Current Media Special Edition - Alpha by Current Media

S P E C I A L I S S U E | O CT O B E R 2 0 1 7 | T H E A L P H A E D I T I O N

credit EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

LEAD DESIGNER

Ngo Huong Nhi

Tran Linh Thao

WRITERS

DESIGNERS

Nguyen Nhu Quynh

Nguyen Hoang Nam

Nguyen Giang

Do Hai Nam

Nguyen Nhat Anh

Nguyen Huong My

Dao Phuong Linh

Hoang Khanh Ngan

Nguyen Bang Viet

Nguyen Minh Anh

Le Huyen Trang

contents 1

EDITOR’S NOTE

ENTERTAINMENT

Alpha Edition

Greek Alphabet

CAMPUS REPORT

THE TALK

Sem C 2017

The Alpha - The Leaders - The Presidents

THE TALK

SHORT STORY

Step by Step

That Moment

SHORT STORY

PERSPECTIVE

Ilena’s Wedding

What It Takes

INSIDER'S STORY

The Fight for Sight

Alpha in Love

COVER STORY

ENTERTAINMENT

“Alpha”

About Time Movie Review

FINAL WORDS

15 Children of Current Media

My Dearest Reader

editor's letter

I believe we have all asked ourselves once, what does the word alpha mean? It was a different alpha in secondary mathematics, and it was different when our girl friends squeal over an alpha male. Alpha. A word too great to encapsulate in the limitation of words. Alpha is the leader, the dominant individual. The Alpha principle is a distinct set of traits and creates a certain hierarchy, as for a long time now, Alpha has always been said to be the top, the best. Alpha means first. Alpha means pioneer. Alpha means special. Its meaning wanders around, but it reigns greatness. It has become accustomed to us that whenever we hear alpha [something], we know it is something great. Sounds familiar, does it not?

Alpha is a principal embodiment of who we are. We are the new generation of alpha people. In the era of explosive advancements and breakthroughs of industries, the world is packed with alpha people and their alpha invention and their alpha ideas. And they may start small, or they may start big, but they are everywhere. They are around us. They are us. We feel a spark of admiration upon coming across any achievement we ourselves or others earned. That very flash of respect and the acknowledgement towards the achieverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s seemingly greatness, their commendable and triumphant quality that we and the world cannot use any other compliment to pay them, but alpha.

We Current Medians have our (self-proclaimed) profound reasons to paint ourselves a logo resembling that of an alpha symbol, but in turn have always humbly referred to one another as fishes. Till today, we have published a rounded 15 official issues of magazine here at RMIT Hanoi. Call me biased, but I am giggling proud of being the first to establish a magazine for our very dear university, the first to build a legacy for the next however many classes to come along and carry on, the first to create a whole new lens of innovative and evolved perspectives for people to see. Today we celebrate our fifteen publications of Current Media magazine, with the inclusion of our very own RMIT alpha people.

Are you with me?

Ngo Huong Nhi Editor-in-Chief 1

ENTERTAINMENT

GREEK ALPHABET WHERE ALPHA IS THE LEADER A L P H A

G A M M A

B E T A E P SL IO N

I O T A

N U

S I G M A

D E L T A

T H E T A

Z E T A

E T A

K A P P A

L A MB D A

M U

P I

R H O

O MC IR O N

T A U

U P SL IO N

P S I

O M E G A

C H I

P H I

X I

CAMPUS REPORT

WORDS BY JENG & NAT LAYOUT BY SOUP

CAMPUS REPORT

CA HOI SHOWCASE

performances together with fun and tricky activities from 14 RMIT clubs. Students and staffs in RMIT shared great moments together joining in such interesting and collaborative event. Students and staffs in RMIT joined in interesting and collaborative events, which contributed to the RMIT’s bonding ship so far.

Ca Hoi is a charity showcase hosted by Current Media in order to raise money for children in need over the Social Protection Centre III. With exciting performances presented by young talented artists from RMIT clubs and other schools, Ca Hoi had amazed 300 audiences on the show that night. To the surprise of all Current Media members, the event successfully gained 8 million dong fund and left such great impression on every audiences.

HANOI CAREER WEEK 2017A Career Week was held by routine for RMIT students to future job opportunities based on their own potential and CVs. Over the week, two main events of this Career Week were the workshops about learning relevant skills to find a job. And in 27th of April, The Woodpecker Night - “Ready for Life & Work”: Panel Discussion, including Career Expo was a chance for students to have a face-to-face interview with companies’ representatives. The night marked itself with a big memorable party to celebrate the success of the whole event.

STUDENT COUNCIL ELECTION After a long presidential campaign journey between two candidates, Ms. Nguyen Thanh Thao was elected as the official RMIT Vietnam Student Council 2017 president and the new generation of student leaders to carry on the Student Council legacy. Other positions were allocated for the talented ones who are good at both studying and participating in social activities. The new generation has been successfully hosting many big events for RMIT and has got a lot good feedback from RMIT students.

DC - NEBULOSA In the 27th August night, Dance Club Rated R marked their second successful showcase - NEBULOSA. Unique as the name it is, NEBULOSA wowed all audience in the show that night by stunning performances given by our incredible boys and girls from four teams with different dance styles and genres. The highlight of the showcase also came from the unique stage - REC room was splitted in half, one covered in ink black and the other is open space for audiences to enjoy the show.

RMIT WOMEN CUP Who said girls can’t play sports? The first ever RMIT Women football tournament had proven girls can beat the game as great as boy do. Our stunning and athletically spirited girls have had some unforgettable matches at Son Trang 2 stadium on April 4th. “Intense till the last minute” was how the final and semifinal matches were described: Current Media defeated Basketball Club 1-0 and became the first Women Cup Champion.

