The FFL Journal vol 7

CONTENT - COFFEE TALK

THE FFL JOURNAL EDITORIAL BOARD

CONSULTANT Lecturer Nguyễn Thúy Nga Lecturer Lê Phương Thảo Board of lecturers of Faculty of Foreign Languages

EDITORIAL MANAGER Tôn Nữ Tường Vy

DEPUTY EDITORIAL MANAGER Nguyễn Thị Mỹ Linh

WRITER Đặng Phương Thảo (L1) Quách Minh Minh Trần Nguyệt Minh Chu Thị Như Trang Nguyễn Trúc Phương Phạm Ngọc Tuyết Phan Thị Kiều Trinh Đoàn Phương Hạnh Lê Thị Kim Nhi Nguyễn Thị Huỳnh Nhi Phan Thị Huyền Trâm Trần Thị Thảo Trâm Bùi Thị Phương Trần Thị Thiên Kiều Nguyễn Quốc Vũ

CREATIVE ART

MEDIA – MARKETING Trần Phú Cường (L) Lê Lập Đức Võ Nguyễn Trúc Linh Nguyễn Nhật Phụng FINANCING Nguyễn Thị Mỹ Linh (L) Bùi Thị Phương Lâm Hoàng Thiện

HUMAN RESOURCES Nguyễn Trúc Phương (L) Đoàn Phương Hạnh Hà Nhật Linh

Our voice - Our reﬂection

DISCOVERY

Can you love others but hate yourself? “People often consider the way they behave to others and others’ behavior to them, but they do not think about how they behave to themselves.”

And the lesson… I tell my story just to say that: love and respect yourself! People often consider the way they behave to others and others’ behavior to them, but they do not think about how they behave towards themselves. Love and respect yourself! You are the belief and pride of your parents. They gave you your body, your life. You have no reason to refuse them, because the way you behave towards yourself is the way you behave towards others. Do you think that you can be respected by someone who does not respect even himself? Can you take care of other people while hating yourself? Love yourself before thinking about sharing your love to someone else. However, love yourself enough to give, not too much to keep. Lê Thị Kim Nhi

Solitude

Laugh, and the world laughs with you; Weep, and you weep alone. For the sad old earth must borrow its mirth, But has trouble enough of its own. Sing, and the hills will answer; Sigh, it is lost on the air. The echoes bound to a joyful sound, But shrink from voicing care.

~ POEM ~

First year at college If someone asks me: “How was your first year at college?”, the answer will be: “So bad! It was a difficult time to me, but it helped me realize many valuable things. Entering Ho Chi Minh City Open University was my second option. I was not disappointed with this school but with me. The first semester of the first year went by tastelessly. I did not care too much about my study. Perhaps because I knew that at home my parents were trying to support me in college life, I still attended classes fully, was still on time for class everyday in order not to feel guilty. When I entered the second semester, everything was even worse. I had to face a lot of pressure when my new classmates were so excellent. I lost confidence in myself. I could not raise my hand to express my opinions, and looked down at the table all the time. I was disappointed in myself. However, my situation would have not been awful if my health had not been worse and worse. My backache was more serious. I could not seat constantly within thirty minutes. Seating was really a nightmare to me. I was also infected with inflammation of skin (a kind of disease) at the same time. All of my body became ulcerous. It hurt me a lot. I was exhausted. I wanted to cry when I thought about my friends. “Why am I not healthy like them? Why?” I asked myself. I hated myself. I was absent from class regularly and did nothing all day. I was furious with other people. I knew that I was rolling in the deep…

Home… Having ended the semester, I went home. My parents were so happy, but they looked older. I wanted to cry when I met them, but I did not. One night, I opened the album of my family. There were photos taken when I was one month old, 3 years old, 5 years old, 10 years old. I looked so cute, and my parents were so happy. My mother got along with me, looked at those photos and said that I was infected with smallpox when I was 4 years old. They had to wrap me inside a piece of material to avoid the perch of flies and brought me to the doctor… At that time, I cried. I understood how difficult it was to rear me up, how much their love for me. I realized that I did not have the right to refuse myself. I was the reason for my parents to live, and to work hard. Unless I did not change myself, I would regret for the rest of my life. I had to change myself, then or never.

I of Today I of today… is still a student like others, not so excellent, not so impressive, still have some health problems, but I of today is more confident, : I do not compare myself with other people anymore, I know how to live meaningfully and how to take care of myself, and I’ve learned to love myself and share my love to others.

Rejoice, and men will seek you; Grieve, and they turn and go. They want full measure of all your pleasure, But they do not need your woe. Be glad, and your friends are many; Be sad, and you lose them all. There are none to decline your nectared wine, But alone you must drink life's gall. Feast, and your halls are crowded; Fast, and the world goes by. Succeed and give, and it helps you live, But no man can help you die. There is room in the halls of pleasure For a long and lordly train, But one by one we must all file on Through the narrow aisles of pain. Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Our voice - Our reﬂection

DISCOVERY

GROUP WORKING: Creating A Mountain From Separated Trees

“I paid my tuition to learn with my professors, not my classmates.”

