Ni-Wa-Wa (A Mud Doll)

Panai's Ni-Wa-Wa (A Mud Doll)
Tracy Chapman's Fast Car
This afternoon I went to a lecture with my Freshman English students. The speech was given by a famous producer of aboriginal music--Zhang 43, a stage/pen name he gave himself. Why does he use a number as part of his name? It's because that was how old his mother was when he was born.
43 has invested a lot of energy and money in aboriginal music since 1997. A lot of talented aboriginal singers were recruited by him and had their own albums sung in their own tribal languages. A couple of singers even got the "best singer" awards at the Golden Bell Award ceremonies, an award which is equivalent of the Amy Award in the USA. 
I'm a music lover, and I enjoy pure voice & simple melody. In 2000, I bought a CD of songs sung by Panai, an aboriginal singer from Taitung (the east of Taiwan). Unlike most other singers, Panai has a deep voice. If you like Tracy Chapman's voice, then you'll like Panai's because their voices share a lot of similarities.

Ni-Wa-Wa Ni-Wa-Wa, a  mud doll
She has a nose and eye brows, but she doesn't wink.
Ni-Wa-Wa Ni-Wa-Wa, a mud doll
She has a nose and eye brows, but she doesn't speak.
She is a fake doll, not a real one.
She has neither a dear father nor a loving mother.
Ni-Wa-Wa Ni-Wa-Wa, a mud doll
Let me be her father and her mother, so I can love her forever.

Native Taiwanese: 9 tribes in Taiwan

Good!?

The Logical Song
Having blogged for three weeks, I finally got the first response from a blogger today!!! I just couldn't believe my eyes when I spotted the message. One blogger read my post about one of my students and left some words--"You are really a good teacher." Surprised, I'm posting this article to respond to him/her.

As an independent person, I showed my independence since I was very little. Somehow, "being good" has never been one of my concerns. When I was a child, I was reluctant to follow my mother's advice or instructions. When I was an elementary school student, I refused to be the best student in class. I always tried my best to be the third or fourth best student. Then when I went to junior high, I no longer needed to try hard not to be the best student because I was not good enough to be one of the top students. However, I was very content with my own "status"--not good enough to be bothered or envied by others but good enough to have some freedom to enjoy my own life. By the time I went to high school, I became a mediocre student who had to strive for a good college. Three years later, I got into a university with prestige. During the four years in college, I tried so many new experiences except for studying hard. Therefore, I graduated from college with an GPA of 3 points. How did I look at myself at that time? I was quite happy with myself because I made the choice to be a HAPPY student instead of a GOOD student. I don't know why I just couldn't study for good grades. Grades didn't have any meaning or were never a motive for me to study hard. I enjoyed studying the subjects I liked such as Shakespeare and Spanish, but I decided to get a passing grade for the subjects I had no interests in.

Three years after I graduated from college, I taught English and Spanish in a junior college. I became a teacher who I had always dreamed of--someone who was serious about life and learning and could inspire students by sharing her own life experience. Am I a good teacher? No, I am not! Since I was not a good student, I can never become a good teacher. The reason is very simple--I refuse to be molded into a "good" teacher just like I refused to be a good student. What kind of teacher am I anyway? I would say I'm a teacher who is humorous, serious, demanding, devoted, and fair but firm. I enjoy sharing my experiences, both bad and good ones, with students. I always give my students challenging projects so that they can see their own potentials. I love to make them believe that each one of them should have dreams and that realizing their dreams is not a dream. I, a dreamer, have realized quite a few dreams--going to Spain to study, traveling as a backpacker in some European countries, and knowing some people. As a teacher, I want my students to know that everyone deserves a dream and many chances to make it come true.

Am I a good teacher? I don't think I am because I have no idea how good is good. But I'm pretty sure I am a happy teacher who always supports and encourages students to dream!

