Updated news

Hey, it's me again. I'm so sorry for neglecting you for too long. Sometimes, I wanted to write about my new life here in England, yet was unable to put ideas into words. Or maybe it's just because I was too lazy >.<

I have to say that studying in England is difficult. Damn my business school, full of classes, coursework, and research. I'm still struggling with it every day.

My new life in here taught me many lessons, about people, relations, connection in life in both hard times and good times. Those lessons make me feel glad for coming halfway around the world to be here.

Hm....*please don't be surprised too much* I have a boyfriend now. He's a computer science student. Be affected by him, I've changed somehow. I don't know whether this relationship could survive or where it can lead to. Yet, I treasure every moment being with him. Well, you can call it young love :) ("Young love. Full of promise, full of hope, ignorant of reality." - Valentines' Day)

It's one day until Christmas, students have been back home or travelling; the library is almost empty of people; shops are closing earlier; streets are uncrowded. Christmas is coming to the Toon (the town), the cold wind blows stronger, leaving me a cold feeling in my heart. I guess I miss my Vietnam.

I chose to study abroad for many reasons. One of them is to improve myself, develop more skills, and change a little bit my personalities. In the end, Vietnam is the place I'll go back and get a job. I'm thinking about Saigon, the place to me - a girl from Haiphong, is quite similar to a new country.
I hope it would be a wise choice ;)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everybody! May New Year bring to you opportunities to get what you want <3. I wish you happiness and success.

I graduated college today, what now?

Great news! I graduated college today! Congratulations to me, hehe.

So, that’s it. There will be no more hangovers, no more sleepovers, no more drinking parties. Jokes will become dull; parties annoying. Our youth cannot be regained. We are becoming adults. We go different ways, pursue different careers, live in different cities. There will be many years until the first reunion of our class.

My college is not a great one. In fact, it sucks. Almost everything I learned including knowledge, skills, and experiences came from classes outside college. My college doesn’t have career counselors or career orientation weeks to help its students discover their talents and choose the best careers possible. But, hey, what can you expect from a college of a third-world country, huh?

Bad or good, college days are finally over. Now, it is time to move on. I’m preparing for the next step: graduate school. Coming back to school after this summer, I hope that it will be the building step towards my career. So, Newcastle University, I am coming to you in September!!!!

Luật

Thời gian không bao giờ quay lại. Vì thế mà người ta luôn hướng về phía trước, nhìn về tương lai mà không thể trở về quá khứ.

Những người xunh quanh ta một ngày nào đó sẽ rời xa. Chính vì thế mà người cần được ta yêu thương nhiều nhất chính là bản thân mình.

It is hard to be an Aspie/Aspergian

In Aspie world, stress management, emotional development are some things we have to learn, to acquire as skills while many people inherit them naturally. We learn communication skills, interpersonal skills, and teamwork skills slowlier than others. We find out what are our abilities and interests later in life than other people. We feel awkwark, isolated, frustrated, helpless, inferior. We hardly find somebody to help us, to understand us, to like us.

As an Aspie, I cannot escape it. I cannot change the fact. I cannot wish to be anybody else. I am able to do 1 thing: adjusting my life to become more of myself.

I know all of them. Yet, sometimes, it is still so hard.

[In my country, Vietnam, most people don’t know and don’t care about mental health. In fact, if you tell people you have some mental problems, they will assume you as crazy and abnormal. Hardly anyone comes to see therapists; books on mental heath in Vietnamese language are very rare. Under the circumstance, I haven’t had any formal diagnosis. Asperger’s syndrome is the problem I self-diagnosed myself with the help of highly-recommended and trusted books of Tony Attwood, John Elder, and Willey. I only wish that one day, in the near future, Vietnamese people can consider therapy as normal and helpful in life, and many Aspergian could be formal diagnosed.]

Personality disorders

Late last night, while nonchalantly surfing the Internet, I bumped into websites providing free personality disorder tests. I took some of them, and guess what? I have personality disorders, Borderline, Schizotypal, and Avoidant. Knowing the fact makes me feel both relieving and upsetting.

At last, I finally can understand what have been wrong with me in the ways I’ve behaved, socialized, and thought for 15 years. Now, I can see who I am. And I can find ways to live better. Phew! What a relief. 

In the other hand, I feel upset. I don’t ask for personality disorders, ever. I can trade many things to have a normal life that a 22-year-old should have. I want to have stable emotion system, and close relationships. 

