Anh-Nguyen.com http://www.anh-nguyen.com/weblog/ ...trying to catch up en Copyright 2010 Wed, 01 Sep 2010 21:03:21 -0800 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Mr. Bublé...we meet again...! August 27th, 2010 ...It has been a pretty amazing and eventful summer. I did not do anything too crazy this summer by my standards but did enough to where I could say it was one of the better summers I have had in a long time. It somewhat started with Michael Bublé in April and at this point is going to end with him. This time I was going to do it right and not with some crappy seats a few rows from the very back in the worse section you can get at the Staples center. ...So the idea to go to the Michael Bublé concert in San Diego was fairly a last minute decision. I was working on tickets for the Vegas date since my buddy's dad is a high roller at the MGM and that is where the concert was going to be at. Those casino hosts like to kiss the butt of people who like to drop money and I was hoping for some real good seats to be comp'd! But I am not one to hold my breathe cause people are flakey. ...the idea to get tickets came into my mind after getting things worked out with M.F. She had to deal with her crap for however long it took her. I would go more into that but I already have elsewhere. Any who, so the next day that everything got somewhat worked out we went to dinner at Viva Madrid. All day I looked into Bublé tickets. It was what I was planning to get her for her birthday back in March but did not for various reasons, some justifiable and some not. I was surprised that the concert did not sell out because Ticketmaster still had decent tickets for sale but I ended up babysitting some floor seats on eBay. No one else bid on them and I ended up getting them for basically face value. Once I won the tickets, I had the craziest smile. I was going to be the biggest surprise ever! The only problem was how long could I have kept it from her. ...fast forward a week a half. I planned all this stuff. All she knew was that we were going to the Hollywood Bowl for the John Williams concert and do a dinner in the box as we did for Opening Night. I was going to drive down the I-15 freeway and eventually when she kept asking where we were going, I was going to hand her a belated birthday card with a note inside and eventually tell her. Man, I was excited to see that look on her face. I made reservations at the Red Door restaurant in Mission Hills, San Diego. I did ample research to make sure it was gluten-free and even contacted the chef. He assured me on which items on the menu were 100% gluten-free. A lot of it sounded like it would have tasted pretty good! It would have been a nice dinner. ...of course the highlight would have been the concert. She is a huge fan and it would have been really cool to experience the better seats and everything. I even asked E.G. to see if she remembered which song he comes out to. At a point in the concert, Naturally 7, Bublé opening act, comes out along with Michael Bublé and sings, "All I Do is Dream of You." They all perform on a mini stage in the middle of the floor and that would have been a perfect time to plan to get next to that stage with M.F. and she would have had the chance to touch him, see him a foot away, or whatever. ...I am hoping my writing is good enough to where the last two paragraphs had the tone leading to some sort of a disappointment or something. Long story, short. M.F. could not go. Something came up. I will not get into more about it but I was not surprised. This is one of the reasons why I hate planning anything. Something always comes up and I really wanted this to go right. All of this effort down the damn drain. As I writing this a few days after the fact, I do not even know how I feel about it. I have to internalize everything because I gave my word. Kinda hard to ask for advice when your hands are tied and you cannot divulge major details to get some sort perspective. So basically I have to give myself the talk to calm myself down and cannot have someone help me with that. ...needless to say, I was pretty damn disappointed. After trying something, which resulted in a pleasant meeting her grandmother where I had to lie to her, I was on the clock and put in a bind. In the back of my mind I knew it was going to happen but I was hoping it was not going to. Well you cannot control everything. ...I ended inviting E.G. and tempted her with floor seats. I mean c'mon, you cannot pass those up. She was at work and was getting out at 6. I wanted to leave by 6:30 so that it would give a good enough buffer for traffic and get there after the opening act was done. She got off early, got ready, and we left by 6:15. Man, I even planned out my outfit for over a week! I hope I looked good but ehh it does not even matter. While driving to her house which is only up the street, I got lost. I have not even been near there for almost 5 years. Crazy to think it has been that long but anyways. ...picked her up and headed down to San Diego. The drive to San Diego is fairly quick as it is but with some conversation made it seem like it was nothing. Arrived at the arena in pretty good time. I want to say it took about an hour and 40 mins or so. I was not keeping track. All I know is that the concert started at 8 and the opening act was on for about 40 mins. I want to say I left around 6:20 and got there around 8ish. Still plenty of times before Bublé gets on. It was more of a hassle getting parking. There was traffic from the on ramp to the arena. Did some creative driving and went around everything, through shopping centers and yeah. ...the arena is fairly small from the outside. I still could not believe that it was not sold out. But the marquee at the entrance said it was sold out, so I guess it sold out within the week and a half from last I checked. Parked and we were on our way. ...I must say the weather in San Diego is always amazing! Except the times when I was down in SD and it was overcast! Tonight was nothing less than amazing. The entire week, it was humid and always around 105 degrees back in the Inland Empire. In SD, it was a balmy mid 60's. ...We walked up to the entrance and there was a line. I was thinking to myself, oh great, a line. But the line moved fairly fast and they barely checked people's bags or anything. If I knew this, it would have been so easy to sneak in a camera. A camera would have been awesome for when Bublé comes out into the audience but I figure my cell phone would be good enough. ...As we walked in, the size of the arena was more apparent. You take maybe five good big steps forward and you would hit the concession stand. But hey, that would only mean it would be more intimate inside the arena. ...we headed to the facilities because well it was almost a two hour drive. I walked by the merchandise stands and there goes my mind running. They were selling programs for $30 and an autograph one for $50. I wanted to pick up one for M.F. and then saw the tour shirts. Argh! Why do I want to do this? Maybe I felt a little guilt? I do not know but it would have been cool. I did not pull the trigger and figured maybe after the show I would. But I also thought that it would be a mad house to pick up something after the show and there I would not do anything hastily. ...I can hear that Naturally 7, the opening act, was on their last song in the area where the concessions are. What do they call that? The foyer? Concession floor? Well you know what I am referring to. All I can remember is that I was there for their entire set at the Staples Center and could not wait until it was over! There is just something about opening acts that bother me. Especially one's I have not heard of yet. But it was the same for Chris Botti and William Joseph at the Josh Groban concert. I eventually started liking them but I am not so sure about Naturally 7. ...As we were walking to our seats, E.G. and I were scouting that mini stage and found it behind the soundboard. We were trying to see if it was going to stay there or be moved. Either way we got to our seats and they were pretty good. I cannot really complain besides that fact someone else should be sitting next to me but hey, cannot dwell on it or else I would have an awful time. Plus, I think if it was anyone else, I would feel guiltier. Who would not? I mean an entire date planned for one person in mind and a last minute sub. ...To give an idea of how small the arena was, I noticed a lot of people on their cell phones, waving to someone on the other side. I do not even think that is possible at the Staples Center. The arena did not even go up that high either. I am thinking to myself, maybe San Diego does not check out that many concerts? Who knows! ...ok so the time I was at the Staples Center for Michael Bublé, it was super high and a sharp angle. I basically missed the stage/light show and only saw some of the band and when he came out. So when he came out with "Cry Me a River" and an orchestra video was projected on a white curtain, I was pissed because I basically missed the entire show! Once the curtain dropped, there was a pretty amazing stage show with moving screens and lights! I knew coming in that this would have improved the show! ...it never seems to fail! Every time I am at a concert with E.G. there are weirdoes that surround us! The girl in front of us was having intermittent orgasms which had her convulse into singing into her friends ear, doing the Christina Aguilera/Mariah Carey arm raise when she sang along, and taking photos every chance she had. Behind us was some stout looking lady who had the most annoying loud cheer/scream or whatever. It was to the point where I had to turn away so it was not directly on my ear! Now to the other extreme, there was an older Asian couple sitting right next to me who just sat there. They never stood up when everyone else did and I think they rarely clapped. It was kinda weird but I guess that is how they enjoy the music. ...The ending of "Cry Me a River" finished with a blast of fireworks and of course the view of it was so much better. The song went right into "All of Me." I do not know if it was the bitterness speaking from my first experience but the banter was much more amusing. He commented on the size of the opening act units, referring to seeing them backstage and instead of being 7, it was at least 10.5. Comments about him being engaged and wearing an engagement ring. The appearance of how Latin women will not put up with a Tiger-sique relationship. Other comments of guys being gay or dragged out to the concert. Lastly, he wrapped up stating his concert is a party and not a concert. Where a party you can dance, scream and act a fool. He specifically even said that if someone were to turn around and tell you to quiet down that they should say fuck you. I had that lady behind me in mind the entire time and I think she took that as a license to be even louder! After stating that it was a party, he went right into "At This Moment," a slow and sad ballad. I guess that just added to his charm.
Michael Bublé - "Best of Me"

