To our dear readers,

We wish you all a healthy and prosperous New Year full of good times with your family and friends.

2012 is the year of the Water Dragon, so here’s a rundown of everyone’s horoscopes, summarized from Astrology.com. Check out the website if you want something more in depth.

Dragon: Dragons, it’s your year. You can expect 2012 to be full of both crests and troughs. Career-wise, expect a gradual shift in your priorities–most likely for the better. You might find yourself in a new or an entirely career, just be sure to put yourself out there. Your romantic outlook is looking quite positive; you might even find the one if you’re looking for something serious. Otherwise, there’ll likely be a lot of fun flings throughout the course of the year. Just be sure to schedule some rest time amidst all the fun. Dragons tend to be social, but don’t forget to take care of your health. For the health of your wallet as well, be sure to budget wisely and set limits for yourself. It’s your year, but luck is finite, so have some prudence.

Monkey: “12 out of 12 favorable months this year? That’s right — it’s time for the Monkey to shine!” predicts Astrology.com. In work, if you’re proactive about your career, you’ll have big payoffs this year. In love, 2012 is the year for new beginnings, so it might be a good year for you to start a family, get engaged, or begin a new serious romance. In health, you’ll be especially vibrant this year, so pick up a sport or embrace the outdoors and live it up. In wealth, like the dragon, you should also practice some restraint. You’ll most likely have a lucrative year, but practicing some modesty can put you ahead.

Rooster: It should be a better year than 2011. Focus on self-improvement; it could be a lackluster year in your career if you don’t take some initiative. Your romantic life should reach new dimensions in that an existing romance may mature, or a particularly memorable new one could start. Water favors the rooster, but your mental and physical may go into flux sometimes during the year. Embrace excerise to keep yourself alert and fit. A sound mind in a sound body. The first half of 2012 may seem a little stale in your wealth prospects, but the second half of the year should be a lucrative one.

Dog: It’s all about timing this year. You’ll have one especially stellar month, two pretty good months, and 9 okay months, so approach the year with a bit of reserve and save the risks for later years. It may be a slow year in the romantic department, but you can take this time to focus on finding yourself. In that regard, try to find some positive physical/mental outlet for yourself, like meditating or picking up a sport. It could be a year of anxiety otherwise. You might want to practice extra caution with your finances this year too. Chin up, Dogs!

Pig: It’s full speed ahead for pigs this year. Your career looks bright, granted you take some initiative. Your love life looks to be a passionate one, but do be careful of sizzling out. Your health looks wonderful, but don’t forget to pencil in some alone time to recoup. Your bank account looks like it’ll fatten up this year too. It’s okay to indulge a bit, but best to save some too.

Rat: One of the best years of your life? Maybe! In short: career, romance, health and wealth–you’re going to shine, kiddo.

Ox: It could be a spotty year for you, but no need to panic. There are at least three good months coming your way. Learn how to adapt in your working life, and be bold in your relationships. It’ll pay off. Like all the other animals of the zodiac thus far, embrace excercise and be strategic in your spending.

Tiger: The mighty tiger’s most favorable element is water, so it looks like nine months of good fortune are in store for the tiger this year. Work life will liven up if you learn to make friends with people whose relationship with you might’ve been sour in the past. “It could lead to a lucky partnership or business deal,” say the writers at Astrology.com. Your love life should be a passionate one this year, but be sure to find some alone time for yourself to keep your health in good stride. Your finances, on the other hand, will likely require extra prudence.

Cat: Cat is the one animal that differs between the Vietnamese and Chinese zodiac, with Rabbit in its stead on the Chinese calendar. So…sorry we haven’t been able to find your horoscope yet! But a little mystery should spice things up a bit, right?

Snake: Snakes, your year won’t come until 2013, but you’re still looking at 10 favorable months in 2012. Your career might seem like its hit a rough patch or slowed, but perserverance pays off! Keep it at and something good will come your way. Be sure to stay aware of all your opportunities. 2013 could also be a defining year in your romantic life, so be excited for whatever comes your way. You’ll need to take extra care of your body this year, and you’ll also need to stay on the conservative side with your finances.

