the bảohouse RSS

The bảohouse is the digital abode of bảo.thiên.ngô, a Vietnamese American designer exploring aesthetics, comm­unity, communication, and sustainability in striving towards the dream of building a Vietnamese American community center.
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About bảo

bảo.thiên.ngô has a dream that someday his future daughter will be married at a Vietnamese community center built along the beautiful coastline of California, headquarters of the Lantern Moon Festival Society, where her eyes glimmer under the glow of a thousand lantern sculptures made by the hopes and dreams of her generation.

Working under the title of Vietnamese American designer, bảo is a professional jack-of-all-trades like Nathan Myhrvold, engaging in graphic and web design, writing, web programming, marketing, film making, event management, research, and social entrepreneurship. Currently he is the Board Secretary & Co-Founder of the CayDa Foundation, an organization devoted to researching innovative ways to improve the Vietnamese American community.

bảo, along with Tam Phan, formerly ran Vietlicious, an online Vietnamese American apparel store. He was formerly the Co-Executive Director of the Children Moon Festival of Northern California. He was a founding member of UVSA Northern California, a coalition of Vietnamese Student Associations, and served as its Arts Commissioner Chair (2008–2010). He served as Webmaster-Historian (2002–2003) of UCLA Vietnamese Student Union. He was the co-editor of the film Things I’ll Never Say (2005) and co-producer of La Petite Salon (2009).

Motivated by the need to free himself from the office cubicle, bảo enjoys studying leadership theory and organizational studies, lifestyle design, and web technology. He also takes interest in post-classical science, and Vietnamese history and philosophy.

Description

  • Personal values: innovation, awareness, trust
  • How others see me: knowledgeable, intelligent, brilliant, innovative; helpful, caring, conversable, honest; passionate, dedicated; enduring, calm

Favorite Quotes

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”
—John Quincy Adams, sixth President of the United States

“Design that moves others comes from issues that move you.”
—Jennifer Morla, American graphic designer and artist

“So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they’re busy doing things they think are important. This is because they’re chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.”
—Morrie Schwartz, American educator and author of Tuesdays With Morrie (1997)

“The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.”
—Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, Swiss-born psychiatrist, pioneer in near-death studies, and author of On Death and Dying (1969)

“Those who sketch timidly achieve nothing at all. Only clear-cut illustration makes any impact. Do you imagine the Peter of Armiens managed to drum up the First Crusade simply by mentioning to a friend, perhaps whilst picking strawberries, that Christ’s grave had fallen into neglect and that one ought to provide a fence around it?”
—Theodor Fontane, German novelist and poet

“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
—Albert Einstein, German-born theoretical physicist

Community Service

Current

Past

Strange Facts

  1. I was a bully when I was in middle school.
  2. I took tae kwon do and swimming during high school. I nearly killed myself from exhaustion.
  3. When I sneeze, I sneeze about 3 times in rapid succession.
  4. I went to top of Half Dome in Yosemite, twice, in one week. Both times, I got to the top, and thunderstorm struck.
  5. I drive the jankiest cars ever. One time, one of my cars had a hole in the floor, and you could see the street from your seat.
  6. My right leg shakes up and down when I’m sitting.
  7. When I’m cold, I put my arms inside my shirt, because I always forget to bring a sweater or jacket.
  8. I used take 3 hours to eat dinner because I was at the computer while eating.
  9. At age 26, I watch kids television shows like Clifford, the big red dog, or Curious George.
  10. When I’m in deep thought, my eyes shift rapidly left and right. That means my brain is processing, like a computer!
  11. I always had body image issues since I was 3 years old where I thought was too fat.
  12. I, with my friend Tam Phan, started a t-shirt company, Vietlicious!
  13. When I bring home food and leave it there for a few hours, it’s gone. Apparently my brother smiles when I ask him if he saw the food.
  14. I quite often speak in different accents in different situations.
  15. I still have the first tooth I ever lost in a trinket box in my room.
  16. When I listen to music, I air piano, but I don’t know how to play any instruments.
  17. I read the dictionary because I like to learn new words.
  18. In high school, I took home economics and learned to sew and cook. I have done neither since then.
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