Free-Writing by Thuy Duong Do https://padlet.com/lemonandlemonade2112/h15p3m6jcm0zrzid en-us 2022-01-16 04:15:15 UTC 2022-04-17 03:06:16 UTC hello@padlet.com Lesson 1: How did you make yourself proud in 2021? lemonandlemonade2112 https://padlet.com/lemonandlemonade2112/h15p3m6jcm0zrzid/wish/1993939815 2021 was an extremely hard year full of ups and downs but I overcame the challenges and made myself proud. Looking back, I had made mistakes daily but acknowledged them and have improved myself to be a better person. Furthermore, online learning wasn’t also that motivating. I had to stay in my room and just look at the computer screen continuously every day. Even though I had friends, family members and teachers kindly supporting me through these tough times, I still feel stressed out and motiveless. I would just blankly stare at the screen and sometimes even procrastinate but it didn’t feel right… Once again, to make myself proud, I had stopped being lazy and finished all the work, knowing that someday I will finally set foot into the school building. Just to refresh my mind before 2022 came, I also did a room makeover and re-organized my learning area to make it more comfortable and uncluttered. ]]> 2022-01-16 04:27:22 UTC https://padlet.com/lemonandlemonade2112/h15p3m6jcm0zrzid/wish/1993939815 Lesson 2: If you could spend a day with your ancestors, what would you ask them? lemonandlemonade2112 https://padlet.com/lemonandlemonade2112/h15p3m6jcm0zrzid/wish/2006799477 I would like to ask each one of my ancestors what their education and culture were like. What were their occupations and was it difficult? Personally, it would be really intriguing to listen to all of their amazing stories and how different and impressive it is from our modern culture. I would ask how their parents and siblings are? I would also want to show them around my house, garden and Hanoi to show how much everything improved and evolved rapidly throughout the years. Additionally, I would ask what they ate and drank from the past and show them different types of food nowadays. Besides all of that, I will ask about the past to gain more knowledge and learn about the unique lifestyles.]]> 2022-01-23 02:34:48 UTC https://padlet.com/lemonandlemonade2112/h15p3m6jcm0zrzid/wish/2006799477 Lesson 3: The Worst Valentines Day Ever lemonandlemonade2112 https://padlet.com/lemonandlemonade2112/h15p3m6jcm0zrzid/wish/2044194534 Throughout the years, I have never encountered such a horrible experience on Valentines Day, the most dreadful day of my life yet really surprising. These few days, my friends and I are busy preparing messages and cards on an online website for each teacher in our classes to celebrate Valentines Day even though we are learning virtually. We had done some projects like this on different events such as Teachers’ Day or Christmas but I had never expected this to happen. On Monday it was Valentines Day, just 45 minutes before class started, everything was neatly organized and ready to be shown to the teachers until I got a message in a group chat that harshly slapped me across the face. “I accidentally deleted it” were the exact four words that destroyed all my efforts. All the other friends that were involved in this project quickly responded with panic and fear as they opened the website and stared blankly with shock and disappointment. They quickly started a new page and all of us bitterly started to decorate the page again. I just continued typing on the page while fuming with anger since I spent all my free time on this. While being halfway done, one of my friends said “it was just a prank” since she put it in private mode. My whole body shook fiercely, sighing in relief. So it was just a prank…]]> 2022-02-13 02:57:47 UTC https://padlet.com/lemonandlemonade2112/h15p3m6jcm0zrzid/wish/2044194534 Lesson 4: While taking a walk, you bump against a man and apologize, but the man doesn’t seem to see or hear you. lemonandlemonade2112 https://padlet.com/lemonandlemonade2112/h15p3m6jcm0zrzid/wish/2056965857 Today was pretty hectic and stressful, everything scattered around my mind like a traumatic tsunami engulfing my body. These days, it’s just about work, work and work. Nothing else. My brain needs a break from everything. After that, I decided to take a walk, just wandering around the neighbourhood peacefully. The atmosphere was perfect to be alone and enjoy the cool breeze. The air chilled playfully around my ear, ringing from ear to ear while I hummed some tunes to the beat of the birds chirping. The landscape around me was so surreal and vivid, flowers blooming colourfully and the soft clouds forming together like cotton. Being hyponotized and mesmerized by the nature was so calming until I bumped into someone. I felt an indescribable sense of pain lingering up my body as I thumped down on the floor with a loud bang. I shook out of reality and saw a man crossing by. “I am very sorry”, I politely bowed down. He seem to not care and just continued on his steps steadily. Can’t he see me? Did he hear my apology? “I am sorry”, I uttered again. He didn’t seem to care. Quickly, I dashed right home and saw my mother looking at the door like she just has seen a ghost. Then, she screamed harshly and shouted “ghost!” Has she not seen me coming in? I suddenly started to feel my body vanishing into thin air. A liverish feeling, conquering up my body like a snake slithering up my spine. I sprinted up to my room, slammed the door and got in my bed. My vision started to go vague. The last thing I saw before the darkness devoured me completely was my pale hand shaping into a fist… Suddenly, my alarm clock rang crazily as I jumped right up. Was it all a dream?]]