The albinos

I don't know if it is just dumb luck or if there was some sort of little-discussed nuclear waste spillage in the Triangle Area, but last week on my way out for an early run (July 15th) I spotted my second albino birdie.

Seth noticed the first bird during one of his runs in the Spring of 2006--a partial albino female cardinal. This was in Chapel Hill, and we followed her for a few months until she mysteriously disappeared. She was really cute but was pretty aggressive towards all the other females her mate attracted. He spent an awful lot of time singing. I bet she was set up.

*Photos taken by Seth Coluzzi, April 2006*

This second bird was a robin: white with an orange breast and with dark eyes. I saw it in my front yard then it flew into the neighbor's trees. Unfortunately I did not take a picture of it and I haven't seen it since. I will need to wake up early some morning and stake it out!

This picture is actually of a different robin, but it looks just like the one I saw:

* Photo by G. Ordy (Chesterland, Ohio in June 2006)*

A domestic life

The past few weeks since returning to Raleigh have been as exciting as can be expected for an unemployed non-student living with her parents. I would be much busier and efficient if there was internet at home so I would have more time to search for jobs and prepare for the move. Instead, I go to the public library for only a few hours once a day, where I now have a weirdo stalker to deal with, amongst other things.

I have been keeping up with my running, which is sometimes tough to do because the pavement is jolting and the streets are unexciting, but I have also been splurging on a few other excursions. For starters, I have met my old friend, Meghan, a few times at an archery range where she takes lessons on Tuesdays and Thursdays. She started archery a few months ago and the range is just 5 minutes' drive from my house. Where was this place when I wanted to take lessons three years ago? I guess it was good for me to learn how to shoot more or less on my own—her teacher says I do well for having too thin of arrow shafts, having the wrong type of riser on my bow, and not using a sight. Regardless, it is great to meet with an old friend once or twice a week for two constructive activities: 1) arching, and 2) quietly making fun of the suburban southerners chit chat about their deluxe compound hunting bows (I'd like to see them shoot that picture of the deer from 60feet using a bow as bare as mine!).

Right next to the archery range is a Bikram hot yoga studio. I have never wanted to try hot yoga for fear of the heat—hot yoga is essentially like normal yoga except they crank up the temperature to somewhere around 105–110 degrees F and use humidifiers to get everyone extra sweaty. It feels like being in a sauna (which I have little tolerance for) and is supposed to have similar health benefits, such as being cleansing and detoxifying. The heat also has the added benefit of relaxing the muscles and increasing flexibility. The reason I have kept away from this type of yoga is that extreme heat makes me feel dizzy and nauseous, which is to be expected the first few visits, according to the yoga instructor. But the reason why I wanted to go and try it out was because they offer a good deal for new people, and because I know of no other yoga studio around and I am desperate.

During the first class I felt dizzy at several points and near the end of the 90min class my head got fuzzy and I didn’t think I could finish. I was so wet with streams of sweat that my bath towel, which I laid over my mat, was totally wet. It was intense. However, I must admit it was not as intense as running mid-day and exposed during the solstice in Hue, Vietnam. That was just all around bad.

When I stepped out of the class I immediately dried up and felt really great. Not only was my skin really nice feeling, but my muscles, which constantly ache from running on the road, felt nice and loose. I have never really experienced anything like that before.

I gave myself two days before trying it again. This second time was much better and I didn’t feel dizzy at all, though I did sweat just as much! I even noticed that Bikram Yoga is like visiting a popular beach: the lights are unusually intense and feel like the piercing sun, you quickly become soaking wet like you just got smacked by a wave, there are lots of people hanging out on beach towels, and you typically wear as little clothing as possible.

I will try a few more classes before my special deal expires, but I have a hard time getting the motivation to go, not because of the temperature, but because they do the same asanas (poses) each lesson. This gets boring, even if my brain does manage to run off because it is afraid of the heat.

Last week I took an afternoon to visit some people in Chapel Hill. I wanted first to see Dr. Wiley, the bird enthusiast and naturalist who gave me Naomi’s name. He wasn’t in his office, so I went to see Dr. Pfennig, my undergraduate research supervisor. It was really nice to see him and he filled me in on all the goings-on in the lab. He even gave me George’s two recent publications. George was my mentor and used the data I collected from measuring snakes (which took me a year and a half), and I always felt he should have included me as an author in any paper he would publish that used that work. Well, he didn’t. He did, however, thank me in the acknowledgments, which I suppose is fair enough. One paper is published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society, Series B (Mimicry on the edge: why do mimics vary in resemblance to their model in different parts of their geographical range?) and the other, most impressively, is in Nature (Selection overrides gene flow to break down maladaptive mimicry). I won’t be able to include these publications in a CV, but at least I can brag about it a little.