I want to have some words to people with personality disorders like me: It is ok. Although personality disorders make it difficult for us to be accepted by the society, they should not stop us from learning, growing, and connecting. So, keep living, don’t give up.

It is understandable that, sometimes, you wish those mental problems to disappear. Try to think it that way. Personality disorders give us chances to see the world differently and to experience different things. And they are completely ok.

It is hard for other people to accept us. 98% of the world population don't have personality disorders. Please be kind, open, and understanding to them.

To other people out there: Science researches show that childhood and adolescent traumas can lead to personality disorders. In my case, that is true. If, at times, I had found other ways to cope with traumas, or had somebody to ask for advices, my life would have been different. So, be kind to your friends, relatives, colleagues, and families, ok? Sometimes, you don't know what they are going through.  

Procrastination

I have been procrastinating doing homework for a while. *Feel so sad and guilty*

It is true that I have been busy around. This May is quite unexpected. By the end of April, I was preparing myself to take the first full-time job. Now, at the end of May, I am working on the biggest and most dangerous decision of my life.

Talking with my friends and acquaintances, I am getting used to see their shocked faces. Thinking about throwing a "surprise party" and announcing the news ;).

Slowly, my friends will go working and leave. I will be stuck in here for a next couple of months. Hope that it won't drive me crazy.

People advice me on patience, strong-mindedness, motivation, and confidence. I don't have any of them. I'm lazy, emotion-driven, weak, undisciplined.

Haizz, I unofficially graduate college by the end of this May. I guess that the time where I could be lazy, spontaneous, emotion-driven, and procrastinated is over.

Goodbye May 2013, the world. Congratulations to all college graduates this year! Hope you can get a job or a place at graduate school soon. 

My crazy week is over

Last Sunday, I have made an important decision after 3 phone conversations. Then I spent the whole week running.

Life is unpredictable. 6 months ago, I couldn’t picture about what I am doing today. And today, I cannot imagine what I will be doing 6 months later, either. It seems like everything can change in 6 months.

I’ve just realized that even the closest people in my life cannot help me solve my problems. Parents, best friends, beloved relatives, teachers, acquaintances can give me their advices and guidance; yet they cannot make decisions for me. As I grow older, I understand the sayings of Buddha:

“No one saves us but ourselves

No one can and no one may

We ourselves must walk the path.”

So even if life is a combination of endless struggles, it's ok, keep walking. 

Bad habits need giving up before working full-time

 Graduating college means saying goodbye to terrible exams, crazy dreams, and precious moments. It also means that you are old enough to become a full-time worker. Entering the workforce means that you will have to prepare yourself mentally, emotionally, and physically. One of the things you ought to do is giving up unhealthy habits listed below: 

1. 1.     Drinking alcohol in any weekdays. Drinking wine and beer could lead to unwanted headaches, bad concentration, and reduced productivity. You don’t want that; your customers would not satisfied with that; your boss would definitely doesn’t demand that neither. But, of course, you can have a little fun on Saturday evening.
2. 2.     Getting up late. When you are in college, waking up at 9 am or 11 am is ok. Nobody blames you for not showing up at classes. However, when you are a full-time employee, the only morning you can wake up late is the Saturday/ Sunday morning. And don’t try to be absent from work.
3. 3.     Skipping meal. Instant noodles and junk foods cannot continue being your best friends. Instead, try to replace them with healthy meals. Leave your working table for 45 minutes, if you can, to eat outside. But don’t try going shopping during lunch time!
4. 4.     Skipping exercise. Your body needs stretch to cope with stress. Even when you are really busy, try to exercise 3 times a week. Running could be one of the best choices. It’s cheap, convenient, and undemanding.
5. 5.     Complaining. “My boss is mean,” “Life is not fair, at all,” “That woman is totally a bitch” are some thoughts you would be familiar with. Yes, it would be fine saying those. Nevertheless, complaining about your job and colleagues could not make the works done. Instead, trying to use your energy in developing skills and fulfilling the job could be a better choice.

So far, I have only come up with the list of 5 things you need to give up before entering the workforce. In the future, I will probably come back and update the post.

Taking the first full-time job worries me a lot. There are so many things I need to learn, so many problems to think, so many quarrels to calm down. It feels like I haven’t prepared well enough for the job.

However, when the opportunity comes, it would be stupid if I let it go, wouldn’t it?

