Happy Halloween!
Saturday, October 31, 2015
Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Thien Phu Sings Teeny-Bopper Music
This is a teeny bopper song. I've never sung this song on stage. Why I chose to record it, I'll never know. But at least, I find it entertaining when I listen to it these days. Gosh, I'm getting old. I can't believe that there was a time when I used to sing teeny bopper music. It all seems so light years away.
Sunday, August 30, 2015
Follow Me on Twitter
Yours truly,
Thien Phu aka Viktor Lassley
Link: Thien Phu on Twitter
Saturday, August 1, 2015
Seems Like Old Times
Last night out of the blue, I was delighted to receive a phone call from one of my adoptive big sisters I hadn't seen in a while. I'm referring to Bebe Hoang Anh. To many members of the Vietnamese community in the United States, you might have seen her name listed in the credits for her photography work in magazines, Vietnamese popular music compact discs and DVDs and calendars. And many of you might also be familiar with her as being the beloved wife of the late Vietnamese-American columnist, singer, songwriter, Asia Productions music video live show master of ceremonies, political activist and Vietnamese-American radio broadcasting pioneer Viet Dzung, who happens to also have been one of my adoptive big brothers that I've been quite fortunate to have in my life. I'm always delighted to hear from her. We are like family. We've been friends for so long, seen and done so many things together, Bebe to me, is nothing short of a gem in my book.
When I answered the phone, I hear Bebe's sweet voice speaking to me in what I call Vietlish, a combination of Vietnamese and English. "Thien Phu, where are you, brother? I'm here with another one of your sisters, Julie (Julie Quang). We're at The Crab Kicker Restaurant on Magnolia and McFadden. Get your butt over here right away. I miss you."
Well, with an invitation like that, who can refuse? Right when Bebe was calling me I was still at work. Despite how I had tried to get off from my shift as soon as I could, it wouldn't be for another hour and a half before I would finally arrive at The Crab Kicker to join my two big sisters, Bebe Hoang Anh and Julie Quang. I was perspiring heavily during the drive from my work to The Crab Kicker. I kept thinking to myself, "There's no way that they could still be there at the restaurant waiting for me. How long does it take to eat crawfish? They're probably long gone by now."
What made it worse was how these two big sisters of mine are the way they are. For instance, quite typical of Bebe's style, she doesn't answer her cellphone. I dialed her number repeatedly so I could find out whether I should even bother to head on over there or not, but I had no such luck in reaching Bebe. And as for my big sister, Julie Quang, who is notoriously famous for never carrying with her her cellphone wherever she goes, that just added to my stress. It was already ten o'clock at night. But since I have really missed seeing the both of them in such a long time, I just figured I'd take my chances and just make the drive anyway. Luckily, they were still there when I arrived.
Our reunion last night, although brief since by the time I had gotten there the restaurant was near closing time, was just like old times. Julie and Bebe had come there directly from attending singer Phuong Hong Que's mother's funeral. Accompanying them was another old acquaintance of mine, Tiffy Tien Bui. We laughed, talked, and even cried a bit, all four of us. I don't know if it's my imagination. But it seemed like out of all of us, I'm the only one that has aged. Bebe and Julie still look the same.
During our reunion, there were bits and pieces of emotional moments. After a little bit of alcohol in her, Bebe started to get a bit emotional as we reminisced about Viet Dzung, understandably so. I let Julie and Bebe know about my own personal tragedy recently with the passing of my father. Julie shared with me about her son, Kennedy, who had recently been hospitalized. Wow! So much has happened in our individual lives. There was so much to catch up on, yet so little time. We'll have to have another one of these reunions soon. After all, they are my family.
When I answered the phone, I hear Bebe's sweet voice speaking to me in what I call Vietlish, a combination of Vietnamese and English. "Thien Phu, where are you, brother? I'm here with another one of your sisters, Julie (Julie Quang). We're at The Crab Kicker Restaurant on Magnolia and McFadden. Get your butt over here right away. I miss you."
Well, with an invitation like that, who can refuse? Right when Bebe was calling me I was still at work. Despite how I had tried to get off from my shift as soon as I could, it wouldn't be for another hour and a half before I would finally arrive at The Crab Kicker to join my two big sisters, Bebe Hoang Anh and Julie Quang. I was perspiring heavily during the drive from my work to The Crab Kicker. I kept thinking to myself, "There's no way that they could still be there at the restaurant waiting for me. How long does it take to eat crawfish? They're probably long gone by now."
What made it worse was how these two big sisters of mine are the way they are. For instance, quite typical of Bebe's style, she doesn't answer her cellphone. I dialed her number repeatedly so I could find out whether I should even bother to head on over there or not, but I had no such luck in reaching Bebe. And as for my big sister, Julie Quang, who is notoriously famous for never carrying with her her cellphone wherever she goes, that just added to my stress. It was already ten o'clock at night. But since I have really missed seeing the both of them in such a long time, I just figured I'd take my chances and just make the drive anyway. Luckily, they were still there when I arrived.
Our reunion last night, although brief since by the time I had gotten there the restaurant was near closing time, was just like old times. Julie and Bebe had come there directly from attending singer Phuong Hong Que's mother's funeral. Accompanying them was another old acquaintance of mine, Tiffy Tien Bui. We laughed, talked, and even cried a bit, all four of us. I don't know if it's my imagination. But it seemed like out of all of us, I'm the only one that has aged. Bebe and Julie still look the same.
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| Julie Quang, Bebe Hoang Anh, Tiffy Tien Bui and Thien Phu |
Monday, July 13, 2015
Thanks for the Birthday Wishes!
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| This was created by Tran Quoc Bao a few years ago. |
Friday, June 12, 2015
Unexpected, Pleasant Reunion
On Sunday afternoon, my beautiful cousin, Nikki, who now lives in Arizona called me up out of the blue to let me know that both she and her older sister, Dieu, were in town and wanted to meet up with me at some coffee shop. My cousin, Nikki, is one of the sweetest girls around. We are actually second cousins, as her mother and my mother are first cousins. I remember the very first time we had actually met was exactly 22 years ago in 1993. That was when she and her older sister and their mother had just moved here to the United States from Vietnam. I can go on and on about the beautiful "real life" love story about her parents, whom I had addressed as Uncle Trong and Aunt Tram. You see, her father had first moved to the United States and had lived here for several years. He never forgot about his family back in Vietnam. He worked hard and finally managed to bring the rest of his family to the United States. Nikki now owns her own Vietnamese restaurant right outside of Phoenix and also has become a Vietnamese singer. She goes by the stage name, Bao Tram.
It was very nice to see both Nikki and Dieu again, along with another uncle, Uncle Tuan. But I had no idea that she had arranged for me to reunite with someone that I admire quite a bit and hadn't seen in ages. That person is none other than singer Tuan Anh. To see him again after so many years was like a breath of fresh air. He hasn't aged one bit. As a matter of fact, I think he even looks younger today than the last time I saw him almost ten years ago. He's still funny as ever. Full of jokes, he made all of us laugh non-stop. I wonder what's his secret in staying so youthful and positive after all these years.
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| Tuan Anh and Thien Phu |
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| Bao Tram, Tuan Anh and Thien Phu |
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| Bao Tram and Tuan Anh |
Saturday, May 9, 2015
Most Uplifting Letter from Fellow Amerasian
This letter was so inspiring I thought I'd share it on both blog sites, ClubLai.BlogSpot.com and here on ThienPhu-VietSinger.BlogSpot.com. Rose, if you're reading this, thanks again for such encouraging and thoughtful words. You've inspired me more than you know.
