Writings On The Wall:

First off I want to congratulate my sister Thao Nguyen and her fiance Steven Lim on their engagement and upcoming wedding later this year.

When people think of multi-racial relationships they normally think in terms of black & white.  People forget, however, that asia is a continent and not a country.  There are dozens of unique nations with independent thought & cultures.

People forget that even problems can arise from inter-asian relationships.  You may be wondering:

What the hell is he talking about? 

Well let me try to explain by talking about a recent lunch I attended.

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Let the Games Begin:

The days before the Lunar New Years my family and my Steven's (my sisters Fiance) family both decide to meet [for the first time] for lunch at Maggiano's restaurant to meet and discuss arrangements for their upcoming wedding and just to meet.

Before I continue let me say the Korean culture is a very old and respected.  In fact, I've found Korean people find their culture & religion to be the most important things in their lives and I completly respect that. 

The thing is my sister...and I....come from a buddhist Vietnamese background.  While Steven's family comes from a tradition of hardcore Christian Koreans.  So you can only guess what happened at lunch:

That's right.....World War III

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On the Table:

The conversation started out normal enough and we exchanged family histories and such but then real topics started coming up.

~What month the wedding would be in.
~Would it be a church wedding?  If so, which church?
~Steven's mother said something I'll never forget the rest of my life.

"I'm sad I'm not going to have a Korean grandchild."

When I heard this my mouth hit the floor.  I was speechless. 

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The Aftermath:

Here are the casualties of the first Round.  They were lined up in body bags along the side of the room....

Oh, the horror 

After all was said and done the day actually ended a lot better than I thought it would've.  Steven's family was actually very nice and treated us to the best of their knowledge. 

The comfortable settings and delictable food helped assuage some of the the tension.  I wonder how round two will be like though.  Stay tuned.......

Has anyone had experience with this? 

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"He's Korean [a grocery store owner he regularly sees]. Now I'd never say I'd hate all korean people.  I haven't met all korean people.  That hate talks for savages.  But eventhough I don't generalize.  I do do percentages and averages.  So far I hate 1 out of 5 korean people I've met so far."

~Dave Chappelle from an episode of Def Poetry Jam

About Me:

I'm a model.  Haha actually let me explain first by introducing my friend Larry to you.

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Xangan Spotlight:

~I met Larry a couple of years ago through this collegiate service organization we both were in.  Over the last year we've had a chance to get closer and he's become an amazing friend.

~His entries switch from hilarious, to weird, then introspective, to downright amazing.  When I click on his name on my subs I know I can expect an interesting read. [He's in my top 5 xanga reads]

~Larry is an art major and he manages to pull me into his crazy schemes from time to time.  Below are two of them.....

[BTW]:  Ladies, he's single 

[Note:]  The great thing is he had no idea I was going to do this

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Project #1:

Every semester Larry has to do a big project and he decided to depict the time he knocked out a mugger.  So he calls me up and tells me he needs a guy with really short hair to be his model for the mugger.  I say sure and this is what he came up with.

Lan, "You didn't have to really punch me Larry." 

Well Larry takes the photo and uses his painting skills to come up with the painting below.  My jaw literally dropped when I saw the final painting.

I'm not sure but I think he got an A for the project.

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Project #2:

[Edit:]  The story is a criminal (Larry) just escaped from an attempt by police officers to arrest him.  Meanwhile, a police officer (me) is about to rape a young lady (my friend Laura).  The scene continues with the criminal arriving at the scene ready to confront the police officer. 

This was the best shot out of literally 100's

This is the painting Larry came up with after 5 days of work.  I still can't believe how amazing of an artist he is.

[Edit:] The painting is really open to interpretation.

What do you think is Happening?

[Note:]  The painting is unfinished and should be completed this weekend.

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Bloopers:

Well what would a photo shoot be with out blooper pictures.  There were so many choose from but I decided to put the couple I liked the most.

I tell you my roomate always likes to get naked for everyone but his girlfriend.

