My random reflective notes
[font=Times New Roman][size=4] June 7th, 2005 Tuesday ]2o R${ Vi Aq7zQIsolation is quite unbearable for me as I always long to express myself and get heard. But real friendship
is hard to earn because it takes more than human efforts from both sides. We need so-called "yuanfen" to meet people we really enjoy. I am lucky enough to find my girl friend but the funny thing is I always find it more difficuult to make friends with males. Nevertheless, I believe that the most important friends in my life- the ones that will make a difference- will be males. "l G h4^tp
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With extensive traveliing experience came few opportunities for in-depth relationship. I feel the need to find a community of my own. It seems that online BBS like Taisha.org looks promising if I commit enough energy to it. After all, I am the kind of people this website is built for- Chinese students aspired to study abroad. If I hang around long enough, I'll certainly make some friends and get the support and joy I need.
And this is what I am going to do- bullshit around in this "water" corner and write down whatever I have in mind and then hit the "submit" button. Hopefully there will be someone paying attention.[/size][/font]
U&X:` {2T!rO)f
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回复 #1 tesolchina 的帖子
take it easyf3BA;hseverything will be fine when you can't help to hate yourself...
June 10th
My computer crashed a few hours after I wrote my first message here. It has to do with some nasty virus but I don't know how to fix it. So I called one of my friends and he agreed to come over and help me out. People nowadays have become so dependent on computers that we waste as much time due to computer crash as we save from efficient computing.C#hk/PR0{ b[$t6R
Yesterday, I wrapped up the course "Developing Global Perspective", an elective for juniors. I tried to convince the students that the key to effective communication across cultures lies on "substance" rather than "techniques". While most Chinese students feel timid about their imperfect pronunciation or limited vocabulary, they might have overlooked the importance of cultivating a broad and deep mind.
+o%N3b(NI N
And I was advcating a way of thinking that would help us understand the world from a different perspective. The irony is that I have not yet fully deveoped the thinking model. I can describe it as being critical, objective and somewhat creative. We also need to draw upon knowledge from multiple disciplines. But it is not mature enough to be proposed as a theory or framework. At best, it is just an intellectual game that would generate many more questions for curious people to pursue in their leisure time.
:EvC;_ ~/K ^E
To be more specific, I can pick up a random piece of news and comment on it with my "unique" method. I am a bit cautious about the word "unique" because it is very likely that other prople thought similarly before. Originality is very hard to achieve after all. But I consider that the foremost source of happiness. i suddenly find that there are some things that you and i both have!!! [font=Times New Roman][size=3]Today is the last day of all my classes in the school. I've been teaching in this university for two years and now it is time to say bye. In a way, I feel very disillusioned about language teaching: people do not care about the language itself. All the students want are a decent grade and the CET certificates. And I would rather give away these in order to size down my huge classes. It is far more enjoyable to teach just a few students who really want to learn than facing so many faceless people. /o OD.bk"\
Anyway, my teaching career will pause as I am heading England for an advanced degree. If you ask me about my future plan, I am not even sure if I want to come back and teach. On the one hand, I always see the possibility of becoming a better teacher, helping students in many different ways. Yet, it is not easy at all. Sometimes students are so apathetic.
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In a sense, I really envy teachers at New Oriental because they are successful in motivating students. But, to be more precise, it is the American dream that attracts so many Chinese talents. What can I offer the Chinese college kids as alternatives to counter-strike and campus romance? I am not sure.
]U(t({:r M6h6BP
Therefore, today I am going to give my class a final examination and in the exam there will be a GRE argument question. I've introduced GRE writing to my students and I made the case that the writing test could be a challenge even if it is offered in Chinese. I could not convince most of the students. It is really ironic that Chinese graduate schools rely on an English test to select candidates considering the fact that the language of GRE is English.
