I often find myself living in contradictions. Yes I want to make a different in life and I keep surprising myself every day now and then, for all the new things that I am able to come up with, knowing that the only way that I should live myself is to move forward. Another part of me keeps saying to myself that I should really live a quiet life because all the noise won’t bring us happiness.
I often find myself living in contradictions. Yes I want to make a different in life and I keep surprising myself every day now and then, for all the new things that I am able to come up with, knowing that the only way that I should live myself is to move forward. Another part of me keeps saying to myself that I should really live a quiet life because all the noise won’t bring us happiness.
Some people would like to help other people in silent, at their own capabilities. I wish I could do that someday, too, but it will take more time I guess. For now, I am pretty happy with the fact that I would at least still able to come up with new ideas regardless of having to bear with all the current burdens caused by the economic situations and plenty of social issues.
So I have come up with this idea to finally do something meaningful in my birth month, with hopes that I would be able to do something good to help ourselves and those who are in need.
Happy November – Here’s to celebrate the Arts for Smiles!
Vậy là sau nhiều năm, theo cách nói của ca sĩ Thu Phương khi so sánh cuộc đời mình như một dòng sông đã trải qua quá nhiều mùa lũ, sau khi mà đi về đâu cũng là thế, khi mà thiên đường đã khép nguồn cơn, Thu Phương quay trở lại, như chưa bao giờ.
Mấy ngày hôm nay, giống như có nhiều những mối lương duyên lớn nhỏ gộp lại, có rất nhiều người đang cùng có mặt ở Sài Gòn cùng một thời điểm, cũng vì thế mà kéo theo những buổi gặp gỡ. Cả ba tối liên tiếp chẳng có hôm nào về nhà trước 12h đêm, kể ra cũng có cái hay, thêm một lần nữa, khi vẫn đang được sống một mình và sống “tự do” trong chính khuôn khổ mà mình tạo ra. Tháng tới sẽ về Hà Nội hơn 1 tuần nhưng kiểu gì cũng sẽ phải về nhà trước 12h vì nếu không mẹ sẽ gọi điện cho liên hồi cho đến khi nhìn thấy con gái về nhà an toàn.
Năm nay tôi tự thấy mình có thật nhiều may mắn được tham gia và góp mặt nhiều hơn vào những sự kiện văn hóa, nghệ thuật. Không phải là cái gì lớn lao, chỉ là có may mắn được là một người có cơ hội chứng kiến và thưởng thức những gì mà mình cho là rất có giá trị.
Ngày hôm qua, nhờ có đối tác cũng đồng thời là một người bạn thân thiết, tôi đã có cơ hội được tham dự một đêm nhạc vô cùng chất lượng của chị Thu Phương. Bản thân tôi bắt đầu biết về ca sĩ Thu Phương chắc là từ khi học lớp 2 hay lớp 3, hồi đấy thì chưa biết thưởng thức nhạc của chị một cách trọn vẹn, và so với các anh chị ca sĩ nổi tiếng thời đấy thì có lẽ mình cũng không quá là hâm mộ chị, vì có hiểu gì đâu mà hâm mộ. Chẳng hiểu sao từ bé mà tôi cứ hay đi nghe nhạc người lớn. Hồi đấy nếu là Thu Phương hát thì mình thích bài: Thôi Anh Hãy Về, song ca cùng Lam Trường. “Thôi anh hãy về, cứ yên lòng rồi giông tố sẽ qua…”. Khi lớn lên rồi, mình rất thích bài “Đêm nằm mơ phố” và thêm một chút nữa thì mới cảm được bài “Dòng sông lơ đãng”. Còn những bài hát như “Có phải em là mùa thu Hà Nội” hay rất nhiều những bài hát tên tuổi khác nữa.
Rồi bỗng một ngày, dưới sự quan sát và ý thức hạn hẹp nhưng không-hiểu-gì-để-phán-xét của một đứa trẻ khoảng chừng 11 hay 12 tuổi, tôi đọc một bài báo về việc ca sĩ Thu Phương và ca sĩ Bằng Kiều đã “rời bỏ” quê hương để theo đuổi giấc mơ Mỹ cùng những rắc rối khác về đời tư và vấn đề chính trị. Sau một thập kỉ trôi qua, chúng tôi lại được thấy họ lần lượt về Việt Nam, với một hình ảnh khác và một tâm thế khác, duy chỉ có giọng hát, có thể đã có thêm nhiều phần sương gió, nhưng chưa bao giờ hết đẹp và chưa bao giờ hết đẳng cấp.
