A double decker bus and a ferry got us safely to Ko Tao yesterday. We're staying at the Crystal Dive resort where we'll be doing our Open Water and Advanced classes for the next week. We're all pretty excited to be on an island and a beach for that matter. Laying in a bean bag chair, on the deck of the beachside bar, I stared out at the water and had one of those moments where you just have to appreciate everything grand in life. For all of life's little complications and downers, there are simple times where nice surroundings and good company snuggle up together and provide some comfort.
[And now to bring us back to reality, a note to my mom: Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock, SPF 55]
Labels: Thailand
Tony,
You're not living your life; you are simply temporarily postponing it for the inevitability of joblessness and unpaid bills.
Charley,
Kvit is right. You are being disrespectful to Hoang, and you owe him an apology!
Kvit and Hoang
Eat shit!! How's that for respect bitches. Respect is earned asshole. Put your name to your comment or stop preaching. You sound like a little bitch too.
Feedtony.com
After careful reading of the comments section, I have come to a conclusion. Anonymous is really jealous of your situation, Tony.
Think about it. There are very few people that can actually take on this type of journey. Especially for such a long duration. Many of us have dreamed of leaving our jobs and taking on the world. We are held back by family, jobs, and bills. You have somehow prepared yourself over the last year to embark on such a journey.
There will always be plenty of jobs waiting for you. In fact there are plenty of jobs overseas if you so chose to work. So it isn't the lack of a job or money. It is that "Anonymous" CAN'T take on this type of journey. I'm sure that they are jealous of your disposition and that is what fuels many feuds.
If I can't be like you, I would rather put you down in order for myself to feel better about my choices in life. It's not that you are ruining your life with adventure. It's that I have made choices in my life that I'm not happy about. It's the fact that we sit here at work dreaming about travels of yours. We are envious of your adventures. So we must try and discourage you with the thought that you must have a job and follow the masses to 40 years of working 40 hours a week.
So with all of the advice that Anonymous or MD, or whomever is blogging comments. . . . you are their master! You chose the path least traveled. You take on the world and what it has to teach. You are learning about cultures and people that you wouldn't have otherwise. You have seen and are going to see things that others only read about or see second hand in a photo. (a photo of yours perhaps)
Every experience has riches and rewards. If one can look past the clutter to find it.
So your web blog is somewhat therapeutic for those that can't travel along with you. It gives them another avenue to vent about things that they wish they could create in their own lives.
One last thing. If they are so jealous, they should venture out of their shell and take on some of the dreams that they may have. Or has life, occupation, or disposition left you without the creativity to explore on your own. It is sad to see that there are others that can't share in your excitement but would rather try and bring you down because their life hasn't been filled with joy and happiness. It is obvious that they lead a dull life which has drizzled disrespect and jealousy.
I applaud your desire to seek new sites and cultures. It is clear that you are well beyond what "they" aren't capable of doing.
Keep it black!
To ALL Tony's high school friends,
I can say with absolute certainty that we are NOT envious of Tony's trip. Hoang is NOT envious of his trip, and Kvit is not envious of his trip. If anything, we pity him for his lack of direction in life. And we do NOT seek to inspired by his blogs. We are here because we are his friends in college once.
Stop bashing Hoang or Kvit, Charley and all your high school friends.
Charley,
Stop bashing Hoang and Kvit.
Charley,
You've started a WAR with UCI's Shadowfax, and I am not going to sit here quietly. You and all your friends seem uneducated and illiterate, to say the least.
And stop bashing Hoang and Kvit!
RE: Kvit and Hoang
"Eat shit!! How's that for respect bitches. Respect is earned asshole. Put your name to your comment or stop preaching. You sound like a little bitch too.
Feedtony.com"
I am putting my name down, are you?
I am sponsering Tony's meals, are you? Before you start widening your circle of "shit eatters," I would detract that statement and figure out who the hell you are talking to. Second, if you
are all upset about this then you have played into Anonymous/UCI/whoever-the-hell it is and his/her little game.
I'm not gonna fall for this antagonism. I'm just a casual sideline observer, checking in on tony's journey and he's having a blast as far as I can tell.
Cheerio.
Tony,
You tortured soul; stop asking your friends and families to donate money to you. If you don't have enough money, then don't travel. You could have easily travelled for a month, instead of a year and asking people for money to help you fund it.
Look at Kvit. He sponsored your meals and got "trashed" by some of your high school friends. He didn't even have the decency to put his name on your photo. Sure, thanks Ben, but where is "thanks Kvit"?
You are being biased.
Everyone agree?
Tony,
You don't even have the decency to put his name on your photo.
Where's "thanks Kvit"?
