What motivates me to read in English?

I haven't really thought about what motivates me to read in English because often times when I read, I simply read for enjoyment without thinking too hard about "why".  Come to think of it, maybe at first glance,it was the TITLE that caught my attentions.  When I open the book, if the font size and style is dull, too small, too big, or too fancy, I will not continue reading that book...I'd prefer fonts that are neutral, not too fancy.  The first chapter of the book is really important because it can either invite me to read further, or it can be a turn off for me.  If I like the first chapter of the book, I will continue reading the rest of the book regardless of how long it may take.  If the first chapter, or the first few paragraphs are unimpressive, I will put the book down and not give it another try (even for school text book, I'd find alternative ways to obtain the informations).  I'd usually read my books the second time around if I liked it a lot the first time.  The second time is to "get to know" the book at a deeper, critical level....
I just realized something...Reading a book is like being on a BLIND DATE.  His PHYSICAL APPEARANCE is like the TITLE.  If like am attracted to his physical appearance, I'd start the CONVERSATION with him, which is like reading the FIRST CHAPTER.  Five minutes into the conversation with a blind date is like reading the first chapter of a book.  If I like the way he carries the conversation, I'd continue the rest of the date (reading rest of book).  If I like him after the first date is over (finishing the whole book), I'd most likely go on a second date (read the book again, and again,.....;)
Sometimes people hold on to a book that they have read countless of times, and every times they read it again, they are still fascinated by it...I guess it's kind of like ending up marrying the person that I went on the blind date with ;) 

Good things about being bilingual...

There are many perks about being bilingual (or trilingual).  One of them is being able to meet (and greet) more people and create conversations simply because I speak more than one languages.  Another benefit of being able to speak/write in another language besides English is that it makes me more competitive and appealing to my potential employers.  I can enhance my critical thinking and writing skills because I can analyze and respond to a peace of writing in a broader and complex ways.  I can travel to non-English speaking countries and teach English to others because I can understand them in the native language that we share.  I can also help fill out forms, interpret, and translate English for the elders to do not understand English.  When I travel back to my country, I can speak my native language so that I will not feel like a foreigner for being gone for so long. 
I like the fact that I am bilingual, well, I understand and read some French too, so maybe that counts as "trilingual".  It makes me feel very special being able to absorb the cultures and the arts that come with the language too.  I truly believe that in order to learn about one's culture, you must learn about one's language.  That's why I feel that since I speak more than one languages, I carry within me more than one cultures. 

Food is Fun

Some of my fondest childhood memories are from eating foods that my mother and sister cooked when we were in Vietnam.  We were poor, so we didn't buy a lot of our foods from the market.  Living in the country side, we raised our own animals for meat, trees for fruits, and herbs and vegetables.  We used to always eat as a family.  Lunch and dinner was always at the same time of the day when my father comes home from work in the rice fields.  We knew how to tell time without having a clock in the house ;)  We looked at the position of the sun in the sky and that was our clock.  Talk about solar energy ;)    I am quite adventurous when it comes to trying new foods.  I remembered my father always brought home something for my mother to cook for dinner.  It may sounds scary but these are the times I will always treasure and remember my father by.  Sometimes he brought home lizards, snakes, frogs....whatever he could catch while in the farms.  My sister and I always tried to guess what he'd bring home that day.  My mother had her ways of mixing her special herbs to make these "scary" recipe into delicious dinner.  While eating dinner together, my dad always had incredible, heroic stories of how he spotted, chased, and tackled the big lizards out of his hidings and bring it home to us...My sisters and I used to listen with our mouth wide open and asked my father if we could come along one day.  He never let us go to the farms with him though.  Growing up as a poor little girl in Vietnam was the times when I tasted the best foods in my life!

