Romio and Juliet Play Reflection

I felt that I have done a terrible job on the Romio and Juliet's play. Firstable, I didn't have any discussions with Tim about the play. We don't have any props or specialities. Secondable, I only memorized half of my lines, and they were not memorized well by the way. Even though it was true that I have screwed my play up, I have a reason for it; I was sick before the day the project was turned in. I know I could have started this project earlier, but it just that I just love to procrastinate. I know that is very bad, and that is why next time I will memorize the exact date that assignments are turned, and do them on time. Well, at least memorize the lines well. Another thing I can improve is on my voice. My speaking was very dead and boring in the play. It just didn't feel like you are talking things about love. These are all the improvements that I can make. P.S: Sorry for turning this blog post late.

Movie Cyclops and book cyclops

There are many differences between the movie and the actual book story, and that includes the odyssey. The first difference is that the story is much longer than the movie. Odyssesius stay 2 days in the Cyclops cave, but in the movie they only stay there for about 10 minutes. Another difference is that six people are eaten by the cyclops in the book. However, only two people are eaten in the movie. Also, there was nothing about flute or any instruments in the book. However, there was music performed when the cyclop drank the wine. In the book, the spear that they use to blind the cyclops was lighted with fire. In the movie, no fire at all. When the people ran outside, all of them are supposed to hide under the ram without being detected by the cyclops. However, they didn't hide under the ram, one person was eaten, and the cyclops chased them until he reaches the shore, which is completelly different than the book.

What makes a Hero?

I don't think it is hard to become a hero. The common point about being a hero is that they all help people without asking any pay back from them. That means as long as you volunteer yourself for community service or whatever work, I think you can be considered as hero. The fictional heros I can think of are bat man, iron man, super man, spider man, and kick-ass. I don't see many heros in real life now, but I think some of the U.S presidents could be considered as hero, such as Abraham Lincoln and George Washington. I don't think it is necessary for heros to have super powers or agile body. A hero just needs to be unselfish and brave. Like Abraham Lincoln, he wasn't selfish, and he was brave enough to speak for the slaves. I don't really know about heros from various cultures, but I guess a particular American culture will be a guy with a cloak.

decieving place

 A lot of places were being decorated into different appearances during war time. This is the example I've heard in Mr.Wahlgren's history class. After Pearl Harbor, the United States government was afraided that the Japanese air force would bomb the American mainland just like what they did in Hawaii. Because of that, they had covered up all the air planes, factories, or any other military bases with canvas. If the Japanese were trying to bomb the factories or airplanes on the American mainland, they would just see empty land, and they wouldn't be able to find the targets. Even though Japan never got any chance to invade United States, I guessed the American government was pretty smart to use this kind of tactics to trick the Japanese.

Appearance can be decieving

People judge people by their appearance a lot, which really pisses me many times. A lot of times during PE class, some people automatically thinks that I suck at sports. Most of them think me that way because I don't look like an outgoing person or I look like a nerd. However, the truth was that I am not a nerd, and I am not bad at sports. This is why I hate PE class ( I like to exercise, but not having class with certain people). A lot of times people can be decieved by the appearance. One example will be a wallet I bought from MRT. It looks very nice, but the zipper was broken after I use it for about three days. I was so frustrated by that. I think people got misled by appearance because humans don't tend to understand things in details. When they see something that seems good, they will think that thing is good even though they don't know much about it. People can overcome this bad habit by being more cautious and curious towards things they see.

Important Events

There were many important events occured in my life. The first event will be the death of my two grand mother. They both died last year in 2011 when I was an 8th grade. I remember that day was a Saturday, and our whole family were having a dinner meeting. Suddenly, my nephew called my aunt that my gandma was dying. We all felt shocked, and the atmosphere suddenly turned from cheerful to a gloomy upset mood. I and my sister went back home first. My dad and my mom followed my aunt and uncle to Taipai. Next morning when we woke up, mom and dad told us that our grandma was died last night. The next event that I would never forget was the first MUN conference I attended. It was in Hsinchu, and that was how I learned all the complex procedures for the debate. After my HSIMUN, I noticed that the steps weren't really complex. The last event would be the first day I got my pets. I remembered they were so small and quiet, and now they are big and annoying.

