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The Pope and Numazu are in town The Pope has been in town for at least a day and we haven't crossed paths . Numazu texted about meeting tonight. All arranged in a few texts an I learn about his Freshboys double...or at least that it happened. Referring interested readers who don't know what I'm referencing to look at numazu's latest trip report. Reader and I exchange Line messages and he updates me on the Pope. Yoyo must have texted me while I was sleeping to see if we can meet this afternoon and not tomorrow. I'm awake so he's probably asleep...but I suggest late afternoon before I meet Numazu and anddy. I have breakfast from the hotel buffet and head out for a walk in the park, some of the boys are there working out which is good for me as I can check out the strength of my eyeglass prescription. Yoyo is awake and will see me at 4. So let's skip to 4pm. I asked to desk to let him up when he arrives, which they do. He is dressed moderately high fashion today with the rips in the jeans strategically placed. Long hung and kiss once he's in the room. He undresses me before I undress him. The next two hours proceed as anticipated/hoped/etc. I won't be seeing him again this visit and give him a long time tip for a short time as he is worth it. We showered together at the end and his hair remained dry. I head over to Red Dragon, our meeting point for tonight arriving shortly before 8pm. Usual fuss with the waiters and barkers stopping by. I have a drink with the bartender who has decided my drink for tonight is a Campari and soda. Freshboys Waiter #3, my intended off for tonight, checks to confirm when I'll be at the club. Guessing, I say between the shows. Note: by the end of this report, I will have offed 4 current waiters and 1 former waiter from Freshboys. Rather than mangle their names as I did with Waiter #2, I'll just change how I identify them. Anddy buzzes by on his motorcycle on his way to find parking. He returns as Numazu arrives. It's been two years since out travels brought us to Bangkok at the same time and Burboy then was attached to him and his attention. The three of us caught up on Numazu's take on the virtues of Latin America...especially Brazil and Columbia. The barkers and Freshboy waiters attractively interrupt us as Numazu's reputation from his directing the Freshboys staging has spread. The Julia Roberts mamasan comes down the stairs to greet him. Much of the next couple of hours is detailed in Numazu's trip report which has pictures. While we are talking he is in text conversation with the Moonlight mamasan about an arrangement. I am in awe of his energy...knowing that when I was his age, I had nowhere as much zest for the thrill of juggling so many guys. Cheers to him. Anddy, Numazu, and I head over to Luckyboys before the show starts to get a view of the battalion of boys in their drill pattern precision which brings each to the front of the line(s) on a regular basis. There were six lines of boys at least five or six deep. The mamasan, still no sight of Lucy, has seated us in the front row in the center. Anddy and I are considered as semi-regulars (translation, the waiters know us). Anddy invited #22 ,who I mentioned in an earlier post, to join him for a drink and an attempt to see if he''s wandered from the straight path. I ask the mamasan about another boy who is beautiful...a level beyond handsome. I'm told he's gay and Thai. He joins me and confirms he is gay and Thai and will do x, y, and z+. He also tells me he has been at the club for just over a month and is offed at least once each night. The more we talk, his English being only slightly better than my Thai, I understand this boy not only has checked off most boxes but is also VERY HIGH maintenance. I tip him for his time and say "maybe another night". Numazu has been eyed, enticed, flirted at by many of the guys in the rotation, and tells us "too many choices", anddy has not broken the straight wall, and so we decide to head out. Once back on Patpong 2 we discuss options, rule out Dreamboy, and Freshboy is a last night thing, which leaves us with Hot Male unless we want to head to soi 4. Hot Male is known to each of us so we turn toward the stairs and the barkers propel us up them, where the bar boys greet us as the old friends we are, and then into the club. The three of us double the audience. The show is close to starting, we order drinks, two mamasans attach themselves to us. Show starts. My coyote is still away, mamsan texts him so he can text me that he is away until the weekend (when I will be heading home). As Numazu has written in his report, one of the boys in the show caught his attention. A very manly specimen. He joins us and then he and Numazu move to another seating section to discuss the value of soy bean trading. Around the end of the big cock show, decisions have been made...read Numazu's report on the remainder of his night. I say my goodbyes, check with anddy that we are having dinner on Thursday, and head out across the rooftop to pickup waiter #3. The script is the same as with waiters #1 and #2. He knows my hotel without asking and leads me there. Once the ID is given to security he guides me to my floor and to my room. Shoes goes in the cubbyhole the others used, shower together, water temperature at the right setting, his hair stays dry, one change is that he wants to dry me off after the shower. Pre-approved bed activities, one added that included simultaneous kneeling and standing. A sexy and fun time. Headline; "Waiter Delivers!" He also suggests which of the remaining waiters should be #4. Clearly, the boys don't talk among themselves about clients. LOL We say goodbye, short time fee paid, once the security calls to see that I have not been pillaged, I turn off the light and am immediately asleep!

