I finally have a degree!

Almost 3 months ago, I finally managed to graduate. I would say, my goal for the last year and half has always been to graduate - and I managed to do so. For me, it was a relief that I managed to achieve something that I'd had motivated myself to achieve.

Below are some photos I took with my friend as a pre-graduation shoot. The scenery that day was perfect. At first we thought that it may rain for the whole day due to the heavy shower that morning, but by lunch time the sky cleared up and we were able to do our photoshoot.

My parent's graduation gift

This is the scene that the summer graduations are usually held,
sadly my graduation wasn't here

A place I usually spend my arvo waiting for my next class

What's next in my life?

Well at the moment I am working full time for the government and shall continue my studies by completing my masters next year ..... So my learning journey hasn't stopped yet!

Second chance

We all want that moment. The moment to do things again. A second chance. Whether it was the moment when you realized that your trust had been broken by your partner or when they cheated on you or to that time when you didn't realized that the last moment with someone so dear to you was the last time you had with them......

It could be the simple moments when you realized that getting your hair done wasn't as you expected or that dress on display by the window that you declined to buy was the last one they had. All of these moments you just wished you had the second chance to do it all over again.

Wouldn't it be great to be able to get a chance to do it again?
To be able to change your decision.
To be able to use your time wisely.....
But what would the outcome be the same ??? Will the outcome be much more different from what you predicted or expect???

I will admit it, there were sometimes that I wished I had a second chance at. A second chance to do things again... and again. Just that one moment. But I came to realise that you can't change what has happened already. Even if you want to. You can't change the past.

But what happened if that situation turned out to be a good thing? or maybe it was 'fate' for things to end that way??? For what I know, life is unpredictable. Sometimes I can predict what will happen, while other times I can't. The one thing that I can do, is live life to the way I want to. Live life without any regrets and to the way you want to, because the future is an unpredictable road.

5 simple questions; 1 simple story

I was so inspired by the Wong Fu Production’s film ‘The Last’ that I decided to do something similar. This post will answer the 5 questions; Who, What, When, Where and Why of my first love. Because it’s a personal question, I’m going to hide some information about this person (just in case he reads this).

Who:

Who I fell in love with, was guy who I met a few times. We didn’t become friends instantly, but after a while things just fell into place. He was a family friend, who lived in the same area as I did. At first I thought he was another person that I would meet and soon forget. But over the course of time, something about him made me want to get to know him better. I don’t know if it was the big secret he kept from me or the fact that he wanted to know me better; but in the end (whatever it was) it had helped us to understand each other better.

What:

What I fell in love with, was his personality. His humour. His views. He was different from all the other guys I’ve met. Based on what my parents would call ‘acceptable’, he met all the criteria.It was funny because through him, I learnt a lot more than I ever did. What he did was; he helped me understand his world a bit better. And I too, helped him understand my world as well. What I learnt from him gave me a different perspective on life. He helped inspired me to chase my dreams and to enjoy life.

When:

When I fell in love with, was a few summers ago. I didn’t realise it at first, but that summer became a summer of memories.Every moment with him felt like I was experiencing something new, that I didn’t know and/or had taken for granted. But the only problem was; my summer was coming to an end. We had so many people that had told us that we were perfect for one another based on our status and knowledge. But what stopped us, was the fact that we lived in 2 different lives/ worlds. Even though we may have created wonderful memorises, it was the fact that those memories would just be memories of the past.

Where:

Where I fell in love with, was in a totally different world from my own. From the moment I came into his world, it felt like a new experience. He helped me to understand my past, present and future. I too,gave him a different perspective on life. I fell in love with his world so much, that when I had to leave, it was hard to say goodbye. Even though I spent a short time there, it felt like time had stopped.

Why:

Why I fell in love with, was the fact that he didn’t treat me differently. Even though we were from 2 different worlds, I just felt that at that very moment, our worlds were the same. But the one thing that stopped us; was the fact that we came to realise that our worlds cannot become 1 world and the fact that we were forced to say our goodbyes. Even though he had met my parents ‘criteria’, it was his big secret that influenced our final decision.

“If ever there is tomorrow when we’re not together…

there is something you must always remember.

You are braver than you believe,

stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.

