The Reflection of Volunteering in an After School during the Winter Break

During this winter break, luckily, I came to this after school, opening my journey of being a volunteer. Generally, I was responsible for children’s English and helped with their schoolwork. This job seemed to be easy for me; however, it was a challenge because they are kids!

And, my first children English class was totally a disaster. The content of the class I chose, according to the concept of the children English education, was to teach them the sentence patterns of how to introduce themselves and how to greet to each other. However, it seemed to be too simple for those kids, especially for those who had been in some famous bilingual language cram schools. Thus, I decided to change my strategy, which is to teach them in thematic ways. We’ve discussed many topics, such as the environment protection, keeping in health, shops and stores and so on. Finally, the situation was more stable than the first time. And, those kids not only learned useful English but also started thinking some issues that are all deeply related to their daily life rather than just took out the vocabulary list and memorized them all.

Then, to help doing their schoolwork was another difficult works. Maybe, because of the Grade 1-9 Curriculums, it made wide varieties of their assignments for winter break, which was a great challenge for both of the children and me. Yet, with a heart of determination, whatever they were reading reflections or children poetries, we worked as one and finished them eventually. For me, it’s a great relief to achieve them; then, for those kids, after finishing, they were so joyful as if they had been in the heaven.

In the end, in the two-weeks volunteering, for chief’s and teachers’ cultivation and instruction, they will become my experiences and strength in the future, forcing me moving forward constantly. For children’s naive, brilliant, and sweet smiles, it is a wonderful therapy for a lonely and cold heart. I recollecting the scenes of being in the class, the clock stroke, breaking my spirit and love, which I had paid in the two weeks; nevertheless, I believe those chippings would be the most beautiful flower petals all over the world.

My New Year’s Resolution

At the last day of the year, everybody celebrates and counts down. Everyone, with great joy and excitement, wishes to turn a new leaf off with their new year’s resolutions, and I am no exception, too. This year, my New Year’s resolutions would be gaining weights, passing every course I take.

First of all, gaining weights is the top priorities I should achieve. As a student, it is true that study is important. However, if my health is bad, I will be lack of energy to carry on. And, as a college student, I high 165 centimeters, but I only weigh around 50 pounds, which is really thin and weak. So, I’ve set an objective that I should weigh at least 65 pounds at the end of 2010. Then, to reach the goal, the first step I should take is to eat more. Since I am always busy with my works, I usually skip many meals which are basic for normal people in a day. Thus, the nutrition would be not enough to support me; so, in the New Year, I should pay more attention to that. The other thing I could do is exercise. It is said that exercising indeed help strengthening my body. Besides, the weights I get would be muscles but not fat. Hence, in addition to PE class, I also have to spend two hours exercising once a week.

The other resolution I ought to do in the New Year is to pass every course I take no matter this semester or the next semester. Being a sophomore student, courses are getting tough and I’ve also taken education courses, which mean that I am going to be very busy. I am afraid that I might fail any of them. So, I think I should manage my time well to get passed. Therefore, I should spend at least two hours on each subject on the premise that I have 27 credits in the next semester and a lot of unpredictable reports to deal with, and I also need to take notes well in the classes which will be useful for me to review.

To conclude, the coming of the New Year also means the changing of the new life. To make my changes succeed, a plan is essential. As the saying goes, “Plan your year in spring, you day at dawn”. With specific and precise plans mentioned above, I believe that I would reach my own expectations.

PC or NB

Nowadays, computers play an important role in our daily lives. You may use the computer to write your homework, to surf the Net or to have fun with it. Then, with the development of high technology, there are mainly two popular kinds of the computer which are Personal Computer and Notebook. How to know that whether you buy the one you want is also important.

Concerned of being portable, a notebook is sure to be the ideal one. Because its main purpose is designed to be thin and light, it is handy for people to use. However, a PC is not as movable as a notebook. A PC which also needs a lot peripheral products is heavier and bigger than a notebook. So, you would feel troublesome every time you disassembly them when you need to travel overseas and assembly them when you have to use it.

Considered about the issue of repair, a PC would be more proper than a NB. If one of your PC’s parts is broken, you could just buy the part you need to change and it seldom has rejection result between two different brands for the PC is more universal on its function. Compared with the NB, you might spend a lot once your notebook is broken for it’s less universal than the PC.

