Welcome to My Little Corner
A cozy space for thoughts, stories, and good company
Why a blue sky and a van?
Well, funny story. My name is Thanh Vân, which means 'blue sky' in Vietnamese. Sounds poetic, right? But then I moved to the U.S., and suddenly… I became a van. Yep, like the vehicle. So here I am, somewhere between a peaceful sky and a four-wheeled mode of transportation. Honestly, it’s a pretty fitting combination for me—always wandering, always open to new journeys. And that’s me with my little boy.
Chiếc bẫy ngọt ngào của việc ở một mình
“Vì mình không thể tận hưởng trái ngọt của sự kết nối nếu cứ mãi chạy trốn.
Và nếu mình không dám mở lòng thêm lần nữa—và thêm lần nữa—thì mình sẽ mãi mắc kẹt trong cảm giác thiếu vắng.
Một sự thiếu vắng rất thật:
Thiếu tình yêu.
Thiếu sự gắn kết.”
What to do when you don’t feel like doing anything
Chill, life's not a race. No need to always be hustling. Those restless feelings might kickstart something, but hey, it's cool to just...do nothing.
Is it possible to work AND study full-time while still traveling a bit AND stay debt-free?
In this blog, I will share about the core ways that help me manage working full-time, taking overload credits at school while still traveling here and there a few time a year independently.
In 2026, I choose stillness
“I’m tired of that cycle.
I know I’m responsible for my own feelings. Moving out might help, or it might not. A vacation is never enough to heal months or years of continuous exhaustion. And staying away from the people I love is not a sustainable way to find peace.”
Dear family,
“Family,” sadly, is the hardest thing I have ever dealt with in my life.
Photo by Ilya Pavlov on Unsplash
“Merry Christmas”
““Are you ready for Christmas?”
That’s the question I’ve been asked the most lately. About three times a day.
My answer is usually: “Oh yeah! I have nothing to be ready for.”
I might be too honest in the way I talk to people. Sometimes I force myself to ask my clients how they are, how their day has been—simply because I work in customer service. Other times, even when I’m tired, I remind myself that the person in front of me deserves respect and care. And most of the time, I genuinely care about their answer. A simple act of caring.”
Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@mougrapher?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Mourad Saadi</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/christmas-tree-with-string-lights-ZXbeOqF1NFQ?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a>
“Happy not to have what I don’t want”
“How many things in your life exist only because someone else has them?
Stuff you don’t even want, but you bought, chased, or flexed because everyone else does it.
I’m learning to be happy when I don’t have things I don’t even want.
Sounds ridiculous, right? Judge later, hold on for a second!”
Lẽ nào mình lại lạc đường rồi?
Maybe I’ve been going the wrong way.
Not because I’m failing, but because I’m finally awake enough to ask what I truly want.
A day I’m still learning to hold
I have no idea why I am here, but I am here.
I don’t know how long will I be here, in this world. Let’s see!
This is something I write for me, and to me, my dear! I am tired of chasing things that will probably never make me happy!
On Returning to Myself
“This season became less about showing up for the world and more about returning to myself—choosing peace over noise, depth over distraction, and connection over performance.”
Sweet Confessions
I used to think I wasn’t brave enough to travel alone, but this journey proved me wrong. In these pages, I share not only where I went, but also the confessions, fears, and lessons that shaped me along the way.
Sometimes, You Have to Get Lost to Find Yourself
After a lot of hesitation (and existential overthinking), I finally made a video. It’s not perfect. Honestly, it’s messy and vulnerable, but it holds 5 lessons that changed how I see myself, life, and time.
I used to think I needed to wait until I “had it all together” to share something publicly… but now I know: the messy version is just as worthy.
If one day I’m no longer here, I hope this blog and these little videos become a tiny piece of my legacy, something honest, something human.
Among Mountains and Small Conversations – A Journey to Feel Alive Again
This isn’t a detailed travel itinerary.
It’s just a story about days when I was tired, quiet, and low-key hated myself…
Then slowly opened up.
Somewhere between the mountains and the silence, I learned to breathe a little slower, smile a little more, and hug someone I used to be too shy to even touch.
No Title Yet, Because I Still Don’t Know What to Call This Feeling
No structure, no plan — just some thoughts before I disappear into the mountains with a backpack and a lot of feelings.
Photo by Sebastian Unrau on Unsplash
When the Torch Burns Too Long…
I used to wake up with curiosity and joy. Now, I wake up just trying to survive the day. Burnout crept in quietly—and this is my way of gently crawling back to myself.
We’re Crossing. Deal With It.
A mama duck. A road sign.
And me, realizing that my face might be the sassiest truth-teller I know.
Photo by Kerin Gedge on Unsplash
You saved me from becoming a certified mess
I met you right after I fell apart.
You didn’t bring flowers. You didn’t say sweet things.
But the way you held me from behind on a rainy day made my heart melt.
This is a love story, one I never saw coming.
Life doesn’t stand still, and neither do I
One quiet afternoon, I stood in front of my house, looked up at the sky, and asked myself, “How long will this peace last?”
It wasn’t a gloomy thought—just a soft reminder that life keeps flowing, and the only thing that stays the same is change.
Funny thing is, the more I try to hold onto "stability," the more I realize:
I’m still changing.
Still growing.
Still becoming.
Photo by Mathew Thomas: https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-standing-on-rock-during-sunset-906531/
