Vietnamese New Year

Almost the end of "Rooster" year, I remembered last year, I designed the logo and the post card for ToanLoc company and now the year has gone by in front of my eyes. Jan 28, 06 is the last day of Rooster and beginning of the year of "Dog". Many Tet - Vietnamese New Year, I had forgotten the Tet and it seems that it is not important to me and it has been like that for a long time except one time in 2002, we went to "Cho Tet". Do you remember ? this probably the first time I went Cho Tet with you even I came back to VN very often but I usually came back during Christmas and New Year but not for Tet in a contrary to many Vietnamese people, they like to return to Tet. I am still keeping all the traditions of Vietnam and family value of Vietnamese. I came here in 1978 and the first Tet I was far from Vietnam began that year. I was in the refugee camp in Malaysia, Tet came that year and I went hiking deep into the wood to think about my wife and my daughter that I left behind in Saigon. Cuc Nhat is now Alex was only 18 months old. Now, I met you and what's a life. Sometimes it is hard to imagine how we meet, we live half of the world apart, but we met. I believe in fate or that is the destiny of our life we must meet as Vicent Van Gogh's quote "I am not an adventurer by choice but by fate". Do you believe it ?
So the first Tet that I celebrated was with you honey, I felt happiness at that moments when I was with you. Believe or not it is not an issue but I want to write in this blog like something to remember. An idealistic, a point to remember when I write my book. However, at Tet as I can remember when I was young when Tet comes there are plenty of food to eat and I miss the most is "thit kho + cu kieu + banh trang"(rice sheet wrap with vegetable and dipped in pork stew sauce) it is a Vietnamese tradition.
Last year, I came back here before Tet 2 weeks and on the airplane from Tokyo to Toronto, I had been thinking of Tet. Tet to me like other normal days when I live here. I don't like Tet in Saigon simply because I don't like the crowd, the noisy and many people on the street. Do you feel the same ? And I am missing you...
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Happiness is not a possession to be prized,it is a quality of thought, a state of mind.
Daphne DuMaurier

To be able to find joy in another's joy:that is the secret of happiness.
George Bernanos

The happiness of life is made up of minute fractions--the littlesoon forgotten charities of a kiss or smile, a kind look, a heartfelt compliment, and the countless infinitesimals of pleasurable and genial feeling.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge