YFU Exchange Program

Hello bloggers! A lot of you may not know, but I'm currently in Japan and will stay in Wakayama for the next six weeks. Today was my first day of school in Japan. I was lucky enough to have my fellow YFU friend, Tom, at my school. We had some of our classes together, and my day was a lot easier because of him. At school, I met a lot of Japanese students. Two "buddies" guided me through the day and I would not survive at all without their help. Akari and Mao reminded me of a friend when I first moved to Hong Kong, where they all translated everything for me and became the best companions they could possibly be. Even though I felt lonely sometimes, it's been really nice to regain that language vitality. I haven't had the urge of wanting to know everything regarding languages in a really long time, and this desire for new knowledge is a really, really nice feeling.

Spring Break 2014

Hello bloggers! Springtime has finally arrived, and I am...I am...I am sick. Nice story, isn't it? I had some fun in the beginning, though. On the first day of spring break, I got two new pairs of sunglasses. Yay! I love sunglasses; they make me look cool and more importantly, they conceal dark circles. On Sunday, my friends and I watched a Japanese Anime called "Pom Poko" at the Portland Art Museum. I never knew animations could carry messages such as protecting little animals and our environment until I watched this film. In general, Japanese animations always convey important meanings. I remember watching "Spirited Away" a long time ago and was touched by Sen's courage, honesty, and innocence. There was also a sculpture in the Portland Art Museum that left me thinking a long time. The sculpture captures a young, African boy who is diagnosed with albinism. It is appalling to read the caption that introduces the sculpture. Patients such as the boy are treated as "ghosts" by their society; instead of being cared, they are discriminated and are excluded from the rest of the society. Monday was officially the "sick day." I couldn't do anything except for homework (hahahaha). Every day that followed was pretty much the same except that I'm done with all of my homework now! :D Yesterday was perhaps the worst. As we all know, spring is also known as the SAT season. Because of my rather pathetic score, my mother is currently going through a tantrum. But this is not the end of the world, because I'll learn from my mistakes and hope the Fluke God will somehow stick with me the next time I take the test. 

May the luck be ever be in my favor. 

Brain-fried!?!

Hello bloggers! This is going to be the first bog of 2014, just ignore the fact that I'm 2 months late. :P Looking back at my past entries, I realize that I only write book reviews nowadays. GASP! (Perhaps I did it on purpose since my life is pretty prosaic.) But today, I want to do an update. Okay, where shall I begin? Perhaps from the IB Diploma topic that I began to write about a year ago? It turns out that the IB Program is comparable to a "prison", or I like to refer it as a "cage". It's bittersweet in a way. In IB classes, students are encouraged to think outside the box, to question the world, and to challenge the traditional beliefs. However, I do feel brain-fried sometimes, actually, a lot of times, trying to be "different" because no one wants to write about hackneyed ideas in IB. Don't get me wrong, there are also things I like about IB (that's new, isn't it? :) ). I have discovered my ardent passion for history as well as my talent in critiquing the societal decay. Also, I'll be going to college in one and a half year! Hooray! Now, I shall go back to studying for the SAT. It's snowing in Oregon; stay warm, my friends! :D
   
P.S: Personally, I think the best way to unleash stress is curling my hair
. Really strange, but it's so fun! Here is a photo attachment. (Homework break, teehee :P)