But the most important thing is,

even if we’re apart…

I’ll always be with you.”

– Winnie the Pooh

Following your dreams; Sarina

I don't normally do a promotion type blog entry unless it is really meaningful to me. Having said that, this person has inspired me to post a blog entry asking all of my readers to support her.
click here for the link.

Her name is Sarina. She was my year 11 and 12 physics teacher (back in High school) and the journey she took is such a inspirational journey. From her amazing weigth loss (since I last seen her) to now following her music career, she is one of the most inspiring people I know.

At the moment she is recording her first EP. The problem she has is that recording this EP costs a lot of money to get to the final package. This isn't me asking for you to donate any money for her, its just measking you to support her by puchasing her EP when it is finished. You can do this by pre-purchasing a copy of her EP. 10% of the money pledged will go to Strike A Chord For Children - which provides sick and disadvantage children with musical instruments and professional music tutoring.

For more information, please check her website. here.

Beauty Therapy #5: Blue Night Sky Nail Tutorial

I was inspired to do this very easy nail tutorial by Bubzbeauty. It is a simple tutorial which doesn't take long to complete :). I gives off a shimmering night sky look. In this tutorial you don't have to use just blue. You can apply this tutorial to any colour of your choice :)

 

First we begin applying a base coat to protect our nails. Then using a slightly darker blue we apply it using a cosmetic sponge at the tips of our nails. One coat should do, if not 2 coats :). By using a cosmetic sponge it gives of a thin coat. BUT you don't need to use a cosmetic sponge instead use the brush but swipe a majority of the paint off the brush.

 

Once that has dried, we add a lighter blue over the slightly darker blue. Same process.Don't worry if it looks messy. We can fix that up using a cotton bud dipped with nail polish remover :)

Using a cotton bud, dipped in nail polish remover, we swipe away any unnecessary marks. FINALLY, we add a glitter polish on top of the blue. I used a grey/ silver glitter nail polish. This makes it looks like the night sky. Once dried, use a clear nail polish to protect the paint from chipping off  :)

Instead of using a grey/ silver glitter nail polish, you may want to use a nail polish which is similar but has the stars inside them. :)

So until next time

Take care xx

Beauty Therapy #4: Cupcake Nail Tutorial

For this tutorial I have been inspired by Cupcakes :) Cupcakes now days have been used as a replacement for one whole birthday cake :) . Makes me what a cupcake birthday cake now for my up coming 21st :)

**PLEASE NOTE: I am limited to a certain number of colours because I don't paint my nails sooo often. Also, if you dont have the tall long nail polish bottles (shown below) then pouring some polishing onto plastic and using a toothpick does work too :D**

SO here are some colours that I shall be using. Feel free to use your own colours :) and have fun :)

 

First thing is to start with a base coat to protect your nails (which I haven't). Then start by painting on a small stroke across your nails. Kinda like a small rectangle, this will become the cupcake tin :). I used Blue and Red and switched each finger with a different colour.

 

Next is to paint sort of a circle (not a nice and neat one) on top of the small rectangle. This will become the cupcake itself. I didn't have a pastel pink on me so I used the Revlon Sheer Rose which isn't effective because it matches my actual nails =___=" ... oh its okk if you go over the cupcake tins. That will create an illusion of the cupcake :)

Next was optional; but I used a thin black nail brush (you can use a toothpick if you dont have one) and outlined the cupcake so it stand out a but more (and mainly because the Revlon wasnt dark enough). HAHA! I also did curves around the cupcake to give off the illusion that it is fluffy :)

This part is also optional; I used white and dotted two small circles on each of the cupcake to create the eyes.

Using the black but using a toothpick, I dotted in the eyes on top of the white. This creates a cute and cartoon-y effect. I also used the other side of the toothpick and used pink polish and drew in a U shape to create the smile :)

I added silver glitter nail polish at the bottom of the tin to make it glittery and shiny.

And here is my end result. Make sure you apply a clear coat of nail polish to prevent any chipping :)

So overall, you can paint you nails before hand before doing this tutorial. I didn't because I prefer blogging a tutorial with just plain nails so you guys can see what it looks like without any colours.

