Got scammed in Vietnam on Hai San

This week second time I dream about Andy Lau. First is about him sponsoring coffee for $8.80 I ask if he is really endorsing on the product. Second time is when. Jackie and me walking in a tourist attraction I suddenly sing the song 我和我追逐的梦。I just fell asleep like a baby on the hotel sofa. We had been enjoying our one month travel in Nha Trang. This is like living the dream of working 4 hours work week on the nice beach sipping mojito. It must be the power of law of attraction. You are what your thoughts are.

Having Oc Zang with uncle and father

Tonight we went to eat hai san (seafood) again. After last night where we paid 460k/kg for the grouper fish which we choose the place as Jackie like to eat there. We felt we were scammed for the tourist price. Tonight we ask the same fish it was selling for 350k/kg. Although we got sold the tourist price. But on a brighter note without knowing the high price we would never to so sure of finding the cheap price. The reason why we will choose to eat at this place firmly is we felt we found the better price. 

I tend to have the ability to find reason to be happy even if I got scammed. Which is a very important attribute as I will be more resistance to adversity. Life is great. 

Speaking of scamming in Vietnam, I want to share that my Uncle got scammed for iphone repair in Vietnam. Uncle's iphone 11 got short circuited after it was splashed with seawater. The phone just kept restarting. He brought the phone to a shop near our hotel and was told that he will open up and help to dry the phone for a small fee of 50k ($3SGD). I was very skeptical why the shop owner was charging so little for the work of opening up the phone. I used to be selling and repair mobile phone back in the days and things like this was worth at least a repair fee of >$10 - $20 in SGD.

He opened up the screen and blow the phone with hair dryer, since I didn't want to sit there to wait so I went to away to buy fruit juice. You know end up the owner took the phone backstage and replaced his original screen with another used screen. I knew it when I ask Uncle to take back the old "spolit screen" which I observed is a China knock off screen. Kanna 狸猫换太子 liao. I saw the china sticker at the screen somemore is partially peeled off, this cannot be the original apple LCD.

Over the phone, Uncle ask if he should proceed with the repair cost of 2.2mil ($120). I didn't tell him about the scam, I just ask him to proceed with the repair since paying the money is the only way to solve the problem of turning on the phone again, the owner will disconnect and reckon the phone useless if Uncle dont' agree to the repair. 

Classic using low bait to entice you in the shop and disable your phone and say its spolit and provide you with "illusion" of choices of screen like grade A / original. Even worst they replaced the screen with an old "grab driver" phone LCD. I can tell cause there is burn mark of map navigation that is barely visible. The owner earned 2.2mil and replaced his fault LCD with Uncle working LCD. The LCD was not the issue to begin with since it was restarting loop showing apple logo all along which suggest that the LCD is not the issue in the short circuit issue.

However, the world is not ready to take the truth. People will do all they can or lie to themselve but to listen to the cold hard truth of the world. I must learn to 看破不说破。

Nha trang cloud chasing is disappointing

Social media create anxiety and disappointment

Last 2 day we went for clouding chasing at Dalat with Uncle and Father. I came to a realisation that social media had really bring people disappointment for no reason. Weather was bad hence we didn't get to see any cloud. However, we engaged Chi to drive us to the hill at 5am in the morning. Super tired.

I find that uncle is like a baby that we have to take care for them. This reminded me when I was 10 years old, Uncle and Father is the one whom brought me to Australia, Perth for holiday. That time I was a baby and they had to take care me, guide me, show me and entertain me. Now is my time to return the same favour.

Uncle like to ask for Wifi password at all location. This is due to he needs to consistently be on the phone doing his "work". Like taking picture before we eat, sorting out the photos and sent to each other and back up on google photo etc. He was like teenager like that so addicted to phone. Being exposed to social media like Facebook and google, so he had a expectation of how cloud chasing looks like. However in real life, it is just impossible to replicate the Instagram worthy picture, a lot of luck, timing and weather will play a role in having that best moments. Sometime we often forget that those nice photo could be the result of many days waiting or the google showing the most pretty photos of our searched results. Therefore to benchmark our experience to those photo is to call for disappointment for sure.

what google show you when you find "dalat cloud chasing"

actual what we see for cloud chasing

I shall not keep asking why, but how instead

 Today I watched a man talk a good show many learning point for me. 

王达峰-光哥知识论

All engineering problem even like iphone or airplane construction that seems like a complicated problem, they are all simple problem. As you reverse engineer you can find the source problem, doing the replacement to the problem you will solve the problem 100%. Therefore all things that can be isolated are simple problem. 

On the other hand, child raising and business are complex problems. Even if you follow all steps exactly you don’t get the same result. Example you narrow down to gene problem for child bringing or even the business steps are wrong you eventually cannot pin point the problem. (Many due to luck and natural selection reason) Therefore, if you keep digging into the why this issue have a problem, you sure to end up with more problems.