...Before to getting to the first highlight of the night, I gotta put some thoughts down on his cover of David Foster's "The Best of Me." Foster was somewhere in the audience tonight which was awesome but saw him at Opening Night at the Bowl earlier in the summer. The first time I heard this I was stopped in my tracks. The second time was not any different. Something about this song, the way Bublé sang it and the lyrics had me frozen. I guess because it reminds me of someone but will not get into it. But check out the video someone recorded from one of his shows. ...He introduced his band with funny stories which lasted awhile. It was pretty funny. Again, I do not even recall this at the Staples Center. I know he did do it but again, I think I equate to the fact I was supposed to be at that concert with someone else, the dinner, the after snack. Blah. It was funny to hear. But I digress! ...the first highlight his playful cover of "Billie Jean." That shit was hilarious! He changed his voice to wear it almost sounded like Michael Jackson. Of course he even did the moonwalk and threw a hat into the audience. This is where the lights and video screens shined. The screens lined up to wear you see the silhouette of the patented Michael Jackson crotch grab and elevated knee on the tippy toes. I can honestly say that I got some chills and then he went into "Twist and Shout." This was fun as well and he kicked out big beach balls with "MB" on them. ...at this point, E.G. and I knew it was time to scope out the stage because the next song was "All I Do Is Dream of You." We looked at each other and it was time to book it! The annoying lady behind me already ran off so I figure it was as good as any other time. We went to where we saw the stage before but it moved! But it moved where I figure it would have move, in front of the sound board. I then drag E.G. over because I thought we had to be slick about it because sometimes the ushers/security people are clueless and just only know just to say, "no!" or "go back to your seat!" ...when we walked up to the mini stage and tried to play slick, a crewman was waving us around the stage adamantly. That was the green light! I squeezed into the one side of the stage next to the staircase and in between the soundboard. E.G. was right next to me but she felt the grunt of all the other people behind her. I was in a prime location and while having tunnel vision, I think I was the only dude around for a while. That was kinda gay but I did not even care. ...Naturally 7 filled the stage while Michael made his way through the audience. Said what's up to one of the guys and the girls around me were screaming like crazy. I just had my iPhone out the entire time and took pictures the entire time! This is where I wish I bought a camera for some better pictures. Oh well! ...I wanted to position myself better but I was getting crazy pushed. I was still the only one on one side of the stage but there was a sound making sure I did not push over an amp or whatever it was. It did have masking tape saying San Diego on it. But I figure when he sang "Home," it was there to remind him to incorporate it into the song. Before he performed "Home" he went on stage and finished off "All I Do is Dream of You." Once he got on stage, the typical extending your hand out to be touched thing happened around me. I do not know what it was, maybe we had this connection jk, but I did not want to do the typical hand thing and put out my fist and he reciprocated with a fist bump as well. It seemed to last forever! haha! Seriously, it was like ten seconds or something! ...He finished that song and went into "Home." Everyone was clamoring still and it was fun to watch and not have to be in the mix of everything. I was busy taking photos left and right because the iPhone camera sucks and you never know if they would ever come out. At one point I looked into the area of the soundboards and saw that they were deflating those beach balls from earlier. I tried to sign to see if I can get one of them but they rejected me! Focusing attention back to the stage. I kept on snapping away and wondered if E.G. was getting good photos and if she got to touch him as well. Oh I thought he had a hicky behind his right ear but it was a lipsticked kiss. In LA, before he got into "Home" he did snippets of Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours," "Free Bird," and "Every Flower Has Its Thorns" I do not know why he did not tonight. It would have given me more time to take more photos! ...Everyone eventually dispersed and we headed back to our seats. The lady behind us seemed a little peeved about something but I did not even care. I equated it to her being too slow and not getting a good vantage point near the stage! E.G. told me that she did get to touch him and was all weak in the knees. I laughed because I did not even feel it. Like the weak in the knees thing but I guess its because I am hetero? Man, if that happened to her I wonder what it would have been like for M.F. Wow, seriously, she would have been so happy and that smile... damn. Now I am starting to feel bad as I am writing this but yeah... ...Earlier, before heading to the mini stage, I noticed the girl in front of me that was camera happy, the battery on her camera was dying! Finally! Should have been prepared or at least not take photos of anything and everything. E.G. had to rub it in and see if she got any cool pictures up close. I do not think she knew what was up and she just said she got some video. That was pretty funny! Oh and I guess she fell out of her chair but I did not catch it at all! ...at this point it turn into a party! The rest of the songs he did had me out of my seat. Sitting down would have not been appropriate at all! Of course the Asian couple next to me still sat down. I think they stood up only once and maybe for a minute. As I recall too, before the shower started, we were having crazy conversations and at times it felt loud. I did not even care if people heard but maybe we were annoying people? Ehh, we never give a fuck. At least I don't. ...He finished the show with his popular single, "Haven't Met You Yet." After he went off stage the audience was in a frenzy! I can honestly say that San Diego deserved the encore! At the other concerts where encores are usually planned where the audience just has to stick around to hear it. Tonight, San Diego was out of control! It was the loudest I ever heard an audience! ...He came out to "Feeling Good" which ended with confetti of silver and right into "Me and Mrs. Jones." It is E.G. and my favorite song. Which is weird, yet funny but I will not go any further! She told me a funny story about her parent's reaction to it. That is all I will say about that! ...He capped it off with "A Song for You" which he sings without any mic or instruments. I got more chills from Staples Center than tonight. But it was all the same! It was an amazing concert! I was surprised how much I enjoyed it this time around. ...now it was a mini mission getting out of the arena and like I predicted earlier, the lobby, that is what it can be called! The lobby! Well the lobby was packed and there was no chance to pick up a shirt or tour program. Which is for the best! ...ok the plan after the concert was to go to downtown to "On Broadway" for someone's birthday. That fell through since someone was exhausted and I did not want to show up without him. Ended up being suggested to go to the Brewhouse in La Jolla. Before we could even head over there, we would have to get out of the parking lot. It was horrible! It only confirms the fact people in San Diego cannot drive! Seriously, I think it might have taken 30 minutes or more! And this is with my kiss my ass driving skills of cutting people off and such. ...after that bs mess of the parking lot, we headed to La Jolla. I like La Jolla, it has this vibe when I got in. Has that little beach time but a lot more mellow. Unlike PB tonight, PB would be mad crazy on a Friday night. We got to the Brewhouse and it was dead! We got there around midnight and guess everything just shuts down around 11. People were just there to drink and it was only a handful of people. I really wanted to avoid Gaslamp but I guess it would have been the better choice but I did not want Broken Yolk. Neither of us wanted that. As I think about it now, there had to be some spot open to serve something! Oh well! So from La Jolla we headed back home! ...again it took no time and think we got back into Rancho before 2am. Maybe even 1:40ish. All and all it was a cool night. If I went with anyone else, I would have dreaded the entire drive and concert. Good thing it worked out in one sense. I hate to say this but jinx things but things for me usually just work out. I have friends who have noticed this but I have recently come to accept it. Maybe it's just some sick joke where things work out but in the end, something major just will not go my way. Maybe things work out but the thing I really want to work out will not and that will be the sick joke being played on me. ::shrugs::

Me and Miss who ever ends up going...


]]> http://www.anh-nguyen.com/weblog/archives/2010/09/mr_bublewe_meet.html http://www.anh-nguyen.com/weblog/archives/2010/09/mr_bublewe_meet.html Life. - My Confession. Wed, 01 Sep 2010 21:03:21 -0800 Day 3: 14 Hour Plane Ride or 14 Hour Car Ride...? ...today is the day for the car trip. I do not know any details besides that it was some ancient town or something. I do not know how far or how long it was going to take. I guess its better that way. Knowing how far gets you a little antsy throughout the entire trip. ...we got some snacks from the 7-11, yes the 7-11. What is up with these American corporations taking over the world? I saw a Pizza Hut, Papa Johns, KFC, and of course McDonald's. Can I order a Big Mac, hold the pickles and dog please. haha. I guess it helps for American travelers to have something to be familiar with when they are overseas. As I think about it, it works both ways. Chinese travelers to the US can associate the same way and feel just as comfortable. ...had a what looked like a ham and cheese sandwich. It looked a little too uniform and perfect to made by human hands. It taste so so and still kinda bland but a breakfast is a breakfast I guess. Snaked on what it looked like sunflower seeds. The bag was fairly unassuming. It tasted somewhat weird at first but it ended up tasting ok after a few. The seeds were not uniform like I am used to. Either they are the b-squad seeds or different species or whatever used in the US. There was some peanut better cookies that were alright as well.