Horse: Like the snake, you’ve got 10 good months coming at you in 2012. Take advantage of them. You might get that big promotion you’ve been pining for, but be sure to practice humility and don’t get too brash. In romance, be open to change: if you’ve been a fickle one in the past, consider settling down. If you’re single, have fun with dating but know that some things might burn out. Focus on some more meditative type of activities, rather than high-intensity physical activity. Likewise, act wisely with your money, instead of spending big.

Goat: 2012 might not be your best year, but that’s no reason to fret. Be mindful of your work life and take initiative. Your love life might appear sour at points, but don’t afraid to confide in family and friends and listen to your heart. Engage in physical activities that allow you to contemplate and reflect, rather than something that merely tires you out. A conservative approach to your finances would probably be best this year. After 2012,  you’ve got three good years coming your way!

Regardless of what your horoscope says, know that your destiny is in your own hands! *cue inspirational Pokemon music*  Good luck friends!

Image by elPadawan (Creative Commons)

The Red Spring Festival is hosted by the Vietnam Red Cross, the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion, Tien Phong Newspaper, Viettel Company, and Ha Noi’s Youth Union. The Festival is a blood drive that takes place from Red Sunday (Chu Nhat Hong) (for 2012, this day falls on January 8th and is themed “Life of You and I” [“Sinh Menh Cua Ban va Toi”]) to the first day of Tet (January 23rd for 2012). Why a blood drive right before New Year? That is because hospitals usually face a blood shortage during the holiday. Afterall, most individuals are busy gathering with families, friends, and loved ones on Tet – not chatting with phlebotomists at blood banks.

Blood cannot be manufactured. It can only come from generous donors like you! One pint of blood can save up to three lives, and saving three lives is like building a twenty-one-storied pagoda. So, if you have not done so already, why not roll up your sleeves and head over to your nearest blood bank, no matter where in the world you live, to partake in the annual Red Spring Festival?

Vu’s film, on the other hand, is anything but condemning of the LGBT community. Billed as the first Vietnamese film to positively depict gay romance, the film tells the story of 20-year-old Khoi as he ventures to Saigon after being disowned by his family for being gay and begins a dicey romance with a prositute named Lam. A second storyline also emerges about a mentally disabled man named Cuoi, his attempts at raising a duckling, and his befriending of a female prostitute named Hanh.

The Toronto Film Festival describes it as such:

Perhaps the first film from Vietnam to depict homosexual love both explicitly and in a positive light, Ngoc Dang Vu’sLost in Paradise conveys its characters’ lives in a remarkable range of tones, from the humor­ous to the absurd to the tragic. Khoi, a naive twenty-year-old, travels to Ho Chi Minh City from the countryside to begin a new life.

It’s his first time in the big city and he’s look­ing for a place to live. He befriends Dong, a handsome extrovert who offers to share his apartment. When Khoi goes to check the place out, he meets Lam, who also appears to be living there. Khoi decides to stay, but while he showers, Dong and Lam — who turn out to be boyfriends — run off with all his cash and belongings. It’s not long before Lam is himself aban­doned by Dong, and winds up back on the street as a prostitute. Meanwhile the penni­less and disillusioned Khoi takes on menial jobs to survive. Lam and Khoi are eventually reunited, and despite Lam’s past actions, the two become closer and closer — even though Khoi becomes more and more troubled by Lam’s dangerous source of income.

At the same time, Cuoi, a mentally handi­capped man abandoned by his family, attempts to befriend a female prostitute. Her pimps do not take kindly to his hang­ing around and scaring away customers, but she takes pity on him and ultimately becomes his protector.

