I think I'd like to own a Jeep Grand Cherokee someday. Not because of the tagline, although it is pretty awesome.

I think I'd like to make something also. Something beautiful.

Apparently it used to be called Panda Noodle. Do not eat this - trust me, 'yummy noodle' is false advertising.

And I don't want to be forgotten."

-Jaclyn, from Work of Art

I remember reading that moving was the number one most stressful event in people's lives, ahead of divorce and marriage. Or was that marriage and then divorce? In any case, the packing, loading, and unloading process is so arduous and you realize how much stuff you have that you don't really need. Maybe that's a good thing.

Because moving sucks so much, I've come to agree with the saying that true friends help you move. I've enjoyed my time living in downtown LA, but I'm ready for a new experience in Santa Monica.

When I first heard about this game, I immediately wanted to try it. The idea of potentially getting a free meal was exciting and if I lost, well at least I was paying for friends. Waiting for a card to be picked provides a similar thrill to watching the ball roll around the roulette wheel, bouncing over the numbers. Unfortunately, I've lost quite a few times at credit card roulette, which got me thinking about whether my card was too flashy or colorful.

Some places won't understand when you ask them to pick a card. When this happens, make sure the person holding the cards doesn't hand them your card saying 'oh you picked this one?' Yes, it's happened.

But regrets are useless unless you learn from them - perhaps save yourself from bigger regrets later in life. Dwelling on regrets is what I think drives people to say not to have any. No good comes from that.

Lately I've been thinking about how much this limits me. Who sets these rules anyway? And by what authority? If I really stop and think about it, most of the time bending the rules doesn't really hurt anyone. Of course, this is all dependent on the situation - I'm not going to start running red lights for the hell of it. But I am resolved to start deferring more heavily to my own judgement rather than taking every sign, rule, or guideline at face value.

This was in contrast to my experience in China, where a significant amount of time was spent learning phrases such as 'no' and 'it's too expensive' among others to fend off aggressive vendors.

Imagine my excitement as I anticipated eating pho in Vietnam. Inarguably authentic pho for the first time. After arriving at our hotel, my friend and I ordered pho via room service.

They also had this same pho at breakfast. They served it in small bowls so I kept going back for seconds and thirds until they offered me a bigger bowl. I thought this pho was really good until I tried one of the street vendors that our tour guide Dragon (yes, his name was Dragon) recommended. This is arguably the best pho I've ever had. I ended up eating here 3 separate times.

I wish I had more/better pictures. Some of my classmates worried about the cleanliness of the food, especially since they saw the bowls simply getting hosed down in a tub. That didn't worry me so much - the food was delicious and my stomach wasn't upset about it. This place only had a beef option though, I would have liked to try chicken and seafood.

When we first arrived in Vietnam, I kept seeing 'Pho' everywhere on street signs. I was so excited - pho on every street corner! Until I realized that it wasn't and that the accents were different from the pho vendors. Apparently this 'pho' and its accents meant road or street.

I miss this place. Could eat some right now.

I wasn't able to pull pictures from their website , but here are some pictures I took of the room we stayed in:

It's funny how the beds are so close together.

And here is the pool:

Twice a day, someone would come by in the afternoon with ice cream cones (or frozen yogurt cones) for hotel guests - one of the small perks of staying here the entire week. I was finally able to try a mango one (not bad).

Staying at the Sofitel Metropole was a very comfortable experience. The staff was courteous and helpful. When we first got there, we asked where the pool was and instead of simply pointing us in the right direction, the lady walked with us. We had breakfast at our choice of the two downstairs restaurants, a combination of Western and Vietnamese options (including pho!), complete with an omelette station and really delicious hashbrowns.

There is a spa and a gym, which was aptly named So Fit. The gym is small but is rarely crowded and has enough dumbbells, machines, and treadmills to get the job done. There is a trainer on hand to help out but he is usually courteous to the point of hindering your workout.

We had the opportunity to explore the restaurants and bars as well as use the conference rooms. Relative to other places, whether restaurants or bars, the hotel offerings were expensive (hey, it's a 5 star hotel). Definitely check out Angelina Bar, even if you don't stay at the Metropole.