The ham and cheese sandwich with what I assume is like a butter grilled outside with some dry onions.
...I had my iPhone and iPod, so I think I can survive a fairly long drive. I mean, my iPhone isn't on 3G and in airport mode, so it should last forever. ..typical car drive. But it was kinda dicey. The drivers here use their horns and high beams a lot. But its different way of using them in the states. Here, it is used to warn drivers you are in the lane and to remind them you're coming and in the lane. In the US, or should I say Southern California, use it as a "Eff You, learn how to driver you idiot." It takes a little getting used to to train yourself there isn't any cruel intentions behind the high beams and horn honking. ...the difference between our two drivers was night and day. The main guy, the head honcho at the factory I visited yesterday, drives a little too semi nauseating. He would accelerate and decelerate, on and off, so that the car would jerk forward and backwards. Along with this, he would make sharp lane changes and what not. I got used to it but it hard to nap when you're consistently being jerked awake. ...on the other hand, his girlfriend was a little bit more smoother but she would drive slower than the speed limit. Mind you, the speed limit was 100km/h and as far as I know 120km/h is 80mph. I don't ever drive slower than 80mph in the U.S. So that was harder to get used to. But hey, I cannot complain. I am in other country and you gotta let the natives guide you. ...nothing too interesting to say about a car ride for hours. What I did not understand was in certain fields that look like farms, or rice patties, fires were being deliberately started. Who knows? Really Anyone know? I know from a scientific standpoint is that after a fire or when the land is burnt, the next set of crops grow better. That would be good but not for California with the land slides. That's the only thing I can think of. If someone knows, please share.
One of many rest stops/restaurants/stores.
...I kept myself busy with Heidi, Frosty, and Frank podcasts and of course music. I started listening to The Twit podcast again as well. I miss hearing Leo Laporte's voice. Its very comforting and love the knowledge I get from the podcast, or should I say netcast. A term Leo Laporte coined when Apple was being dicks about saying they own the word "pod." I do love that he is a fan of Windows 7. I am a huge fan of the OS and never adopted a Microsoft OS early because they were all crap until this one. I stayed on Windows 2000 for almost 3 years before I even touched XP. I can't wait to get my free copy of Windows 7 Ultimate Professional edition. Saved me $200-300 and I don't have to worry about going back to XP when the RC1 I am running now is done in April. ...we finally got dinner at some random rest stop. When I say random, I totally means RANDOM. It is like one of those random diners in some random small town in the midwest. Actually more like a truck stop. Those things are kinda effy. Oh yeah, rest stops here sometimes have a gas station, Sinopec, or have a random store and/or random kinda run down restaurant. I wanna say it was around 6 or 7PM and we have been on the road since 8:30AM. I am not going to judge but something comparable would be if a greasy spoon, hole in the wall, was combined with a D rated Chinese restaurant in Rolling Heights. I say "D" because I've eaten at "C" rated Chinese dim sum, and they are good. It is usually not the food that is bad but the cleanliness. Quality of food > Cleanliness especially in Chinese restaurants. There was this dead fly on the window sill still buzzing really loud. Kinda made me want to eat quickly and get the heck out of there.


Scrambled eggs with jalapenos, tomato and egg soup, braised pork belly, and something else. I can't remember if its chicken or pork. There is a running theme of eggs and pork in a few days of my travels
...on the road again. Got lost. Finally arrived at the hotel around 10:30PM. The best part was that the hotel was pretty nice and the room was much better. The room was much larger than the room we have in Shenzhen. I'll have photos and such tomorrow. After some internetting, I knocked out. I seriously do not know which I would prefer, the plane or a car. ]]> http://www.anh-nguyen.com/weblog/archives/2009/11/day_3_14_hour_p.html http://www.anh-nguyen.com/weblog/archives/2009/11/day_3_14_hour_p.html Life. - My Confession. Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:39:21 -0800 Day 2: Business Meetings and the Business of Meeting with my "Business"... ...well the morning consisted of some more of the same breakfast. This time no one was staring cause I ended up sitting in the booth where that douche from yesterday was sitting. This day we were getting breakfast on the front end of the service, instead of the tail end. It was pretty much the same things but much more fresher and a little bit more choices. They had some ham, it was kinda cold and bland. I guess I am more accustomed to the smoked American kind. Actually, a lot of the food isn't as overly salted as I am used to in the states. I am not saying that it is bad but I am not used to it. Maybe that is why everyone in the U.S. has high blood pressure. I think it is the salted fast food over the years that kills American taste buds. The plate of food you see pictured consist of some thin noodles, fried rice, mini wieners that do not taste like wieners or even pork, a spicy seaweed salad and a roll with some hot dog in it.


My view of the dining area. It was pretty crowded this morning
...while I waited in line at the made to order noodle soup line, I finally heard some English being spoken. I was like, "FINALLY!" After a day, it was nice to hear some English, well American English be spoken. I have been hearing a lot of translated English but not American tone, diction, and so forth. Anyways, one of the dudes in front of me striked up a conversation with me. I told him what i was doing here and he was a student from Shanghai. I felt a little douchey cause I didn't care but I did want to conversate. I wanted to ask him where he was originally, but I was too enthralled watching the cook frying eggs. I then loaded up on protein since the first plate was basically carbs. I had some warm fresh soy milk and it was unsweetened. Its nice to taste the actual bean and not all the sugar it has.


...after breakfast come the massage time. I wish I hit the gym up a few times before I left so I would enjoy getting my muscles worked on. But a massage is a massage. I headed off to another hotel that was pretty close by. Headed to the health center a few floors up and ordered the full body massage. It was the must expensive service they offered for 268CNY which is about $39 US dollars. You can't beat that, and I know it was at least an hour but felt longer. More about that later. ...so I was led into the locker room where one of the workers opened a locker and had me undressed. Oh yeah, the main room where they do neck massages, foot massages, mani and pedi kinda looked like that scene from Rush Hour 2. You know, that scene where Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan wear those little girly color robes and those chairs and such. However, there wasn't a room full of chicks for me to pick out which services they would do. Anyways, I undressed and they gave me this goddy striped shorts and shirt. I could have done an Incredible Hulk and ribbed that shirt if I wanted. The dude also gave me a pair of sandals that were 5 sizes too small. I bet the guy helping me

