Cheat Day

No - I am not eating all carbs today with chocolate fudge fondue with lobster butter.  I do that on a daily basis.

Today I was just reading news about starting a new business, traveling and tourism.  Websites and plugins and I ended up on Lonely Planet to win $1000 for my idea.  I've been practicing my ideas for a while now so I just wrote it up because what's a few minutes to me?   This is what I wrote:

My idea is that people will be able to experience another person's experiences by the minute, hour, day or even week.  I'm living in Colorado right now and it is beautiful.  I have tons of outdoor gear, access to boats and scenic camping sites that are mostly free or require very little money if you know the area.  You can rent my 4-wheeler or I can give you a guided tour, help you setup with your vacation home because there's so many here, handle the cleaning, show you how to get a free shuttle to Vail to bike downhill for 20 miles, etc.  You can fly fish while having coffee because I know the spot.  You can fly fish alone in total silence, because you are renting my experiences that I live daily.  You could even cook gluten free meals on a daily basis from local ingredients grown all at an altitude of over 9100!

Fire and Confusion

I'm doing crazy stuff.  I'm on fire AND confused at the same time.

My bloging sucks but I've written a lot other things.  I think I realized that one of my weaknesses is writing emails or anything really.  My papers used to suck, my grammar was always horrible, and I was even sent to special English classes as a kid a few times before I realized what was happening.

Here are 10 business ideas I am thinking about right now

1.  Vacational rentals with everything included (bikes, kayaks, car, etc)
2.  Tours around Summit County in my car
3.  Travel Brah where you talk to ski bums and get to hang out with them and go 4 wheeling, etc.
4.  Coffee shop here with great coffee like Philz coffee in the mountains
5.  Buy a house and AirBnB/VBRO/Craigslist it
6.  Rental gear and experience keeping is what I am already doing, skiing, maybe we can do mountain biking and fishing
7.  Personal chauffer here to show people the mountains and areas to camp,fish, bike and hike
8.  Developing property here in and around Lake Dillon
9.  Delivery service for all of Summit within a 5-10 mile radius
10.  Medical business....  Warehouse and medical

I want to reside in Summit County, Colorado

It has been one week since I moved to Silverthorne and have been traveling around Summit a tad bit.

I always thought buying a house would be crazy and not really in my sights but what I am seeing here.  Geesh!

If I could buy a nice house for $500,000 or a crappier one for $250,000?  Rent it out for 2k-3k a month.

2,500 x 12 = 30k a year and let's just take it down to 25k for maintenance.  10 years to get to 250k?  Doesn't sound great to me.

Why does valuation matter?

In a day where Uber is valuated over $50 billion, AirBnBB is at $25 billion and Apple is at a whooping $708 BILLION - why does that matter?

Should we value the quality of life we have?  Or value the innovative steps that we take?

Anthony Tony 9.15

Chill Mode

I want to document my life because I honestly believe it is interesting.

With so many things going on, calculations being made, pretentious acts being made.  Destruction to be had.  Death to be cherished.  And not violent death, like crushing a team 7-0 kinda death and hurt.  Or a dirty checkmate the hubris opponent didn't realize until it was oh so fatality late.

I'm feeling money right now so we're going to keep the ride GOING and GOING.

My first day of work. AGAIN!

It has been thus long Merry Poppins since you've uncorked the ole doo hickey.  Yes, I've been bad about blogging BUT the past month or two has been amazing.

The timeline almost doesn't even exist in my head because I feel like I am truly living in the moment.  Either that or I have bad memory and am justifying not being able to plot the last few weeks.

Let's see.  My last post was about 40 days or so ago.  I have no idea what I was doing but I was in San Francisco.  Then I went to Anaheim for a few
 days and then back to San Jose for 2 freaking unexpected weeks where I literally got rejected 5 times in a row.  An amazing accomplishment and failure.

Then I went to Anaheim.  A few days later I packed my car like I was leaving and I was off to Minnesota.  I didn't know what I was going to do but I just wanted to be around people I loved.  Asia was too far.  VIETNAM.  JAPAN.... maybe?  It was either Asian or Minnesota.

Today is September 8th.  A few days away from 9/11 (wow).  Every American knows exactly where they were that day 14 years ago.

I digress.

Today is September 8th and I just finished my first day of work.

Today was perfect.

This is me at the Minnesota State Fair.  It's like Disneyland to me.

Maria Popova

The other day I listened to a podcast with Maria Popova answering some questions on Tim Ferriss' podcast.  She blew my mind.

Her elegant speech.  Her voice and pace, but more importantly her expressions.  I could literally feel her words in my SOUL and I would rarely if ever admit that.  She moved me and I hope she does it to those I gifted as my favorite podcasts.

I'm a pod gifter.

http://fourhourworkweek.com/2015/07/24/maria-popova-starting-a-successful-blog/

Listen to it and thank me later.

Thomas 7.2415

People who talk behind your back are there for a reason
People who talk behind your back - they are behind you for a reason.

I like to listen to songs over and over again.  I've been listening to this one for a few months and now only just recently learned the words to the very first sentence which is a perfect metaphor for me right.

"Some people want me to be heads or tails"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ihvvPICOlU

Then I looked up the full lyrics just for the first verse, hot fire.

"You Know You Like It"

Some people want me to be heads or tails
I say no way, try again another day
I should be happy, not tipping the scales
I just won't play, letting my life get away

Articulating Is Hard

I have been finding it to become more difficult to articulate myself both with words and voice.  It does not come out right, it feels nature until I realize things are going on and try to recover, but it still slips like a slippery fish does when you pull it out of the lake.

There will be big changes today.

Almost Kinda Dying by Anthony Trinh

It really at started at birth, but we'll just start at age 18.  It was my first time traveling abroad and it was Japan first, then Vietnam.  I had my passport and we were off.  

At first landing in Vietnam I walked out of that Tan Nhat Son Airport and I remember thinking to myself about the language.  I was surrounded by Vietnamese people speaking a foreign language ... THAT I KNEW!  My mind was blown.  

Then I remember thinking that I could have been born there to be one of these guys with these ripped jeans and flip flops.  

****EDIT**** I think that book would be too long.  Let's go for a short one.

This book is not happening today, but the title has been born.

Idrk

That's what I'm doing.

Idea + Work = IDRK and that is what I will name my first child because there are no rules against it.

I try to on a daily basis to write down ideas and I just had a great one so rather than typing it to my boy Christoph or writing them down on a GooleDoc where they are beginning to pile up I'll write it here because there is no shame in my game.  At least for now.

Remote Source Logistic

RSL
LSR
SRL
RSL
LSR

LSR - Logistics Sourced Remotely but that's hard to remember with the "s", "ed" and "ly"

So RSL and here are my ideas for my company.

1.  Remotely sourcing people in Da Nang or around Vietnam, preferably in Da Nang
2.  Logistics services.  All of the logistics work or at least MOST of it SHOULD be done while others are sleeping anyways.  They can move things through customs and be ALERT.  How about having a special third shift that covers both time zones?  Logistics services can be solved like going through customs or get some original paperwork.
3.  Sourcing products, maybe reverse sourcing like I find what is already being sourced in your area like large clay pots and I fill those with other things to ship inside saving space and at max capacity.
4.  Remote everything, assistant and automakers.  Let's say I want to automate an assistant.  I have tasks, I give them in the morning I get a briefing during my wake up call.  Yoga instructor to help me breathe and play music around me.  Start my coffee when I wake up and not anything timed but adjustable  Remote Human Robots.  that are Humans.

