Think and Share

Report from the flooded city

2008-11-01T23:50:00.003+07:00

This morning, for the first time since the deluge I went out to find something for lunch. We were almost starved after finishing everything we had in the fridge.

Rushing through the heavy rain, I reached the open-air market after 30 minutes. It was 8am and the market seemed more crowded than ever. People were fighting, really, for small torn bundles of morning glory and tiny unripe cabbages that were sold at extremely expensive prices. Even onions became a luxury item. Meat was not so expensive but not many women seemed interested in it. During a flood, having rice and vegetables for your meal would be life on heaven!

After a lot of considerations, I decided to have mostly vegetables for lunch despite the high prices. Then a couple of chicken legs cooked with mushrooms, corn and beans made the perfect meal! My bro said: "No more instant noodles!" and he felt great with the things I bought.

Dinner was also good with some very delicious dishes "donated" by my eldest sister She has always been great with her cooking skills. This time, she didn't disappoint us by the fish fries and vegetable salads she made from her dry home. It seemed to be the most interesting dinner we had for the whole week since everybody was present. However, we couldn't feel good anymore when the TV news read "17 died. 2 are students. Damage estimated at VND 3,000 billion (USD 29 million)". :( Too bad! Hanoi has never experienced such a loss caused by flooding before.

Hope for better weather in days to come. Anyway, it is forecasted that the rain won't stop until November 3.

Too much flooding

2008-11-01T01:06:00.008+07:00

We're experiencing the heaviest and longest rain ever in the past 35 years! It started more than 24 hours ago and is still pouring more and more water into the narrow streets. The city's now become a river. Evidence below.

I cross the stream...

Proud and pictureresque Sword Lake

Terrible traffic jam which took policemen nearly four hours to clear the streets!

This morning I went to uriversity.

Breaking the waives and surfing forward!

Now I'm terribly hungry. Can't seem to find a place to eat out. ~.~ I should go to sleep instead.

Learning from mistakes

2008-10-24T15:04:00.006+07:00

Sometimes mistakes are the best source of advice for you. I have learnt more from my mistakes than achievements. This year I only win a reserve place but have gained a precious experience of applying for a scholarship. It'd be a lie if I said I'm not upset, but at least I have a good tip to better my profile.
When one door closes, bigger ones will open. My best friend told me so. The door has shut before my eyes but I won't give up. I will give it another try. Will strive to enter a bigger door!

She's in love with a married man

2008-10-22T22:28:00.008+07:00

She's been in love with him for a very long time. The man is married with a beautiful wife and two children. For sure he'll never get a divorce and marry my sister. So... why is she so tied to him? How could she do that to her family?

Years ago, she promised not to continue that relationship but now she's still secretly meeting him. Just last month, I saw her having lunch with him. I then had a serious talk to her, trying to persuade her to stop. It was so cruel that a member in my family was intefering with someone's family life. I didn't dare to tell mom since she would've felt terrible if she'd known that fact. However, yesterday's incident was more than mom could stand. She's collapsed. Someday his wife will find my parents, like she did several years ago, and make a fuss about it. That would be a shame to my family.

What should I do now? Talking to her? My brother and I have tried but couldn't seem to change her mind. Forbidding her? I don't know where it could take us. She's got her job anyway.

It's hard to write about all of these. I just wanted a place where I could let out my thoughts and receive advice from you.

I'm so worried about my mother, too. :(

Butterfly Award

2008-10-20T21:12:00.007+07:00

I've received the Butterfly Award for the coolest blog from a very very nice friend. Thank you, Ailecgee! Mine is not a really cool one but I hope one near day it will be. hihi :D

Here is the list of Butterfly Award holders. I must confess that I don't know many bloggers so...the list could only be five. :D

Ailecgee http://ailecgee.i.ph/

Bridge http://bridgearoundthecorner.blogspot.com/

Bright Heads http://possitivethots.blogspot.com/

Ivana http://visitnorthsulawesi.blogspot.com/

Jasper http://thebackpackboy.com/

Award holders:

Put the logo on your blog;
Add a link to the person who awarded you;
Nominate 10 other blogs;
Add links to those blogs on yours;
Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs;

Going to the pagoda

2008-08-13T00:06:00.014+07:00

This evening's been a nice surprise to me (and those who know me). I went to a pagoda alone!

Well, the thing is I have never gone to a pagoda alone in the evening since the first day of my life. When still a little kid, I used to follow my parents to some pagodas and temples in our city. I went just because I couldn’t stay home alone. Later when I grew up and was able to look after myself, I stopped those visits. It was not that I didn’t have any belief in Buddha but simply I didn’t have much interest in visiting pagodas.

