Entry 37: Why Be a Prodigy?

Jing-Mei's mother believes that a person can be anything he/she wants to be. She thinks that through hard work, everyone can excel. She wants Jing-Mei to be a prodigy because she wants to be proud of her daughter, so she could brag with other people, and just simply because she believes Jing-Mei can. Jing-Mei tries to meet up with her mother's expectations at first because she supposed that if she does then her parents would love her and she would be perfect. Later on her motivation changed because she failed too many tests that her mother gave her. She was frustrated that she could never be anything her mother wants, so she decides to just be herself. She gave up on herself and her mother. She doesn't want to listen to her mother anymore because she doesn't want to feel the same hateful feelings of failing. After her motivation changed, Jing-Mei creates major conflicts with her mother because she is obviously rebelling against her power.
My mother was never that traditional. Before my sister and I came to PAS she fought endlessly for a better education for both of us, especially for my sister. My sister, maybe because she is older than me and that schools were worse before, she had several horrible experiences with terrible teachers at school. My mother never forced me to meet up with some impossibly high expectations. I had mediocre grades in elementary school, and she never complained about it. When she let me have piano lessons she didn't force me to continue it when I said I didn't want to play piano anymore. I was only about 6, piano was boring me to death. However, being raised in an environment like Taiwan, I know how traditional Chinese parents think and act. From times to times I would be so grateful that my parents aren't like that and that I have really good relationships with them. I don't think the traditional Chinese way works very well. If I were born in a family like that I'm sure I won't have as much achievement as I have today.

Entry 36: Fahrenheit 451

First of all, what is the name of this entry?
It seemed like I was the only one who actually enjoyed the movie (not including Ms. Ruperez). I think the story just takes some time to develop and unfortunately when it's just started to get interesting the class was over. I really want to watch the whole movie when we have time. (Or I can as well watch on my own) I thought the firefighter outfit was kind of funny but pretty awesome, haha. Before I checked the date of the film I guessed that it was made in the 70's. However it turned out to be 1966! Wow that movie is really old and is generally in really good qualities. Other classmates just don't know how to appreciate a more thoughtful, less action-packed movie that looks old. They couldn't stand the part where the main character starts awkwardly reading a book. To me that scene tells more than it shows. The character had obviously never read a book before, even though he is literate. The difficulty he was having while reading the book was remarkable; makes us instinctively think about the way we view books today. Our society is depended on books, on reading. We being students especially; textbooks contains most of the things we need to survive in a class. I've always enjoyed old movies. I find those that try to predict the future fascinating. I have been wanting to watch 2001: A Space Odyssey for a long time. Hopefully I'd be able to see it during the Christmas Break.

Entry 35: Being Pushed

My parents are not the kind that will push me to do something I absolutely hate. Most of the time they don't. Except, several years ago when I was giving up on math, they told me to get at least a basic mathematical ability and not to fail. They talked to me for, who knows how long, on why I shouldn't be giving up this subject so early. I resisted at first, and that's for sure because I hated math so much, but they insisted. They sat down with me to teach me the most basic mathematical calculations (such as fractions, decimals, etc) that I should have learned in school but both the school and I was not doing a good job. Of course I would not just stand up and walk away, they are my parents, they have some power over me and I have to obey them. So I stayed and probably listened, but how much I did get I do not know. Nevertheless, they did persuaded me that if I didn't work hard on math back then, today I would struggle even more. They told me not to think about how much I hate math, not to even let the thought to cross my mind. Just work those problems through, practice more. Even today, math is my worse subject at school. Somehow I just can't seem to fully understand how those numbers and symbols work and how they keep switching position until they produce the correct answer. Algebra makes little sense to me. But now I'm taking Algebra II and my mom expects me to get a B. With such a teacher, every student suffers. Yes, my parents even pay a tutor for me, it seems like I could so easily get a B+ compared to other students who also struggle. Well, if that's true I will be getting an A now like my other classes. My parents are still pretty reasonable, my mom says a C in Pre-Calculus (which I will be taking next year) is fine. I...I can only hope that I won't fail.

Entry 33: Universal Experience

Books and movies relating to war that I have seen before are All Quiet On the Western Front (WWI), Saving Private Ryan (WWII), Pan’s Labyrinth (WWII – Spanish Civil War), Apocalypse Now (Vietnam War), The Pianist (WWII), and even Transformers and X-Men. Those two are imaginary. There might be more but I can’t remember to list them out. The universal theme in Where Have You Gone, Charming Billy? is the insanity of war. Almost every war stories depict the stressful surroundings and their effects on people. War drives people crazy. The Vietnam War is a rather recent event. It’s fought in the 60’s, 50 years from now, not very current but not really old either. In the story the soldiers have modernized weapons and chewing gum. The soldiers came from a modernized country, the U.S., and went to a developing country like Vietnam. The environments of the two countries are totally different. One is in southeast Asia, another in the far northwest. Many countries were involved in this war. In the story, the soldiers have to constantly squat down and wait due to the guerrilla warfare. The Vietcongs hide in the woods or bushes and shoot. There wasn’t any rule to this war either. Both sides used vicious weapons against each other. The Vietnamese set up booby traps. In return the US army used napalms.