WHERE WE BELONG This big project from RMIT brings us the chance to keep our memories by printing out the photos in Instagram or your phone from a big photo booth located at level 5. The event attracted hundreds of RMIT students and staffs from 1st to 3rd of August to enjoy their own moments and share the photos showing the place that they belong to. This event is a promotion for the contest RMIT - Where we belong.

INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL In 30th March, to celebrate the cultural diversity in RMIT, Student Life held a series of activities including Movie Festival, Runstoppable, Costume Exhibition, Cultural Fair and International night concert. Over 300 people attending the festival were attracted by the well-prepared

THE TALK

Nguyen Tuan Anh Business Club

Pham Quang Minh

Nguyen Duc An

Marketing Club

Basketball Club

Ngo Gia Bao Music Club

Ho Tran Thu Anh Dance Club

Dang Tra Event Club

Leaders wear many hats and play many roles. Most of the time, they are the spirit of the club who create a vision and engage everyone to build a social community. Leading is not easy, and not everyone is cut out to be leaders. Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hear our 13 presidents talk about their roles in leadership positions.

Nguyen Thu Hang Social Wave

Nguyen Nhat Anh

Hoang Van Dung

Current Media

Football Club

Cao Thanh Tra Sife

an Khanh Linh Nguyen Thanh Thao Student Council

Pham Thuy Duong President - Environment Club

NGO GIA BAO President - Music Club

Don’t expect too high from everyone, cause each person is different and not all of them can prioritize their time to a voluntary club. Instead of putting them under pressure, I’d rather create a family-fair, supporting environment where teamwork is encouraged. Presidents are no “bosses” or “commanders”, they have to involve in all the work too, from the smallest thing like handing out pamphlets.

No one says it is easy, but you would gain a lot in exchange. Apart from acquiring a lot of skills required for leadership position, the privilege to me - as president of Music Club - is that I can engage in every rehearsals and music classes, hence having more chances to get to know each member, their music styles. I enjoy small chilling and jamming together with all of of the club members.

DANG TRAN KHANH LINH President - Event Club

NGUYEN TUAN ANH President - Business Club

Being president doesn’t make you Mrs. Right. Listen to their views and hear their voices to really understand them because sometimes there may be feedback on your leadership or your choices that you are ignoring. There shouldn’t be any barriers between president and members. Don’t think of “president” as someone extremely busy that they won’t have time to listen to you. A close knit relationship is fundamental, it sets up a concrete foundation for a strong organisation system. Being leader equals undertaking lots of tasks and responsibilities. My executives and I once were completely exhausted of managing workload in between meetings to keep up with ideas for this semester’s events. I felt ill after that, but a leader must maintain positive presence for the whole team, otherwise the others will lack enthusiasm.

Our former president is my role model of good leadership, he inspires me a lot to be in this position. Leading ain’t easy, even with a small group of four. One must learn to effectively manage his time and people to drive performance. To me, observing each individual in our club grow to reach their full potentials is a leader’s greatest achievement.

NGUYEN NHAT ANH President - Current Media

NGUYEN THU HANG Founder - Social Wave I started Social Wave after seeing huge potentials in our school’s human resource. Apart from participating in social issue campaigns like “Khi toi 19”, what I really want is to create a learning opportunity for members who share interest in social projects. To me a leader should have a sense of members’ talent identification and have the best use of it.

Being a good leader is probably one of the hardest things to do. You have to be good at what you do, be good with people, connect them, be assertive in holding members accountable for poor performance, but also praise them for good results. I don’t want to become a highly result-oriented leader, although a club president must carry out their responsibilities throughout the year. That’s where problem came up when all the pressure is put on me. It ain’t easy to have a highly engaged and productive team and sometimes it makes me question myself: Am I doing anything wrong? Should I change? Admittedly I’ve gone through tough time. But in the end, I am lucky to receive encouragements from all team members. I may not be a significant role model, but I can try to achieve the best version of myself.

Nguyen Thanh Thao President - Student Council

Nguyen Minh Anh Gen.05 Vice President Student Council

The time joining in five clubs landed me with lots of knowledge, relationships, especially thanks to SIFE for providing professional working experience. We RMIT students have the advantages and capacities to have a wider reach, yet we limit ourselves to the campus circle without acknowledging that there are a lot to learn off campus. That’s what motivates me to make a change this year: To not just work in our community but to expand external activities among RMIT students as well.

The time spent working as Student Council Vice President helps me become the person I am today. All skills can be learnt, but you need determination and devotion to sit in that position, because sometimes you would have too much on your plate. Each clubs has different issues and president has to be actively involved in, offers helps before a problem arises. It’s more important to look at every situation as a learning opportunity.

Cao Thanh Tra President - SIFE

PHAM QUANG MINH President - Marketing Club

For me, personally, what makes SIFE a strong community is because we all feel committed to the club. We are creating a family-like environment (where I am the Mama) so all of us develop a strong bond to each others. Most of us feel like it’s our second home, where all members are engaged and appreciated, not just a few outstanding ones. Apart from pursuing the main goal of SIFE, I try hard to make sure all member have their opportunities for personal growth.

I always try to make sure that each member has fun and experiences fellowship so they will commit more to the club. I make old members understand that new membership is the lifeblood of the club and we encourage everyone to speak. There are different personality types in Marketing Club, some members are naturally assertive and self-confident, while others are shy and quiet. It would be best if a leader can be observant of all members to assign work suitably.

Hoang VAN Dung President - Football Club

Nguyen Duc An President - Basketball Club

Started from my passion with football, I joined Football Club and belonged with the club ever since. What makes us close is that we are all sociable and communityminded. It took us 2 weeks to plan the female tournament: from organizing, adjusting rules to preparing prizes. It was hard finding what girls like, but in the end we were all surprised at the enthusiasm of them. I really hope our event can inspire girls in our school to participate in football more often.

