Reaching for modernity

Well the new year season is over here finally. Now things can get back to normal, which is great as I miss quite a few of my friends in the uni. For those who are not aware, Tet is a time to return to your family and that means many of the people in my office to out of town for the 10 day teachers break. Well on new year's eve there were fireworks in town and they where quite a nice surprise as I hadn't seen any fireworks for a while.

Prior to Tet, the supermarket complex opened opposite the biggest hotel in town. It now provides a steady flow of cheese, processed meat, cold weather fruits, and condiments into our diets. However, I noticed that it did not open much at all, and it seemed to just close everytime I went there until yesterday. When I was there yesterday I observed something which I have seen only in Viet Nam - shops that never restock. Let's hope that it is only because of the holiday break as the flow of cheese maybe too much to lose at the moment.

What's new

Well Tet (Lunar new year) is fast approaching and today I finished teaching which allows me greater time to undertake my research project here. I feel fired up about undertaking this project and have been enthusiastically collecting plenty of reading material (and including some in my classes) and have noticed that climate change is all the rage at the moment.

Well I have come across a few things of late, UN panel on climate change have acknowledged that there is a 90% chance that it is due to human interference. OK, great! So the governments of the world rush into action Australia is mucking around with the idea of emissions trading while according to the economist magazine there is a push in the US to cap emissions.

In my readings however I have come across a model of sustainable development that suggest because of the stocks of existing gases will continue to heat the world even if the emissions stop today. So I guess we should all get used to living how they do in Jakarta lately. Let's hope that things improve for them rapidly.

Well if that doesn't take your fancy maybe this house will make you feel more comfortable.

Probably tough after a serious bout of drinking, though. Well I am not a greeny and going to say that we should cut all greenhouse gas emissions. I just don't want to spend my retirement like the North Poles' most famous resident below.