The next picture I just couldn't help putting together.  I'm sorry Larry I couldn't help it.

After I made this I laughed so hard. For more bloopers click here.

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Epiphany:

Well I hope this entry explains why I'm a model.  Wait I just noticed you can't see my face in either picture.  I guess that makes me a paper bag model like the ones from the car show. 

[Edit:]  Larry told me last night that he's been telling people that I am the Leonardo Dicaprio to his Martin Scorse.  (referring to how Leo is in all of Martin's movies)  I feel honored. 

Event Recap:

The roof, the roof, the roof is on fire.

Hey wait....that's our roof.....

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About 10:00am this morning one of my managers comes running around the corner and lets everyone know there is smoke coming out of the vents!   Then all of a sudden the fire alarm goes off and everyone is wondering if this is a drill or the real thing.

People start scrambling for their belongings and the exits.

5 minutes after the alarm goes off the fire department shows up to to check things out and save the day.

(Yes all the girls at my company all swooned when they got there.)

While the fire fighters are getting ready to clear the building we see the owners of the company dive back into the building. 

[I bet you are thinking the owners ran back in to see if everyone was ok....they actually wanted to grab all the expensive servers we just bought.]

At around 10:20 the firefighters finally get a crane set up and approach the building from the roof.  Of course by now my female coworkers are in a frenzy and keep telling me to take pictures of the hot firefighters.

My coworker, "I'll ride that any day."

The firefighters eventually get onto the roof and they're able to check out the fire.  We later find out the fire started out because of an electrical short and are allowed back into the building.  We all give out a collective *sigh of relief*

First thing I noticed about the crane was the American Flag. 

What a crazy day at work....it makes me wonder what will be in store for the rest of the week.

So how was your day?

Writings on the Wall:

After that warm & fluffy entry yesterday, I thought I'd present:

The Reality of Valentine's Day

Happy February 15th...?

[Note:] Once again I'm not comdemning or praising Valentine's Day.

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When Valentine's Day rolls around even the most clueless guy can become the next Don Juan if he has a box of candies & flowers.  Guys take the extra step because they know if they fuck up this one day they'll never be forgiven.

On the other hand, if he does what he's supposed to do then he'll be known as a great boyfriend for months.

The thing is.....what happens on the day after Valentine's?  The day where flower shops & candy stores are ghost towns, condom sales are down, & restaurants are empty. 

The truth is.....for most people everything just goes back to normal.  [There are some lucky ones out there though ]

If you thought I'd come up with something profound or mind blowing.....I haven't.  This is just the way things are.

What's your opinion?

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[Edit:]

Update [From Yesterday's entry]:

This picture seemed to fit today's post.

Well the city seems to work fast when you least need it to.  It's funny a city official came up to our office asking us if we knew who "Micki" was we all of course said no.

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[The End]  Happy February 15th.

Try This:

Rather than rant about how commercialized Valentine's Day is or be all mooshie about this day of LOVE.  I thought I'd take a different approach and present to you:

5 Cheap Dates

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5.  Play A Sport

Excercise is supposed to be an aphrodisiac and that's a big plus in my book.    This date might not be for everyone though, because people are lazy and girls don't always like sports.

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4.  College Art Gallery

Ok I know a lot of guys don't normally go to "Artsy Smartsy" stuff.  But trust me contemporary art will usually give you the "wow" factor or put a smile on my face.  Plus it will show a girl you're cultured.

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3.  Dumpster Diving

You're probably thinking "WTF," but seriously think about it this way.  Everyone has trash cans, so you know it's cheap.  If you find something interesting inside it will be like a "treasure found" for that special someone. 

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2.  Community Service

Community service might sound like an awkward date but trust me....if you find the right project you'll be able to share a truly amazing experience.  Being able to see someone's true character....now that sounds like a real date to me.

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1.  The Beach

My all time favorite date place and it doesn't even cost that much.  Living in Sourthern California offers many benefits and the least of which is living 10 minutes away from the beach.  You can take walks at the beach, play in the water, make sand castles, fly kites, ride bikes, skinny dip. 