I just want to say "thanks Kvit". Really, . . . thank you.
Tony,
It is such a dolor that you never learn to listen to other people's advice.
Really, man.
Can't we all just get along?
When you see a man of worth, think of how you may emulate him.
When you see one who is unworthy, examine yourself.
It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education.
Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.
OK, I've been quiet for a while, but I just have to say a couple of things.
To Huang & Kvit: Guys, what you continually fail to understand is that there is more than one path in life. You have chosen one of structured education, work and rigid rules. You are following society's rules as best you understand them. I respect that; no doubt you are adding value to your community. I also respect that you measure maturity by learning as stated in a previous response. But that's where we diverge radically. Education MUST NEVER be limited to books and reading. Think of what you are loosing when everything you know is second hand, at best. The writers of those books got out and lived life, experienced the world. That is what enabled them to write those books. If everyone just limited their learning to reading other peoples books we would run out of books. Tony is preparing to write his own book, make his own movie, live his life. His trip is his education, and is far more valuable than any book because it is a first hand education. Not something that is spoon fed to him by professors, text books and tests. Those three are no real measure of education. You want a mathematical, or logic equation (I have taken a class in logic and find your premise and conclusion flawed beyond hope) Life = Education. Live life and learn.
As far as the discussion of what Tony will do when this trip is over - who knows? who cares? Tony will be fine. I guarantee it. Will he be a doctor? a physicist? even a Nobel Laureate? No, that's not his chosen path. He will be all right. He will find gainful employment and be a successful member of his community. He is already loved, and will find more love in his life.
Yeah, he took his 'career' momentum and cut it off to go on this journey. But, I keep thinking of something I read. What I read was that most millionaires make and LOSE their first million. Then they start from zero and rebuild. The second and subsequent millions come quicker because they know the process and are more confident in their actions. Tony has had his first 'career' and chose to end it. His second will come and he will be better prepared, better educated, a more complete human being for this experience.
Bottom line - Quit bashing what you obviously don't understand. It's not your chosen path, and that's OK. You are right for you. Why do you assume that you are therefor right for Tony.
Almighty Authority - Right on!!
Now, why don't we all put our energy into being the best person we can be, and quit trying to tell Tony and each other how to live.
Kvit - Huang was disrespected on this blog because he has been disrespectful. He voluntarily gave up his right to respect. Granted, Charlie is one crass MF, but he's right.
Lastly, I have one question about your response to Carol. What are you talking about? That post was the logical equivelant of responding to "Some apples are red" with "All oranges are purple." It did not follow the premise and had no logical integrity (or proper use of the English language for that matter.) I suggest that you quit showing us your ignorance. As the old saying goes, "It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt."
John
P.S. What will Tony do for money when he gets back in January? Well, for starters Huong is going to owe him $10K per a well documented pledge witnessed on this very blog. I assume that you are a man of your word Huong.
All paid jobs absorb and degrade the mind.
Tony, how is the pho' out there?
John,
Thanks for the time you spent for writing your carefully thought out response. There's no sarcasm in my sentinments here, I value people who think things through before posting or shouting off their mouths like utter fools: be informed.
BUT, please read carefully as I say this now. The main reason I am disturbed by some erratic comments machine-gunned here is simple. Some IMPOSTER here (UCI/ANONYMOUS/ETC) claims to be HOANG, and as a consequence some people here are so GULLIBLE to believe this is really Hoang Nguyen that they have their panties in a bunch. I'm not going to fall for it. I know some troubled, socially reclusive person is behind a keyboard this moment having a great laugh at how many pissed off people he can get riled up, such as pedestrian victim Charlie.
Fact: The real Hoang (as I've stated) has been in San Jose and has never been to this website before. The real Hoang has never pledged $10k, he is a frugal sonnovabitch like me. John, you only have evidence that some e-thug pretending to be Hoang pledging $10k monopoly money.
Fact: Tony's true friends don't talk shit about him and would support him and his endeavors. If you disagree with these facts, then you've fallen for the game someone is playing.
Lastly John, I wholeheartedly agree about your comment on education and experience. I'm a math educator and I don't need symbols or logic to understand your reasoning.
Hopefully, Charlie and John, you now know my stance on this issue a bit more clearly and that you understand that you're being played by some IMPOSTER.
Just some dust clearing here, clear skies ahead, tray tables back to their upright positions. Sit back and relax.
Back to your regularly scheduled Tony tour programming...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Hello everyone,
I feel obliged to post since someone has obviously been impersonating me, posting views that are not my own. This is Hoang--the real Hoang. And to prove it I will mention something that only I and a few of my friends would know:
-when I was born, I had to be placed in the intensive care unit and weighed only 1.5 pounds
-After finishing my medical internship at USC, I am currently in the Bay Area doing research and will only be here temporarily
-As of June 2007, I am no where near the LA/Orange County area.
