I am no longer teaching Math full-time.

I got a new job in the Solar industry!!

I'm talkin bout the Sun, baby!

Why stop teaching math, Mr. Nguyen!? I won't stop teaching, and I'll still help ya, kid. I will still provide private tutoring and dance lessons upon request. But it's because my teaching license from Louisiana isn't accepted by the Commission for Teacher Credentialing in California.

Also because I think solar/renewable energy is the way to go at this time, and there's future in it.

Let's back-track a bit though.

I left California in 2013 to pursue a full-time teaching position without racking up more college debt, under the impression that I could transfer my teaching credential in California after 2 years of out-of-state teaching experience. (See CTC website – Route 2)

Sounds like a plan. All I needed was:

•Baccalaureate from an accredited university (UCLA) √
•Basic skills requirement (I pass the CSET Maths I and II and CBEST) √√
•Letter of verification of my 2 years from out-of-state employer √
•2 satisfactory performance evaluations from my employer √
•Comparable teaching credential √.... but wait... from Louisiana, it won't count!

So that's why that didn't work out for me. I'd have to go through a credentialing program, and I'd rather earn money than borrow more money right now, cuz I'm thinking of wedding and babies... ynahmsayin!!!

But it's not a total loss, because I got a lot out of my 2 years in Louisiana! I paid off all my credit card debts, paid down my student loans, bought a gas-efficient hybrid, met a ton of great people, trained/danced frequently, learned how to cook living on my own, and had enough saved to go on the best vacation of my life for 5 weeks, then stay funemployed for 3 weeks while I found a new job!

Riding Oxen in Thailand

So I'm not bugging, I'm super grateful to have left my Honda Civic in Louisiana, and to have come back with a Prius. I'm also grateful that I found a few jobs recently... went to 2 interviews and got offered both! I've been a Math Instructor in Cerritos for the past few weeks, but I will be leaving that position to start full-time at Vivint Solar, which I'm very excited for!

Also just started driving for Lyft, it's fun, but not equal to a job. Extra $$ though. Flexible too.
And I'm still putting together some short thematic books, to get them ready for publish and distribution! Very excited for that!! Get ready!

Til next time... peace outside, peace inside.

Struggle is a part of life. Buddha said it.

9/10
If you're enduring a struggle, please understand that that's normal. Struggle is a theme that permeates our reality, from literature to history and religion. See in your own life. See in the lives of others. Everyone struggles, but as someone wise told me, "You can either break down, or break through."

And some have learned to accept it as a part of life, a normalcy, and grow more successfully. Move beyond dichotomies of success/failure, toward a feeling of gratitude and thankfulness for what is given, for each blessing.

Anyway, wrote this for my brothers who struggle too. It's okay bro!
For my sisters too, who are so valuable to our society, yet bear burdens even heavier than the guys.

Understand life's cycles. You may be in the negative for years, but if you stay on the positive slope long enough, you'll make it out. Things aren't always a straight line, very often life zig-zags, curves, and loops. It's all part of the roller coaster, gotta know both to really appreciate either, enjoy your ride.

Recordings: Cycles/Enemies on the Inside/5 Ill Pieces

9/11 recordings.
I think they're all good, of course. The best one is 5 Ill Pieces. Hella raw.

My car booth set-up was similar to this.

Cycles 2:


Enemies on the Inside:


5 Ill Pieces: