I spent my childhood hiding in yellow rice in the beautiful sun-filled countryside, cheerfully crying out for an egg in a straw mat or discovering shiny shells.
The memories are carefully retained since that distant time.
Category: Vietnam
Conjugation Between Earth and Sky
It is commonly known that in order to survive, blossom and continue the course of nature, it is necessary to intervene with our surrounding habitats. This lid symbolizes the ever lasting sky and its thousands and thousands of living species that are endangered by daily air pollution. The bottom represents our earth, life and death, the moments of glory, agonies of defeat, and on going war and peace.
Between this conjugation, we define sacred love for human beings and nature, our dreams and desires to fulfill a glorious and promising future.
In the end, conjugations of any type: earth and sky, man and nature or man and its kind must be cared for and preserved. The lack of attention to this contributes to the heavy consequences that we face today: the holes in our ozone, the wars and its death toll, last but not least the AIDS epidemic.
The Dream Boat
Once, I saw a fishing boat speeding through the waves of the sea. The foam beat against the sides of the boat and splashed up into the air. I watched the scene attentively and believed that the fisherman going to the sea in that boat must have brought with him a dream, a hope for a good haul of fish that day.
Remembering the scene, I have crafted a white model boat made from thin threads of white glue, which also create an illusion of foam floating in the air.  I name it The Dream Boat. I hope that in the near future there is no war, no famine, and that no one will suffer from poverty, children will enjoy more care and attention, women will receive  equal status and more recognition and that the deadly disease AIDS will be wiped out so that it would no longer destroy lives.
Those are my dreams and my boat is the vessel carrying those dreams along  for an everlasting world peace.
The Power of Life
The difference between death and life…the immortal still rise from the grave and represent a strong life which is seen everywhere. Â The freshness of the flowers differs from the quietness of the gray burnt tombstone, the dry and stained pieces of iron and even the spike tunnel where death is always near by.
Flowers still live and rise above all.
Our House, Our Home
I am sure that you would be attracted by the beautiful landscape of the Vietnamese countryside. The lush, expansive fields spread wide and the rivers flow gently into the silent sunset.
There is one thing that is so much a part of our lives…the thatch-roofed cottage. Â No matter where we live, we conjure up images of our cottages when we get homesick. Â They are remnants left behind by our ancestors from a long time ago. They are features of natural beauty of the Vietnamese countryside. Do you know that although they are made of simple, natural materials such as different types of bamboo and palm leaves, they have covered us during rainy and sunny seasons. Â Some of the houses are built on stilts to protect us against floods and the attack of the wild animals in the night.
Seeing is believing, so we hope that you will come to my country, if only once to see the cottages. You will love them as we do.
The Flow of Time
To Know People Outside
If I shut the lid tight, can anyone know for sure what it is in the box? Â The outside of the box is decorated attractively as a person intentionally embellishes their appearance to conceal their inner life. Â The ancient Vietnamese had a saying, “It is easy to know a man from his appearance, but difficult to recognize his thinking.”
Permanent Love
“Love’s over brimming mystery joins life and death.”       Tagore
In former times, Romeo and Juliet could not remain together, and were willing to die side by side. In recent days, the modern Romeo and Juliet ran from the Bosnian siege, also dying side by side. How many such unhappy love stories are there over the world?
I believe in destiny. I make this box as a coffin, with the wish that it is the house of girls and boys, women and men who love one another, yet are not able to become man and wife. This box is a love coffin for Permanent Love.
Men and women in love, whether old or young, may die, but their love still remains, it never dies. Â They will lie in the same coffin, and pray to live together in many future lives.
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I am wary…
I am cautious…
I am conditioned…
I have hardened…
I am protective…
because I am vulnerable.
I am sensitive…
I am emotional…
I am afraid…
Take time to understand me.
Within is my core,
my soul,
and my heart.
I will unfold…
and reveal to you…
me.