Thang Nguyen 555

Cultures on Collision Course

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With some short-term relief work in Asia/Africa and long stint in Telecom, Thang also earned a B.A. at Pennsylvania State University. M.A. in Communication at Wheaton Graduate School, M.A. in Cross-Cultural Communication at Gordon-Conwell Seminary, Boston. In addition, he earned a CELTA – classes taken in Hanoi for cultural re-immersion.

Tag: Arts

  • Van’s Cafe pt II

    Last Sunday morning was my first time at the jam session here. Today, my second. It is getting better, sweeter and with more substance. Thanksgiving weekend with friends and music lovers. It’s game weekend in the US. Or shop til you drop. Here jazz music permeates the air we breathe. Unrehearsed of course. But it…

  • Brunch w/ a bunch (of jamers)

    It’s my first time at  Van’s Cafe, 46 Pham Ngoc Thach, District 1 Saigon on Sunday morning. And I found myself walking into the door with 2 musicians I know: Mr Hai, on base guitar, and Quoc Dat (blind but extremely gifted jazz pianist, and a student of my now deceased friend.). Before I knew it, people…

  • Old music New machine

    Lighter weight, more affordable, but not necessarily more moving. Those new I-pods. Or I phones. Even on those new devices, you still download your favorite oldies any way. Just make sure your kids don’t see the play list. Or view your 80’s music video, with singers whose jean jacket sleeves were cut-off , while hair…

  • Switching the script

    On film set, writer is often called out on short notice to fix the dialogue. Something is better left unsaid or sounded odd when in “live” context. In life, we can’t retrace our steps to switch the script. It’s live, and happened once only. There lies the importance of getting the right words first time around. Another…

  • the Bi-Lingual Mind

    Those of us who move back and forth in between two worlds can relate to this. Every time we pick a language to speak or write (E or V in my case), we subscribe to a whole new context e.g. away from tutoyer to address someone as big bro, younger sis  as practiced in the…

  • Murakami’s worlds

    Once in a while, we stumble upon an author, just to follow his trail of thoughts. Haruki Murakami is one of those He too likes writing and running. Not to mention his out-of-this-worldliness (Moon vs Sun). Murakami’s world often consists of characters who feel detached, more like an observer than participant. They struggle and strive, often times never…

  • Say “cheese”!

    I touched on this slightly in another blog. It’s about growing up never knew if my grandparents even smiled at all (I gathered this from the black and white photos in the family album). We are still shackled by the analog world which tells us to stand straight and stare straight into the lenses (36 poses…

  • Love as motivator

    Fear, fun, money, dream, passion, human spirits are all strong motivators. This series cannot end without the mentioning of love. I came across a newspaper clip which showed two skeletons (male and female), still clinging to each other. Apparently they died in an earthquake. At least the saying “live together, die alone” doesn’t apply here. Talking…

  • Passion as motivator

    With passion, one can even work without pay. At least for a while. Blessed are those who can translate passion into profit. Novelists, musicians and movie-makers. But those of us who do not belong in that club can still tap into the well of creativity. Create products that your kids want to use (to take…

  • Secret sauce

    I met a pianist last Sunday. When he told me he was 65, I almost flipped. He happened to be a Judo trainer as well. Wow! He looked 45. Another friend of mine, Jazz musician and software expert, also looks young for his age. What’s the secret sauce? Shirley MacLaine doesn’t look 78. You might…