***I just took a break and have my interview, I will now continue with more ideas***

5.  Start off with $300 per month and grow the network.  Allow people to work in teams so they can determine their own working hours.  Work by committee.
6.  You have a whole team focused on logistics related problems and the morning someone wakes up, there is 1 person who relays all the information and gives one person a briefing about what needs to be done on their end to solve the problem.
7.  I have remote ninjas who go source whatever people want.  Just a group of 10 guys/gals who live in the factory area and go get samples of products for people.  Handle the logistics afterwards.
8.  Online store makers.  I live in a world where I want people to do everything for me like setup a business.  How about if you choose a product, invest it, I'll coordinate the website, sourcing, logistics and deliveries?
9.  Sourcing app creators.  Don't you want to pay someone $300-400 a month to build an app for you?  I can get a kid of college some real experience to work on something crazy and get paid.  I'd prefer to pay them $500 per month though just for fun.
10.  Vegan/Gluten free sourcer.  How about I have a remote team sourcing vegan and gluten free stuff for you and all your girlfriends?  It comes with videos about it is grown, picked and packed and is delivered to your door.  Feel good, help a starving child AND eat healthy so that you will live longer and take care of your offspring.  Don't die young.  Buy now..

Get Your Egg Roll Roller Helper Now!

Are you Asian and want to prevent your Mother from SUFFERING from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome because she has been wrapping so many egg rolls for your family and friends for your entire life?  Or are you just a person who wants to roll amazingly delicious, delectably crispy, steaming hot egg rolls?

Have no fear, your Egg Roll Roller Helper is here!

Simple.

1.  Mix the right ingredients
2  Use the provided spoon to scoop a ball of meat
3.  Lay the wrap down on the Egg Roll Roller Helper
4.  Use the provided spoon to scoop out a ball of meat and put it into the CIRCLE
5.  Roll in the proper order by watching this Youtube video.  1, 2 and 3.
6.  Lick the tip
7. Seal
8. Cook
9. Eat
10. Love

Pre order now for only $9.99 or buy the deluxe package so that your whole family can egg ROLL with you (limit 5).

You know me, I'm Tony T from MSP here to help you stop trolling and start egg rollin'

Amazing Ideas

I feel like I've been on an idea tear lately thanks to trying to jot down ideas when they float into my head.

1.  Public Smart is the name.  Basically an idea to make all public items smart and collect data to make everyone smarter.  Let's say public bathrooms.  There must be public sinks that you stare into every time you wash your hands (hopefully) but Public Smart would make a Smart Sink for the public and people can watch ads for things in the area, or they could take a one answer survey like "Do you want a coupon for a movie at 2pm?  It's 1:45pm now...."  Something like that.  Urinals have ads so you have to watch as you take a piss with certain codes like Starbucks.  If you're pee'ing, Starbucks pays me $100 to put my ad into your face as you pee.  It says "Go to Starbucks and enter in promo code "PEEALLDAY" and kaboom, you get 15% off.  Starbucks can see that PEEALLDAY code has been entered in 103,491,103,201 times in the last year so they want MORE exposure since I'm only running their ads for 10% of the operating hours of the mall and at non peak times (dinner and lunch) also in non areas that provoke your bowel movements.

A Mexican restaurant with a heavy consumption of beans right next to a Starbucks is valued higher because there are 1000 people using these bathrooms an hour.  Whereas an ice cream shop next to a Apple store has only 10 people using the bathroom an hour.

The main point is making Smart Public stuff for the Public.  Public Smart.

2.  My photo company idea I stole from my brother Chris.  It's called .... "Picture Selling" or whatever it doesn't matter now.  It is THE photo company.

I setup a studio in Brooklyn Park and I take photos of people.  Especially kids growing up, it's like a haircut.  You want a yearly sub so that you can document your child once a month for 12 months to see him or her grow.  Then you get digital copies to share how you want.  No one selling CDs here folks.  I also provide you amazing frames sourced from Vietnam which is where I make the margins.
THEN I open this business up even further.  Here's the great idea - people bring in their items and I'll take photos for them to sell online.  Nobody wants to buy an item on eBay with a crappy photo.  How about you let me professionally shoot it and maybe even store it in the studio for a flat fee so that when it sells, I will ship it out for you.  If it doesn't sell you can come get it back or leave it there so I can continue to collect my monies.

I would then have a unique ID for each item and it goes into a huge contraception on the wall which is 3D printed.  It basically folds to mold perfectly for that time and can rotate.  Picture a wall full of holes that are easily transformed to any shape or size per item, then it plays Tetris with itself for the best and most efficient storage.  Once something sells, you can just find it on your computer system (grown in house) and ship it out.  I'd get a cut for the sale, storage and maybe even the photoshoot.  The value I am providing to you is that one day when you're bored you can grab all your junk, put it into your car and have a photoshoot with me for the items you don't want but can make you money.

I start my own ecommerce fulfillment and photo center.  I build a family business right next to my house and then scale this business to disrupt nothing.

Eliminate waste, make it easy and make everyone money.

Got some old Vietnamese paintings laying around your house collecting dust?  Why not invest $5 to put it up on the web with great photos, write your own content or pay me to do it then get notifications on your phone if you want to sell or not.  Then collect money.  Easy does it.

3.  Maybe richest idea.  An app (of course) but hear me out.

You want a nice watch.  You can pay $100 now at Rolex at the mall which is 1.9 miles away OR you can wait 6 MONTHS and save $50.  Is that worth it to you?  This app let's call it "eCom Logistics" for good measure.

Everyone needs toilet paper.  You can choose to place an order on Amazon for $1 per roll now and receive it tomorrow.  OR you can go buy it at Target at $1.25 per roll (must buy 10 rolls though) which is 1.5 miles away.  OR you can place a future order, pay now and pay 75 cents per roll and have it delivered to your house in 10 days.  You have X amount of toilet paper at home.

If you have 0 toilet paper, you'll go to Target and pay $1.25 because your friends are in town and you wanna look like you have your life together.  If you have 2 rolls though and you normally do 1 roll a week and plan to have no guests any time soon, then just buy in bulk for .75 cents per for a 10 day delivery.

The idea is that you get to choose.  To pay more for something that is close and instant, or save X amount of money to better plan for the future.

I explained this horribly but hope you get the idea.

That's a billion dollar idea.

I got rejected - again

In the past week or so I've been really excited.  I had at least 2 amazing interviews that I killed and positions I thought were perfect for me.  Yesterday I got rejected by both of them.

One of them being Shyp who was my #1 option and I REALLY felt like I could come into the operation and dominate.  Then I got this email:

Hi Anthony 

Thanks for coming in to speak with us in person and especially for driving so far. We have decided not to further pursue the interview process. I wish you success in finding the right fit, which I'm sure you will.

Best

J

The moment I read this I was pissed.  I may or may not have screamed in my car to myself.  I let it soak in.  I went to eat to cool down.  I was still pissed.  I wanted to go watch Ted 2 and just have a movie experience, laugh and be by myself.  I ended up not doing that and eating chicken wings with my friend while watching NBA Summer League games.  

I have yet to respond but will use it as a test subject.  I'll do something crazy and see if it works.  Otherwise forget em.  If they aren't smart enough to solve simple problems that were very apparent in the operations, than they probably aren't smart enough to hire me.  

I also got another rejection from NatureBox saying I did not have enough analytic experience.  I guess I should have lied and said my Excel skills are at the "mastery" level.  Maybe I would have gotten the job.

I went to the Rosa Garden in San Jose today to hang out with my cousin who is a Sister aka a real world changing Nun.  

Then I got a call from a startup in Colorado with some operations and logistics opportunities who MIGHT fly me out to become the VP of Operations and Supply Chain / Logistics and probably a co-founder of the next Uber for Uber.  A true industry disrupted.  Kidding!  About the title but not about the job.