I’m sure that many students said the this statement when they were reluctant or compelled to work in groups. Some suppose studying in individuals individually will help them promote their own abilities and performances rather better than studying in groups. Others believe students learn best when they are actively involved in the process. In this volume, I will therefore share the interesting things of group work with you in order that you can consider carefully before deciding to join in a group, which are what group working is and what its aims are, why students like and don’t like to work in groups, and last but not least, fruitful tips helping to help you work in groups effectively.

Firstly, we students must do the group work many times in schools; so have you ever wondered why students have to work in groups and what it is it is? Essentially, group work is a form of cooperative learning. This activity aims to cater for individual differences, develop students’ knowledge, generic skills and attitudes. More practically, the purpose of group work is to produce better presentations and reports.

In reality, many students have never worked in collaborative learning groups. Frankly speaking, group work is a learning method being not easy to “swallow” at all. There is a person having asked me,” Is there any profit in it?” If anyone likes group working, he or she will grasp of benefits from it. Actually, a number of students like group work because it gives them necessary skills, such as communication ones when you are wrong or “raw” in saying and other members will help you correct or “polish” it, collaborative collaboration ones when you cannot solve a problem by yourself and the rest will join forces with you, and critical thinking ones when you produce normal or “unripe” thoughts about an aspect and you will be open exposed to sensitive ideas or extraordinary thoughts from others about that aspect as well. Besides practical skills, you also will will also get two noticeable advantages from group working, which are that the workload will be divided into small pieces (or at least you do not have to endure all of them by yourself), and different skills from members will be put on the table and participants freely pick various “dishes” to “eat”.

Unfortunately, many are not in love with this approach since one difficulty in group work is that you cannot desire the work speed to be as quick or slow as you can by yourself. In a team, one has to be dependent on each other! My friend from the Faculty of Business Administration shared he had hated doing the group work before on account of the unreasonable division in work. While his partners had a lot to do, he had nothing. He was envious of that for he‘s was impossible to give a hand. Another sophomore told me that she did not want to cooperate with others as there was no the same not a common voice. “Everyone always puts their own self first”, said she. “Every three people have ten unlike views and no one agrees to listen to others”, added she.

Each work of team working is as a separated material of a hot pot. It is very difficult to harmoniously mix diverse materials to make a tasty hot pot. Mixing with no care, the pot will be spoiled! But if being “skillful”, with only some small tips, those different materials make a delightsome hot pot. The materials can be ASSIGNMENTS that fit the students’ each member’s skills and abilities, ENCOURAGEMENT to members in communicating and cooperating in the group in order that participants always feel they are not on the shelf, ASSESSMENT of individual student member performance and KNOW how members in the group are doing in order that each member strive for mastery through knowing where they are standing in the group, and a TALENTED LEADER to regulate businesses and accommodate competence of each member in the group most rationally as well. One notion is to limit groups to no more than six students. You know, a group with larger than six will have several drawbacks: it is too easy for students to become passive observers rather than active participants; students may not get the opportunity to speak frequently since there are so many people; students’ sense of community and responsibility may be less intense in larger groups. Thus, effective group work requires each member to focus on the process rather than just the product. Each one should practice in such skills as active and tolerant listening, helping one another in mastering content, giving and receiving constructive criticism, and managing disagreements. To achieve success in learning, we students have too many various approaches for ourselves, of course. And group work in some specific cases will be an “efficient assistant” on your studying path. You and I maybe are quite different pieces of the jigsaw puzzle; but once the picture is done completely, we both become a firmly seamless block. You want to win games of team building, for example, you must be definitely in a right group and be a real participant first!

Quach Minh Minh

Our voice - Our reﬂection

Do you have good manners on the bus? DISCOVERY

“I think I have good manners on the bus. Minding good manners is always a good rule to follow for every age and position in society. What a pity! It hardly happens in real life. Students’ behavior is an example! Some students don’t care about their manners. One time, on a bus, when the conductor asked a boy sitting next to the door to give up his seat for for an old man, he declined and replied , “First come, first served”. I felt sad about that. However, most students are good”, said Van Xuan Hien - AV10A5.

This is the comment of Van Xuan Hien – a student who has commuted to school by bus for two years. She is proud that she has good manners on the bus. How about you? Let’s have a look at the following notes to check what you have done and what you haven’t done: Jostle the others out: You are afraid of coming to class late, so you push the others out to get on the bus quickly. How dangerous your action is! You may make the others fall down, especially the elders and pregnant women. Moreover, this is the best chance for pickpockets to work. You had better estimate how long it takes you to go to school so as to be on time. Concede your seat to the old, the handicapped and pregnant women: Some people make a long list of reasons why they can’t give up their seat, such as a very long trip ahead, no need to be righteous to strangers, no relations with others, and so on. They, furthermore, wonder why they must do good deeds, but not anybody else. Remember that those ones aren’t as strong as you are. Your behavior shows how good-hearted and well-educated you are. Make noises: Does it mean you shouldn’t talk with your friends on the bus? Absolutely not. In fact, no students can keep silent when they get on a bus with their friends. However, you should avoid disturbing other passengers. If you want to gossip or answer a phone call, turn your voice down during your conversation. In addition, avoid playing music loudly and disturbing the driver. Drop litter: On leaving a ticket or a pity thing on a bus, you think “just a small piece”. But what would happen if everyone thinks and does the same? The bus turns out to be a garbage dump. One more thing is that lots of young people spit out chewing gum on the bus without using any cover. Just magine that you could be a victim one day! Now, it is time to LOOK, THINK, and ACT to make our society more and more civilized. Trần Thị Thảo Trâm

OPEN VOICE

Does university prestige matter?

