Dear Diary

Just got back to Los Angeles after working in Las Vegas since last Tuesday. I filmed and shot an fitness home gym infomercial and a number of athlete/model photoshoots at the iconic Gold's Gym on Flamingo Rd (a fun place this past weekend as most all of the Olympians were there for other publication photoshoots). Definitely a work week and not so much pleasure as I had a few deadlines hanging over my head after shooting all day. Can't complain though, business has been doing fantastic and I'm learning to work smarter with a team rather than tackling this business by myself.

After working 16 hour days all the way up until Saturday, I got a much needed break and made it out to the Olympia expo. Saw so many of my fitness friends, loved it! Nicole Moneer Guerrero, Tianna Ta, Scott Welch editor in Chief of Muscle Insider, Hidetada Yamagishi, Krissy Chin and husband Troy Johnson, etc. Funny thing is that I work so much, I see my remote fitness friends more than I see my non-fitness friends who are here in LA locally.

After the expo, I went to see Cirque du Soleil's KA, which was the most amazing feat of martial arts, acrobatics, lighting, and set design I have ever seen. Tens of millions must have been invested in that moving and changing set design, highly recommend anyone in Vegas to see. It in fact inspired me in my photography as well, My creativity can push out so far after seeing this show.

Happy to be back in west LA aka home base, even if it's only for one day. Tomorrow early morning I fly out to Sacramento to work with the newly crowned WBFF Pro Bikini Diva World Champion, Chady Dunmore... two days of glamour, excitement that is just going to blow you away. The travel schedule for the next month looks like this:

Travel Schedule:
* Olympia Vegas: September 21 - 26
* Sacramento, CA: September 28 - 29
* Chicago: October 1 weekend
* Belgium: October 6 – 11
* NPC Nationals, Atlanta: October 15 - 16
* FMI 2010, Redondo Beach CA: October 20 - 24
* Beijing, China: November - January 2011

Business has just taken off since this summer in a big way.  I have to attribute it to this book that was given to me by a friend, No B.S. Wealth Attraction for Entrepreneurs. This book was ballsy and blunt, and relit my fire as an entrepreneur.  Very quickly I got out of a funk that I was in, got organized, hired an 8 person staff of professional retouchers, videographers, assistant, IT guys, and sales leads.  Gotta bet big to reap big.  :)  By the end of the year there will be alot of new developments coming and business expanding in many areas.... looking forward to sharing the details in the near future.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Multi Page Feature in Ultra Fit Magazine (UK)

Thanks to Ultra Fit Magazine for their kind feature.  I also contribute articles and photography to them as well.  I just love fitness.

(Click to enlarge)

2010 Donnie Bishop Clothing Co. Euro Ad Campaign

Follow 3x European Physique Champion and Professional Photographer Natalie Minh as she works both sides of the lens shooting the 2010 Donnie Bishop Clothing Co. Euro Ad Campaign (Brisbane, Australia) in Antwerp, BELGIUM.

Pole Folder DJSounds.com Pioneer Truck Liege City Parade

I'm on a TRUCK!

Rocking out with my BFF Telihana, Pole Folder, and the whole Pioneer Truck crew in Liege. Nothing like partying on a tricked out DJ truck all day and night WHOOP WHOOP

Treating Acne and Skin Blotchiness

I have been an acne sufferer since my teens.  Many times in my youth I went to the doctor's to get some super strong prescription of benzoil peroxide, Retin-A, Salicylic Acid, etc which heaviy irritated my sensitive skin.  So it was a trade-off over time, pizza face or super irritated and dry skin (but pimple free!).  Over the years of experimentation and clinical advice from my plastic surgeon friend who performs my peels and treatments, I've developed a favored list for skin routine and care.


If you have Moolah to Spend
Obagi Nu-Derm Kit.  It's expensive but a fantastic investment.  After my chemical peels, I was instructed to use these products religiously.  It doesn't irritate my skin, it stays clear.  I like the Normal/Dry version, even though I have oily skin, because the chemicals tend to make my skin dry anyways.  My favorite is the #3, hydroquinone 4% cream, which evens out the skin tone. 

Acne.org 2.5% Benzoil Peroxide tubes.  This is my favorite find of all time.  It comes industrial sized (you will never find a tube this size in stores) and at the low 2.5% non-irritating percentage.  10% is great for spot treatment but 2.5% is the preventive level which you can smear all over the acne prone areas.