Thien Phu
With Rose's permission, here is her letter posted in its entirety.
Dear Thien Phu,
Thank you for your stories on being Amerasian. I'm an Amerasian, myself. While I was growing up, there were times I felt out of place since I didn't look like the rest of my family. I was born in Vietnam. My mother is Vietnamese and my father was an American soldier. When I was just a year old, my mother had gotten married to a Filipino-American serviceman and we left Vietnam to live in Hawaii. My stepfather was kind enough to give me his last name. My mother went on to have two more children with my stepfather. While growing up, my mother had never told me about my true identity. I also never had any reason to doubt that my stepfather was my father. He is a good man and never treated me any different from my two younger siblings. But then when I was in junior high school, I started to hear how my classmates would refer to me as "Hapa" because of my wavy, red hair and light-skinned complexion. I hated hearing that and couldn't understand why my classmates kept calling me such. When I was 13, my family moved to Seattle, Washington, and I was relieved that I didn't have to hear the word, "Hapa", anymore. Then one day, when I was about 15, after my stepfather and his sister had gotten into some sort of argument, she decided to pull me aside and tell me that he wasn't my actual father and that my real father was an American. I cried and went home to ask my parents if that was true. That was when they both broke down and told me the truth.
At first, I was angry at both my aunt and my parents. Why would she do that? After all, it's none of her business. I was also upset at how my parents could have kept this from me all these years. When I was 18, I finally tracked down my biological father's whereabouts. Unfortunately, by then he had already passed away a year prior. Regardless, I was still thankful for finding out that I have two wonderful half-siblings. I'm also glad that I now have a better relationship with both my mother and stepfather.
Eight years ago, my husband and I decided to relocate to Vietnam where we both now work as English teachers in Ho Chi Minh City. These past eight years living in Vietnam have given me an opportunity to learn more about my Vietnamese roots. I've also gained a sense of pride as an Amerasian thanks to websites such as yours. I like reading about other Amerasians and their accomplishments. Thanks, Thien Phu, for your stories posted on your websites. Keep up the good work.
Sincerely,
Rose Hong Matthews
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Thien Phu
With Rose's permission, here is her letter posted in its entirety.
Dear Thien Phu,
Thank you for your stories on being Amerasian. I'm an Amerasian, myself. While I was growing up, there were times I felt out of place since I didn't look like the rest of my family. I was born in Vietnam. My mother is Vietnamese and my father was an American soldier. When I was just a year old, my mother had gotten married to a Filipino-American serviceman and we left Vietnam to live in Hawaii. My stepfather was kind enough to give me his last name. My mother went on to have two more children with my stepfather. While growing up, my mother had never told me about my true identity. I also never had any reason to doubt that my stepfather was my father. He is a good man and never treated me any different from my two younger siblings. But then when I was in junior high school, I started to hear how my classmates would refer to me as "Hapa" because of my wavy, red hair and light-skinned complexion. I hated hearing that and couldn't understand why my classmates kept calling me such. When I was 13, my family moved to Seattle, Washington, and I was relieved that I didn't have to hear the word, "Hapa", anymore. Then one day, when I was about 15, after my stepfather and his sister had gotten into some sort of argument, she decided to pull me aside and tell me that he wasn't my actual father and that my real father was an American. I cried and went home to ask my parents if that was true. That was when they both broke down and told me the truth.
At first, I was angry at both my aunt and my parents. Why would she do that? After all, it's none of her business. I was also upset at how my parents could have kept this from me all these years. When I was 18, I finally tracked down my biological father's whereabouts. Unfortunately, by then he had already passed away a year prior. Regardless, I was still thankful for finding out that I have two wonderful half-siblings. I'm also glad that I now have a better relationship with both my mother and stepfather.
Eight years ago, my husband and I decided to relocate to Vietnam where we both now work as English teachers in Ho Chi Minh City. These past eight years living in Vietnam have given me an opportunity to learn more about my Vietnamese roots. I've also gained a sense of pride as an Amerasian thanks to websites such as yours. I like reading about other Amerasians and their accomplishments. Thanks, Thien Phu, for your stories posted on your websites. Keep up the good work.
Sincerely,
Rose Hong Matthews
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Monday, April 27, 2015
Ne Me Quitte Pas
When I first became truly engrossed with this song was after I heard Bach Yen's rendition on her album, Souvenir. I had always liked this song in the past and had also enjoyed countless other versions recorded by the likes of other artists such as Don Ho, Ngoc Lan and Carol Kim. It had also been one of the many songs I often had performed on stage at my live shows. But after hearing Bach Yen being interviewed on the radio by Viet Dzung one day where she was plugging her latest CD, I was then really taken aback. Something about what she had said about how a singer must really have gone through such pain and agony in his or her love life in order to sing this song with enough feeling. Since I happened to be experiencing some personal sadness at the time with a heartbreak in my own life, that was what had prompted me to record this song for my first album.
After Sy Dan had finished the arrangements for this song, my first intentions were to record it in all three languages: French, English and Vietnamese. After a few takes at Cong Truc's studio, I was still dissatisfied. That was when I realized that I wasn't that crazy about the English lyrics that had been written for the English version, If You Go Away. I started to listen more to Jacques Brel's original version and began to finally appreciate just how powerful his performance of the song was. The original French lyrics were indeed deeper and way more heartfelt than the lyrics written in English. And since Pham Duy's lyrics were written based on translation of the lyrics in English, the same could be said with the Vietnamese lyrics. That's when I decided to re-record the song without the English version, and only in French and Vietnamese. I then turned to Alan Nguyen to finish out the recording for this song. I must say, I am forever indebted to Alan Nguyen. He had helped me so much through the production of the album, Tiec Nho, and particularly with this song. He is simply amazing. He coached me step by step with this song. I really couldn't have done it without him.
After three weeks, I finally finished recording Ne Me Quitte Pas. Before the album was released, I was already happy to hear that my two most difficult critics other than myself, Anh Tu and Julie Quang, were pleased with my recording of Ne Me Quitte Pas. During the week before the album was finally out in the market, I had sent a copy to Pham Long of Little Saigon Radio. After he played it, I remember him making a comment of how this was a rather difficult song to sing and how he was really impressed that a young singer such as myself was able to give such a heartfelt delivery. A few days after that I had heard from Bien Tinh Productions that my recorded version of Ne Me Quitte Pas had been one of the most requested songs on both Little Saigon Radio on 1480 AM and Radio Saigon Cali Hai Ngoai on 106.3 FM. And then to have Viet Dzung write an article on Hon Viet Magazine praising about the song and my recorded version of it, I was just overwhelmed with excitement and truly flattered.
Since then, Ne Me Quitte Pas has been one of my most requested songs from audience members at my live shows. I really enjoy singing this song. It just never gets old for me. I still find it an honor to hear how fans have associated my name with this song. Afterall, it is one of my favorite love songs of all time.
Thien Phu
Thien Phu
Friday, April 10, 2015
What's Next?
Several weeks ago I had received a delightful fan letter sent as a private message on my Facebook account. This fan is from Arlington, Texas named Jennifer had two questions that she had wanted me to answer. Here is what Jennifer had written to me in the fan letter. And by the way, thanks, Jennifer, for such kind words!