How can I change the world?  How can I entice better conversations?   

Can my Love exude from words?

This might be my most powerful entry yet.

One of my greatest gifts is my love and affection for others.  I truly love people and in turn, loved to be loved.

I just wrote an email to a friend, a mentor, a person who I met if I told you the story you'd laugh, but there are so many ways powerful people can come into our lives.  Sometimes they are born into it, like a sibling or you could even say your parents were born into your life because they were theoretically born to have you.  It was for you!

I digress as I always do.

I'm basicall saying that I am a lovable person.  Is it weird to use "I'm and I am" in the same sentence?  I'm thinking of two people who are attackers of my grammar.  Do you know who you are?  ThuyKha and anh Tung.  KILLIN ME!

I digress again - back to the email.

I wrote an email just now and

**Side note, should I stop using the word "just?"  I use it far too commonly and I don't like it.  It stops here.

I wrote an email to my dear friend and as I wrote it chills ran all over my body.  Not just my arms, but in my chest, my face and my torso felt it like KABOOM.  I put a ton of love into an email that I wrote 10 minutes ago but the words were horrible.  The grammar was in correct.  I used commas and whatever the heck "-" are called.  Run on sentences and made up words with lots of "BRAHHH" and "MENNGGGG" with multiple DUDES and a trillion !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But at the end of the day, I know he'll feel the love and he'll smile from it.  Hopefully once he's done reading my email he'll lay back in his chair and take a deep breathe.  Smile and maybe even laugh and say "MANNNN" or "Wow" or "GOSH" , guy might even say a curse word WHO KNOWS?

What I do know though is that he's going to hit me back with another email full of love and enjoy because he's my friend for a reason.  He's simply amazing.  And today, I'm just happy that I can be happy for him.  I wrote him and it means I took my invaluable time to congratulate him on a great accomplishment.

Can you feel my words?  Can you feel the love that exudes from my words?

- AC Trinh

I just lied and feel horrible.

I always preach telling the truth because that's how we avoid playing unnecessary games however I've never found one person other than myself for short periods of time that the complete motto is "100 the truth and honest" BUT sometimes that just doesn't work.

I've been telling employers I quit instead of got fired and when someone straight up asked me today if I resigned, I said "uhh, yeahhhhh" so we both know I lied because it's just too difficult for me to hide it.  Now I feel horrible, what if they find me out?!  But then I think whatever.  Who cares.  Send me a contract and we'll just go from there.  Doesn't matter how you get there.

Is it OK to lie in a job interview?  Debatable.

7/10/2015

I moved to Anaheim a week ago.
I applied to a bunch of jobs on Monday and got an interview on Thursday.  They want me to come in on Monday for a second interview with Power Crunch.
I need to be in SF by Tuesday at 6pm though for another interview with Shyp.
I've been speaking to Cisco Meraki for 5 months.  They want me to come into the office to check it out.  I'm tryin to write them an email but my mind always freezes for the most simple and meaningful messages.
I am also interviewing with NatureBox which is probably my number one option at this point.  They wanted me to come in for a final round.

I hope I can get an interview everyday of the week for a week - that'd be kinda cool.  Then get 5 job offers.

Or I could get 5 rejection emails at once.  That'd be kinda cool too.

Time Traveling is real

I've added a new mantra to my life and that is to stop time traveling.  I urge everyone to just try it and probably sound crazy to all the people I've been trying to explain this to with limited time.  I try and explain to people how I view life and that they have a choice as to how they want to live their lives.

Stop dwelling about the past and worrying about the future.  Have a great TODAY.
The best predictor of tomorrow is today.  

Is that quotable?  I can see someone depressed or seeking for someone to ask them how they are doing posting this on Facebook.  Or better yet it's a picture with a beach in the background.  Maybe a happy child.

July 4th 2015

I landed in Anaheim yesterday after driving 7 or so hours.  Easy money.

Once I realized I was in SoCal I immediately went to eat chili cheese fries by myself.  It was disgustingly delicious.  I watched a some fireworks and listened to it for 15 minutes while eating my second dinner of the night.

I've just been having great days.  I refuse to time travel anymore (i.e. dwell on the past and/or worry about the future) because all I have is today.  And it's pretty awesome.

I'd tell you what I did today, but honestly it is just for me.  I smiled a lot, laughed a lot and will give out a few hugs today as I see the rest of my family here in the OC.

My plans tonight are to send out a lot of emails to people who might hire me because I'm hoping they see my email on July 4th and think I'm crazy for sending out emails when I should be partying.

I don't drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes so getting buck wild on the 4th of July or New Year's eve is just not my thing.  I used to tell myself when I was a kid and had no friends or interest in going out during these times that I'll just do some work because that is when I know not many people are willing to sit down and work.  Or I might just watch some Disneyland fireworks while I drink coffee or tea.  Then sit outside and just take deep breathes.

Moral of the story is that I'm going to do whatever I want.  I could go party and be awkward.  I could hang out with my family.  Or I could just spend time with myself and my laptop to secure new paths to glory.  Either way I choose to love it.

Whatever.

Getting better 1% at a time

Each day I will make a conscious effort to get better 1% at a time in four different areas of my life.

1.  Physically I will take the stairs each day or walk the beach.  Maybe I'll play basketball or just simply take a 5-10 minute walk.  

2.  Emotionally I will spend time with friends or family.  People who I love and love me.

3.  Spiritually I will try and meditate each morning to start my day off right.

4.  Mentally I will try and read everyday.  I SHOULD start writing more frequently as well.  

If I do those things, then I should have a great day.  I can't predict the future but the best thing I can do to have a successful tomorrow is to have a great today.

I will also not make To-Do lists anymore.  Instead I might make or simply just think about an imaginary "Done List" where I think and reflect about all the things I did.

Like yesterday when I tried to hit all 4 aspects I woke up in the morning and tried to meditate (I failed but I tried), I hung out with my cousin and his family, played basketball with them, walked the beach, read a book about Elon Musk, I took a nap, watched a documentary about the Ice Man killer, and sent out a few emails about jobs.  I also spoke to a friend in Vietnam that made me feel good.  

I had a great day and you should too! 

I'm Moving

The last few days or maybe the last two weeks have been very reflective and insightful.  Lifeful is my new word that would best describe it.

I made the decision to leave San Francisco and move to Anaheim.  If you were to tell me a little over a year ago that I'd hit SGN > MSP > SFO > ANA I'd probably tell you it was crazy but it happened.

I feel a certain excitement for what is to come next because it's always calm before the storm.  I think I've made enough mistakes now that I'm ready to finally make the carving.

On a whole different note, I think an entrepreneur is someone who carves out their own life.  If this person wants to become a billionaire, they do it.  If this person wants to ski and surf all day, they just do it.  Others just want to have families and raise perfect children.  I think the most successful people create the life they want and along with it have a great understanding of themselves.

I saw a naked guy on the beach yesterday.  Actually 4 total naked guys for some reason (no, it was not a nude beach) and I was thinking to myself wow, I wish I could be like that.  Here these guys were around 3pm on a weekday butt naked on a beach in the Bay area.  Tanning their butt cheeks and turning all different angles to make sure they they were proportionally golden.  I was so envious of the freedom that they seemed to have.

I wanted to be that guy.  Hat, sunglasses, and butt naked sitting on the beach.

Help! I'm a baby killer!

The Earth is going to have to answer some very serious questions here in the near future.

What if we based off our decisions on the question is this the best decision for the greater good?

I am an engineer.  I just created the first self driving car and am now programming it.  To take the "right" steps, turn left turn right.  But when an accident happens, the car must be programmed for that as well.