To many people, it does matter that someone must have an Ivy degree to be in the short list. In spite of this bias, much more values outstrip a moderately-recognized degree. Well, just imagine that you are preparing a resume to apply for a job or a scholarship. Is there anything that makes you feel proud of to put in your résumé? Is it a transcript of high scores or an impressive academic achievement? Is it a long list of extra-curriculum activities or voluntary work you’ve contributed? How many strong points can you count for yourself? As long as you head for true value of life accomplishment – true value of self development, degrees and certificates are only small parts of the picture of you. So knock down the feelings that you can’t enter a prestigious university. The university you are studying is the one that best suits you. Just start to find out your own interests and expose to new ideas of what you can do in a period of four years. Opportunities at school are a lot, inside and outside classes. Once you find one, make effort to have it, complete it, and be proud of it. Isn’t that an excellent way to enrich of your qualities? Isn’t that a practical way to enlarge your résumé? Pride of being an OU student

Lecturer Nguyễn Thị Hoài Minh

Have you ever read “Đã từng có một đại học Mở như thế” by Mr. Cao Văn Phường? Just read the first pages of the thick memoir, you can be definitely surprised and proud of the school named “Open”. The university is a pioneer for: - Being the first university of self-financing, independent from state fund, - Being a flagship in distance learning in Vietnam, in order to facilitate all people to have a chance “to be studied”, - Transforming from school-year system to credit system, - Establishing new faculties in Vietnam: Business Management, Woman Studies, Southeast Asia Studies.

Moreover, “Tiếp sức mùa thi”- a meaningful and practical program, was launched successfully first time by HCMC Open University (HOU). Besides, the school is the first in testing the quality of the teacher's input, which makes students assured of the quality of teaching. The worthiest thing, above all, to learn when exploring the history of our school is “Open mind, open opportunity, open learning, and open development”. You know alumni Mr. Quoc Bao, Mr. Thien Son, Mr. Quang Truc, Mrs. My Phuong, and Mrs. Phuong Thao? They have been excellent students at the Faculty of Foreign Languages, and now they are enthusiastic teachers blowing fire for their students in learning and living. With those, I am completely confident in showing that “I am an OU student.” The following student generations take the great pride, keep it, and “release” it fully in order when referring to HOU, people think the image of “A UNIVERSITY WAS IS AND WILL BE ALWAYS SUCH OPEN in the south of Vietnam” immediately. Quach Minh Minh

Our voice - Our reﬂection

LEARNING WORLD

THE STORY NAMED “OPEN”… WHAT IT SEEMS TO BE!

HCM City Open University was founded in 1990 and underwent many stages. Then, our school transformed from a semi-public into a public university since 2006. Besides, our school has improved tremendously the facilities as well as educational standards so that we step by step become one of the premier universities. However, some people with their prejudice still consider us as semi-public university. Due to these rumors, our beloved students have been victims of circumstances. Let’s listen to some “openers” to see if you have ever been in such situations.

PHAM THI DUY YEN When I became a student of HCMC Open University, I met some situations that upset me. Some people seemed to ignore me or treated me disrespectably whenever I introduced our school. It made me angry because of their bias. To be honest, I was rueful, for I had not learned harder for the entrance exam to study in a better school. Still, having a chance of talking to my class advisor had changed my mind. No matter what school you are studying at, the most significant thing is your ability. If you have good knowledge, good capacity for your job, you can succeed like students in other prestigious universities. Thanks to my class advisor’s encouragement, I attempted to learn industriously for my bright future.

HO DANH NGHIEP When I was a freshman, I used to receive many unfriendly and negative attitudes from other people, especially students who came from prestigious universities in HCM city. At first I felt extremely shocked. However, after 2 years studying at Open University, I can evaluate the quality of our university. I no longer care much about what people think about our university. Which university you are studying at is not as important as how good you are sudying for your higher education at that university. In my opinion, the professional recruiters will pay more attention to your real ability rather than your label.

NGUYEN NU HUYEN TRANG It was the first time when I joined the English-speaking club of the Youth Union. At the beginning, I felt very excited and confident to introduce myself to other people. By chance, a young man in my group asked a student, “So, both of you are from the same school?” Without any hesitation, this student replied, “Oh no! I am studying at Pedagogy University. Of course, we are not from the same school!” These words came as a shock to me; moreover, she always tried to interrupt me whenever I said. Luckily, I could calm myself and kept on talking with her politely until the end of the discussion. By the end of this meeting, I told her, “You should have known that a real talent never shows off their ability like that. Never!”

Source: Như Trang

TRAN LE TUYET VAN I am very proud of being a student of HCM City Open University, so I always want to introduce our school to my friends. One day, I attended an educational seminar. Truly, at first, everybody was very friendly; we talked and shared many valuable experiences in applying for studying abroad. They, however, had pretended to be busy and even ignored me since I introduced I was from Open University. Maybe, they considered their universities as premier universities; therefore, we were not in the same “class” to talk to. Who knows!