Dear Thien Phu,
Hi! I just wanted to tell you that you are a great singer. I really love the way you sing in French. I've seen you perform live a couple of times when you came to Dallas a long time ago and had bought one of your CDs with your autograph at the show. Lately I've been reading your blogs. I really enjoy all of your stories. You are a terrific writer. Some of your stories have even made me cry, especially the ones you wrote about Ngoc Lan and Anh Tu. I do have a couple questions for you. Don't worry, these are not questions about your personal love life. LOL I am sure many of your fans and readers have been wanting to ask you these same questions. You have my permission to post this message in its entirety on your blog for other readers to see. Actually, please do so and be sure to include your answers to my two questions in the posting.
Sincerely your fan,
Jennifer H. Tran Woolworth
Arlington, Texas
First Question: What's next for Thien Phu the singer?
Like you said on your blog, after the long break from the music business, you have finally now come back. I'm very happy to hear that, Thien Phu. So back to my question again, what's next? Do you have any plans of recording another CD soon? I love French music. Your pronunciation in French is perfect. If you are making another CD, I hope that it will include some French songs. Please let us know.
2nd Question: What's next for Thien Phu the writer?
After reading the stories you had written for your blogs, I was wondering if you are paid to do so. Do you make any money with these blogs? Or do you do it just as a hobby for fun? I think you should set up a website of your own. Who knows? You could become the Vietnamese-American Huffington Post.
I'm very excited about this new project. I don't know exactly when this project will be completed and ready to be released. I'm not so concerned with giving myself a deadline here. My intentions behind making this album is not to keep with the times or to race against it. That is why the selection of songs this time around consist of what I call, "evergreen" songs, which are timeless classics.
To answer Jennifer's second question, at first, this did start out as a hobby. I am passionate about what I write. I never write about anything that does not pertain to me or my interests. Since this blog is about me, finding something to write about never is a problem. The same goes for my writings on my other blogs, NgocLanRemembered.BlogSpot.com, VietCeleb.BlogSpot.com, and ClubLai.BlogSpot.com. I do not get paid by anyone to write whatever I write about. But what earns me a little bit of money, just like my YouTube channel and my articles on HubPages, is I've monetized my blogs with Google Adsense. The more readers I get through time might result in more advertisement clicks which will earn me more money. I'm sure, you know how that goes.
As for turning any of my blogs into a website of my own, I've thought about it. It will happen, not now, but just a matter of time.
Thien Phu
Thursday, April 2, 2015
Update on Ngoc Hue: She's Been Found!
I was starting to get a bit worried about Ngoc Hue since I hadn't heard anything about her for quite some time. I had asked around to see if anyone knew of her whereabouts for the last year or so, and nobody seemed to have the slightest clue. Perhaps this could be due to how I tend to have an over-active imagination at times, but I really was concerned. I don't need to tell you that all sorts of crazy thoughts had fluttered my mind wondering just whatever came of Ngoc Hue. I had gotten so desperate that I even had to post an article that I had entitled, Does Anyone Know Where Singer Ngoc Hue Is?, last November in hopes that perhaps someone out there would know where she is and give us an update. And we're not even that close, although I am quite fond of her. Imagine had it been someone I was really close with that I hadn't heard from for a length of time. There would be no question that I would have a nervous breakdown.
Fortunately, I came across this thread on the MauTam.net forum yesterday while surfing the net which featured Ngoc Hue's most recent interview that had taken place on March 26, 2015. For the past year or so, she has been busy touring and performing around the world. She disclosed on the interview that this year will mark her 30th year working as a professional Vietnamese singer. To commemorate this special momentum in her life, Ngoc Hue will be releasing a DVD, Ngoc Hue & Friend: World Tour. The DVD will contain coverage of her live performances for Vietnamese audiences around the globe along with 14 music videos shot in the style of MTV productions. In addition, Ngoc Hue will also release her latest studio recorded album, Tinh Khuc Muon Thuo 4: Dong Xanh. Among the tracks on this on the album will include Ngay Mua Tuyet, Giot Sau Trong Tim, Trai Tim Yeu, Cho Quen Thu Yeu Thuong, Main Dans La Main, Oi Gian Thien Ly Da Xa, Con Dau Tinh Ai (Mal), Diu Em, Yeu Dau Suot Doi, Khoanh Khac Su Binh An (Moment of Peace) and the title track, of course, Dong Xanh. Look for these two new releases from Ngoc Hue at Vietnamese music retail stores in the next few weeks.
I'm relieved to hear that Ngoc Hue is doing alright. I hope she will put together some sort of live show event in promotion of both her latest studio album and DVD. It has been quite a while since her fans have had the chance to see her perform live on stage here in Southern California. Undoubtedly, Ngoc Hue's return to the stage will bring about a great turnout. I'll be there, for sure.
Link(s):
Ngoc Hue Interview on MauTam.net Forum (Vietnamese)
Ngoc Hue on Facebook
Ngoc Hue Official Website
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| Ngoc Hue: She still looks hot! |
Fortunately, I came across this thread on the MauTam.net forum yesterday while surfing the net which featured Ngoc Hue's most recent interview that had taken place on March 26, 2015. For the past year or so, she has been busy touring and performing around the world. She disclosed on the interview that this year will mark her 30th year working as a professional Vietnamese singer. To commemorate this special momentum in her life, Ngoc Hue will be releasing a DVD, Ngoc Hue & Friend: World Tour. The DVD will contain coverage of her live performances for Vietnamese audiences around the globe along with 14 music videos shot in the style of MTV productions. In addition, Ngoc Hue will also release her latest studio recorded album, Tinh Khuc Muon Thuo 4: Dong Xanh. Among the tracks on this on the album will include Ngay Mua Tuyet, Giot Sau Trong Tim, Trai Tim Yeu, Cho Quen Thu Yeu Thuong, Main Dans La Main, Oi Gian Thien Ly Da Xa, Con Dau Tinh Ai (Mal), Diu Em, Yeu Dau Suot Doi, Khoanh Khac Su Binh An (Moment of Peace) and the title track, of course, Dong Xanh. Look for these two new releases from Ngoc Hue at Vietnamese music retail stores in the next few weeks.
I'm relieved to hear that Ngoc Hue is doing alright. I hope she will put together some sort of live show event in promotion of both her latest studio album and DVD. It has been quite a while since her fans have had the chance to see her perform live on stage here in Southern California. Undoubtedly, Ngoc Hue's return to the stage will bring about a great turnout. I'll be there, for sure.
Link(s):
Ngoc Hue Interview on MauTam.net Forum (Vietnamese)
Ngoc Hue on Facebook
Ngoc Hue Official Website
Thursday, March 26, 2015
How I Lost 100 Pounds
You wouldn't know it by looking at me now, but there was a time in my life not so long ago when I was seriously overweight. For most of my life before I had entered my thirties, I never really had any struggles with my weight. I stand at five feet and nine inches tall and my usual weight up until the age of 31 had always been somewhere between 130 to 135 pounds. At times, I've even been told that I was too thin. But then sometime in my early thirties, the weight did come on in a drastic and quick way. And once it did, I just couldn't shed the pounds in order to bounce back to my normal weight. Instead, I just kept the weight on for a number of years and even added more pounds gradually until I hit my heaviest, which was at 236 pounds. That was when I realized that my weight problem was really serious and that I had to do something about it.