Entry 32: Far From Home

It must be awful to have been thrust into a dangerous foreign land. For those young American men it was indeed a traumatic experience. When you arrive in a place like that, the first few weeks would be just horrible. You don’t know anyone and the environment is so different that you have troubles all the time. Over time, though, one would get used to the customs and environment. The soldiers have no choice but to rely on each other. However in an environment like battlefields…I doubt anyone would get completely used to it, like falling asleep with guns firing around you. If you do, you could be killed. After years of war, people just go insane.

I hate to bring up my experience in PAS again, I really do. Why does every topic remind me of it? ...I guess it’s because I have lived just fifteen years and that’s the only major “life-turning” event ever happened to me. Anyways, it does have a large impact on me and I can still remember how awkward it was at first. Fortunately, my mother and my sister were both present during my hardest times. I feel like I couldn’t have made it without them. So I guess it’s not entirely just me, alone, fighting aimlessly in a shocking new world. I did have people to support me and guide me. From this point, I couldn’t help but feel even worse for the soldiers in Vietnam.

Entry 31: Author’s Background

I think it is more credible when the author has firsthand experience with the topic. If the author has experienced the kind of situation him or herself, he or she can more correctly depict the character's feelings and reactions. If an author decides to make up some story, it depends on the writer's ability to empathize and describe. I believe it is possible for authors to do that. Writers, producers and directors dramatize true stories to make it more entertaining. If a story is told using the most "politically correct" diction, creating only the "true and basic" moods, and following the most straight-forward chronological order, the audience might find it boring and cliche. (or even funny because of the diction) I guess most people would rather get entertained than informed, but it still depends on each individual. Some people might want a balance of the two, getting both entertained and informed. However, I don't believe anyone would want to watch a movie that has absolutely no entertainment element for fun. Yes, if you are watching a documentary or an actual film footage from WW2, then maybe it's purely informative and not entertaining. (but, some people might find it interesting and entertaining, I cannot guarantee that.) For me, I would like to have a little bit of both. If the film is very entertaining but very informatively incorrect, I might enjoy it once and forget about it. Similarly, if the film is very informative but not entertaining I would probably fall asleep.

Entry 30: Symbols of Heritage

Some things in my home that represent heritage are the paintings by my grandfather and teapots.

My grandfather learned to paint in his later years, but he was talented. I don’t remember when we hung the paintings but it was a long time ago. I have gotten so used to them that I couldn’t even recall them until Jeremy said something about calligraphy in his home. The big painting that we hung just above our couch is a landscape done with brush and ink. It has about the same width as a couch. Ink is one forth of Chinese (or Asian) culture, literally. Our calligraphy, other writings, and paintings, are all associated with ink. Growing up in Taiwan, I am also exposed to a large portion of these things outside of my family. The paintings on the wall of our house will always remind us of our grandfather and the deep Chinese culture we inherited.

My father has several teapots. He uses them to boil Pu’er tea leaves. Tea is part of our lives, our culture and heritage. Some of those teapots are actually quite artistic. Often after dinner each one of use would hold a cup of tea and enjoy the freshness it brings by washing away that greasy feeling.

Entry 29: Your Family Traditions

My family, like any other Chinese families, have reunions every year on New Year. There was once that we didn't go, but usually we would travel south to my father's parents, my grandparents' house in Tainan. There my father's brothers would also come with their families. (except one because he is single) It seems like we get together just for the sake of traditions. Sometimes it seems like visiting my grandparents would be better if it is on another occasion, not New Year. Then there was the old religious tradition problem. We have to pay our respect and prayers to our ancestors with incense sticks. What if you are Christian? For us, my mom, my sister and me, we could either choose to follow the custom or refuse to do it. Both have positive and negative consequences. My mom, however, since she is an adult, she has to at least pretend to do it. My sister and I can be ignored. In the evening we would have our reunion dinner at a good restaurant. Since my grandmother is vegetarian, usually the meal would contain less meat. That is a good thing. The atmosphere around the dinner table is usually awkward, but that has to deal with not traditions but family problems.

Entry 28: Thanksgiving

It's Thanksgiving!
I'm thankful for the lunch today. It was very relaxing and we all got very full. I'm thankful that I've got a good education and supportive parents. I thank my mom and dad for taking care of me and letting me do what I want. Thank the internet! It really helps me a lot in both learning and entertainment. Thanks to illegal downloads; I got a lot of cool music and movies because of it. Thanks Youtube, Facebook, deviantART, and Tumblr, they bring joy to my life and allow me to keep in contact with my sister and friends. Thanks my parents again for buying me my guitars and ukelele. They are an important part of my life. Without them I would probably die from stress. Thanks my roommates for being so kind to me. They are the perfect roommates. I'm thankful that my locker is just right before my dorm room. It's so convenient. I'm thankful that I have a goal in life, and I would work hard to reach that goal. I thank God for giving me the ability to draw. Art is always the core of my life; it's a part of me. I'm thankful that PAS is a very art-supportive place. I get to experiment with a lot of materials in school. Thank God I'm alive!

