Aloha, Y'all.

Life is the grandest opera production to unfold in front of a live audience with everyone in your entire life playing a part in it. No matter how small, or big of a part, they simply cannot be without. Love, however, plays the biggest influence on how one's life turns out to be. Every other emotions are secondary or stemmed from love like jealousy, envy, or stalking to be specific.

I was born into a lap of luxuries from a very famous father in Saigon, Vietnam, who played the guitar and leader of a band called, Khanh Bang - Phung Trong. As my earliest memories recalled, I was his favorite being the third son in a batch of four. My mother was a doting wife and a very loving mother to all of her offspring. We each had our own nanny, only under her watchful eyes.

I went to a private Catholic school called Lasan Taberd, just blocks away from the Presidential Palace. So were my first cousins whose father was a famous movie director. Double the fame means double the exposure. Life was a fairy tale for us all. Until April 30, 1975, when Saigon fell to the current government. Everything was turned upside down.

My father's fortune was long gone since he had a chronic gambling addiction. Luxuries became the ghosts of the past. Daily stresses turned my loving father into an unexpected monster. Domestic violence scarred my mother, brothers, and myself for the rest of our lives. Hush was the word to protect his image but what good can we gain from hiding the truth that matters?

After a very long self-struggling and soul-searching period, I decided to spill the beans for the greater good that expose the ugly truth of domestic violence. The victims should bear no shame. The perpetrator was only human, but no excuses can cover, nor ease the pain inflicted on the suffered loved ones. My story must be told so others can benefit from it. Simple as that!

As destiny always had the last saying, on the day that my oldest and older brothers were supposed to leave Vietnam. The older one could not be found on the departing scheduled date. Guess who was next in line to take his already-paid slot to depart? Yours truly, of course.

None of us saw that curve ball of real life coming in a million years. God's fingerprints were all over us @ the same time. My panicked parents had no other choice but to send their favorite son toward the deadly unknown instead of the youngest brother. It was the only logical and practical choice that I must embrace under duress.

After 7 months in Kota Bharu, Malaysia, in a refugee camp. As minors, my oldest brother and I arrived at LAX, CA with nothing but the paperwork provided by the United Nations to legally reside in the U.S.A. Luckily, my current American family took us both in and provided us with all the love and support that they can give and shared the American dream with us, including my adopted Korean baby brother who arrived shortly after.

My parents were young, Christians, and raised 5 children, with two loving pairs of grandparents. Big Bear Mountain became my happiest place on Earth. I first saw snowfall there ever in my life and I cherish all of the loving memories there from all the people that I love dearly, and some were no longer with us.

My memoir focuses mainly on the positives of life to counter the negatives that nobody can escape. Be grateful for the Blessings, the downfalls are only a test of our faith in love, family, and God. My aunt in Show Low, Arizona asked me why I want to publish my memoir. My truthful answer was that if my life can convince a family to take in a needy child or two to shape their lives with unconditional love.

The Message of Love must be preserved and passed on to the future for the sake of all needy children.

Mahalo, y'all.