It's really scary when I think back at just how quickly I had put on the weight. Sometime toward the end of the year 2003, after experiencing a series of personal tragedies in my life I ended up falling into a deep depression. Without getting too much into details, what had caused my depression mainly were the unexpected passings of my grandmother whom I loved dearly and a very close friend and confidante of mine, singer Anh Tu, that both happened one right after the other. It was all too much for me to take. Unfortunately, how I chose to deal with my grief then turned out to be quite self-destructive and detrimental to my health. Like a lot of folks, I turned to the bottle. And then when that couldn't give me enough comfort, I added food to that dangerous equation. Consequentially, I put on a total of 62 pounds in a period of just three months. Once those 62 pounds were added to my weight, I just couldn't get my weight back down. From April of 2004 all the way through the first half of the year in 2008, I was fat. It got worse and worse and then ultimately I hit rock bottom weighing 236 pounds during the winter of 2007, having put on an excess total of 100 pounds. I was just miserable.
I had gained so much weight that I looked unrecognizable. But I still wasn't fully aware that I had put on that much weight. Despite how I would weigh myself on the scale and see this enormous number pop up for my weight size, I still hadn't really grasped the whole reality that I was now really a fat person. It had to take a few painful and embarrassing events of having to hear it from others to finally sink in for me. I now look back and really appreciate the individuals who were honest with me, because that was what I truly needed to hear. If it weren't for their honesty, I would still be in that same bubble today, still trying to convince myself that I didn't really look all that bad. But I really did. The first person that was honest with me was a friend of mine, singer Diem Lien. I had run into her sometime during the winter of 2007 when I dropped by the Majestic Nightclub in Huntington Beach to show my support for Luu Bich and Thuy Tien on the night of their show called White Party. It had been a while since I had been around the Vietnamese entertainment scene since I had left the singing business sometime ago. When I spotted Diem Lien at the bar counter that night, I called out her name and put my arms out expecting to get a hug from her. But she didn't respond but gave me a rather puzzled look back instead. I looked at her again and said, "Diem, it's me, Thien Phu! Don't you remember me?"
"Is it really you? You're not kidding me?" she asked. "My goodness, you've really changed. You look so different now."
"Well, it's been about ten years," I replied. "But how so do I look different? Is it because I've gotten fat?"
She couldn't give me an answer right away, and just paused while she swallowed a big gulp.
"Come on, tell me the truth. Am I really that fat?"
Again, she kept silent and proceeded to lower her head as if she was staring at the floor below. Then a moment after, she finally looked up at me and whispered in a gentle voice, "Yeah, I couldn't even recognize that it was you."
I really took Diem Lien's honesty to heart. I finally came to the realization of my weight problem and was deeply saddened. Of course, I wasn't saddened by Diem Lien in particular, because she hadn't done anything wrong. She is a really sweet girl and was only being honest, which was what I really needed. From that moment on, that's when I started to take a serious approach at trying to lose the excessive weight. I had to. I needed to look like me again rather than continue life hiding underneath this fat person I've turned into for the past several years.
That next day I went to see my doctor about getting myself on a serious diet regiment program to lose weight. He recommended the Atkins' Diet and gave me a brochure to read more about it. I wasn't completely sold on it. Given how desperate I was then, I would try anything. But just the idea of having to eat nothing but meat for breakfast, lunch and dinner each and every day didn't really appeal to me. I'm not a vegetarian nor would I try to ever become one again. Years ago, I had foolishly given into peer pressure and turned into a vegetarian just because I was trying to fit in. I was in college then and the people whom I thought were really cool all seemed to have jumped on this bandwagon which tooted the slogan, "Meat is Murder". I had grown up as a meat-eater. But I also liked eating vegetables. I ate everything, come to think of it. And meat was just part of my normal daily regiment growing up. I was also never really into animal rights or had ever thought much about the equation of how eating meat meant animal cruelty. It did take me a while back then to be recruited into vegetarianism. That whole bit about how we shouldn't eat meat because of how cruel it is to kill animals never really phased me. I've always been an avid believer in human rights above all others. To me, there are so many social injustices in the world with how humans treat one another that I'm more concerned with than the rights of animals. But one thing I definitely don't celebrate, although I'm sure I'm also guilty of, is hypocrisy. I think what had kept me for a while from giving in to vegetarianism was how so many of my friends back in college, these so-called anti-meat, animal rights crusaders while sporting the "Meat Is Murder" slogan would also have no qualms about wearing leather. Oh, but wearing fur coats was an absolute no-no. It just didn't add up for me. But when they started feeding me with how becoming a vegetarian would be a positive step towards better health, I was then sold. I was really young then. I didn't smoke, drink or even had taken a diet pill ever back then because I had been told these things were bad for you. So I tried being a vegetarian for about a year and a half and ended up in the hospital. It turns out I have O negative blood type and because of my not eating any meat during that period of being a vegetarian, my body was not getting enough iron. My blood had a level of deficiency in iron that was so poor that I was considered borderline anemic when I had fainted and was taken to the hospital. I am living proof that vegetarianism is not a healthy lifestyle for everyone. It almost killed me. Just like what they say about how we should stay away from red meat and that chicken is the healthier meat choice instead, a few years back, I had been diagnosed by an allergist physician with an intolerance to poultry. When I eat chicken, my throat swells up, I itch and my skin develops a rash. Once again, in my case whatever the general consensus might say is healthy or good for you doesn't apply to me. Everyone is different. What might work for someone, or even for the majority of people, just might not work for you. The same thing applies when it comes to dieting. I found the Atkins' Diet to be compelling, for the most part. But the whole part of just eating meat and not having to exercise in order to lose weight didn't really appeal to me all that much. I wanted to lose the weight, look better and be healthier. So I went about it my way. I combined the theories of the Atkins' Diet, Suzanne Somers' Somersize, which I liked better, to stay away from consuming too much carbs, plus I would exercise and eat more salads versus meat and potatoes. It took a long time, but it worked.
In a matter of 14 months, I lost a total of almost 100 pounds. I was able to reach my goal of weighing less than 150 pounds on February of 2009 and have since kept the weight off. I now weigh 138 pounds, which is about the same as my weight when I was still a senior back in high school. Now I'll be honest that it was not an easy thing to do losing all that weight. There were times I had gotten so frustrated that I took drastic measures that were quite dangerous in trying to lose the weight. Yes, I had turned to diet pills, drugs and even tried starving myself. I have learned that those were not the right ways to lose weight because what happens when you do resort to taking diet pills, the use of meth amphetamine or self starvation is that you end up losing water, not necessarily fat from your body. It will give you the illusion that you've trimmed down and have shed the excessive weight the right way. But the weight just comes right back on once you stop taking the pills or using meth. That is definitely hazardous to one's health losing and gaining weight back and forth like a yo-yo. The only way I've found to lose the weight and keep it off is by watching what I eat and exercising. I know it might sound like it's easier said than done, because it truly is. You must be determined and really push yourself if you want to lose the weight. In my case, I wasn't going to be satisfied like how some people I know that are fat who go on a diet to lose 30 pounds, so happy after losing a little weight that they go around bragging to everyone about it just to get compliments on how great they look. At that point, they start to feel as if they've reached a plateau and then stop with their dieting just to gain back all the weight or even more so. The reality with many of these people is that they were still faraway from reaching what should have been their goal which is to lose altogether 100 to 200 pounds. They don't look all that great after just losing 30 pounds, because they are still fat. Frankly, whenever I hear someone who is more than 100 pounds overweight tell me how they have just lost 30 pounds, I really can't tell whether they had actually lost the weight or put on another 30 pounds. I didn't want to end up being like one of those people. That is why I made the conscious effort to successfully lose the weight. I'm myself again. I guess it is more appropriate that I now disclose why I had taken such a long hiatus from the singing profession when I did a while back. It is true that I had gone through some personal problems that I needed to straighten out during those seven years absent from performing on stage, as I've said on several television and radio interviews several years ago. But the primary reason was that I was just too fat and couldn't face my audience. Now, I just can't tell you just how wonderful it feels to be on stage and sing to audiences who are able to recognize me from before. No longer do I have to hear such remarks like, "You can't be Thien Phu. He was never fat like you." Thank goodness, my fat days are now gone.
