The Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics is about to begin and the buzz is in the air.

Ever since Vancouver was announced as the host city for the 2010 Winter Olympics, we have lived through the development leading up to today’s start of the Games.  We experienced the very beginnings with the headaches of construction, road closures, tax hikes, etc.  The trip has been a challenge of massive proportions and has been quite an exciting one.

With the Opening Ceremony taking place today, we have been welcoming the World with open arms.  The hospitality has been wonderful and the general consensus is people really love this city and country.

The torch passed by my work in Richmond, BC and we stepped out to take it all in.  February 10, 2010 was a memorable experience.

During the past week, my family and I have taken several trips downtown to explore the sights and sounds of the Winter Olympics.  Of course, the place was extremely busy with people from all over the World.  Athletes, fans, and others can be seen proudly sporting their country’s colours and unique uniforms walking around the city.  The transformation has been truly amazing and I encourage you to use Google Maps Street View to explore Vancouver and Whistler.  There have been several new features added just for these Olympic Games.  I highly recommend checking out Whistler.  You can even see the Street/Mountain View of the runs.

At the countdown clock in Downtown Vancouver. 3 days to go!

Another once-in-a-lifetime opportunity we experienced was the torch relay around the province.  Let me tell you from personal experience that it was quite the memorable, heartfelt, and emotional moment.  I definitely felt the buzz in the air and was quite close to breaking a tear or two.  It was a very touching event in history and will be forever remembered.

Here’s the torch passing just a block away from our home in Vancouver, BC on February 11, 2010.  You can see my parents in this video.

Unfortunately, I did not plan ahead and missed an grand opportunity to acquire some highly sought after Hockey tickets back when they were on sale a year or so ago.  I really do regret it now as it might be a once-in-a-lifetime chance.  However, all is not lost and I did get some Victory Ceremony tickets taking place at BC Place.  I’m sure this will be an amazing experience as well.  Don’t get me wrong though, it’s not all about the paid events.  There are tons of free events and activities all over the city that is open everyone.

Luanne with Sumi at Robson Square.

It is truly an exciting time in Vancouver and I’m very proud of the accomplishments of the organizers responsible for the big party.  We welcome the World to Vancouver, so please check it out where ever you are.

Peter Nguyen

PS: GO CANADA GO!

Mrs. Nguyen Kim Qui’s home renovation was completed early this year.  It’s a huge improvement compared what was there previously.  We hope she enjoys her new home and wish her all the best to her and her family.

We have a new member to the family, introducing Martino Huy Doan, the second son of Tony Doan and Mai Linh Nguyen.  Martino was born on June 30, 2009 at a weight of 3.6kg.  Martino’s brother is Antonio Minh Doan.

So if you haven’t noticed yet, I decided to give our website another fresh new look.  This layout has its advantages over the previous, notably providing more areas of information.  I also enjoy clean and simple layouts, which is exactly what this layout is all about.

Let’s start with the website navigation.  It is divided into two sections, one for administrative links above the logo and the other for family focused links below the logo.  A new feature to the navigation is the inclusion of drop-down menus.  Hover your mouse over Photo Gallery to see more links in the drop-down menu.  A search bar is also now available on the top right of the page which was previously missing from the old layout.

The body of the website now includes a sticky post section which will have one featured news post that will remain there until another one replaces it.  Below the sticky post is a yellow strip, which from time to time this will be utilized as a reminder for such events as upcoming weddings, birthdays, reunions, etc.  Continuing, you will find the regular posts, which are now only excerpts.  You must click on the title or image to read the the post in its entirety.

The left side now features a few categories and the latest post contained in those categories.  The right side remains the same.  Other than that, the content of the entire site is remains unchanged.  The intent of the design change is to bring more content to the front of the page in an organized way.  I hope you enjoy it and feel free to leave a comment.

Mr. Long Nguyen and Mrs. Hue Thi Pham would like to announce the wedding of their daughter Michelle Nguyen to Gilmore Cabochan. The wedding will be Saturday, July 25, 2009, and will be held in Orange County, CA. Formal invitations will be sent out shortly. We hope that you will be able to make it! Any questions can be directed to huechiphd [at] gmail.com.

Gil and Michelle’s wedding website can be viewed here: www.mywedding.com/gilmichelle

Dia chi lien lac:
1.  Ong Ba Nguyen Uy Linh – uylinhnguyen@yahoo.ca
2.  Ong Ba Nguyen Vinh Loc – peternguyen@live.ca

Mrs. Nguyen Kim Qui, is a loving wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and aunt of the Nguyen Vinh Family.  She currently resides in Vietnam and will become 90 years old this year, which in itself is a great life time achievement for Mrs. Nguyen Kim Qui.

At this time, Mrs. Nguyen Kim Qui and her family is in need of some critical housing renovations.  For those who have visited her and seen her home, you’ll understand the current circumstances.  In view of this, we are asking for donations of any amount to help fund the housing renovation costs for Mrs. Nguyen Kim Qui and her family.  Mr. and Mrs. Nguyen Uy Linh and Mr. and Mrs. Nguyen Vinh Loc will be heading this cause and will be the main contacts.

A record of donations will be posted on the Nguyen Vinh Family website.  Also, if possible, pictures of the housing renovation progress will be posted as well.

