我的網誌 by caroltseng | English, baby! Blogs

My Mom and Me

caroltseng — Wed, 03 Jul 2013 09:10:42 GMT

My Mom and Me

I was very glad this afternoon because my mom came to see my son and me. She brought two boxes of sticky rice cakes, a bag of mangoes and lemons. Every time when she goes on a trip, she often buys a souvenir for me. After I got married, I no longer live with her. Therefore, I miss her a lot, and worry about her especially when my father passed away. We talked a lot and played with my son. She held him in her arms and tickled him all afternoon. Around 5:30 pm., I took my mom to Park17 for a dinner. I love the atmosphere there. It's a nice place for a family or friend gathering. We had a great time together.

Madou Religious Carnival

caroltseng — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 20:50:56 GMT

Madou Religious Carnival

Madou Religious Carnival took place for the past three days. Most citizens here were eager to be a part of the activity exclusive of my parents because they believe in another religion.

The atmosphere was lively and respectful. Yesterday afternoon, I invited my sister’s family to my house and together we watched the parade. Because they saw my three-year-old nephew, they threw a lot of candy to him.

It was a bit scary when seeing Chinese Spirit-Mediums. They hurt themselves to pay tribute to god. Also, another thing that I don’t like is the noise. It was too loud and even my door was vibrating.

The Carnival will be held three years later. I hope it will bring us a brand new atmosphere. Most importantly, bless everybody.

Harassment and Threat

caroltseng — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 07:57:41 GMT

Harassment and Threat

Today is the day that I fear most in my life. Around 1 o’clock this afternoon, my lousy uncle came into my house with a long wooden stick, fiercely asking my parents to come out. His target is to hit my parents, especially my father because my parents don’t lend him money. (Actually, my parents have lent him money many times, but he never returns.)

Fortunately, my parents and my brother went out, so they were not on the spot. I was home alone. It was too bad that I didn’t lock the door fully. He came in, and kept shouting. I was so scared, so I ran upstairs and locked my own room. Originally I’d like to call the police, but I was so nervous that I couldn’t find my cell phone. Because he couldn’t find my parents, he broke the glass window of my mom’s car instead.

After he left, I went out to tell my parents, together we went to the police station. One policeman came home with us, and took some pictures. My parents decide not to sue him temporarily because they are afraid he will take revenge on my family. I still fear that he will hurt my family and hope he will be jailed soon.

After the event, my younger uncle went to argue with him and then they fought. My younger uncle got hurt, so he went to the hospital. Luckily, it was not serious.

These days my mom has been harassed by his phone calls. Also, he went to my mom’s workplace to ask for money. He is such a bastard. He has got divorced twice. He bought one of his ex-wives from a foreign country and tortured her. She couldn’t stand his behavior and flied back to her country, leaving a young daughter.

I thought it’s safe to stay home, but now I won’t think that way. From now on, I have to lock the door when I am at home. It’s pathetic that I can’t see the sunlight in the daytime. I hope my fear will disappear, but it’s hard.

May God bless my family.

Spring Rolls

caroltseng — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 00:20:36 GMT

Spring Rolls

Today is Tomb Sweeping Day. People offer food and sweep tombs for their ancestors. In Taiwan the food that reminds people of the day is spring rolls. This morning I saw at least 20 people lining up for buying noodles that are one of the ingredients of making spring rolls. Also, many people were busy shopping in the traditional market.

Unfortunately, today my mom didn’t make spring rolls because of her busy work. Therefore, I decided to buy one for myself. Sadly, they were all sold out. Instead I ate fried chicken and milk tea for lunch. Well, they were delicious but not so healthy.

Jobless

caroltseng — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 09:01:29 GMT

Jobless

Recently, I have heard many stories about the people around me who got fired. I feel vey sorry for their misfortune.

One of them is about my ex-roommate. She is a girl that I admire very much. Her parents got divorced and they didn't take care of their kids well. She has made a living alone since she was in junior high school. During the school days in college, she even worked in the daytime and attended school at night. She studied very hard and got good grades.

Few days ago, she called me, telling me she was fired. I feel sad for her but it's too bad that there is nothing I can help her. I only encouraged her not to give up and tried harder. And then the chance will come.

She doesn't like the people in Taipei much but still decides to stay there longer because she has some relatives there. She said that she'd like to continue working in business field, but recently, it's difficult to find one because of the poor economy.