5yd.Y \%P3U W Abi
Anyhow, I believe that GRE is more than a test we have to take for admission to American graduate schools. It represents a better educational system our country should imitate. It is a way of life that thousands of Chinese students are pursuing. As Socrates put it, " An unexamined life is not worth living." I might add to that as my message for the students, "For Chinese college students, a life without GRE is not worth living." [/size] [/font] Its true that lots of flaws exist in the education system of China.I am one of the sufferings. When I was in middle school, my single standard was to contribute for our motherland. In colledge, it became to have a clear conscienous. After getting
master degree, it has down to not break the law.How it happens? Why our morality descdent on the contray of education? come on guy
everyday is a good day)JL.xW(j
and"hope is a good thing"~~ I really hate domestic education, not matter primer shool, elemental school or high school, even college
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Thank god, one day I can get rid of them all
How to educate myself (June 18th)
[size=3][font=Times New Roman]"Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself." This quote by John Dewey comes up in my mind all the time for one simple reason- it was printed in the plastic bags of my campus bookstore and I used to walk with this quote as a college student. A few years later, I realized that I might have misinterpereted Dewey's quote. As a pragmatic philosopher, Dewwy was emphasizing the need for practical training in education. Children should learn practical skills in schools so they can better meet the challange in the society.I was thinking along a different line. I thought the quote was about the importance of lifelong learning. The college education we receive is just the beginning of our lifelong learning process. As the word "Commencement" suggests, graduation is just a beginning of our new intellectual journey. nC;_z JTf
I have accepted this notion of lifetime learning since I graduated from college four years ago. But I am not very happy about my education. I can see the weakness of my education very claerly because I took up a very demanding job- teaching. In the school, I never identify myself as a teacher and feel rather uncomfortable when the students address me that way. I am just an instructor trying to help the students learn more effectively. But that is hard enough. Teaching involves morethan presenting knowledge. A skilled teacher has to motivate students successfully. But let's put that aside since I won't be teaching in the next academic year. What troubles me most is that I am not confident on the education I received in the past 20 years and I am still looking for a better way to educate myself. #[2y L+?o4O%w
This October I will start working on my master degree in one of the most prestigious universities in UK. And a year later, I'll graduate from that instution. But I am not sure that the program will teach me a whole lot of what I have missed in my high school and undergraduate education. With my master degree, I also want to pursue a PhD at Hardvard or Stanford. But, again, these doctorate programs will simply provide me a platform for doing research and becoming a scholar. So my question is how to identify the defect in our education and how to make it up through self-study. C%g-@B1@
7_(\ P n7|7y
For me there are a number of issues I wish to address:
1) English vocabulary: I am not referring to the GRE words. In fact, most GRE words are not very useful in daily life. But as a lnaguge teacher I feel ashamed that my vocabulary is not large enough to answer students' casual question. For example, a student ask me how to say "媚俗" in English and I don't know. I am pretty confident on my English proficiency but vocabulary curbs my writing and speaking as well. 'uPe?T CsK-d
2) Geography and history : I seldom passed a geogrpahy course through out my junior high and high school thansk to the educational policy of our country. I spent too much time practising for math and physics tests that little attention has been paid to these so-called "minor" courses. Ironically, I don't have to use any maths or physics in the real world.
3) Chinese culture: I don't feel comfortable writing in Chinese these days. And I know very little baout Chinese culture and history.
LY1k jF3V2l d2L
4) GRE issues: When I am confronted with the GRE issue questions, I always feel how limited I know about life and society and how difficult it is for me to find the appropriate examples. As the Chinese saying put it, " One will find his reading so limited when he writes."[/font][/size]w-J X T'h ^
'K)F KQ'Uo
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[[i] Last edited by tesolchina on 2005-6-18 at 11:10 [/i]] i love ur writings~~~ |#Q-j z4H N DD,i
keep it up dude^^ if you are my teacher
i think i will be very honoured.N#D5d:|+|&G U[fm
For just what i had said some days ago, there are something that we both have. I CAN SEE....TOO MUCH TOEFL READING...