Morning Walk with MeiMei



Content MeiMei

Curious Meimei

I had a great weekend! Dan and I had a meal with my parents and Sis' family. 8 of us had a wonderful dinner. Then early Sunday morning I got up early as usual. In the dark I headed for Sis' apartment, which is only within 3-minutes' walking distance from Father's. I unlocked their apartment with the spare key they had left in Father's. Behind the door was MeiMei, wagging her tails to tell me how glad she saw me. Then I left Sis' with her dog on leash! On the way to our usual route, MeiMei was walking way ahead of me. To be more precise, she was dragging me! I had a feeling that MeiMei was walking me! Ha! A dog walks a woman?! Though I used the trick that Cesar Millan had showed in Dog Whisperer, it didn't seem to work. MeiMei is a dog which needs a lot of exercise, but Sis walks her only twice a day with 30-minute walking each time. Walking isn't enough for the hyperactive MeiMei, so whenever I take her out, she doesn't walk; she runs! Maybe she knows I have better stamina than Sis, so she wants to enjoy running.

A daisy

One of my last year's Freshman English students stopped by this morning. Actually, she  stops by my office regularly--every Thursday morning after she finishes her Spanish class at 10:00.
While I was teaching her last year, this petite girl didn't get my attention until the second half of the fall semester. At that time, I was asking the class to do a one-month News English project. I divided the class into 6 different groups with each group focusing on one of the areas I assigned--Europe, North America, Asia, China, Taiwan & Latin America. This student was the leader of the group of Latin America. During each class meeting, she had to make sure all her teammates could finish their oral reports in time and then she assigned one member to report back to class. After class, she needed to compile all the news reports that her group had got from different resources such as BBC, NPR, New York Times, Washington Post, China Post, or Taipei Times. In a word, the workload for group leaders was way too heavy for those who had only been in college for two months. What impressed me most about her was that she never complained about the heavy workload; instead, she was always one of the first two group leaders to send me their electronic file of the compiled news.
This tiny diamond was shining even brighter in the second semester. In the final project, studetns were required to interview one teacher in their field, she gave one of the best presentations I had ever seen. Christina, this cute law major, told the whole class why she interviewed the Dean of Law School. While giving her presentation, she had such a solemn facial expression and spoke in such steady voice that I could not help having goose flesh for a few seconds! After the final exam, I calculated students' grades and decided to give her the best grade I'd given to any of my Freshman English students--89 to show my recognition of her efforts!
Today, on Thanksgiving Day, she stopped by my office as usual, but this time she didn't stay long. She stopped by to hand me the Thank You card to show her appreciation of me, a teacher who's been willing to hear her out. In her card, she wrote. "You're as good as one of the teachers I had in high school because you both knew how to inspire students. My high school teacher inspired me to dream with hope and passion. As for you, you've been like a coal which has kept the fire of my dream burning!"
Who says students can't encourage teachers? What this young woman wrote in her card encouraged me to keep inspiring students!

Christina

7

It's Thanksgiving tomorrow, but I was invited to a Thanksgiving party given by one of colleague friends this early evening. When it comes to making friends, I'm very selective. I have my taste about friends, and most of my friends share at least one of the following characteristics I like--having integrity, being natural, intuitive, or fun. Having been a career woman for 27 years (9 years in Keelung and 18 in Taichung), I've worked with more than 80 other teachers. Of all these 80 colleagues, 10 have turned out to be my friends. That's why I call them "colleague friends"--when I first knew them, they were my colleagues. Then we end up being friends. The three I knew when I was teaching in Keelung lost contacts with me years ago. As for the 7 whom I knew in Taichung, I've cherished them since the first day we became friends.  Knowing friends are one of the blessings God gives me, I never take my friends for granted. I love to spend some time with them; I offer my support without delay; I am always ready to share their moments of happiness or sadness by laughing or crying with them. Most important of all, I keep them in my prayers. Whenever I pray for them, I feel soooooo close to them, especially those who haven't known God yet. After all, friends and family are what I value and cherish most in the world.
Yes, I have 7 colleague friends around me! Number 7 is significant in the Bible because it symbolizes completeness. I know God wants me to reach out to more people, so He gives me these 7 friends. I am grateful to God for them, who have treated me much better than I deserve!

Up in the air! Happyyyyyyy!!!

Money & Honey

If you don't have money, then you don't honey. The more money you have, the more honeys you will have. Honey, honey, honey! Money & Honey is the title of a pop song in the Philippines. Director Jasmine Lee borrowed the title for her documentary--a story about four Filipino women who worked as helpers in a nursing home in Taiwan. It took Jasmine 13 years to record the hardships and growth of these four Filipino women.
The Philippines used to be one of the richest countries in Asia in the 1960's. However, one tenth of their population is working in foreign countries, and  in Taiwan you can see these foreign labor workers everywhere. I'm a Christian, and as far as I know some churches even have English service to meet the needs of this population. Because of my dark skin, very often I am mistaken for one of them depending on who sees me. If an Indonesian sees me, she thinks I'm an Indonesian. If a Filipino sees me, I would be considered as one of them. How do I know? By the friendly smile on their faces when they see me. When I see them, I always smile at them. This is what I can do to make them feel "at home". But how can they feel at home in a place where their families are not around. I know I'll never feel at home in such a place!

