A nice conversation of a scorching day

11 August, 2014

Today’s weather is so stifling, I had a good day, though. 3pm, after a long struggle, I finally made up my mind to go to the center just to receive the mock test’s results; by the way, it’s not too bad but frankly speaking, I don’t believe it. On my way home, I decided to stop for a while, walking around Hoan Kiem Lake for the purpose of getting some foreigner to talk with. After some  time, I saw a guy sitting alone on a bench and I, a timid girl, took all courage to start the conversation. Fortunately, he is a friendly person and we quickly got a little bit mutual undersstanding. He is a French, at the age of 30, exactly 10 years older than me but still looks so young and handsome as well. We talked excitingly about miscellaneous things, say, school, tourist attractions in Vietnam,  marriage and especially a lot on politics. Well, he seems to be so in favor of  capitalism and at the same time, criticized communism for poverty and corruption. He took interesting examples of the North Korea, the country isolating itself from the rest of the world and Mao Zedong with the wrong economic policies causing thousands of deaths  from starvation to prove the stupidty of communism. Then he astonished me by asking that whether Vietnam followed capitalism. It turns out that plenty of Europeans think of  communism as a society in which peasants are forced into agricultural co-operatives, working together and then distributing products equally regarless of contribution. Well, it’s true whereas this is the story of the past. This guy felt kind of stunned when I said that Vietnam’s political regime has remained Socialism under the Communist Party as he saw things here far different from his imagination of a communist society and considered Vienam much more like capitalistic other than socialistic. This is because he noticed private businesses are prevalent and citizens can easily have access to the Internet unlike the case of the North Korea where people can only see state TV channels and be prevented from using the Internet. Actually, there were hardly disputes between us for I’m in favor of  neiher of them and just curious about foreigners’ pesppectives of my country. Eventualy, we guessed that perhaps a combination of both would be better. Oooops, shame on me but I forgot to ask his name…. 

Tuesday, 5 August
Today’s so amazing for me as I had some subsequent accidental meetings on my way home. First, I met a classmate in the primary school who I’ve not talked for ages. He’s actually changed so much from a chubby little boy to a slender, good-looking and mature sophomore that I nearly didn’t recognize him. We gossiped away merrily about eveyday businesses and then he intended to treat me with his university’s specialty called “ Bach Khoa self-catering sweet soup” but ironically, the food stall had not been opened by the time we got there. We had no other choice than waiting for another bus to get Long Bien terminal and so surprisingly, I came across a high school girl friend who would be in the same university as me now if she had not changed her mind in the last minute. She’s still cute and sweet like before and we shot the breeze and reminisced old memories happily while standing in a crowded and noisy bus. After that, whilst getting off the bus, I stumbled into a secondary friend who possesses two lovely “bunny teeth” , used to be a close fellow of mine and is gonna be a primary teacher down the road. From this conversation, I’m “updated” with information about other mates. It seems that most of them are falling in love, I find them so admirable and well, to tell the truth, I feel a lttle bit jealous. Finally, I saw an old buddy taking her cute little nephew to the shop to have a new haircut. After some jokes, we seperated in peals of laughters. Well, today properly should be named “the day of remiscences”. A song for these feelings: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6SznSfibbQ

IELTS: Describe a school event you enjoyed
Well, I need to kick off with the point that I used to attend plenty of school activities, however the one I find most memorable is the welcome party of my English club when I was an eighth grader. That occasion for me, a new recruit (a new comer/member) was so speacial and meant a lot as I could have a chance to meet and talk with other members so I would feel more familiar and comfortable in subsequent meetings. People were so friendly, open and humourous so I could chat chit and shoot the breeze freely (gossip over) over things in school and therefore I was able to get better mutual understanding. As well as that, the decorations of the party were so great and elaborate. There was a long banner saying the slogan of our club "Sharing to get more" and colorful balloons, ribbons and confetti. Another thing I should mention is that the ambience there was so cozy, feel like a family and also exicting and electric. People sang, danced in round with a big cake in the middle. I was particularly fond of drinks, fruits and cakes, all of which were so tasty. We also played some games, say, the King and the Queen, Picture Guessing and so on. Another thing I should not to forget is that on this occasion, I could meet and talk with the president of the club, a tall, bright guy who is so proficient at English and has a great sense of humor. To be honest, it was enchanting to meet him that day.
That's all I can say about my event.

