The Year Was 1970*

Mùa Đông Cali - Thân tặng Thiếu Quy

2012-02-14T11:58:00.000-08:00

Sau mấy năm hạn hán, mùa đông Cali năm nay thật ướt. Mưa tầm tã, mưa cả tuần. Nhận được thơ điện của Thiếu Quy, trong đó có lời của Diệu Hương quen thuộc:

Xin cho tôi được sống một giây phút đến bất ngờ,
Cho tôi mãi được ôm trong tay hạnh phúc ngỡ như mơ.

Thân tặng Thiếu Quy giòng nhạc ướt át như thời tiết Cali năm nay, mong đến ngày họp mặt trong vài tháng tới ở Paris.

Hư ảo

Ngàn lời thiết tha về trong một chiều
Gọi từng dấu yêu vui trong buồn phiền
Xua ta một đời một nỗi buồn riêng.
Người vừa đến đây tình dâng ngập đầy,
Nụ cười khát khao, bờ môi ngọt ngào
Thầm bao lần hỏi tình nào lao xao.

Xin cho tôi được sống một giây phút đến bất ngờ,
Cho tôi mãi được ôm trong tay hạnh phúc ngỡ như mơ.
Bao năm đi tìm kiếm một hôm trong đáy mắt nhìn
Trong mênh mông là em cho tôi lời ước vọng êm đềm.

Ngày rồi sẽ tan, niềm vui rồi tàn
Một người bước đi, vòng tay lỡ làng,
Còn tôi ở lại một kiếp lang thang.
Tình là gió bay, tình đi khờ dại
Người rồi thoáng bay ôm ru miệt mài
Tình qua một lần, tình vào hư không.

Nhạc và lời Diệu Hương

Originally posted on March 2, 2010

Happy Valentine's Day

2012-02-14T06:13:00.000-08:00

Spread love everywhere you go: first of all in your own home.

Give love to your children, to a wife or husband, to a next-door neighbor.

Mother Teresa

Classe de Terminale Photo - Regina Mundi and Saint Paul

2012-02-09T07:32:00.001-08:00

Third row:

Quyên, *, Hoài Thu, *, Claudine Ngọc Diệp, *, Gisèle Minh Châu, Bảo Hương, Josée Kim Hoa, *, Suzanne Kim Hoa.

Second row:

Maria Diệu Khánh, Marie Anne Thanh An, Mộng Quỳ, Thái Vi, Hạc, Bích Thạch, Pauline Tô Bình Anh, Monique Tùng, Evelyne Hồng Tuấn Hà, Trà Bạch Mai, *, *.

First row:

*, Kim Liễu, Marie Noelle Ngọc Liên, Bà Triều, *, *, Hà, Germaine Cẩm Nhung, Mỹ Hạnh, Minh Phụng.

Sitting:

Béatrice, *, Thủy Hồng, *, Francoise Mỹ Linh, Mère Hélène, Hoàng Anh, Catherine Ngọc.

Memories of Cap Saint Jacques

2012-02-01T21:18:00.000-08:00

On Sunday morning, as soon as we heard the rooster's crow, we got up and got ourselves ready to get inside the car. As usual, Bác Tài was already in the driver's seat. Going to Vũng Tầu was always fun when you were fifteen. Bà Rịa was our first stop where we had hủ tiếu thịt heo tép mỡ for breakfast before heading into the city of Vũng Tầu.

As soon as we disembarked in front of Bãi Trước, young vendors came with their basket to offer peanuts, corn on the cob, grilled squid, coconut juice, bánh chuối nướng, etc. I always preferred to buy at a stand where an old man grilled and pressed small sheets of squid which came out burned and slightly curled.

We rented folded chairs and settled in. Laying on the chair and staring at the blue sky, I slowly consumed the pieces of burned and chewy squid, savoring the taste of the sea.

My memories of Cap Saint Jacques also included a trip of some Couvent des Oiseaux graduates who took the trip on their own, without parents or chaperons. If you wonder how this group of high school graduates spent their few days in Cap Saint Jacques in celebration of their newly found freedom, you will have to ask them.

Món Vịt Quay Bắc Kinh

2012-01-12T12:03:00.000-08:00

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Tại Bắc Mỹ, tôi có dịp ăn thử mấy cách nấu vịt quay dòn gọi là Vịt Quay Bắc Kinh. Tôi chưa có dịp đến Bắc Kinh để ăn món này, nhưng nghe những người bạn gốc Hoa đã ăn ở đó kể lại rằng "Vịt Quay Bắc Mỹ" thường ngon và đầy đặn hơn "Vịt Quay Bắc Kinh".

Hôm ở Nữu Ước, chúng tôi đến ăn tiệm Peking Duck House tại Phố Tầu Manhattan. Vào trong nhà ăn thì thấy trang hoàng rất tân tiến, như những cơ sở ăn uống Âu Mỹ, không như cao lầu Châu Á. Sau khi ngồi vào bàn và đặt món Vịt Quay Bắc Kinh, một ông đầu bếp người Hoa, mặc đồng phục trắng và cái mũ nấu bếp cao, đẩy chiếc xe nhỏ ra đến trước bàn của chúng tôi. Ông bắt đầu dùng con dao thật sắc lạn lớp da dòn của con vịt quay, đặt lên cái đĩa lớn trước mặt chúng tôi, rồi đem phần còn lại vào trong nhà bếp để làm thêm các món vịt khác sẽ ra sau.
Chúng tôi dùng miếng bánh bột tròn và nóng đựng trong hộp mây, quết ít tương đen lên, thêm vài nhánh hành lá, rồi đặt miếng da vịt dòn vào, quấn lại. Hương vị bánh bột hòa lẫn với tương đen vẫn không dấu được mùi thơm mỡ của miếng da vịt dòn.

Ở miền Tây nước Mỹ, món Vịt Quay Bắc Kinh chịu ánh hưởng của cách nấu Quảng Đông nên mấy chiếc bánh bao dẹp nhỏ trắng phau được thay vào chỗ miếng bánh bột to của miền Bắc Trung Hoa. Cũng quệt tương đen và đặt vài nhánh hành lá vào giữa cái bánh, vị ngọt bánh bao Quảng Đông như tiếng vỹ cầm phụ họa cho điệu dương cầm của da vịt dòn, làm thành bản hòa tấu bất hủ dần dần tan trong miệng....
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Bữa Cơm Thường Nhật

2011-12-19T21:25:00.000-08:00

Trên chiếc giường lát tre giải chiếc chiếu cũ rách, một cái mâm gỗ đã tróc sơn đựng lỏng chỏng đĩa rau muống luộc, bát nước rau và một đĩa đậu phụ kho tương. Đó là bữa cơm thường nhật của đôi vợ chồng trẻ. Thức ăn chỉ có thế.

Hơn năm mươi năm trước, bằng lời văn gọn ghẽ, Nhất Linh tả một bữa cơm thường nhật của Ngọc và Minh trong truyện Gánh Hàng Hoa.

Ngày nay, ở Bắc Mỹ, phải là một dịp đặc biệt chúng tôi mới tạo lại được bữa cơm đó. Phải có giờ lái xe đến chợ có rau muống. Phải gặp đúng mùa thì mới có người trồng rau muống đem bán. Làm cơm xong, tôi ngồi lên bàn ăn, nhìn đĩa rau muống mà cứ tưởng như lúc còn ở nhà.
Tôi chấm những cọng rau muống luộc vào chén nước mắm vắt chanh, đặt lên trên những hạt gạo trắng thơm trong bát cơm, rối lùa vào miệng...

Còn bát nước canh rau muống. Thường bạn làm gì với bát canh rau muống luộc?

Autumn in Montague, MA

2011-10-26T13:37:00.000-07:00

In time of e-book reading and books ordered from websites, where can you find an old bookstore full of well-selected old and new books, from poetry of William Wordsworth to A la recherche du temps perdu of Marcel Proust? As a bonus, it sits on the banks of the Sawmill River where surrounding foliage has turned red and yellow. There is a coffee shop serving simple food such as bagel and cream cheese, panini with apple, cheese, and marmalade, and good coffee.

One can sit for hours by the window, contemplating and allowing time to flow by.

LES BOUGAINVILLIERS DE HA

2011-10-12T15:53:00.000-07:00

Avec Ha dans son jardin un jour de septembre !

JOYEUX ANNIVERSAIRE THAI VI !

2011-10-12T15:39:00.000-07:00

La vie est comme un livre où chaque anniversaire marque le début d'un chapitre fascinant.

L'amitié s'inscrit aussi au grand livre de la vie.
Des pages de précieux souvenirs qu'on se remémore avec plaisir.

Joyeux Anniversaire et bien du bonheur!

2011-10-12T15:33:00.000-07:00

DES BISOUS

2011-10-12T15:31:00.000-07:00

Douze gros bisous pour ton anniversaire!

LA CARTE

2011-10-12T15:03:00.000-07:00

Gros bisous pour ton anniversaire !

THY et MARTIN 20 AOUT 2011

2011-10-12T14:27:00.000-07:00

Les heureux mariés !

Au Mariage de Martin et Thy

2011-10-12T14:15:00.000-07:00

Cet événement a pu réunir 10 Couventines venant de Californie, New York, Canada et de France.

Sài Gòn Ngày Nay

2011-10-09T21:33:00.000-07:00

Nhà Thờ Đức Bà và khu Bưu Điện vẫn như xưa. Quán bánh mì Hương Lan không còn ở đó để tôi ghé mua bánh mì tôm mayonnaise mỗi sáng thứ Sáu.

Nhìn ra Công Trường Chiến Sĩ trước Quốc Hội, với những tòa nhà thương mại tráng lệ hơn xưa. Thương xá Eden không còn, nhường chỗ cho một cao ốc thương mại đang xây.

Căn nhà xưa ở đường Gia Long chỉ còn là bãi đất đậu xe.

Phở Xếp Hàng

2011-08-06T15:29:00.000-07:00

In the first years living overseas, many of us tried to create a bowl of phở at home, or to find good phở restaurants to go to for a quick and flavorful meal. Many versions of overseas phở have been created and fine-tuned to our taste. Savoring these over the years have left me with the question of what would a most traditional bowl of phở taste like.

Kim-Lieu's email about Bún 'mắng', cháo 'chửi', phở xếp hàng helped me get back on my search of that elusive, most traditional bowl of phở in the land where phở was created. The sky of Hanoi regularly lightened up after 5 o'clock, and by 6 o'clock, people were out in the street. In the early morning, we walked on the nearly empty sidewalks of phố cổ, heading to 49 Bát Đàn.

We arrived there shortly after 6 o'clock. There were many customers already in their seats consuming their bowl of phở. There were choices of tái nạm, tái and chín. We ordered our bowls and brought them ourselves to the dark wooden table.

There was ample thit bò, thinly sliced, with edges of nạm that was a bit chewy in the mouth, giving it the signature of authenticity. There was no need to add giá sống or rau quế, ngò gai to make this bowl of phở better. Well-selected and thinly sliced beef and hành lá was added on top of fresh noodles and bathed in a clear yet flavorful broth. The sliced beef truly made it a bowl of phở Bắc gia truyền.

It was worth the wait in line to get your own bowl of phở, to bring this bowl yourself to a table to consume. On busy days, some people ended up eating while standing when all the seats inside and in front of the restaurant had been taken.

Somewhere Over The Rainbow

2011-03-07T05:57:00.001-08:00

Have you ever wondered what's over the rainbow?

In the days when Saigon was not as crowded, I walked home from school with my eyes on the clouds gathering over the distant horizon. As a child, I have wondered what's over the clouds if I could fly. I never knew that children in Saigon and in Kansas City longed for similar places...

Gift

2010-11-09T12:29:00.000-08:00

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There are many people around me who are currently out of a job. A person who is still looking for a job in the financial fields after she was laid off more than two years ago. A person who is doing volunteer work with the hope that when a job opens up, he will be hired since he has spent more than a year working for free there. A person who continues to hold on to his job for half of his pay, with the hope that when his company is taken over by another, he will be paid in full for his work. We are going through a depression that has lasted too long.