Lost in Paradise boldly depicts the hard­ships of those living on the fringes of Vietnamese society: the dangers and abuse within the world of prostitution; gay-bash­ing; the difficulty of sustaining a meaningful relationship under extremely precarious cir­cumstances; and the pariah-like status and lack of support for the handicapped. Lost in Paradise opens our eyes to rarely glimpsed facets of contemporary Vietnam, and relays stories that are usually left untold

So far the film has been well-received popularly, racking in roughly $900,000 in ticket sales. It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and made subsequent runs at the Vancouver International Film Festival and Busan International Film Festival. It’s expected to make a run at the Berlin International Film Festival in February of this year. Critically the film has been noted for its genuine emotion, but can be a little trying in it’s narration–understandable for a production from a still nascent Vietnamese film industry.

More important than the accolades it receives or the money its grosses, however, is the social impact the film can make. A 50-year-old state employee who withheld her name was quoted in an AFP article as saying, “Now I think they [the LGBT community] are just like us.”

Of course, one film won’t be able to reverse the deeply rooted views of many, and discrimination against the LGBT community will likely, unfortunately, remain with Vietnam for some time.

But, as Nguyen Quoc Duy, an openly gay 21-year-old student also quoted in the AFP article remarks, “”I don’t know if the movie succeeded in telling people that being gay is normal, but for sure it helped them understand who we really are and how wrong the prejudice they have against us is.”

The trailer for Lost in Paradise:

 Images from tiff.net and oratrip.com

Sources: AFP | TIFF | Wiki | Thanh Nhien

Based on this sorrowful story, Vietnamese-French composer Nguyen Thien Dao and the Vietnam Opera Ballet Theatre have created an 80-minute contemporary opera ballet entitled “Dinh Menh Bat Chot” (“Unexpected Destiny”). Kieu’s story will be presented in the form of dream sequences – Dream 1 and Dream 2 – and will feature opera (1 soprano, 2 baritones, 1 bass), ballet, poem recitation, choir, dramatic play, video art, symphony orchestra, and even rock music.

This will be the first time that composer Nguyen Thien Dao takes a traditional Vietnamese piece and modernizes it for the contemporary audience. Prior to this, he had composed over 80 musical works and won multiple awards, including the Olivier Messiaen Award for Music Composition from the Foundation Eramus de Holland and the Chevalier des Artist et de Lettres du Government Francais from the French government. His work have been performed extensively in Europe as well as internationally.

“Unexpected Destiny” is scheduled to hit stages starting April 2012.

Seeing that Asian Americans succeed in so many things – e.g. medicine, law, science, business, and other professional areas – why do we suck so badly in fashion and entertainment? In magazines, tv shows, and movies, I see a cake of Caucasian people, frosted with African Americans and Hispanics, and sprinkled with Asians and other ethnicities. What’s up with that, folks? I know it’s not because we don’t try hard. All my Asians in fashion and entertainment have outstanding work ethic, drive, and marketability.

To answer my questions, I interviewed two lovely Vietnamese American women who happened to be working models. They fall under the labels of model, minority, and model minority. What better candidates to explore why Asians aren’t the shit in media (yet)!

Meet Judy Ly. Growing up, she never thought she’d be a model, but somehow it “sort of fell into [her] life.” After competing in a Tet Pagent, she was scouted by local photographers in the VietAm community to do print work for magazines and fashion websites. With this exposure, she “fell in love with the idea of being able to transform [her]self into different characters.” Although she considers herself somewhere in between an amateur and professional, she has produced a lengthy portfolio with her experience in magazine publications (Viet Beauty, Long Beach Magazine, Vivid Magazine), look books (Maes Dresses, Tokidoki), and online stores (House of Diamonds, Anh Oi). And that’s not even her complete resume. Oh, and did I mention she works full time in marketing? Find out more about Judy on her website.

