Self-reflection of 2012

It's that time of year again when we look back on the events that has happened to us this year. 2012 has been such a huge adventure for me. I learnt so much and experienced so much. 2012 has opened my eyes to endless possibilities and helped me create lasting friendships. Some of my highlights if 2012 are:

Melbourne
It was my first trip EVER! traveling interstate. I missed my initial opportunity back in Feb this year. This was because I was currently in Vietnam for 3 months and didn't check my email regularly. So the night I was flying back from Vietnam and had a stop over at Singapore airport, the CPA Student Ambassadors was leaving for Melbourne. So sad. Nevertheless; I managed to score a free trip to Melbourne in July by winning the Season 1 Naked CEO Ask Alex question. They flew me off to Melb, where I stayed at the Crown Promenade and was able to get mentored by his executive management team and also have a one-on-one with the CEO himself, Alex.

Walking along Southbank

 

My Melbourne trip didn't stop here. I was back in Melbourne again in December having won another CPA Australia competition. This time, I was apart of a editorial meeting for the "Real Business" Magazine. Highlight of this trip was to get 1 personal article published and co-write another article.

View from level 20

The board room

Melbourne 
While I was in Melbourne, I met some of the most inspirational and out-going people there. I formed new friendships and also networking opportunities.

New job
So I been job hunting for a few months now, and been rejected every time. Main reason was my lack of experience. I finally found a new job. Even though it may not be in my field of studies, everyone there is friendly and funny. Also, this is my first paid position! No more working for the family business for free!!!!

Breaking my exam jinx
For about a year and a half now, I've been having this jinx. For every exam I fist sit I would fail the unit. Yes that's right, I would fail the unit. But all that changed in 2012. I managed to pass all my units (even my first exams for both semesters) and also improved my overall weighting score :)

My 21st 
I didn't really expect to have a 21st birthday this year. Most people planned their 21st like 6months in advanced. Yet I, didn't do any of that. So a few weeks closer to my birthday I decided to have a few friends over for dinner to celebrate my 21st. It was a simple dinner, with people who had influenced my life, after all these years.

The Lunar New Year in Vietnam
So I spent about 3 months in Vietnam and managed to stay for the Lunar New Year. This was my 2nd New Years in Vietnam. I really enjoyed every moment of it and of course the lucky red pocket money ;)

I can't wait for what is installed next in 2013. I hope the new year brings me plenty or surprises, joy, laughter and great adventures.

Wish I was back in Vietnam for Christmas

I know I havent been blogging as much as I want to, thats because over the past few months/ weeks I've been having a few family problems. Hence why I haven't been using my twitter and blog account much.

Anyways, it's that time of year again. Christmas is coming!!! Time to take out your old Christmas decorations and get presents wrapped for the one's you love.... The weird thing is, my family doesnt celebrate Christmas. And what I mean is, we dont hang Christmas decorations, have a Christmas tree or give/ receive gifts. Christmas in my household is just another ordinary day. I've never really learnt what "Christmas" really means. When people talk about the wonderful adventures their families go to or the fun, loving Christmas dinners they have/ go to, it makes me feel kinds left out.

Maybe its the way my parents were raised that they dont celebrate Christmas. Even when I go to Vietnam, Christmas was mainly based for the children. No had a Christmas tree inside the house, but they did have a small Christmas shrine. Each road block would allocate a spot (within their street block) and build a shire that has little baby Jesus and his parents around with a few farm animals. This was then decorated with flashing lights. They also built one around the Church, but based on the districts.

Building the shrines around the Church

These are supposed to give the illusions of a rocky cave

Putting up the frame

This is what they look like (looks better at night when the
display lights are turned on)

What the Church did with the children (for Christmas) was that they would hold a mid-day fair, which was followed by a 7pm concert, which then followed by a 11pm Mass (to welcome the new born King). At the kids fair, they would receive tickets (based on how many times they attended the Church mass and their Sunday School attendance within mid-October to Christmas). These tickets allows them to play the games, which the Priest and his Committee organised.

One of the Christmas concert I went to on Christmas Day (but at night)

During the concert, they would first do a re-enactment of how Christ was born and then it would follow the other random performers (singing and dancing). After all this, a Christmas mass was next.

Christmas in Vietnam was loads of fun. Last year, I helped with wrapping over 200 mini prizes for the Children's fair, 20 large thank-you gifts for each of the performing groups and help cut and stamp all the Children's fair tickets. This was all done in 10 days.

