi journey to work every day this week took me past the astonishing queues of people waiting to visit his home to pay tribute. Many of them were carrying yellow flowers, and in the beautiful Hanoi sunshine it was sombre, calm and dignified, as young, middle aged, elderly and extremely elderly waited patiently in line in a queue that I reckon snaked about a mile.

Moving on......I know I have rambled on about retail and shopping here before. So here's just a short and simple illustration. Karen and I went to a big , 5 floor electrical store to buy a small computer part. The photo does not do it justice, but on this floor (which was pretty small) there were 37 shop assistants, 5 security guards, 3 customers, and could we get served? The lipstick was perfect, the nails were pristine, the ipad thoroughly watched, the smartphone studied, the mirror scrutinised but the customers were not noticed. If only I could be invisible when I really want to be.

Just to highlight the multicultural aspects of life here......how about this? Last week , in Hanoi , Karen and I went to the cinema with a couple from Bolivia, to watch a movie in Welsh and Spanish , at which the special guests were the Ambassador of Argentina and the star of the film (a 26 year old Argentinian actor who was in Hanoi shooting another movie)? The film is called Patagonia by the way. Look it out....an amazing true story about which I knew nothing. Welsh immigrants in Argentina in the 1900's.

And finally.........I have no idea whether this 'craze'  if that is the correct word) has reached outside Vietnam, but what do you make of these photos? In a 'normal' aquarium shop in Hanoi, crazy coloured  live frogs and painted (or tattooed?) fish. Who knows what is happening here. We asked.....they laughed......somebody mentioned China........we went away..........enough said.





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Till next time everyone,

very best

kevin


......and as I am sure you have realized, no blog of mine is complete without some 'death defying' Health and Safety photos........