Hello May 2013. May the Force be with you and me <3.

Don’t live for anybody else

“I will live for myself, not for anybody else.” That’s what my mother said to me on the telephone this morning. It costs her more than 20 years to realize that simple principle.

Since the day my mother got married, she had been trying her best to become a supporting wife, a loving mother, and a caring daughter-in-law. Bitterly, life never went smooth for her.

• Her only son died of cancer. Her only daughter leaves home for college.
• Her married life is cold and lonely. She never gets along with her in-laws.
• Her biological father died unexpectedly, without giving her a chance to say goodbye.

She cared a little about her career. She never built good habits for her own. For more than 20 years, she lived for people around her. I don’t know whether it is a huge sacrifice or a pure foolishness.

Now when her marriage is on the verge of break-up, I hope that she will get herself a little time to figure out what she truly wants to do.

From my mother's life story, I distill a simple lesson: Don't live for other people. Just don't. Your time is too short. In the blink of an eye, you are on the downside of your life. You don’t want to waste your precious time living the life you’ll regret, do you? 

Women don't know what they want. Men never know what they have. - Ronald Oliver.

(PS: I'm freaking out! I haven't received my Mr.thay's email reply for a couple of days. Oh God, please let him be healthy and well.)

My future plan

I am studying GMAT and learning how to write letters of recommendation (LoRs), admission essays, personal statements, letters of purpose, and so on.

Why?

Because I want to earn a 2-year Master degree in Finance aboard. I am thinking about the United States, Canada, and Europe. I want to leave my country in August 2014.

I used to dream about getting an MBA degree. Dream changed. If I keep staying in Vietnam for 3 or more years, hoping to gain experience for MBA, I will not be able to leave. Other responsibilities and expectations need to be handled. 

Now I want to be trained and taught in a specific area. I choose Finance since I want to work for investment banks or become a reliable financial analyst after graduation.

My GPA is low, my TOEFL score is not too high, my estimated GMAT score will not belong to the top 10%, my working experience is unimpressive. Under those conditions, I am not expecting any merit-based scholarship.

I only pray to find a suitable school that is willing to accept me. US, Canada, Europe (except for England, since they can only provide 1-year Master programs) 

Yet, it is still so hard.  

"Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it's always your choice. " - Wayne Dyer

Got my TOEFL score today

Waking up, logging in TOEFL website with my eyes half close half open, I couldn’t hold an interjection “Wow”.

I got 27 for Reading, 26 for Listening, 23 for Speaking, and 28 for Writing. My total score is 104.

Couldn’t believe in my eyes, I had been praying for above 90. Thank you, Goddess of Luck.

However, frankly, a little disappointed at my Speaking score. TOEFL examiners commented that I had limited grammar and vocabulary, and that my ideals weren’t adequate developed. (So sad >_<)

I want to contribute my Writing score to Mr.thay’ patience. If I didn’t have him analyzed, marked and guided my writings, I couldn’t write anything at all, put aside TOEFL essays. 28 is not an impressive score. Yet it is the best score I got so far.

In the future, I don’t have to re-take the TOEFL test, phew! Just need to climb the ultimate Everest mountain: GMAT.

*Pray for me, would you? I will need a lot of luck this time.*

Re-learn GMAT

“Study without desire spoils the memory, and it retains nothing that it takes in." – Leonardo da Vinci.

As I mentioned in the previous entry, I’ve already known which kind of career I want to pursue. In my wildest dream, I spend 16 hours per day and 7 days per week in office, collecting, analyzing, and examining data and information. Then, after 2 or 3 years eating and sleeping with work, I can apply for an MBA course.

I don’t know whether I’m lucky or not. It was not until the last semester of college that I've realized what type of career I fit. It seems like I have to start from scratch again. 

In the next 3 months, I’m going to study GMAT.

• First of all, I take the GMAT test for myself. I want to test whether I have potential talents to study and work in financial field or not.

• Second of all, I want to add one plus point in my application. Even if the schools at which I aim don’t require GMAT score, their eyes can sparkle while reading my GMAT report. 

The next 3 months would not be smooth.

I will go through days watching my roommate dress up for work. I will blame myself for not studying GMAT earlier and not performing better in previous job interviews. I will feel inferior standing next to my roommate, shamefully. 

I’ll be scared of getting headache over GMAT problems. I’ll be scared of not getting the score I want.