> 2022-02-20 03:27:48 UTC https://padlet.com/lemonandlemonade2112/h15p3m6jcm0zrzid/wish/2056965857 Lesson 5: It’s 2 am and you are tossing and turning in the bed. Guilt is not letting you sleep. Finally, you sit up. You know what you have to do. lemonandlemonade2112 https://padlet.com/lemonandlemonade2112/h15p3m6jcm0zrzid/wish/2102768592 The dimmed room was filled with deadly silence, nothing dared to utter a sound. Blackness ruthlessly demolished every inch of the room as I nervously gulped. On the other side, without any hesitation, the clock silently ticked to 2 am exactly. My head was heavy like a rock, my mind obstructing its way out of the cruel thoughts. Uneven breathing embedded the room as my breathing quickly hitched in nervousness. I rolled around my bed, twisting and turning wildly to distract myself from the irritating thoughts. Nothing worked. A sensation that I rarely felt, furiously aroused my body again as tingly feelings slithered up my body. Guilt. What did I do wrong? She was the one who started it first and now I have to apologize? I sighed in annoyance and continued violently rolling. Guilt was eating up my body harshly, hypnotizing me inside a darkened room. What should I do? Why am I being like this? Then, I reluctantly stood up from my bed and headed to my desk, opening my computer silently. “I am so sorry” were the words that I sent her. Relief devoured my body completely as she responded back in a few seconds, apologizing back. After that, I lazily went back to my bed and drifted off into sleep, sighing in ease.]]> 2022-03-19 05:53:59 UTC https://padlet.com/lemonandlemonade2112/h15p3m6jcm0zrzid/wish/2102768592 Lesson 6: You find a magic potion and take a sip. What happens next? lemonandlemonade2112 https://padlet.com/lemonandlemonade2112/h15p3m6jcm0zrzid/wish/2102768799  I opened the oak wooden door as I gasped in astonishment unexpectedly. Dust started to menacingly obstruct my nostrils as I entered. Darkness gulped down the whole room while I was struggling to find a light source. As I flicked down the light switch, brightness in the room quickly conquered up. Everything was so colourful, filled with potions and wands. I have never seen anything magical like this. Then, I wandered around the wands section as I stared in amazement. Every single one was decorated with unique details with different varieties of colours. Something that hooked my attention was the tiny bottle of pink liquid as I headed towards it steadily. I didn’t think twice and gulped down the potion like a hungry beast. Slurping every drop that was plopped down onto my tongue. Suddenly, my mind started to spin around in circles continuously, hypnotizing me inside a black box while my vision started to go vague. I shoved my hands in front of my eyes and saw my hands shrinking surprisingly. My height started to decrease as the palm of my hands touched the ground roughly. The next thing I saw was the bottle of pink juice leaking down on the cold floor. I screamed in horror and shock, these two feelings confusingly combined. I threateningly shouted at the top of my lungs but nothing could be heard. The bell rang deafeningly, indicating that it was time for lunch. I swiftly jumped right up from my leaning position on the desk. So I was just asleep this whole time in class. Was it just all a dream..?]]> 2022-03-19 05:54:41 UTC https://padlet.com/lemonandlemonade2112/h15p3m6jcm0zrzid/wish/2102768799 Lesson 7: Write a story about a house you thought was empty - but actually wasn’t. lemonandlemonade2112 https://padlet.com/lemonandlemonade2112/h15p3m6jcm0zrzid/wish/2102769054 I reluctantly stared at my friend’s phone screen, showing Google Maps. “This destination is not far away from here and it looks abandoned. We should try going there this afternoon.”, my friend stated as she pointed at the screen intensely. I looked at the house through her screen, scattered bricks were visible around the dimmed building. Trees were shooting out from their roots while they curled in different directions, with sharp edges. The afternoon came as we headed out into the forest. Damp water was splattered everywhere, with a reeking odor, grievously obstructing our noses. Darkness was the only thing that was seen as we carefully watched our steps. When we reached the place, we stood in front of the house in horror and fear. The light brightly shone through one of the opened windows as the wind quickly flew past our bodies. We steadily opened the creaky door as it creaked deafeningly, making us jump in terror. I knew this was a bad idea… To our surprise, when we opened the door, we were greeted by a group of people. They looked around our age and pulled us into the cosy decorated place. The scent was pleasing and fragrant, creating a friendly sensation inside my body. My friend screamed at the top of her lungs as I quickly covered her mouth in embarrassment. “This is our hang out place”, said one of the people, “why not hang out with us..?”]]> 2022-03-19 05:55:33 UTC https://padlet.com/lemonandlemonade2112/h15p3m6jcm0zrzid/wish/2102769054 Lesson 8: You are a journalist for a well-known newspaper. Write a news article based on the picture seen above. lemonandlemonade2112 https://padlet.com/lemonandlemonade2112/h15p3m6jcm0zrzid/wish/2103392705 Why is the orchestra performing in front of cows? 

