1 MC: Thu Phuong
Hello everyone, and welcome back to our talk show
2 Thu Phuong: Oh my friends, long time no see. I
really miss you all. Let me see, 7 years, right, we
have not seen each other for 7 years. OMG, it’s
really a long time.
Ngoc Nhu: Oh yes, I couldn't remember clearly but
maybe you're right. It's been a long time since we
graduated 7 years ago.
Lan Thao:
Kieu Trang: Yaa, it’s wonderful to be here. I
couldn’t get to sleep all night ‘cause I’m looking
forward to meeting you all today.
Thu Phương: So how are you so far? I would love to
hear about your current life.
3 Ngoc Nhu: I am doing a stable job with a high
salary. My current purpose is to become wealthier
and get a higher status. In my view, most people
attempt to make more money to upgrade their life
because they think the level of salary has a great
impact on their quality of life.
It’s going to impact everything from the kinds of
food you eat, to where you live and the car you
drive. Money contributes substantially to people’s
happiness and raises their standard of living, and
people use money as a means to upgrade their lives.
For instance, to have a high level of salary and get
more money provide people a comfortable
accommodation; people will eat quality and
tonight. I’m very pleased to be the MC
accompanying my audience watching via TV in
today's episode. And now, in order not to keep you
waiting any longer, let me tell you the topic of
today's talk show right now. It’s “upgrade your
life”. We invited 4 guests to the talk show. They
were close friends in high school for 7 years and
have not seen or contacted each other since then.
So, let’s listen to them as they share with each other
how they upgrade their lives after 7 years.
Lan Thao: My current life is very wonderful, and
every day, when I wake up, I always feel full of energy
and ready to relish /ˈrelɪʃ/ the challenge/ˈtʃælɪndʒ/ in
my life. I used to spend my whole time working, and
trying to attain /əˈteɪn/ my ambitions. But after that it
makes me become tired and have insufficient/ˌɪnsə
ˈfɪʃnt/ energy to do anything. And I realize that I need
to terminate and spend more time to take break
Kieu Trang: Yes, I’m still upgrading my life mentally,
like Lan Thao. To be honest, I have been so caught up
in my work that I can hardly put aside time for
anything else. However, since realizing that I easily
become tired and irritated with others, I decided to
balance my time spent on my work and my health. I
have been going out of my way to take up many good
habits like doing yoga, planting, reading and so on. It
helps me ease the tension after a stressful day at work;
I also seem to forget about the deadlines and
competition.
Thu Phuong: Yes I have the same idea as you, Ngoc
Nhu. To be honest, I have always tried to study and
improve my knowledge since I was in high school just
to build a solid foundation for my future career, so that
I will have more opportunities to compete with others
outside and improve my standard of living. And from
now, you know, I have achieved my goals. I got a job
with a pretty satisfying salary. I also bought a car with
my savings after one year of work. And then I bought a
new house in my 2nd year. And in fact, when I have a
stable standard of living, I’m able to buy the things I
like without worrying too much, and I also could travel
to several destinations every summer after a hard
 nutritious foods and possess a lot of material wealth.
working period. So I think I have a better life than 7
years ago.

4 Kieu Trang: So, What does it really mean to
upgrade our lives? This question really concerns me
when I hear about the topic of today's talk show. So,
do you guys have any ideas?
Lan Thao: For me, one of the predominant factors to
upgrade my life is a meaningful goal /ɡəʊl/ to pursue,
the direction is more important than speed. And this is
why I want to give myself a goal to pursue.
I believe that your thoughts /θɔːt/ will influence your
mood and hence/hens/, they will (tel) determine /dɪ
ˈtɜːrmɪn/ how you decide and act. This is why being
mindful is vital. It helps you understand your feelings
and the reason you feel that way. Plus, it can also help
increase your focus and attention.

5 Kieu Trang: Often, we associate upgrading our life

with luxury and think that we have to spend a lot of
money in order to upgrade our life: move to a bigger
house, treat ourselves to more vacations, go out to
trendy restaurants, and own the latest and the
coolest. Well, I agree that a few of these luxuries can
definitely add value, but we shouldn't forget that
“Upgrading your life can be all about finding small,
do-able ways to increase your happiness, joy, and
wellbeing”, and that's why people should focus more
on their mental health rather than seeking money and
high status.