Mr Nut as a blued campaign boy at Songkran 2019 before joining Moonlight.

Wow, the boys of Bangkok G Story also joined at Songkran b4!!!

we all doubt reliability of such figure as based on their numbers quoted it would require 10 1 hr sessions and each of those 10 customers tipping well over odds, all in one day so this is clearly fairy tale. On another hand it's quite possible that once in blue moon well off customer is taken to the stratosphere by the boy and lavished improbable tip. After all there are those guys in bars sporting golden necklaces, expensive phones, driving customer given motorsais or motorcycles so why not to rob a bank and giving half proceeds to the boy? But those will be once a lifetime cases , not daily, weekly or even monthly occurrences

Apparently, Mr Rome also guest starred at Moonlight yesterday So first at R3/Ratchada Sauna and later same night on stage at Moonlight - he is in need of quick cash?

Great report. Red Dragon bar needs more customers and is a great spot to bump into many boys and customers coming and going.

seriously, did you feel you have to share this in the forum?

Today I filled out the census forms, it does go on and on. There was concern that by asking citizenship questions it would deter immigrants who are not citizens from participating, thus leaving them undercounted. I always thought that the census was to count the number of people in the country, out of which political seats would be issued. But if hordes of immigrants do not respond, they lose representation. The census should focus on building trust and not statistics that don't help determine the population. This census often feels like an IRS form as they ask very detailed income questions. I don't know why. The questions and suggested answers are not always consistent. Did you work at least one hour? Then tell us the annual income! I wish they would just stop at counting the population, but that won't happen. They even want to know if you have a smartphone, computer, laptop, and Ipad. Then they ask how you connect to the internet. Are those really census questions? How about these suggested (by me) questions? Do you rim? Men and/or women? How deep does your tongue go? I don't trust the Trump government to keep the data separate as promised. I think that they will use it in any way that suits them. It's a $100 fine to not respond or skip questions. First though they send mailers, then a person to your house, probably wearing a MAGA hat. What has your experience been?

From a look at Moonight's Facebook activities, they are gearing up for the high season and will be adding to the star line up rotation with some temporaries. I'm guessing at this but my conclusion matches their "grand opening" and other events in the past. Good for Moonlight, it's well managed, well mamasan'd, sets a high standard for its boys, and changes it's show's staging and choreography regularly!

https://ilikepinga.com/2019/12/29/best-sauna-rio-2019/

done

It’s surprising because Sao Paolo is more of a business destination and thus you expect it to be pricier, but my own experience found that not to be the case. You are correct in that flights within Brazil are super cheap (and it’s the best way to see such a large country when you have limited time). A few years back I got a r/t from the US to Sao Paolo for $350 which was just nuts! At the time I had to hassle with a visa and I honestly think that kept some US travelers away, but now that restriction is gone so to need to go check it out!

Beware of the escort who has desires of being famous. A big mouth with even larger hubris can get you in all kinds of trouble. Edit: Perhaps I meant to write infamous.

OMG, I know one of this boy again, can't believe he's in Songkran!!!