Chez Pierre

I have several circles of "gourmet friends"--in these circles each person takes a turn to buy the group a meal. Last night Olivia, a member of the Dim Sum group, took me and Dan to Pierre for a change. Pierre is a French restaurant owned by a Tawanese man who went to Paris to learn French cuisine. Chez Pierre is located in an old residential area of Taichung where there are no other restaurants. When you drive on that street, you can't miss it because of its eyecatching Greek blue exterior.
The best dining area is its right alcove where there are only three tables. If you dine in there in the summer, you can have a breeze wafted to your table. If you dine in there on a wintry day, you can have some "background wind music" while enjoying your food.
As for food, I have to say everything served in that cozy restaurant is tasty, especially their dessert creme brulee. I, a pasta lover, order the exactly same dish every time--seafood pasta with tomato sauce. On average, I go there only 6 or 7 times a year, so I never get tired of eating the same thing. When I ordered the pasta last night, I asked the lovely server Zhi-wen to tell the chef (owner) to make my pasta a little bit tougher (chewier). Then it turned out to be perrrrrrfect--the noodles were chewy, the sauce had natural sweetness of tomato, and the colors of the various ingredients made the pasta even more appetizing--emerald green snow peas, creamy yellow baby corn and pure white squid lying on the top of the  spaghetti dipped in the light red tomato sauce.
Dining at Pierre is always wonderful because I go with friends who enjoy the food and my company. Years ago I read an article about "gourmet friends". The author said that it was hard to have friends to talk to/with, but it was even harder to have friends to eat with because everyone has different taste. Well, in Chez Pierre you can always have your taste buds tickled no matter what your preference is--lamb, duck, steak, salmon, or pasta. How about those who are on a diet? My observation is that they don't need gourmet friends! They can live "happily" by just calculating the calories of food. As for myself, I can't live without good food and good friends!

Yuan Dong Street



Salmon with Pesto mashed potato



Movie Going

I'm not a baseball fan, so when I told Dan I was interested in the movie Money Ball, he was kind of surprised. To make sure I knew about the movie, he emphasized a couple of times that it was a baseball movie. Actually, I decided to go to this movie for him because I knew how much he enjoys the whole package of going to the movies in Mitsukoshi, one of the biggest department stores in Taichung.
There're three "activities" involved in this Mitsukoshi movie-going. First, we'll go directly to Floor 13 to get our tickets. When waiting for our tickets done, I'll ask for the aisle seat. Dan can't stand sitting between me and a stranger. After we have our tickets, we'll have lunch. What we have for lunch depends on what we feel like eating. In summer, we like to have pasta in Olive Tree Restaurant or steam dumplings in Shanghai Dumpling Restaurant. When the weather is cold, we'll eat hot-pot in A-Guan Hot-Pot Stand. Sometimes we just eat in the food court for some fast-food such as MOS Burger, or Korean Tofu Pot. We've done this eating for more than 10 years, so we've tried a lot of restaurants in the department store.After we finish our lunch, we would stop at the only McDonald's in Mitsukoshi for our drinks. Why McDonald's? Well, I can get one for one free. A free drink is the only reason why I can wait in a long line. How long do I usually wait? About 10 minutes! Once we get our drinks, we'll go up to the 14th floor to get our popcorn. Watching a movie without popcorn is like eating a pancake without maple syrup & butter--dry!  We usually order a medium for each one of us, but if we're too full, we'll share one medium popcorn. Having enjoyed the movie and popcorn & drinks, this trip isn't done yet. We'll have to take the elevator from the 14th floor to B2, where the supermarket is located.Spending 20 minutes strolling up and down the isles is something we'll never skip.Dan will go check his cereal and sweet items while I'm studying the different sauces or spices. Sometimes at the end of our exploration, each of us may have to wait in front of the checkout counter. Fortunately, we leave the supermarket "bare-handed". When I leave there without buying anything, I feel sooooo proud of myself because I just showed my willpower!
When movie-going is as fun and complicated as what I just mentioned, it has turned into a ritual, something Dan and I have to do regularly--once a month, or every other month depending on when a good movie is showing. We've done it since the Mitsokoshi started its business in Taichung. It's long enough for going to the movies in Mitsukoshi to become our tradition. I'm going to keep this tradition as long as I can!

