2007年10月31日 星期三

Tamshui, a blend with past and present


I’ve been living in school dorm for nearly 2 months, and, honestly, it would be an act of pure hypocrisy to conclude that I do not want to spend some more time home. Then, today I had the epiphany that I should write down some thing about Tamshui---a place not relatively far from here, but still is quite necessary for me to stay in the dorms.

Tamshui, a seaside town with a blend of West and East, offers tourist a lot to see. When I was back home, I could see loads of teenage boys and girls sauntering along the ‘old street’ of Tamshui. The shops in old street have become the most exuberant ones in Taipei county, for tourists never cease to pour in. For those who prefer a cultural feast, Tamshui offers not just a mixed culture but also a combination of modernity and tradition.For example, Fort San Domingo is a great destination for those who want to know what it feels like in a 17century castle. After the visit to the fort and ‘old street’, travelers often end their journey on the riverside where they can watch the stunning sunset which guarantees that a visit to the northeast coast is worthwhile.

2007年10月29日 星期一

Some thing to say after this shaky baseball season

Finally, the baseball season in Taiwan has reached its end. All in all, it’s obvious that CPBL (professional league in Taiwan) had gotten into one of its coldest winter again, for the financial statuses of almost every team are in hot water.

Despite all these glittery ‘exported’ players like Wang, I have never enjoyed watching Taiwanese traveling abroad. Why? Because I believe in order to enhance the overall standard of baseball players in Taiwan, we must produce a lot more young players so we can pick up the best of them. How do we raise both the quality and quantity of our players? We must offer them a future that’s both promising and challenging so the players are willing to risk their future on turning into pros. We have to admit that only the best of the best has the opportunity to sign a contract with either a MLB team or NPB team (Nippon Professional Baseball). Therefore, for those who are interested in turning pros, the future is quite dismal. That is to say, a healthy baseball league in this island is rather beneficial both to the players and the baseball fans.

But I doubt if we’ll get there in a few years.


The MTV for Taiwan Series 2007:http://www.uni-lions.com.tw/2007champ/movie.html#

2007年10月28日 星期日

Homework 3: Revise My Comprehensive English Enhancement Plan (CEEP1.1)

Homework 3: Revise My Comprehensive English Enhancement Plan (CEEP1.1)

Listening
Overall listening comprehension:C1
Understanding conversations between native speakers:B2
Listening to announcements and instructions:C1
Listening to media and recording:C1
Listening as a member of audience:C1 orB2

Reading

Overall reading comprehension:C1
Reading correspondence:C1
Reading for orientation:B2
Reading for information and argument:C1
Reading instructions:C1

Specific Goal

Prepare myself ready for IELTS within 3years. 6.5 will be an appropriate mark.

Overall:6.5(realistic), 7(optimistic)
Listening:8
Reading:8
Speaking:6
Writing:6

General goal
Find a new way to appreciate this culture. Then at that time I will develop a healthier relationship with the language.Specific GoalPrepare myself ready for IELTS within 3years. 6.5 will be an appropriate mark.



Specific Action
(1)Listen to BBC programs (Drama, live show, football season game…etc) at least 20 minutes a day. When listening to the shows, pay additional attention to numbers, places, and idioms native speakers like to use

(2)Attend English class every Friday.

(3)Read Times 10minutes everyday. When reading magazines, try to memorise, or even copy some native usages the idioms, structures or the whole sentences


My strengths and weakness in accomplishing my plan

When carrying out the scheme, I often drive my self overheated. While in the beginning I normally exceed what I plan to do, later on I go too deep in it and start to question whether I had really done enough. Brooding over staff like this makes me anxious all the time and it hinders my progress in my study as well as sucks up the pleasure in acquiring knowledge. On the flip side, due to my earnestness in learning a new thing, I pride my self on outpacing other learners in the progress during the same semester or vacation.