Main room with dude giving some dude a foot massage.
...the manager lead me down a hall on the other side of the entrance into an unassuming room. It had a bed on the floor to the right with a love seat to the left of it. The room was pretty plain, and it had a clock on the wall, two windows on opposites with it being frosted half way up into the other rooms, and a flat-screen TV by the entrance. I would have a picture to go with this but I didn't have my phone. These shorts did not have any pockets. But maybe if I get bored, Ill do a mock up. ...after a few short minutes, my "massage therapist" came in. She was wearing a deep orange outfit. It was a pretty skin tight top with a frilly mini skirt and I'm guessing 2 inch heels. Yeah, I know. It is everything Rush Hour 2 made it out to be. haha. I was told to lay on the bed and she proceed with the massage. She started on right of my back. Dude, she has some crazy strong thumbs. Everytime she would massage into my back, I felt it. She must have been a gamer or something. I am not complaining but it was intense. She did focus a lot of my trapes. I mean yeah they are extremely huge, but it felt like pudding in her hands. I can't say it was the best massage I ever had because I can't compare it to anything else. Oh yeah! Actually I was getting massage through the clothes I was wearing. I guess it cuts down on using oils and making a mess. What was funny is that I think she freaked out when she saw I was still wearing my boxers under the shorts. I was like, if you're going to trip, take those bad boys off with your teeth. Shooot!! Just kidding. As for the comparison with other massages, I received an oil massage once and that was OK, and another random one from this chick that sucked! ...so the right side of my back, then to the left side. Each time she was done, she would pound me with her hands and that shit felt just as strong as the thumbs. I bet she knows tai chi or something and used her energy force or something. I do not know. haha. I am just kidding. She proceed to massage my legs and focused heavily on my ass. Like I thought butt massages were a myth, but I can testify that they are indeed real. It made me kinda wish I squatted more. But can't complain, it was a nice butt massage. I then got my arms and hands massaged. When I turned over to get those massaged, I noticed the clock and wish I was keeping time. You never know, sometimes they cheat you on your time. Then again I am assuming the worse. The hour went by pretty quick but I think it was an hour and a half one. The only thing I did not like about the massage was that the Chinese on the TV and that she didn't massage down my chest. I mean I worked hard to get some muscle on my pecks and she didn't give them any attention. ...now I bet you are wondering if it was one of those massage places. Well guess you will never know unless you come here or talk to someone who has and is going to blab. ...after the massage, I was led into the showers. On the way there, I didn't even know where I was going but was led over there. I was handed a towel and got up in the shower. Normally, I am not a fan of getting buck naked and showering down at the gym. It is just plain nasty at the gym with people hanging brain and walking around like its their home. But here, I just blew caution to the wind and got down and showered. When in Rome I suppose, but I didn't have my swim trunks. Showered myself self down and got dressed.
Photos of the massage place hanging on the wall at the entrance. These photos were so Photoshopped or drawn or whatever.
...headed back to the hotel and it was basically time to head out to check out a factory. That was the main agenda of the day. But before that, I had lunch at our English translator/handler's house. It was about a 15-20 minute from from Shenzhen. The parking lots/structures in these places are small. I mean they are really small. I do not see trucks or Escalades traveling anywhere around here or being able to even park. Everyone here also parks backing in. I am telling you, I would not be able to do that in any car with my Californian driving, unless if i was maybe in a Smart car or a Mini. ...parked and headed up to the apartment/house/condo. It can be considered an apartment in the States but it felt more like a condo since it had three bedrooms and was fairly spacious. Got down on some food, and they were making fresh dumplings. They steamed them and it tasted real good. I think they were pork and there was this spicy, soy sauce, and herb sauce to put on top of it. The skin had a semi chewy but mostly al dente feel to them. Also served was duck soup with bamboo that I loved. Love those two flavors together. There was some spicy chicken wings but they were cut up. I don't know if it helped eat it but I was focused on the dumplings and soup. The views from this place was nice. It had a nice view of the mountains and I wished I took some photos. To own a place like this would take $30,000. That would kind of cool to own a place like this and have it around when you visit China. ... anywho off to check out a factory 20 mins away. I wish I knew where I was so I can actually name the cities or towns but I don't. I'm sure you're asking why I am visiting a factory. All I can say is that I gotta make sure the 5 year olds are making your Christmas toys properly. Don't worry, its not a sweat shop, there are fans and Kathy Lee Gifford is overseeing everything. =P
This is where Yao Ming learned how to play basketball.
...driving through the little town, I wasn't used to the layout. As far as I can tell, they were little shops but didn't look like shops. I guess the closest experience I would have would be something a little like Tijuana or maybe like how Route 66 used to be. There were shops with pool tables out side and every shop looked the same. Some tables and chairs and a tv, or other gift shoppy stuff. But basically kinda runned down, at least for me, but I am sure they are doing alright. ...a quick stroll through the town and arrived at the factory. It was locked down with gate keeper/security guy. Headed upstairs and entered into what I think was a mother effin 5 hour meeting. It is not that hard to tell me the child labor is doing alright and only 3 children died in the furnace this month. HAHA jk. It was a typical meeting. Just long. What was funny is that I did notice a huge bumble bee getting crazy on one of the light fixtures and moving it like crazy. It was kinda funny and did freak me out.
There was a big effin bumblebee that was flying into this light and was moving it. It was kinda crazy.
...I think we wrapped around 8 and it was dinner time. Took a tour around the factory and it was a interesting set up. But I was ready to get out of there. At night, the town starts to come alive. A lot of people are walking the streets and the shops are more vibrant with the lights emitting from each front. I cannot tell if it is a residential area or industrial. It seems to intertwine with each other.
They are totally backwards over here.
...once we hit a toll, we had to go back since something wasn't picked up that was suppose to be picked up. That almost killed it for me. I was starting to feel like crap. I was restless, a little exhausted from the heat, and somewhat blah from being hungry. My eating schedule is off but I rarely felt hungry during this trip. I do not know but I ended up taking a little nap. When I woke up, we were back in Shenzhen and liked hearing the bustle of the city. ...we went into a parking lot and I wasn't sure where I was at but it didn't matter. I was glad to be out of that factory. Taking the elevator up, it was clear that I was in a mall. Score! Time to go shopping. Every designer brand you can think of was represented well here. For some reason Express wasn't here. HAHA.. But I didn't look around so I do not know if they were or not. We took five escalators up and I was already loving this mall. It is the biggest I have been in as far as I know. I do not think the Beverly Center goes up that high. It was amazing, but I didn't get to experience it all cause had to head off to dinner.
After going all the way to the top, we arrived at The Grand Prince Hotel.

This place is HUGE!! This is the front of the restaurant. The screen is the backdrop to a stage. It looks like they have weddings or dinner show/concerts here. Beats the funny thing where people go to malls on homecoming and proms.

Back left of the place. Looks like they have VIP private rooms looking over the restaurant floor.

Very back of the restaurant. Kinda cool raised tables for what I assume are for the shows.

There were stations all over the restaurant. The side near the entrance had what looked like an aquarium with various water creatures alive and dead

Roasting area and what looked like a sushi bar.

Wood ear mushrooms and some random other veggies. It tasted alright but nothing too exciting.

Bean curd noodles with cabbage and some other greens. It had some sort of hard boiled egg pieces, but don't know whose egg.

Bok Choy soup with celery and some sort of pruney mushroom. Fairly bland.

Don't know what fish this was but you cannot go wrong with fried fish. But fish with little bones have become too much work to even enjoy much.

Stewed fish with two kinds of chillies. The aroma was pretty bomb but man it was pretty damn spicy.

Fish eye ball, the best part and my first. It tasted pretty damn good.

Roasted glazed pork belly. You cannot ever go wrong with pork belly.
...the dinner came to a wrap and headed back to the hotel. Had a little trouble getting out of the parking complex and miscommunication of having to pay to get out or not. Have a long day tomorrow. We were visiting some ancient town or something. Who knows? Along for the ride. ...I had a crazy dream. All I can remember was that Esmee Denters was my girl and she flashed me some really nice boobies and I was at some WWE event. It was random. I been getting a lot of dreams having girlfriends in them lately. Subconscious is trying to tell me something and I am totally not feeling it. I came here for a wifey, not a girlfriend. Cmon now brain! ]]> http://www.anh-nguyen.com/weblog/archives/2009/11/day_2_business.html http://www.anh-nguyen.com/weblog/archives/2009/11/day_2_business.html Life. - My Confession. Sun, 01 Nov 2009 11:05:21 -0800 Day 1: Dude the Time Difference be Sucking Hord..! ...so where to begin where to begin. I'll start with the packing. I lagged on that so bad. I basically waited until the last minute and had to load up the iPod and iPhone and handle my wedding gift for the wedding I hit up last weekend. I hope they come out pretty nice. I finally edited all my music as well. I am way too anal about how I like my music to look in the folders and on my Apple products. I also went and bought some frames from Michael's. I finally decided to frame of my favorite photos I have taken over the years. I am getting them printed at Artscow.com. They have some crazy deals. I think I had a coupon for a few 8x10 photos for free. I wasted more time at the library checking out books. I finally gave in and got some Poker books. I was totally against reading how to play but I am tired of the BS I go through playing. Even though the stakes are only $20 every 2 weeks but even when I play my A game, I get busted after playing two hands. There is a $500 stake game in La Verne that Christine told me about and I wanna prepare for that. Higher the stakes, the better the players. I prefer not to lose $20 bucks against crappy players and not learn anything.

...as I think about it, maybe I should start on the journalist five questions. I am going cause why not, and looking for a real job at this moment sucks. I've never been. Plus I am totally bored with the USA. Ehh really not reason but for the life experience and cause? Poor explanation but hey its my blog. ha!

...oh yeah, trying to unlock my iPhone took a lot of my time Thursday. Never really wanted to jailbreak or unlock my iPhone but I got ladies I need to available for or else they start trippin. haha.. jk.. sorta. Word of advice: Do not update your iPhone everytime you are allowed to. Things get updated and then it comes impossible to unlock/jailbreak until someone decides to or can, but that always takes time. However, I was able to jailbreak it with Blackra1n. The easiest jailbreak EVER! It literally took only 30 seconds. I have jailbroken the first gen iPhone and it was a biatch! The thing that made me even more ecstatic is that the controversial Google Voice app denied by AT&T and Apple is made available and I LOVE IT! I can make calls and initiate texts without having to call into my phone or using a browser. So it basically lets me make calls and receive texts through wifi and unlocking isn't too much of a big deal. Too bad I still would need to find a wifi signal, more about that sorta later.

...anyways, I ended up packing three luggage bags and I may have over packed. I mean I do not need that many articles of clothing. I plan on doing some heavy shopping and hoping for some new tailored suits. I am only allowed 50 lbs per checked bag. I didn't hit that weight but I don't know how much I will accumulate during this trip. Gotta be prepared or I can go super asian style and pack boxes.This is my first time flying overseas and such a dramatic time difference.

...-just to put it out there but unreliable people are super lame. That's is all I gotta say. Anywho, headed off to LAX. Got there way early and the flight ended up being delayed at least an hour due to some airport being closed or some gas leak. I really don't know, there were a few conflicting stories but it did not really matter.