Trichloroacetic acid (TCA) Peel from a Plastic Surgeon.  Don't ever buy a home kit of this chemical, it's no joke and you can use ridiculous damage to yourself without expert application.  It's the standard medium peel, feels like a fireball landed on your face, scab and peel over seven days, and come out with minute pores and smooth baby skin.  Absolutely remarkable.

 The Budget Version
Acne.org Kit.  Cleanser - Moisturizer - 2.5% Benzoil Peroxide.  Nice and basic, I've used this too and I have no complaints.

Maxi-Peel #3 Advanced Exfoliant.  This has tretonoin 0.025% and hydroquinone 4% all built into one product.  Tretonoin is the generic version of Retin-A and rids the acne.  Then the double whammy is the hydroquinone. 

30% Glycolic Acid Peel home treatment.  I use this in between my big TCA peels.  It's like the light version of the professional one and keeps the skin glowing as it forces the top layer to renew and peel itself faster than normal, revealing healthier youthful skin below.

Poetry for the Ones with Sensitive Hearts

Quoted from a beautiful soul named Ellie, whom I met in LA.

When knocked off your feet, if your lucky you'll end up with nothing more than a flesh wound. Something a band aid will cover. But some wounds are deeper than what they first appear, and require something more than just a quick fix. With some wounds you have to rip off the band aid, let them breathe, and give them time to heal...

Knowing is better than wondering, that waking is better than sleeping, and even the biggest failure, even the worst, beats the hell out of never trying...

The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares...

Be not afraid of growing slowly. Be afraid only of standing still...  The expected is what keeps us steady. It's the unexpected that changes our lives forever...

Moments. That's all you get with the people you love...  Love is friendship on fire...

At some point, you have to make a decision. Boundaries don't keep other people out. They fence you in. Life is messy. That's how we're made. So, you can waste your lives drawing lines. Or you can live your life crossing them. But there are some lines... that are way too dangerous to cross...

Live with Passion, Live for today, Don't regret or look back, take it for what it was, learn from it, and move on....

Dear Diary

The trials and tribulations of Los Angeles.  An amazing high to low ride of emotions yesterday, ending in a broken heart and I'm sad.  I've spent the last three years traveling the world on my own, becoming a stronger person, learning who I was and what I want.

It's taken some time to learn to love again.

A poignant point happened last night.   I rationally accept that every relationship will have a beginning and end, I no longer worry about the ending but instead make the present as beautiful as possible.

I learned this from my business partner.

My business partner is very good to me.  A while back when we met in Europe and I was going to move to LA in weeks, we had a big heart to heart where we realized that we were two very special people to each other and couldn't lose touch.  He promised me that while he makes a terrible partner, couldn't be there for me with 1/2 a world apart, and will not be as good as I deserve (gotta love brutal honesty), he would make a commitment to me that was greater than any marriage certificate - we would share our corporations together.  As we laughed about this, it's true that we are now tied together for life with rules and laws that are stronger than those nonsense romantic relationship guarantees.

He messaged me this morning and I told him of my broken heart.  He fired up Skype, gave me a virtual hug and reminded me that he's coming in June to square away business and to see me.

Appreciate the love this morning very much.

Sports Review Magazine's April 2010 Girl of the Month

Funny story about SRM Editor in Chief Greg Acho. We connected through my affiliation with Powerhouse Gym International and realized that while we both live in southern Cali, we have roots from Detroit. Then a lightbulb went off. Greg said, "OMG, I know you... we used to party together!!!"

Loves it. You rock Greg and fellow Detroiter!!!

Check out my feature here.

Dear Diary

2 months into living in Los Angeles and this is turning into one heck of a year. I've been so fortunate to be networking with the movers and shakers in the Fitness Entertainment industry (exactly the reason that I moved to LA).  I've been keeping my head low and busting tail, very focused on getting established.  Here's a preview of of stuff in the works -

• 2 magazine covers as model and possibly one of my photography works in the late Spring/early Summer timeframe
• Alliances with a total of 6 domestic and international magazines as a photographer
• Establishment of Natalie Minh Management LLC which will cover spokesmodel, photography, and all business activities within the the health and fitness arena
• New business partner, IFBB Hall of Famer Shawn Ray. We both are in the same line of business where we are public persons which represent various products, events, ventures and serve as brokers in this industry.  Together we offer hosting, endorsements, photography, consulting.

I'm really happy with how things are going but yet at the same time, it's just the beginning.  I came to Los Angeles to chase my dreams and having just a taste of it is like the taste of blood to a shark.  My goal is to establish myself as one of the hardest working professionals in this industry with the experience to cover all bases.