A friend told me about a book that tells the story of an anonymous benefactor who gave out money to 75 people in need in Canton, Ohio, in the middle of the Great Depression. It is inspiring to think that there may be other generous "Mr. B. Virdot" nowadays, who would lend a hand without expecting anything in return.

I just bought online the book A Secret Gift: How One Man's Kindness--and a Trove of Letters--Revealed the Hidden History of the Great Depression.

Dear Couventines: If you are interested in reading the book, I will send it to you once I have read it, only to ask you to send it to the next Couventine who is interested in the story.

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A Month of Baseball Games

2010-11-05T13:55:00.000-07:00

October was a month of great fun. I was busy following the SF Giants from San Francisco to Atlanta, Philadelphia and Arlington, TX, on TV and at AT&T Park. The games turned out to be much more interesting than I had originally thought, especially the World Series games, when the exhilaration of striking out batters or hitting, running and scoring compensated for many innings of no hits or scores.
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A parade on the streets of San Francisco for a World Series Champion has never occurred here. When I called my friend on Tuesday wanting to know if she would join me and go to the parade the next day, she said that she was about to call me for the same reason. Since the parade will start at 11 AM, we thought of being out there early and arrived at 9 AM on Market Street, only to find 5-row deep people lining the streets, many starting their trip to the City shortly after midnight. The orange team color was everywhere. We had fun watching kids climbing up trees, on top of bus stop shelters, and people in good mood singing and cheering on almost anything. When confetti dropped from the high rises, it was an orange snowstorm coming down.
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The marching bands heralded antique convertibles carrying dignitaries waving to the crowd. The cable cars with players passed by slowly, each with a player, his family and friends, with his name prominently displayed. I got to see up close and in person Tim Lincecum, Buster Posey, Brian Wilson, etc., unlike at the ball park where they appeared as small dots on the field.
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The crowd followed the parade to the Civic Center where a lengthy ceremony was held. Am I going to look for season tickets next year?

Baseball Playoff

2010-10-06T18:33:00.000-07:00

A few decades ago, as a newcomer to the land of hot dogs and baseball games, I never understood my neighbor when he said that there were "only three seasons here". It also has taken me a long time to understand the game of baseball, and the language spoken by announcers or written in sport articles about these games. Over the last few years, the opportunity to go to many San Francisco Giants games during the baseball season has given me a liking of the slow duels of pitchers, hitters and outfielders in the leisurely stretched nine-inning games that fill our evenings from 7 to 10 PM, in the beautiful setting of the AT&T Park.

Now that the San Francisco Giants are in the playoff the first time since as long as I could remember, this has become an opportunity for me to learn about the Leagues: American and National.

Here is the scenario in the next few weeks, leading to the "World Series" which will crown the best baseball team in the world.

In the National League, the four teams of San Francisco Giants, Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies and Cincinnatti Reds will battle for a spot to meet the winner in the American League in the World Series.

The American League teams battling for the spot in the World series this year are: Texas Rangers, Tampa Bay Rays, Minnesota Twins and New York Yankees.

Tonight, the first game between SF Giants and Atlanta Braves is held here, a couple of blocks from where we are. You can feel the excitement in the crowd of people streaming to the gates, and in the many sport bars and restaurants in the area. The score remains 0-0 at the bottom of the 4th inning....

PS. The three(sport) seasons are: baseball, football and basketball seasons. The final score of tonight's game is Giants 1, Braves 0. On to game 2 tomorrow. Good night.

Rainbow Shower

2010-09-19T18:50:00.000-07:00

J'adore voir les grands arbres, des fleurs, des grands manguiers, des hibiscus géants...

These bouquets of pink blossoms hanging from majestic trees rival the attraction of flamboyant Royal Poinciana hoa phượng as you walked the streets of Honolulu.

Does this remind you of the blossoms of Wisteria, but in a tropical setting?

Cành Hoa Glaieul

2010-09-18T12:57:00.001-07:00

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Bên đường đi vào vườn sau, mổi năm mùa này mấy củ hoa glaieul tôi chôn khoảng hơn mười năm trước không nhắc mà vẩn trổ mấy cành hoa màu đỏ rượu chát.

Cành glaieul làm tôi nhớ đến những dịp cỗ ở nhà, thế nào cũng có bó hoa trên bàn thờ. Ở Việt Nam, hoa glaieul được trưng bày để mang dáng Tây phương vào nhà, trong khi những cành hoa huệ được dành cho những khung cảnh đặc thù Việt.

The Tale of Kieu, September 10-12 in Houston

2010-09-08T05:54:00.000-07:00

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Just for fun, here is the live interview today. The costume designer decided what the hair style is, so it is quite new to me. Interesting since I have short hair and had to get extensions put into my hair for the first time, and big fake eyelashes that I brought back from CA in my last trip. I hope we sell lots of tickets here so the show goes to CA and I get to see my friends again!
Cam Sa
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Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

2010-08-21T17:31:00.000-07:00

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I laid the book on the table and closed my eyes. I have just finished reading it. I wanted to know more about Savannah, GA, and its glorious past.
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The wealth of Savannah and a few colorful characters were the setting of John Berendt's book, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. It was on Best Sellers list for at least a few years. You will find true-life eccentrics and society people, a murder prosecution, witchcraft and more ....
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If you have a few days of leisure and would like to immerse in a good adventure, do pick up this book. I read it from cover to cover in a short time, thoroughly enjoying the smart prose and captivating details.

Just hope that visiting Savannah in person one day will be as intriguing and enchanting as reading this book.

Move-In Day

2010-08-19T21:07:00.001-07:00

Do you recall the evenings when you sat down by your child's bed, holding your child's favorite book, yet reciting the bedtime story by heart since you have done it so many times?

http://couventine-theyearwas1970.blogspot.com/2008/05/goodnight-moon-goodbye-mom.html

Do you recall the college move-in day when you got up early with your car fully loaded, driving to your child's assigned dormitory before there were lines of double-parked cars in order to snatch that curbside spot to unload the packs, waiting by the packs as your child ran into the dormitory office to sign papers and obtain the room key?

Today, Joel moved into International House at Berkeley.

We have clear recollection of the days when we helped our children move into Unit 2, Unit 3, to the Alpha Omicron Pi sorority and to the Sigma Chi fraternity at UC Berkeley. Similarly, this morning we drove Joel to I House before the crowd arrived and found a curbside parking spot close to the entrance. We helped Joel carry the bags to his room on the 4th floor. It was a tidy room of comfortable size, furnished with a bed, a desk and a dresser, with the window facing West. Looking out his window, Joel can see the Campanile tower, the Bay, Treasure Island, and probably Alcatraz and Golden Gate Bridge on a clear day.
Sunset can be spectacular from here, if the graduate student has time to sit by his window.

Giàn Đậu Mùa Hè

2010-07-07T17:47:00.001-07:00

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Những năm về sau rảnh rỗi, mùa này tôi bắt đầu dùng những que tre dài cắm trên phần đất nắng nhất của vườn sau để dựng lên giàn đậu. Thường thì chỉ vài tháng sau là tôi có giàn cây leo xum xuê, gợi nhớ cảm xúc khi còn bé, cầm trong tay quyển sách của Duyên Anh, đọc đi đọc lại trang đầu truyện ngắn Hoa Thiên Lý.

Mẹ tôi yêu hoa thiên lý như yêu chồng con. Chả biết mầu xanh dìu dịu của lá và hương thơm nhẹ nhàng của hoa thiết tha là bao mà mẹ tôi âu yếm nó thế. Thường thường mẹ tôi trồng từng khóm. Mẹ bắc khum khum một cái giàn. Chiều chiều mẹ xách nước tưới vào gốc cho cây chóng lớn. Khi lá theo cành lên kín đầy giàn và khi loài ve sầu rủ rê mùa hạ sang thì họ hàng nhà bọ ngựa đã tha thẩn cả ngày leo bò lên giàn hoa lý xanh tươi.

Mặc dầu có được giàn đậu xum xuê tạo cảnh vườn rau để gợi nhớ quê hương, tôi vẫn biết cái thế giới chúng ta sống lúc trước chỉ còn trong kỷ niệm.

Trưa hè miền này vắng tiếng sáo diều, tiếng ru buồn thấm thía. Mẹ tôi không đem chiếu trải dưới giàn hoa ngồi kể chuyện cho tôi ngủ thiếp đi nữa. Cuộc sống đồi núi nối tiếp từng trang dài tẻ nhạt. Mưa rừng giăng mờ muôn ngả chỉ làm cho tôi hậm hực trên nhà sàn. Và mỗi chiều nắng rớt rơi đọng trên cây lá thay mầu cảnh vật cũng chẳng làm tôi say mê. Tôi đã biết cảm thế nảo là tình quê hương.
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Kim-Vân-Kiều

2010-07-02T11:35:00.000-07:00

Người quốc-sắc, kẻ thiên-tài,

Tình trong như đã, mặt ngoài còn e.

Chập-chờn, cơn tỉnh, cơn mê,

Rón ngồi chẳng tiện, dứt về chỉn khôn.

Bóng tà như dục cơn buồn,

Khách đà lên ngựa, người còn ghé theo.

Dưới dòng nước chảy trong veo,

Bên cầu tơ liễu bóng chiều thướt tha.

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"Người đâu gặp-gỡ làm chi,

Trăn năm biết có duyên gì hay không?"

Ngổn-ngang trăm mối bên lòng,

Nên câu tuyệt-diệu ngụ trong tính-tình.

Chênh-chênh bóng nguyệt xế mành,

Tựa ngồi bên triện, một mình thiu-thiu.

Cẩm Sa at "The Tale of Kiều" Audition

2010-06-27T22:05:00.000-07:00

World Cup 2010

2010-06-23T09:43:00.000-07:00

While having breakfast, I glanced at the TV left on ESPN channel. In overtime after 90 minutes, team USA was about to be eliminated. Then I saw the team in white scored a goal, with the crowd erupting in cheers. Team USA which has not led their group since 1930 now can advance to the next round, facing either Germany or Ghana. It is now 10 AM Mountain Time, midday on the East Coast. I was told that people came up with many excuses to not be at work this morning to watch the game

Some other good news this week: Cam Sa is auditing for the musical The Tale of Kieu! (Please click on link to find out more about The Tale of Kieu musical).

Congratulations to Cam Sa and to Team USA.

Nghe Evelyne kể chuyện đi chơi vui quá...

2010-06-16T18:04:00.000-07:00

xx
xx

Chừng nào lại tổ chức đi chơi nữa?

ANNIVERSAIRE 40 ANS PROMO 70

2010-06-12T02:02:00.000-07:00

Puissions-nous tous, à travers ombres et clartés,
avancer main dans la main sur la route de la fraternité.
Elle est le chemin qui comble le cœur de l'homme.
Elle est le chemin qui comble le cœur de Dieu.
Elle est exultation.
Soeur Emmanuelle

ABBAYE AUX BOIS 24 AVRIL 2010

2010-06-12T01:59:00.000-07:00

Réunion avec les Soeurs et professeurs.

LE MONT SAINT MICHEL

2010-06-12T01:55:00.000-07:00

Avant "l'accident"

Thérèse Thai Vi et Thérèse Hoang Anh

2010-06-12T01:52:00.000-07:00

Dites nous, vous demandez quoi en fait à Sainte Thérèse ?

LA CATHEDRALE DE LISIEUX

2010-06-12T01:40:00.000-07:00

Devant la cathédrale avant les prières.

LE SCENARIO DU FILM

2010-06-12T01:35:00.001-07:00

24 avril

Après une matinée du samedi très chargée par une réunion avec les Sœurs et Professeurs à l’Abbaye, nous poursuivons la fête au restaurant Villa Medici dans la soirée.

Pendant tout le repas, Cam Sa accompagnée du serveur chanteur et d’un guitariste, a envoûté toute la salle de sa voix d’or.

Le serveur a profité de cette ambiance « enivrante » pour exercer son charme sur Viviane, Thiêu Quy, Thaivi et Cam Sa. Il faut dire qu’il avait le choix, tellement il y avait de belles femmes célibataires ce soir-là.

25 avril

Dimanche matin, après le petit déjeuner à l’hôtel, comme dans le passé, toutes ensembles nous prenons le train pour continuer la fête chez Josée qui nous a concocté un succulent buffet malgré la courte nuit.

