Once a week for fifteen minutes-15

This semester is about to end, which means that I am getting more and more mature and have to face different challenges in the following stage. Although I am going to be junior student next semester, in fact, I am in no doubt should have been a senior student if I haven't changed the university before. But I will still study sophomore courses because I have once again changed my major. With all my circumstances, I keep worrying about my future. I imagine that if I am a senior student right now, I will have to make a plan for my job; I will be an intern in the corporation, or maybe, I have flight to Madrid as an exchanged student. In addition to this stress, all my classmates who are at their first year at school enjoy their laid-back student's life and tons of activities; however, I have no more energy and strength to spare my time and effort there, which makes me quite isolated from others. Sometimes, I feel quite anxious and helpless to stuck in such paradox. But I have no choice but to adapt to this uncomfortable and awkward situation.  

Once a week for fifteen minutes-14

Over past few weeks, I was under lots of pressure and felt quite unhappy with my hustle and dull studying life. Everything seemed to be meaningless for me even though I had once put my passion in. But it was quite noticeable that the depression was all from Japanese courses. I started to feel unable to deal with learning different languages at the same time because as we all known that by all means should we put in lots of endeavor to review and repeat all new languages so that we wouldn't forget them.  However, it seemed that I was too optimistic and ideal for my ability. I couldn't catch up with the whole class and even lagged behind the class, which was really upset since I was sort of perfectionist and I couldn't accept it. The frustrated feeling kept piling up, which even made shadow in my mind, deterring me from attending the courses. Meanwhile, my grade in Spanish courses even dropped a little bit and it was a severe warning to inform me of facing the problems and taking the emergent action to deal with them. Therefore, I dropped the Japanese courses after thinking twice over it.

Once a week for fifteen minutes-13

There was a god-awful tragedy on MRT. The 21-year-old murderer slashed passengers at random which caused 4 people being killed and 21 injured. My mood was altered from agony to anguish. I could imagine how horrible and frightened when those people were pierced through or were trying to find any space to escape from the murderer in such a limited and crowded carriage. And how hopeless and desperate when the murderer got close to those people who were forced to the corner. It gave me the creep. Sorrow and pain occupied my whole heart which made me nearly suffocated. MRT is one of the most important and main transportations in my daily life, so it seemed quite real as if I had been at the scene. On no account could I ever think of this tragedy happening. And I was on no doubt regarded MRT as the safest transportation in Taipei that we all could be proud of. Since then, I am tossing and turning all night with a sob catching in my throat. I hope whoever has done the bad thing should be got even to fill up the deepest chasm of hate although all this seems of no avail to the preservation of innocent people.    

Once a week for fifteen minutes-12

Since my brother lives outside, and I have a hustle college life, we expend few effort in our house. We make our house rarely simple as if it has been abandoned. Recently, my parents decide to redecorate our house, for my brother will graduate from the college this year and will move back home. Our goal is spend little money but turn the house into a brand-new atmosphere. Thus, we decide to buy new sofa, curtains and carpets. Because my brother studies in fashion design department, he knows quite well about fabric, structure, quality and so on, so he plays the leading role in choosing them. Also, on no account can we doubt his exceptional sense of beauty. When shopping in the store, he will run through the stuffs with his fingers and check whether everything is right. Although it exerts more time and effort to buy furniture, we are able to avoid a fraud.

Once a week for fifteen minutes-11

At Friday night, I with my friends joined a party held by NTU's European cultural club. I had been looking forward to it and even couldn't fall asleep the day before the party. In fact, I had been to a few parties before, but neither of them were formal. Almost each one were held in the night club with electronic music alive in the club. This time, it was a formal one with boys and girls dressed in suits and evening dresses relatively. Because I was so restless, I headed for the party punctually, but I didn't go to the place at once. I stayed in the car and stared through the window, starting to observe those participants who were passing by. While I was counting them on a very slow basis, it meant that in no way could anyone hide into the crowd. On the ground of my experience, I was quite sure that it would make people awkward. From the beginning til the mid time, I was not surprised everyone of us tried to squeeze into the corner. But later, with some games and social dance, we had a great time making new friends. Overall, it was a wonderful day especially with beer, music, dance and friends in particular.  

reflection on Akeelah and the Bee (in the second half)

Summary:
    Javier invites Akeelah to his birthday and it is the day that Akeelah starts to take more notice of Dylan Chu and become the biggest rival of him. Dr. Larabee coaches Akeelah and gives out everything he has to her. Akeelah, Javier and Dylan Chu win the spelling bee in the regional spelling bee, so three of them become representatives to compete in the national spelling bee. Although before the national spelling bee, Akeelah unpredictably goes through many hardships like almost losing her best friend, being declined by Dr. Larabee for not coaching her or being under lots of pressure, Akeelah gets everyone's help and support, her mother in particular. In the end, because of Akeelah's wisdom, kindness and confidence, she finally wins herself many friends and shares the championship with Dylan Chu in the national spelling bee.  