I have the issue of keep digging the why a problem happen. I tend to seek for a reason instead of how a problem should be solved. Not matter how you narrow down and pin point you can say it’s right or wrong. It’s just means that there is a possibility and you cannot prove that it is right and you can’t say it’s wrong either. 

不要执着的追究问题为什么是这样子，你是找不到答案的。一直在追究你一直看的是过去，你找的答案永远是可能但是你永远不知道因为你不能证实。一个爱追究的人往往培养的是会找借口的孩子或同事。”既然已经这样子了，我们因该怎么样解决问题呢？”一个爱追究的人只是想显得有权威和正确罢了。

Reach Dalat and plan to stay 2 nights

Red pill or blue pill

 Today uncle iPhone heat up repeatedly turning on and off. The phone got so hot that it’s too hot to touch. The phone die off after the battery went flat. 

Enjoying mud bath during island hopping

We went to a shop to repair and the men started to say he will open up the phone and dry for 50k ($3). It is so cheap and it almost felt like a trap. The men proceeded to open the phone fast and swiftly. I saw the workmanship apparently he is very skilled so I don’t know why he charge so cheaply for opening and drying for so little money. 

It’s too long so I went around to shop. Uncle called and say the men took the phone away as he say he need to PC to help to test the phone. Later the men return to show that the phone still couldn’t open and suggested him to change LCD with 3 kind of grade. Uncle ask me if he should proceed. Although I already felt it was a scam but I didn’t tell him as his objective is to repair the phone so that he can access his data in the phone. 

He decided to go for 2.2mil ($120) screen the highest quality. He didn’t take back the original LCD which I ask him to pick it up from the shop later he say he told it from the trash bin. The original LCD got 狸猫换太子. The men got a business, charged $120 for a grade A LCD and got himself an original iPhone LCD as spare parts. I knew because I was in this industry before. 

Question, if knowing the truth in this world hurts. Would you want to let ignorance people know about it? Red pill and blue pill which one would you choose. Letting people know, once it’s been seen it cannot be unseen. My experience is when I tell them the truth sometime people will be sad and say why this world is like this. They became very sad but unfortunately it is the truth. I started to ask myself if truth is really that important?

Dream about Andy Lau

 I had a dream of Andy Lau. He was doing a sponsor for in game 皮肤. I find it wasn’t worth it for the money. So I tried to ask him if a coffee is selling for $8.80 and ask him to be an ambassador will he take up the challenge. End of dream. 

10pm we are caught up in the hotel

I know it is kind of stupid dream but well, most dream are stupid anyway. Even in dream I was thinking that the coffee was expensive. That’s crazy which mean in real life I had been really been tied up with money. It’s not so much that I had not enough is just that I didn’t earn surplus so every amount is ensured that I do not overspend it. 

Uncle and father finally landed in Nha Trang, there is no direct flight coming from Singapore hence it took them 8 hours including transfer. 

Going out with them is very mental draining as they are very excited and kept talking and asking. So tiring. Like many 自说自话的总裁. Many opinions and question have to answer. Also they kind of like to do touristy stuff which I hated. Tmr we are heading to island hoping. Shag

Overeat in Nha Trang, getting fatter.

 I felt over eating this month. 

I had been working hard to play basketball everyday in SG and managed to reduce one KG. Furthermore, in Johor I had food poisoning from taking fried insect so I suppose to be thinner before I come Vietnam. So I took the thailand insect in KSL and end up in the hospital.

warded in class 3 ward in Johor hospital

But food in Vietnam and beer is too too cheap and as usual being greedy, I overeat a lot. Today we walk across the river and get over to Anrizon hotel and have shell and BBQ. At 10pm we are at the Nha Trang beach having beer and fruit and we saw a crab on the shore.

Tomorrow is me time day and I will go to paranoma hotel for swimming and gym. Good night blog.

Watching severance movie summary

Weather is bad today. Raining for most of the day therefore we didn't meet up with Jon or Xavier. We had a short dinner just below the hotel and call it a day. We still went swimming at level 15. Its been a few days since I going to exercise at the pool. Everyday I progressively increase one more lap and today I did my 7th lap.

Since today we are around the laptop at 10pm hence we do not need to provide picture on what we are doing. 

"真正的牢笼是让囚禁者觉得他们是自由的" this is one of the quote that I come across while watching a review of the show severance. I love the concept of the show about technology that can separate the real work life balance. The big corporate in the show are able to install a chip so that any person can separate the 8 hours of working hour out of the life. They will not be able to remember anything something like a spilt personality。 

Weekend part at Lastcall Nha Trang

Friday night we brought our new friend Jon for New Zealand to try local back ally store which cannot be found on Google map. I think all of them is impressed with the low price. They also try the duck egg with us. 

