PIRATE ISLAND

I would to like to talk about our trip to Pirate Island. 

You know, a couple of years ago, my buddies and I planned a trip by our motor scooters to Pirate archipelago which is considered one of the most remote and off the beaten track places in Vietnam. And I remember, we had to leave very early, at 3 am just not to get stuck in the traffic. Added to that, we would have a good chance to contemplate sunrise over the sea. I have to confess that I am not a really early bird, so, when my alarm went off, I just wanted to cancel that trip then and there. That all being said, I would never be a killjoy, so, although I felt really disoriented and mentally foggy, I still went with the flow. And after 9 hours of riding and boating, we ultimately arrived at our destination. Oh man!! We just couldn’t believe in our eyes. Pirate island is absolutely the definition of paradise. Believe it or not, its pristine nature and pure fresh air made this island a whole new world which stands in stark contrast to our city. I could say, beautiful landscape, turquoise sea and not to mention immaculate white sand are perfect ingredients for any instagrammable photos. Needless to say, we took a multitude of pictures there, I remember, our phones memory couldn’t store anything else during this trip. You know, after soaking up the vitamin sea there, I felt like I was utterly rejuvenated. And when it came to our activities, yeah, it’s definitely swimming, you know, nothing was better than immersing yourself in crystal clear water there.

Finally, it was a nice trip, we actually got some holiday blues when we returned home. 

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Describe a time you received a call 

I would like to talk about a prank call that I got from a total stranger a couple of months ago. 

You know, on a nice sunday evening, when I was kind of chilling out, marathoning some TV series on Netflix, and gorging myself on a bowl full of carrots, but all of a sudden, somebody called me and told that I was chosen randomly to get a combo of gifts for free including an iPhone 11 pro max, an Apple watch series 5 Hermes edition. Oh my goodness! I asked myself “Am I the luckiest person on Earth?” but tried to stay alert and I said to him “Are you advertising something?”, “You know, I wasn’t born yesterday, so what do you want from me?”, and the guy on the phone was like “No no, you’re very lucky, trust me, I promise, you are chosen” and he kept on talking about something but in a very gentle way and asked me for my address and some kind of personal info. Yeah!! I still remember his final words like “Just wait until tomorrow, and you will get your gifts”. You know, that night, I was kind of on top of the world and I told my parents, my friends and even my neighbors about sudden fortune. On top of that, I couldn’t sleep at all, I just tossed and turned and pictured in my mind of having an iPhone 11 pro max which is the best iPhone in the world, to be honest, I am an iFan, and I’ve been living in the Apple ecosystem for a couple of years. But the following day, I waited waited and waited for ages, and nothing happened. I actually looked for the guy’s number, tried to call him time after time but couldn’t contact. Yeah!! What a shame! 

Ultimately, I reckoned it was just a joke and I was just a jerk. However, the lesson I drew from my incident was “don’t count your chickens before they hatch” which is absolutely a well-taken statement, I say.

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TOY

1. What was your favorite toy in childhood?

Well, to be honest, I was kind of a spoiled kid. I mean, my parents used to pamper me with all kinds of toys. And I remembered when I was a child, my buddies in my neighborhood and I usually played house, so my parents bought me some essentials for this game such as mini cooking utensils with silicone grabber and a variety of plastic fruits or vegetable toys. 

You know, that’s when the cooking bug hit me, now I’m really into being in the kitchen to whip up a nice meal for my loved ones. 

2. Should parents buy many toys for their children?

Yeah, I think it’s a good idea. Like my example. You knows, in this day and age, instead of being glued to the smartphones or tablet, playing with toy is more positive for children. That all being said, I think everything is just all about moderation, if parents indulge their children very much ,I mean, just buy whatever toy they like, the kids are likely to develop a habit of pestering their parents for things, and that's definitely not a good thing

3. What are the benefits of children playing toys?

People often think toys are detrimental to kids, but I believe they can benefit children's development to some degree. You know, some educational toys like building blocks and superhero-toys also fire the imagination powers of a child. Toys could instill in children a sense of responsibility as well. For example, when children play with soft toys or barbie dolls, they will take a good care of them and become more responsible. 

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I would like to talk about Thit kho tau (TKT) which is among the signature foods in Vietnam.

You know, TKT or Vietnamese braised pork belly in coconut water is one of the traditional dishes during Tet or Lunar New Year. And to the best of my knowledge, it’s originally from the south of our country. You know, it’s safe to say TKT is a must on any family dining tables when Tet is just around the corner. And I remember, my grandma told me that, at one time, regardless of how poor we were, even if we were so poor that we couldn’t afford any meat during the year, when Tet arrived, every family would scrape together enough money to buy a small piece of pork belly and cook TKT to make sure we would definitely have it on our tables and more importantly to offer it to our ancestors or family members on the altar. If you ask me why TKT is such an important dish, I wish I could go back in time to witness what really happened to this food and then give you a precise answer. Anyway, when it comes to how to prepare it, honestly I am no masterchef or Gordon Ramsay, but I am a good observer, you know, from what I saw, the key is the ingredients, so in order to make the tastiest TKT, you must choose the ingredients wisely such as the best meat, eggs, some fresh coconuts and not to mention some staple spices. Oh, the pork belly must contain both fat and lean meat, or it will get unsuitably dry during the long cooking storage. And after marinating meat with high quality fish sauce about 30 minutes, uh huh put all things together in a giant pot, and wait until the meat becomes super tender and absorbs all amazing flavors. 

