2 Corinthian 4:8--"We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair."
What an uplifting message this Bible verse has conveyed! Apostle Paul's faith was epitomized in this verse. As we know, life is full of so many 'surprises' or 'accidents'.One thing for sure about life is that we'll run into trouble from time to time, but the frightening part about these troubles is that we never know what kind of trouble we'll encounter and when we'll face it. However, Paul reminded us not not to feel distressed during our difficulties. He also indicated the weakness about human nature; that is, "the more hardships we go through,the more confused we may get, and the less faith in God we tend to have." Once again Paul taught us that no matter how perplexed we'd get, we'd never be in despair.
Dear Lord, thank you for your word of encouragement. May these 16-word reminder be in our hearts encouraging us when we feel low or when our faith is beginning to fade!
12/27/2011
12/26/2011
A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol is the book (simplified version) I've required my Freshman English students to read in the fall semester. Normally, it takes me an hour to introduce the book, including the background (Victorian Era) and the author. Then I'll give my students three weeks to finish reading this 57-page level 3 in the Bookworm series. By the time students finish reading the book, it's December. Then I'll show the movie starring George C. Scott around mid December. This has been in my syllabus for the fall semester since I started teaching at Tunghai in 1993. In other words, I've watched the same movie more than 15 times since then. I love the movie so much that exactly the same spot of the movie can make me cry or laugh year after year.
I can tell if people enjoy the movie from their answers to the following two questions--"Do you believe that people can change no matter how old they get?" and "Do you believe that there're ghosts in the world?" If both of their answers are negative, I can conclude that they won't/don't like the story. As for myself, I firmly believe that people can change regardless their old age. It's true that the older we get, the less flexible we may be; however, as long as people get tired of being the same people, it's time for them to change.
This morning my husband, Dan, told me that he had finished watching the DVD of the movie last night. Then he said he still had hope although he's 63 years old. I know what he meant when he said he still had hope--he could become a better person like what Scrooge turned out to be!
I can tell if people enjoy the movie from their answers to the following two questions--"Do you believe that people can change no matter how old they get?" and "Do you believe that there're ghosts in the world?" If both of their answers are negative, I can conclude that they won't/don't like the story. As for myself, I firmly believe that people can change regardless their old age. It's true that the older we get, the less flexible we may be; however, as long as people get tired of being the same people, it's time for them to change.
This morning my husband, Dan, told me that he had finished watching the DVD of the movie last night. Then he said he still had hope although he's 63 years old. I know what he meant when he said he still had hope--he could become a better person like what Scrooge turned out to be!
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| Do you believe you can change? |
12/23/2011
Christmas party
This week is Christmas week, one of the most important weeks at Tunghai University. Since Tunghai is a Christian university, Christmas is the most important day for our school. On Christmas eve, thousands of young people will flock into the beautiful campus of Tunghai to participate in all the different activities, both secular and Christian. As a Christian teacher, every year I schedule a Christmas party for this week--PowerPoint presentation of Jesus' birth followed by the appreciation of three Christmas carols (Mary's Boy Child, Away in a Manger, and Silent Night). Then students can do their favorite activity--gift-exchanging & reading the Christmas card out loud in public. In order to build the atmosphere of love, students have played "Little Guardian Angel" for 2 weeks prior to Christmas party.
But before they start this activity, they have to learn two ways of appreciation--hugging and hand-shaking. I didn't know what hug was until I knew my husband in the States. Once I experienced hugging, I fell in love with it. I've shown my love by hugging people ever since I realized how wonderful it was. I hug my friends when I see them off at the airport or train station; I welcome their arrivals with big hugs; I give my gal friends a warm & comforting hug to let them know I'm on their side; I hug my sisters in Christ when we are asked to greet each other in church. Hugging is one of the best things that I've learned from American society
In order to let my students know how to hug, I have to show them several times. Then I'll show them how to shake hands. I want them to know how to behave socially appropriately. Once everybody knows how to hug and shake hands, they start to exchange their gifts. The procedure is as follows: one person comes to the front with his/her card and gift. Then he will ask the recipient of the card to come out. After the person stands opposite him, he opens the card and reads the words out loud to that person. Then the card recipient gives that person a hug or shakes hands with him to show his appreciation. After everybody gets to read his card and exchange his gift, it's time to open all the gifts. Then its' time to share their presents if the gifts are candies.
How long does the party last? Two hours! The things done during these two hours may touch some students' hearts. Actually, all these years what I've heard from my students is that it's the first Christmas party they've ever had. I'm glad I can give my students this wonderful experience by sharing God's love with them and by organizing a series of activities to help them learn how to care about others.
But before they start this activity, they have to learn two ways of appreciation--hugging and hand-shaking. I didn't know what hug was until I knew my husband in the States. Once I experienced hugging, I fell in love with it. I've shown my love by hugging people ever since I realized how wonderful it was. I hug my friends when I see them off at the airport or train station; I welcome their arrivals with big hugs; I give my gal friends a warm & comforting hug to let them know I'm on their side; I hug my sisters in Christ when we are asked to greet each other in church. Hugging is one of the best things that I've learned from American society
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| Anna & Grace hugging each other |
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| Lillian & Andy shaking hands |
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| Handmade card by Jay |
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| Timmy reading the card to Ellen out loud |
12/19/2011
Magnificent 7
"When like-minded people are together, any occasion is a celebration."
I have been working at Tunghai University for 18 years. How many friends have I made? Since I'm a Christian, I like number 7, the number of completeness. However, if I count my friends carefully, I doubt I have this many. Let me count them one by one.
Friend No. 1 is Qizhang, the only adult male friend I have. Though he's 11 years younger than I, he is as sophisticated and wise as a 50-some-year old person. I guess his expertise "drama & Shakespeare" has resulted in the way he is. Every time when I talk with him, I forget our age difference. As the only male friend of mine, he's the only source I have when I want to find out why I have some problems with men, especially my husband. I can never understand why some men sometimes behave in some ways that confuse me although I have read books about the differences between men and women. I have to say this friend of mine has helped me know more about men, especially why men or husbands want to be respected by women. He's not only a bosom friend but a good person to eat with. When I feel like having some beef noodles, he's always the first one I ask to eat out with. He's my beef-noodle buddy.
Friend No. 2 is Daisy, the TA in the Foreign Language Department. Born in a farmer's family of a small village in central Taiwan, she's very different from me, a city woman. Unlike me, she feels quite awkward when she speaks though she has her sense of humor. However, somehow I can see all the good qualities in her--sincere, low-key, and responsible. I don't remember why I liked her the first time I met her back in 1993. Though we've been friends for over 15 years, we seldom get together to have a meal. She just doesn't like these social gatherings. Then how do we communicate with each other and keep our friendship? Via email! Fortunately, I love to email people. Besides emails, we sometimes give each other some gifts. She gives me several bottles of homemade wine--sweet red wine every year. As for me, I give her a small bottle of perfume with the scent which can remind her of the days she spent in Missouri. Of all the friends I've made at Tunghai, she's the only one whom I don't hang out with but always keep in my heart.
