An eventful lavish birthday with Miley Cirus singing Wrecking Ball 

in the background while cleaning my kitchen cabinent.
      24 years old and a day,
Q:How did you spend your birthday day yesterday? Did you have a lavish party in Hollywood wearing designer clothings and being surrounded by all your pretty friends like how you planned last year?
A: Lol, it was a little bit different this year. Well, A LOT different. Yesterday was just like any other normal days. I woke up, I made my bed. I helped mother cleaning her breakfast that she did not have time to do so after rushing out of that door for another day of work. I went to get water at the water store down the street. I got home and started putting some items on ebay.
     I was in an old pair of basketball shorts from high school, a regular wife beater and from there I started my day of birth, 24 years later, slowly, emotionally, patiently.
    The feeling this year is somewhat different. I don't feel old. I never do. In fact, I wish I could feel it someday just to get away from those comfortably attached words : childish, kiddish, naive etc...
     I started writing this post without a purpose, but now I do. I wanted to feel imperfect, to feel like it is okay to be laughed at and humiliated at. What important here is the fact that whether if I am going to continue trying to live a not so perfect life to stray away those negative gossips from those people that I should not have and should not  have ever cared in the first place.
    The past 23 years have been more than grateful, more than I could ever asked for. My achievements, my awards, always number 1 on everything , always comes out on top. Yes, great. But who asked? Who made a Bill to say that Trung Jaden Tran must always be perfect and never fail at anything?
     Then blaming my mother for always being so strict on me that made me have all this OCD that everything must comes out perfect. Well, if this was a courtroom, I would plead not guilty and I would be my own lawyer being fed up with myself as a client and prove that Sir, your answer is invalid due to its insufficiency of bonds and/or support the ideas of one another.
   Claim: Your mother will always be strict on you and the valid reason is for you to be a proud man of society.
   Reason:  In hopes,  this so not always manly man and kind of fashionable WILL ALWAYS has his head held high, living with no shame, no crimes committed , no guilty conscience of any kind. A man that gives without expecting anything back. A man that never says no when help is being needed.  A man that admits his mistakes, that must know how/when/why to fix it in a shameful yet humble manner.
     Not a #Do_No_Wrong Man.
     For the first time and will be the rest of my life, I feel celebrated without being celebrated. I feel content to live another day. To be able to wake up and see my mother's still pretty face ( just a little bit wrinkly on the forehead but its okay YSL night cream every night and Laura Mercies Tinted Mois in the morning SPF 50 then honey you'll be back at 30 in no time ).
     October 23rd was actually the day to celebrate my mother. That was the day she was in the most pain. The day that she could finally see her son for the first time after 9 months heavily carrying him everywhere under a humid weather of Viet Nam.
     Mother called during her lunch time and asked which restaurant I wanted to eat tonight for my birthday. I simply asked her to to-go me some Pho so we could eat them together when she gets off work. I stayed at home patiently, happily, singing along with Miley Cirus waiting for Mother.
     Thank you.

P.S All contents of this blog will be transferred to a new blogspot so please bookmark and share,

www.jadentran.blogspot.com

UNDERWEAR for the Modern Men of the future.

                   We all know when it comes to undergarments, women would always invest more into those to impress their lovers more than men. According to a survey in 1998 revealed that 60% of French men change their underwear daily. Approximately 75% of French women change their underwear daily.Obviously that was more than ten years ago. Us men are taking over sexiness by not being afraid of revealing more of our bodies in designer underwear. I am guilty of having an underwear fetish myself where I would spend half of my pay check on just underwear. It is not just a fetish, it is a collection where each piece that I put on, I feel a little sexier, a little more confident even though no one can really see it...unless I get really drunk lol. There are thousand of brands out there to even begin with let alone the style. Well I will give you a quick break down of styles with these drooling images. 

Briefs, my personal favorite! 

This is a classic boxer-briefs just right about your knees

Product Features:

• Show-It Technology pouch for maximum frontal support. 
  
• Mash up styling with the benefits of both a brief and a jock

• Contrasting leg trim.
• Contrasting sports mesh detail in back.
• Ultra soft elastic used around waist, buttocks & legs.
• Designed in Los Angeles, USA.

 
 As you can see these are just a few styles out there and my personal favorite would have to be Andrew Christian underwear due to his true aesthetic and taste in luxury underwear. I used to love Calvin Klein underwear but it is so overrated and boring. 

One last fun fact for you all : Men’s briefs were invented in 1935. A contemporary magazine ad touted the brief’s “scientific suspension” and “restful buoyancy.”

I love how much thoughts he put into each underwear as you can see!

oh and did you know that you can now  Get 25% OFF everything on AndrewChristian.com. with code 700FB at checkout. It ends on August 26th so HURRYY! 

