daydreamer

nightthinker
WRITERS
Nguyễ n Trang Nhung
Lương Quỳnh Anh
Vũ Thị Thanh Mai
Tạ Thị Thu Hoài
Quách Thị Anh
Nguyễ n Thị Tâm

EDITOR TABLE OF
Lương Quỳnh Anh CONTENT
Highschools vs Colleges 2
Studying 4
Travelling 6
Entertainment 8
City life 10
Family 12
Other aspects 14
Health 16
Share your stories 18
THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN
HIGHSCHOOL AND COLLEGE
There are some major academic differences to expect when you
make the transition from high school to college. The first thing to talk
about is the time spent in class. Your high school class schedule is
probably comparable to a full-time job: you’re in the building for about
seven hours each day. In college, however, you can expect to spend
half that time in class. As a full-time college student, you’ll only spend
three or four hours each day in class, which comes out to about 15-20
hours per week. Secondly, class size is different between these two
levels of study. In high school, classes generally have no more than 50
students. Meanwhile, in college, it depends on the course you select,
classes may range in size from twenty to hundreds of students. Thirdly,
in terms of testing, high school significantly differs from college. In high
school, testing is frequent and covers small amounts of material.
Teachers frequently conduct review sessions, pointing out the most
important concepts. However, testing is infrequent (a particular course
may have only 2 or 3 tests in a semester) and may cover large amounts
of material. You are expected to organize the material to prepare for
the test. Professors rarely offer review sessions, and when they do,
expect you to come prepared with questions. In conclusion, there are
several distinctions between these two study levels so it is crucial for
high school students to be well-prepared.
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2
Since I started learning at college, I have found that my life
has a lot of positive changes. Firstly, college life helps me
know how to use my time more effectively. In fact, college
life is really busy because of both many subjects and extra
activities such as club activities or part-time jobs. This
requires me to balance time between studying and other
activities reasonably. I always make my own daily schedule
so that I can clearly hold what I need to complete. Gradually,
I can control my time in the best way.
H O W C O L L E G E H A S C H A N G E D

MY LIFE
Secondly, I am getting more mature during college life. In particular, I
realize that I become a person having more responsibility. For
example, when taking part in teamwork and being assigned to a
specific task, I will try my best to confirm that my task is well-prepared
and sent to my teacher before the deadline. Furthermore, I am also
responsible for myself by living a healthy life. Finally, I am currently in
more relationships. I have joined one club at FTU since the very first
year of college, so I know more friends and students who are older
than me. They help me feel more confident and open to others.
Besides, through classes, I also get on well with teachers and
classmates who come from many different provinces, which expands
my knowledge a lot. I am really thankful for my valuable relationships
because my life has become more meaningful thanks to them. All in
all, my life at college has gradually changed better and better.

Thanh Mai
3
Is it good
for parents
to monitor their teens’
Internet use? Thu Hoài
In my opinion, I strongly believe that parents should monitor their
children’s internet use. One obvious reason is that they can prevent their
kids from being exposed to harmful interactions such as cyber bullying
and inappropriate content. It is expected that nearly 30 percent of
students suffer from cyber bullying each year especially on the Internet.
Therefore, if parents can be informed about this problem by establishing
some systems to monitor Internet usage, they can help them out of a
potentially hurtful or damaging situation before this problem becomes
more serious. Moreover, children at young age tend to be curious about
anything they find strange on the Internet, sexting is one example. They
are likely to be tempted to search some black websites, send sexy
pictures to their friends or they might think it is funny to forward along
pictures of someone else. Hence, monitoring helps parents to step in, and
make their children be aware of this wrong action. Another good reason is
that parents can help their children take up many better activities.
Admittedly, opponents of this idea argue that everyone including children
has the right to do the things they like and parents are invading their
children’s privacy if they try to monitor their children’s Internet usage.
However, when it comes to a healthy lifestyle, this opinion can not work. It
is clear that most children can easily become addicted to social
networking or computer games. Therefore, if parents do not know exactly
how much time their children spend on the Internet, it is no doubt that
many consequences can be caused like poor academic performance or
isolation. On the other hand, by being limited the time online, children can
find other ways to relax such as doing sports, meeting friends or hanging
out with their family, which helps them not only to refresh their mind but
also kick off many healthy habits . All in all, it is a great idea that parents
should take control of their children’s use on the Internet.
4
 STUDYING
FOR AN EXAM
Studying for an exam is not as difficult as students think. First, you need to set
a foundation for your exam. In the class, you should pay attention and take
good notes. At home, you shouldn’t forget to review your syllabus. Especially,
you have to make studying a part of your habits. You can try setting aside
some time every day to study and schedule it just like another appointment or
class, which may help you stay motivated to continue the habit. Second,
creating for yourself an optimal environment for learning is a great way you
can’t skip. When being at home, you can choose a clean, quiet and orderly
room, then turn off all the distracting devices such as your smartphones, your
computers, TV and so on. And when being at school, the library is an ideal
place for you to focus on studying. Next, you ought to organize your studying
reasonably. You need to focus on your work objectives by writing a study
guide by yourself. For example, if 60% lessons are easy and can be finished
fast, finish them first, so you can spend quality time on the difficult lessons
without fretting. A study guide will help you study productively and efficiently.
Moreover, one more important thing that you should remember is that you
should always maintain your motivation. Don’t always pay all your attention to
study because this can make you feel tired and stressful. Let’s take breaks and
relax by listening to music or watching your favourite films. You can also try
studying with others as sometimes they can help you answer your questions
about difficult exercises. Last, don’t forget to prepare yourself for exam day.
You need to get plenty of rest the night before the exam. Eating healthy meals
may help you have good health, which contributes quite much to your exam
process. In conclusion, the question “How to study for an exam” is not difficult
to answer and you can get good results in your exams if you follow these
above suggestions. Thanh Mai

