Click HERE to read my previous post on this topic, written approximately one year ago.
Now, CTV News has reported that Canada is going to be the first country to export generic anti-retroviral drugs to a developing country: Rwanda. Apotex is the name of the company that manufactures the drug, and its name is called Apo TriAvir. Canada is able to do this for the following reasons:
1) Rwanda is unable to manufacture this drug on their own.
2) Rwanda has invoked the "compulsory license" which allows it to import a generic version of a drug, after negotiations have been made with the pharmaceutical company that holds the patent for that drug. This means that some compensation must be paid to the pharmaceutical company.
What's the Catch?
I dunno. The news article doesn't say, but I do wonder how much money Rwanda had to pay to the pharmceutical companies that hold the patent in order to import generic drugs from Canada?
And, when AIDS patients become resistant to the current TriAvir drugs, how will they get to import the next drug? Will this whole process have to be repeated again? How much harder will it be when that time comes to invoke the compulsory license? What road blocks will pharmaceuticals have created by then to further prevent these things from happening?
Saturday, October 06, 2007
Monday, September 24, 2007
方皓玟 歡迎光臨 "Welcome"
Go here for lyrics
This is my new favourite singer/songwriter out of Hong Kong. Her name is Charmaine Fong, and this is a song she wrote herself. She's usually a lyricist, but as you will see from the video if you play it, she's a very talented songwriter as well. I first came across this song in the music video version, where the singing is a studio cut. I started to wonder if she could actually sing this live, and here it is. She's just as good. I'm really impressed. I hope she becomes more well-known in HK.
This is my new favourite singer/songwriter out of Hong Kong. Her name is Charmaine Fong, and this is a song she wrote herself. She's usually a lyricist, but as you will see from the video if you play it, she's a very talented songwriter as well. I first came across this song in the music video version, where the singing is a studio cut. I started to wonder if she could actually sing this live, and here it is. She's just as good. I'm really impressed. I hope she becomes more well-known in HK.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
New Electoral System Referendum (click)
Comparison Notes
First Past the Post (FPP) versus Mixed Member Porportional System (MMP)
107 electoral districts and 107 seats versus 90 electoral districts and 129 seats
FPP - you vote for a candidate for one electoral district
MMP - 90 seats are for the Local members, who are the equivalent to the current candidates we vote for in the current FPP system.
- Then there are 39 seats for the List Members. This is what sets the MMP system apart from the FPP system.
List Members
Before an election, each party puts forward a list of members they want to get seats for in the FPP system. If people give 19 of the 39 seats for List Members to Party A, then Party A gets 19 more seats in addition to the FPP vote. If Party B gets 50 votes in the FPP vote, and Party A gets 20 votes, then Party B would win even if it got only 10 votes in the List Member vote. Why? Because the overall total for Party B is 60 votes, whereas Party A only gets 39 votes in total.
What are we voting on?
We are not only voting on a candidate who represents us at the Provincial Legislature. We're also voting for a party. Sometimes, the person you think is the best candidate may not be of the party that you prefer to have running the government. So, in the MMP system, you get to voice both requests. One for the candidate who would best represent you, as well as the party whose policies are most in line with your values.
Since the List Member is selected by the political party and not by us, the public, then how can we make sure that this List Member candidate will work for us? We will have to contact this candidate and convey our wishes to them. This sounds like more work that I have to do to reach a person who isn't necessarily chosen to work for me. So, I'm wondering if this is an effective way for me to make my voice heard?
FAQ Page
Noteworthy is " Can I see an example of how the proposed Mixed Member Proportional System would work?" This question will show you links to the Citizen's Assembly report, where they paint hypothetical scenarios of what might happen, and what implications that would have if we did adopt an MMP system.
First Past the Post (FPP) versus Mixed Member Porportional System (MMP)
107 electoral districts and 107 seats versus 90 electoral districts and 129 seats
FPP - you vote for a candidate for one electoral district
MMP - 90 seats are for the Local members, who are the equivalent to the current candidates we vote for in the current FPP system.
- Then there are 39 seats for the List Members. This is what sets the MMP system apart from the FPP system.
List Members
Before an election, each party puts forward a list of members they want to get seats for in the FPP system. If people give 19 of the 39 seats for List Members to Party A, then Party A gets 19 more seats in addition to the FPP vote. If Party B gets 50 votes in the FPP vote, and Party A gets 20 votes, then Party B would win even if it got only 10 votes in the List Member vote. Why? Because the overall total for Party B is 60 votes, whereas Party A only gets 39 votes in total.
What are we voting on?
We are not only voting on a candidate who represents us at the Provincial Legislature. We're also voting for a party. Sometimes, the person you think is the best candidate may not be of the party that you prefer to have running the government. So, in the MMP system, you get to voice both requests. One for the candidate who would best represent you, as well as the party whose policies are most in line with your values.
Since the List Member is selected by the political party and not by us, the public, then how can we make sure that this List Member candidate will work for us? We will have to contact this candidate and convey our wishes to them. This sounds like more work that I have to do to reach a person who isn't necessarily chosen to work for me. So, I'm wondering if this is an effective way for me to make my voice heard?
FAQ Page
Noteworthy is " Can I see an example of how the proposed Mixed Member Proportional System would work?" This question will show you links to the Citizen's Assembly report, where they paint hypothetical scenarios of what might happen, and what implications that would have if we did adopt an MMP system.
Monday, September 03, 2007
Spa Comparisons
The spas I'm going to compare are Summerhill Spa, Concepts Spa and In Beauty Spa.
