Part 1
Sharing
What do you usually share with others?
I usually share latest news with my friends, especially interesting stories about popular movie stars or singers like who they are dating or what scandals they are involved in.
Did your parents encourage you to share things when you were a child?
Yes. You know Vietnamese people have a really strong sense of community so as a child, one of the things I’ve been taught to share was food. Many of the popular dishes in Vietnam such as hotpot or BBQ are great for sharing as well.
What kinds of things would you not share?
I would say my personal life since I highly value my privacy. I believe details of our personal life should be kept as secrets to even your friends, especially if you are celebrities. Otherwise your reputation could be ruined if one of your friends can’t keep his mouth shut.
Movie star
Who is your favorite movie star?
Jenifer Lawrence is my all-time favorite actor. She’s beautiful, charming and has a lot of charisma. What’s not to like about her?
Have you met a movie star in person?
Unfortunately no because I live in Vietnam and I’m not a fan of any Vietnamese movie star. And to be honest I don’t really care, at least until I finish everything on my plate like achieving 6.5 IELTS.
Do you want to be a movie star in the future?
Not at all. Becoming a celebrity means you have to expose your private life to the rest of the world, and sharing has never been my thing. I would never sacrifice my privacy for fame or wealth.
Part 2
Describe a time when someone didn’t tell you the whole truth about something
• When this happened
• What the situation was
• Who you were with
And explain why the person didn’t tell the whole truth.
So I’m going to talk about a time when my brother told me a half-truth that just happened recently actually.
My brother is a trickster who is able to lie without blinking an eye. Three months ago, he told me that he was super broke and asked to “borrow” some immediate cash to pay for the air ticket that he already booked. Empathized with his situation, I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and gave him some money without asking him to pay back because, you know, he is family and also jobless. He was thankful and brought me a bunch of gifts from his trips. I was quite happy as I thought my brother has finally grown up and became a more mature person. How naive I was!
During my next family gathering, I brought up the story to my parents, praising my brother for his maturity. My mom’s face dropped and she immediately looked at my brother in disbelief. Turned out my brother only told me half of the truth. He was really in desperate need for some cash, but he asked both my mom and I, received money from both of us and ended up with twice the amount he needed. The ending was predictable: two hours of being scolded and grounded for one month. I was neither surprised nor sorry for him. He reaped what he sowed, you know.
Part 3
When is it acceptable to lie?
I believe lies, white lies or half-truths, are acceptable acts when they are done with good intentions, be it providing comfort or avoiding hurting feelings. A boyfriend, for example, can choose to tell a white lie and tell his girl she looks beautiful in those new expensive jeans. A doctor can choose to tell a dying cancer patent that he has more time to live to put the patent’s mind at ease.
What do you think about the fact that everybody has lied at least once?
I believe lying is part of our nature, as everybody wants to keep a perfect image in front of others. In other words, nobody wants to expose their flaws or weaknesses and decide to cover them up by lies. Therefore, the fact that everybody has lied at least once, to me, just makes us more human.
Band 8.0
