I would like to thank you for taking your time to read about me. Welcome to my web site. (pictures throughout my site have been tagged with my name due to past theft and mis-use of my pictures)

My full name is David Hoang Chiem. I was born in San Jose, California on September 14, 1983. I’m the middle child in my family. I have two older brothers and one younger brother.

My man-hood comes from my father. I’m thankful I have a father. I’m very fortunate and I truly appreciate him unconditionally. My father is the world’s greatest cook. That’s right. My father cooks as if our family is having a feast each day. There must be hundreds of dishes that he has made for my tummy. My father is very ambitious. He would never give up on anything. I remember back when I was a child I would tend to fall asleep while watching television at night. I would always wake up to see me being carried upstairs. I really do cherish that. It’s the little things that touch our lives as we re-collect back to the past. I also remember when I was sick; my father would stay up at night to make sure I was feeling better. He would also set his alarm in case he overslept to give me my medicine. Whether it is morning or night-time my father would always provide our family with food. He made sure that we had everything because he did not as a child. That’s my father, a great man. Facing any obstacle, to fail or to succeed, he will still rise up to the challenge.

My brothers and I are all close. I’m thankful we are since not everyone gets along with their siblings. We grew up facing numerous struggles, countless bickering, still we came to grips to put all at ease. We’re all appreciative of our parents and our family. Fortunate is what we are. Each of us carries a characteristic of one another. Whether it be an appearance or personality we can relate to one another. My brothers are there for support when ever there is a time of hardship. My oldest brother Steven has a career in computers. He’s the reason why I’ve headed towards the computer field. My second older brother is Danny and he’s a business man. He’s able to grasp all obstacles and eliminate them. My younger brother Bryan is still in school. He’s a bit rowdy at times, but hey, I was too at his age. He too is into computers and programming.

Now I’d like to speak of my dogs. I have seven loving dogs that I care for dearly. You read that right, seven. My first dog is a Jack Russell Terrier. I named her Pebbles. Pebbles is very energetic and is always ready to see the world. My second dog is Toby. I always wanted a dog when I was younger and to have his name as Toby. Well Toby is half Jack Russell Terrier and half Chihuahua. He has a very nice coat and the figure of a body builder. Yet, he is such a small dog. That is what makes him adorable. My third dog is named Fievel. I named him after my favorite cartoon character from the movie, “An American Tail”. It’s a story of a mouse family that faces hardships and travels to America in search of a better life. It’s quite interesting and you do learn a lot from it, even though it is a cartoon. My fourth dog is named Tiger. I also named him after one of the characters in An American Tail. Notice that the word Tail is Tail and not Tale. That is because they are referring to the mouse’s tail. I just had to point that out because people would think I made a typo. Tiger is my best friend. I love it when he’s smiling after playing with the other dogs. Dogs can smile too. :o) Tiger is part Chihuahua and part Terrier. Awhile ago he went through surgery due to a blood clog. I was very worried and prayed he would recover. Thankfully he did. I guess you can say I love my dogs, Tiger's my son so remember that. (I was closing my right eye in the picture above, don't laugh)

My fifth dog is named Angel. Her name fits her perfectly. Though she can be quite feisty at times, I still love her. I must admit my family and I spoil her. Angel is a Maltese and she looks like a petite Panda Bear. Her hair covers her face and that just makes her even more adorable.

Angel gave birth to a boy and a girl. I had a rough time naming these 2, but eventually their names turned out to be Chubby (boy) and Chikita/Chiquita (girl). Quite unique names? hehe. They're all a hand full and these 2 young ones are adorable, yet they are both trouble makers.

People always cuddle and adore her. It is said that an owner’s pets have the same personality as the owner. Well I believe this is true. I’m not saying I’m a dog (laughs), but my dogs do remind me of myself. From the way they live and carry themselves each day that is. There is no number that can be pointed out to show the care I have for my dogs. For all the times they have been there for me when the world turned its back it has only strengthen our bond. Indeed, they are my best friends.

We must be thankful to have food and shelter, for there are millions of people throughout the world that are homeless and suffer from hunger. It hurts me deep down, pinching my heart, to see someone --especially a child-- face such a rusty scenery.

Who am I? A poet. My aim in my writing is to provide a vision of reality. Life is not only beautiful; it too has the hideous imagery everything else contains. At times I do collapse into a phase of bliss. Perhaps I'm stressing too much. Well I'm stressing for the right reason because there is "much" that must be done to better the lives of many. It may be strength that allows a man to hold back his tears; however, it is courage that gives a man the bravery to show his tears. I'm not afraid to cry. "Everyone cries, but do they cry for the right reason? I know the tears I shed are for what I believe in" - D.C

I am human like we all are and I do too shed tears. If there was one thing that made me different from others it would be my expression. Men are not suppose to display any sensitivity, nor weakness, or tears. Well, that's what we've all been taught.

I don't understand why hunger exists. America -- the richest country in the world --should be focusing on this matter instead of concentrating on oil. What's more important? Money or lives? I would like to quote a man that has inspired me to write, Tupac Shakur. "You know it's funny when it rains it pours They got money for wars, but can't feed the poor" - T.S. Indeed, this simple message contains such great depth and truth alone. If there is one thing that is important in life, it would be knowledge, to think. Occasionally, I would be awake at night, planning of what I should write about next, what actions must be taken, and so forth. I'm just a man; I have no power, nor wealth, to give to the world. However, I do have the art to give a visual image embedded in words to inspire and motivate. Therefore, I pursue this path to search for answers and to find peace in myself, as for others.

