Mermaids: The Body Found

      Last night, as I was watching some random videos on Youtube, I found a documentary from Animal Planet that is very very interesting. I stronly recommend all of you to watch it. The documentary is about "the blue bloop" which scientists assume that it is the sound of the conversations of mermaids. The documentary has eight parts. If you have time, I strongly recommend you to watch it. It is very cool and mystery.
      I've never wonder about the whether mermaids really exist or not because I believed that they were fairy tales. However, after watching this documentary, it makes me starts to believe that mermaids really do exist. Even though at the beginning of the film, it says that this ducumentary is just a science prediction, not necessairly real, I still think that it is real after watch it. How cool is it that mermaids really do exist?! Please, join me and discover the existence of mermaids!

This is a picture of a mermaid's body that scientists found from a shark's stomach

This is a recreation of what a mermaid may look like. (Look somehow like Avatar, maybe James Cameron had seen mermaids before.)



The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time part IV

      This is the last quarter of the book. And after finishing the book, I am happy (like this J )because I've read a good book.
      When Christopher finally met his mother, I thought her mother would act like what she did before, which was not be able to be patient with Christopher. However, Mother seemed to have changed or whether she was just too glad that Christopher wanted to live with her.
      I almost cried when I read to the part when Christopher refused to talk to Father in Mother's place and the policeman had to take him away. I particularly like these sentences: "I cooked his meals. I cleaned his clothes. I looked after him every weekend. I looked after him when he was ill. I took hom to the doctor. I worried myself sick every time he wandered off somewhere at night. I went to school every time he got into a fight. And you? What? You wrote him some fucking letters." I felt that Father was very right. He did not run away from Christopher. Mother did. He was the one who really took care of Christopher. Not Mother. Every one can write letters. Yet, Christopher refused to talk to him. I felt my eyes were filled with water when Christopher wrote " And there were tears dripping off [Father's] face.
      Nevertheless, I am very happy that this book has a happy ending and Christopher finally willing to try to live with Father again. JJJ

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time part III

      In chapter 163, Christopher described the event of Smarties that his elementary teacher, Julie, performed. After Julie revealed that it was a red pencil that was in the Smarties tube, Christopher felt that everyone knew what he knew in mind. Therefore, when Julie asked him what would his mother guess what was in the tube, Christopher answered a red pencil. I found that interesting. This event showed that Christopher's mind was different than others. He thinks differently from others. He felt that everyone must know what he know as well.
      After Father cleaned up Christopher, he tried to explain to Christopher why he had lied and he was the one who killed Wellington. At first, I felt pity for Father. But then, I counld not understand why he killed Wellington. Even though he explained that he killed Wellington because he thought that Mrs. Shears cared more about Wellington than Christopher and him, but I felt it was not a good enough reason to kill the dog. I mean it was not Mrs. Shears's responsibility to take care of Christopher. Christopher is not her chlid. Mrs. Shears was only helping Father and Christopher out. She did not commit to spend the rest of her life with them.
      Then, Christopher ran away from home and took the train to London to find his mother. I was pretty impressed by Christopher about his "moving in a spiral" method to find the train station. I was also impressed by his capacity to tolerant the things he normally could not tolerant, such as be in a unfamiliar new place, people taliking to him or touching him...etc. When the policeman told Christopher that his father was in the train station and was looking for him, my heart beat raced. I thought that Christopher was going to be brought back to his father and all the efforts that he made by himself was gone. But luckily, Christopher was smart and lucky enough not to be brought back to his father. However, I felt pity for his father because he must be really worried about Christopher.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time part II (add on)