“Không hiểu sao mình cứ thích nghĩ là các nhạc sĩ viết bài hát này riêng cho mình” – hôm qua Thu Phương có nói như vậy khi đang hát ở phòng trà Đồng Dao, một chương trình khá là chất lượng về nội dung theo một chủ đề có tên là: “Theo dấu vàng son”. Thực ra, việc người ta hay tìm thấy bản thân trong các nhân vật trong phim hay âm nhạc cũng là lẽ thường. Với tôi thì đây là một cách để thấy cuộc đời có thêm chất nhạc và chất thơ. Nhưng mà thật ra thì với một nghệ sĩ như Thu Phương, hay những nghệ sĩ lớn khác, việc họ có những bài hát gắn bó với tên tuổi, hay đúng như các cách nghệ sĩ nói, đây là bài hát viết về cuộc đời tôi thì cũng không có gì là lạ cả.
Có rất nhiều những bài hát nổi tiếng được thể hiện bởi Thu Phương, nhưng những sáng tác của nhạc sĩ Việt Anh luôn chiếm một vị trí rất quan trọng. Tôi có được nghe kể lại là những sáng tác của nhạc sĩ Việt Anh, đã theo Thu Phương trong suốt hơn hai chục năm hoạt động nghệ thuật, bắt đầu với “Dòng sông lơ đãng”. Mình không phải nhà phê bình âm nhạc, nhưng tự cảm nhận được rằng, các tác phẩm của nhạc sĩ Việt Anh đều quá đẹp, về ý nghĩa, về nội dung và vần điệu, đến mức mà mình luôn nghĩ rằng, các ca sĩ, phải may mắn lắm mới được Việt Anh viết tặng.
“Từng ngón tay, khép như nụ hoa trắng . Bỏ lại dòng sông lơ đãng trôi qua”.
“Từ chốn nào, dòng sông đã hòa cùng đại dương. Cạn bến bờ, chiều nay thẫn thờ nhìn hoàng hôn”.
“Như chưa bắt đầu”
Sau nhiều năm, theo cách chị nói là dòng sông đã trải qua quá nhiều mùa lũ, dòng sông của Thu Phương, theo cách miêu tả của nhạc sĩ Việt Anh, đã không còn lơ đãng nữa. Một vài năm về trước, Thu Phương đã từng hỏi Việt Anh rằng, chị không biết quyết định mình rời bỏ quê hương sang Mỹ có phải là quyết định đúng, và chính lúc này, anh Việt Anh đã viết tặng chị Thu Phương một ca khúc khác là “Chưa bao giờ” để trả lời câu hỏi của Thu Phương. Khi biết đến ca khúc này, mình đã không biết là ca khúc được viết cho Thu Phương. Và bản thân cũng không hẳn là một người phải trải qua những biến có gì quá to tát trong cuộc đời, nhưng mình tự thấy rằng, đây là một trong những ca khúc mà mình thấy dễ gây ám ảnh ám ảnh nhất trong những năm trở lại đây, với những câu từ như: “Có bình yên nào không xót xa” hay “Đi về đâu cũng là thế, buồn kia còn trong dáng ngồi. Thiên đường xưa khép lại, từ muôn năm rồi”.
Cũng nhờ có sự kiện này, tôi mới có thêm cơ hội tìm hiểu sâu hơn về xuất thân và gia đình của ca sĩ Thu Phương. Đây cũng là lần đầu tiên tôi được nghe tới ca sĩ Quang Minh, là anh trai của nữ ca sĩ cũng là một giọng ca vô cùng đẹp mà tôi đã còn quá trẻ để biết tới. Và cũng là lần đầu tiên được nghe một bản song ca mượt mà đến từ hai nghệ sĩ lớn với bài hát “Không còn mùa thu”, một bài hát mà tôi cũng vô cùng ưa thích:
Không Còn Mùa Thu – Thu Phương & Quang Minh
Về “Theo dấu vàng son”, thực chất đây không hẳn là một chương trình quá hoa mỹ và chất lượng hình ảnh, phóng sự cũng chỉ ở mức chấp nhận được. Chỉ là theo cảm nhận của tôi, có thể Thu Phương đã làm chương trình này một cách hết sức cảm tính, để thực hiện được những mong muốn của mình để tưởng nhớ về một người phụ nữ Việt Nam trong lịch sử mà mình đã vô cùng ngưỡng mộ, yêu thương và tôn kính. Và chỉ khi con người ta lớn lên, đi đến nhiều vùng miền và trải qua những biến cố trong cuộc đời, những người có những hoàn cảnh đặc biệt sẽ tìm ra những mối đồng cảm và biết xót thương cho người và cho ta.