Arriving here in America my family was dirt poor. The only treasure was our family. My parents didn’t even have shoes to wear when they arrived here. My father had to scavenge through the dumpster for clothing. We were homeless in other words. My family first came to Malaysia and then traveled to California. My father and oldest brother journeyed to San Jose and then contacted our family in Malaysia and re-united.

We were outcasts here in America. We were led to believe that this country offered many opportunities. The main reason people immigrated to America is for freedom. The second would be for the American dream, which was to maintain a job, have a family and own a house. America, like any other country, has it’s separation of classes. We have the rich high class, the middle class, and then the average low class that is actually the majority. I’m really proud of my parents achieving their dream. They were looked down on since they arrived here poor. Well now they run their own business are able to live a steady life. Though many obstacles still appear, still they conquer these barriers. We are now able to look back to what we came from and what we bloomed into. Indeed, we have come a long way and this is just the beginning, but it is a positive start.

My grand mother recently passed away. This is my father’s mother that I am speaking of. What makes her different from my mother’s mother is that I’m close to my father’s mother. I was practically raised by my grand mother. Losing my grand mother left a deep wound inside my soul. I was in disbelief on that sad day. Well, I still am. Depression began when my dear grand mother passed away. I questioned myself how God could take someone so precious, caring, heart warming, and pure away? Within my poetry book you will find a poem titled "Lullaby." It's a poem I've written in tribute and dedication to my dear grand mother.

I've spoken with many women, especially mothers and they have shed tears regarding the poem "Lullaby" and "A Woman You Are." I am truly happy that my words provide a helping hand for anyone that seeks it. Especially for people that are afraid to express themselves. Perhaps my poetry will give them support to make it through. I hope so. That is what I tried to focus on.

It’s not fair that the selfish cold hearted people get to live on while the good are taken away from us. I’m Buddhist, but when my grand mother passed away I lost my religion. Forgive me if I’m offending anyone, but this is my opinion. I still am a Buddhist, but a part of my religion has died. Why? Well you can say that I’m furious of an innocent life being lost. In other words, the people who bring purity to this world are stolen from us, while the greedy vultures prey on.

Indeed it's not fair. I learned so much from my grandmother. I learned to respect a woman's art, her beauty, her love, her words, and to recognize her struggle. Appreciating her gave me the opportunity to gain something more precious than words. We’re all strugglers here in life. Each of us has a destination that we want to reach. It’s a matter of how we’re going to get there and if we can do so. Life is a journey. Life is death and death is life. This life is a game and we have to play this game in order to conquer it.

Two of my favorite pieces of music would be Don Maclean's "Vincent", also known as Starry Night. The other would be the theme song to the classical play Les Miserables', and that song would be "On My Own". If you haven't heard these songs I suggest you take time to hear it. I admit that at first when I listened to them I was a bit befuddled about it, but I've learned so much from these songs and I listen to them occasionally. Both songs are deep and well meaningful. There's a hidden message behind both songs so search from within.

I see myself as someone that thinks deeply and relentless. What do I ponder of? That would be the aspects of life. Both spiritually and in reality. What are the aspects of life? There are several actually. Such as: life’s beauty, life’s pain, life’s emotions, life’s depths, spiritual forms, death, and so much more. It is into the depths that I travel to find life’s hidden sunlight. I'm a deep thinker. By that I mean it truthfully. I tend to lose sleep due to the constant flow of my thoughts. On the outside I may seem peaceful, but deep inside is a whirlwind filled with relentless thoughts. I think of my life a lot, but I also think of others. The others would be strangers across the world. I feel their pain, yet I feel guilty that my life is less severe from theirs. People take life for granted, they truly do. We don't realize what we have until it's taken away from us. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying I'm special, because I'm not. I'm simply another man in this world. Yes, I am a poet, but I'm just a poet. I dislike the fact that people portray me as someone that is amazing. I mean, it's a compliment, but I don't like to see myself as that way. I too have fallacies. I do make mistakes. I guess what makes me different is that I am able to capture it all and form it into a story. A stranger can then read and learn from it. That's my accomplishment there, to give to this world. It’s a great feeling when I’m able to cheer someone up. The greatest feeling of all is to make someone smile, it really is.

The song that I chose to play for this page is by Don Maclean. The title of the song is called "Vincent", or also known as "Starry Night". The song is a tribute to the life of Van Gogh, the artist. Overall, the song is giving respect to Van Gogh because he was never appreciated for his art until his death. It took his life to have the world recognize his beauty, his passion, his life. In many ways this song is the embodiment of me. It's truly deep and one of my most precious songs.

I enjoy listening to instrumentals. Why? Well it offers you an open landscape to paint your own story with your own words. Life is a journey. We are all adventurers upon this land. Some walk, some fly, some crawl, some die.

From the depths of my heart I thank you for taking time to read about me. Please feel free to write to me at - davidHchiem@yahoo.com - if you would like to contact me. Thank you once again and have a wonderful day.