..killed time at the Micky Dees upstairs in the Bradley international terminal. Some douche knocked over my carry on and laptop bag. The laptop is obviously fine since I am on it right now but I am not sure about the camera yet. Man I am on this really old '03 Dell laptop. It cost me like $1300 back in the day. I bought it for when I was in CT selling books door to door with Southwestern Book Company. I recently went on eBay to buy replacement batteries and an AC adapter. I boughtt two batteries for 15 each with free shipping along with $12 for the adapter with another battery coming for $13. I even found a parts laptop of the same model going for $10 bucks. I do not know if that's saying something about the Dell or technology. Dell has a bomb warranty but once its out, you're screwed. Battery, ac adapter, and the mouse are all screwed. I have a laptop mouse but some stupid chick left with my USB adapter and won't give it back. Seriously though, I swear she is trying to hold me by the balls so she can keep me around but I am totally over that. If I was such a cheap ass, I wouldn't care. But I bought it for $10 bucks and really don't wanna spend to get another when I can just get it back. I am debating what I should do later.

...headed to gate 105. More waiting. I was getting antsy and I was pretty hungry. It was somewhere between 10-12 AM. The time was kinda of a blur. I was feeling real crappy. I went around the duty-free shops and thought they were suppose to sell cheaper items. Duty means no tax and as far as I know, shipping cost aren't added to the final price. A lot of the stuff wasn't not as cheap as I remember. Then again last time I really hit up a duty-free shop was a mini Mexico trip years ago and bought cologne and alcohol. Speaking of cologne, I think my new cologne will be the new Blurberry. It smells pretty bomb! I still do need to get Kenneth Cole "T-Shirt." But then again, I don't think I need more since I have a fairly large collection.

...-through out the waiting I was texting people and what not. It is kinda nice to have like someone text you before you leave but too bad no one really knew I was leaving. Well at least the ones I was texting. It seems lame but its kinda nice to be talk to someone before leave and on arrival. Only time I remember doing that was when i went to NYC for a charity Josh Groban concert thingy. Ehh but that was years ago. Miss that and all but kinda lame of me.

...12:10PM. We were allowed to board the plane. It ended up being a two story plane. I have never seen them in person and it was pretty cool. I was stuck on the first level in row 47. The plane was configured 3/4/3. That is a lot of persons per row. I needed up in the middle section, middle seat. I was glad that there was no one sitting to the left of me. The plane was way hot inside and the air wasn't on. It kinda sucked for at least 30 mins. All the seats had a screen in front of it that gave details of the flight. After 15 mins of the flight, it ended up being a media center. It had TV shows, movies, games, and music player. It had some pretty good cds and I ended up making a pretty good play list with Josh Groban's recent cd, Buble, Britney, Adele, Lionel Richie, Andrea Bocelli and then some. The TV shows I watched were Entourage, House, Family Guy, Californication. I wanted to watch Mad Men and other shows but I don't wanna start watching a series without starting from the beginning. They also had some new movies like Startrek, Hang Over, Hurt Locker and others but I didn't watch any. I do not know why. Maybe I was saving them for the ride home. But I thought it was pretty neat. But then again I was wondering to myself why I brought the laptop with some shows but I guess its for the very situation right now. I just watched Modern Family and the recent episode was pretty damn hilarious.

...the flight attendants were pretty helpful. They had as many wardrobe changes as Lady Gaga did at the VMAs. The dinner was sweet and sour pork with steamed rice. Potato salad with smoked salmon and a roll. I totally forgot to take a picture to share but I couldn't think cause I was pretty dang hungry by then. It tasted good then but as I think about it, it wasn't all that great at all.

...the plane ride SUCKED! Taking off wasn't too bad. A lot better than I have experienced and the turbulence was not that bad. I was freaking out more when it was minor but the worse period of it, I was pretty calm. I had intermittent periods of naps here and there. I do not know what I would do if I had someone sitting on both sides of me. I was sitting sideways to get comfortable. There were times where my head fell and hit the top of the arm rest right dab in the middle of my forehead. That shit hurt the three times I remembered. I went back and forth from music, games, tv shows. Time felt like it flew but was as slow at the same time. 15 hours in a plane is somewhat insane. There was a guy with a U$C alumni shirt. I wanted to say something to him but thought it was more amusing than anything. There were a few cute chicks on the plane. There was this latina chick with a Mexico passport. She reminded me of the ladies I used to be into back in high school. There was this white chick was went to the bathroom a lot and stared alot. Eventually she was going to the facilities with her boyfriend holding her hand. Co-dependency is a biatch and kinda annoying.

...the plane had snacks throughout the flight upon request. I had a few mini bags of peanuts. They were bomb! They were roasted but not salted. People were getting little cup of noodles as a snack. Of course they would on a Chinese plane heading to China. The programming said something about sandwiches and ice cream. I did not see anything of the sort. I had a decent tasting apple and was content until breakfast. Breakfast consisted of a ham and cheese sandwich, strawberry pudding that was suppose to be yogurt and a fruit cocktail. That fruit cocktail was SO BAD! All the fruit was picked way too early and was sour as all heck. I killed it cause I wanted to make sure I got me some fiber. Otherwise, I would have been cool of that.

...arrived in Hong Kong 6:30am or something, local time. Looked for the train to the immigration area. That train was hauling! It felt upwards seeming 80mph. We need more of these in LA. Headed there and had to fill out an immigration form and heath check form. Then off to baggage claim. There is always a period of time when that carousel goes around a certain number of times before you wonder if they lost your baggage. It is good to have designer luggage that all match.

...waited for my ride and headed off to Shenzhen. Man, it was bright out and man the time was trippen me out and I think people smoked in the van I was in. Did you know there is something called third hand smoke? It is when the residue of smoke lingers around in the air and porous things and people like me who are super sensitive to it, pick it up. At this point, I was feeling like crap and the drive was kinda blah. We hit up 3 check points. They crack down hord here. Be happy you live in a real free country where you don't have heath check points, identity check points, temperature check points, car check points. It was wasn't that bad but when you're feeling blah. It sucks!

...headed to my hotel Luohu hotel. People here drive like they drive in NYC but here they have more grace. NYC, taxi drivers drive one inch from other cars and think they are the best drivers. Here, they do the same thing but its a lot more fluid. So maybe that stereotype isn't as true as it is in the states. ha! Oh funny thing, in Hong Kong, they drive on the left side but herein Shenzhen its on the right. Things can get pretty confusing.

...checked into the hotel and went to the room. This room is small. The Crown Plaza is right next door and was thinking about checking into there inside. I have a discount but when I checked the price, it was around $150 a night. That's Las Vegas prices on the weekend. Eff that. I plan on shopping and eating like 50 lbs of dim sum. At least the beds are firm and pretty comfortable. In order to use the power, you need to place your room key in a slot. That is pretty ingenious. You are force to turn the power off when you leave the room or else you don't have a room key. The TV is an old school CRT and I had to check out the Lakers game. My goal this season was to watch all the games and knew that would not be possible when im over here. But I forgot the NBA is very popular in China and got the game. But before the game started, I hit up the breakfast here.

...the breakfast was kinda whatevers. They had pad thai, fried rice, seasoned fries, mini mini wieners, hard boiled eggs, duck and papaya, made to order eggs, custom made noodle bowls, random fruit and breads and rice porridge. I got down on the hard boil eggs, pad thai and friend rice. It was kinda whatever but I wanted to get my protein in. My body wants to be on local time but my mind is still got me on PST time. So I maybe having breakfast but it is some other time at home. I think it was 7PM PST. I was missing out on a Halloween party but no biggie. Just another excuse to have a party and for chicks to dress slutty. Totally not complaining about either but at what age is it lame to talk about being drunk and taking pics yourself with alcohol. I really do not get it.

...oh yeah. Some dude had a mean staring problem in a booth in front of me to the left. I am not really a paranoid person but I swear this guy was staring and aiming his phone at me in order to take pictures or something. I mean I know I am hot and all but cmon now! J/k. But be less creepy and douchy with it.

...after breakfast, I watched the Lakers game. Damn Mavericks are looking good again this season. When did they get Shawn Marion? Lakers almost lost by 25 at one point That is crazy. Good thing it was only 14 but still. Gasol needs to get his butt back on the floor. Why did Phil Jackson and/or Mitch Kupchak let him play in the summer with Spain? His hamstring is all messed. Oh well, I do not think its anything bad like Clipper's Blake Griffin.

...I then proceeded to take a lot of naps. I tried to check out facebook and twitter but guess China blocked access to them cause of some riot. I still can get on Twitter through difference means but I like my Facebook. I will be working on that. However, you can still reach me via phone or text at 323-448-0264.