Hot Stone Therapy
Summerhill................60min for $90
Concepts..................60min for $110
Beauty....................55min for $120
Reflexology Massage
Summerhill................45min for $55 (Includes hot oil treatment)
Concepts..................45min for $60
Beauty....................55min for $80....$65.25 for 45min
RMT Registered Massage Therapy
Summerhill................60min for $85
Concepts..................60min for $80
Beauty....................55min for $85
Basic Facials
Summerhill................45min for $40....$53.40 for 60min
Concepts..................60min for $75
Beauty....................60min for $75
Advanced Facials
Summerhill................75min for $80
Concepts..................75min for $90
Beauty....................75min for $95
Eyebrow Waxing
Summerhill................15min for $15
Concepts........................... $17
Beauty...................(tweezing) $20-25
Pedicure
Summerhill................50min for $40
Concepts..................60min for $48
Beauty............................. $45
Manicure
Summerhill................40min for $30
Concepts..................30min for $25
Beauty............................. $25
Hot Stone Pedicure
Summerhill................70min for $75
Concepts..................75min for $75
Beauty.................... none
Summerhill Spa
154 Cumberland Street
Toronto M5R 1A8
phone 416-924-0531
fax 416-924-7309
welcome@summerhillspa.com
CONCEPTS SALON & SPA
20 Bloor Street Eest
(Hudson’s Bay Centre)
Toronto, Ontario M4W 3B8
Tel: 416.928.6845
Fax: 416.928.0489
conceptdayspasalon@bellnet.ca
In Beauty Spa @ Commerce Gate
Commerce Gate
Unit 12-16, 505 HWY 7 East,
Thornhill, ON. L3T 7T1
Canada
Tel: 905-7629099 / 905-7629199
I have been to Summerhill and In Beauty spas. The facials I got at each location were different, so it's hard to compare how well the facials were done. Judging by other factors, I prefer Summerhill. Summerhill's decor is very homey, making me feel truly relaxed. The music is calming, and the way they position you on the bed is much more comfortable. During the facial, the aestheticians put a pillow underneath my knees, which allows my body to lie in a natural and relaxing position. During the pedicure, I also lay on a bed, with a triangular pillow underneath my knees. I was so comfortable I fell asleep. In Beauty, however, has small rooms that resemble doctor's examining rooms. The bed is very narrow and so you feel cramped, not relaxed.
My best friend has been to Concepts Spa (Hudson's Bay Co.) and she said they dim the lights to create a relaxing atmosphere. I don't know what their decor looks like, though, and it's hard to find pictures on the internet.
Hot Stone Therapy
Summerhill................60min for $90
Concepts..................60min for $110
Beauty....................55min for $120
Reflexology Massage
Summerhill................45min for $55 (Includes hot oil treatment)
Concepts..................45min for $60
Beauty....................55min for $80....$65.25 for 45min
RMT Registered Massage Therapy
Summerhill................60min for $85
Concepts..................60min for $80
Beauty....................55min for $85
Basic Facials
Summerhill................45min for $40....$53.40 for 60min
Concepts..................60min for $75
Beauty....................60min for $75
Advanced Facials
Summerhill................75min for $80
Concepts..................75min for $90
Beauty....................75min for $95
Eyebrow Waxing
Summerhill................15min for $15
Concepts........................... $17
Beauty...................(tweezing) $20-25
Pedicure
Summerhill................50min for $40
Concepts..................60min for $48
Beauty............................. $45
Manicure
Summerhill................40min for $30
Concepts..................30min for $25
Beauty............................. $25
Hot Stone Pedicure
Summerhill................70min for $75
Concepts..................75min for $75
Beauty.................... none
Summerhill Spa
154 Cumberland Street
Toronto M5R 1A8
phone 416-924-0531
fax 416-924-7309
welcome@summerhillspa.com
CONCEPTS SALON & SPA
20 Bloor Street Eest
(Hudson’s Bay Centre)
Toronto, Ontario M4W 3B8
Tel: 416.928.6845
Fax: 416.928.0489
conceptdayspasalon@bellnet.ca
In Beauty Spa @ Commerce Gate
Commerce Gate
Unit 12-16, 505 HWY 7 East,
Thornhill, ON. L3T 7T1
Canada
Tel: 905-7629099 / 905-7629199
I have been to Summerhill and In Beauty spas. The facials I got at each location were different, so it's hard to compare how well the facials were done. Judging by other factors, I prefer Summerhill. Summerhill's decor is very homey, making me feel truly relaxed. The music is calming, and the way they position you on the bed is much more comfortable. During the facial, the aestheticians put a pillow underneath my knees, which allows my body to lie in a natural and relaxing position. During the pedicure, I also lay on a bed, with a triangular pillow underneath my knees. I was so comfortable I fell asleep. In Beauty, however, has small rooms that resemble doctor's examining rooms. The bed is very narrow and so you feel cramped, not relaxed.
My best friend has been to Concepts Spa (Hudson's Bay Co.) and she said they dim the lights to create a relaxing atmosphere. I don't know what their decor looks like, though, and it's hard to find pictures on the internet.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Planning for Winter Country Trip
Dates (pending): Thursday, December 27th, 2007 to Tuesday, January 1st, 2008.
Location: Winter country resort, i.e. Blue Mountain
Resources:
- Blue Mountain Brochures Homepage
- BM Resort Map
- BM Shopping and Dining Guide
To receive further information on any of these events, please call Blue Mountain at 705-445-0231
Lodging:
BM Lodging Brochure
Main Village accomodations:
2 Bedroom + kitchen = $2881.45
1 Bedroom + kitchen = $2202.15
Other buildings including the Chateau Ridge and Rivergrass condos are the same price at the moment.
Activities:
- Main activities page for Blue Mountain
This link will give you very detailed infomation on skiing and snowboarding
- Cross Country Skiing
- Snowshoeing and Caving
We can visit the caves by snow-shoeing. This is a very strenuous exercise for people who have never snow-shoed before.
- Snow-free Caving
If we have a terrible winter without snow, we can still go and visit the scenic caves.
- Spa
We will have to call and check for availability and specials as the date nears. For now, you can view what services they offer, and decide for yourself which style of spa you would like. The Scandinavian Spa is very suitable for men as well as women.
- My Touch, Your Spa
Google Map
- Utopia Spa Salon
Google Map
- Kalola Boutique and Spa
Google Map
- Shopping in the Village
We can just walk around and do some shopping as we recuperate from all this strenuous activity.
- Nightlife and Dining
A list of places
Pricing for Skiing and Snowboarding:
- Beginner lesson and equipment = $54 daytime - Includes 90 min group lesson and lift rides
- For $59, you could have a private lesson for 4 friends. You get more attention from the instructor and will learn better as a result.
- Tubing = $4/ride, $22/8 rides - for when we're too tired to ski or snowboard
Special New Year's Eve Activities:
New Year's at Blue Mountain
a) Special Dinner Gala
b) Adult Party Package - $ are not yet available for A and B.
c) Dec. 30 - Othere is a Torch light parade in the village. We should find some reviews of it to see if it's worthwhile.
Neighboring Businesses
Supermarket at Collingwood Plaza
Loblaws
A&P Supermarket - This one is closest to the resort
http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=&saddr=276+Jozo+Weider+Blvd.,+Collingwood&daddr=Hwy+26+%26+High+St.,+Collingwood,&sll=44.501831,-80.254869&sspn=0.029017,0.079651&ie=UTF8&ll=44.498954,-80.270491&spn=0.029018,0.079651&z=14&om=1
Itinerary:
T.B.D.
