Hey Hey Life

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Wow time passes very very fast, it's been 5 days since my last post...and I officially finished the pizza, last piece was for lunch yesterday.

This week has a lot of stuff to be update, mostly related to school work. To whom who concern where I'm going to - it's the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, it was average quality for my major (Advertising) for until Roland Young and Ellen Shakespeare becoming the Director of the Department a year ago.




Art & Science LA

Ok started with an assignment to observe the crystal and talk about its geology, I decided to went to the Exploratorium near San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge to use their microscope (of course the employee was the one controlling the machine). Here are some picture of pure salt let evaporate naturally under the microscope.



Can you guess what is the yellow creature?




Planner Class

Next is a very fun as well stressing out assignment with making a moving puppet. I never in my life done it before, craftsmanship for sewing is very weak compare to my classmates. Anyway the result was not so bad after 10+ hours of suffering fighting with the material.


{,beside I decided not to follow any instruction online but looked at a real puppet and figuring everything out. Good thing is very fun to make your brain works hard; bad thing is don't do it last minute cause it make you freak out very easy when thing fall apart in the middle - like 4am}


And this is the creation, she is a God, not sure for what yet - but she doesn't have a face to show any emotion yet as well discrimination. She is blessing you!






Print Making - Etching.

Now moving on to Print Making class, I'm doing Etching - thought it would be faster then working craving on Linoleum block - Relief, but like any of high quality work...you need to keep work and work on it. And to an extend, Etching requires a better technique and remember the steps, otherwise you messed up and screwed up your zinc plate. As well being exploding to Nitric Acid with 7:1 and 12:1 make you really have to be awake with every move you make.



Line Proof,



Generally I need more practice and time for this, very very fun to create with hands - so fun and satisfy with you know the work is yours not anyone else.

Recommend anyone to try to get your hands dirty in dirt, paint and anything that take you away from: iPod, iPhone (better not texting with the acid tray next to you), iPad, Mac, PC, Photoshop... not that I have anything against it, I live on its support.




Typography Design.

Aggg the last thing is the design class, concentrating on typography and it is challenging too. I have not much to say about this, let's wait for the instructor to give his critic first; I'm excited yet worry...


Assignment is to design Music CD cover, I chose to do one on a Vietnamese composer, I love his stuff a lot; sadly I knew about him after he had passed away...I was too young for his kind of music, it was 2001.

Trinh Cong Son.

I give an update on what the instructor say for this work, I know I need to fix it - not sure where?!

Home made Pizza

Topping including:
-White sauce.
-Mushroom.
-BBQ pork.
-American cheese.
-Broccoli.
-Red pepper.

Recipe follows www.allrecipes.com


I like making thing from scratch sometimes, so kneading is fun plus I get to excercise my arm - get the muscle going you know.

The recipe was for 15 serving but I packed in to a 11x17 in pan (or a bit bigger) so turn out the bread is very very thick, but in a good way it is very filling compare to the Lasagna I made yesterday.

I'm not sure mushroom was cooked all the way or not, next time I will just leave for another 5 mins just for sure.

Overall it is good good choice of making, it will last for a while so I won't have to cook again for 2 days or so. And it is def. cheaper then buying one in the store since I just pay for flat rate electronic not for any extra charge; plus raw food from Chinese Market is so cheap.

Making Lasagna

I learn to cook new recipe in the weekend, it is fun to get away from the table and going to the market picking up food and walking home.

This week is Meat + Tofu Lasagna, I follow the recipe on About.com using mostly everything from fresh beside the Trader Joe's noodle, American cheese and the milk.

It came along well, look yummy and tasting good with layers of flavor - not too salty not too thick. Took me about an hour to prepare (not including shopping time) and about 50 minutes to bake with my small electronic oven.

I took about a small piece to take the picture.








Just a note is this dish somewhat not that filling as it must be, and I couldn't figure why there is water underneath the Lasagna.

a trip back home

Last December 2010 I got to visit home - Ho Chi Minh city after a year studying in San Francisco, pursuit my dream in collecting knowledge from the other side of Earth.

This time I got to stay home for a month, hurray! It was very very fun and worth most the time there doing much lots exciting trips; besides, my family is always a bless to be around, physically (food) and mentally (the advice)

Begin with the news that my elder bro finish his MBA in Economist with a GPA of 3.0, and planning on getting marry with his fiance. Moreover, my family gets along better; since I'm getting less suborn so I'm not being the way of the rest of the family. I enjoy the moment better and smile more.

Where I'm coming from, is no doubt not a rich country, smart people - there's few but def. is the most pleasant place to be if you are like the messiness, the unorganized and crowded lifestyle. Whoever you are, no matter your level in society you won't feel alone; we live with smile and positive attitude, not much for the hoping but being optimistic. I think that was how my ancestor got through their period of war and sorrow.


FAMILY



Dinners with my Mom's Sibling. We always have a big meal with lots and lots of laughing sound, you can hear my family laugh outside the front gate.



Some shoot about the City and street.







In Ho Chi Minh city, now we have a old districts and one new district 7 that is more organize and plan out better. That's why you see the last picture has barely as crazy crowded as the rest, and also look "newer"




About early January I got a chance to visit the Capital of Vietnam for 2 days, visiting my future sister's in law house. The city is developing strongly, somewhat similar with Ho Chi Minh city, only 1 down side is so dusty and the real estate price there is extremely expensive; I will find out the exact number and let you know later.


A street view.

The Northern people are very friendly and hilarious people, good to be around a Northern friend; only thing you need to pay attention on is when you dealing business with them, from the smallest thing to a big one - they tend to take advantage of you if they think they can. It's easy to understand the reason behind them behave like that (to my understanding at least), up front I want to say that is not a bad characteristic to blame about or that I'm not criticize anything. From the beginning of the establishment of Vietnam, starting from Sapa until around Hue (pattern me for my estimation) we - Vietnamese people, got attack by the Chinese Government for lost count, plus the weather in here was not very good for agriculture with very very cold wind blowing down from Russia. Hence they have to save as much as they can afford to, saving to fight, and saving to survive. They are excellent in saving by the way (as far as my knowledge)

So it's kind of the mind set that carrying on for long long time, until Tran Hung Dao expand our land from Hue to all the way to Ca Mau; the people moving down South changes in their behavior, that's including my Grand parents and Mom. The weather is warmer, the water has more nutrition flowing along Mekong River nurture the land so we can develop more in growing things, having the environment's advantage helping the people here be more generous to others.

Then the South has influence from the West in about 100+ years under French and US government, so that is another reason why that North and South, though is in the same country - having the same Government, yet we are different. In Buying behavior, in family and social networking; I'll put together another post on this.



to be update on this title "a trip back home"

Return to blog

Hello again,

I'm back in writing and updating my blog, and as usual, I want to keep writing as frequently as once per 3 days for the next 2 months until Summer time when I guess I will have more time to write.

This time I do have many interesting to write about, not so much depressing writing - the matter of fact, I will delete them all to make this place purely just about positive experience sharing with the net.

Peace out.