Small things, mostly

I was back at my favorite Tibetan restaurant in Bangkok, and this time they had Tibetan tea on the menu.

Many years ago, during brief transits in Thailand, I rarely stayed in Bangkok.

Always love the girl with the fixed lens camera.

I was at a cafe, just below my stay near the Russian Market in Phnom Penh.

Bookworm Hanoi is perhaps the best bookstore in South East Asia (the other is Dasa in Bangkok).

Sometimes the light at the end of the tunnel is a bookstore + cafe.

Nice to see the Peace Centre transformed into a lively market, a performance space and also a makeshift university of sorts.

The trusty travel companion I recently became a victim of theft, my first such experience in 20 years of travel.

Trời ơi, my new Singapore alley has more bánh mì shops than my alley in Saigon.

Finally got the graphic novel featuring the story of Ros Sreysothea, one of the most popular singers in Cambodia.

I am interested in cities.

We were discussing the international enclaves in Bangkok.

Thanks to Anh Vu Ngoc Lan for inviting me to this 24 hour cafe and sharing about travels, learning, etc.

At the recent “Small things, mostly” in Saigon, Huynh shared a story from her travels in Sri Lanka.

Have you tried Ramune or Goli/Banta soda?

At airports, we shout into our phones and linger at the café selfishly long after finishing our drinks.

Whenever someone asks me for a travel tip, I recommend them short stories from their destination.

Trời ơi.

The Economist praises the Vietnamese public school system and mentions some top down factors.

Didn’t plan entering the lane but then couldn’t ignore Ayra Starr’s Rush streaming out from a venue with West African and French folks.

My neighbourhood, you can find interesting drinks.

I like visiting bookstores in cities I am in, especially Saigon.

When I miss the world, I go to Bangkok.

Apple shops in Cambodia have such cute names.

I hadn’t planned on returning to northern Thailand anytime soon, but being in Vientiane late last year made me miss Chiang Mai.

Update: May 2026.

I go to this little ice cream shop in Singapore’s Little India these days, I think, just to read this particular book.

The young chef in Hanoi’s Japanese area spoke good Japanese.

January is still cool in Phnom Penh for walking around.

At 30 percent non-Japanese residents, Shin Okubo is perhaps the most international neighbourhood of Tokyo.

I am writing postcards in Lao PDR.

On New Year’s Day, we visit the neighborhood shrine to seek blessings for the new year.

Late at night, I was looking for a respite from the cold.

The neighbor always greeted me with a “hello, teacher” and a smile.

In 2001, when I walked down a small alley in Laos, the children paused their play and walked with me till the end of the alley, all the time asking many questions about where I came from and what I did, etc. 21 years later, I am back in Vientiane.

Some of my favorite places to hang out in Hanoi: Click on the names for the Google map location.

“The defining condition of being human is that we have to understand the meaning of our experience.” — Jack Mezirow Going back to the history of teaching and learning, reflection is probably one of the earliest tools used by humans.

We started running hybrid meets in the 2000s.

Things seen in Mangalore, the west coast of India.

Thanks to some colleagues at work, some nostalgic moment.

We get mentos with our bun dau mam tom.

Hoa took me to a hidden vegetarian café for lunch.

A few years ago, I was looking to move out of the first Japantown in Saigon.

Saigon is like a lover with many secrets.

This is the place I often return to when I want to test a new camera.

Too often we judge other groups by their worst examples while judging ourselves by our best intentions.

Luckily there is a place where I can find Burmese food and people in Singapore.

I found some of my early travel photos that I had taken for making notes.

The stamps dispensed by the Singapore Post machine next door are printed on demand, and they’re dull.

Whenever I see a striking pair of eyes, the thought I often have is about eye contact.