So does anyone have any good cheap date ideas to add?

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Moment of the Day:

The funny thing is my coworkers and I were trying to figure out who the hell Micki was and if she worked in our building....and then in walks our coworker "Michele."

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[Edit:] 

Payback:

The red signs read:  "Sorry Ladies This One Is Taken"

My coworker Michele wasn't going to give up without a fight though.  So all the coworkers pooled together headed out to her boyfriends work and trashed his car.  Isn't Love grand. 

"For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction."
~Sir Issac Newton

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Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!!!

Learn Something New:


Last August I moved into a new apartment and before I officially moved in I decided I'd paint my room.  I'll just take you all through the process

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Step 1:

Get supplies & friends to help you out

Home Depot is a great place to go.

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Step Two: Begin by putting up primer on the walls.  But remember....you can mess up so be careful how you put the paint on.

Nice even strokes......

I forget and you have to get naked

It's true, it helps the paint dry or something.

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Step Three:

While the primer is drying and you are away have your roomate put only blue items in your room to help inspire the room to change colors.


Hahah, yea I have a great roomate.

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Optional Step ThreeA:

Leave a welcome message for your roomate when he gets home.

I'll let you guys figure out what it says on your own =P

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Step 4:

Let the paint dry and enjoy your new colorful room.

Before:

These were taken a month before I moved in

After:

This is my room now.

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Hahah I hope this inspires you all to paint your rooms.....for me it's been about 6 months since I first paint my room blue.

What color do you think I should try next?
(Red, Green...etc...etc...)

Picture of the Day:

They're so good!!!!! 

Earlier today I was thinking about how much I love Girl Scout Cookies and thought I'd put this photo together.


Random thoughts of the day:

~What the hell is it about thin mints that make them so addictive?
~What do girl scouts really do with all that cookie money?  Do they have drunken orgy parties back at camp after they cash all those checks?

What's your favorite Cookie?
(I also can't say no to Oreos)

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Hahhahahaha:

My friend Crystal found this and I had to post it.

Yea, I had to read it twice too. 

Learn Something New:

Inspired by TenThousandPoetWarriors

I browse 100's of xangas a day always searching for those true gems.  A majority of the xangas out there are just [blah blah blah, this is what I did today...blah blah blah.....life sucks].  Don't get me wrong though, I enjoy reading & seeing people's daily lives....especially my good friends.

From time to time though, you find someone who takes that extra step.  Someone who provides a glimpse of their talent, their thought process, their creativity.  Yestereday, I found myself going through a xangans older entries because I wanted to see what I missed.

TenThousandPoetWarriors also goes by 10PKW or Lix.  If you go to his site you'll see magnificent samples of his artwork & writing.  Also, he's done one of the most creative things I've seen on xanga involving the Alphabet.  

My favorite is K for Keepsake.

While I was looking at his site there was one drawing that just hit me though.  It was under the title "Art Unfinished."  The drawing was so simple in it's beauty and the fact it was unfinished reached out to me.  It was a symbol of me never truly nurturing my own drawing.

Art Unfinished....

Which Xangans make you laugh, draw, write, photograph?

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Comment I left him:

God, I've been meaning to come to your site because of the sincere comments I've seen you leave on my site and several others and after seeing your site I'm sad I didn't subscribe earlier.... P.S. Your "art unifinished" picture has I think finally given me the inspiration to start drawing again....thank you.... Posted 2/10/2005 at 3:53 PM by Sup007

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Get off your ass: 

When I left that comment for Lix yesterday I meant it.  Sometimes when I'm inspired I think the best thing is to just go out and do it.  So last night after work I headed over to Michaels, the arts and crafts store, to get some supplies.

I ended up getting a sketch book, pencils, eraser, & sharpner.

My mind is very structured and I love geometric shapes so I decided I would concentrate first on learning how to do Graffitti Art & Robots and then move on to other subjects.

This is the first of hopefully many sketches. 