Until next time,

Take Care xx

Beauty Therapy #3: Christmas Nail Tutorial

With Christmas just around the corner; I thought I might do a Christmas inspired nail Tutorial :)

This tutorial is very simple and all it involves is just a bit of creativity and fun :)
PLEASE NOTE: I am really sorry if the images aren't clear :) and I didn't take step by step photos cause once I got into doing the designs I totally forgot T__T"
ALSO: You can do this tutorial with a friend :) that way you can help each other out [if you dont think you have a steady hand to draw on your right hand using your left hand]

Below are some of the colours that I will be using. AGAIN; I'm only limited to a certain number of colours. ALSO you don't need to have these type of nail polish bottles. You can also use the normal bottles (just pour some out onto plastic and use a toothpick to do the details)

OK, the first step (below) was I painted the tips of my nails in white. I did this cause I wanted to have a snow type look on my nails which reminds me of Christmas.

 

The next steps; (sorry I didn't take much photos) was to draw individually what reminds me of Christmas.
As shown below; each finger has a picture of what Christmas is :)
My thumb (which isn't shown but is in the other photos further down) was a candy cane, then my fingers where, presents, a snowman, cherries and a Christmas Tree. How to draw each of these are shown below (in BOLD):

CANDY CANE: I started drawing a thick hook/ cane. Then I allowed it to dry. The using while nail polish I drew in lines on an angle. Then I allowed it to dry again before using the black to outline the candy cane. To make it stand out and to define it

PRESENT: basically; I drew a square using the blue polish. I allowed it to dry. Then used the pink polish and drew a 'plus + sign' on the blue and a V on top (to create a bow)

SNOWMAN: I drew 2 circles using the white. One big and one small. I allowed it to dry before tracing around it using the black. I drew a small red square on the small white circle then allowed it to dry again. Then used the black again to out line the red small square and drew a line between the small white circle and the red square creating a red hat. As for the buttons on the snowman I used the black and also drew in some branches.

CHERRIES: I began drawing two red circles and a green one next to each other. Once they where dried; I used the black to outline the red circles as individual cherries and drew a V on an angel on the green creating a branch between the two cherries.

CHRISTMAS TREE: I drew a triangle the allowed that to dry. Using the black I outlined the tree. As the black was drying I used the red and put in small dots. Making it look like small Christmas Tree decorations.

The final look to this tutorial :) [below]

As you can see, I started using the basic Christmas colours; Green, Red and White. But I decided to change that when I drew in the present. I wanted to show you guys that you didn't really need to use a set of one colour for this tutorial. Instead use different colours to create a wonderful Christmas.

And remember; don't limit yourself to just these pictures I drew. Why not draw something else that reminds you of Christmas.

So, Merry Christmas
and until next time;
Have a fun and safe Christmas
Take Care xx

Beauty Therapy #2: Balloon Nail Tutorial

Heyy Guys :):):)

So I decided to do a nail inspired tutorial blog :). I got inspired to do this nail design by watching a youtube video which I wanted to try out. SO hope you guys enjoy it and remember 'Have fun with the different colours :)  

ALSO if you dont have a steady hand on drawing aka using your left hand to draw on your right hand and vise versa then ask a friend to come over and help you and then do the same to each other :)

Below are the colours which I have used for this tutorial. I was limited to a certain number of colours because I dont tend to do a lot of nail art or paint my nails in any colour besides a clear nail polish. But feel free to mix and match your own colours because what I found out is that any colour will work with black :)

Ok, First we begin with CLEAN nails :) You can use a base coat of you want. But for me I didn't

 

Next we draw and colour in circles. We also leave a little dot at the end as shown below. The reason for the dot at the end is because just like we blow up a balloon there is always that small tail bit. Just like the picture on the thumb (the red one).

Here's a closer shot of it on my finger

Next we use the black nail polish to 'define' the balloon and also give the balloon a cartoon-y effect. Because I have the black in the professional nail bottle with a thin brush, I was able to paint it in. BUT if you don't and have the normal bottle (aka the fatter brush) then pour some black on a bit of plastic and use a toothpick :)

So I drew/ painted around the colours leave a bit of colour on the outside aka I didnt trace it full, I kinda traced it but left a bit of colour on the outside creating the illusion that I coloured in the balloons but went a bit on the outside (if you understand :S)
Then I drew in a small triangle at the end of the balloon (the tail of the balloon) and drew in a piece of string. ALSO, I drew in a small curved line inside the balloon creating that comic effect (clearly shown on the blue and green balloon).