I had gained so much weight that I looked unrecognizable. But I still wasn't fully aware that I had put on that much weight. Despite how I would weigh myself on the scale and see this enormous number pop up for my weight size, I still hadn't really grasped the whole reality that I was now really a fat person. It had to take a few painful and embarrassing events of having to hear it from others to finally sink in for me. I now look back and really appreciate the individuals who were honest with me, because that was what I truly needed to hear. If it weren't for their honesty, I would still be in that same bubble today, still trying to convince myself that I didn't really look all that bad. But I really did. The first person that was honest with me was a friend of mine, singer Diem Lien. I had run into her sometime during the winter of 2007 when I dropped by the Majestic Nightclub in Huntington Beach to show my support for Luu Bich and Thuy Tien on the night of their show called White Party. It had been a while since I had been around the Vietnamese entertainment scene since I had left the singing business sometime ago. When I spotted Diem Lien at the bar counter that night, I called out her name and put my arms out expecting to get a hug from her. But she didn't respond but gave me a rather puzzled look back instead. I looked at her again and said, "Diem, it's me, Thien Phu! Don't you remember me?"
"Is it really you? You're not kidding me?" she asked. "My goodness, you've really changed. You look so different now."
"Well, it's been about ten years," I replied. "But how so do I look different? Is it because I've gotten fat?"
She couldn't give me an answer right away, and just paused while she swallowed a big gulp.
"Come on, tell me the truth. Am I really that fat?"
Again, she kept silent and proceeded to lower her head as if she was staring at the floor below. Then a moment after, she finally looked up at me and whispered in a gentle voice, "Yeah, I couldn't even recognize that it was you."
I really took Diem Lien's honesty to heart. I finally came to the realization of my weight problem and was deeply saddened. Of course, I wasn't saddened by Diem Lien in particular, because she hadn't done anything wrong. She is a really sweet girl and was only being honest, which was what I really needed. From that moment on, that's when I started to take a serious approach at trying to lose the excessive weight. I had to. I needed to look like me again rather than continue life hiding underneath this fat person I've turned into for the past several years.
That next day I went to see my doctor about getting myself on a serious diet regiment program to lose weight. He recommended the Atkins' Diet and gave me a brochure to read more about it. I wasn't completely sold on it. Given how desperate I was then, I would try anything. But just the idea of having to eat nothing but meat for breakfast, lunch and dinner each and every day didn't really appeal to me. I'm not a vegetarian nor would I try to ever become one again. Years ago, I had foolishly given into peer pressure and turned into a vegetarian just because I was trying to fit in. I was in college then and the people whom I thought were really cool all seemed to have jumped on this bandwagon which tooted the slogan, "Meat is Murder". I had grown up as a meat-eater. But I also liked eating vegetables. I ate everything, come to think of it. And meat was just part of my normal daily regiment growing up. I was also never really into animal rights or had ever thought much about the equation of how eating meat meant animal cruelty. It did take me a while back then to be recruited into vegetarianism. That whole bit about how we shouldn't eat meat because of how cruel it is to kill animals never really phased me. I've always been an avid believer in human rights above all others. To me, there are so many social injustices in the world with how humans treat one another that I'm more concerned with than the rights of animals. But one thing I definitely don't celebrate, although I'm sure I'm also guilty of, is hypocrisy. I think what had kept me for a while from giving in to vegetarianism was how so many of my friends back in college, these so-called anti-meat, animal rights crusaders while sporting the "Meat Is Murder" slogan would also have no qualms about wearing leather. Oh, but wearing fur coats was an absolute no-no. It just didn't add up for me. But when they started feeding me with how becoming a vegetarian would be a positive step towards better health, I was then sold. I was really young then. I didn't smoke, drink or even had taken a diet pill ever back then because I had been told these things were bad for you. So I tried being a vegetarian for about a year and a half and ended up in the hospital. It turns out I have O negative blood type and because of my not eating any meat during that period of being a vegetarian, my body was not getting enough iron. My blood had a level of deficiency in iron that was so poor that I was considered borderline anemic when I had fainted and was taken to the hospital. I am living proof that vegetarianism is not a healthy lifestyle for everyone. It almost killed me. Just like what they say about how we should stay away from red meat and that chicken is the healthier meat choice instead, a few years back, I had been diagnosed by an allergist physician with an intolerance to poultry. When I eat chicken, my throat swells up, I itch and my skin develops a rash. Once again, in my case whatever the general consensus might say is healthy or good for you doesn't apply to me. Everyone is different. What might work for someone, or even for the majority of people, just might not work for you. The same thing applies when it comes to dieting. I found the Atkins' Diet to be compelling, for the most part. But the whole part of just eating meat and not having to exercise in order to lose weight didn't really appeal to me all that much. I wanted to lose the weight, look better and be healthier. So I went about it my way. I combined the theories of the Atkins' Diet, Suzanne Somers' Somersize, which I liked better, to stay away from consuming too much carbs, plus I would exercise and eat more salads versus meat and potatoes. It took a long time, but it worked.
In a matter of 14 months, I lost a total of almost 100 pounds. I was able to reach my goal of weighing less than 150 pounds on February of 2009 and have since kept the weight off. I now weigh 138 pounds, which is about the same as my weight when I was still a senior back in high school. Now I'll be honest that it was not an easy thing to do losing all that weight. There were times I had gotten so frustrated that I took drastic measures that were quite dangerous in trying to lose the weight. Yes, I had turned to diet pills, drugs and even tried starving myself. I have learned that those were not the right ways to lose weight because what happens when you do resort to taking diet pills, the use of meth amphetamine or self starvation is that you end up losing water, not necessarily fat from your body. It will give you the illusion that you've trimmed down and have shed the excessive weight the right way. But the weight just comes right back on once you stop taking the pills or using meth. That is definitely hazardous to one's health losing and gaining weight back and forth like a yo-yo. The only way I've found to lose the weight and keep it off is by watching what I eat and exercising. I know it might sound like it's easier said than done, because it truly is. You must be determined and really push yourself if you want to lose the weight. In my case, I wasn't going to be satisfied like how some people I know that are fat who go on a diet to lose 30 pounds, so happy after losing a little weight that they go around bragging to everyone about it just to get compliments on how great they look. At that point, they start to feel as if they've reached a plateau and then stop with their dieting just to gain back all the weight or even more so. The reality with many of these people is that they were still faraway from reaching what should have been their goal which is to lose altogether 100 to 200 pounds. They don't look all that great after just losing 30 pounds, because they are still fat. Frankly, whenever I hear someone who is more than 100 pounds overweight tell me how they have just lost 30 pounds, I really can't tell whether they had actually lost the weight or put on another 30 pounds. I didn't want to end up being like one of those people. That is why I made the conscious effort to successfully lose the weight. I'm myself again. I guess it is more appropriate that I now disclose why I had taken such a long hiatus from the singing profession when I did a while back. It is true that I had gone through some personal problems that I needed to straighten out during those seven years absent from performing on stage, as I've said on several television and radio interviews several years ago. But the primary reason was that I was just too fat and couldn't face my audience. Now, I just can't tell you just how wonderful it feels to be on stage and sing to audiences who are able to recognize me from before. No longer do I have to hear such remarks like, "You can't be Thien Phu. He was never fat like you." Thank goodness, my fat days are now gone.
