Put a smile on my face

Dear world!

I'm now a free man, my final exams are all over, which marks the end to my time at UCL. For all those years, I have been trying so hard, consistently... everyday, every minute and every second. Only I know how many things I have been through, nerves, breakdowns and sleepless nights... For the last 5 years of my life, I consistently pushed myself to the limit, to become someone completely different from what people perceived about me. Success maybe my goal but pride is my motivation. I remember going to high school back in Vietnam, being a normal average student in the class, nothing remarkable about me nor my academic achievement. No more of that, of being somewhat "invisible", average, not in the way it used to be.  I hope what I've done, especially during this whole year will be paid off, because that is the only way I can justify myself, to the world to see what I am truly capable of. More importantly, that would be the only way I can put smiles on my Mum and Dad' faces. Family is my soft spot, tears come out unconditionally when I talked about my Mum, whenever I want to give up I think about her, and how she would feel is enough to have me stand back up again. She is my endless courage, I would do anything to make her proud. 

Saying about putting a smile on her face, someone put a smile on my face today. I went out for some grocery shopping this morning, suddenly a middle-aged man approached me and said this: " Excuse me, you are so beautiful, where are you from?" After my answer, he said one of the sweetest things on earth: " You're student right? If I was younger, I would definitely ask for your number"..... he smiled " Take care!" and walked away. ,,,,,,,,,,

I was stoned, OMG, that was just so random and kind of him to say those nice words to me. It's the first time a stranger approach me in such a polite way just to tell me that I'm beautiful....... Just as simple as that, I have been happy ever since this morning. 

I guess that would be a good way to wrap up a random note about a random little thing that made me smile today. I'm thinking of writing more about food or beauty in this blog, my next post would be on Facial Masks, I've been researching about this topic recently as my skin dried out so badly that it started flaking( I think because of exam stress)  and came up a few must-have masks for my beautiful ladies. So if you are interested, watch out this space. 

No sinner

This album was made from scratch to finish in less than an hour in a most spontaneous way it could have been. The idea originally came from an Elle magazine cover of Rosie-Huntington Whiteley, wearing  barely a beige vest. Hoa and I wanted to do some b&w shoots and at the same time try out the kitten eye make-up we saw the night before in a tutorial. We worked together for the second time. She never fails to catch the moments. Im totally satisfied.

Photographs by Hoa Pham
Model & Make-up: Liz using Mac eye shadow in Just, Bobbi Brown gel eyeliner in Black

For you, Grandpa

It was few days ago when I accidentally watched the BBC Radio 1 Big Weekend, featuring Lady Gaga. It was fun, big time and she was fab. But this is for you Grandpa, it was like she sung out what has been on my mind.

Someday I was making avocado smoothies, shall we say, as I was mixing it, thinking I needed to add some milk.  And a memory of you, Grandpa, flashed through my mind, of how you used to mix condensed milk with ice for us when I was a little child. It reminded me of how much we loved it, and asked you to make it again and again. This happened just one day before your 49-day ceremony, how strange.
So this is for you...just  to let you know, how much Ive been missing you everyday. Grandpa.

Ông nội

Cháu biết tin ông nội mất ngày hôm qua, ông mất từ thứ bảy tuần trước.
Hôm nay là đám tang ông nội. Bố mẹ cháu và Bảo Anh đưa ông ra Hà Nội, chắc sẽ đưa về Thường Tín, Hà Tây, quê nội mình.

Hè năm nay về nhà, cháu sẽ ko còn được thấy ông nội nữa. Biết đâu hè vừa rồi lại là lần cuối cháu còn thấy ông, cháu sẽ phải nói với ông cháu thương ông nhiều lắm. Năm nay ông nội yếu đi nhiều, không còn khoẻ như trước nữa. Hồi tháng 10,11 mẹ cháu gọi điện bảo ông mấy tuần nay chân yếu không lên xuống cầu thang được nữa, cũng không đi ra ngoài hàng nước gần nhà ngồi chơi nữa rồi. Nhưng khoảng mấy tuần sau ông khỏe và đi lại được. Ông nội hồi trẻ khoẻ lắm, hồi Bảo Anh còn học mẫu giáo cháu thì học tiều học Hồng Hà, trưa nào cũng một mình ông đạp xe đi đón cháu và Bảo Anh rồi chở cả hai đứa về nhà. Ông nội hay chiều cháu, ngày nào chẳng mua cho nào nước ngọt, bánh kẹo, cháu đòi là ông lại mua cho. Cháu vẫn nhớ như in hôm cháu nhận được tiền thưởng 50 nghìn HS giỏi cấp quận thì phải, lúc ông đến đón là phải khoe ngay. Rồi có hôm trời mưa, ba ông cháu mình trú mưa ở trường mẫu giáo, mỗi đứa một cốc trà sữa ngon lành lắm. Hồi đấy trưa nào ông nội cũng nấu cơm trưa ba ông cháu, ông nấu ngon nhất là món rau muống xào ông nhỉ!