A la fin du repas à notre grande surprise, Josée et anh Duc ont apporté 2 gâteaux d’anniversaire pour Kim Liêu et moi-même. Quel bonheur pour nous de pouvoir célébrer notre anniversaire avec toutes nos amies du Couvent ! Je me souviendrai longtemps de cette fête.

Le soir, direction le Lido aux Champs Elysées. Le spectacle est magnifique avec les Bluebell Girls, les filles sont sublimes. Les paillettes ont ravi tout le monde même Mme Thai (connue pour sa sévérité), Chi Anna Maria est montée sur scène pour effectuer quelques pas de rock avec nous (ça change de xom Lach où elle nous emmenait pour les activités sociales !).

Le lundi 26 avril, nous partons pour le Mont Saint Michel avec anh Duc, conducteur et seul responsable d’une cargaison de 8 femmes, euh non 8 jeunes filles ! (Josée, Gisèle, Evelyne, Thaivi, Hoang Anh, Suzanne, Claudine et Cam Sa).

Arrivés à Blonville, nous prenons un déjeuner de fruits de mer puis en route pour Lisieux. La cathédrale est magnifique, les 2 Thérèse du groupe, Hoang Anh et Thaivi ont prié longtemps devant la statue de Sainte Thérèse, je ne sais pas ce qu’elles ont demandé mais apparemment Sainte Thérèse a exaucé Hoang Anh puisque le soir même elle a gagné au Casino.

Après Lisieux nous sommes allés chercher Cam Sa chez la sœur de Marie Rose Tuyet Lan. Malheureusement le « GPS » n’a pas bien fonctionné, si bien que nous nous sommes égarés sur des chemins de terre perdus au milieu des vaches dans la Normandie profonde. Mais comme tous les chemins mènent à Rome, nous sommes quand même arrivés à destination et avons été accueillis par une collation de fruits et de jus frais.

Nous dînons à Trouville et passons la nuit dans l’appartement de Josée et anh Duc, les gazouillements des oiseaux ont dû s’arrêter tard dans la soirée faute de recharge pour les batteries.

27 avril

2e jour direction Mont Saint Michel.

Le terrain sur lequel notre cher chauffeur garait le van était recouvert d’eau en marée haute, et servait de parking en marée basse . Le sol était glissant, en voulant sauter par dessus un fossé je me suis retrouvée dedans, impossible alors de me relever, la boue était gluante et glissante, à chaque tentative de m’en dégager je retombais à l’intérieur, il a fallu le secours de notre « conducteur sauveur » et des Oiseaux pour me tirer d’affaires.

Malgré mon aspect crasseux La Mère Poulard a bien voulu nous accepter pour le déjeuner et je profitais pour me nettoyer de la tête jusqu’aux pieds dans les toilettes du restaurant. L'addition était plutôt salée, la spécialité de la Mère Poulard, l’omelette à 29€ (3 oeufs et peut-être la douche incluse!) mais nous aurons goûté au moins à cette fameuse omelette qui fait la réputation du Mt St Michel.

Le soir nous dînons à la Bergerie (et non bercail, car anh Duc plaisantait en disant qu'il ramenait les brebis égarées au bercail) puis passons la nuit à l'hôtel Formule Vert.

28 avril

3e jour retour sur Paris, petit dej dans un relais de l'autoroute puis déjeuner dans un autre relais sur la route, au menu paella, andouillette, jambon à l'os etc...

Arrivés à temps à Orly pour Cam Sa.

Mission accomplie pour anh Duc qui a ramené sain et sauf sa cargaison sans vendre aucune Couventine sur la route, il menaçait de nous vendre pour payer son dur travail de chauffeur pendant ces 3 jours !

Evelyne

A Good Day

2010-06-10T08:21:00.000-07:00

I woke up to a bright and sunny morning. The view out of my window announced that it will be a good day here.

I went out to the garden to gather roses and put into a vase, part of my routine on good days.

As I enjoyed the beautiful flowers that nature has bestowed, this photo that my daughter sent reminded me about friendship. We may not notice many simple, beautiful things in our busy life.

Thank you for being here, on this blog, with your stories and your laughs. You have added roses to our day.

UN FILM, UNE HISTOIRE

2010-06-04T07:00:00.000-07:00

Un film d'après le roman "Promo 70".
Au fil des années les actrices ont construit une histoire qui n'est pas prête de terminer.

REUNION AVRIL 2010

2010-06-03T02:43:00.000-07:00

Cette reunion etait riche en evenements, voici quelques echanges de mails pour illustrer.

Chère Hoàng Anh,

Nous avons quand même toutes les mêmes partenaires qu'avant, personne n'a saute d'un lit a autre... mais si! J'ai dormi avec Quy, puis avec Hoang Anh, puis avec Kim Lieu! Ah la la, quelle énergie j'avais. J'en rêve encore. Vous vous rendez compte, si Bich Thach etait la, quels degats encore!

Anh Giam, tu as bien fait de faire marcher les dames un peu, et surtout a Pigalle. Tu croyais pouvoir t'en débarrasser la-bas comme anh Duc au MSM? Tu aurais eu du mal a te débarrasser de moi, j'avais pris 2 kg de plus pdt mes vacances. Ho hisse, un vrai sac de pommes de terre.

Bisous, La Pam.

He Beatrice,

Ne crois pas à toutes ces diffamations que ces chères dames te racontent... surtout sur moi. Je suis Plus SAINTE que ça, beaucoup plus Sainte.
Thach

PS: Je suis vraiment desolee d'avoir louper ma chance de te revoir ainsi que toutes nos amies et de passer un bon temps en France. Ce sera pour une autre fois.

Message de anh Giam à Hoang Anh

Tu nous manques déjà !!

Gisèle et moi avons prévu t’amener, samedi 1^er mai dernier, visiter le château de Fontainebleau ou un autre château près de chez nous (le Nhà La !), mais une autre heureuse circonstance, grâce à la complicité de sœur d’Evelyne, et à toi qui souhaite revoir le Sacré Cœur de Paris, nous avons atterri sur les boulevards de PIGALLE !, malgré la pagaille monstre des manifestations du 1^er Mai…, et après vos prières à l’Eglise, on raconte ceci le lendemain dans un restaurant thailandais à Lognes où se retrouvaient : (Duc-Josée, Xuan-Evelyne ,Monique Tùng, toi et Gisèle)

Résultats de cette excursions, plusieurs versions possibles :

Ou bien je ne fais pas mieux que anh Duc pour ‘placer’ trois couventines au pied du Montmartre..

Ou bien les trois sœurs ne peuvent pas se débarraser du vieux gourou (c’est moi) des lieux !

Mais, enfin, nous avons vécu ensemble, quelques moments très agréables qui se terminent par 4 délicieuses soupes à côté du restaurant les Tricotins dans le Paris 13^ème.

Message d’Evelyne à anh Giam

Tu n'as pas pu nous placer et nous non plus nous ne sommes pas arrivées à nous débarrasser du gourou qui a fait exprès de garer la voiture très loin du Sacré Coeur et qui nous a fait marcher tout le long des trottoirs de Pigalle. Heureusement que toutes tes connaissances sont à la retraite sinon tu ne manquerais pas de nous les présenter (hi hi hi) Après avoir prié Dieu à la Basilique, qu'est ce qu'on a fait ? direction Pigalle à pied et lèche vitrine (oh oh oh) !!! Cette réunion de promo est riche en tous domaines ! Les faits sont dignes des journaux People Gala, Voici.
1/Viviane, Thaivi, Quy se sont laissées draguer par le serveur chanteur au resto.
2/Casino à Trouville
3/Promenade à Pigalle. Que peut-on faire plus ?

Les Organisatrices de la Reunion

2010-06-02T22:26:00.000-07:00

Photo courtesy of Cam-Sa

From a well-distributed report, we learned that "Sans le trio Gisele, Evelyne, Hoa and 1er supporter Duc, l'ouverture de la Convention des Couventines Promo 1970 n'aurait pas été possible".

" J ' A R R I V E ! J ' A R R I V E ! J ' A R R I V E "

2010-06-01T12:25:00.000-07:00

While flights remained cancelled, fearless North Americans (Cam-Sa, Marie Rose, Suzanne, Claudine, Hoang Anh and Kim-Lieu) continued to plan to cross the Atlantic. "We will be there, flying or swimming". Soon, we heard from them:
"Dans l'avion maintenant..."
"Deux petits oiseaux ont atteri!..."

The party has begun!

Reunion in Paris

2010-05-29T21:24:00.000-07:00

The BART train sped to SFO. At the Delta counter, we quickly checked in, and boarded an Airbus heading to Minneapolis-St. Paul. There, we went on another plane heading to London. I had always wanted to see how England celebrated her Queen’s birthday. We went to Hyde Park to see the cannon salute before going to King’s Cross St Pancras station to catch a fast Eurostar train to Paris. It was a short walk across to the Gare du Nord Metro entrance, and soon I found myself at Gare Montparnasse. I had emailed Aurore to meet her at the hotel. We walked to a café and chatted about the time since we last saw each other. It had been forty years….

It was still dark when I woke up from a dream going to Paris. We got ourselves ready, went on the BART train to SFO. Unlike what was in my dream, there were few people at the Delta counter. The previous flight to Germany had been canceled. Our flight to London was canceled as well, since Heathrow airport remained closed. My plan to meet friends at the high school reunion in Paris, 40 years after graduation, was put on hold.

Because of the ash cloud from a volcanic eruption, a few of us in North America missed the reunion. I sent my regrets, and the celebration went on. Those present were kind and thoughtful in sending us a lovely “We Miss You” card, with the full regalia of signatures, hugs and (real) kisses. Photos and reports followed, witnesses to a joyful reunion.

Friendship - From Some Forty Years Ago

2009-08-30T21:06:00.000-07:00

I first met Ngọc Hân when she arrived in Dalat to join our school. As I recalled, she started Đệ Tam, and I was en classe de troisième. Ngọc Hân has kept great memories of the years in Dalat. In my new routine of calling her on the phone every so often, we talked about our days living in the boarding school, and about her days and life around her now. Ngọc Hân vividly remembered me as one of those who sat in the front row in the class of Mère Francoise Dominique.

We talked about life in Dalat, and friends who we used to hang out with. She was with Nguyệt Minh, Á Thiện, Ái Phương and Bích Ngọc. Since Nguyệt Minh, Á Thiện, Ái Phương were at some point in my équippe, it was likely that Ngọc Hân was in the same équippe verticale as well. Living under one roof, we played together after classes, during the evening and weekend activities. Three times daily, we sat together in the réfectoire for meals. When it was our équippe's turn, we shared the tasks of getting the dining room ready for others. We placed the water caraffe and the ustencils where they belonged. We cut the bread and placed them in baskets which went to the tables, two baskets on each. We did la vaisselle after meals. I remembered that my hands turned all red at the end of the chore, from the hot running water.

Ngọc Diệp, Ngọc Hân's sister who was in the class above me, has organized an end-of-summer party near their home in San Diego this coming weekend. I look forward to seeing everyone there, and to enjoy the sunny weather of Southern California.

A French Breakfast

2009-04-30T13:42:00.001-07:00

For those of us who do not live in France, what we know of a French breakfast resides in our memories, from the days in Vietnam when our parents bought bánh mì tây, bơ, phó-mát for breakfast in place of ăn xôi, ăn bánh cuốn, etc. If you search on the internet, you will find consistently this description: "A traditional French breakfast consists of only coffee and slices of baguettes spread with butter or jam. Sometimes a piece of fresh fruit and a small bowl of yogurt are added."

Why have the descendants of les Gaulois, masters of the fine arts of cooking and good living, preferred the spartan elements of their breakfast to the more satisfying and generous portions of the American breakfast ("generally includes most or all of the following: two eggs - fried or poached, sliced bacon or sausages, sliced bread or toast with jam/jelly/butter, pan cakes with syrup, cornflakes or other cereal, coffee/tea, orange/grapefruit juice") or the meat-based breakfast of their German neighbors ("a typical German breakfast falls somewhere between what we'd call a deli platter and a continental breakfast; cold meats, including their famous sausages, and cheese are served along side a variety of breads and sweet toppings like jam, marmalade and honey; soft-boiled eggs, cereal and fruit would round out a large breakfast")?