For more of Andrew Christian sexy underwear line , visit : http://www.andrewchristianshop.com/

Written by : Trung Jaden Tran

FASHION-
                    the number one element that most gay guys seem to be obsessed about.

Fashion, it is something that everyone desires, but not everyone can achieve. Fashion fades yet style stays. Imagine what would happen if Adam and Eve did not eat the apple from the Snake, then everyone would have been naked right now. Thank god for that apple.

        Throughout the years, fashion constantly changes its forms, shapes and colors to accommodate with the weather, and most importantly, us the consumers. Brunello Cucinelli once stated in the GQ issue of Fall 2012: “ The whole idea of wearing clothes is not to look ridiculous. He is absolutely right with this statement. Each event must have the right attires to go along with. For example, Tuxedos are made for important evening events like the Inaugural ball, or a night at the opera. Bathing suits are made for the beach, the pools etc. To further the ideas of variety in fashion. There are many styles developed from one decade to another, from one country to the next. To name a few styles that often can been seen strongly in the gay Asian community are hype-beast, hipster, and gentlemen.

                The hype-beast identified person’s closet consist mainly tee-shirts that are solid colors like black, white, red, and grey. They often have strong and large logos printed on the front. Their main brand-names are Obey, Crooks and Castle, Diamonds, City League etc. They also often match their shirt color with their shoes. The main accessory that a hype-beast person cannot go out of the house without is his fitted cap ( hat) .  Hipsters are a little more conservative with their choice of clothing. They often button up their dress shirts all the way. Their denims are usually fitted or skinny rolled up to emphasize on their sneakers or vans. Last but not least, the gentlemen look is pretty much self -explanatory. Their closet will have mostly dress shirts, fitted blazers and a whole collection of comfortable off-white, grey tees to go with their straight-leg denims

              As simple as that sounds, what is it about fashion that most gay males seem to spend most of their paychecks on. When asked that question, Rohnye Andal a fashion designer simply answered: Fashion to me is just not what I wear on the outside, they truly express how I feel. I spent about at least $300 dollars every month of various clothing. Rohnye also advised that other than dressing nicely, confidence is the best accessory that would complement you no matter what you wear. Having said that, he never stopped working and thinking about his passion as a designer. He now has his own clothing line that took off from Vallejo to Las Vegas. Miskyn constantly provides its customers with creative t-shirts with Rohnye’s talent as a designer. http://www.miskynclothing.com/. ( I asked him more questions but right now I am just writing this as in it’s an essay so that its easier for me to format my ideas. ( If you would like to see the Q’s and A’s I can absolutely type the interview as that also )

                Sadly, the gay Asian males were always being stereotyped into a category whereas they are superficial and materialistic and only care about how they look like on the outside. When people can’t achieve something that frustration automatically turns into jealousy. This is no exception. A lot of homosexual males get hated on for no reason. Actually, there is a reason and that is because they love and care for themselves too much. Now, not everyone can love themselves the way gays do. There is nothing wrong with trying to look good on the outside. By looking good on the outside, we will gain confidence in all that we do. Moreover, gay males dress well just so they can attract other gay males out there. The way most gay males see in clothing and fashion are quite different from others. They don’t simply wear clothes. They put on outfits. They love to layer and everything must coordinate from the inside shirt to the jacket and the washed out denims to the right shoes.

                They just have the eyes for fashion and forecast the next trends before it even happens. This is one of the reasons why most women are close friends with gay men because they can tell you like it is whether if that dress is too slutty for the club or the cardigan is just too grandma-like. Many gay males are extremely successful in the fashion and are constantly being featured on televisions. Zac Posen, Michael Kors, just to name a few. Having said that, it is extremely devastating for the gay males that are specifically Asian trying to make it in this industry when they have to do it alone. The definition of doing something alone might not sound as horrible as what it actually means to Gay Asian male himself. Being alone here is when he grew up having everyone made fun of because he was different. Being alone here is when all the boys at school play with toy trucks and soccer balls when all he wanted to play with was Barbie dolls and her pretty dresses. Being alone here is when his family neglects his passion, his feelings and blindly forces him to go into a different field where he knows nothing about because his mind is constantly thinking about what he loves the most, fashion.

                If only Asian parents weren’t so conservative and encourage them to excel in what they are passionate about, all of their gay children would have been successful. It is pretty disappointing that they first generation doesn’t take fashion seriously. They don’t believe it as a career because they interpret the outside as the unimportant, superficial aspects in life and what really matters is the labor and the work that earn money after. Whoever said you can’t provide a living being a stylist or a fashion editor, designer? Fashion shouldn’t be taken as superficial because the truth is everybody wants nice things, they just can’t afford it.    

