Guess it's time to grow up

Today I was buying my usual banh mi breakfast sandwich from my favorite vendor on the street when the local herd of cows came up to the stand and started munching at the grass that was growing three feet away from it. Yes, I was three feet away from the big guys!

However, that is (for once) not the precious or noteworthy part of the story. A minute later, while the cows were happily grazing, I heard a bleating cry coming from across the street (and when I say "street," I am really referring to National Highway 1A, a four-lane traffic accident waiting to happen). A cry that could only be translated as, "Hey! Mom! Mom? MOM????? Where are you? Wait for me, Mom!" The baby came timidly and slowly to meet the herd, pausing several times in the middle of traffic, who all swerved around him. By this point, the herd had decided to leave their grazing area by my banh mi stand before the baby had a chance to catch up.

Coming from the girl whose mother refused for her to jump into a swimming pool without confirming "Ready!" beforehand, let alone crossing a highway by myself, I was troubled by this scene. But I guess in the animal world, the idea of "childhood" might be a non-concept. Just a few days ago, I saw the mother licking and cleaning and nursing the baby, the ultimate picture of a mother-child bond. However, just a few days later, I guess the mother has sent the non-verbal, but still very clear, message to the baby that "It's time to grow up. You're on your own and fending for yourself now!"

This is my daily report from the animals-are-the-cutest-thing-ever desk at a cafe with pristine Wifi, because, once again, my Internet is out.

If anything, my Internet problems might be good for me in the long run. They allow me to use my time wisely (or....... more wisely than before, at least, because I still spend an awful lot of time doing nothing of value online) because I can use the Internet at the cafe for a finite amount of time. Furthermore, if the Internet in my room worked perfectly, perhaps I would never leave. Maybe I would hang out in a cave with my working Internet, my kitchen, and my Kindle. Now I have to get out of the apartment, and it feels good...

... Even though there is a Vietnamese man who came to sit with me at my table in order to practice his English. While it would have been intrusive enough for him to come and sit here and bother me, he had to also be smoking a cigarette and exhaling directly in my face. At least I was able to gesture that "I HATE THE SMELL OF CIGARETTES AND I DO NOT WANT THAT NEAR ME," and he happily complied by throwing the cigarette into the street.

Ah, power tastes good...........