Entry 27: Doing The Right Thing

I think there are more people who take principles as ornaments (I like this simile) than people that live strictly according to them. In my opinion, most people are more or less selfish, including myself. That's human nature. However, not all the people dare to break the rules. Some people, even if they really want to get something, they would think about ignoring the principles but end up not doing anything. Or some people might deceive themselves that they are doing the right thing, thus feeling better for not following the rules. I really don’t know the population of people either living according or not according to the principles in these places. Taiwanese people, maybe a bit not following the rules? Just look at people who speeds and not wearing helmets, haha. In my family, I believe we live relatively righteously. I think the life style we have is not very extravagant, therefore we don’t do things that would potentially break the rules. For myself, I’m somewhere in between. I would never ignore the principles if it involves serious crime or immorality. I could commit small crimes such as downloading stuff illegally. That I totally love doing because I don’t think it harms anyone, except maybe letting the company losing a bit of money but that’s all.

Entry 26: Conflict Avoidance

Most people would of course avoid conflict, because it means trouble. When you're in trouble, you need to work to overcome the trouble. That requires extra strength and energy; people are lazy and most of the time try to avoid conflicts. However, people also stay away from conflicts because sometimes if the conflict involves other people, the relationship between the two people might get worse. Conflict creates enemies, too. The reasons stated above are all good reasons to avoid conflict. Conflict could harm people's relationship with each other and even harm the person involved in the conflict, literally. If the conflict is the extreme external kind then maybe the person would get hurt. But there are times that conflicts actually help. A conflict can motivate a person to work harder. People sometimes purposely put themselves in conflicts; we call it to "challenge" one's self. For me, I would prefer avoiding conflicts when trouble is not necessary but constantly challenging myself. Like most people, I don't like things to get bad and tense, especially between people. Conflict can really affect your mood and your behaviors. If I have time and energy, I would like to challenge myself in subjects such as art. I really wish to experiment with different media and styles, and draw things that I don't normally draw. Even though I get frustrated when I cannot draw a thing, that is a part of learning and I would certainly welcome it.

Entry 25: Heritage Revisited

My heritages that help me are my intelligence, my language, and my ideas about life. I have a rather capable brain...I'm not bragging, just saying I'm not stupid. With my intellect, I can do a lot of things. I can also do well in school. I'm glad that my native language is Chinese. It's a beautiful but super complicated language with all those different characters with multiple meanings. Even now I cannot write out a sentence in Chinese without using the dictionary (actually I used to be able to but I forgot after I came to PAS). I love my language, but sometimes it's such a pain in the neck. Okay...back to the point, of course knowing a language can help me in a lot of situations. I can read writings in Chinese, communicate using Chinese, be able to understand what a Chinese person says, and all that wonderful stuff I can do with Chinese. As for my ideas about life, they are like my philosophy and my values. I got them from my family, especially my mother. These values and ideas help me get through numerous hard times.
Some heritages that I think get in my way are my hand size, my height, and my allergies. I have small hands. My small hands sometimes make it impossible for me to press a certain chord on a guitar. I'm short. Although being short can be an advantage in other times it is still a disadvantage. But I'm not really bothered by that. The last thing is my allergies. They really annoy me during winter and spring, when I sneeze the most.
And the heritage that I'm most proud of...FOOD! Chinese food is the best!!

Entry 24: Crossing the Rubicon

This situation happens when a person makes a terrible mistake, putting him/herself in big trouble. Or a person could invest all his/her money in a risky business that he/she would either become extremely rich or lose everything. People react to this kind of "no-turning-back" situations differently according to their personalities. Some may be brave and determined; they stand up and face the situation and fight for the best they could get. Some may try to hide, or escape from the challenge. Some like to stay neutral; they just wait and let the flow take them to wherever the situation leads them to.
I think the time when I "crossed the Rubicon" was when I decided to come to PAS. I put myself in an environment which language I did not speak and ways I found strange. But I knew I could not go back to local school, not the life I'd already left behind when I began home-schooling. The first several months of complete deafness and illiteracy in English was awfully difficult to endure. I remember the day I cried my eyes out because of the setback, the frustration and humiliation. Somehow, though, it became the past; all those tears now only flow in memory. I guess I managed to hold on to myself during those years. When I collapsed from time to time, I picked up the pieces and put them back, sometimes losing a few parts and soon I found new ones.

P.S. I typed this entry twice. The reason is illustrated below...