                Imagine the world without fashion, everyone would be single since there isn’t anything to be attracted to at first sight. The economy would just be a downfall all decades. Imagine a world without our loving talented gay Asian males, the words like interesting, fun, night-outs, gossips, a shoulder to cry on, best friends would not exist. Lastly, imagine a world without both, well it’s called hell.

 Written by: Tran N Trung

Inspiring quotes have helped me through my tough times

I am afraid of looking old

That's right, I am not afraid of dying or falling down the bridge. I actually love height. but the number one thing that I have always been afraid of is looking old. That explains why I cannot let go some of my "swag'' shirts. You know what kinda shirts I mean like the ones from Zumiez, DGK all day , The Hundreds , Obey etc. They just make me feel like I'm 18 all over again , full of life and ambitions and never afraid of anything. I used to avoid shirts and ties and all that dressy stuff at all times! " No!! They will make me look old" I screamed at my friends when they wanted to go to Express.
     When it comes to dressing up , most of us are still  trying to find the balance between looking sharp and professional yet still keeping that youthfulness.  With that said, don't be afraid of playing with colors this summer from mix-matching colorful ties with vibrant dress shirts and top it off with fashionable blazers!

   


If you're feeling shy? Wear purple or violet. Feeling talkative ? Put on a bright yellow dress shirt to show what a sunshine you are and people will not be afraid to approach you.





 Who said dress shirts can only be in white, black or grey right ? Solid shirts in bright colors will not de-professionalize the event that you are attending to but it also adds personalities to you! It is dangerous to wear your heart on your sleeve, but don't be afraid to wear your personality on your sleeve. Solid shirts are not your only option for everyday wear to work or a night out in the Castro. Stripes and checkers are also timeless styles that can do no wrong to you.

Women often spent hours playing dressed up with their new clothes and make up whether alone or with their girlfriends. Guys can now totally do the same! Just grab a few of your guy friends to come over after a basketball game and try on clothes together! ( That was a total joke if you haven't noticed, I think that's one of my naughty secret  fantasy ..whoops not so secret anymore) ! All jokes aside, mix-matching your dress shirts and ties should not be time consuming. Rather it is fun, enjoyable and you can also save some extra money on buying more outfits!

 http://edwardshair.net/

http://www.iamgalla.com/

 Flipping through the pages of GQ's , I couldn't help but stop myself at the Diesel page. Not only  the Blazer caught my eyes with its fine details that compliment the leather pants but hello look at the model! When do we get to see an Asian not just in one page but a two page spread! Blazers are the must have items when it comes to dressing up. It is like the secure blanket in the winter, without it you feel a little naked, empty. 

     In conclusion, I just want to say we shouldn't stress about getting old or looking old. Clothing's should only be the pieces to compliment and enhance who we are as a person. I gave my mother that same exact answer last night when she suddenly asked a question over the dinner table: " Ty, look at these ugly wrinkles on my forehead, I am getting older can you tell?" followed that was a long sigh she had. 

   Trying to swallow down my last piece of chicken along with the sudden tears I almost had running down my cheeks , I replied: " You shouldn't feel defeated that you are getting old. Those wrinkles on your forehead to me are far from ugly. Each wrinkle represents the over -time hours that you tried to stay after work to earn extra money so we could have a little more food on the table. For each wrinkle that you have represents your sleepless nights staying up taking care of me through my flu. So no, I don't think they are ugly at all , because each of them tells a different story of your life. 

    And I would rather see you gain a line of wrinkle each year than not seeing you or your wrinkles at all...

Written by Trung Jaden Tran

Images from Norstrom.com, Mens shop ( Nordstrom) 

Images from the Gentlemen's quarterly 

My Coming Out Story

 Hello everyone,

  I have always wanted to start a blog to write about my feelings and my daily life experience but I have never had the courage to do so because  I was afraid of being laughed at or what if I am not good enough, or what if I have too much feelings and people don't have time for feelings? and the questions run on and on in my head for the past years. And I think today is the day I can finally have the courage to do so. I can not find any other better days to make this story public than today. Not only today marks the history of  our country being united as one but also this gives me hopes that one day, ONE DAY, I can find my other soul-mate and can proudly call him my husband. ( omg that sounds weird lol ). For the longest time, I have always been embarrassed of my sexuality. I thought I was less of a guy than other straight males out there. I am shy, I'm timid, but that doesn't mean that I am weak or less of a human being than anyone else. May be because I grew up insecure , may be because I grew up having people constantly putting me down and throwing words like : fag, go away, no-one likes you and perhaps throwing orange peels at me . I'm not upset at my past or angry at those people who have put me down or did not believe in me. I however want to thank them for their actions, because they have toughen this little gay boy for the past 2 decades. My tears from being hurt , being bullied and not believing in myself have turned into tears of being proud of who i am, tears of joy, of success, wisdom, determination , of the person who got up from the ground full of hatred dirt. 