While in Chapel Hill I met briefly with Christina, a good friend I first met in Dr. Pfennig’s lab, for a yoga class with Scott. Scott is by far my favourite yoga instructor and is also a great person, if not eccentric and a bit wild. I hope to take another class with him before moving, but it would be a bit out of the way :o(

Not much else has been going on. I have been working on emailing biologists in the Boston area, emailing with Warren back in Canberra because he is kindly helping me print and bind my thesis, searching for computers to replace this wicked beast of burden, and trying to read and be productive. As long as I can get out of the house I am safe.

Some pictures from the delta

*This refers back to the super long June 26th entry* As promised, here are a few photos from Dad's camera from the day we went to the Mekong Delta in Vietnam. (My camera died soon after arriving). As you can see, this day-trip, similar to everywhere else in Vietnam, is not meant for the claustrophobic, xenophobic, or agoraphobic.

Inside an Auntie's house

Some Aunties

Loading the long boat

Cramped ride over to the island that holds the family plots

The family cemetery

The family cemetery

Giving blessings to the ancestors

Bananas and mangoes in their natural habitat

The turtle (wi) who lives in the cemetery (he actually really seemed to like the biscuit)

Riding back


Oddly enough, this old family picture (from when we lived in Denver, CO) was hanging on my Auntie's wall. It's a small world.

Hanging out in the bedroom

Preparing lunch

Preparing lunch

Grandma and her two aunts from Saigon (my great, great aunts?)

Photos by the temple...

...photos inside the temple (shoes off!)...

...photos with the people weaving

Julie is kidnapped

Walking down the street

Meanwhile, Dad was having some rice wine with the fellas

Miss Tuyen, the substitute teacher (this is the primary school across the street)

The ladies...

...the fellas

Tuyen and me (my Mom's cousin's granddaughter, I think)

Loading the ferry to head back to Saigon

From Rochester, MN (Monday, 7 July, 2008: 5:20pm)

The end of my 22-and-a-half-month trip ends here, in a tiny airport in Rochester, Minnesota. I am waiting for my delayed flight back to Raleigh, North Carolina at the small diner in the airport. There are more people working at the single security checkpoint than there are people waiting at all six gates. I ordered an almond cappuccino and as I looked for change I shook out currency from four different countries, quietly hidden in my wallet. Not sure of what to expect with a $1.50 cappuccino, the cook dispensed my drink from a machine that is not unlike what is found in gas stations, into a giant Styrofoam cup. Even after making espresso-based coffees for 9 months at my job at Dash, this is the drink I crave the most.

I spent the past four days playing with my little nephew, whom I think is extremely cute and intelligent (and I am usually very critical of mini-humans), and hanging out with his parents. I preferred to not do too much sightseeing around town and just stay at home and run errands with everyone—it was great to not feel obligated to be on the go and just stay in one place for several days in a row. It was also fun to poke around the local grocery stores, the mall, Sam’s Club, and even the evil Super Walmart. (I am more easily entertained than Carter, though I am sure my wandering around drove Andrew and Jennifer nuts! But it's been a very long time since I've experienced these American-caliber mega-stores.) Last night Jennifer suggested making a handbag for me; she has become very skilled in designing and creating handbags and other small items and sells them at craft shows and online. I don’t tend to use handbags very often, but I designed this one exactly how I wanted it so I am sure I will use it all the time!

Andrew at the lab

Andrew and Carter (they have the same expressions!)

El Gallo

My brown corduroy bag!

It will be strange being back home in Raleigh, but I am sure after a day or two it will be like I was never gone. It would be a much needed rest to be there for several weeks or even a month or two, but I know staying at home would drive me nuts after a while. However, while in Raleigh, I am mostly looking forward to seeing a few friends who are still in town, going to the coffee shop down the road to read, and taking a yoga class with my favourite instructor over in Carrboro. Unfortunately, I must also pick through piles and piles of crap and decide what I should keep, what I should chuck, and what needs to somehow go up to Boston. I also need to fight the necessary evils and look for a job and find a home… ergh…

From Rochester, MN (Friday, 4 July, 2008: 8:45pm)

It’s my first day back in the US! It’s so hard to believe that my time living overseas is over…