5
 e y f
foorr
moon
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s avve
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How
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Traveling can be expensive, but with the right strategy you can bring
down the cost. Try these 3 steps on your next vacation and your
wallet will thank you.
The first step is assessment. You should compare your trip plan
with your real finance to understand clearly about your situation.
Be honest to consider whether it is feasible or it is a big dream.
Once you have got a general idea of your trip’s overall cost, compile
a spreadsheet that lists your income with your expenses to see how
everything stacks up.
The second steps are setting goals. Your saving plan should have
several goals, it concludes short-term goals and long-term goals.
You will get everything enough that is necessary for your trip after
one month as an example. In addition, trying to get enough money
is long-term goal.
Last but not least, you should create a detailed plan and do it
strictly. This could be done by removing unnecessary expenses,
setting a strict spending budget. Specifically, you can cut back on
fancy coffee drinks, eat out less often, limit your shopping, etc.
Thanks to this, you can save a lot of money.
Quách Thị Anh

6
 SHOULD WE
TRAVEL ALONE?
It is better to travel alone than to
travel in groups. Firstly, travel alone is a chance for
you to grow. When you travel alone, there is no one
there for you to depend on then you have to solve
all the problems by yourself. It gives you strength
and confidence, develops your self-reliance, changes
your life and makes you a better person. For
example, when you travel alone and you get lost, you
have no better choice than forcing yourself to ask
directions from the local people and trying to use
their languages to communicate. Secondly,
independent travel allows you to do anything you
want. While travelling in a group requires hours of
discussion and planning, travelling alone is easier
that you can go anywhere you like and have
whatever you want. For instance, if you fall in love
with a place and want to stay there longer, you can
totally do it without bothering anyone. In conclusion,
an independent journey is totally worth
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experiencing.

7
Most people have experienced seeing movies, besides the plots, the endings
always play a significant role in the movie’s impression. Although there are so
many categories of movies, the movie ending can still be roughly classified into
three main types. One of the commonest movie endings is “happy ending”.
Most people watch films with joyful conclusions, although the scenarios of
those movies are quite easy to predict. The main characters will achieve the
things that they want from the start like passion, love, successful business…
Happy ending helps people relax and believe more in life that if you’re brave
enough to follow your nose, someday success will follow you. For example, in
the movie “Beauty and the Beast'', before the last petal falls from the rose, Belle
in tears, whispers that she loves The Beast. The spell is broken. The Beast,
brought back to life, is reverted to his human form, a handsome prince. The
castle becomes beautiful again and the enchanted objects turn back into
humans. The last scene shows Belle and the prince dancing in the ballroom,
and they live happily ever after. That the ending makes people pleasant and
satisfied. Contrary to the former one, another type of movie outcome is “sad
ending”. This ending tears our hearts in half and leaves us absolutely
devastated. It somehow plucks the right psychological strings and makes us
contemplate about our own lives, possibly tragic in their own unique ways. But
it’s quite practical and hard to anticipate. That’s in real life, although you try
your best and always be kind, you’ll never get what you want. That doesn’t
mean you don’t deserve it, simply it’s the way life runs. The movie “Titanic” is a
typical instance. The last type is “open ending”, which is a film without specific
conclusions, it sometimes makes people feel empty inside. This kind of movie
tends to let viewers imagine the outcome by themselves. Some of the viewers
might feel lost after watching the film and they hope the director could provide
them more clues. All in all, ending is an important part of movies, whether it's
the outcome you want or not, always look at the bright side of a story, you will
discover that the process is more beautiful than the outcome. Tâm Tâm

