Fish and crabs.

     I go through stages. When life appears to be dull I've often desperately sought things to entertain me for a few days. Some things have lead towards lifelong hobbies while others have come and gone as conventional fads. You all know that I love fish. Aquariums and aquatic life has been my hobby since I was a child and I've continued that trend in Vietnam. The biggest challenge I've encountered so far is the lack of quality supplies like food and chemical additives. Everything seems to be imported from China and we all know made in China from the US and made in China from Vietnam is light years apart. I haven't found much success with keeping general fish because I haven't found a good enough filter to support my demands. I've opted for something easier yet has always been a favorite of mine. The easy to take care of- yet amazingly beautiful and complex Siamese fighting fish- the Betta. I've been buying one or more on a daily basis from this lady off the streets whose husband breeds them in their home. She rips me off by selling some to me for two dollars a piece when they should be more like a 1.50, but who cares. I'm getting quality super deltas and near half moons at unbeatable prices. Plastic jars cost less than 40 cents and I have myself a betta. My goal is to ultimately end up with 20 bettas. I just need to get out more and go to more shops but most fish shop owners are not very friendly.
    I see crabs along the side of the road and despite not being a huge crab fan I've been buying them and boiling them up in water and beer. I'm not a beer drinker but lately I've developed a taste for beer. I don't hate it as I once did. Hopefully this won't lead to another bad habit. These crabs sell for about five dollars for two pounds. I'm buying them to support the street vendors who sit out in the hot sun to sell these things to make practically nothing. It's the reasons why I prefer to buy from the locals than the big supermarkets but some things just aren't practical outside of the markets. I wouldn't buy veggies and especially not raw meat on the outside. The crabs aren't really all that good. I only like to eat the gills. Sure, the meat is sweet but the required work to de-shell the meat isn't worth the smelly fingers. I'm a lazy SOB.

     I know, I know- some of you have been asking me why I haven't updated as often as I once did. The truth is I'm still alive and I am still updating. I just haven't written as much because there hasn't been anything new or major to report. I've been focusing on the daily QuicKlips series which has a new video just about every day or so. Go over to my YouTube page if you haven't already to check them out.
Rest assured friends, that once life starts picking up again I will write as often as I can. But for now, things have been on repeat and it's been pretty cliche here. I'm slightly depressed but at the same time I'm excited about the next few months.