Ok now I'm in Sydney, and this is not forever.
I've got a scholarship to take a post-graduate degree in Australia (thank you OZ!) and now am living my dream in Kingsford and the University of New South Wales, Master of Urban Development and Design (MUDD) program.
Though well-prepared by the scholarship organization and by myself, I still have some little shock with Sydney. Her price is so high, haha. Possibly because she's the oldest sister here since the time of Botony Bay then Port Jackson. I never forget being told that I made the wrong choice to go to Sydney (and now I tell a friend of mine to choose Melbourne or Brisbane instead when he's coming here). Regret? No. Two reasons I told the scholarship interviewer were the messy but fabulous metropolitans (Saigon, Sydney, Shanghai, Bangkok, New York ...) and the MUDD program.
Well, I've got all I wanted.
It will only be one calendar year. So I will live it best.
(13 August, 2012 - exactly 2 months since my arrival)
the city of Saigon
I was born in a big city, the greatest of my country.
He has more than one name. One was given in the past. Another was given when history changed. Others have been given through its living. The city is young, optimistic and easy-going as compared to other big ones in this country, open-minded, outgoing and smart. Therefore, undoubtedly he's rich.
He welcomes traders and businessmen. He smiles to all travelers. He treats artists and architects well. He offers opportunities to all citizens. Into him people come to buy and sell, to make friends and to cheat, to build and to destroy, to stay or just to leave later.
Always changing but he's independent in his own way. Some people try to ruin him. Some think they are succeeding but they are not. Because they will stay with him, and their descendants will pay. However, if the nature of a man is changing, how would they change him?
And though sometimes it's hurt to see his scarce, I won't worry much about him anymore. He'll always be fine.
Sometimes I leave him to other cities. They may be rich or pretty, or stylish but I can't stand staying with them too long. I do dream about greatest cities in the world and I do want to visit them someday in my life. I think I will find the future of both mine and his there. We both can learn well.
I know it's funny that I'm listening to "Empire State of Mind" by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys while typing this line. It's funny to say Saigon is New York of Vietnam. But there's nothing wrong to say "If I can make it here I can make it anywhere". A lot of inspiration comes when I listen to such a catchy rap song while riding on my motorbike. I wrote some rap songs. I want to write a good rap song about the city someday.
And me
I'm a soul out of every school and office.
I don't hate school and act as if I'm wiser than school. I do love going to class, listening to good things from great lecturers, competing with classmates. But I feel there's something wrong if I just live and do things that schools teach me. There's always more out there in the city. This also happens with offices. They're just interesting places to perform, to earn my living, to nurture things I really want to do out of them.
I was to study graphic design or fine-art. I chose Urban planning as just a temporary studying but I've sticked with it til now. I think the point is that I started to realize the abstract beauty in urban planning and urban design, and also to love it. What's wrong with having more than one love? I am now working mainly in a major institute of urban planning and spend another part of my life on small graphic design and art projects.
I have a lot of ideas that don't make me rich. But they're my interest, my past-times and not for sale. "I do what I like and I like what I do", as a rap song.
fashion, music and visual art
They're parts of the city life. These things rule the urban culture.
my network
The idea derived when I first had the access to Internet in my highschool time. I thought of building a huge website without paying a fee by connecting different pages on different free host. My very first host was Homestead. Later, the idea failed since free-host don't live long. They would die someday. No more free.
Things seem easier now in the 21st century. Blogspot and Wordpress will survive some more years I think. That's enough for my site. On the other hand, I think some free GBs for everybody is not a big problem anymore to big names like Google. Even if the idea "free for everyone" would fail, ok, I'm not a student anymore, I can pay.
I don't know if somebody has time to surf through my whole network. To see all things I write, I draw and I sing.
Enjoy!
Name: Duong H. Nguyen
Year of birth: 1985
Contact: redgoat3003@yahoo.com