To lead a sport team, you need to take charge of the team performance and members, and more over, to build and tighten relationship with other members of a team. A sport team leader earns respect not because he is the best player, but his ability to motivate everybody else.

THE TALK

WORDS BY JENG DESIGN BY SOUP

Current Media has grown up and developed as one of the strongest clubs in RMIT University Hanoi Campus. It is not the achievements that made Current the special club among RMIT community. It is the Current Media family, where people who have the same interest and passion gather, nourish our passion together, get closer and intimate with each other. Through 5 hard-working years, all of Current Medianâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dedication - all the sweat, tears and joy, happiness have made the achievements we gained be more meaningful and memorable. Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s find out the stories of the previous presidents, together with the important milestones that change Current Media into a bigger and greater club with the big achievements, step by step.

NGUYEN HAI DUY President - 2012 • 15.01.2012 • Nguyen Hai Duy founded the club, naming it Current Media which held the meaning of being in the presence • Created the logo consisted of symbols

TRAN ANH VU President - 2012 • “Current Media”, also commonly interpreted as the Flow of Water. The implication of being a fish in Current Media reminds RMITers of standing united for a common cause • Another meaning that barely anyone knows of is Electric Current, which is about being nimble and energetic in the conduct of missions

CAO TUAN HIEP President - 2012 • Improve the designs and the printing quality significantly

CAO HOANG YEN President - 2013 • Marking the invasion of Profcommers to Current Media as the club was mostly consisted of Business majors •

Got the school’s fund exclusively for Current Magazine 11

DAO THU TRANG President - 2014 • Marking the first monumental step for Current Media by changing the magazine format to having one social topic each issue

NGUYEN LAN CHI Lead Designer - 2014 • Update the previous logo by: Simplifying the logo, keeping it minimal as much as possible to make it be more visually clear • In the future, it will be flexible for the later generation if they want to change it again

DANG NGHINH XUAN President - 2015 • Current Media succeeded to achieve big things, such as completing the magazine and Facebook, expanding to the website and Youtube platforms, and organising creative events that bring joyous moments to the campus

TRAN BACH DUONG President - 2016 • Current Media has been taken a new direction in terms of event organization • The first ever charity concert “Tram Dung” was held • Tram Dung has proven “Nothing is impossible”, and that Current Media could do anything once we set our heart on it • The form of Human Resource department in Current Media

TRAN BAO CHAU President - 2016 • Executed enhancements on Current Media magazine’s graphic and content • Organized internal and external events such as “P.S. Date Me?” and “Ca Hoi" 12

SHORT STORY

eeling is a wonderful subject. From times to times, words can’t even begin to express it. There are moments in your life where you knew at that very second, that you as an individual, had changed. But you can’t describe it with a mere word, or a sentence.

The moment you stay up late at night because you have a fever. Everyone knows

there is a difference between being alone, and being lonely. But most of the time, they can’t separate what is what. That moment, in the middle of the night, when no one is around and the delirium catches up to you. The whole world is outside, just behind that door. But you can’t reach them. The isolation and the negligent the universe gives you with your consciousness. That may be the closest definition of loneliness.

The moment you bid your last farewell to your classmates. You kept a grudge

against schools and the entire educational system. You weren’t even close with everyone. But at that exact moment, you give them your adieus. And something kindled within you. An emotion you can’t interpret.

Every sense of his was stressing out. He could not sleep. It felt like there were millions of tiny workers inside his head trying to bask his skull with their teenyweeny hammers. Millions of them.

The classroom was empty. The tables weren’t lined up. A bunch of benches were dragged to the back of the room. The blackboard was full with chalked words, reminding students of the closing ceremony. The teacher has mentioned countless time, “7 AM sharp!” “Wear uniform!” “Don’t wear jeans!” They all echoed in his mind.

The night wind caressed his arm, wrapping itself around him. The tingling chill lingered on his body, but not enough to make him shut the tiny gap of the window. It was however enough to make him curl up into a ball. He inhaled, then exhaled. The fever hasn’t gone down yet. Darkness draped itself down his eyes. The leaves were rustling out the window, the whole space soaked with the sound of night. His body was fired up. All of his senses started to shut down. Inhaling, exhaling.

The sunset drenched the whole room with orange. A few rays of light were springing at his desk. He laid his head on a table, pressing his face against it. The powdery smell of chalk, the husky smell of a humid summer, the warm scent of sunlight all blended into one another. The smell of summer filled up the whole space. He glanced down the football field, some of the students haven’t left yet. They wandered around, all the while the very last daylights went away and the night seized the air. His eyes were blazing, jibing with the dazzling red of the decline of day. The whole corner in the sky was brightening up the colour of flaming red.

He stared at the closet, blankly. It would have been great if something were to happen now. His imagination started to run wild. He tried to look at what the supposedly closet before him, but could not recognize anything resembling it. Was there anything there? Or may be something was behind the closet. He inhaled again, then exhaled sharply. Bogeyman? Badadook? Maybe. They would make a great guest.

It was the last day of high school.

But there was only him in the room.