GIANG KHIET MAN I am a junior student. The story happened last year when I took part in an English-speaking club. From the beginning, we discussed enthusiastically about the topic that the teacher gave us. After a while, the teacher suggested we introduce ourselves. “I am from Open University…” confidently I said, some of them began to behave strangely. They were not friendly to me as they used to; they ignored me and did not talk to me much. I felt hurt at that time! I wondered why they behaved like that; was there anything wrong? I am studying at Open University and I am proud of it. I do believe that no matter what school or university we study at, hard working is the most important thing that helps us to achieve success.

It is upset, right? Especially, I am really annoyed with the way people talk about our school as if we don’t deserve what we are trying to. (ANGRY PIC) Take it easy! Whether these subjective stereotypes pushed the Open down or…? TO BE CONTINUED…

Doan Phuong Hanh.

Our voice - Our reﬂection

Multiple choice exam tips

OPEN VOICE

General Rule: Break each question into the stem and the alternatives. Get an understanding of the stem before looking at and choosing an alternative. Underline key terms and clue words in the stem. When you run into vague terminology, define in your own words. Think of the correct answer and then look for it among the alternatives. 11. 1. When you get "all the above," "none of the above," or "a,b, Don't guess too soon! You must select not only a correct not c" type questions, treat each alternative as a true-false answer, but the best answer. question and relate it back to the question stem. It is therefore important that you read all of the options and not stop when you come upon one that seems likely. 12. 2. Think the answer is wrong? Maybe you should change it? You must select not only a technically correct answer, but Studies indicate that when the most completely correct students change their ananswer. Since "all of the swers they usually change above" and "none of the them to the wrong answer. above" are very inclusive Therefore, if you were fairly statements, these options, certain you were correct the when used, tend to be corfirst time, leave the answer rect more often than would as it is. be predicted by chance alone. 13. 3. Finally, the best way to enBe wary of options which insure selection of the correct clude unqualified absolutes option is to know the right such as "never," "always," answer. A word to the test"is," "are," "guarantees," wise is sufficient. "ensures." Such statements Academictips.org are highly restrictive and Chu Thị Như Trang very difficult to defend. They are rarely (though they may sometimes be) correct options. 4. The less frequently stated converse of the above is that carefully qualified, conservative, or "guarded" statements tend to be correct more often than would be predicted by chance alone. Other things being equal, favor options conĐặng Huy Hoài (DH11LK08) taining such qualifying phrases as "may sometimes be," or Oh Phu Nhuan Team! Give my regards to all the team’s mem"can occasionally result in." bers! Although we study at different campuses but I, Hoai Dol5. lar, hopes everyone always unites to help each other in our Be wary of the extra-long or "jargony option." These are work, study and life! I wish everyone in the team is always frequently used as decoys. happy and full of enthusiasm, good learning, and healthy! I do 6. love and remember Phu Nhuan team as well as our slogan Use your knowledge of common prefixes, suffixes, and "Phu Nhuan. Phu Nhuan: Not afraid of arduousness – so stanword roots to make intelligent guesses about terminology dard the student companion!" that you don't know. A knowledge of the prefix "hyper," for instance, would clue you that hypertension refers to Quách Minh Minh (AV08B1) high, not low, blood pressure. Happy birthday to my new but close friends - Nguyễn Đức Huy 7. Be alert to give-aways in grammatical construction. The (born Aug 23rd, from Faculty of Sociology), Nguyễn Xuân correct answer to an item stem which ends in "an" would Thông (born Sep 11th, from Faculty of Banking and Finance), obviously be an option starting with a vowel. Watch also and Hàn Hồng Nguyên (born Sep 13th, from Faculty of for agreement of subjects and verbs. Biotechnology). You and I made friends from Green Summer 8. 2012 in Kontum, but as being well acquainted before. Maintain Utilize information and insights that you've acquired in this friendship always! Wish you success and happiness! Keep working through the entire test to go back and answer earin touch! And my younger friend - Nguyễn Thị Mỹ Linh (born lier items that you weren't sure of. 17 Sep, from FFL). Wish you be sanguine always! Youth comes, 9. but once in a lifetime! If you are not certain of an answer, guess... but do so methodically. Eliminate some choices you know are incorrect, Lê Thị Diễm Hương (KT09DB1) then relate each alternative back to the stem of the quesTo a student living far from home like me, phone calls from my tion to see if it fits. Narrow down the choice to one or two parents are the biggest consolation. Sometimes when I had alternatives and then compare them and identify how they finished those calls, I burst out crying for homesick. But I have differ. Finally, make an informed guess. not ever uttered it. If I had chance, I would speak out loud that, “Mom, Dad! I am so happy to be your daughter. I miss 10. and love you so much.” If you have absolutely no idea what the answer is, can't use any Nguyễn Trúc Phương of the above techniques, and there is no scoring penalty for guessing, choose option B or C. Studies indicate that these are correct slightly more often than would be predicted by chance alone.

YOU HAVE A MESSAGE

Our voice - Our reﬂection

“SCAPEGOAT”

The baby was hideous. I don't know how to begin to describe how ugly this baby was. It deserved its own charity or telethon. In certain parts of the world, they'd drown it like a kitten the second it slipped out of the womb. The spawn of witchcraft or a deal with the devil.

The baby had squinty black eyes and a wide mouth like a basking shark. If its lopsided skull were an egg, someone at the egg factory would yell "Wrong!" and throw it down a chute. The nose was completely fucked, a gnarled parsnip of a thing.

