Monday, May 17, 2010

It's time to be a grown up man!

Last weekend,

Hanoi
"Hanoi is so overcrowded and dusty." It was my first thought when entering the city. I was trying to swim forward in a river of motorbikes. The road is full of motorbikes; it is everywhere: on the left, on the right, in front of me, behind me. Everywhere. I have to constantly find empty space, slowly drive my motorbike there (you couldn't really drive at a medium speed, but move a little by a little), and repeat that process. It is a common image you see in the city, especially at the end of the day. The air is filled with dust and the oily smell produced by the vehicles. I would be suffocated soon if I couldn't get away soon. A worn-out bus passed me, left behind a darkened smoke with a terrible smell. I slowed down, tried to avoid it. A kind of disgust feeling arose in my mind. Under this kind of environment, you could not think of anything positive. Now suddenly it felt much better to live in a countryside like my hometown. First time I fully I appreciate its cleanness and tranquility. I thought about Singapore too. Maybe the clean environment in Singapore also helped me open my mind and think more positively. Back to the reality, I thought there wouldn't any trace of animosity in my face. Apparently I had switched (back) to a state suitable for the environment.

Nevertheless,I have to rush to meet up with my friends.

Friends
"It's time to be a grown up man," one of my friend said. Ha ha. I felt a little shocked when hearing that. The full conversation was like this "Some of my friends still play games days and nights. They should understand that they are third year students and it's time to be a grown up man, shouldn't they?"

Apparently, I am not the only one who has (somehow) grown in thinking. At this age, a little different in mindset reflects greatly in behaviors and performance an future success of a person. It is also shown clearly through what he has done in recent years. And through his plan for future too.

I thought about my uncle, who played games days and nights. He was around 10 years older than me, had a family and a child of 4 years old. How come a 21 years old boy said something that a 30 years old man couldn't understand? It was sad when seeing his business declined while he fell deep into games with my own eyes, yet I couldn't offer any real help.

Within my close friends, I also saw some buried themselves in entertaining stuff. I have tried to signal them to change. But so far I haven't succeeded once. Maybe I will try a more direct way.

At the same time, some of my friends developed a serious way thinking and working very early, by themselves. I started to ask what can help a person developing a good (serious) mindset? Seems that it can only be taught and learned by oneself. If someone else tell you, you will either doubt it, or forget it very quickly. Forcibly teach it to someone will just makes him repels it harder. The more stubborn, the harder to teach. Self-help books somehow helps, but they depict the situations too ideally that if someone really believes in them, and blindly follow them, he will soon be disillusioned, leaving a great disappointment about the books. Is it the result produced by the environment around someone, or it's from the one himself that he will have / learn it? Blah blah... I'm lost.

Personally, I believe someone can only learn it by himself. And only by that, he really learns it.

Night
It was 11pm and I was till wandering around on the street. Alone. I hadn't got a place to stay that night. My friends had gone back to their home. One told me I could stay at his home, only to tell that his mother didn't allow that. So I wandered around on Hanoi's street while trying to call other friends for help. Hanoi at night was also quite tranquil. It was not totally silence like my hometown, but there was still the noise of motorbikes' engine here and there. The cool weather of the night is apparently more comfortable than the heat of the day. The air was fresher too. And you don't have to fight the crowd for a path; the big, almost empty road now is yours. Think about it, it sounds funny that I defined myself as a competitive person. Maybe the real world
I am venturing to, especially the business world, will be more competitive and disgusting than the transportation in Hanoi this afternoon. I will have to learn to deal them more properly.
Finally I received a positive response from a my friend, after a whole bunch of apologies. Now I got a place to stay!

Chat at night
[...] What is your purpose of life? [...]

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