The city at night seems like a different place from the one I know when the sun is rising. The electric lights put a rainbow glow on the streets and the shops come alive, one which I pass in the morning does not interest me but when I passed it at night I was pulled in to look over the books and I found a selection of Somerset Maugham books and one I have been thinking about at various time throughout this journey, The Summing Up, I opened it to a random page and was transported into the world of a richly talented man who had lived a magical life. I was tempted to buy the book for 230,000d ($10), it has seemed too long since I have had a good book to read that is not chess related but I realized I would be in Chicago in one week with access to the library and if I desire I can get a copy free of charge so I decided to keep my mind occupied with something other than books for the remaining seven days.
This morning I woke at 6:00am and ran 12 loops at Tao Dan for 6 miles, a local runner was interested in my running progress and we had a small conversation during my 9th loop. Afterwards I stopped at 7/11 for my usual morning meal of egg sandwich on French bread and rice and egg. I can't find a place that sells chocolate milk so my favorite thing to consume post-run has to be replaced with whatever seems appetizing.
The jackhammer started again at 9:30am and went on for an hour. I wrote my AirBnB host to ask what was going on and soon after the jackhammer stopped, not sure if it was coincidence or the owner having done something to stop the ridiculousness. Construction projects are fine but not if you are doing them in the place which is currently being rented to a traveler.
Soon after the jackhammer ceased I walked to Diamond Plaza, which is next to Notre Dame, to visit the American Library. After a thorough security check and a passport inspection I was allowed access into the room, which was filled with young people studying, using computers or phones, and I looked over the meager book collection and found two titles I could sit with, Kant's Critique of Judgment and Thich Nhat Hahn's Miracle of Mindfulness. Wanting to sit for perhaps 45 minutes passing on Kant seemed the best choice, so I sat down with Hahn's book and it brought me back to 1988 in DeKalb, Illinois, where I was given this book to read by Richard Quinney, a talented professor and photographer. The book helped me on my meditation quest and I therefore owe a debt to Professor Quinney. I read through three short chapters and then began to feel immensely tired and I craved an afternoon nap so I left the library and returned to my studio and thankfully the jackhammer was silent and I slept soundly for 90 minutes.
Tomorrow will be my final full day in Saigon, I have to say I like the city a lot, the people don't smile as much as the Thai and the Thai don't smile as much as the Balinese, but really none of that matters, what does matter is if I can find the desire to smile regardless of circumstances. One woman I smiled at a couple of days ago showed contempt by laughing derisively at my show of friendliness, that is fine, it is a reflection of the state of her mind and my smiling is a reflection of mine. I am actively cultivating positive energy and in this crazy hellish world that is not an easy thing to do but as far as I can see it is the only way out of hell.