8
 BOOKS
A part me
of
My career goal is a bookstore owner because I love books.
When I was a little girl, I used to watch some documentary films
or educational programs on TV with my grandpa and I
especially loved the program about some famous authors,
poets. And through the hustling days of high school, books
brought a curious and magic world to me. I love the smell of old
books, love the way they modestly lie on the bookshelf. I cry, I
smile due to the tales that I never undergo. Sometimes, I feel
very disappointed with myself and I can’t talk to anyone else, so
I devour books all that time. I forget the reality in this process
and engulf in a different world. To me, writing is a silent way of
expressing yourself, through words to tell your story, bringing a
true personality in your dreams. That's why books come in this
world. They are not only a world knowledge replica but also
preserve the eternal thought of many generations. I want to
touch it and also share with others. I want to open a bookstore
where people can freely select their favorite books and relax
themselves to the emotional flow. Every time I stand in a large
library, I utter that one life is not enough to read books. So, I
hope, there will be lots of other people doing it with me. I can't
change the world, it’s too big a deal for me, but I can clean my
own one and make it better with books. Just like Stephen King
said, “Books are uniquely portable magic.” Tâm Tâm

9
There are huge differences between life in cities and life in the
countryside.Firstly, the biggest difference between them is that living
in big cities will bring out better job opportunities than living in the
countryside or village. In big cities, there are many companies that
have all types and industries that help you to find a good job easily.
For example, if your major is Faculty of Business English, you will easily
find jobs such as: tour guide, tutor in English centers, interpreters or
translater, etc. Moreover, high-paying jobs in finance, medicine, law,
advertising, retail and more, tend to be found in cities. That can mean
more opportunities, better salary prospects and shorter commutes
for those choosing an urban life over a rural one.

LIFE IN THE CITY

LIFE IN THE
COUNTRYSIDE
The second difference between them is pollution. Unlike the busy life in
big cities, the countryside is generally quiet and peaceful, certainly not as
contaminated with toxic pollutants as the city. There isn't as much traffic
or smog or pollution from industry. On the contrary, big cities have not
enough space. Everything seems more narrow than in the countryside
such as: lack of parking places.
Last but not least, space in big cities and in the countryside is also
different. In the countryside, you have more space. If you want to build
on your home, you have the room to do it. If you want to construct a
shed or a barn or an art studio, you have the room. On the contrary,
everything becomes more narrow in big cities. Lack of parking space is
one example.
In summary, living in big cities or living in the countryside has it own
advantages. Quách Thị Anh
10
PROBLEMS
OF LIVING IN BIG CITY
From my point of view, living in big cities can cause many problems.
First of all, when you live in big cities, you might have to deal with
financial problems. Big cities mean places where the economy develops
very successfully and everything there is always at high prices. All things
such as accommodations, transportation or entertainment cost you a
lot of money. If you do not spend money reasonably, you may get into
financial troubles. Secondly, you may have to face up with some
security issues as you live in big cities. These issues are pickpockets,
kidnapping or traffic accidents which often happen at every corner in
big cities. This is caused by the increase in population in cities day by
day. The growth of population perhalf makes the education be less
cared for so the rate of these issues has significantly risen. Besides, the
rise in population also badly affects your current living environment like
being less comfortable. Last but not least, you can sometimes feel
lonely in big cities where life is extremely hectic. Everyone has a great
number of things to do. For example, let's imagine if you have some
troubles and need somebody to confide in but all of your
acquaintances are busy and don’t have time for you, it will be really sad.
In particular, as you can see, neighbors in cities are not often as close
as those in countries; neighborhoods in countries are always happy
and warm whereas those in big cities are places where everyone lives
their own busy life. All in all, living in big cities might bring some
troubles, so people should think twice before deciding to settle down
there.
Thanh Mai