Will we find out if we take the trip to Paris next year and discover the true secrets of a French breakfast?

More Pictures from Bội Trân

2009-04-19T05:33:00.000-07:00

Chả cá Thăng Long

Ốc nhồi gừng, món Bắc đặc thù mà Viễn Đông làm rất ngon.
Nhóm bạn tại Viễn Đông.

Bát Bửu

2009-04-15T17:22:00.000-07:00

When I was young, our family often went to Bát Đạt restaurant in Chợ Lớn on weekends. The bát bửu plate always was served first, preceding canh măng nấu vi cua and vịt hầm thuốc Bắc. Although the cold cuts on the bát bửu plate were never a healthy dish, it were always cleaned out by all of us before the delicious soup was consumed.

More recently, a Chinese friend of ours took us to a restaurant in San Francisco named The Eight Immortals (that she pronounced in Cantonese "bát bửu"). While we enjoyed the many seafood dishes, Mei-Ling explained the meaning of the restaurant's name and the eight Taoist immortals in Chinese art. It dawned on me that her Eight Immortals can be anything that is related to longevity and prosperity.

Where are the beautiful ladies in the pictures?

Bội Trân just can not wait to hear the whole story about bát bửu and the bát tiên. So here they are, very happy to be together around a large table at noon in the middle of Little Saigon on Brookhurst, sampling the delicious dishes that were hand-selected by Hoàng Anh, laughing out loud when some bold ideas were proposed to further seal their friendship and relationship.... Stay tuned if you want to know more.

Bánh Tôm Cổ Ngư

2009-04-13T07:18:00.000-07:00

If you live in the Meuse valley between Dinant and Liège, you may have heard of anecdotes of "frying pommes de terre in lieu of fish when the river was frozen and fish was no where to be found" to assert the claim that the ubiquitous "French fries" were invented by the Belgian (Thiếu Quy, Are you reading?). Well, for the many of our friends living in France, no, we did not order French fries at Viễn Đông. It was the Vietnamese pommes de terre (khoai "ta", i.e. khoai lang) deep fried, with shrimp included, that you are seeing. The Famous Eight eagerly awaited the arrival of this dish, after treating ourselves to chả giò as appetizer. Bội Trân quickly snapped a photo before we "liberated" the popular dish. I hope your eyes enjoy this as much as our taste buds have had at Viễn Đông.

REUNION 2010 A PARIS

2009-04-07T17:02:00.000-07:00

A Walk along the Seine River

2009-04-05T21:57:00.001-07:00

Have you spent a day walking along the banks of the Seine, immersed in the historical details of the location while savoring the beauty of its surrounding?

It is an interesting if somewhat protracted adventure to walk along the quays of the Seine from west to east on the right bank, returning from east to west along the left bank. The journey begins at the Quai d'Auteuil, a gloomy and depressing locality, and it has little interest until the Trocadero is passed and the traveller has arrived at the Pont d'Iena. The Pont d'Iena was built in 1809. Its name, of course, is a reminder of Napoleon's overwhelming defeat of the Prussians.

The walk becomes delightful after passing the Pont de l'Alma (photo of tunnel along the Seine River at the Pont de l'Alma bridge where a terrible accident occurred on August 31, 1997), and Paris at its best with the tree-shaded quays, the river with its Seine boats, like nothing else on earth, and the dignified elegance of the passers-by. The Pont Alexandre III, a modern bridge built to celebrate the alliance with Russia without which perhaps there would have been no Great War, is the newest of the Paris bridges and is evidence that the modern Frenchman is as great a bridge-builder as his forbears.

The Pont de la Concorde, over which the parliamentarian hurries to the sittings of the Chambre des Deputes, was built in 1790 from the stones of the demolished Bastille. At the Pont des Arts the wanderer is in the very centre of historic Paris with the Louvre to his left, while across the river is the quartier of the poet and the artist. The Pont Neuf, despite its name, is the oldest bridge in Paris. It was begun in the reign of Henri III, the last of the Valois, and finished by Henri IV. The Place Dauphine, near the Pont Neuf, was named in honour of Louis XIII by his father, Henri IV. Close to the Place was the famous Restaurant Magny where the famous literary dinners, of which Sainte-Beuve and the de Goncourts were the originators, were held in the middle of last century. The next bridge, the Pont au Change, derives its name from the fact that in the days when bridges were busy streets, it was the home of the goldsmith and the money lender, and there is something suggestive in the fact that the bridge was burned down in 1621. Paris bridges, indeed, have had many casualties, the Pont Notre-Dame having bodily fallen into the river at the end of the fifteenth century. The Pont Neuf and the Pont au Change are frequently mentioned in the Dumas novels, and d'Artagnan and the three musketeers often swaggered across both of them. On the Quai du Louvre there still stands a cafe now called the Bouillon du Pont-Neuf, formerly known as the Cafe de Parnasse and the Cafe des Ecoles, which was a rendezvous for students and young barristers who had only to cross the Pont Neuf to reach the Palais de Justice, and which Danton frequented in pre-revolution days when he was making his way at the Bar.

The rest of the journey on the right bank is without any great interest. Coming back westward, near the Pont d'Austerlitz, the wayfarer passes the Jardin des Plantes, the poor Parisians' Zoo, where there is no charge for admission. The Pont Sully joins the rive gauche to the smaller of the two Seine islands, the Ile St. Louis. Here, on the Quai de Bourbon, both Baudelaire and Theophile Gautier lived for a time. Charles Pierre Baudelaire is as pathetic a figure as Villon or Verlaine. He was thirty-six when he published his famous Fleurs du Mal, and soon after he completed his translations of Edgar Allan Poe with whom he had so close affinity. He was always in pecuniary difficulties, and his debts compelled him to leave Paris for Belgium, where drink and opium led to his loss of reason. Like Guy de Maupassant, he died in a lunatic asylum. Baudelaire has been described as the first of the decadents, and he was the hero of the English decadent writers of the nineties of last century. He was, it has been well said, as afraid of life as was de Musset. But he was a very great poet, and it is good to remember his verse in this walk by the side of the Seine.

Voici venir les temps où vibrant sur sa tige
Chaque fleur s'évapore ainsi qu'un encensoir ;
Les sons et les parfums tournent dans l'air du soir ;
Valse mélancolique et langoureux vertige !

Chaque fleur s'évapore ainsi qu'un encensoir ;
Le violon frémit comme un cœur qu'on afflige ;
Valse mélancolique et langoureux vertige !
Le ciel est triste et beau comme un grand reposoir.
…
Harmonie du soir, Spleen et Ideal

The joy of the Quais of the rive gauche, particularly on a sunny day, is the famous bookstalls where collectors search for bargains and rarely find them.

The longest of the Quais on the south side is the Quai d'Orsay and its most famous building is the Ministere des Affaires Etrangeres. Infinitely more interesting than the Ministere des Affaires Etrangeres is the Hotel des Invalides, where in its magnificent tomb lies the body of the great Emperor. " Fe desire," he wrote in his will, " que mes cendres reposent sur les bords de la Seine au milieu de ce peuple que j'ai tant aime." The Champ de Mars may well bring the Seine-side wander to an end. Beyond it and until the city boundaries are passed is little of interest or adventure. Since the Revolution the Champ de Mars has become the home of one international exhibition after the other, and has been disfigured by the Tour Eiffel. It is comforting that the invention of wireless telegraphy has provided some excuse for the existence of its monstrous ugliness.

So the Seine flows on through the city with perhaps more history stored on its banks than on the banks of any other river in the world. (Author not cited, originally published in 1936 )

Evelyne, Gisele and Josee,

We expect foot notes on the location of good ice cream joints, macaron stalls, and hot chocolate shops along this route to please the wayfarers as they enjoy their stroll along the Seine.
Cheers,

I Love Paris

2009-04-02T11:26:00.000-07:00

Nous vous proposons un programme de reunion pour 2010 a Paris!

Chères amies,

Comme suite aux différents mails échangés entre nous sur la possibilité d'organiser une réunion des anciennes de la promo 1970 (+ d'autres , si affinités! ) en France, en 2010, nous avons le plaisir de vous confirmer que la prochaine réunion pourra effectivement se tenir à Paris du 24 avril au 29 avril (pour celles qui souhaitent prolonger leur séjour en France, nous reparlerons du programme) et la réunion avec les religieuses et nos anciens professeurs est prévue

le samedi 24 avril 2010, de 12h à 17h , à l'Abbaye-aux-Bois, 11 rue la Chaise- 75006 PARIS. (métro Sèvres-Babylone)

Nous avons l'accord des Soeurs pour organiser notre réunion dans leurs locaux...
Voici donc un premier pas de fait ... Nous tenons à vous en informer dès maintenant, afin que vous puissiez prendre vos dispositions, surtout pour celles et ceux qui arrivent de loin, en espérant que tout se déroulera pour le mieux dans le meilleur des mondes!

Trésorière : Josée
Coordinatrices : Gisèle et Evelyne

Through My Window

2009-02-09T18:54:00.001-08:00

On a winter morning, I looked through my window. Most of the leaves on the plum tree have left. The sun brought warmth and light to the garden below. This brief visual trip out of my window reminded me of the ability of artists to translate what they saw into colors, forms, feelings, thoughts, and messages for us.
xx

Here was how Marc Chagall saw Paris in 1913, in "Paris par la fenêtre", which can be seen at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City.

Changes

2009-01-19T17:35:00.000-08:00

-- Give me an example.

"When I get up in the morning, I have a cup of hot coffee and a muffin before heading to work. I am thankful of the sophisticated taste of the Columbian roasted bean and the delicious warm bread. When I see a co-worker smiling at me, I know that I have just received a gift. When I return home very tired at the end of my work day, I look forward to having a quiet corner to rest, knowing that millions of other people do not have this luxury".

--You have made changes in your thoughts. Will you change in what you do as well?

My Religion Is Kindness

2009-01-14T18:20:00.001-08:00

xx
xx

"On the way into the temple, I bought a white silk scarf as I was instructed to. I also have brought with me my prayer beads. These have been with me since the days I worked as a grocery store helper shortly after arrival to the States. "

"His Holiness was seated in a simple chair, his face beaming with joy and kindness. He inquired about my family and my life in general. He gave me advise on how to achieve inner peace while contributing to a more humane world. He was warm and congenial. "

The brief audience that my friend had with the Dalai Lama has reinforced her conviction to create a compassionate world around her. She said that it has inspired her to "see goodness everywhere".

"The need of the day is a warm heart and some sense of humanity."

The Road to Happiness

2009-01-08T14:49:00.000-08:00

In the land encircled by snowy mountains
The source of all benefits and happiness

We sat down and talked about her recent experience. My friend is a devoted Buddhist. She is a few years younger than me but had endured more than her share of difficulty in life. Her father, a prominent officer in the ARVN, was killed on the battlefield when she was in high school. Being the oldest daughter, she took on the responsibility of caring for her family while going to school. She escaped Vietnam in a boat with her younger siblings and settled in Southern California. Rebuilding her life, she worked hard and rose to prominence in her field. Over the years, she has avidly read all that the Dalai Lama has written, and joined the community of Thubten Dhargye Ling, a Tibetan Buddhist temple in Long Beach, California. She told me a few years ago that one of her life dreams "before I die" is to travel to Dharamsala, India, to have an audience with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. This summer, she realized her dream.

“It was a long flight from Los Angeles to Delhi. Immediately upon arrival, the heat and the lack of personal space were shocking, much worse than during my trips to Vietnam. It gave me a whole new perspective on how to define happiness in different cultures.”

She took the overnight (12-hour long) sleeper train from Delhi to Chakki Bank. From there, a four hour taxi ride brought her to Dharamsala. At 6,000 feet above sea level, Dharamsala has been the center of the exiled Tibetan community and is home to His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, the recipient of the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize.

“I went to bed exhausted, eager to get up in the morning to attend the private audience given by His Holiness the Dalai Lama at his home and temple complex.”