This evening was quite different though. Having laid the table for dinner, I decided to go out for a while. Immediately the image of me praying in Tay Ho pagoda appeared in my mind, probably as a result of my mother telling me that I would likely be unlucky for the coming days.

I reached the place at around 6 pm. Although it was quite dark, I, as well as some other guests, was allowed to enter the pagoda with a promise to leave soon. Even though I didn’t know how to pray, I prayed for many things. As I was whispering my prayers to the Gods it suddenly dawn on me how relieved I felt, as if I were free from all the stress and burdens in my daily life. How I wished that moment never to end!

After that I stopped to look around. Beautiful indeed! Lying on the bank of West Lake, the pagoda looked like a small oasis of quietness, solemnity and subtlety. The image of willow trees hiding their bodies in the water caught my very eyes. The pervasive fragrance of incense filling the air allured the dry me. This sentiment kept me for a while before I had to leave when it was getting too dark.

But what has it left for me? I came to realize that I have never had the intention to learn about my own family’s religion. Truly, I never did. Interestingly and strangely enough, I only began to notice this after attending a workshop on Chinese religion in a far-away country (!). Now that I know Buddism means much more than the admonitions, phylosophies and rules. I’m also feeling quite embarrassed for knowing more about Confucius than Buddha, just like many other Vietnamese students knowing more about Chinese history and culture than their own. I'll post another entry about this later because there're many things interesting to say.

So...I should stop now. I mean stop writing :D. Sure, I will go to pagodas more often than now.

Amazing Beijing

2008-08-12T02:23:00.016+07:00

It took me three days to make the decision of writing an entry about the opening ceremony of Beijing 2008. Honestly I never had a very positive view of China and everything that's related to Chinese government. I guess that's because the Chinese ruling party has always been acting like our big brother: telling us what to do while killing our fishermen; accusing us of violating their sovereignty (!) while sending more troops to the Spratlys; and broadcasting live the image of the Olympic torch traveling through the controversial archipelago while who owning it is still unclear.

However, in many aspects, the Chinese are really really respectable for their smartness, creativeness and solidarity.

More than anything else, the Beijing 2008 Opening Ceremony has proved a China with strong economic power, plentiful human resources and most appealingly very rich culture throughout thousands of years of development. In one night, Zhang Yimou and his 22,000 artists (vietnamnet) convincingly made us believe in what we had doubted just minutes before the show: China can make Beijing 2008 a unique, unforgettable event in history.

Out of the many acts squeezed in a 50-minute performance, what strikes me most was the parade of the descendants of Confucius right in the beginning. Those smart-looking students were walking strong steady steps in lines while keeping their eyes looking straight ahead and chanting the verses in a book of Confucius. For me, this image strongly expressed the Chinese’s determination to continue on with the deep-rooted and long lived ideology of Confucianism. Perhaps that I used to attend a workshop on Confucianism and had developed an interest in the field ever since brought about such positive attitude. Anyway, it is no doubt that Confucius is among the most knowledgeable and respectable philosophers that ever lived and that promoting his philosophy is for the sake of the people in many ways.

Later, the marvelous firework show added to the sparkle of the night. Never in my life had I seen such beautiful rays of light in a night sky like that! The Chinese are proud that they were the first to make paper; and now they have every reason to take pride in the fireworks “made in China”. :D

I was also deeply impressed by the torch procession at Bird’s Nest. As the torch bearer was running towards the cauldron, the path resembling a giant book followed his steps to reveal. One step further and the book opened more pages. You could see letters, numbers, and images; the fundamental symbols of mankind’s intelligence being shown as the light was shining brightly and proudly. It was knowledge, more than anything else, that took humans to the place where they are now. It was the message the Chinese people wanted to send to the rest of the world. It was that moment that I could say nothing but “Amazing!”

Pics taken from: http://vnexpress.net/GL/The-thao/2008/08/3BA054EF/

Ancient Vietnam

2008-08-06T23:01:00.014+07:00

Been back from a trip to Hue and Hoi An - the famous ancient cities of Vietnam.

Hoi An hasn't changed much since the last time I was there. It was still the glowing lanterns that left me the deepest impression with their subtle and unique charm, which carry disctinctive cultural values of our nation.

Many places in Hoi An used to bear Japanese features but currently they're known to represent mostly Vietnamese and Chinese features. The Chua Bridge, known as Japanese Covered Bridge, is a typical example. It reminds me of a scene in a Chinese movie which took place in Giang To province, China. Please have a look and tell me what you think. Does it seem to have any of the Japanese cultural features that you know?