...something about the room has got me feeling blah. I swear its a smoking room or something. After each nap, my nose would be all stuffed. Not a good thing. I am trying not to get sick. But I think I basically chilled out from noon to 6 or 7 PM local time. It was cold in here cause of the A/C but I kept it on to vent the room.

...headed off to dinner to a hot pot place. It was effin 82 degrees outside in the evening. It is summertime up in this mug! The hot pot restaurant was real good. I got down on some Kobe beef(I think, it was pretty heavily marbled beef), fresh shrimp that was still moving, fish balls, shrimp wontons, fried rice, chicken, what tasted to be red snapper, some weird mushroom, oysters, water chestnuts I think or some potato. It was a big feast. You definitely go family style here. The waiters are really attentive and were always there to help but not enough to annoy like what I am used to in the states, rather Southern California. I actually drank the tea they served us. Usually at dim sum restaurants back home, I never like to drink that stuff. It just seemed a little unsanitary even though it was hot water in a pot. I should say something clever like Tony Bourdain would but its 12:13PM local tme and 9 back home. I am pretty tired but I wanna finish this post and uploading pics is taking forever. All I know is that it was good and I was hungry at that point after my naps.

...driving through the district, I wanna get my shop on!! Lotta clothing stores but not really looking for clothes, but I really don't know what i am looking for. I will know when I see it. I think I am done with this post. I have a schedule massage in the morning. Last thought of the night, Happy Halloween, Go UCLA!!


Do you have to ask or is the happy ending a given here? =P

]]> http://www.anh-nguyen.com/weblog/archives/2009/10/day_1_dude_time.html http://www.anh-nguyen.com/weblog/archives/2009/10/day_1_dude_time.html Life. - My Confession. Sat, 31 Oct 2009 06:49:11 -0800 Winners of the Digital Room's Business Card Giveaway Winners of my Business card giveaway sponsored by Digital Room have been chosen. The giveaway ran for about three weeks and it was fairly simple to enter. I choose the winner based on the answers I liked and then picked randomly from there. If you were not chosen this time, I will be running more contests in the future. Please stayed tuned. The winners of a set of custom set of 500 business cards are:

Michael C. and Dave J.
Congratulations. I will be emailing you to confirm your email. From there you will be given further details on how to redeem your business cards. If I do not get a response from them, I will choose another winner. Thank you everyone for participating. Remember I will be posting more giveaways in the near future. Enjoy your new business cards!! Thanks again to everyone who participated, Digital Room, and Sam.


I wish I could be Oprah and say, "You get business cards, and you get a set, and you, everyone gets business cards." But I can't. :( ]]> http://www.anh-nguyen.com/weblog/archives/2009/10/winners_of_the.html http://www.anh-nguyen.com/weblog/archives/2009/10/winners_of_the.html So. Random. Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:19:42 -0800 Primetime Emmys 2009 Picks Here are my picks for the Primtime Emmys 2009. I haven't done this in a very long time and thought it was something I could do before the USC at Washington game. Washington won 16-13. Yay! Now UCLA needs to keep up their run!! Anyways, here are my picks for various categories that I have somewhat knowledge of. This can entail me actually watching the shows or my large celebrity, all things Hollywood mind. Lets see how well I do come Monday.. Neil Patrick Harris is the host, and he should be pretty damn funny!

This year's Primetime Emmys are going to be Legen... wait for it.. DARY!!!

 

 

 

DRAMA SERIES:
"Big Love," HBO
"Breaking Bad," AMC
"Damages," FX
"Dexter," Showtime
"House," Fox (WANT)
"Lost," ABC
"Mad Men," AMC (WILL)

COMEDY SERIES:
"Entourage," HBO
"Family Guy," Fox
"How I Met Your Mother," CBS (WANT, even though last season was ok)
"Flight of the Conchords," HBO
"The Office," NBC
"30 Rock," NBC (WILL)
"Weeds," Showtime

ACTOR, DRAMA SERIES:
Simon Baker, "The Mentalist"
Gabriel Byrne, "In Treatment"
Bryan Cranston, "Breaking Bad"
Michael C. Hall, "Dexter" (WANT)
Jon Hamm, "Mad Men" (WILL)
Hugh Laurie, "House" (WANT AND SHOULD)

ACTRESS, DRAMA SERIES:
Glenn Close, "Damages"
Sally Field, "Brothers and Sisters"
Mariska Hargitay, "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit" (WILL)
Holly Hunter, "Saving Grace"
Elisabeth Moss, "Mad Men"
Kyra Sedgwick, "The Closer" (WANT)

ACTRESS, COMEDY SERIES:
Christina Applegate, "Samantha Who?"
Toni Collette, "United States of Tara" (WANT)
Tina Fey, "30 Rock" (WILL)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, "New Adventures of Old Christine"
Mary-Louise Parker, "Weeds"
Sarah Silverman, "The Sarah Silverman Program"

ACTOR, COMEDY SERIES:
Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock" (WILL)
Steve Carell, "The Office"
Jemaine Clement, "Flight of the Conchords"
Jim Parsons, "The Big Bang Theory" (WANT AND SHOULD)
Tony Shalhoub, "Monk"
Charlie Sheen, "Two and a Half Men"

SUPPORTING ACTOR, COMEDY SERIES:
Jon Cryer, "Two and a Half Men"
Kevin Dillon, "Entourage"
Neil Patrick Harris, "How I Met Your Mother" (WANT AND WILL)
Jack McBrayer, "30 Rock"
Tracy Morgan, "30 Rock"
Rainn Wilson, "The Office"

SUPPORTING ACTOR, DRAMA SERIES:
Christian Clemenson, "Boston Legal" (WILL)
Michael Emerson, "Lost" (WANT AND SHOULD)
William Hurt, "Damages"
Aaron Paul, "Breaking Bad"
William Shatner, "Boston Legal" (GOOD CHANCE WILL)
John Slattery, "Mad Men"

SUPPORTING ACTRESS, DRAMA SERIES:
Rose Byrne, "Damages"
Hope Davis, "In Treatment"
Cherry Jones, "24" (WANT)
Sandra Oh, "Grey's Anatomy"
Dianne Wiest, "In Treatment"
Chandra Wilson, "Grey's Anatomy" (WILL)

SUPPORTING ACTRESS, COMEDY SERIES:
Kristin Chenoweth, "Pushing Daisies"
Amy Poehler, "Saturday Night Live" (WANT, WILL, AND SHOULD)
Jane Krakowski, "30 Rock"
Elizabeth Perkins, "Weeds"
Kristin Wiig, "Saturday Night Live"
Vanessa Williams, "Ugly Betty"

REALITY HOST:
Tom Bergeron, "Dancing With The Stars"
Phil Keoghan, "The Amazing Race"
Heidi Klum, "Project Runway"
Padma Lakshmi and Tom Colicchio, "Top Chef" (WANT)
Jeff Probst, "Survivor"
Ryan Seacrest, "American Idol" (WILL)

REALITY-COMPETITION PROGRAM:
"The Amazing Race," CBS
"American Idol," FOX
"Dancing With The Stars," ABC (WILL)
"Project Runway," Bravo
"Top Chef," Bravo (WANT)

REALITY PROGRAM:
"Antiques Roadshow," PBS
"Dirty Jobs," Discovery Channel
"Dog Whisperer," National Geographic
"Intervention," A&E (WILL)
"Kathy Griffin: My Life On The D-List," Bravo (WANT AND CHANCE WILL)
"Mythbusters," Discovery

 

CASTING FOR A COMEDY SERIES:
"Californication" (WANT)
"30 Rock" (WILL)
"The Office" (WANT)
"United States of Tara" (WANT)
"Weeds" (WANT)

CASTING FOR A DRAMA SERIES:
"Damages"
"Friday Night Lights"
"Mad Men" (WILL)
"True Blood"
"The Tudors"


 