When it comes to the efficiency, you may do nothing with a NB unless you are a computer engineer; while with a PC, you could upgrade and expand the software easily by yourself and its emission of heat is much better than a NB. Furthermore, it is said that the NB is not as stable as the PC. The NB would probably crush down when your document is not saved.

As for me, I would like to choose a PC for three reasons. First of all, I have full classes every day; so, I usually use computer at home. Second, since I am a commuting student, it would be very inconvenient for me to bring a NB to school and I am also afraid that I would lose it as I need to change my classroom or get off the bus. Third, I don’t even need a NB when taking classes. Thus, even though many students bring their notebooks all the time, I still prefer using a PC at my home to a NB. In brief, because computers have become a necessity to people all over the world, choosing a computer is far more important than anything else. And, you have to know which one you need exactly; then, you would choose the right one, and lead a convenient comfortable life.

My favorite meal

One of my favorite meals is Mopo Tofu, a traditional Chinese dish that is popular in China, Sichuan. Although I was too young to remember the accurate time I firstly ate it, the extremely enjoyable feeling of my senses and the desire of wanting more left me an unforgettable memory.

When I was about nine, my parents took me to a local Chinese restaurant for dinner because of my losing appetite. I looked at the menu, not knowing which to choose from. Then, I ordered the Mopo Tofu blindly. After other meals were serving, the Mopo Tofu came. Excitedly and expectantly, its smell firstly ran into my nostrils which was spicy. As it was placed on the table, how superb is was that I couldn’t describe, but I could only tell you that it was mainly composed of tofu, ground pork and chilies, and they were all lay in the pool of scarlet sauce in seething. Therefore, all my nerves were stimulated by its smells, color and the sound of boiling and I couldn’t help tasting it. I used a spoon to take some and put into my mouth, without chewing but allowing them slipping through from my throat to stomach.

The instant I ate, I felt hot and spicy in my mouth. Then, I felt my blood was boiling, too. The very next minute, my brain was aroused from dozing and I didn’t stop eating that Mopo Tofu until it was finished. Besides, I also ate a great amount of rice. To my parents’ surprise, I was so full and satisfied. Thus, since then, my mom never fails to cook Mopo Tofu almost every week. In brief, Mopo Tofu is indeed famous with many people around the world. For me, I am substantially happy that there is a meal I enjoy in my life.

Dreaming in Reality(Reflection on “Dreamgirls”)

What would happen if you have an innocent dream in this real world? What would happen if you don’t know what you really want and just dream of it? What would happen if you don’t change after the failure of your pursuit of dream?

I am sure that you would get hurt seriously, lose yourself and lose everything you have.

The film “Dreamgirls” is briefly told a story of three Detroit girls who had the same dream to sing on the stage as a team. After failing from a talent competition, they met an ambitious Cadillac dealer with plans of breaking into the music business. Then, they started to become famous. With the duration of the story, they had fights with each other and separated for a while. At the end of the story, they forgave each other. Whether they would do for their lives was not told, but they would stay together as a family.

Regardless of the ending, the two main characters, Deena Jones and Effie White, is what I meant to discuss. First of all, the three girls all had a dream which is beautiful, wonderful and innocent. Also, they were inexperienced; so, they didn’t know how dark the operation of the music market was and they just wanted to make their dream come true. Being famous, one started losing their mind while the other still stick to her great dream which resulted in the later conflict.

Deena Jones, who had good outlooks and sweet voice, was pointed as a team leader by Curtis, which also showed the aspect of the realism of the world that people would prefer a pretty lady even though she had an ordinary voice rather than a fat girl with a good voice. And, with Curtis’ coaxing words, Deena began to lose her true herself and soaked herself in her fame and her successful music business after marred to Curtis. However, as she was forbidden to play a role in a movie she wanted, she suddenly knew that she was not herself. Besides, Curtis told her directly that her voice was nothing but his trust and packaging, which the words were so cruel that she finally realized that she got to find her own.

Effie White who had a beautiful and powerful voice didn’t compromise to others easily because of her tough personality. She had a great dream that she should be the best and the leader of the team. She was so pride that she couldn’t understand why Deena was going to lead and couldn’t bear why she was not the top. After driven out from the group, she almost lost everything she had, including friends and a job and she still didn’t change for a while. Realizing, she grew in her mind and started from the beginning.

