I go, I fly, I do things, I forget things, and I forget people….I feel bad sometimes, but…for sure there are some will forever stays in my heart, though I don’t see or talk to them often.

Surprisingly, some understands me so well, knows what I think or what I like despite my absent mind and my laziness of keeping in touch with them.  So, can you believe it? We don’t meet everyday, we’re always far away from each other, but she is my best friend – for 15 years.

Just like me, she comes and is gone just in a minute. Today she is with me in New York, tomorrow she is back to Vietnam, and next week, she is back with me again…..but if we have chance to meet, we would have dead fun: gossiping about people, taking photos, and….bringing me surprises.

Just wrote her a very long blog in Vietnamese. It would be great if you understand Vietnamese. Amazing things happened between me and her – they are all told there!

http://www.hakinkin.info/2009/11/25/208-b%E1%BB%91n-mua-c%E1%BB%A7a-h%E1%BA%A1nh/#comments

And today is her birthday – December 20^th – HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY DEAREST FRIEND.  I always forget things, forget people and their….birthdays. But this year, I don’t forget you, hihihihi.

No need to wish anything I think – because she knows what I want best for her!

Been taking photos for her every time we had a chance to meet. She comes and goes, and one day, I realized I have four seasons of her in my gallery!

SPRING….

SUMMER – IN ÁO DÀI…

AUTUMN – GOING WITH HER FOR THE WHOLE DAY IN CENTRAL PARK – WE TALKED ENDLESSLY….SHE STILL REMEMBERED ALL THOSE THINGS WE HAD BEEN THROUGH IN THE PAST - IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE AUTUMN!

WINTER – WILL BE IN HANOI – JUST WAIT…..

You can call this guy “Kevin” ; Kevin Quan. Kevin is pretty well known by being the first male belly dancer in Vietnam.  At the time, belly dancing was still considered something “sexy”, “immoral”, “not good”…. It is heavily criticized from those old fashioned people and dumb husbands. And when belly dance mostly indicates to women, it is so weird to see a guy in this dance. And that made the name for Kevin.

Even belly dance recently has become a new wave and is widely accepted all over Vietnam. The story about Kevin is still always something pretty interesting.

Kevin was a student from Institute for International Relations, the university where I had attended but he is some years behind me. This is a high – rank and privileged university of Vietnam, lot of people were trying hard to attend to be a student here. But guess what, Kevin quitted the school when he was in second or third year, just because he did not feel like the place “is right” for him.

He started to do things that he really loved, he entered a fashion institute, and he fell deeply in love with belly dance. Despite the fact that being male belly dancer would be so weird and hardly accepted, he just did things he wanted to do.

At first, people screamed and got goose-bumps seeing him dance. What a ridiculous image of a guy: dressing in dress and in half shirt, shaking his boos and hip, eyes winking to the audience. Some thought this would create scandals, so they taped him dance, spread on the internet included with very ill – intended comments. People thought of him as a beast.

So, that is how he became “famous”, famous from being infamous first.  Even they did not like him, they still knew about him, and more and more people came to see how this “weird boy” dancing.  The thing is that, he did not pay damn attention about bad things people talked out there. He did what he liked, that’s all!

When something keeps happening, even if it was once considered “weird”, “unacceptable”, people start to enjoy and discover beauty in what they are experiencing. Kevin had been invited to big shows by then, he was on newspaper around with positive comments. Until one day, it is no more surprised seeing a male belly dancer. Let say, he changed people.

Kevin is good looking and pretty smart. Rumors spread that he is gay. (Well, gay is still “strange” and creates lot of gossiping all the time).  And well, indeed, he is.

And he shows: I’m gay, so what?

Tell you what, I love gay people, they are so talented and kind once they really love you. And I understand gay people quite well, since I have lot of experience with them.

Kevin once was my friend. Well, he was, it is hurt to say. We used to hang out, eat food on street and gossip a lot. He always showed like he knew a lot of people, he had a lot of friends, but I felt something that is not so comfortable being with him for long term, and I knew for sure: deep inside, he is so lonely, very lonely.

The song is titled: Dark Corner. Composed and sung by Nguyễn Hải Phong.

I know one thing about gay people, perhaps is not applied to everyone, but is mostly right best of time. It is that they always want to show  everyone they are really good, or better, they can use over – behaviors or even violence in order to be attracted by people/person they like – or just among a crowd. This also explains why there are amazing – talented gay people; they try hard to show off what they really have.

