3 guys were standing next to the charcoal grill, looking frustrated. They put in a bag of coal, set the cardboard on fire, and put them on the coal. They placed a fan in front of the grill so the coal would catch fire quicker. After 15 minutes, the cardboard burned completely while only some Read More…

Observations:  Observational Writing // Post 1

To be completely honest, I was really worried during the first week of the studio because I was not sure what this studio is really about after reading its description. In the description, there were many keywords including documentary, fiction, observation, writing, and expression. I wondered how are these words relate to each other and Read More…

In the pouring rain, the sidewalk tea shop remained open. It moved from the street to the nearest alley and fought against the rain with a tarpaulin. On the same day, at 12 am,  the government banned all sidewalk tea shops due to Covid-19. In Hanoi, sidewalk tea shops are a part of the city’s Read More…

In class #5, I got to see 2 films. The first one is called Afraid So (2006) that was directed by Jay Rosenblatt, based on a poem written by Jeanne Marie Beaumont with the same name. The poem provoked a sense of anxiety and uncertainty, thus I was curious about how Rosenblatt would interpret the Read More…

A girl in a cotton black dress opened the door and looked around for a second. The room was rather small with not so many tables so she easily found the only empty table for two in the corner of the room. ‘How many people are there?’ a guy in the staff uniform walked in Read More…

Video: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1/folders/1ewiHJWAcx3WwYyrD9kk3Q5QcIC8McPDC . For this exercise, my chosen subject is a cafe called ‘Cư Xá’. This cafe has indoor seating which was captured in the first shot and outdoor seatings which was where I filmed the second shot. The purpose of these shots is to reflect the cafe culture in Hanoi. In Hanoi, going to Read More…

It was a typical hot summer day. She wore a flowy summer dress that moved with her every time she walked. For some reason, she thought Pho Ga sounded appetizing for a day like that. She put the chicken bones in the pot, poured in plenty of water, and turned on the gas stove to Read More…

Since starting university, most of what I wrote are academic essays and personal blog posts. These are far more different than observational writing so I had a difficult time when I wrote my first Obersavtion. I was very concerned about what topics I should choose and how to write about them. The comments which I received Read More…

A little girl rant out from the narrow alley to the main street. Her house might be inside the alley, as she was wearing red pajamas and her parents were nowhere to be seen. The girl walked slowly in front of the coffee shop and laid her eyes on the customers who sat outside. Her Read More…