Hanoi Youth English Club

I have known about HYEC for a several year through the internet. At that time I had wanted to joined HYEC but I was so shy of going alone. And now I feel so sorry for that dull complex.

It's quite late to start now, but it's never too late right? I am so happy to join and meet all of you. Thank you for being nice. And talk to me. Okie?

It takes me quite lots time to find words in dictionary for writing this. I hope it will be shorter soon.

Sincerely,
ftts

Hi ftts,

You're right: It's never too late to have some fun with us! :)

English not good enough? Not a good excuse: We're all here to improve our English, not to show off. Alone? Not a good excuse either: When you're here, you're no longer alone! :-)

Finally, it's good to practise writing whenever possible. It might take you quite a lot of time writing that post, but it will definitely improve after a while. Just visit this forum as often as you can, and you'll see how fast you'll progress.

Since you're here already, there's absolutely no regret at all! :-)

—DNT

Hi, nhutung

I thank you for your warmly greeting and reasonable words. I have met you already, wow, very impressive. I hope we'll become good friends.

I am thinking about an English dairy. May I write sth to this topic regularly to count it as my dairy??? Yeah, I start by now.

Last evening I've had some tea with moon cake together with my brother. He is in a deep sleep now, and I still get out of sleep :(

It is now raining heavily. We call it Ngau shower, is it right? Ngau shower usually make me sad because of the story about Nguu Lang and Chuc Nu. They are deeply in love with each other but permitted to met once a year. Oh they cry… flood both heaven and earth. So sad…

Oh, I have to get to sleep. Good bye my dairy. See U tomorrow :)

I am thinking about an English dairy. May I write sth to this topic regularly to count it as my dairy??? Yeah, I start by now.

This is a GREAT idea, ftts! The best way to learn English is by doing things you like to do regularly such as: watching movies, reading interesting books, or in this case, writing a diary.

@Everyone: I've moved ftts' thread to a newly-created room called "Let's Write". In this room, we can write anything we want (but only in English). The idea is to write in English as much, and as often as possible. Sometimes, we may provide feedback on each other's English. But mostly, it's about having the confidence to express ourselves freely.

Let's start writing.

—DNT

Dear my diary,

I cannot keep my promise, I cannot write U everyday. Tonight I've tried to learn some E, but I fell asleep so much that I dropped my book, slept on the spot and only awoke at nearly midnight.

Today, I've change my anti-virus program. It's solved some of my PC's problem so I feel light hearted.

I usually confuse when writing words. How do I know which word is correct in that situation? Yeah, I know, I have to learn, but it's very difficult to know all about the word. So I learn with my friend to share what we've learned.

@NhuTung: thank you for your support, I wish you all the best :)

Tonight I've tried to learn some E, but I fell asleep so much that I dropped my book, slept on the spot and only awoke at nearly midnight.

"I was so sleepy…"

I think you shouldn't try too hard. Rote learning is a wrong approach if you really want to retain the knowledge. (Rote learning = học thuộc lòng, học vẹt)

Instead, you should try to learn the words/idioms/expressions in their contexts. That means you should read short and interesting pieces of English texts as often as you can. It can be a news article, a short essays, or a few pages in a book.

The key is to find what you like to read! (E.g. If you like fiction, I can send you a soft-copy of Harry Potter. :-)

I usually confuse when writing words. How do I know which word is correct in that situation? Yeah, I know, I have to learn, but it's very difficult to know all about the word.

"I am confused …"

Of course, you are! I'm still confused sometimes even though I've been reading and writing English everyday for the last 13-14 years. The only way out of this is to read a lot and then try to imitate what you've read. You should spontaneously write (or say) anything that feels right at the time (viết/nói bừa), but there's no substitute for reading.

So make reading a habit, or better yet: make it a leisurely habit! :-)

—DNT

Oh, tung, you are so kind to support me so much like this. I ought to have replied you long ago, but recently I've had some problems that I discontinue learning. But everything is ok now, I come back. I bet U still there :)

I bet U still there :)

Yes, I'm always here. :-)

I ought to have replied you long ago, but recently…

No. You don't have any obligation to interact with me (or with HYEC for that matter). It's about YOU! It's about you having fun with what you do, about you feeling great making small steps on the journey towards your own goals.

