Journal 05 ( Apr 5 ~ 11 )

I have read many books that teach me how to learn English well. Most of the authors share their “positive” experiences with readers. It seems that their ideas or their learning modes are perfect, but actually, putting those successful learning approaches into practice is not an easy job.

A book, written by an outstanding female supervisor, arises my curiosity and interest. When I read this book, I find that the way the author share her experience of learning English is surprisingly intriguing. Straightforward writing style and hilarious illustrations make her book captivating.

Perhaps, I tend to learn in the way that I learned when I was a high school student. Therefore, I virtually forget two key points: “passion of learning” and “learning in the simplest way”.

1. Passion of learning

The author of this book became passionate about English after she attended the university. She has full passion and she knows how to learn in an effective and efficient way. For instance, in English conversation class, she sharpened her oral skills by imitating and memorizing each sentence that the teacher said. (Remarkably similar to “parrot”~) In a nutshell, she is always well-prepared and full of passion.

2. Learning in the simplest way

Well goes a saying, “Many a little makes a mickle.” (Many small amounts accumulate to make a large amount.) If you really want to enhance your English proficiency, you should not be too eager to “swallow” extensive vocabulary, grammar or other English information in a short period of time. Sometimes, memorizing new words, correct usage and great essays on a regular basis always work. If you do not make it a rule to learn regularly, you will be lazy and then give up soon.

Before I read this book, I assumed that the more precise the content of a book is, the more useful it is. In truth, without perseverance and full patience, it is hard for common learners to acquire all the information from a thick, but not necessarily efficient book. The author suggests that we can choose the thinnest book when we learn English grammar since the thickest book does not equal the best reference.

After reading this book, I learn a lot from this book and “meet” a friend. The author is like a friend who loves English and is willing to share her successful experience selflessly with me. Thanks for her sharing.

Journal 04 ( Mar 29 ~ Apr 4 )

The topics of the lectures that I attended in recent weeks included “Language Learning”, “Novel and Cuisine” (Mar 23), and “The Combination of Poems and Songs” (Mar 24), etc. This Thursday (Apr 1), Yu Huei Liao, a renowned Taiwanese writer and professor, came to deliver a speech in the performance hall in Chung Chang University.

Professor Liao shared with the audience abundant stories in a humorous manner. I admired her well-developed speaking skills and her unique humor. When she mentioned a story, she emphasized some parts exaggeratedly, which made the audience hold their sides with laughter. However, she told one of the stories in a warm and soft tone, which moved the audience to tears.

During the lecture, I learned that the best material of writing can be collected easily in one’s life anytime and anywhere. She strongly encouraged us to write down our true feelings since she knew that students tend to make up stories when they are writing. In addition, I was impressed by the stories she recited to us. She told us that change of color, object and weather and so on in a story would imply some special or implicit meanings. And those elements of writing let readers think and feel. She said that these essential elements of writing are “the essence of literature”. Therefore, if a story is written without these elements of writing, that story will be classified as “a story” instead of “a literary work”.

My afterthought: I do not have a habit of recording daily events regularly since I usually take daily events for granted. Actually, “feeling” of those events is the most important and valuable element of writing. Also, I think I should not put great pressure on myself when I am writing. Instead, I am supposed to enjoy the moment I record my colorful life. In this way, I can express my feeling better and better my seemingly monotonous life. Let’s enjoy writing! ：）

Journal 03 ( Mar 22 ~ 28 )

I am a movie lover. When I was a senior high school student, I joined the “Movie appreciation club”. In addition, I took a course, “Movie appreciation and review” during the second year of my senior high school life. The latter is more challenging than the former. I learn to think deeply and try to express my afterthought and review about movies in class. That is a great way to learn from movies and develop my critical thinking of movies.