Những hình ảnh tưởng nhớ tới Nam Phương Hoàng Hậu và những dòng thư trong lời kêu gọi phụ nữ thế giới của cựu hoàng hậu: “Thay mặt cho mười ba triệu phụ nữ Việt Nam, tôi thỉnh cầu tất cả những thân hữu của tôi, bạn bè của nước Việt Nam, hãy bênh vực cho tự do”.
Khi làm chương trình này, Thu Phương đã di chuyển tới nhiều địa điểm, vùng miền tại Việt Nam, bắt đầu từ đất cảng Hải Phòng – là quê hương của ca sĩ, cũng là nơi chị biết đến hoàng hậu Nam Phương tại Dinh Bảo Đại tại Hải Phòng. Thực ra đây là nơi mà cựu hoàng Bảo Đại cùng gia đình đã sử dụng để nghỉ ngơi mỗi khi có chuyến công du ra Bắc. Khi còn bé, ca sĩ Thu Phương kể lại rằng chị đã nghĩ là hoàng hậu Nam Phương chính là người Hải Phòng. Sau Hải Phòng, ca sĩ Thu Phương đi theo dấu chân của Nam Phương Hoàng Hậu tới Huế, Đà Lạt và cả một vùng quê nằm ở miền Nam nước Pháp, nơi mà hoàng hậu Nam Phương đã trút hơi thở cuối cùng nơi đất khách quê người. Chỉ có Thu Phương, với linh tính, cảm tính của người phụ nữ mang trong mình nỗi nhớ của một người con xa quê mới hiểu rõ được động lực nào để chị đã bắt đầu và kết thúc hành trình ấy. Đối với quan sát của tôi thì đây là một cách tròn vẹn để tỏ sự kính trọng, biết ơn và ngưỡng mộ nhưng thêm nhiều phần xót xa cho cuộc đời một trong những người phụ nữ đẹp, quyền lực nhưng có số phận bi thương nhất trong lịch sử Việt Nam.
Thu Phương đã xuất hiện rất lộng lẫy trong những trang phục dạ hội đến từ một nhà thiết kế rất danh tiếng, tuy vậy, khi trải lòng mình về một ca khúc về Hoàng Hậu Nam Phương, ca sĩ đã chọn cho mình một bộ áo dài năm thân tối màu được thiết kế bởi Ỷ Vân Hiên. Vẫn trên sân khấu của phòng trà Đồng Dao, có một Thu Phương khiêm nhường hơn, dung dị và đoan trang, một hình ảnh có phần trái ngược với hình ảnh Thu Phương cá tính mạnh mẽ thường thấy.
Nhóm “người Việt trẻ” chúng tôi trong trang phục truyền thống của Ỷ Vân Hiên cũng đã kịp chụp lại một tấm hình kỉ niệm cùng ca sĩ Thu Phương trong sự kiện này.
Vậy là sau nhiều năm, theo cách chị nói khi so sánh cuộc đời mình như dòng sông đã trải qua quá nhiều mùa lũ, sau khi mà đi về đâu cũng là thế, khi mà thiên đường đã khép nguồn cơn, Thu Phương quay trở lại, như chưa bao giờ.
Nguồn ảnh bìa – Poster “Theo Dấu Vàng Son” lấy từ website chính thức của ca sĩ Thu Phương http://casithuphuong.com/
I also learn that whenever I am by myself, I tend to be a more responsible adult when it comes to having to set my own rules to keep the house clean and to be a super organized person when I can. I can’t do that when I am with my parents because whenever I am with them, I feel like I am Olaf and I have no skull or no bones.
“Ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone It’s not warm when she’s away Ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone And she’s always gone too long Anytime she goes away
Ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone Only darkness every day Ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone And this house just ain’t no home Anytime she goes away…”
This song has stuck inside my head over the past few days. For one, it is now rainy season in Central and South of Vietnam, we even have major storms in some parts of the country. By the way, thanks to this new job assignment, this is the first time that I’ve got a chance to witness the rainy season in Central Vietnam which I only knew via the songs I used to listen whilst I was a kid.