Location: Winter country resort, i.e. Blue Mountain
Resources:
- Blue Mountain Brochures Homepage
- BM Resort Map
- BM Shopping and Dining Guide
To receive further information on any of these events, please call Blue Mountain at 705-445-0231
Lodging:
BM Lodging Brochure
Main Village accomodations:
2 Bedroom + kitchen = $2881.45
1 Bedroom + kitchen = $2202.15
Other buildings including the Chateau Ridge and Rivergrass condos are the same price at the moment.
Activities:
- Main activities page for Blue Mountain
This link will give you very detailed infomation on skiing and snowboarding
- Cross Country Skiing
- Snowshoeing and Caving
We can visit the caves by snow-shoeing. This is a very strenuous exercise for people who have never snow-shoed before.
- Snow-free Caving
If we have a terrible winter without snow, we can still go and visit the scenic caves.
- Spa
We will have to call and check for availability and specials as the date nears. For now, you can view what services they offer, and decide for yourself which style of spa you would like. The Scandinavian Spa is very suitable for men as well as women.
- My Touch, Your Spa
Google Map
- Utopia Spa Salon
Google Map
- Kalola Boutique and Spa
Google Map
- Shopping in the Village
We can just walk around and do some shopping as we recuperate from all this strenuous activity.
- Nightlife and Dining
A list of places
Pricing for Skiing and Snowboarding:
- Beginner lesson and equipment = $54 daytime - Includes 90 min group lesson and lift rides
- For $59, you could have a private lesson for 4 friends. You get more attention from the instructor and will learn better as a result.
- Tubing = $4/ride, $22/8 rides - for when we're too tired to ski or snowboard
Special New Year's Eve Activities:
New Year's at Blue Mountain
a) Special Dinner Gala
b) Adult Party Package - $ are not yet available for A and B.
c) Dec. 30 - Othere is a Torch light parade in the village. We should find some reviews of it to see if it's worthwhile.
Neighboring Businesses
Supermarket at Collingwood Plaza
Loblaws
A&P Supermarket - This one is closest to the resort
http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=&saddr=276+Jozo+Weider+Blvd.,+Collingwood&daddr=Hwy+26+%26+High+St.,+Collingwood,&sll=44.501831,-80.254869&sspn=0.029017,0.079651&ie=UTF8&ll=44.498954,-80.270491&spn=0.029018,0.079651&z=14&om=1
Itinerary:
T.B.D.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Hacken's Lee's New Hit: Where Have All the Flowers Gone?
花落誰家
作詞: 林若寧 作曲: Eric Kwok 編曲: Eric Kwok
鐵塔以下青翠山嶺
化作了石油站
鐵塔以上一對鸚鵡
也要各自逃難
鐵塔以下都市璀璨
根本不懂感嘆
花瓣吹散 誰在乎誰著眼
聽說發達只有興建
蓋夠八十層吧
聽說過活只有改變
變到再沒童話
聽說進步黑臉琵鷺
儘管犧牲一下
牠一張臉 已給你記憶風化
當櫻花迫於遷往悄靜月球
天高海闊珍惜不夠
雛菊都給安葬以後
換到繁榮誰來內疚
只許燈飾普照地球
不許花園開墾幾畝
鮮花死了 至感慨愛得不夠
這個四月相對乾燥
吻到有裂痕吧
這個八月天氣很冷
再見快樂炎夏
聖誕晚上感到炎熱
儘管燈飾優雅
當天飄雪你可會有些牽掛
當櫻花迫於遷往悄靜月球
天高海闊珍惜不夠
雛菊都給安葬以後
換到繁榮誰來內疚
只許燈飾普照地球
不許花園開墾幾畝
鮮花死了 至感慨愛得不夠
當櫻花迫於遷往悄靜月球
天高海闊珍惜不夠
繽紛煙花閃照過後
望見層層浮雲漸厚
開採山丘斬去木頭
花開花落不可拯救
儘管擁有 怕一切變得罕有
即使擁吻 怕空氣已不足夠
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Going Green
In recent years, a lot of awareness has been raised for eco-friendly lifestyle choices. This ranges from buying organic produce to buying hybrid cars. Let's face it, though. Both of those items are very expensive, much more expensive than the regular environmentally and bodily harmful versions. I live in an area that doesn't have those supermarkets that sell organic produce. As for the car, well, I'll have to get myself a full driver's license before I'll buy a car. Hopefully by that time, I'll be able to afford it!
For now, what I can do is to start by using eco-friendly cleaning solvents around the home. My mom and I have decided that once we finish using up these store-brand cleaners, we'll stop buying them and instead, we'll mix our own cleaning solvents. To do this, I started some research on the internet to find recipes for mixing these eco-friendly cleaning solvents. Here are some websites:
The Grassroots Store
I've been to the location on the Danforth, and I know that there is another location on Bloor St. They have a wide range of pre-mixed powders that you can use to create your own cleaning solvents. You should bring your own containers in which to hold the powders. They also have eco=friendly soaps and shampoos for showering and bathing.
Green Technology: the Environmentally Friendly Solution
This article, written by Lana Christian, is very informative as it explains in ordinary English what is wrong with the store-brand products we use in our homes and offices, and then it gives you alternative suggestions to making or buying products that are more eco-friendly. I love the way she ended her article:
"Everything we do impacts the environment. What matters is how big a footprint we leave on it. We need to look through "green lenses" to minimize that footprint. It starts with you."
Laundry--Ugh!!!
Call me weird, but I would rather clean a bathroom than to do laundry. I don't know why. I love clean clothes; I just don't like doing the work to make them clean. I should be shot for saying this because in our modern age, we are so lucky to have these high-tech washers and dryers that make doing laundry so much easier than it was back in our grandparents' days. For those of you who love doing laundry and would like to help reduce the harm inflicted on the environment, here is an article that gives you some basic tips. It talks about how to choose eco-friendly products in the stores. Unfortunately, if you want to read more of the article, you'll have to sign up.
CBC's Article
It's by the CBC. Enough said, just read it.
Vinegar--Ew!!!
I absolutely hate vinegar. The only types of vinegar I'll have is the red ones you use in Chinese restaurants when you eat seafood, and some brands of salt and vinegar chips. The thing is, I'm going to have to learn to accept--not love--vinegar. Vinegar is like the magic ingredient--not as magical as baking soda, of course--to making an effective and environmentally harmless cleaning solvent. Becareful, though, because it's not always bodily harmless. So, read your recipes very carefully and don't experiment with mixing different ingredients unless you've done your research before hand. This page has a gazillion recipe ideas, but don't get carried away.
