TAIK Update V1.3

Final update before opening day on 8 Dec 08. The name and address are up in front, making it look more like a school. Drilled so many holes in the wall to put up the holds for the rockwall - the walls are just a brick thick, we drilled thru the wall!!! and the owner is making noise about that. Will have to patch up for him.

The teachers are decorating their classes so that parents have something to see when they come for enquiries. The Promethean Activboard is up, the comp lab tables are done and the class chairs and tables are in. Looks like we're 80% ready for business.

Huong Xuan - Local delicacies

I putting this here cause I always forget the address.

HUONG XUAN
991, Ben Thanh Market
Right side of the main aisle - somewhere in the middle next to a fruit stall - if you enter from the front.


We been buying the following from here for ages :

Coconut Candy
Soursop sweet - best in the world, cannot find elsewhere...yet! - 100k/kg
Cashews - 180k/kg
Pistachios - 180k/kg
Roasted lotus seeds - found only in VN - expensive - I think 300k/kg
Lots of other types of sweets like banana & "asam", dried goods, coffee and tea. They also have dried meats - you can try exotic ones like deer meat and rabbit meat. Not sure, but I think there's a horse meat too.

Vietnamese are CHAMPION...

...busybodies. Worse than Singaporeans. No offence to my VN friends, but it seems to me that Vietnamese love to witness quarrels, accidents etc. I just came back after ploughing through a massive jam at District 4 - only to find that an accident had occurred on the opposite side of the road and it seems mandatory that every VN driver or biker must stop and stare for a few seconds (actually many seconds) before moving on. Hordes of kaypoh on-lookers gathered to stare at I-dun-know-what (as I wasn't looking but speeding off).

Black Taxis

Many have been taken for a "ride" literally by the "black" taxis of Saigon. These are unlicensed taxis whose meters have been tweaked to "Top Gun" speed. Even locals get taken in. I was ripped off once or twice in my early days here. Have known better since it hurts the pocket. But the following is really something ...




















The best 2 taxi companies are Mai Linh and Vinasun. Just look out for the 2 numbers and you'll be quite safe - and there are enough of them around so you don't have to wait long.

Mai Linh - 83 262626
Vinasun - 83 272727

Just remember the last 6 digits... and look out for fake Vianasuns 272777 - dressed up to look like the real McCoy ... they are the ones with meters running faster than the cabs!!!









Their most frequent haunts are outside Ben Thanh Market and in front of Diamond Plaza and the Saigon Tax Trade Centre.

Dinner with Truong's Family

Truong invited us for dinner with his family - Loan, Minh Duy (8) and Minh Khoa (6) - at the Crown Restaurant. It's a nice and quiet restaurant with lovely setting, just off Vo Van Tan (No 50/48A). We had a good time getting to know each other better.

TAIK Update 1.1

Visited the kindergarten today. The rooms have been painted, the entrance is being built and the comp lab is being constructed.

This is our humble comp lab

















































This used to be the kitchen.




























































The entrance

TAIK Update 1.0

Interviewed 16 teachers last Sat 1 Nov 08 and offered 6 of them teaching appointments today. The school's renovation is underway and hopefully can be completed in another week's time. They're working on adding another room now. Have ordered the holds for our rock wall from the US. They should arrive in a week's time. Here's a rough illustration of it.



























The class furniture has been ordered - it's a customized design and I hope it turns out well.

The brochure is done and will be handed to the printer tomorrow. Hope that we can start marketing real soon. The tel and fax numbers will also be finalized tmr. Time is running short and there are lots of loose ends to tie up.





















































The uniform colour is changed - for the better I hope. Have just handed over to the uniform company to embark on the embroidery works of the uniform.

Yishun Sec Visit

Yishun Sec came to Saigon for their Internationalization Tour from 29 Oct to 3 Nov 08 - mainly student leaders. They were a well-behaved lot and I was impressed with them. The highlight were the two visits to Le Anh Xuan Middle School in Tan Phu and Nguyen An Khuong Middle School in Hoc Mon on 3 Nov 08.












Principal, Azizah and staff of LAX & YSS














YSS at LAX















YSS @ NAK











YSS sponsored 16 poor students 300,000VND for their school fees