Orchestras are supposed to be performing in front of audiences on the stage, in this occasion, a band of musicians were surprisingly found carrying out a performance on a farm, surrounded by haystacks.

During the pandemic, these musicians have struggled through problems of accomplishing a play in front of a crowd of people. Because of this, people on the farm decided to kindly invite the band to perform for them and the animals on the farmstead. Thanks to this opportunity, the orchestra happily accepted the offer and came with hope rising up their chest. As they played, farmers and cows listened peacefully as they carefully remembered every rhythm being played. “I am very grateful for the chance of finally playing in front of the audience”, stated one of the musicians.

People on the farm has exclaimed about being thankful for the band to come to play for them, it has made the cows' and farmers’ day better. “We will definitely ask them to come again…” one of the farmers said.
]]> 2022-03-20 04:20:58 UTC https://padlet.com/lemonandlemonade2112/h15p3m6jcm0zrzid/wish/2103392705 Lesson 9: Can a leader influence people to do something bad - or do leaders only use their influence for good? Why or why not? lemonandlemonade2112 https://padlet.com/lemonandlemonade2112/h15p3m6jcm0zrzid/wish/2126867579 I believe that certain leaders have the ability to persuade others to do bad things. Of course, many leaders play a vital role in a group by assisting others. However, I will discuss how a leader's authority and control may affect individuals.

Being a leader can be difficult, but I believe that projecting a positive attitude toward people is the greatest way to avoid acting on their feelings and ideas. Even if the person in charge of the group isn't doing a good job of guiding it, sending out good vibes will make the team more productive and pleasant. Even I have to acknowledge that the leader in my group's approach toward certain of our colleagues makes them feel left out at times. They ended up sitting in the table's corner, feeling lonely, until I approached them.

To summarize, the leaders' attitude toward the members of the group determines their subsequent actions. Harsh remarks, disregarding, and arrogance may not be the finest leadership strategies. This is why I believe some leaders have a significant impact on those who do awful things.
]]> 2022-04-03 02:59:17 UTC https://padlet.com/lemonandlemonade2112/h15p3m6jcm0zrzid/wish/2126867579 Lesson 10: Write a story about getting locked inside an amusement park overnight. lemonandlemonade2112 https://padlet.com/lemonandlemonade2112/h15p3m6jcm0zrzid/wish/2126867962 “It was her. It was because of her. It was because of her that I got in trouble. It was a mistake to go to an amusement park late at night with her and my friends.”

It was a normal Saturday at the weekend, nothing special happened. The weather was frigid, filled with strong wind freely whipping around people. Today, my friends and I are going to an amusement park near my house. Excitement hindered my body as I skipped to the destination. There, I was greeted by all my friends, all were waiting for me. Our eyes were mysteriously mesmerized by the sight in front of us as we entered the gates. Stripes of colour, exhilarating rides, scrumptious food stalls, and bright LED lights flashed over the audience. "Let's go!" shouted one of my pals enthusiastically. We all entered ride after ride. Screaming, shouting and screeching at the top of our lungs. Then, I checked the time, shocked. 11:54. Just as we were about to enter another ride the speakers blasted. “It is coming to the end of the day. The amusement park is beginning to close.” That’s when Lucia plastered a sly smirk onto her face. “We should stay here the entire night.” Others started to nod obediently, agreeing. I just heaved a heavy sigh as I saw people leaving. We quietly yet quickly hid behind a bush. Fear and regret were noticeable on my face while I reluctantly forced a smile. Without noticing, we were all asleep.

The next day, when I woke up, no one was there. They all left, leaving me lying on the fresh meadow grass. Alone…
]]> 2022-04-03 03:00:14 UTC https://padlet.com/lemonandlemonade2112/h15p3m6jcm0zrzid/wish/2126867962 Lesson 11: Tell the story about a long-lost relative who randomly shows up at your door one evening. lemonandlemonade2112 https://padlet.com/lemonandlemonade2112/h15p3m6jcm0zrzid/wish/2145792044 Thud thud thud… The front door’s sound echoed as someone knocked on the door. I steadily yet slowly sprinted to the door as it opened, revealing someone I never expected to see right now. Someone who has been with me throughout my childhood. Someone who I needed the most when I was feeling down. My long-lost uncle. He suddenly appeared with a crooked smile on his face, gradually opening his arms to welcome me into a warm hug. I didn’t accept it and quickly backed away, visible confusion yet horror drawn over my face. “Mom, Dad!” I screamed deafeningly, loud enough for them to hear it from the living room. As I turned around, I saw my parents standing still, fear and trepidation plastered over their liverish faces. This couldn’t be happening. My uncle, who went missing and was reported dead, was standing right here in front of us. This couldn’t be happening. “I missed you all!” my uncle exclaimed nervously, acting like nothing has occurred recently. His face was pale, eyes were blurry, arms were scrawny like he hadn’t eaten in days. As I looked back at my parents, I saw their faces filled with salty liquid streaming from their puffy red eyes down to their cheeks. I just stood still while a monstrous feeling engulfed my body, obstructing my tears to freely flow out. We missed him…

“Wake up, mate. It’s time to get ready for school.” my father uttered softly as I sighed in realization. So it was just a dream… again.
]]> 2022-04-17 03:04:52 UTC https://padlet.com/lemonandlemonade2112/h15p3m6jcm0zrzid/wish/2145792044