Alienoid is driving down Highway 1 in California.  It hits a hipster metal shaped scarf someone has discarded on the road which causes the car to go into a spin cycle.  It has lost control and now has to make a decision.

1.  Continue to go straight, demolish the railing, and plunge straight into the Pacific Ocean killing all 4 PhD students attending Stanford working on taking people into space.

2.  Veer right and hit a bus of elderly tourists average age of 80 years old with 2 kids each, along with 1 grand child.

3.  Veer left into an oncoming car with basically an unfortunate single mother unfortunately who has mental issues and a newborn baby.  They're on walfare, unemployment, Obama Care AND food stamps.  Data analysis show that a child with this upbringing has a 80% chance of committing multiple crimes and long stints in jail which will directly cost the overall greater good $1.4 billion over his life time paid by the foreseeable government.

Alienoid has to decide.  What does it do?

If I'm the programmer, I chose to veer left and kill the baby.  I'm a baby killer.

If you are not a baby killer, than what will you choose?  Who gets to choose?  Does the whole world get a vote on a single question?

I think in an ideal world everyone has a device, let's say a cell phone and everyone gets to cast their votes for issues so that everything we do is for the greater man kind.

The example I heard is that there are 10 cavemen.  9 are skinny and there is 1 fat one blocking the way.  The 9 must agree to kill the fat guy so that they can get out of the cave and live.

Humans will have to answer some very important questions soon.

Horrible Parents

I'm at a Starbucks inside of a Target in San Francisco, California emailing people crazy messages to hire me.

A family approaches.  Husband and wife presumably along with their two kids.  Probably the ages 5 and 3.  The 5 year old says "I got to go to the bathroom" and his Father immediately responds with "You always do this right when we are about to sit down!"  I look over and the Father is glaring at his kid with utter disgust.  After about a three to five second stare, he goes "Come on!" and they go off to the bathroom.

I can't really judge since I'm not a parent (only a super Uncle) BUT who the hell blames their kid for needing to go to the bathroom?  What if the kid just needs to go to the bathroom before he eats because he likes to wash his hands but has to make up an excuse since his parents don't wash their hands before they eat after they've been holding public handle bars and handling $1 bills.

I just looked over and the Father is wearing a Hurley type hat with reflective sunglasses on the top.  Black on black outfit with a gotee along with army shorts and scandals.  There is a reason for stereotypes, because I don't even need to tell you the rest.

Unfortunately, he probably hits women too.

Or he could just be a great father who exemplifies greatness.

p.s.  I just heard him say "Eat your hot dog or I will" which I personally don't think is cool.  And this kid is definitely under 5.  He's probably 4.  And a half.

Guillain-Barre: 1 Year Anniversary

Today marks my one year anniversary with Gullain Barre.

One year ago today I woke up after dropping of ThuyKha to the airport for her midnight flight back to Atlanta, Georgia.  Eight hours later, I woke up and stood up.

Whoa.  Why am I so wobbly?
I can't stand up straight.

I take showers every morning, so I walk into the bathroom.  Something feels even worse.  I've been getting numb since Friday and today was Tuesday, June 10th, 2014.  It's been crawling up my body starting with my left foot on Friday night when I was standing in that underwear store where ThuyKha was swapping up the 5 for 180k deal.  LOL!

Saturday we were doing stuff because she was leaving and I was just going off adrenaline.

Let's rewind.

It's Friday night June 6th, 2014.  Where were you?

I'm standing in an underwear store.  I take my left croc off and touched the tile floors with my bare foot.  I couldn't feeling anything.  It was so odd.  Like I had a dead leg, but I had been standing - doesn't make sense.

The next day, we go shopping or something.  I can't really remember but I do know that we had just moved out of our apartment into co Chi's house while she was on her trip with chu Dung.  We were watching Ben who was eight at the time.  And I forget when but the water tank on the ceiling broke.

ThuyKha and I were watching TV and then all of the sudden it sounded like was raining.  Inside the house.  And it was.  The tank the roof broke, pushed the water through a light fixture on the freakin 5th floor of their mansion.  I panicked of course, but other than the house flooding - we HAD IT.

Sunday I have no idea.

Monday I went to work and now the numbness has gone into my hand.  Fucking can't type properly.  And my eye is blurry as shit, but I thought it was my contact.  That night, I finish my sixth day of my new job at "The Dream" but when I came home and took out my contact my vision was still messed up.  We go over to chu Thao and co Dung's place for one last dinner with ThuyKha before she leaves.
At this point, I'm numb from my left foot up to at least half of my face because one eye was still working right.  I probably drop ThuyKha off at 10:30pm or something.  We had our moment as we didn't know when the next time we would reunite for kinship, love and world peace.  But I actually did not cry.  I don't know if I was just OK with how life was playing out OR I was just so numb I couldn't feel emotion.  Just kidding!  That's being so dramatic.

I woke up Tuesday and that's where we are, a year ago today.  I woke up and stumbled.  Both my feet were numb now and I had my catch myself from my initial get up from the bed in the morning routine every human does everyday of their entire lives.....  Today was different and would change me for the rest of my life.

I thought to myself while I was taking a shower that I probably couldn't drive to work today.  But I had to go.  I can't miss my seventh day of work!

I got ready all fucked up and for some reason that day, I must have been extra smart but I was so fucked up I actually took about $1,500 and all my paperwork with me that day.  Medical records, passport, and of course in Vietnam - extra Dong.  I actually had mostly dollars, but whatever.  I just made myself laugh.

I drove to the local grocery store down in D7 where I first met Tung Do, Owner XO Tours and Drive Vietnam.  Hi anh Tung.

As I opened my mouth to speak to the xe oms I suddenly realized that I couldn't speak.  Or at least not clearly enough for them to hear me because I had to repeat myself 4-5 times.  I asked for a ride to work and that I needed to drop my bike off at my house around the corner first.  He followed me back to co Chi's and I locked up.  Hopped on his motorbike and right as we passed the Creasant Mall in Phu My Hung, I was thinking man I'm so fucked up right now.  I really should go to the hospital.  So at that moment, I took ThuyKha's advice and I called Victoria's clinic where we both have had some great experiences.

I made an appointment for 9am.  I called work and told them I was having issues seeing clearly and that I was headed to the hospital.  Off I went.

I get off the motorbike, catch the dude's number and walk up into the clinic.

I can't feel half my body.  My left eye has gone completely useless now.  And it's so hard for me to swallow right now.  My throat doesn't seem to work and I can't speak properly.  I'm mumbling even more than I normally do.  I can't fucking speak.

I get called in and sit there on the table.  Now at this time, I was messed up but I could still see out of one eye and this "doctor" was asking me questions and looking on Google as I told him what had been happening.  He was literally on Google right in front of me and I was just thinking how fucked up this was that he was Googling what he thought I might have.  I was offended.  He tells me I have a stroke and suggests I go to FV hospital.  At this point I'm so upset I was going to pay him for his Google searches I just said fine.  I'll go there.  I paid him maybe like $50 to $75 for the worst medical check up I've ever had.  But at least he pointed me in the right direction.

I took a taxi to PMH and gave them all the paperwork I just paid for.  Checked in with all this junk whatever.  My appointment was for 2pm and it was probably 11am by now.  I called that xe om guy and went home to take a nap.  I woke up at 1pm, called the xe om and went back to FV hospital to some Vietnamese doctor who seemed like he was playing doctor for the day.  Once again, I got screwed.  I paid for some x-ray there, maybe costs me $100 or $150 I honestly can't remember.  But they told me it was a neurological and they did not have any neurologist who could stay over night.  I would have to go to District 5 to the University hospital.  Great.

I called another taxi and went straight there.  It turns out to be a hospital I probably walked across everyday for 3 months while living in District 5 in Tan Da right next to the Parkson Hung Vuong.

