the bảohouse

month

July 2011

9 posts

The Tully Community Branch Library in San Jose hosted a Vietnamese Calligraphy Class every Saturday until Saturday, April 30, 2011, when they held a Graduation Ceremony for their students. This video, like the program, is in Vietnamese, but the beauty and art of calligraphy can be appreciated in any language. The instructors of the class were thầy Cung Tâm and cô Hoàng Cúc, or Tam Cung and Cuc...

Vautre Couture: Vegan-Themed Fashion

I was in a taxi watching the in-cab little television and I saw a fashion segment showcasing the work of Leanne Mai-Ly Hilgart, and I thought, “Hey, Maily is my mom’s name!” Curious, I went online and looked up her fashion. She is the founder of Vaute Couture, a line of eco-friendly vegan-themed fashion. Sometimes I wonder if her family are devout Buddhists who live without...

“Do I have a hole in my heart, ‘cuz how did you two get out of it?”

– Pickup line used by a stranger on my friend Lan-Anh and her friend Vicky. It is an example of what not to use.

Tearing Down the Cubicle Walls; The Case for Open...

I had a conversation with Trang, who was the Director of Programming and Development at Vietnamese Voluntary Foundation (VIVO). She pretty much wears ten different hats. One of our conversations talked about the rapid growth of programs trying to fill the current space. Until they can move to a new building, they have to really squeeze every square-feet-hour for maximum utility. I noticed the...

Embedding YouTube Just for Its Music with Minimal...

Hi Lily. So to clean up your blog with that embedded YouTube video without so many unnecessary buttons put in this codeblock: <object width="60" height="25"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/pBUxuyYC96o?autoplay=1"></param> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param> <embed...

The Vietnamese American Challenge

Sometime around my birthday in February 2011, I rewrote my biography. There was a point when I thought biographies were only for important people. But as time went on, working in the marketing field, my personal biography became an opportunity to reflect on the things I was able to accomplish in life, because it tries to answer this question: What makes you unique in this world? There is a sense...

Week in the Life of bảo

So I decided to put this writing together, a slice of my life as a community organizer. I felt it was necessary because it was hard to explain what I do as an organizer. I do believe you can understand a person better walking in their shoes. Also, by doing this, I am hoping I can coax my protégés into pursuing a lifestyle of organizing. After all, leadership shouldn’t be a skill meant for a...