"Do what you love and you will never have to work a day in your life."

Atlanta GA Casting: America's Fittest Woman Reality show

Concept: America's Next Top Model meets the Biggest Loser

YouTube Video previews
Show Trailer
House update

I'll be with ION TV/BOD TV productions casting women who will duke it out in a 10,000 sq. ft brand new custom built mansion/set to earn the title of America's Fittest Woman. They will go through a body transformation so if you are looking to be the best that you can be, come to the NPC Atlantic this Saturday, March 20 for the casting. We will have a number of industry professionals who will participate to whip everyone into shape.

For all you Personal Trainers out there: feel free to send your spunky clients out way as well.

This will be featured on the ION TV channel.

Executive Producer: Jay Hamett

Arnold Classic Update

I'm shooting as a photographer for Muscular Development Mag and Marathon Muscle Mag at the Arnold Classic March 4-7, doing autograph signings, planned appearances by the Marathon Muscle booth and Europa area. Come by and say hi, get a pic taken, possibly get featured in a magazine.

Racy Natalie Minh multi-page feature in Cultura Fisica, Italy's Fitness Magazine

I am featured in the January 2010 issue of Cultura Fisica Magazine, Italy's #1 Fitness and Bodybuilding magazine.

I'm looking forward to seeing my Italian friends in July for round 2. :)

Photographer: Maurizio Polverelli, Remini IT.

I'm now a "Diva Blogger" on FitnessUniverse.com!

I'm proud to announce that I'm a new DIVA BLOGGER on my federation, MuscleMania/ Fitness Universe, website!

As the federation's 2008 MuscleMania Italia Ms. Bikini Champion, 2009 MuscleMania Europe Ms. Bikini Champion, and 2009 MuscleMania Europe Model Champion, I'm excited to continue supporting this awesome federation and promoting good natural health and fitness.

My LASIK Experience as a new Spokesmodel - The LASIK Spa, Brentwood CA

I recently connected with Dr. Michael Granberry of the LASIK Spa in Brentwood CA. He is a highly skilled and well-respected LASIK surgeon having been educated at the Mayo Clinic and performed over 90,000 eye procedures, making him one of the most experienced LASIK surgeons in the world. I am honored to work with him and experience his work firsthand.

I went in with my sister to get the procedure done, where I observed her procedure live first on a TV screen, then went in right after her, which took no more than 10 minutes. Painless, comfortable, exclusive location in Brentwood, super multilingual staff (the woman who performed my eye exam spoke Vietnamese, Mandarin, Cantonese, and English!), and most of all an extremely caring and kind doctor.

I went in to the surgery having worn contacts for 15 years and experienced the annoyances of bad vision during my sports such as swimming, martial arts, etc. Not being able to go without goggles while swimming or dropping a contact during a game of tennis and playing the game as Cyclops... you get the picture. Yes like any medical procedure there are risks, however after much study of Dr. Granberry's track record and positive feedback from other top athletes in my field such as IFBB Pro Shawn Ray, Jay Cutler, supermodels Petra Nemcova, Victoria Secret model Marissa Miller, etc etc convinced me that I would be at the hands of the best.

As an athlete/model/photographer, receiving the gift of vision has been absolutely life changing. The first day my eyes were sore and I slept right after the procedure. The morning after, my first thought was that I had fallen asleep with my contacts in because I could see everything in my bedroom! There was a slight fuzziness at first yet everything was very sharp. Three days after the procedure my vision is getting sharper and sharper, fuzziness is gone and my eyes are very comfortable. I am happily going to donate my old glasses to the big pile at the LASIK Spa's office, definitely no longer needed! What was also very cool was that my sister now has equally perfect vision and we got to share the experience together. HAHA Bonding time!

As a very happy patient and speaking on behalf of myself and my sister, I would highly recommend that if you were considering LASIK, trust your eyes to the industry's best.

THEY ARE YOUR EYES - YOUR VISION!

Here I am after being prepped for the LASIK procedure. Thank you Dr. Granberry for the wonderful gift of vision!

God Hates Us All - Nat

Sometimes when you cruise the net you find curious articles about yourself. Some more profound than others.

This one stopped my breath.