2007年10月27日 星期六

Sakura, an irrepressible love

Sakura, or cherry flower, means more than just a kind of flower. Although sakura represents the transient life of a samurai, it also celebrates the eternal beauty of this spirit. In Japan, sakura-watching can be more than just an entertainment; it can be a cultural event that unites friends, families or even a whole nation.

Because of its tragic beauty, I have long possessed a near-morbid fascination with it. Every time I go through Japanese travel magazines, finding pictures of sakura has become my top priority.

Yoshinoyama(The pictures in this page ) is my favorite sakura-watching spot, for it boasts more than 30,000 cherry trees and 200 kinds of cherry flowers. Yoshinoyama always is a place where heroes come to embrace their tragic endings; no wonder endless literati had come to paid their tributes to this very spirit, this very mountain, this very flower.




































2007年10月25日 星期四

My Comprehensive English Enhancement Plan for 2007-2008 School Year

My Comprehensive English Enhancement Plan for 2007-2008 School Year黃文謙

(For the past three years, I had been working like a machine trying to complete the Hercules task of migration to Australia. As my high school year drew to its end, I find out that my fascination with migration is merely a way of running away from the stress of college entrance exam. When I finally realized this plan isn’t going to work out for me, I buried all my passion for English with the past I tried to forget.)

Goal
Find a new way to appreciate this culture. Then at that time I will develop a healthier relationship with the language.

Specific Goal
Prepare myself ready for IELTS within 3years. 6.5 will be an appropriate mark.

Specific Action
(1)Listen to BBC programs (Drama, live show, football season game…etc) at least 20 minutes a day. (2)Attend English class every Friday.(3)Read Times 10minutes everyday.

2007年10月21日 星期日

(Silverstreet2)

先打出Silverstreet的網址 只要連上去就能收聽BBC每週更新的內容
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/asiannetwork_aod.shtml?asiannet/asiansilverstreet_om
The Chauhan family is the one of the most important 'residents' in Silverstreet. In the last 3 years, the Silverstreet storyline centers around this extended family.

我只介紹The Chauhans 畢竟他們是我ㄧ開始聽這部戲最早認識的人物
http://www.bbc.co.uk/asiannetwork/silverstreet/characters/上有更完整的介紹
以下內容是我從BBC彙整出的簡介
After this brief(?) illustration, I will post some of the situations they face when living in Britain, then we can all think about what we will do under those circumstances.


Jai Dattani (The leftest) Son of Kamla
Despite constantly getting into trouble as a kid, Jai's charm has meant he's always remained his mother's golden boy. A great story-teller and popular with the kids he has a talent for charming people into giving him exactly what he wants. The older residents of Silver Street however, wouldn't trust him an inch!

Kamla Dattani(front right) Mother of Rita and Jai, her husband had been dead for quite a long time
Kamla thinks she knows everything, and isn't afraid to say so, particularly to her daughter Rita(front left). She's independent and strong, and can be extremely stubborn at times. She's also very proud, and hates to feel a burden on Rita and Pradeep. Kamla's a loving grandmother, and is particularly close to Jas.












Pradeep Chauhan (last column, right) Husband of Rita
Pradeep is a sensitive, family man. He loves being outdoors and getting involved in community projects, or cheering on Krishan's football team at weekends. He's not as modern as his wife Rita, or as sure of himself, and he often feels the sharp end of her tongue!

Rita Chauhan(front left) Daughter of Kamla; Jai's older sister

Rita likes to make the most of life, and finds pleasure in simple things, like having her hair done and singing along to the latest pop tunes. She’s extremely sure of herself and isn’t afraid to complain if she thinks she’s being taken for a ride.

Jasmine Chauhan(the second from left)Rita and Pradeep's daughter; older sister of Arun and Roopa

Jas is level-headed and responsible - being the eldest child meant she had to grow up pretty fast, and she's always felt older than her age. She's bright and hard-working, and often finds it hard to really let herself go.

Roopa Chauhan(the rightest)Rita and Pradeep's daugher; little sister of Jas and Arun

A bit of a show-off at heart, Roopa adores singing and dancing, and dreams of being in Pop Idol. She knows the words to all the latest pop songs, and never tires of singing them over and over! Roopa likes to think she's worldly-wise, and loves helping out at the salon because it makes her feel grown-up.