Seth and I spent our final day hanging out with Synni and Dan in Hong Kong. After doing a little shopping on my own in the malls down the road, Seth and I shared some grocery store sushi then we met with Synni, who took a sick day off work, for our second round of dim sum (this time for afternoon tea) in North Point. We also poked around the neighbourhood for a little while, stocking up on much desired sweet buns for my trip back home, then hopped over to Dan’s apartment. He lives with his family in a somewhat more ‘domestic’ part of town, and we got to meet his Aunt, Auntie (mother), and Amy (little sister). The family was great and very cute—it was the first time a westerner had visited their home and they all seemed very shy. His mother lavished us with sweets then prepared for us the most ‘professional’ tea Seth and I had ever witnessed. Making the tea consisted of a huge quantity of puh-erh tea leaves (maybe a 1/4^th cup), a tiny pot (perhaps 10oz), and six thimble-like cups. After adding the leaves to the pot she poured in a little hot water then immediately poured the fresh tea over the cups and into a bowl, then spun the cups in the hot liquid inside the bowl. She then poured in a second serving of water into the pot and within seconds emptied it into the cups, then poured the cups of tea over the pot. Finally, she filled the pot one more time, then quickly poured the tea into the cups. I am not sure of the purpose of pouring hot tea around the cups and over the pot, but maybe it was to season or heat the clay. Either way, it was done in a matter of seconds, which kept the tannins of the ultra rich tea to a minimum.

Loading up on pastries to bring to Dan's house and to bring back to the US

Dan's mom preparing tea the 'professional' way

After tea we shared photos from our respective trips, then Synni, Dan, Seth and I walked over to the adjacent shopping mall to have our final dinner at a Japanese steakhouse. Before heading out we stopped downstairs, which was full of Japanese shops, to load up on several cute gifts (it is funny how Hong Kong is so obsessed with all things animated and Japanese!).

Dinner at the steakhouse in a food court

We went back to Dan’s place, where his mother and aunt had set up a Majong board. They tried to brief us on the game then had us jump right in. It was so much fun and very memorable! We will definitely need to figure out how to play online with them in the future :o)

Majong with Dan's mom and aunt

Last night in Hong Kong

During this time, I checked my email to look up flight information. I had gotten a note from my supervisor saying both of my thesis examiners had responded and both passed my thesis and said no revisions were necessary! I couldn’t believe it! I had been certain I would spend several weeks working on revisions then would still have to find a way to print, bind, and mail it from the US. What’s more is that I officially now have my degree :o)

It got really late and I still had to pack for my flight the next morning, so Synni and Dan walked us to the MTR to say goodbye. It was sad to leave them and Hong Kong, but I am sure we will see those two again soon!

Seth being silly on the MTR

In the morning I went running with Seth around the park, then he joined me for the long bus ride to the airport and I got set for the 14 hour flight to Chicago and 1 hour flight to Rochester, MN.

Victoria Park: note that the sign says to KEEP LEFT

On the way to the airport: massive harbour for cargo ships

It was bittersweet arriving in the US, the land of soccer moms, high-fructose corn syrup, teenie boppers of all ages, supersize booties, and extra large SUVs. Jennifer, my sister-in-law, picked me up in Minneapolis, I met my little 15 month-old nephew, Carter, then I went to have some much missed ‘Mexican’ food with my brother. Andrew and Jennifer talked to me like I had never left the US, though it still felt weird to be back, especially in some place so American as the upper Midwest on the day before Independence Day—a place of few minorities, lots of suburbs, nosy neighbours, streamers with colourful plastic triangles stung across ‘parking lots’, and American flags hanging next to front doors.

I slept well, despite any signs of jet-lag, and woke up at 5am for my typical early-morning run. However, it was surprisingly cool and crisp and felt like Easter Sunday, much less July 4^th. What's more: I saw squirrels.

From Hong Kong (Wednesday, 2 July, 2008: 10:15am)

After three more nights in Saigon, Seth and I packed up, said good bye to my parents—who would fly back to North Carolina the following day—and we took a plane up to Hong Kong. We have spent the past four days here on bustling Hong Kong Island, visiting with our good friend, Synni, and her partner, Dan. Synni was my exchange student roommate during my third year at UNC and she became quite close to me and Seth. After three years, it has been great seeing her and finally meeting Dan, whom she called every night and made little gifts for while she and I roomed together.

We were able to spend all Sunday and Tuesday with Synni and Dan (Tuesday was a public holiday celebrating the reunification of Hong Kong and China), and they showed us all the neatest places to visit and introduced us to the best foods to eat. Luckily, it is cheaper here than in the US (and much cheaper than Australia), so Seth and I have not felt too guilty eating out for meals and splurging on new foods to try. It has been great hanging out with those two—they have been taking us to places we would have never been able to find on our own, particularly those shops and restaurants that are located in the upper floors of buildings (it is hard enough to decipher signs written in Chinese, let alone have a quick peak in a shop that is not on the ground floor).

Our first night out in Hong Kong: Synni and Dan took us out for steamed Shanghai style dumplings (Xiao long bao).

Garlic and wasabi, inside a shopping mall

Waiting at a popular place for dessert...

...it was worth the wait! Durian pancakes, black sesame rice balls, and mango with sago

Running in the rain down the completely empty promenade (it was pretty early)

Hong Kong is similar to how I remember it being 12 years ago: busy, energetic, and modern. However, this time around I can also appreciate how clean, safe, and extremely quirky it is. It is nice to have Synni with us to explain to functionality of silly toys and to describe what certain human/animal animated characters are supposed to represent.