I was told that currently more people are forced to take unpaid holidays. I don't know how long they can survive in the situation. May god bless the jobless.

Being A Babysitter

caroltseng — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 10:18:46 GMT

Being A Babysitter

Yesterday my 2- year -old nephew was sent to my house because his grandparents were busy. I was expecting his coming because I love him very much. When he arrived, he called me “aunt ” all the time. I was very happy. Then I took him around my house to experience something new.

My nephew likes to watch baseball programs a lot, and often says Chien-Ming Wang who is a Taiwanese pitcher in New York Yankees. It was funny that he hit a ball with a stick, saying “Home Run”, and starting to run around. It made my father and me burst into laughter.

I like babysitting my cute nephew, hoping he can come to my house as often as possible. I’ve got the good news. – My older sister will take him here this weekend. I can’t wait to see him again.

Podcast Recommendation: What's up in Taiwan

caroltseng — Fri, 18 May 2007 04:16:24 GMT

Podcast Recommendation: What's up in Taiwan

Have you listened to any podcasts? Today I'd like to introduce one of my favorite podcasts called "What's up in Taiwan'' which explore foreigners' diverse lives in Taiwan.

The website: http://whatsupintaiwan.blogspot.com/

There are several reasons why I like the podcast. Firstly, every program is only approximately 10-minute long, so I won't fall asleep while I am listening. Besides, since foreigners are the minority in Taiwan, I don't have many chances to know more about them. Therefore, I am curious about how they make a living here, the culture shock they meet and also their perspectives about Taiwanese people. Thirdly, becasue the host asked the interviewees from various walks of life, the topics are not boring. Mostly importantly, it is spoken in English. As an english learner, I like to listen to english programs and know more about Taiwan in english as well.

Anyway,hope you enjoy listening to the podcast and feel free to make comments here.

Needing Patience

caroltseng — Tue, 15 May 2007 05:35:42 GMT

Needing Patience

This Sunday is Mother's Day. Many people went back to their home after visiting their mom's house this Sunday, too. I was no exception. Before taking my brother to a train station, my mom took me to the Ubus station around 2 p.m. I was surprised that there were so many people waiting for the bus. (Usually few people wait for bus around 2 p.m.) Even when I bought a ticket, I have to wait for a while. Suddenly, I heard a foreigner shouting out loud, and then a lot of people looked at him and was thinking about what was going on. My guess is that probably he had no patience to queue up to buy a ticket, so he complained about it by making a big noise. (Honestly, I have no idea why he did that. Who knows?) After buying a ticket, I found a seat, and took out my books and read. As a matter of fact, I can't really concentrate on my reading because I heard lots of complaints from other people. Some people said that ''damn, how long should I wait for the bus? or what should we do if we can't take the bus by 6.pm.?'' Many complaints are like these. Interestingly, when I observed their behaviors, some people seemed very calm, and however some like to express their impatience to strangers. Although I looked perfectly still, I felt anxious and sort of angry inside my heart. The funniest thing is that after my mom took my brother to a train station and came back to see me around 3: 40, I was still there. I complained to my mom that I was going crazy to wait for the bus and also felt regret about not taking a train like my brother. My mom told me that many people have patience to wait for the bus, so why don’t I? I think she is completely right. About 20 minutes later, the bus finally arrived and I felt relieved.

Even though the bus experience was awful, at least I have learned how to be patient.

A Surprising Encounter

caroltseng — Tue, 08 May 2007 15:14:48 GMT

A Surprising Encounter

Last night my classmate and I discussed our assignment at McDonald's. We sat behind the wide glass door, facing people who pass by. Suddenly I was shocked by seeing a familiar figure which I often see on campus. He is a German teacher that I had never spoke to. His wife ( I guess ) and he came across us through the transparent door, and obviously he saw us. Then, his wife and he entered McDonald's. Surprisingly, he came to say ''Hello'' to us and of course,I also said "Hello'' to him in return. Soon after that, my classmate and I pleasantly laughed out loud becasue we never expected that he would talk to us. He looks like a very nice teacher. Next time, when I see him on campus again, I definitely will say ''Hello'' to him first.

Reflections on the song " The Impossible Dream''

caroltseng — Tue, 08 May 2007 02:20:57 GMT

Reflections on the song " The Impossible Dream''

This is one of my favorite songs recommended by my English teacher. Here is the lyric below.