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
My Teacher Known as the Timeless Voice
During the year of 1994, I had enrolled in Thai Thanh's vocals class in Westminster, California. Each week that I attended her class, I learned something new. She was an amazing teacher to me. It really came of no surprise to me since I had always known of what a great legendary Vietnamese songstress she was. But what I really appreciated about her as my teacher was her patience, her insistence on being a perfectionist and her generosity in sharing with me some of her wisdom. I guess you can say that she wasn't really a voice teacher, but more of a voice coach. Thai Thanh's classes were on a one-on-one basis, where she coached her students and assisted them in finding their way in fine tuning their own styles of singing. That was something that singers who were just starting out such as myself back then really needed.
One of my biggest challenges when I first began to sing in Vietnamese was pronunciation. Although I was able to speak Vietnamese like a native speaker, of course, I had difficulties when making the transition from speaking to singing. Since I come from a family that speaks in a Southern Vietnamese dialect, it took me quite a bit of time and practice to learn how to sing in the Northern dialect. And of course, what better teacher could I have asked for but Thai Thanh, herself, to help me with learning how to sing in the Northern Vietnamese dialect correctly? In many of my sessions with Thai Thanh were focused on just that, pronunciation, rather than vocals. And I couldn't be more grateful. I started to even realize just how even more valuable her lessons were when I started to record professionally in Vietnamese. I don't think I could have ever gone through with it if I hadn't had Thai Thanh as my teacher.
Besides my fondness of Thai Thanh for having been my teacher at one time, I'm also an admirer of her as a legendary Vietnamese singer. In Vietnamese popular music, she has been hailed as the Timeless Voice, Tieng Hat Vuot Thoi Gian. And I must say, out of all the Vietnamese singers throughout the history of Vietnamese popular music, Thai Thanh definitely is deserving of such a title.
Saturday, February 28, 2015
Facebook Dilemma
Hi there, friends! These past several days, I've been trying my best to catch up with a schedule that I had set up for myself to manage all five of my blogsites that are currently running and hosted by Blogger. Just by glancing at the schedule at times, the amount of work with so many articles I had assigned for myself to write seems quite overwhelming. But I can't really complain or place the blame on anyone but myself. Afterall, it was I who had created this schedule. I am the culprit, as well as the willing, participating victim. On Tuesday, my schedule would come across a screeching halt, as I was forced to be held back from posting my list of articles I had planned for my blogsites when I came across a disturbing dilemma with my Facebook account. I first learned of this dilemma sometime early in the morning that day. As I would usually do with all my other articles once posted on any of my websites, I would read them over and then share them on my accounts and pages set up on other social media network websites such as Pinterest, Twitter, Google Plus and Facebook. After posting an article I had just written on Amerasian/ Eurasian Forum about Hollywood actress Olivia Munn, I then realized that I had been blocked from such activities on Facebook like posting, sharing and sending private messages due to some inappropriate activities that had recently taken place on my account. Right then, I knew that my account had been hacked. It had been about a two or three days since I had last logged onto my Facebook account, so really, how could any inappropriate activities have taken place?
It took a while for me to finally get into my Facebook account, since this time whoever that had hacked my account really went to extremes to take over my identity and and seal me off from ever accessing my account on Facebook again. This has happened before, but never quite as frustrating as this time around. Everything had been changed and modified with my personal information on Facebook except my name, it seemed. Where I lived was now in Hanoi, Vietnam, where I worked was for some organization based out of Hanoi, my password, my email address, just about everything I had originally entered as my personal information had been changed which made it nearly impossible for Facebook to contact me given how the two email addresses that I have been using for years had been wiped out. Even the language was changed from English to Vietnamese on my Facebook account. That probably was what presented my biggest obstacle when trying to regain access. English is my primary language and what I consider to be my native language as well, despite how it technically isn't my first language. I had learned both Vietnamese and French years before I began speaking English, and even though I am still able to speak these two languages today, in comparison to my level of command in the English language I can only say that I'm now on a communicative level of proficiency in Vietnamese and French, whereas English would be by far the language I'm most comfortable with. One can only imagine just how challenging it was for me to follow the step by step instructions all in Vietnamese in order to regain access on Facebook, as I didn't even know what the Vietnamese term for the word "password" is. It took me hours before I was finally granted access back into my Facebook account. But even then, my problems on Facebook with this hacker were far from over. I thought that once I was able to reset successfully a new password that my Facebook account would be secured and the hacker would then be blocked from any further activities. But that wasn't the case. Each of the three times I would change my password, within seconds I'd see more and more private messages and/ or postings sent out by this hacker to my list of friends on Facebook that contained pornographic material and the most offensive language. What made it even worse was that Facebook still had my account frozen. I was blocked from using any such features like posting, sharing and even commenting. All I could do was just watch how this monster that had hacked my account continue with his quest to sabotage my image, as my Facebook friends would send me messages after messages expressing their disgust and outrage with me. Most of them were shocked thinking just how could I dare send them such filthy messsages. Thank goodness, there were a few that knew better and acknowledged how they knew that my account must have been hacked. That was really encouraging. But I couldn't even reply to those few friends with a simple thank you. Most of my other Facebook friends weren't as understanding and had sent me rather feisty messages expressing to me his or her anger. Some even notified me that I would be deleted on his or her list of Facebook friends because of this matter. I must have lost about 50 or so Facebook friends that day. The whole experience was really a complete nightmare.
You're probably thinking, so how would this affect my postings on Blogger? Well, Facebook, just like Blogger, is a social media network website. Like a lot of bloggers, all of my accounts on such social media network websites are linked together. When something goes wrong with one of them, the rest are affected. Even though it is not one of those website where I am able to make money from directly, as I do on YouTube, Tumblr, HubPages, and now with Blogger since some of my blogsites have recently been monetized, what Facebook does for my articles that I post on my blogsites hosted by Blogger is that it serves as a major traffic source. In addition to my personal account that has a total of 5,000 friends, I also have created three Facebook pages that are directly linked to my blogsites hosted by Blogger, which means whenever I post an article, by sharing them on Facebook, these articles are given an exposure to a potential audience of roughly 10,000. For a newbie blogger such as myself, that's rather a huge chunk taken away from my current total viewership potential. With that said, I'm sure, one can understand just how frustrating it was not to be able to share any of articles posted on my blogsites. I mean, really, what good would it be to even publish these articles if nobody is going to read them? That's just like if a singer had to perform on stage to an empty audience.