Here is another famous example: the Trieu Chau (Zhaochow) Assembly Hall with Chinese characters written on the main gate and Vietnamese style roof I think. But to me it seems to have more Chinese features than Vietnamese ones. Actually this assembly hall was built by Chinese merchants to worship the God of the oceans in the 19th century. Well...no wonder it looks so Chinese.

Saying goodbye to Hoi An, let's move to the imperial city of Hue, which is about 700 km (438 miles) South of Hanoi.

This must be among the safest places in the world. The crime rate is very low here; and people are extremely gentle and friendly. That's why I felt totally comfortable wandering along narrow streets and alleyways alone at night.

I spent most of my time visiting the Royal Palace and historic monuments lying in the suburb of the city. I had expected the visits would not last more than a day but it turned out to be much longer. In the end, I had to extend my stay in order to taste as much of Hue as possible :D

Here are some pics about Hue that I like most. Just wanted to show you as evidence of the ancient beauty of this city. And I would whole-heartedly recommend it (and Hoi An as well) to anyone who has the intention to visit Vietnam. Of course you should give Hanoi a try, too. Hehe. ^_^

The Noon Gate (leading to the Royal Palace)

Behind the Noon Gate

Khai Dinh Tomb

Rickshaw
The Forbidden City

Heavenly Lady Pagoda: It’s believed that couples coming here won’t be able to maintain their relationship on return :D

Hue’s also famous for their graceful ladies with great singing and embroidering talents.
Below: ladies singing Hue folksongs on a boat on Huong River.

A romantic view of Huong River

What the...?

2008-07-18T00:07:00.009+07:00

Last week, while I was slowly riding my motorbike in the Old Quarter of Hanoi, I saw this orange slogan T-shirt that read "What the Phở?".

FYI, "Phở" is a special dish of Vietnam. It's not exaggerating to say that many people know about Vietnamese cuisine just because of Phở. It is our pride and joy. And here, on a T-shirt, it appears in such a phrase. Don't know what to say.

Fun fun fun!

2008-07-08T12:49:00.016+07:00

I've been quite serious lately. Now it's time for some funny stuff. ^^

Some stories I collected, experienced and heard about language learning:

1. I'M SORRY SEVEN!

A Vietnamese guy who knew some English words bumped into an American one. "i'm sorry" he said. "i'm sorry, too" the American replied.
"i'm sorry three" the V said. the A asked "what are you sorry for?". The V answered "i'm sorry five". The A got angry "oh, shit!". "i'm sorry seven!" the V replied. :D

2. THIS JOKE is taken from "American Accent Training" by Ann Cook - a very interesting book I've bought with the determination to train my accent to sound more nativelike :D.

What do you call a person who can speak three languages?
- Trilingual

What do you call a person who can speak two languages?
- Bilingual

What do you call a person who can only speak one language?
- American

3. ITALIAN SPEAKING ENGLISH
Extremely funny! (minimal pairs including some sensitive words ^^)

4. TEACHER - STUDENT

Teacher: Can you tell me what the plural of "baby" is?
Student: Twins?

Teacher: George, name two pronouns in English!
George: Who? Me?
Teacher: Excellent! Well-done.

5. THAI PRON
Some Thai people have problems with the sounds "r" and "l". Some may pronounce "r" into "l" and vice versa. For example, when tasting something delicious they often go "AaLooy" instead of "AaRooy" which is the correct one. The same thing happen when they speak English. A classic example of this is: "the American Presidential eLection". Ahem, the "eLection" may be pronounced into...:D

Talking homosexuality

2008-07-06T22:56:00.008+07:00

Somebody says: "These days' people love to talk about sex but talking homosexuality puts lock on their mouth".

To some extent, that is so true. Not many people I know want to talk about it. They even manage not to mention the word "gay" or "lesbian" in their own language for fear that they may be considered to be on the same boat with gay men and women.

Well, I myself am quite open to discuss this topic because I think it simply is not a crime talking homosexuality!

I have been asked many times that who my idol is and my answer usually goes: "I admire the Pet Shop Boys, Anderson Cooper, and Elton John for their talents, enthusiasm and bravery". Pet Shop Boys is a British pop band the two members of which are gay. Anderson Cooper is a CNN anchorman who is gay, too. And Elton John, as everyone knows, is an openly gay pop legend. Then am I gay? 'cause there have been people telling me: "If you like the Pet Shop Boys you must be gay".

The truth is you DON'T have to be gay to like the Pet Shop Boys, Anderson, Elton or any artist who "happens to be gay". I admire them and I'm totally straight.