Somewhere over the rainbow bluebirds fly

2009-01-01T10:53:00.000-08:00

Somewhere over the rainbow way up high
And the dreams that you dream of, dreams really do come true
Someday I'll wish upon a star, wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where trouble melts like lemon drops
High above the chimney tops, that's where you'll find me
Somewhere over the rainbow bluebirds fly
And the dreams that you dream of, oh why, oh why can't I?
Well I see trees of green and red roses too,
I'll watch them bloom for me and you
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world

Well I see skies of blue and clouds of white and the brightness of day
I like the dark and I think to myself, what a wonderful world
The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky are also on the faces of people passing by
I see friends shaking hands saying,
How do you do?
They're really saying, I ..."I love you"
I hear babies cry and I watch them grow,
They'll learn much more than we'll know
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world

Someday I'll wish upon a star, wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where trouble melts like lemon drops
High above the chimney tops, that's where you'll find me
Somewhere over the rainbow way up high
And the dreams that you dream of, oh why, oh why can't I?

Ngoài Sân Chơi

2008-10-25T22:56:00.000-07:00

Kim Hoàng -- Bích-Tùng -- Lucie Lý -- Hạc

Patricia Mỹ-Dung

Evelyne gởi đến tôi tấm hình mà Bernadette Bích Tùng đã giữ được trong hơn bốn mươi năm nay. Trong khoảng khắc, Quyên và Hạc nhận ngay được các bạn thời đó. Tôi đã từng tụm năm, tụm bẩy nơi sân chơi này, trong giờ chơi trước khi trở vào lớp. Dầu phải mặc đồng phục mỗi ngày, chúng tôi không ngại lê la, thường ngồi sụp xuống đất mà tán chuyện trời đất. Lê la như thế thường chỉ lấm cái tablier bên ngoài, chứ phần jupe plissée vẫn sạch. Những ngày trước khi lên trường, tôi thường đến tiệm Vĩnh Long ỡ đường Gia Long để sắm trousseau gồm áo sơ-mi có cổ chemisier trắng, những cái jupe plissée bleu marine, và thêm vài cái tabliers sọc xanh trắng. Khi đi lựa những chiếc áo len mầu xanh đậm, cô bán hàng thường mời chào mẹ tôi: "Bà mua thêm cho cô mấy cái chứ khí Đà lạt lạnh lắm, chớ để cô ốm rồi phải đi về"...
Tôi gặp lại Lucie Lý tại Paris trong cuộc họp mặt Couventines thập niên 1990. Lucie từ Việt Nam sang, tha thướt trong chiếc áo dài thật đẹp. Sau đó rồi không được tin.
Cám ơn Evelyne đã gởi hình cho lên blog, Hạc và Quyên đã nhanh chóng nhận diện những khuôn mặt từ tiềm thức, dầu đã xa hơn bốn mươi năm.

Colors, Adversity, Love of Life

2008-08-08T12:17:00.000-07:00

Bedazzled by the vibrant colors in paintings large and small, intrigued by the many tragedies in her life, puzzled by the meaning of her surrealist messages, I was happily tired at the end of the day. I went to view the exhibition of Frida Kahlo's work at San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, in a city where she left a few footprints from the years living here. A sense of intense beauty and unavoidable fatality followed me as I left the museum, pondering over our own lives.

Le shopping à Paris

2008-08-04T12:43:00.000-07:00

Nous avons profité que Maria et Minh Châu (promo 71) soient de passage à Paris pour faire du tourisme et du shopping dans la capitale.
Monique Tùng, la revenante (perdu de vue pendant presque 3 ans), a pu se joindre à nous avec Josée.

Après un repas très copieux dans un restaurant libanais, nous sommes allées à la Fnac. Maria et Minh Châu y ont fait une provision de CD de musique et de chansons françaises. Ensuite, elles n’ont pas pu résister de faire un détour aux galeries Layette et la galerie marchande de Montparnasse où Maria a profité des dernières soldes pour remplir sa garde robe pour l’hiver.
Après avoir mangé, beaucoup marché, fouiné dans les magasins, nous voilà, fatiguées et assoiffées, un petit arrêt au Starbuck Coffee nous a remis en forme pour le chemin de retour à la maison.

Ces promenades entre copines nous rappellent du temps où nous étions adolescentes. Parfois le samedi après midi ou le soir après l’école, avec nos motos Honda, histoire de sortir et aussi pour satisfaire notre gourmandise, nous faisions des virées au marché de Saigon pour manger du « bò bún, bì bún » et du « xưng sa hột lựu, sâm bổ lượng » …

L’époque et les lieux ont changé mais l’amitié, la complicité et les rires restent toujours les mêmes !

Evelyne

Living Dangerously (in California)

2008-08-01T07:07:00.000-07:00

Thank you, Bội Trân, for reminding us of how dangerously we are living in California.

Get Near the Outer Walls Of Buildings Or Outside Of Them If Possible
- It is much better to be near the outside of the building rather than the interior. The farther inside you are from the outside perimeter of the building the greater the probability that your escape route will be blocked.

On Tuesday July 29, 2008, a magnitude-5.4 earthquake shook the Los Angeles metropolitan area, leaving residents rattled but causing no serious damage or injuries. A spokeswoman for Chino Hills, a suburb of about 80,000, said residents and businesses were reporting lots of things falling from walls and shelves.

Chino Hills, this is where Catherine Ngọc lives. Ngọc ơi, anything falling off in your household?

When I hear of earthquakes, I always think of the big one in 1989 that caused major damage in the area where I live:

This freeway has been rebuilt since, and this is where Thái Vi traveled on last year when she came to visit me.

By the way, something else may still occur to this freeway, since this is the same area where the road melted when a gasoline tanker exploded:

http://theyearwas1970.blogspot.com/2007/05/strange-things-happened-here-as-well.html

Is it cursed?

From: Thầy Bá

2008-07-31T17:48:00.000-07:00

Date: Thu, 31 Jul 2008 12:07:46 -0700 (PDT)
From:
"Ba TV"
Subject: Re: Our Class Blog
To:
"H. Nguyen"

Hà và các bạn cùng lớp.

Thầy đã xem trang tường thuật buổi "hội ngộ" các couventines, ngày 27/7 vừa qua, tại giữa Paris. Đã ghi nhận đầy đủ sự việc và tình cảm của mọi người. Xin thành thật cám ơn tất cả, đặc biệt, công khéo tổ chức của Hà, để có được tài liệu tốt đẹp ở class blog này.

Le récit de la réunion avec Mr Bá

2008-07-30T20:15:00.000-07:00

Dimanche 27 juillet après 40 ans, nous avons eu la joie de retrouver notre cher professeur de Math, Mr Bá, à Paris.

La réunion s’est déroulée au restaurant Lê Lai dans le 13è arrondissement.
Des anciennes de plusieurs promotions sont venues à sa rencontre mais toutes n’ont pas pu rester déjeuner car déjà prises ailleurs pour un autre engagement.

Nous sommes une vingtaine à partager le repas avec Mr Bá dans une bonne ambiance joyeuse et bruyante. Il n’est plus question de cours en classe où il faut se tenir tranquille et attentif, plus de formules de mathématiques à retenir, plus de Mères à nous surveiller. Chacune parle au mieux et des questions fusent :

« Vous rappelez-vous de moi ? J’étais très turbulente, je vous ai joué des tours »

« Etions-nous vraiment terribles ? »

« Aviez-vous des appréhensions chaque fois que vous entriez dans une salle de classe ? »…

Mais il y a eu aussi des questions sur sa santé et sa famille ce qui témoigne de notre grande affection et ainsi de notre reconnaissance envers celui qui a été notre professeur.

Anh Trâm a apporté un poème dédié à Mr Bá que Lan Phương (promo 74) a lu aux noms de nous toutes. Nous avons aussi remis à Mr Bá une carte signée par toutes les participantes et une enveloppe en signe de remerciements avec un petit discours improvisé par Maria.

Mr Bá se porte bien, toujours mince, timide, parlant peu, avec des cheveux grisonnants.
Il était très heureux de retrouver ses anciennes élèves.

Avant de nous séparer j’ai formulé la demande de l’embrasser pour les absentes et spécialement pour Thái Vi et Tuyết Lan qui y tiennent fortement. À ma grande surprise il a accepté et des fous rires éclatent dans le groupe. Minh Châu (promo 71) a profité aussi de l’occasion pour lui faire une accolade. Eh oui, il faut bien que cela arrive un jour, maintenant qu’il n’y a plus de cours, plus de surveillance des Mères.
Le pauvre homme son cœur a dû battre la chamade, heureusement qu’il n’a pas fait une crise cardiaque malgré une faiblesse au cœur.

Thái Vi ! Tuyết Lan ! Maria s’est jointe à moi pour réaliser vos fantasmes, sont-ils assouvis maintenant ?

Josée et son mari Đức, toujours très serviables ont raccompagné Mr Bá chez lui.

Fin d’une journée de retrouvailles remplie de joie et d’amitiés.

Evelyne

Photo inédite avec Mr Bá

2008-07-28T17:55:00.000-07:00

Quand Thái Vi et Tuyết Lan (et peut-être Hoàng Anh aussi) ont su que nous parisiennes allions rencontrer Mr Bá, elles m'ont missionné de faire des bisous à Mr Bá de leur part. Prenant mon courage à 2 mains et comme les soeurs n'étaient pas là pour nous surveiller alors je lui ai fait des bisous comme en témoigne cette photo. Le pauvre homme, si timide, nous n'arrêtons pas de l'embêter. Il était quand même très heureux de nous revoir après toutes ces années que nous lui avons fait endurer.

Je lui ai demandé: Thầy có run không mỗi khi thầy vô lớp dậy học ?
- Không, (m'a-t-il répondu) có mấy Mẹ kèm mà !

Bisous,

Evelyne

Remembrance of Things Past

2008-07-27T13:31:00.000-07:00

Some people go the extra length to find old memories.

More Sweet Memories

2008-07-24T08:18:00.000-07:00

While watching Mamma Mia! in a theater in downtown San Francisco and surrounded by French-speaking tourists, the tune of I Have a Dream brought me back to the days at Couvent des Oiseaux in Dalat.
http://theyearwas1970.blogspot.com/2007/03/our-school-in-lt.html (music at bottom)
There was no TV to watch while I lived there with les Mères. Occasionally, there was a week-end movie shown in the cozy little auditorium. The movies were never the kind of Academy Awards winners that we are now used to. The classic Charlie Chaplin movies in black and white brought tremendous delight to all of us. The evening when the projectors failed to work, we waited and waited, hoping that it will somehow magically worked again, only to have to leave the small quasi-theater to return to our dortoir, looking forward to the next showing.

I have a dream, a song to sing
To help me cope with anything
If you see the wonder of a fairy tale
You can take the future even if you fail
I believe in angels
Something good in everything I see
I believe in angels
When I know the time is right for me
I’ll cross the stream - I have a dream

I have a dream, a fantasy
To help me through reality
And my destination makes it worth the while
Pushing through the darkness still another mile
I believe in angels
Something good in everything I see
I believe in angels
When I know the time is right for me
I’ll cross the stream - I have a dream
I’ll cross the stream - I have a dream

I have a dream, a song to sing
To help me cope with anything
If you see the wonder of a fairy tale
You can take the future even if you fail
I believe in angels
Something good in everything I see
I believe in angels
When I know the time is right for me
I’ll cross the stream - I have a dream
I’ll cross the stream - I have a dream

Real Estate in Vietnam

2008-07-20T21:35:00.000-07:00

If you visited Vietnam this summer, you likely have stopped by your old house. You wondered about the market value of the property. You were in for a big surprise. While the housing market in the US, especially in California, dropped, real estate value in Vietnam is reaching for the sky. An old and dilapidated street-front house that belonged to a family friend, located about three blocks from chợ Bến Thành, was recently sold for 1 million. You thought it was 1 million of some currency... No, it was 1 million US dollars. Another relative of mine is getting her house located in Bà Quẹo, quận Tân Bình, ready for the market for a selling price of US$3,000,000. As some of us are looking at retirement villas in California and elsewhere, I would advise them not to retire in Vietnam, but to plan to take a trip there first and enjoy the fine scenery and good food. Then return to California to retire.