In the next 3 months, there will be (many) times when I will want to give up. There will be times I will feel like a bunch of useless crap. Under that circumstance, what should I do? 

Today I took the TOEFL iBT test

“Every journey starts with a single step.” I have just taken my first step today: taking the TOEFL iBT test.

I was lucky.3 reading passages were about familiar topics. Listening section was not too hard. 

I’m worrying about the Speaking and Writing section. I made a few small mistakes in 2 essays. I couldn’t convey all of my ideas in 2 speaking questions.

What a relief! My struggling days finally come to an end. I’m waiting for the result. Even when the result is unexpectedly low, I will not feel regretful. 

This week, thanks to Mr.thay’s lecture, I know what career I want to pursue. (Millions thanks to my Mr.thay, as usual.) I’m working to earn an opportunity to become what I want myself to be.

Next step:

• Schools & courses, GMAT, required essays, letters of recommendation, other documents. Retake the TOEFL test, if needed.
• Homework, essays, reading, online courses on finance…..

* Becoming one of “C suite” is tempting. Studying MBA is alluring. I still want to keep my intention to study MBA at Fuqua, Ohlin or Kellogg. But I guess that silly dream can wait a little longer. Maybe 5 years later?*

I quit!

“That’s it. I’m done. I’m not working anymore.” That is what I said after reading Mr.thay’s corrections and comments.

Frankly, I have been saying those words countless times.

Yet, I’m still unable to do so.

And I feel truly happy about that.

I am a quitter. My common solution for any problem is running away, hiding at some place, and waiting for that problem to solve itself.

For the first time in my life, I’ve found something so important that I don’t want to quit. To other people, what I am doing now could be really boring and easy. To me, they are hard; they are challenging; they are fascinating.

Writing essays, completing assignments, reading,…… My life pretty sucks, eh? 

Our “superman” is back

He’s back! Our “Mr.thay” is back. 5 weeks without his lectures, his weekly bulletins are over, finally. It feels so awesome reading his latest emails.  

My teacher has changed the class platform. Instead of running face-to-face classes 6 days a week, he now teaches us indirectly via the Internet.

Honestly, I kind of like his new teaching method. In the future, I hope to absorb his feedbacks, his corrections, and his comments more effectively. 

My teacher truly knows how to push his student to work. He is like Cao Cao, the charismatic protagonist in “The romance of Three Kingdoms” – an ancient Chinese masterpiece.

Well, our teacher is back. Please feel happy for us, since a great teacher is extremely hard to find yet easily to lose.

If only

"If only I had been more careful, I would not lose my job." 

"If only I had been beautiful, I would have a boyfriend." 

We usually say "if only" in regrets. We almost never say "if only" when we are happy and satisfied with our life.

Preparing for a trip to Singapore, I have imagined Singapore was an alienated city built by "supermen" and "superwomen” (brainiacs). I have thought of Singapore's harbor and Changi airport as magnificent wonders. I have fantasized Singapore skyline.

3 days visiting Singapore, using its underground train, shopping at Bugis street, discovering Changi airport, observing its harbor, chatting with Singaporeans, I now see Singapore simply an advanced, civilized society that Vietnam would have been, if only....

If only we could have a high-qualified education system valuing science and technology. If only we could significantly upgrade our infrastructure. If only we could have a market-oriented economy and a strong law-based society. If only we could attract and use "supermen" and "superwomen.” If only we could see diversity as a strength not a weakness.

A lot of "if only" have been growing inside my mind, accompanied by bitterness and imagination.

Lee Kuan Yew has said in an interview by Fareed Zakaria," We all know that the more you engage in conflict, the poorer and the more desperate you become. Visit Cambodia and Vietnam; the world just passed them by." Backward education, unstable economy, devastated culture, and dangerous cities are the consequences of wrong decisions made in the previous decades.

Things would never be different for Vietnam if no positive changes happened. Unluckily, it seems that in the near future, I still have to widen my imagination, keeping hoping that one day "if only" could become reality, that one day I could proudly answer “I’m from Vietnam” when asked about my origin.

A beautiful, modern, and green city.

The busiest port in the world. <3

Buột miệng

*Xe máy, 2 người. Trên đường đi.

A: Tớ nhớ thầy quá.

B: Ừ, tớ cũng thế. Lần trước đọc về chiến tranh biên giới, tớ nhớ thầy kinh khủng.

A: Đọc khi nào thế?