Meet Isabelle Du. Her interest in modeling stemmed at a young age. In a home video of her first birthday, her family laid out various objects representing different occupations, and whatever she chose would symbolize her career path. She chose a pen, but that was after staring down the mirror on the tray. Her first inkling of wanting to model professionally occurred when she came across the annual “Face of East West” contest. At the time she was more interested in writing an article for the publication. When that issue came out, it was her face blasted on newsstands and her article that appeared within. Isabelle competed in the Tet Pageant, after which she became more involved with áo dài fashion shows, filming áo dài segments for the local Vietnamese channel, and shooting for VietAm magazines.  Now a full-fledged model in Asia, she has worked in Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Hong King, and Vietnam. Modeling has led her into stunt work, voiceovers, hosting, emceeing, and acting. Check out her work on her site.

Their resumes obviously show their talent and drive. As with any up and comer, Isabelle “faced struggles simply as a model.” But being Asian American, the possibility to break through and shine has been harder. “I see castings for Western looking models all the time and of course I’m not what they’re looking for.  Only every now and then do I see castings for Asian girls making it more competitive,” she explains.

Likewise, Judy has found it difficult to break out of the VietAm modeling community and into mainstream media despite already booking plenty of non-VietAm gigs.

In the last few months, I delved into acting, and let me tell you the struggles in Hollywood are pretty much the same. Everyday I get about 50 email about various roles, so 1500 a month. Half of those roles are for Caucasians, and about 2000 people submit to each role. Out of those 1500, I probably get about 15 roles that specifically list Asian, and approximately 200 people submit. In other words 200 Asians submit to 15 roles while 2000 people submit to 750 roles. If you do the math, opportunity is obviously unequal and lacking for Asian Americans.

So, is it clear to say that the lack of opportunity has resulted in a lack of Asian Americans faces in media? I’d say so. Now then, what can we do to be more successful?

One option is to move to Asia. It worked for Maggie Q, Daniel Henney, and Wang Lee Hom! “I was told by my agency that my Pan-Asian look would be a better fit for the Asian market and I could build a stronger book to bring back to the States,” says Isabelle.

While I think it’s totally fab to move to Asian to amp up your resume, what if you want to focus in America or don’t have the resources to move abroad? Should we just accept under-representation? Or can we find a way to surpass the barriers built before us?

I have an idea… Let’s create material that involves Asian Americans. Become a leader that can make casting choices. Be a visionary who has a voice and can make it heard. The media gets it wrong all the time, and the only way to promote change and educate people is to tell your story.

Got a idea? Write it. Have some visuals in mind? Film it. Got a pretty scene in front of you? Photograph it. Expose your work and support the API fashion and entertainment community. How else are we gonna show off our tigerness in Hollywood and fashion?

November 19, 2011, marked UFC 139 co-event  fight between Cung Le versus Wanderlei Silva.  The event was hosted at the “Octagon” in San Jose, CA.

A brief background about Cung Le:
Cung Le, 39 year old Vietnamese American middleweight fighter and part-time movie star, focuses on San Shou, a Chinese kickboxing style that incorporates a series of kicks and throws.  His strength lies in his devastating “spinning kick”.
Height: 5’11′ (180 cm)
Weight: 185 lbs (84 kg)
Reach: 70 in (27.6 cm)

A brief background about Wanderlei Silva:

Wanderlei Silva, 35 year old Brazilian middleweight fighter who strengths lie in Muay Thai, dirty boxing, and vicious ground and pound work.  Silva was once a long term light heavyweight fighter previously, thus putting him at an advantage over Cung Le.
Height: 5’11″ (180 cm)
Weight: 185 lbs (84 kg)
Reach: 74 in (29.1 cm)

The Fight
The challenger, Cung Le enters the Octagon Arena to Jay-Z and Rihanna’s “Run This Town.”  The majority of the crowd are fans of Cung Le, waving their Vietnamese American flags.  The “Axe Murderer” Silva enters  the arena to Darude’s “Sandstorm.”

