Still Waters Ha Ho

Her prolonged fame makes her face become so familiar, it takes people little time to pass on judgement. Everything is a quick and firm decision, sorta like when you freely drop a comment on your little witchy sister.

“Miss Ha Ho takes up yoga”, people may laugh. “Why not?”, Ha beams. “I don’t think yoga is only for introverted people. Why limit yourself? Yoga is not to be put into a ivory tower; it is a kind of exercise, for body and mind... A way of life, isn’t it?” I am waiting for a sort of defiant gesture from this supermodel-cum-moviestar-cum-famous-singer. Ha is still breathing deep; the fine hairs on her thin fragile face catch the sun’s gleam. She beams mysteriously, slowly adds, with another question: “If you really love life, you would want to experience all kinds of lifestyles to live life to the fullest, isn’t it right?” It seems she doesn’t want to impose her opinion on others. Or it’s just a calculated humbleness!

The morning coffee session ends like that. Okay, it’s a tea session. Ha loves jasmine tea in the morning garden after her meditation.

Dep Magazine - December 2009

None of the sort! Ha only concluded our talk with a good stretch: “You know, after learning yoga and meditation from my teacher at Caliwow I really found  myself. My strength. My own power. Women’s power! The power of someone who loves life and lives it to the fullest! That’s it! Like my yoga teacher tells me.  When the pond is no longer disturbed by thrown pebbles, the reflection of myself will become clear. I didn’t see like a hundred Ha Ho’s, or a golden key, like in the tale, or a fairy or anything… Just myself! ”

But her teasing confuses me even more. I don’t know what to make of it! This is so Ha, so intrigueing. What if she really becomes enlightened with something after all these hours of stretching and twisting her hot body. And that something, I want to know! I want her to tell me a fairy tale, that the legendary, controversial Ha Ho has been sick of the superficial showbiz of Vietnam, that she has finally found inner peace in meditation, that she has reached a higher plane of consciousness that helps her quietly live out the short live of fame and fortune, maybe even helps her produce some “new age” inspirational album before diving deep into the post-fame Samaritarian life of a superstar spending her time at Quang Ngai flood relief camp and other places. Or something like that…

Ha winks her eyes as if she can read my mind: “So you’re giving yoga more credit than it deserves… Maybe to me, yoga is just a good way to keep me fit and agile. Who knows?”

“No problem with me! You do your own things, it’s your business!” But I know deep inside she pinpoints me, along with others breathlessly following this story. I know my evil self always want Ha Ho never to discover this yoga secret. I mean, she’s stunningly beautiful and clever as a fox, where would fairness be in this world if the universe also decided to help her out?!??

At this moment I don’t know what game she’s playing with me. She slowly speaks, her eyes gleaming mischievously. “I meditate at home one hour a day. I go to Cali Wow to train and take yoga three times a week. If through yoga, I could find my center, my universal self, and tap into the forever-replendent universal reservoir, where all powers are stored and conspire to help you realize whatever goal you wish to achieve. Then do you dread the day I can realize whatever goal I wish to achieve?”

I slightly feel hesitated. Just like a wild transformation of Madonna from “material girl” to “spiritual girl”, has Ha Ho found the same path to inner strength like Madonna? HSeeming to read my mind, Ha winks mischievously: “If you still can find the inner strength to make it again, you’ll make it again, isn’t it right? Once you learn to deliberate…” These days she learns meditation language, the like of “oh shanti” and “ohm”. I joke, “is it hard to learn by heart all of these?”. As if she’s so used to this kind of mockery, Ha just grins. Suddenly she looks straight into my eyes: “So are you afraid yoga will grow wings on a tiger like me?”

Animated, radiant, Ha has this prettiness of a blossoming girl, full of dreams yet also down to earth. She is wearing a white yoga outfit, showing off her toned arms. Hers is the attitude of an office girl on her Saturday afternoon: absent-minded, indolent, totally dispensable with time. Don’t be mistaken! Days of yoga training give her this relaxed air, but the spirit of a powerful woman is only sharpened through this kind of exercise.

There are compliments and not so well-minced criticism, apathetically made or enthusiastically so, sometimes even with a groundless fervor, usually in the direction of the negative. The difference here from the comparison is that, instead of “dropping it” in her face, they do it to the piece of paper with a sensational headline of hers. In fact, a rendezvous with Ha is an utterly different experience. Like a curious neighbor, been hearing about the witchy sister, yet first time facing her in all her majesty, we have this surprised, this endearing feeling, half wanting to get closer, half wanting to keep a distance so that we could reconcile what we have been told and what we are seeing. Because… boy she is cute!

 Animated, radiant Ha Ho