Everyone has their own taste!

(Baonghean)Sometimes we adults prefer a traditional dragon design, but what if the kids like a Pikachu dragon? It's like some people prefer Trinh Cong Son's music, while others prefer Son Tung's. Everyone has their own taste!

I was sitting reading the newspaper when I noticed my wife next to me laughing hysterically. Curious, I peeked to see what she was looking at and my eyes immediately fell on a picture of a huge Pokémon in the middle of the street. I pretended to be knowledgeable and asked:

- Pokemon GO has long since lost its popularity, so why are people still trimming bonsai trees into Pikachu shapes? It's so outdated, so old-fashioned…

- Where's Pikachu? This is a dragon! Oh dear!

I was dumbfounded, took off my glasses, wiped them clean, put them back on, and looked closely at the picture. Strange, no matter how I looked at it—upside down, right side up, left side down—it still looked like Pikachu! I must have looked really funny at that moment because my wife burst out laughing, then explained: "It's precisely because this dragon looks like Pikachu that it's been causing a sensation on social media these past few days!"

This isn't the first time netizens have debated issues like this. Not long ago, people even argued about whether a dress was blue or yellow. It sounds silly, but the answer is actually a scientific matter related to vision and neuroscience. There are also many images online that "challenge" the brain with visual "traps." But that's purely scientific; the dragon-Pikachu thing, in my opinion, falls under the realm of aesthetics!

It's like that time I went to the city's movie theater and almost fainted because of the huge buffalo statue erected right in front of the building. And so, every time I go to the cinema, I get a jolt when I see that buffalo, just because from behind it looks… too much like a pig! Once I grumbled to my wife, "Why not display something more visually appealing instead of a buffalo statue?" My wife, feigning understanding, replied, "They probably copied that famous financial district abroad, which also has a majestic buffalo statue that's constantly featured in movies and newspapers…" After a while, the buffalo in front of the movie theater was moved to the side instead of sitting right in front of the main entrance. To be fair, now moviegoers are constantly being "stared in the back" by the buffalo, and every time someone accidentally turns to look, they're immediately confronted with some "sensitive" parts…

The story about the dragon-Pikachu reminded me of the buffalo-pig in my city, so I just wanted to share some lighthearted thoughts. Actually, these stories aren't that important or serious, because ultimately, beauty and ugliness are subjective. As long as they don't cause offense or provoke a widespread reaction, we shouldn't be too critical. Sometimes, adults might prefer a traditional dragon, but children might like a dragon-Pikachu. It's like some people prefer Trinh Cong Son's music, while others prefer Son Tung M-TP's. Everyone has their own taste!

Hai Trieu