Favorite Food

My favorite food is of course ice cream. I eat ice cream all the time, no matter what season it is. I love it, because it feels cool and crispy when your tongue touch the cold surface. Also, the butter in the ice cream is very sweet. Almost every time I finish my dinner in MRT, I will go to Mac Donald, and bought one egg roll ince cream. It just tastes incredibaly delicious. However, even though I like all kinds of ice cream, my favorite is venilla with Oreal chocolate. I love how the crispy cookies mix with the cold surface of ice cream. I don't really have a specific memory about eating ice cream. I remember every time I ate ice cream, I felt very cheerful. Usually, I will have the desire to buy one more, but I will soon notice that I am full already.

Billy Collin Poem Reflection

My favorite poem from Billy Collin is the dead. It says that the deads are always watching us from the heaven. They watch us when we get up from bed, make a sandwich, or doing whatever business. When we lie down, and face to the sky. They will think that we are looking back at them. When we close our eyes during night time, they close their eyes too. I think this is pretty interesting, it talks about how the dead watches us. It have some rthymes, and there are many imagerys in this poem. Because of these poetic elements, this poem is very discriptive and vivid. The animation of this poem is very entertaining to watch.

Narrative Poem Research

The narrative poem I pick for this blog entry is called "The Statue" by  Henry Abbey. This poem is very confusing for me. Even though this isn't a very long poem (it only has about 7 stanzas), I don't think I understand what this poem is talking about. I think this poem is pretty much talking about a statue in Greece, and people feel and how this may change their life. There are some rhymes in this poem, such as near and appear, stand and land, and also haste and taste. The style in this poem is graceful and kind of divine. It creates a pretty good imagery. I can imagine a person carving statue, and thinking about the divine name that he can recieve from his statue. Also, we can know the size and appearance of the statue, from the descriptions about the proportion and the facial expression.

Here is the poem:

All bold, great actions that are seen too near,
Look rash and foolish to unthinking eyes;
But at a distance they at once appear
In their true grandeur: so let us be wise,
And not too soon our neighbor's deed malign,
Lest what seems crude should prove to be divine.

In Athens, when all learning center'd there,
Men reared a column of surpassing height
In honor of Minerva, wise and fair;
And on the top, which dwindled to the sight,
A statue of the goddess was to stand,
That wisdom might be known to all the land.

And he who, with the beauty in his heart,
Seeking in faultless work immortal youth,
Would mold this statue with the finest art,
Making the wintry marble glow with truth,
Should gain the prize: two sculptors sought the fame--
The prize they craved was an enduring name.

Alcamenes soon carved his little best;
But Phidias, beneath a dazzling thought
That like a bright sun in a cloudless west
Lighted his wide, great soul, with pure love wrought
A statue, and its changeless face of stone
With calm, far-sighted wisdom towered and shone.

Then to be judged the labors were unveiled;
But, at the marble thought, that by degrees
Of hardship Phidias cut, the people railed.
"The lines are coarse, the form too large," said these;
"And he who sends this rough result of haste
Sends scorn, and offers insult to our taste."

Alcamenes' praised work was lifted high
Upon the column, ready for the prize;
But it appeared too small against the sky,
And lacked proportion to uplooking eyes;
So it was quickly lowered and put aside,
And the scorned thought was mounted to be tried.

Surprise swept o'er the faces of the crowd,
And changed them as a sudden breeze may change
A field of fickle grass, and long and loud
The mingled shouts to see a sight so strange.
The statue stood completed in its place,
Each coarse line melted to a line of grace.

Metaphor for Life

Life is playing big two. The person gets different characteristics and luck, cause they all get different cards. People who have more Ace or 2 will be just like the people who are born smart or born in higher social classes. Some people who are not born smart or wealthy are like the people who get only mostly 5, 6, or 7. However, just because you have more 2 and Ace doesn't mean you will win the game. You need to have the right combinations. There are choices between making pairs, sequence, or single card, ex. This is just like the real life. You make different choices, and the choices you make are the real thing that decide your life. For example: a person with 3 Ace and two king can't beat a person with four 3 and a 4. 

