Tienshi

4 Interview questions by banditprincess

A while back ago, banditprincess had competed a meme where she was asked 5 interview questions from another LJ user. I have never been a big fan of memes because they weren't as engaging or thought provoking, at least when people answered. Take a look at the 25 questions that is being posted around facebook.

This meme seemed to be interesting and I was curious to what one of my close friends had to ask about me. Pleasantly, she had asked some interesting questions, that personally surprised me about what the answers were at times.

Check it out and enjoy :)

1. Who do *you* think you were, 5 years ago? Nothing about how other people perceived you. But how did you perceived yourself then? And how did you honestly perceive the recent "player Tien"?

2004, 5 years ago, wow... in the big picture, 5 years ago is rather short, but reflecting back, it seems like a lifetime ago. Because of this, I looked back to my blog to remind myself of the events that took place at that time.

I would have to ask you, was there a particular reason why you chose 5 years ago? Looking back through that whole year, really was an eye opener. I'm assuming that you are asking what I had thought of myself back then as that person and really, it's not much different then I think about myself now. I felt like I was confident, strong, wise and on top of the world. I was insecure with myself as a person though, especially when it would come to girls, I never thought I was good enough. I would hide from my insecurities by being over the top, extroverted, and super friendly. Right now, I still feel the same way, just I have a different perception of the world around me. I can still be pretty insecure about myself at times. This 'player' Tien was a bit more jaded and tired of the way things were going for him and learned to be a bit more arrogant and egotistic and allow praise and self-centric thoughts for himself.

This 'player' type that is perceived, is more about the decisions and 'sacrifices' that have been made. The values, ideals, and morals were challenged and a 'eff it' mentality was set. My mind was set to better myself, but I had stopped thinking about the people around me and how they would be affected, if any. This is where I lost myself, and it wasn't that I didn't know what was happening, I just didn't care to admit it.

I feel that we all have stages where we are each challenged as individuals, we will keep being challenged and while I handled this period of life in more or less a self-destructive manner, I'm starting to bounce back to what I believed in before. This time with just a different perspective, more experience, and a slightly more of a realist :)

2. What was the progression, in terms of your fashion style? Explain to me, how you went from high school skater boy, to the "skater couture" look you've got going on.

I personally never felt like I had a style till I realized I could and did enjoy shopping for myself. I attribute that to my first gf whom I would always go shopping with. I was able to gain the confidence to believe that I was capable of style. This allowed me to open my eyes allowed me to start shopping, and enjoying it.

I have never been a big fan of brand labeling/whoring that goes on with a lot of mainstream commercial brands. While I can appreciate some mainstream brands, like Martin + Osa and even Le Chateau, the giant splashes of brand labeling coupled with poorer quality vs value turns me off from those brands.

For the current change in my fashion trends, I attribute this to caffodian who exposed me to some of my favorite high-end boutique labels such as Nom de Guerre, Comme des Garcons, Rag and Bones and Wings + Horns. I pay a premium for them, yes but they provide quality and good fits and there's a certain gratification I have for contributing to a niche market and smaller boutique shops.

For more of the eclectic streetwear pieces I've been fronting, I would attribute that to my friends at Multi out here in Toronto.

I have to also include bebe1983 who played a part in showing me Vancouver's fashion culture as I got more into it.

3. Where did your passion for dance come from? What happened to your passion for martial arts? -_-

I never realized it until late into my 20's that I have always wanted to dance. Back in high school, I tried to pick up b-boying but hurt myself the day before I took a 3 week class. Throughout my grade 11 and 12, I dabbled with gliding in my home, trying to learn how to do the moonwalk and to glide in a circle. It wasn't until 3rd year of uni (2003) that I picked up dance with Salsa, by helping with the creation of the SFU Surrey Salsa club. From there on, being able to expel my energy with dance has become a passion that I can't let go, and with each dance, I am always trying new things which keeps me interested. I always love a new challenge :)

As for martial arts, I still love it but I cannot readily practice. What I love most about martial arts has always been sparring, but after the 'demise' of the combat club, I don't have people around me to practice, thus, my martial arts practice is finished for now.

4. How has your experiences with your family, affected how you think you will be as a father? What kind of father do you think you will be?

I find that my experiences with my family has been positive overall as it has taught me to be resilient and do what is needed in order to survive. They have also taught me that family comes first. As refugees from Vietnam, they have endured a lot of hardship yet I have never had to face the fear of not having a home, food on the table, or clothes on my back. I have not been a part of gangs, drugs, or anything of that sort for the matter. You could say I've been lucky to have had such a good life, and I have, but I was always taught that this does not come easy and that's the type of father I wish to be.

