Journal 06 ( Apr 26 ~ May 2 )

An extensive area of paddy field and pleasant climate refreshed my mind in the beginning of the trip. After passing some stations, the station crowded with people – Tainan, is the destination of this one-day cultural trip.

National Museum of Taiwan Literature
The combination of brick red and white correspond to the historical value of this museum. Gorgeous appearance, unique interior design and abundant exhibitions make the museum a hot tourist attraction.

To appreciate Taiwan literature, visitors can do it by seeing, listening and even “playing”. For instance, when I touched a certain part of the poem of buffalo, the buffalo, which is composed of words, would move. What an intriguing design!

When it comes to the development of Taiwanese culture, old TV, turntable, and so on cannot be ignored since they are symbols of an era. However, something has existed for several years… Are you familiar with this special shape?


This is a game that I usually played in my childhood.
I like this lovely design.
It adds different Taiwanese nursery rhymes to each square. Ha~ it’s so cute!











Another interesting exploration is The Exhibition of Taiwan & Japan Exlibris.
Exlibrics [Latin word] is a label identifying the owner of a book in which it is pasted.
I found those exlibris creative and they are full of artistic value.
Then, after seeing a video teaching people how to make exlibrics,
I got a chance to make a simple one. See! This is my exlibrics ↓



If I have spare time and useful tools, I hope I can make an elaborate exlibris and pasted it in my favorite book. ：）







I also visited other ancient architectures with Tina, Joyce and our private tour guide, Sandy.
We spent an agreeable day together. I considerably appreciate this ancient cultural city.
Finally, I hope I can visit other must-see scenic spots in Tainan and taste local delicacies next time.


More information:

The poem of buffalo
→ Click different parts of the buffalo,
something interesting will happen~
http://dig.nmtl.gov.tw/literature/02land/land_01.php

National Museum of Taiwan Literature
http://dig.nmtl.gov.tw/literature/index.php

A report of Exlibris
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6XUQCmn1HA

The Image of the Four Seasons

This Tuesday, I attended a special concert – The Image of the Four Seasons. This is a campus & community tour (2010) of Taiwan Artists Ensemble. Two unique elements make the concert fascinating. One is that the conductor’s vivid exposition of “The Four Seasons” (composed by Antonio Vivaldi) is easy for the audience to follow and understand. In this way, the audience have deeper understanding of this great violin concerto instead of being a listener only. Through the conductor’s clear introduction, I find that the images which the composer tries to express become straightforward. The other element is that “digital art” is adopted, which adds different colors in the tour concert.

I enjoyed the pleasant moment when I listened to “The Four Seasons”. If I have an opportunity to go to such a wonderful concert, I will attend it without hesitation. ：）

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