Podcasts of My Journey Back to Viet Nam

I will be embarking on a three week trip to Viet Nam in March, returning for the first time since I left as a refugee in April, 1980. I will also be passing through Vancouver, Canada, where I once lived for about five years, leaving in September, 2000. They are the only two places I have lived aside from Halifax where I am today. During my journey, I will be podcasting to document the stories, reflections, perspectives, feelings, etc. I will experience.

If you would like to listen to them, please go to my T.T. Phone Home podcast page. I just did my first podcast tonight, 5 nights before my journey begins. However, there are already plenty of stories to share of cultural ways, my past, people special to me, etc. that I won’t wait until I start my journey to document.

Sewing an Easy or Casual Single “Mattress”

Look at the idea in the picture below. It’s five pillowcases connected, then stuffed with pillows.

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Fashion for the Chinese New Year of the Sheep, Goat, Ram

Chúc mừng năm mới! from your Vietnamese blogger!

It is the Chinese year of the “yang” starting Feb 19 2015 to Feb 7 2016. You’ve probably heard it as the year of the Sheep, Ram or Goat, but that’s because in Mandarin, the word for all three and some other hoofed animals is “yang”. Additional descriptors to “yang” identify them more specifically.

There is an additional descriptor to the Chinese year and that’s an element. This year is the year of the Wooden yang. Things associated with wood are lucky for this year.

So what does this Chinese year hold for fashion?

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Superheroes or Super Villains Who Got Powers from Vaccines? Bad or Good Idea Today?

I was getting a series of vaccination shots today in preparation for travel abroad when I had a thought. Are there any superheroes or super villains who got their powers from vaccines?

There must be! I’m just not geeky enough to know it! Billions of people having dead and/or weakened viruses pumped into their systems, sometimes mixed or given closely enough to mix, mostly at a young age when their bodies are still developing. There’s zero chance of anything ever go wrong in a fictional universe to give somebody superpowers, right? 😉

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A Fashion Dictionary with Context and History

Lately, I’ve been researching and collecting sources of fashion terminology, like dictionaries, but rather pictionaries because it’s easier to get what fashion items and details are by looking at them than reading a description of them.

Then I found out about the issuu.com site and the free books available there. Naturally, I went looking for fashion dictionaries of sorts, and I had no trouble finding some. Now I’m sharing, but by means of testing to see how they embed in WordPress with just a link. It works beautifully, as you can see below!

Among the gems I found is a dictionary that gave history and context to a lot of terms, rather than just a picture or description of what it is. I can find lots of sources for the latter, from infographics like on my Fashion Dictionary Pinterest board, to some books below. However, to fully appreciate a lot of things, knowing its history and background helps, and this first book below is wonderful! Enjoy!

Just a note. As you click on these books below, if you view them at full screen, just hit the Esc key to get back to regular screen.

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