I would not mind being with someone beautiful and lousy in bed. The opposite would be a nightmare

All this news did to me is now im wondering who the hell is this bobby model from vietnam. I bet he get so much publicity now that whole world of gay elite is now looking for access to his service after he is being released. One can never get that high tip a day simply by looking good so i bet he is willing to do a lot to get that much tips and it could be from 1 high roller customer. We heard boys getting motorcycles, cars, golds, phones, expensive shoes and clothing, even diamond rings, so if we factor those in value, 50k baht tip in one of the day he work seems very possible. What he needs to do for that can be anyone's guess. Dont get me wrong though, it is sad to hear boys who get caught might spend jail time and more. But im just wondering what is the purpose of the news detailing what these boys can get. Maybe as a promotion to all handsome model who want to make quick money to come and work illegally in bangkok? 50k in one day is enough to get a lot of young hot guys to be enticed to at least try it out.

Is it really possible to earn 50k in tips in one day? Hmmm..

Yes and no-depends on what tips they receive, and these may very well be from competitors facing declining bisnis. Most raids in the more distant past were for drugs includsing sometimes custoimers-as mgb above also writes for SIN. This may of course also very well apply to str8 places. In the days of yore it was a common sight in the well known Thai gutter Press (Thai Rath and the like) to see pix of bargirls all trying to hide their faces being paraded out of such bars-more likely out of the patpong area. That they specifically aim for foreign workers is a bit of a new thing, but then its always Burmese/Khmer they find, quite logically, and in this m2m also now the VNese. I highly doubt though if the nr of such foreign ladies is as big in the str8 bisnis, Burmese are certainly not known for that at all.

Thanks for the feedback. When I go into a new area(relatively) I like to look like I know where I am going ! And when I read recommendations for venues I like to be able to work out exactly where they are, rather than wandering through an area looking for the promised land! Somebody recently did a great job of updating the new locations of the Patong area bars on a map, so I was hoping for the same for Pattaya, as new bars open and old ones close. The online Thai Puan map is a good starting point.

He must be good to have 30K followers. You missed the opportunity to go with him for a mere 150 dollars. You missed a bargain. Just think how much you would pay in the US for an insta model/influencer.

Update: Ended up finding another hot Colombian masseur on Grindr and had a really good deep tissue massage on a bed for 1.5k. Spoke little english but was really sweet and intense. No sex beyond release, but if I lived here I'd end up seeing him regularly. Mileroticos is handy and I found some good ads. Will try to use it more during future visits. There are so many twinks on Grindr, but so few of these bottoms have an ass, much less a big one *wails in top* I've noticed that most of the guys I'm interested in when I visit Mexico City are Colombians and Venezuelans. Will have to plan a trip to Colombia to see if I like the guys there more. I have a few days left. Will try to find a cute local to go bar hopping with or fuck in Sodome, because I refuse to go to either alone.

As z909 posts, the gay areas, Sunee, Boyztown and Jomtien Complex are easy to navigate. No up to date maps that I am aware of anymore.

Taking off to BKK with my husband today for 3 nights. My queen will be making her appearance in the White Party's main event tomorrow. Expect at least some videos soon, will report! For now, witness my queen's quarterly appearance in Chanukah's TLV party last week. It was an intoxicating 6 hour set. Bangkok will be 3H. She was at her best this time and I'm sure she will be carrying the same vibes to tomorrow's party. Excited! https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1112162878992606&id=6595623143 She appears on stage at 3:50 in this video.

Presumably under the good guidance that they should keep their head down for a while, VCK has now taken down the V Club 7 massage spa page (the link now just goes back to the home page). However, I checked with manager Trin at VCK yesterday and he confirmed that they are open for business as usual. (BTW - I'm NOT trying to say that VCK should be on everyones go-to list. I think that VCK has a great selection of the better looking non-twink types, and gets them by charging a premium, but as I've posted before, I always seem to have less than a great time there. I just want to skip it because they more often than not rush everything, not because Big Oud says it's hurting Thailand's reputation. )

This comment proves you are again, definitely, our WilliamM. Again, welcome.

Somebody reported that Lucy is working in Dreamboys now Great read , you seem to be more and more dynamic with both every passing day and every new chapter of report

Street art ... Seen on a wall in Salvador (generally speaking, people in the Nordeste region of Brazil are more against Bolsonaro). (If military schools are so good, why is Bolso so stupid ?)

The Thai Puan magazine that's available in the clubs has maps. It's available on line, but there are no maps for Sunnee. It does a decent job for Boyztown and Jomtien.