6 Thu Phuong: I like two of your opinions, Thao and

Trang. But there is 1 point I think differently from
you. I don't think material values are luxuries. Those
are just basic human needs. We deserve to be
upgraded with material values after having spent a
lot of effort to work day by day. After all, the
purpose of people when they go to work is to earn a
stable income to take care of their lives, to improve
their lives, so that they can live in a more
comfortable and convenient condition. For example,
a new set of clothes can be a reward for a month of
hard work. A more comfortable and spacious new
house is a reward for a year of accumulation. A
higher job position is your great achievement after
many months, even many years of striving to
enhance and assert yourself. So you see, material
values are an important criterion for assessing your
standard of living as well as the level or the speed of
upgrading life.
 Ngoc Nhu: I have the same thoughts as you,
Phuong. We strive to work hard in order to have a
good job, and a high salary to live the most
comfortable life possible. Owning many properties
and living in comfort is very important if you want
to upgrade your life

7 Lan Thao: How do you upgrade your life?
Ngoc Nhu: Possessing a lot of material wealth and
having a high status in society are ways I make an
effort to upgrade my life. It’s also possessing the
wealth and respect of others as well. My favorite way
to spend money to upgrade my life is to spend money
on time. For example, paying others to do jobs I don’t
enjoy around the house, spending money on equipment
that makes work easier and quicker, like a dishwasher,
or even doing fewer chores at home because money
can afford to can all bring me modern and convenient
life.

8 Thu Phuong: Currently, I'm also putting in a lot of Ngoc Nhu: I get your current feelings. I also have to
effort for those things. I am trying to win a higher make more sacrifices for work because most of my
position at work so that I’m able to have a higher time is spent at work and there is not enough time left
salary and a stronger position in the company. To do to take care of myself. I often stay up late, do not
that, I have had to train myself a lot to become an exercise, and eat healthily. But I believe that all of this
ideal candidate. I am not afraid to take on difficult is the price I have to pay to pursue a richer life and a
tasks and take responsibility to complete them well higher position status.
to gain the trust and appreciation of my superiors; In
addition, to be able to upgrade my standard of living,
saving money is extremely important. I always
clearly divide my expenses for the different needs of
life. But to be honest, I'm also quite stressed about
this. This race for higher position makes me feel
tired sometimes. I always fear that I will make
mistakes in work and then my colleagues will
underestimate me. I fear that I will lose the good
relationship with them. Besides, I also find it
difficult to keep a balance in my life. I have rarely
visited my parents because I have a lot of work that
needs to finish in my company so I often go home
late, and I have no time for dating someone.
Sometimes I even feel lonely in my proud house.

9 Kieu Trang: Money is important for a better life, Lan Thao:

but it’s not everything. So, besides chasing money Especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, I realize I
and focusing on material life, we also need to take need to take care of myself more and more, I need to
care of our mental health. the small habits and stop and take time off. And in this modern world, we
mindset shifts that can drastically transform our lives are ( were) obsessed /əbˈses/ with technology and
 from the inside out. I usually apply these 2 most have been living an unhealthy life of being indoors for
important things to have a more fun and dynamic way too long. It is time to stop and take a walk in the
life: connect and be active park. So, go outdoors and get close to nature.
- “Connect” means connecting with those
around you. I’d prefer to talk to someone
rather than send them an email or message.
even if they are my family, friends,
colleagues, or neighbors. Building these
connections really supports and enriches me
everyday.
- The second one is “be active”. or exercising.
Go for a walk or a run, Step outside, Stretch,
Cycle, Play a game, Do some gardening,
Dance, and so on. But the most important
thing is that you discover a physical activity
you enjoy and that suits your level of
mobility and fitness
Lan Thao: I can’t agree with you more!! I am
currently jogging every day as a part of my life.
Exercising really causes changes in my brain,
positively affects my mood, and makes me feel
good.

11 Thu Phuong: After hearing all of your opinions, I
think we should learn to upgrade both the material
and spiritual aspects of our lives. We need to have
material things to serve our needs, but we also need
to take care of our health and spirit. The most
important thing I want to tell you is, you deserve a
better life, and every effort that you have made to
improve your life is worth it. I hope you, my good
friends, will be happy and able to achieve your goals.
Ngoc Nhu: Ya, I was so focused on the pursuit of
success and wealth that I forgot my mental health also
needed attention. Through your sharing, I think I need
to act on work-life balance, as well as pay more
attention to taking care of myself. Upgrading life not
only includes upgrading life outside but also internally.

12

13 MC Thu Phuong: So our talk show is over. I hope

that it will give you a holistic view of our life
upgrading. We all have our own lives and our
own ways of living. But no matter what, we
absolutely have the right and the ability to have a
better life day by day. I hope all of you, my dear
audience, will find the best ways to upgrade your
life.

Thank you very much. Good night and see you

again. Bye!