XÔI VÒ (cuit au microwave)

2008-07-18T07:22:00.000-07:00

Enfin j'ai pu accoucher ma recette de Xôi vò. J'espère qu'elle n'est pas trop compliquée.
Bisous et bon appétit,
Evelyne

Ingrédients
2 bols de nếp
½ chén de đậu xanh
2 cuillères à soupe de sucre
1/4 de cuillère à café de sel
1 cuillère à soupe d’huile
Poudre de lait de coco

Tremper đậu xanh et riz gluant séparément la veille
Le lendemain :
1/ Égoutter đậu xanh puis le cuire dans l’eau froide (le niveau d’eau est égal au niveau de đậu xanh), à ébullition baiser le feu et le laisser cuire jusqu’à évaporation complète de l’eau. Ensuite avec une cuillère tourner đậu xanh afin de l’écraser pour en faire une pâte, laisser le refroidir.
2/ Faire bouillir de l’eau dans une casserole (qu’importe la quantité d’eau), à ébullition verser du nếp égoutté dans l’eau bouillante, tourner pour que le riz ne colle pas au fond de la casserole. Au bout d’une ou 2 minutes, si les grains deviennent un peu transparents, verser le riz dans une passoire pour enlever l’eau.
3/ Dans un récipient ou Tupperware avec couvercle mélanger le riz, sucre, sel, poudre de lait de coco, huile et đậu xanh écrasé.
Fermer le Tupperware et mettre au microwave, cuire pendant 5 minutes à grande puissance, le sortir du microwave, mélanger le riz, s’il n’est pas tout à fait cuit, le remettre au microwave encore 3 ou 4 minutes, c’est à vous de voir et de vérifier si le riz est cuit ou non. (il est cuit s’il est moelleux, s’il est croquant sous la dent c’est qu’il n’est pas cuit)

Bon appétit, il ne manque plus que CƠM RƯỢU
Tremper le riz gluant, le faire cuire (nature) comme au (2/) et le mettre au microwave (sans đậu xanh and al)
Une fois le riz gluant cuit, l’étaler sur un plateau pour le laisser refroidir, écraser Men rượu et saupoudrer le riz .
Humecter la main dans de l’eau salée (nước muối) puis faire des boules avec le riz. Disposer les boules dans un récipient, à la fin vaporiser un peu d’eau salée sur les boules et fermer le récipient, le placer dans un endroit tiède. Cơm rượu sera prêt au bout d’une semaine. Vous pouvez y ajouter un peu de sirop de sucre, si le jus que donne le cơm rượu est peu.

Les Choux à la Crème Patissière

2008-07-17T21:11:00.000-07:00

Les choux

1 cup of water
1 cup of flour
1 cube of butter
4 small eggs
sugar
salt

Bring water, butter, sugar and salt to a boil on medium heat. Add flour and keep stirring. Remove from heat. Use a spatula or an electric mixer to mix the ingredients. Add eggs in. Keep whisking until the mixture makes a veil. Preheat oven at 400F. Scoop the mixture onto a greased tray. Make twenty choux on the tray and bake for one hour at 375F.

La crème patissière

1 1/4 cup of hot milk
1/2 cup of flour
1/3 cup of sugar
6 egg yolks
vanilla
1 tablespoon of butter

Mix egg yolks, sugar, flour and vanilla. Slowly add hot milk and mix well. Bring the crème to low heat or use a double boiler. When it thickens, remove from heat. Spread butter on top and wait until the crème cools down. Make a cut on the side of the choux to fill it with crème or make a hole at the bottom of the choux, and use a wax paper bag or pastry bag to fill the choux with crème. Sprinkle some confectioner sugar on top of the choux.

Chicken Mango Sandwich

2008-07-13T13:35:00.000-07:00

Time for a healthy, Asian-style sandwich.

You have had juicy beef hamburger made Hawaiian style, but now are more health conscious. Still want to have the taste of the burger patty, and the Asian vegetable condiments without the fat?
Let's make a chicken mango sandwich.

Slice a chicken breast, a quarter of an apple, mushroom and onion. Add salt, pepper, 1/4 teaspoon of flour and Maggi sauce. Quickly mix ingredients in a blender to a coarse texture. Make two patties.
To make mango salsa: dice mango, pineapple, onion, a few leaves of mint; add salt, red pepper, 1/4 teaspoon of lime juice; mix ingredients and top with corn.
Grill chicken patties on a lightly oiled non-stick pan, or in a panini grill.
Grill slices of sourbread in a panini grill. Lay lettuce and tomato on bread, then comes the chicken patty, topped with mango salsa, slices of avocado and toasted almond.

Enjoy the chicken mango sandwich with family and friends on a sunny patio this summer.

Buổi Chiều

2008-07-09T19:22:00.001-07:00

Trời Saigon nóng nực, chúng tôi thường phải đợi đến chiều thì mới ra sân sau ngồi. Tìm các ghế nhỏ rồi đặt theo vòng tròn, chúng tôi ngồi vào để nói chuyện gẫu, cho đến khi trời sẩm tối thì mới vào nhà ăn cơm. Tôi còn nhớ hai đứa cháu con bà chị cả lúc đó còn bé, chạy tung tăng trong bộ bà ba hoa, rồi chạy đến tôi, ngồi lên lòng để cũng nghe và góp chuyện. (Hai cô bé này nay cũng gần trung niên, con cái sắp lớn cả rối). Ông anh rể đi làm việc về cũng kéo thêm cái ghế, đem thêm những chuyện xẩy ra nơi làm việc kể cho chúng tôi. Lâu lắm thì mới được một luồng gió ngắn thổi vào theo cửa phía sau, phụ giúp cho những chiếc quạt tay của chúng tôi, đẩy đưa khí tĩnh và ẩm của mùa hè.

Gần đây, gia đình chúng tôi họp mặt. Chúng tôi cũng ngồi theo một vòng tròn. Cũng những khuôn mặt ấy, dầu tuổi đời nay đã cao hơn. Chúng tôi cũng nói những chuyện gẫu, không theo một đề tài. Nhưng sao tôi vẫn chưa tìm lại được những buổi chiều của sân nhà sau ở Saigon, những buổi chiều của thời niên thiếu còn ở lại trong ký ức mà thôi.

Happy July the Fourth

2008-07-04T22:22:00.000-07:00

While the exorbitant price of gas has prevented many people to travel far to watch fireworks this year, you do not have to leave your home to watch the Macy's Fourth of July Fireworks on the East River, New York City.

Bánh Mì Thịt Nguội

2008-07-03T08:55:00.001-07:00

Having been treated by iron chefs to elaborated dishes in Orange County, I am now craving for basic and simple food.
It was only a short walk from my house to Ngã Sáu, going to the cart selling bánh mì thịt nguội. I remember the fragance of bread still warm, hidden under the cart, in a large brown bag. The thịt nguội was basically half meat, half fat under the pork skin dyed in pink, the color of xá xiú. There was some đồ chua added to the content, with Maggi sauce sprinkled on top.

Years passed, my classic bánh mì thịt nguội has resurrected in North America with many extras: pâté routinely added, mayonnaise heavily spreaded, shredded đồ chua packed inside.

During a trip to Dalat, I stopped at a shop in chợ Hòa Bình in search of the classic bánh mì thịt nguội. To my surprise, the current bánh mì thịt nguội was not the one residing in my memory: light and hollow bread, few thin slices of meat, scant đồ chua.

Using French baguette from Acme bakery in Berkeley and steamed pork shoulder marinated in xá xíu spice, I have re-created my version of bánh mì thịt nguội of Ngã Sáu Saigon.

The Iron Chefs

2008-06-29T06:05:00.000-07:00

Just before the dim sum lunch, Cẩm Sa made her grand entrance with a large cooler, accompanied by Marie Rose Tuyết Lan. Coming from Houston, she brought with her tools and supply for the great food show.
Instead of having a siesta after lunch, we gathered around the granite counter in the kitchen to begin cooking. Catherine Ngọc and her team prepared the Mushroom Brushchetta dish, while chị Việt Hùng, Marie Rose, Annette and I worked on choux à la crème. Once done with our job, we joined in to help Cẩm Sa and Hoàng Anh with their various dishes.
Hoàng Anh produced three appetizers: Smoked Salmon Puff Pastry Bites, Orzo Salad on Endive Leaves, Parmesan Prociutto on Petals of Artichoke. She also made Cuban Paella, a main dish.
Cẩm Sa demonstrated the art of carving carrot and radish with the food carving tools. She then used these small sculptures to decorate the various food trays. Another elaborated dish that she made was chả lá với giò sống (hay giò tôm) gói da trứng omelette. She also deboned a cornish hen and stuffed it with sweet rice and sausage. Everyone was so efficient in the kitchen. Soon, we have all the trays on the table, a great feast for our eyes (and soon for our stomach). Photo by Bội Trân.

Gifts from Friends

2008-06-28T18:05:00.001-07:00

We all wanted to be here where friends gathered.
The regular party-goers from So Cal were here. Cẩm Sa flew in from Houston, and I came from Northern California.

Thái Vi had planned to join us but changed her plan. Instead, she sent a Berry Chocolate Bouquet from Edibles Arrangements to be in her place.

Minh Châu had also made plan to be here with one of these very sweet bottles. Another last minute change resulted in the ice wine traveling to OC with Bội Trân.

Ngọc Thư came and was able to spend a couple of hours with us. She brought a wonderful cake to celebrate our mini reunion.

Many thanks to Thái Vi, Minh Châu and Ngọc Thư for your thoughtfulness. Of course, we preferred your company, but have gladly consumed the treats you sent our way.

Thanks to Bội Trân for allowing me to use some of her pictures to illustrate.

More Guests Arriving

2008-06-27T18:36:00.001-07:00

Of course, the party would not be fun without Suzanne. Next came Ngọc Thư, then chị Việt Hùng, who is also a Couventine and a friend of Hoàng Anh.

Dim Sum on the Green

2008-06-26T17:57:00.001-07:00

You have been to Dim Sum restaurant on weekends. You sit around a table, waiting for the cart to come to order the delicious dumplings that you consume in a hurry, then wait for the next cart to come around. But you have not seen smartly dressed ladies with radiant smiles bringing in a large box which contained a multitude of dumpling varieties for your own private lunch on a patio next to the green.

When we returned from our walk, the San Gabriel team with Annette, Bội Trân and Suzanne, and Sui Lan from Irvine marched in with a large supply of delicious food. Thank you all for such a thoughtful and generous treat. Bội Trân, in her usual motherly instinct, took time to serve each of us, to assure that we would not complain "not having enough".

Cẩm Sa was showing us Hoàng Anh's creative dessert: coconut juice gelatin in its own shell (thạch nước dừa trong trái).

Did we all go and take a siesta after such a sumptuous lunch? Stay tuned.

Sunday Morning at the Beach

2008-06-25T21:17:00.001-07:00

On the third day of the massive heat wave that descended on our coast facing the Pacific, (when the temperature at the aptly-named Thermal town reached 118 degree F), I dressed lightly and arrived at Hoang Anh’s, to find her in a lovely summer outfit ready for the morning run at the beach. Catherine Ngoc arrived shortly. We took a walk around the block, and reached Pacific Coast Highway. If you think that Southern Californians sleep late on Sundays, you are in for a big surprise. These sun worshippers have gotten up very early when the weather is warm. The surfers were already out on the water waiting to ride the next waves.

It was only a few years ago that my two sons, in their early teens, insisted to go to the surf shop on Main Street and spent all of their savings on wetsuits and boogy boards. They learned body boarding on the gentle waves of HB, while the big guys rode the big waves farther out.

We talked about life. Catherine revealed her love of orchids: there are now more than a hundred pots in her yard, vying for her attention after work. Her two guava trees have borne delicious fruit; her persimmon trees have produced plenty of lovely fruit that she had brought to us in a large box last November. We talked about the bushes that we spotted along the way, the ones that looked like lemon grass. Soon it was time to get back to meet the group heading in from San Gabriel Valley and from Westminster or Irvine. Stay tuned for a nice surprise awaiting.