I am truly blessed to live in Lam Villa Riverside, a home away from home which is full of natural daylight. It’s small but cozy and I have everything, literally everything that I need for a young female professional. It’s got to do with security, comfort and privacy. Because of this, I would trade my time traveling to work so that I could go home everyday to enjoy my own space. For me, it’s always like a bit of a contradiction, I work in travel industry and I am ready to move all the times. But I don’t even think that I am an experienced traveler. I don’t even have interests to go to many different spaces but more into having a space where I can have my time and space, or else, I would rather be home, even if it means that I will spend most of the time by myself.
I also learn that whenever I am by myself, I tend to be a more responsible adult when it comes to having to set my own rules to keep the house clean and to be a super organized person when I can. I can’t do that when I am with my parents because whenever I am with them, I feel like I am Olaf and I have no skull or no bones.
Meet my friend – Detective Pikachu sitting on the couch.
My goal is to enjoy every moment, except for times that I overthink about many things ☺️
It’s really almost 2:30am now and I am still writing this, perhaps it will be the last blog post for this month, knowing that I will be super busy from now until end of the year. By the way, today is my official but fake birthday as it is written on my passport. The day is known as the Business Day Vietnam (13 October), I thought it was just a coincidence but it’s kind of fun to think as well. I never thought that I would see myself as a businesswoman. If I keep saying this then many people would get worried with the fact that I am in a position that I am today, as a so-called…businesswoman. But who knows…
October is the month that I often get a little crazier than usual because all my ideas would come all together at once. I often gain lots of energy to do everything everything but I am sure by middle of next year I will get tired again. So I will try to see this time how I manage myself more effectively.
P/S: I am so in need for a holiday after all this happening with all these busy-ness!
Why would a doctor need a fancy photo-shooting at a five star resort? For fun? For her own interest? For her personal branding? Who else does she want to be?
On a not-so-beautiful day of May 2020 for me because the tourism and hotel industry has got the largest hit of the century due to the destruction of the corona pandemic, I received an influencer-cooperation request for a photo shooting project at TUI BLUE Nam Hoi An from my favorite make-up artist cum producer Kyo Phan. I would love to work with him of course then I asked if he could send me a detailed program of the cooperation for my own review. We had worked before on different projects with professional models or people who work in the entertainment industry. But this time, it’s not really about a model, not even an actress or a singer. He said it was about Kha Le, a businesswoman and an entrepreneur. Oh what? I think I missed something, she is also a doctor, a dentist to be exact. But why would she need such a fancy photo-shooting in such a five star resort?
I was like why? Why would a doctor need to have a fancy photo-shooting in a five star resort? For fun because she’s rich? Maybe? Or for her own personal branding? Perhaps she’s working on a project? Maybe…
So I did a bit of homework and googled her name. I didn’t have to wait long, a number of articles came up. Of course I would be able to tell which article is paid on commercial and marketing purpose and which one is not. But I do see something different. This woman has really made an effort with her personal branding. Here are some of my findings:
Dr Kha Le at Miss Universe Vietnam 2019 as the Smile Consultant and Judge for the Best Smile Award.“For a woman, fashion is a joy” (Image: GlobalWoman.vn)
Then on a beautiful summer evening in Hanoi, I finally had a chance to meet with Dr Kha Le, after spending a few days of doing my own research about her and her brand TrendSmile also.
My first impression? She’s an elegant and a beautiful woman yet very friendly and quite easy to talk with. Just like how I was convinced by the way she carried herself, I guess she would do a great job to make her client trust and love her as long as they get to see her. I like her more in the daily life or even when she’s in a uniform. No matter what she says or what people say, she’s a doctor after all. And it takes years and brainwork, lots of brainwork to be a doctor. But here’s even a beautiful female doctor, there’s a difference, too👩⚕️
Dr Kha Le and her selfie – This picture is posted with permission 😇
“I am a woman after all, apart from being a doctor and a wife and a mother. I think it’s important that I have time to enjoy life. I have seen my female class-mates from university. Although many of us ended up becoming dentists, and then becoming wives and mothers of their children, but many are doctor – doctors by own means. They get stuck in their uniforms the whole time. Some of them even seem to look older than their age and tired. But of course they do look like doctors in the world that is defined for us with lots of ethical standards and sacrifices”, Kha Le said. Then she continued: “But I want more, I want to enjoy life, I am a doctor but I am a woman also. I want to feel beautiful and look beautiful. I believe we should never put a limit on ourselves, you can still be a doctor and a beautiful woman at the same time”. I am not sure about you, whoever might be reading this, whether you are a man or a woman, but I personally adore the type of woman who has her own interests and simply knows how to inspire other people even with a small act of her daily selfie as a way of saying hello to the world 🤳
Yes I do like her selfie too ☺️
Then it came to my turn to ask “So what do you want to do from now?”, looking at Dr Kha Le as she was about to share more.