My ideal world

My ideal world is none other than the world I am living in right now....Being where I am in my life, though not perfect, and still struggling with every bit and pieces of energy that I have to accomplish my goals, I feel that I am blessed to be a daughter to my parents, a mother to my son, and a life partner to my hubby...With all the chaos that's taking place around me, being able to wake up every morning to go to school and learn what I am passionate about, being able to go to bed with my baby in my arms every night...being able to hear the laughter of my friends and families around me is my ideal world.  As a child growing up, I've always been an optimistic individual no matter what life may bring.  I don't have a lot of money, in fact, I don't even have money ;)  I don't drive a new car, I don't live in a big home, I have to work for a living, but what I love about being able to wake up in the morning knowing that I still have my health, my hopes, and my inspirations are indications that my world is ideal ;)

One job I would never want to do

The one job that I would never want to do is being a taxicab driver in New York City.  I feel sorry for them.  I wonder why they do it.  I detest the city, cannot stand the congested highways, city roads, streets full of automobile, carbon dioxide, smoke, bikes, pedestrians, dogs, cats, tourist...all in one narrow street.  Everytime I watch a scene from the streets of New York City, all I see is yellow!  Yellow taxicabs honking the heck out of each other trying to make it to the next block.  I think that if I ever have to be a taxicab driver in New York, I'd kick the people out of my taxi if they ask me to give them a ride to some restaurant two blocks away.  If you live in New York City, why can't you walk?  It takes less time walking to your next destinations than to hop in a taxi cab.  Wouldn't you think?  I like driving leisurely to the country side for a roadtrip, but driving in the city is considered a crime to me, would never do it even if I was paid a lot of money....

If I have one week to do whatever I want...all expenses paid....

If I have one week to do whatever I want, all expenses paid, I would travel to the secluded countryside of Vietnam.  I would fly first-class (of course!).  I would take my whole family to Vietnam to visit my grandmother.  I would live in a thatched house next to a river with my family.  My family and I would enjoy our whole week away from the stress of life in the United States.  I would sleep under the stars listening to my grandmother telling stories of her experiences growing up during the Vietnam War.  I would wake up to the sounds of the cockerel early in the morning and the sweet scents of wheat germs all around me .  I would taste the honey drops of the sweet early morning mist of the country side.  I would enjoy breakfast consisted simply of white rice porridge and salted fish with my family.  I would listen to the sounds of children laughing by the river as they express their excitements of catching a catfish for lunch.  I would ride my bike along the river, let my hair flow through the winds and simply just be a child.  I would join others who work in the rice fields and have lunch with them under the shades (no air conditioning needed).  I eat sweet and sour soup everyday made by my grandmother. 

Writing is like a........

Writing is like a piece of art work where the writer is the artist creating a beautiful piece of art using words.  The words are carefully selected by the writer is comparable to that of the colors on the color palette that the painter uses to mix his desired color for his picture.  Sometimes when the writer experiences difficulties coming up with proper words to describe an object or person, he/she tries different methods to brainstorm his/her thoughts.  Just as when the painter is experiencing difficulties drawing/painting a portrait of a beautiful sunset, or a beautiful woman, he/she tries to mix different colors together before deciding on the perfect hue to his/her piece of art.  Writing is indeed creating art.  When a piece of writing has the potential to "wow" its reader, the reader can often times escape the dimensions of his/her reality and "become one" with the beautiful, seductive piece of art.

List B: If I won a million dollar but had to give it all away...........

If I won a million dollars but had to give it all away, I would give it to my mother because she would give it all back to me!  I then would insist that she takes it right back just for the sake of saying: "No mom, take it, I HAD TO give it all away to someone".  She, being the kind of mother who would give to her children than take, would say: "Yeah, now the money is mine so I can give it to anyone I please, so take it!"  Aha!  Now the money is back in my account :) 
Seriously,  if I really have to give it all away, I wouldn't give it to just one person.  I'd first give some to the my credit card company so they can erase my debt (cause I owe them a huge sum of money).  I then would give a small portion to the mortgage company after I purchase a home, maybe two, one to live in and one to rent out.  I then would take a small chunk of that million $$ and give it away to the farm owner after he sells me his farm.  I will surely distribute the money among my sisters after I purchase a home for my parents to live next to me.  I will put away the remaining half to my son so that he will start his business when he gets older, or use it for his college tuition.