Friend No 3 is Weijing, a woman who is 17 years younger than me. She was a part-time teacher when I first met her. She was very witty, the wittiest woman I'd ever known. Of all the characteristics she has, I admire her for her knowledge of and passion for food. In other words, she's a gourmet. Though I enjoy good foods, too, I will never do things she has done. She does a lot of research online to find out where she can eat delicious food. She will take all the trouble to some shops to get the items she wants. Anyway, she's an adventurer when it comes to food hunt. She took me to several restaurants to try new things. Though only a couple of them impressed me, I still like to eat out with her. However, she's become the type of the people I like less--cautious people ever since she took the full-time position of TA in our department. Knowing she has to be very careful and diplomatic when she deals with teachers, I totally understand why she has to be cautious. But somehow chatting with her about business is no fun anymore. Fortunately, we don't talk business often. Instead, we talk about her daughter and good food, the two topics I'll never get tired of. Though she's a lot younger than I, she has two qualities I don't have--she apologizes and accepts apologies without delay! I have to say I have a lot to learn from her!
Friend No. 4 is Chia-Hui. Though she's one year older than Weijing, she's more like a child than Weijing. She's almost 40, but you can't tell her age from her face and the way she talks.Often times she is mistaken for a graduate student. She always wears smile on her face, which makes people feel warm and happy when they see her. However, I can see the childlike side of her and find it so lovely that whenever I interact with her, I either act like a mother or react to her like a child, too. In my eyes, she is a mixture of some extremes--feeling proud but looking modest, looking/acting like a child but worrying like a mother, and behaving well but being ready for some mischievous surprises any time. She's the second "7-11" person I know--living on the snacks sold in that convenient store. She never orders boxed meal for lunch! I don't know why I like her so much. Maybe she and I have one thing in common--There's a child living in us!
Friend No. 5 is the oldest friend I've ever had. She's almost 70 years old. Though she's 70, she doesn't look that old because of all the exercises she's done--tennis, swimming, and walking. Before she got retired, she was a like a godmother to all of us colleagues. She's very generous and enjoys people's company, especially men's. Fortunately, she's single; otherwise, her husband would be very jealous. Olivia is also my husband's best friend because they both are tennis fans. When any of the 4 tennis matches starts, they always exchange their information with each other. Olivia prefers my husband to me, but I never mind being a Number 2. I accept my position because of the guy I love--my husband.
As for Friend No. 6, I'm not so sure of who should be because I would say two people share the half of No. 6 Friend. Susan can be counted as the first half. She is kind in nature, and she's a cancer, who loves family and enjoys being at home. Susan has a very soft heart, so she has so many friends, which causes a problem for me. Because of all the connections she has, I've tried to keep distance from her. I'm afraid she may disclose whatever I confide in her. If she didn't have so many friends, I would enjoy sharing more with her. I love her hearty laughter, so genuine and amusing! The other half of Friend No. 6 is Eliane, my next-door neighbor in the dorm. Eliane is the same age as I, and she's like me--we both love children and enjoy playing with kids.
My last friend, Friend No. 7, is Theresa. She is very different from the other Taiwanese women in many ways. She loves and is very good at Taichi. She is a Buddhist and visits different temples on holidays. She has a green thumb and plants a lot of flowers. From what I have described, you may think she is a traditional Taiwanese woman. Ha! You're wrong. She had taught English in America for 15 years before she came back to Taiwan in 1990. She speaks English beauuutifully and she's very Americanized. I mean she thinks and acts like an American. When we are together, we just joke about a lot of things and ourselves. She likes to talk about her research with me. What an odd topic for me, a person who would do anything in my free time except for research! However, I am interested in most research topics she's done. By reading her paper and listening to her, I've learned a lot of knowledge. Oh, BTW, though she's my friend, I liked her mother better than her. Though this old lady passed away a couple of years ago, she'll be in my memory forever because the one she loved has been and will be my friend!
I have been working at Tunghai University for 18 years. How many friends have I made? Since I'm a Christian, I like number 7, the number of completeness. However, if I count my friends carefully, I doubt I have this many. Let me count them one by one.
Friend No. 1 is Qizhang, the only adult male friend I have. Though he's 11 years younger than I, he is as sophisticated and wise as a 50-some-year old person. I guess his expertise "drama & Shakespeare" has resulted in the way he is. Every time when I talk with him, I forget our age difference. As the only male friend of mine, he's the only source I have when I want to find out why I have some problems with men, especially my husband. I can never understand why some men sometimes behave in some ways that confuse me although I have read books about the differences between men and women. I have to say this friend of mine has helped me know more about men, especially why men or husbands want to be respected by women. He's not only a bosom friend but a good person to eat with. When I feel like having some beef noodles, he's always the first one I ask to eat out with. He's my beef-noodle buddy.
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| Smiling Qizhang in a "dou hua" store |
Friend No. 2 is Daisy, the TA in the Foreign Language Department. Born in a farmer's family of a small village in central Taiwan, she's very different from me, a city woman. Unlike me, she feels quite awkward when she speaks though she has her sense of humor. However, somehow I can see all the good qualities in her--sincere, low-key, and responsible. I don't remember why I liked her the first time I met her back in 1993. Though we've been friends for over 15 years, we seldom get together to have a meal. She just doesn't like these social gatherings. Then how do we communicate with each other and keep our friendship? Via email! Fortunately, I love to email people. Besides emails, we sometimes give each other some gifts. She gives me several bottles of homemade wine--sweet red wine every year. As for me, I give her a small bottle of perfume with the scent which can remind her of the days she spent in Missouri. Of all the friends I've made at Tunghai, she's the only one whom I don't hang out with but always keep in my heart.
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| Daisy at work |
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| Weijing under the weather |
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| Jiahui |
As for Friend No. 6, I'm not so sure of who should be because I would say two people share the half of No. 6 Friend. Susan can be counted as the first half. She is kind in nature, and she's a cancer, who loves family and enjoys being at home. Susan has a very soft heart, so she has so many friends, which causes a problem for me. Because of all the connections she has, I've tried to keep distance from her. I'm afraid she may disclose whatever I confide in her. If she didn't have so many friends, I would enjoy sharing more with her. I love her hearty laughter, so genuine and amusing! The other half of Friend No. 6 is Eliane, my next-door neighbor in the dorm. Eliane is the same age as I, and she's like me--we both love children and enjoy playing with kids.