An Abstract for Annie B. Bond's book
Read the article, and if you like what you see, buy the book.
For now, what I can do is to start by using eco-friendly cleaning solvents around the home. My mom and I have decided that once we finish using up these store-brand cleaners, we'll stop buying them and instead, we'll mix our own cleaning solvents. To do this, I started some research on the internet to find recipes for mixing these eco-friendly cleaning solvents. Here are some websites:
The Grassroots Store
I've been to the location on the Danforth, and I know that there is another location on Bloor St. They have a wide range of pre-mixed powders that you can use to create your own cleaning solvents. You should bring your own containers in which to hold the powders. They also have eco=friendly soaps and shampoos for showering and bathing.
Green Technology: the Environmentally Friendly Solution
This article, written by Lana Christian, is very informative as it explains in ordinary English what is wrong with the store-brand products we use in our homes and offices, and then it gives you alternative suggestions to making or buying products that are more eco-friendly. I love the way she ended her article:
"Everything we do impacts the environment. What matters is how big a footprint we leave on it. We need to look through "green lenses" to minimize that footprint. It starts with you."
Laundry--Ugh!!!
Call me weird, but I would rather clean a bathroom than to do laundry. I don't know why. I love clean clothes; I just don't like doing the work to make them clean. I should be shot for saying this because in our modern age, we are so lucky to have these high-tech washers and dryers that make doing laundry so much easier than it was back in our grandparents' days. For those of you who love doing laundry and would like to help reduce the harm inflicted on the environment, here is an article that gives you some basic tips. It talks about how to choose eco-friendly products in the stores. Unfortunately, if you want to read more of the article, you'll have to sign up.
CBC's Article
It's by the CBC. Enough said, just read it.
Vinegar--Ew!!!
I absolutely hate vinegar. The only types of vinegar I'll have is the red ones you use in Chinese restaurants when you eat seafood, and some brands of salt and vinegar chips. The thing is, I'm going to have to learn to accept--not love--vinegar. Vinegar is like the magic ingredient--not as magical as baking soda, of course--to making an effective and environmentally harmless cleaning solvent. Becareful, though, because it's not always bodily harmless. So, read your recipes very carefully and don't experiment with mixing different ingredients unless you've done your research before hand. This page has a gazillion recipe ideas, but don't get carried away.
An Abstract for Annie B. Bond's book
Read the article, and if you like what you see, buy the book.
Thursday, August 09, 2007
Vietnam War: Prior to the War
Interesting facts I didn't know before:
- American "operatives" working for the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) had been stationed all over Vietnam during WWII. Their job was to monitor the movement of Japanese troops, helping the Japanese resistance groups and rescuing pilots who had been shot down in the Vietnam.
- American operatives and the Vietnamese worked closely with one another
- Franklin D. Roosevelt had wanted to "liberate" the Indochinese nations from colonial rule after WWII. To him, France and other countries like Britain, had been exploiting the people and the resources of that region for far too long. It was time to put an end to the suffering and exploitation endured by the Indochinese under the French colonialists.
- Indochina refers to: Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. During the period prior to the Vietnam War, Indochina was a region colonially controlled by France. Currently, it is known as South-east Asia.
- Winston Churchill, PM of England, disapproved of FDR's plans to dismantle the French colonial empire in Indochina for fear that FDR will want to dismantle Britain's colonnial empire as well.
Truth:
Based on the stories told to me by my parents, the French presence in Vietnam was not all that negative. The French introduced new foods, and they helped to build more modern infrastructure, as well as religious institutions. For example, the French introduced the baguette, a French bread roll. It became so popular in Vietnam that even today, Vietnamese people still eat the French baguette with their own style of Vietnamese deli meats. The French also built modern hospitals, with foreign-trained doctors, using French medicine. For a lot of the infectious diseases that appeared at that time, having modernly equipped hospitals and French medicines helped a great deal. Lastly, the French presence introduced Roman Catholicism into Vietnam. It is important to note that the French colonialists did not force the Catholic faith onto the Vietnamese, and instead they were actually allowed to continue practicing their own religions, such as Buddhism. From there, they went on to build schools that were run by nuns and priests. My aunt, L.M., attended school in one of the Convents in North Vietnam early on in her education. Therefore, in my family, the previous generation had only positive things to say about the French colonialists.
What I would like to know more about:
- Where did each side of the families of both parents grow up? Did their experience with the French colonialists change as they migrated to other parts of Vietnam?
- How much did the French control the education system? How much was left to the Vietnamese to administer on their own?
- Historically, what is known about the French "invasion" and later, their occupation of Vietnam?
Sources:
Indochina @ Wikipedia
The Vietnam War for Dummies
- American "operatives" working for the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) had been stationed all over Vietnam during WWII. Their job was to monitor the movement of Japanese troops, helping the Japanese resistance groups and rescuing pilots who had been shot down in the Vietnam.
- American operatives and the Vietnamese worked closely with one another
- Franklin D. Roosevelt had wanted to "liberate" the Indochinese nations from colonial rule after WWII. To him, France and other countries like Britain, had been exploiting the people and the resources of that region for far too long. It was time to put an end to the suffering and exploitation endured by the Indochinese under the French colonialists.
- Indochina refers to: Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. During the period prior to the Vietnam War, Indochina was a region colonially controlled by France. Currently, it is known as South-east Asia.
- Winston Churchill, PM of England, disapproved of FDR's plans to dismantle the French colonial empire in Indochina for fear that FDR will want to dismantle Britain's colonnial empire as well.
Truth:
Based on the stories told to me by my parents, the French presence in Vietnam was not all that negative. The French introduced new foods, and they helped to build more modern infrastructure, as well as religious institutions. For example, the French introduced the baguette, a French bread roll. It became so popular in Vietnam that even today, Vietnamese people still eat the French baguette with their own style of Vietnamese deli meats. The French also built modern hospitals, with foreign-trained doctors, using French medicine. For a lot of the infectious diseases that appeared at that time, having modernly equipped hospitals and French medicines helped a great deal. Lastly, the French presence introduced Roman Catholicism into Vietnam. It is important to note that the French colonialists did not force the Catholic faith onto the Vietnamese, and instead they were actually allowed to continue practicing their own religions, such as Buddhism. From there, they went on to build schools that were run by nuns and priests. My aunt, L.M., attended school in one of the Convents in North Vietnam early on in her education. Therefore, in my family, the previous generation had only positive things to say about the French colonialists.