Thank Christ the baby wasn't real. He came out of one of those machines in the mall. My wife Gretchen and I squeezed together in the curtained booth and a flash went off. A minute later out came a picture of what our baby might look like. Our hypothetical baby.

LEARNING WORLD

the world with that kind of disadvantage.

"What if somebody rang the doorbell in the middle of the night and left him on our porch?" Gretchen said. "Like, in a little bassinet?" Gretchen nodded.

"That only happens in movies," I said. "Bad movies."

"But what if?"

"I'd call the police."

Gretchen made a face like she'd just caught a whiff of something foul. I retched and clutched my throat like I was choking.

"The police stations and all the orphanages or whatever are closed. Hypothetically."

For kicks, we named him Little Baby Boris.

"That's horrible," she said.

This was not what we were expecting because we were both reasonably photogenic people. Maybe the machine was broken. I looked for a manager or a complaint box, but there was neither.

At home Gretchen hung the picture of Boris on the refrigerator. Over my wife's shoulder, as I ate my dinner, I could see the monstrous face gawk across the room. With their faces side by side, there was a resemblance. Small, but unmistakable. The slight bulge of forehead, how the eyes were spaced apart. I tried to shake the thought out of my head, because I knew if I didn't it would wedge there like a splinter.

I got up, snatched the picture down, tossed it in the junk drawer. Then I sat across from Gretchen again.

"It was ruining my appetite," I explained. Gretchen pinched her lips and wrinkled her brow and tucked her chin into her chest. Her eyes got wet and quaky. I knew this look. I'd seen it many times before. Maybe the mood would blow over if I didn't acknowledge it. But then she asked, "What if he was ours?"

"Gretchen," I said.

"I would still love him." I said nothing.

"It's biological," she said. "You would too."

"Maybe." I shrugged.

Gretchen fell silent and sipped her wine. I figured that was enough of that. Still, I found myself wondering what would happen to someone like Boris. No doubt his life would be fraught with heartbreak. I pictured a child with butter-colored hair, a duckish waddle, a pear-like body. As an adult, he'd never know the touch of a woman unless an exchange of currency was involved. There would be long years of hardship and depression, a trail of bad checks and eviction notices. He'd develop a sweet tooth for violent pornography, the black-market German type with guys in black cloaks wielding cudgels. One thing would lead to another and he'd careen into a life of crime, entangled in some moon-worshiping cult. I pictured how such a life might end. This is what I came up with: Boris in an assassination attempt on the President, rifle clutched in hand, shot down dead from a Texas clock tower. So I was thinking when Gretchen got on the subject of whether I'd still want a baby if we knew there was something wrong with it. Clubbed feet, a malformed heart, some kind of syndrome, whatever. I said it would be a bad idea, even cruel, to let any child into

I would hypothetically shit in my pants, I thought, but knew better than to say. "I would leave him on someone else's doorstep." After dinner she was rough with the plates, clattering them back into the cupboard. I scotched up from behind and clutched her hips, buried my nose in her hair. She went stiff and I let go. I started to say we were making a big deal out of a dumb picture. A dumb picture of a dumb kid didn't exist. "Don't," she said, and there was something sharp in her voice that made me flinch. Hands in the air, I backed off.

She poured another glass of wine and padded down the darkened hall toward the bedroom. Then she turned around. She came back to the kitchen and rummaged through the junk drawer. She took out the picture of Boris and hung it back on the refrigerator.

I sat at the kitchen table with another glass of wine and stared at the photograph. Boris stared back. I searched for some resemblance between us, but could see nothing. I was thankful.

That was years ago and I burned the photo over the stove after Gretchen left. I don't know where she is now, if she's with another man, or what. Funny, I'm starting to forget her face, even after being married all that time. But I remember Boris's, and when I think of it, a dark flavor fills my mouth. Anger twists through me. So help me, if he were here, I'm afraid I might grab his arms and shake him until that ugly little head snapped off.

by Thomas Cooper

Source: http://www.smokelong.com

Our voice - Our reﬂection

NO PAIN, NO GAIN

DISCOVERY

1. In your point of view, what are the differences between students in the past and students nowadays?

I don’t know what is going on in other classes, but in my classes I think the criteria of students have been going up in which to have higher level in terms of English proficiency, they seem to be more active and confident in interacting with me…and some students, they have better fluency in speaking.

2. Besides your literature classes, you also teach some writing classes; in such classes how is students’ attitude when they are given group work or class activities?

This semester, I have a writing class which I am teaching a course teaching with another teacher. The students in my class work seriously as well as explain their awareness in some important problems and I think they do a good job. Chatting or ignoring the lessons does not occur in my class.They seem to be happy doing group work in both literature and writing classes. I am amazed by their passion. They do group work not because they have to do it but because they want to. 3. When each member in a group can’t get along with each other, how can the group works well?

This is a very interesting question. Remember, when you do group work you can learn more than when you work alone. Group work is when you can develop your soft skills and team spirit. It is one of many essential soft skills that can help you be substantial in the future. Even in your family, sometimes family members who love each others so much still have conflicts. Therefore, conflicts in group is inevitable. But by working in group, you learn to adjust yourself to achieve the ultimate goal of your group. You have to think about responsibility and commitment. No pain, no gain!