Round 1:  Cung Le comes out focused and strong, throwing a series of punches and kicks, keeping a good distance between him and the “Axe Murderer” Wanderlei Silva.  Silva on the other hand is looking to close in onto Le in order to Thai clinch him.  Silva closes in and lands a strong right hook onto Le’s face.  Le continues to stay on the outside and then comes in with a spinning back fist onto Silva.  The spinning back fist disorients Silva and left him momentarily defenseless against the focused Le.  Le then continues to break Silva’s defense by sending him another spinning back fist, causing Silva to be in trouble.  Le steps back, watches him from the distance and then sends Silva one of his signature move, a huge 360 degree spinning back kick, onto Silva’s jaw.  Le then follows it with 360 wheel kick to the chest, but is countered with a barrage of punches and a strong right counter punch into his right eye—leaving Le’s eye to bleed.  Le shakes it off and lands with another spinning kick-back fist combo.  Silva steps away and roundhouse kick to Le’s head, aiming at Le’s bleeding eye.  Silva then continues with a series of hard punches to the head having Le hurt during the first round.

Cung Le comes in with a beautiful spinning back fist to the “Axe Murderer,” Wanderlei Silva.

Follow up with a devastating spinning back fist to Silva during the 1st round.

Round 2:  Le re-enters, strong and composed.  His right eye has stopped bleeding.  Le comes in with a right cross but Silva slips away from the punch.  The two reset and Le drives forward with a front leg side kick with his right leg.  Le sees an opportunity and continues with another spinning back kick but Silva quickly dodges out of the way.  Silva comes in with a kick to the body but Le quickly stuns Silva with a huge right.  Le comes in and shatters Silva’s defense with an axe kick, “axe kick to the Axe Murderer” the UFC commentator announces.  The crowd cheers as Silva brutally trying to regain composure.  Silva comes back with a couple of counter punches to Le.

With a minute left the two middle-weight giants gassed out, with Le losing much steam.  Silva turns up the notch and fires with a barrage of punches to Le.  Le is now playing on the defense side.  A big left jab by Silva, leaving Le stunned and defenseless.  With much determination, Le is still on his feet looking for an opening to land.  Silva then switches from the inside and rushes through with a huge right hook to Le’s head.  Le falls down but quickly gets back up. Silva then comes inside with a guillotine and then takes down Le with three hard-vintage knee to the head.  Le drops down.  Silva goes in for the takedown with volleys of hammerfist to Le’s head.  The referee comes in and unfortunately calls off the fight too early, leaving Silva with a second round knockout victory.

Cung Le storms through with a roundhouse kick to Silva during the second round.

Silva retaliates with a right hook to Cung Le during the 2nd round.

Silva comes in with a huge vintage-knee kick to Cung Le with a minute left during 2nd round.

The referee calls the fight off to early for Cung Le, leaving Silva as the victor.

Cung Le Post-Fight
After having his nose broken from the fight, it’s amazing to see how nicely Le’s nose was recovering within hours.  “Here is a picture of my face you wanted to see. I felt great till I got caught,” Le tweeted to his fans after hours after the fight.  

Personally, I think the fight was called off a bit too prematurely.  Le could’ve played on the defensive side until the end of the second round. This way he can come back on the third round with a new set of strategies.  In any case, great fight Cung Le!  Your fans and friends are out here looking forward to see you win in the next fight!

Cung Le pre-fight interview from September.

Every month, the good folks at Saigon Creative host monthly talks with creatives doing work in Vietnam. I play basketball with George Nguyen, so in between games where I pass him the rock to drain the game-winners (or is that the other way around), we’ll manage to talk shop about people we know in the city.

Saigon Creative’s muse for this month is Jenni Trang Le, who I’ve been fortunate to live with upon her arrival here in 2008.

Her resume thus far: Journey from the Fall, Powder Blue, Owl and the Sparrow, Bi, Don’t Be Afraid (Bi, dung so)! The Rebel, Clash (Bay Rong), Inferno (Giao Lo Dinh Menh), Battle of the Brides (Co Dau Dai Chien), Long Ruoi. Yes, Jenni Trang Le is a Hindu God of sorts–her hands have touched all of these films.

Cotdamn.