I'm glad that I didn't grow up spoiled, but I'm also glad that I didn't have to grow up in poverty. I never got everything my way, and had to work for what I did get. That helped me understand and value the things around me. I would want for my family to grow up where family sticks together and work things through. It should also be open and honest, but full of love.

I would be the type of father who loves my family and do anything required of me for them. If is a sense of purpose, that is to have a family, to have people I will love and cherish, nurture and protect, watch grow and grow with. People have been the centre of my life, my family will be the reasons for my life.

social dance scenes. lindy hop. vernacular jazz. soul. funk. mambo. photography. videos.

so over the years, I have had a number of blogs. Livejournal has always been close to my heart. Xanga was a novelty and really kinda stupid. I had my own personal blog using GreyMatter and nowadays, I have a wordpress blog. It's not just any blog though. This one is a shared blog with a focus on dance mixed in with my love for photography and video done on the d90 Randy and I share.

The content is minimal, but there is some there. Take a look, www.hamfats.ca

On another note. banditprincess I have a story to tell and I think you would want to hear it. (Don't worry it's a good one) :)

goodbye.
I will miss you.

We've had many memories together, but the one I will cherish most is when we connected, me by your bedside and of you listening to the Jazz music I played and enjoy. Together lost within the music and letting it reach our souls. Louis Armstrong - It's a Wonderful World, one of your favorites, the the one song that will reminds me of that time together.

With much love.
~Tien

Colour!.
Quick update. Colour and bringing back the casual to my wardrobe.






Name Ribbon Spring '07 Hoodie
Graniph yellow graphic t
FODE Subway map bandana
A.P.C New Standard Raw Denim
Docker Slippers :)

Also, as a teaser. I went to this concert and got this shirt :)

Stumbled Upon.
While walking around Kensington Market today I happened to stumble upon this graffiti art that was happening for a new urban golf wear store. I spent a good 2 hours just chatting and watching the graffiti unfold.

Here begins the photo. They should be done most of it tomorrow. I'll stop by and take the final pics :) (If it is done)





You can find the progress photos here:
http://www.tiendongle.com/images/Toronto/Kensignton%20Market/

Personal Style Evolution?

*photo by Tien. 1920's-revitalized menswear*

*photo by Tien. 1920's-revitalized menswear*

Le Chateau hat
Club Monaco - Perfect White Shirt
Bustle Golf Tie + matching Bustle Reversible Golf Jacket (not shown)
Vintage Pants + Suspenders
Le Cog Sportif Shoes - From Winners


*photo by Tien. Toronto - Vintage Vespa Track Jacket
- H&M Striped Hoodie
- LoomState Organic Cotton t-shirt
- A.P.C New Standard Raw Denim*

*photo by Tien. Toronto - Vintage Vespa Track Jacket
- H&M Striped Hoodie
- LoomState Organic Cotton t-shirt
- A.P.C New Standard Raw Denim*

Vintage Vespa Track Jacket

H&M Striped Hoodie

LoomState Organic Cotton t-shirt

A.P.C New Standard Raw Denim
Dockers Slippers

scribefire
I'm testing out a firefox addin called ScribeFire that allows me to blog anytime. :)
test.

Powered by ScribeFire.

+1 to me.
As my 23rd year comes to an end, I think it's time to wake up and smell the roses bright and early. I need to start running. Took a short short jog earlier and it felt great.

I should start blogging again.
Now that I'm away and almost settled down in this new city. I'm thinking that I should start blogging again. I hope I do find the time for it :)

For those who don't know. I moved to Toronto as of Dec 1st.

Quick Thoughts.
Work is going well for me. I'm doing QA (Quality Assurance) testing for a site that we are working on. There's been lots of hours logged and the QA team is a good team. I might have to buy a nerf gun soon though =]
I only have one main thought at the moment. I want to go and find a job in Vietnam (that pays close to what i can be earning now). It would be nice to have a company place me in a position in Vietnam to work. I just want to go out there and be there at this moment in life.

