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“No one ever steps in the same river twice”
Heraclitus (Greek: Ἡράκλειτος), a philosopher of ancient Greece, once said: "No one ever steps in the same river twice". The first person who translated it into Vietnamese rendered it as "No one bathes twice in the same river," and the phrase remains unchanged in my language. The first time I heard this quote, I was fifteen or sixteen. My youthful mind took it literally and dismissed it as absurd and hollow. I had clearly bathed in the same spot more than a hundred times. Only now—another fifteen or sixteen years later—do I begin to see the “river” that has flowed through my life.
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All over the place
A rainy evening of April; I have to admit that I am in a difficult situation with my writings. I have plenty of ideas to talk about and a ton of work to work through, but, I am doing nothing. Some days it just feels like dragging a block of granite up a hill, slowly, heavily. I started my website with an idea of sharing my knowledge in environmental studies and about my life (hopefully) as an inspiration to others. I started with enthusiasm, invested time and money in developing a website, told myself just to take 1% at a time, I did, but then I hung up. Years passed…
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Talking about the lack of social science in environmental conservation (Part 1)
This essay series discusses the lack of social science in environmental conservation and defends local communities from being blamed on the destruction of the environment. Part 1 discusses a case study about the proposal of a nature reserve in Tan Thanh mudflat in Mekong Delta, Vietnam, and general suggestions for young professionals in the field.
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A Glance of the Fall
Having to move to another place and leave Wisconsin was not an easy option. I heard that it started to snow in Madison, meanwhile, Texas is still experiencing the Fall. The colors and the cool winds make me miss Madison so much that I had to scroll over the photos I took earlier this season.
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The Transformation of the Fall
The rain is falling steadily out there by the window. The weather has grown much colder. I had just dozed off for a bit when the sound of rain and thunder woke me from my deep slumber. I dreamed of sunny days at Ho Chi Minh City campus and freezing-rainy days in Bao Loc, these two scenes altered in my closed eyes. Sitting up on the bed, realizing I was in a place far away, suddenly feeling strange. It took me a while to check my surroundings. "Where is this?... Oh..."
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Summer colors of Wisconsin
Today when I was sitting by the window, doing journalling, the sunlight caught my attention to its different brightness. “It is changing!”, I screamed in my mind. I rushed out of the house with my camera in hand like I feared losing the moment. I went for a walk and randomly stopped by tiny spots on the way to capture some bumble bees on colorful flowers. These little things filled my soul and my heart sang a song of joy.
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Just do it! The power of processing that 1%
Today, I finally decided to launch this website after years of postponing. “God cannot bless the action you have not taken”. I read the quote above some time ago and have been using it to mentor people. Now, this is the time for me to mentor myself, too.