“I’ve started Trend Smile for more than 3 years now. It’s not been easy but I think we’ve got some very first encouraging successes. I want to live a happy life and bring happiness to people by helping them to design the best possible smiles. Some people are simply not lucky enough to have a good smile to start with. But I always believe having a good smile can change someone’s life”.
At some point I am glad that I have met her. Although I am actually not a big fan of all these beautiful stuff. I called it beautiful stuff because I really don’t spend lots of effort of searching the definition of “the best smile” or “the best beauty smile” or whatever. But this doctor has convinced me that she’s really been trying to make a difference, even if it only started by becoming a beautiful and successful doctor who is good at inspiring people around her.
This Trend Smile brand is another interesting story. I was quite fond of the design of the logo to be honest, although I need to admit that I do not know much about design. But it looks clean, fresh and quite modern for me. Maybe it’s just my own opinion because I am a fan of minimalism. Unlike other dentist clinics who often use the drawing of a “tooth” to design their logos, Trend Smile’s logo was inspired by the idea of a circle hugging and protecting a human body. The logo was created with the belief that when you know how to take care of your dental health, you know how to care of your own body and soul.
Vietnamese idiom has this saying “Cái răng, cái tóc là góc con người”. It means the teeth and head-hair are considered as human figure, which gives the meaning to the most important parts of human appearance”.
I have asked a few designers for what they think about this logo. They said, for a dental brand, they would prefer something shaper as it shows professionalism and accuracy.
I came to her dental place in Hanoi at 255 Pho Hue, I was also informed that she has another address in District 7 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) since she knew that I live in Ho Chi Minh City now. My impression? I felt at ease, no stress because the design of the clinic and arrangement made us feel calm. I did some easy dental cleaning so it was not much of a big deal, but it was a totally a smooth process, it can be compared to the feeling of entering a Spa. The team including the doctors was very gentle, polite but still looking sharp and professional. I would definitely come back perhaps because of the dentists here who really have made me feel comfortable and safe ☺️
So that is it. Kha Le is becoming more and more admirable in her own way. I called her a “celebrity” doctor to hope that she will make her dreams come true. Be a successful and beautiful doctor, with a style! Let me share with you some beautiful pictures of hers taken at TUI BLUE Nam Hoi An. Looking at these images, I think I need to ask her to show her work license to prove that she is a real doctor, simply because she is too gorgeous to be a normal one. Thanks God she’s not normal and that makes her very special👩⚕️
I wish all women in the world would be able to find success, love and happiness no matter what they do. And the sky is not even the limit if you believe that so. Cheers to better days to come! 🍸
I have recently decided that every time I see something good or someone who has done something that I found meaningful, I will make a record out of it. Either to give them a recommendation on Social Media or at least to write a blog post or to tell the story to related people that I know just to show my appreciation.
I first met this brother – Kyo Phan about 2 years ago when I was in charge of the Sales and Marketing activities for Legacy Yen Tu – MGallery. He was the make-up artist in the first photo-shooting project which I had the chance to take care of. He didn’t really have chance to talk much as was mainly for him to listen to me and to what other people had to say. We added each other on Facebook, occasionally “Like” and “Comment” to each other’s post but hardly ever talked, maybe once or twice because there was actually no reason to do so. We barely knew each other. I remember that one time I told him that I had a job change to Hoi An area.
About a month after, he contacted me and see if we could have a chance to work on another shooting, this time at TUI BLUE Nam Hoi An, the new resort where I am currently assigned to work. I would love to say yes but the resort was not ready, I referred his proposal to another sister property in the area so that he could still get the work done. Then he said, whenever I need something regarding make-up or taking profile pictures I would need to let him know. I thought it was kind for him to say so but didn’t really care much at that moment.
I guess about 2 months after we finally had the chance to meet again when I was back in Hanoi for my business trip, we met up over a nice dinner at Ming Restaurant of the Pan Pacific Hanoi. He wanted to introduce me to the lead model in one of his recent projects – Dr Kha Le from Trend Smile. And the moment he introduced my name and how we met, I was stunned. He said I was the one who took care of him so well in one of the best shootings that he has ever done. Because of me taking time to introduce to him everything about the Legacy Yen Tu, from the pottery and the meaning of the rice-husk wall so he remembered and the crew was able to capture the best shoots of the property and models.
