I got the update from two friends of mine, which made me feel happy and proud, but also what am I doing with my life?!
ML, my friend from high school who has a passion for theater, directed her first major musical show “Alice in Wonderland” and it was on air @ Hanoi Opera House today. I read every news article and watched every story and Instagram/Facebook post to support her. VTV, the national news channel, even wrote about her show here. I knew already at TOS that ML is a young yet extremely talented artist since she headed many small musical shows and gained much approval and appraisal from us, the teachers, and the parents. Combining those experiences with her family background, and her education at NYU Tisch and Hunter’s College in NYC, she blossoms and thrives, like a fish in the water. I remember that time after she interviewed for NYU Tisch, her judge commented that she was like a goldfish; she maximized her size everywhere she went and TOS was still just a fishbowl. That was probably why they picked her – they believed in her potential and adaptability.
HPL, my best friend from Nguyen Sieu is writing a book, “Gen Z tập lớn” after her podcast of the same name. The book is about challenges that she encounters as a young person as she navigates through life and her career in hospitality. She is an influencer, who has a fanbase of about 60k followers on Youtube and an F&B account on Instagram. She isn’t just famous now, she has always been so since Nguyen Sieu, for her awards in literature and her achievements in competitions. Today I listen to some of her podcast episodes. I haven’t done self-help genre for a while – I usually prefer memoirs and real stories more because I don’t retain quotes well enough. However, I like that HPL’s voice is very gentle and soothing, like listening to a sad radio channel on a rainy day. I am sure there are many young people look up to her to learn and work towards their own goals. As I’m writing these lines, I somehow recall a story that she told me. Along time ago, the fortune teller (thầy bói) that her family trusted said that she was blessed with talents and leadership positions (làm quan), but was not necessarily rich in wealth (nhiều tiền tài). Though I cannot verify that statement, I just hope for her to feel content with whatever she does because she deserves happiness and security in life.
Trang "Tee" Nguyen 