When did I first know about C.S. Lewis? Not until I watched the movie The Shadowlands! I have to say it's a shame for me not to know anything about this great author earlier. Actually, what made me go to this movie was not C.S. Lewis but my favorite actors Anthony Hopkins and Debra Winger. Fascinated by Hopkins' acting in The Silence of the Lambs, I started following every movie he was in, especially the ones which portrayed the reserved British man. In the early 1990s, I got to see Howard's End, The Remains of the Day, and The Shadowlands. That was how I knew about C.S. Lewis. Though it was kind of late to know such a worldwide famous writer, it was never too late to start.
As a Christian, I've heard quite a lot of sermons or read some articles which quoted C.S. Lewis' words, especially Nicky Gumbel's Alpha program. The more quotes I heard/read about, the more I wanted to know about C.S. Lewis. That was how I started collecting and reading his books. His writings about Christianity are so fascinating but hard to digest that I "chew" his ideas sentence by sentence. While reading, very often I have to regurgitate like a cow. For me, reading C. S. Lewis is time consuming but worthy of my time. So when I have time and mood for reading, I like to spend an hour of so chewing a few pages of his thinking. How wonderful it is to be able to read C. S. Lewis!
1/31/2012
1/28/2012
FM Station
As a free-lance editor, my husband works at home. Due to his quiet nature and sensitiveness to noise, he's led a secluded life. However, he knows it's not healthy to be a 24-hour homebody. In order to keep his sanity and privacy, he tries to do his daily exercise--walking on campus at night when the weather permits. Besides walking, he likes to spend some time at FM Station, a bakery which is across from the market in our neighborhood. He goes there 4 times a week, and every time he goes there, he orders exactly the same items to read with--a glass of iced green tea and a roll filled with creme. Then if the bakery is not crowded, he would sit at the same table reading for a couple of hours.
Every time before he goes, he asks me if I would like to go with him. 8 out 10 times my answer would be "No." Since I don't spend too much time at home, I want to enjoy being a couch potato when I have free time. How about the only two times when I say "Yes"? Only when I want to go to the market and when I want to please him, I would agree to go with him.
To be honest, FM Station is a very nice place to spend some afternoons when it's not crowded. This bakery has only 10 tables in its right side--8 tables for two people and 2 for four people. Most customers are regular ones, who want to get away from their chores. It's not a fancy bakery and doesn't have comfy chairs, so young people or lovers don't go there. Only housewives with their toddlers, middle-aged people, or freelancers like my husband would station there because of the low price of the drinks and rolls (3-4 US dollars). Though I don't like to go there, I enjoy their music a lot. Somehow the owner has his special taste about music--old Latin and English songs. Many restaurants play old English songs, but I haven't found another place which provides Spanish songs. Having spent two years in Spain, I LOVE to listen to songs in Spanish.
Thanks to FM Station, my husband has a motive to stay outside for a couple of hours every afternoon. Long live to FM Station!
Every time before he goes, he asks me if I would like to go with him. 8 out 10 times my answer would be "No." Since I don't spend too much time at home, I want to enjoy being a couch potato when I have free time. How about the only two times when I say "Yes"? Only when I want to go to the market and when I want to please him, I would agree to go with him.
To be honest, FM Station is a very nice place to spend some afternoons when it's not crowded. This bakery has only 10 tables in its right side--8 tables for two people and 2 for four people. Most customers are regular ones, who want to get away from their chores. It's not a fancy bakery and doesn't have comfy chairs, so young people or lovers don't go there. Only housewives with their toddlers, middle-aged people, or freelancers like my husband would station there because of the low price of the drinks and rolls (3-4 US dollars). Though I don't like to go there, I enjoy their music a lot. Somehow the owner has his special taste about music--old Latin and English songs. Many restaurants play old English songs, but I haven't found another place which provides Spanish songs. Having spent two years in Spain, I LOVE to listen to songs in Spanish.
Thanks to FM Station, my husband has a motive to stay outside for a couple of hours every afternoon. Long live to FM Station!
1/20/2012
Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year is only two days away. Living 150 kilometers away from my parents, I haven't decided when to go back to Taipei--a day before the New Year's Eve or the New Year's Eve? Normally, I wait until New Year's Eve to go back because that's the day my husband feels like going. However, he doesn't seem want to go with me this year. Used to his cancelling our plans at the last minute, I am not upset but disappointed. Since my parents are getting older, I don't know how many more Chinese New Years I can celebrate with them. I hope my husband and I can celebrate every single one we have. But going back to be with my family has been a torture for my husband, who is super sensitive to noise and human contacts. Therefore, during the past 18 years, I either go back to Taipei alone or go with him when he feels up to it. If I go back alone, I'll stay in Taipei a couple of days longer than when I go back with him. The longest time he can manage is 3 days and nights (New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, and Daughter's Day). We leave for Taipei in the late morning of the New Year's Eve and come back to Taichung in the early morning of the third day (the day after Daughter's Day).