4. Have you ever been in a situation which the students do an excellent job when you don’t expect it?

Yes, not every student is as good as expected. Some students of mine may play games on IPad at the back of the class or some may tell lies. I know that some students are too arrogant and they think they are good enough and ignore what I say. In those situations, I think we are supposed to be mature enough to be aware of what we are doing, but sometimes we are not. I don’t say anything, they are free to do what they want and I don’t force them to listen to me or do anything, because I don’t feel comfortable at all doing so. But to tell you the truth, I don’t respect them because they don’t learn to expect respect others. 5. As we all know, the existence of students’ bad behaviors is an unavoidable reality, so what are those typical behaviors that you may think of?

Many negative things to talk about the students now in the faculty. First, a number of students are arrogant, they think of themselves as too- good- English users and they may show their negative attitudes towards their classmates. Second, some seems to have no awareness of moral values. Third, a number of some students are very lazy to show their passion in learning.

However, I accept bad behaviors of students as an inevitable part in any country. But I am always proud of active and excellent students from academic perspective to moral perspective. Moreover, I’d like to mention some respectable students in this faculty as a mirror for other students to follow: • Trịnh Thái Văn Phúc: graduated: 2010 – Working at post-graduate program HCMC OU • Nguyễn Thị Bích Phương: graduated: 2011 – Teaching non-major English HCMC OU • Dương Đoàn Hoàng Trúc: graduated: 2009 – Master in English in England • Đ ặ n g Phương Thảo – Trần Phú Cường – Student course of 2009 – 2013 • Âu Vĩnh Tài, Trần Minh Khanh, Huỳnh Vũ Kiến, Phùng Trường Thịnh. PHAN THỊ KIỀU TRINH

Source: Đặng Phương Thảo

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DISCOVERY

How To Make A Mini Hair Bow

1. Make a chipboard template as shown. Use 3/8" ribbon, 4" long.

7. Back view

10. Remove mini bow from the template

5.Thread elastic thread as shown

8. Pull tight and make the knot.

11. 'Unsnap' the snap clip, make the center spring toward you.

6. Wrap several times

9 Right side view

12. Apply glue on ribbon and on the clip

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DISCOVERY

13. Cut ribbon, apply hot glue on ribbon

14. The lovely completed clip

15. Decorate the center by a tiny pearl or a narrow ribbon

HOW TO HAVE BABY SKIN

1. Protect yourself from the sun For the most complete sun protection: • Use sunscreen. Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15. When you're outdoors, reapply sunscreen every two hours — or more often if you're swimming or perspiring. • Seek shade. Avoid the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., when the sun's rays are strongest. • Wear protective clothing.

2. Don't smoke

3. Treat your skin gently

• • • • •

Limit bath time. Avoid strong soaps. Shave carefully. Pat dry. Moisturize dry skin.

4. Eat a healthy diet

A healthy diet can help you look and feel your best. Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins. Drink enough water. The association between diet and acne isn't clear — but some research suggests that a diet rich in vitamin C and low in unhealthy fats and processed or refined carbohydrates might promote younger - looking skin. 5. Manage stress

Uncontrolled stress can make your skin more sensitive and can trigger acne breakouts and other skin problems. To encourage healthy skin — and a healthy state of mind — take steps to manage your stress. Set reasonable limits, scale back your to-do list and make time to do the things you enjoy. The results might be more dramatic than you expect. Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com

10 STEPS TO A PERFECTLY CLEAN FACE! Cleansing is arguably the most important part of your basic skincare routine. Proper cleansing gets rid of old surface skin cells, dirt and dust, grime, make-up and bacteria, and keeps skin pores free of clogs and able to breathe freely. Here are some tips for proper facial cleansing:

1. Cleanse twice a day, no more. 2. Choose an appropriate cleanser for your skin type: normal, dry, oily, mixed or sensitive. 3. Cleanse with tepid water. 4. If you use sponges or washcloths, make sure they are clean and soft. They are not necessary for effective cleaning: your fingertips can do just as good the job. 5. Wash your hands thoroughly before you cleanse your face, or you will be working dirt into your facial skin. Use a headband to secure hair away from the face. 6. Start by splashing tepid water on your face and neck. 7. Apply the cleanser with your fingertips or a soft sponge, using gentle circular massaging strokes and moving upward on the face and neck. 8. Rinse with lots of tepid water. Don’t forget to rinse off cleanser from the neck and hairline. 9. Gently blot off excess water with a soft towel. Do not Don’t scrub dry or drag towel along skin. 10. Follow immediately with a water-based toner and a moisturizer appropriate for your skin type to seal in surface moisture and offer nourishment when the skin is receptive. Source: http://www.bikram-yoga.biz Collected by TRẦN NGUYỆT MINH

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DISCOVERY - OPPORTUNITY PLANET

OPPORTUNITY PLANET

A planet is full of opportunities for you. Try and take chance!