Kevin talked a lot, he met my “famous” friends, and he would talk bad things right in front of their faces or about other people, just to show he is really “special”. Sometimes he talked so much and the talked things without thinking about any consequences. He thought it was fun, he did not know that bothered people and, well, one day, he angered me extremely. He did not realize that he did something so terrible just by his words and he hurt other people real bad. I knew he was thoughtless, I knew he was still immature.  But he had to pay for what he had done! I could not be his friend anymore! Having him around is like carrying a bomb that can be exploded anytime.

He lost me, he lost my friends. He still said bad things behind my back, I knew. But I understand for him,  people understand for him. When he is really grown up, he will be different. One day, he will realize why he is so lonely; he will learn to respect what he is having.

I admit I admire his talents, his strong will. He can do and show things he has and he is without being scared of what other people say.

But no one is perfect. The more talented you are, the sicker you are as well!

I did this set in a bar located in an old house of Hanoi. The place is pretty; Kevin had a good relationship with the owner here, so we decided to carry out this set at this location.

I had no lights so the set was taken  in very bad exposures.  Indoor – some low bulb lights and hand held.  But then I liked it, because that was for no fashion or commercial purposes, it is nothing for something fancy but to show some dark corners of a lonely “star” –  indeed – a very lonely person.  He accepted this fact!

He was willing to take off all of his clothes so there are more shocking photos but I don’t show them. Just pick out some favorites from the set!

This is also a pure black and white set!

I had never thought I would be friend with any famous person. I thought they are in different worlds, they have different lifestyles and. I am a person of close friendships (which it is rare for famous people), also, this may surprise you, but I hate crowds and noise. Famous people – they have all!

But this is always right, you never know how something really is until it arrives.  All these time, I started to make friends with some of these “famous” people so naturally that I did not even aware of their fames.

With Khue, it was even harder to believe we would be friends. But we did, and good, good friends. I was so surprised to discover her; things were totally different of what I used to think.

I met her on my ex-job. I had to do some video shootings with some well known artists for a TV program and Khue was one of the guests. As I looked at her name, I really hesitated to call, but well, I had to. Her “sour” and  “chilly” voice on the phone sounded exactly when she sings. Well, she was friendly, not that scary at all!

Then I met her in person, we did the video but I did not talk to her much, she looked no so different on TV, or even prettier. By the end, I decided to give her my book as a little gift. (I gave out my books to some of the guests that I thought they might read). My first impression about Khue was that, she had great sense of humor, kind of smarty humor, not the dumb one!

Well, but that was it. Always a goodbye to the guests and would never intend to call them again for any personal purposes.

4 days later, my cell rang, Khue was on the line (I rarely delete people’s contacts on my phone once they are registered in there). My heart thumbed! What? She still kept my phone number? What did she want?

_ Hi Kin, I’m Khue, remember me?

-          Sure I do, hi Khue.

-          Hey, I just finished reading your book, and I LOVE IT, I want to see you again so much. I will have a video shooting tomorrow for the TV, want to hang out with me???

(I was thinking: Oh man, she READ the book…well, she is really….different).

-          I have to go to work, though I would love to.

-          Come on, take the day off, I gotta see you!

-          Ok, I’ll try, I will call you back!

I had to be honest; my heart thumbed hard just like a guy I like gave me a call. I was confused going with her or not. First, I was…lazy, second;  I was not really sure how to “treat” this famous person;  third, it was hard to ask for a day off this late.

But then, I decided to go. Meeting such a person would be interesting whether it turns out good or bad in the end!

And guess how she treated me. She asked for my address and drove her own car to my place to pick me up. We started to discover about each other. She said: She found herself and her mind in my book, she knew I would be the one she had been looking for a long time, and she knew we would be great friends of each other. And I said I did not know anything about her but her songs, but I was thinking inside, if she really liked and had good feelings for my book, she was really “my style”.  The stories went on, I laughed to dead with her funny stories and jokes.

When I came home, I was simply happy. I had a new friend, a very “special one”.

Famous people – well they are just…people. They can be stars high in the sky, but they can be so close just like one of us.

Ever since, we have been hanging out, telling jokes and getting closer and closer. I love her more and more everyday, sometimes I even had the feeling she was just so “perfect” for me:  talent, smart, funny….and always was there when I was in need. She called me her “best friend” though I never called her that way (because I did not want people to think I wanted to show off the relationship with famous people).

But now, finally I admit, she is one of my best friends. And these entries are my love for her, for a friend I love, not for a well known person!

And thanks to my book: “New York love stories” – it brought me so much, how can I thank it now?