Updates (Feb 1, 2026)
Growing up Canadian, I realized these things lately:
- The more you solo study the better things are overall. Like stay in your study for weeks and months … when you emerge, you have something, something tangible and new to show the public. But this also happened in the 1500s before phones and easy transportation. What is new?
- It is good to go out sometimes but if you go out so much, every criticism seems like an equal jab that makes you go no where and you learn nothing. Therefore you must go out once in a while then relax and reflect over it for a couple of days. Society kind of tries to make everyone independent but also equal. Staying at home brewing up something on your individual frequency might make you different.
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What I learned from talking to older people …
- When you get to late 30s, going out is exploring. You buy that nice expensive brownie for $10 a piece and you try that new fusion pastry. You might try more different types of coffees. You might buy coffee beans directly from the farmer to avoid the middle man.
- When you are 21 and in 2nd year university you want to show you made it and want respect and recognition. Then old people tell you, you are young with half the life experience and life is not go-go 100% of the time. No one can go 100% of the time as life encompasses too much. Are you telling me you understand the universe like an astrophysicist at 21? Do you also understand the next parallel universe too? Usually people are 1-task oriented at a time and things take a decade or more on average.
- When you are 42, you realize you have to chose 1 thing and 1 thing only. And that is to be intelligent so you don’t have any ailments at all and no setback with the public or authorities. This might be me and this is somewhat Western. Kids grow up fast or slow in the West.
So the underlying message is that the modern Western media says to stay hip and young and 2D. That will kill you at the end. You must accept getting old, wise and intelligent. More intelligent than anyone in the room, more intelligent than your parents. More intelligent overall.
Also that is the secret no one tells no one. Only your parents will tell you that the key to life is wisdom.
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The problem with cultures and modern changing society …
In modern multicultural society like Canada we have this phenomenon for making it working in public companies.
- Immigrants who study 20+ hours a day
- Coloured people who study 22+ hours a day
- Asian hiearchy and Caste system
So the immigrant who is coloured would get the job at a multinational company making $200K a year. I am not sure of hiring practices based on Asian hierarchy and caste systems as I think people choose employees based on similar hierarchy and castes usually as that is naturally comfortable …
What does that do to 2nd generation Vietnamese-Canadians who are laxed and who thinks kind of Western?
Venture on their own until they have something. Even if it doesn’t make money. Even when they get old and old looking.
Competing for the ‘engineering job’ is then impossible when there is hierarchy and castes systems subconsciously or at least 99.99% of the time.
Therefore the only job is solo research and development until you are 150 years old. How long it takes to reach the next goal is questionable as you are not in the public system.
Or maybe you are a natural relaxed thinker who doesn’t find competing with immigrants and others worthwhile?
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Can not run away from the ideal lifestyle when I was in grade 6.
In grade 6 life was perfect.
All I wanted to do was stay in front of the computer and plug away.
As a person born in a first world country, isn’t that life?
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Psychology degrees and Philosophy degrees …
Later …
What is the underlying message … what is the underlying message for each encounter and interaction?
What matters in the grand scheme of things?
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Levels and depth of life.
How far and how depth is life?
Does being in North America differ from the Old World in terms of Depth?
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So it is because I am 2nd generation like other 2nd generations that I have trouble with people and things. Like I am doing stuff and not doing stuff.
If I was 3rd++ generation I would be so Canadian that nothing would bother me and I would be 200% Pro First Peoples + Pro Indigenous + Pro Canada.
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The treatment from other Vietnamese from North America and the Old World mean nothing much … it is because I am 2nd generation from the 1979 era and live in Ontario, Canada.
I usually get criticized from Vietnamese from USA who are 2nd and 1st generation from West and South.
But the thing is that things should be local and I am 2nd generation. I feel North American in my soul.
Vietnamese from Quebec and further North and East I envy.
The Internet made everyone connected and updated.
It was first the worldwide forever connections of Facebook and then YouTube that made people all over the world feel like they are your next door neighbour so they could critique anyone.
Nothing is regional and local no more so everyone is affected.
In the past if you wanted to be on media you would move to California only maybe New York.
Because I am 2nd generation born in Oshawa I should be working in auto sector really. But a part of me wants to do something so that means it is either do something here with my friends or move back home to Vietnam and become a Tour Guide with my great English skills.
So the underlying problem is that things are no longer regional and I am 2nd generation.
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