Starts Monday.
Well, it looks like I'm employed for the first month of January with Blast Radius. It'll be interesting working a 9-5 job full time doing something other then flipping burgers. My contract came through and I'll be doing Quality Assurance Testing for one of the projects that I think is finishing up. Hopefully I'll find a job once my contract ends =)

Tae Guk Gi. The Brotherhood of War
So I rented a few films from Rogers about a week ago and I finally got around to actually watching them. Usually when I rent a film, it'll be under the foreign section mostly because I want a change from the regular movies that I want to watch. I grabbed J.S.A (Korean Film), Beijing Bicycle (Chinese), and Tae Guk Gi (Korean). The only one really worth mentioning is the latter of the three. It's a Korean War film about two brothers who gets drafted in the war and Jin-Tae the oldest of the brother does everything he can to protect his youngest brother and send him home. It's a great movie that is long (2h 20mins) but I have to say that I was engrossed in the movie. It follows along other war movies like Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers (although I haven't seen Band of Brothers). I would recommend it.

J.S.A wasn't a bad film at all either and is set along the protected Korean  border the area where a bridge connects the two countries. It's told from an investigative point of view where the story uncovers as the investigation continues forward.

From Wikipedia:

I would recommend this movie as well.

Happy New Year everyone. I'll assume everyone is safe this year since I haven't received any word about your sudden departure from this world. I myself stayed home again this year so new years isn't a big deal. Well in comparison to Vietnamese/Chinese/Asian/Lunar New Year. WEEEEeee MONIES! The start of this new year has been slow, but it's already filled with to do items. Good or bad? Time will only tell. I'll blog more perhaps. =]

Graduation.
So no more classes and I will graduate for the Fall 2006 semester. That means that the co-op position at Blast Radius did NOT go through and I lost out to another student. I'll assume that the guy who got it had more programming experience/abilities then I do. On the flipside, I might have a one month contract with Blast Radius in QA (Quality Assurance testing) other than that, I have been searching for jobs. I might look at applying to RIM (Research in Motion - the people who makes the BlackBerry) and that's all the way out in Ontario.

Resolutions.
Usually I don't make many resolutions that I will stick to at the beginning of the new year. Usually I do that in Sept, when school starts up. This year is a bit different since I won't be returning to school. The top one on my list, well the only real resolution on my list, is to get back into shape. I want to shed off my pounds and regain some athletic abilities. Last year I injured my knee (bad knee sprain in Oct - it's still bothering me) and separated my shoulder again (Level 2 or 3 shoulder separation - End of Nov) so this time I will spend time bringing up my cardio and rehabilitating my shoulder and knee so I can start lifting again. Also I'm looking at getting back into sports like Badminton and Volleyball as well as increasing my dance training.

Also I'll be attempting to get more involved in the Vietnamese community. First off which will be Tet (Vietnamese New Year) since I will be up on the stage doing some stuff in conjunction with the Vietnamese Beauty Pageant going on. Also there's a new Vietnamese group at UBC which maybe doing some things so I'll see if I will get involved with that.

It's a busy year with lots of new things going on. 2007 is my greatest change yet and I'm not going to go down without a fight =D

So my interview came and went on Monday. Overall I felt that it was good, except for one major weakness. Blast Radius is a web-focused company and I didn't have anything on hand in my portfolio that was web based. So leaving from the interview, it has been something that has bothered me up until now. I finished my web portfolio now
http://www.sfu.ca/~tlec/portfolio
I'll try and get a domain soon so I have have it up somewhere that is not going to die anytime soon. Aside from that, I have never worked so hard to go after something that I want. It's quite invigorating because I love working to achieve something. That's why I love to program when I get a chance to, because of the challenges. Design has it's own challenges, but it doesn't work me in the way I wish it did. I've been so accustomed in thinking as an interaction designer that it has become natural and bred in me that I rely on my gut instincts to help me decide things. It's become a bit too easy, making things look nice. All it has become is time consuming. I wonder where this will take me if I can nab this Blast Radius job, considering I have grown away from web-development and found it a bit boring at times as well.

It's been a while since I've had to do something for myself in terms of finding a job. I remember a time when I could sit down and come up with an idea for whatever I was working towards and get it done in the shortest amount of time possible and be proud of it. I feel that sometimes, I have lost my fire in the work that I do and would just rather play in order to find some fun in my life, rather then finding the fun within the work that I am doing.
My portfolio is almost done. I'm going to throw out the Misc. section since I don't have time and I should get sleep. Early morning tomorrow. Finish up the text in my portfolio and prep for printing, iron out my shirt and pants, get to school and print out my portfolio, head to Blast Radius by 11:30 (30min overhead for time), organize my files in case, interview, and go out for some fun with Josef before he leaves for HK.
Nervous? not really. I wonder when I will be.