What I would like to know more about:
- Where did each side of the families of both parents grow up? Did their experience with the French colonialists change as they migrated to other parts of Vietnam?
- How much did the French control the education system? How much was left to the Vietnamese to administer on their own?
- Historically, what is known about the French "invasion" and later, their occupation of Vietnam?
Sources:
Indochina @ Wikipedia
The Vietnam War for Dummies
Monday, August 06, 2007
Lady Jane Grey, 1537-1554
"Many Englishmen also expressed concern that Mary favoured for herself a Spanish marriage which might bring in Spanish nobles to rule England in place of Northumberland and his colleagues. Northumberland arranged for his son Lord Guilford Dudley to marry the Protestant (and anti-Catholic) Jane, hoping through him to gain control over his new daughter-in-law and the reins of England."
"At the time of Edward's death, without Edward's will (which had dubious legal standing, since it ran contrary to the Third Succession Act), the crown would have passed, under the terms of the Third Succession Act and of Henry VIII's will, to Mary and her male (not female) heirs [...]Jane thus did not feature in the line of succession prior to the last draft of Edward's will of June 1553. Only in the last draft did Edward finally include Jane Grey as his heir presumptive, knowing the line of succession included no Protestant-born male children."
"There is little recorded of the doings of Jane as Queen from the 11th through the 13th, most likely a result of illness. Jane herself thought she was being poisoned by the Duchess of Northumberland (her husband's mother), but there was no evidence this really occurred."
"On the 14th, Dudley led a troop of 600 with him, carrying an odd assortment of weapons that had been acquired at the day before. Crowds pressed to watch the men leave, but none bid them God Speed."
"The people started to revolt, crying for Mary to be made Queen. Jane ordered the gates to the tower locked and the keys brought to her."
"Gratefully Jane rose and stepped down, embracing her father as she wept. After a time she finally asked, "Can I go home?" This poor innocent girl actually thought it might be that simple. But alas it was not to be."
"Within only nine days, the people of England had overwhelmingly declared their support for Mary, [...] Mary had Jane and her husband imprisoned in the Gentleman Gaoler's apartments at the Tower of London for high treason, although their lives were initially spared."
"The Protestant rebellion of Sir Thomas Wyatt in late January 1554, [plus] Jane's father (the Duke of Suffolk) and other nobles joined the rebellion, calling for Jane's restoration as Queen." This lead to the pressure that Mary should execute Jane in order to stamp out any other revolters' dreams of restoring a Protestant ruler.
"Jane was then taken out to Tower Green, inside the Tower of London, for a private execution. With few exceptions, private executions applied to royalty alone; Jane's private execution occurred on the orders of Queen Mary, as a gesture of respect for her cousin."
At her death, she read the psalm "Miserere mei deus," pardoned the executioner, and tied the handkerchief around her eyes. Unable to see where the block was, she reached out for it and felt nothing, then started to panic, saying "What shall I do? Where is it?" Someone close by guided her hands to the block, and when she lay herself upon it, she said her last words: "Lord, into thy hands I commend my spirit!" Then she was executed.
Sources:
EnglishHistory.net
LadyJaneGrey.org
Lady Jane Grey @ Wikipedia
"At the time of Edward's death, without Edward's will (which had dubious legal standing, since it ran contrary to the Third Succession Act), the crown would have passed, under the terms of the Third Succession Act and of Henry VIII's will, to Mary and her male (not female) heirs [...]Jane thus did not feature in the line of succession prior to the last draft of Edward's will of June 1553. Only in the last draft did Edward finally include Jane Grey as his heir presumptive, knowing the line of succession included no Protestant-born male children."
"There is little recorded of the doings of Jane as Queen from the 11th through the 13th, most likely a result of illness. Jane herself thought she was being poisoned by the Duchess of Northumberland (her husband's mother), but there was no evidence this really occurred."
"On the 14th, Dudley led a troop of 600 with him, carrying an odd assortment of weapons that had been acquired at the day before. Crowds pressed to watch the men leave, but none bid them God Speed."
"The people started to revolt, crying for Mary to be made Queen. Jane ordered the gates to the tower locked and the keys brought to her."
"Gratefully Jane rose and stepped down, embracing her father as she wept. After a time she finally asked, "Can I go home?" This poor innocent girl actually thought it might be that simple. But alas it was not to be."
"Within only nine days, the people of England had overwhelmingly declared their support for Mary, [...] Mary had Jane and her husband imprisoned in the Gentleman Gaoler's apartments at the Tower of London for high treason, although their lives were initially spared."
"The Protestant rebellion of Sir Thomas Wyatt in late January 1554, [plus] Jane's father (the Duke of Suffolk) and other nobles joined the rebellion, calling for Jane's restoration as Queen." This lead to the pressure that Mary should execute Jane in order to stamp out any other revolters' dreams of restoring a Protestant ruler.
"Jane was then taken out to Tower Green, inside the Tower of London, for a private execution. With few exceptions, private executions applied to royalty alone; Jane's private execution occurred on the orders of Queen Mary, as a gesture of respect for her cousin."
At her death, she read the psalm "Miserere mei deus," pardoned the executioner, and tied the handkerchief around her eyes. Unable to see where the block was, she reached out for it and felt nothing, then started to panic, saying "What shall I do? Where is it?" Someone close by guided her hands to the block, and when she lay herself upon it, she said her last words: "Lord, into thy hands I commend my spirit!" Then she was executed.
Sources:
EnglishHistory.net
LadyJaneGrey.org
Lady Jane Grey @ Wikipedia
Sunday, August 05, 2007
Why Are People So Captivated by the Alchemical Wedding?
The (Al)Chemical Wedding Of Christian Rosenkreuz
- edited and published by Johann Valentin Andreae
- the 3rd Rosicrucian "Manifesto", published in 1459
- Describes a journey over seven days, in which Rosenkreuz is invited to marry a husband and a bride inside a castle of miracles.
- Chemical developed from the ancient science of alchemy, which believed in the "Sacred Marriage."
The Rosicrucian Order
- Formed by a group of German protestants during the early 17th century.
- Philosophy is stated in three manifestos: Fama Fraternitatis Rosae Crucis, Confessio Fraternitatis, and The Chemical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreuz
- Tells of the journeys of Rosenkreuz, who travelled into the Middle East and learned Islamic philosophy
- Different groups have 3 interpretations of these writings: they are either true stories, parables, or they are writings by Francis Bacon, who used C. Rosenkreuz as a pseudonym.