Blowing in the Wind

During the mid-term oral exams, I asked students to suggest one thing that they wanted me to teach in class. Then about one third of them suggested I teach them some English songs in class. Therefore, I taught the first English song in today's class--Blowing in the Wind. Before teaching the song, I asked my students if they had known this 48-year-old song. Nobody had heard it before! Well, it's not surprising at all because some of students' parents are even younger than the song.
At first, I gave each student a worksheet--the lyrics with some blanks. Then I played three versions of the song respectively sung by Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and Peter Paul & Mary. While listening to the song, students needed to fill in each of the blanks with the word they hear. Before we worked on the lyrics, I asked students which version they liked most. To my surprise, most of them liked Peter Paul & Mary's Blowing in the Wind. I've always liked Joan Baez's version because there's more hope and power in her voice.
The next step is the most important part--explaining the lyrics. At first, I explained what rhetorical questions are and their purpose. After giving some examples, students had better idea about the rhetorical question. Then we tackled the 9 questions posed in the song one by one. When I taught "how many times can a man turn his head and pretend he doesn't see" and "how many years must one man have before he can hear people cry", I challenged my students by asking them when they last tried to help someone in need. Then I asked them to share their reflections or feelings in groups of four. Watching students' young faces while they were talking, I thanked God for this job--I can at least influence my students to be brave and helpful! 

It takes courage to take a stand, especially stand firm in front of a tank.

When Can We Talk?

When can we talk? If this is a rhetorical question, you can imagine how upset the speaker feels when he/she confronts you with this question. This complaint actually sends two messages--positive and negative, depending on how you look at it and what kind of person you are. Since I am a positive person, let me start with the positive message. The speaker wants to communicate or share some feelings with you so badly that he/she gets upset when he/she knows you're not available AGAIN! How about the negative message? I believe anyone who's in a relationship can come up with a long list--the speaker is so self-centered that he/she doesn't notice why the timing is bad or "When can you listen to me? You've ignored me long enough!"
How do you respond to your spouse's complaint when he/she asks you this question?  If you know the answer, please let me know. I have been faced with this situation quite a few times but haven't found any solution yet. Helpless, I have nothing else to do except for swallowing it. After all, learning to compromise or give-and-take is part of the intimate relationship. I should feel fortunate because my spouse didn't respond to me with "What do you want me to say?"


Dan & Me



Subway sandwich

Dan called me at my office after I finished teaching yesterday. Over the phone I could feel his excitement when he said, "Are you sitting now? You wouldn't believe what I did this afternoon. You'd better sit down." Then he told me he had gone to Subway and bought a 12-inch ham sandwich! Wow! He finally broke the ice by going to one of his favorite fast-food restaurants, Subway, again!
Dan, a sandwich lover, used to go to Subway for lunch. There is one in our neighborhood. He used to go there once a week. I went with him several times then stopped going because there were always a lot of people waiting in a long line, which made the tiny dining area even more cramped. Eating in there was not pleasant at all. Then Dan decided to get a carry out. Since the sandwich is cold, he didn't have to worry the food would get cold by the time he arrived home. Once in a while I would ask him to get a 6-inch Parmesan for me. He was glad to do this for me because he enjoyed eating lunch with me.
However, I don't know when he stopped going there. Knowing how much he liked to have a Subway sandwich for lunch, I tried to talk him into going to Subway again. Obviously, my encouragement wasn't convincing at all because I hated eating sandwiches. In order to cheer him up or give him a surprise, I'll get one for him once in a while because I know this type of American food can help soothe his homesickness. He would always be happy if he could have a sandwich for lunch from time to time.
Glad to know he went to Subway again. Subway, thank you for making my hubby's stomach happy! :-)

"Pebble"

