The wedding turned out to be one of the happiest days of my life. Although it was not perfect (which wedding is perfect?), I am proud of the fact that we had made the most out of it. So here is a brief recap of how the day went.

I woke up at five thirty in the morning. Aunt 9 who flew in from Texas and I took a walk around the park to catch up on family matters. We went back to my mom’s little apartment to get ready. Our family left together from my sister’s house at a bit passed eight to get to the bride’s resident in Flanders, New Jersey for the ceremony. We arrived a few blocks from the house to get everyone together for the walk-in tradition. The ceremony was kept short, simple but no less moving. The bride looked gorgeous in the red traditional dress (ao dai). She was indeed the brightest star of the day. The most memorial part of the morning is when both side of the family were in tears. They were happy for both of us.

After the ceremony, light brunch was served. At that time Dung and I escaped the scene with the photographer for some photo shoots at the gorgeous campus of Princeton University. We hit a bit of snag trying to find the place we wanted because we weren’t familiar with the area. Big thanks to the photographer for being patience with us. Not sure how the photos will turn out, but he did a great job of getting us relax and felt comfortable in front of the camera.

The reception, which took place at Golden City Chinese Restaurant, was to start at six thirty, but we were there at six because the campus photo shoot turned to be longer than what we had planned. Thanks to my wife’s sister and her future husband for setting up the whole place for us. When we got there the place looked warm, intimate and elegant. Guests began to arrive at around six thirty and the place almost filled at seven thirty so we got the party started.

Big thanks to our beautiful MC with a lovely voice for holding down the program. After visiting my blog and having read our Love Notes, she was able to incorporate some of the lyrics into her introduction. Father of the bride gave a warm, heartfelt speech thanking our guests for coming. My speech also turned out decent after I had a few drinks.

What kept the wedding exciting had to be the music band. Thu Hoai and the Magic Night band brought down the house. Thanks Thu Hoai for covered Ngo Thuy Mien’s “Niem Khuc Cuoi” with such a romantic vibe as well as the special dedication to my mother with “Me Hien Yeu Dau.” The young crowd at my table loved her version of “Vi Do La Em” without even clear understanding of the lyrics. Big props go to the band for keeping everyone on the floor all night long. We started our first dance early on so that folks could come out and dance. We even chucked out the traditional formal greetings so that people could have more time to enjoy the music. Dung and I went around and greeted everyone individually.

The music was great. The wine was tasty. The cake was awesome. The food was fantastic. Everyone seemed to enjoy the party. Most folks stayed and danced until eleven thirty at night. Everything was perfect until the next day. About a dozen of folks including myself got sick from the food. I am still recovering and hopefully I can go on to Jamaica tomorrow. I apologize to anyone who came to the reception and got sick from the food. I made the call to the restaurant immediately and the owner blamed it on the weather. Although the food was good, I wouldn’t even reconsider Golden City Chinese Restaurant for future occasions. Once again, I truly apologize.

The documentary section of Van Son in Philippines brings back so much memories, especially the reminiscing part of Bataan where I had lived for six and a half months. Fifteen years has passed, but that special place, which was filled with sorrow, joy and anxiety, has not once departed from my heart. Coincidentally, Van Son and I were in the same 136’s cycle, which means we arrived in Bataan about the same time; therefore, most of the things he said hit my recollecting chord: the bunk camp (two families jammed in one little crib), the stringed bridge (cau treo), the food-distributing arguments (mom was responsible for dividing up the foods), the “monkey house” (for misbehaviors), the monastery and the entertainment park. One thing Van Son didn’t mention that holds a personal memory for me was the ping-pong recreation. I used to make my own paddles from either a piece of flat wood or blackboard. They weren’t the best, not to mention that they were square shaped instead of round, but they gave me an opportunity to learn how to play. The net was made up of a stick placed on two bricks. It was the coolest game ever. Even though those days were not heaven, they were not so bad comparing to the unfortunate ones who still stuck there. It’s heartbreaking to see our people being alienated in a foreign country, and still struggling after fifteen years trying to find a better place to live. Let’s hope and pray for those who are still left behind to reach their final destination.

My break has been good so far. Spending time with family and friends and mostly with Samantha and Eric (my niece and nephew). They are so adorable and it is just a joy to watch them play and grow.

I have been eating like crazy too. Finally getting some real Vietnamese food such as Bun Mam and Canh Mang. I took some photos and will post them when I get back to Poughkeepsie. I will probably create a food catagory so you can drool on.

Today, I went back to La Salle to pick up my transcript in order for me to take some classes at Vassar. While I was there, I visited some of my professors and classmates in the DArt program. Here is a photo of me and Prof. McCoey featuring on La Salle’s portal. It was nice to see them again.