Jelly Cups for the kids

Welcome to Chỉ Thiện

Welcome to Nhà Xư Chỉ Thiện. This is one of the places that I spent my days in. It's basically a courtyard where the Parish Priest stays at. Because my Aunt works for the local parish priest, I generally spend about 3 or 4 times a week here. How I pass time; is a wonder for me.

Most of my entertainment here is either teaching english or hanging about :)

 

The back Cabbage field
Where babies are born ;)

The main entrance to the courtyard

 

 

Fishing for fishes; Vietnamese style

My Experience:
So the photo says it all. One of the fastest way to catch fish from the back pond is to catch it with a net. Sadly, no one understood me when I say 'Let's go fishing' aka fishing with an ACTUAL fishing rod and not with a fishing net =__= "

The guy on the phone is one of the priest's helpers. He is actually studying to become a priest this year. BUT he is good at fixing computers and broken down technology. He was actually pretty shy the first time I met him. But when he opened up, man! he was funny.

Below is a small video I recorded when I was in Vietnam ... it was basically me showing you what the Parish courtyard looks like ... Sadly I didn't plan to do much filming

Gift Haul

Here are some of the things that I brought, whilst in Vietnam :) ... I roughly estimated the value of each product to AUD :)

Some couple/ singles key chains and phone chains

 The angrybirds  phone chains cost 23.000đ ≈ $1.00 AUD
The couple key ring costs 30.000đ ≈ $1.30 AUD
The music phone chain costs 15.000đ ≈ $0.60 AUD
The four leaf clover phone chain costs 12.000đ ≈ $0.50 AUD



I brought this at a small retail store closer to home

The costs of this wallet is 105.000đ ≈ $5.00 AUD

For some reason I have an obsession for red wallets ... don't know why :S

One of my favourite shower product is the Enchanteur Whitening and Firming body scrub
and the Rejoice shampoo. 

The 175g Enchanteur Whitening & Firming Body Scrub costs 40.000đ ≈ $1.50 AUD
The Rejoice shampoo (in the individual packs) costs 500đ ≈ $0.01 AUD
The Enchanteur range is one of the most popular products used for the body (along with Nivea).
The smell isn't powerful or anything, it is a light scented rose smell.

The Enchanteur perfume 'Charming' was brought from a local lady

The cost of the 25mL 'Charming' perfume costs 75.000đ ≈ $3.60 AUD
The perfume has a slightly stronger smell than the body scrub but the smell is exactly the same

Another perfume that I brought from her is 'Miss Saigon'

 The cost of the 17mL perfume is 25.000đ ≈ $1.10 AUD This was one of the first perfumes that I brought. The label says it lasts for 12 hours, but in my opinion it
lasts more than that. It also has a 5 year expiry date too.

This is another product that I brought from the small retail store

 The Lacvert Essance silky two way cake cost 120.000đ ≈ $5.50 AUD
I brought this silky two way cake because I recently used it for Christmas and the result was good.
You can get either this or the whitening two way cake in a black case.
The colour that I got was #21 Natural.

This here is a blusher.

 The blusher cost 30.000đ ≈ $1.30 AUD
The colour number is 08 and I think it's a Korean brand.
I recently used this product before hand, and the result was alright.
I found that the less you apply the less pink your cheeks will be.

My new pencil case :)

 The pencil case cost 23.000đ ≈ $1.00 AUD
I needed a pencil case upgrade pronto :) and this was no exception

Welcome to Quỹ Nhất Markets

Welcome to the Chợ Quỹ Nhất (Quy Nhat Markets), here are some of the snaps that I took around my area. This market here, is one of 3 markets that is closest to home.

The markets are usually packed around 7-8am because people want to buy the freshest and cheapest produce.  But before that, around 6am, there are people selling food. They generally sell breakfast food, i.e. Bún (which is the rice noodles in a stock type soup with mini meatballs), Phở (a noodle broth soup with pieces of meat and spring onion) and Bánh ướt.

My first time in this local market area was a funny story. Back in 2006, when I first traveled to this area, everyone kept giving me awkward looks and kept thinking that I didn't understand Vietnamese. So it wasn't til a few years later, when I kept coming to the same market area that people stopped looking and stopped talking behind my back. 

Your only fully Asian if you can barter with the prices. Sad to say, I'm not fully Asian yet ... I need my cousin to help barter with price because I either barter too low =__="

The fruit section of the markets.

The clothing section is right next to the fruit section.

If you want to buy the cheapest clothes 

then this is your place, clothes here are much cheaper then  

the outside stores (outside the markets)

The Meat section.