Sad news on CET day
I just received an SMS message from a student that a girl from journalism department was disqualified in the CET-4 test as the invigilator found some English words written on her eraser. And her exam paper was taken away from her right away. The girl could stand not such an "unfair?" treatment and committed suicide today by jumping out her dormitory building. I felt very sad when I deard about the story although I do not know the girl personally. If I were the invigilator, I might just warn the student and take away her eraser instead of her test paper. When I took IELTS last July, the invigilator also warned some candidates by writing their candidate numbers on the board. Taking away a candidate's test paper is a barbaric act because it practically ruined his/her chance. And people who did this lack basic respect for the candidates and themselves.Therefore, I am writing to urge the school management of Huazhong Univeristy of Science and Technology Wuchang Branch, the Examination Authority of CET-4 carry out full investigation of today's incident and take effective measures to protect the inteest of future candidates.
co+O e qN
Furthermore, reforms should be made in CET so that students and the society can take the result less seriously. After all, we are all Chinese speakers. We should be able to survive without passing the damn test./]:V-|b#k3yY
I just received an SMS message from a student that a girl from journalism department was disqualified in the CET-4 test as the invigilator found some English words written on her eraser. And her exam paper was taken away from her right away. The girl could stand not such an "unfair?" treatment and committed suicide today by jumping out her dormitory building. I felt very sad when I deard about the story although I do not know the girl personally. If I were the invigilator, I might just warn the student and take away her eraser instead of her test paper. When I took IELTS last July, the invigilator also warned some candidates by writing their candidate numbers on the board. Taking away a candidate's test paper is a barbaric act because it practically ruined his/her chance. And people who did this lack basic respect for the candidates and themselves.
M"R$X&nZk_C
Therefore, I am writing to urge the school management of Huazhong Univeristy of Science and Technology Wuchang Branch, the Examination Authority of CET-4 carry out full investigation of today's incident and take effective measures to protect the inteest of future candidates.
Furthermore, reforms should be made in CET so that students and the society can take the result less seriously. After all, we are all Chinese speakers. We should be able to survive without passing the damn test.
Sad news on CET day
[font=Times New Roman][size=4]I just received an SMS message from a student that a girl from journalism department was disqualified in the CET-4 test as the invigilator found some English words written on her eraser. And her exam paper was taken away from her right away. The girl could not stand such an "unfair?" treatment and committed suicide today by jumping out her dormitory building. I felt very sad when I heard about the story although I do not know the girl personally. If I were the invigilator, I might just warn the student and take away her eraser instead of her test paper. When I took IELTS last July, the invigilator also warned some candidates by writing their candidate numbers on the board. Taking away a candidate's test paper is a barbaric act because it practically ruined his/her chance. And people who did this lack basic respect for the candidates and themselves. ::85::82::p3[color=Red]Therefore, I am writing to urge the school management of Huazhong Univeristy of Science and Technology Wuchang Branch, the Examination Authority of CET-4 carry out full investigation of today's incident and take effective measures to protect the inteest of future candidates. [/color]
Furthermore, reforms should be made in CET so that students and the society can take the result less seriously. After all, we are all Chinese speakers. We should be able to survive without passing the damn test.[/size][/font] u makes me want to take diary i'm sorry to hear that.
the student is another victim thanks to the current system of education in China.:L.r`L ?;y1^*V K
What a pity!!!
Maybe government should be self-examination even further. empty
[[i] Last edited by tesolchina on 2005-6-19 at 21:27 [/i]]
June 19th, Father's day
[size=4]/D"M{*?*} aB7o!A)H;W
Many thanks to TTQQ for highlighting my thread at EWC. I am honored for such recognition. It's reminiscent of my childhood when kningdergarten teachers awarded me a big red flower when I performed well in certain tests or just managed to behave myself. ::83::83
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I've decided to follow the story of the suicide girl a bit further and will write about it in the due course. I do not approve suicide but I respect people who killed themselves to make a statement.