      After I finish reading the second quarter of the book, where Christopher found out that Father had lied to him the whole time that Mother was dead and Father confessed that he had killed Wellington, I felt that the book is getting more and more intense. When Christopher found out that his mother was not dead, I didn't know what to think and I didn't know what to expect from Christopher's reaction towards this. If I were him, I would also be very angry with Father. However, reflected to what Mrs. Alexanders had said, Father probably lied for a good reason. Therefore, I felt like my mind was just as complex as Christopher's. And after reading through the second letter, which Mother had explained why she left Christopher, I would probably be very angry with Mother also if I were Christopher. I could not accept the fact that the main reason why Mother had left was she fell in love with Mr. Shears yet she put it in the way that it seems like Christopher's illness was the main reason why she left. I mean a responsible mother would never leave her child no matter how difficult it is to raise the child. (At least that's what I think) Also, it is very irresponsible to leave the child to your husband to raise. Marriage is a promise. When you get married, you made a promise to stay with your spouse no matter what. Therefore, I could not accept the action of Christopher's mother. I felt that Father was a very strong, brave and responsible man. I would be on his side if I had to choose.

Changing Education Paradigms + the Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time part II

      After watching the video of changing education paradigms again and have more understand of what Sir Ken Robinson was saying, I agree with what Robinson said. The part that I agree the most is that we should not divide students only by age. It is true that people with same age tend to have similar thoughts and actions. However, we cannot ignore the fact that some people are better than the others in the same age, or some better in descipline than the others. The most common thing in children, like us who are still getting education, should not be the age. It should be interest, in my opinion. I also agree that the system of education shouldn't be putting us students to sleep. They shouldn't be forcing us to study what we are not interested. They should be waking us up for focusing on what we like.

      Even though I have not yet read very much of the second portion of this book, I am immediately impressed by ch101. I never know that it is always better to change our decision when one door of the three is already opened. I always think that it is all about luck. Even when Christopher is explaining why it is always better to change the decision in the beginning I still do not get it. Until I see the graph that Christopher shows in the book, I finally realize the reason and I was very impressed by Christopher's logic. It is like seeing a magic trick (No kidding!) I am utterly impressed. I am liking this book more and more!

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-timent part I

     

 I found this book really interesting. Christopher, a boy with autism, expresses his feelings in a way that attracts me and cause me want to continue reading the book. He describes everything in details and explains the words that have the possibility to confuse the reader. I like it very much. The use of grammar is not really hard. You can completely understand what Christopher is trying to say.
      The part which I particularily like in this portion of the book is when he explains why he can't lie. (ch 37 (p.19)) He use an example of he eating Ready Brek and some hot raspberry milk shake for breakfast. If he says that he actually had Shreddies and a mug of tea, he starts thinking about Coco Pops and lemonade and porridge and Dr. Pepper and how he wasn't eating his breakfast in Egypt and there isn't a rhino in the room...etc. This shows that he is not ordinary. He is different. He is special.
      Reading this book allows me to understand how people with autism think and how do they live in their "own world." I like this book. It's a very interesting book. Hope you guys would read it someday if you have time! :)

Reflection on Shutting Out the Kids from the Family Fortune

See the article here: Shutting Out the Kids from the Family Fortune

      I feel the same way as Judge McGraw feels. I am curious why Wellington R. Burt only distribue his fortune to the generations after his grand children. I mean, does that mean the great-grand children would not be spoiled with his money if that is what he was worried that his children and grand children would be? I personally think that this method of splitting the money is not very effective. We live in a more morden society with higher technonlgy. This means that the competition of the market is tougher. The great-grand children receiving a big amount of money would have a higher possibility of allowing them become couch potatos. This may not be correct, but it has a bigger tendency to let them be spoiled. That is my opinion, no offense.

So here comes the questions:

      1. If you lived to be old and very wealthy, would you leave all your money to your children?

If not, why not?

      I would not leave all my money to my children.  I would leave some to my children, and leave some to my grand children and great-grand children in case they run out of money. The reason why I would leave some of my money to my chldren is because I am their parent. I have the responsibility to provide them a good life. Also, I certainly do not want to see my children not be able to afford their bills and meals. After all, they are my children. I love them.