Hopefully my drawing will catch up to my photography & photoshop skills.  Time will tell and I'm willing to put the time & effort in to get better.  I'll let you guys know how it works out.

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"Every child is an artist.  The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up."
~Pablo Ruiz y Picasso

Life's Little Diversions:

The granddaddy of all diversions.....

How long have you been playing?
I've been playing Tetris for 10+ years 

*Games courtesy of Neave

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Background:

In 1985 a russian guy named, Alexey Pajitnov, developed the game while working for the Academy of Sciences in Moscow.

The game was quickly circulated around Moscow & then traveled to Budapest. Eventually, in 1986 IBM introduced a PC version in the US and the game's popularity spread like a virus.

Versions on the Game Boy and Nintendo system solidified Tetris into American Pop Culture and later made it into my home on the Super Nintendo as Tetris & Dr Mario

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I'm a Sheep:

Like I said earlier I've been playing for about 10 years and I'm not sure why I like the game so much.  I mean it's genius is so simple.  In today's day of games that are 3d and can seem like you are talking to living breathing people.....I can't help but plug in my old Super Nintendo and play some Tetris.

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Fun Facts:

~The game is based on an ancient Roman game called Pentamino
~As of 2004, it is estimated of selling more than 80 million copies
~The game was originally called Genetic Engineering and instead of falling down the pieces could be moved anywhere on the screen.
~The pieces are called tetromino
~In some eastern countries tetris can be played on ATMs

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Challenge:

In 1997 an online version of tetris was created called TetriNET I haven't played it in years but.........

If anyone would like to play against me...
(My contact info is on the left or just leave me a comment)

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Right click and "Save Target As..." this link to see a video that made my jaw drop .  The video is 20+ megs so just be patient. 

Happy Lunar New Year Everyone!!!!

Background:

The tradition of celebrating the Lunar New Year came to Vietnam from our Chinese neighbors.  Along with many other Asian cultures, both the Chinese & Vietnamese recognize the Lunar calendar as part of their cultural tradition.

Têt Nguyen Dan literally means the first morning of the first day of the new period.  More simply known as "Têt," it is Vietnam's version of the Lunar New Year.

Têt is normally the biggest and most important holiday in the Vietnamese culture, almost like New Year's Day, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, and Christmas all rolled into one. It's a holiday that is based on history but has also evolved into a modern celebration that incorporates new elements to produce new traditions. 

What real grocery shopping is like...

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Múa Lân (Dance of the Lion/Dragon):

During the Têt festival a Múa Lân, (frequently referred to as a unicorn but looks more like a cross between a lion and a dragon) who is the traditional symbol of strength in Vietnamese culture, is paraded around to scare away evil spirits.

I have issues......

[Note:]  If you didn't know or realize my name is Lân (pronounced Lawn) and loosely stands for strength in Vietnamese.....

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A Dirty New Year:

If you didn't know there are 12 animal signs associated with the Lunar Calendar.  Several years ago my sisters devised the Dirty Lunar Symbol Guide:

1)  Figure out which animal sign you are here
2)  Just add the word dirty in front of your sign  
               Rat + Dirty = Dirty Rat
               Pig + Dirty = Dirty Pig 

If you guys were wondering I'm a rooster...so I happen to be a Dirty Cock.....

Rat Buffalo (Ox for Chinese) Tiger Cat (Rabbit for Chinese) Dragon Snake

Horse Goat (Sheep for Chinese) Monkey - Last Year Rooster - This Year Dog Pig

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Happy New Years :

Well I hope everyone enjoyed my little Lunar New Year's Edition of xanga and I'm going to leave you all by saying:

to my American Friends: Happy New Years
to my Chinese Friends: Gong Hey Fat Choy or Gong Shi Fa Tzai.
Finally, to my Vietamese Friends:  Chuc Mung Nam Moi

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Quote of the Day:

"Chuc Mung Nam Moi "
Loose Translation: The cock is rising and the monkey has been spanked

~Michael