Phương Hoàng Hamilton

Friday, April 5, 2024

Friend

Yesterday, I connected via messenger and had a -chic chat- quite a long time with my girlfriend who studied together in 6th grade at Bùi Thị Xuân school. Studied together for 7 years from 6th grade to 12th grade. Trần Thị H, now a USA citizen Emily Trần M. takes her husband's last name. The more we talk, the more I love my friend. You, like me, are many years old, approximately 70, but your pictures still look youthful and beautiful. Much more beautiful and luxurious than when you were a student. When she was a child, the white áo dài was simple and beautiful, yet rustic for a girl who was still growing up.

For many years since 1974, after graduating from school after grade 12, each person went to different directions and could not meet each other, even living in the same city of DaLat. But we were being teachers that meant we were having the same intention. One day a few years ago we met on Facebook. I've only talked about it 3 times over the phone now. Seeing each other on the iPhone screen. The story of childhood and life continues until this year 2024.

After 50 years, we met again and talked about our parents and brothers and memories of the past in DaLat. The story of making a hard living in our new homeland. Now think about retirement and look back....Oh! too much to talk…!

Each person lives in a different country but can still meet over the phone. Thank you messenger and advanced technology.

I hope you are always healthy, happy and peaceful.

Thank you for your long-term friendship.

Love my dear friend Emily.

💙💚💛

Bạn

Hôm qua nối kết qua messenger và nói chuyện -chic chat- khá dài dòng với người bạn gái học chung từ lớp 6 trường Bùi Thị Xuân. Học chung 7 năm từ lớp 6 tới lớp 12. Bạn Trần Thị H, bây giờ là công dân USA Emily Trần M. theo họ chồng. Càng nói chuyện thì càng thương bạn hơn. Bạn cũng như mình là nhiều tuổi rồi, xấp xỉ 70 nhưng hình của bạn nhìn vẫn trẻ trung tươi đẹp. Đẹp và sang hơn thời học sinh nhiều. Lúc nhỏ đó áo dài trắng trong đơn sơ và cũng đẹp mà mộc mạc của cô gái còn đang mới lớn.

Trải qua nhiều năm từ 1974 ra trường sau lớp 12 là mỗi người đi mỗi phương không gặp được nhau, cho dù ở cùng thành phố Đàlạt. Mà cùng làm cô giáo là cùng chung ý hướng đó chứ. Một ngày mấy năm trước gặp nhau trên Facebook. Bây giờ mới nói chuyên 3 lần qua phone. Được trông thấy nhau trrên màng ảnh Iphone. Tâm tình chuyện xưa lúc còn nhỏ và cuộc sống kéo dài tới năm nay 2024. Sau 50 năm còn gặp lại nói chuyện nhớ về cha mẹ anh em và kỷ niệm ngày xưa ở Đàlạt, Chyện mưu sinh vất vả ở quê hương mới. Bây giờ nghĩ hưu và nhìn lại...Ôi chuyện dài nói hoài không hết!

Mỗi người ở một nước nhưng vẫn gặp được qua phone. Cám ơn messenger và công nghệ tân tiến.

Cầu mong bạn luôn khoẻ mạnh vui vẻ bình an.

Cám ơn tình bạn dài lâu.

Thương mến bạn hiền Emily.

😀😂😃

Wednesday, April 3, 2024

Cat

When she called me to put food in the cat's litter, the cat came and looked at my face and said "meow". If I sit, she came to sit next to me and tap my leg with her front foot. I understood but if I pretended to ignore it and turned away, the cat would turn around and face to me and said "meow" so I had to smile back to her. When she fulled and sleeping but she saw me sitting somewhere, the cat would immediately moved and lied next to me to sleep, or lied right on my lap. The type that came to look closely at my face and talked "meow meow" to me was only this Chesney cat did to tell me what she wanted. But she did not do that to other people. How could I not love this cat?

💚💛💜

Khi gọi tôi bỏ thức ăn vào diã cho mèo, thì mèo tới nhìn tôi và nói "meo meo". Nếu tôi ngồi thì tới ngồi gần bên rồi lấy chân trước gõ gõ vào chân tôi. Tôi hiểu nhưng làm bộ lơ meò, quay mặt đi thì mèo sẽ vòng qua tới đối diện với tôi mà kêu "meo meo" và tôi phải cười trả lời lại. Khi mèo no và đang nằm ngủ mà thấy tôi ngồi đâu đó thì mèo liền chạy tới ghé vào sát bên tôi nằm ngủ, hay là nằm ngay trên đùi tôi. Kiểu tới ngó sát mặt tôi nói chuyện "meo meo" thì chỉ có con mèo Chesney này làm thôi. Mà không phải ai mèo cũng làm vậy. Làm sao mà tôi không thương con mèo này được.