To dream the impossible dream,
To fight the unbeatable foe,
To bear with unbearable sorrow,
To run where the brave dare not go.

To right the unrightable wrong,
To love pure and chaste from afar,
To try when your arms are too weary,
To reach the unreachable star.

This is my quest,
To follow that star --
No matter how hopeless,
No matter how far.

To fight for the right
Without question or pause,
To be willing to march
Into hell for a heavenly cause.

And I know if I'll only be true
To this glorious quest
That my heart will lie peaceful and calm
when I'm laid to my rest.

And the world will be better for this,
that one man scorned and covered with scars
still strove with his last ounce of courage.
To fight the unbeatable foe.
To reach the unreachable star.

The song is very meaningful and inspiring. It tells us that no matter what happened, we still have to strive for our rights. Are you the kind of person who sticks to your belief forever and never gives it up?

However, some people give up their dreams or goals easily when facing difficulties. It could be because they can’t stand the sufferings anymore. Besides, they may think life is aimless for them, so what do they have to adhere to their belief for? I think that this kind of person is pathetic. If they listen to the song, to some extent, it may comfort their hearts.

I wish everyone could have a fruitful life.

p.s. This song was also sung in the movie “Don Quixote’’. Don Quixote explains to Dulcinea his quest. (The Impossible dream.)

My Experiences of Using Skype

caroltseng — Mon, 07 May 2007 15:41:44 GMT

My Experiences of Using Skype

I have started using Skype since last year. My purpose of using Skype is to practice my English, but however, in the beginning I felt disappointed and discouraged. There are two reasons below. The first reason is that I am a shy person, being afraid that other people cannot understand my poor English. The second reason is that I met many perverts on Skype who made me feel uncomfortable. Because of this, I stopped using Skype for a while.

One time, I felt bored, and then began using Skype again. That day was my lucky day. I met a student from China who would like to practice English as well. Then, I took courage to talk with her via mike. We had a wonderful conversation, and then I keep in touch with her until now. She is a wonderful friend to me because she sometimes sends me some greeting emails and shares her life experiences with me. After having good conversations with her, I don't feel that nervous talking with strangers anymore.

I also have a male online friend who is a medical student from India. Out of curiosity, I asked him how he experimented on corpses. He said that in the beginning he felt very scared and then it seemed that he didn't want to talk about the issue further probably because he felt uncomfortable. One of his hobbies is to write poems and he also wrote several poems to me. Here is the short poem he composed.

Truly great friends
are hard to find,
difficult to leave,
and impossible to forget.

The poem is very sweet, isn't it?

I have some other online friends as well that I talk to from time to time. Currently, I really think Skype is a good tool for English learners. I not only make friends and improve my English at the same time. Right now I can say out loud that “I love Skype”.

A Night Trip in Shi-Hzuwan(Bay)

caroltseng — Sun, 06 May 2007 07:25:41 GMT

A Night Trip in Shi-Hzuwan(Bay)

Last Friday, my friend and I had a night trip in Shi-Hzuwan(Bay). Although I have been there for several times, last Friday was the first time that I visited that place at night. When we got there, it was almost 9.pm.

On our way to Shi-Hzuwan, we got lost, then asking a woman who rode her scooter. She was very nice and told us that she 'd like to take us to get there. We thanked for her kindness after she took us to Wufu road that we can recognize. Also, we saw 2 irresponsible policemen. When a scooter rider without wearing a helmet passed them by, they didn't catch him, and kept talking to each other. What can I say? (silence)

After we arrived there, I was amazed by the night scene of ocean. We can't see the ships, but the lighthouses shone the ocean and let the ships come and go safely. Besides, we also can hear the sounds of waves which crashed big stones. Everything became mysterious. I sometimes love the feeling that I was not being noticed in the darkness. I felt very relaxed and enjoyed my conversation with my friend. After a while, we started conversing with each other in English for practice. Imagine that you faced the ocean, what would you feel? I felt that fame and achievements became unimportant any more. However, when I come back to reality, I still have to face lots of problems in life. I often hear that how cruel people say the society is. No matter how bad it is, we still have to try to make our dream come true, right?

Shi-Hzuwan is a lovely place, and I will definitely visit there again. I almost have no much time to stay in Kaohsiung anymore and from now on, I will cherish every moment here. Goodbye my love, Kaohsiung.