September 2011
10 posts
1 tag
My Ambitionz Az A Ridah
The American confidence to risk
The Japanese prowess to design
The Chinese power to machine
The Spanish grace to flirt
The French love to live
The Vietnamese will to survive
Choose your (Hiphop) Role Models Wisely
A conversation last night touched on the topic of role models, within the scope of hiphop artists.
A friend said I am trying to be like P. Diddy.
I replied, “actually, I’m aiming to be more like Mos Def.”
I thought about this more at home later and realized there were elements of truth to both claims.
Yes, I do want to be like Mos Def: I want Mos Def’s artistry.
Also, I want P. Diddy’s...
Between the Lines (2004)
On the grounds of John Muir Elementary
I am given one of those
chain letters
folded in a fifth grade way
I won’t blame whoever gave it to me
I know the fear of fate in my hands
warning
if I don’t make ten copies of that very chain letter
doom ten of my friends to doom ten of theirs
bad fortune within the next year
I rip the chain letter to shreds
toss into the wastebasket
along with my belief...
1 tag
About a Fisherman from Cuddalore (2005)
I’ve been sad lately as there hasn’t been a way to get all my old writing back. Last night, I just woke up in the middle of the night, with the idea to search my gmail inbox. Low and behold. I am happy, really happy again. I will work on putting together a chapbook. Here is one piece I wrote when I got news of the Tsunami that ravaged South and Southeast Asia back in 2004.
ABOUT A...
“”To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and...”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
1 tag
Mr. On '08
My hobby in 2008 was following the presidential election.
I ain’t gonna front, I had a mancrush on Obama - not just because of this girl, but of course.
Even though he might be able to convince to buy an iPhone, he will never be able to convince me to vote for the Bosnian mercenary - unless, he can somehow get me, ahem, seven minutes in heaven.
Hilarity aside (pun intended, but of course),...
Sheng Wang and Eve Ensler Should Hang Out
From now on, if I ever say “I’m getting some pussy,” it will have a whole different meaning.
Say hello to an old friend of mine, I am very fucking proud.
(thanks djphatrick, another friend who I am very fucking proud of)
Migrating to thirstythong.tumblr
Migrating from posterous to tumblr: thirstythong.tumblr.com
I'll get a compliment sandwich, hold the...
[On the bench, after running a basketball game]
Me: Hey, congratulations on your new baby girl.
Friend: Thanks man.
Me: What’s her name?
Friend: Kaitlin
Me: Shit, that’s a really great name man.
Friend: Thanks man.
Other friend: What would you have said if her name sucked?
Me: (Pause)
Other friend: What if her name was…Sailor Moon?
Me: (Pause) Oh. (Pause) Aiite.
1 tag
Vietnamese Joke of the Day #246
What did Obama’s mom say to him when she needs him to take out the trash? Bỏ Rác Obama. (Thanks Andre)
August 2011
6 posts
2 tags
Desk Set-Up
Caphe sua da: 8k (brought a home cup to brew nearby, then take home)
New desk lamp: 250k
Exercise ball: 250kRe: Exercise ball as a chair benefits
http://www.gearfire.net/10-reasons-to-use-an-exercise-ball-as-your-chair/#comment-13803
A commenter Daniel follows up the article with what I thought was the most insightful comment:
To Geoff R., i appreciate your efforts in offering people advice...
1 tag
Killing with Kindness (Keeping It Real with a...
I was at an old favorite bar of mine in Hanoi last week.
Friends and I were on the dance floor, I had ordered a plate of french fries.
The plate was brought over and in transit, right before it’s laid on our table, a western man of my age grabs a fry without asking.
There are, of course, two ways of dealing with this:
1. Ignore it 2. “Keep it Real” - curse, kick over...
1 tag
Saigon Sunday Night
Six people pull up to the bar, Filipino singers, local backers
Turns out they’re two couples and two others
Women order juices, Coronas, the men
Fruit plate
Visual survey
Whispered observations
Dice bar games
Coronas at a 45 degree angle
A husband excuses himself
Cleaner leans against the wall, checking her cell phone
10.000 VND tip
Machine gun laughs
Smile to shouts
Hands in...