Huntington Beach - Summer 2008

2008-06-16T20:55:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,

Here is a list of the ones who will be present: Cẩm Sa, Bội Trân, Hà, Catherine Ngọc, Annette, Suzanne, Sui Lan, Ngọc Thư (needs to reconfirm), Tuyết Lan, Claudine and Hoàng Anh.

How about starting around 11 or noon then? Hà ơi, you and I can still stroll to the beach in the morning if you are interested.

Hoàng Anh

Le Rendez-Vous en Septembre

2008-06-10T20:28:00.000-07:00

Hello, les filles,

Hilton m'a fait une proposition intéressante pour l'hôtel, du 06 au 13 Septembre:

- CAN$200.00 par nuit pour une chambre de 4 à Montréal; et

- CAN$280.00 (toujours pour 4) à Québec.

C'est plus cher au Québec car la ville fête ses 400 ans. Les festivités durent toute l'année et la ville s'attend à une invasion de touristes. Nous pourrons peut-être rester à Québec seulement 2 jours et une nuit. À Montréal je pourrai héberger 3 à 4 personnes chez moi (de préference Gisèle et Anh Giám) et m'occuperai avec Jacqueline Minh Liễu du petit-dejeuner. Je crois qu'avec CAN$30.00 par jour, par personne, pour la bouffe on s'en sortirait très bien.
Les deux Hilton sont très bien situés, en plein centre-ville, près de tout. Celui à Montreal est proche de chez moi et de mon bureau et le métro est juste à deux pas avec accès souterrain. Quant au Hilton de Québec il est à la porte du Vieux-Québec.

Qu'en pensez-vous? Si tout va bien je vais vérifier les tarifs de train et d'autobus pour Québec ainsi que le programme des spectacles pour cette période.

Les filles, I would like to hear from you about our planned reunion. So please do share with me your thoughts either positive or negative. Merci d'avance et je vous embrasse toutes!

Organisatrices:
Au Canada: Hoài Thu & Bích Thạch
Aux Etats Unis: Maria Diệu Khánh

Paris

2008-06-06T09:15:00.000-07:00

Paris aura tjs une place en mon coeur pour diverses raisons.

C'est la ville non pas de mes amours, mais de mes amities. Quand on parle de Paris pour moi, des noms me viennent a l'esprit, Evelyne, Josee, Gisele, Phung, Monique.

C'est aussi la ville de mes rencontres avec Quyen. Nous avons eu jusqu'ici sept rendez-vous depuis les annees 1990. Qui dit mieux? Chaque fois, c'etait un hotel different. Chaque fois, nous faisions presque tjs les memes choses, mais on s'amusait tellement ensemble tout doucement.

Paris est aussi le lieu de ma premiere rencontre avec Thieu Quy apres 38 annees. Elle etait la rieuse rose rouge qui descendait du train de 9h34 au Quai 9 a la Gare du Nord le 24 mai, 2008, les bras charges de plusieurs kilos d'anti-depresseur belge.

C'etait un reve devenu realite.La aussi j'ai retrouvee Christine Dufourmantelle, une camarade de classe que j'ai perdue de vue depuis la 8e. C'etait tellement cool de la revoir, et de nous embrasser, c'etait comme si toutes les etoiles et les planetes dans le firmament s'alignaient exactement que pour nous, et le sort nous souriait.

Ensuite c'est la ville qui offre a tout le monde des tas de choses a voir et a faire. Ce serait assez difficile de te dire en un mot ce qu'on devrait voir en une journee. Ca depend forcement des gouts. Pour moi, je ferais le tour des Champs Elysees en voiture, je verrais la Tour Eiffel et Notre Dame de loin, puis j'irais faire un tour au Parc de Bagatelle, dans le Bois de Boulogne, ou les roses, les iris, et les paons ont fait mon bonheur. Pour manger, j'aurais des patisseries chez Fauchon, des macarons chez Pierre Herme a St Germain, et diner dans n'importe quel bistrot.

Les restaurants vietnamiens ou j'ai mange et qui sont memorables sont La Muraille de Jade pres de St Germain, et Le Palanquin (Rouge?) dans le 10e. Quyen connait la soeur du proprietaire de la Muraille de Jade, et une ancienne de Dalat est la proprietaire du Palanquin qui se specialise dans les mets de Hue.

Tu as raison de suggerer Paris comme le site de notre prochaine reunion, ce serait merveilleux. Le seul probleme? Les vacances seraient tjs trop courtes pour moi.

A bientot, Paris.

Thai Vi

"... We'll Always Have Paris"

2008-05-26T05:47:00.000-07:00

This is where the famous line came from, the classic scene of love and sacrifice at Casablanca airport. Shall we visit Paris, where there are probably more couventines residing than any other city in the world?

"To breathe the air of Paris preserves the soul", wrote Victor Hugo in Les Miserables.

We climbed up the steps of the Eiffel Tower a number of years ago, breathed the Parisian air, and took this photograph. Don't know if my soul was preserved, but my addiction for sweets was rewarded when I tasted the good pastries at Le Notre patisserie near Gare St Lazare. I have not been back in some years and would need recommendation from the locals on things to do in Paris now. Where would you go to have some great pastries? Where is your favorite Vietnamese or French restaurant? If a visitor has limited time, what would you recommend as a single must-visit place?

More Memories

2008-05-19T06:42:00.000-07:00

As you come home from the celebration, memories of childhood still linger.

Was your child a Madeline?

or a Wild Thing?

Goodnight Moon... Goodbye Mom

2008-05-14T21:56:00.001-07:00

In the great green room
There was a telephone
And a red balloon
And a picture of -
The cow jumping over the moon

And there were three little bears sitting on chairs
And two little kittens
And a pair of mittens
And a little toyhouse
And a young mouse
And a comb and a brush and a bowl full of mush
And a quiet old lady whispering hush

Goodnight room
Goodnight moon
Goodnight cow jumping over the moon
Goodnight light and the red balloon
Goodnight bears
Goodnight chairs
Goodnight kittens
And goodnight mittens

Goodnight clocks and goodnight socks
Goodnight little house and goodnight mouse
Goodnight comb and goodnight brush
Goodnight nobody, goodnight mush
And goodnight to the old lady whispering "hush"
Goodnight stars
Goodnight air
Goodnight noises everywhere.
Margaret Wise Brown 1947Do you recall the evenings when you sat down by your child's bed, holding your child's favorite book, yet reciting the bedtime story by heart since you have done it so many times?

Years have passed, some of you are now in the audience, watching your child marching to the music of Pomp and Circumstance, receiving that hard-sought diploma.

Congratulations to the Moms, and best wishes to the graduates as they head out to a bright future, saying Goodbye, Mom.

Happy Mother's Day

2008-05-10T07:26:00.000-07:00

Một Bữa Ăn Sáng

2008-05-04T09:57:00.000-07:00

Người Việt mình thường phải ăn sáng đầy đặn trước khi đi học hay đi làm. Bát phở là món ăn sáng hơn là món ăn chính bán trong các cửa hàng ăn ở châu Mỹ hoặc châu Âu. Trong những thập niên 60 và 70, những xe phở thường đậu gần hãng sở buổi sáng để công nhân, thường là đàn ông, ngồi vào ăn bát phở trước khi làm việc. Bánh cuốn là một món ăn sáng khác, ngon và chắc bụng. Cửa hàng bánh cuốn không nhiều, vì sở hụi đắt, nhưng có rất nhiều gánh bánh cuốn rong bán trong các khu phố có khách thích ăn bánh cuốn điểm tâm buổi sáng.

Tôi thường thích ăn bánh cuốn nhân thịt theo điệu miền Nam, đầy đủ thêm bánh tôm và giá chín, trộn chan hoà trong đĩa với nước mắm chanh ớt. Mẹ tôi thì lại hay gọi bánh cuốn Thanh Trì, nước bột đổ thật mỏng. Những chiếc bánh xếp lại ngăn nắp trên đĩa, bên cạnh có nước mắm chanh (không pha đường, không ớt). Sáng nay chúng tôi ăn sáng mà nhớ lại những năm xưa: bánh cuốn mua từ Phú Hương, hấp trong máy khoảng năm phút, ăn với nước mắm chanh pha với chút đường và ớt.

Euro Money Goes a Long Way

2008-04-24T07:17:00.000-07:00

Belle Violette Quyên,
You certainly would have a bright future if you are to come to America and be a funny talk show host, like Jay Leno. Come to our "food show" in June, bring the "ching-ching" (money-making sound) lady Vi, we'll make her buy a big house up on the hill, overlooking the Pacific, use it to organize parties with beautiful food, fun entertainment, good company... Hey, I just found the perfect place for our 2010 reunion! Pas besoin de cabane a outils. Let's just tack along Vi and she'll have to take care of us in our old age!!!ha ha!!
PC

Olympic Torch Relay in San Francisco

2008-04-12T22:39:00.000-07:00

It was a long day but I had a lot of fun. The weather was perfect: blue sky, sunshine. I went to McCovey Cove in the morning and saw bus loads of Chinese, red flag-waving students setting up camp as a fireboat entered the cove with water jets on.
It turned out that the Chinese consulate brought in thousand of students from nearby universities to show force.
The Tibetan protesters appeared more genuine, with some standing in front of the baseball park.

Soon, there was confrontation: this Chinese guy was seen ripping a Tibetian flag from the Tibet camp.
The opening ceremony occurred shortly after 1 PM, then nothing happened for almost an hour, until I learned on the phone that torch bearers had been sneaked away in bus and dropped off on one of the main thoroughfare to start a shortened version of the relay. I went home and watched it on TV, seeing the story from the vantage point of helicopters. The caravan of bus and police then drove to the airport, with a secretive closing ceremony before the Chinese airplane took off for Buenos Aires. The rule in life is simple: the strong one with more money wins.

169 East 71st Street: To Maria and her NYC Guests

2008-04-07T06:52:00.000-07:00

I remember exploring this section of Upper East Side of Manhattan in the Fall of 2004. My daughter, Christine, worked at E. 68th Street and York Avenue. We walked by the townhouses, not knowing that Holly Golightly (Audrey Hepburn) lived there in the movie "Breakfast at Tiffany's". In the 1961 movie based on Truman Capote's novel, Holly munches a danish and sips coffee while gazing at the jewelry in the window of Tiffany & Company on Fifth Avenue at 57th Street. Manhattan has much to offer, from the popular tourist stops (Times Square and Empire State Building!) to the many different neighborhoods, from the delicious Malaysian dishes at Nyonya in Chinatown to the authentic plain croissant at Patisserie Claude in West Village.

Of course, Breakfast at Tiffany's filming location is only one of the many excuses to visit the Upper East Side area of Manhattan. Many museums are clustered along Fifth Avenue: Guggenheim is worth visiting just to see the interior architecture; the Metropolitan requires at least a half day to see the highlights - If you go, make sure that you head to the Asian wing on the second floor, SouthEast Asia section, pass the Khmer sandstone sculptures, look for Vietnamese ceramics, to appreciate the artistic expression of our craftmen and women in the 15th century.

If you travel with three or more persons, a yellow cab is the best mode of transportation in Manhattan. If not, take the #6 subway from the Upper East Side to downtown, off at Canal Street to go to Chinatown. Grand Street is two blocks north of Canal, between Mulberry and Mott.

Having croissant and coffee at Claude's is an excuse to visit Greenwich Village. Hop on the A train in Times Square, get off at West 4th Street. Walk along Bleeker Street, go to Washington Square, wander south to Prince Street in SoHo, spotting maybe Sarah Jessica Parker in her jean shopping in the neighborhood. Have a great time in Manhattan!

The Pleasure of Reading

2008-03-27T22:27:00.000-07:00

In 1965, I was in Quatrième at Couvent des Oiseaux Dalat. Every Thursday afternoon, Mẹ Gioan opened the library for us to return the books that we have read and check out new ones. We were allowed to check out two books at a time. The collection Signe de Piste was one of my favorites. I was always eager to embark on new journeys with the two books, only to long for the next adventures as I quickly finished reading by the weekend, with many days left before Thursday. The pleasure of reading and joining the magical worlds hidden in the pages eventually diminished as I grew up, distracted by life events. The sound bites on TV now dominate our evenings. Headlines in the daily newspaper announce the content of the many stories that I do not need to read. I have wondered if I ever will rediscover the pleasure of reading books as I knew it when I was in school, when there was no TV, newspaper or internet, and the reward after finishing the evening's étude was simply a book to read.