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As a teacher in her university, I feel obliged to understand her statement and spread the messages she tried to deliever through suicide. And I consider such efforts essential if we value and repect life. A&Z*`0F D1@9R Kf
Right now I have three questions in mind:.H gN9h%_
#j#Q8S2@8i:f
1) What happened during the test that led to the decision of taking away the girl's exam paper? I have colleagues who invigilated CET on that day so I could investigate the rules concerning taking away exam paper. If the invigilator did not follow proper instructions to do this, s/he might be held responsible for such a ruthless decision.
w!G|.N D0O Q
2) What kind of person was the girl? I suspect that people who commit suicide might have mental illness not being recognized such as depression. A lot of people charged the girl as being too weak or emotional. But does she have a choice if she is facing a medical problem and receiving no help? It is important to acknowledge that the girl has her own problems. But people might have yet to understand the real nature of the problems. +| k"u'|ce5F
3) How will the school authority handle an incident like this? I'll be watching the top management of Huazhong University of Science and Technology Wuchang Branch very closely in the next few weeks and see how the school will deal with the loss of a student. How will the principal face the parents who sent their daughter here for education? I am really disappointed that there is no such thing as free information on campus when it comes to incidents like this. I can understand why the authority wants to cover things up. But it does no good to our community in the long term. SARS is a good example. 9dI@.G X
O;@N`.J3i1h
I plan to investigate these three problems related to the suicide and write a full report in July.
A X dro X a
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[[i] Last edited by tesolchina on 2005-6-19 at 21:29 [/i]] ]Today is Father's Day!!!n4q x.`HJc P F;U
But the girl's father cann't get the regards from his daughter any longer.:g*}A0R&ES a6|
Instead of the happiness of the Father's day, he must be in serious hurt now.
So bad , isn't it????"s&t%^L7R9Z
::p6
June 21st: JOTD project
[size=4]2i f"o dNe3_\JOTD thread
0A R(D7} d.UH"Z _
I'll start a new thread here at EWC- Joke of the Day or JOTD. And I'll post one joke every day to the JOTD thread and make sure I can crack the joke smoothly in English. This joke collection project can be very useful for people who give public speeches or need to attract people's attention. If we could crack more jokes in English, it will help us to communicate with our English-speaking friends in a more relaxing manner. As the saying goes, "if you make your audience laugh, they will believe anything you say." ~mG"B7M'v#_ M
Of course, I would invite my TAISHA friends to join this effort of collecting jokes. We can either find original English jokes from numerous English websites or try to come up with an English version of some good Chinese jokes.
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Happy joking!s7yKQ2[
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[[i] Last edited by tesolchina on 2005-6-21 at 15:30 [/i]] I'd rather make an effort translating jokes than take the time to find original ones~~~^4AR6ae6w3A
but that depends on different ppl la~9f h;i_V _lk|
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anyway tesolchina if u can really keep this up and get ppl to do it along with u, then u might earn another essence^__-!b ZZ;F n3BfuNY
-__- btw i jez found out that u're older than me here on taisha... [size=4]K ^9f3A;Lf
I think it is a bit chllenging but rewarding to translate jokes but bear in mind that your foreign friends might not be able to understand your Chinese jokes despite your decent translation. Some of my foreign colleagues complained that they could not make the students laugh at their jokes. Cultural difference makes it hard. 8D3yeQ}2z%d
One thing I would do is to paraphrase. Pick an original English joke and practice retelling it in my own words. Good jokes need good presentation skills which we have to polish.
It's not easy to keep up projects like this. hopefully other friends can join the effort. In school, I tried Quote of the Week (QOTW) and students loved it.
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Re the taisha age: that's right, I joined this forum two years ago, I believe, but remained fairly inactive. Fortunately, my membership did not get cancelled ::z5 T*M,i'T!pwO!C
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France in my dream, June 23rd
[size=4]Since I was not feeling well yesterday, I woke up this morning at 4:30 am with uncomfortable bowel movement and sore throat and found myself sitting here and texting out whatever I have in my mind. I will be able to share this with my friends, presumably aorung the world since I am using English, the so-called international langauge. We the people in this 21st century are blessed with two things without which globalization is simply unthinkable- information technology and the dominance of English language and culture. A computer hooked up to the Internet could send my English messages to every corner of the world so I can get heard at international level. How amazing!