Well, WilliamM just posted in the other side. Yours seems to be a very unusual 30 days time out.

An interesting point on charges. If they have passport stamps up to date. (Monthly visa run) and are caught working in shops or gogo’s, the charges are just working without a permit. Not being in the country illegally. Because of this they are usually just fined and released. if passport is not stamped up to date , then can be charged with being in the country illegally and working without a permit. Usually comes with jail time as it gets sorted out a fine and deportation for up to 10 years.

Interesting reports @gap1972 Thanks!

"some" ? I'd say a lot, after all we can wear only 1 shirt at the time and all others we have , be it 5, 15 or 25 will be still hanging in the closet non-productively . Usually we think reducing spending on this or that is impossible unless we really forced to, then all of the sudden it becomes not only possible but even desired. Who needs new car when old one is running and reward for keeping it another year is Thai trip with massage and LT every day of such vacations.

I did find this photo collection fascinating. https://edition.cnn.com/2019/12/20/world/gallery/decade-in-pictures/index.html

Street art in Manaus, Salvador and Rio I saw many nice pieces, particularly in Salvador (and I considered it was safe to use my camera) The one below was seen while going down to Pelourinho in Salvador

From Los Angeles Times Cheap health care and decent living standards cited HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam — When John Rockhold drew a low number, No. 12, in the 1971 draft lottery, his adolescence in the San Fernando Valley forever changed. Seeking to avoid the Army, he signed up for the Navy just after graduating from Granada Hills High School. As an enlisted petty officer, he spent months operating boats that dropped off SEALs at night along long and humid Vietnamese shorelines where American troops were trying to stop the communist north from taking over the south. More than 58,000 U.S. service members died in the war, and since it ended in 1975, innumerable American veterans have returned to Vietnam, seeking understanding, forgiveness or reconciliation. Now some are coming for more mundane reasons: inexpensive housing, cheap healthcare and a rising standard of living. After his military career, Rockhold worked as a defense contractor, operating mostly in Africa. He first returned to Vietnam in 1992 to work on a program to help economic refugees. He settled in Vietnam in 1995, the same year the United States and Vietnam normalized relations. He married a Vietnamese woman in 2009. In fact, he liked it so much that he persuaded his mother to move to Vietnam from Santa Maria, Calif., also in 2009. “She came for the wedding, and decided to stay,” he said with a laugh. She lived in Vietnam until her death in 2015 at 94. Rockhold, now 66, sits on several boards and is raising two children, 10 and 9, with his wife, Tu Viet Nga. The children were born via caesarean section; the procedure, including a four-day hospital stay, cost about $1,200, far less than it would have in the United States. The family lives in a 20th-floor condominium overlooking the Saigon River and the sprawling city beyond. They bought the four-bedroom, three-and-a-half bathroom unit, measuring about 1,840 square feet along with a separate veranda, for about $250,000 in 2011. Rapid growth in Vietnam and its Southeast Asian neighbors has created a situation that would have been unthinkable in the past: Aging American boomers are living a lifestyle reminiscent of Florida, Nevada and Arizona, but in Vietnam. Monthly expenses here rarely exceed $2,000, even to live in a large unit like Rockhold’s, including the help of a cook and a cleaner. The neighbors are friendly: A majority of Vietnamese were born well after the war ended in 1975, and Rockhold says he has rarely encountered resentment, even when he talks about his service as a combat veteran. The vast majority of the owners in his apartment building are members of Vietnam’s burgeoning urban middle class; many work in government or in education, and can afford to take vacations abroad. He estimated that no more than 1 in 5 residents in the 25-floor complex are foreigners. “The Vietnamese were extremely nice to me, especially compared to my own country after I came back from the war,” Rockhold said at a coffee shop recently inside a polished, air-conditioned office tower that also houses a restaurant and cinema. In semi-retirement, Rockhold keeps busy: He helps Vietnam import liquefied natural gas, and is involved with a charity that provides solar energy to low-income households. His wife’s family farm is about a 45-minute drive from where he once saw combat. “It didn’t ever pass my mind that 30 years later I was going to own some of Vietnam,” Rockhold said with a chuckle. Vietnam has relaxed visa rules to lure American retirees like Rockhold, along with their savings. Geopolitics are a factor; Vietnam has seen spillover benefits from the economic boom in China but also has an ambivalent relationship with its far larger and more powerful neighbor, with which it fought a brief war in 1979. Expatriates tend to consider Vietnam more hospitable than China; Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon, retains a cosmopolitan character. Vietnam has joined other Southeast Asian countries to lure retirees from wealthier parts of the world. Cambodia, another nation that struggles with the legacy of United States military intervention, is also attempting to attract American retirees. The country’s per capita GDP is about $1,400, and for that sum, an expatriate can easily pay a month’s rent, energy costs and a housekeeper’s wages. Sri Lanka, where a brutal civil war ended in 2009, is issuing renewable two-year visas to retirees 55 and older if they can support themselves and have at least $15,000 in a local bank account. A typical expatriate cost of living is $1,000 to $2,000 per month. Historically, the Philippines, Thailand and Malaysia were more common destinations for American retirees. But a higher cost of living, especially in coastal areas like California and New York, has pushed many farther afield. Rockhold, the Navy veteran, said that healthcare has vastly improved in Vietnam. Also, he said, “This is one of the safest cities in the world; petty pickpocketing is almost unheard of.” Remarkably, he said, some of his friends are Americans who never served in Vietnam. “The cost of living is so low,” he said. “It’s a communist country, but if I blindfolded you and put you in downtown Saigon, you wouldn’t know it.” https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2019-12-25/americans-are-retiring-to-vietnam-for-cheap-health-care-and-a-decent-living-standard