      2. If so, would you favor males over females or the first born?

      I would definitely be completely fair with them money. I mean, why would I prefer one gender over the other? Everyone is equal. Why would I favor the first born? Does it mean that first born has the stronger ability to do things? I don't think so. They are all my children. I will distribute my money equally because I love them equally.

      3. Would you give anything to grandchildren, or like the person in the article, leave money to the generations living after your grandchildren? Explain.

      Like I've already answered in the first question, yes, I would leave some to my grand children and great-grand children (if I have large amount of money.) I do not want to see my grand children to be begging in the street for food. I want my all inheritances to have good lives. At least not have to worry about no food to eat, no clothes to wear.

      4. What percentage should go to charity?

      I would leave this question to my inheritances who get the money. I would hope that they would plan how to use their money well and leave some to the charity if they are not tight at hand.

Favorite Book: My Little Perfect World

      Well, before I introduce my favorite book to you, there is something you need to know. I am not a reader. I do not love to read. I am not the kind of person who spends her free time reading a book. I prefer watching movies. Therefore, it is hard for me to choose a favorite book since there are not many to choose from. However, there is one book that I particularly like. It is My Little Perfect World by a famous Taiwanese picture book writer, Jimmy. The reasons why I like this book are not only it contains a lot of cute pictures, but also that it writes a lot of feelings that I often experienced.

      The title is named My Little Perfect World, but in Chinese, it means I'm not a perfect child. Nowadays, parents put a lot of pressure on their children. My parents do not put much pressure on me, but I set my goals high because I don't want to let them down. This book is divided into a lot of different sections. Each expressing exactly what teenagers want to say. When I'm reading it, I keep nodding my head, thinking "Yeah! That is what I also feel!" It is amazing how Jimmy understands teenage thoughts so well. I really love this book. Not only because of the cute pictures but also because of its ability to express my feelings so well. I highly recommend this book to all of you!

      Also, it contains some really cool quotes! Such as...

      and...



Leave a comment! :)





No Anorexia

      Last Friday night, as I was reading some news on Yahoo, there is an article about a college guy lost weight in order to get a girlfriend. Within a year, he has lost 55 kilograms. He runs 1 kilometers everyday and skip dinners. Finally, he has successfully get a girlfriend now. However, doctor says his method is not correct. Since he was 135 kilograms before he lost weight, he souldn't run long distances as a method to lose weight. It damages his knees really badly.

      And then, I saw the news about a 216 kilograms English woman lost weight to only 55 kilograms. The doctor says if she won't start eating, she has only 6 months to live. Four years ago, she was the fattest woman in England and had an operation to reduce the size of her stomach. Within a year, she had lost over 100kg and started to have social life. She was even pregant. However, because she of liver problem, she had to give birth to her child early. Her son died after an hour he was born. Then she had anorexia. The doctor warned her if she continue not to eat, she will die within 6 months.

See the article here (in Chinese though): 216公斤女縮胃 厭食瀕危 暴瘦至50公斤 「只剩6個月可活」

      Then, at the end of the article, there is some examples of famous people who died from anorexia, such as Karen Carpenter and Isabelle Caro, a famous French actress and model. Then I got curious and Googled Isabelle Caro. I found the famous picture she took for an advertisement campaign for a fashion label. The picture is horrifying. She literally looked like she was dying. It horrifies me. Maintaining your weight is a healthy thought. However, if you suffer from anorexia because you want to look good, then I think it is too much. It does not look good to be so thin like her. I can literally see her bones.

      Eat healthily + some exercises then you will stay healthy. Please do not stop eating in order to lose weight. It is very unhealthy!

       Here is a little information about No Anorexia: What part of “No Anorexia” don’t they understand?

      Also, I've found a video that shows the how the patients of anorexia sees themselves: Reality.

