I'm a little ADD. In many ways that makes me perfect for what I do for a living and our current deadline-driven and attention-addled society.
I've channeled what could be perceived as detrimental into an asset.
I'm able to put things on hold, address the emergency at hand and go back to what I was doing previously without loss of productivity. Some of this behavior can be seen in my alternating posts; one about my family followed by one about whatever catches my fancy at the given time.
But for visitors who just want to read the posts about the enigma that is my father, family and Laos, these shortcuts are for you.
IMAGE CREDITS: photo by Benh LIEU SONG, a 31 year old programmer living in the suburbs of Paris.
01 The Ultimate Father's Day Present
A letter to my now deceased father on what he meant to me and how, contrary to his belief, he never disappointed me.
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02 Thunderbolt & Lightfoot
My father often indulged me, to the chagrin of my mother. This included seeing movies years before I was able to appreciate the story or the subtext. Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, along with Cool Hand Luke, are the movies that stick with me to this day. If you've seen either of those films you already know why they would resonate with a boy who misses his father.
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03 Mad World, Ghosts of Lives Past
While watching 'The Betrayal', the award winning documentary film by Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath, I stumbled on the most concise explanation for the Vietnam War I had ever seen or read. It also showed me ghost-like images of my father I never knew existed. Ghost-like because he had passed just days prior on the other side of the Atlantic. I never made it to his funeral.
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04 Dad Smuggled Heroin for the CIA
Ethically, people are not born fully formed. They cannot be defined at the beginning of their lives the same way they can be at the end. Sometimes a moment can change things. Sometimes in an instant our choices are made for us. The betrayal of a trust. The revelation that our truths are ours alone.
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05 You Speak English Very Well for an Illegal Alien
It was surprising to me that in an internationally sensitive city like Washington, D.C. circa 1975-76 people were still amazed that a young laotian boy could speak english without an accent. Then again, they didn't know my assimilation to the American way of life and my ability to speak english started at the American School of Vientiane, Laos.
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06 Two Weeks of My Mother on Twitter (v1.O)
My mother came to visit a few weeks ago. This was a bit awkward because we had never been given a chance to build a bond when I was growing up. The last time we spent a significant amount of time with each other, excluding short vacations, I was nine. Regardless she still dotes on me and loves me unconditionally. Of course, she still thinks I'm nine years old.
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07 Rich Man, Poor Man, Beggar Man, Thief...
In 2003, my father asked for my help formatting his curriculum-vitae which ended up being equal parts résumé, biography and family tree. This would be the first time I truly understood what his country meant to my father. With so much on his plate it also explained why I did not see him as often as I wanted to. It may also explain why I'm a recovering work-aholic.
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08a Why the U.S. Fought the Vietnam War, As Explained by Two Cats (this is not a typo)
"We of the Kennedy and Johnson administrations who participated in the decisions on Vietnam acted according to what we thought were the principles and tradition of this nation. We made our decisions in light of those values. Yet we were wrong. We owe it to future generations to explain why." ~ Robert McNamara's 'In Retrospect'
Even with this knowledge I haven't always been able to reconcile all the differing points of view until I stumbled across this gem on the internet. 'The Pinky Show's response to a viewers request that they explain how and why the U.S. fought the Vietnam War.'
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08b Disaster and Struggle — a Timeline of the Vietnam War
the Pinky Show Transcripts Part II
Vietnam existed for aeons before Americans suddenly started thinking about it in the 1960s as this far-away and nightmarish place. Jungles, rice paddies, war, etc. The Vietnamese are an ancient people, with their own culture and their own identity. Even in ancient times, they had to struggle against foreign domination.
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08c Searching for Reasons Behind the Vietnam War
the Pinky Show Transcripts Part III
So far we've described how the United States became involved in Vietnam, but we still haven't explained why. Why did the U.S. think that Vietnam was worth so much killing and dying for? The most frequently-offered explanation, among American historians - is that the United States was in Vietnam in an attempt to stop communist expansion into South East Asia.
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08d Consequences of the Vietnam War
the Pinky Show Transcripts Part IV (conclusion)
The Vietnam War memorial is a very powerful place. It's wall has over 58,000 names inscribed on it - the names of all those U.S. personnel who died in Vietnam. When you're there in person it is overwhelming. The 58,000 names represent those who died. About 150,000 more people suffered serious physical injury during the war, and no one can ever know how many more suffered emotionally, psychologically.
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09 Potato Chips, Comic Books and 70 Things You Didn't Know About Marvel™
One thing my parents never had to worry about when I was growing up was getting me to read. I was absorbing the English language faster than they could provide me with stimulus. I read everything I could get my hands on. Part of it was my natural curiosity about this life, this perspective and this country I was not privy to. Sure I went to the American School in Vientianne but, I really didn't fit in — I was the perpetual "new" kid.
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10 Two Weeks of My Mother on Twitter v2.O
Mom comes back and gives me more of her matronly wisdom.
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