Please lend a helping hand and give what you can.  If you are interested in donating for a good cause, please use our PayPal link on the right.  In this case, 100% of PayPal donations will be directed to Mrs. Nguyen Kim Qui until the project is complete.  If you would like to send fund in a more traditional approach, please contact either Mr. Nguyen Uy Linh at uylinhnguyen@yahoo.ca or Peter Nguyen at peternguyen@live.ca.  You may also call Mr. and Mrs. Nguyen Uy Linh or Mr. and Mrs. Nguyen Vinh Loc to discuss this matter as well.

Remember, every donation counts and will help Mrs. Nguyen Kim Qui in her housing renovation needs.  Thank you for your time.

A video of Mrs. Nguyen Kim Qui from February 2008.

Hi Peter

Because you have the life time photo series so I want to share with you my very old , old and priceless recollections .. that they are really gone out and never come again I think these photos  are at least some decades before.  Do you agree with me  remembering the old days , that shows we are getting old ???. Hahaha

The photo that your dad sat on the corridor (?) of the house , you know ,   my sibling had ever participate in building it  .
The photo that your grandpa ( my father ) in the mourning clothes is when my grandpa  passed away ( 1965 ??) .
I got a cute poem at 5 years old from my grandpa
< Gia dinh co ma co ba    Anh Loc anh Tho cung la anh Truong    Anh Tich lieng sao kho thuong    Toi la be chi con duong hoc van
Be em chua biet an can ……….>. I think ong Ut knows it .
The photo that we said good-bye with  chu 5 ( 1967 ) was in Tan son Nhat airport
The photo of my lovable uncle ( chu ut lon ) remembers me the days when he stayed in Saigon , because he almost was a good player
( flicking the tamarind seeds) with us . He passed away when I was 14 years old that made me shock alot .
and finally I have some photos of my parents funerals .

Without my mom around a half century , without my dad over 1/4 century , do you think they look at carefully and worry about their children, their offspring’s life???

All these LifeTime photo submissions are wonderful and I’m hoping to receive even more from everyone.  It would be great if you could scan them, but a digital camera will work too.

Fun Student Tours

Through an email conversation, I discovered that Stevan Nguyen from California operates a tour business.  Fun Student Tours is based out of San Diego, CA but they have tours throughout the state from Las Vegas to Laguna Beach.  Here’s an excerpt from his web site:

The goal of our company is to create FUN, memorable,
and exciting experiences that will last you a lifetime.

We are a young, FUN, new company, willing to think outside the box. We are flexible,
cutting-edge, and ready to work for you! Our professional and reliable staff is 100%
dedicated to make sure you have a safe and enjoyable trip, that will have you coming
back for more.

I have added a link to his web site on the side bar.  Check it out and don’t forget to give Stevan a shout if you’re in town.

Lee Nguyen, Vietnam

Hello everybody!  I hope everyone enjoyed their Summer and are doing well.  Students are back at school now and we’re heading fast in to the Fall season.  Time seems to go by so fast.  Have any interesting stories you would like to share?  Submit it here!

I recently switched web hosts to one that offered more value and features.  Everything should remain the same on the user side though, but let me know if you’re experiencing anything awkward.  I’ll be able to add our discussion forums back again so look out for that in the near future.

Arthur Nguyen from France is currently continuing his studies in the United States.  Read all about his experience at his new blog.

New LifeTime Photos

I have uploaded my own LifeTime photo sets to the site so check them out when you have time.  Looking through, sorting, and scanning the photos brought back a lot of great memories of our family history.  I encourage you to do the same and I guarantee you will re-live some wonderful moments.  Get out those dusty albums.

First Donations

We have received our very first donations for the website from My Linh Nguyen, Mr. Linh Nguyen, and Mr. Loc Nguyen.  Your donations are greatly appreciated and I thank you for your contributions.  If you would like to donate, refer to the PayPal link on the sidebar.

Our Kiva Team

I have a created a Kiva Team for our family at Kiva.org.  There’s no real differences in lending as it will still be made individually.  Only now, Kiva members in our family can listed in a recognized team.  It’s a private team so you make sure you make a request first from the team page.  It only takes $25 to start lending.  Go on and lend a helping hand.

How does it work?

The concept is actually very simple and straightforward.  Kiva has partnered with expert microfinance institutions (field-partners) throughout the developing world.  These field-parters are responsible for interviewing potential entrepreneurs and then posting their full profile on Kiva’s website.  This is where we come in.  By visiting Kiva.org, you are then able to choose where and who (the profiles) you would like to lend money to.  There are several countries to choose from including Vietnam.  After you have chosen someone, you can then lend a minimum of USD$25 to that person through PayPal.  Kiva collects the money and transfers 100% of it to the field-partners in the respective countries where they will be distributed.  The entrepreneur will then begin paying back your loan over the course of 6-12 months where you can then lend to another person at the end of the term.

Charity Link

I have added a charity link to the navigation bar on top of the website.  This link will list our Kiva.org Lender Profiles and keep track of who we lend to.  Our goal is to create a large group of lenders in the family who can collectively help an entrepreneur at the same time.  This is a wonderful opportunity to give back to the world and lend a helping hand.

Start Lending Now

My brother, sister, and myself have already funded an entrepreneur in Vietnam.  Her name is Nguyen Thi Nhang from Ninh Giang, Vietnam and is in the meat business selling pork.  I love her business name, Pork!  As of this time, she only needs to raise another $100 for a total of $600 to fund her investment.  I’ll be emailing out invites today, so don’t disregard them as junk mail!  Displayed below are random entrepreneur profiles from Kiva.

UPDATE: Nguyen Thi Nhang has raised the full amount! Yay!