My last friend, Friend No. 7, is Theresa. She is very different from the other Taiwanese women in many ways. She loves and is very good at Taichi. She is a Buddhist and visits different temples on holidays. She has a green thumb and plants a lot of flowers. From what I have described, you may think she is a traditional Taiwanese woman. Ha! You're wrong. She had taught English in America for 15 years before she came back to Taiwan in 1990. She speaks English beauuutifully and she's very Americanized. I mean she thinks and acts like an American. When we are together, we just joke about a lot of things and ourselves. She likes to talk about her research with me. What an odd topic for me, a person who would do anything in my free time except for research! However, I am interested in most research topics she's done. By reading her paper and listening to her, I've learned a lot of knowledge. Oh, BTW, though she's my friend, I liked her mother better than her. Though this old lady passed away a couple of years ago, she'll be in my memory forever because the one she loved has been and will be my friend!
Tunghai Dairy
Tunghai University, the school where I've been teaching since 1993, is famous for its dairy products because we have our own farm. Actually, this tiny dairy shop is not as famous as the Luce Chapel, the most well-known building, designed by I. M. Pei.On weekends or holidays people all over Taiwan will come to this school to take a look at this famous church. While walking around the huge campus, some of them will stop by Tunghai Dairy, which is located near the farm.
This tiny shop is run by the president's wife, Anita Cheng. She has put a lot of efforts and time on this store. For example, the model cows displayed on the shelves are the cute cows from different countries. Whenever she travels, she'll look for cows and bring them back to Taiwan.
The store sells a lot of healthy stuff in addition to the dairy products. I'm one of the regular customers who buy multi-grain bread and mackerel fish.
If you have a chance to come to Tunghai, please stop by this cute store to try some delicious food.
This tiny shop is run by the president's wife, Anita Cheng. She has put a lot of efforts and time on this store. For example, the model cows displayed on the shelves are the cute cows from different countries. Whenever she travels, she'll look for cows and bring them back to Taiwan.
The store sells a lot of healthy stuff in addition to the dairy products. I'm one of the regular customers who buy multi-grain bread and mackerel fish.
If you have a chance to come to Tunghai, please stop by this cute store to try some delicious food.
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| Yogurt (original flavor, my favorite) |
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| Milk with the best quality but highest price (US$3 dollars) |
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| Cranberry Ice Cream |
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| Ice Cream |
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| Yogurt Ice Bar |
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| Model cows on the wall |
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| Model cows on the shelf (do you know where they're from?) |
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| Model cows with cute postures |
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| Colorful model cows |
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| Calves on a Cow & Cow with wheels |
12/18/2011
Words of C & E
Having worked as a teacher for more than 27 years, I've learned one thing from this profession- offering words of comfort and encouragement to the needed people. At first, I offered them to my students. Or I should say I have been trained to encourage or comfort students who I knew were in need. How do I know if they needed some encouraging words? Well, when students don't do well on exams or perform poorly when they give their oral presentations, I know how they feel and are ready to offer my words of C & E. Most of the time, students feel better after I say something warm or uplifting.
Since I do this so often to my students that I find out I will do the same thing to my colleague friends. As soon as I know who is low in spirits, I would sent her/him some pep talk to encourage her/him. I also show my concern about my friends' family--their children or spouses. Last Thursday afternoon I happened to know the husband of one of my friends was in low spirits. I was concerned about him because his wife is my friend. I thought of doing something but didn't take actions because I was busy that day--I went to pick up the birthday cake for my husband, bought McDonald's combo for his lunch, had lunch with him, went back to my office to meet with my grammar students, and had dinner with the "birthday boy" in the evening. By the time I finished my day, it was late at night.
Early next morning I got up with a desire to write a letter to my friend's husband. Then I spent an hour typing up a letter to encourage him. I haven't heard from him since then, but I believe he will feel less bad, if he didn't feel better. Nobody would feel worse after reading some words of C & E!
Since I do this so often to my students that I find out I will do the same thing to my colleague friends. As soon as I know who is low in spirits, I would sent her/him some pep talk to encourage her/him. I also show my concern about my friends' family--their children or spouses. Last Thursday afternoon I happened to know the husband of one of my friends was in low spirits. I was concerned about him because his wife is my friend. I thought of doing something but didn't take actions because I was busy that day--I went to pick up the birthday cake for my husband, bought McDonald's combo for his lunch, had lunch with him, went back to my office to meet with my grammar students, and had dinner with the "birthday boy" in the evening. By the time I finished my day, it was late at night.
Early next morning I got up with a desire to write a letter to my friend's husband. Then I spent an hour typing up a letter to encourage him. I haven't heard from him since then, but I believe he will feel less bad, if he didn't feel better. Nobody would feel worse after reading some words of C & E!
Little Guardian Angel (2)
My Freshman English students participated in the activity Little Guardian Angel this week. The two classes I'm teaching are very different in nature--my social science-majored students have been more interested in playing this game than my science-majored students.
Last Friday (Dec. 17) almost every student of my social science students prepared a treat. They put all there treats on the table and wait for me to "deliver" them. Amazed at the things they got, I took pictures of these treats. Then I delivered the treats like Santa Claus did. While students were waiting to come to the front to get their treats, I watched those happy young faces. Feeling touched, I was glad I thought of this activity for them to do. They all needed to learn how to show their concern about one person!
Though my science-majored students didn't seem to show the same enthusiasm for this activity, I could still see some changes in them. Though most of them are reserved and shy, some them showed some emotions on their faces when they received some treats.
Now let me show you what treats Taiwanese college students got.
Last Friday (Dec. 17) almost every student of my social science students prepared a treat. They put all there treats on the table and wait for me to "deliver" them. Amazed at the things they got, I took pictures of these treats. Then I delivered the treats like Santa Claus did. While students were waiting to come to the front to get their treats, I watched those happy young faces. Feeling touched, I was glad I thought of this activity for them to do. They all needed to learn how to show their concern about one person!
Though my science-majored students didn't seem to show the same enthusiasm for this activity, I could still see some changes in them. Though most of them are reserved and shy, some them showed some emotions on their faces when they received some treats.