- Some have even concluded that the Rosicrucian Order was a hoax or prank because its origins are so nebulous and the origins of the so-called "manifestos" so mysterious.
- aims to unify ideas in science, art, philosophy, politics and religion
Sources:
Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreuz @ Wikipedia
Order of the Grail.com
Rosicrucianism @ Wikipedia
- edited and published by Johann Valentin Andreae
- the 3rd Rosicrucian "Manifesto", published in 1459
- Describes a journey over seven days, in which Rosenkreuz is invited to marry a husband and a bride inside a castle of miracles.
- Chemical developed from the ancient science of alchemy, which believed in the "Sacred Marriage."
The Rosicrucian Order
- Formed by a group of German protestants during the early 17th century.
- Philosophy is stated in three manifestos: Fama Fraternitatis Rosae Crucis, Confessio Fraternitatis, and The Chemical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreuz
- Tells of the journeys of Rosenkreuz, who travelled into the Middle East and learned Islamic philosophy
- Different groups have 3 interpretations of these writings: they are either true stories, parables, or they are writings by Francis Bacon, who used C. Rosenkreuz as a pseudonym.
- Some have even concluded that the Rosicrucian Order was a hoax or prank because its origins are so nebulous and the origins of the so-called "manifestos" so mysterious.
- aims to unify ideas in science, art, philosophy, politics and religion
Sources:
Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreuz @ Wikipedia
Order of the Grail.com
Rosicrucianism @ Wikipedia
Friday, August 03, 2007
Researching Background into "Satan's Kingdom" Part 2
Click on the title of this post for part 1.
My fascination with this town continues. I'm particularly interested to know if Satan's Kingdom really existed. Here's the description of the haunted house in Isabella Taves' story.
"The three-storey house was built into a big boulder of black rock, which formed one wall. A Boston architect had built it for his wife, but she had died shortly they had moved in and he wanted no part of the place" (42).
Devil's Hopyard
"Unlike the traditions associated with places named for the Devil, legend and history blend together in the accounts which explain the origin of Satan's Kingdom and Satan's Ridge, both in New Hartford. According to legend, Satan once used the rocky gorge of the Farmington River bearing his name as his exclusive playground."
"The most widely-circulated legend tells of the many times Satan has been seen, sitting on a huge boulder at the top of Chapman's Falls, playing his violin while the evil witches of Haddam stirred a "hell broth for a charm of powerful trouble" in the cauldron-like potholes formed in the rocks below."
New England Towns.org
""In the eastern part of this town there is a rough and mountainous district, formerly designated Satan's Kingdom; and the few inhabitants who lived there were in a measure shut out from the rest of mankind.[...]"
My fascination with this town continues. I'm particularly interested to know if Satan's Kingdom really existed. Here's the description of the haunted house in Isabella Taves' story.
"The three-storey house was built into a big boulder of black rock, which formed one wall. A Boston architect had built it for his wife, but she had died shortly they had moved in and he wanted no part of the place" (42).
Devil's Hopyard
"Unlike the traditions associated with places named for the Devil, legend and history blend together in the accounts which explain the origin of Satan's Kingdom and Satan's Ridge, both in New Hartford. According to legend, Satan once used the rocky gorge of the Farmington River bearing his name as his exclusive playground."
"The most widely-circulated legend tells of the many times Satan has been seen, sitting on a huge boulder at the top of Chapman's Falls, playing his violin while the evil witches of Haddam stirred a "hell broth for a charm of powerful trouble" in the cauldron-like potholes formed in the rocks below."
New England Towns.org
""In the eastern part of this town there is a rough and mountainous district, formerly designated Satan's Kingdom; and the few inhabitants who lived there were in a measure shut out from the rest of mankind.[...]"
Thursday, August 02, 2007
Brown Eyes, Blue Eyes: A Class Divided
This film was first aired on Frontline, the television news magazine show. It features two separate experiments conducted by Jane Elliott, a teacher. She tries to teach both children and adults the meaning of discrimination, and what it feels like to be discriminated against.
Catching Up on Movies
Since the school year had ended, I've been catching up on watching dvds. Here are some of my thoughts (not really a review).
The Lake House
What a lovely movie. It's a romance starring Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves. Jack moves into the glass lake house that his father built for his mother when he was a child, and in his red mailbox, he finds a letter written by a woman from the future, Kate. They start writing letters to one another despite the fact that they're on two different space/time continua, sharing their daily ups and downs, ideas on life, relationships and so on. Soon, they realize that they are each other's soulmates, and that's when Jack tries to find Kate and meet her in person.
What I found surprising about this story was how easily I allowed myself to get drawn into the impossibility of it, and how willingly I suspended my disbelief so that I could watch the two characters finally come together in the end. The best part of it is that the ending is not as predictable as one might think. I was hooked. Another surprise in this movie was Reeves' acting. Normally, I find him very boring to watch because he doesn't really use a lot of facial expressions or his voice to convey emotions and make the character that he's playing believable to the audience. I don't hate Reeves like some people do, but I wouldn't deliberately go to a theatre to see his newest movie. In The Lake House, he was actually very good. He actually used a variety of facial expressions, and his voice actually acts as much as he does.
Sandra Bullock was excellent. I think she has really grown since her Speed days to become a well-rounded actress. In this movie, she imparted a strong sense of loneliness, vulnerability and a slight sense of frustration at her predicament. She is also strong and practical, knowing when things have become too fantastical and puts a stop to it. Seriously, how can two people from two different times meet?
After seeing this version, I would like to see the original Korean production on which this Bullock/Reeves version is based: Siworae. I wonder if the original Korean ending is the same as the American one?
The Premonition
This movie, again, stars Sandra Bullock, along with Julian McMahon and Kate Nelligan. This movie turned out to be completely different from what I expected at the beginning. The beginning really does look like a suspense-thriller, and a bit spooky, too. In this story, Linda's husband dies in a car crash, and the next day, she wakes up to find that he's still alive. Soon, she figures out that the days of the week are happening out of order. She has to find out how to prevent her husband's death the next time Wednesday comes around. But, then she finds out some info about her husband and now she's not sure if she wants to prevent his death anymore.
I really liked this movie, surprisingly, since I had only heard rather negative reviews about it.