28 July 2014

Today is quite good, generally speaking. I got up from my bed in the early morning (actually 6am, though). Then, after some monotonous household chores, I had my breakfast with some rice, soup and fish. As a rule, I drank a cup of coffee to feel fresh and ready for study. I tried many times before finishing 2 official recordings to send to my teacher by email. Well, to tell the truth, I feel like there was a different person other than me speaking from the media player; it seems much like a man's voice.*feel ashamed*. After that, not until 9am that I submitted my recordings to the teacher and I felt so guity of my laziness as in fact, I had 2 days to do homework but I completely ignored it and watched a Chinese film instead. :((. I don't know why but I'm always tempted by good-for-nothing movies, kind of like about prince and princess, Cinderella. I feel myself like a day dreamer and I hate myself in this way so much, but however I try to stay away from temptations, I every now and then, find myself buried with such films. Once again, I promise to be more hard-working and try my best not to be distracted from my work. Well, coming back to today's stuff, after enjoying my lunch, I cycled to the bus stop as a rule. Ironically, neither the bus stop nor the parking lot has been operated today. As a consequence, I had to leave my bicycle into my uncle's house and then walked for almost 15 minutes to get the new bus stop. :(. For this reason, it was no suprise that I was 20 minutes late for the class. Today's lesson was about describing flows, diagrams and something else I don't remember right now. :v. Oh my goodness, it's so complicated but kind of interesting as I found out some infrequently used words for a non-native speaker like me, let's say, moth (sau tam, sau buom), cocoon (ken), mulberry leaves (la tam), silkworm (con tam), feces (to) etc. After class, I made up my mind to hang around the Hoan Kiem Lake with the purpose of catching some foreigners to talk with. Well, I had a chance to meet and shoot the breeze with two German girls who were twins. They're so lovely, open and have a sense of humor so the conversation went quite smoothly and merrily. They said that they're so keen on "Pho" that they eat this dish everyday and I said I'm also addicted to it as well. :v. Another thing I should not forget is that either of them smoke. :v. To tell the truth, I don't like people who smoke; however today I don't know why I felt this ok. I guess part of the reason is that they're so cute.:)). Well, today I also met a girl at my age named Thao, a sophomore from a private university, actually not very prestigious. We got acquainted quite quickly and got on with each other very well. I guess the reason has something to do with the fact that we're both passionate about English. To be frank, she is not as good as me but I still felt so cheerful because I can find out someone with the same passion. This reminds me of a guy who is my old classmate, called Khai. He's fond of English, too. Nevertheless, he doesn't seem to want to practice with me. It's just my feeling. Is he shy? Oh my goodness!! :)). By the way, tonight, I texted him that he'll probably remain a "BACHELOR" or stated differently, he'll on the shelf all his life if he's still overconfident that he's attractive. :v. Well, that's enough for today, my dear diary. :)

IELTS: Describe an area you like

Topic 5: DESCRIBE A COUNTRYSIDE AREA YOU LIKE

Well, I’m living in the suburbs and I’m so keen on all what belong here. However, I could start off by saying that of all rural sights I’ve ever known, the field is perhaps the one I like best. I suppose the reason has something to do with the fact that it is a typical image of any countryside in Vietnam. The field looks so immense, estimating up to hundreds of hectares. Villagers work in the field all the year, they rotate various crops say, rice, flowers, potatoes, vegetables and so on. For this reason, I can have chance to contemplate the field in different clothes. For instance, in spring, the field looks like a huge carpet with a range of colors of flowers. In summer, it is embroidered with golden rice, extending to the horizon. Another point I should add is that there is a complex irrigation system with a network of canals which provides water into plots of land. It can be said that this construction is one of the determining factors of bumper crops. For me, in particular, the field has become a part of me as sweet childhood memories when I sneaked out to the field with my friends to fly kites, catch crickets, pick flowers.