As far as I am concerned, the conflict between dreams and reality shown in the film indeed puts me into a meditation that I really wonder that does dream come true and then, come after the beauty? What’s the absolute beauty? Is it a kind of perpetuity? If there is a possibility that beautiful dream doesn’t exist. Nevertheless, it is during the process of perusing, after the self-growing, recalling the events and learning to appreciate to those we had before and then, those would become our dream. Also, as we find that there is no beautiful dream, we can face those difficulties with more courage and wisdoms to overcome them once and for all to the end of our life. This way, I believe that no matter what happens in the future, I would be able to continue my life journey.

Why Taiwan is a good place to live in?

There are mainly three reasons that Taiwan is good place to live in. First, its weather is fine. Second, there are many entertainments to have fun. Finally, there are a lot of delicious foods to eat.

For one reason, many people who live here like Taiwan’s weather. Since Taiwan has a tropical climate, it doesn’t get too hot in summer or get too cold in winter. Besides, typhoons seldom hit Taiwan even though there would be several typhoons between summer and autumn. In short, people who live in Taiwan would feel that they are in spring every day.

For another reason, people enjoy the many entertainments here. For instance, if you would like to know the culture or the history of Taiwan, there are National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, National Palace Museum, and National Museum of History to visit. If you are bored, there are also many amusement parks such as, Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village and Janfusun Fancy World to have fun. Also, if you like to shop, there are a lot of department stores to choose from. However, if you are tired, you can go to night markets to eat some local foods and experience this unique Taiwan’s culture. In brief, because there are a lot of things you can do in Taiwan, you would never feel dreary.

For most people, the most enjoyable thing living in Taiwan is the many tasty foods to eat. For Taiwan is surrounded by oceans, the seafood in Taiwan is a good choice to have. You can easily find them from high-class restaurants to local night markets; for example, lobsters salad, caviar, oyster omelets and catfish. In addition, another healthy choice is tofu. There are also many different dishes and tastes for tofu such as, mapo tofu, tofu soup and stinky tofu which are all delicious. To sum up, you would never worry about what to eat for good if you live in Taiwan.

In conclusion, it is really wonderful to live in Taiwan. Not only are there a lot different kinds of foods to choose form, but there are a lot of places to stay and have fun as well. Therefore, I hold a firm belief that once you come to Taiwan, you would come back again.

Eat In or Eat Out

In this high consumption society, some people may prefer to eat out while others may like to eat in. As for me, I prefer eating at home for totally three reasons for it is cheaper, has a good environment and concerns to health.

First of all, eating at home is much cheaper than eating out. Since this is a prosperous society, I may spend a lot if I really want to be full. However, if I eat in, I can buy many ingredients I want to eat in a lower price in the nearby local market or supermarket. All I have to do is cook them; then, I could have the same delicious dishes as served in those high-class expensive restaurants, but the difference is that I can eat as many as I want. Besides, going to those high-class restaurants usually would need to pay some for their services. Yet, if I eat at home, I surely don’t need to pay for that.

Secondly, the atmosphere in the restaurant makes me feel nervous and uncomfortable, which directly effects my appetite. Usually, people in the restaurant talk loudly and the air is stuffy and wet which makes me feel dizzy and sick. Then, at home, I could have my meals in a quiet, airy place looking at the beautiful scenery, and maybe I would play some soft music. Everything is harmonious. Thus, I don’t need to make myself endure those chaoses when eating.

Least but not last, the sanitation is the most serious problem of eating out. Since merchants’ main purposes are to make money, they might not often change their old kitchenware. In addition, once they are busy, they might not wash their bows or chopsticks carefully. Moreover, the sources of the ingredients are sometimes obscure. With the TV’s powerful stories, I’m really afraid that I would probably become the next victim. So, for the healthy concerns, I would like to eat at home.

To conclude, I believe that to eat in is extremely beneficial for me whatever for the price, the mental aspects or the health. Even though I need to cook by myself, I think it is worth doing for the previous-mentioned advantages. Therefore, I am substantially happy for I eat and live in my own healthy way.