Play-doh sushi set

I wonder what they cook here? (Actually a pet shop next to noodle place)

Char shu (BBQ pork) and roast goose for brunch

Papaya with sago (which is like tapioca) drink and bubble waffles

Chocoolate Burger King... I don't really understand this shop (Causeway Bay)

Though I really like this city, the one thing I find frustrating is that the walkways are chaotic. Designed under the British system, like Australia, traffic flows on the left-hand side of the street. Also, when on the jogging path in Victoria Park, signs remind walkers to keep left and joggers to keep right, and escalators going in the forward direction are on the left side. The enigma here is that pedestrians seem to be biased to the right: when using an escalator, people stand to the right, letting those in a hurry pass on the left; and on the sidewalks people seem to ignore signs and want to walk on the right side of the road. The result is that pedestrians don’t keep to one side or the other and just run into each other, literally—we are constantly being bumped into! This is particularly annoying when running because people scatter everywhere and don’t seem to be aware of other people trying to get around them. Even in Saigon, which was also densely populated, it was comparatively much easer to run through and navigate than Hong Kong.

With Synni and Dan, we have spent the past few days taking buses, trams, subways, and the Star Ferry around Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. Yesterday afternoon they took us to The Peak to look down on the city in daylight, then after poking around the shops for a few hours, we saw the city at night. We even waited until 8pm to watch the nightly laser show—a group of buildings on either side of the harbour have a light display, but it was so unimpressive we didn’t even notice it was in progress after we had been watching it for 15minutes!

View from The Peak

Evidence of Seth's 'misplaced' McDonald's Coffee (at the mall on The Peak)

View from the other side of The Peak

The four of us have also been exploring lots of shops and arcades, the most interesting of which are not in the most obvious locations, so it was great to have the local guides. At every corner we have also been indulging in heaps of Hong Kong snacks, such as fruit juice with sago (which are like tapioca pearls), fried pork burgers for afternoon tea, Shanghi-style dumplings, morning dim sum, bubbly waffles, milk tea with bubbles, egg tarts, durian pancakes, red bean and green-tea sundaes at McDonalds (I figure it is ok to have McDonalds while in HK—it seems to be the popular thing to do), and especially, the freshest sushi we have ever seen. Like in Vietnam, everything is so interesting, delicious, and reasonably priced, it is hard not to go nuts and eat everything we see. It has also been fun shopping for small clothing items, particularly since the clothes here are unique, interesting, and fairly cheap, and also because I need to restock my wardrobe after dumping a good amount of it before leaving Canberra! In fact, I have not really shopped for clothes in about three years—I barely bought anything while living in Australia, knowing a lot of it would be chucked away.

View from the tram (near Causeway Bay)

Star Ferry--on our way to Kowloon (the mainland)

Some clock tower (Kowloon)

We are fitting in with Hong Kong people by going to a McDonalds/McCafe! Even Seth was there (in the red jacket in the background). Notice the green tea with red bean sundae, iced coffee, and Synni on her mobile phone.

We are on the Kowloon side, looking over to Hong Kong Island
(actually right where the promenad

The Olympic mascots (only in China...)

A stupid dog

Afternoon tea: Fried pork sandwiches, iced milk tea, omelet with toast, and satay noodles

Shopping at the massive and crowded electronics mall

Dinner at the popular Itamae Sushi in Causeway Bay

Extremely fresh sushi!

Morning exercisers in Victoria Park (Causeway Bay)

Back alley markets in Central

Our lunch in Central

Bamboo scaffolding (the view from the giant escalator, near Soho)

View from the escalator

Inside Man Mo Temple, near Soho (so much incense!)

Markets near Soho

Causeway Bay at night (view from the winter-melon soup shop)

Strange beasts: view from the winter-melon soup shop

At the restaurant -- Seth took this photo in the mirror (Causeway Bay)

Winter-melon soup!

During our run: Happy Valley Racecourse

Putting on free tester sunblock (North Point)

Super tall apartments in North Point

Rock star academic tutors (near Nathan Road, Kowloon)

Ladies Market, Kowloon

Not sure what it is, but it looks good

On the MTR

Annual Reunification Day protest, Admirality

Annual Reunification Day protest, Admirality

The hostel where we are staying is in bustling Causeway Bay, amongst giant shopping malls and right across the street from Victoria Park and the Promenade. It is nice to be in a convenient, lively area when visiting a big city! Though the hostel does not have a common room or kitchen (which we don’t really need because we have mostly been eating out), it does have a small fridge and we get to stay in our own bedroom with private washroom. It is essentially something like a cheap hotel. We will stay in this hostel all five nights (Seth will be leaving after me and will be here one extra night).

The hostel in Causeway Bay