1. Asian Job Express (AJE)

Asian Job Express is a business report contest which aims to discover potential Asian leaders among the very talented university students in Asia. Join AJE to have the opportunity to travel Japan for 4 days, receive prizes that worth 5000 USD and job offering from leading Japanese companies. Deadline for registration and report is September 30. Visit http://asianjob-ex.com/ for more information. Note: Send your basic information (Name, Date of birth, Name of School, Major, Address, Phone and Email) to nguyenlinhchi09@gmail.com for registration. Contact phone number: 0974555295

2. U.S. Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City – EDUCATIONUSA Seminar Admission Decisions And Requirements Time: Monday, 24 September 2012, 14:00 – 16:00 Speaker: Ms. Maria Carvalho – University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire Ms. Heather Catton – Stephen F. Austin State University Ms. Keila Ferree – Columbia College in Missouri Student Life In Rural Settings Time: Thursday, 27 September 2012, 09:00 – 11:00 Speaker: Mr. Tim Phelps – Butte College

“Conncect” Webinar: Picking A School That Fits Who You Are Time: Friday, 12 October 2012, 10:00 – 12:00 Speaker: Mr. Marco Dinovelli, Rutgers - The State University of New Jersey

Education Seminar Time: Friday, 19 October 2012, 14:00 – 16:30 Venue: 8th Floor, Diamond Plaza, 34 Le Duan, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Registration: (08) 3520 4610 or send your personal information to HCMCEDUSA@state.gov Visit www.facebook.com/educationusa.hochiminhcity for further information Remember to bring your ID card or student card 3. EducationUSA Presents: “First Day of School” Photo Contest

Deadline: September 30, 2012. Prizes: Kindle Fire (Grand Prize), 6 Ipod (5 category winners, 1 randomly selected winner) and have a chance to have your photo on EducationUSA Posters along other EducationUSA prizes. Visit https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B7BNmZe9nsNqOEZuMUVKaFpzdEk/edit?pli=1 for more information or email HCMCEDUSA@state.gov. 4. Foreign Volunteer Scholarship Program– VPV 2012

In order to receive Foreign Volunteer Scholarship, participants must go through 3 rounds

Round 1: Essay Writing (01/09/2012 – 15/12/2012). Write an essay about 500 words with topic: Millennium Development Goals – MDGs and send to hocbongtinhnguyen@vpv.vn. Round 2: Interview (15/12/2012 – 15/01/2013) Round 3: Volunteer Camp (15/02/2013 – 15/03/2013) For more information, visit http://vpv.vn/index.php?module=news&id=134. 5. AC Public events September 2012 2012 Index of Economic Freedom

Time: Thursday, September 20, 2:00 p.m.

Venue: The American Center, 8th Floor, Diamond Plaza, 34 Le Duan Blvd., District 1, HCMC

Speaker: Mr. James M. Roberts, Research Fellow for Economic Freedom and Growth, the Heritage Foundation

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OPPORTUNITY PLANET - POEM CORNER

Come hear Mr. Roberts, a Heritage Foundation Research fellow visiting Vietnam, talk about the 2012 Index of Economic Freedom. The Index of Economic Freedom is a report published by the Heritage Foundation in Washington, DC, whose purpose is to promote economic opportunity and prosperity around the world. Software Asset Management

Time: Friday, September 21, 2:00 p.m.

Venue: The American Center, 8th Floor, Diamond Plaza, 34 Le Duan Blvd., District 1, HCMC Speaker: Mr. Kent Craig, United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)

Mr. Kent Craig of the USPTO is visiting Vietnam, and will speak to our American Center audience on important intellectual property issues. At USPTO, Mr. Craig is responsible for authoring, interpreting, publishing, provisioning, and promoting policies, standards, and best practices across IT-related areas with a special focus on Software Asset Management. Hispanic American Heritage Month

Time: Wednesday, September 26, 2:00 p.m . Venue: The American Center, 8th Floor, Diamond Plaza, 34 Le Duan Blvd., District 1, HCMC Speaker: Mr. Adam Stevens, Consulate Officer

Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15-October 15, honors the diverse people of Spanish-speaking backgrounds in the United States — those who trace their roots to Spain, Mexico and the Spanish-speaking nations of Central America, South America and the Caribbean. Join us to learn more about this dynamic community.

Press “Cabin in the Woods”

Nguyễn Quốc Vũ

is obviously one of the two best horror movies I have seen. What

makes me love this movie so much? The answer lies in the plot. The movie is about a group of five young teenagers driving their RV to a remote cabin in the woods without knowing that they are in deadly danger. Now, you must think, “Well, they will all survive in the end” or “Some may die but there will be a happy ending.” YOU ARE ALL WRONG! This movie is unpredictable. You cannot know what is going to happen next or who is going to survive until the end of the movie. Moreover, the twist of the movie is what makes the movie more interesting and creepier. Besides a good plot, “Cabin in the Woods” also has an attractive cast, good sound editing and great cinematography. Those are what make “Cabin in the Woods” become a gem in the bunch of 21st century horror movies.

CAUTION: Vietnam has banned this movie because of the violence and disturbance in it. If you’re into such extreme horror movies like “Cabin”, just press ‘Play’!). And it’s OK to use contractions in such an informal review! Lê Thống

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OPEN VOICE SPONSORS

In order to respond to the students’ warm emotion at the Faculty of Foreign Languages in particular and other faculties of Ho Chi Minh City Open University in general, we - Board of Editors of The FFLJ contacted the enthusiastic sponsor - Alphabooks to request an increase in the number of the books given and fortunately received their acceptance. Therefore, from next term we will have four lucky students who will be given books from Alphabooks. Because of some problems in the number of the book “LUẬN BÀN MINH TRIẾT VÀ MINH TRIẾT VIỆT”, we temporarily cannot inform you who the lucky readers are. However, we will try to announce them as soon as we have an official list.

