journal May24~30

( reflection on The Little Prince, part 2)

In the following chapters, the narrator and the little prince become closer and closer through their different conversations. The little prince cares about his rose so much and he is worried about whether the sheep will eat the rose or not. To be honest, I could not understand why the little prince cares his rose so much when I first read the book. It is just a flower! And he even worries about those “childish” problems. However, as I read it again and though it deeply; I had different points of view. I think the rose can be a symbol of our most cherished thing in childhood. Maybe it was just an old doll or a broken robot. To adults, they usually do not care about those things which their children treasure the most.
During the little prince’s journey to different asteroid, he meets a king, a vain man, a drunkard, a business man, a lamplighter and a geographer. Among these people who he encounters, the lamplighter impressed me the most. The lamplighter lives in a very small planet and his task is to extinguish his lamp during the day and light it up at night. But, the problem is that his planet turns too fast. He must keep working every minute and his sense of duty does not allow him to take a rest. Among the people the little prince meets, I think he is the only one who works for other. And his work brings the beauty to the universe. Maybe his behavior looks foolish, but he indeed is a tragic figures.
In the end of the story, the little prince goes back to his planet in a sorrowful way. Although he claims that he needs to go back to see his rose, the way he uses still make me sad. It seems that he dies. To me, leaving is always painful. But the narrator is very optimistic about his friend’s leaving and always misses him while looking at sky.
“Look up at the sky. Ask yourself, “Has the sheep eaten the flower or not?” And you’ll see how everything changes. And no grown-up will ever understand how such a thing could be so important!”

journal May17~23

Few days ago, I finish my reading of “the little prince”. I cannot remember how many times I had read it. Without a doubt, it is one of my most favorite books. I first read the book when I was an elementary school student. I was attractive by it because of its colorful and cute illustrations. To my, the story was only about a little boy’s adventure in different planet. I could not grasp the true meaning that hidden behind the words and sentences. It was beyond my comprehension. As I grew older, I gradually realized that how amazing the book was. Every time I read it, I have different feelings and thoughts.

“But he would always answer, “That’s a hat.” Then I wouldn’t talk about boa constrictors or jungles or stars. I would put myself on his level and talk about bridge and golf and politics and neckties. And my grown-up was glad to know such a reasonable person.”
At the first chapter, the novel narrator says that when he was six years old, he drew a picture which was a boa was digesting an elephant. But adults said the picture is a hat. They did not like his picture and told him to work hard on his study. This plot reminded me that I used to do the same thing in my childhood. My parents liked to cultivate me into certain hobbies. I did not like to play piano, but my mom said that learning piano was very elegant. So, I have to learn. I was not a quiet girl and preferred to do some outdoor activities. I liked robots more than dolls. But I still have to stay in home for reading, drawing, playing piano and changing clothes for those stupid Barbies. I really think that grown-up should pay more attention and explore what their children really like.
When the narrator one day crash in dessert, he meet the little prince. The little prince asks him to draw s sheep for him, but he draw the picture of a boa swallowing an elephant. It is the same as his first drawing in six. Surprisingly, the little price can understand the picture. This point also shows that how children are different from adults. Children are creative and imaginative. Their perspectives are so interesting than those practical adults. Although the narrator is an adult, he still keeps his pure heart. So, he can enjoy listen to his little new friend’s adventureful stories.

May10~16

Few days ago, I learned that our French teacher might not teach us in the next semester. I was very shock. I knew that she was serious sick so she had to call off some class in the following weeks. Recently, she needs to have operations. When she tells us her health situation, most of us could not believe in what she just said. Because she always looks energetic and passion in class. She never appears tired look. At first, I though she may take some classes off until the end of this semester. Then, she will appear healthy in next semester. But, I was wrong! I am very sad about the bad news, because she is a very good teacher. I learned not only French but also her positive attitude towards life from her. I truly hope she can recover soon and keep teaching us.
Sometimes, I really feel the uncertainty of life is terrible. We do not know what will happen in next day or next minute. I still remember the serious landslide accident in highway which happened in last month. Some drivers unfortunately were buried in earth, but some does not only because they drove behind those cars for ten meters. No one wants this happened, but it did happened. We cannot do anything to stop those natural accidents. This is the uncertainty of life. I think we should treasure what we have now, and care more about our family and friends. Sometimes, I easily take what I have for granted and seldom think I need to cherish them. I must change my attitude or I will definitely regret after lose something which cannot be replace.

journal May3~May.9

I had subscribed to Reader’s Digest for almost one year. I remembered my English teacher told me that Reader’s Digest is a very useful material when learning English. As a result, I chose it as my English reading material. At first, I was a little bit worry about whether the contents are too difficult for me or not. But after I received the magazines, I was impressed by its variety of articles including cover story, health, sports, jokes, heroes, word power, quotes, and so on. By reading them, I can attain different range of knowledge and broaden my horizons. Most of them were very interesting. Besides, I would not be frustrated or bored when I saw some new words, because I was really into the topic.
Yesterday when I was reading my last Reader’s Digest, I found a newborn word—slanket. It is a blanket with sleeves (hence the name) which was invented by a 19 years old student in US. The invention was said to be a good news to coach potatoes because they do not need to tolerate the blankets slipped off their body when they lying on the sofa. And this product was also introduced by Taiwan’s TV programs. I thought I might buy one in winter because it looked very warm!