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| An orange--the fruit in season |
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| A note written by Wei-shan's Little Guradian Angel |
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| Soy bean jello--the most popular snack for kids |
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| Tunghai Milk produced by the univeristy |
12/15/2011
One of the five occasions to celbrate--Dan's birthday
December 15 is my husband's birthday--one of the 5 occasions we celebrate every year. Though he is 63 years old, he sometimes acts like a child. For example, long before his birthday approaches, he will talk about how to celebrate it. Then we'll get into several discussions about the restaurant where he wants to celebrate his birthday. Besides this eating event, he will give me some hints of what birthday present he wants to have. He's a bookworm, so books are always the best gifts for him. However, most of the books he's wanted to have are not available in Taiwan. I have to order online--Amazon.com and ask them to mail the books. It sounds easy, but the problem is that he won't tell me what book he wants until a month earlier. By the time I know what book he wants, it doesn't leave me enough time to get my order done and then get the book mailed to Taiwan. For the past few years, I used the strategy--I ordered the books for him to read for a year and had them send to my former student who has worked in the States for years. I wait until she comes back to Taiwan to visit her family. She would carry all the books I had ordered. I remember one year I got carried away because I ordered more than 20 books from different websites. After I realized I had ordered way too many books, I told myself not to do the same thing again.
This year's birthday celebration went very well. I made a reservation at Pierre, the cozy restaurant which serves the best pasta in my neighborhood. When I made the reservation, I asked the owner if she could play the music of "Happy Birthday". She said they didn't have that kind of music but promised they would prepare something special for my husband.
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| Potato & corn soup |
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| Pierre home-made hot roll |
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| Seafood pasta with tomato sauce |
12/13/2011
A Feast in Taipei
It was time to go back to Taipei to visit my father this past weekend. I left Taichung Saturday afternoon. In order to make my husband feel he was also important, I suggested we go to the movie "The Ides of March" before I left for Taipei. After the movie, I drove back to Taipei on my own. The movie was OK. Acting was good, but the profanity was beyond my tolerance level. Sometimes I wonder if Americans really talk that way in daily lives? How come the ones I know seldom use foul language. Well, I don't really know too many. The ones I know are my colleagues. There're about a dozen, and only two of them have this bad habit. Besides the profanity, I think the weakest part was the plot. After all, George Clooney is a better actor than a playwright. After the movie, I went back home to load my car. I was away for only two days, but I had tons of things to carry. Well, I never travel light anyway.
It was dinner time when I arrived. After I wolfed down my mother's specialty--"Da Lu Noodles", I touched my tummy contently. About 20 minutes later, I crawled into my room in the basement and fell asleep as soon as my head touched the pillow. What a wonderful feeling to be able to sleep in Father's home!
I got up around 5:00 next morning and waited until the sky turned brighter. Then I drove to get breakfast for the family--Sis' (4 members), my parents and me. I stopped at three different places for the food-- traditional soy milk store for Mom, Sis, and my brother-in-law, McDonald's for the two nieces, and sandwich breakfast shop for my father. Then I delivered all the breakfast I bought for Sis' family to her apartment, hoping they could have some luxurious "room service". After breakfast, I suggested we have Pizza Hut for lunch. Since only one person disliked pizza (my mother), we were all in favor of this suggestion. Mom called my brother and asked his family to come over for lunch. At 11:00 I arrived at the nearest Pizza Hut and ordered the food. Everybody liked to eat Hawaiian pizza, so I had no choice but ordered one and a half pizza with that topping. As for the other half of the pizza, I ordered my favorite one--Pepperoni, the only topping I care for. In addition to pizza, I ordered a brownie cake, chicken wings, and cheese omelet rolls. What I ordered was far enough for 7 people--two nieces, Bro, Brother-in-law, Parents, and me. Once again about four hours after we ate breakfast, we sat together to eat lunch. While watching Father enjoy his pizza, I felt I was the luckiest person in the world. I'm 55 years old, but my parents are still around and functioning well. My siblings live near my aged parents. Though I'm 150 kilometers away from them, I can still visit them every other weekend. I thank God for all these blessings every day.
Knowing Father likes to eat "Steamed Rice with Duck", one of the famous dishes served in a restaurant near Taiwan University, I decided to go downtown to get it. On my way to the restaurant, I stopped to get "red bean soup with sesame glutinous rice dumplings" for Mother. With all the food I bought, I took the bus back home. Though it was only 5:30 PM, Father had been waiting for his favorite food since 5:00. There he was sitting at the dining table enjoying his dinner. My eyes were red again. I still remember when Father came back from China three months ago, he was very sick. He's had dialysis for about 2 months, but his appetite seems to come back. I'll try my best to buy the food he likes to eat as long as he tells me what he wants to eat. I almost lost him, and I'm going to cherish the opportunities I'll have to make him happy.
It was dinner time when I arrived. After I wolfed down my mother's specialty--"Da Lu Noodles", I touched my tummy contently. About 20 minutes later, I crawled into my room in the basement and fell asleep as soon as my head touched the pillow. What a wonderful feeling to be able to sleep in Father's home!
I got up around 5:00 next morning and waited until the sky turned brighter. Then I drove to get breakfast for the family--Sis' (4 members), my parents and me. I stopped at three different places for the food-- traditional soy milk store for Mom, Sis, and my brother-in-law, McDonald's for the two nieces, and sandwich breakfast shop for my father. Then I delivered all the breakfast I bought for Sis' family to her apartment, hoping they could have some luxurious "room service". After breakfast, I suggested we have Pizza Hut for lunch. Since only one person disliked pizza (my mother), we were all in favor of this suggestion. Mom called my brother and asked his family to come over for lunch. At 11:00 I arrived at the nearest Pizza Hut and ordered the food. Everybody liked to eat Hawaiian pizza, so I had no choice but ordered one and a half pizza with that topping. As for the other half of the pizza, I ordered my favorite one--Pepperoni, the only topping I care for. In addition to pizza, I ordered a brownie cake, chicken wings, and cheese omelet rolls. What I ordered was far enough for 7 people--two nieces, Bro, Brother-in-law, Parents, and me. Once again about four hours after we ate breakfast, we sat together to eat lunch. While watching Father enjoy his pizza, I felt I was the luckiest person in the world. I'm 55 years old, but my parents are still around and functioning well. My siblings live near my aged parents. Though I'm 150 kilometers away from them, I can still visit them every other weekend. I thank God for all these blessings every day.
Knowing Father likes to eat "Steamed Rice with Duck", one of the famous dishes served in a restaurant near Taiwan University, I decided to go downtown to get it. On my way to the restaurant, I stopped to get "red bean soup with sesame glutinous rice dumplings" for Mother. With all the food I bought, I took the bus back home. Though it was only 5:30 PM, Father had been waiting for his favorite food since 5:00. There he was sitting at the dining table enjoying his dinner. My eyes were red again. I still remember when Father came back from China three months ago, he was very sick. He's had dialysis for about 2 months, but his appetite seems to come back. I'll try my best to buy the food he likes to eat as long as he tells me what he wants to eat. I almost lost him, and I'm going to cherish the opportunities I'll have to make him happy.
12/12/2011
How are you?