Even though I have seen various movies since then, it’s a pity that I never attend any film festival. Taipei Film Festival, for example, takes place every year, but I never attend that grand film festival. However, to my utter astonishment, Zijing Film Festival is held in Chung Cheng University. Except seeing movies, the main purpose of this film festival is to give “love and help” to people in need. This is quite different from other film festivals.

During this film festival, I saw five movies.

1. EX (舊愛喜歡你) ★★★★ 2010.3.18
This movie mainly talks about six couples’ love stories. They have complicated feelings and react differently when they encounter their ex-lovers. Besides, many hilarious elements are included in the movie. In a word, this is a warm but amusing comedy.

2. Mia and the Migou (米芽米咕人) ★★★★ 2010.3.21
An adventure of Mother Nature happens in this fairy tale. But the moral of this movie is to remind people of the importance of environmental protection.

I love the brand-new drawing style, the marvelous plot and the way this movie presents. The director let people be aware of a serious issue--protection of the earth by this intriguing story. That is a brilliant idea!

3. HACHI (忠犬小八) ★★★★★ 2010.3.21
This movie is based on a true story. Hachi is a Japanese Hakita dog, which is found by a professor at a train station. Every day, at a certain moment, Hachi goes to the train station and awaits its owner. Unfortunately, one day its owner passed away. Hachi is loyal and it still waits for its owner as usual on a daily basis until it died.

I was moved to tears when I watched this movie. I admire Hachi’s loyalty and the attitude towards responsibility. Hachi is so fabulous!

4. School Days with a Pig (和豬豬一起上課的日子) ★★★★★ 2010.3.22
A teacher in elementary school wants to teach students an important issue “Life” (the ability to breathe, grow, reproduce, etc. which people, animals and plants have before they die) by keeping a pig. Initially, his plan is that his students eat the pig after the pig grows up. However, his students establish friendly relationship with the pig soon and they are caught in a dilemma: eat the pig or not.

The pig in this movie is so lovely, which is beyond my imagination. Actually, “Life” is very hard to teach, define and understand. I think this movie is really thought-provoking.

5. Bangkok Traffic Love Story (我愛捷運男) ★★★★★ 2010.3.26
This is a Thai romance. A normal girl encounters an attractive young man. Some exhilarating things happen when they are dating. This movie successfully combines special transportation in Bangkok with a unique Thai funny expression. In this way, the audience can have a brief understanding of Thai culture and enjoy this love story.


Thanks to Zijing Film Festival, I have an opportunity to see several movies from different countries. Also, the purpose of “philanthropy” is positive. All in all, this is a film festival full of love and care.

Journal 02 ( Mar 15 ~ 21 )

What occurs to you when it comes to a common color “green”? Plants, frogs, or even environmental protection could be direct or indirect association with “green”. But have you heard about “Saint Patrick's Day”? “Saint Patrick's Day”, held on 17 March, is an important Irish festival. People usually wear shamrocks or clothes with shamrock-inspired designs in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. Annual parades take place in some countries, like the U.S., England, Australia, etc.

On 17 March, 2010, my classmates Jane, Jean, Tina and I went to attend the activity about St. Patrick’s Day, which was hosted by one of professors in our department. Aside from understanding the introduction to this festival, we also tried on hilarious hats and took some photographs. That was really intriguing!

By the way, before I attended the activity, my understanding of Irish culture was merely its world-famous tap dance “Feet of Flames”. The dance and the background music of “Feet of Flames” are both impressive and unique. Every time I watch the videos regarding Irish tap dance, I enjoy the atmosphere and appreciate this one-of-a-kind music style.

Back to St. Patrick’s Day, I am fully interested in the symbol of this festival “shamrock”, so I search for more information about it. To my surprise, “shamrock” is the emblem of Ireland. Shamrocks occasionally have leaves with four leaflets rather than the usual three. These four-leaf shamrocks are considered “lucky”.