Be confident that, on your journey, there will always be many others (such as myself) who will share your path — at least for a while. You just have to keep walking. Bon voyage! :-)

—DNT

It's been so long since I last came here. There were somethings unusual had happened. And I'm still on my way knowing myself. Sometimes it's hard, sometimes it's fun and sometimes it makes me so confused. But it's ok. It's what I should.

It's cold and rainy today. But I can't stay inside any more. I intend to go round and buy sth in the afternoon. I need to move, to feel I'm alive in life.

Like doannhutung said: let's keep walking :)

What a nice surprise! I'm very happy to see you again, ftts.

You see, life is full of unexpected things. Just when I thought this diary had been forgotten, you suddenly came back. This is why I keep reminding myself that I shouldn't jump to conclusion so fast, and be content to be just an observer of the mystery of life. I feel much happier when I let myself to be awed, to be surprised, to be amused by little things that happen everyday. And today, your little post made me very happy. Thank you for that. :-)

It's cold and rainy today. But I can't stay inside any more. I intend to go round and buy sth in the afternoon. I need to move, to feel I'm alive in life.

Yes, you should do whatever you feel like doing at the moment. Just go with the flow. But why doing it alone? Why not with someone else?

Ok, let's say… tomorrow is Sunday right? Why don't you wake up early tomorrow, and ask some friends to have breakfast outside with you? Maybe, xôi, bún, miến… or something sold at street-side shops.

Your friends are lazy? Be enthusiastic, go to their house, and rush them out of bed! It's rainy? Don your raincoat! Eating something hot in a cold, wet, misty morning is like heaven, I promise you.

Enjoy your weekend,

—DNT

P.S. Ah… why don't you join us in Café Flamingo at 6:30pm tomorrow to support our national football team? It's gonna be a lot of fun!

Oh Tung, you are so nice. Your last post has made me so surprised. I have never thought about such enthusiastic encouragement. Maybe you are full of warmly energy, aren't you?

I don't care much about football but I guest you had got an unforgettable night, right? Congratulation!

Tonight, I wandered with my friend and we talked about everything. Funny. It's always that when we talk. I am so happy to have such a nice friend.

Oh, I can't get sleep. But I should try again now. Hope you are sleeping well, all my friend. Goodnight!

It's very cold outside. Oh, I don't like winter. I hate icy winds, drizzling rains and leaden skies. All that makes me so stress. In winter I usually don't want to do anything, I just love to stay in bed and hide inside a warm blanket. Hik, my hands are wanting to move to my pocket.

I have a problem to worry now. Maybe I'll gaining weight soon. I eat quite much this time, I know, but I cannot stop that. Oh, what can I do, hu hu…

A very hot and muggy day. And I feel very bad. It's been a period of time I've ignored life and people around me. It's seem that I am always busy and tired. ouch!

It's been a period of time I've ignored life and people around me.

So stop ignoring the beautiful life around you! You can start by reading this. I guarantee that you won't be able to feel bad afterwards. ;-)

—DNT

Thank you Tung, but I am so sorry, I don't have time to join you.

This time I have a sore head interminable. My health is not very good, but I try to improve it by several way together, so I am getting better.

I will try my best.

Learning E is now not on my list of priorities. But I always to read or write sth when I can.

Hope I will do my work better, so I could have time to improve my E.

I applaud your efforts to practice writing, ffts! You're always welcome here. :-)

If I could offer you any advice, it is this: I think you should try to write in a formal style whenever possible, and try not to abbreviate too many words or use too many slangs. It's not about "being formal or being serious"! It's about fostering the mentality of trying your best whenever you are, with whatever you do. And you know what? You can have fun without using any slangs! :-)

Now, let me help you correct a few mistakes you made:

Learning E is now not on my list of priorities. But I always to read or write sth when I can.

Learning English is not my priority now. But I try to read or write something whenever I can.

Hope I will do my work better, so I could have time to improve my E.

Hope I will work faster, so I can have time to improve my English.

Enjoy,

—DNT

Can I join this discussion with you, I really want to improve my writing skill. I think all of you have the better ability to write than me, so you can correct my mistakes for me. Please help me…:((

@connhangheo: You're welcome to practice writing here in HYEC. You just need to create your own thread and post your writings there. It is because this thread already belongs to ftts, and we should keep it to his/her diary (and comments related to the diary) only.

To create a new thread, go to "Let's Write" forum and press the "create a new thread" button.

Happy writing connhangheo! :-)

—DNT

P.S. Sorry ftts for polluting your thread a little. :-)