Having blogged for more than a month, I find myself addicted to blogging. Though I have posted an article almost every day, I didn't tell my friends how to access to my blog except for two. I thought I would enjoy writing more than sharing my thoughts with others until I found out I had some readers from Russia. Although I know there's no country boundary in cyberspace, I was shocked when I knew I had some readers who live in Russia, a country which is so far-away that I don't think I'd have a chance to visit. However, blogging seems to be more significant because of all these readers from different countries, especially Russia.
Concerned about what has happened in the world, I have a habit of reading or listening to international news. Because of you, my dear Russian readers, I've paid more attention to the news in your home country. When I read about the protests against the results of the parliamentary elections held in Russia last week, I wondered if any of my Russian readers was one of those angry protesters. Oh, my friends, you're not alone. My spirit is with you! Freedom and human rights are never free. Let's fight for all these we should have but haven't had!
Concerned about what has happened in the world, I have a habit of reading or listening to international news. Because of you, my dear Russian readers, I've paid more attention to the news in your home country. When I read about the protests against the results of the parliamentary elections held in Russia last week, I wondered if any of my Russian readers was one of those angry protesters. Oh, my friends, you're not alone. My spirit is with you! Freedom and human rights are never free. Let's fight for all these we should have but haven't had!
12/09/2011
7-11
There's one 7-11 convenient store on campus. Every time I go there, it's packed with students looking for some snacks to fill their empty stomachs. I am going there more often this semester because I want to get Yakult drinks for my Freshman English students who perform well on quizzes or who need some encouragement from me because they did poorly on the test. Anyway, I always think of all different reasons to give them my treats. Since I've done this so often that when my students see Yakult drinks, they know it's time to get their tests back. I teach two classes, and I've given 20 tiny bottles of Yakult drink to each class so far.
Not long ago 7-11 and some other convenient stores got fined by the government because they had raised the price of milk and all their hot drinks. Though they were punished, they insisted on the same high price. We customers could do nothing except for either giving them business or boycotting them. Very aware of the customer's right, I decided to take an action--stopping buying their latte or milk tea. About three or four weeks ago, the campus 7-11 decided to "lower" their price by giving 50% discount for the second cup of whatever hot drinks people buy. Seeing this is a good opportunity to enjoy some hot drinks on some cold days, I had a good idea. I and one of my friends take a turn to get two cups of milk tea every Tuesday and Thursday--one for her, and the other for me.
It was Thursday yesterday. We two gals had our warm brunch in my office--each one had a cup of Royal English Milk Tea, a slice of multi grain bread followed by a piece of soybean cake. While enjoying the drink and food, we giggled and chatted like two teenagers. What a wonderful treat we could have! If 7-11 hadn't been fined by the government, they would have offered some discounts. If they hadn't offered this good discount, I wouldn't have thought of buying their milk tea. Now all these 'accidents' resulted in an unforgettable gathering with my dear friend!
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| Yakult Drink & Latte |
There's one 7-11 convenient store on campus. Every time I go there, it's packed with students looking for some snacks to fill their empty stomachs. I am going there more often this semester because I want to get Yakult drinks for my Freshman English students who perform well on quizzes or who need some encouragement from me because they did poorly on the test. Anyway, I always think of all different reasons to give them my treats. Since I've done this so often that when my students see Yakult drinks, they know it's time to get their tests back. I teach two classes, and I've given 20 tiny bottles of Yakult drink to each class so far.
Not long ago 7-11 and some other convenient stores got fined by the government because they had raised the price of milk and all their hot drinks. Though they were punished, they insisted on the same high price. We customers could do nothing except for either giving them business or boycotting them. Very aware of the customer's right, I decided to take an action--stopping buying their latte or milk tea. About three or four weeks ago, the campus 7-11 decided to "lower" their price by giving 50% discount for the second cup of whatever hot drinks people buy. Seeing this is a good opportunity to enjoy some hot drinks on some cold days, I had a good idea. I and one of my friends take a turn to get two cups of milk tea every Tuesday and Thursday--one for her, and the other for me.
It was Thursday yesterday. We two gals had our warm brunch in my office--each one had a cup of Royal English Milk Tea, a slice of multi grain bread followed by a piece of soybean cake. While enjoying the drink and food, we giggled and chatted like two teenagers. What a wonderful treat we could have! If 7-11 hadn't been fined by the government, they would have offered some discounts. If they hadn't offered this good discount, I wouldn't have thought of buying their milk tea. Now all these 'accidents' resulted in an unforgettable gathering with my dear friend!
12/08/2011
Little Guardian Angel
Christmas is in the corner! It's a big holiday for Tunghai University, one of the three Christian universities in Taiwan. In order to celebrate this day, we even have an afternoon off on Dec. 24, but this year Dec. 24 falls on Saturday, the day we don't have class.
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| Little Guradian Angel |
As a Christian, I like my students to play the game "Little Guardian Angel". This is a very popular game in the high school in Taiwan. To play this game, each of guardian angels will have to draw a paper with one name on it. Then he/she will have to make this person happy in whatever way the guardian angel can think of. Since I'm teaching Freshman English, the 'rules' I come up for my students to follow is that they have to use English when they write a note or a card. Before they start playing this game, I tell them the two things I want them to learn in this game--to love someone in that person's way and to forgive your guardian angel if he/she doesn't do his/her job well. In order to make them understand, every year I tell my Freshman English students the same story which really happened in my class years ago. About 10 years ago, I asked my agriculture-majored freshmen to play this game. During the 10 days we played this game, one girl didn't get anything from her guardian angel. I could tell how she felt because she turned her disappointment into sadness, and then anger. On the day everyone was supposed to give his/her guardian angel a gift to thank what the guardian angel had done for him/her. Everyone walked to the front of classroom and invited the guardian angel to come out so that he/she could hand the guardian angel her gift. The girl came to the front without any facial expression. Then a boy walked to the front looking very embarrassed. First, he apologized for what he had done--he had done nothing. Then he told the class why he hadn't done anything--his father passed away a month ago, so he was not in the mood for this game. As soon as the girl heard what he said, she looked surprised, and without delay she said it was OK! I eye witnessed how forgiveness happened in real life. What a wonderful lesson this girl taught me!
My Little Friend
Do you have a friend who's 47 years younger than you? How can you have one if you're not 55 years old? I have such a friend. He's only 8 years old. Let me introduce him to you!
When I first met him, he was only 4 years old. He's the son of my good colleague friend. I got to see him quite often because he went to the kindergarten affiliated to our university. He goes to school with his father. I mean his father gives him a ride to school and then picks him up in the afternoon. Due to the different arrangements, the boy's mother was not around during the week, so he had to spend a lot of time with his dad. Normally, he has to stay in his father's office to finish his homework assignments. After he finishes his homework, he's allowed to play for half an hour. That was how he and I started our friendship. When I finished my teaching, I sometimes would go play with him. At that time, neither of us took each other seriously. But I am an adult who has a heart of child. Somehow I can get along with children much better than with other adults. Actually, the only two creatures that I have no problem communicating with are dogs and kids. Only these two groups of beings can sense my genuineness & true color of me and accept the way I am.
