Saigon, Vietnam

My brother Victor manages a small manufacturing company in Ho Chi Minh City. He began in 2004 and, much to his credit, now speaks fluent Vietnamese. Saigon, the capital city of the French Colony from 1862 to 1948 and renamed Ho Chi Minh in 1976, boasts 9 million inhabitants. This is a bustling city. Ho Chi Minh City is the most important economic center in Vietnam. It was hot and humid (90 degrees F) when we arrived.....

Victor, far right with his office staff - Vietnamese is mostly spoken here with some English.

Gasoline-powered mopeds are everywhere - they rule the roads - it is overwhelmingly chaotic but soon one gets used to it.


Surprisingly, there are few accidents - motorists and passengers seem to pretty much self negotiate and navigate the wild streets of Ho Chi Minh City.


Gerda and Hannah reading World Magazine on the busy street of Ho Chi Minh - notice the Vietnamese characters on the poster - don't ask me what they were saying - it is 'Greek' to me.....

War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City. While it was educational, it was hard for Gerda to witness history documented in pictures and artifacts, and stories told only from the Vietnamese side. War is a terrible thing...so many lives lost.

Photo of Senator John Kerry (one-time US Presidential candidate) meeting with Vietnamese officials.

A poignant display...in light of two concurrent US-led wars going on in Iraq and Afghanistan.


I wonder what the Iraqi and Afghan people are thinking the same as the poster. May God grant our leaders wisdom and integrity as they deal with difficult world situations.


Weapons of war......


A grounded F-5 Northrup Tiger - as a result, a US fighter pilot was probably either captured or killed.


More captured weapons of war....

Reunification Palace - this was the residence of the President of South Vietnam before it fell to the communist regime. It was quite opulent in a 1960s sort of way - equipped with a heli pad, a dance hall with a wooden floor, a movie theater, and a basement chuck full of military- grade equipment serving as a command post to conduct the war....

Manicured lawn with working fountain.


One of many rooms to receive guests and dignitaries - red symbolizes prosperity and good luck for the Chinese/Asians.


High ceilings and wide hallways.....


I don't think you can get this carpet at your local Walmart - again red is the 'in' color with the twin dragons symbolizing power and longevity. The diameter is probably about 20 feet....


If walls could talk... I have no doubt important issues were discussed in this huge meeting room. The color - green in this case - has a soothing/calming effect. No doubt tempers flared during negotiations and discussions between the North and South Vietnamese.


The President's private family dining room


The President's private movie theater - bring your own pop-corn and favorite beverage


Netflix anyone?


The President's private helicopter - not exactly Marine One!
(This part of the roof was bombed and later on restored)

This was housed in the basement.


Can I Wi-Fi from the basement?


From long before Gerda had her Kitchen-Aid mixer. She said she has seen one of these on board the USS Yorktown (see earlier post).


Stir-fry anyone?


The President's most prized possession - I mean the Mercedes!

Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica. While the majority of people (80%) in Ho Chi Minh City practice eastern religions (Buddhism/Taoism - there are numerous temples), a small percentage (Roman Catholic - 11%, Protestant - 2%) worship in churches - most notable is the somewhat smaller, twin version of the original Notre-Dame in Paris.

Statue of Mary outside Notre-Dame.

While it was not as grand as the one I visited in Paris back in 2000, it was still a beautiful church - certainly a sanctuary amid a hustling city.


The church was completed on Easter Day, April 11 1880.


Beautifully maintained stained windows.

Downtown Post Office. We visited this famous landmark where one can actually still send snail mail.

While the Post Office wasn't air-conditioned, there were several phone booths that were - a welcome respite from the sweltering heat.

These high arched ceilings allow hot air to rise, bringing some relief to both workers and customers.


Looking for Christmas stuffing stockers?

Vietnamese Pho. One must savor this local favorite delight - rice noodles served in rich beef stock with beef, plenty of greens, touch of lime and chili peppers!!!

7up is bottled here - no cans. Seeing this brought back many childhood memories. In those days, our family drank soft drinks only once a year, during Chinese New Year, and we had to split one bottle between two -three siblings with LOTS of ice. How things have changed!

Dam Sen Water Park. Like fish to water, we needed relief from the sweltering heat. Both Hannah and David relaxing and enjoying the tidal pool

As you can tell from the background, many locals had the same idea. The water park was lined with coconut trees which provided much shade and relief as well.

Arrived in Singapore

Singapore was familiar territory for Gerda, Hannah and David - their last trip was in 2006, arriving at Terminal 1 at Changi Airport. One of these days we will arrive at Terminal 3 - we understand that United Airlines and certainly Singapore Airlines operate out of this fabulous terminal.

So how can I describe Singapore? For me it is the 3Fs - Family, Friends and Food (not necessarily in this order - just kidding).

Here's a picture of David with his "Kong Kong" - as he is affectionately called - my Dad of course!

Together again. The last time they met was in 2006, but then in the older apartment on Havelock Road ; this time in Jalan Membina.

My second sister, Cindy, was so kind and gracious to put us up at her place. She and her husband Tim, together with their family, reside in a nice house near Changi - away from the hustle and bussel of Singapore.

Picture of David at Cindy's house with her granddaughter Claire - Hannah and David playing and goofing around with their niece......that makes me a granduncle!

The To Clan - from left to right -Jeff, John, Tim, Cindy with little Claire, David, Janet (Tim's sister at her house), Hannah and Gerda.

Janet treated us to a scrumptious seafood dinner at Jumbo's - one of the most established and famous seafood restaurants in Singapore. Enjoy the pictures......

The Emperor's Delight. We were greeted with this awesome appetizer dish - boy, when was the last time you had appetizers like this - notice the statue carved out of a papaya, symbolizing a dragon. Notice the 'fencing' made out of cucumber and tomato painstakingly arranged and so well presented. We were floored!