SHORT STORY

Art by: Hoang Khanh Ngan Words by: Dao Phuong Linh

am hits the send button as she finished re-reading her resignation letter for the sixteenth time. It was addressed to Ilena, her boss, and her mentor at Ilena’s Wedding. Lam has been here at the agency for three months, working as an assistant for the introverted, reserved but determined Ilena R. Nolan— an author/wedding planner from Dublin. And now, as soon as Ilena is informed of her intention to leave, Lam would book a flight home, back to that small province of hers where all weddings look and feel just the same. Her thoughts wandered back to the beginning of college, when she first had an idea of working as a wedding planner. Back then, not a single person she knew, even in big cities, had the slightest idea of what a wedding planner was. For Lam, she was inspired by a book, written by that very Dublin author. But it was quickly discovered that no college ever offered any program that related the tiniest bit to what she was yearning to become. Neither was any wedding agency doing the closest thing to what she was dreaming about. But Lam was not ready to give up—as she heard the Ilena was coming to Vietnam. And what brought her here? God knows. To everyone’s surprise, Ilena was marketing with her messages, portfolios, service menus, etc, all in local language. They were all translated from English, with a genuine intention to earn true local customers.

Lam recalled how the sales manager was outraged for having to put up with that “local” aim every day for the past three months. She remembered the first

customer they ever welcomed. As the groom’s voice was on the other line of the telephone, muttering if he could plan the wedding with Ilena’s help. There were two other voices fighting their way to the mic, “It ought to be ab-solutely novel!” “It should be the century’s wedding!” Lam was excited. They finally found a customer, who would go into her CV as the first nuptial she ever helped planning. But she was concerned. This was typical, and she knew it full well. She knew full well those kinds of parents who struck as so ever unreasonably demanding, wishing their children’s wedding to be extravagant. They hung up the phone as an arrangement was made.

Lam’s intuition was wrong. The parents, Mr. and Mrs. Tam, were not at all demanding. In fact, all they did was fondly reminiscing three other weddings they had gone through—to which none of them were their own. They were their children’s. Their firstborn’s wedding was all traditional and precious. Their second daughter’s was nothing short of creative and liberated. Their third child’s, as the groom, had a rustic wedding that was full of nature elements. As their eyes started to swell with tears, it was clear that they were treasuring this last chance to plan an important wedding. Their “century wedding” remark now made more sense. And it was Ilena’s turn now, to be demanding and ambitious. She refused to resemble the youngest child’s wedding to any of the other children’s. And boy was that a wedding to remember. Was that a century wedding to recall.

There was another special, ever so particular wedding that never stopped haunting Lam. Everything was in white. But it was not the shining, ivory, splendid white one might fancy. It was the haunting whiteness of a hospital, with all the tubes and machines hooked over the bride’s wedding dress. The dress was accompanied with a wheelchair, as the bride twirled and twirled down the aisle with her groom. Her face was ghostly pale. Her hands were shaking. Her heart rate beeping up and down the monitor, grossly appearing to dance and sing with her. The scarf covering the bride’s bare scalp was something the team over Ilena’s Wedding spent five weeks searching up the whole net finding, with the help of a personal shopper from Dublin. There were so many machines and pills and tubes that one might even think the wedding’s theme was sci-fi. The ring could not find its way to any of the bride’s fingers. They were all clipped and hooked with pipes. The music was sultry and low, floating under their whispers, “You will still be my sweetheart, even when everything stops.”

And everything did stop the day after the wedding. The bride passed away, leaving behind all the so-called blackholes and time travelling portals from the previous joyful night. She also left her newlywed husband Khanh behind, empty and shocked to stone before her deathbed, thinking of all the last moments passing by before his sleep merely two hours ago.

All the weddings Ilena’s Wedding planned more or less had taken Lam on a rollercoaster of emotions. The last wedding record on her portfolio was supposed to be the one that revives her from all the unfitting loss and pain from the previous weddings. They were planning an elopement. Nicely decorated seats were gathered up with greenery backdrop and whimsical wreaths in a pretty little botanical garden. Small buckets filled with baby’s breaths surrounded the happy couple and held by each and every bridesmaids. It was all up in the mountain, where the bride and the groom were going to be married in the presence of Lam herself—the officiant. And was she excited. She spent a whole week putting together and practicing the validating speech, putting herself in the most suitable gown she could find—only to find out no one was present at the wedding the next day. No bridesmaids or groomsmen, family members or close friends—no one gathered here today to witness the union of the happy couple. She stood before the empty ceremony, marrying the two people that had decided to be joined in holy matrimony against the will of their closest people.

Weariness and disappointment filled Lam’s heart. She thought to herself, after all this time, what she ever saw was just the ends and the lasts: An empty sadness of having to leave what we were so used to do, a broken feeling of losing your significant other, and the sacrificial exchange we have to make fighting for love. All the fancy ideas of love gave in to the bare reality that life is harsh. And there she was, disheartened and burnt out, composing her resignation letter. 16

[New Message from Ilena R. Nolan]

Dear Lam, I cannot express how much your contribution is appreciated during your stay with us. You work with a true passion that will you a dedicated, considerate and exceptional wedding planner one day. Your decision to part with us is not at all irresponsible or inconsiderate. But before you leave, you deserve to know the after story of those that you once helped planning, stories that was once written by you.

And our naughty, eloping couple, they are having their everlasting honeymoon. They have decided to sell all they had to buy a caravan for their own journey. And as we speak, they may very well be on the border of Thailand and soon will make their path across all of the Southest Asia. Because life is a journey right?

Mr. and Mrs. Tam are going to welcome home their newborn grandson. It dawned on them as hearing this news means they would spend their retirement doing what their favourite thingâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; planning weddings for their grandchildren, one by one. Though they admit that they might not even have enough teeth by then to present their idea to any of the planners.

I hope these three weddings in your career profile will become one of the greatest source of inspiration for you. In my own experience, the first ones are always among the most memorable and impressive. But let the ones to come be just as inspirational and meaningful, till the last wedding you plan with full passion. I know you will be one of the most strongminded wedding planner out there, that keeps one waiting until the day all couples in this world is successfully married. And remember, Lam, every ending you see, might just be another new beginning.

