Have been immersed in the sweltering heat in Hanoi the past few days. Temperatures range between 36 to 38 degrees in the afternoon. Dread going out in this heat, especially since most of the shops in Hanoi are not air-conditioned. Was down with flu since last week and it's taking a long while to recover. Irritated, I decided to brew some herbal soup for myself this morning (using Chinese herbs that my mum brought for me from Singapore) and go to the gym. Read from SHAPE magazine (my favourite!) that it's better to do a light workout when one has a slight cold or cough, instead of avoiding exercising completely. Not sure whether it was the herbal tea or exercise, but I really felt better after my workout.
Was enjoying my porridge lunch today when suddenly, there was a blackout. This is quite common in Hanoi because there is a shortage of electricity supply. At this crucial moment, I realised that contrary to what my housing agent claimed, there is no back-up generator at my house! Furious and hot, I immediately called M, who calmly told me that he would discuss this with me at night. Of course he was calm! He was talking to me in the comfort of his air-conditioned office! I stomped back to my seat to the amusement of my helper, H, and continued my lunch, using newpapers to fan myself. It was really quite a funny sight. Me and H, bathed in hot sweat, eating hot porridge and fanning ourselves furiously. We finished our lunch pretty quickly because both of us didn't have much of an appetite in this sauna weather and started chatting, weak attempts to divert our attention away from the heat.
Suddenly, the fan revived! We both yelped for joy and relished each moment as the wind pranced on our faces. I never appreciated the fan so much before. It was at this moment that I understood the meaning of relativity. Who says that the air-conditioner is better than the fan? Once you have been baked in the afternoon heat for close to 1 hour, you will realise that the fan is the most glorious electrical appliance ever. I should really learn to appreciate the smallest thing in life.
Was enjoying my porridge lunch today when suddenly, there was a blackout. This is quite common in Hanoi because there is a shortage of electricity supply. At this crucial moment, I realised that contrary to what my housing agent claimed, there is no back-up generator at my house! Furious and hot, I immediately called M, who calmly told me that he would discuss this with me at night. Of course he was calm! He was talking to me in the comfort of his air-conditioned office! I stomped back to my seat to the amusement of my helper, H, and continued my lunch, using newpapers to fan myself. It was really quite a funny sight. Me and H, bathed in hot sweat, eating hot porridge and fanning ourselves furiously. We finished our lunch pretty quickly because both of us didn't have much of an appetite in this sauna weather and started chatting, weak attempts to divert our attention away from the heat.
Suddenly, the fan revived! We both yelped for joy and relished each moment as the wind pranced on our faces. I never appreciated the fan so much before. It was at this moment that I understood the meaning of relativity. Who says that the air-conditioner is better than the fan? Once you have been baked in the afternoon heat for close to 1 hour, you will realise that the fan is the most glorious electrical appliance ever. I should really learn to appreciate the smallest thing in life.
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