The Seven Stages

For me, the first stage of a person's life will be birth. Birth is the most important, because without birth, you won't have your life. The second stage will be a stage of little kids, probably elementry level. During this period, the children are still veru dependent on their parents. The third stage will be the teenage stage, which will be the stage when the person's body and thoughts start changing dramatically from child to adults. The fourth stage is called the adult age, when is the time when teenager completely transform into adults, and has the ability to work or his or her own child. The fifth stage is called the middle ages. That is when people reach the ages about 40 or 50. In this period, their children usually reach teenage period. The people in this period are usually smart enough to know about this whole society. The sixth stage is called the Old Times. In this period, people get old, and their body start to function disorderly, and they usually retire from their job. The final stage is called Death shall come. The old people know that they are going to die, and are willing to accept their fate. They lie on their bed, and wait for death to come to them.

Disrespect

Yes, I do believe that I've been disrespected many times in my life time by many people, such as teachers, classmates, and some other people. Mabye those people did not think that it was disrespectful or they just simply didn't notice, I did feel severely disrespected many times before. Many of my classmates used ball to hit me during PE classes, and teased me for some of my actions. Some female students said that I am very dirty and stinky (even though I take shower every single days, and my clothes are well washed). Some teachers humuliated by saying something that I really felt insulted. Some people just simply ignored what I just said, and carried on his own topic. I may be too sensitive, and the people may be just joking around, but some of the deeds I felt extremelly insulting. For example: Hitting people's testicles using volleyball and not giving any apology or saying that I never took any shower. I felt very sad and hateful when they did all these deeds or said or these words, I wanted to punch them or insult back. Well, I felt ok now, since these are the past events already. I think people enjoy teasing me or making fun of me, because I don't know how to strikes back except for using fists or legs. That is why I fought a lot when I was elementry school. Since I can't use voilence anymore cause I grow up, I just simply stay silent when I feel disrespected. People should always think twice before they do something, cause that deed may demage other person's life.

A Blessing in literal meaning

The narrator and his drive on the highway to Rochester, Minnesota. It is almost dark, and and they see two ponies coming towards them friendly. The narrator and his companion then decide to stop the car, and just kind of play with the ponies. They steped over the barbed wire into the pasture, where the ponies eat their grasses alone. The ponies are very happy that they shake intensively, and they bow to the humans. The ponies start to eat the grass which just grow during spring time. Then the slenderer pony walk towards the narrator, and kind of nuzzle his left hand. That pony is black and white. Her hair falls on her forehead, and the narrator kind of take care the horse's ear, and he feel that her skin is delicate as a woman's wrist. He sudden realize that he will break or explode if he step out.

Turning Point

The choice I made that changed my life was when I decided to try my best to speak english. When I was sixth grade, I wasn't a hard-working student. In fact, I was a very lazy, stupid, and a person with many bad habits (still a lot but less). I didn't spend a lot of time on my homework, and every time when there was a final or test, I was just being careless and reckless. Also, I merely spoke any english when I came to school. My english was absolutely terrible at that time. I think I was like that because of Perry and Eddy. At that time, they were the only people that treated me nice, and I didn't really have other friends. At that time, we were still pretty childish, so I think we didn't understand the importance of speaking english, so we just continous to speak Chinese. Later on, I realized that not only I had a slow progress on English, Eddy and Perry didn't really treat me as a friend. At last, I decided that I would study very hard, and pissed all the other students who made me felt sad and depressed. Well, that was probably one of the reason that I paid more attention to school work than most of the students in our grade. My grades turn out to be much better compare to when I was sixth grade, and I actually made more friends by improving my english. If I didn't decide to study very hard, I would probably still be a loner with not much knowledge in my brain.

Selfless Sacrifice

I had to make a lot of choices like that in my time, but I never remember the details. I don't really remember of making really hard choice in my life. (I should have faced a lot of those before, but not actually remembered them). I think the choices you pick between for yourself or someone you cared about shows what kind of person are you. That is what the writer of "The lady of the tiger" wanted to express, he wanted us to question us to answer the question ourselves to show kind of person you are. If you pick the things good for the other person, it shows that you care about the other's feeling, and is willing to sacrafices. If you pick the thing that is good for you, it shows that you are a selfish person that you think for yourself first. Even it sounds bad and mean when you pick the thing that is good rather than helping the other person, sometimes it is necessary. Most of the successful peope in the real world are selfish. Because they are selfish, they make tons of money, and the ones who have sympathy on others may easy to get tricked. The world we live in isn't fairy tale. Sometimes we just need to think for ourselves first, that's how you survive. You probably can become selfless when you are like Bill Gates or Steve Jobs.

