Journey of the mind

After buying a kitchen scale, I now can make my own cakes, and I really enjoy baking. To make them successfully, certain techniques must be carefully followed. Below are some of the cakes I have made. My friends said they were delicious. 1. Sponge cake 2. Socola banana cake 3. Cookies and stick cookies 4. Vietnamese banana cake 5. Panna Cotta 6. Donut 7. Vietnemese bread 8. Banana and chocolate muffins To be updated..                                                                                                                                        Hanoi, March 03, 2025  

#98. Guess Who?? I attended a drawing activity where we took turns posing while the others drew. #99. I changed my hairstyle Walk in with the style I expect. Walk out with the style the barber wants :)     # 100.  Addicted becomes better addicted I've become addicted to MasterChef 👩‍🍳  Now, I feel a growing desire to create delicious, well-crafted dishes, to put more effort, care into every detail. I t's a joyful kind of addiction that deepens my love for food. I am grateful for this newfound motivation! #101. Chess pieces! 1. Which chess piece, when it stands close, the king cannot move close to? 2. Which piece, when it gives check, must either be captured or the king must move because no other piece can block it?” Answers: 1.  The Queen. If the queen is placed one square away, it covers almost all squares around the king . So t he king cannot approach because it would move into check. 2.  The Knight  A knight’s check cannot be blocked be...

I walked into the little coffee shop where I had an appointment with my friend. Standing in front of the counter, I looked through the menu. Some of the drink names were really strange, not related to the drinks at all. The barista smiled at me as if they had been waiting. “First Love, please”, I said. The coffee came decorated with a Christmas theme filled with bears, since the holiday season was getting close.  And just like that, this became my tiny story for the beginning of December 2025: walking into a coffee shop, ordering their signature First Love , and taking pictures with the bears.  PS.  In Vietnam, bears are often seen as symbols of love, like a girlfriend or boyfriend Hanoi, March 03, 2025

I once announced in January 2022 that I would stop writing on this blog for a while. Back then, the break lasted six months because of my studies and my desire to improve my English writing. I have wondered when I might take another official break like that, and for what reasons. Today, I feel the time has come again, and I've made a difficult decision to pause this time for several reasonable reasons: PhD admission prep : I want to focus on preparing for PhD admission: writing my cover letters and research proposals . Each application must be carefully tailored to the professor and laboratory. I also need time to review my knowledge and experiences to be ready for interviews. IELTS exam : I am preparing for IELTS again. This time, I don't have as much to share as before, but I want to achieve a higher score. Even a small improvement requires real effort, and transformation. I'll write more after I take the test. Job transition : I am currently in a job transition...

  Know Me Too Well Song by New Hope Club ‧ 2020 Overview Lyrics Lyrics Ah-ah, ah-ah (ah-ah, ah-ah) I spend my weekends tryna get you off My mind again, but I can't make it stop I'm tryna pretend I'm good, but you can tell (Good but you can tell) You're right, I shoulda text you goodnight I shoulda given more time I wish I had've known this before Now I'm replaying our goodbye But it wasn't a goodbye And I still hear you slamming the door Try to hit you up, but you've had enough You're screaming down the phone "You don't know what you lost" I said, "I'm fine", I didn't care that much But I realise when you hang up, I messed this up I spend my weekends tryna get you off My mind again, but I can't make it stop I'm tryna pretend I'm good, but you can tell (uh) 'Cause you know me too, you know me too well Ah-ah-ah-ah You know me too well Ah-ah-ah-ah Lo puedo dejar para mí, jamás volverte a llamar But baby, n...

#95. 10 years, a long journey A 10-year period is a long journey. From my experiences, ten years are enough to witness a complete transformation. My first ten years began as a university student, carrying hope - to study abroad. Now, a decade later, I have achieved that goal, along with more than I ever imagined at the beginning.  Now I carry with me more hopes for the next ten years. That is why I wrote a letter to my future self ten years from now  (A letter to my strongest version)  I truly hope that in this second decade, I will again become a version of myself that I long for, even in ways as the first ten years surprised me. #96. #97.  Writing this post while this song is playing -Love story- Where do I begin To tell the story Of how great a love can be The sweet love story That is older than the sea That sings the truth about the love she brings to me Where do I start .... PS. This is me at 19 - 10 year ago :) Hanoi, Sep 25, 2025

A little update: I am currently preparing for the IELTS exam again. For international students, this exam is the first ticket to studying abroad. I have taken the IELTS once before, but my certificate expired in 2024.  I realized that my band score would not improve much over three years after my first attempt unless I actively worked on it. I got 6 overall before and most universities accept a minimum of 6.5 overall, with no skill below 6. This time, however, I had experience in the exam room, and my target is higher. I believe I will achieve the score I am aiming for. A little difference compared to last time is that this time I am preparing for the IELTS before applying for admission. I will have my English certificate ready to apply to any university. Previously, I received admission first and then had to take the IELTS in a short time to add it to my admission documents. I remember many of my friends going through the same process, just as I am right now.  One ...

#92. Air fryer I tried to make a sponge cake using an air fryer. I was excited to see how it would turn out. Sadly, it was fail. The cake didn’t rise at all. It felt exactly like when I tried frying cakes and ran out of oil at the very last minute!  Literally, frying without oil! I have a colleague who often makes all kinds of cakes and is really confident about it. I asked her to teach me one day, and she agreed. I'm looking forward to learning from her and, hopefully, becoming a master at baking cakes :) #93. Making money is a skill I am currently reading The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Wealth and Happiness . I first came across it while preparing for job interviews. While learning how to answer interview questions, I watched a video that mentioned this book. The video talked about different types of luck and how to get lucky, which sparked my interest. I also like the idea of reading books recommended by people who work in fields like economics and communication, si...

Since I can work from home tomorrow, I didn't need to sleep early tonight. Somehow, I just feel like writing down these thoughts. So far, I haven't had much smoothness in romance . I stay positive, but sometimes I still feel a little sad about my fate. Still, I've never seen anyone as strong as me. If I can't see a future with someone, even if I once liked them, when it ends, I never regret, no second words. I do exactly what I remind myself to do. I keep my patience and carry hope. Maybe I'm good at hiding my feelings, or I'm just too rational. And also  perhaps they're simply not the battles I'm meant to fight. I don't think career and relationships are two parallel lines. One can influence the other.   At this point in my life, I feel caught between career and relationship. My career presents difficulty and my relationship carries uncertainty.  If my career isn't what I truly want, then my relationship doesn't feel genuine either because ...

I'm in white again, not in a laboratory, but in a factory. PS.  #1.  The farthest lunch trip I've ever taken… all the way to the company cafeteria :) #2. Today, I received an email from my landlord from the time I lived in Seoul. It was so touching. I should have emailed him first, but ... yes but I hesitated, and then life simply swept me away. I wrote him back with some updates, and I know we'll keep in touch.                                                                                                                                                ...