During these past several days, without the ability of sharing any articles on Facebook, rather than posting them on my blogsites I have worked on writing them without the usage of my computer. I've since compled writing about a dozen of these rough drafts. All I have to do now is post them. Now that everything has been cleared up with my Facebook account and I've been granted with full access to post and share articles, I'll be typing them up and posting them on my blogsites for everyone to read soon. My next three upcoming articles to be published on ThienPhuViet-Singer.Blogspot.com are entitled as How I Lost 100 Pounds, What's Next? and My Teacher Known as the Timeless Voice, which is an article I have written in honor of my voice teacher, the legendary Thai Thanh. These should be posted soon, so check them out. I think you'll find these articles to be rather enjoyable to read. As for my activities on my other blogsites, on NgocLanRemembered.BlogSpot.com look forward to reading the next scheduled posting which will be entitled as Did You Know Ngoc Lan Could Also Sing in Chinese? On VietCeleb.Blogspot.com, the next featured Viet celebrities with full bios and tributes to be posted are as follows: La Thoai Tan, Tang Thanh Ha, Vu Linh, Elvis Phuong, Hong Nhung, Manh Quynh, My Tam, Bebe Hong Suong, Cuong Vu, Minh Tuyet, Duc Huy, Thanh Tuyen, Shayla and Leyna Nguyen. This site has just gone off. Thanks, by the way, to everyone for your viewership on VietCeleb. On ClubLai.BlogSpot.com, check out my tributes to singers Marie Louise, Van Anh and Tuan Kiet. And last but not least, how could I leave out my blogsite, MrKoolKat.BlogSpot.com? I'll be posting several adorable photos of my feisty mother cat, Sheba. Trust me, you'll end up loving her as much as I do.
Monday, February 23, 2015
A Loving Tribute to Viet Dzung
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| Viet Dzung (1958-2013) |
Needless to say, I was devastated when I finally heard the news of his passing. How I found out was through a posting on one of my friend's Facebook wall. I had learned of his failing health years ago, but I never wanted to believe that he would possibly face his last days anytime soon. Viet Dzung had always been a constant in my life. He was like an older brother, one who full of wisdom and always had the best advice to give. Because I had looked up to him so highly, my image of Viet Dzung had always been of someone who was invincible. It is rather hard for me to really grasp what is reality, and that is, he is no longer with us.
My friendship with Viet Dzung began sometime in 1997. I had been introduced to him by Julie Quang, who was also very close to him and his wife, Bébé. For many years, we were like a family. These three very special individuals had become the adoptive older brother and sisters that I never had. I can't say that I was ever friends with Viet Dzung, because he was more like my older brother, instead of a buddy or pal. I had the deepest respect for him. He was a tremendous, multi-talented individual. I have yet to meet anyone else that could match his drive or ambition. Just spending time with him on any given day, I was amazed at his remarkable work ethics and tenacious will to constantly succeed.
I am forever indebted to Viet Dzung his tremendous generosity throughout our friendship of many years. I can honestly say, there's just no one like him. Viet Dzung was definitely one of a kind and a true gem to the Vietnamese American community. I miss him very much.
Thursday, February 19, 2015
Happy Lunar New Year!
Like I had already done this past January 1st, with the new year here I've made quite a few resolutions as well as plans for my career and life. I have many exciting projects planned for this new year. To list them out right now would be rather frivolous, in my opinion. Instead, I'd just like to say to all my fans and friends out there to just sit tight and prepare for what Thien Phu is about to come up with in the very near future. These last couple of years in my life have been rather challenging, to say with the least. Like the old cliché, "Out with the old and in with the new", for this new year, I'd like to modify that phrase a bit for my new motto to, "Out with the bad and in with the phenomenal". I really feel strongly in my heart that I'm done with all that bad stuff I've had to go through these past couple of years, and that goodness is coming really soon. Let's all try our hardest to make this year a phenomenal year. I know I'll be trying my very best to do so.
Sunday, February 8, 2015
Thien Phu on My Favorite Vietnamese Composers
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| Pham Duy - the most prolific composer of Vietnamese popular music |
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| Duc Huy - Vietnamese Songwriter and Singer |
One other Vietnamese composer I've always admired is Ngo Thuy Mien. His music is like no other's. I'd have to say the two songs I've liked the most from Ngo Thuy Mien are Mua Thu Cho Em and Tu Giong Hat Em, both of which have been recorded by another one of my idols, Khanh Ha. In my opinion, her renditions of these two songs were the best.
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| Van Phung - composer of songs such as Tinh, Toi Di Giua Hoang Hon and Noi Buon |
Sunday, February 1, 2015
A Sweet Girl Named Kha Tu
I've been quite fortunate to have befriended quite a few good people in my life. One of those people has been a good friend of mine who is also in the music business, a singer by the name of Kha Tu.
Our friendship began during a trip to Dallas, Texas in the winter of 1997. I was there to do a one night performance on New Year's Eve at a club called the Queen Bee with fellow singers, Manh Hung and Diamond Hong Ngoc. When I arrived, I saw posters pinned all around the Vietnamese community, and especially at the Queen Bee nightclub, of an upcoming show that would take place the night after my performance and would feature a cai luong play, Thuy Kieu Gia Tu Thanh Lau, starring Kha Tu, Ky Anh and Huong Huyen, along with a special appearance of Phuong Hung, Elvis Phuong's son. Since our flight back to California wasn't until January 2nd, Manh Hung and I thought, why not attend the show? I had met Kha Tu once or twice before, and Ky Anh and I had been friends for quite some time.
The day after my performance at the Queen Bee, Kha Tu and her entourage flew into Dallas. I was really happy to see Ky Anh, since it had been a while since the last time we had seen each other back in California. But what I didn't expect was the instant connection I would make with Kha Tu and Phuong Hung. We became the best of friends immediately. It turns out the owner of the Queen Bee, Loc, was also Kha Tu's uncle. Loc had asked if I could cook lunch for everyone. After he drove me to the supermarket, I did just that. One of the things I love to do besides singing is cooking. According to Manh Hung, I cook the best steak in the whole world. Everyone loved my steaks prepared with red wine, worcestershire sauce, mushrooms and black pepper. It was during lunch that Kha Tu kindly asked me if I could attend her show and perform a song or two. The way she asked me was so sweet, I just couldn't say no.
I had to portray the role of a whorehouse madam...
On the night of Kha Tu's show, unfortunately, Dallas was hit by a terrible storm. The bad weather would be the reason for the low attendance. I felt bad for Kha Tu. From what I saw, she had made a great deal of effort to put on a great show. But because of the horrendous weather, less than 100 people showed up to see the show. However, those that were in the audience that night all stayed to the very end and were extremely receptive to Kha Tu's performance. The next day, Ky Anh and Huong Huyen had to board their flights back to California. Loc, the owner of Queen Bee, then suggested to Kha Tu that she should stay until the weekend and do a reprisal performance on Saturday night to hopefully recover some of the financial loss from the low attendance of the previous night's performance. The only problem was that two of her cast members for the play Thuy Kieu Gia Tu Thanh Lau, Ky Anh, who played the role of Thuc Sinh, and Huong Huyen, who played the role of Tu Ba, had already flown back to California. That was when Manh Hung and I stepped in. Manh Hung would play the role of Thuc Sinh. And, you guessed it, I took on the role of Tu Ba, the brothel owner. To put it more accurately, I had to portray the role of a whorehouse madam.... You read it right. Not pimp, but indeed, MADAM.
In one night, both Manh Hung and I had to learn the lines to Thuy Kieu Gia Tu Thanh Lau. I had never acted in cai luong before. But with Kha Tu's encouragement and coaching, I managed to pull it off. The next night, which was Saturday, Kha Tu, Manh Hung and I put on a reprisal performance of Thuy Kieu Gia Tu Thanh Lau to a packed house at the Queen Bee. I couldn't believe it, but my portrayal of Tu Ba turned out to be quite a hit. Kha Tu was so sweet, as she thanked me repeatedly. I was just happy to see that we were able to perform in front of a packed house that Saturday.
