The Temple of an Immortal

(...continued from The Trauma of Being Different) Back in 2007, I went back to Việt Nam to visit the northern areas and to see the sights.  During my three-week sojourn, I wandered through more temples and ancient structures and caves than I can remember off the top of my head, but I do remember wandering through...

The Trauma of Being Different

(...continued from Damn Stubborn Water Buffalo) This is my firm conviction.  We Vietnamese should not claim folks as our people if they refuse the claim, meaning if they insist that they are not Vietnamese, we should not place that honorific on them...even if it's true. I remember when I was younger, much younger, I dyed...

Damn Stubborn Water Buffalo!

(...continued from Enigma of Lao Tzu) You must be wondering why I am posting about water buffaloes. The answer is simple.  I want to talk to you about the water buffalo because it is important to what I will be discussing. To understand the water buffalo is to understand the inner workings of the Vietnamese...

Enigma of Lao Tzu

I feel like a child who has inadvertently wandered into an old dilapidated castle where nothing but shadows of ghosts still haunt.  The glorious grandeur of the place is still evident---the large halls and high ceilings adorned still, with the remains of what must have been magnificent furnishings and fixtures, their colors faded and aged...