Entry 23: Influence of Childhood

Writers, or just everyone, when they are creating a piece of art, writing, or music, they always take ideas from what they have experienced. It's almost impossible to do without a source of ideas; it's how inspirations come about. I believe every person has his or her own experiences that are worth talking about. My own experiences that I could recall, are of course unique to myself. Still, what makes a writer or a musician different is their ability to turn unnoticed ideas into enjoyable writings. Not everybody is good at manipulating languages and words.
In the movie 3 Idiots, the educational system in India reminds me of Taiwan's. I still remembered the years I spent in local school. I hated the school, the teachers, the textbooks, everything. Compare to 3 Idiots, I have no idea how to turn my own experience into an interesting story.
Every time when a movie or story have the plot of a character training hard in dancing or martial arts, I can so relate to that. I love it when the character screams during a stretching exercise. (that may sound sadistic but I'm just simply relating to it) That was what my life was like when I was still dancing. There were hard times. Stretching was extremely painful. For once I actually burst into tears when the teacher pushed too hard. Well I don't know if other people would find my experiences interesting, but I've always wanted to write this particular experience during the time all the students slept in my teachers' house and  prepared for a performance. It meant a lot to me.

Entry 22: Your Character

A person's character is revealed through that person's thoughts, actions, reactions to environments, and interactions with other people. Sometimes a person would say directly what kind of a person he/she is to other people, for them to get a better understanding of him/her. A person gets to know his/her own character base on other people's reactions to his/her action. Other times it is based on the person's knowledge about characters. That person observes others, groups them into types of character that people made up names for, and looks back at him/herself to see where he/she belongs. For characters that are good, people are usually rather honest to themselves, but for bad characters - not so honest, even if he/she knows deep down in his/her heart. Human beings are always like that; we take all the good things without hesitating and hide or deny the things that are flawed. I believe my character is pretty throughout in different situations. I've always been a perfectionist since I was before three years old. I'm kind of stubborn; if I don't have to, I won't do things that displease me. I'm rather fearful of many things. I'm afraid of the dark, of fast-moving objects, and etc. I usually take things seriously. I prefer not to show many of my emotions. These are some of the characters that I think I am.

Entry 21: Bullies

Bullies want to make themselves feel better by degrading others. They are often very insecure unconsciously and or had been treated badly before. They like to have control over a thing or many things. A lot of times, in my opinion, it is also the natural tendency programmed in people's genes that makes a bully and a victim. A victim is usually weaker or someone who cannot stand up for themselves. They are insecure too, but they choose to deal with the problem silently, unlike bullies, who take it out on other people. That is why I say it's in the genes, because people are born with certain personalities.
I remember in elementary school I had almost become a bully. I joined a group of classmates who were dividing the class into two groups, and we look down at the other group. We made really mean remarks about the other group, calling them names and distaining them. I and a few others soon realized it was wrong and dropped out. The groups dissolved after a short while, fortunately. Other than that incident, I had never been a bully or a victim. Somehow I managed to stay out of those things. I have seen people getting bullied, though, as a bystander. There was a boy in this school that got bullied. All the other boys in the same class teased him endlessly, both verbally and physically. Due to my poor English back then, I didn't stand up for him. But once I drew a sketch of the boy and other boys while he got surrounded and teased.

Entry 20: Character Questions

The character Rukmani is believable, because we are able to see her different emotions toward things that we can relate. Rukmani, being married at the age of twelve, learned to be mature in a very short time. She is smart and content about what she had. In the story Rukmani said "while the sun shines on you and the fields are green and beautiful to the eye, and your husband sees beauty which no one has seen before, and you have a good store of grain laid away for hard times, a roof over you and a sweet stirring in you body, what more can a woman ask for?" (page 8) This passage shows that she is satisfied and grateful directly. Then a bit later in the book, "I tried not to show my pride. I tried to be offhand. I put the pumpkin away. But pleasure was making my pulse beat; the blood, unbidden, came hot and surging to my face. / After that, ten times more zealous, I planted beans and sweet potatoes, brinjals and chillies, and they all grew well under my hand, so that we ate even better than we had done before." (page 10) This one shows that she tried to be reserved, but she still couldn't really hold back her emotions. And she would find some other way to express them. Rukmani's motivation is to make the best out of what they had. She always kept hope and had been content.

Entry 19: Nectar in a Sieve

At first, the epigraph seemed incomprehensible. Then, (after knowing what a sieve is) an image of nectar escaping from the holes of a sieve came to my mind. That's when the epigraph started to make sense. In order to work, you need hope to make your efforts worthwhile. If you don't have hope, or a goal to work for, your work receives nothing good in return. Even if you do get some, they wouldn't last, just like using a sieve to pick up nectar. Nectar symbolizes sweet, rewarding things. And a sieve is work without hope; hollow efforts. Your hope comes from your desire for something. Hope just can't be hope if there is no object to wish for. To summarize the idea, work needs hope to succeed, and hope needs an object.
I think this epigraph applies to many aspects of my life. When I work, there must be something I hope for, a goal that I wish I could achieve. For example, although I don't like homework, I do them and hope. Most of the time I hope for getting a good grade or if I work quickly I could have some spare time to do what I want. To set a bigger hope, maybe I could get into a better university. I don't know about the latter, but I do get good grades by doing homework. That's the nectar I'm collecting. The same concept applies to when I'm working on my artworks. I work on them while thinking that I could become a better artist by practicing. I hope I can draw better, and that's what drives me to work and in the end I improve. Improvements are the nectar from the efforts I spend on drawing. I think there's nothing more to say about "And hope without an object cannot live," because it's apparent that hoping without actually hoping for something just doesn't work.