Then we kept talking the entire evening and ended up having a nice drink at Angelina’s of the Sofitel Legend Metropole. He reminded me that we needed to do a shooting for me so we decided to do in a few days after. And here are the results:
This is the most like-able picture of the entire album. I do not know why people like it so much ☺️For this picture to be done, it took me no less than 30 times passing the road ☺️I think I actually look more like an actress in this picture.Another “celebrity” moment ☺️I don’t know how they were able to capture this look…And this too ☺️I think it’s kind of fun to do this once in a while ☺️
And only once in a while should be enough I guess. But the experience was worthwhile as I do believe that I had the chance to work with one of the best teams in the make-up and styling industry in Vietnam. Kyo Phan is definitely a genuine, fun and talented make-up artist. I was also blessed to know Duc Nhat, his hair stylish and especially Ms Mai Giang who did a great styling job for me on the shooting day. She was so gentle and caring and so humble for her own tittle as Vietnam’s Next Top Model 2012. I guess the next level of maturity when you know how to stop taking yourself too seriously.
Here are two of my favorite people: Mai Giang (Left) – Vietnam’s Next Top Model 2012 & Kyo Phan (Right) – The super talented make-up Artist 🤗
It’s been a hazy Sunday afternoon today and I couldn’t get lazier. Life has changed a lot since my last blog post and I guess it was written 4 years ago maybe. The feeling is somewhat similar to what you do with a long distance relationship. You had spent so much time apart and you had so much to tell to the other person, but when you actually have the chance to meet and talk again, you simply don’t know where to start.
So what have I been doing over the past few years?
I am still a hotelier, but much different now. Not in a five-star city hotel where everything is just so close and convenient and professional like how much I wish I could have in my recent jobs. Although I do feel like I am going backwards in terms of system and technology but still, I am so glad that I got to see new things, new people, new challenges and finally managed to step out of my comfort zone.
I’ve changed my job twice (2018 and 2019 respectively) and currently moved to Saigon to live and work. Life has been fair to me I guess.
I have decided to go back to university after my first 5 or 6 years of work experience. For me this learning process has been quite complicated as how I find it, sometimes useful, most of the time a waste of time and money, but in the end, you’ll learn something anyway and you’ll hopefully get the degree, sooner or later.
I’ve got to meet new friends and re-united with some long lost ones. The best part, I guess is that I am blessed to be surrounded or under supervision of those who love me, to talk and laugh together during happy moments or to find ways to give me some comfort when I am weak.
“You haven’t changed a bit since we first met”. I have heard this several times from several people. Some told me: “You are still the same person that I met 5 years ago. My response was like: “What do you meant? How would that be possible? That’s not true, I have changed a lot, emotionally and physically, I am prettier, can’t you recognize?” I said jokingly. But obviously some people may perceive you one way while others see you in different way as how you allow them to see you. But for me, I think it’s quite true that I don’t change a lot, my habits, my way of seeing the world and seeing people. I just hope that if I had to change something about myself, that would be for the better, like how I am getting more and more comfortable with being my authentic self and to believe that I am a beautiful lady even with knowing that I do have lots of flaws and silly thoughts. Nevertheless, let’s keep calm and trust the process then, because I believe that the best version of yourself is always the current version of yourself, even when you are happy or when you are sad, when you are strong or vulnerable, there’s always beauty, if you know where to look.
This portrait is one of my favorite shots which was taken recently during my last trip back in Hanoi in July 2020. Some said it was definitely the best version of me while other said they would like to see me more in a natural and gentle form. Well, this is still me, a different version of me. This is just to show that I am capable of changing my style as I how I want to. It’s just the authenticity that I would like to keep for myself and the ones I love and treasure.
Okay that sounds very irrelevant but there’s a guy who keeps starring at me the whole time now as I am sitting in a corner of a coffee shop and writing my first blog post after a long time. Not that I am going to do anything about it, just find it quite amusing.
For one and many reasons, April had never been the favourite month of the year for me and for many of us who live in the city of Hanoi. It is Spring here when we would rather expect to see beautiful flowers, but in this fast-paced developing city with full of ongoing construction projects, the sky could not look any sadder and greyer. Although the weather is not too hot, not too cold but you could easily feel the wet, dirty, smelly, sticky and humid air. By this time last year, I spent most of my time thinking of all the happenings with life, career, relationship and of course this damn weather too.
