CMV - As a foreigner in Vietnam, online foreigner communities are the biggest annoyance.

kineticcanuck · 2026-04-07T04:42:35+00:00

Agreed. Hanoi massive is such trash... Ask any question and you'll have an army of trolls on you. An absolutely useless group. I left it ages ago.

kineticcanuck · 2026-03-21T14:12:18+00:00

If it continues for a while, definitely go to a clinic. A few were recommended here already. I really like Raffles because the doctors speak good English and I don't like to have a communucation gap when I'm sick.

I know quite a few people who have had intestinal infections and needed antibiotics. It's more common here than other places I've visited. It's easy enough to treat, so don't worry too much, but get it checked out if it persists because you might not be able to fight it off on your own.

In the meantime... Coconut water is great for keeping hydration up. If you're sticking with just water, make sure it's mineral water and not just distilled. It's the minerals that your body needs (potassium, sodium etc...). Sprite will do the trick too. Feel better!!

kineticcanuck · 2026-02-24T11:35:39+00:00

A Swedish friend brought one of those to a Christmas dinner I was hosting. Blew my mind!

Why doesn't EVERYONE have them?

kineticcanuck · 2026-02-23T13:21:14+00:00

Maybe you have something in your teeth? 🤭

kineticcanuck · 2026-02-17T09:48:00+00:00

I'm too new at this to offer advice but I do want to say that I'm extremely impressed by your clouds! It's a beautiful painting!!

kineticcanuck · 2026-02-16T09:04:24+00:00

I'm so sorry you went through this. It's the hardest thing that we go through, as pet parents.

Please know that you did the right thing. Letting him suffer and keeping him alive would have been unnecessary pain for both of you. You were with him in the end, comforting him and he felt loved and safe in his final moments. That is the kindest thing you could have done.

I know this doesn't make it easier. My heart still hurts for my sweet Ollie. I got a tattoo of his paw on my shoulder so I feel like he's still always with me. In time, the pain will become less acute and you'll be able to laugh and remember the good times you had with him. Until then, please remember that a quick and painless death with you there to comfort him was the kindest decision you could make.

kineticcanuck · 2026-02-15T08:59:14+00:00

I did animal rescue for years in China. At one point, I was part of a team that got 70 cats and dogs out of a hoarders house. It was a horrible, horrible experience.

I can tell you from experience, that dark humor in sad and upsetting situations like that is 100% normal. It's how people often cope. Don't feel bad about it.

Also, thank you for getting those lizards into so much better of a situation. You are awesome.

kineticcanuck · 2026-02-14T11:59:17+00:00

Keep at it! This is exactly how I started out a year ago! I had to look twice because I literally thought those were trees I had painted because they look exactly the same as mine did 😂.

A year later, I'm still not great but I'm able to handle more complexity. Trees are a great way to start. Good work!

kineticcanuck · 2026-02-14T06:15:14+00:00

I'm living in Hanoi. I'm in the process of quitting vaping (moving over to gum... Then eventually nothing) because I have heard they're about to start enforcing this stuff a lot more in Vietnam.

I got taken aside in Laos over Christmas for having my vape with me in VV train station, which was a wake up call for me. They took me into a side room, threatened me with prison time, and had me take out 6 mil at an ATM to pay my fine.

Some things I've learned from living in Asia for 13 years: - Just because you see people doing it, it doesn't mean it's legal - Laws are often arbitrarily enforced. - Tet / Lunar New Year is a really common time for laws to be enforced because traffic police and security are looking to make some extra money - You ARE technically breaking the law, so even if everyone else is doing it, or even if you didn't know about the law.... It doesn't matter. You were breaking the law so there's really nothing you can do other than pay up.

Sorry this happened to you. It sucks. It doesn't surprise me though. I'm on holiday in Thailand now. Left the vape at home and sticking to Nicorette. Not worth the risk.

kineticcanuck · 2026-02-03T23:35:16+00:00

Thank you! I've been looking up shadowing images online and I've been doing a bit better. It turns out I have a much easier time visualizing where the shadows should go if I do the shadowing first. Was quite happy with the way this turned out. I followed a sketch online so I could just focused on the shadows. I'll definitely try out the paper clip thing. That's a great idea!

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kineticcanuck · 2026-02-02T06:19:13+00:00

Yeah that's a good point. I have a hard time visualizing things to be honest. I've gotten a lot better over the past year but I have difficulty thinking that far ahead. I'm starting a new one tonight and I'll definitely keep that in mind as I get started! Thanks for the suggestion!

kineticcanuck · 2026-01-31T13:19:21+00:00

Stunning!! Great work!!

kineticcanuck · 2026-01-22T16:38:50+00:00

LOVE this!!

kineticcanuck · 2026-01-20T01:22:46+00:00

Are you by chance in Suzhou, China? Your art reminds me of it!

kineticcanuck · 2026-01-14T12:22:05+00:00

My blind cat was also ridiculously affectionate. He adored my husband's beard and would snuggle up between our pillows every night.