To elaborate on why I find this show so fascinating:
Dexter is a serial killer, but there's so much more to it than that. The show explores themes of acceptance, self-understanding, masking one's true self, right and wrong. Usually when I watch this much TV I feel brain dead, but with Dexter I find myself thinking of how this twisted, yet somehow logical, thought process of a serial killer and his search for a 'normal' life relates to my own. The well-woven integration of such universal themes into something as heinous as mass murder is unnerving and captivating.

Chilling. Disturbing. Intriguing.

On to season 2.

-fortunately haven't had any issues with an upset stomach here. can't say the same for some of my classmates.

-crossing the street is really fun. our tour guide told us that street signs that tell you when to walk are more like 'decorations'. the general advice is to walk slowly and close your eyes, with the understanding that cars and motorbikes can go around you. of course nobody really closes their eyes but the walk slowly advice works.

-vietnamese people honk constantly on the road. it's more for awareness to let other drivers and riders know that they are around rather than a hostile, angry gesture.

-the vietnamese generally bury their dead and then dig up the bodies after 3 years to clean the bones. this is based on the premise that there is both a physical and spiritual part of each person that needs to be cleansed after death.

-the infrastructure here is much more broken than i expected.

-my stay has been in hanoi but i am interested in someday visiting the south to compare the two regions. hanoi is a more conservative, political environment where connections matter given it is the capital. ho chi minh is more of a business environment.

-in hanoi, people save about 90% of their earnings whereas in ho chi minh, people spend about 110% of their earnings. the economy in the south is thriving as a result.

-roughly 70% of the population is under the age of 35.

-the service culture here is awesome. it may be partially due to the standards of the hotel we are staying in, but i've found in general that people are friendly and helpful.

What a disappointment. 

Another reminder about the role that timing plays in our lives.

As part of the USC Marshall MBA, first year students are required to travel to an international location and present research and analysis of a business issue to a company's management team. This program is known as PRIME (Pacific Rim Education Program). I fortunately received my first choice in location (Vietnam/Thailand) and in project (Starbucks Thailand). Below is a list of the different options offered this year:

Russia

Beijing/Shanghai (China)

Hong Kong/Guangdong (China)

Vietnam/Thailand

Brazil/Argentina

Japan

After travelling for over 18 hours, we are finally here in Hanoi. Pictures will be forthcoming as I forgot to pack my camera cable and battery charger.

Thought I'd jot down a few notes about my experience as well as some reference points for anyone that is considering travelling to Belize.

-Belizean dollars are half the value of US dollars i.e. BZ $10 is US $5

-Ambergris Caye Island was beautiful but rather isolated. There is some fishing and snorkeling close by but as was the case with cave tubing many of the activities are a couple hours away. We had originally considered checking out the Blue Hole but this was a few hours away and is mainly an attraction for divers.

-On day 3 we did some kayaking in search of bluer waters further away from shore. I think that the bluer areas are where you can see straight through to white sand so the rays of the sun are reflected more clearly. Here's a picture as we headed out.

-'Caye' is pronounced 'key'

-Belizeans are in general friendly, trusting, and trustworthy. When we rented our bikes and golf cart, they told us we could just pay after.

Relaxing week except for the travelling part. Glad to be back in LA!

Little did we know, cave tubing is done about 45 minutes from Belize City. So again we rode a boat into town, and transferred to a ferry to the port in Belize. We got picked up by our tour guide Joel who took us on a quick tour of the city before we hit the highway. 

This was a very informative tour. The following pictures were taken from the passenger seat of a Jeep Grand Cherokee. First, this is the main street in Belize City:

This park is where Belizeans first gathered after declaring independence from Britain in 1981.

Usually when we hit the rapids, the water was pretty shallow so David would tell us to keep our "butts up". Even so, I still hit patches where I'd get stuck and have to push myself off of the rocks. 

Also, Joel had mentioned that it wouldn't be a problem to bring a non-waterproof camera. I have to say I was the only one without a waterproof camera. I held it within the clasps of my life jacket and looped it a couple times so it wouldn't hang too low. Pictures were hard to take since I had to paddle as well, AND eventually it started raining. Halfway through the second cave I was ready to be done as it began to feel cold. Here is a picture after we finished - you can't really see the extent of the rain but it was pouring.