letting go

by

when we were young, it was hard to let go of someone who didn’t even care that much

getting older, it is not easy to let go of someone who did care

later in life, eventually, one day, we’ll have to learn to let go of someone who always cares

life requires constant practice of letting go

isn’t everything we do is to love and to be loved

my mum loves my dad less and less and less throughout the years and puts all that on me

you can be too loved it hurts

others have pets or dig their heads into work

when there’s no one to caress

someone wants you,

you want someone else

la la la life goes a full circle

27. 11. 2017

film ‘le ballon rouge’ (1956)

kids

by

each time i watch something involving kids, i’m reminded more and more that often they carry no ‘ism’/ preconcept about race, power, status, gender etc. of course they have their own politics and i did experience some bullying in primary school as well but kids forget quickly and i didn’t understand/ take it in back then ~ we were friends the next week or so

the two czech and slovakia films i chose to watch in the film festival also evolve around children characters ~ as soon as they appear on the screen, they got my attention with their purity and non-discrimination

i always make the first move with kids, even if they’re shy, they return with a smile soon enough ~ grow yet keep your pure heart alive

Saigon, 14 Nov 2018

mixed egyptian french kid of my host family in Cambridge in 2010 ~ my first winter in England. good fun book ‘great lies to tell small kids’ from Oxfam charity shop

that Xmas night sitting with my knees held together and my feet close to the wall heater in the room they arranged for me, i felt probably not home-sick of the house i tried to move out from but maybe more home-less after seeing the warm and cosy family with three kids

i visited them again in 2011 on my own and in 2012

one of the series of photos i took of the cute sisters enjoying the shop’s ad banners as their ‘home’ while waiting for their parents i think

i used it for space – place photography project at uni ~ ‘it doesn’t take time for a space to turn into place for kids’

cute siblings with triplet i met on the train ~ we quickly became friends

when i asked for their email to send the photo, their dad reminded them ‘don’t give out your real name’ i haven’t sent them the photo yet, might have left that notebook in london too

shared

by

if you want to make a (northern) vietnamese happy, give us vegetables, lots of it, blanched, together with the broth
gradually, with the eyes of mindfulness practice
many things from my rooted culture start to make sense to me

in a family/ group meal
we eat with a small bowl of rice one at a time
share a pot of rice and dishes with others
the thin small chopsticks can only pick up enough for one bite
of rice or some food
so we can’t over eat at one time
eating together, we learn about sharing from a young age
we learn from our parents, grandparents, relatives about picking up some food for others, especially the guests
to show care, love, warmth, hospitality
we learn to give each other the last bite

2. 10. 2017

người con gái Việt Nam da vàng

by

vỉa hè…

mẹ…

Việt Nam…

hơi buồn…

người con gái Việt Nam da vàng

yêu quê hương như yêu đồng lúa chín

người con gái Việt Nam da vàng

yêu quê hương nước mắt lưng tròng

another petition?

maybe Vietnam has to die

to be born again…

we’re gonna be

sinking soon

we’re gonna be sinking soon

everybody

hold your breath

coz we’re gonna be sinking soon

cứ trôi thôi

rồi kiếp này cũng hết

để là đất

là cây

20. 3. 2017

east meets west

by

lived in the west

long enough

to hold dearly

the hidden charm

of a girl

covered

to find the attraction

to an eastern guy

an ‘oriental’

feeling

vécu dans l’ouest

assez longtemps

pour tenir tendrement

le charme caché

d’une jeune fille

couverte

de trouver

de l’attrait

pour un gars de l’est

une sensation

orientale

sống bên phía Tây

đủ lâu

để nâng niu

cái đẹp

ẩn giấu

của em

kín đáo

để cảm thấy

phương Đông

khi để ý đến anh

20. 3. 2017