I also picked up quite a few Vietnamese CDs in Philly’s Chinatown. Actually 10 altogether (mostly Tuan Ngoc, Nguyen Khang and Ngoc Lan) so I can enjoy for two weeks and during the road trips.

That’s it for now. I’ll be back later. It’s time to hit the park with my hommies for some volleyball games. Peace out!

While wandering around Adriance Memorial library yesterday, I encountered Jet, a friend of my uncle from Boston. Haven’t seen him for a while but he still remembered me. Great memory for an 80 years-old man, isn’t he? He told me about his road trip to trace back his ancestors. He was at the library searching for information on his great uncle’s wife who used to live in the area. He also told me that he is pursuing a master degree in History. Although he is taking one class at a time, he has completed 4/10 courses. Isn’t that amazing? 80 years old and still has the determination to learn. After about an hour, I let him go back to his work and headed to Barnes & Noble.

Upon arriving the bookstore, I ran into an elder gentleman who I had met many times at the bookstore and the library but never actually talked. I held the door to let him in as he asked me a few questions regarding of what I do for a living. So I told him that I am a web designer at Vassar College. He was quite interested in technology and asked me if I use Macromedia Flash, Macromedia Director, Adobe Photoshop and so on. After answering his questions, I asked him what he does for a living. He gave a whole spill on how society classifies him as a retard so he taught himself by reading books and following up with technologies. I have witnessed a number of people giving him that “retarded” stare at the library but when talking to this man, his mind is nowhere near retard. Although I haven’t seen his work, he had impressed me his knowledge on technology at the age of 60. I don’t think I will have that much knowledge by the time I hit 50.

After settling down and diving into Lynne Truss’s Shoots, Eats & Leaves, Andrew Meade, Assistant to the Dean of the College, dropped by to say “hi.” Andre is highly respected by the Vassar community and to me he is an extreme down to earth gentleman. It turns out that he is doing his dissertation for his PhD and using the bookstore as a resource. He spends time at the bookstore as much as I do and the only different is that he is doing his research and I am just drinking Caramel Frapuccino and wasting my time.

While these three gentlemen are extending their knowledge to the fullest, I am not doing much. Although I am currently doing fine, I still feel the urge to move forward. I have a wonderful job. I am doing what I always wanted to do. I stay on top of the web game. I hone my skills constantly. Now what? I desperately need challenge. Web design, no doubt, is always a challenge but I can deal with it both technically and creatively to solve the problem.

So what is my biggest problem? It’s still English. Although I have been in the United States for more than 12 years, my English is still something that I haven’t conquered. When I was in college, my concentration was mainly on design and technology. I thought that good design ruled but now I realized content is the king. So English courses were my worst nightmares even though I had a few professors who would go the extra miles to help me out. I just wanted to get it done and over with and now I am deeply regretting it.

After a night of awaking and thinking, I rushed to work this morning and went straight to the Dean of Studies Office to remind them of my application I applied last April 2003. It turned out that they had lost my application; therefore, they hadn’t contacted me. Even though I will have to go through the whole process again I am glad they lost my application because I was applying for Computer Science last year. So now I am gathering my transcript and letters of recommendation to get me back in school. Although I am applying for English major, I am just going to take a few courses to help my writing. However, I will continue if everything goes smoothly. I don’t have to drop a dime on my tuitions what do I have to loose.

I would like to borrow Nguyễn Nhất Huy’s “Tình Mẹ” (Mother’s Love) to show you my appreciation.

“Mẹ đã có phút dấu nước mắt cho con thơ ngây nụ cười. Mẹ đã có những lúc thức trắng cho con bao đêm ngủ say.” (There were moments you hid your tears to bring me laughter. There were times you stayed up all night just so I can have a good sleep.)

Happy Mother’s day! You deserve every moment of it. You mean the whole world to me and there is not a single second that I don’t think of you. You are my love, my life, my motivation, and my inspiration. You spend all your life focus on me. You worked hard everyday just so I can have a better life. You lay all your hopes and dreams on me. All my life, not only you never put your hands on me but also you would never let anyone else touch me. I remember one time you were arguing with dad because he puts his hands on me. Thank you for protecting me all through my life and I am deeply sorry for all the drama I put you through. I know I was not a good kid but you never gave up on me.

Thank you for brought me into this world and never stop loving me. You are the reason that I live and survive in this world. As a kid, I was always sick. Every year, I would spend at least a week in the hospital and you never left my side during those times. At one time, we both witnessed the girl my age passed away in the hospital right next to us. We could not control our emotions. She was just talking to us the day before. Similar to me, she was diagnosed with malaria but her parents brought her to the hospital too late. You would never let that happen to me. You knew exactly when it was time for me to check in the hospital even though we did not have a whole lot of money. Just thinking of all the sweet things you did for me, I cannot hold my tears. You are the greatest.