An Evening in Torino

Last Saturday was my last evening in Torino, which I spent with the Italian Wizard Dr. Marco Zanetti, Alex Maggi, and a few of their friends. We had a nice Christmas evening out walking around Europe's largest plaza which was decorated in lights, then off to a wine bar to have a Martini drink and some appetizers. I took a picture of the plate because the snacks were so appealing. One in particular was what I called Italian sushi: ricotta cheese with avocado centers wrapped with seaweed paper. Also there were salami, fociaccia cheese bread, a tuna spread with artichoke. So delicious!





- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The 10 Day Countdown

Whew, moving at light speed over here knocking off the To Do list here in Europe.

I had my last day in the office the other day and it was very nostalgic to have to say goodbye to my awesome colleagues. While my work as a Structured Financial Analyst wasn't a passion of mine, the people I worked with were the best. Really, I made some real friendships there and they were diverse, open, and kind. I'm gonna miss our laughs together. They gave me a sweet fareweIl card and a gift card to Decathlon, the big sports store here! So I picked up a tennis racket and sports bag which will come in super handy in LA where a couple of friends are avid players (ahem Dr. Michael Granberry and Hatem Dhiab!).

Much of my time in Brussels is spent related to the closing of my apartment as the Belgian rent laws are quite strict, as the shipment of my goods, import/insurance/customs paperwork, etc. I'm staying in Antwerp until tomorrow and making the daily hike back/forth to Brussels.

Tomorrow is the beginning of an extemely productive week (yeah my weeks start on Friday haha). Wanna hear what a typical day looks like for me?

- 8am shoot as a photog of a young male model
- Noon shoot as a makeup artist to Wim Vanderwegen (Belgium's top advertising tog and a professor)
- 2pm closing of my apartment
- 4pm drive to Paris 3 hours away for working during the weekend as model and tog.

I'm finally going to get my study in as a photographer assistant to high fashion photographer Joel Dart until Sunday with two magazine assignments. And looking forward to getting in front of his uber talented eye as well.

Then I'm going to have a shoot on Monday with the Parisian actor and Rob Lowe lookalike, Anthony Dupray. He's one hell of a model as well and we are going to create an editorial with both of us taking control of the camera. I have never photgraphed an actor before and I can see that he brings something special to images. I'm excited about the storyboard and know that you are going to love it.

Then it's off to Milan! Milan is always in my heart, who can resist the allure of Italy? Some planning with my business partner, the Italian Wizard Dr. Marco Zanetti and spending time with my dear "coach" and muse Maurizzio.

A muse is someone who gives an artist inspiration, passion, and makes you fall in love with them not only because of their beauty but their charm as well. Telihana is my female muse and Maurizzio is my male muse. How lucky I am. They provide me endless sources of creativity and excitement.

Ensuite, off to the United States! A bit of work and travel through there but tentatively the schedule is:

Dec 13-17: Detroit
Dec 17-22: Los Angeles
Dec 22-Jan 17: Florida
New Years Eve: Miami South Beach!
Jan 17: relocate to Los Angeles permanently

I am taking shoot bookings in Florida for those interested. I'm going to be based out of the Tampa area except for New Years in South Beach. And of course I'll start taking bookings in LA starting in February.

Just had a moment of reflection about my change of career and life. I spent my entire professional career as an analytical person, first in IT then in Finance/Treasury. Heavy Excel, UNIX, computer and number crunching. And now I'm flipping over to the Arts. Getting in touch with my romantic side, feelings, expression. And a focus on my physical after so many years sharpening my mind with education and challenging technical assignments. Not that it's all lost because I'm a business person at heart and I'm running the show now. But, it's interesting to take a look at this from a 3rd person perspective.

What a life, Love My Life, LML!!!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

My Going Away Party

Tearing it up at Telihana's in Antwerp then taking the party to Noxx VIP. Yeahhhhhhhh!!!

Beauty Day!

Dr. Brandon Mang is plastic surgeon and family friend who began with experience in the ER doing reconstructive surgery and further refined his skills through plastic surgery.  He has offices in Atlanta and Tampa and I highly recommend him to anyone who is extraordinarily picky about quality.  His attention to detail is incredible and he has a very balanced ideological view of the the human body and beauty which I agree with. He speaks to me like his sister and gives me input on my physique, muscularity, etc and tells me what are my strong/weak points. Great way to gauge where I am at and what I need to focus on at the gym.

Enjoying Florida

Hanging out with my parents here in Tampa, really great to be with family again, catching up on my Vietnamese, and meeting with friends here.  November is gonna go down in history as the month from hell - World Championships, change careers, move to LA.  Stess is becoming my new best friend.....