11
 in the past
Families &
nowsaday
Up to now, some changes in family relationships have been caused
because the standard of living has raised significantly due to the
development of modern technology. In fact, the definitions of families
nowadays and families in the past are different in many ways. The first
difference is the change of gender roles in families. In the past, while
fathers are considered breadwinners, mothers must be at home, take on
housework and care for younger and older generations. Therefore, most
women at that time must stay at home and many opportunities in the
workplace were limited for them. On the other hand, at present, women
and men are equal in any walks of life, which means both of them not only
can support their families financially but they also share the parenting and
domestic responsibilities. The amount of time for family is also a
difference between families at present and families in the past. Parents
used to spend a large amount of time on their children’s life to keep an
interaction positive in tone. For example, they nurtured and developed
social skills for their children by talking to them during dinner when all
members of families got together and shared their daily stories.
Therefore, there was a very close bond between parents and their
children. On the other side, due to heavy workload and frequent night
shifts, some parents today can not balance their work and families. They
only accommodate all their children’s needs such as clothes and money
and think that they have done their responsibilities for their children. It is
the lack of parents’ caring that leads to many children’s negative
outcomes, being addicted to alcohol, smoking and video games or being
launched on a path of anti-social behaviors as two examples. In this case,
a relationship between parents and their children can easily break down.
All in all, families in the past and families nowadays have many differences
in some aspects of life.
Thu Hoài

12
Domestic violence, also referred to as the domestic assault,
harassment or abuse of intimate relationships, may occur when one
person feels the need to manipulate and overpower the other.There
are some factors that cause domestic violence.
First of all, certain persons with very conservative views may feel that
they have the right to dominate their spouse and that women are not
equal to men. An undiagnosed personality illness or psychiatric
disorder can be found in some. Others may have acquired this
pattern from growing up in a home where domestic abuse was
known as domestic violence. Others may have learned this behavior
from growing up in a household where domestic violence was
accepted in their family as a normal part of being raised.

CAUSES OF
DOMESTIC
VIOLENCE
Secondly, mental, physical or sexual violence can take the form of the
dominance of a partner. Studies show that aggressive activity is often
induced by the relationship between situational and human variables. This
suggests that as they grow, offenders absorb abusive actions from their
friends, individuals in their culture and other cultural pressures. They may
have often witnessed abuse or may have been victims themselves. Any
offenders admit that they have been victimized as a child and have grown up.
Lastly, alcohol and medications can lead to aggressive actions. A intoxicated
or elderly person may be less likely to control their aggressive impulses
against their partner, so it may be important for a person living in a situation
of domestic violence to keep such alcohol or drug use episodes to a
minimum. However no cause of domestic violence excuses the abuser's
behavior, nor can it be seen as a justification for their behaviour.
These potential reasons are only to help explain that an abuser feels it is
necessary to mentally, verbally, psychologically or emotionally assault their
mate. Quỳnh Anh
13
 renting
your first apartment
Whoever you are, you’ll take part in an inevitable rite of
passage into adulthood: renting your first apartment.
However, finding a new set of digs isn’t easy, especially if
you’ve never done it. Here are some steps you should follow
to make your “renting journey” easier.
First of all, you have to decide where you are going to live. If you are a
student or a worker, make sure that your future apartment is near
your work or school. You won’t have to suffer from long hours stuck
in the traffic if you live near your working place. Beside that, you
should find a place that is easy to reach public facilities.
Secondly, limit your budget. You have to know exactly how much you
CAN spend on your renting cost, not how much you WANT. Write down
the amount of money you get each month, estimate how much you
would spend on your utilities or some other activities, add in
unexpected expenses, the amount left over is the amount you should
budget for your rent.
The next step is to do some research. Thanks to the power of the
internet, there's no shortage of sites to aid in your search. You can
look for your apartment on Facebook groups, some renting
platforms, … If you’re not sure where to start your search, begin by
asking friends and family. Someone might even know of a particular
building you might like that has vacancies. Be sure to do some
exploring of your own as well.
Finally, when you have chosen your dream apartment, just make
it yours. Make a list of things you need to buy for your
apartment. You shouldn’t choose things that are heavy because
it will be hard for you when you move out. If the apartment has
met all your needs, just move in and enjoy your independent life.

14 Quỳnh Anh
PART-TIME JOB
It is true that, with economic and social development, the number of
students who work part-time during school time is increasing
remarkably. And it has brought out many benefits.
First of all, it is commonly believed that students can get more practical
experiences for their future business. In fact, formal training at colleges
or universities only provides students with a basic background. In this
case, it is no doubt that working part-time seems to be more helpful as it
helps students learn more about responsibilities as well as real business
challenges, which reinforces what they are learning in school. For
instance, some studies show that undergraduates working part-time are
more confident than the others when they start a job after graduation.
In other words, the more experiences students gain during school time,
the more benefits they will get in their future business.
Another important point is that, thanks to a part-time job, students can
earn some money to spend on daily expense. In evidence of this, a
college or university student often spend at least three years finishing
their study syllabus, which substantially triggers a big debt. Therefore, it
is essential that students work part time to reduce the debt. In fact,
there has been an increase in the number of students leaving college or
university because they don’t have enough money to pay for training fee
in recent years. In addition, it is evident that it is hard to earn money in
most situations, so earning money during school years also teaches
students to understand true values of money.
All in all, it is clearly evident that students can gain several benefits from
working part-time. Apart from getting more practical experiences and
earning money to spend on their tuition as well as daily expense, they
can properly develop their time management skills, which, hopefully,
prepare them for a good future.
Kim Anh