In another thread Jasper kindly posted a photo of Soi 4 Songkran. Here are some pics from a few years ago when water play (water sports?) were allowed during the day.

People do fall on hard times. Many deserve our compassion. However, to turn an escort review site, where the going rate is $300-an-hour, into a go-fund-me call of desperation, that truly is the definition of pathetic. It is what it is.

My dear Adam, he has been looking for me all these years. His inability to find me is leading him to sadness, regrets and mistakes. Call me Justin. I'll help you!

NOTE -- A tip of the cap to Divine Madman who brought this interview with Ocean Vuong from the Paris Review to my in box. I've singled out some quotes from Vuong but you can read the interview in its entirety at the link below. Survival as a Creative Force: An Interview with Ocean Vuong Maybe all of life is an experiment, in some sense. Just because we use words like son and mother does not mean that love and forgiveness are a given. They must be tested, and they must be tested with tools. Language is one of those tools. One question this novel hovers over is how do people who hurt each other find ways to protect themselves while attempting to love and, ultimately, to heal? I think Little Dog learns that to experiment is to innovate—and to innovate is to live in hope. Innovation is the first casualty of cynicism. The characters in this novel test each other because they possess an optimism that outlasts their hurt. And I adore them for that. ----------------------------------------- I’m lucky to have met some truly kind and generous elders and teachers along the way, many of whom opened doors for me by saying incredible things, often just on the fly. ----------------------------------------- Continues at https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2019/06/05/survival-as-a-creative-force-an-interview-with-ocean-vuong/

Another interesting case of an uber driver in Curitiba who made campaign on social networks as "motorista gato" (cute). The type of driver you would like to give more than 5 stars ... He says that he never had affair with passenger ... "Who called me?"

From a Uber driver in Rio, for the ones willing to have new sexual experiences Hello. Looking for something different ? I am a uber driver and I offer my services. I can take you to a motel or wherever you want. If you want you can have sex in the car while I drive around the city. Very discrete and safe. I do not participate. We can also make your boy think it is a normal uber ride and you fuck during the ride.

Sure !