But is such a modern lifestyle a real blessing? Or are we as a civilization suffering from some type of cultural thirst? Since English has become such an "important" language, we all devote tremendou amount of intellectual energy to learning it as if English is the only international language and English-speaking culture is the only human accomplishment we should celebrate. It seems to me that cultural imprialism in the form of English dominance is not a blessing at all. It is a threat to the core value our mankind holds dear- cultural diversity, international fraternity and equality for all.
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These ideals reminded me of another European country acorss the British channel- France, the cradle of modern revolution. It is rumored that French people are pretty culturally "arrogant". If you speak English in that country, you might not get much response despite the fact that most French do speak some English. Interestingly, although they look down upon English culture, some of them really admire Chinese culture to the extent that I as a Chinese find remarkable.
#O;Ui gkx;B1C
France is a contant reminder that the world is not ruled by English speakers. True, Americans and Britons can invade Iraq with their so-called coalition force. Yet, without French endorsement and participation, their military action always suffers from lack of legitimacy. When I was in America for my undergraduate studies, I explored internship opportunities at United Nations headquater in New York. But it turned out that there was no suitable position for me for one simple reason, all job candidates for UN positions need to have an operational knowledge of both English and French. I was a bit disappointed that I do not speak French. But, deep in my heart, I am happy that UN has its own way to preserve diversity and say no to an English-only world.
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Wuhan, the city I am living in right now, has a strong connection with France as the country set up a consulate office in Wuhan in 1998. One of my primary school friends, a graduate from French department, Wuhan University used to worked for the consulate office and she is now studying translation in Paris under the sponsorship of French government. In my university, one of my colleagues is a French girl with extensive traveling experience. She was born in France and went to Beijing with her family when she was 10. She went back to France for college and spent one year as an exchange student in America. After that, she got her master degree in UK. And she is now teaching English as an expatriate teacher. Yesterday, I was talking with her over the phone since another friend of mine just came back from Nice, France for vacation. He is a really handsome young man, a native of Wuhan. He went to France for high school three years ago and now is ready for college. We are going to get together so they can meet new friends and I can consolidate my connection with France through them. Since I am going to England this fall for my master degree and Paris is just three hours train from London, I plan to visit all my friends in France if the budget allows.
8B:S C,V0SVk E/Kx/M
It is said that you can never understand a culture without first understanding its language. My experience with English certainly confirms that. I've been trying to make up my mind with picking up some French. But I am aware of the commitment I have to make to this. Hopefully, a trip to France and some first hand experience of French culture will help me make the decision.&~a}4AZQR.t x
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[[i] Last edited by tesolchina on 2005-6-23 at 05:58 [/i]]
June 24th, the next station, Tin Hou
[size=4] ?7q1l%g8\6x&QBelieve it or not, this is one of my favorite pop songs since the lyrics always reminds me of the four years I spent in Hong Kong as a schoolboy. I used to live in an apartment right above the North Point subway station and the next station towards Causeway Bay is Tin Hou.
\#p | h$g$\rc
When the song became a hit here in Mainland, I went back to Hong Kong and took a picture in the Tin Hou subway station so I can show off to my friends and students. Ever since the handover in 1997, Hong Kong seemed to lose its charm as the economy was not doing well. But Hong Kong's entertainment industry still offered some of the most celebrated stars like TWINS and Andy Lau. And it is always exciting to hear a song like this so relevant to the daily life of Hong Kong people.
,CF.X)cic(s
Standing in front of a Causeway Bay shopping mall and pondering over our destiny is the kind of experience most Hong Kong people shared with TWINS. When I was studying in high school, I went to a tutorial school in Causeway bay every day by subway and found myself lost in the crowd. I often wondered how it was possible to be unique when there were so many faceless people around me doing pretty much the same things everyday. Just like TWINS, we all struggled for sucess. As she sang, " it would be the best if the next station is Tin Hou." It would be terrific if we can suceed to become a superstar in our own fields. At what cost? the singers ask in their song.
