Goodbye 2014 and Hi 2015

Just a couple of days to go does the new year come. Looking back the year of 2014 I feel so happy with what it has brought to me. Important tasks have been done successfully:
1. IELTS certificate
2. Holidays abroad
3. Bank loan paid
4. Son's high scores to high school
5. Apartment ownership applied
6. New phone Note 4
7. More kids studying in private classes
8. Type 1 performance bonus
9. Good recognition from students
10. Nice visit from a friend
11. More time to do yoga
12. Green plants indoor
13. Vespa scooter
14. More home decoration
15. Helping mum and brother more
16. Health checked in a good hospital
And many more...
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my beloved who always encourage and support me a lot to overcome difficulties during the year.
Now it is time to set new goals for the new year 2015.

Home decoration

Suddenly I become addicted to interior decoration :-). A hobby takes time, energy and money :-). I saw some websites about architecture and design and I decided to update the flat.

First of all, buy some indoor plants to display in every room. These plants are thought to purify the air and make the flat connected to nature. Honestly, some plants are happy but some are not and I have to say goodbye to those which could not survive in my home.

Second, decorate the dining table. Some fresh flowers in small glass bottles. I wanted to have a Coca Cola bottle. Unluckily, shops just sell plastic. They recommended me to buy in restaurants. I went there and paid some extra money to get such a nice sexy bottle.

Third, improve the coffee table and sofa with some old and new things. Books, candles, and shells are my choice. I got some sand from my brother's place to make the bowl of shells more "sea" :-).

 

Next, change the container for my old artificial roses. They used to be in a wood vase. I bought to baskets to put them in now. In my eyes, these baskets make a big difference. I like them.

And finally, hang some paintings (my son painted), some black and white photos I liked, some photos of my son in childhood and some nice famous saying I asked my son to write in A3 papers for me.  of course some Christmas things to welcome that foreign holiday and New Year 2015 when I will be 40 years old :-).

Thanks to teachers' long break at my university, I have plenty of time for my flat. :-)

Separation and merger

What a flexible organization we have. A year ago our big English department was divided into some smaller departments and last month we merged with 2 other ones to form a big ESP department. No one knows how long our new department exists. There were 31 teachers and leaders in my old department. All were women :-). To say goodbye to our department number 5, we held a buffet lunch last Monday. Just some people did not turn up. After a delicious meal we took some photos together. We looked all happy. It seems change does not mean much to us because whatever decision the university leaders make we are still teachers working under the same university 's roof.

Medical check-up

Almost 40 years old and minor operation on my breast in 1997, I decided to go to the women's center in a hospital for a check up. Several hours in the hospital on Thursday and while waiting for the results I went sightseeing and shopping. I went to malls - women's shopping paradises. I did not buy much but could not leave without something as a souvenir :-). The brown bag on my shoulder is my gift. Simple, soft, practical and matching with my suitcase ;-).

The result was good, nothing unusual or strange. Phew... Everything is still OK and functions well :-). Keep doing yoga, keep eating simple and healthy meals and a lot of fruit and vegetable, keep feeling optimistic about life and keeping loving what I have :-).

Bye bye debt

Long time no blog. I have been a bit out of mood for writing. Shouldn't be lazy. 

To treat myself after working too hard in a couple weeks I took this evening off work and relax and write my new entry.

A really good news is that I paid almost all the debts. Feeling so relaxed and from now on no more worry about the bank. I would not have done this successfully without the help of those who are always willing to give me a hand when I need. Lucky me. Once I told my friend that I earned quite good money in the past years but all of them went to my creditors. Paying off the debts means no more money in savings. So, I start from the scratch again to build up my wallet :-). However hard I work I still look worry-free. Even "worse" I put on weight. Too bad. My colleagues say that is signal of ageing. My work-life balance is not good these days and as a result I could find time for my exercise. Time for change...   

 

Back to work

One week to go we start our new school year. We have to spend this week preparing for it. So eager to be back teaching students and meeting colleagues. However, we feel a bit sad because teachers do not have many classes. It means our income from university will be reduced. Some good teachers teach at private language centers. Some work for one more employer. Some spend more time looking after families. And few (like me) enjoy living a simple life :-).  Wish one day we can live on our salary ...

Starbucks coffee in Hanoi

Today one of the 3 Starbucks coffee shops has opened in Hanoi and in the afternoon my son and I talked a lot about it. As a result, we decided to go downtown and become two of their first customers on the opening day. Quite crowded inside but luckily we arrived early and got seated near the window. After finishing half of the coffee we ordered we went home with our cups in hands.

It is not the first time I have enjoyed Starbucks. I have drunk it before, outside Vietnam. Here are two photos. The above is in Hanoi today and the below is in Bangkok some months ago. Missing the moments I have over the coffee cup...

Shortened hair

I made my mind: have my hair cut. I mentioned about short hair with my friend a long time ago and until recently did I have enough braveness to do it. About 20 cm shorter than before. I feel lighter on my head. Phew. Easier to wash it at home and not feel hot on the back...Honestly, the style is still the same but the length is a bit different. Not easy to recognize that I had it cut. When my son saw me he said nothing new. Perhaps I am too faithful to my hairstyle. Hairdressers advise me to change it like modern/stylish women often do. They fail to convince me :-). But they might be successful when one day the god was sick :-).

The workshop

Our workshop was 11 June. The topic was "How to improve teaching and learning ESP". We spent a lot of time preparing it. I was glad to be one of the presenters and got some positive comments on my presentation. Overall, the workshop was successful and made a good impression on the leaders from the university. At the end of the workshop, a colleague took the photo of me. What a coincidence! My long dress was the same color as the artificial flowers :-).