Though I feel disappointed that Dan is not going back with me, I'm still grateful that I live in a city which is only 150 kilometers away, not three thousand miles away!
Though I feel disappointed that Dan is not going back with me, I'm still grateful that I live in a city which is only 150 kilometers away, not three thousand miles away!
1/17/2012
Intermediate English Grammar
Tunghai University is a college which emphasizes and is proud of its English programs. I was told that 30 years ago when Tunghai graduates went to AIT for the interviews to get their visa to the States, they could get their visa without any difficulties because of their good English speaking ability. In the 1980's, students in Taiwan could read much better than speak or listen, but those who graduated from Tunghai could speak much more fluently and better than others. Due to this reputation, Tunghai's English programs have had several features: the smalled size of the class and the whole English environment. Freshman English classes have no more than 35 students, and all the English teachers teach in English. Both the midterm and final exams include listening, reading, and speaking.
However, this so-called communicative teaching overemphasizes listening and speaking. Students' reading and writing abilities are getting worse and worse. Wanting to help students improve their writing and reading ability, I offered the elective Intermediate Grammar about 13 years ago. It's a three-credit semester course, but students have to spend more than three hours a week studying grammar to keep up with me. Surprised to know students didn't have any sense about words or sentences before they took this course, but more surprised to see the huge progress they have made in a semester. By the end of the semester, everyone of my students are able to differentiate the structures of phrases, the types of clauses and sentences. Not until they can appreciate different styles of the sentence can they start appreciating writings with different styles.
By teaching this course more than a decade, I've been more sensitive to the changes of the language and more aware of the logic of the English language and my own native language. I've been able to enjoy the subtlety of the word choices and the use of different patterns more than before. The more I teach, the more I realize I need to learn. I'm the one who ends up benefitting most from this course.
However, this so-called communicative teaching overemphasizes listening and speaking. Students' reading and writing abilities are getting worse and worse. Wanting to help students improve their writing and reading ability, I offered the elective Intermediate Grammar about 13 years ago. It's a three-credit semester course, but students have to spend more than three hours a week studying grammar to keep up with me. Surprised to know students didn't have any sense about words or sentences before they took this course, but more surprised to see the huge progress they have made in a semester. By the end of the semester, everyone of my students are able to differentiate the structures of phrases, the types of clauses and sentences. Not until they can appreciate different styles of the sentence can they start appreciating writings with different styles.
By teaching this course more than a decade, I've been more sensitive to the changes of the language and more aware of the logic of the English language and my own native language. I've been able to enjoy the subtlety of the word choices and the use of different patterns more than before. The more I teach, the more I realize I need to learn. I'm the one who ends up benefitting most from this course.
1/07/2012
Family Day
As a busy career woman, I've tried to find a balance between work and family time. My husband is a person who highly values free time. He thinks we should do something entertaining in our free time, but the problem is that I don't have too much free time because I'm busy Monday through Friday. The only free time I have is Saturday and Sunday, so we both agree to have Saturday as our Family Day--the day for both of us only. Normally, on this day we go to the movies followed by a meal. Or we eat out first and then go to the movies. If there's no good movie, we'll just have an afternoon tea together. It all depends on how we feel or what movies are available. I enjoy doing all the activities mentioned above because doing those things can help me get away from my job. I enjoy my work so much that I even regard doing my job duties as my entertainment. For example, I love to work on handouts. Whenever I have some good ideas, I would go to my laptop immediately to type them up. Then I end up sitting in front of my desk in my free time. However, on Family Day I restrain myself from turning on my computer. Without computer, my life seems simpler because the day without computer seems longer. I can do many things such as reading, chatting, and listening to music with my husband. Thanks to this family day, I can have a quality life because I can work hard for 5 days and play hard for one day. How about Sunday? It's Sabbath! The time for me to worship God and rest!
Three Questions
Have you ever been praised by others? What praises did they give you?
Having been a teacher for more than 27 years, I talk and act like a teacher even when I interact with others. I don't like that at all, but I don't know how to change the way I look, talk and act. Every time when I chat with sales employees while trying something on, they would ask me "Are you a teacher?" Feeling disappointed, I nodded my head and then asked them why. The answer is always "You look and talk like a teacher." However, the second question-- "Are you a Christian?" can always make me happy. Surprised at such a question, I would ask why. Then people say I look like a Christian. Wow! What a compliment! As for the third question, I have to say it's quite rare because only one person asked me this question--"Do you have a daughter?" I met this guy's wife in the cafe Dante on campus. We have a habit of having our breakfast in Dante. At first, we just smiled at each other. After seeing her several times, I decided to chat with her. That was how we became acquaintances. Her husband is a businessman working in China, so once in a while I could see him in Dante.T One day he invited me to sit at the same table, and it was only the second time I saw him. After chatting for about 20 minutes, he asked me, "Do you have a daughter?" Wondering why he asked me such a blunt question, I replied, "No, I don't have children." Then the guy said, "What a pity! If you had a daughter, I would want my son to marry your daughter. You sound like a good person, so I believe if you had a daughter, your daughter would be a good girl, too." This is the best compliment I've ever heard.