Close up of the craved Dragon.

Singapore National Dish - Chili Crab.

Monster Claw - prized Sri Lankan Crab.

It was good to meet up with my siblings and their families again. Here's a picture near Changi Beach with my brother, Yong Soon, and sister-in-law Shirley.
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Shirley, Yong Soon, David, Gerda and Hannah at Changi Beach.

Shirley with Gerda.

At one of my favorite restaurants - Pow Sing (Chomp Chomp) at Serangoon Garden It was my sister Elaine's treat - with my Mom and Dad. The restaurant serves the ever delicious Hainanese Chicken Rice and Nonya Dishes - Gerda's all-time favorite.

With Elaine and Mom and Dad at Pow Sing.

Hannah and David with Elaine's girls - Jasmine and Jamie at the Pow Sing Restaurant.

Nonya Fish Head Curry at Pow Sing.

Hainanese Chicken Rice at Pow Sing.

Extended Mother's Day Celebration - we celebrated Mother's day with Esther's (my sister, seated in blue) family.

Her husband Lee, far left with their children, Leon, Stacey and Shawn.


Lee's Mom (far left) and his brother, Ang Kee and his wife Suzanne with their children.


Suzanne with Gerda.

At home with Alice, my sister in law, and her son. Her husband, my eldest brother, Victor, is away working in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. We plan to visit him the following week.

Ashley, my niece, Chloe, my grandniece, Rose, my eldest sister, and Caleb my grandnephew.

Narita - Singapore

After a somewhat tiring trip ( 2 movies shown on awful projection screens in the Boeing 747 ; one which was certainly not appropriate for Hannah and David), we arrived safely in Narita. As some of you might be aware, airport security is tight in Narita. They make you go through all the hoops.

This time it was even more stringent. We had to remain in the plane for an hour and wait while airport personnel dressed in medical garb ( sort of scary) used special infra-red, heat sensitive cameras to scan all passengers for elevated body temperatures ; precautions taken because of the swine flu outbreak.


But all was well and we were able to catch the connecting flight - barely - this was the first time we did not have to wait in the terminal but proceeded straight after alighting the Boeing 747 to the awaiting Airbus A320.

As you can tell, the newer Airbus A 320 was better equipped - see the individual LCD entertainment screens - 7 hours of entertainment bliss!!!

Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport

We arrived in Atlanta, Georgia after a short, noisy 50 minute ride from Asheville. While the aging but still reliable and beautiful Boeing 747 is certainly better than the 'puddle hopper', we were disappointed it wasn't equipped with individual LCD entertainment screens as some Northwest Trans-Pacific coach flights were (Portland - Narita). Earlier, our hopes were lifted when we were told by the aircrew that this plane to Narita, Tokyo which would take 12-13 hours - was equipped with individual LCD entertainment screens - bummer! Later, we were told that after the 'official' Northwest/Delta merger, these planes will be upgraded - we shall see if this happens.....

So what else can you do on a 12-13 hour flight? Eat, sleep and well - take pictures - this was shot by David at the rear of the Boeing 747 as we flew over Alaska!

Before the Big Trip - Asheville Regional Airport

We are all packed! - waiting patiently at Asheville Regional Airport in North Carolina for our short ride to Atlanta.

Hannah is glad since she brought her passport this time - old family joke - in 2006, we forgot her passport at home!

This is the 'puddle hopper' that gets us to Atlanta where we will catch the big one - a Boeing 747 to Narita, Tokyo.

Guess What Come In The Mail?

I receive lots of textbooks from various publishers to review for the courses I teach and so when I opened a package today, I thought it was another one for consideration. To my surprise, it was the textbook I wrote a chapter on titled "Trusted Computing: Evolution and Direction" - it is gratifying to see the fruit of my labor from last summer in print and for that I am grateful.


The following is an abstract of my chapter "To effectively combat cyber threats, our network defenses must be equipped to thwart dangerous attacks. However, our software-dominated defenses are woefully inadequate. The Trusted Computing Group has embarked on a mission to use an open standards-based interoperability framework utilizing both hardware and software implementations to defend against computer attacks. Specifically, this group uses trusted hardware called the trusted platform module (TPM) in conjunction with TPM-enhanced software to provide better protection against such attacks. This chapter will detail a brief history of trusted computing, the goals of the Trusted Computing Group and the workings of trusted platforms".

Here We Come - Xiamen, Fujian Province - China!

We were originally scheduled for Manila but God sees fit that we spend this summer in Xiamen. Through a series of events - recommendation of Dr. Su Guaning, President of Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, generosity of Dr. Zhu Chongshi of Xiamen University, and sponsorship and approval of Rotary International and others, doors were opened expediently to allow us this wonderful opportunity.

Map of China - Fujian Province shown here in red

While I will be teaching in English in the School of Information Science and Technology at Xiamen Univeristy, my proficiencies in Mandarin (I need to brush that up a bit), Hokkien, and Teochew will serve me well as I perform local service community projects in Xiamen. Xiamen is location in Fujian Province. As you can see from the map, Taiwan is located east of Xiamen.

Historically, Xiamen is consider the Birthplace of Chinese Protestanism where Taiwanese missionaries began their work from 1626-1662. Now Xiamen is a modern coastal city, where during its recent modernization, was designated a Special Economic Zone. Xiamen, with its five million plus inhabitants, is considered to be the second most livable city in China.


My mom grew up in the neighboring province of Guangdong in the city of Shantou 汕头, or Swatow in Min Chinese, a city of 784,000 in coastal eastern, China. As such, we look forward to the opportunity to meet up with ancestral relatives - how cool is that!