]]> http://www.anh-nguyen.com/weblog/archives/2009/09/primetime_emmys.html http://www.anh-nguyen.com/weblog/archives/2009/09/primetime_emmys.html Celebrity. Whorin. Tube. Cinema. Musicality. Sat, 19 Sep 2009 16:56:35 -0800 Business Cards Giveaway... DigitalRoom. They have awesome prices and so many options. I have compared them to brink and mortar stores along with other online printers and they are hard to beat. Well, I am sponsored by them now and they have given me the opportunity to giveaway (2) sets of 500 count business cards. Now these are not cheap quality cards with lame logo on the back business cards from a site rhyming with mistaprimp. These the high quality cards I am planning to get once I design mine. Only the best for me, and passing it along to 2 lucky winners. If you win, you can choose between 3 different die cut business cards. I am looking at 2"x2" or 3"x3". Change it up a little. The details to have a chance to win a set of business cards are as follows... (2) PRIZE WINNERS WILL RECEIVE 500 Business Cards Choose size: 2x3.5", 2x3", 2x2"; Choose paper: 14pt cardstock (matte or gloss coating) & 13 pt cardstock uncoated Choose Color: (4/4) Color both sides; (4/1) Color 1 side , B/W backside; (4/0) Color 1 side, black backside Shipping must be paid by Winner. Offer Valid for UNITED STATES SHIPPING ONLY. To enter, leave a comment telling how you would use the business cards if you won. I will select the 2 winners on October 1st, 2009. Winners will be contacted via email Good luck! Until then, be sure to check out DigitalRoom and start designing your card. You never know, you might win and all you have to do is click, print, and your prize will be at your door step in no time. Sponsored by: Business cards...The next best thing to the Bump app on the iPhone ]]> http://www.anh-nguyen.com/weblog/archives/2009/09/business_cards.html http://www.anh-nguyen.com/weblog/archives/2009/09/business_cards.html So. Random. Fri, 11 Sep 2009 10:14:11 -0800 Wow.. Talk about a hiatus Friday August 3rd, 2007 Ok ok I know.. It has been effin long as heck. My excuse? Been way way too hella busy. Why am I getting back to it now? Partly theres a fatty scholarship out there going to someone who can pull of a tight blog. i.e. me.. It is the exactly kick in the butt that I need to get back into blogging and getting people back here.. Now I do not know where to start with this blog again and I have so much to ramble about. I will track to back track to events I did a few months prior. I couple red carpets, concerts and you know the usual.. for those who used to read this thing. I guess the main focus of this comeback post will have to do with school I suppose. So I basically got accepted to every school I applied to besides USC. USC was really where I wanted to go to, but I would have had to take a handful of more classes and I am ready for a major change. The last couple of semesters I have gotten 4.0 and straight A's averaging about 17 units per. So yeah.. I decided to go to UCLA. I was hella surprised when I received the email saying I was accepted. It hit me for a split second, the excitement that is, but I was deflated after I remember I had three more classes to finish. If I kept the schedule I had in the Spring, with 24 units, I would not have to take them in the summer. I am saying this now as I have only one more week left and will be passing the classes. Anyways.. Let's get into the meat of this post... Orientation... Oh sidenote.. I didn't get parking.. BOO.. That is going to change my preference of where to live. I had orientation last Friday on the 3rd of August. It began at 7:45am to 9pm, I was looking forward to it and not at the same time. I wanted to make sure all my questions were answered along with picking out my classes. I was not a fan of the early morning especially driving into the city with all the traffic. If I planned better, I would have had a hotel at a pretty good discount weeks in advance but when you use the family and friends rate, you need to plan at least 3 weeks in advance. That I did not do. That night I was up until 2am and woke up at 5:30am and headed my way on over there. The traffic wasn't too bad until I hit the 10. It was not horrible since I was just loving the drive and the music all together. Got into Westwood and had to figure out where I was suppose to park. There was absolutely no signs pointing to parking anywhere!! I would think it be planned a little bit better but whatever. No biggie parking, hopping out of the car and asking around. I would have been pissed if I got a parking ticket.. parking tickets in Los Angles as far as I know run like 45 bucks. That is crazy!! Eventually found the where I had to park and took another 30 mins to find Royce Hall. I been there for a Jethro Tull concert but man its a lot different being dead center on campus and being all intimated by all the awesome buildings. I get to the check in and there I am sweating my ass off. I can feel the sweat bead off the back of my neck onto my back. It was bad.. this is what i get for wearing a blazer and shirt. I mean it was still pretty cold out but all that walking does not result in a dry Anh. There I had to walk to another building that I forgot the name to, Kerchoff to pick up my Bruin card. A few weeks ago I sent in the photo to have my card made but the resolution of the photo was too small. This is what I get for taking the photo myself and having someone at Ritz camera handle it and print it out. When that was rejected, I had to go back and make some adjustments and the chick behind the counter was being a dick on how I had to pay 15 bucks for the print. First of all they didn't take the photo, second I handle it myself and you're not going to charge me 15 bucks for something you normally charge 24 cents for a 4x6. I had some drama with the Bruin card again, something about not sending in my terms and conditions but I guess they figured it out.. Headed off to some other place.. Man I need to learn the names of the places.. sat and listened to orientation.. Basically dont cheat.. drink much.. and some other stuff. Met up with my student adviser. Handled some stuff.. Eat.. Got like 8 bucks on the Bruincard.. Had a pretty bomb salad.. The chick in front of me acted like the cooks were stupid. She told them like no cheese or something but they were working on my salad and she repeated to them. Unno. Thats what gets people to spit in your food. Ate.. Met the other people in my major and orientation. Headed off to some other building. Killed like 3 hours in there before I talked to my adviser. Missed some workshops.. Dont remember much.. Headed to dinner in one of the halls. I was on my diet.. well lifestyle change of being better, so had a salad and chicken soup.. Left to register for classes in the very nice orientation person's summer apartment. So nice! I kinda want to be an advisor. Signed up for 2 Philosophy classes and an Accounting course. Thats about it and left and went home. Waited with this chick for her ride. Im way too nice.. I am a Son of Westwood ]]> http://www.anh-nguyen.com/weblog/archives/2007/08/wow_talk_about.html http://www.anh-nguyen.com/weblog/archives/2007/08/wow_talk_about.html Life. - My Confession. Wed, 08 Aug 2007 13:34:11 -0800 Vote this pic in JPG Magazine










]]> http://www.anh-nguyen.com/weblog/archives/2007/03/vote_this_pic_i.html http://www.anh-nguyen.com/weblog/archives/2007/03/vote_this_pic_i.html So. Random. Fri, 16 Mar 2007 23:35:11 -0800 Kevin Federlines Superbowl Commericial








Life does come at you fast.. Before you know it you have 3 kids and 2 baby mommas ]]> http://www.anh-nguyen.com/weblog/archives/2007/01/kevin_federline.html http://www.anh-nguyen.com/weblog/archives/2007/01/kevin_federline.html So. Random. Mon, 29 Jan 2007 21:37:25 -0800 Rush Hour 3 Teaser Trailer








Comes out in August ]]> http://www.anh-nguyen.com/weblog/archives/2007/01/rush_hour_3_tea.html http://www.anh-nguyen.com/weblog/archives/2007/01/rush_hour_3_tea.html So. Random. Sun, 28 Jan 2007 10:21:45 -0800 Just something funny... ]]> http://www.anh-nguyen.com/weblog/archives/2006/12/just_something_1.html http://www.anh-nguyen.com/weblog/archives/2006/12/just_something_1.html Tube. Cinema. Musicality. Mon, 18 Dec 2006 10:48:39 -0800 "Lost" Numbers Explained FINALLY!! After almost three years of hypothesis' and theories about the TV show "Lost," finally some questions are answered. During the hiatus after the season finale last summer; ABC ran "The Lost Experience." I do not know all the details of this game but I do not even care. After each trial of the game, a fragment of the video was given for viewing pleasure. Someone talented pieced each video file together and it is what you see on the left. Well here is the explaination and it debunks a few theories I have heard over the years and cannot wait until the season opener. The numbers (4, 8, 15, 16, 23 and 42) represent the Valenzetti Equation, a mathematical formula having to do with the timetable for humanity's extinction. The show's sinister Dharma Initiative was an effort by the mysterious Hanso Foundation to ward off that inevitability. When Dharma failed, Hanso's nefarious acting leader, Thomas Mittelwerk, set in motion a plan to release a virus that would kill 30 percent of the world's population. Freaky much? ]]> http://www.anh-nguyen.com/weblog/archives/2006/09/lost_numbers_ex.html http://www.anh-nguyen.com/weblog/archives/2006/09/lost_numbers_ex.html Tube. Cinema. Musicality. Fri, 15 Sep 2006 19:31:17 -0800 Josh Groban's Next Single... "You Are Loved (Don't Give Up)" This is Josh Groban's first single off his third album due to be released in November of this year. I haven't heard an the title of the album but it does not matter. The songs on the album will be awesome. I know I have been giving a lot of love to Mr. Timberlake, but in time, Mr. Groban will get his fair share. "You Are Loved (Don't Give Up)" is hitting radio airplay soon and the single should be available to purchase also. I kinda like the song... His vocals are much more Pop oriented than his past songs. Don't get me wrong, this is not a bad thing. I don't believe he has found his sound just yet but this album could be it. I am looking forward to hearing the entire album and seeing him on tour again next year around this time.. Listen to the Song | See the cover (Large Image) |


