Antidote to Burnout

Inviting you to view our companion blog: Architecture Vietnam

Click here to go to Architecture Vietnam Mel Schenck (layered) and photographer Alexandre Garel welcome you to view the extraordinary modernist architecture of southern Vietnam. Please preview the projects and beautiful architectural photography for our new book "Southern Vietnamese Modernist... Read more →

The value of blogging

I am honored to be linked by Ourman in Hanoi as one of his favorite blogs in his latest post. He makes the point that links in blog posting make the blog world worth paying attention to, beyond social media.... Read more →

Blogging at its best

Blogs fit well for me between Twitter on one side and published online media on the other side. Twitter is important to me as a portal to news, events, websites, and pithy comments. But the tweets are ephemeral. Published media... Read more →

Long time no post....

Virtual Doug recently presented several potential reasons for his not posting for a long time on his blog. Missing the muses was one of them. I have definitely missed the muses over the past month and a half. My last... Read more →

FPT's bandwidth limitations in Vietnam

Vietnam's economic growth is clearly outpacing its ability to get supporting infrastructure in place. The increasing traffic jams are evidence of the lack of highways and the need for mass transit alternatives. New housing developments and industrial parks are located... Read more →

Mixing blogs....

I have been struggling lately with the idea of starting a second blog to focus on design and business issues in Vietnam. Conventional blog management wisdom says that one should focus on a niche market and build up brand identity.... Read more →

And we think we are the most active bloggers in Viet Nam...

While Charvey and The Final Word were dutifully chronicling the Blog Summit of the three most active HCMC bloggers held last night, I took advantage of my wife being away to head down to the Saxn'art Jazz Club afterward. I... Read more →

Looking for expat bloggers who pose at experts...

The "A Rice Cracker?" posting here three weeks ago engendered ongoing contributions of comments regarding these fairly controversial issues. Chris of the blog Charvey in Vietnam came in a little late yestersday, though, and posed a challenge to antagonists to... Read more →

Looking to global voices beyond my postings...

The value of any blog often lies in the comments available at the end of each posting. It is the interaction between blog author and readers in the form of reader comments that amplifies and clarifies the author's ideas expressed... Read more →

A Rice Cracker?

D. has posted a provocative thread of ideas on his blog VA to VN entitled "Everyone's an expert" (5 September 2006). He points us to the website Ethnically Incorrect Daughter, published by what he describes as a "conflicted Vietnamese adoptee."... Read more →

Keeping up with the world...

Living half-way around the world from your roots requires adaptation to the local culture and economy. Nevertheless, you do not have to leave everything you are accustomed to behind. Here are the joys of modern technology that bring my roots... Read more →

Life is Good...

I am back in the game with my new ADSL connection to my house. No more internet cafes until we travel out of town. We have actually had it for a few days now, and I have been too busy... Read more →

Meeting Virtual Doug and MGB in Hue....

We have been traveling the past week on a business trip to our potential resort construction site in Quy Nhon, a city on the east coast of Viet Nam midway between Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City. We also... Read more →

Blogging Community

Virtual-Doug posted a very captivating piece on relationships in Vietnam, based on a series of dialogues between buyer and seller. Doug's point was that commercial relationships in Vietnam (and the prices you pay) are based on repeat business and tending... Read more →

Acknowledging My Inspirations

I have added a list of "Influential Blogs" to the left on this website acknowledging the blogs that I read regularly and that I looked to as examples for design, writing style, photography, and content. I have a long way... Read more →