Arun Chauhan(The fourth from left)son of Rita and Pradeep;Younger brother of Jas; But is older than Roopa and Krishan

A natural charmer, Arun likes to act tough and cool in front of his siblings, but he isn't really - he's not even in with the local gang, and that's not for want of trying. Arun's really into music and he's always on his decks. He dreams of becoming a famous DJ.

A bit of a show-off at heart, Roopa adores singing and dancing, and dreams of being in Pop Idol. She knows the words to all the latest pop songs, and never tires of singing them over and over! Roopa likes to think she's worldly-wise, and loves helping out at the salon because it makes her feel grown-up.

Krishan Chauhan (second from right)Son of Rita and Pradeep; the youngest

Krishan is extremely bright for his age. He’s impatient to learn more about the world around him, understands a lot more than people realise, and knows everyone’s business! Krishan worships his dad and follows him everywhere. He loves football, dinosaurs and chess.

2007年10月17日 星期三

(Dailysport1)Something to say about football leagues

For most Taiwanese, English Premierleague simply isn't some thing we care to follow on the newspapers. But for most Africans and Southeast Asians, not to mention the Europeans, Premierleague is one of the most loved sports leagues in this world.

高一的時候
認識了一個平常也有在注意歐洲足壇的同學 英格蘭超級足球聯賽 西班牙甲級足球聯賽 意甲 德甲 法甲 都成了我們研究的課題

後來我發現 歐洲足球真的是很寬廣的世界 學習歐洲足球 不只是練英文 更是了解先進國家體育文化的最好方式 他們的制度規劃之精密周全 還真是我們幾十年之內學都學不來的

2007年10月15日 星期一

(Silverstreet episodes discussion1) An introduction

Silverstreet, a soap which has been on air since May, 2004.





All my life, I've never stuck to one TV show for such a long period of time, let alone a radio-based drama.





為了完成在文化變種失敗前移民澳洲的理想 當年的我 每天狂練英文 也在這部廣播劇前面蹲了三年......





在所有的熱情被現實掏盡之後 三年後的我 儘管還沒有走出對英文複雜情感所造成的心理障礙





但是 All along, this very Drama, this very moment, though silent all these years, had been firmly kept in the depth of my mind.


真的是很有意義的廣播劇 對學英文及模擬在英國亞裔的生活都有極大助益 今天先大略介紹這部戲一個人物 其餘這半年再慢慢談



Pradeep Chauhan Played by Ashvin-Kumar JoshiDOB: 18th September 1959FAMILY : Wife - Rita Children - Jasmine, Arun, Roopa, KrishanLIVES: In a terraced house by the park, backing onto the canal. WORK: Pradeep is head chef at Mani’s restaurant. CHARACTER: Pradeep is a sensitive, family man. He loves being outdoors and getting involved in community projects, or cheering on Krishan's football team at weekends. He's not as modern as his wife Rita, or as sure of himself, and he often feels the sharp end of her tongue!STAR SIGN : Virgo

Redirected from http://www.bbc.co.uk/asiannetwork/silverstreet/

2007年10月13日 星期六

部落格開張---an outline of my blog


Welcome to Dueling with destimy! First. I would like to offer a brief illustration of my personal blog. All the articles posted here are classified into the following 5 catagories---Silverstreet episodes discussion(A BBC-produced british radio soap I've been listening for over 3 years) , Dailysport(Articles about Premierleague and European football), A life-long duel and duelists(My complicated relationship with English, that is- My language-acquiring experience),This sceptred isle(DailyNews), Another side of lingua franca-The sun also rises(My personal Japanese-learning experience and Nippon culture) .







(An illustration)

Dueling with destiny



-Silverstreet episodes discussion



-Daily sport



-A life-long duel and duelists



-This sceptred isle



-Another side of lingua franca-the sun also rises