New Year Day

In Vietnam, we celebrate New Year in February (the day and the month may change, because it depends on Lunar calendar). The Lunar New Year is really the beginning of a year for us. One month before New Year, we prepare everything to celebrate it. At that time of the year is the harvest of many tropical fruits, so we buy a lot of fruits and out on altars to worship our ancestors, gods, and the sky. We usually buy watermelon, grapefruit, coconut, mango, and soursop. These fruits have a good meaning: happiness, fulfillment, richness, and luckiness. This is also time for people to shop. They buy new clothes and new house wares and things to decorate their houses. Flower markets are always crowded. Every New Year, my aunt makes new dresses for my sister and me. We will put on new clothes one day before New Year. On New Year's Eve, people don't sleep. They go to temples or worship at home. Of course there will have a lot of good food. On New Year day, we eat a lot and sometimes we drink. Gambling is allowed in these days. In the other time of the year, gambling is illegal. Older and married people give away little money for kids. This action means adults want kids to have a healthy life and grow up faster. Usually we celebrate New Year for a week, and then we go back to work or school. This is the longest holiday in the year for us to relax, play, stay with families, and enjoy our time.

My Mother

My mother is not tall, and she's thin. Her eyes are big and brown. Her nose is flat as most Asian people. Her hair is naturally curly and black. She's a kind and generous woman. She's also friendly and likes to help people. That's why everyone who knows her loves her. She's a good mother too, of course. She's not as strict as my father. She understands her children and lets us do whatever we want to do. Sometimes she explains what is right and wrong, what is good or bad for us to understand and change our bad habits or behaviors. She's very skillful and handy. When I was at school, I was bad at art. I couldn't draw, sew, or embroider; therefore, I always had trouble in art class. My mother would help me out and guide me to complete the projects. My mother is not strong, but she does a heavy work. She works at a market in downtown. Her job is to take care of vegetables section. She must carry all the heavy boxes of vegetables to the storehouse, pack them into smaller containers, and display them out on shelves. She’s never worked before, so this job is really difficult for her. But she tries all her best to work to support our family. She endures all her pains, tries to smile all the time. She just doesn't let us worry about her. She wants me and my sister go to school, because she hopes we will have better lives than hers. I love my mother so much and appreciate all the things she's done for us, for our family

Pets

Americans love pets. A large number of Americans live with pets. Most families own dogs or cats. They think pets are part of their families. I've heard that American owners buy gifts for their pets, call them through answering machines, and leave TVs on for them when the owners go out for work. Some restaurants and hotels allow dogs. There are toys and clothes for them. And the cost for taking care of pets is always expensive. Although pets are fun and important to lonely people, some are not able to have pets because they need a lot of attention. In my country, animals are not treated as well as in the U.S. You can see cats or dogs sometimes walk alone in the streets. Some bad guys will catch them if they go alone without owners' supervision. Those poor animals will be killed and sold as meat. What a terrible thing! I never eat dog or cat meat even though I've heard it tastes good. Vietnam has a policy to protect animals now, but it seems very hard to enforce it. We expect they would find more ways to protect animals' lives.

My Dog

Kiki was my family's only dog. We all loved him. He was a good dog and also a good friend. I remember when I was three; I used to sit on his back and pretended I was riding a horse. He would carry me on his back and walked around the house. I played with him most of the time. He was always kind to me. He never got angry with me when I carelessly stepped on his tail. My grandmother loved him as her grandson. He loved her too. Once, my grandmother was sick, and she had to stay in bed for a while. Kiki was so sad and worried that he didn't eat anything for days. Every night, he came and stood beside her bed to look after her. He cried softly as if he wanted to comfort her. How lovely he was! He was very intelligent. He understood what people said and their feelings. My grandmother said he's older than me, so she told me to call him " Brother Kiki". He was a member and a part of my family. He brought joy and happiness to us. But he's gone! He's gone for more than ten years. My grandmother and I cried a lot when he died. Everybody was sad for a while. We still miss him. That's why we have no more dogs after Kiki

Bad day

Today is my bad day. In the morning, I was late for the bus, and of course I got to class late. Then, I found out that I left speaking book at home. After that, I bumped at the door and hurt my head when I was in the restroom. Next, I forgot that today I had a test in Grammar Class, so I didn't study last night. Oh, my God! But I did the test not bad; I hope my grade will not be too low. When I finished my class, it was raining. Because I didn't bring umbrella, I got wet when I came home. Finally, I lost my key somewhere, so I could not get in the house. I waited outside until my sister came home. What a bad day!

best friend

A best friend is one that you can share anything with you. Best friend may or may not have the same interests with you, but a similar thought. The important thing is your best friend is a person you can trust. When you tell her your secrets, she will not tell others. Best friend always stays beside you. She will help you whenever you have troubles and together gets through your problems and difficulties. She encourages you when you're down and gives you a shoulder to cry on. She also shares your smiles and happiness. I'm so lucky that I have a perfect friend likes that. Even if we are far away now, we still keep in touch. We continue sharing our stories. I believe our friendship will last forever

How to clean a house after a party

Cleaning your house after a party is not fun, but it's easy if you do it step by step. First, put away trash on the floor and on the table. Second, clean the floor. After that respread the rug or carpet. Then put chairs, tables, ... in the right order. Finally, realign things on the wall and fix things. It's not as hard as you think, isn't it?