Khanh is now engaged in an aerospace project. He is so devoted that I bet soon we will watch the news on TV about him landing on the moon. He will complete his wifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wish someday, scattering her ashes all over the Pacific Ocean.

Love, Ilena

PERSPECTIVE

words by design by

Nguyen Bang Viet Nam Nguyen

It was a typical chat between friends on a rainy day.

classes are going to stick with you until your national exams. “Well, at least you could chill and enjoy your sweet 4 years in your top-notch university!”

“Lucky bastard, do you have any idea you are living your dream, man? I mean, you got your dream job, surrounded by cool people, man I wish could live like that!”

There’s a reason why it’s a top university, Einstein! If you’re getting better and better at what you do, why would the problems coming at you be any easier? Everything just gets harder and harder, and it won’t stop until it gets the best of you.

Are you sure ‘bout that?

Being me means you will have to learn to play the piano at the age of 4, that’s before you even start school. Imagine sitting still for hours when you are a kid who would just give anything to play leap-frogs with your friends. And the 9 pm curfew when I turned 6, oh I hate it so much. It’s like having to quit climbing up when you almost reach the peak of Everest, ‘nuff said.

But the worst thing is still having to live up to the expectation from your families and friends around you as it never goes away, and you know, the only way is up. Frankly, unless you are incredibly gifted, it takes almost everything to get to the top, and all you have left to stay there. But the funny thing is, people admire you for your achievements, not what those achievements cost you. They talk about you and your desirable life as if you inherited it from your parents, not by hard work and endurance.

Living my life means your dad will smack you with your own notebooks just because you have bad handwritings. He will even beat you up with a stick because you spent a 50 cent in a cyber cafe, and it is going to happen a lot.

As time passes by, you will get used to getting up at 6:00 AM, all the while knowing you won’t make it to bed before midnight. Prep classes, cram schools, what not, you name it. All of those damned

“Hmm, I guess you sure went through a lot, huh? Me, I was never good at anything, my mom told me I’m a good-for-nothing. So I’ve always wondering what it feels like, standing in the spotlight.”

You will know, my friend, if you pay the price. 18

INSIDER'S STORY

THE

IGHT

FOR S

GHT I F

The first month was undoubtedly the toughest. In order to maximise the effectiveness of the methods, I had to stop using my glass completely. Imagine how hard it was to do everyday tasks without glasses, especially for a 5-diopter like me. I could barely read anything that was written on the board at school, and riding on the streets was a real torture, as everything was blurry. My grades did suffer a lot because of this, and my homeroom teacher was not okay with this. She made fun of me in front of the whole class. She even called me “blind”, although there is a huge difference between being blind and having myopia. All I wanted to do was just an attempt to improve my health. The pressure really escalated when my parents knew about my decision. I got reprimanded over and over, and no one really supported me at that time. Frankly, I thought about giving up. I mean, it’s not the end of the world, going back to wearing glasses. But I just couldn’t give up hope, the hope of having my eyes back to normal as much as possible.

"Mytopia, 1.5 dipoters!" That was what the optometrist told me when I was a 3rd grader. For most kids at that point, it was impossible to truly understand the situation, and I was not an exception. In fact, when I first put on my first pair of glasses, somehow I was proud and felt happy about them. For me, just like other kids, it was like having a new toy, a toy that can make you look “cooler” and smarter. After that, my eyesight just kept on getting worse and worse every year. My family started to complain about me spending too much time playing computer games. But there were lots of people who play much more than I do and their eyes are normal. So what was the real problem?

When I got to high school, my eyesight were really bad. I could barely see things without my glasses and it was simply impossible to play football or any sports with glasses on. Every time I played football, I always had to buy a new pair of glasses. It became an inconvenience for my parents as each pair was not cheap, and the store was quite far from my house. That was when I decided to do something about my eyesight, and it was not Lasik (eye surgery using laser beams). Why? Because I wouldn’t even have to try to do anything, my parents were going to cover the fees and all I have to do was just sitting still. Besides, I would have to quit playing computer games in order to avoid getting myopia again, and I don’t want that. They had become a part of my childhood, something I would never let go.

Fortunately, after two months, my eyesight noticeably improved. I could start seeing the edges of things from afar and the seconds on the traffic lights, given enough light. And the best part was that I no longer have to be afraid of breaking my glasses in my football matches anymore. An indescribable feeling ran all over me, a feeling when you know you have made the right decision. I just couldn’t help myself bragging about it all the time with my family, friends. My teachers and parents eventually let me do whatever I want, since it’s my health after all. My grades also got back to where they were supposed to be, as I was never really a bad student. I just needed some time adjusting to not wearing glasses. Most of all, I learnt that sometimes you just have to take the initiative, be the first to do something. And there will be times when you are your only supporter, if you truly know what’s best for you.

I frantically searched online for a way to cure my eyes. I tried, again and again, to find a solution to my problem. I finally came across a website that was introducing a method that claimed to be able to cure myopia completely. Of course I didn’t believe it right away, so I skeptically took a look at the website. As it turned out, the methods were quite simple and easy. And that was when everything was about to come to an end, or so I thought.

Words by Nguyen Bang Viet Design by H.M 20

INSIDER'S STORY

ove is the alpha of feelings. For me, loving alpha people is a ride that goes out of this world. The way I started falling, the things they made me feel—all the yet to be named emotions— everything was an experience of redefining love. Love in itself is already an universally exceptional sensation, more peculiar than just about anything. The idea of loving someone has long burned into our mind as something, something of a different order from the mundane events of our earthly lives. But alpha people, being one of a kind themselves, take this cosmic phenomenon to a whole different level.

by the presence of their triumphant consummation of success. I have met not just one, but many alpha males and females in my life. Although I am sure, so have you. The remarkable thing about meeting them for the first time is that sometimes you already know them and their conquest of the world, sometimes you don’t. Sometimes you meet them by chances, as strangers, hardly knowing anything about. But still, they radiate that aura of eminence, and you are enthralled regardless. I know I was drawn in regardless. That firm grip of their handshake, that look in their eyes piercing right through mine. Everything they did held me captive.