In addition to this word, I also noticed a word which I had some misunderstanding before—ATM. ATM means automated teller machine. However, sometimes I would say ATM machine. That became automated teller machine machine! The redundant problems might need to be paid more attention.
Keep the habit of reading Reader’s Digest will definitely help me to improve my reading ability and learn new knowledge. I hope I can get used to it and enjoy it!

journal Apr.26~May.2

After our exhausted mid-term exams, I decided to relief all my stress and enjoy my weekend! This Saturday, I went to Janfusun fancy world with Angel. I woke up at seven thirty at morning and found that weather is good. It was really a wonderful day to have fun! As we sat on our only vehicle—motorcycle, our little trip just started!
Because we were not familiar with route, we just followed the directions from Dalin interchange to Meishan interchange. Fortunately, the directions were very clear and we spent about one hour to get there. The first facility we played was G5. Although I was very brave and belonged to those who will play all the facility in amusement park, I still felt nervous when I stand in line. It was my very first time! When I get into the seat and the cars started to rise, I almost could hear my heart beating. Suddenly, as wind flapped on my face and scream floating in the air, I felt I was falling. It was totally terrible but exciting! For the following hours, we almost we every facility until we were dazzling. There were not so many people, so we seldom need to wait in line. How lucky we are! When we were exhausted, we went to see the circus. The group was from Russia, so there are so many handsome guys! They combined skating and acrobatics which were very impressing. Their skills were really amazing. I enjoyed it a lot. After the show, we decided to walk to the entrance and rode to Yunlin University of Science and Technology for eating our dinner. Because we knew that there was a famous beef noodles called “老謝”. The good smell filled the store that made me mouth-watering. After I tasted the beef noodles, the only thing I could say is that the reputation is well supported by fact! So delicious!
I could not remember how many hours had we spent on riding. But it was definitely a wonderful day!

journal Apr.5~11

Apr.5~11

I like reading.

Since I was a child, my mom had bought variety of books for me. Every day, I read one of them. This habit has kept for a long time. To me, reading is not only a way to fulfilling myself but also a way to relax. My speed of reading is not slow, or some people say is fast. For one reason is that I do not read every single word but the meaning of whole sentence. I will easy space out if reading every word. Another season is that once I start reading, I indulge myself in the plots every much. Sometimes I even forget to have meal, or I do not want to have it! If I cannot finish a book, I will just keep thinking “what happened next?” “Will he die?” “Will they be happy ever after?” These question keep hunting me that makes me really curious. So, generally speaking, I finish a book within a short period of time.
Recently, I am reading a book called Needful Things written by Stephen King. This book is very thick (about 700 pages). Well, it’s always his style! The story is about a grand opening store in a small town. You can buy anything you want in the store. Your deepest desire will be realize. But, in order to get your necessary, you have to pay for it. The darkness of mankind reveal in the story. I think Stephen King’s writing style is very obvious. He is good at dealing with details. I also read his other book like Pet Sematary and Skeleton Crew; both of them are very “Stephen”. Now, I am planning to read Dan Brown’s new book—The Lost Symbol. I believe it must be a very fascinating book. I am looking forward to it!

journal Mar. 29~ Apr.4

3/29~4/4
This Tuesday, I went back to my alma mater, Nan Gang high school, with my friends. I have not seen my classmates for a long time. Because most of them stay in Taipei for study. As a result, this spring break is a good time for us to have a small class reunion.
When I saw some of my friends, I was very surprised by their change, both good and bad. Some girls became more beautiful and graceful. They work hard on their academic but had few activities after school. From their behavior, I noticed their mature temperament. As to the rest, they still kept the same personalities. They were good at social and join every kind of activities. They have colorful “nightlife”. However, they lost their passion on studies and did bad jobs on tests.
I was wondering that in these two categories, which one I should belong to? To be honest, I am not good at social. I am always nervous when talking to strangers. I keep silence in the occasions which are not familiar to me. I am not comfortable to show myself. These reasons make me seldom attend activities no matters are held by our apartment or other school’s clubs. People say that College life is just like an epitome of society. We can meet almost every kind of people in College. Maybe I really need to learn how to get along with those acquaintances. I have to get rid of embarrassment and nervous which I put on myself. I must do some CHANGE.