Having this little friend is one of the blessings that God has granted me. In this relationship I'm the one who has received more than I have given. What I have given is 30 minutes once a week, but what I've gained is that I've learned a lot of virtues and things from my 8-year-old buddy. He has something I never have or I used to have--self-discipline, pure heart, concentration and creativity. I'm thankful to God for this little friend, who has finally regarded me as one of his friends. It's my honor to have his recognition and friendship. After all, not every adult can be as lucky as I. They may have kids, grandchildren, or students his age, but few can have a LITTLE friend like me! Envy me? Go make friends with them! I bet you'll have fun and learn a lot from them.
I spend only 30 minutes playing with him every week,but I've made the most of the time. Soon he won't be my friend anymore. Why? When he grows older, he wants to have friends his age, not a friend who's 47 years older than he. Besides, by the time he grows up, I may not be living or may be too old to be good company. How much longer can I keep this Friend No. 7? One year or two! That's what I estimate! How many people can be as lucky as I to have such a little friend in their lives? I bet I'm the only one!
When I first met him, he was only 4 years old. He's the son of my good colleague friend. I got to see him quite often because he went to the kindergarten affiliated to our university. He goes to school with his father. I mean his father gives him a ride to school and then picks him up in the afternoon. Due to the different arrangements, the boy's mother was not around during the week, so he had to spend a lot of time with his dad. Normally, he has to stay in his father's office to finish his homework assignments. After he finishes his homework, he's allowed to play for half an hour. That was how he and I started our friendship. When I finished my teaching, I sometimes would go play with him. At that time, neither of us took each other seriously. But I am an adult who has a heart of child. Somehow I can get along with children much better than with other adults. Actually, the only two creatures that I have no problem communicating with are dogs and kids. Only these two groups of beings can sense my genuineness & true color of me and accept the way I am.
Having this little friend is one of the blessings that God has granted me. In this relationship I'm the one who has received more than I have given. What I have given is 30 minutes once a week, but what I've gained is that I've learned a lot of virtues and things from my 8-year-old buddy. He has something I never have or I used to have--self-discipline, pure heart, concentration and creativity. I'm thankful to God for this little friend, who has finally regarded me as one of his friends. It's my honor to have his recognition and friendship. After all, not every adult can be as lucky as I. They may have kids, grandchildren, or students his age, but few can have a LITTLE friend like me! Envy me? Go make friends with them! I bet you'll have fun and learn a lot from them.
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| Naughty Yuechen |
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| Yuechen a little praying monk |
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| My Little Friend, Yue-cheng with "Seediq Bale" fierce look |
12/07/2011
Little Prince of Yo Yo
The Dante Royal Family has two new members today. Every Wednesday morning I have breakfast with three friends of mine at Dante. Two of them are my colleague friend and his 8-year-old son. This boy is the youngest friend I've ever had. Yes, he's my FRIEND who spends half an hour playing Yo Yo with me every Tuesday afternoon. He's my Yo Yo maestro; I'm his pupil. As for the other member of our 'breakfast gang', Eliane has a lot of interests such as traveling, taking pictures, and making waffles.
Every Wednesday morning when we get together for breakfast, we laugh and joke a lot. Time whizzes when we are together. My little friend usually leaves for school around 7:40, but before the boy left for school this morning, I invited him to join the Dante Royal Family. I asked him whether or not he liked the title of "Little Prince". He told me he preferred to be called 'Yo Yo Expert.' After I heard what he said, a good title occurred to me--Little Prince of Yo Yo. After I told him about the title, he seemed to like it and agreed to this title. As for Eliane, she said she preferred to be a leaf on a tree. A tree leaf! What a waste to be a leaf! I didn't think this title was appropriate for a royal family. Then I thought of a good title for her--Chronicler. Since she likes to take photos, she can record the history with her camera.
Glad to know Dante Royal Family has had two more members--Little Prince of Yo Yo and Chronicler.
12/06/2011
Confrontation
If you were a transfer student, how would you feel when you found out you had to take Freshman English? How would you feel if you were asked to do all the group work with those who were 3 or 4 years younger than you? I bet you must feel as lousy and frustrated as this student of mine! His attendance has been poor. Even worse, he has some attitude problem. Well, since he's at least 23 years old, I don't feel comfortable pointing out his problems. My principle is very simple--my students have to finish all the requirements I give!
After the mid-term exam, he stopped by my office to ask me if he had a chance to pass this course. I told him the chance was slim if he continued to be absent from class. Then he asked what he could do to pass this course. I said with a business-like expression on my face (expressionless)--"Attend class and finish all the assignments on time."
Then right in the afternoon, I got an email from him, a very nasty one. In his email, he said that he was a senior and that he couldn't afford to fail this course. Then he told me very HONESTLY how he felt about my class--so boring that he needed to see a psychiatrist. He ended his email with the following sarcastic words, "I REALLY like you. You teach REALLY good. I really hope you're the last English teacher in my life."
Having been a teacher for more than 25 years, I've been confronted by quite a few students with different personalities or problems. But none of them was as old as this one. I don't mind being confronted by some hot-tempered teens because I know they will grow more mellow and mature as time goes by. However, this one is ALREADY 23 years old, but the way he interacted with me was kind of surprisingly immature. Though he was being childish, I have to give him some credit--at least he had guts because he didn't criticize me behind my back. I admire him for his courage but feel sorry about his attitude. He may not realize it's his attitude that has made him be a "nomad"--transferring from a seemingly better school to a worse one! I believe he is eager to find a place where he can fit in. But he may not know maybe he can never find such a place if he faces himself and other people with the same negative attitude? Who can help him face the music? Me? The chairman of his department? His parents? I have no answer!
After the mid-term exam, he stopped by my office to ask me if he had a chance to pass this course. I told him the chance was slim if he continued to be absent from class. Then he asked what he could do to pass this course. I said with a business-like expression on my face (expressionless)--"Attend class and finish all the assignments on time."
Then right in the afternoon, I got an email from him, a very nasty one. In his email, he said that he was a senior and that he couldn't afford to fail this course. Then he told me very HONESTLY how he felt about my class--so boring that he needed to see a psychiatrist. He ended his email with the following sarcastic words, "I REALLY like you. You teach REALLY good. I really hope you're the last English teacher in my life."