Next I added some glitter nail polish to create a shiny balloon. I also added some glitter nail polish at the tips of my nails just to make it fun and glittery.

The FINAL step is to add a clear nail polish over the dried out nails and your done :)

The nail polishes that I used:

• The tall long bottles are from a small Vietnamese store that I brought while in Vietnam (a few years back). But its called Kiệt Thắng Taiwan Nail Art Stripping Brush In Bottle
• The medium blue: BYS Nail Enamel #N166
• The base coat: BYS Base Coat with Vitamine NC01
• The colour that was used on my small finger was from Revlon #130 Iced Spice

Diary #10: Upcoming tutorials

Heyy Guys :):):)

Just a quick note, I shall be posting up some upcoming inspired nail tutorials for you all :)

I made sure they are fun and simple to do. To some who know me, I sometimes have my nails done BUT not professionally .. in other words I do my own nail art :) SO I made sure that these inspired nail art designs are SUPER easy ;)

So keep an eye out for them cause the first one shall be posted up real soon :)

Til next time
Take Care xx

That Fairytale Ending

It seems like most people want to have that fairytale ending. A ending when you find your prince charming or when you find your damsel in distress and saves them and live happily ever after.

To some, it happens much earlier and yet to others it happens much later. But what happens when your that person when it happens much later? I mean, do you just give up and wait? Nearly everyone that I know seems like they want to find that fairytale ending as soon as possible. It's like their time is limited.

For me, I don't believe that my fairytale is coming to an end. I mean, I'm not in a rush to find my prince charming or my knight in shining armour. I'm just happy with what I got now. I also believe that when the time happens, it happens. Because you can't really tell whats going to happen tomorrow. Just like the saying:

"Yesterday is History, Tomorrow a Mystery,
Today is a Gift, That's why it's called the Present"
by Joan Rivers

Time to MAN UP!

"It hurts to love someone and not be loved in return, but what is the most painful is to love someone and never find the courage to let the person know how you feel" ~Anonymous

I just hate when guys [males] don't have the courage to ask someone out. Especially when they tell you they liked you but never had the guts to ask up til now! and then all a sudden they ask you out! ... Well my answer to that is 'NO'.

Why? Well, 1) You didn't have the courage to tell me back then and 2) Why the sudden "Will you go out with me?" and then tell you they 'chickened out' back then.

It shows a lack of courage to ask someone out. That's what I think. I like guys who actually have the courage to ask someone out without any delay. It shows alot of courage. Also that they [males] want to pursue the girl.

My advise to all the guys out there who don't have the courage to ask a girl out is:
You should tell her before its too late. No matter what the outcome is (good or bad) you can use it as an experience and not regretting it later on. Especially to the guys who I knew (that also where in this situation with me) to MAN UP NOW.

SO here's some handy hints (from buzzle.com) to asking that special person out:

1. Don't think that a date is the most important event in the world. So remember to breathe, stay calm and plan what actions to ask the girl on the date.


2. Know what the girl's interests are and her friends so that you can be apart of them as well. And don't do the whole stalker thing and/ or hire a dective to find out this info T_T.


3. Get closer to her. NOT physically. Like become like a friend that helps each other out.


4. Hanging out. Try to go somewhere that you guys can bond. Like out of school or work. This helps you to know a little bit more about her outside the workplace and what not.


5. Ask her out. A simple note, or a causal coffee meeting or even the movies will helo you ask her out on a date. But rememer you dont want to scare her so don't go over board with it.

Why 'Tears of Hope' (Nước mắt của hy vọng) ?

As some of you maybe be asking why is my blog called "Tears of Hope" which translate to Vietnamese "Nước mắt của hy vọng". The reason why I bracketed the Vietnamese name was because I wanted my readers to know that even though I blog in english, I'm a Vietnamese person. It also relates to the fact that some/most of my blogs are always linked to my holiday experiences in Vietnam. :)

It's called "Tears of Hope" because it was a name that I came up with to give of different meanings. "Tears of Hope" can mean alot of things in life. The word 'Hope' is supposed to mean e.g. the hope to start a new life, the hope to get the strength to move on, the hope to discover who you are. The word 'Tears' emphasises on the tears that may come out of it (like the end result) or the strength used to achieve it.