A,^`9i;H9] eh
If the goals of our efforts are success and fame, what are we going to do after that? Can we eat money and sleep with applause? TWINS continues, "Human index (popularity) is but soap bubble." Indeed, the next station Tin Hou is not gong to bring us to any worldly success. The subway station gets its name because there is a Tin Hou temple up there and Tin Hou is one of the most widely worshipped Godesses in Hong Kong.
I always wonder why people worship supernatural beings despite advanced sicentific discovery. It seems to me that we the mankind is still like a baby. We spent millions of years to evolve into such an advanced level. We are very powerful with all the wealth and teachnology but we are also very weak facing the mysterious universe and the uncertain future. Spiritually we need support, the kind of support we cannot get from success. TWINS would find the support in love. And she wants to sing for her lover alone at home instead of singing publicly. Maybe you would find this idea bourgeois, but I happen to agree with her. After all, I am also not writing for any worldly sucess, but for a few people who care to read.n-iA.n H\;d
dJXP$W3Z \
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How to write a movie review
[size=3]It is believed that that one can never write well if he or she is not interested in the subject matter. If the goal for our writing is to interest the audience, we have to first interest ourselves. One reason why I think TEM-4 writing test is an utter failure is that all the test questions they use are soooooooooooooo boring. GRE writing is also very difficult but at least the issues and the arguments are quite provocative.)q;z W Ge9k!H9X]
Z'Vmy/V e7_%A6ov
I would like to propose another way to practice writing in English or in Chinese if you will- to write movie review. This message here is a draft for my lesson plan for an interpmediate level composition class.
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How to write a movie review
Step 1: choose a movie and make sure you have a lot to say about it
It is natural that we have first to identify a movie to work on for our review. Yet, we have to be careful when we choose. The rule of thumb is that we want to choose a movie that would provide enough materials for us to write about. In orhter words, we prefer movies that make some points or pose questions for the audience to think about. Therfore, action movie might not be a good candidate because, despite its excitement, it has few issues for us to write about. Of course, you can comment on the special effects in those movies if you are familiar with such kind of vocabulary. 8I,v-K"?)i+O8b
As a sample, I choose the movie " A letter from a strange woman" (yi ge mo sheng nv ren de lai xin) by Xu Jinglei because the work presents a beautiful love story with exposure on the difference between men and women . 4Mx.]~3Ri)V
Step two: Write down some key points we want to make in our review.
We want to jot down some initial thoughts about the movie in an organized manner which should form the backbone of our essay. WE shoudl also write as much as we can without worrying about grammar, diction or style. The process of brainstorming is, by definition, chaotic. vC)M+mf%w { _X
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Step three: Go to the Internet and/or the library to read about what others have written about the movie.
Reading extensively about the movie would supply us the vocabulary we need to discuss the movie with better confidence and precision. It can also save us from the labor of summarization since we can just paraphrase sypnosis we find online. Moreover, reading others' ideas could broaden our minds and inspire us to think deeply and creatively about the movie. Remember to take reflective notes when we read. y9zs%z3^X
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Step four: Refine the points we make in step two based on the materials we read and the ideas we generate in step three.
Organize our work in a logical order.
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Once we finish these four steps, we are ready to write a movie review.
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Brainstorming for the ESL writing club
[size=4]A few English majors in my class and I will form an ESL writing club over the summer. I took the initiative because I felt guilty that I did not commit myself to the course during the school year and the students deserved more help and attention. But I also concede that it is not possible to teach 200 students at one time without compromosing teaching quality. c+T[)w'J
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So I invited a few students to work on their writing during the summer break. Since we are not meeting in person, we will use the Internet and computers to communicate. Here are a number of activities in our mind.
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1) daily reading and imitation: each member will focus on a few issues and find reading materials and select a short passage from their reading and do imitation exercises. For example, Sellena would focus on sports and education. Her job is to find articles in these fields:w&M[b7x5W2U,r
a. education:Z!X,f'o?
b. environment(]E fW7t q%~Y
c. pop culture (music, movie and TV, sports)
e. technology
f. international events
g. travel-FF!_?5Qw7H3d ^D2M
h. careers
i. family life fv []t5AGJe2^ H
j. personal hobbies
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2) Joke of the day: Members take turns to select a joke and crack it in their own words.