Entry 18: Character in Painting

The two people are sitting and probably both thinking. They might have been talking and now the conversation has slid into an awkward silence. The woman seems a bit uneasy from scratching her neck, and the man is sitting in a more comfortable position while staring at his hands. The foreground is taken up by the man. The woman is between the foreground and background. The background is divided by two colors: yellow on the left and lavender on the right. The most prominent details are the man in the front and the face of the woman.
The woman has blond hair and blue eyes. She wears a yellow shirt, blue jeans, and a ring on her left hand. She is looking backwards, kind of averting her eyes from the man. The man has brown hair and dark eyes. He wears a purple suit jacket, a yellowish white shirt, and jeans. The way he puts the fingers of his hands together and stares at it makes him seem nervous. The facial expressions and body language are the most striking. It takes a few more seconds to notice their appearances and colors.
The two prominent colors used in this painting are yellow and purple. The left side is mostly yellow and the right side is purple. The woman has blond hair, yellow shirt, and is set before a yellow background. The man on the other hand is in a lavender background and wears purple. Yellow usually means hope or happiness, and yellow ribbons are used to welcome loved ones returning home from far away. This might suggest that the woman remains hopeful in the conflict she and the man are involved in. Purple symbolizes nobility and mystery. Light purple is more sensitive and delicate. The man in purple might be described as sensitive, and he seems to be in a trance of unrevealed thoughts, appealing to the mysterious mood purple gives.

Entry 17: My Favorite Stories

Some of my favorite books/stories include all the Jin-Yong(Louis Cha) wu-xia novels, James and the Giant Peach, a Chinese folk tale named Dung Beetle City, Pride and Prejudice, The Neverending Story, and Lord of the Flies. These stories captured my interest because they have interesting characters and plot. Some also have interesting settings.
I read all of the Jin-Yong novels in second grade, even though I don't understand a large part of the writing and skipped many details. I just enjoyed the different martial arts and weapons, the interesting characters, and the general plot of the stories. They are exciting to read. I read James and the Giant Peach not that long ago, but the story stays in my mind forever ever since. I love all the bugs in the book. They are funny and the plot is hysterical. I was also impressed by the illustrations by Lane Smith. He is influential.
The story Dung Beetle City - I think you can infer how smelly the story is from its name - is one of the best story ever. It's about this young man who emanates a natural floral scent. Everybody loved him...until he accidentally enters Dung Beetle City. The whole city stinks. The young man was walking down the street, feeling strange, when suddenly all the residents started chasing him because he smells "filthy." He trips and falls into a dung pool. After that the residents find him no longer smelling funny and treated him nicely as a guest. The young man stays in the city for many years, and gets married. When he finally returns home with his wife and money, everyone loathes them now because of their smell. Nobody wants his money either. His wife dies early due to depression, and later he dies in his house, alone, holding all his money.

Entry 15: Characters

Some of the fictional characters I like are (the order does not matter) Spongebob Squarepants and Squidward Tentacles from the cartoon TV series Spongebob Squarepants, Mojo Jojo and basically all the villains in PowerPuff Girls (I love Him too, he is hilarious), Joker from Batman, Forrest Gump from the movie, Willy Wonka from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and etc.
Spongebob, even though seems very absurd, is appealing to people because the fact that he is a sponge is very different, he is nice but he enjoys playing pranks on others, and he is very emotional and funny.
Squidward on the other hand is almost the opposite of Spongebob. He is grumpy, sarcastic, and narcissistic. The audience can relate to him because no matter how hard he tried, he never really becomes an artist or musician as he wished, and he hates his job.
Mojo Jojo is probably one of the best villains. He rumbles to himself a lot and has a distinctive accent.
Joker is a great villain because he is just as psychopathic as can be.
Forrest Gump may not be as intelligent as other people, but he somehow survives even better than others. He came across many important events in American history without really knowing what's going on. He is an adorable character with a lot of ridiculous luck.
Willy Wonka and the whole chocolate factory are just crazy.
I like characters that are different. That's why I have a thing for villains, because they come in all shapes. I never really find love in protagonists that are too nice or perfect. They are cliche and boring. Anti-heroes are more interesting because they have flaws just like everyone else. And I'm fond of insane characters, psychopathic or other types of mental illness. Most characters I like also make me laugh heartily.

Entry 14: How Does Heritage Contribute to Character?