Movie Comparison

I think the cartoon version is funnier than the movie one. Since kids are the ones watch cartoon the most. In the cartoon, all the charaters are more relaxable and funny than the movie version. Even though the stories are the same, the kind of mood that they give the audience is different. The apparition in the cartoon ones don't look not too scary and creepy. However, the ones in the movie look like they can actually kill you, and take you to hell. Also, cartoon is sort of exaggerated the story. In the beginning of the story in the movie, Scrooge showed deep sorrow and sympathy towards his old friend Marley. In the cartoon version, he doesn't seems too sad and depressed, and he took the coin on Marley's eyes, which is kind of too disrespectful. I think the cartoon had exaggerated about Scrooge's selfishness.

History of Education System

Since Britain was the first country started to industrialize, we will use England as the instance for the education system. During the 18th and mid-19 century, the education of Britain was uncomplusary, and it costed money for education. In 1880, there was the elementary education act, which was the act that required kids have education from 5 years old to age of 10. I think this is for helping the children to have the basic of living in this society. Later, it raised to 11 and 13 years old. During the 20th century, the age for required education continue to rise. In 1964, the government decided to raise the compulsary education act up to 16 years old. I think the government wants all the students to have education, because the students have the equal rights to get a job, and being a successful person. The act of complusary education is to help students to have a better life.

Cherished item

I will get my wallet  when I face an unexpected earthquake, flood, or fire. My wallet is pure black, and it is able to fill in many cards, cash, and coins inside. Inside my wallet, there are health insurance card, an high speed rail ticket that I used during Christmas vacation to get to Taipai, my yo-yo card, and some cashes and coins. I consider that as my second most important item, because without money, it is very hard for you to survive. Money can get you shelter, food, water, and all the supplies that you need. Also, I need my health insurance card. In case that I get sicked, I need that to help me see the doctor. It isn't cheap to form a new health insurance card. Without that, I won't have any idea after my house is burned down or fill with water.

Which Ghost Affected Scrooge the Most?

I think the furture ghost has changed Scrooge's attitude towards Christmas the most. After seeing his lonely, miserable death, he must have realize how important it is to help other people who really needs help and being generous and kind. I can see that Scrooge change the most after meeting the furture spirit, because he was very shocked and showing a lot of repentance. He really wants someone to feel sad and showing sympathy to his death. He doesn't want to get forgetten by the people. That is why he changes his attitude right after watching his furture. If I were Scrooge, and I see my furture like that, I will definitely change my temper and opinion on Christmas. I will become very kind and generous to others just like what Scrooge does.

The Victorian Workhouse

During the Victorian period, there were many poor or homeless people. A lot of them were later sent to workhouses. Even though workhouse does provide people a place for them to stay and have food, the condition of life was extremelly bored and harsh. When they first enter the workhouse, every person's hair will be seperated. Male and female would be seperated in the workhouses, including children and adults (children under two years old are allowed to stay with their mother). The schedule for the inmate in workhouse is rise, breakfast, work, lunch, work, supper, and bed time. By the way, they need to wake up at 6:00 am every day, except during winter time they can wake up at 7:00. Children are able to have education, but only learn the basic abilities, such as reading, writing, and caculating simple math. The food over there will be based on neutrition caculated by neutrists. The life over there was pretty similar to prison. Boring, harsh, and again very boring...I think Scrooge doesn't know about the condition of living in workhouse.

Theme of Liberty and Exile

The story "Liberty" and the poem "Exile" were both written by Julia Alvarze. The theme of these two is incredibally similar and almost exactly the same. Even the story lines are talking about the same event. Both of them are talking about running away from the Dominican Republic when she was still a child. Despite that the two works are almost the same and they have similar themes, the theme of "Liberty" is "People are desperate to live in a free world". However, the theme of "Exile" is "Freedom is valuable". Both of them are talking about freedom, but the events and the conflicts are sort of different. For example: In "Liberty", there was this dog name "Liberty", and it doesn't talk about the life in U.S. like what she did in "Exile".