In a blink of an eye, here we are. 2017.

Right after Christmas, shops started packing the greens and have started to bring out the yellows, reds, and gold for Lunar New Year. And for someone who celebrates Christmas and New Year, it’s hard to get into the swing of things after the holidays only to head straight to an official Vietnam holiday. I feel like we’re still in a lull until after January. Not to mention the holiday eating continues.

I went for a walk today along Cong Xa Paris area and boy, were there lots of tourists. And the tour group leaders nowadays, don’t shout calling to their group. I’ve seen them sporting microphones while the rest of the group wear earphones. Reminded me of silent rave parties.

The weather is pretty hot today and am dreaming of colder climates. Why is it so hot when Tet is just a couple of weeks away?!

Was going round and round Book Street looking for nice souvenir items to give away and am always drawn to notebooks inspired by well-loved children’s books. Aren’t they great?

In honor of the gastronomic delights of Vietnam, they’ve also come out with the above notebook.

What do you guys think about dried fruits as gifts for friends back home? There’s the usual jackfruit but I saw this in CoopMart yesterday and looked interesting. It’s not rave-worthy but tastes okay.

Now the dehydrated onions is pretty good but who wants stinky breath, right?

Starbucks has come out of the Bearistas dressed like a rooster. Bear x rooster. Sounds ridiculous but hey, it’s Tet.

Oh and if you’re one of those Starbucks collectors, Starbucks Vietnam is finally coming out with Starbucks Rewards tomorrow.

Hope you all have a great start of the week!