Here is all the cool shtuff I managed to learn from Jenni about filmmaking and the film industry in Vietnam, bullet-pointed for your reading pleasure:

On challenges

• What Saigon and the general Vietnam filmmaking community lacks right now is good writers – she doesn’t know why this is the case for the time being (Chim: I think rote educational practices is to blame)
• Right now, directors are writing their own films, because they have to (google the aforementioned list of films Jenni has worked on)
• Pretty much everything she has learned about filmmaking had to be thrown out the window once she started in Vietnam
• Here, you have to be on your feet and go with the flow – there is always a lot of problem-solving

On money

• Scripts usually sell to production houses for $5,000 on average
• Saigon is perceived as just making commercial films, Hanoi is perceived as just making art-house films
• When it comes to filmmaking: Vietnamese folks are very resourceful. One time, her crew ordered a crane that never came, so her crew concocted one using a bunch of clamps and pipes
• A funding source more filmmakers are beginning to explore is product placement. Of course, filmmakers are usually against this, but according to her: “no money, no film.”

• Product placement is billed by the amount of time it is placed in the film, not by the prominence of the placement

On schedule

• The Rebel, shot in 80 days, was being written as it was being filmed, because they wanted to shoot it during the winter – being an action film and all – and it was so delayed, they just had to get started
• Directors vs. Producers: “I want more time to do something” vs. “No, you have to stop it”
• Commercial films released around Tet usually don’t bother with subtitles. Art-house films need subtitles since they normally reach international audiences.

On future

• When people approach Jenni, they don’t approach her about film ideas, they approach her about acting opportunities (“Can I be an actor/actress?”)
• What is essential for Vietnamese filmmaking to move forward is for filmmakers to stay true to their vision. The ones that stay true and make what they want to make will succeed.

She also made this a while back:

Paraphrased: “I liked the idea of animals speaking many different languages, but ultimately understanding each other. In terms of language, I just used whatever friends I had available, at my disposal, at the time.”

Jenni hasn’t directed her own film just yet, it is in her pipeline though. The next film she is working on is a romantic comedy, coming out in April.

Lastly, not only does she makes films, she makes cupcakes in this biatch! Jenni Cakes, whatchu know about it?!

She makes films. She makes cupcakes. BOOSH!

What happens when you put together underground dance battles and teenage romance and set them in the bustling atmosphere of one of Vietnam’s busiest metropolis?  You get, Saigon Electric (alternatively known as “Saigon Yo!”) a dynamic film featuring the lifestyle of break-dancers within the Vietnamese youth culture.  Though the film may be labeled as the Vietnamese version of movies such as You Got Served or Step Up.  Saigon Electric however, displays a much deeper perspective within the growing population of Vietnamese youth.  Unlike several of Hollywood’s dance movies, Saigon Electric appears to be promising, delivering much more authenticity, soul, and effective character development.

Director Stephane Gauger’s (who recently directed Owl and Sparrow) goal was to introduce the audience in the growing trend of hip hop and breakdancing within the younger generations of Vietnam.  “My wish is to give the teenagers a voice and present to an international audience a fresh new look at the dreams and struggles of Asian youth,” said Gauger.  If you’ve ever seen Owl and Sparrow, you’ll probably agree that Gauger’s strength as a director lies within both his cinematography and his effective storytelling.

Plot
The movie focuses on protagonist Mai (played by Van Trang), a traditional Vietnamese ribbon dancer from the countryside, who journeys to Saigon in order to audition for a position at a prestigious dance academy.  However, after being turned down by the academy, Mai loses sight of her future but slowly gains confidence after befriending the street-smart Kim.  Unlike Mai who specializes in traditional Vietnamese dance, Kim’s expertise lies in the contemporary hip hop dance style known as b-boying and eventually shows Mai the ropes behind this growing trend in the tenderloins of Saigon.  Kim later introduces Mai to Do-boy, the captain of a dance crew name “Saigon Fresh,” with which Kim is affiliated.

protagonist Mai (played by Van Trang)
rebel and street smart hip-hop dancer, Kim (played by Quynh Hoa)

“Saigon Fresh” dance crew captain, Do-Boy (played by Zen 04)

I won’t go too much into details about the plot of the movie.  I don’t want to leak any spoilers to those who are interested.  However, I will tell you that there are going to be a lot of dance battles, drama, and familiar cameos in this movie.  To name a few:

Elly Tran Ha, Vietnamese Model

Pham Thi Han (leading actress in Owl and Sparrow)

and featuring music from Vietnamese Hip Hop artist, Suboi.