1 tag
The Elements of Great Verbal Communication...
Good writers are demonstrably clear thinkers. That’s why one should always seek and retain good writers for their team, organization, company.
The same could be said about good verbal communicators. I venture to state good is what is qualified by the ever so charming term “charisma.”
This will not be a holistic breakdown of what makes a verbal communicator good. This will be a review of the...
2 tags
My CTO Macbook Air Essential First-Day...
N was ever so kind enough to bring me over my CTO Macbook Air, 13 in., 1.8GHz. Here are the free applications I grabbed off the internets (not from the Mac App Store) - simply Google their application names and they will be the top finds. (Note: QuickSearchBox is built by Quicksilver’s creator and is very much similar to Mac’s Spotlight feature, but one key difference: QuickSearchBox...
2 tags
How to be Successful like Kanye West
I have always been a fan of Kanye West and it is not because of his Shutter Shades…actually the Shutter Shades IS a sub-reason why I like him…the reason I like him is because his success has been molded by himself from day one.*
(*Even when he has seemingly lost control - 808’s and Heartbreaks - he stayed course as it fit his initial design - more on that later - his grand...
July 2011
14 posts
2 tags
The Key to Team Unity
The role of a successful director/CEO is to evangelize the self perceptions of team members within the team.
1 tag
Certain Ideas can only live in Certain Formats, or...
95% of Spoken Word is bad.
You ask the normal Joe-Schmoe who has seen a Spoken Word performance and usually, they’ll politely put the topic to sleep, like putting a handkerchief cloth soaked in chloroform over your inquisitive mouth and cradling your listless body of an emerging opinion to rest.
It is unfortunate too, because that 5%, which makes Spoken Word so powerful, turning spectators...
1 tag
Bored People are Boring
More often than not, I see a status update on Facebook that reads to the effect of:
“I’m bored.” “Life is so boring.” “I’m bored, just want to die.”
As a matter of fact, bored people are boring.
I don’t state this as a judgment on people’s personal character. Hence, I state this as a call to action.
If you want company, go out and...
1 tag
Synchronicity
I was talking to my friend, Cam, about Synchronicity, while we were driving home one night.
His definition is, you know, I can’t remember it and I actually feel that I would do his words injustice if I were to describe it.
What I can do is to tell you of my moments of synchronicity which I have experienced lately.
a. I was listening to music on my iPad and was thinking of a Raphael Saadiq...
1 tag
My Local Tailors
89 vo thi sau, f6, q3 @ the bottom of pham ngoc thach street 100k per piece
Process: Just tell them: “em/chau muon mai ao/quan ‘body’”
They will measure you, be specific where you want to be
They will give you a receipt and you will both agree on the day to get it back, and you pay the deposit (at least 50%).
Call them the day of to ensure it is done, so you...
1 tag
License to Drink
I think vices are fine to indulge in as long as they come with instructions and the conditions + risks for the consumer to consider before decision.
That is, alcohol should be consumed, only if the citizen has obtained a consumption license. It should be taken as seriously as a driver’s license. The license test would cover the basics on how to consume beer, whiskey, vodka, wine,...
1 tag
My Letter to Ishle Yi Park
Ishle
I believe in god, now, I reason that’s why I’ve been listening to Cody Chesnutt and why I am writing you now.
Work is Love.
I’ve had utmost respect for your work, when it first came out. I was particularly drawn to the piece “Work Is Love” - actually, I am unsure if this is the title of it. Essentially, it was about that phrase “Work Is Love” -...
1 tag
The Apple Macbook Pros of Nail Clippers in Vietnam
In observance of my toenails and fingernails getting rather gnarly, I hip-hopped out of bed this morning in search of toenail and fingernail clippers.
My local 24/24 did not carry them unfortunately, although I do believe select ones, perhaps in the locations with more foot traffic, carry them.
These babies have the clunk, the build quality, the near-matte finish of Macbook Pros. I am not an...
1 tag
Maybe You Were Meant to Have a Cold This Weekend
Things happen for a reason.
We are on a path.
Considering fate, perhaps, the cold you caught on Friday night was meant to be. Perhaps we have to re-imagine the notion of “oh no, I’m sick, my weekend is ruined.”