Having been a teacher for more than 25 years, I've been confronted by quite a few students with different personalities or problems. But none of them was as old as this one. I don't mind being confronted by some hot-tempered teens because I know they will grow more mellow and mature as time goes by. However, this one is ALREADY 23 years old, but the way he interacted with me was kind of surprisingly immature. Though he was being childish, I have to give him some credit--at least he had guts because he didn't criticize me behind my back. I admire him for his courage but feel sorry about his attitude. He may not realize it's his attitude that has made him be a "nomad"--transferring from a seemingly better school to a worse one! I believe he is eager to find a place where he can fit in. But he may not know maybe he can never find such a place if he faces himself and other people with the same negative attitude? Who can help him face the music? Me? The chairman of his department? His parents? I have no answer!
12/04/2011
Royal Family of Dante at Tunghai
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| Dante on Tunghai Campus |
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| The Privilege of Tunghaiers |
It was 5:20 when I started walking this morning. In the dark, I was walking with my mini flashlight in hand. On my way back from the walk, I saw a small-sized dog walking with a leash on its neck. As soon as I saw it, I squatted down to welcome it. Somehow the dog sensed my friendliness because it was walking faster toward me. When it walked near enough for me to hold onto the least, I saw the dog was a "he". I started talking to him, but I noticed he was shivering. I guess he must have been skittish in nature, but my welcome gesture was too tempting for him to ignore. Then I looked at the collar to see if I could get any info about the dog. On the collar there was a phone number! Well, this dog must have "run away" many times that his owner decided to put a telephone number on the collar, hoping anyone who found him could contact them. I didn't have my cellphone with me. Actually, when I exercise, I don't bring it with me. The only two things I have are my key chain and a 50-dollar coin for the newspaper I'll buy when I finish my walk.
Since I couldn't contact the dog's owner, I decided to take him for a walk. Well, this little thing refused to go with me. After I tried a couple of times, I let him go. Maybe he just wanted to enjoy his morning walk like me. After the walk, he will go home. Nobody likes to be restricted to stay in one place only. I like to "run away home" from time to time. Fortunately, there's a cafe on Tunghai campus--Dante. I've spent so much time in this cozy cafe that I nickname myself "Queen of Dante", a retired professor from the Department of Architecture "King of Dante", a stuff member from the Library "Cappuccino Princess", and the son of my colleague "Prince of Dante". There're only four members in this Dante Royal Family. Hope someday somehow more people can join us!
12/03/2011
Tears
Sky Is Blue Every Day by Pan Yue-yun
Do you like to laugh? I do! When I laugh, I laugh heartily and loudly! How about crying? Do you like to cry? I cry a lot--when I miss someone, I cry; when I watch a touching movie, I cry; when I listen to a sad story, I cry; when I hear some good/bad news, I cry; when I listen to songs like Ni-Wa-Wa, I cry; when I feel hurt/sad, I cry; when I see people cry, I cry, too. In a word, crying is something I never feel embarrassed about doing.
Just a minute ago, I shed some tears of sadness. Not too many people can make me sad; only those whom I love can make me cry. No wonder it's said that love makes people vulnerable. I cried because I just found out the man I love most was still angry with me because he didn't get an "official" apology from me.
In tears I sent him an email from my office. In the email with the subject of "Please accept my apology", I wrote "Obviously, you don't think my previous email was an apology email. Here I apologize again--please accept my apology for the offensive words I blurted out! When I said those words, I didn't realize they could trigger your rage. I was very insensitive and numb, so please forgive me for the words I said. I had no intention to hurt you. I promise I'll never say those words again." I cried because I felt as if I had been scolded like a child! I cried because I just couldn't believe after I had done so many things for him, I had to apologize for what I had said "Do you have brain?" I don't know how long it will take me to digest this sadness. Yes, I'm very sad now! Here I am in my office blogging my sadness away in the evening of Saturday!
Do you like to laugh? I do! When I laugh, I laugh heartily and loudly! How about crying? Do you like to cry? I cry a lot--when I miss someone, I cry; when I watch a touching movie, I cry; when I listen to a sad story, I cry; when I hear some good/bad news, I cry; when I listen to songs like Ni-Wa-Wa, I cry; when I feel hurt/sad, I cry; when I see people cry, I cry, too. In a word, crying is something I never feel embarrassed about doing.
Just a minute ago, I shed some tears of sadness. Not too many people can make me sad; only those whom I love can make me cry. No wonder it's said that love makes people vulnerable. I cried because I just found out the man I love most was still angry with me because he didn't get an "official" apology from me.
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| Tears from Sky |
! ?
On the way to the movie "The Ides of March", Dan and I were squabbling. Immediately after I heard him say the two magical words, I had a U-turn and drove my car home.
What made him so furious? It was because of one comment I made when he asked me if the movie theater served popcorn for the 9:50 AM showing. What did I say? I said, "Do you have brain? No concession stand would bother to pop popcorn for the first showing." I know I shouldn't have said that, but sometimes some words just blurt out. Shocked to see his violent reaction, I was speechless. I didn't realize "do you have brain" could make my husband furious like a mad man. While I was taking all the arrows shooting from his mouth, a scene occurred to me. About a year ago, I was upset with one of my colleague friends because of one comment she made on me. After I told her something about someone, she said, "Don't be so nosy!" As soon as I heard it, I let her know I was offended because I didn't think I was a nosy person. After she realized she used the wrong word, she apologized and then said she didn't know the word "nosy" could be that offensive/negative to me. I didn't understand how she felt until Dan was mad at me this morning. What a vulnerable couple we are! One comment like "don't be so nosy" or "do you have brain" can make us lose our control or composure! Both of us definitely need to work on our EQ!
What made him so furious? It was because of one comment I made when he asked me if the movie theater served popcorn for the 9:50 AM showing. What did I say? I said, "Do you have brain? No concession stand would bother to pop popcorn for the first showing." I know I shouldn't have said that, but sometimes some words just blurt out. Shocked to see his violent reaction, I was speechless. I didn't realize "do you have brain" could make my husband furious like a mad man. While I was taking all the arrows shooting from his mouth, a scene occurred to me. About a year ago, I was upset with one of my colleague friends because of one comment she made on me. After I told her something about someone, she said, "Don't be so nosy!" As soon as I heard it, I let her know I was offended because I didn't think I was a nosy person. After she realized she used the wrong word, she apologized and then said she didn't know the word "nosy" could be that offensive/negative to me. I didn't understand how she felt until Dan was mad at me this morning. What a vulnerable couple we are! One comment like "don't be so nosy" or "do you have brain" can make us lose our control or composure! Both of us definitely need to work on our EQ!