Good food around the corner of hidden back ally

For dinner we ate hu tieu, then to jelly brew bar we play card games. I learn an ice breaking game that you put a deck of card on a water bottle and blow at least 3 cards off to the table. The person who end up blew off the deck will have to drink. 

To end the night we tried the last call bar near our hotel and they tried the laughing man and they seem to like it. But I just don’t like the feeling at all. Don’t know maybe I outgrew all these? Or maybe I afraid of the health impact of it?

Being cross our 40 yrs old mark. Life is feeling like counting down. Last time when we are young we are so used to try new things and take bigger risk. Now is about managing risk

Getting fatter in Nha Trang

Today was unlucky. We lost our hotel room card. After drinking Jackie lead me to track back all the way to the dessert place and back to the Pho place where we ate our dinner. Glad we found our keycard at the pho place. If not for her, I could have just given up and go back hotel to report lost. So today I clock >10,000 steps because of this. 

I realise I getting fatter after we reach Vietnam. Really strange, usually people slim down due to the food, I put on weight instead. I started to miss playing basketball alone in Singapore. That’s how I lose weight one. Today I went up to Prime New Hotel level 15 to do 8 small lap. I enjoyed it. I need to incorporate some exercise regime in my travelling plan. 

Found our hotel keycard

Next month we plan to move to Hanoi. Kind of want to go Taiwan or Japan to try instead. Since we getting to Hanoi which is a good place to cycle. Let plan to bring our Brompton. 

Read, exercise and love more. 

We stumble upon a good Pho Bo in Nha Trang

 

Having Kem Bo in Nha Trang

Today photo of the day at 10pm is eating dessert after dinner for Goat meat steamboat with Xavier. 

Today highlight of the day is that wonder around the town and stumble upon a Pho which was heavily reviewed 7000+ people go there and a lot of Korean, alomost full house for during lunch time. This place is a Pho Hanh Phuc. The Pho Cuon is very nice with the sweet sauce and the Pho Bo is served in a marble pot which ensure the temperature to keep hotter for a longer time.

Today I watch in the hotel the trump and harris debate and surprising to me that Harris had been hiding and prepare for very long. She felt very scripted and of course well prepared for the debate. I shall say she had performed better over her usual word salad but this performance is only good to prove her worth to her own base supporter. Since this is the first time she appeared online to answer question. However, the ABC news outlet moderator was heavily leaning to Harris by fact checking Trump only. If anything they should leave it to Harris to point out herself but not to beat Trump by 3 : 1. However I felt she still had not been speaking to the swing voter if any of her policy changes.

I felt asleep half way. Either way although I like Trump more, but if he is elected China will be very jialat which I don't want Hua Wei to be keep getting suppressed.

See hows the election goes...

Nice condotel and food around Anrizon hotel

 Today is the 2nd week. I rented the ebike for the second time in Nha Trang. 140k per day at motor4free. The service was fast as usual, got it in less than 10mins since I have the old record. 

Today we explored a new food for tea break banh beo, banh nam and banh hoi. The location is at Banh Beo Be Tu. Very cheap serve by local aunty, 3 dish for only 90k ($5.5SGD) in total only.

Then we went back to Anrizon side, north of the Nha Trang centre. Anrizon side is a condotel which we booked for 280k per night. Which is around $15 per night. The hotel is very clean and looks like a service apartment with daily room services. We reckon that we can stay here long term as per month rental work out to be only $450 SGD which most HDB room rental are able to cover with some positive cashflow. The cost of living is around 30% cheaper than Nha Trang centre. 

Anrizon condotel is 30% cheaper than Nha Trang Centre

iphone alarm to remind us to blog for the day

In case you don't know we are still 3rd day doing our daily blogging. You can find jackie's blog over here. 

For dinner we bring Xavier to eat Oc at Oc Zang 96 which is the local shell seafood which we recommend due to the cheap price for local. Cheap but good for of course which we had endorse for people who wants to come visit Nha Trang. 

Lastly, after dinner, we went to Anrizon hotel to drink the 1L Bia Tuoi a local beer brewed in Nha Trang. For the price of 29k for 1L. Like OMG. $1.80 SGD where can you find.

Wendy is like super impressed with Vietnam, she comment if not for us, she will never get to Vietnam in the first place. Let alone try "Street Food" or snail as she thinks it will be very unhygienic. Well we can definitely be a local tour guide or Vietnam ambassador.

To end the day, we throw a last final touch for supper. Our favorite Hu Tieu around anrizon. It cannot be found on google map as it is a night vendor like a pop up store which doesn't have any online presence. She operate just in front of bakeboy only after 10pm. I believe it is not legal to do business there? But damn, Xavier and Wendy was super impressed with our recommendation. 