A heritage is something that has been passed down from one to another, or something that belongs to one by birth. Some heritages include culture, tradition, language, accent, hair and eye color, skin color, property, values, and etc. The most important heritages, in my opinion, are culture and appearance. Culture defines how a person lives, and appearance states a person's ancestry and many other things without words.
I believe my heritages include everything I've said in the first paragraph. I inherited the culture and traditions of my family. I learned the language and accent from my parents and surroundings. I got my hair, eye, and skin color from my Asian ancestry. I also inherited the values of my culture. The most important heritages for me are culture, appearance and values. I think culture is a lot of things. Culture gives you directions in everything you do. Culture is part of a group of people and also part of an individual. A person's hair, eye, and skin color shows the person's ethnicity, but it also gives the person some definitions of him/herself. We all have definitions of ourselves, such as I would call myself a female, a student, Taiwanese, a teenager, and so on. To me, appearance is a large part of me, because I was born with it. Values are important as well because it determines how you think about things. Even unconsciously you would place what you value the most as your priority. And how you act is what you are.

Entry 13: Unpredictable

Hmm what could I say about myself doing unpredictable things? At this moment I can only name some random things, such as, I thought I would never draw chibis (a way of drawing cartoon figures that has huge head, small body, and is widely considered cute) but last week I drew some of the musicians I like into chibi forms. I know this has nothing to do with struggling for conflicts or whatever.
Forgive me for skipping this question.
An unpredictable action or decision could affect a real-life event either positively or negatively. If positively, the event might have a surprising turn and ends happily. Negative effects on the event could result in severe consequences, due to the unpredictably stupid nature of the action.
Unpredictability in stories usually occurs when the conflict comes to a deadlock. The story needs some kind of a twist, either leading the conflict to resolution or making it worse. Characters who do unpredictable actions could, one, make the character more interesting, and two, emphasize the personality of the character by telling what he/she would NOT do.
Humorous stories, or jokes, are meant to be unpredictable. It is this unpredictability that make people laugh. Jokes are funny because the action of the character is surprisingly stupid or random.  People laugh at absurdities because they could thus feel smarter.

Entry 12: Animal v Human

First of all, I'd like to say that, HUMANS ARE ANIMALS. I'm speaking from a biological aspect. Deal with it.

I used to have two cats at home. Now there's only one left. From experiences, I believe they have feelings. The one that I have now, HuMi, she enjoys our attention so much. She is extraordinarily loud. She would meow loudly until we touch her. I think animals, mostly mammals, all have the sense of love. HuMi always reminds us, hey I'm here, pat me. And she feels love and care from us. Another interesting thing she would do is hiding behind a corner of an entrance, and when one of us walk out, she springs suddenly and runs away, startling us. She has absolutely no bad intention in doing this, she is just playing. We humans also enjoy surprising or scaring others, don't we?
And here's another thing. Is it, "Animals act like humans" or "Humans are just like animals"?
If you ask me, I would say the latter. Homosapien is really only a more complex animal. For centuries human beings felt like we're superior because we can think, create, and speak many kinds of languages. Yes, we do have a tremendously large brain and walk on two feet, but that doesn't mean we're higher than other animals. The other animals can survive without us. Guess what, we can't survive without them. And at the same time we're slowly destroying ourselves with our "intelligent" inventions.

Entry 11: Conflicts

Some internal conflict John faces in "By the Waters of Babylon" is that he has to overcome his fear of the Dead Places and the Place of the Gods. He has to go there to fulfill his curiosity. The external conflicts John faces were the Ou-dis-sun River, the wild dogs, and the Forest People. He struggled to cross the Ou-dis-sun River to enter the Place of the Gods with a raft. That is John v.s. nature. He has to avoid being attacked by the dogs in the Place of the Gods. And while he returns from the journey he was chased by the Forest People.
I faced internal conflict when I was troubled by my perfectionism. I'm always at war with myself when I can't help but spend more than enough time on something trivial. For example, sometimes a school assignment requires only a small amount of effort, but I might waste my time making my writing neat. This is one of the things I've been trying and am still trying to change about myself. I admit there's advantages with perfectionism. My works are always very organized and neat, and that's something I'm proud of.
An external conflict I've faced was when I first came to PAS. The obstacle was English. I have to overcome the language by learning it. At first I knew scarcely any English. I had to endure the period of being in the middle of a completely strange environment that I could not fit in. I couldn't understand the textbooks but I read them anyways. I wrote without grammar and failed every class. Eventually, my English improved over time.

Entry 10: Taboo

Taiwan has a lot of taboos. Since the Chinese word for "four" sounds like the word "death", it is forbidden to say in some places, especially hospitals. Most hospitals don't have a forth floor. They name it the fifth floor instead. (which can get confusing if you're not used to it.) To me this kind of taboo is neither good nor bad. It's just there. It does no particular benefit but does no harm.
Another taboo is that you have to take off your shoes when you enter someone's house. I didn't even realize this is a taboo until one day an American teacher told me. Taking off one's shoes is just a sign of politeness, because most Taiwanese people wear slippers at home, and so to keep the rooms clean. I think this is actually better than wearing shoes into houses. I like my floors to be clean and wearing slippers is just so much more relaxing.
Some people also believe that writing names in red is dangerous, because red resembles blood. You will bring bad luck to yourself or another person if you write the names with a red pen. I don't practice such superstition. I write names with whatever color I want. I love red, it's a powerful color.