I stumble to whatever nice person I can find because right now I can't walk straight, my eyes are getting worse, I haven't eaten anything all day or now that I think about it, I didn't even drink anything to this point.  I walk somewhere and said English.  I need someone who speaks English.

**I did this because all day I had been speaking Vietnamese in the beginning to be polite and show off but they kept putting me with Vietnamese doctors who I couldn't understand since their terminology was way above me.  It just just better to have an English speaking person at this time.

Whatever.  I get to this desk, tell em I speak ENGLISH.  The girl tells me they're closed.  That's when I broke, I spoke Vietnamese....  I told her the following in Vietnamese:

Look, I've been to three hospitals today, I can't walk straight.  I need to see a doctor.  I know you're closed but I'm about to drop right here.  I can't see. I can't speak.  I need help.  I need help.  She goes off to find her boss or something, I can't remember.

What I do remember though is going down three stairs because I was focused on not falling on them.  I took a step and slipped a bit but caught myself against the wall.  Luckily a nurse saw me, brought me over to the other girl who was helping me.  She must have been watching me, but she helped and I was so thankful.

I think they put me in a wheelchair after that and pushed me into the ER.   A gigantic room with about 8 people in it with a bunch of nurses.  It was super cold and it felt like my toes were frost biten or something so I put them under the blanket.

Nurses came by eventually, maybe a doctor.  Explained to me that they needed $500 for some tests.  I said I just paid a bunch of money at Victoria's and then at FV hospital.  I have all the paperwork with me.  She kept explaining to me in Vietnamese and English where she could but the key words couldn't be translated.  After a 5 minute questionnaire by me I said fine.  Just make sure I'm OK.  I'll pay whatever.  I have money!

I get a choice between sharing a room with 1 person or 2 people or 4 people.  Or be a boss with my own room.  But I opted for the sharing with 1 person, it was the right choice at the moment.

I got pushed into the room, settled in.  And then I finally thought that I should call someone and let them know.  Earlier in the day,, I called Phung though.  I told her I was going to the hospital and that I might need help.  If so, could I call her?  She said yes.  She said yes!

I called two people.  Minh Tuyen and Phung.  Minh Tuyen came that night with chao and something to drink.  I was so happy to see her.  Phung told me she'd come in the morning and hook it up.  Cool I thought.  I'm good....  I thanked Minh Tuyen, watched her cry for me and went to bed.  When I woke up the next day though, all hell broke loose.

KABOOM!




Friday 6
Saturday 7
Sunday 8
Monday 9
Tuesday 10

I hate my life - through the lens of a job seeker

I received yet another rejection email today and it hurt more than normal because it was such a cool company with the perfect position for me.  I dreamed of flying drones all day...  Until I heard "the buzz" and I read the first few words that were visible on my phone's update:

Hi Anthony,

Thanks for the note, I was just going to send you an update today. 

It was great talking with you last week. I appreciate your interest and enthusiasm in Company X, it has not gone unnoticed. Unfortunately, your experience does not align directly with our requirements for this role. We’re needing a candidate with a few more years of experience in high-volume global logistics.

Should something more fitting open up, I’ll reach out. I wish you the best in your search, and thank you again for taking the time to follow up with me.

Thanks,

CJ

Poof - there go my dreams.  Disrespected and trampled into oblivion with no regard for human kindness.  I let this soak in for a good 3 hours or so and allowed myself to hate my life for just a short bit of time.  Then I hit em with this email

Hi CJ,

Thank you for the follow up.  I had to let this sink in a bit before I replied because I'm pretty disappointed.  However, I understand and appreciate the transparency.    

If anything comes up, please let me know because Company X is still my #1 option and I feel like there are supply chain problems through our conversations I can solve.  

If I can come and consultant or work on projects for you guys as a contractor - please let me know because I know I could hit the ground running and immediately have an impact on the bottom line.

Good luck with everything.  Hope to hear from you soon and to see your drones flying all over the world.

Thanks,

Anthony

**********************************************************

Now a lot of back drop to this story.  I haven't found a job in 5 months (hate my life theme).  This was a great company, they already rejected me, but I have one last shot to reach and work for them as a contractor because I'd rather work for them than anyone else.  See my enthusiasm he pointed out?  It's real.  It could be unprofessional, I could be selling myself short, or I just could be really desperate.  But it's worth a shot, right?  It is to me because there is nothing left to lose.  Other than my dignity, but I'll get that back.  

What does your web browser look like at the end of the day?

          

Today I will try a different way of writing.  Can you tell me how things have changed?  (Disclaimer:  I watched Ex Machina last night and am having thought provoking conundrums.  Did I use that right?  Whatever.  

This is my web browser at the end of the day.  It show a lot of Facebook because Philz Coffee makes me sign in to use their internet.  Otherwise you would've seen some CRAZY stuff.  I've been doing a bad job about closing out subjects in my life.  There seems to be so many cool opportunities, different avenues to approach, places to be, people to meet, things to study, creativity to be unleashed, jobs to be dominated, people to be charmed, people to help, languages to speak, food to EAT, horns to beep, places to sleep, great things to repeat...  Someone once said "Anything good in life is worth over doing" and sometimes I believe that.  Especially when there is anything chocolate around me.    

LOL!  This is honestly one of the times I make myself laugh out loud when I'm writing, talking, or even just thinking.  Some people think I'm rude because I often laugh just by myself.  They think I'm rude but honestly it's just something so weird in my mind that I don't think anyone would laugh at but me.  

Let's call her the "S.O" shout out to ThuyKha always tells me I always laugh at my own jokes so this theory has been confirmed.  She keeps it 100% REAL.  Southern girls from ATL are less likely to mess around or hinder the truth from bearing it's beautiful face. 

In conclusion, just looking at my browser makes me stressed out cause I wonder what I need to read.  How is your browser?  Do you clean it up and read everything IMMEDIATELY?  I have a folder called "Get Got" that I use to place articles that should be read but everyday there's just more stuff.  I'm just going to start doing everything now.  If I don't start doing this, I'll give money to someone in SFO.

The worst email ever written

I got a call today from a recruiter for a job at LinkedIn for a Inventory Control Analyst.  Sounds pretty sweet.  The recruiter asked for a cover letter so this is what I wrote and once I read it, I seriously considered going back to grammar school.  Or just any education institute in general due to the lack of mental fortitude.

Dear LinkedIn,

            I have over 5 years of experience within the global supply chain with a great understanding of inventory from a US Fortune 500 company perspective to a German ecommerce startup in Asia.  I’ve worked in warehouses starting from receiving to managing a 30 man team for 3,000 SKUs and 50,000 items on hand.  I have great familiarity with ERP systems in general with an analytical way to make decisions based off Excel formulas.

Sincerely,

Person who won't get this job offer if he/she does not rewrite this whole thing

Enlightenment Moment

I feel like my mind, body, and soul have been enlightened in these past few days.  I want to capture that moment.

Everything seems to be going in the right direction.  I feel as though I understand the process and am able to step back and enjoy the journey.

I'm aware.

For now, because I could easily slip right back into negativity at any time as I am known to do on occasion.  I like to dabble in a little bit of everything because I have a philosophy on life that it

"it takes some good to make it hurt" (taken directly from Jazon Mraz's Life is Wonderful song)

Which means that you need to feel pain to know what feeling good is like.  You need to be depressed to know what it's like to be happy.  You NEED to be down, so that you can appreciate life that when you are UP.  How can you appreciate something if you've never experienced both sides of it?  

I have felt what it is like to not have feelings in your fingers, your hands, throat, and even my other bodily functions.  I just felt that and now, thankfully/gratefully/appreciatively know what it is like to feel my fingers and toes.  To have full function of my own body and clear vision (debatable).