Have you read a good book lately?

Xin Quả ở Chùa Chà

2008-03-13T08:55:00.001-07:00

As a kid, I used to hang out with others in my neighborhood. My father got angry with me when I failed to come home for dinner. He would send my younger brother's nanny out to look for me. More often than not, I was nowhere to be seen. I had followed the older kids to go to the Hindu temple on Trương Công Định to get free food.
Almost year round, there was a line in front of the temple gate as dusk fell. We joyfully joined the line of Hindu believers to go inside. Each of us was handled a banana leaf to be spread out on our palm. The line slowly proceeded to the large table in the middle where safroned rice, meat, and fruit were laid. We took our share of the food and it tasted so good! We would be welcome to go back in line for a second tour in case that the amount taken had not satisfied our hunger. Heading home after the feast, I was often greeted at the door by my father, a "roi mây" at his side. However, the thrill of getting free food among the Hindu crowd was so great that I always forgot "roi mây" for frequent return trips to the temple.

Song of the Herb Gatherer

2008-03-10T19:10:00.000-07:00

While a veiled full moon
On the threshold of dawn
Is casting its silver spell
On the bronze church bell,
Golden wings,
Aflutter in the morn,
Saunter from meek flower to fiery hawthorn,
Spreading joy each day reborn.

A fine essence rises from jade mountains,
A serene perfume, heaven sent.
A blue peace descends
On the stand of golden willows
As the phoenix and the sparrow
And the solitary egret
Fly home to their young.

How I long for this Nature
Simple and sweet,
Precious and spare
Beyond compare.

- The pearl, its beauty and wisdom measured in tears,
- The jade book, her pages open only to those she loves,
- The rare orchid, the sweet lotus, their leaves of green, their hearts of gold,
- The thinnest silk, the brocaded velvet,
- The rolling, life-sustaining rivers,
- The limpid gem, the clear blue stone…

These purest and kindest of souls
All sing a joyous song,
All speak of a nature
Generous and strong.
All sparkle with multi-hued splendor,
All gladden the heart of those they encounter.

The Herb Gatherer, 03/08/2008

Remembers September

2008-03-09T13:49:00.000-07:00

(Ảnh Đơn Hồng-Oai)

...

As the moth the flame
Or the fly the spring
Of the spider’s
Silky, silvery fetters,
So remembers September
Its sweetest, most tender
Moments of surrender:

- The willow, branches aglow,
To her friend whispers,
“River, oh river,
“Take these kisses to my lover.
“Here’s one, here’s two,
“Here’s a few,
“To let him know our love’s still new.”

- The little blue bird,
Lonesome for her mate,
Waits by her nest,
Quietly, with bated breath,
Hoping for one last long caress.

As the traveler his hearth,
Or the exiled
The worn paths of his past,
So regrets autumn
Its yellow harvest moon,
And its velvet gown,
Embroidered red and brown.
Its tolling bell,
Meting out a slow, stately farewell.
The green jungle sprawl,
Its turbulent tangle of colors and calls.
The long, lazy shadows
Of swaying palms and thatched abodes
Spilling down hill slopes
Onto moon-soaked folds
Of land lying fallow.

That other time, that other place
That we once shared,
Do we remember and regret,
Or rather love, endure, and never forget?

Thai Vi, 03/08/2008

Bánh Bò Khoai Tím

2008-03-08T16:10:00.000-08:00

In the early 1970's, there were many cooking classes conducted by accomplished homemakers in Saigon, such as Bà Quốc Việt, Bà Nguyễn Tâm, Bà Hồng Ngọc. I have always wanted to take some of these classes but never had the financial means. Coincidentally, my older sister took many of them. I learned from her when she cooked at home using the recipes from the cooking classes.
When Béatrice initiated the interest in bánh bò, I found this recipe in my notebook, but had not tried to convert the amount of nước cơm rượu into an equivalent amount of yeast, since the strength of nước cơm rượu bought at Vietnamese deli may be variable. A package of bread yeast may be used to substitute for the muỗng canh nước cơm rượu.
Cẩm Sa and Annette, Will you let me know how this recipe come out when you have a chance to make it?

A Few Thoughts This Morning

2008-03-06T07:19:00.001-08:00

1. It is easier to successfully make bánh bò nướng than to make the smaller bánh bò hấp. (Béatrice is correct).
2. Bánh cay that is found on the streets of Saigon is addicting. How can you stop after tasting one or two of these devilish, spicy, deep-fried balls? (Bích Thạch is correct).
3. We hope that Maria can get to work today, or maybe she can work from home. The people of New York City is known to be the most resilient and upbeat bunch of folks. A small explosion at a kiosk in the middle of the street on Times Square at 3 AM can only create a small and forgettable headline, not a chance to intimidate New Yorkers.
4. Spring is almost here. For us in the US, our clock will "spring forward" this weekend, losing an hour of sleep, but gaining invaluable daylight later during the day.
5. We come and we go. Welcome back to my friends who are re-visiting this blog. New pictures from recent trips? New stories to tell?
6. Cam Sa fed us with a banquet of beautifully-prepared food. Many of us are waiting to be fed with stories, ideas, new recipes or photos...

How I Make Bánh Bò Hấp

2008-03-03T21:16:00.000-08:00

Using the ready-made cake mix, I added a tablespoon of bread yeast to make sure that the cake will rise. The job is composed of 3 steps: mixing the dough, let it rest overnight, adding the coconut and sugar mixture to the dough, then steam it.
First step: Prepare the dough
1 ready-made Steamed Rice Cake mix with bread yeast added
1 cup of water
2 tablespoons of sugar
(Additional ½ cup of water if the mixture is dry)
Mix and knead well for 20 minutes. Cover and let it stand overnight.
Second step:
Combine 1 can of coconut milk – 14 oz
¾ cup of cold water
1 cup of sugar
1 tablespoon of cooking oil
Slowly add this to the dough to a sticky consistency (discard unused portion). Let it stand for 2 hours. Divide the mixture in 3 parts, add coloring of your choice.
Third step: I use small cups as molds and an electric steamer to cook the dough. Oil the molds well with cooking oil. Put the molds in the steamer to warm. Pour the mixture in to only a 1/3 of the mold. Open the lid now and then to remove the condensed water. Steam the cakes for 10 minutes. Remove the cakes from the steamer and brush the top of the cakes with cooking oil. After the cakes have cooled down, use a sharp-pointed knife to remove the cakes from the molds.
Bánh bò hấp tastes best when it is still warm.

Bánh Bò, Chiều Saigon

2008-03-02T14:28:00.001-08:00

Do you remember the humid and rainy afternoons in Saigon? It was summer, and there was no school or homework obligation. My sister and I often sat near the front door, watching the rain drops on the pavement and chatting. The sound of "Páanh Pòo Páanh Tiuuu" from the ethnic Chinese vendor announced the arrival of his cart and the fresh scent of steamed flour in the air. How can one resist not buying his warm bánh bò and bánh tiêu as freshly baked snacks while waiting for the rain to pass?

Béatrice may be craving for these steamed, small white flour cakes full of air holes with a mild coconut flavor if made the Southern way, or a fermented flavor if done the Chinese way. Another version is bánh bò nướng, found at many Vietnamese market overseas, which is the same cake but baked, aromed with baythoy leaf (feuille de bayteuil - lá dứa).

Traditionally, bánh bò is made from flour, sugar, yeast and tapioca starch, with coconut milk added for the Southern flavor. However, one can just go out and buy a ready-made flour bag "Bột Bánh Bò - Steamed Rice Cake" and follow the instructions printed in the back. It is available in many Asian groceries in France, imported by Tang Frères, 48 Avenue d'Ivry, in Paris 13ème.

Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien

2008-02-27T21:12:00.000-08:00

Non ! Rien de rien ...
Non ! Je ne regrette rien
Ni le bien qu'on m'a fait
Ni le mal tout ça m'est bien égal !

Non ! Rien de rien ...
Non ! Je ne regrette rien...
C'est payé, balayé, oublié
Je me fous du passé !

Avec mes souvenirs
J'ai allumé le feu
Mes chagrins, mes plaisirs
Je n'ai plus besoin d'eux !

Balayés les amours
Avec leurs trémolos
Balayés pour toujours
Je repars à zéro ...

Non ! Rien de rien ...
Non ! Je ne regrette nen ...
Ni le bien, qu'on m'a fait
Ni le mal, tout ça m'est bien égal !

Non ! Rien de rien ...
Non ! Je ne regrette rien ...
Car ma vie, car mes joies
Aujourd'hui, ça commence avec toi !

Oscar Night: Who Do You Vote For?

2008-02-24T14:09:00.000-08:00

It is still cold and rainy in California, but the anticipation is building up, especially around the Kodak Theatre, where celebrities and their fans flocked from around the world for the 80th Academy Awards.
Here are some of the nominations for you to consider ahead of the actual event:

If you have watched La Mome (La Vie en Rose in the US), you would agree with me that Marion Cotillard has a good shot at winning as a Best Actress tonight. And for Best Picture? No Country for Old Men?

Đầu Năm Nhóm BBQ Xuất Hiện

2008-02-14T14:14:00.000-08:00

On ouvre le club du rire! Je déclare ce jour le "Club B.B" (Bích-Béatrice) ouvert! Seront les bienvenues toutes celles qui ont de l'humour et qui veulent rire à gorge déployée! Celles qui se sentent tristes et qui veulent remonter leur moral. Celles qui veulent rire pour le plaisir!... (Béatrice). Je réclame le droit de faire partie de votre groupe. Ce sera le B B Q. Comme tu vois, je serai toujours à la queue de vous deux. Que de droit mais pas de devoir. (Quyên)
A partir d'aujoud'hui ce sera BBQ le club des fous rires. Qui veut en être parti? Faites la queue SVP. (Thạch co-fondatrice du Club BBQ)

Xin Xâm tại Chùa Asakusa

2008-02-13T20:49:00.000-08:00

At Asakusa shrine in Tokyo, xin xâm is a do-it-yourself service. Once you got thẻ xâm, you look up among the many well-organized drawers to read your future. There was no monk in sight, no food offerings. Thai Vi was spotted contemplating...

Happy Valentine's Day

If you would like "lộc chùa" as you had wished when you were at chùa Xá Lợi, you will have to join me at the next post.

Xin Quẻ Đầu Năm

2008-02-12T06:31:00.000-08:00

Khi còn bé, tôi thường theo mẹ đến Lăng Ông Bà Chiểu trong những ngày đầu năm. Đường vào tấp nập, ai cũng mặc quần áo đẹp. Trên vỉa hè ở cửa, những người hành khất đứng lũ lượt, mong vào lòng rộng lượng của khách hành hương. Mẹ tôi đi thẳng vào lăng, tay cầm bó hoa huệ và giỏ trái cây. Hoa huệ thì được cắm thêm vào các lọ trên bàn cao. Các trái cây được xếp thêm vào các mâm lớn trên bàn thờ. Xong đâu đó, mẹ tôi trở ra khuôn viên, lấy bó hương, đốt lên rồi đứng khấn. Tôi còn nhớ cứ đứng nhìn mẹ khấn, và mẹ khấn rất lâu. Cho đến ngày nay, tôi vẫn chưa biết mẹ tôi khấn những gì trong những ngày đầu năm. Rất có thể là mẹ tôi cầu mong cho chị cả tôi lấy được chồng năm ấy (để tránh cảnh giử bom nổ âm ỉ trong nhà). Tôi cũng nhớ nhìn thấy những cặp trai thanh gái lịch cùng nhau đứng xin xâm, có lẽ họ cầu mong cho chóng được thành hôn trong năm mới. Tôi không quên được tiếng thẻ xâm được xóc trong lọ như một đơn điệu, trong cảnh nghiêm trang và những khuôn mặt chăm chú khấn... Không biết nếu tôi vào lăng năm nay, tôi sẽ khấn để được những gì? Thanh bình khắp nơi. Hạnh phúc trong lòng những người thân và bạn bè. Sức khỏe, sống lâu, rồi còn thêm những gì nữa, các bạn?