Pebble is a name literally translated from Xiao Shi (small stone). Who is he? He is a Christian, retired professor, and eloquent speaker who travels around the world to tell people about Jesus. I first met him in a church activity in 2003. As soon as I listened to him talk about his life, I just knew that he truly loved God and that he was my role model. On his annual gospel tour, Tunghai is always one of his stops. In 2005, I invited several colleague friends of mine to his talk. After the talk, I bought the four books written by him: two for myself and the other two for whoever I think was suitable to read. Then I gave only one book away and have kept the rest of them all these years. Six years later today, once again I went to his lecture with one of my non-Christian friends who had gone to his talk before. The topic of the talk this time was "When We Face Frustration in Our Lives", a very good one for people our age. During the talk, I happened to see my friend dozing off. Although I knew very well why that happened, I was not bothered by it. Instead, I was busy taking notes while listening. After the talk, I went to the book stand and bought the whole set of Pebble's books--8 books! Wow! I didn't know he's such a productive writer. In 2005 he had two books. 6 years later, he's accumulated 8 books. I admire him for his being prolific. After I got all the books, I went to him asking him for his autograph. Patiently and compassionately he wrote down his name and some words of encouragement. On my way to his speech, my hands and mind were empty; however, on my way back to office, one of my hands was holding a bag of 8 books with Pebble's autograph and my heart and mind were filled with Pebble's love and words of wisdom!

8 Hours with Dad & Sis

Wanting to visit Auntie who broke her leg, Father had a ride with me on my way back to Taichung. Afraid that Father may not be able to handle the trip on his own, Sister, Father's 24-hour nurse, came along. Three of us left for Taichung at 9:34 A.M. and arrived in Taichung at 11:35. The trip could have been 20 minutes shorter if Father hadn't asked me to drive more slowly. For the first time in my life, I drove 10-15 kilometers slower than the speed limit on highways. Well, in Father's eyes I am always a daughter who should listen to him! :-)
After we arrived home (my home in Taichung), we spent about 20 minutes stretching out--using the bathroom and drinking some water. Then we went to have lunch. By the time we left, one more person joined us--Dan. There in my car were four people, but we four had only one desire-to go to Fei-Chang-Zhan (Unique Inn) for dim sum. Having maneuvered in the noon-rush-hour traffic for half an hour, we finally sat down in the restaurant with our watering mouths and greedy eyes wide-open. This is Father's No. 1 restaurant because of its tasty food and great service. Since Father was undernourished because of the strict diet he had been on, his doctor told him to eat more food with protein. With this "order" in mind, he ordered a lot of dishes he had dreamed to eat--crispy roast chicken, shrimp balls with pineapple, asparagus with another two rare fruits, and several plates of dim sum. Thinking Father may need some Vitamin C, I also ordered a pitcher of fresh kiwi juice for us. In an hour, four of us gorged ourselves with a whole table of food. Hard to believe, but it was true. When seeing Father's big smile and hearing his loud belch, I knew he had been enjoying the meal! Actually, everybody had a great time!
After lunch, we went to Auntie’s. She and Uncle were waiting for us. Auntie, who had suffered a stroke and recovered from her brain surgery, just got back from the hospital for another surgery-she broke her leg one day when she got up. While visiting, Father looked very tired. This was the first trip he took after he started his daily dialysis. He just didn't have enough energy to handle trips like this. So, we didn't stay long. We said good-bye and left. Before we left, the 84-year-old Uncle patted the 81-year-old Father on the shoulder saying he would go up to Taipei with Auntie when she gets better. Upon hearing it, my eyes were red. I tried very hard in order not to cry in front of them. When would that be? Is it possible? On what occasion will they see each other next time? We all know what the answers might be. Maybe this was why Father, a fragile patient who needs to have dialysis every day, insisted on coming down to visit Auntie. Who knows what will happen?!
On our way to the bus stop, Sis went to buy some beef jerky for Mom and her daughters. Then we drove all the way to the destination. Luckily, the bus to Taipei would arrive in 10 minutes. Father asked me to leave first, so I "took his order". We waved good-bye to each other--one was at the bus stop and the other, in the car! The time was 4:30 P.M.!
I stayed with my beloved father for 8 hours only! But I thanked God for this accidental trip. How many more eight hours will I have with my aged parents? I don't know, but I know I can go back to Taipei more often to spend some time with my dear family!