If you stay around Anrizon, after 10pm at night, drop by bakeboy bakery, the vendor aunty is there. Don't forget to ask to have the pork rib. It is super tender. You will not miss it as the smell of radish pork soup linger at the vacinity.   

Our friend Xavier come visit at Nha Trang

 

Hosting Xavier and Wendy from Singapore

As spoken yesterday, we are supposed to blog on a daily basis and today we missed the 10pm blogging time again. Therefore we are supposed to take a picture regardless of what we are doing. Stop and reflect why today we are not on schedule again. 

Today, our friend Xavier and Wendy came over from Bali as they are just starting to enjoy their first trip after Xavier quit his full time job. 裸辞 and join Jackie to do their freelance SAP job. They are super impressed with Nha Trang Vietnam over Bali. They review is that out of their expectation they didn't expect Vietnam to be so clean, road so wide and not too much traffic. Food is very refreshing and cost of living is so low. They had express that they will return to do a long stay if they had the chance.

You see, that's why all my friend ask me why I keep returning to Vietnam. From my blog history you can tell that I am a long time Vietnam ambassador. I had been on and off staying in Vietnam for a period of 2 years. Been traveling south and north. Next stop we will plan for a Da Nang trip next year.

Today we also went to enjoy KTV in Nha Trang. Can sing Chinese song and 240k dong (~$15) per hour and 28k ($1.60) for 1 can of beer. Exchange rate is 100 SGD to 1,900,000 dong. That is super cheap. 

Enough for the ranting. Next week 4th Uncle and Father will fly to Nha Trang and meet us. So stay tuned we will post more of our Vietnam trip here.

Today is Monday hence is our "Me Time" day. We will spend one day away from each other and go experience Vietnam on our own. On track for our changes. Jiayou!!!

We coming back for blogging hopefully

 Finally, its time to come back and blog. 

Currently, Jackie and me is at Nha Trang for a one month getaway. For her is like a remote working for at a different country for her new freelancer job. For me is I am taking a semi retirement break (3 years) since my last job at RHB.

The reason why we are blogging is because we find that we are very lost at Nha Trang without much to do and she mentioned that if I were to be very focus at least on something I seem to be more appealing. As such since we enjoyed Nha Trang a lot and potentially we coming back for a 1 to 3 month short term rental here. We like to set up a good routine for our life. As such

Weekly outlook

Monday - "Me Time" day between 9am to 5pm where we are not allowed to disturb each other, we can work, go excerise, go play or go read book at cafe. Anything is fine but we have to spend time apart. 

Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday - This is our offical 4 days work week, where we suppose to work from 12noon to 4pm religiously. Hopefully we can do the dress up and show up at a cafe to work on her SAP.

Friday - TGIF, our dress down half day work day. Which we suppose to end work at 3pm to go for our date day, ranging for movie, dinner and couple discussion and weekly review.

Saturday - We shall reserve this day for event and meet up with other people and stranger community. This can be for leisure or work related. We shall mix some new blood in our systems.

Sunday - Will be our family day, this day is reserve for us only. We hope to adopt the Jew concept of strict no work day. To detox and what not.

On a daily basis

We like to add exercise and journaling into our daily activities. This is to I'mprove our physical health and mental health. 

We love to do the gratitude journal and daily blogging for appreciation and what not. We set 10pm to do blogging on a daily basis. In the event we cannot come online at 10pm for blogging then we have a take a picture of the day and do a description on that picture. For example:

Jackie is sick with flu and we brought pill at Nha Trang Centre.

Kulai Work Stay 流连宿 打工换宿 - List of place for work exchange

 Last week, we worked on the gardening part and this week we are more into the construction part. The owner Tai Soon will periodically need manpower to help him in building expansion of the guesthouse. 

Most of the time, 1 or 2 volunteers are needed to water and harvest plant in the garden. But sometime he also need people to help in carpentry wood work or brick constructions. Like for example this week, all of us was assigned to dig (executvate), waterproof, laying of brick and mortar and then filling up with sand etc. He wants the pond to have a waterfall and plants growing around the pond.

Following is we are all getting ourselves dirty to maintain the fishing pond and remove some soft soil at the bottom (something like compost) and this soil will be used to build a outdoor oven for making plaza. So the intnetion to use soil over concrete is that in the even they decided to relocate or remove the oven, soil can be easily turned back to soft soil and removed. 

Beach

• Sea Turtle Research Unit (SEATRU), Terengganu Malaysia

• Laguna Redang Island Resort, Terengganu Malaysia
  

• The Gingerbread Cafe, Tioman Malaysia

• Tioman Dive Buddy, Tioman Malaysia

• Udive Tioman, Pahang 打工换证

• Barat Dive Centre, Tioman