Perhaps, we consider it an opportunity to cozy up with a book that develops a business idea we have been entertaining, your RSS/Twitter feed that let’s you know...
1 tag
Planning the Alcohol Budget for 50 guests
AMENDMENT: After some experimentation, add a squeeze of lime with each and every cup, it works to balance out the sweetness of the Rasberry + 7-Up combination. A quarter of a lime should do the trick. So, in the case of 100 cups, obtain 25 limes.
A departing friend is having a farewell party for approximately 50 expected guests. Last night, I had one of the best mixers I’ve had in a while...
3 tags
Making Sense of the Social (Web) Networks I Use by...
Making Sense of the Social (Web) Networks I Use by Breaking It Down:
Twitter (or Mimo in Vietnam) is where I go
a. to post/read interesting quotes/articles/information
b. to ask/discover public questions and seek/provide public answers, especially as it pertains to living in Vietnam (sorry Quora)
c. to plug-in to any socials/events going on in my proximity
d. discover interesting...
3 tags
Conversation about "Like" vs. "+1"
Friend: I don’t know about you guys, but clicking on the +1 button doesn’t have the same effect on me as clicking on a Like button.
I agree, because “Like” is colloquial ie. it’s more natural for us to say/express we “like” something than to say we “+1” something, unless we are on the basketball court - so I think it’s a too...
3 tags
Why Google+ Exists
1. Because Google Wave Couldn’t (Exist)
Good design is apparent. There is no need to explain the function of a well-designed product or service.You look at it and you know what to do with it.
Google+ exists because Google Wave couldn’t.
Google Wave couldn’t exist because it was a poorly designed product/service. We know it was poorly designed because it’s Developer’s (preview) introduction video...
1 tag
Songs I Listen to While Working and Working Out
Inspired by Matt Mullenweg works while listening to music, I’ve turned on the “repeat” function and have found the following songs/albums/catalogs to be most effective lately. Lately, when I’ve been writing, I just listen to the following on repeat: “Senandung Maaf” by White Shoes & The Couples Company Lately, when I’ve been grinding out the design...
June 2011
10 posts
Google+ Real Talk
Google+ is basically Facebook
Facebook has all your friends updates in one long-ass stream of updates (and real talk: you don’t truly care about/know 95% of them)
BUT
Google+ basically gives you the update on the 5% of your friends you truly care about (or at least comfortable to be clownin’ on REAL TALK)
Real talk: I better be able to get hella my (close) friends on this shit or I ain’t...
1 tag
Trying out Eat.VN
Ordering in tonight from Blackcat (which is really good at delivery from my experience) but want to give eat.vn a try to see if the experience is worth it.
The interface is user-friendly. The sign-up was prompt. Now, let’s see how accurate the delivery promise is.
Arrived at 10:30pm. Bill was accurate. Excellent.
I will be using eat.vn again soon.
How to be an Expat Brat
http://thoughtcatalog.com/2011/how-to-be-an-expat-brat/
1 tag
Just Do It
“‘Regret Minimization’ is what should win out in life…so it did.” -Jonathan Deutsch, co-founder of Tumult Inc. (when asked about walking away from an established career at Apple)
2 tags
How I use my iPad personally
Going off on what Miguel has been talking about, the iPad isn’t for the smooth-blind.
That is, if one cannot envision oneself utilizing the iPad as an enabler of a smoother media consumption (sometimes production) device, well, you can lead a horse to water, but…
Here is how I use my iPad, personally.
Media consumption while in the kitchen, laying in bed or in the John
TED talks...
1 tag
On 5 Things you are too old to be doing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7-yO9GgOgk&feature=player_embedded
Brailling this. Allow me to add, these are things I’ve realized and not directed towards anyone in particular:
6. It’s okay to want to learn. A lot of folks try to make themselves sound invincible on resumes, fair enough, given the competition is higher than ever for the small amount of jobs that are out there....
2 tags
The Scene of my Almost Death
It started coming down like the armageddon, prompting us to retreat back to the fortress, to wine on home-brewed Trung Nguyen coffee and feast on Chez Guido (don’t ever get the deluxe burger, ever).