💚💛💜

Sunday, March 31, 2024

My Day

The day passed so quickly

Struggling to clean up, go to the market, to cook...

Haven't had time to do anything yet

Then the day is over

Still...

Take a walk, gardening, visit my grandchild...have dinner and play with my grandchild

I forgot

I must take my medicine on time every day...

To be healthy to continue

To hear my husband looking for something to criticize

It's happened every day for the past 47 years

But before my anger was over, I fell asleep

What did I forget when I woke up?

Stop reading books, crochet hats, cook and eat, clean up...

The day is over again

Just saw it

The day is so short

Life turns out to be very short !!!

*****

Một ngày của tôi

Ngày qua nhanh lắm đó

Loay hoay vệ sinh đi chợ nấu ăn ...

Chưa kịp làm chi cả

Còn...

Làm vườn đi dạo, thăm cháu...ăn tối và chơi cùng cháu

Thì đã hết ngày

Ý quên

Phải uống thuốc bác sĩ cho đúng giờ mỗi ngày...

Để mà khoẻ mạnh mà tiếp tục

Nghe ông chồng kiếm chuyện chê bai nữa chứ

là chuyện mỗi ngày 47 năm qua

Mà chưa hết cơn bực thì mình đi vào giấc ngủ rồi

Thức dậy quên mất chuyện gì ta?

Thôi thì đọc sách , đan móc mũ, nấu rồi ăn, dọn dẹp ...

Lại hết ngày

Mới thấy

Ngày ngắn lắm đó

Đời thì ra cũng rất ngắn đó mà

Go to the mall

Saturday, March 30, 2024

It's been a long time since I went to market in Jackson Square. Today, follow Mr. Kim to visit the library. Central Library is a quiet place that I like to go to read books and newspapers in the library. I liked to wander around the stores, shop many things, meet friends to talk, then run to the library to go to the washroom, because there was cleaner than other places. During the epidemic, I didn't go to work, didn't take the bus, and didn't go shopping in this mall, maybe 4 years. I also didn't make an appointment with my "senior friends" to go for a walk and talk to each other.... Walking around a bit, I missed the Muối ladies who spoke Vietnamese vaguely, even though their parents, grandfather and great-grandfather were born in the south of Vietnam. When they Immigranted to this country, they also have been lived with the Vietnamese community, every year they also came back to their hometowns in Saigon or Western Vietnam to visit relatives. Why did they speak Vietnamese with a Chinese accent??? Perhaps the ancestors of these Muối women spoke Vietnamese that way, so they have been created a special style of Vietnamese in the community for hundred years. This way of speaking Vietnamese only ends when these people return to their ancestors.

Going to the market to buy a few things and thinking about old things was not being mindful. Anyway, this mall was a fun place to meet friends and today I even had fun walking around with my lover Kim.

Why did I miss these Salt- Muối- ladies after meeting so many people??? Because of the impression of their life stories and the honesty in telling them to me. They spent a long life tormented by their husband and children... until they were free to live for themselves alone. By the time I met them their husbands in a nursing home or died, their children were grown up and had their own family, living far away from the mothers. They were living alone and had time for themselves to wear new dresses and makeup and go to the mall for a walk with me. It's been a few years, I wonder if they are still healthy? Pray to God.. to bless the women who have struggled throughout their lives and sacrificed for their families.

*******

Lâu lắm rồi không đi chợ ở Jackson Square. Hôm nay đi theo anh Kim ghé thư viện. Central Library là nơi yên lặng mà tôi thích tới. Đọc sách báo trong thư viện, và đi lung tung trong mấy cửa hàng, mua sắm đủ thứ tiệm, gặp bạn bè nói chuyện, rồi chạy vô thư viên đi washroom , vì ở đó sạch sẽ hơn nơi khác. Mấy năm dịch bệnh không đi làm việc, không đi xe bus, và không đi mua sắm trong cái mô -mall- thương xá này, có lẽ 4 năm. Cũng không hẹn với mấy bà bác già đi dạo tâm sự....Đi lòng vòng một chút là nhớ mấy bà Muối nói tiếng Việt lơ lớ không rõ ràng, dù từ đời cha mẹ, ông nội và ông cố đã sanh ra ở miền nam Việt Nam. Di cư sang nước này cũng toàn sinh hoạt với cộng đồng Việt Nam, mỗi năm còn chạy về quê ở Saigon hay miền Tây Việt nam thăm bà con. Mà nói tiếng Việt âm Tàu lơ lớ là sao ta??? Có lẽ tổ tiên các bà Muối này đã nói tiếng Việt kiểu đó thành ra họ đã tạo ra một kiểu tiếng Việt đặc biệt trong cộng đồng cả trăm năm rồi. Kiểu cách nói tiếng Việt này chỉ chấm dứt khi các người này về với tổ tiên họ thôi.