Dad with his beloved granddaughters, 2011

Tolerance for Ambiguity

Paul Kei Matsuda, one of the featured speakers at the 2011 ETA Conference, gave a talk on Globalization & the Teaching of Written English. As usual, he impressed his audience with his famous style. In his talk he proposed some questions for us to think. Of all the principles he mentioned, "tolerance for ambiguity" hit me hard. As a person, I've always shunned away from ambiguous conversations or conversationalists. Why? I'm a person who can't tolerate ambiguity. I'm a person who's sensitive to words. I mean the message the words convey. You can  imagine I am a teacher who can't tolerate ambiguity at all. However, Matsuda challenged the audience to tolerate students' ambiguity when we teach writing. Once there's tolerance, there's negotiation. I'll find out what he will say today.

Trips to ETA

Every year in mid-November I will take a trip to Taipei for the 3-day International ETA conference. I've attended the conference for years. Some of my colleagues also attend this conference once a year, but all of them attend the conference as presenters, not listeners like me. As a "professional" conference goer for all these years, I've learned and changed a lot. In the first few years, I went to as many workshops and lectures as I could for three full days. Then I changed my strategy by attending the so-called featured speakers' talks. A couple of years later, I found out I was not interested in some worldwide famous scholars as much as others. Then I stopped going to theirs. Three or four years ago I had another change--I told myself I would ask the presenter a question either in public or in private to challenge myself. After I tried a couple of times, I realized I could learn more about presenters themselves. For example, I questioned the reliability of one method that the presenter used. I doubted the outcome of that research because I had used the same method in my classes and that the result was not as "beautiful" as what the presenter claimed. Her answer was not satisfactory, but her attitude was even worse. Actually, I think the more challenging part about giving a lecture is not lecture itself but the part of Q & A. For me, how presenters deal with all the different questions proposed by experts or novices and how they interact with them can reveal something hidden--their personalities, their attitudes, and their character. Of all these big wigs, Michael Hoey is the one I have admired most. I attended his workshops in 2009. He was in his late 60s, but he made you feel as if he were young and enthusiastic. This British scholar had the charisma that the others didn't have--passion for the language. While listening to his description of the trip he and his wife took to South America, I knew I would be one of his fans forever.
As for this year's "treasure hunt", I found another pearl for myself--Patricia Duff, professor of the University of British Columbia. I was lucky to have a short conversation with her while both of us were waiting for her workshop to begin. By talking to her, I realized we were the same type of teachers--serious, sincere, organized, and hardworking. Oh, boy! I think I'm addicted to attending the ETA Conference. I think I'll continue my pilgrimage until I'm too old to think clearly!

Dan's Feedback

Dan's interest in my blog is more than I expected. He asked me more than once the access to my blog. After I told him he couldn't because he didn't have a blog, he asked me if I could send him some posts via email. So I did send him a couple of posts. Every time he finished reading, he told me in person how much he enjoyed reading my writing. Having known Dan is kind to me, I still got excited by his encouraging words. He said that he was touched by what I had written and that my writing was very creative. Like a child, I asked for reconfirmation with my eyes and mouth wide-open. I just couldn't believe my ecstasy. I felt as if I had won the crown of a pageant contest.
When teaching the lesson of loneliness, I asked students when they felt lonely. Some of them said they felt lonely when they were alone in the dormitory during the weekends. Well, they're only 19. It's natural for 19-ers to feel that way when there's nobody around. How can they learn to live with themselves if they don't put themselves in a world where there's nobody else?
When do I feel lonely? I don't think I've had this feeling since I developed the habit of emailing people, especially Dan. In my computer I have all these different files for people with whom I exchange email. I have so much to share that there's no room for loneliness in my heart. What is loneliness anyway? To me, loneliness can be felt only when the ones I love don't understand me, or when I don't feel like communicating with the ones I love. I seldom feel lonely on this premise, but what do I do when I do feel lonely? I would "retrieve" all the files I've saved and read until my loneliness goes away.  How long does it take to get rid of this feeling? Not long--it takes at most 5 pages! Yes, after reading about 5 or 6 pages of whatever file I've retrieved, I'm "on my feet" again!