If you don't know who Josh Groban is by now.. That is fine.. He has enough fans... :) ]]> http://www.anh-nguyen.com/weblog/archives/2006/09/josh_grobans_ne.html http://www.anh-nguyen.com/weblog/archives/2006/09/josh_grobans_ne.html Tube. Cinema. Musicality. Wed, 06 Sep 2006 01:40:03 -0800 LACHSA First Annual Hollywood Tribute August 31st, 2006 josh groban Damn.. It has been awhile since I attended an event Josh Groban was going to be at. I don't know if it was intentional or not but here I am. I missed a Grammys event in Malibu a month ago and was kinda pissed about that. Anyways.. Los Angeles County High School of the Arts or LACHSA for short was honoring a few of their teachers, Warner Brothers and Josh Groban. The event was held at the Century Plaza Hotel. The photos on their website makes the hotel look pretty nice, but man Century City is a drive. Once I arrived at the hotel, after parking across at the Westfield Mall, I entered into the hotel. By the way, this Westfield Mall had a effin Louis Vuitton and Tiffany Co. store. I didn't know Westfield Malls were this nice. HAHA. I walked from one side of the lobby to the other and didn't know where the heck the event was. I assumed it was some ballroom but didn't see any signs. After I backed tracked from the restaurant to the bar, I saw a bunch of "older" woman walking in a huge group taking an escalator. I assumed they knew where to go and followed them down one level. I turned a corner and there were the crowd of more "older" woman and saw the table to sign in. I received my credentials and walked into the ballroom. My first reaction was that it was really small. The width of the room I'd say was maybe 25 feet to 30 feet. The length maybe 100? Give or take? Basically the place was a little smaller than I would think the event would be. I mean cmon, Josh Groban? A tribute? Who knows.. The place had tables that sat 10 people each and maybe there were about 12 to 15 tables. Right dab in the middle was the stage with some dude playing a flute and rapping. Yeah.. Talented.. I headed over to the press table on the far end of everything. First thing I thought, we were sitting at the kids table.. haha. I didn't care. I was kinda all hot and bothered from the walk from the mall, so I didn't care where I sat. I wanted to sit and cool the heck down. People were slowly making their way in and hanging out. After awhile, this chick I remember last year showed up, along with an older lady that didn't look like she knew what she was doing. That chick I remember.. I remember her because she has soo much makeup. I mean there is a point where make up enhances a woman's features but when it looks like you can scoop it off, that is when it is just too much. Oh her name is Katherine Kramer... I Googled her and I guess her Godmother was Katherine Hepburn. ::shrugs:: The older lady came over with a gift bag for the guest, so I assumed she was a guest. But I guess she wasn't and was with some online magazine thing. I find it tacky to steal someones gift bag when you know you're not suppose to get one. It wasn't hard too since the bags were just hanging on the chairs. Plus the bags consisted of hand lotion, cds of from Katisse Buckinham and Gwendolyn (which I will get into later), a Celine Dion keychain and fun-size candies. Yeah, I thought to myself uhh yeah ok.... The makeup chick ended up lifting a bag too. The committee chair lady came over to welcome us and told us about the open Vodka and Gin bar. :) She also told us Josh Groban was running late and that his performance would start around 7:15. Well I guess no interview will be possible since the 30 minutes before 5:00pm was the time for that. josh groban I was feeling uncomfortable since I was in there, so again I just sat there and took everything in. Katisse Buckinham and Upper Structure were providing the music. Katisse looks like a dirt bike rider that plays jazz. Sonia Romero came around to be interviewed. I didn't really bother to ask her anything but she was an artist from LACHSA. I wasn't too privy on her paintings but still respect it. She is pretty cute though. :) She is having a showcase soon and I might check that out. Another photog came around, Krista from Corbis and Zuma. Finally someone that looked normal to talk to. She went to get a drink and it was a banana Vokda drink, she didn't want that. I tasted it and it was sick. The smell was nice, kind of like a Banana Now and Later. At this time they were serving the people who paid for their seats. The seats were $250 each and you were able to buy the whole table. It looked like Carpaccio was the appetizer. I went to go get a drink and made sure it wasn't some Banana drink. I asked for my usual Vodka Tonic and when the bartender was making it, he kept looking at me. I wasn't sure why but most of the time I was looking down at him making the drink. After he gave me a few glances, he then asked me if I was even old enough. I laughed and looked at him. It was an older Asian guy, and of all people, he should know we don't look our age. I headed back and more people were at the table. Marc Murai and his crew were hanging out. He was there to finish up his documentary on the school and they were showing a trailer of it later. Eventually Josh Groban made his way into the place. He sat right in front of the stage and Gwendolyn was performing. I went over to chatter a bit to him and his manager, Brian. This time I remembered to ask for his card; but with my luck he didnt have one on him. Nice... The other photographers and I tried to get a shot of Josh but he seemed engaged with Gwendolyn's performance. We wanted a good clean shot of him alone, but there wasn't a good time to take his attention away. To give you an idea of the music Gwendolyn was performing, she announced the title to one of the songs... "Acorn." I don't think I need to say anything else.. Dinner was being served and it look like some steak medallion thingy. I just wanted to get my shots and leave. But it seemed like it was going to take forever. After what it seemed like an hour of the dinner stuff; the opening remarks started the award stuff. By this time, Mike from Wireimage joined us and we made the best of the time sitting there doing nothing. The older lady that was sitting with us was hitting me up on how I got there and such. She said she was with Splash Magazine.. I thought to myself Splash News? They are known for their paparazzi photos and what not but didn't know they had a magazine. She said she was with them but I knew she didn't even what she was talking about. Earlier she was going to get kicked out for taking photos of Josh without her badge. The whole time he was here she kept asking if I wanted to go with her to take pictures but I just played her off the 100 times she asked. They played the LACHSA Documentary trailer after the opening remarks. The school seemed like a cool place to attend. Jerry Freedman was first to receive the 2006 Outstanding Educator Awards. He seems like a really cool teacher and a teacher that I wish I had in high school. I wanted to actually attend LACHSA because what was said about him and what he had to say. Ka-Ron was the dance teacher that was getting honored. She was making fun of Josh and how she heard that he might have needed a dance teacher. I thought that was kinda funny. Warner Bros. was also honored for helping out the school. They have donated 250,000 dollars in who knows how many years span. The rep for WB was talking and talking and talking. Josh was next to receive his award according to the program. He didn't get it until a taped message from Celine Dion. But before that video message played; the committee chair told the audience that Gayle Anderson called in saying congrats and wished she was there. OH! During this time, the waiter guy dropped off some leftover bread sticks from when he bussed the other table. Dude we were hella hungry but I wasn't trying to be all crazy on the bread sticks. josh groban Josh received his award and made his speech. At this time, I went up to shoot some pictures. Josh ended up performing "America" and "Vincent." During "Vincent" Zach Provost came up to play the piano. The lighting in there sucked big time to take pictures but whatever. I noticed something on Josh that gave me the idea that I need to start doing it the same. The night was basically done and we kept trying to get Brian or someone in charge to take Josh away for a single headshot photo opt. However after he was done performing he was caught up with group photos with the other honorees and fans. After those photos were done, he went ahead and did autographs. I just ended up shooting photos of him doing the autograph thing. One of the staff photogs there told us that some star from Passions was there. Is this Josh's new "friend"? He isnt dating January Jones a few months ago and she was friendly with Brian. Hmmm.. or maybe she went to LACSHA too. Eventually Josh made his way out of the endless autographs and gave us a photo opt. At that time, Brian was rushing him off and from what I heard, he was going into the studio. Mike wanted to get a photo with Josh and this lady with a tattoo of his face on her arm. I met this lady last year at the Bowl and kinda thought it was weird. If she was covered up, you would think she was a elementary teacher. We took our photos, said goodbye to Josh and Brian and headed off. The night was basically over and I wanted to get out of the place. I made my walk out to the Mall. It took me 20 minutes to get to my car because Ididn't even know which escalator lead me to my car. I just walked out onto the street and walked into the parking complex where I drove into. All and all the night was decent. Made some contacts and took more photos. It was really weird, the girl with too much makeup had a friend come with her. When they left, she came back in and sat down. He came back and started yelling at her saying, "How dare you, how dare you." I was like what the heck in my mind, take that drama outside. Mike and Krista were saying some interesting stuff about her and what they said made total sense from my past experiences with her. Oh well.. Mr. Groban goes on tour again soon once his third album comes out this fall. I cannot wait for that... Check out more photos ]]> http://www.anh-nguyen.com/weblog/archives/2006/09/lachsa_first_an_1.html http://www.anh-nguyen.com/weblog/archives/2006/09/lachsa_first_an_1.html Celebrity. Whorin. Sat, 02 Sep 2006 15:06:06 -0800