The Lake House
What a lovely movie. It's a romance starring Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves. Jack moves into the glass lake house that his father built for his mother when he was a child, and in his red mailbox, he finds a letter written by a woman from the future, Kate. They start writing letters to one another despite the fact that they're on two different space/time continua, sharing their daily ups and downs, ideas on life, relationships and so on. Soon, they realize that they are each other's soulmates, and that's when Jack tries to find Kate and meet her in person.
What I found surprising about this story was how easily I allowed myself to get drawn into the impossibility of it, and how willingly I suspended my disbelief so that I could watch the two characters finally come together in the end. The best part of it is that the ending is not as predictable as one might think. I was hooked. Another surprise in this movie was Reeves' acting. Normally, I find him very boring to watch because he doesn't really use a lot of facial expressions or his voice to convey emotions and make the character that he's playing believable to the audience. I don't hate Reeves like some people do, but I wouldn't deliberately go to a theatre to see his newest movie. In The Lake House, he was actually very good. He actually used a variety of facial expressions, and his voice actually acts as much as he does.
Sandra Bullock was excellent. I think she has really grown since her Speed days to become a well-rounded actress. In this movie, she imparted a strong sense of loneliness, vulnerability and a slight sense of frustration at her predicament. She is also strong and practical, knowing when things have become too fantastical and puts a stop to it. Seriously, how can two people from two different times meet?
After seeing this version, I would like to see the original Korean production on which this Bullock/Reeves version is based: Siworae. I wonder if the original Korean ending is the same as the American one?
The Premonition
This movie, again, stars Sandra Bullock, along with Julian McMahon and Kate Nelligan. This movie turned out to be completely different from what I expected at the beginning. The beginning really does look like a suspense-thriller, and a bit spooky, too. In this story, Linda's husband dies in a car crash, and the next day, she wakes up to find that he's still alive. Soon, she figures out that the days of the week are happening out of order. She has to find out how to prevent her husband's death the next time Wednesday comes around. But, then she finds out some info about her husband and now she's not sure if she wants to prevent his death anymore.
I really liked this movie, surprisingly, since I had only heard rather negative reviews about it.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Mr. Shiny & New's Blog
This blog belongs to my friend's husband, and it has a lot of funny articles. Lots of good recipes, too. Here's a sample:
Border Guard
This entry tells of an experience my friends had when they decided one day to rent a car and drive into the US to do some shopping. This is part of the exchange between the husband and the border guard.
""What are you going to do in the US?"
"Drive around a bit, go shopping"
"So you rented a car, drove all the way from Toronto, just to drive around here? You realize you're entering a foreign country?..."
Border Guard
This entry tells of an experience my friends had when they decided one day to rent a car and drive into the US to do some shopping. This is part of the exchange between the husband and the border guard.
""What are you going to do in the US?"
"Drive around a bit, go shopping"
"So you rented a car, drove all the way from Toronto, just to drive around here? You realize you're entering a foreign country?..."
Shameless Promotion for The Shutter
This kind of film begs a second viewing, as many of the setup elements are cleverly disguised as background color, and don't really attract attention to themselves -- in fact, one of the major plot elements turns out to be a gigantic maguffin that ultimately has nothing to do with the real story...
-a review from Bloody-Disgusting.com
-a review from Bloody-Disgusting.com
July Highlights and Lowlights Part 2
This summer, the Gang isn't going anywhere for vacation because Thai and Cat have to save up money for their wedding next year. *YAY! Congrats!* Instead, we rented my colleague's cottage in Coboconk.
We went on the weekend of July 21st, for 2 nights and 2 days. The drive there took about 2.5 hours, but could have been less if there wasn't the traffic jam, and probably if they (Thai and Eddie) had stuck to the directions given by Beth. Anyhow, by the time we got there, it was 10pm. It was dark, and the signs were hard to read. Because there are no street lights on the cottage roads, we had to rely on the car's headlights. When we saw the number to Beth's cottage, we started to drive into what we thought was the front yard. We stopped, however, because there was actually a swamp in front of us. We backed out and kept going on the road to see if there was another entrance, and sure enough there was. We got out of the car, went around the back and saw the backyard patio deck, and it was gorgeous even in the dark. We couldn't wait for morning to come so that we could actually go outside use the patio deck.
That night, as we unpacked, Cat cooked some noodles and wontons for us for snack. Some people were worried about the quality of the water, and that was a funny story. Beth left me a note that says I have to switch on the water pump. I went to the wrong switch, and after thinking that I had turned it on, there still was no water. Finally, after speaking with Beth on the phone, I figured out which switch it was, and the water started flowing from the taps. I had to convince everyone that the water was clean and not stinky like at the first cottage we went to years ago in Cobourg. It turned out the water was fine and nobody complained about it after the first night. We were all dead tired, so we went to bed early.
The next morning, we a simple breakfast, and after I made sandwiches for lunch, the gang went out on the fishing boat. This was the weekend before the workshop presentation for summer school, so I had to bring some work with me to the cottage to work on. I brought my laptop with me, and on Saturday morning I worked on the presentation script and my article reflection. After lunch, they all came back early, to my surprise. Eddie had a scowl on his face because everyone else couldn't hold it on the boat and had to come back to use the facilities. LOL!! In the afternoon, they convinced me to go out on the pedal boat.
Cat, Clare and I went out on the pedal boat while Thai and Eddie got back in the fishing boat for more fishing. The lake was beautiful, and the water was very clean. We went around the cape and saw two small islands, which we agreed to set as our goal. When we got there, we realized we couldn't dock because there were too many rocks underneath, and we were afraid of lodging ourselves between a crack somewhere, so be back pedalled and to return home. On our return, we were pedalling against the current, and it felt like we weren't going anywhere despite the fact that we were pedalling a lot harder than before. That gave us a good laugh. We got went the wrong way the first time and entered the wrong inlet. We had to come back out and look for the other inlet, which we found easily because the other two girls recognized a Canadian flag on a cottage by the shore. We approached it and saw our inlet. By that time, we were tired so we took a break.
That evening, we had a BBQ for dinner, after the three of us took a nice nap. It was funny because after going out on the pedal-boat plus taking a nap, it was still only 3:30. Time went by so slowly! After getting up from our nap, we started preparing the food for the BBQ as well as the pasta for tomorrow's lunch. That night, the BBQ was great. After dinner, after cleaning up, we played a bit of Wii, and then we watched the horror movie called The Shutter, a Thailand production. Thai and Eddie were thoroughly scared (muahahaha!). Mission accomplished! After that, we had some dessert and went to bed.