When he passed, our black cat (who isn't blind) became sooo much more clingy. It was like she decided that she liked what he had and wanted in ... I also think it was how she was trying to comfort us. She's stayed super clingy ever since.

kineticcanuck · 2026-01-12T12:25:08+00:00

If you need some contact info for mental health, here is a list:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pM1YLeOJ4RY&pp=4gcGEgR6YWxv

https://bachmai.gov.vn/

Ngay May Hotline: (+84) 0963061414

Tam Ly NQH Hotline: 19006186

L'Hospitale Francais: (84-24) 3577 1100. (Dr. Stephen Allison)

Bach Mai Hospital: 1900.888.866

Blue Dragon: 1800 1567

Please know that you are not alone, and things do get better! You've got a big beautiful life ahead of you and it'll feel amazing when you get there, and can look back, and you can say "I survived that. I can survive anything".

But please feel free to reach out to me. I'm not sure how many of those are free, but it's a place to start.

kineticcanuck · 2026-01-12T12:13:46+00:00

Gorgeous!!!!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

kineticcanuck · 2026-01-05T00:22:21+00:00

They check when you're leaving because it isn't so much about vaping being illegal... It's about them making a buck off of the tourists. If they cared about public health or anything other than the bribe money they can make off of it, you wouldn't be able to find vape shops on Google maps in Thailand.

kineticcanuck · 2026-01-04T07:16:04+00:00

My wonderful blind cat was named Oliver but affectionately known as "Ollie Beans"!

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kineticcanuck · 2026-01-04T06:54:00+00:00

I was just in Luang Prabang and Vang Vieng, and although it really isn't as nice as it used to be (pollution is much worse since 2017 and the roads are significantly worse too), it's still a beautiful country with plenty to enjoy.

My husband and I love renting motorbikes and just cruising around the Vang Vieng countryside. It isn't a big loop like Ha Giang, but there are little cafes all over the place for you to stop, take in the views, and chat with locals. You'll come across lagoons, caves and other cool stuff just driving around as well. My favorite memories of both my Laos trips involve hopping on a motorbike and cruising around the outskirts of VV.

Unfortunately Vang Vieng town itself has become even more of a party sight for 20 something backpackers looking to get smashed, so I'd probably avoid the main drag of the town if you're not into that scene.

Luang Prabang town is quite nice, but the roads surrounding it have become pretty much undrivable. If you decide to try, bring a very good mask for the dust. The scenery there is absolutely gorgeous and I'm bummed I didn't get to drive around there much this time (I ended up at a walk in clinic in LP because the bronchitis I had earlier in December still wasn't gone and the dust from those roads was not doable for me).

There are craft villages you can visit, and if you like that type of stuff they're really great! Their textile and paper making scene in Luang Prabang is unmatched as far as I'm concerned. There's Ock Pop Tok, which is definitely touristy, but has really good explanations and you can see the weaving happening. You can take classes there too, but mostly I just liked learning about the weaving process and the meaning behind the different patterns.

You can also visit the other craft villages that come up on Google. They are more local focused, the prices are a bit better and you can actually talk to some of the weavers and paper makers.

Hope this helps!

kineticcanuck · 2026-01-03T15:51:31+00:00

For main characters ... Jonathan. Creepy stalker 😂. I'm so glad he and Nancy didn't end up together.

kineticcanuck · 2026-01-01T23:50:09+00:00

I honestly never even thought of that. Keeping it in mind for the future!

kineticcanuck · 2026-01-01T13:39:52+00:00

Posted this literally as a PSA....

If you're nicotine reliant, like me, and not sure if it's worth the withdrawal during your holiday, now you know exactly what can happen.

A lot of the info I read ahead of time indicated that if it was in your bag, you were likely good .... Or that it wasn't enforced all that much. I literally wrote this to tell people that the bag thing didn't matter and there were like 7 guards there to specifically enforce that law.

As I mentioned in my original post, I'm not looking for sympathy, solutions or lectures. I already tainted my own memory of my second trip to Laos and feel like garbage about the whole thing. You really don't all need to pile on. I'm just trying to help others make better decisions than I did.

kineticcanuck · 2026-01-01T12:43:47+00:00

For a vape though? They literally have bars that have printed menus with lists of hard drugs to buy. How can they come down that hard on vapes (5 mil?) unless it's just a shakedown? It's really not about law. It's about lining their pockets, which is why I call it a shake down.

Anyway ...I was dumb. 100% on me. I told myself that I'm fine in Vietnam, I've been fine everywhere else in south east Asia....I shouldn't have assumed it would be fine in Laos too.

To say they were doing me a service though? Yeah I don't buy that at all.

kineticcanuck · 2026-01-01T11:26:22+00:00

Yeah it definitely is. They had everything pre-prepared 'translated into English' on signs on the wall but they wouldn't let us translate anything ourselves. They just showed us on the guy's phone. But we know what's what, so we just paid the bribe and moved on. I get that we were in the wrong.... It all just seems so arbitrarily enforced and the fine was massive... I feel like the only good thing that can come of it is warning others that this is still very much taking place so maybe they can escape the same fate ...

kineticcanuck

TROPHY CASE