Entry 9: Analyze a Folk Tale

"Coyote Kills the Giant" explains why wood ticks are flat. According to the story, wood ticks were not used to be flat, but when Coyote pulled it out of the giant's closing teeth the wood tick was pressed thin and stayed flat forever.
I remember when I was little I read a Taiwanese aboriginal tale about how the bird, Black bulbul, got its red beak and legs. The story goes like this: Once there was a giant python wandering around. For some reason it decided to rest for a while and lay down. But the python was so huge that its body blocked several rivers. The waters soon flooded and the Bunun people were forced to stay on high mountain peaks. On one of the peaks the people there didn't bring any flint, but they saw that people on the other peak have fire. To try to solve the problem they asked a toad to swim across the water and borrow some fire for them, using a small wooden stick. When the toad came back, they saw that the wooden stick got wet. They then asked a bird for the same mission, but the bird was in such a hurry that the fire just went out. The Bunun people didn't give up, however. Again they asked the Black bulbul to help them. The Black bulbul tried to slow down to prevent the fire from dying out, but the fire burned quickly and reached near the end of the stick. The Black bulbul bravely endured the pain and brought the fire successfully to the people. As a result its severely burned beak and legs remained red until today.

As for the giant python, several days later a giant crab was taking a walk and saw a wall of scales and flesh, blocking its way. The crab was angry and attacked the python. After a fierce battle the crab cut the python in half and the rivers returned to normal.

Entry 8: Buddhist Doctrine

One of the reasons why I'm not a Buddhist is that I don't think life is all about suffering. I don't think ignorance and attachment cause only suffering. In my opinion, life should be a combination of both suffering and delight. Ignorance is not that bad. Sometimes knowing too much will also upset you. Attachment to this world is what makes us ourselves. We feel alive by connecting to other people. I think it's just human nature that we have attachments and emotions. We are human, and that's the undeniable fact. To conclude, I believe that a person should endure suffering to become a better person, but always hold a positive view and enjoy his/her life while he/she can.

So, no offense, but why face the world so negatively and renounce joy?

I think the concept of the Noble Eightfold Path is what all of us should follow - not necessarily the exact eight points, however. Each person is responsible for his/her own actions. As one of the members of this world, we should do our best to live as righteously as possible. We should benefit ourselves and others; doing the right things to keep ourselves from harm and contribute to the community, though I don't think benefiting the society is a major concept in Buddhism.

Entry 7: Taking Risks

For the people we care about, we would sacrifice our money, time, and sometimes our own happiness. When you care about a person, you wouldn't mind lending him/her your money when he/she needs it. You would also spend as much time as possible with that person.
I guess the people who sacrifice the most for me are my parents. My mother gave up her job when my sister and I were little to stay home and take care of us. If she had chosen to continue her career, she could have been in a higher position than today. But for us, we might not be as well educated and close to her. My father had always worked hard and he pays all of our expensive tuition. That is a lot of money. He has also done a lot for us, besides money.
I can't think of a time when I had to make sacrifices for other people. If I did, it was all trivial things. I think it's because there just happens to be no such chance, even if I'm willing to. But I suppose there will be chances in the future.
I don't know if this counts, but I often sacrifice my time and sleep to study. I study hard for myself, but also for my parents. If I get good grades, learn knowledge, and perhaps go to a good university, all the money my parents spent on my education wouldn't be wasted. I give up my pleasures, my time, and my sleep to make my parents proud, because I care about them.

Entry 6: New Place

The place that was once unfamiliar to me is the school dormitory. Last year when I moved into dorm I felt completely separated from the atmosphere. My room last year was just a place to put my stuff and sleep. I spent most of my time in study hall (auditorium) and cafeteria. I hardly knew anybody in the dorm, and I didn't care to look up their names. I seldom talked, and when people chat I sometimes listened. For the most part I live in my own world. I was not used to the unpleasant smell and dirty condition around the dorm either. The shower room smelled awful. The meals were tasteless but I didn't care.
This year, however, I became familiar with the dorm. This time I feel I'm actually part of the dorm. I checked people's names at the start of the year. I stay in my room more often and talk with my roommates. The bed looks more welcome and my desk more friendly. I hear people's voices and interact with them. Now every time I go to the toilet or shower I expect the same unpleasant smell. My eyes are used to seeing trash on the floor and cockroaches. The food still taste bad but now I would get tired of it from time to time.

Entry 5: A Journey

I read the book "The Neverending Story" by Michael Ende. The story is all about long and meaningful journeys, which take place in a fictional "real-life" and a world called "Fantastica" in a book in the story. There are two main characters, both of them experience physical and mental journey throughout the book. The "fictional" character, Atreyu, is asked to stop the "Nothing" that is slowly destroying Fantastica. The other main character, Bastian, who lives in the "real-life", is escaping from his troubles by reading a book called "The Neverending Story." And as the story goes Bastian becomes part of the book without realizing it.
As confusing as it sounds, Atreyu and Bastian travel in Fantastica and encounter numerous whimsical things and people (or creatures). They learn many things along the way. By the end of the book, both Atreyu and Bastian find what they want and grow to be more mature. But since it's "the neverending story," the story never ends. 

