Circus Break

[Vung Tau, 2/5/26]

In the year 4723 of the Chinese calendar, a Vietnamese man who may have, most regrettably, some Chinese blood, though this fact alone couldn’t have hurt his still pitiful IQ score, spotted, at the very corner of Sangkat Phsar Thmey and Calmette in Phnom Penh, this obvious yet still profound message, on a poster displayed by Mokod Pich Jewelry, a Chinese owned business, “It takes a whole day to find a customer, but just one second to lose him.”

In the year 2026 of the Christian calendar, the most strident pusher of capitalism, under the leadership of a chronically failed businessman but expert grifter, has done all it could to alienate customers of every nationality, so it stands more alone than ever, with its supply chains disrupted, businesses collapsing, employees tossed onto sidewalks and many more citizens living under bridges or in cars, but worry not, the Seahawks and Patriots, from opposite ends of that wrecked nation, promise to deliver a splendid Super Bowl, which I, Linh Dinh, will watch right here in Vũng Tàu, for it will be broadcast at Mr. C’s Speakeasy Pub, starting from 6:30AM on Monday.

Nervously, I checked with Mr. C himself just last night. A Canadian from Vancouver, Mr. C is also a Seahawks fan, and right from the beginning, too. Just to make sure, I asked, “You remember Sherman Smith?” Though he nodded, I have my doubts. Only I remember Sherman Smith.