Melotonin Pills

I have been troubled by some kind of sleep disorder for two months. Having a sound sleep doesn't seem to as easy as before. I am a person who needs at least 8 hours' sleep a day and who goes to bed before 9 P.M. However, I haven't been able to fall asleep before 10 o'clock this semester. What makes the situation even worse is that I'm getting up around 2:00 A.M. almost EVERY DAY. I can't function well when my sleep is 4 hours shorter than I need.  
After I shared this concern with my prayer group, they prayed for me, and one of the sisters even gave me some melatonin pills. According to her, these pills are very helpful.
Last night I took one pill. For the first time in my life, I went to bed with the help of medicine. Having tossed around and yawned in bed for about 10 minutes, I finally fell asleep. Then when I woke up, it was 5:10!!! I can't believe I could get up this late! However, I had a weird feeling after getting up--I felt as if I were still at night. I assume melatonin worked in my system because it seemed to readjust my body clock. I'll find out how this tiny white pill will affect me in the afternoon.

ILY

Guess what ILY stands for? It's the acronym of I Love You! Where and how did I learn it? There's a story about it. It's a story about the friendship between two women.
Anita was one of the students whom I taught in the second year of my teaching career. At that time I was only 26, and she was 20. When she was in her early 30s, she moved to Australia and got married. A year later, she had her first and only child—Emily, a very lovely girl. Life was perfect for Anita because she had a husband who loved her and a daughter whom she loved. However, in March 1998 when Emily was one year and 10 months old, I got a phone call from Anita. At the other end of the phone, she was crying sadly. She told me the most terrible news I could hear--her daughter had been diagnosed with a kind of eye cancer. Shocked about the news, I was speechless, but there was a voice coming from the bottom of my heart; which said “Go to Australia to comfort Anita.” Without hesitation I told her I would visit her over my spring break, which was three weeks away. In about 10 days, I got everything ready: my visa to Australia, the round trip ticket, and myself.
After 8 hours’ flight, Anita and I finally hugged each other at the airport of Sydney. Then during the next 7 days, we cried together and talked until midnight every day. We didn’t go anywhere. We just stayed home talking about her daughter. On the day before I left for Taiwan, she suggested that we have a short trip. She took me to the Harbor and the Opera House. We had a dinner in a restaurant near the Harbor. While we were eating, she told me how much she appreciated my visit.  I told her I was very happy that she chose me to share her saddest moment with her.
12 years later in 2010, she invited me to visit her. I took my second trip to Sydney. Wanting to make it up for me, Anita and her husband, Garry, did their best to be good hosts. They took me to the Blue Mountain with their lovely daughter, Emily. Anita prepared delicious meals during the two weeks I stayed. She cooked paella, lobsters, crabs, and many other delicious foods.
Every afternoon Emily, a talented teenager who got a full scholarship of music, had to practice playing the violin and piano. While she was practicing, I would sit in the corner listening. One day she got a phone from her buddy. At the end of their conversation, Emily said "ILY" to her friend. Then I asked her what it meant. The answer was "I Love You!" ILY sounds so beautiful that I have used the acronym with my husband since I came back to Taiwan. Whenever I say "ILY", I think of Anita and Emily. No other words can best describe the friendship between me and Anita!

Raining in Taichung

It's raining here in Taichung! I don't remember the last time it rained. It must have been a long time ago. When I was in high school, I hated rainy days because my shoes got wet and I had to wear them all day long. Now I love rainy days, especially when the rain is light. I enjoy listening to the rain pattering on the rails of my back porch. I delight in smelling the rain while walking through the pasture area on campus. I especially love watching rain when I stand in an open field. I have been able to appreciate rain more since I read Charlotte's Web. When reading how upset and lonely Wilbur felt just because rain ruined his plan for that day, I've had different feelings about rain. At least rain can't ruin my day like it did Wilbur's. On the contrary, I am able to do quite a few things that I wouldn't do on sunny days.  Above all, what I enjoy doing most on rainy days is catching up on some reading. Reading seems to be a luxury since I became a teacher. My free time and energy seems to be used up doing things like grading students' tests and papers, preparing for teaching, and doing a little research once in a while. However, whenever it rains, I can pick up my hobby and enjoy reading for hours in bed, then on the couch and then back in bed again. How wonderful life is when I can do some reading!