Everything just feels good.  Hope my writing gets better from this point on.

I wonder how fast I type.  I am thinking 137+ using backspace.  Probably 150 without, whatever.  The main thing is that I just love to type because it's natural for me since games don't play themselves.

What do you need to learn in order to be successful?

As my boy James was mention the other day....  

The only thing you should learn is to learn thyself.  Who are you really?  

It makes me think about how I want to help teach my nieces and the nephew.  If I had a day with them, how could I change their lives?  How could I be so life altering that it ripples into their teenage and early adulthood or better yet, until they are in diapers again at 130 years old?

Learn how to identify what makes you happy and how that shapes your character.

Oh yeah and be more aware.  If someone cuts you in line, maybe they are not rude.  Maybe they just weren't taught some manners.  If you're a girl and someone doesn't open the door for you, maybe they weren't lucky enough to be shown how women ought to be treated.  Lady like.

Chess and Life is about Positioning

I've been obsessed with chess for the past few weeks ever since I started playing again.

My brother taught me as a kid and we played a few times.  Then I started playing again around the age of 25 with my cousins almost every night on Skype.  I started playing consistently though in Vietnam when I found a great group of people who would play chess and drink coffee on Sundays.  Sounds perfect to me.

It has allowed me to meet amazing people, think intellectually, and play a game at the same time.

But then I went to play chess off Meetup.com thinking my game was sharp after having played so much recently and having a burning sensation to mentally demoralize someone.  I love degrading people (in games) and really just putting them down to sleep.  Finishing or really the best word is killing.  To kill however, you need to be in the right position and these guys at this chess meet up showed me.  I got destroyed en route to a 2-10 record that day.  I think we played for about 6-7 hours switching between the 7 or so people there but in summary I got destroyed.  At that point, I realized I was in a whole new league - towards the bottom.  Which I totally did not expect, I was damn near Grand Master in my mind but these players showed me the truth and exposed my weaknesses.

My openings were horrible and thus lead to unfavorable positioning.

This ties into my life for both my career and personal development.

VK #1 told me it's about positioning.  If you can position yourself in a favorable situation then you're chances of success increase dramatically and it's almost impossible to fail unless you lose your focus.
I am starting to realize that chess and life can be viewed, played, and theorized in the same context.

Victorious VK entry #1

Today begins a series of Viet Kieu (VK) interviews I may or may not continue in the future.  The VK in question will remained anonymous for now but are basically just meaningful conversations I have with great friends.  VKs who I think are cool.

I asked VK #1 about his advice for my current situation and what can be done between San Francisco and Vietnam.  The next step in the journey that is life right before the dawn of the triple trifecta aka 30.

"A high ride floats all boats."
"It's all about positioning."

These two quotes go together because if you position yourself in the proper place in the sea, you will rise with the tide.  It doesn't matter if you're the biggest or most experienced boat, the ride rises everything.  Position yourself in the trajectory of booming places like Saigon and San Francisco.  The United States and Vietnam.

"What can THEY do for ME?"

This is debatable.  But at the end of the day, it's really about what people can do for you.

"Be known for something and step out."

You need to be known for something that is interesting thus everlasting.  I can't just be Tony a trucker from the US.  I'm Tony the tactician living and working in Turkey, who also doubles as a magician in Mongolia.  I want to know more about that guy and if I was ever looking for magic kits for kids 10 and under, I'd think of him.  If I had to assassinate someone in Turkey, I'd think oh man there was that tactician in Turkey!  He might know some people...

I'm Anthony the logistics and operations guy in Vietnam and San Francisco.  That sounds repulsive repeating to myself but that's what I am.  I'm owning it.

Then just step out.  "Own it."

P.S.  I've been writing this at a Starbucks inside of a grocery store sitting next to a lady who's been talking on the phone really loudly and awkwardly while watching her iPad at a very uncomfortable sound level.  After about 30 minutes, I realized she has been talking and laughing to herself this whole time.  Ho-ly Mo-ly.

The Power of Value

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/value

: the amount of money that something is worth : the price or cost of something

: something that can be bought for a low or fair price

: usefulness or importance

Isn't this completely wrong?  I wonder what a little kid would say if you asked them what value meant and I'm talking about like a 10 year old kid or maybe even a 13 year old raised in the suburbs of middle America.

IN MY OPINION (IMO - which took me forever to understand, always just breezed past it) this definition and a lot of people's definition makes value calculable in dollars.

Are you successful once you achieve a $100,000 salary a year?  Or when you FINALLY reach $1,000,000?  You're a MILLIONAIRE.  KABOOOOM!!!  What do you think your happiness percentage will be once you reach that goal?  Is there a 100% you will be truly happy?  What would you do if you reached it?  Can't you do that right now?  What will you do and how much money does that ACTUALLY take?  

I want to live in a SFO apartment for $5,000 a month or $60,000 a year  cause I'm a gangster.

I want to be able to fly all over the world at any time which let's say is $10,000 a year.

I want to take an Uber EVERYWHERE because I dislike driving.  Who knows, but can't be more than $20,000 a year and that's definitely way over but I want to be driven like a boss.  I want to eat like a beast, who the fuck cares $100,000 a year - JUST. ON. FOOD.  Mostly lobster and Kobe beef.

60 +  10 + 20 + 100 + 100 (a salaried 100k job just for fun) = $290,000 a year for me and I'll tack on $10k to spend on my nieces and the nephew.  $300,000 a year to live a lifestyle I just threw out there.  That's possible, right?  

So a more realistic goal is to be like $300k rather than be a millionaire cause then I'd have whatever I want in LIFE and more.

Back to the power of value...  I've got an interview in 3 minutes and I'm sitting here thinking about the power of value.  How I can add more value to my life and more importantly add value to other people's lives.  That's something I will conscious do from now on and I think you should too.  Actually, I know it.  Go and add value to other people because it will only enlighten you.

A. Trinh

A message to my Gurlz coming upon the age of 7 from a Super Saiyan

If I could (and I can and will) sit in a room with my two oldest nieces what would I teach them?  How can I change their lives?

Imagine yourself in a room with two almost 7 year old girls that you love.  They are cousins.  You are their uncle who has spent a great deal of time with them growing up, but have been traveling and for the past 3 years.  But now you're reunited and they still remember you.  Amazing.  They even sometimes retell you stories of when they were kids and you brought them to a park and found bird poop on the swings.  Over 3 years ago!  Beautiful.

If I'm in a room with them, this is what I'd do.

********

Girls.  How are you doing today?

Now, I know the UNCK hasn't been around much lately cause you know I've been traveling to crazy places like Vietnam and San Francisco!  BUT I am here now and I love you.

I know I've missed a lot of time with you but I've been keeping track.

@Bel, I know you've been KILLIN it in karate.
@Maya, I see you in front on stage dancing with your tip toes.

I love it all and I'm so happy to see you girls being such beasts.  You've grown up so much and look at you, you're both huge!  Probably still couldn't wrestle me down though.

 (Then we'd wrestle and resume the convo)

Now since we have this amazing opportunity to spend time together, us three, let's have a talk.  Huddle up.  OK, first off - group hug.

OK.  Now down to business.  I've got some questions for you girls that I have been DYING (I pretend to die) to ask you now that you're so much older, bigger, and smarter.

I'd ask them some what I hope to be meaningful questions that will help shape their minds.  I stole these points from lifehack.com though but would definitely ask them the following:

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/15-questions-ask-your-kids-help-them-have-good-mindsets.html

Who knows what well thought out questions can do for a budding human being.  What inspiration they can catch or curiosity that tickles their nose.  It's all about teaching them to explore, wonder, and do.  I want to add value to their lives and wonder what questions or actions can help be come a Super Saiyan Uncle instead of just a Super Uncle.

