General

Updates (July 6, 2025)

After writing out everything I feel in this blog … I feel good.

I did not know I needed to talk and write things out to feel good and grow and turn the page.

After feeling relieved, I realize I have to live like my father now and have a balanced life. Just keep busy. Only Vietnamese that are similar to my dad understand how to navigate life in the West like my father.

He is smart but not too smart? He is not trying to be too smart that it becomes a problem … That is all it is.

It is balanced to live in the middle for ‘Zen’ like approach to life with people in society.

Not indulging in seeking to be rich, powerful or too smart for your own good.

That is all it is.

Also because he is South Vietnamese and from the area that practices Phật Giáo Hòa Hảo and from the Mekong River area where it grows everything, he is naturally balanced.

I heard one day, sons turn into their father.

As I accomplished a bit and see the vices of having too much, I now understand my father.

Like you still learn and do stuff but don’t go sooooooo fast and forward in it that it is what you seek as a priority. Just live busy and Zen.

You can actually live Zen in Canada.

That is what I feel and see.

But in reality, I had to go so far out learning for 41 years to see how things are in the West.

That is the dilemma of kids born to war refugee parents who don’t seek the 200% forward Western tech life.

But really you have to keep learning somehow.

My father has his own life and focuses on himself and his things he loves. That is also the key in a balanced healthy long life. He worked the farms when he was still in elementary school and grew up to have a broad understanding.

Usually farmers that work when they are young for survival and bridge to developed countries to live and work understand the balance but not really. If they don’t go into engineering then they don’t know the top of the pyramid. And that is a problem for their children.

So I had to go far into my world of tech to see it for myself and that is why it took so long. Luckily I had Tammy Nguyen to show me the way.

But for a foundation, if you have a passion and individual goals, just work on that on your time without the worry of others or competitors first.

Then you go to hard work like web development.

Then you see the top.

And then live Zen but still do stuff.

Because I think I understand the top, I live busy + Zen.

Basically I am living balanced like a South Vietnamese from the Mekong River really. I avoid so much front thinking now.

I am trying to be balanced now by just keeping somewhat busy.

My father is still keeping busy working and learning. And that is all that matters.

He is in his own zone and doesn’t bother no one. That is the approach he does.

Climate and geography of me … over thousands of years.

I come from Vietnam where it has UV radiation like Nigeria and Colombia. I come from the Mekong River. Also I am pretty far South in Vietnam so that means I am almost last in line. So that means I actually have to think broad and more than others and really know how to talk and get along with people …

But what does this mean in Canada?

That is what it is …

I have to live and work that way???

At the end for me is as long as I find a way to keep busy, then everything is fine.

Learning about agriculture and geography to understand people and myself.

  • People currently inhabiting the land protect the land especially if it is agricultural
  • There is no time to fight when the next season of crops is to be harvested. Put our differences aside and work together.
  • If the land is fertile, must be a way for the people to delegate with outsiders wanting in

Few days ago while in Scarborough, I got stereotyped :). I was in good spirits at a medical place and that wasn’t good for some people.

This is what happened:

  1. People don’t like people independent. People naturally want people secondary, dependent and sick here in Canada as that is just the way the system is???
  2. People don’t like people having intelligence above the ‘negative stereotype’ or over them. Applies mostly when they are young and feisty and growing. I am old but some groups when they are young don’t accept ‘just getting old wise’ applied for some groups. Only when they get old they realize this is wrong to do. Coloured people think coloured which is unhealthy but it is what it is. Westerners don’t care if you are old and know stuff as they are smarter naturally and can adapt fast and easily.
  3. People don’t like current negative stereotyped people to be well and in good spirits as there is a fixed world view from 1800 AD imprinted in everyone’s genes. The world evolved very fast over the last 300 years and naturally people can not realize this naturally.
  4. The stereotype doesn’t apply to me because they don’t know the real facts of stereotypes and of who I am.
  5. I live the Western way because you have to for the fulfill the Western ego and self-esteem and Western goal seeking to fulfill the Western challenges of life or you get sick.
  6. I am actually achieved my Western goals and that is really what actually matters here in the world.
  7. The point is to mix out here in Canada. I am pursuing mixing. Complete the circle of life.
  8. There will always be diversity because of differences in UV radiation here in Canada and the rest of the world.
  9. People currently residing in Canada will become light skinned like the Indigenous Peoples of Canada eventually over the next thousands of years.
  10. Diversity is good. All sorts of great food from everyone. Some cultures have great soft power that persuades.
  11. I don’t study and work that hard because you actually live the free Canadian-born lifestyle of living and learning and growing and reflecting and crashing??? You have to because everyone does it if they are born here. It is impossible not to. Immigrants don’t understand this … If you don’t live the Canadian way you feel missing out on all the experiences.
  12. I am somewhat accomplished because of ‘me’ in the world.
  13. I required living the Western lifestyle and to help me achieve Western goals and thinking. You have to live your way uniquely with the Western negative caricature stereotypes against you and somehow one day become recognized like every other kid born in the West to overcome it. That is the Western/American/Canadian dream of triumph.
  14. No one studies ‘a lot’. People do stuff based on need. My need is to achieve the Western dream like everyone wants in reality. Everyone has that front lobe of wanting and living the Western dreams and lifestyle. They just deny it and control it and put it down and out of picture.