For the ones who like to go to really good restaurants and enjoy new tastes, the Emile restaurant in the Emilano hotel in Copacabana is a great choice. From Michelin guide : "Boasting a separate entrance to the Hotel Emiliano, this restaurant's standout features are its lobby and a lush vertical garden in a patio-style area crowned by a retractable roof. The French-born chef, Damien Montecer, uses Brazilian produce - in particular fish and shellfish - to prepare cuisine with contemporary, international flavours, and often surprises guests with his focus on presentation, which showcases high attention to detail". The pirarucu served in Emile is a great discovery (the pirarucu is the largest fresh water fish which can reach 3 meters and 200 kg. It lives in the Amazone) (pira means "fish" in indio (cf pira-nha) and I think rucu stands for red ie the color of a fruit called urucu). Price : 1 to 1.5 programa In a totally different style, the Fogo de Chao in Botafogo is great for meat (all types of meat lol).

all trouble started when Moonlight models started asking for 5000 tips and their customers obliged , thus increasing tourist spending in Thailand which in turn led to strengthening baht. Cheap charlies complaining that some, including me , are paying inflated tips can feel vindicated as it's clearly a case of us sawing off branch we are sitting on. At least this is how I see source of today's troubles with strong baht, guilty as charged.

This war won laziness: much more easy to write Saigon than Ho Chi Minh City

Please don't let this place turn into cesspool of judgy bitchiness. That forum is that-a-way. This forum even has an ignore feature, so you can just ignore people that annoy you.

The subject of the July 22nd post above, poet and fiction writer Ocean Vuong, 30, is among this year’s MacArthur fellows. From NY Times This has been an emotionally intense year for the poet and fiction writer Ocean Vuong. In June, his first novel, “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous,” written as a Vietnamese immigrant son’s letter to his illiterate mother, came out to much fanfare. Not long before publication, Mr. Vuong’s own mother learned she had Stage 4 breast cancer. Then, earlier this month, he was back from his book tour, and looking forward to the steadying routines of teaching at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, when he got a phone call delivering some startling news. “I had to make sure they had the right person, because you don’t want to cry and then have them say it was a mistake,” he recalled. “But then the tears came.” Mr. Vuong, 30, is one of 26 people chosen as 2019 fellows of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Known colloquially as the “genius” grant (to the annoyance of the foundation), the fellowship honors “extraordinary originality” and comes with a no-strings-attached grant of $625,000, to be distributed over five years. Continues at https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/25/arts/macarthur-foundation-genius-winners.html