Discipline is the Greatest Trait of All Time

What is the most important attribute in the world for a human being?

Discipline.  Don't even argue with me - it just is.  If you ahve discipline, you can teach yourself anything.  You can train your body properly.  You can raise children with manners.  You basically become impregnable.

I got super pissed at a $4 toothbrush today

Today I woke up and on my way to the bathroom I saw my essentials were missing:

1.  Toothbrush
2.  Tooth paste
3.  Contact Solution
4.  Contact Case
5.  Gel
6.  Floss

I opened up one of those shady mirror medicine cabinets we have and all my stuff was in there along with my FOUR DAY NEW toothbrush, electric disposables ones from Costco (the best) on the flood of this dirty ass medicine cabinet ledge.  I was so furious I immediately just continued on to take my shower.  I was fuming in the shower, face palming myself and letting out a groan of UGHHHH.  I was distressed.

I come out and all my stuff is there again.  I know who just did it.  I called this person and said they were cleaning and it would have only sat there for 5-10 minutes.

I thought and said probably in a very aggressive manner "You put my toothbrush on there where it is dirty and was going to put it back.  You are saying sorry for not telling me about it, but what if I didn't catch it?  You would have just put it back and I wouldn't have known and brushed my teeth with it.  Thank you for cleaning but I personally think that's disgusting."  She continued to say sorry she did not know, but personal hygiene is very important to me.  Something I sickly NEED in my life.  Cleanliness and a high degree of personal hygiene.

Fine, call me weird.

I take two showers a day.
I actually wash my hands after I go to the bathroom.
I use paper to open the bathroom door as I leave cause I just washed my hands and I know not everyone does.  Otherwise I use my pinky in the area I think people grab the least, like the very top of one of those C shaped handles.
I will pretend to wash my hands a little longer, dry them a little more thoroughly if I see that a guy is going to open the door so I don't have to touch it.
I brush my teeth every morning and every night.
I have strictly sleeping clothes only and will never lay on my bed with clothes that I wear outside.
I change my underwear every time I take a shower which means I'm wearing 3 different pairs of underwear every day of my life.
I only wear shirts once then wash it.
I used to wear pants only once, but living alone changed that and now I rewear it a few times or until it's dirty OR if I'm doing laundry.
If I wear my hat, I think my head is now dirty unless I just washed it and have only worn it briefly and didn't sweat in it.
I slept on my clean t shirts in a hostel/hotel/guesthouse because I think it's cleaner than their washing.

I'm all over the place.  But the moral of the story is that  I super pissed over something so small.

Life's crazy when someone touches your toothbrush.  

Should I share my ideas with people? Or just let them know the final result?

I've been trying to become an idea machine and have probably cranked out at least 200 thus far.  I just got done listening to a podcast that begs the question should you share your ideas with people or will explaining and defending it take up too much of your time?

For example, if you are writing a book.

If I had this great idea about a book, like a entitled "Viet Kieu OG Killas" about the most gangster and most humble Vietnamese Americans or Vietnamese French/German/Chinese who "made it" in Vietnam.  If I had this idea for this book, if I told everyone would I have to take so much time explaining it to each person that it'd take away from my ultimate goal?  Yes.  Yes I do!

My philosophy just changed and it is to share my ideas, but also keep a close secret as to which ones are too elaborate to explain on a mass basis.

Drop the mic.

Dark Post about Repatriation

People talk about it.  You might read about it if you're planning to go and work abroad.

Repatriation is basically when you come back to the location you were before you set off to your exotic journey of working abroad AND traveling.  So when I left MSP to live and work in SGN for 2.5 years it was amazing.  Now it is almost one year (plus 2 days) so on June 10th, 2014 I was diagnosed with guillain barre syndrome.

It didn't even really hit me until a few weeks ago though I was actually in SFO.  It's almost as if this last year just sped past me, but this year it was extra fast.

Chronicles of my life a year ago in one month and two days

June 9th - I'm in Vietnam and just started my new job, 2nd week or work and ThuyKha leaves back to ATL at midnight
June 10th - Admit myself to the hospital in D1, then D7, then D5
Early Julyish - I fly back to the US and spend a few days in ANA before heading back to MSP
August/September -  Physical and occupational therapy two a days (just like NFL and NBA players) along with a special nurse gives me King treatment
September - I fall and crash my niece's scooter, scar up my body and beautiful face for the rest of my life but lesson well learned.
End of September I move to SFO, start my new job on September 28th or 29th to receive health insurance for October
December 27th - the day after Christmas I get fired for the first time ever.
End of December - I finally get a life long achievement award and have someone pay for my flight and hotel.  I ended up going to CES in Las Vegas and getting horribly sick the moment I return.
December - Boo boo came to visit for the next two months!
January and February - Discover San Francisco, Monterey, Carmel, Twin Peaks, Kirby Cove, Golden Gate Bridge, Mission District, 24th Street in Noe Valley, hipster cafes, Pacifica and the beach, Highway 1, drove to LA and spend 2 weeks there with my family + Laguna Beach, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara on the way back.  Santa Cruz, Half Moon Bay, Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf, the Ferry Building and scary SF downtown late at night, Super Duper Burger, home cooked meals with organic produce from Trade Joe's and multiple fun Costco runs.  Learning how to make Hispanic food with hella cheese.
April my mentor and straight OG killa comes to SFO from Vietnam and we get to catch up
April my bro and his family come, I finally meet my first nephew
May my best friend from MN comes and we play 30+ games of chess in 4 days, I come out victorious

May 8th, 2015.

Meant to write about repatriation.  OH!  My point is that after almost a year of coming back to the US, I'm still having effects of repatriation because I don't feel comfortable.  I can''t seem to find the place I where I fit in and am actually happy.

ALSO!  Aren't there side effects from having a life threatening episode like guillian barre syndrome?  I wonder if there are any emotional painful periods and do I need psychological counseling to help me adapt?!  Or is that just crazy talk?  I don't know.  Whatever.

Resetting with my boy D

Just hung out with basically my best friend here in SF.  We played a lot of chess and drank a lot of coffee.  Told him about Saigoncisco and this period in time in my life.  Listened to his current period in time of doing deals for Prospect Park Properties.

Now that he is gone, I feel like I'm starting fresh.  This whole experience and with a new approach.  To be smart, witty, cunning, EFFICIENT, productive, hard working, curious, passionate, positive, LOVING, and just overall gangster with it.  Make what I want.  Get what I want.  Do what I can.

"Seek what art thou seek." Anthony 5.6.2015

Overflowing ideas

I've been taking James Altchuer's advice and writing down 10 ideas a day for about two weeks straight now.  I can feel my idea muscle working because I'm constantly have ideas off ideas.

Today I wish I had a notebook and a pen because I had so many ideas I didn't want to write it on my phone.  I've tried using Evernote and other note apps but they really just don't do it for me.

I should start keeping a pen and pad with me cause I'm overflowing with ideas.  Next step is an overflow of execution.

Potential name for a blog is Eggrolocisco or Saieggon

It pains my soul to flip flop.  One moment, I want to be in the US.  Another moment, I would love to meet back to Vietnam.  Wait, what about trying to make it work in San Francisco?  What about going back home?  Going to Saigon?  No!  Hanoi this time!  Gross.  Da Nang - that's where I'd choose if it were in Vietnam.  Maybe it'd be Singapore if it was in Asia.  Singapore with lots of free time because I assume a night out in Singapore is the same cost of a round trip ticket to Saigon with hotel and transportation.  But how would I know?  I think when I went to Singapore, we went to the club and I got some water.