It is nice to see diversity. Some people are young and haven’t understood it yet … secretly deny it and don’t push to explore it. Some people need to fight other people or groups for themselves to function as it is in their DNA. The polarizing differences make the world too. But the end it is to mix out and then evolve and complete the circle of life.

Some people can not stand it, and don’t want to be told the deep 100-layered truth??? They are surprised I finally figured it out just by learning YouTube videos on world history.

I was told not to learn world history growing up to avoid thinking polar so we all get along out here in Durham Region.

But you have to because I get treated bad and I don’t really understand it.

But you have to mix out here in the West to complete the circle of life.

Why is it so fun and cool to work with Vietnamese born in Canada as a Vietnamese born in Canada?

  1. Think on the same range and similar frequency
  2. Are sad because we are treated with the 1960’s Vietnam War era negative caricature stereotypes still
  3. We don’t care what happens to us if we keep exploring and doing this or that kind of … ???
  4. Some of us are still exploring at 40 years old which is bad or good??? because … next point
  5. Growth and more experiences are vast and possibly unlimited for us if we think and blend the American/Canadian/Vietnamese-Canadian/Vietnamese way
  6. We care and don’t care what immigrants do as they somehow contribute to the overall experience. They can actually teach us something from their angle and struggle. We feel actually sorry for immigrants because they have to purely focus on delivering value to get PR and citizenship.
  7. We get surprised when we see some immigrants that are so ‘in their world’. Not only do they study here in Canada with scholarships, but work and do internal personal research on their own time improving themselves. Some of them are absolutely driven 1000% so PR/citizenship is OK. They live in their own world which is more than enough. We can learn from them.
  8. Immigrants can learn from us which is the Western way of being open and broad

People say at the end of the day, we all act like children even if we are old.

But for a Vietnamese guy like me born in Canada that is not really good.

I forced myself to stay indoors and work since 2013 to build work ethic and to escape the general negative stereotypes and learn how to fulfill the Western productive lifestyle here in Oshawa with Westerners working even in the supermarket.

I knew that I have it (+) good but the stereotypes even working at a grocery store was bad because I did not know ‘me’.

Back even in 2016 when working nights at the largest superstore at 33 years old, I did not know why Vietnamese existed and did not know why I was here in Canada LOL! If I was born and living in Vietnam I would work and have a normal Vietnamese life and family of my own helping Vietnam develop as an independent country like every other country in Asia.

That is all it is.

Living in Canada is then opposite. We have to mix out and work together.

But then you get some people using negative stereotypes against you at work LOL!

I was told not to learn world history when I was young so I could get along with everyone thinking I was just another ‘person’ in Canada.

But people naturally pick on each other when things are not balanced or not in their favor because people naturally want power and control especially if they are more colored.

Then I had to give up working and start believing in myself then eventually I learned world history and now I understand all the negative stereotyping.

Then I realize now I have it OK (+) compared to others naturally.

Then what do you do?

You still have to live good and well according to Western ideals.

If not, you do bad thinking if you don’t keep busy.

Also you do get old and get wise.

But some coloured groups just think ‘negative, negative’ stereotypes and that is all it is because they are more coloured …

What do you do then?

I guess because I have it better I mix out.

Why it is not that good to work with immigrants sometimes?

  1. They sometimes they paint people 1-dimensionally to characterize people most of the time because that is just normal.
  2. Some think because they lived in Canada for 3-days they think they know everything
  3. They live divided in levels and according to their homeland culture and nationality so that it become 1-dimensional in feelings and thoughts. Only after living 30+ years in Canada can they become Canadian thinking really and let go. Sometimes not.
  4. They haven’t learned about the idea of ‘dynamism’ which is people who are treated the worse in Canada can thrive in ‘safe Canada’ doing their own thing with their supportive friends because Canada supports everyone and is multicultural in the wide angle lens. There is room for all ideas to play.
  5. They don’t mix sometimes and that is the root of most problems. Some just can’t mix. It is just how the world operates. Polar thinking and being is how things just are sometimes … but you got to mix.

Basically the worst thing as a Vietnamese man born in Canada working with coloured people when they are young and or new to this country is that they:

  1. Use nation status as a determinate on how you think
  2. Use nation status as a determinate on your value
  3. Use nation status to divide: money, time and resources. The more worse the country the less money, time and resources. They push to keep them poor and stupid so they are elevated.

They don’t learn back 5000 years old world history and the changing times.

Now is 2025 and some countries are now being developed and supported. The world has changed.

It is a game of world geo politics at the end of the day. There is a gradient of thinking.

But for me, I understand why. My life is good (+) and I get these problems.

I wonder how does other Vietnamese born in Canada feel?

But at the end of the day, it is to mix out.