Feeling

I always feel that I will be successful someday. The the only problem is how? I know I can do anything well as long as I'm very concentrated on it. The issue lies on what I'm going to do, which I have thought about it for a long time. Since I will have be thinking about it for probably my whole life, I should just start working on something. And whatever I am working on there will be fruit of result. I am good at anything as long as I pay attention and put effort in it. Ha! Ha!!

227

I stayed at home alone during this holiday while my parents and sister went to visit my grandparents for cleaning up the graves. I woke up really late and went to school to take my holt reader. Unfortunately I did not find it and thought it was probably at home but it was not true. Since I did not find it I fall out from my schedule and did not know what to do. I wondered around and was indecisive whether to read Don Quixote in the big green book. Finally I did not finished anything. Then I hanged out with two friends in downtown and bought about six clothes. I don't usually buy clothe by myself and outside mall. I thought since I had gone out, I should buy something. Otherwise it would be a waste of time as what I did in the morning at home. Anyway, because 228 was not a day off at PAS let me morn for the people who was killed that historically rememberable day.

Scholar's Cup

I joined the Scholar's Cup program with Willy and Julius. On next monday, we are going to register through Ms. Sherry. Even though I am happy to form a team as I really want to join this fun competition, I felt a little bit uncertain.  It will definitely be a great opportunity for me to improve my debating skills, particularly in English. I'm sure I will learn many techniques and skills beside the debating materials. To sum up, it will be a excellent experience before I go to university as I have not joined similar program such as MUN before. There are six subjects, including science, literature, arts, current events, etc, that we have to prepare for the competition. The events includes not only debating but also essay writing and others. I'm exciting that I will have a busy and fulfilling life on the second semester of senior. :D

Badminton

Wednesday after school, I went to swimming team practice with Sharon, Justin and Frank. Since there were only 3 people, we decided to play badminton on the second flour. Frank and I was in the same team that verses Sharon and Justin. Frank said that he the most elastic fatty in the world. He must have thought played relatively well than people would normally imagine a person like him does. After a practice game, we made a deal that the side first lose 21 ball have to swim 200 meters more in the next swimming practice. I enjoy playing badminton with them very much.

Emotional

I had a dinner of swimming team. There were five girl, including me, three boys, and two coaches. I sat with three other girls. One of them was sick, the other two seemed to worry about something. I was worry about someone too. The other girl and the boys ate over forty plates of meat and continued to play (in which loser had to eat more) when I left. I wondered if they really enjoy eating in that way, in which they must be too full. I felt as if an outcast. I realized that, recently, I was not enjoy the moment I lived. I thought and worry about things that I did not [really] try to make it better. I regretted the moment that had just past [almost] all the time. Others might think I was doing alright because regretful feeling came from the fact that I did not try my best. [perhaps no one except me cared] I felt sorry to my mother [and mostly to myself] that I complained my poor time management to her yesterday when we're in a clinic. I knew it must have hurt her. From now on, I need to catch every moment 'doing' something and stop 'thinking' things. There is really no time for me to worry anything. I want to be motional NOT emotional!

Survey

I knew that I should have had to filled out a survey of PAS at this morning assembly. It was a online survey in which I had to login the school mail system in order to get the link. Therefore, I finally figured out how to login my PAS mail account. The survey was about the quality of school, including the teachers, atmosphere, clubs, and rules. By this survey, school can have better understanding of the students and what we need. Perhaps it was asking how we, students, felt about the lock-out rule. It asked question like "Do you agree the presence in class is important to learning?" There were 1-5 choices such that 1 is strongly agree and 5 is strongly disagree. I choose 3, neutral, for most of the questions even though I knew it was not considerably helpful. Most of the question asked for that based on the altitude of learning and aspect of education. I wonder what and how they can do with the result data. Hopefully my answers help PAS to be better.....

Happiness

"There is no way to happiness, but happiness is the way" I saw this quotes today. Although it seems to be a nice quote, it has superficial meaning to me in the past. I now realize that many things that I wish to done it happily or to have a happy ending are in way to achieve: just be happy. The term "happy" seems vague and, perhaps, overused. In other words, I should not rely my emotion on anything, anyone or any expectation. In that way, I have control over my mood and would not fall into the fluctuated emotional wave. On the opposite site: since I should not depend my mood on 'things', should things depend on my mood? There is no exact answer because it IS true that things would always follow my mood, which plays the role of my altitude. After all, it is relatively easy to state in words but hard put such an abstract ideas into life. "Happiness" is a word with the hardest, deepest, yet easiest meaning.