My coming out story starts now.

There is a story about a little boy from Viet Nam. The story does not have a great beginning or a happy ending but along the line, the little boy learned to love himself and cherished every joyful moment that he has created. That little boy was me. Unlike a few other kids, I grew up in an extremely traditional Vietnamese household where I was taught to be disciplined at a very young age. I grew up without a father so my mother plays both of the roles .I guess one of the reasons why my mother was always so strict on me because she was bitter about the fact that my dad left us when I was still a baby and she had to take care of me all by herself. I still don’t understand why when adults make mistakes, the children get the blame for it.  I mean it is not my fault that I remind mother of my father sometimes whether if it’s the way I talk or the way I act even though I have never met him before. Mother would shout it out on top of her lungs: “You remind me so much of your Dad.” And she would run into her room and cry silently.  Every day she would remind me to always be faithful and loyal to my future wife because she doesn’t want me to be like my father. The funny thing is I would never be faithful to my wife because I would not have a wife in the first place. I am gay.

                My coming out story was quite embarrassing. I was a junior in high school at the time. One afternoon, I came home from school and instead of doing homework, I got distracted and started to google “naked guys”. I was always curious about the naked male body but I did not know the real reason why. As I was browsing through images after images, suddenly mother walked in. I tried to close down the window but it just had to freeze up at that time. Mother asked: “why are there naked guys on your computer?” I could not breathe for a minute and I answered in shame: “ I was just curious and I promise you to never look at them again.” I was embarrassed, confused, ashamed, angry and many other mix emotions rolling in one giant ball. A few months later, mother suddenly walked in to check up on me once again and history repeated itself. She caught me watching gay porn. However, this time was different. I did not apologize for my action. Instead, I sat mother down and whispered shyly: “Mommy I think I like guys.” Mother paused for a second, she stood up, slapped me across my face, ran out in tears.  There was this pain that I felt inside me. It literally hurt and I didn’t know why. Tears started to run down my cheeks. I did not cry because mother slapped me. I cried because I felt hopeless. I cried because I felt alone. I cried because I thought I was a monster or some kind of devil that did something so horrible to my mom.

                Mother kicked me out of the house after that because she could not deal with the fact that I was gay. A week later, I came back starved, exhausted and begged to go back into the house.  To my family, being gay is more than just being sinful. Let alone being a traditional household, we are also Catholic. My uncle and my mother believed that there was a devil inside me and it was trying to take over. They forced me to pray to God to become better, they brought me to therapy sessions, and they tried everything to turn me straight. I followed every step that they had set for me. I did really try to change so that my family could be happy. I tried so hard to the point where I started to become extremely angry at myself. I would torture myself physically and mentally. I hated myself for the longest time because I could not fulfill my mother’s wish which was to become the man of the family and to get married.

                I cried myself to sleep every night hoping that I would go to sleep forever so that tomorrow wouldn’t be so scary facing my family. Two years passed by living in depression and endless unexplainable night terrors. I finally was set free when I got the acceptance letter from UCSD. Before I left home, I had a talk with mother. It wasn’t really a talk, it was a conversation where I did most of the talking and whether if she listened or not I was still not coming back. Trying to stop myself from crying, I expressed: “Mother, I love you with all my heart. I know you have sacrificed your whole life for me. Not only you are a great mother, but you are also an exceptional father. I would never do anything to hurt you. However, you cannot continue living a lie. I am gay and whether if you are going to support me I will never change. Would you rather have a straight son that would smoke and drink and come home drunk every night stealing your money damaging the house? Or would you want a gay son that is determined to be successful and will love you and support you for the rest of your life. Mother, my sexuality does not determine my success. Whom I love does not and will not replace you ever. Last but not least, even if I was straight I would not have my own kids. The reason is because there are so many children out there dying every day due to poverty and starvation. Their parents cannot support them and give them a memorable childhood. Therefore, I am going to adopt. One or ten, that will be determined later when you see me in the pages of Vogue.

                I was afraid that she would slap me like last time so after I finished the last sentence I ran out of the house, rapidly jumped in my car, drove eight hours to San Diego and never looked back.

                Two days later, mother called and said: “I love you and I am sorry for all the pain I have caused you. From now on, no more tears. Let’s start being fabulous together.”

              I cried in happiness. 

Thank you for reading and please come again! 

  Mother and older sister at her graduation.