With the trusty Macbook from 2006, madame requested respite from the dungeon heat we call trapped Hoach humidity. Like the knight I am, I scurried up and back down the tower, to retrieve the...
Conan O'Brien Delivers 2011 Dartmouth College...
*This article can also be accessed if you copy and paste the entire address below into your web browser. http://teamcoco.com/content/watch-conan-give-dartmouth-college-commencement-a…
1 tag
My new Crumpler Bag in Ho Chi Minh City
Bagvina specializes in Crumpler bags, although they do carry some other brands. Mr. Hung was a nice guy who spoke decent English. 450.000 VND for the one I got - it’s even got padding on the back of the bag.
The older I get, the more I love anything with padding.
See the full gallery on Posterous
2 tags
Websites to Learn Python
My current goals are to learn about programming through Python, become more proficient in digital illustration and ultimately, dive into iOS development. The reason I want to start learning Python is because, for folks with no coding experience, it’s pervasively known as the friendliest language to dive into. I started viewing the podcast Introduction to Computer Science and Programming,...
November 2010
1 post
1 tag
TPL Sup Retreat to Bangkok
p118.mov Watch on Posterous
September 2010
1 post
1 tag
Banh Duong Dau Phong
Sesame, Ginger, Sugar, Peanuts, Wafer. 28.000K. Quan An Thanh Binh 140 Le Thanh Ton.
August 2010
7 posts
2 tags
Buying Airasia Flights Online vs. In-person
Just booked a flight online to Bangkok in early October for dirt cheap $228 round-trip for 2 people!
Lately, I’ve been curious about buying online vs. in-person as there is an official sales office in HCMC.
Ho Chi Minh City Van Phong Ban Ve Tp Hcmc 254 De Tham, P.Pham Ngu Lao, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam [For more locations: http://www.airasia.com/vn/en/contactus.html]
The...
3 tags
How to Use an iPad at Work
Article I wrote for company: http://insideoutsourcing.wordpress.com/2010/08/05/how-to-use-an-ipad-at-work/
More to come!
2 tags
This is How Your Micro Sim Card Should Look Like...
Alignment is your only worry, even if this means using tape on the backend to keep the card aligned properly if you over-cut your Sim Card. [FYI: Got my Sim Card cut at Halo for 30.000 VND - the dude, Kevin did it incorrectly initially. The next day, I went in to fix it - he over-cut it, but I taped it in place with black electrical tape.]
1 tag
H to the Izzo
Vietnam’s economy lures some who left in the 1970s http://bit.ly/bluxdt [FYI Posterous has got to do a “Flipboard-esque” preview web snapshot when we post URLs in the blog posts.]
2 tags
HSBC ATM Card Things to Know
If you were ever curious, which I’m sure you have been: http://www.hsbc.com.vn/1/2/commercial_en/corporate-echannel/business-atmHigher cash withdrawal amount: + Maximum cash withdrawal limit is VND 4.8 million per transaction + Daily cash withdrawal limit is VND 15 million + Daily transfer-within-card limit of VND 100 million
2 tags
Viettel 3G Data Plans
Got an iPad 3G today so I signed up for a monthly data plan. Here are Viettel’s options:40.000 VND Plan: 600 MB, 65VND for each additional MB 80.000 VND Plan: 1.3 GB, 65VND for each additional MB 120.000 VND Plan: 2.3 GB, 65VND for each additional MB 220.000 VND Plan: 5 GB, 65VND for each additional MBSigned up for the 5 GB data plan, which should be more than...
2 tags
How the iPhone makes living abroad in Vietnam...
Yes, there has always been life before technology and life will always be possible without it. Technology just cuts down on face to face, eye to ear communication, for better and worse. There was life before the cell phone, the Internet, Craiglists, Twitter. Prior, I used to own a Samsung phone and prior to that, an LG. Let me count the ways, rather, the iPhone OS and its apps that have...
May 2010
1 post
2 tags
Dengue Fever @ Boathouse, May 10
See the full gallery on Posterous You put your right foot in You put your right foot out You put your right foot in Fuck it, you wig the FUCK OUT! See you at HiFi Friday night.