Last week, I was in search of my “missing piece”. Perhaps, it is time for me to look for “four-leaf shamrocks”. If I find a four-leaf shamrock, I hope I can explore various new things (books, movies, extracurricular activities, etc.) in this brand-new semester. If not, that’s okay; I will do my best to make me a lucky girl. ：）


Wish people around me good luck!


Happy Saint Patrick’s Day.



Here is a great video about history of St. Patrick’s Day.
http://www.history.com/topics/st-patricks-day/videos#history-of-st-patricks-day

This is a cartoon about St. Patrick’s Day. Enjoy it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TCB5QhHVJA&feature=fvst

Shamrock
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shamrock

Journal 01 ( Mar 8 ~ 14 )

To prepare for “Storytelling contest” (English listening and speaking), I read some children’s storybooks and chose the most inspiring one. I love “The Missing Piece” most. This story is written by Shel Silverstein.

“The Missing Piece” mainly talks about “imperfection” and “perfection”. An incomplete “O” was in search of its missing piece. During the process, it could stop to talk to a worm or smell a flower because it rolled slowly. In fact, that was the best time of all. Then, it encountered many difficulties and found the pieces that were not suitable for it. Finally, it became a perfect “O”, but it did not feel happier. The reason was that it lost opportunities of appreciating wonderful things around itself after it became perfect. It decided to set down the piece and learned to enjoy its “imperfect” life.

I have further thoughts after I read this seemingly simple but thought-provoking story. People tend to pursue what they lack and try hard to be perfect. Actually, I am no exception. I always think that I should be more positive and diligent. Sometimes, I am delighted when I achieve my goal. But I think that is temporary success, and I start to search for my missing piece again. Just like the story, I lose many chances to take a look at notable things and seldom enjoy the simplicity of life.

This story reminds me that “Always pursuing perfection is not the best choice in one’s life.” Why do I say so? I think “incompleteness” is the power for me to learn and live. If I am too complete or perfect, I would not know what to do next and lead an aimless life. Therefore, I am fortunate that I am imperfect, and I have opportunities to love, to appreciate and to cherish what I have already had. After all, “Happiness lies in contentment.”



Thought-provoking sayings:

“Discontent is the first step in progress.”
“Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you may look back and realize they were big things.”


Extra information:

1.“The Missing Piece”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=744JBwjrlKk&feature=related

2.“The Missing Piece Meets the Big O”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCmZ2jrQooE&feature=related

3. More information about Shel Silverstein
http://www.shelsilverstein.com/indexSite.html

Weekly Task 14 - Happy Ending

Ｑ１：How do you like the weekly writing prompts? Are they interesting or boring? Inspirational or weird? Are they related to your life? Can you suggest anything better and give some examples?

　　1) 　I enjoy this blogging activity. This project is generally “free” ( we students have to check the newest task and finish it on time instead of passive learning ), but actually, the teacher offers us an opportunity to learn various things by writing blogs and also makes us self-disciplined.

　　2) 　The designed tasks are interesting, inspirational and thought-provoking. Most of the weekly tasks are related to students; thus, I think the assigned topics make it easier for students to reflect on their thoughts. For me, those questions exercise my brain and gradually enhance my critical thinking. Although some tasks are challenging, like “strawberry generation” and “self evaluation”, I try hard to think deeply and write down meaningful reflections as possible as I can.

　　3) 　The design of two to four questions every week is appropriate. Additionally, I suggest that diversifying the subjects could be better. For instance, an international important event, a renowned figure, a new invention, a musician, an artist, etc could be subjects of tasks.


Ｑ２：Do you like the two-way online discussion with your key pal? Or do you think we should have more people (like 3~4 students) form a group blog to exchange ideas? Why or why not?

　　　One of the advantages of the two-way online discussion is that it is easier for one to contact the other and remind him or her of carrying out the tasks. On the other hand, if one always discuss with his or her partner, it would be difficult for students to see one thing from different perspectives. From my standpoint, I think a group should at most include 3 students. Too much people in a group would reduce efficiency. However, students can make a comment on any blog at will to interact with others. That is also a way to learn.