Opinions:
    I think the main idea of the movie, Akeelah and the Bee, is trying to convince people that everyone can make their dream come true, so don't be afraid to go for it however hard it is. Also, the movie wants to tell us that we should never judge a book by its cover. Although sometimes some people may still hold a stereotype toward one thing like looking down on someone due to his or her race, the starring actress convinces us that everyone has potential. But just as Edison has once said, "Success is one percent talent, ninety-nine percent perspiration." Therefore, it takes time and practice to reach success, and also demands perseverance and concentration. 
    Although success features these traits, we can not ignore the importance of individual distinctiveness. In the movie, Akeelah keeps time, finding her own rhythm to remember vocabularies; therefore, she learns in a more efficient and effective way. However, in comparison to Akeelah, Dylan Chu is trained in a harsh way and is not allowed to get enough rest. This training way sometimes doesn't work because people need to relax and refresh from the hard work and somehow it reflects our Chinese culture that we are more likely to spoon-fed children and shape them into well-disciplined role models instead of bringing them up at the mercy of their talents. "Find the fittest rather than the best" can always applies to any aspect of our life, such as finding a mate.
    Besides inner part, one can not succeed without anyone's help. Friends, teachers and family members play essential roles in making success. Just like Akeelah has once said to the Dr. Larabee, " I can not go so far without you." Therefore, we should always be thankful to people who are willing to reach out and be grateful for what people have done for us. At the same time, we should also be generous to give out. And, particularly, parents always lead us to the right way and offer helps without hesitation.
   I like this movie which teaches people something about love.          

reflection on Akeelah and the Bee

Akeelah is talented and also full of passion about scrabble. She stands out from the rest of the classmates. However, she feels alien to the school life and also is annoyed by being called brainiac due to her extraordinary talent. Therefore, she hides her desire in the dark. Akeelah lives in the inferior community, so she isn't well-educated in using proper language in different situation. What's worse, her mother is busy with her work and spends much more time disciplining her brother, so Akeelah doesn't get the support from her mother to compete in the competition. Although her living environment fills with fights, discouragement and distraction which keep disturbing her, she still can recover and move on  by holding a faith in her father. Also, I think Akeelah is very lucky. She gets help and courage from her elder brother, the companion met in the regional competition and also the professor of UCLA whom Akeelah has once offended. Although it seems like challenging from the begging, success will belong to those who  insist on working hard.

Once a week for fifteen minutes-8

Since I was little, I have rarely left my family except last summer vacation in the state, the first and the only time I left my parents. My parents always keep me by their sides, not allowing me to leave 3 inches away from their sight, so I can proudly and exactly say that I have never experienced tumbling down the floor and getting a bruise on the skin. So far, I have lived at home and have commuted back and forth to the school everyday; therefore, I begin to feel like living in the dormitory, trying to live alone and deal with daily life problems on my own. Luckily, last week, my mother, who keeps a dominant position in my family, happened to leave Taipei, so I got a chance to experience the life without any help. I got to wake up 1 hour earlier than the normal day; I got to have every meal in the convenient store because I didn't know how to cook; I got to manage everything on time, for no one could race me to school within 10 minutes. I got to say I was bloody worn out!

Once a week for fifteen minutes-7

Sometimes, some students get novel ideas to invent activities in school. Normally, I won't participate in the events but just take a quick look when passing through their small booths. Recently, I notice a small activity called "Girl's Festival." As usual, I never think of getting involved in the activity until one of my friends tell me the instruction of the activity. Basically, it's for girls literally, which allows girls to make a wish and lets others, either boys or girls by drawing lots, help you make it come true if wishes are not ridiculous. That day, although I didn't get any idea, I just felt like to make a wish with a strong impulse and saw what would happen next. After referring to others' wishes, I simply wrote a flaky one that didn't make any sense. I wrote,'' Let's have a All-you-can-eat dinner without gaining weights." Actually, I don't look forward to receiving a reply from anyone whoever draw my lot, since it's unreasonable. To my surprise, on Saturday, my phone quaked and got a message from a guy. He was willing to make my wish come true.

Once a week for fifteen minutes-6

Time flies. Things keep changing without notice. Although it's not a bad thing to sense the changes, somehow it makes me feel a little bit sorrow. Everything from a postcard to a conversation can tug at the heartstrings. Few days ago, I received a postcard from my high school friend who is now living in Netherlands as an exchanged student. On the post card, she wrote, with time passing, it was farewell that taught her about the meaning of true affection. Her words let me associate with the period of time when we were all in high school. To be honest, we were not "exceptional good friend" at that time. I was indifferent to those passing days. However, years later, as we all grow up and separate from each other to different parts, strangely, we become even better and try to keep in touch either by sending messages or a postcard. Even a photo of scenery taken from her dormitory overlooking the window can grant me a chance to imagine how she is going these days. I can tell her slight smile radiates the joy of life and growth.

