Winter 2012

Cloudy sky, light rain and cold wind are signals of winter. The temperature in Hanoi is between 16 and 22 degrees these days. Not too cold but it is time for me to prepare warm clothes.

In general, people do not like winter. Winter atmosphere often makes us feel bored and upset and cold. And romantic people like me easily  have the feeling of loneliness. :-)

I start work at 8 so luckily I don;t have to get up early in cold mornings. Anyhow, just 4 weeks to go we have teaching break of 2 weeks. Sleeping and eating time.

An MC

I became an MC for our department's meeting by chance today. In the meeting we had six issues and we had seven vices so one vice had to be an MC and that was me. I have never acted like an MC before so I needed to prepare a little. Not easy to speak in front of lots of people, I must confess :-). Anyhow, the meeting finished successfully and one teacher told me that my voice via phone was very nice. Wow, who said I was sharp-tongued? :-)

Battery for Hp ProBook 5220m

This the photo taken on 12 September 2012, my laptop and its original battery. On that day my HP ran out of battery and it refused to charge. I found later that the battery needed changing. But not easy for me to buy new batteries for HP in Hanoi because my laptop seems to be 'abnormal' :-). My friend bought it for me in Bangkok. After failing to try to buy the battery in Hanoi I decided to use eBay for the first time. I found the battery online and I placed an order. Things went smoothly. However, I felt nervous about buying online. I told my friend that it was a new experience and that if I did not get the product as I wished I would stop using. Anyhow it is worth trying new things in life. A lot of people can buy online, why not me :-)? I ordered online and asked for home delivery but I did not dare to pay online yet. This step will be done in the future. Step by step :-) I paid for it in the eBay office on 6 Nov and today 20 Nov I got the purchase.

I immediately put it in the laptop and it worked. Phew... My ProBook 5220m becomes a nice "laptop" again, no part missing any more. Laptops must be on the lap, not always on the desk :-).

Party 20.11

20 November is Vietnamese Teachers' Day - our day. To celebrate it our department often give a party somewhere in Hanoi. Like last year, this year we had buffet party in Sen Tay Ho, about 10 km away from the downtown, a good place to eat so many different kinds of Vietnamese food. Luckily we had very nice weather: chilly and sunny. As usual, my two close friends-colleagues and I sat together and enjoyed food and chatted. After that we wanted to take some photos in such a nice surroundings.

Litle vegetable gardens

When there is more and more news about 'dirty' and 'dangerous' meat, vegetable and fruit, and when a piece of land is equivalent to a piece of gold in cities, such self-catering little gardens are not rare. Even they grow vegetables on the balcony and top of of the high buildings. In general, people make use of space and ground available in their neighbourhood to   grow their own vegetables. These are gardens in my neigbourhood, on the edge of a big lake. Luckily for those who have stayed here for a long time and luckily for those who live in villas. It is easy for them to 'occupy' empty lots of land and make them their gardens. I saw some old ladies watering vegetables and picking weeds. Perhaps, this is also their retirement hobby, "gardening". So peaceful.

Four years

What can you do in four years? Well, you can finish grades 6-9 (secondary school in Vietnam), you can finish a university program, you can start a new life and gradually get used to it, you can travel at least to 8 destinations in the country and abroad, you can end a sad relation and welcome a new one, you can see the growth of a child from a boy to a teenager, you can save almost enough for your own 'nest' and you recognize that you are 4 years older, old enough to feel happiness and old enough to feel sad moments which you can avoid in your life...

Certificate of ESP Online course

I got my certificate for a 5-week online course: ESP - Best Practices. The USA Embassy in Hanoi organised a reception dinner to give certificates to some eteachers. The dinner was in a cozy restaurant facing the West Lake. I have never met anyone there in person before except my Dean, who was also invited. I guessed his project at MOET must be linked to USA training programs. I really like my online course. The course has widened my knowledge about ESP. Hope in the future more courses are available for teachers like me.