Welcome to Vincent Nguyen's Blog!

Welcome to my amazing blog!

I) Introduction

    Hey, if you're viewing this, don't expect something too serious. I'm just a kid after all, and like all kids, I go outside and stare into nature sometimes. Well, I'd really hope people still go out into nature. But it's 2025 and I still remember COVID-19 like it was yesterday. Crazy how time flies, huh? Anyways, this blog is all about what I find in nature, whether it is memories from the past or things I have observed. Pictures may not always be present because I am an "in-the-moment" kind of person, but I will make sure to at least take a few for your viewing pleasure. The majority of the posts will be related to things I find in nature, most likely over trees, but flowers and stuff will be included. You will not get any expertise knowledge about how a tree grows this way because of that or how a bumblebee flies up and down to denote some extra specific behavior, but you will get my honest thoughts and opinions. Also, occasionally, I will put in some off topic posts such as other things I'm passionate about, like football or just a page to put things that are on my mind.

Forest Image from National Geographic Education

II) Who am I?

    I probably should have done this section first, but who cares. It is my blog after all. Not yours. But hey, I am Vincent Nguyen, an aspiring businessman but a mere 17 year old Travis Highschool student. Midway through my junior year, confuddled with a bunch of AP classes, I really wanted to make a blog of nature. Since I was a wee child, I was obsessed with nature (trees, specifically), sitting down on the rustic computer hour after hour watching trees and their patterns and behaviors. Over time, I have slightly developed a pattern recognition for trees, and I felt that now was the perfect time to gather my thoughts to make some thing to look back to when I'm a old guy speaking of "back in my day" lines. So here I am, ready to report about what trees I find and speak weekly to an audience of close to nil.

III) Consistency

    Now, I am not the most committed person in the world. That I will admit. But, I will try to make a post once every week at minimum. It's called the Weekly Tree Report for a reason after all. This is my venture and I hope to make it work, well, for my own sake. No one's investing in this, I promise. 

Image from Business Horsepower

IV) What to expect from Off Topic posts

    While the On Topic posts are easy to explain, off topic posts don't really follow any sort of format. They're just in the moment stuff, like shower thoughts or taking notes of real time events in real time. They will always have a tag in the title stating [OFF TOPIC] for the very few viewers to understand that hey, this post will NOT be related to trees and nature. They will be sparingly made though, so don't expect to see that many off topic posts.

V) Conclusion

    There isn't much to sum up for the viewer. Just read, have fun, and have a laugh, and that's all I hope from you. Thank you for reading Vincent Nguyen's blog, you're a special select few who muster enough to get this far, to which I say that you are very cool. :D

The Weekly Tree Report - 2/3/25

The Weekly Tree Report

2-3-2025, Thank you!

    So where have I been? Not really too much. I struggled to figure out how to find a Google Blogger app for my phone until I realized it never existed. So oh well. But here I am now, with the first tree report of the year, with many more to come. Now, because I missed one, I will make TWO reports in ONE week! Incredible! Also, keep an eye out for any Eagles posts, especially with the super bowl on the way. It will either be the largest crash out of all time, or I will host a billion dollar party. No in between.

Story 1: Texas Snow Storm

    Funnily enough, Texas had snow. Now that's a miracle in itself. You could win trillions betting correctly on a Texas snowstorm. And yet, a few weeks ago, we lost school for a few days because of the circumstances. Now, this wasn't as bad as the Covid-Era snow storm, where you had neighbors huddling up together like they're going to play a down of offense in the NFL, but it was frigid to say the least. I've had my own fair share of snow storms, and they were all very pretty, but I always wonder how the trees will survive. I mean, these trees cannot be the most winter hardy. Sure, the pines will be alright. I also own a juniper tree that looks like an old growth cedar but I know it will survive as well. But, not every tree is as coniferous as others. For example, Texas hosts a ton of flowering plants such as hibiscus plants. I happen to own one of those, and from experience, I know for a fact that every time it even approaches cold weather, the hibiscus will die. Again and again, we've replanted it in the same spot, and it has died at the same time: winter. Also, if we had any fruit trees, they'd be dead. We used to, but that's a story for another day. I fear that a lot of nature will die from the snow storm, because unlike Minneapolis or Boston or New York that sees snow fall annually, us Texans and our trees do not like snow. We despise it. And I'm sure the trees will one day unionize and attack Mother Nature for raining death upon the trees. Or not.

Trees in the cold, picture taken by yours truly.

    You always have to wonder though, how strong trees truly are. Like I know they weigh tons in pounds, but have you seen some of these trees handle the snow? If you have ever seen YouTube and were curious about natural disasters of the sort, you'd probably find a compilation or two about trees falling in storms. Those kinds of videos are slightly misleading though, because unlike the trees snapping every second in those videos in hurricanes and snow storms, funnily enough, the trees took the snow like a champ. Especially the oak trees. Now I get it, most of the trees here would fold like a deck of cards in a hurricane, but props to the trees for staying upright.

    And maybe you don't wonder how strong trees are. That's fine, you don't see them compete on World's Strongest Man every year. But its nice to look up and appreciate that small branches can really hold a ton of weight for years on end before they finally snap. Fun fact, it turns out that my house is in the minority. We are one of only a few households who no longer have the starting oak tree that the neighborhood began with. It's not like the tree died, we just removed it. And we will probably have to remove the Black Diamond Crepe Myrtle in our front garden now that the snow hit it.

Story 2: Past Tree Experiences

    Now unlike most things I experience, I usually make a note of what trees I find. And usually, after a bit, I will write about fun stories that I remember growing up. So here we go.

My first Japanese Maple, died in 2020 because of the winter storm.

  
    I remember this tree because it was the first one given to me by my uncle, who is a Japanese Maple connoisseur. He has spent upwards of $20,000 on his garden alone, which tells me that I am a peasant and I need to get my rookie numbers up. Now, I am a 17 year old man-child while he is a retired chemical engineer, so I doubt that my numbers will come up anytime soon. But trust me, my first paycheck, McDonalds Cashier or etc., will be spent on a Japanese Maple. And this tree is the reason why.

    I remember this tree growing for so many years. It was very slow growth, but I remember how excited I was when it budded its first seeds and I was so happy when it grew its gorgeous growth in the spring. This isn't really much of a story, more like a solemn eulogy to something I cherished so dearly to my heart. Get you a significant other like I cherish my trees, cause this tree meant the world to me. I remember waking up just to see it, still alive, swaying gently in the Texas breeze, until the Covid snow storm, where it didn't make it to Spring. I saw it turn brown, which is a common indication that the tree was dying and would dry out, and eventually I had to toss it out. Saddest day of my life, to this day. I hope I never have to experience it again, oh wait I did.

    To the soul of the Japanese maple, just know I still miss you every day. I wish I could've planted you in the soil instead. Rest easy, my first and last Aoba jo cultivar. At least, I think that's what you are.

Finale: Thanks.

    Cheers for reading my first ever post. I know it's bare bones, just as lively as watching a tree grow. Literally. Unless you watch bamboo, you will sit there and make no progress. But I digress, I'm just happy to express my thoughts at a time where everything is complicated. The world is a scary place. No one does know, but what I do know is that trees are great. I hope you will enjoy trees as much as I do by the end of the blog (which will hopefully never happen). Take it easy, and plant a tree in my name, because I am a greedy tree capitalist and I will not give you credit.

https://www.archdaily.com/886215/green-heart-marina-one-singapore-ingenhoven-architects

 

Stay safe.