Hence why my blog is called "Tears of Hope". I wanted to have a blog that I could blog on what I've learnt, what I've experienced and what other people may also face. I wanted this blog to not only allow people to read, but also related to the experiences which I've faced each and everyday. It's kinda like a diary but with out that love-dovey and secret stuff but based in real life both past and present.

"Tears of Hope" wasn't just the only title I used in high school. There was also "Forgotten Memories". "Forgotten Memories" was mainly about the memories that you wish you haven't forgotten. For example, the memories of a love one who passed away or a happy memory. In this title, I wanted to emphasis on the memories of the past and the future that people may have forgotten. However, it wasnt just about forgetting memorise of the good times. It was also about trying to forget bad memories e.g a criminal offence and starting a brand new life.

I thought of calling my blog (before I started) "Forgotten Memories" or "Forgotten Love". But, I think this blog is well suited with "Tears of Hope". :)

Chasing that dream

I noticed that there are many people who all a sudden stopped chasing their dreams. I mean, when something interrupts their life or someone else’s they suddenly stop. My question is when you suddenly stop chasing your dreams then will you pick it back up when everything turns “back to normal”? Or will you just give up? Which is to me, quite weak. But I was like that for about 5 years.

For me, I stopped chasing my dreams when I entered high school. And now I regret it. The first dream I had was my artwork. It was my year 7 teacher who had noticed that I had a talent in artwork (aka drawings and graphics design). When it came to enrolling to a high school, he recommended me to attend a high school in Applecross. This high school specialised in art it was the school of specialist art. He thought it would be an amazing opportunity for me to develop me art skill even further. But sadly I declined the offer. However I continued doing art, as a subject in high school, to about the end of year 10. What made me stop doing art were my parents. They never took any notice in my artwork I did each semester. It was after my last artwork I decided to leave art and do something that they would be proud of.

It was year 10 that I picked up a natural skill in poetry. I mean, according to my year 9 English teacher (who helped me submitted a poem for a competition) told me that one of the poem, I wanted to submit, expressed a lot of emotions. Emotions like pain, sadness and a broken heart. He also told me that it was one of the most powerful poems that he has read that I have written ( because I was his student in year 9 and one of our assignment was to write a ballad based on any topic but following the ballad style). However, my submission was last minute and the judges had already picked out a winner. So I continued writing poetry for next year’s competition.

A year later, the competition was once again opened. This time I submitted a different poem via email without the help of my English teacher. The poem was about a person (girl or boy) that needed a heart. Meaning they needed someone to donate a heart for them. The poem uses the donor as “god” because only god can help them survive the world. Even though I didn’t win the competition, my poem managed to get published on the newspaper. Which to me was one of the best accomplishments I ever gotten. When I was that my poem got published, I showed it to my parents. However, like always they really didn’t care. So I gave up on poetry and that poem was my last ever piece of work in poetry. They poem is published on this blog and it’s called “Can you lend me a heart?”.

Even though my parents were never proud of my work and talent, I learnt not to let that influence me anymore. However, it took me 5 years to realise this. Now, my parents are finally proud of me. They are proud that I’m at uni and am studying. They are proud that I’m helping them chase a dream they had for me, which is to go to uni and study something that will help me to have a bigger and brighter future.

One of my inspiration for my new project

Okay I'm starting to get used to this whole blogging thing at the moment. But its kind of weird writing in a blog because I don't know who am I talking to. Or even if anyone's reading this blog at all.

So tonight I decided to write up a book or something along the lines of that. The book will be based on me and my experiences living in Perth to visiting Vietnam. In this book, I think I shall write about the differences living in a Western society and experiencing life in Vietnam that most people never or won't get the chance to experience. I got my inspiration from a friend in Vietnam, who about my age started to write a book about his life and his battle with leukaemia. He is an amazing friend and even though I struggled to read his book, because its in Vietnamese, the things and experience he went through to get better is truely amazing.