Like a day dreamer, I walked along a rainy street and I decided that I need to see a good friend of mine. The appointment was set up in only 10 minutes later in a coffee shop nearby, I guess this is why he became such a good friend of mine.
“How are you?” I asked.
“Happy” He immediately replied.
“Why? and How?”
“Oh you know, I’ve got to do what I like, I quit the job that feel so stuck at it after three years. Of course there was a time that I feel hopeless, I even spent a month reading an over 400 pages long book about history of Vietnam. You know I could be historian now”. “You?” – He laughed and asked me back.
“Miserable”. I answered then looked away through the window and sighed.
“What are you looking at?” – He asked.
“The weather. I am so out of this place…”. I replied.
“What are your problems?” – He started to look at me and ask…
“Many problems” – I replied and went on: “But I’d like to blame on this weather so neither me nor anyone else would have to take this blame.
“Then let’s talk about the weather… What do you hate about it?”. He asked.
“It is messy here, there are times of the year when it is either too hot or too cold, too humid or too dry. Now it’s been raining for the whole month and no one seems to work… What kind of place is this? People are going crazy and so am I”. I felt guilty that I called him all his way to see me then have to hear all this but I just could not help it.
“Did you think about the upsides of this weather?” He asked and laughed a little.
“Okay, tell me, what’s up?” I asked.
“It’s raining and humid right? So that they could sell more home appliances like dryers, like raincoats or umbrellas. They are produced for a reason you know… Think about the law of supply and demand… And now you’re complaining that we have too many seasons huh? Thought you would be happy that you will be able to wear change your outfits after each season. The fashion industry in a city of four seasons will mostly have more things to do and to talk about than an all year round sunny city don’t you think?”.
He shut me up since then because I simply could not agree more…
I was asked to give lots of advices today to a new colleague of mine, who is an expatriate, completely new to the city and having full of doubts about herself and her future. We spent 03 hours of talk about everything then as soon as she started talking about the weather, I gave her a quick smile, realising the story is getting a little old. I said: “April showers bring May flowers, have you heard this before? I learned this some time ago.
And “Hakuna Matata” – I brought this from Lion King, it means “No worries”. Things will work out for the best.
To me, the worst thing about wearing a uniform and following the same dress code is the fact that you will not be able to tell who is who and you will not be able to tell if he/she’s got a style… Well, I am not going to have a uniform debate by the way, I am just making excuses for not knowing some of our junior colleagues’ names because they all look similar in their uniforms on a regular basis. But there’s one person that I am going to remember his name forever from today.
Where to start? I merely went for a general check up a V.I.P function at the hotel today to ensure the event was under control. Unfortunately, I got to know that it was actually not-so-under-control from the very first few seconds…
“Why?” – I asked the supervisor.
“One of our staff went unconscious for a few minutes in the V.I.P room and when the majority of guests had been seated”.
“Who? and Why?” – I asked while getting a little bit shocked. I could not think of any suitable reason, did we make he/she work too hard? It was 12:00 and perhaps he/she skipped breakfast? “Was that a he or a she? Do I know him/her?”
“It’s a he”. She replied and continued: “I think you do know him. He had been with us for a long time but he worked as a casual staff. And today was actually the day that he has his officially contract signed with the hotel that makes him so nervous and then it happened… A bit unfortunate that there were so many V.I.Ps in the room but I hope they understood if we tell them the reason”.
“Where is he now? Is he okay?” – I continued.
“He’s right there, working like nothing has happened”. She answered.
“Oh”! I stopped for a second and looked to the right where the boy was standing to welcome the guests.
Yes, I do notice him, this tall and young male Sofitel ambassador who wears glasses, about 20 years old. He’s got a friendly smile with both politeness and shyness. At that very moment, I could not think of anything else – Who could be so mad at him now? And for taking his job too seriously? Hmmm I do not think so… Instead I thought it was cute and innocent of him – and I would say this frankly if and only if this did not make me any less of being a hospitality professional. I have not felt this way for a long time about someone I know. Perhaps it was just for a simple reason that I have met too many people, and yes including myself who often appear in the most ‘damn’ mysterious, confident and …fearless!