A new gay voice has published his first novel to wide acclaim. From the Wall Street Journal Magazine Ocean Vuong: America “Has Amnesia” About Tiger Woods How do we salvage an Asian-American identity that has been erased by the media? Poet Ocean Vuong poses the question about Woods as part of his acclaimed novel, ‘On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous’—while also examining the experience of immigrants in a culture that conflates conformity with survival The 30-year-old Vietnamese-American poet Ocean Vuong structures his semi-autobiographical debut novel, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, as a long, devastating letter. It’s written by the narrator, Little Dog, to his mother, who is still shattered by the Vietnam War and living unmoored in America. Little Dog serves as a translator to his mother, who is illiterate. “I took off our language and wore my English, like a mask, so that others would see my face, and therefore yours,” writes Little Dog. The character wants to be seen, and he wants his mother to be seen, so he tries to make sense of their lives as refugees by writing down their story, using words she may never read. Vuong, the author of the shattering, tender 2016 poetry collection Night Sky With Exit Wounds, brings the same magic to his prose. WSJ. spoke to Vuong by phone from his home in Northampton, Massachusetts about both the danger and importance of being seen as an immigrant in America, and why “cancel culture” isn’t the best way to make strides in literature. WSJ. Magazine: Tell us the differences between publishing a novel and poetry. Ocean Vuong: Any poet would tell you that you’re happy just to have a book of poems out into the world so you can tell your mother that you’ve done something with your life in the past ten years. Publishing a novel is a bit more like a parade, and I’m not a parade person. But I know it means that I did my job as a writer, that I made something that seemed interesting beyond my own gains. How much do you talk to your mother about what you do, and how much does she know about the book? I try to tell her but she’s not interested. To some extent it’s a relief. She’s very practical and a lot of the publishing world is almost beyond her imagination. She gets that I do these things; she doesn’t know why. She gets readings. She likes going to them. In fact, she can’t understand the words so she sits adjacent to me and looks at the audience. She says “I like what your words do to their faces.” I love how in the novel Little Dog describes to his mother what writing feels like for him. Little Dog really hopes that his mother would be able to read it, but still he can only say some of the things he says to her in the letter because he knows the chances are slim. It felt like the crisis of the moment for me: As Americans we often ask ourselves “Does my voice matter? Do I have a voice? Does my vote count?” These are obvious concerns on the political level, but it also feels potent on the private, domestic level. What happens when the person we are closest to doesn’t hear us? What happens if we spend our whole lives inches away from somebody and our language fails us, or rather we fail language’s potential? The protagonist is told from a very young age that being Vietnamese means he shouldn’t draw any more attention to himself. It’s a survival mechanism. He’s trying to write, so he’s trying to make himself known while his mother tried to erase him in order to protect him. The urge to blend in and be invisible is very common among refugee, immigrant communities. There’s an old Vietnamese saying: “The nail that sticks up gets hammered down.” Conformity as a means of survival is a part of an intergenerational clash in the diasporan experience. Do I say I’m Vietnamese or do I hide it? He realizes that he can only be Vietnamese-American, that it’s not even a choice. Little Dog refers to Tiger Woods as another product of this world that both you and he inhabit. What led you to Tiger Woods? I always knew Tiger Woods had roots in the Vietnam War. His father was a soldier there. How come we don’t hear about Woods’s origin? It’s an American phenomenon, as a culture, that we’re often wary of talking about someone’s pre-history. Because if we go pre- enough we’ll arrive at slavery and American genocide. So understandably, those in power, and those looking at this country in review, have amnesia. The same goes for isolated sports figures and celebrities. They are better as individual phenomenons that exist within the context of the sport. An interesting thing about Woods is that he often has his mother and father standing beside him on the green. That’s rare. We don’t see that in football. But few people have asked about them. How do we salvage an Asian American identity that has been erased by the media? The novel is one of the great places where that can happen. The more I learned about Woods, the more I saw parallels to my own family: the mixed-race identity, veterans coming through trauma after a war. Tiger Woods became more American to me after the research rather than just being a two-dimensional icon. You’ve talked about how you’ve studied writing and now you teach it, and how we can admire the dead white men of the canon of American Letters but also build on their legacy. As a teacher, I get this question a lot: What should we do? Should we cancel everybody? I get the impulse to cancel people because it’s a powerful, sweeping gesture. We can take often racist, often problematic writers off our syllabus and feel that we’ve reclaimed a space for someone else. My concern is that I don’t think that stops Whitman from appearing on the desks of school children for the next hundred years. Rather than elimination, we should focus on being more thorough. Instead of saying “this is the gold standard” we should say, “this work revolutionized American letters in some ways, but there are other places where the thinking fell apart.” Whitman created an incredible poetic line according to the King James Bible in an attempt to preserve the union side by side with Abraham Lincoln. Incredible! Whitman was also racist. We can hold those two truths simultaneously. I see the canon as a very well-curated list of white folks, but when you take the monoliths down into another sector, you can start to build the next sector for yourself. We can look at the canon as a list of white folks, but then we carry on. It’s a less combative approach. I never saw writing as something I had to fight against. I’m fighting against so much in the world. When it comes to writing—the moment where I have the most agency and the most control—I would like that space to be as collaborative as possible, even with the most difficult subjects and the difficult writers who came before. That’s also my approach to history, particularly with negotiating the Vietnam War. Because it was a civil war there was a polemic of polarity, but in fact when you look at the actual lived lives on the ground, it was incredibly messy. Some folks fought for whoever was closest. Some folks fought for whoever gave them food. Some folks fought because their fathers did. The political schema never quite fits into the reality of life on the ground in Vietnam. But the classroom and the page is where we can go to be back on the ground. It’s where we can say “Where does this narrative go wrong?” https://www.wsj.com/articles/ocean-vuong-america-has-amnesia-about-tiger-woods-11559662495?mod=WCP_magazine&reflink=brd_obamp_mag

nothing simplistic , they are hungry and craving food they know and like, after 2 weeks of forced fast not too many people would cave shark fin soup or kobe beef steak, rice with something or bread and butter would sound enticing enough