After our performance on Saturday night, the storm wouldn't let up in Dallas. Kha Tu, Phuong Hung, Manh Hung and I were all stuck in Dallas for a total of 18 days. During the 18 days, we all became really close. We had to. We were stuck there the whole time in a very small house. When we got back to California, the friendship that had developed between the four of us grew even stronger. Kha Tu had introduced me to Bien Tinh Productions, who would produce and release my debut album, Tiec Nho. In the summer of 1998, I had put together a CD release event show held at the Majestic. Kha Tu, Manh Hung and Phuong Hung all pitched in with a great deal of effort each in helping me to put this show together and making it a success. I'll never forget how gracious Kha Tu was for helping out as the mistress of ceremonies alongside Quoc Thai on that night. It seemed like I could always count on Kha Tu and Phuong Hung for anything. At times I wondered, where had these two been all my life?
As the years went by, Kha Tu and Phuong Hung had both relocated outside of Southern California. Phuong Hung moved back to Houston. And Kha Tu went to live with her parents in San Jose. As for Manh Hung, last I heard he is now living somewhere in Vietnam. It's been years since I've heard from him.
Sometime in 2012, when I performed in Houston at Maxim's, I was able to reunite with Phuong Hung. Right after that, out of the blue, I heard from Kha Tu when she contacted me through Facebook. She had introduced me to Uy Long, the owner of Viet Star Productions, and arranged for me to be a part of a live show taping in Seattle. I don't know what I've done to deserve such a generous friend like Kha Tu. When we met up in Seattle, I was so glad to see her. She looked the same after all these years. Kha Tu is as pretty as ever. I only wished she still lived here in Orange County. We've had such good times together as pals. Kha Tu, in my book, is simply just the best.
Our friendship began during a trip to Dallas, Texas in the winter of 1997. I was there to do a one night performance on New Year's Eve at a club called the Queen Bee with fellow singers, Manh Hung and Diamond Hong Ngoc. When I arrived, I saw posters pinned all around the Vietnamese community, and especially at the Queen Bee nightclub, of an upcoming show that would take place the night after my performance and would feature a cai luong play, Thuy Kieu Gia Tu Thanh Lau, starring Kha Tu, Ky Anh and Huong Huyen, along with a special appearance of Phuong Hung, Elvis Phuong's son. Since our flight back to California wasn't until January 2nd, Manh Hung and I thought, why not attend the show? I had met Kha Tu once or twice before, and Ky Anh and I had been friends for quite some time.
The day after my performance at the Queen Bee, Kha Tu and her entourage flew into Dallas. I was really happy to see Ky Anh, since it had been a while since the last time we had seen each other back in California. But what I didn't expect was the instant connection I would make with Kha Tu and Phuong Hung. We became the best of friends immediately. It turns out the owner of the Queen Bee, Loc, was also Kha Tu's uncle. Loc had asked if I could cook lunch for everyone. After he drove me to the supermarket, I did just that. One of the things I love to do besides singing is cooking. According to Manh Hung, I cook the best steak in the whole world. Everyone loved my steaks prepared with red wine, worcestershire sauce, mushrooms and black pepper. It was during lunch that Kha Tu kindly asked me if I could attend her show and perform a song or two. The way she asked me was so sweet, I just couldn't say no.
I had to portray the role of a whorehouse madam...
On the night of Kha Tu's show, unfortunately, Dallas was hit by a terrible storm. The bad weather would be the reason for the low attendance. I felt bad for Kha Tu. From what I saw, she had made a great deal of effort to put on a great show. But because of the horrendous weather, less than 100 people showed up to see the show. However, those that were in the audience that night all stayed to the very end and were extremely receptive to Kha Tu's performance. The next day, Ky Anh and Huong Huyen had to board their flights back to California. Loc, the owner of Queen Bee, then suggested to Kha Tu that she should stay until the weekend and do a reprisal performance on Saturday night to hopefully recover some of the financial loss from the low attendance of the previous night's performance. The only problem was that two of her cast members for the play Thuy Kieu Gia Tu Thanh Lau, Ky Anh, who played the role of Thuc Sinh, and Huong Huyen, who played the role of Tu Ba, had already flown back to California. That was when Manh Hung and I stepped in. Manh Hung would play the role of Thuc Sinh. And, you guessed it, I took on the role of Tu Ba, the brothel owner. To put it more accurately, I had to portray the role of a whorehouse madam.... You read it right. Not pimp, but indeed, MADAM.
In one night, both Manh Hung and I had to learn the lines to Thuy Kieu Gia Tu Thanh Lau. I had never acted in cai luong before. But with Kha Tu's encouragement and coaching, I managed to pull it off. The next night, which was Saturday, Kha Tu, Manh Hung and I put on a reprisal performance of Thuy Kieu Gia Tu Thanh Lau to a packed house at the Queen Bee. I couldn't believe it, but my portrayal of Tu Ba turned out to be quite a hit. Kha Tu was so sweet, as she thanked me repeatedly. I was just happy to see that we were able to perform in front of a packed house that Saturday.
After our performance on Saturday night, the storm wouldn't let up in Dallas. Kha Tu, Phuong Hung, Manh Hung and I were all stuck in Dallas for a total of 18 days. During the 18 days, we all became really close. We had to. We were stuck there the whole time in a very small house. When we got back to California, the friendship that had developed between the four of us grew even stronger. Kha Tu had introduced me to Bien Tinh Productions, who would produce and release my debut album, Tiec Nho. In the summer of 1998, I had put together a CD release event show held at the Majestic. Kha Tu, Manh Hung and Phuong Hung all pitched in with a great deal of effort each in helping me to put this show together and making it a success. I'll never forget how gracious Kha Tu was for helping out as the mistress of ceremonies alongside Quoc Thai on that night. It seemed like I could always count on Kha Tu and Phuong Hung for anything. At times I wondered, where had these two been all my life?
As the years went by, Kha Tu and Phuong Hung had both relocated outside of Southern California. Phuong Hung moved back to Houston. And Kha Tu went to live with her parents in San Jose. As for Manh Hung, last I heard he is now living somewhere in Vietnam. It's been years since I've heard from him.
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| Kha Tu, Thien Phu and Julie Quang |
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Thien Phu - Tuoi Doi Muoi (At Age Twenty)
Rarely are there happy songs in Vietnamese music. One could only imagine just how mind-boggling of a task it is for a Vietnamese singer to choose and come up with a list of happy songs to perform at a festive occasion such as a wedding or a birthday party. This endearing, playful tune would be one of the few happier Vietnamese songs. I had a chance to record my own version to this song when I was so graciously asked by my good friends and colleagues, Kha Tu and Phuong Hung, to participate on an album released by Kha Tu Productions many moons ago that was entitled Co Nang Mat Nai (The Girl with Eyes of Innocence). Lyrics to Tuoi Doi Muoi (At Age 20) were penned by songwriter Truong Huy. Every now and then when I listen to myself on this track, I'm shocked at just how young I had sounded and how my voice then still lacked quite a bit of maturity. Regardless, I still enjoy listening to this track. Let's just say, I get a real kick out of it.
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| Thien Phu and Kha Tu |
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