Having been a teacher for more than 27 years, I talk and act like a teacher even when I interact with others. I don't like that at all, but I don't know how to change the way I look, talk and act. Every time when I chat with sales employees while trying something on, they would ask me "Are you a teacher?" Feeling disappointed, I nodded my head and then asked them why. The answer is always "You look and talk like a teacher." However, the second question-- "Are you a Christian?" can always make me happy. Surprised at such a question, I would ask why. Then people say I look like a Christian. Wow! What a compliment! As for the third question, I have to say it's quite rare because only one person asked me this question--"Do you have a daughter?" I met this guy's wife in the cafe Dante on campus. We have a habit of having our breakfast in Dante. At first, we just smiled at each other. After seeing her several times, I decided to chat with her. That was how we became acquaintances. Her husband is a businessman working in China, so once in a while I could see him in Dante.T One day he invited me to sit at the same table, and it was only the second time I saw him. After chatting for about 20 minutes, he asked me, "Do you have a daughter?" Wondering why he asked me such a blunt question, I replied, "No, I don't have children." Then the guy said, "What a pity! If you had a daughter, I would want my son to marry your daughter. You sound like a good person, so I believe if you had a daughter, your daughter would be a good girl, too." This is the best compliment I've ever heard.
New Year's Resolutions
It's hard to believe I haven't blogged for a week. In other words, this post is the first one for Year 2012. Being swamped with grading students' final papers, I postponed my daily blogging until today--Jan. 7. Well, it's never too late to start something we have always wanted to do, right?
I was too busy to think of New Year's Resolutions until today, so I'd like to write about a couple of them. First, I hope I can continue to blog every day. Daily blogging is a blessing from God because it takes time and mood to do so. If I can blog every day it means that I have both time and mood. For example, I had more free time last month, so I could post 24 articles in December. The first two weeks of this month is the last two weeks of the fall semester. I've been so swamped with all the job duties that I posted my first article today. I've been in good mood but haven't had free time for blogging. In a couple of months, I'll have my yearly depression. It'll last half a year. I'm afraid I'll be too depressed to blog. That's why I said being able to blog daily is a blessing from God. I pray that I can write even when I'm depressed. Second, I hope I can finish reading the Bible, both the Old Testament and the New Testament. Having been a Christian since 1991, I haven't finished reading the whole Bible even once. It's not because I don't like to read the Bible but because I prefer the New Testament to the Old Testament. I've read my favorite books such as Romans, Corinthians, Philippians, and James numerous times, but when I tried to read through the Old Testament, I would always skip Numbers and Deuteronomy. I pray that God can strengthen me and help me finish reading the Old Testament.
These two resolutions may not sound ambitious to others, but they mean a lot to me. Hope I can post my reflections on the Bible at least once a week. I hope that I can have these two goals fulfilled by the end of Year 2012!
I was too busy to think of New Year's Resolutions until today, so I'd like to write about a couple of them. First, I hope I can continue to blog every day. Daily blogging is a blessing from God because it takes time and mood to do so. If I can blog every day it means that I have both time and mood. For example, I had more free time last month, so I could post 24 articles in December. The first two weeks of this month is the last two weeks of the fall semester. I've been so swamped with all the job duties that I posted my first article today. I've been in good mood but haven't had free time for blogging. In a couple of months, I'll have my yearly depression. It'll last half a year. I'm afraid I'll be too depressed to blog. That's why I said being able to blog daily is a blessing from God. I pray that I can write even when I'm depressed. Second, I hope I can finish reading the Bible, both the Old Testament and the New Testament. Having been a Christian since 1991, I haven't finished reading the whole Bible even once. It's not because I don't like to read the Bible but because I prefer the New Testament to the Old Testament. I've read my favorite books such as Romans, Corinthians, Philippians, and James numerous times, but when I tried to read through the Old Testament, I would always skip Numbers and Deuteronomy. I pray that God can strengthen me and help me finish reading the Old Testament.
These two resolutions may not sound ambitious to others, but they mean a lot to me. Hope I can post my reflections on the Bible at least once a week. I hope that I can have these two goals fulfilled by the end of Year 2012!
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