Only vs. Already
If people asked you how old you are, what would you say? Do you know there're two kinds of age-physical and mental age? It's the mental age that decides the quality of our lives. Years ago when I was teaching in a junior college, a student of mine complained about her mother in her weekly journal. She said her mother had double standard. When the mother expected her to do something, the mother always said, "You're ALREADY 18. You should be able to do it." However, when the mother didn't want her to hang out with friends, she would say, "You're ONLY 18. You don't know how to protect yourself. Stay home!." When reading these words, I was surprised that my student was very insightful. We adults, especially parents, seem to be more protective than we should. On the other hand, we seem to expect our children or students to be more mature than they should be. That's why we are not even aware that we switch "only" and "already" back and forth so often that sometimes we confuse the young people.
It was about 25 years ago when this student complained about her mother. She must be a mother of a teenager now though I don't know where she is or what she does. I wonder what kind of mother she is. Is she as protective and demanding as her mother was?
"Only" and "already" have been two reminders for me ever since then. I ask my 18-year-old students every year when I teach Freshman English. I challenge them to think more often that they are ALREADY 18 years old. Once they believe they are old enough to make decisions on their own and then take consequences, they'll learn more about life. As for myself, I have to remind myself from time to time that I'm ONLY 55 years old. I'm still young enough to dream. I still have energy and passion for the dreams I want to fulfill. One of my dreams is to inspire my students to dream and make them believe living with dreams is wonderful. What other dreams do I have? Well, one of my dreams is to take a trip to France with Dan, whose major was French but hasn't been to France yet. By the time I have all my dreams fulfilled, maybe I can say, "I'm ALREADY 80. It's time to rest."
It was about 25 years ago when this student complained about her mother. She must be a mother of a teenager now though I don't know where she is or what she does. I wonder what kind of mother she is. Is she as protective and demanding as her mother was?
"Only" and "already" have been two reminders for me ever since then. I ask my 18-year-old students every year when I teach Freshman English. I challenge them to think more often that they are ALREADY 18 years old. Once they believe they are old enough to make decisions on their own and then take consequences, they'll learn more about life. As for myself, I have to remind myself from time to time that I'm ONLY 55 years old. I'm still young enough to dream. I still have energy and passion for the dreams I want to fulfill. One of my dreams is to inspire my students to dream and make them believe living with dreams is wonderful. What other dreams do I have? Well, one of my dreams is to take a trip to France with Dan, whose major was French but hasn't been to France yet. By the time I have all my dreams fulfilled, maybe I can say, "I'm ALREADY 80. It's time to rest."
12/02/2011
Presentable, Intellectual, & Professional
The Logical Song
Today in class I taught my Freshman English students one of my favorite songs--The Logical Song, which I nicknamed "The Adjective Song". I told my 19-year-old students that Roger Hodgson was only 17 years old when he wrote this song. Then I explained the 20 adjectives found in the song. How interesting it is to know some words with positive connotation can turn into something negative in this song. Of all the "used-to-be-positive" adjectives, "presentable" is what I disgust most now. Why is that? I've seen quite a few presentable people have done something that is not as presentable as they look. As for the runner-up, I think "intellectual" deserves this title. Teaching in a university, I can say I'm surrounded by tons of intellectual professionals. By the way, "professional" is the third adjective I dislike though it is not in the song. When I work or have meetings with some of those "intellectual professionals", most of the time my experience is unpleasant. I think they're just too busy or too good to care about/be sensitive to others.
Well, would you like to know what other adjectives are mentioned in the song? Check it out!
Today in class I taught my Freshman English students one of my favorite songs--The Logical Song, which I nicknamed "The Adjective Song". I told my 19-year-old students that Roger Hodgson was only 17 years old when he wrote this song. Then I explained the 20 adjectives found in the song. How interesting it is to know some words with positive connotation can turn into something negative in this song. Of all the "used-to-be-positive" adjectives, "presentable" is what I disgust most now. Why is that? I've seen quite a few presentable people have done something that is not as presentable as they look. As for the runner-up, I think "intellectual" deserves this title. Teaching in a university, I can say I'm surrounded by tons of intellectual professionals. By the way, "professional" is the third adjective I dislike though it is not in the song. When I work or have meetings with some of those "intellectual professionals", most of the time my experience is unpleasant. I think they're just too busy or too good to care about/be sensitive to others.
Well, would you like to know what other adjectives are mentioned in the song? Check it out!
Starry Morning
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| Starry Night by Van Gogh |
I'm in my office blogging early in the morning! If there were Julie, she wouldn't be the only person addicted to blogging because in a corner of this cyber space there's someone who can't start her day without posting something on her blog. :-)
Tunghai is on the top of a small hill--"Da Du Mountain", so this university is very "noisy" in the winter. Right now the wind is howling wildly. In order to help you imagine these sounds, I "borrowed" one painting from Van Gogh--Starry Night. It can best describe what I see and what I hear.
Tunghai University is a place where I have spent 18 years of my life. I have lots of fond memories about people who have studied or worked here. I have tons of stories about them. I'm going to introduce them in theValley of Baca.
12/01/2011
Hubbies, Kids, & Puppies
I'm a person who enjoys chatting with people. The three topics I will never get tired of are relationships, children, and dogs. Since most of my friends are married women, the hottest topic for us is our husbands. We always share our feelings about what our men said or did. Though most of the time we share our upset or frustration, I would say having someone hear us out is beneficial to our marriages. After knowing what complaint(s) a gal had about her hubby, the rest of us would give our support by saying we had the same problem or offering some words of encouragement. When we talk about the second topic, most of us seem more excited. After all, we women seem to be able to tolerate children more than our spouses. I don't have children, but I enjoy listening to all the different stories about my girl friends' kids. In my eyes, children are the most lovable human beings, especially those who have just learned how to speak but cannot "talk back". As for the last topic, I can only talk about it with strangers because none of my friends have dogs. During my daily morning walk, I usually run into a lot of dogs and their owners. Whenever I see a dog, I stop to chat with its owner to find out four pieces of information: the dog's name, age, sex, and breed. Well, with these four starters, most of the time I end up knowing a lot more about the dog--personality, habits, and mischievous behaviors. While listening to people talk about their "sons" or "daughters, I can always feel their affection and love for these creatures who are more loveable than kids. I love dogs so much that I follow almost every episode of the TV series "Dog Whisperer". I admire Cesar Millan for his ample knowledge, skillful tricks, and the absolute power he shows in every episode. I pay full attention to how he fixes problems that owners have with their dogs. Once I learn something from the show, I'll use it on my sister's dog MeiMei. To my surprise, most of the time the tricks I've learned really work!
MeiMei became my "niece" when she was only one month old. I fell in love with her as soon as I saw her. Now she's one and a half years old. I'll talk about her more later!
MeiMei became my "niece" when she was only one month old. I fell in love with her as soon as I saw her. Now she's one and a half years old. I'll talk about her more later!
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| 3-month-old MeiMei |
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