One of my own journeys, I think it's when I went to the US during the summer of 2010. I went to New York City and Madison, Wisconsin. In NYC, I've been to the museums and watched the Broadway musical "Lion King." I guess my mind just blew up when I saw the skyscrapers and the museums, and my heart exploded from the musical. It was amazing. In general, this trip to the US opened my mind and expanded my views.

Entry 4: Time

In the story "Contents of the Dead Man's Pocket," Tom realized that he had been out there on the ledge for only eight minutes. Jack Finney made time move slowly by throwing every detail into the story. He described Tom's thoughts, feelings, and all the little actions he did to show how he felt. The author also avoided mentioning time before page 29. Therefore, when the readers went along with Tom's flashbacks and decisions, we assume that a long time must have passed for these events to happen. It turned out the opposite.
When I struggle to keep myself awake in class, the time always seems to freeze. I'd be in the state of being half conscious and half unconscious, and every time I check the clock it would be in almost the same position as before. The attempt to stay awake in boring classes is just painful.
When time seems to move incredibly fast, it's usually when I'm doing something I like to do. For example, time just lapses so fast every time I start drawing.
Sometimes, though, time can be slow and then fast, or fast then slow. Like, during the week, I would be on Tuesday and I'd think that the week takes a long time to pass. But when it's Thursday, I'd feel like, "Wow it's already Thursday!"

Entry 3: Values

I think the most important value in people's lives should be living at the moment. It's not like playing and having fun all the time, but just being responsible and making your life worthwhile. A good amount of both fun and work, I would say.
Tom Benecke in "Contents of the Dead Man's Pocket" first valued his promotion. He wanted money and power. Later, however, his values changed because of the terrifying experience. When he climbed out of the window to get the yellow paper essential for his proposal, he realized that his life would not get any better if he went on like this after he survived. That made him decide to change his values. He gave up the chance of promotion and went to the movie with his wife instead. Now he placed a higher value on living his life, pleasantly.
My values in life include, like I said before, living at the moment. I don't want my life to be wasted, and it's not a good thing to be suffering all the time. I want to live my life as fully as I can. I place my health as second, because I can't do anything with a sick or tired body. Sleep is always important to me. "Love" is also a valuable thing. Here I mean love in general, love from parents, friendship, love for a pet, etc. I can't decide between "fun" and "achievement" for the next one. They are both important and sometimes they can overlap. Then, I'd say I value money. If I say I don't then I'm lying.

Entry 2: Describe Setting

Pg. 7 House of Flying Daggers:
1). Focal Point - the focal point of this picture is the person in the middle.
2). Time & Place - the scene sets in a bamboo forest in ancient China.
3). Action - the person in the middle fights with four other people with a long bamboo stick. The action makes the scene very intense and exciting.
4). Elements - the bamboos stand sharply out and resemble bars, which contributes to the intense and dangerous mood. The background is misty and white, creating a uncertainty and a mysterious mood. The greenish hue of the scene makes everything strange and a little unhealthy.
5). Perspective - we look at the scene from a almost parallel level, which enables us to see the four attackers and feel threatened.

My desktop in Taichung:
1). Focal Point - my laptop, placed in the center of the desk.
2). Time & Place - it's late afternoon, around 5 pm, on a Saturday. The desk is located near a open window in the living room.
3). Action - I am sitting in front of the laptop and typing my homework. There is little movement in the scene except my hands. It is almost to the point of boring.
4). Elements - the yellow light of the lamp is warm and relaxing. At about 2/3 to the left the yellow light blends into the more whitish light coming in from the window. This makes the scene very natural and smooth. The different objects on the desk, while placed a bit messily, makes it very much at ease. Due to the lamp, everything seems yellowish and friendly.
5). Perspective - looking from a 45 degree above the desk, down at the computer screen. We're able to see a little bit of the open window and all the stuff on the desk.

Entry 1: Common Experiences

I agree with Willa Cather on the idea of repeating stories. However, I think that a lot of authors, when they are writing a story, they are aware that the same thing happens to other people. And it is their goal to make readers feel connected to the story. And even if the bases of the stories are the same, there would always be variations in every story. It's inevitable that human stories repeat over and over. After all, we all belong to the same species.
An example of a common experience shared by all of us would be yearning for something we can't get. The more impossible getting the thing is, the more we want it. That is human nature. Characters in stories often have the same problem, and most of the time that could lead to a series of conflicts and struggles.
When I first came to PAS, I had to learn English and get used to the environment here. I believe a lot of people have similar experiences; to fit into a new environment, or to acculturate. The meeting of two cultures is also a very common theme. The whole process of growing up is common to everyone, anyway. We all have to learn, discover new things, get along with our parents, go to school, and etc. Then we all grow old and eventually die. The end.