An Unusual Habit of Mine

Having "owned" this blog for only one day, I've already been addicted to blogging! I posted several short passages this morning.  Not until I started blogging did I realize why Julie (in the movie Julie & Julia) stayed up late blogging even when she was too exhausted to keep her eyes open! Blogging is ADDICTIVE!
When getting together with several colleagues for lunch today, with excitement I told them about my blog. After they heard what I had said, one of them teased me by saying my husband would be relieved when he knew I was addicted to blogging. Though he was joking, I totally agreed with him. My husband had been bombarded with my emails for more than 10 years. He just couldn't respond to every single email I sent. He told me honestly that sometimes he didn't know what to say. He was troubled by the fact he couldn't reply to all my emails. Feeling bad for him, I tried to cut back on my emails. That was the most I could one because I just couldn't get rid of this habit--emailing my husband almost every day.
The first thing I do after getting up is to turn on my computer and send him my first email for the day. In this email I mainly share something spiritual--my reflections on some verses in the Bible or some summaries of the sermons I've listened to. Then sometime during the lunch break, I'll email him again. In my second email to him, I'll tell him about my students majoring in science. I'll tell him what activities I did in class and how they reacted to my teaching. Eating lunch and emailing at the same time has provided me with great pleasure.
If I'm still energetic by the time I finish my teaching in the afternoon, I'll send my last email to tell him all the details about my afternoon class.
I'm glad I have this unusual habit. I have enjoyed emailing my husband since 2000. Now I'm even happier because of this blog of mine. I love emailing and blogging!

Sleepless in Taichung

Troubled by some kind of sleep disorder, I've had a lot "waking moments" early in the morning. I used to get up around 3:30, but I'm getting up around 1:30 this semester. What do I do during these sleepless hours? Besides my usual routine--emailing, I've added something new--practicing yo yo and cooking. How can these two things be done one after another? Yo yo is for kids while cooking is an activity for moms. I'm neither a child nor a mother!!! It seems odd enough for me to do either one, not to mention doing them both.. Well, who cares? As long as I can survive every sleepless morning, I'll do whatever it helps.
Let me go back to my new morning routine--playing yo yo and cooking. Playing yo yo is a lot simpler than cooking because yo yo doesn't make any noise or create any odor when it's been played. Besides, it can be done in 5 minutes. I mean I can't play longer than that.
However, when it comes to cooking, the case is much more complicated. Why is that? It's simple--I can't just start cooking anytime I want; I have to wait until at least 5:00 A.M. Though I can't do it whenever I feel like doing, time seems to fly when I cook. Inspired by the Korean soap opera "Da Chang Jin", I cook with TLC.
When I cook, I always think of all the positive things about Dan, my hubby. While the food is being cooked, my mind is very active--there're always two people talking back and forth. Of course, one of these two conversationalists is me. As for the other one, it depends. Most of the time, it's my husband. Sometimes, it's one of the friends about whom I'm concerned. Besides the TLC & all the imaginary conversations, I also concentrate myself on the sense of smell. After the food is cooked for about half an hour, I can smell the aroma of whatever I cook, which is the part I enjoy most about cooking. Each aroma reminds me of a different memory. Of all the different smell memories, that of "Lion's Head" is the most unforgettable one. Boy, the smell is sooooooo irresistible when meatballs and Napa cabbage are dancing waltz gracefully in wok. This aroma is one of the best memories I've had, for it's filled with Father's love for me, the only child who lives 150 kilometers away from him. Whenever I go back to Taipei to visit him, he always prepares some of my favorite foods for me to bring back to Taichung. Lion's Head is on the top of my list.

The Valley of Baca

Psalm 84:6
As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools.

Although we all pass through circumstances which cause us to weep, yet God enables us to see those experiences turn into spiritual profit good for ourselves and for others. God is able to take our experience and make use of it in the life of someone else.
How long have you been in your Valley of Weeping? A year? 10 years? or longer than that? How much longer do you think you can hang in there? You may be surprised to know you're tougher than you think. You know why? It's because that you're not all alone lingering in the valley. God has always been with you and me in each of our valleys!!!
I've been in mine since 1996. After going through the first few years filled with sleepless nights and tears, I have much more peace, joy, and hope now. Hard to believe that the faith in God and the promises He made can make such big differences! I get encouraged and strengthened when God reminds me that  I'm not in the valley struggling on my own. God has been with me on this journey. He is walking right next to me hand in hand. By inching ahead every day, I've reached this far. Where am I now? I have no answer, and I don't really care where I am. As long as God is with me, there's no place where I can't stand or endure.