B: Người yêu share link facebook. Dạo này hắn chăm chỉ đọc tin tức lắm.

A (thầm nghĩ): Không chơi điện tử 5 ngày/ tuần nữa mà ở nhà học tiếng anh là tốt lắm rồi. 

You know that you are an INTP when….

(*Over a past few days, through books and the Internet, I have been taking some personality tests in an attempt to answer an uneasy question: “Who am I?” MBTI tests' results revealed that I am an INTP, so-called “the Thinker” or “the Architect.” Basing on MBTI explanations and my own experience, I have tried to make a list of characteristics that a MBTI’s typical INTP would have.*)

You don’t like having daily routine. Monday, you eat lunch at 11.30 am, Tuesday 1 am and Wednesday 2 am. Before going to sleep at night, you write a to-do list for the next day, getting down to the nitty gritty. Yet, waking up, you suddenly get interested in some unscheduled activities. Needless to say, your to-do list finds a place in your trash bin. When you are an INTP, it is not easy to follow a schedule or a commitment.

You get bored easily! You are writing an essay about technological development, and 15 minutes later, you find yourself checking NASDAQ indexes. You are trying to find answers for Syria Civil war, and then just by some clicks, you are downloading U.S. Congressional annual bills. When you are an INTP, almost nothing can capture your full attention for too long.

You love designing! You regularly change your room, tearing your working table apart, replacing your bookshelf with a new TV and painting your walls. You are the psycho in chemical lab, enthusiastically conduct chemical experiments and crazily mix every tubes at hand together to see how they would react. When you are an INTP, the world is something needed to be analyzed and redesigned.

You are never tired of learning. You have a list of various things you want to learn, ranging from science, technology, arts to gender discrimination, cooking and playing piano. Sometimes, you only wish there would be 48 hours per day and 1000 days a year, so that you can study as much as you want. When you are an INTP, not money or love but knowledge is the thing you treasure most.

Trivia and common talks bore you to death. Being surrounded by people’s endless stories about Korean singers, Hollywood movie stars, or newest fashion trends, you just want to disappear. In your opinion, if a conversation cannot provide useful information or practical lessons, it is not a thing worth spending time and efforts. When you are an INTP, serious, one-to-one talk is something you seek for.

You love correcting people (inside your head!). When somebody tells you a story, you simultaneously check its logical incoherence and pay attention to its incompatible details. These thoughts inside your head are so clear, and so loud that you try hard to constrain your intentions to speak your thoughts out. When you are an INTP, you can’t stand grammar errors and weak logical structures.

People criticize you for being coldhearted. Even though you sincerely want to say “I love you” to your dear friend, your mouth couldn’t open. Instead of being a trash can for your closed ones to spill their guts, you suggest solutions for their problems. As the result, people assume that you are made of stone. However, when you are an INTP, you sometimes don’t even care to defend yourself from that assumption.

When you are a female INTP , you belong to 1% of the population. It means that if you make 100 friends, you can find a female soulmate. Yes, if you can make 100 friends....

It is not always happy to be an INTP. However, I stop my piece here with a quote from Forbes magazine:

“You are lucky, in a way that no one else is. Now, what are you going to do with your good fortune?”

People to whom I can not say enough “Thank you”

My mother. She is the one who gave birth to me, fed me, raised me up, drove me to school, bought me clothes, bought me the very first books, taught me how to ride a bike and how to pronounce the English word “brother.” She was the one who tried to unlock my diary, the one who overprotected me, the one who put a lot of pressure on my shoulder after the tragedy. She is the beauty queen who always loves to be praised, and taken care of.

A part of me wanted to be like her. A part of me has been afraid of being like her.

My father. He is the man who let me sit on his shoulder and held me tight when I was 2, the man who watched “The romance of three kingdoms” with me, the man who threw me at a 5.5 ft pool and commanded “Swim!.” He is the man who had been trying so hard yet still unable to save his dearest people. He is the man who never knows how to express his feelings.

Seeing that man smoking cigarettes while thinking about my future is the last thing I want to do.

My teacher. You never know what you’ve got until it’s gone. Knowing that during 4 weeks of February 2013 there might be no English class of my teachers, I freaked out. Together with some friends, I tried to guess the motives for his decision. We thought of traveling abroad, handling some emergencies, even health problem. 4 weeks without his weekly news bulletin, his lectures, his kind, funny yet deep and meaningful words guiding you the way, my weekly routine will be missing an important component. 