Ｑ３：Have you encountered any difficulties during the semester when using blogs to discuss with your key pal, e.g., computer problems or anything?

　　　Generally speaking, I think interacting with my key pal seldom troubles me because she tells me why she responds to me late and later, she posts her comments as soon as possible. Sometimes, we chat online, and thus we become familiar with each other. I believe that the friendship between my key pal and me will become increasingly stable.


Ｑ４：How do you like the project website? Are they friendly enough? Have we left out any important content? How do you like the layout/design?

　　　The design of the project website is creative and user-friendly. So far, I find that content is abundant and nothing is left out. Moreover, I prefer stylish and well-designed things, like the arrangement of the project website, which attracts my attention. Marvelous!


Ｑ５：What have you gained from this blog activity?
　　　
　　　I see and reflect on various topics that I have never noticed or paid attention to.

　　　In fact, I benefits considerably from this blog activity:

(1) I learn to be studious, punctual and self-disciplined.

(2) I learn to understand my key pal as well as my classmates’ opinions and thoughts on the blogs.

(3) I learn numerous new words and usage after reading others’ compositions and comments.

(4) I learn how to interact with my key pal online, maintain our friendship,and learn many from her responses and her great insight.

(5) I learn to cultivate a positive attitude toward learning English and become more confident instead of always being afraid of writing English essays.


Ｑ６：If you had an opportunity to start over, would you have done anything differently? If so, how?

　　　First, I hope I could change my learning mode into English mode as possible as I can. Furthermore, I want to apply some writing approaches or principles (e.g. point-by point method & five-paragraph essay) to my compositions to make them well-organized and easily understood.
　　　
　　　If I had an opportunity to start over, I would spend more time on word choice, grammar and originality. Also, I have to think quickly and express my ideas clearly and precisely when writing English compositions. All in all, I think my works left much to be desired and I am always willing to improve my English proficiency.　　

　　　Last but not least, I would like to express my gratitude to my tutor and my key pal. The tutor creates a wonderful space for us to learn English by exchanging our ideas and reflections. Besides, both this long-term blogging activity and the mode of peer learning are innovative. In conclusion, I really enjoy this writing project!

Weekly Task 13 - Reflection

1. Please offer your suggestions as how we can grade your performance better.　

My suggestions:

1) Turning in the assignments on time: assessing whether one is self-disciplined and responsible.

2) Interacting with the key pal: assessing the process of sharing different opinions and perspectives with each other.

3) Whether the contents are to the point or connect to weekly topics: to make sure that students meet the teacher’s expectations—Quality is better than quantity.

4) The accuracy of word choice and English grammar: to have a good command of English is an important requirement for students who major in English.


2. Based on the criteria you suggested in Q1, please give a score to yourself and explain how you’ve earned it.

According to the criteria I suggested above, I give myself 8 points.

1) I make it a rule to finish the assignments and turn in them on time every week.

2) My key pal and I have a nice interaction, but sometimes we reply to each other late. I think we have already noticed this problem and we are willing to improve it.

3) In general, my composition and key pal’s responses connect to weekly topics.

Sometimes, we have deeper insight and discuss some interesting things. I love to read and express different opinions on the blog with my key pal.

4) In terms of word choice and grammar, when I am confused about some words or phrases, I immediately look them up in dictionaries to learn or review the usage. Even so, there are still many problems in my compositions. Hope teachers can point out my downside and I will rethink and revise my compositions. Thank you!


3. Based on the criteria you suggested in Q1, please give a score to your partner and explain how she has earned it.

According to the criteria I suggested above, I give my key pal 8 points.

She often replies to my articles in a short time. Moreover, she reads my articles and topics carefully; thus, her comments usually connect to the subjects. After reading her comments, I find some unfamiliar terms and I also see different perspectives. For me, this is a good way of learning. Great! ：）