Alpha people are special, that’s no news flash. But falling for them, being with them makes you feel special too. Loving an alpha sends you right on a trip with peculiar experiences, like entering the alpha world itself where the attraction is nothing short of spellbinding. When I fell for my own alpha, it was a long process of butterflies and somersaults—but in a good way. Their infectious energy, their compelling attractiveness emitting from the way they flaunt their charisma around. They became my beacon of inspiration, bringing fire, shining light, blowing life into me, too. When love comes in the equation, you feel everything intimidating about them endearing. The way they let me watch the lights go wild when they are in their elements motivates me to take the higher ladder, no longer caring about the height below that once petrified me. I was going out the door blind, infatuated by the proximity of achievements you could so easily reach once out of your comfort zone. That’s what they do, pushing you to be alpha too. I was entirely dumbfounded by the changes my alpha lover inflicted on me, and my choices to advance in life, how they took me places. At the beginning of this new page, I felt impossible. It was scary, it was unpredictable, and it was a major step. It left me mid-rail, on a drop tower seat, not knowing if I am falling up or down. But it felt fine. I felt fine with the unknown. Alpha people, they made you content with the unknown. It

You feel the beautiful rush of electric butterflies. Terror, excitement, and curiosity consume you all over. You are out of nowhere on top of this incline of a roller coaster, fully aware of the impending drop and the somersault your stomach is about to perform in the depths of your body. And you feel so ready because they are worth the shock, the fall, and the possibility of shattering when you happen to be diving head down that leap of faith unparachuted, unprepared, and unsighted altogether.

That was when I met my own alpha person. How I fell hard for them perfect creature. I was on my guard with the rest of the world, but with them, I knew it was no good.

You know alpha people. They are exceptional beings, prone to glory and success. They pull you right in. I, like many other little people, felt intimidated upon facing something ever so great. A mix of intimidation and adoration arose within my inside, and I was taken aback

was a transition subconsciously led by an alpha—my alpha—to be one of them, too. They don’t just change you, they make you see. They make you find out your own alpha ego. It was not just love, in spite of me feeling weary, running out of energy, enraptured by them. It was also growth, unintentionally imposed on me by their contagion of bravery and ambition.

radiation, leaving you paralyzed. That was how I felt, like you fall asleep—slowly, then all at once. I was entirely in the dark, but I was in trance. Their face was split and burned into the back of my mind, constantly flashing. The intense emotions I felt for my own alpha, they drained me out of every possible cranial nerves and cells that were responsible for the pure emotion of love alone. Only when I was deep in, I realized something about alpha people that was never really written in any definition, that they are nothing short of everything. They are wrong enough to feel right. They are the dark and they are the light. When I was entirely underwater, infatuated with the thought of them, I was drowning. And when I was drowning, that was when I could finally breathe.

But let’s get back to loving them, because the way they make you feel—that alone deserves a lifetime of writers and poets, painting skies, writing songs about such passion.

Alpha people, they are captivators. When I first fell for them, they dropped on me the kind of love that felt like a grenade. It felt a lot like when you saw a satellite, ever so tiny upper out space. But when it made its way down to Earth and landed, it was a gigantic force, blasting you with shockwaves and

I still remembered the look on their face. How their eyes lit through the dark, finding its way to mine, on that day, in a dimmed pub, the day I started falling.

COVER STORY

That’s an “a”! That’s half of a falling “8”! No, that is “Alpha”!

All of the sudden, I took my first step down the path of becoming an alpha when I was 18. Life sure took its time to beat me into shape. I had to learn how to make my voice heard and my opinions listened. I had to learn how to suppress and control others in order to achieve something. I had to be stronger and more visible than I had been all my life.

In ancient Greek, alpha “ α” is the first letter. In Greek numerals, “α” has the value of 1. It came from the Phoenician and Hebrew letter aleph, which means an ox or more commonly known nowadays, a leader. An alpha is usually considered as the leader, the strongest or simply, the first. As a result, there have been many interpretations for α. For example, if you are a fan of Animal Planet, you would be familiar with the term Alpha wolf. Alpha wolf is essentially a scientific term to describe the leader of a wolf pack, the strongest male, a model to look up to. The Alpha wolf image has long imprinted into people’s mind and solidified the term Alpha male. Now, if I describe you as an alpha, it means that you are seen as a strong, leader-type person in my eyes. Especially for men, being alpha is relatively considered the highest achievement of manliness and masculinity. However, alpha, or a leader, or the first, can represent many other things. α can simply be a mathematical symbol, or an “a” in many languages.

Alpha traits are not born. They are grown, they are nurtured. Maybe that is why they are so valuable, but that is also why some people tend to see them just as any other ordinary characteristic of the human race. Alpha can be learned, just like Beta or any other categories of characters that can be learned. Nevertheless, α is still treasured in our society, as they are also associated with bravery, boldness, pioneering and strength. Those traits all scream one thing in common: leadership. Who can argue against the values of a good leader? A leader who is not only strong, but also brave and bold? However, I believe that being human is complex, and has more to that. You can never be only alpha or only beta. We, as a human, are always changing. A shy little kid can grow up to be a strong, confident adult. Introverts can still have moments in their lives where they stand up and make their voices roar as powerful as thunders. I believe wholeheartedly that in order to grow, to improve oneself and to become the better person than we were yesterday, we have to be bold, be brave and be the first to take the step sometimes.