Now, we would like to send our honest compliments to the next providential readers who have already received interesting and meaningful books from The FFL Journal, Volume 06 (August 2012). 1. KHÚC CHIẾN CA CỦA MẸ HỔ: - Dương Thị Thúy Kiều (AV09A2) - Hà Hoàng Cẩm Thuy (AV09A3)

2. HÃY CHĂM SÓC MẸ: - Đoàn Thị Tú Trinh (AV10A4) - Nguyễn Thị Hồng (NB10A1) - Nguyễn Huỳnh Nhật Thu (AV10A3) - Nguyễn Thị Kim Tẩy (AV10A7) 3. NGỌC VIỄN ĐÔNG: - Nguyễn Thị Ngọc Vân (AV10A7) - Nguyễn Thị Cẩm Tiên (CDAV09A3) - Hồ Thị Thảo (AV09A4) - Phan Thị Kiều Trinh (AV10A7)

Now here we go to new books for this month, remember to cut and send your vouchers as quickly as possible to be the next lucky readers. ^ ^ Note: please complete all the information in your vouchers correctly and carefully. Any carelessness is not accepted. TỚ LÀ DÂU

Author: Joe Ruelle Publisher: Group of Writers Price: 42.000 VNĐ

Joe, A very interesting trueborn Western guy who was born in Canada, used to work in Korea but suddenly decided to stay in Vietnam after trying eating ‘nem chua rán’ at Hang Bong . Heis now a student majoring in Vietnamese at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities – Vietnam National University—Ha Noi. He is working at Vietnam Television and also takes part in some programs like ‘Hành Trình Văn Hóa’, ‘Kết nối trẻ’ fairly often, although he has lived in Vietnam for just 3 years. However, with his flexible Vietnamese ability, he can make stories in daily lives become very fascinating and delightful in the book “TỚ LÀ DÂU”, which sometimes due to familiarity we do not realize. These 220 pages can be considered a very special diary of a foreigner who is living in Vietnam, does travel a lot and does know much. Surely, this is the book which we cannot miss .

This book is available at Nha Nam Culture and Communications Incorporated Company – a young book trade name with aspiration to create new differences for publishing a series of literature books in Vietnam. Website: http://nhanam.vn

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OPEN VOICE - LET’S COOK

vKHÔN NGOAN KHÔNG LẠI VỚI GIỜI

Author: Leonard Mlodinow Translator: Vũ Cẩm Thanh – Lê Thu Hương Publisher: Lao Dong Xa Hoi Publisher Price: 99.000 VND

Another exciting book we would like to introduce to you is the one on the bookcase of bestsellers of New York Times magazine: “KHÔN NGOAN KHÔNG LẠI VỚI GIỜI” by Leonard Mlodinow. With the born storyteller's command of narrative and imaginative approach, Leonard Mlodinow vividly demonstrates how our lives are profoundly informed by chance and randomness, and how everything from wine ratings and corporate success to school grades and political polls are less reliable than we believe. By showing us the true nature of chance and revealing the psychological illusions that cause us to misjudge the world around us, Mlodinow gives us the tools we need to make more informed decisions. Let’s catch it!

Source: www.alphabooks.vn

This book is available at Alpha books - a bookshop with main product lines as: Alpha Biz (management), Alpha Edu (education and thinking), Alpha Omega (classics), Alpha Kid (for children), and IMONE (literature). Website: www.alphabooks.vn

NGÀY TRÔI VỀ PHÍA CŨ Author: Anh Khang Publisher: Group of Writers and Phuong Nam Publisher Price: 36.000 VND Is it true that when people are young, they do have spare belief to give and receive love? To answer this question, let’s read the book “NGÀY TRÔI VỀ PHÍA CŨ”. This is the maiden work of Anh Khang, a young pen coming to literature for the first time. Reading the book we will feel not only belief but also disappointment, sweet and extremeness, but all of these things will leave the back and curl up peacefully in a “blanket” named “Memory”. Phuong Nam Culture Joint-stock Company, also known as Phuong Nam Cultural Corporation (PNC) is the leading company in trading products and services about culture and media. We will continuously innovate and improve it, create distinct features in order to achieve the best products to make the spiritual life of Vietnamese people more and more abundant. You can find more information about our services and products on our website: http:// www.pnc.com.vn CON TRAI CON GÁI VUI SỐNG CÙNG NHAU Author: Geneviève Fraisse Translator: Phấn Khanh Publisher: Tri Thuc Price: 32.000 VND “Mixture”, “blend”, “sexual mixture”, “sexual blend”, “sexual equality” are appetizing words that you will catch frequently when reading the book “CON TRAI CON GÁI VUI SỐNG CÙNG NHAU” by Geneviève Fraisse. Illustrated by funny pictures mentioning the sexual equality, sexual mixture and sexual blend in the history, this book disseminates philosophy for children. It would be regrettable if you miss such an interesting book.

This book is available at Publisher of Knowledge – where scholars, researchers and students can trust their quality .They focus on spreading great trends of thoughts in both classic and modern. Website: www.nxbtrithuc.com.vn

PHẠM NGỌC HOÀNG THIỆN OurTUYẾT voice– -LÂM Our reﬂection

TALK SHOW

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