IELTS: Describe your hometown

Topic 4: DESCRIBE YOUR HOMETOWN

Well, I could start off by saying that my hometown, Hanoi, is renowned for its cuisine. It has a wide range of specialties say, Pho, spring roll, sweet soup and so on. Besides, it is well-known for a lot of tourist attractions such as Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, One Pillar Pagoda, Restored Sword Lake, West Lake, Van Phuc Silk Village, The Old Quarter, The Huc Bridge, Temple of Literature, Bat Trang Pottery Village ect. Another feature I should add is that Hanoi is the centre of economics, politics, diplomacy and culture as well. For this reason, many important places are located here, for instance, headquarters of various countries, the National Convention Centre, Opera House, Hanoi Cathedral and so forth. Another point worth mentioning is that the locals are kind of friendly, hospitable and helpful. If you get lost here, people are always ready to help. Nevertheless, something else I need to comment on is that the traffic here is totally chaotic. Citizens are not very traffic-conscious (or the traffic consciousness of people here is not very high) and vehicles on the roads are not in any order. As a matter of fact, road accident is one of the primary causes of death (mortality) in my country. To make matters worse, the ever increasing use of cars and motorbikes results in serious air pollution. The situation is so bad that almost every citizen must wear a face mask when they need to go out. As well as that, there still exist many social evils like gambling, prostitution, drug use, motor racing which affect residents adversely.

Actually, I’m living on the outskirts of town (or in the suburbs or in the suburban area), which is located in the north of Hanoi, approximately 30 km away from the center. Generally speaking, it is typical of Vietnam countryside with banyan tree, bamboo, community house, Red river, lotus pond, pagoda, rice field and so on. Most of the locals are genuine farmers, working in the field all the year. Nevertheless, my hometown has changed dramatically from the past. The most prominent distinction is that motorbikes now dominate the roads instead of bicycles like before. Another feature I should mention is that different from low, small houses in the past, there are a large number of high buildings, villas as well as factories at present. In regard to residents, in recent times, they tend to do a wide range of jobs say, workers, merchants, craftsmen…other than just farming. And I should not forget to mention the fact that villagers nowadays are much more education-conscious than previous generations. Parents pay close attention to the study of their children at very early stage of life. To be more precise, they send their little kids to English centers to get early preparation for studying abroad.

IELTS: Describe your favourite cartoon character

Topic 3: DESCRIBE YOUR FAVORITE CARTOON CHARACTER

Well, to be frank, I’m a huge fan of cartoons in spite of the fact that I’m no longer a kid and of all characters I’ve ever seen, Tom, which is the name of a male cat in a cartoon series named “Tom and Jerry” is the one I like best. I could start off by saying that Tom is perhaps the most pitiful cat ever existed because he always ends up with ironic situations say being burnt alive, being bullied by a dog, breaking up with the girl he’s interested in and so on. All of these unhappy endings are caused by a cunning mouse called Jerry, who always plays tricks on Tom. Tom is all the time the loser because of his greed and ignorance. Well, while most children seem to detest the cat and be in favor of the mouse, I, however, feel so sympathetic for Tom. In my view, Tom is merely a cat and a cat has the instinct to chase mice; therefore, we can’t blame him for that. And something else I need to comment on is that sometimes Tom is fairly pretty lovely and even kind-hearted when he voluntarily takes care of an abandoned duck instead of eats it up. This really touched me deep inside. All in all, cat Tom is a part of my childhood, made me laugh so much and in some sense, he is my close friend. That’s all I can say about my cool cartoon character. 