But let’s not talk about all that here. Let me tell you about the first, my first. Unlike many people, seeking the number one position has never been on my mind. I was and maybe still a very reserved and quiet person. I tend to blend in, hide myself among the crowd and avoid being stand out. I enjoy the invisibility and solitary of mine. But nothing can stay the same forever, can it?

So, what are you waiting for, my friends? Be the alpha that you need to be, today. 24

ENTERTAINMENT

ABOUT TIME LINH NHI - NAM NGUYEN 25

Each and every one of us has not less than a thousand times replay scenarios in our head and rehearse how we should have reacted. In vain, we know that. We do it anyway. Wistful, but it is a desperate dream we all have—to be able to go back in time and have a second beginning. And Richard Curtis this time around has sure built this very universal dream of people around the world, charging us bucks to watch it. About Time tells a story of an overly ordinary man named Tim, who happens to have an extraordinary power the world yearns for—time travel. On his 21st birthday, Tim learnt that he has inherited the ability to travel back and forth in time. In fact, all the men in his family can. As his father slowly explains, he warns Tim against using the ability for superficial goals—like money or power—for other men in his family have, resulting in a life of travesty. For his father, it was family and endless knowledge. For the bright-eyed Tim, it’s love.

cannot make someone love you, a lesson that might otherwise have taken him a lifetime to realize. Tim’s character growth and development is central to the film more than any complicated, unaddressed plot. But the approaches are rather unconventional compared to other movies from the same genre. The time travelling machinery running through About Time is truly coherent—with multiple characters playing around with chronology, conforming the ability to internallogics throughout. In fact, About Time is not just another time travel story with gasping plot twists and shocking climax. It focuses from the whole of life, the many facets of love, to the limits of the gift, and the inevitability of life’s end. The moment-to-moment experience of Tim’s time travelling life balanced multiple tones in the film—including overt sentimentality and complex emotionality. The film is a continuous touch of gentleness, heartwarming moments within people that are on their search of mundane happiness and the meaning of life. Despite being a sci-fi picture featuring the much talked about concept of time travel, but the actual ability to go back and forth in time is not at all strongly highlighted throughout the movie, but rather runs in the background—for the main character uses it for no greater purpose than simply giving a conscious friend a kiss on NYE, or fixing a failed play for his playwright landlord. The real emphasis is strained on how upon being given second chances in everything, Tim’s attitude directly, and either positively or negatively, impacts on his future—where time travel is merely a vehicle for him to learn so.

Put it this way, if every moment in life comes with a second chance to repaint them, Tim sure is one clumsy artist. Every moment is redone more than once. And every time Tim attempts to fix one, his naïveté and awkwardness are a blast for the audiences to witness. Say, you desperately want to approach a girl, the girl, someone who you know full well her name and likes and dislikes, but she has never met you before. How would you do it? How would Tim? Well, for starters: Your name is Mary! How do you know that? (Sudden realization) Well...you look like a Mary. In what way? My mum’s called Mary. (Frowns) I look like your mother? Oh no no no. No no. No. Again!

So maybe after or upon watching About Time, you might realize second beginnings to everything is not so desirable anymore. Maybe it’s about time we realize the simplicity of the mundane should be more prized, how the hours and the minutes that make up a day or a life align with our intentions and values, and that time must be used for reading, singing, running barefoot on the beach. That, and just that simply.

Lanky, well-meaning Tim was not the smoothest with women. Tim frequently uses his peculiar ability to go back in time and tries (most of the time succeeds) to set right what went socially awkward the first time. The ability has helped Tim to a crucial lesson in a failed summer romance: all the time travel in the world 26

OF CURRENT MEDIA

15 CHILDREN

FINAL WORDS

In March 2012, Current Media officially brought on board the very first magazine with several exciting topics about RMIT students. There was especially an interview with a successful alumnus - Vo Duy Khang and RMIT student council’s 4 suggestions to improve the Hanoi campus. In addition, photos of Event Club - 2011 White Christmas Party and teen idol Chipu are among the most interesting articles in this episode.

In the second issue published in August, 2012, Current Media brought us the success story of Ngo Huy Anh, an RMIT alumnus who is currently working for Standard Chartered. The next 13 pages of the issue discuss tips for a green-living world, along with reviews and updates of Premier League, the movie “The Help”, must-go cafes and many other highlighted events of RMIT students.

“Dear dog lovers, the story of Zen the Boxer” is the first story that issue no. 3 brought out. Followed up is an interesting overall perspective on the 2012 American Presidential Election and the familiar Review “column” on the movie Dead Silence. Besides that, SIFE’s ex-president shared us interesting insights on SIFE’s progression tale.

Long Distance Relationship (LDR) is the first interesting topic in the 4th issue, carrying on is the memorial photos of Graduation day at the end of 2012. On top of that, Current suggested the top 5 most hardcore subjects at RMIT, what do you think? Other topics as Music and Sports were also highlighted such as a must watch list of movies in 2013 and Aikido. Especially, issue 4 marks the first milestone of Current Media Magazine in the back of the book.

The event Nick Vujicic came to Vietnam was one of the featured stories in the 5th issue, published in June, 2013. Current Media also focused on discussing the event called “RMIT Open Day” with a particular section that introduces the new generation of Student Council. The next pages were written about many success stories of different businessmen and CEOs with new updates on activities around campus.

Issue no. 6 marks a significant change in Current Media’s designs, structure and writing style. To signify this big shift, Current Media dedicated to RMIT female readers an also significant theme - Women. Besides from the usual Campus report, this issue was all-thing women. From cover story, career choice, music from female singers, fashion, movies and even dating tips that women should take up.