This area is practically empty after the market hours (from 7am to 12 pm). So I decided to take some snaps :)

Right next to the meat section is the mini food section;

where, if your hungry, can sit and eat food.

The clothing section.

Bartering is the key to getting the cheapest clothing!

 

Down a small alley way of the market. People tend to sell 

miscellaneous things here. 

For me, to wake up early and see the market full, is a full NO NO. I tend to come to the markets around 9am or 9:30am because it is less packed = less pushing and shoving.

Destination Changi Airport - Singapore

SO my first stop in my 2.5 month holiday was Changi Airport in Singapore. It was a 5 hour flight from Perth International Airport to Singapore Changi Airport. Apparently, Singapore is one of the largest transiting airports to come to. With Sky-trains to built in environments and free internet access/ wifi within the airport, the entertainment here is endless.

So here are some pictures I took when I was waiting to board my final flight - Singapore Changi Airport to Hanoi Noi Bai Airport Vietnam. 

The built in environment ... sooo pretty

Another built in environment

Got some money?

At the airport they basically have different stores are each terminal

so the endless possibility to products to buy :)

Got some free time? Go to the 2nd floor for some entertainment

So the 2nd floor is the entertainment deck.

So if you have more than 3 hours til your next flight and your sick of shopping

they have this special level built so you can entertain yourself.

entertainment such as - an upstairs cinema to console games

I've always wanted to be on a postage stamp :)

You really don't need to be famous to be on a postage stamp.

Here is a section in the terminal that allows you to make and print out your own

personalized postage stamp.

Hungry?

They also have a food court upstairs in level 2.

More shopping :)

DUTY FREE :):):)

STORY: So, I was purchasing some duty free here, and my god! the lady who

attended me was sooo goood. She was a small Asian lad, who

I think been working here for a long time, because

she knew like everything about me. Like she knew I was from 

Australia and that I'm heading to Vietnam .... creepy! 

but she was soo entertaining to talk to :)

What to do at Changi Airport ....

Here are some reason .....

Diary #15: My Summer Break

Heyy Guys :):):)

It's been ages since I've done a Diary Entry ... Well to some that have been following my Blog, since December til February I've been on holiday, so some of the blog posts from Dec to Now have been scheduled posts aka they get posted up automatically on a set date ... so it seemed like I've spent most of my summer break posting .. LOL

So anyways, WHERE ON EARTH DID I GO TO?

Well, like every summer for the past 5 years I've been to Vietnam :). BUT this time I spent 2.5 months there (longest trip EVER!). I shall post some holiday pics and stories to share with you all .. and that's a promise .. UNLIKE last time 6__6

The trip for me this time wasn't really about sightseeing [UNLIKE all my other trips + I've been everywhere up North] it was more of discovering my family background and doing things I NEVER had the guts to ... -- aka I had the guts to sing for the Christmas concert in front of the WHOLE community BUT things didn't go it's why ... MUCH =__=" --

I think today is the first time I've actually written this blog early ... It's about 8 pm and I'm listening to T-ARA ft. Davichi - We Were In Love :)

 

It is the follow up from T-ARA's Cry Cry MV.

Something worst about my trip was that I wasn't able to check my emails frequently, so by the end of my trip, I had OVER 500 emails (not including spam mail) ... So I spent 2 whole days checking each one of them =__=" ... and amongst them all was a email from CPA Australia.
As some of you guys are aware, last semester I was a CPA Student Ambassador (and is continuing with it again this semester), and the email was an invite to travel to Melbourne for 3 days for the Naked CEO Boot Camp (flights and accommodation paid for). SAD to say, the day I left (from Vietnam to Perth) was the day they left for Melbourne :'( ... I REALLY REALLY wanted to go :'( *CRIES* ... Worst thing is, I only found the email yesterday, and the invite was sent 1 month before hand *CRIES* .... SO ALL WELL :)

So, back to checking the rest of my emails ... ONLY 22 emails left O__O

Til Next Time
Take Care xx

Origami Star Paper

Heyy Guys :)

I know I haven't been posting anything new (except Asian Drama reviews) these days because there wasn't much to up date with :S

So anyways, my mum and little sister came back from a quick holiday Vietnam (about 3 weeks ago) and this is what they brought back for me ^^

They are like mini star paper :). The ones on the left are some of the designs you can get and the image on the right with the small stars are what they turn into.

A SUPER thank-you to my Cousin for buying them for me :) origami