Đi chợ mua sắm vài thứ mà suy nghĩ lung tung chuyện cũ là không chánh niệm. Dẫu sao thì cái thương xá này là nơi vui vẻ hẹn bạn bè và hôm nay còn vui vẻ đi dạo với người yêu Kim.

Vì sao gặp đã nhiều người mà lại nhớ mấy bà Muối này nhỉ??? Vì ấn tượng về câu chuyện cuộc đời họ và sự thật thà kể lể cho mình tôi cả cuộc đời dài dòng bị dằn vặt bởi chồng con cháu...tới khi họ rãnh để sống cho riêng họ thì chồng trong viện dưỡng lão hay đã chết. Họ một mình có thời gian cho chính mình diện áo váy mới tô son phấn ra mall đi dạo với tôi. Mấy năm rồi không biết họ còn khoẻ mạnh không? Cầu Chuá Phật.. phù hộ những người phụ nữ một đời lao đao hy sinh cho gia đình.

*****

Saturday, November 25, 2023

Lễ Tạ Ơn 2023

Thursday, November 23,2023

Hôm nay lễ Tạ Ơn Ngày lễ Tạ Ơn 9 October Ngày lễ Tạ Ơn của quê hương Canada đã qua từ tháng 10. Thật ra là ngày nào cũng tạ ơn, tạ ơn cha mẹ ông bà, tạ ơn anh chị em trong gia đình, Tạ ơn thầy cô dạy dỗ, tạ ơn người phối ngẫu và các con cháu. Tạ ơn bà con bạn bè xa gần. Tạ ơn cuộc sống bình an mỗi ngày. Tạ ơn tất cả.

Thanksgiving Day October 9 Thanksgiving Day in my homeland Canada has passed since October. In fact, every day I give thanks, I thank my parents and grandparents, thank my brothers and sisters in the family, thank all my teachers, thank my spouse and descendants. Thank all relatives and friends near and far. Be grateful for a peaceful life every day. Thank you all.

Friday, April 28, 2023

Crocus

Saturday, April 1, 2023

Crocus Tuyết chưa tan hết Đất vẫn cứng rắn Nụ hoa mong manh Tim tím trồi lên Ánh dương vừa chiếu Hoa nở xinh tươi.

*****

The snow hasn't melted yet The earth is still hard Fragile flower buds Purple heart rises The sun just shined Beautiful flowers bloom.

*****

love cherry flowers

Tuesday, April 11, 2023

Thương Hoa Anh Đào

Hoa trồng khắp nơi bao phủ cả thànhphố đồi núi thung lũng. Tháng 3 hoa nở cùng với nhiều loài hoa khác. Người ta đổ ra ngoài đi dạo ngắm hoa và ngồi dưới tàn hoa cả ngày. Tối đến thắp đèn sáng tiếp tục đi đạo ngắm hoa trong đêm. Mình chỉ xem qua video mà sao cũng thấy một bầu trời đầy hoa bên mình. Ngày xưa còn nhỏ ở căn nhà mà trước nhà có cây hoa anh đào. Tháng Tết là nở hoa, hoa màu hồng cánh nhỏ. Khi hoa tàn là trái nhỏ xuất hiện và chín đỏ dấu trong lá xanh thật đẹp. Từ đó năm nào cũng thấy hoa anh đào nở vào muà xuân. Đâu có biết có một xứ sở mà hoa anh đào trồng khắp nơi khi muà xuân đến cả nước một màu hoa hồng như thế.

*****

Love Cherry Blossoms Flowers were planted everywhere covering the city, hills and valleys. March flowers bloomed along with many other flowers. People went out for a walk to see the flowers and sit under the flowers all day. At night, lighted up the lights and continued walking to see flowers in the night. I just watched the video but I still saw a sky full of flowers beside me. When I was a child, I lived in a house where there was a cherry tree in front of the house. In the month of Tet the flowers were blooming, pink flowers with small petals. When the flowers faded, small fruits appeared and ripened red in the beautiful green leaves. Since then, every year, cherry blossoms have been bloomed in spring. Who knew there was a country where cherry blossoms were planted everywhere when spring came to the whole country with such a rose color.