Reaction on 10 Natural Wonders to See Before They Disappear

See the article at 10 Natural Wonders to See Before They Disappear

After reading this article, one thing came to my mind. Go Green! It is really tragic to see such wonderful and special places to disappear within some decades of years, all of them which I have not been to. That is a pity as well. One major problem that keeps appearing in every threat of the places is global warming. This problem has existed a long time ago. However, the situation is not turning for the better. The ones who are really doing some actions to save the earth is still minority. The majority stays apathetic about the situation and thinking that someone is dealing with the problem. However, saving the earth and saving the environment is not easy. It needs everyone to take action. I have research a little about Go Green after reading this article. There are 10 ways to Go Green and Save Green which every one of us can do it. Save energy and money, save water to save money, eat smart and buy smart, etc. These ways of saving earth benefits both the environment and us. Thinking about saving the earth sounds hard, but actually we just need to start from little things in our lives. For example, turn off the lights after leaving, bring our own bags to shop, and recycle papers and drinking bottles. These things are not hard but sometimes we allow ourselves not to do it. Earth is our home and it is in danger now. Think about the endangered animals and beautiful sceneries that are disappear. If we can do something to help, why not do it? I certainly do not want my child to see polar bears and icebergs only on textbooks!

Mother's Day!!

So tomorrow is Mother's Day! Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers in the world! As usual, our family celebrated it a week ahead. One thing different was that this time we did not go to a resturant. We celebrated at home instead. It was really nice to see all the cousins, aunts and uncles that I haven't seen in a long time. We ate a lot and chatted a lot. Of course, Grandma's lovely dish was most popular among the other dish. Also, this year, our mother's day cake is really special! It is NT$2000 cake! After eating, my cousins and I went shopping! It was such a lovely day. :)

Cycling aroung Taiwan!!

Cycling around Taiwan was Amazing!! To tell the truth, I was not really willing to go at first. I was afraid to get hurt. I thought that why should I continuously ride bike for 12 days when I can stay at home and relax? However, it all changed during those marvelous 12 days! Even though it was tiring everyday, but the challenges excited me. We exprienced differently during raining days and sunny days. Everytime I got to the top of the hill, I was proud of myself. The feelings is hard to describe. During these 12 days of cycling around Taiwan, we not only exprienced Taiwan by our own eyes, we also grew to be more mature. We learned how to get up and fight to the end when we fell. We learn how to challenge our ability to the limit. Mostly importantly, we learn how to act as a group, not individuals. This trip is really meaningful to me. I enjoyed it very very much! :)

Favorite Author

Well, it's a bit hard for me to have a favorite author because I don't read a lot. But there is an author that I have some impressions besides George Orwell. He is Elie Wiesel. When I was in 9th grade with Mr. Avni, we read his memoir, Night. The reason why I like Wiesel is that he uses simple yet meaningful words to describe what he wants to say. I am really impressed by him because I can never express my feelings as well as him. His words are very clear and powerful and full of emotions. Night is a really really good novel that I highly recommend. It is about Wiesel's own feelings and experiences when he was sent to labor camps during World War II. It is not very long, but this novel is gonig to help you realize how bad did the Jews suffer from WWII and it's going to make you sad!

Reflection on "Children with Asperger syndrome often live in fear of teasing, bullying"

You can see the article at this link: Children with Asperger syndrome often live in fear of teasing, bullying

       I think this article points out a very crucial problem. That is, People with Asperger disorder are often being picked on and bullied purposely. However, they are not good at interacting with people, so they have a hard time expressing their anger or seeking help from others. This allows the bullying to become severe. Finally, people with Asperger disorder fight back but often causing serious result. The case in the article with a teen that has Asperger syndrome stabbing a fellow student in the school bathroom is an example of this cycle.

        This article also helps me to understand the dilemma that the parents of children with Asperger syndrome face. It never occurred to me that the cost of the special program will be a factor to influence the decisions of the parents made for their children. It is definitely not a very good decision to send children with Asperger disorder to normal school especially when they all know that the children are not going to be treated properly. However, the cost of special program is crucial too. It is very cruel and realistic.