I pray everyday for your health and I am glad that you are taking great care of yourself. I can’t imagine living in this world without you. I will go insane. You have worked hard all your life, it’s time to relax and enjoy yourself. I can take care of myself now so please do not worried about me anymore. In your heart, I am still your little twelve years old kid even though you have given me plenty of wisdom to stand on my own two feet. I love you with all my heart and I just want you to know, you’re appreciated.

Yes! It’s time to celebrate. I finally drove off with my dream car yesterday. I wanted this baby for years. She’s a precious white diamond pearl 2003 Acura 3.2 TL. I felt in love with her the first time I laid my eyes on her. She is simply elegant. The gold letters make she looks even more luxurious. With the combination of white diamond pearl, gold letters and classy body, she is sexy as hell.

Why didn’t I pick the new 2004 TL? She is very attractive as well but too sporty and too complicated. For me, less is more. With too many bells and whistles, she simply lost that luxuriousness; therefore, I rejected her. Beside, I have to spend seven more grants if I choose her. On both personal taste and financial level, I went for the grandeur 2003 TL.

Had a great weekend with my family. Little Eric is so adorable. Here are some photos of him. My sister seems to be doing good. Took ma to Philly where she bought 12 boxes of Liver Purifier for $480. The seller was so happy. They stopped everything they were doing and tried to explain to me how good the medication is. Ma said it helped her. It is a lot of money but if it can make ma healthy, I am supporting the medication all the way.

Sammy is so cute now. I love to spend time with her. She is so much joy. Boy, I missed that cute little girl already. I love the way she translates English to Vietnamese and vice versa. For example, I asked her what is, “Oh! my goodnesses” in Vietnamese. She replied, “Troi oi! Troi.” She is so much fun. I don’t know how many times she said, “I love you, Cau Doanh.” She looked after me at the door with the sadness on her face when I was about to head back to Poughkeepsie. She said, “Cau Doanh, please don’t go. Stay and play with be Tu.” She made feel so loved and I was just speechless.

I find this post from Lele is really interesting and creative. If you follow my site daily, you can spot right away which statement is mine. When I first started this blogging thing, I was kind of holding back because this is my professional work overall. However, I began to receive emails from my co-workers as well as my family members saying that my site is an inspiration and my blogging is very touching. Even my boss finds it interesting. They have learned so much about me that they wouldn’t be able to learn from our daily interactions. I am glad that they can separate my professional work from my personal stuffs. With my current workload at Vassar, I am not looking for any freelance work so I really don’t give a fuck if my potential clients find this site offensive. It’s all good, baby.

It’s always great to spend time with family and friends. Sammy is so cute with a new haircut. She loves Monsters, Inc. She has been watching it everyday for the past week. Sammy pointed out Boo, the adorable little girl, and said, “That’s be Tu. Ma Tu hong co quay (But Sammy doesn’t misbehave)” She pointed to Sully, the big monster, and said, “Cau Doanh.” Then she laughed at me. I tickled her and made her kissed my cheeks. I kept on demanding her to kissed both of my cheeks. After the sixth times, she got tired of kissing me and just simply pushed my face away. After the movie, I put her to sleep and she was doing the sign language “You go to sleep” just like Sully did to Boo. Man, I love this adorable little girl so much. I hope she will grow up to be successful. I am kind of worry about her being too smart. She might think she will get away with everything because of her smartness and ended up ruin her life. I knew this one girl when she was eight years old. She was a cute little girl and absolute smart and outgoing. I was thinking to myself, “This girl will grow up to be somebody, maybe a doctor or a lawyer.” At the age of eight, she was baby-sitting her little three years old brother while her parents out working days and nights. Even as a smart girl, without directions, she ruined her life. At the age of fourteen, she got pregnant. When I heard the news, I couldn’t believe what I heard. Both she and her boyfriend were still in middle school. How the hell are they going to raise this kid? She dropped out of middle school to take care of the kid. I felt so bad for this poor little girl. She spent her youth babysitting her little brother and now she is spending her teen babysitting her own kid.

While at Wal-Mart yesterday, I spotted a Cambodian girl. I remembered her from high school so I came up and said, “Hey! How’re you doing?” She looked at me and replied, “Sorry, I don’t remember you.” Then she walked off with her boyfriend/husband. I felt mad idiot. Luckily her boyfriend/husband didn’t whoop my ass. I knew her when I was a freshman and she was a senior in High School. She helped me figured out where my classes were and we talked a couple of times. It’s only been eight years and she doesn’t remember me at all.

Another incident happened a couple of months ago. I saw a guy who was in my 8th grade class. I knew what his name was and I even pointed to him the class we were in. The only response I got from him was, “How are you going to pick out my brain like that? It’s been ages ago.” So next time when I see someone I know but I don’t think that person remembers me, I just pretend I don’t remember him/her to save my embarrassment.