This ‘junior’ moment actually made me smile. I hope the boy is all okay now. But since he has taken this career so seriously and to the extent that he got so emotional like that, I hope he will end up being a good person and a good career advancement ahead.
And for me, it would be interesting to know what happened to Miss No-Longer-Afraid…!?
There are certain things in life that you think you can not explain… Perhaps you will know it later but maybe you don’t want to know. Sometimes you simply don’t want to get to know too deep or too much of anything in order to keep its beauty…
I’ve got to know a lady for, let’s say… 12 days and I can’t help thinking of her with lots of admiration and curiosity at the same time…
I’m trying to picture a 33 years old woman, who is the single mother of 2 kids… But that’s not what I’m talking about… She had got married when she was 20 and divorced 5 years later…
She had lived 3 years in Singapore where she worked for the world’s largest networking and marketing organization but doesn’t speak a fluent sentence of English… And as a Vietnamese to Vietnamese I could easily pin point some of her pronunciation mistakes that she often makes…
Then I wonder how could she become who she is today? She has her own business, her own house, her own car with her own driver… She does seem to own a lot of things and I have no doubt that she knows a lot of people too…
But and can’t seem to connect these dots no matter how hard I am trying to connect them. Perhaps, as we get closer, I will understand about her little more about this woman but for now, it’s all good things…
When I can’t think of a good reason to explain her success in life, I am thinking of the sparkles in her eyes while talking to her about anything in life – work or random things. Just be very careful because even though I know I am a 100% straight woman, it is still easy to get lost, either in her pretty eyes or her adoring smile with charming dimples on her cheeks, which I must say, one of the sweetest smile that I have ever seen in my life…
Not too long ago I was in my 20-something crisis. I knew I was. I saw negative sides of things that I encountered on a daily basis with the highest level of disappointment I can get… I found nothing interesting in anything or anybody. That sounded so bad wasn’t that?
I walked along the rainy streets and I knew I had to make a phone call to a friend. 15 minutes later we got settled in one of the coffee shops near by. I asked if he could tell me the truth of how miserable I looked at that time… He was like ‘yeah yeah’ like it doesn’t even matter…and of course the fact that he did not show any sympathies to me at all made me a little angry… Then I decided to stop talking about myself. I saw the sparkles in his eyes and could not help wonder how he had been. I asked why he could be so happy. The answer was quite simple. He said he was happy because he loved all the things that he had been doing… Wasn’t that good?
But still, facing the fact that only him feeling good so it did not make me feel any better. I looked out the window and sighed: “Can you please tell me when this rain’s going to stop? I am so sick of this weather…” I said, with knowing that my friend might have been fed up with me already for ‘un-intentionally’ trying to turning him down… “I am so tired of this city. It’s always either too hot or too cold. And did you notice? The foggy and rainy weather has been like this for 1/4 of the year…” I continued.
Then he began – I think I only waited for this moment to hear his feedback. Because I know this guy will he super direct and straight to my problems.
“What’s happening with you?” He asked. “Are you trying to tell me that I am not acting like who I am? Like a normal me right?” I answered.
“Can’t be truer than that”. He laughed sneakily. I questioned him back: “Hey, I knew you also have a hundred things going on at the same time and you also changed your job last year… Don’t tell me it’s been a smooth process….!?”.
“Of course not… You had no idea how bored and disappointed I was when I had to quit the job. During my last few days at the office, apart from the day-to-day activities that we all have to accomplish, I had done something that I thought it was abnormal. I read through a 500 pages long book about Vietnamese history and now I feel like I have a new profession…”.
We laughed until his face looked a bit more serious again… “I think you should stop looking at the dark sides of everything. Of course you can leave if you don’t like this city anymore but you know more than anyone that there are goods and bads everywhere. Why don’t you look at this city to see our advantage of having seasonality? Other cities in Southeast Asia do not have that and they missed the opportunities to sell seasonal products and services…”.
“Okay!” I smiled and that’s when he knew that he made a clear point to me…
We kept the talking for another 15 minutes later before we greeted goodbye. 3 months later, I called him back and asked how he was doing… I know this is the man that I should be thankful for having him as a friend. And now, talking about seasonality, if you think Hanoi is the only capital city in Southeast Asia that has 4 seasons then it’s time to think again. We don’t just have 4 seasons, we have 12 flower seasons. I brought this idea for an internal presentation at work and received a number of good feedback… Let’s just forget about brand standards for now… I am just in love with the thought of me re-starting to have more of original ideas and finally get back to be my-authentic-self…
