My favorite documentary (Part I)

1. Chuyen Tu te (1987) - Living as one should

Staring at the facade of capitalism and power manipulation, what keeps me alive is the remained kindness. Whenever I watched the movie, it reminded me of my dear friend Thanh Vu. Thank you for being one of very few people I know who live with 100% passion, pure heart, and kindness. I wish you the best in your documentary path, dear.

If you have 42 mins in your day, please watch the movie and let it reminding you about living with kindness.

2. Thay co chung ta da thay doi (2017) - How our teacher changed The program selected 8 teachers, analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of each. The weakness often drives from over-esteem of teachers: unable to listen to their students, fail to appreciate their jobs, and reluctant to change. Most teachers feel helpless with students and tired of their job. The program is a breath of fresh air given the learning environment in Vietnam. It advocates for proactive teaching environment and putting students as classroom centre. At the end of each episode, through tears and smiles, those teachers found the meaning and happiness from their work again.

3. Talk Vietnam: Lê Duy Loan. An engineer and the first woman and Asian elected as a Texas Instruments Senior Fellow

Recently, VTV impressed me with the quality of its shows. Talk Vietnam is another incredible show. My favorite this year is an interview with Ms. Le Duy Loan. There are two words repeatedly mentioned in this talk: determination and compassion. It showed who she is as a woman and a professional.

I saw my aunt, my friend’s mother, my teacher, and my fav restaurant owner in Ms. Loan. Their earnest to belong to the motherland, the audacity to dream, the incredible work ethics, and above all a compassionate heart for the greater good. I cried watching the show. Only kindness is able to move me that way and I guess it can do so to others.

4. Thao's library (2015)

Some were born to take. Some were born to give. This is a heart tearing story of Thao. She was born to give even when so little she has. Agent Orange couldn't stop her from dreaming. She dreams of becoming a princess, of having legs and arms like normal people do, and of having a library. Her laughters when she saw her library torn my heart. Thao is an inspiration.

The very last scenes when she danced with her hands made me feel i'm so lucky. I can dance on my own feet.

5. Andrew Jenks, Room 335 (2006)

Days after my grandmother passed away, my boss gave me a book about Buddhism. Its message put good scar in my heart. Life is impermanent. You can't control it but wisdom and love make you survive. Since then, books and documentaries on the elderly have special place in my heart.

Andrew Jenks, Room 335 told a story of Andrew aged of 19 living in nursery home in Florida with his friends to document the elderly lives. whole documentary sparkled with tears and laughters. I remember Tammy and Bill the most. They made jokes, bought candies and helped others. They created love and received enormous amount of love from others.

By the end of the day, only "beauty and kindness made tears clear blindness"

The show reminded me of my another favorite Youtube video: Life lessons from 100-year-olds. If you are my close friends, I am sure you were sent the vid x

Feeling like a rapper

It seems... "Fantasy's what people want reality to be"

I've been listening to Akua Naru extensively last week. That damn song "The World is listening" glued in my head and soon will be my ultimate life anthem.

Akua Naru is a perfect female artist to me: full of lust and intellect. For the touch of her lust, play "Poetry: How Does It Feel Now" at night with some candlelights. She is the woman of all woman.

Talking of intellect, do you know hip hop improves brain functions? Back in 2012, Dr Becky Inkster and Dr Akeem Sule from the University of Cambridge found that freestyling can put the brain in a unique “flow state” that triggers “parts of the brain responsible for emotion, language, motivation, motor function, and motor processing”. Together, they launched Hiphop Psych helping patients who were stroke survivors, Parkinson's patients, and other mental disorders.

Given its benefits toward the mind, integrating rap in teaching can be a legit idea to help student with memorising. When I am trying to intertwine economics and rap, I found this dope video.

So next time you see me, maybe i can talk economics in beats and rhythm of prose.

Peace out!

Is is an illusion?

I just came back from Uong Bi, Quang Ninh. Woke up at 6 am everyday. Ate oatmeal and banana for breakfast. Spent 20k VND on lunch and 25k VND on cheap market dinner. Life couldn't be better.

I'm surprised by how I craved so little and stayed so happy. Is the world in my beloved urban life creating an illusion? An illusion of a standard "happy life". A "happy life" in Hanoi includes nice coffee, preferably black, in a stylish set up. That "happy life" also possesses splendid lunch in one of the Golden Gate's restaurants, bad-ass leather bags, and a business to be proud of.

My happy life in Uong Bi was quite the opposite. Two Microeconomics textbooks, 3 chapters of curricula I finished, a laptop, a wardrobe of 3 t-shirts and pants.

When one stands at a different frame of reference, one's perspective adjusts. My standard of happiness differs to yours, to my version 10 year ago, and clearly to its Quang Ninh version. It is why Alfred Marshal's "cetaris paribus" is a magical word.

P.S:

1. Quang Ninh's students are better at studying maybe because they live with less distraction (no bubble tea, perhaps LOL)

2. Under the Bridge by Red hot chili peppers is perfect for morning blue.