Ông bị tai biến cũng lâu rồi, tay trái từ đó lúc nào cũng bị tê, ông cũng yếu đi từ đó. Nhưng ông lúc nào cũng vui vẻ hết, gặp người là cười nói rôm rả lắm. Hè rồi cháu đi học làm bánh nên cứ bắt ông ăn bánh cháu làm, ông bảo cứ bắt ăn hoài. Cháu thích trêu ông nội lắm...Lúc cháu đi, ông nội còn khoẻ lắm mà, sao ko chờ cháu về hả ông?
Mấy tuần cuối ông yếu, phải nhập viện. Đến thứ bảy vừa rồi thì ông bị xuất huyết não,vào phòng cấp cứu. Rồi ông mất... Ông nội là người gần gũi với chúng cháu nhất, ông mất rồi, mất mát này có thứ gì bù đắp nổi không?

Ông nội ơi, ông ra đi thanh thản vậy. Cuộc đời con người như cát bụi, sống trọn một kiếp người rồi lại quay về với đất. Bao nhiêu năm khổ cực thời trai trẻ, những năm lạc loạn rồi những thăng trầm đã trải qua, ông ra đi bình yên nhé. Cháu yêu và nhớ ông nội nhiều lắm, và vẫn luôn tự hào được là cháu của ông trong cuộc đời này. Từ giờ trái tim sẽ dũng cảm hơn vì luôn biết ở một nơi xa, có ông nội dõi theo những con đường cháu đi.

Cháu của ông, 

Trần Bảo Linh

Protest against raising tuition fee UK2010

The votes on increasing tuition fee to £9000 came through despite riots and demonstrations. We were advised to go home early to avoid transport disruption last Thursday. Well, I wasnt actually involved in the demonstration in Parliament Square on the day, but it was said to be messy and furious with buildings being damaged by graffiti, the whole area filled with burning bonfire and rubbish and broken windows.However I can feel the insensitivity of the public event as how it changed the appearance of UCL:

An altar scene outside Benjamin Room

UCL Main Quad

A closer look

The country is in huge debt and I doubt if the government had any other choice: increasing tax? lower spending? go bankrupt? all are seen as politically unpopular. The issue here is the fact that the Lib Dem shamefully broke the promise of maintain the tuition fee unchanged it made at the election, which seriously damamged the new government credibility. One may ask if anyone can place trust in their words in the future. "Its better to under-promised and over-performed rather than over-promised and under-performed".

Things that touch your lone soul

Thought I really need to write something about one of the film I watched recently. For such a long time did any film really touch my heart, get me gripped and then remain deep down in my soul like this. Ive never been keen on watching movies, it brings you some excitement but it just simply fades away amazingly fast. Music tends to stay with me for longer, so I lean towards it more often.

The lives of others (2006) (Das Leben der Anderen) is masterly filmed about the life in East Germany under the dictatorship of the Communist State called"the German Democratic Republic" before the fall down of the Berlin Wall . This film won the Oscar for best Foreign Film that year, and I have no doubt why it did after watching it. It brings you the darkest part in German's history during Stati's control and really provokes reminiscence and nostalgia about the past. It simply captures how the system worked, how people who work for the government just do what they are told without question and feelings, how the citizens are suppressed in their freedom of speaking their opinion. The government have their secret servants constantly spied and watched the activities of their people. But you will see in that system, there are still people like Captain Gerd Wiesler. I cried watching the last scene, the best ending you could ever come up with. Its really one of the movies that would give you something to think about, 10/10 from me. 


"...This is the world of The Lives of Others. A story of love, ambition and treachery under the cold eyes and large ears of the Stasi, it's set in the theatre world of East Germany. No wonder that the film's dramatic force is theatrical rather than cinematic. Nothing to complain about in the craftsmanship of the film-makers, but this film is not about images. It is about the transformation - the transfiguration, even - of characters within a run of 137 minutes precisely. That's something usually achieved on stage rather than screen...."
(Beware, the walls have ears_The Guardian)