Where to start.  How do you know when you're right and that the decision that you must choose will drastically impact your life?  This could be big.  I'm 29 and turn 30 in November.  I better get on it.

How do you know it's time?

When you come upon a new chapter in your life...  How do you know that it's time?

How did you feel when you thought it was time for a big day or time to move across the country?  When did you make the decision to take your new job?  Maybe quit your old one?  Did you relish that moment?  Were you even aware of it?

Right now.  I think I just found out.  Or I could be lying to myself.  Time will tell.  A short amount of time that I am EXCITED to become.  But, SOMEONE just reminded me to be in the moment.  OK, it was her... I admit it.

Back to the point.  If I'm living in the moment now and I just realized that THIS was the time.  This is the moment things take a drastic change such as moving somewhere or starting something new, fully committing yourself to one project.

I'm here.  I'm in the moment.  And I'm loving it.

- Egg Roll Man 4/27/2015 @ 12:58am PT

To be location independent, I need to be not focus on Saigon and San Francisco

I had a revelation today.  I want to be location dependent, i.e. I want to be able to be anywhere in the world and do my job or collect my money.  What can I love virtually?

But then I'm always trying to connect the US and Vietnam.  Saigon and San Francisco.  That's absurd.  I'm limiting myself to two countries because I feel like I have the greatest advantage between the two.  But what if there's just not enough business?  But there should be... Right?

So I just realized today that if I want to be location independent than I need to stop focusing on places and more on rather what I can operate successfully, smoothly and efficiently.

Is it egg rolls?  You be the judge.

Do you love your loved ones?  Would you buy 20 egg rolls for $20?  They are very delicious and I use organic carrots.

Wantrepreneur - lol

Ugh.  Someone once asked me in an interview "Do you want to work for somebody for the rest of your life or do you want to join our team and be a part of the FUTURE?!"

He then follows up with "Do you want to make $100k a year or do you want to be where there is no cap?  This isn't the NBA, there is no salary cap!"

When I first heard the word wantreprenuer, I almost gagged half laughing half thinking how stupid it was but I get it.  Do you fully commit to yourself at least once in your life and when you do, how far are you willing to go?  Will you stay up til five thirty five in the morning on a Saturday hovering over piles of grease or doing an extra load of laundry just because the smell of Asian food has reached the limit for the day.

If I wanted to own my own business for once or put my existing skills to the test.  Can I prevail?  Do I give up on one dream, the Saigoncisco for the chase of egg roll dreams?  Trinh Roll is the name I have already coined.  Because with all the money I'll be making, I'll always have a "Trinh Roll" which for you it's a delicious egg roll but for me, it's a roll of money that gives me the location dependence I always dreamed of.

Are you an entrepreneur or a wantrepreneur?  Better question is, what am I?  What is one?

KABOOOOM.

Egg Roll Idea

Growing up, people always told me they loved my Mom's egg rolls.  That I should sell them.  I always thought it was foolish.  But what if I could sell them?  I actually already can since I have customers...  But how fast could I scale it?  How far could I go?  Make a website, get up ordering system.  Setup operations in a kitchen somewhere.  My best friend's coffee shop.  He'd let me use it, right?

If I could sell 10 egg rolls for $5 is the going rate.

.50 cents per egg roll

If I offered a premium egg roll at $1 and added value by showing you how to cook it to make it crispy instead of soggy (you know who you are) maybe with a certain magical "pocket sleeve" insert, I could sells it and that would differentiate me.  Perfect egg rolls, comes with cooking device and clear ways how to cook it.

Let's say I sell a bag of 20 egg rolls for even $15

If I could make 5 deals a day, 100 egg rolls a day that's $75

20 for 20 is $100 for the same deal sold in 10 packs.

Should I be smart enough to optimize this solution, automate it and go?  It would be ea never ending business.

TrinhRolls.com

Could be a source of passive income with potential to blow up going into retail stores.

San Francisco has its perks

I talk a lot about Vietnam, but San Francisco has its perks.

From the startup culture that leads to innovative thinking, free meals that are organic, vegan, and gluten free!  A rambunctious city with the steepest hills in AMERICA with amazing natural sights like Twin Peaks or Battery Spencer and Kirby Cove.  A free spirited atmosphere with inspirational people cruising through the Bay area.

The lifestyle.  Yes - it's expensive.  Isn't crazy that there's so much traffic on Craigslist for rooms in SF?  Or Facebook posts there are?  It must be daily... IDEA!

Shouldn't there be a better way?  Come on San Francisco!  It should be my next app.  Just finding places with background checks....  Amazing internet and a great camera, maybe virtual reality?  WHOA, VIRTUAL REALITY real estate agent!  See?!  Being in the Bay DOES make me smarter.

I've been doing 10 ideas a day via recommendation of my boy James Altchuer.  It was difficult at first to do them, but then once I found my BOY Christoph to hold me accountable, I couldn't let him down.

Now things transpire as they just did in this post.  History captured by writing ("Literature" as ThuyKha would say.)

Back to my point.  SAN FRANCISCO has amazing perks.  Sometimes you meet a straight up OG from Vietnam who was the MENT aka OG killa kill coming through to Bay to get some surgery and straight up chill mode with his boy.  Sometimes you just get true friends from Minnesota or anywhere just come through and have a real meeting.

I like dark chocolate.

What is the CONNECT?

The San Francisco and Saigon connect is the goal.  The fun comes for free.  Like me having a huge pimple on my nose that makes me look like Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer.

My goal is simple, fairly defined, and constantly changing.

My ideal situation is to be based out of San Francisco for 3 months out of the year and Saigon for the other 9.  I'd be paid like I was working in the Bay area but without the extreme cost of living here and able to save up money.

More importantly though, I would be able to do what I love which is traveling and working with others with some limitations.  I'd love to find customers here in the Bay area looking to mass produce products or cool inventions and go work with Vietnamese factories to produce, move, and sell them internationally.

I'd also love to go to Vietnam and hand carry precious diamonds back by hand to the US for luxury jewelry makers because they trust me...  And because I get a percentage of the value of the diamonds as pay.

I'd love to help companies here in the US who want to do great things like build schools or fund orphanages in Vietnam, maybe due to Agent Orange (I don't know) but overall just want to do something positive for Vietnam.  I could go there and make sure the funds are properly allocated to directly helping those who need help the most.  I'll live in the country side, blog about learning how to build a school by hand with a bunch of locals and show those who donated or contributed that this is what they'e made possible.  A win win situation for everyone.

I'd love to help companies who want to do business in Vietnam learn the culture and how to setup operations within the country.  Whether it be through outsourcing software development, customer service, or just some admin duties.  Data entry!  Every data entry job in America should be done overseas.

Who is screaming I WANT THAT SAN FRANCISCO TO SAIGON CONNECT!!

The Birth of The San Francisco and Saigon Connect

What is the reason for this blog?

This blog is selfishly for my own interests and because Google has failed my search or I just can't articulate myself well enough for my answer to populate on the first page.

As a semi-bilingual Vietnamese American who has lived and worked in Vietnam who is currently based out of San Francisco - can't I be of service to someone?  Some company that is doing business between San Francisco and Saigon?  Who is souring and manufacturing products in Vietnam and selling them here in the Bay area?  Who is outsourcing their software developers or customer service representatives to my homeland?

And why is it so difficult to find them and convince that I'm the right person for you to hire.  I can be based out of San Francisco and be your main point of contact for all business conducted in Vietnam because I'm constantly flying back and forth.  Or better yet, I'm pending 9 months out of the year in Vietnam and 3 months in the states.  I can be anywhere, at any time and I'm always available.

My name is Anthony.  How can I help you?