Once a week for fifteen minutes-5

Many times, I will bump into the situation in which people ask my hobby. Actually, I feel quite awkward whenever being asked since the first thing comes to my mind is "study." But I know it won't be a good answer, for people will expect the answers to be like dance, singing or somewhat not related to the "read." If any, the category must at least be the novel. Therefore, every time I just struggle before answering "Uh, yeah, I like to watch movies...." I would like to say that I really like to study, or to be more clear, to study textbooks. I like to fill myself with great amount of knowledge, which makes me thrilled and excited. But I have to confess that I do have the hard times once in a while, not willing to study anything, feeling like to tear the papers and just focusing on doing something unproductive. However, whenever I am in such circumstance, I will quickly warn my consciousness and find a motivation to recommence on my pursuing of knowledge. In fact , these day I don't pay any effort in Spanish courses and reluctantly start off browsing through until the due is near at hand. On no account can I find passion for Spanish. However, on Friday, I happened to meet a guy from Nicaragua. Of course, he speaks Spanish. I was quite excited and desired to talk with him in Spanish. I thought,"Come on, I major in Spanish. It won't be any problem to make a conversation, or just a small talk. That will be fine." To my stun, I was tongue-tied at the moment and even forgot how to say "What's your name?" in Spanish. I couldn't be too upset and frustrated I would say. At that time, I burned out the fire again, urging that I pick up Spanish books as soon as possible.      

Once a week for fifteen minutes-4

Among seven days, I like Friday the most. This semester, my class ends up at 12 p.m., moving on to the weekend fever. I like to feel free to stay in school's library. It would be much better without any classes following up later. I always try to find an individual seat along the window side. Oh, by the way, I forget to mention, I only go to the Social Sciences Library instead of the Main Library. Although it's quite smaller in comparison with Main Lab., I feel secure there. Those individual seats are quite popular among students. I think  that is a way to protect their personal space. Therefore, usually I have little chance to find one. Then, I turn to choose other table where one of two seats still has not yet been occupied by anyone. Still, I have my habitual rule. I always go further deeply in the library, the second floor, where people will be less likely to pass by, for I can totally be engaged  in my handy things without being disturbed. I have to say that even the change of air flow behind my back can make me feel creepy. Luckily, normally on Friday, I don't need to worry about finding my favorable seat because most students will hand out to celebrate their weekend. For me, finding a suitable seat, being alone and turning the music radio, American's top 100, happening to broadcast the song Crush by David Archuleta, in high volume can make me feel tranquil inside.  

Once a week for fifteen minutes-3

I haven't slept well since last Friday. Every day, I hit the bed at about 4 in the morning and 2 to 3 hours later, I wake up, starting off a day with great amounts of work. Although it sounds unbelievable and unbearable, I enjoy the tiredness I would say. It is because these day, I've found something meaningful and cheerful. That is, I am now an English tutor of two senior high school students. What is worth mentioning is that it is only in two days that I'm qualified for the job from two family. Of course, before officially being approved by students' parents, I had to have a pilot test first to see whether I am qualified for the position. To my excitement, within 30 minutes, I passed the test. It was kinda achievement and pleasure to make the expectations of the student and her parents. Actually, teaching high school's English was not a nerve-wracking ordeal to me due to the abundance of experience and preparation. Since I had been prepared the teaching materials all day long and asked my mom to give me feedback as if she were a student after listening to the course, I had to say that I was ready. So, the next day, I showed my confidence as usual to the other student. As I had expected, I got the case right away.

Once a week for fifteen minutes-2

I am looking forward to Wednesday's coming, for I will have the training course of school team at 7 p.m. Last time, I started to get excited at 4 but felt like sitting on pins and needles when the clock ticked to 7. I have stopped the practice for two years, so I am not quite sure about how well can I still perform. I do feel sort of disappointment since I've stopped it, for I think this sport is the only one and the only thing that I can boast about myself and that I can confidently say,"I am the kinda expert." But I do love people there. They are kind and nice. The thing that attracts me back to the field is the feeling of accomplishment, but I have to say I never think I can have a chance to pick it up again. Therefore, I cannot be too excited I would say. Although I couldn't do everything well as I used to do, I totally engaged myself in participation with joy. Besides this, it was a very cool experience to practice with those guys who were of my age. What's more interesting is that some guys are even foreigners, so I try to translate everything into English for them. It is very interesting I would say so.    

Once a week for fifteen minutes-1

This winter vacation, I wanted to do something meaningful in case that when I looked back, I wouldn't feel any regret of the past. Of course, there were something that I had planned to do during the time but failed to do like preparing for getting license or exercising from the first day of the winter break. But still, I got some of them being done. Although it was not so perfect and thorough, at least I stepped out my first step anyway. As I had planned the winter break, I set my time into two parts. One was called leisure time, the other was for studying. In my leisure time, I tried to do something that made me focus on being unproductive, which meant I could follow up the Korean dramas that I had lagged behind so far that made me feel awkward whenever I tried to get a word in when talking within the girls-group. I watched them day and night without sleep which made me feel that I was really on my comma. Besides, I really spent a great amount of time seeing a great variety of movies made from different countries and I saw them as "listening training course". On the other hand, I set a goal for studying six hours each day and then the rest of time, I could play to my heart's content. Because last semester I realized that I had lagged behind in the Japanese class, I should really do something to make up the lose. I studied grammar, vocabulary, listening and reading. I read out loud the content and even murmured in Japanese. It really showed amazing improvement on the sense of one language.