Almost every piece used to build my current, imperfect self is created, polished, and discovered by his lectures.

My friend. Thanks for not leaving me when I’m desperate. You are the one who cried for worrying about me. You are the one who needed me to comfort you when you broke up with your boyfriend. You are the one who talks nonstop about anything and anyone. You are the one who I admire and adore. 

You teach me valuable lessons of life. Please come to my parties, wedding(s) and funeral.  

So far, those are people to whom I don’t know how to say “Thank you”, people who have made my world beautiful. I hope that in the future, this list could get a little longer ;). 

Some useful quotes for those who are struggling.

Sometimes when you are in difficult situations and you just want to run away. It is ok to be afraid. It is ok to cry. Below are some useful quotes that might alleviate your pain and fear, even for only a moment. (Almost all of the quotes are made by anonymous Internet users.) 

“Help yourself first, then God will help you. Everything requires a lot of effort. Nothing comes free in life.”

 “Lines written on a bus stand : Only bus stops here, not time. So do not waste your time, keep moving with your aims.”

“Don't think you are Nothing. Don't think you are Everything. But think you are Something. Who can achieve Anything !!!”

And the last one:

“In life, what you really want; will never come easy.”

So, burst into tears, scare, pick up your phone to call for help, pray God, break something, etc.. but never, ever, stop working, learning and changing. Because: 

The more your work, the stronger you become.

Nhật ký những ngày học TOEFL và GMAT (24)

*Thời gian biểu 1 ngày:

Sáng: Làm việc 5 tiếng.

Chiều – tối: TOEFL, GMAT, Essay, Coursera, News….*

Học GMAT giúp mình nhận ra rằng bài thi TOEFL không phải là quá khó. Tháng 3 tới mình thi TOEFL rồi, cố gắng ôn tập tốt thôi.

Phần dễ nhất của GMAT là Math. Mình tổng hợp tất cả những kiến thức toán đơn giản nhất từ lớp 6 đến lớp 9 để học GMAT Math. Kiến thức toán thì không nhiều, nhưng cách học toán của GMAT khiến người học rất hứng thú. Học GMAT Math lần này cũng giúp mình ghép những mảnh quá khứ lại với nhau một cách bình thản.

Sao ngày trước mình có thể có ý nghĩ muốn bỏ cuộc nhỉ? Thật là vớ vẩn không thể để đâu cho vừa. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mình muốn có một bộ sưu tập nước hoa từ lâu rồi. Hôm trước ngồi nghĩ, nếu mình gật đầu với công việc bố mẹ sắp đặt cho, với cái chỗ ngồi cả trăm người đánh nhau kia, chỉ cần trong vài năm là mình có thể có được 1 bộ sưu tập nước hoa hoành tráng. Nếu mình cứ ngu ngốc, ương bướng đi làm linh tinh, có khi cả đời không mua được vài lọ nước hoa. Ai cha, thôi ta đành gác cái ý thích xa xỉ kia sang 10 năm nữa vậy.

Nhưng mà tương lai thì vẫn cứ mông lung, mờ mịt và đen tối làm sao ấy. Hiu hiu.

Trong hiện tại thì:

• Điểm sáng duy nhất trong ngày: Lướt web các trường Đại học có đào tạo MBA. (Sau đó sẽ ngồi ngẩn ngơ ước ao được đến Kellogg hoặc Fuqua hoặc Olin _._!)
  

• Hạnh phúc của ngày: hoàn thành xong phần Reading hoặc Listening TOEFL, viết xong essay và học xong vài chương toán GMAT.

11/1 rồi, mong rằng mọi chuyện sẽ ổn.

PS: Tuần này ông cụ Nytimes đăng một bài viết của một cô người Ấn Độ về rape có tiêu đề: “I was wounded; my honor wasn’t.” Một bài op-ed rất hay và ý nghĩa, đáng để ta đọc đi đọc lại.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/08/opinion/after-being-raped-i-was-wounded-my-honor-wasnt.html?smid=fb-share&_r=0

“One day you find you are no longer looking behind you, expecting every group of men to attack. One day you wind a scarf around your throat without having a flashback to being choked. One day you are not frightened anymore.”

Mong rằng sau một biến cố kinh hoàng , ai cũng có thể mạnh mẽ sống như cô ấy. Trong hoàn cảnh nguy hiểm, sống sót quan trọng hơn những thứ khác đúng không? :D