As you know, I'm living in Vietnam, a socialist beautiful country with deep-rooted cultural traditions and strong beliefs, of which I feel so proud. However, there have been several issues that, whenever brought to light, often arouse in me feelings of disappointment. One such issue is homosexuality.

Although an outsider, I'm feeling a bit depressed at the fact that now in my country there still exists a very strong prejudice against homosexuals. The gay community here is nothing like those in London, Los Angeles or anywhere else in the world. It's far from being accepted by the society. It is a closed world, a very closed world wrapped inside the fantasy world of straight people who don't ever like to talk about it. This situation causes gay men and women to be isolated from the public and thus, it's extremely hard for them to actually "come out". In fact, some have chosen to live in despair while others pretend to be happy family men and women.

Life seems a bit easier for gay artists. It's very likely that they receive more sympathy from their families and admirers than not-so-famous gay people. However, since the society still holds a biased view towards their sexuality, it often takes them a long time before they admit the truth. Ironically and bitterly, being openly gay, some time they may either be praised by the media for having a "courageous" action or be ostracized by other people for not "fitting in".

As for me, their sexuality doesn't have much to do with their profession. They make music, write books, or produce films not just for gay people but for everyone who wants to enjoy good works of art. That's why I strongly disapprove of homophobia. Too bad Eminem is (or once was) one of a kind, who included verses against gay men in his famous songs.

In my personal view, among the gay people out there, many have virtues that hardly can be found among the rest of us.

Has anyone brought politics into music so gracefully as the Pet Shop Boys? Has there ever been a reporter like Anderson who risked his life in Afghanistan, Sudan, Congo, Cambodia etc. to send his audience the "dispatches from the edge"? Has any artist been so dedicated like Elton who has made tireless efforts to fight for the rights of the poor? I guess not.

The Eye

2008-07-02T00:44:00.008+07:00

Just finished watching "The Eye". Initially, I chose to see this movie only because it starred Jessica Alba, my favorite actress. But then it has turned out to be much more than that.

It tells the story of Sydney, a talented violinist who got an eye transplant after many years being blind. The happy moments did not last long, though. She began to be haunted by frightening visions of fires, car accidents, suicides, and deaths. Her terrible experiences were finally traced back to the tragic life story of her eye donor. This dead Mexican girl, with her special ability to foresee deaths, had tried to prevent a frightful accident but in vain! She wanted Sydney to take over her duty, and was successful at last. Hundreds of people were saved but Sydney lost her eyes again. It was not a bad thing for her, fortunately. Sydney now did not have to spend terrible nights seeing the doomed dragged away by death, and more importantly, she found her peace of mind.

Such a commonplace plot for a horror movie but what I find really meaningful is the message it delivers, or the lesson I have learned from it. How can you believe your eyes when they are not yours? And how can you believe in yourself if your mind and body are not yours? Sometimes I just wish I were somebody else. Richer, prettier, and more intelligent. I would imagine myself in the image of a brown hair girl with a very smart look. Kinda perfect! But only God know what would happen to me if that was the case. There would be another ME, not the one my family and friends once knew. Probably because I have been so unlucky in life, I have always hoped to be another person. I'm just wondering if I would have the slightest bit of confidence in myself like I do now?

Confessions of a perfectionist

2008-06-23T00:53:00.001+07:00

Nothing can get done because of too much perfectionism. That's so true. Today I've spent hours completing my group's project, penetrating the bad side of being a perfectionist. I still remember how disappointed and angry I felt when I received the files one of the group members sent me. Total crap! I wish I could pick up the phone and tell her how irresponsible she was. But I didn't since in some way, she was quite pathetic with a husband and a 3-year old boy waiting for her at home. (This has further reinforced my intention of staying single for a long time so that I can enjoy more freedom.)
Back to my group's project. To make up for my partner's carelessness, I needed to revise her part to make it become clearer, richer and more well-organized. But I finally decided to do it all again from the beginning, which means repeating the six steps I followed yesterday: reading - identifying a problem - finding resources - collecting data - analyzing data - and taking action. As a consequence, I felt totally exhausted when I stopped the job which took me nearly six hours working nonstop in front of the computer screen! and it hasn't been done yet! I feela bit regret for having destroying my own health with a less-than-necessary task. Actually I'm sure we'll get away with it even if I only revised her part to somehow satisfy our supervisor. But I wanted things to go my own way and so forgot about myself and...the housework. I've been scolded for not washing the dishes as I promised. You see, that's the very first consequence of being a perfectionist.