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3) Quote of the day: members take turns to present their favorite quotes and explain how the quotes can be used in their own writing. )AOq L1R6V8S4Lxo
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4) Outline: Each week, I'll hand out some essay topics based on the reading materials from members and members will outline their arguments with evidence and examples. 2Pz9BJ[q
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5) Formal essay practice: Quality is more important than quantity. We'll probably write one essay every other week with a revision. Members shoul reciew peers' work and discuss online.
It seems to me that TAISHA EWC is a natural choice for our virtual classroom because the BBS provides an efficient platform for our members to trade messages and discuss among ourselves. Better yet, other people from TAISHA might also join us. In addition, one can keep track of all the writing s/he did here at TAISHA so it takes no extra effort to build a writing portfolio.
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discover taisha, June 26th
[size=4]I just find that taisha, the founder of this BBS, is an alum of Peking University and now studying physics in America. I read her article "Studying in America, Reflect on Peking U" and really enjoyed it. Her insightful analysis and lively writing style are both very attractive. I can imagine that managing a foum like Taisha is a big commitment. I am curious how she managed her time. "y6m*XG v
I joined this forum with the hope to meet more people. And I did. It was exciting to meet friends like TTQQ, 香雪津灵, xiguatailang and 氮. Now it comes to taisha. Despite her high ranking in this community, I feel very attached to her through her writing. She is like many of Chinese graduate students I met in America who will become the backbone of a new China. s(A6v;`8^}a
::81H:W"{9L am,Z q
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[[i] Last edited by tesolchina on 2005-6-27 at 11:56 [/i]]
Initial D, June 27th
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I just watched the movie Initial D featuring Jay Chow and Anthony Wong. I don't feel like writing a formal movie review. So I 'd like to try a conversational approach to explore the movie. You are welcome to join the discussion if you have watched it. %k ~+j0?Ub V
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1) How do you like car-racing as the setting of this movie? Do you find it a good practice to adapt the movie from an anime?
2) What are the main themes do you recognize in the movie? In what ways are the themes explored and in what depth? !\ clH z p
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3) Which part of movie do you find most appealing? Most humorous? Most touching? aY&L m"O]i|i
4) How do you like the romance in the movie? w*^-f5Q4J v
5) Do you have any comments on Jay Chow's debut performance? How about other actors? ~FC#B6S P }Z;k
6) Do you learn anything from the movie?
I'll answer these questions later this week. ::p5
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[/size] whoa~~~taisha is a "she"???? -__-
mie~anyway i signed up for da August TOEFL this morning....i never would have imagined...T__T [size=3]
Yes, I am positive. Taisha is a girl studying in US. Maybe oneday we'll meet with each other. ?/mz6rY B7o7t \ r
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Good luck with your TOEFL. Is this your first shot? Yale set the minimum at 600 when I tried to apply in 1998. My score was 597. So I quitted. Now I have a friend doing PhD in New Haven. She was from Hangzhou and went to St. Louis in 1999. I was attracted by her when I first met her in the East Asian Library because she was the only undergraduate from Mainland China, speaking perfect Mandarin. And I asked her out and sent her email "Will you be my date?" but got rejected because she had a boy friend also in America. 5~a5v^!Yn#Ti2H
Anyway, it all happened in the last century and now she is doing a PhD at Yale. Very sharp girl! I am always delighted to meet smart and lovely girls and I always did. Their accomplishments motivate me to work hard and do the best I can.aM#xdA
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[[i] Last edited by tesolchina on 2005-7-5 at 16:37 [/i]] bug~~~~ got rejected?
better say declined~~ don't feel that hurt. [quote]Originally posted by [i]tesolchina[/i] at 2005-6-26 22:05A P1[$@O HH*G G"?