Reasons why you should watch this film:

1) There are not many Vietnamese movies out there that portray the growing youth of contemporary Vietnam.  Nearly half of the Vietnamese population are young adults, but not enough movies out there seem to showcase the contemporary lifestyle of Vietnam’s youth.  Stephane Gauger may be one of the first pioneers to do so. 

2) I love hip-hop. I’ve been listening to many Asian American hip-hop artist like Blue Scholars, Lyrics Born, Dumbfoundead, Denizen Kane.  Now to see a movie that centralizes on Vietnamese people/culture grooving to hip-hop music is rare but also fortunate in today’s movie industry.  I am equally excited for the music as much as I am for the aesthetic of the film; I’ve seen Vietnamese attempt of hip-hop and rap from big time media like Paris by Night and Van Son and to be bluntly honest…it misses the mark, if you ask me.  Some of quasi-Vietnamese rappers cannot deliver or spit rhymes eloquently as some of the artist priorly mentioned. However when I first heard Suboi’s music in some of the clips from “Saigon Electric,” I was immediately blown away.  The girl can actually spit fire.  Her ability to sculpt the tonality of Vietnamese phonetics into rhythmic monotone  really caters to the sound of current hip hop music.

Here are a list of selected theaters that showcased Saigon Electric since 10/7/11

Orange County, CA
Edwards University Village
Regal Garden Grove 16

San Jose, CA
Camera 12 Cinemas

Berkeley, CA
Landmark Shattuck Cinemas

San Diego, CA
AMC Mission Valley 20

Seattle WA
AMC Southcenter 16

Houston, TX
AMC Southcenter 16

Dallas, TX
AMC Firewheel 16
AMC Park Arlington

Washington, DC (Falls Church)
Regal Ballston Commons

Atlanta, GA
Regal Chamblee

I am quite confident that Saigon Electric will be a good if not interesting movie showcasing  youth culture in Vietnam’s contemporary society.  Not many Vietnamese Americans are even aware that hip-hop is alive in Vietnam, but this film proves otherwise.  What are some elements in the film you guys are anticipating? Do you think Saigon Electric may be a prime example of encouraging filmmakers to showcase more Vietnamese contemporary cultures in their future installments? Share your thoughts.

Photo by Chim

“To rid yourself of vanities and just go with the seasons” – Jason Mraz

Hanoi, you always let me back in.

My perfect day in Hanoi starts, as with any perfect day in Vietnam, by waking up with the sun. Don’t worry if your window treatment was pulled down the night prior, the roosters and commotion of the elderly exercising will be your natural alarm. The iPhone 4S can wait, RIP Steve Jobs.

Hopefully, my ruou dan toc hangover isn’t the debilitating day-destroyer it tends to be, so I slump onto zee motorbike and slog over to Pho Thin (13 Lo Duc street). Order at the front, tell the Pho Thin mamasan exactly what I want (“Mot bat, mot trung, banh…ua, het banh roi ha? Chet!”). In bizarro Elizabeth Gilbert fashion, one must Pay, Eat, Leave. And that I do, and damn, oishii desu ka – taste the beef in that hella good broth.