Actually, no one can deny its irresistible aroma and flavor and you know, nothing is better than eating TKT with a bowl of steaming rice on Tet holidays. And from a cultural perspective, our TKT symbolizes happiness and prosperity, so it’s obviously considered an indispensable dish in Vietnamese culinary culture. 

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I would like to talk about a time when my beloved motor scooter got a flat tire in somewhere like a ghost town. 

You know, a couple of years ago, my friend and I were riding back home after a night out on the town, but don't get me wrong, we were not intoxicated at all. You know, I remember, it was actually midnight when we drove on the deserted road and on top of that, it was bitterly cold because of a never-ending heavy rain. And, they often say: when it rains, it pours. All of the sudden, my scooter kind of hit some nails on the street and its battery was also sort of flat, so it wobbled and came to a halt . Oh man! I couldn’t believe and I was scared out of my mind because there was no sign of human presence. And yeah, my friend gave me some pats on my back and said to me gently, like “I’m here, don’t worry, I’ll protect you”. Oh! That was kind of sweet, such a caring man, and he sort of walked my scooter and I definitely tagged after him. After walking a pretty long distance and feeling completely drained, we finally spotted the light which I called the light of the hope. It was actually the panel a mechanic shop. You know, at that point, I was elated and actually shed a few tears, I mean, happy tears. Then we had to yell for help to wake the mechanic up. And ultimately, everything was done, we were saved. 

You know, that incident was sort of one the most terrifying experiences of my entire life but it kind of solidified the belief that every cloud has a silver lining. 

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1. If you are 35 years old without marriage, do you still wait for true love?

I always believe “Learning to wait until everything falls into place is key to happiness”. So, If I still live my life in a lonely fashion by the time I turn 35, I will still definitely wait for my other half. Because I think getting married to someone who you do not have any affection for is miserable. You may end up parting ways and getting a divorce. You know, “Everything happens for a reason”, and true love doesn’t leave you. 

2. What do you think is the best age to marry?

I think, there is no ‘best’ age as it really depends from person to person because some people have different goals in life and some may have different circumstances. From my perspective, when you feel ready to commit and you actually have found the one you’re ready to spend your life with, that’s when to walk down the aisle. And in my country, some people think the optimal age to get married is mid-20s, because they are trying to avoid aging or the generation gap between them and their kids.

3. Do you think Vietnamese wedding wastes a lot of money?

Absolutely yes. Vietnamese people love lavish weddings. And I think a reason behind extravagant weddings is that people invariably crave for acceptance and admiration of other people, which is definitely a part of human nature. And therefore, they are willing to splurge on bridal decorations, foods, services, invitations et cetera in order to show the guests their wealth and status.

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1.    What's the weather like where you live?

Well, Vietnam is a tropical country, so it's usually hot and humid year round. And, in Southern cities like Cantho, we just enjoy two distinct seasons such as wet and dry season. You know, in many dry months, it from time to time seems like an oven, and it’s actually a nightmare for those suffering from hyperhidrosis like I do. 

2.    What type of weather do you like best?

Yeah, I'd consider myself a sort of pluviophile. As for me, when it rains outside, oh man, nothing is better than sitting down, enjoying a cup of herbal tea and marathoning movies on Netflix or losing myself in reading some of my go-to books. You know, it’s pretty chill.

 And what’s more, as far as I am concerned, rainy days can boost our productivity at work, according to a kind of Harvard research. So, I often study or compose some poems on rainy days.  

3.    Does the weather ever affect what you do?

You know, I gotta say yes, especially when there's too much sun. I feel really lethargic and unable to anything energetic and besides everyone is just angry and frowning when it’s scorching. And on top of that, as the sun is shining for too long, insects are omnipresent, it’s actually the second nightmare for me because I have entomophobia. Therefore, from the bottom of my heart, I am so grateful to somebody for inventing an air conditioning.

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WORK

 1. Are you a student or are you working?

Well, for the past couple of years, I've been working as an English private tutor at home and Dafuna company, which is among the top 4 service firms in Can Tho City. Many people consider teaching run-of-the-mill, but I fell in love with teaching when I was a sophomore at uni, and I think it's a very interesting and meaningful line of work.

2. What do you like about your job?

Well I guess the thing I like most about my job is the salary. You know, I don’t want to exaggerate, but I could make a lucrative income through teaching while my friends who are also teachers do not. Maybe, I am lucky, So on payday, I often treat myself to a meal at a high- end restaurant. And when it comes to perks, I think the best perk I got from teaching is the satisfaction when seeing my students learning new things every day.

3. What do you dislike about your job?

Well, to be totally honest with you, I actually don’t find any points to complain about my teaching job. Because my schedule is kind of flexible, I get high paid, I have free time to chill out, have many holidays to get away from the hustle and bustle of this city. And what’s more, my students are very smart, incredibly industrious, always comply with my principles. So, from my perspective, teaching is the best job ever.

4. What do you do after work?

Yeah, after teaching, I usually hang out with my buddies in a popular coffee shop. Sometimes, we hit a karaoke bar to burst into our favorite songs or go to some up-scale restaurants just to stuff our faces with kind of fancy buffets. And if I do not feel up to these activities, I just stay at home and lose myself in reading books for hours on end as I am a voracious reader and I own a huge collection of different kinds of books. So to me, life is so beautiful and simple.

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#0 - Greeting