Ho Tay lotus

Boring when staying at home with nothing to do. I decided to go to visit the lake of lotus in West Lake. It took me about 40 minutes by vespa. When I arrived, so many people were taking photos already. Some amateur and some professional. They came in groups, family and pairs. I came alone. So I had to ask a girl and a man to take photos of me. There were not many flowers but the lake was covered with green lotus leaves. So nice. In a big city there is still some remaining of rural scene. It will be better if there are some places for people to sit among the lotus and enjoy the view and the sweet smell from the flowers.

Don't be fatter

I don't know why I can put on some weight, 54 kilos now :-(. Some colleagues who do not meet me often immediately recognize I am fatter. I do not change my lifestyle and my diet. I still go walking almost every day. Plus, hot weather makes me tired. They say putting some weight is good for me but one big disadvantage is my clothes get tighter. They are still very good and buying new ones costs me a fortune. Time to increase exercise and reduce food portions. I should be 50 kilos by the end of this summer (30 August). I try to reduce weight not because I want to be better-shaped but because I don't want to waste money on new clothes of bigger size. :-):-):-)

Long public holiday

30 April and 1 May this year last for 5 days. Unluckily, my son has only 2 days off. I could not plan a holiday far from Hanoi. So we decided to spend holiday HOME. Not much to do: going to some malls, eating out and visiting grandma in Long Bien. Honestly, not much interesting being lazy. When we work we wish to stay home. When we stay home we feel missing leaving home almost every day at 6.30 am :-).

Free Saturday morning

I got the IELTS and TOEIC certificates, not bad. And this morning I do not have to go to work. So feeling extremely relaxed. Besides, the internet is alive again. How can we survive without it? :-)

Music on and time to do the cleaning job. A bit tired but so wonderful when seeing the showers, taps and sinks shining. I have never had a housemaid and doing housework is never my problem. Perhaps that is because the flat is not big :-).

In the near future, we will have more free Saturdays. Our university is planning to reduce 6 teaching days to 5. I will have more free time. I should plan to do something new :-).

WIN 8.1 PRO AND OFFICE 365 / GENUINE

I decided to get my laptop updated. This time it cost a lot of money and a lot of my effort. I am sure I will get used to this new system in a short term. It is so much different from the old one. Luckily I have little experience from using smart phones and a long distance assistant. Therefore, no problem at all.

A nice weekend in Bangkok

I just had another chance to visit Bangkok. Luckily it was sunny most of my stay. Not the first time I  have been there but I still felt so excited. Many good memories came back to my mind...

New motorbike - special gift

I got a new motorbike TODAY. Since I could ride a motorbike this is the first time I have had a motorbike under my name. Believe or not, after almost 20 years. The Vespa came into my life at a right time: I just entered the world of 39- year -old ladies some days ago and one day before Valentine's Day.

The new bike is heavier and a bit higher than my old Attila. I intend to pratice riding it for several days before officially using it on roads.

Honestly, I felt a bit nervous when riding such a nice but expensive motorbike :-).

When I am 39 ...

About 52.5 kilos, 1.57 meters, long dark thick hair, still have so many dreams, so many ambitions and still hardheaded. One year older, more mature, more experienced...Who likes being older? :-)

The year of horse 2014

Happy New Year! The year of horse is coming in almost one hour. I hope it will bring my family and me good fortune and luck.

Siem Riep 2014

As soon as we started our 3-week Tet holiday, I visited Siem Riep, a small but really famous city in Cambodia. Siem Riep is in the dry season. Therefore, the weather was nice: sunny and warm. Much better than Hanoi: cold and cloudy. 

As a real tourist, I visited the temples and museums during the day and went to Siem Riep's old quarter at twilight for drinks and dinner. Not difficult at all because temples are located near each other and all are in the forest not very far from the our hotel. On the map for tourists the areas are noticeable 'squares' and the ways to there are really 'tourist friendly'. You cannot get lost. The most popular means of transport in SiemRiep is 'tuk tuk' and the driver was very friendly and careful.

Temples in Siem Riep were impressive and nice. Over the time and wars they were destroyed a lot. However, the remaining is enough to prove how wonderful they were. So many photos were taken in the temples I visited. Although all of them were taken by my smart phone not by professional cameras, they were still great :-).

There were a lot of tourists in Siem Riep. They came from so many different countries but not many Vietnamese people there. On my flight to Siem Riep and back to Hanoi, I did not see any Vietnamese people except the cabin crew :-). I just felt a bit that I was lucky to be a teacher whose holiday is always longer than most of other jobs and I was happy when I had another chance to open my mind and admire one of the world's wonders.

Wedding reception of a colleague's son

Long time we did not have a chance to gather like this: colleagues at a party enjoying good food and chatting and wishing the bride and groom a happy marriage life. Everyone looked happy. We have experienced such important moments in our life but still like looking at the newly-wed couple walking slowly to the main stage to do some wedding procedure :-) with the background music full of romance and love.

HAPPY NEW (SOLAR) YEAR 2014

The year of 2014 has come. It was marked by a nice sunny day. Time for people to go out to enjoy the first day of the new year. I decided not to work and enjoy being lazy one day.

I predict I will have a year full of hard work. I moved to a new department of English at my university and it will officially run next week. We have so many tasks to fulfill in the new department. I also have to take part in a proficiency tests required for teachers of English at university. Scaring :-)

Anyhow, I was quite satisfied with the year of 2013 and I am ready for 2014.