IELTS: Describe your mother

Topic 2: DESCRIBE YOUR MOTHER
Well, I bet I do not go so far as to say that my mother is one of the greatest women in the world. You know, our acquaintances often comment on her appearance that she looks much older than her true age and I guess I really know the reason why. My father passed away many years ago and left behind his wife and three children so my mother has to shoulder the burden of taking care of us alone (by herself). In order to support the whole family, she has no choice other than works harder. She not only has to work in the field all day but she also gets a variety of part-time job from working as a cleaner on weekends to a tailor in evenings. Owing to overworking and worrying too much, she is getting older quickly as lots of wrinkles appear on her face which was once so gorgeous and even worse, her back hurts much recently. Nevertheless, regardless of being buried with work, she takes care of us very well. As a routine, every early morning, she rushes to market to purchase food for the whole day, then prepares breakfast for us before rushing again to work. For us, her meals are the best in the world and it is no exaggeration to say that even the cleverest chef is basically incomparable. And something else I need to comment on is that she is not only a mother but also like a close friend of mine who I feel absolutely secure to confide in all my secrets and concerns. She is so good at listening to me and always gives me useful piece of advice to work out problems. To be frank, I’ve never told her how much I love her since I feel so shy; however, from the bottom of my heart, I’m always grateful for her enormous sacrifice and immense affection for us. That’s all I can say about my beloved mother.

IELTS: Describe your favourite artist

Topic 1: DESCRIBE YOUR FAVORITE ARTIST

Well, I can’t wait to tell you about my idol, a country music singer, named Taylor Swift. I could start off by saying that she is just impeccable. She is not only a popular singer but also a talented song writer. Well, with a sweet and amazing voice, at the age of only 21, she has won up to 4 Grammy Awards which is extremely prestigious and noble. In addition to a singer, she is renowned as a musician with an innate ability. She always loves writing songs about her own life. Perhaps, for this reason, her songs are so inspiring and vivid, which always cheer me up whenever I feel down in the dumps. And I shouldn’t forget to mention that all the time, she looks gorgeous like an angel in dresses, which helps her earn the title “The princess of the country music”. Something else I need to comment on is that she is very kind-hearted and sympathetic. You know, she founded a charitable organization which raises funds to support poor children in the third-world countries. Furthermore, so often she appears on campaigns as well as advertisements which aim at eliminating discrimination and biases against homosexuals (homophobia). You know, properly I can never forget a compliment on her personality in a magazine, which said that: “Swift radiates her kindness wherever she goes”. Another point worth mentioning is that she is one of the few celebrities who can keep a squeaky clean image. Unlike many other celebrities who always find themselves in scandals, Swift claimed that it is her responsibility to be a good example for millions of teenagers around the world. That’s all I can say about my beloved idol. 