Feeling like a million dong, I head over to Cafe Pho Co (11 Hang Gai). Rather, I am headed up Cafe Pho Co – through a small street-side art gallery, down a narrow, stone hallway I would barely be able to squeeze through had I stuck with my childhood diet of Super Nintendo and Filet-O-Fish. Up the whirling, chipped-paint staircase, and there I am, Ho Hoan Kiem (Hoan Kiem Lake) in all it’s turtle-power morning glory. Buzz of commute / walkers and their rounds / ca phe trung behind a Djarum clove cigarette.

Class starts at 8am and I am blessed with a batched morning schedule that has me working Mondays through Thursdays, with Fridays off to take long weekends to Sapa. I have a conversation about pedagogy with my friend Henry, before grabbing a straightforward, elegant lunch, either a bowl of Bun Cha on Hang Manh or a cut of fatty Sato bo Viet Nam with a side of Sup Cua Ca Tom at Nguyen Sinh (17-19 Nguyen Quoc Su street). Then, trick it, I goes gets me a piece of the best warm chocolate cake (evar) at Love Chocolate Cafe (26 To Ngoc Van).

Khong phai la anh yeu em…anh yeu toi

To atone the sin of that warm chocolate cake – neck and hand stretch – I jam over to NShape Fitness for my daily workout, since it’s probably going to rain tonight, ruling basketball out at the Van Phuc Sports Complex or Bach Khoa University.

The regimen:

• Weight-lift at least every other 2 days
• A minimum of 30 minutes of punching bag
• The mid-day Soccer Mom Yoga class, if I don’t get carried away with the punching bag

The tools:

• iPad (catch up on the world through Flipboard, Reeder & TED talks) + Headphone connection: Bluetooth, of course
• Coconut juice (natural electrolytes, 12.000-20.000 VND)
• Dry sauna room
• God’s gift called this body:

Photo by Brian Nguyen

Puku (16/18 Tong Duy Tan) for a second cup of coffee and green tea, to bang out some e-mails for my friend, project manager and Cyworld Vietnam extraordinaire, Michael, work on morsels of our iOS development project, three screenplays and plan for the lessons in the days, and life ahead. Always plan.

Dusk settles, sip on a Lemongrass Martini while catching the 48-Hour Film Contest “Best Of” World selections at the Hanoi Cinematheque (22A Hai Ba Trung, yes, you can drink in the theatre) before the New Hanoian quarterly meet-up, where I’m swaying to the stylings of the band for the night, Zamina: Pilipino on the guitar, white dude bassist, African-descent vocalist with a Tiger beer, (shirtless) white dude bucket drummer, and lastly, one of my students as the keyboardist, an IT professional from Nigeria.

How it went, and went.

[New Hanoian Meet Up Oct 2011 Presents Zamina! by Chim]

Question: Gin & Tonic in hand, why the front girls get giddy in my near sway?

It’s midnight, driving down Nghi Tam, listening to Blackstar’s Respiration that I put it on infinite loop, driving around more just because of it, pondering if I should pre-prevent my unpreventable hangover with a bowl of xoi from Xoi Yen (35B Nguyen Huu Huan).

Next time. Rev.

It’s nights like these – these live, low-key musical events, the Hanoi Cinematheque, the buzz as I feel the chill, autumn air on my face – when Hanoi reminds me of my hometown, Berkeley, CA – except with more beautiful Vietnamese jivesters, an actual bar scene, and better Pho.

Photo by Chim

I cross the highway over to Solace (cross the highway East of the Old Quarter and follow Chuong Duong Do all the way to the river), because it’s not just a dance club, it’s a dance club on a motherjunkin’ docked boat, on the Red River, owned by old-time friends. Hellos and how are you doings and, let me get a Gin & Tonic and I’ll be out there, handle your bitness.

It’s then, when the fifth gin & tonic kicks in – sitting out, elbows with arms crossed on the rail, watching the workers drive back home on the bridge over blue-black waters, wondering, that perhaps, she’s on that blinking plane touching down, pulling up in a taxi like a blindfold surprise, coming back to me.

Under the night, drinks in hand, smiles out of the glint of our eyes, music and conversation, there together.

Tomorrow, we’ll take the train somewhere.