-I would never go around advertising my medical degree or posting as Hoang, MD, etc
-This is the first time visiting this website
-Obviously, I don't know if its existence until very recently
Now that's done...This person posing as me is obviously trying to get everyone riled up by making inflammatory comments. Personally, I think Tony has lots of guts for traveling the way he is. Not everyone can just pack up and go abroad to experience life. I hope he can learn some important life lessons from the experience. I'm no one to judge him.
I think it should be easy to track down who's been impersonating me.
Hello everyone,
I feel obliged to post since someone has obviously been impersonating me, posting views that are not my own. This is Hoang--the real Hoang. And to prove it I will mention something that only I and a few of my friends would know:
-when I was born, I had to be placed in the intensive care unit and weighed only 1.5 pounds
-After finishing my medical internship at USC, I am currently in the Bay Area doing research and will only be here temporarily
-As of June 2007, I am no where near the LA/Orange County area.
-I would never go around advertising my medical degree or posting as Hoang, MD, etc
-This is the first time visiting this website
-Obviously, I don't know if it's existence until very recently
Now that's done...This person posing as me is obviously trying to get everyone riled up by making inflammatory comments. Personally, I think Tony has lots of guts for traveling the way he is. Not everyone can just pack up and go abroad to experience life. I hope he can learn some important life lessons from the experience. I'm no one to judge him.
I think it should be easy to track down who's been impersonating me.
Now that's a piece of ass.
John, (a note on logic)
Your statement is filled with faulty logic. In order for your conclusion to be true, you must be assuming that not only is traveling a source of education it is a more superior one. But, traveling to different places is not necessarily a more superior form of education compared to a traditional classroom style of learning. Therefore, your conclusion is false.
Endnote: I agree with everyone. Hoang is an inspiration to us all.
Fuck you, go fuck yourself, fuck your goat ass, you bitch ass trick. Fuck off go away, eat a dick and die. I feel sorry for your parents. You're lame, Anonymous. Real lame. All this time faking it. You can't even stand by your ideas.
Take some responsibility for your comments. How dare you use someone else's identity to try and substantiate your opinions. You are crazy. I am serious, people like you need mental help.
So like I said, fuck off, fuck you, you are so fucked if we ever figure out who you are, you worthless piece of shit.
Donovan,
Do you know any more words than just profanity? You’re despicable and contemptible. You should also realize that making threats on the Internet may constitute criminal and legal liabilities. I never claimed that I was someone else; it was your low sense of intelligent quotient that failed to establish this fact. Hoang is respected by all his friends from UCI. I am proud to have him as a friend. I am proud to be able to tell people that my friend is a medical doctor. Can you say the same thing about your friend, Tony? Sadly no.
John,
You keep accusing me of committing malapropism when there none to be found. Logic is about making deduction. But, you are deducing by making illogical conclusion. That’s not how logic works.
Charley,
You probably wish that Tony were a medical doctor; how the years were agonizing with dashed hopes and lost opportunities.
Tony,
Stop abusing other people’s munificent gestures. By continue to ask them to donate money to you, you are being rapacious.
Kvit,
Your feeling of ebullient is well-received.
Sue me, fucker. Fuck you.
I don't even know your name, you spineless piece of crap.
Tony,
I'm very disappointed in you for not becoming a Doctor. As for that matter; not becoming a major league baseball player, and not becoming a priest (they are all high and mighty and shit), and not becoming a best buy employee ( so i can get discounted shit), or not becoming a cop (so I can play with the sirens of your car) or not becoming a pilot (so we can get discount airfare) or not becoming a lonely asshole on the net (so you could blog away and leave meaningless comments and try to make yourself feel better because you have no life and are wanting others to take your word for what ever the fuck point you are trying to make. )
Oh but I guess you made a choice to do something rather than riding on the coat tails of others that are actually doing something with their life.
At least you don't lead the life of anonymous. Scouring the net to see if there is new feedback to write about. Anonymous, your comments aren't as clever anymore and your arguments aren't founded. For me I have nothing better to do, but now I have grown bored of your ramblings. Come at me with something new and refreshing. Your rhetoric has become old like news of Brittney Spears, we just don't give a fuck anymore.
Let me leave by stating that your Mom isn't that good anymore at street favors. Nor is she worth the 2 cents she's trying to charge.
And how stupid could you be? You do realize that we can backtrace by your IP address? It's not like the net is really anonymous. So there is a way to find out who writes what on here, idiot.
Me so horny.
And not just a black man...