Love, an ever so intriguing topic, became the enthusiasm of the 7th issue of Current Media. Various stories, tips and perspectives about Love is explored in different articles, such as “How to get a Girl on Facebook” or “Money or Honey”, etc. Furthermore, Graduation Day 2013 was evolved in this issue, and wishes were delivered to the graduated students.

With the ‘Urban summer’ theme, issue no.8 of Current Media in June, 2014 brought us fascinating stories about Hanoi’s summer and the people in this city through interesting structure and way of designing pages. And as usual, the writers used the rest to give us reviews about movies, books and video games with some tips, advices to have an exciting and productive summer. 28

Embracing the changes, Current Media vowed to make an impact at RMIT. Positively, this issue talked about the changes in fashion, the changes in the world’s political status, and the changes within a person and within RMIT itself. There is also an interesting diary piece on a Hanoi meets Saigon’s late night and an insightful review of the book The Buddha in the Attic.

In March 2015, with the theme - Freedom, Current Media established the 7th issue, marking a milestone of publishing magazines for 3 years. “10 Fun Fact of CM” was one of the first articles and several familiar columns such as Fashion, Perspectives, Entertainment, etc .. were issued based on the key word “Freedom”. Besides, other entertaining activities of RMIT during the previous year were recalled.

In summer 2015, Current Media published our 11th issue with the theme called “Breeding season”. With a strange topic as this, the pages discussed two matters that considered sensitive yet really close to us: body and sex. Many stories about how people are proud of their own body and different perspectives towards sex have been told through short yet concise essays.

In November 2015, Current Media continued on with the Dream edition. Along with the usual columns like Campus Report, Student Bulletin and Voices of RMIT, this edition also explored the aspects of Dreams. There is a big difference between dreaming and not having a dream at all. Therefore, read to find out if you’re daydreaming or actually achieving your passion.

“Bodies” is the first edition published in 2016. It began with a fashion photoshoot “La Fumee et L’encre”made by Current Media is the opening in the 13th issue. Followed was the report of the previous semester and thoughts of RMIT students on “Body”. Besides, an exciting article “Why do Humans Have Tattoos” and “Prescription to Self-love” would definitely attract you zealous readers.

With the theme “Heroes”, Current Media’s issue no.14 focused on analysing people’s perspectives towards that 2-syllable term through short yet meaningful articles and stories. The issue also had lots of sections for campus report and student bulletin so we could get updated with the now and then semester. Last but not least, we can’t skip the part where they reviewed “The Dark Knight” (2008) along with lots of fun facts about our beloved superheroes.

The last of the 15 magazines, in December 2016, Current Media issued the Memories edition. All thing memories were discussed. Childhood myths, heartbreaks and remembrances were insightfully and beautifully illustrated in wordings and graphics. Let Current Media take you on a bittersweet ride of memories, leaving you reminiscing for more. This concluded the first 15, but definitely not last, issues. 29

FINAL WORDS

To our dearest readers,

be well received among readers in RMIT community. Through time, our audience base grew steady larger. We were grateful and touched to see our fellow students welcome and appreciate our works . Up until today, we have successfully managed to publish 15 publications of Current Media, all under the support of RMIT. Nothing can describe how proud and grateful we are as we were named as the representing the voice of RMIT Hanoi to showcase our campus to fellow universities in town and nationwide.

If you have ever picked up an issue of Current Media magazine, you may have had an idea of who we are. Our Current Media team are of students from different schools from. Run by everything from scrappy team of business majors to fullfledged editorial teams of profcommers. Our magazine is our dearest mission— being RMIT’s official student-run publication. Our content reflects the fresh new voices today, embracing a wide range of controversial topics, new design motifs, and creative writing styles. The making of magazines has always been central to our club’s main activity. On the occasion of celebrating our first landmark--having published a well-rounded 15 issues--allow me to take you, our dearest readers, on a tour inside our little club, right here in our ever so familiar university we call home.

As the popularity of our magazine keeps growing, we start moving forward by going online for wider reach, and organizing big events at the end of every year. At each of these events we had managed to raise considerable amount of donation and the donation will go to charity organizations in Vietnam. Thanks to the constant encouragement and support from both internal and external ,the end-of-year big event has officially become one of Current Media's central activities aside from the craft of making campus magazines.

We pride ourselves on our magazines, which provides RMIT students with high quality magazines as our magazines are well-written and represents visually diverse pieces from our very own members. At Current Media, every member is regarded as a unique individual. Embracing individualities, if you will . We treasure our members’ originality, as the diversity in each person contributes to the creative process. We develop ourselves in happy ways. We don’t need the best people; we need the most passionate ones. And when members develop, so does Current Media.

Looking back, there were definitely things we think we could have done better. But what’s more important is that they have become lessons we can learn from and unforgettable memories we will cherish for the rest of our lives. It is truly something special to be able to create, carry on, and pass down a legacy for however many more generations to come. Current Media is grateful to RMIT University and to all of our readers, supporters in the RMIT family that have contributed to building a place where we belong, for us to look back and forever treasure the time we had together. Tomorrow is a new day and the future is not ours to see but we hope you will always stand by us, being RMIT Hanoi's official voice representing the new millennium age here in RMIT University.

Our club headquarter locates in RMIT Hanoi Campus, where we have enough room for creativity. We are fortunate enough to receive huge supports from all of the schools and departments. RMIT Hanoi had been our fundamental source of motivation and support from the beginning, where we published our very first issue. At first we had to face with numerous of difficulties just like others in their early days. But then we were lucky enough to

Regards, 31

Current Media is a free, student-run publication for the RMIT Hanoi community. Please note that the views expressed in these pages are the personal views of the writers, and do not necessarily reflect the views of RMIT management.