Ego, Obama...

It says 'Barack Obama will unite America just like Ho Chi Minh united Vietnam'.

As Barack Obama enters the White House, like most Americans I can't help but be reminded of the I, Claudius novels by Robert Graves. In them, Graves recounts the 'autobiography' of the Emperor Claudius, who took over the Roman Empire after cruelty of his uncle Tiberius and the more ruinously insane follies of his nephew Caligula.

Tiberius, of course, is probably Clinton. For all his bizarre (maybe 'indiscreet' is a better word) sexual habits under his watch the Empire was mostly well-managed, with the public works running and the treasury overflowing with gold. When Caligula took over from him, he was greeted with public adulation and the belief that his youth and eloquence would be the antidote for that dusty old he-goat. Unfortunately, Caligula turned out to be rather insane, committing incest with his sisters and pulling pranks like granting his favorite horse senatorial rank (at least according to Suetonius).

Eventually Caligula was assassinated and his uncle Claudius - infamous for his stuttering, his physical disabilities, and his general reputation as an idiot and an idealist - was made emperor by the Praetorian Guard, after which he surprised everyone by ruling justly and well.

So the question is: is Obama a Claudius or a Caligula? Like Claudius he has a fondness for studying history and is often underestimated by his opponents. Unlike Claudius, Obama probably won't be officially deified until he's out office. Like Caligula he has a talent for oratory and youthful vigor, though as far as I know Obama has no particular regard for horses. We will see...

Better Know a District: District One

Situated smack on the banks of the Saigon River, HCMC's original district - the very first place to be called 'Saigon', though the distinction has become somewhat blurred recently - and still known as the epicenter of the sprawling metropolis.

It is in District One that you find almost all the old French buildings, including Notre Dame Cathedral, the Hotel Continental, the People's Committee Hall (nee the Hotel de Ville) and the Opera House.

The district forms a backwards L shape, with Ben Thanh Market at the juncture. To the north is the French Quarter and to the southwest is the Tourist quarter, where backpackers on package tours live in relative poverty compared to the Parisian-style splendor which starts along Le Loi Street.

Although it has been getting some recent competition from District 7 and even Districts 2 and 3, District One is still where most of the action is and where I spend most of my time when I'm not at home.

Back in Town

So my vacation is over and it's back to work (at least until Tet...) expect more updates soon.

Angkor What?

I met a traveler from an antique land,
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read,
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;
And on the pedestal these words appear:
"My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

Sorry for the lack of blogging lately. the Parents are in town and need constant guidance. Off to Cambodia soon!