Hiking

I went to hiking with my parents today. Along the way, we pass by an old friend's house. I met her in the first grade of local senior high school. Although we did not spend a long time together, she has always been my good friend.
On the mountain, we tried several paths and saw an obsolete building with tennis field at the back, swimming pool in the front, and a park near by. All of them are damaged and abandoned. Half of the building was tore down. We even saw a part of the part that had been burned. If we're not chatting, everything there, objectively, must have seemed a little bit frightening. Along the track, I discovered some interesting plants, which my mom always had lots things [knowledge] to tell. We took some pictures as well. After all, it was a great time to hike with dad and mom.

Yoga

I recently adopted  a new healthy hobby: yoga. I first found this application on mac app store. It teaches people yoga by video and steps with voices. I can follow it steps by steps easily to do a series of poses. Actually, I had been long wanted to learn yoga, not only because it seemed to me a heathy and mild exercise but also because it can help me calm down and catch a positive way of life. By doing yoga, I feel myself with the control over my body. Stretching helps me relax and alleviate stress that usually ties around me. Most of all, after every practice of yoga, I would fall asleep deeply and almost instantaneously. I hope to keep this hobby and have a renew life!

Busy

It was a day I act normally but felt differently. Many of my classmates have gone to Washington D.C. for MUN. I was really nervous during lunch. I took the AP biology barron book with me. Flipping the pages randomly and glimpse through all the key words that I saw. I found the line almost empty when I stopped for a moment and rose my head. I quickly walked to the line, and was caught up by Austin who came to ask me where we're going to cramp the test. Then I took only a bowl of soup and finished it as if eating a task. While listening the presentation, I alternatively listen to others' presentation, prepare my presentation, and cram for the test. Austin gave a nice presentation. I really admire his public speaking skill, which I had always wanted to improve. After my presentation, I had no time to think about whether I presented well as I usually regretted that I could do better. Instead, did a quick review. Action by action. Great feeling to be busy. 

Valentine's Day

It's the lovers' day.
[sigh~] Mr. Smart and Mr. James were married, and I guess that's why they gave presentation project and test tomorrow. After school, I was held by Annie who reminded me that we had this biology presentation to prepare. Because she did not bring her computer with her, I walked with her to home, with her disgusting home-made chocolate, and went to Mcdonalds together. At 17:20, we finally finished. 19:00 I had a 'study-salad' at the Cats' Cafe. I found that there're many classical novels and books in English all over the cafe that I never really got close to look at them before. Two cats were sleeping on the sofa. I wrote a letter on the paper napkin, and wish that someone could be here to spend this enjoyable moment with me. At 20:30, they turned off all the lights, and played a black-white movie about Nazi comp. [Did they forget what day it was?!] 22:30 I got home, did yoga, went to bed, watched a lovely google video, and slept. I had a usual, yet unique day, like how 'most' people 'celebrate' the National Day.

Swimming

I went to swimming team today. It has been an semester since that last time I went to practice. Even though I had not been to it for such a long time, I regularly practice on my own during the weekend. I was glad that I have improve a lot. When I first joined swimming team, I swam about the lowest, alternating with Tiffany Liu, who was my best companion. I struggled almost every practice, but I never quited because I eventually felt good after each practice. 

"Second swimmer, go!" I hit the wall with both leg, and swam with free style, which I was best skilled with. Looking at the feet of the person in front, I become closer to him. White. The water fluctuated noisily, and were coming in my month. I chose not to surpass him, but just swam beside  him because that in that way, he would swim faster. "Why don't you swim faster?" I asked him. "There were water in my goggle," said him. I continually followed him closely at his back. Maybe I was too shy to beat him or challenge his confidence. My mind was a bit complicated. Thinking too much…Most of all, I enjoy swimming, and would like to improve my skill:PP 

Lost & Lost

This is not my month. I 'have' lost many items recently. During this recent trip to Japan, I lost my sony camera and watch. I couldn't find the camera on the second day of skiing after my sister and I finished lunch with our parents in the hotel. I found it lost when we sat on the gondola where I checked the map, and was about to explore the other side of the mountain. Although losing it did not rein our advantage in the ski resort [don't have to stop to take picture?!], I felt sad every time I saw a beautiful scene of mountain. Nevertheless, it is not the worse. The next day, I lost my watch, which cost roughly ten thousand NT. It must be snapped into two when I was skiing because I never took it off. My sister kept comfort me by saying that I should be happy to say good bye to my watch since it had been with me for so long, and it's certainly I would have lost it someday.[true....] Even though I knew it's quit impossible to find it back, we tried. At least, let's the way I say "good bye" to them. Beside, I just lost my pencil case this week....NOT MY DAYS!

Bake a Cake

Mr. Porter gave us a new writing assignment to write a process of baking a cake with particularly cause-and-effect format. We first read an article about the causes and effects of the color of leaves in autumn. Most of us were going to research online but there were no internet connection in the classroom. Mr. Porter, who are quite pessimistic but pretend not to be, said that he would show several video to us so we wound not copy any receipt from the internet. For the next half of the class, he continued to show us video from youtube. However only the first one was serious. All other video were meant to be entertainment not really teaching how to make a cake. I guess I still have to research a bit to write this essay.