An accidental meeting with a girl from America on the bus number 17

July 26, 2014...
   Yesterday was full of joy. As a rule, I left my house, bicycled to the familiar bus stop and caught the bus number 15. I don't know what happened to its schedule, I remember one day before, this bus stopped at Long Bien terminal but ironically yesterday it didn't. After about 40 minutes on the bus, I realised there was something wrong with the route so I asked the bus conductor for sure and then I got off the bus. I found myself quite lucky as I met a kind taxi driver who showed me the way. After waiting for almost 10 minutes, I finally caught the right bus to get back Long Bien terminal and from there I went to Hang Than street to go to my English center on the bus number 31. I was almost half an hour late for the class and the teacher cracked a joke by saying that I must submit 5000 VND for each minute late. :D. Luckily, I didn't miss many contents and it was not until when I got there that the lesson really started. :D. After the class, I made up my mind to wander around Hoan Kiem Lake (Restored Sword Lake) with the intent of catching some foreigners to practice English with. I took all my courage to say 'Good afternoon" to a man sitting on a bench with a black girl. He said he comes from America and the girl from eslewhere I didn't remember as at that time, she was talking to a Vietnamese student who was looking for foreigners, just like me. He is an English teacher, an assistant, to be more precise in a Japan high school. He told me that Japanese students are not very interested in English, that they are rather good at reading, but feel afraid of speaking. Well, I suppose this is a common problem among all language leaners. :v. Also, he used to major in History in some university in America and once read a great deal of information regarding Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh and many other great figures but he liked Ho Chi Minh most. He also said that during the time he had spent in Hanoi, he didn't feel much the existence of "Communism" here by virtue of private businesses. Well, thanks to this conversation, I found out that European people think of "Communism or Socialism" as working and sharing together and countries with all state-owned companies. It's so interesting. And something else I discovered is that in the American education system, students are not taught much about Vietnam as well as all terrible things, sufferings American troops made the people to bear, it just mentions how bitterly the American military was beaten in the battlefield here. And it seems to me that people from European countries really know the problem of the present regime in my country which is corruption. They said that if corruption could be radically eliminated, Socialism would be a good political institution by virtue of the fact that there are almost no bomb threats, terrorists, uprisings, protesters and the like in socialist countries. To be honest, it is a little bit astonishing for me that all people I met said that they are not very contended with their political system (Capitalism). In the case of America, this teacher and another American girl I met on the bus yesterday said that both of the two parties namely the Republican and Democratic are much the same in essence. "Both always fight against each other, they always make lots of promises during the election campaigns but then they don't make things. Candidates get enormously financial support from figures in weapon and oil industries. As a result, after winning, they have to compensate these businesses by giving them more credit and ease so governors have not developed much green energy like solar, tidal, wind power." said the girl with the middle name "Rose" I talked with in the bus. To make matters worse, there still exists corruption in this system. Actually, I don't care much about the politics, and in my view whether it is socialism or capitalism doesn't matter as long as governments can give their citizens a prosperous life and ensure security, that's enough. :D. And something else I need to say that I hate some people who'd like to interfere with internal affairs of other countries. As I know, there are many people who always condemn Vietnamese government for violating liberty of conscience, liberty of the press and liberty of speech. I even feel sometimes the government is not tough enough to punish some betrayers of the country, good-for-nothing protesters who do nothing more than creating traffic jams and conveying a bad image of a peaceful country....From my experience, it seems to me that talking with people at the same age is so exciting and vivid because of their curiosity and friendliness. Last week, I had a chance to shoot the breeze with two girls from Scotland. They are both so young, cute and so enthusiastic to explain what I couldn't catch. Every now and then, they wrote down words I did not know, let's say "cathedral, National Health Service" and taught me how to pronounce names like "Edinburgh"...It was absolutely amazing. :))). The girl with the middle name "Rose" and the first name meaning "Blooming" I met in the bus yesterday was also so very cute. She admitted that she is a travel lover. She is at my age but she confided that she didn't perform very well at school so she made up her mind to work part-time so that she can afford her journeys instead of enrolling in a university or college. And after this trip, she's planning to work for non-profit organizations and she's totally partial to teaching mentally-retarded people. Wow, she must be so kind-hearted. :). When she asked me what job I'd like to work, I replied that I would love to work in an international auditing company although I know it's so far from my reach. And when I told her that I'm so passionate about English and often go to Hoan Kiem Lake to meet and talk with foreigners but sometimes I met someone who's not very interested in talking to me and they seemed to just want to focus on their own businesses, her facial expressions were so funny. She squeezed her voice to simulate a difficult visitor refusing to buy items offerred by the locals: "No, no I don't want to buy anything". It's so cute. :)). She also said that she would definitely come back to Vietnam some day and hope to see me again. We exchanged each other's email addresses and promised to keep contact. Well, actually, she's so sweet and open but I know the prospect of one day we'll meet again is so frail. :)). Oh, it doesn't matter, I will remember these valuable moments forever. :)).