        Generally, I think if I ever get to spend time with people that have Asperger disorder, I would still be a little lost and feel awkward even though I know what they are like. But I think people with autism are very cool. Even though they are not good at interacting with people, they each have a talent at something. All those great musicians, scientists, and people all have autism. That is the point I admire them. Also, they can just disconnect from “this world” to their “own world.” That is pretty cool too. I want to experience what it feels like to be disconnected from this world.

Also, I would like to share a video that I think is awesome and explains a lot about Autistic people. Hope For Autism & Asperger's Syndrome: My Story I really like this video. Please watch it if you have time! :)

Reflection on Macbeth reader: Act II and III

      This is not my first time reading Macbeth, though everytime it is abrigded and simpler version. However, this time, I'm reading its acts and not just simply reading it like a novel. I feel it is more interesting reading acts because there is description on how the sentence should be said and what is the actor's emotion when saying the sentence. Also, I can see what the story's setting is and picture it myself. Futhermore, I find myself enjoying getting information about the story from the conversations of characters rather than reading the descriptions of the author's.
      Anyway, this version that I'm reading is more detailed than the version of Macbeth I read last time. In Act II, Macbeth murders Noble Duncan and becomes very suspicious and scared of every sound. Honestly, I felt pity when Macbeth is acting strange and is scared all the time after he killed Duncan. Even though he is guilty and deserves to be blamed, I think he is pushed by his wife and he is actually a kind and nice man. I think the one who should be blamed the most should be Lady Macbeth. She is a cruel, cold-blooded and dangerous woman. However, I am surprised by the good acting Macbeth puts on the next morning when Macduff finds out Duncan was dead. I thought Macbeth would act abnormal because he is scared. Also, I'm impressed by how clever Malcolm and Donalbain are. Unlike others easily satisfied with the decision that the killer is the servant who was killed by Macbeth under anger, they think that it is easy for a traitor to pretend to show sadness. Therefore, they run away. I think it is a clever decision.
      In Act III, Macbeth arranges murderers to kill his close friend, Banquo, and Banquo's son, Fleance. At this point, Macbeth has changed and even he acknowledges it himself. "Things with evil beginnings grow stronger through more evil," said Macbeth. The ambition and the evilness has won over his kindness in his mind. Later at the dinner with the lords, he cannot hide his fear anymore when he sees the ghost of Banguo. The lords are all surprised by his actions and considered Macbeth is ill. I do not pity Macbeth at all because I think he deserves it. What kind of friend is he that kills his own close friend for his desire? He does not deserve to be a king at all. I am glad that Macduff goes to England to get help.

Reflection on "One Hundred Years of Multitude"

Here is the link to the article: One Hundred Years of Multitude

My mind reflected back to the time when I first learned what the word “melting pot” represents in eighth grade while I was reading this article. In my meager memory, the passage that I read says America is like a big salad bowl, mixing various races from different places all over the world. In this article, I learned that eugenics is the belief in the possibility of improving the qualities of the human species or a human population. It was quite interesting but upset at the same time to know that people actually believed in this kind of prejudiced idea. I couldn’t agree more with Downes when he says “Who condemn “illegals” but refuse to let anyone become legal.” This problem also exists in Taiwan. Brides from Vietnam, worker from Philippines and helpers Indonesia all have trouble to get identification cards in Taiwan. Some of them worked in Taiwan for seven or more years before finally getting identification cards, before finally being treated as a citizen of Taiwan. As time passes, our society also changes. Cultures are mixing and people are more connected due to the advance technology. Not only the United States, but the whole world is becoming one big melting pot as well!

Welcome!

Hey Everyone! Welcome to my blog! I'm Maggie from Taipei, Taiwan. I'm currently a 10th grader at Kang Chiao Bilingual School. In this blog, you can see some of my reflection and opinions in some of the books I've read. Hope you enjoy and have fun! Thank you for coming to my blog :) Have a nice day!