13 days to go...

Many people were kind to me during my trip today from Hanoi to Manila.

The story starts with the lady taxi driver in Hanoi who drove me from the hotel to the airport. As we slowly made our way through streets full of people shopping for the traditional mandarin trees and peach blossoms in preparation for Tet, she shared her story of having a 2-year old daughter.

And with Vietnamese precision, she continued to explain that her home was 230 km from Hanoi, and that she had recently divorced a “no good” husband. Halfway to the airport she started singing along with the traditional Vietnamese tune from the radio. All throughout the trip, she was cheerful, composed, and full of herself.

After that, the Taiwanese man standing with me in the interminable check-in queue. We exchanged talk about our jobs and travels, and we both enjoyed the talk.

Then a senior Chinese colleague from my office who traveled on the same plane and offered me the use of the computer he was browsing in the lounge when mine mysteriously broke down. He said he had just been looking at the news and assumed I had something more important to do on the computer. All done with a gracious smile, with which he has impressed me for years now. He looks like an older Chow Yun Fat to me.

Another office colleague had the seat next to me in the plane, and we were discussing our experiences of influencing change through our jobs. In my case about water, and in hers about regional trade agreements and customs harmonization. She listened intently to the stories I shared and made insightful remarks. I observed how nice it was to be listened to with care, and how I wish to reciprocate that to others.

An yet another colleague on the same flight, a burly man from down-under, took time to share the results of the international conference they had just concluded in Hanoi. He was so pleased with the positive outcome.

At the Long Bar in the Cathay Pacific lounge in Hong Kong, a middle-aged British woman sitting next to me had just completed a long flight from England on the way to Manila and was anxiously trying to get her cellphone to work to contact her husband back home. Just a few nice words brought a big smile to her face. When she finally got through on the phone, her day was made.

On board to Manila, the Cathay Pacific inflight crew did a fantastic job and made us all feel at home on board. The Viet Nam Airlines crew in the morning stretch also made a good effort.

Almost always, I enjoy these travel days. They broaden my horizon, and there are so many people to meet, if I choose to. I also notice contrasts that spark interest. For example, why are the delicious Dan Dan Mien noodles in Cathay Pacific’s Short Bar so difficult to eat because they’re all sticking together? And why have they continued to serve this same dish for ten years now? I hope they continue, though, it’s one of my favorites.

In between meeting these kind people, I enjoyed browsing several books on the plane. Pointing to my sizeable carry-on bag and trolley, my colleague asked “why do you do that?” She obviously traveled light, with only a shoulder purse and some magazines in her hand. Well, I like to carry books with me wherever I travel. I often get new insights and inspiration from reading just a few pages from here and there during flights and waiting times.

Joe Vitale’s Hypnotic Writing which I bought today in Hong Kong made me smile in wonder when I started reading it on the stretch to Manila. Think big, he urges his readers. And he relates the story “about a woman who has 6 children, 35 grand-childrren, 75 great-grandchildren, and 10 great, great-grandchildren – who jumped from an airplane to celebrate her ninety-third birthday. That’s a woman who thinks big.”

My mind was further stretched by browsing Tony Buzan’s Mind Map Book that I bought in Jakarta last week. How fascinating to know that 95% of what we know about the human brain was discovered in the past 10 years! I liked Buzan’s notion of a radiant mind.

I also reflected on a phenomenon of size. While Chek Lap Kok airport terminal is huge, its restrooms are rather small, and they have tiny entrances, just like in the cramped Kai Tak airport before.

This evening, my youngest daughter and I went out for dinner in a Korean restaurant that she fancies, and she shared many stories with enthusiasm and a happy mood.

And my older daughter was kind enough to leave her computer world to spend time chatting about her passions, school events, and plans for the coming days. I learned that Orwell's Animal Farm is still taught at school these days.

What hit me today was to receive kindness from so many smiling people. I will redouble my focus to follow in their steps.

Photographs: My friend Quyen Van Minh playing a straight alto from Julius Keilwerth at his Jazz Club (top), and a Vietnamese painting in the 7th floor club lounge of the Hilton Hotel (bottom).