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Modern times, changin times, a time they are a’changin… Just wait, wait, wait some more…it will come back, fads and fashion, the look and feel of yesterday. (e.g. Material girl…Madonna). Since the contour of the Earth is round, chances are “it”, whatever it maybe, will come back. Except we won’t be around to recognize its…
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A few decades ago, we were discussing (as the internet had barely emerged on the scene) “the death of distance”… At the same time, Clinton had a good run with “the information superhighway” ..so good that Al Gore had time to talk “truth”, albeit “inconveniently” and eventually sold his network to al jazeera whose focus…
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1954 Bac 54 (Northern transplant e.g. Bui Chu, Phat Diem) 1975 Barge (and every other modes of transport) people – Viet refugees 1979-onward Boat People and associated stigma 1990=till the close of ODP (orderly departure pg) reuniting families of American/Vietnam? war 2000-today, legal and illegal tourist and overstay visas….. Dates that define us. Dates that…
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Honorable as a virtue is time-tested. In war or peace, man or woman, acts of valor or kindness were enduring if not eternal e.g. Joan of Arc, Mother Theresa, St Francis of Assisi, Thich Q Duc, Martin Luther King and Albert Sweizer… They died young and left solid imprints. Their stories are worth to repeat…
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At one time or another, certain fads e.g. bell-bottom, lambada …. rose to prominence, partly due to our diminishing attention span. They gained traction and with upward trajectory, in today’s parlance, with the most “Likes” (dopamine) top 20% ranking, with 80% critical mass followers, before the law of Diminishing Return kicks in. In short, fade…
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Koa weighed about 4 plus pounds. We saw he get my friend’s genes most notably the resemblance in those eyes. Crying eyes. Like my friend’s sister eyes, red-eye flown in from Canada to attend next-of-kin funeral. Phung, Phi, Phong and Phat. Of the 4 P’s, only Phi left to carry the burden of memories: a…
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My one-and-only big sister Bich Thu was born in the year of the buffalo. People from Hai Duong often speculated those under the buffalo year would have a rough road ahead. And sure enough. Prophecy came and came in plenty. Our uncle shielded for troops escape, only to receive 18 bullets right through his young,…
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memories start flooding back: most unassuming guy I have ever met: Life-long friends are hard to come about e.g. Fire and Rain by James Taylor: “I’ve seen fire and I’ve seen rainI seen sunny days that I thought would never endI seen lonely times when I could not find a friendBut I always thought that…
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Landed at Harrisburg, PA at night, on a seatless transcontinental UNHCR flight, I remember the streets were dark and damp. Welcome to America, its Northeast. Then after a winding bus trip (about two hours), we got to our assigned barrack. There were a chapel and a volleyball court nearby. Of course, we took for granted…