15
Nowadays, insomnia has become a serious problem
especially for adults. In fact, there are many factors leading
to insomnia. The first factor is stress. In reality, most people
have suffered from stress which can come from work, school
or social relationships. Many research shows that stress can
provoke a profound reaction in the body that poses a
challenge to the quality of sleep. Therefore, researchers
believe that some individuals are more vulnerable to stress
induced sleeping problems. Irregular sleep schedules are
also factors that trigger insomnia. Theoretically, the body’s
internal clock, known as its circadian rhythm, closely follows
the daily pattern of day and night. However, in reality, many
people have sleep schedules that cause misalignment of
their circadian rhythm such as jet lag or shift work. Jet lag
disturbs sleep because a person’s body can’t adjust to a
rapid change in time zone. Similarly, shift work requires a
person to work through the night and sleep during the day.
Thus, both can give rise to a disrupted circadian rhythm and
insomnia. All in all, insomnia comes from many factors in real
life.
Thu Hoài

CAUSES OF
INSOMNIA
16
 HOW TO KICK
A BAD HABIT
Bad habits waste time and energy but many people thought it is
hard to quit them. However, a bad habit can be discarded quickly
and easily by taking three active steps. The first step is supervising
the bad habit and realizing the negative effects of it. At this stage,
one should seek to gather substantial knowledge on how
detrimental a bad habit influences on life and the beneficial effects
if he or she adopts a healthier habit. For example, what would be
the benefit of becoming a nonsmoker? The second step, make sure
that you get some help, it will be useful if you inform your family
and friends about making a bit of change so they can cheer you up
and give all the support you need. In addition, they can observe
you if you keep doing the bad habit, so they would tell you to avoid
it. The last step, taking actions with realistic sub-goals and timeline.
Sure, it’s not easy to kick a bad habit and it will take a period of
time. For example, if you are drinking 5 cups of coffee per day and
the mission is to cut down to one per day, give yourself a few
weeks or specifically 40-days to achieve this. Follow the goal strictly
and punish yourself if you keep bad habits. Moreover, you should
find something to entertain in your free time to distract from bad
habits such as playing sports, learning a new language…Remember
to reward yourself, it’s the most fundamental law in all psychology,
be proud when you can get rid of a bad habit. In conclusion, it is
clear that everyone can stop bad habits; by facing and addressing
them accordingly, without concealing them as though they have
become an integral part of their lives Tâm Tâm

17
 Expressing
myself !
People tell me I am a perfectionist, and I guess I have
to agree. They called me a perfectionist, firstly,
because I always pay too much attention to details.
When I have to work in groups, I am always the last
person to scrutinize the task and make sure the task
perfectly meet the team's goal. This is beneficial for me
and other people but sometimes may annoy some
people around me and they started putting that name
on me. The second reason why I agree that I am a
perfectionist is that I got a symptom called
"procrastinating". I always think carefully before
starting to do everything and sometimes my thought
makes me scared. I fear being unable to complete a
task perfectly then I put it off as long as possible. This
has created resistance preventing me from doing the
things I dream of and makes me lose many great
opportunities in life. All in all, I think I am truly a
perfectionist and even though that name brings both
benefit and hindrance to my life, I will try to improve
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myself better.
18
 People sometimes tell me that I’m
unapproachable, and I guess I have to agree. First of all,
smiling is not my favorite thing and I rarely sport a smile.
It is said that a smile is the key to being approachable.
However, I think my smile is not beautiful and I’m not
really confident with it. So I don’t usually smile or I just
smile with my close friends, and this makes people think
I’m hard to approach. Secondly, I often keep my lips
sealed. I’m not big on talking and hardly do I hold the
initiative. I prefer being the listener to being the one to
talk, so sometimes I just sit there and listen, and people
misunderstand that I’m not really interested in what they
are saying. In the third place, I’m not keen on sharing my
stories to those who are not close to me. I think everyone
has their own business and I don’t want them to solve my
problems, so I rarely share anything.I keep everything in
my “safe area” and I don’t realize that I’m pushing people
away. In a nutshell, there are some reasons that make
people think I’m unapproachable, and although I know for
sure I’m an out-going person, I have to agree. Quỳnh Anh
19