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I just find that taisha, the founder of this BBS, is an alum of Peking University and now studying physics in America. I read her article "Studying in America, Reflect on P ... [/quote]W$Fjw+_ X t9K
Where did you find this article?|}Mq {
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eager to read something about her. amazing girl.... [size=4]
click on taisha the name and do a search for her posts. You'll find all her messages in the past three years. She is a good writer. Yet, her style is quite Chinese. I can tell she was probably born in 1977 or 78, just one or two years older than I am. In our country, the best students study science and engineering. Taisha is no eception. She is doing physics. Not sure how far she can go in that route. 6x9^8JQ8?6s KSj s B
[/size] [quote]Originally posted by [i]tesolchina[/i] at 2005-6-29 01:15
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Yes, I am positive. Taisha is a girl studying in US. Maybe oneday we'll meet with each other.
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Good luck with your TOEFL. Is this your first shot? Yale set the minimum at 600 when ... [/quote].f!y_%| \%f0b
er...actually~~nope this isn't my first shot...B@| } J qp'Zl
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my first TOEFL was taken in Oct. 2003 with a result of 657~~~~but um...it's about to expire u know~
so i gotta take it another time...-__- ugh~
good luck
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TOEFL won't be your problem then. If you include transcript from UT in your application, they won't even look at your score. Try to make a good story about why you want to study at New Haven and highlight your extra-curricular activities. They won't be very impressed by a high school nerd. They want an all-round smart girl, which I am sure you are. ~m7dU k;F
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I hope you can make it. Yale does not have a school of education. So I'll shoot for Stanford, Harvard or Berkeley after I complete my master at Oxford. See you in America!
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Halfway through the year, halfway through the decade June 30th, 2005
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On this last day of June, 2005, we are passing halfway through the year as well as the first decade of 21st century. Time flies in a way that we hardly recognize it until it is gone. How many years do we have to live for dreams and how many decades do we as a generation have to work for our society?
I still remember not too long time ago I was wearing a red scarf with naive pride and blind belief that China is the BEST in the world. And I also remember the disillusion I experienced when I moved to Hong Kong a decade ago and the green card complex I shared with all Chinese in America when I studied in St. Louis at the turn of the century. &h Stl\-i ]
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I still remember the shock and sadness I shared with all American people when terrorists attacked the nation on Sept 11th, 2001. "Innocent people died." A reply I got from a local janitor when I asked her about her feeling. That's right. When innocent people were killed, it was not America under attacked. It was humanity. It was a crime against humanity. For the loss of life, I wept. 2i&S8SVE3R
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For me, life is full of emotional moments. The world is not fair. Wealth is not being evenly distributed. Poverty, epidemics and pollution threaten mankind. The main theme of life, for me, is the search for a better life and a better world. Yet, we as human beings constantly worry about how to make a living and how to improve our material life. We think in a way that money can solve all our problems. Indeed, money will help. But human greed also creates more problems for us and places us in a paradoxical situation. MpYa7K K7Fc%S
What is happiness? This is the ultimate question we have to answer at individual and societal level. What if the answers are confusing and conflicting. For me, I like pretty girls. I feel elated when I meet a knock-out. But the trouble is the knock-out won't find me interesting because I am not handsome enough or wealthy enough. Or I have to turn down a knock-out because I do not want to cheat my girl friend who is also, luckily, a knock-out in my eyes. O*@-M+x$`:C,kf `
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What is life? Life is a collection of moments. Some of them are so memorable and so happy. Others are also treasurable, although forgotten. Life is also every word we write, every book we read, every course we take and every friend we make. So life is a million little things that come together. Just like the ending of American Beauty says, "your whole life falshes in front of you at the moment you die." I am not sure what would that be when I die. But I am sure it must be a beautiful sight.
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[/size] Liife is a hard journey indeed, with roses on sides but thorns underneath. Anyway, what didn't kill you makes you stronger. There are still a lot to be expected. ~H8Ib-q
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Like your notes, hope your reflection of life comes more often.... hehe~~