Science Fair

Many students stayed after school to finish their science fair poster yesterday. Tiffany and I also stayed in cafeteria to rush out our poster, but we did not stay to 'finish' it. Instead, we left most of the part to today, which is the final day that we must make it up or call it 'finished'. It will make it the shortest period of the time between it's finished and it's used. And perhaps it sounds very efficient. I have no choice but not to doubt whether we can make it or not. Whatever it will become, I wish will focus on my presentation. The conflict is that both Tiffany and I are sort of perfectionism. We paid too much attention to detail. Therefore we fail to look at the whole frame of the project. Believe it or not, I tried, and will keep trying.

Craft Making in Hakkaido

This pictured was taken with a Japanese crafter maker at a workshop in Japan where I had a trip with my family. It was a morning when I saw a advertisement in a occasional magazine for traveler. I whimsically told my parents that I wanted to go there and learn this craft making with wool. So finished breakfast earlier and looked at the advertisement more carefully while waiting for them. I told them to follow me. Then I first took them to take the JR train to Sapporo, and ask for the way at the information center. In addition I asked the lady to book the schedule for this craft tutor. Then we took a bus to the mall. It's not easy to travel in such a busy city where there're over 10 bus platforms each with several bus lines, with names that all looked almost the same to me. I was excited when I finally got there. I spent a little time choosing what I wanted to make, and then he, the crafter, helped me get the materials, cluster of woven. Then he taught me some basic steps to make shapes. After making the head, body, arms and legs for about one and half hours, I felt tired to follow the model I chose. I started to add things to my cute bunny. I gave her a pair of white wings, let her hold a red heart, and made her a neckless. I guess, like me, he liked my bunny so much that he took a picture of it and posted on his blog!

Postcards

Throughout this trip, I had sent several postcards (temporarily forget how many I wrote lol). Some of them were sent from the hotel in the mountain Niseko, others were sent the hotel in Otauru. Those that were sent from up in the mountain were each attached with a map I used for skiing. I hoped people who receive them can anticipate the time I explored in the skiing resort. The other 2 postcards sent in the Otauru are pictures of snow festival. At night, the street was decorated with candles each put inside a cylinder made of snow. These postcards, unlike onces sent in mountain, were free from the hotel check out. One of them was sent to my 9th grade teacher in junior high school. I can imagine that she would be pretty surprised when she receive it. On the other hand, my friends can follow the marks on the map and look at several notes I made. I didn't actually go to any post office (I wished if I could have chance). Instead, I handed them to stuff in hotel and paid stamps. To my surprised, those attached with map costed more than those did not, and, most of all, the stuff seriously weighted each of them one by one!

Feb.3

In the afternoon after my dad went out to downtown by himself, I sat in the lobby writing some postcards. Here is a photo of lobby. I sat on the sofa near by the fire in the middle. The fire was actually composed to many candles each in a pot around altogether. It was beautiful and interesting but not warm at all. I wrote three postcards and sticked a map that I use while skiing on each of them. Because I usually tears off the map accidentally, I have used several copies. Then plan a trip for tomorrow to visit the ice exhibition in one of the city in Hokkaido, which I have no idea how to pronounce it. I asked a stuff to help me check the map and bus schedule but he was not comfortable with me speaking English so he asked another stuff who speaks English to help me. I showed him the screen of which I would like to print out, and asked him several questions. To my surprised he said "Sorry, I can't read Japan characters."

Niseko Village

Taking off from school couple days, I am here on vacation with my family in Niseko, Hokkaido, Japan. This first day we entered the hotel, there was this plate on the tea table. It surprised us with chocolate, cookies, fruits, and most of all, the welcome greetings, "Welcome to Hilton Niseko Village Wang sama" Our room was on the very end of the hall way where we can see the gondola and people skiing. I skied for three days, and travel around and stayed in the hotel for the fourth day. I skied mostly with my sister who followed me on the back. We not only went through all the paths in the resort but also discovered some interesting and exciting paths not listed in the map. I love skiing.

2 Pianos, 16 Hands -> Magical Pillow

This performance is amazing and funny! I love musician, especially pianists who are humor and play with their instruments. It reminds me of the time I lived in dorm where I usually stayed up late. It is a secret about my magical pillow?! I sometimes (actually always if I pay attention) hear music produced by the piano from that pillow. I thought that was a illusion because of my tiredness the first time I heard it. However I was pretty surprised to hear it another day. I found that at I can hear the melody at anytime I squeeze my head into that pillow and listen to it carefully. Although I was not sure whether that sounds formed, if there was, I am sure that there IS music in that pillow.  Well, it seems like i'm making this up, so let me tell you the truth: This is a REAL magical pillow!