The next morning, Thai made us pancakes while I made sausages and fried eggs. I'm not very good at frying eggs and sausages at the same time, so I had to do one thing at a time. It took me an hour! Fortunately nobody complained. After breakfast, I prepared the cucumber salad and the pasta salad for lunch. When that was done, we decided to go for a short hike. After we put on our sunblock and started up the main road, we realized that we could actually go hiking at the Scarborough Bluffs. So, we returned to the cottage again and started packing up. This itself took an hour and a half. By the time we were done, we decided to just leave for the Scarborough Bluffs.
It was a wonderful experience.
We went on the weekend of July 21st, for 2 nights and 2 days. The drive there took about 2.5 hours, but could have been less if there wasn't the traffic jam, and probably if they (Thai and Eddie) had stuck to the directions given by Beth. Anyhow, by the time we got there, it was 10pm. It was dark, and the signs were hard to read. Because there are no street lights on the cottage roads, we had to rely on the car's headlights. When we saw the number to Beth's cottage, we started to drive into what we thought was the front yard. We stopped, however, because there was actually a swamp in front of us. We backed out and kept going on the road to see if there was another entrance, and sure enough there was. We got out of the car, went around the back and saw the backyard patio deck, and it was gorgeous even in the dark. We couldn't wait for morning to come so that we could actually go outside use the patio deck.
That night, as we unpacked, Cat cooked some noodles and wontons for us for snack. Some people were worried about the quality of the water, and that was a funny story. Beth left me a note that says I have to switch on the water pump. I went to the wrong switch, and after thinking that I had turned it on, there still was no water. Finally, after speaking with Beth on the phone, I figured out which switch it was, and the water started flowing from the taps. I had to convince everyone that the water was clean and not stinky like at the first cottage we went to years ago in Cobourg. It turned out the water was fine and nobody complained about it after the first night. We were all dead tired, so we went to bed early.
The next morning, we a simple breakfast, and after I made sandwiches for lunch, the gang went out on the fishing boat. This was the weekend before the workshop presentation for summer school, so I had to bring some work with me to the cottage to work on. I brought my laptop with me, and on Saturday morning I worked on the presentation script and my article reflection. After lunch, they all came back early, to my surprise. Eddie had a scowl on his face because everyone else couldn't hold it on the boat and had to come back to use the facilities. LOL!! In the afternoon, they convinced me to go out on the pedal boat.
Cat, Clare and I went out on the pedal boat while Thai and Eddie got back in the fishing boat for more fishing. The lake was beautiful, and the water was very clean. We went around the cape and saw two small islands, which we agreed to set as our goal. When we got there, we realized we couldn't dock because there were too many rocks underneath, and we were afraid of lodging ourselves between a crack somewhere, so be back pedalled and to return home. On our return, we were pedalling against the current, and it felt like we weren't going anywhere despite the fact that we were pedalling a lot harder than before. That gave us a good laugh. We got went the wrong way the first time and entered the wrong inlet. We had to come back out and look for the other inlet, which we found easily because the other two girls recognized a Canadian flag on a cottage by the shore. We approached it and saw our inlet. By that time, we were tired so we took a break.
That evening, we had a BBQ for dinner, after the three of us took a nice nap. It was funny because after going out on the pedal-boat plus taking a nap, it was still only 3:30. Time went by so slowly! After getting up from our nap, we started preparing the food for the BBQ as well as the pasta for tomorrow's lunch. That night, the BBQ was great. After dinner, after cleaning up, we played a bit of Wii, and then we watched the horror movie called The Shutter, a Thailand production. Thai and Eddie were thoroughly scared (muahahaha!). Mission accomplished! After that, we had some dessert and went to bed.
The next morning, Thai made us pancakes while I made sausages and fried eggs. I'm not very good at frying eggs and sausages at the same time, so I had to do one thing at a time. It took me an hour! Fortunately nobody complained. After breakfast, I prepared the cucumber salad and the pasta salad for lunch. When that was done, we decided to go for a short hike. After we put on our sunblock and started up the main road, we realized that we could actually go hiking at the Scarborough Bluffs. So, we returned to the cottage again and started packing up. This itself took an hour and a half. By the time we were done, we decided to just leave for the Scarborough Bluffs.
It was a wonderful experience.
July Highlights and Lowlights
Summer school is over. =D =D
July happened so fast I can't even remember much of it. So here it goes...
Summer School
I saw my friends from last year again, Sherrie and Peter. Later, while talking to the instructor, I learned that many of my classmates from ESL Part 2 last summer had taken the Winter course. I heard they were quite a handful as well, LOL!
I met two new friends this summer, and their names are Jung and Michelle. Jung is a Korean immigrant who came to Canada and first arrived in one of the prairie provinces. Imagine that, your first winter in Canada and you have to suffer it on the prairie. Brrr...Jung is a high school teacher for the Peel Board, and she is a very organized person. She had to put up with Sherrie and me for the last two weeks of the course as we prepared our final major workshop. Michelle also works for the Peel Board, but as an elementary/junior teacher. She is soft-spoken, but very funny. Both Jung and Michelle were such wonderful people to work with.
Everyday after class, we went to Jung's condo to work on the presentation. We would stay there until about 10pm at night, then go home to sleep, and wake up 5 hours later to go to class. This happened for two weeks!! During this time, I only had dinner with my parents once, and that was because we were taking the in-laws out to dinner.
Sherrie, Jung and I really learned a lot from this project. For one, we learned about a lot of the dominant theories that currently back-up the ESL programs throughout North America. Secondly, we also learned about advocacy and how that is so important for our ESL students. And last but not least, we learned about how to do professional presentations. We owe a lot to our instructor, Karen, who instilled in each of us the confidence to go and stand in front of 21 of our colleagues and teach them about Academic Language Learning Strategies (A.L.L.S.). This was hard work and it was also nerve-wracking. So much preparation went into problem-anticipation and solution alone. That was one of the most exhausting aspects, to anticipate what problems we might have with the content of the workshop, the delivery, and then the other miscellaneous things that could make or break your whole workshop, depending on how well you prepared yourself for them. The stress was magnified by the fact that we only had 2 weeks to plan this workshop, plus do all the research to gather information.
Sherrie joked at the beginning that we would do so well that by next spring, we'd be invited to present our workshop at the Celebrating Linguistic Diversity conference at OISE/University of Toronto. Soon, that wasn't just a joke, but rather a motivational incentive. In the end, we felt very good about our presentation. Our grade wasn't stellar, but that was because our instructor and the evaluator were looking for opposite things in the criteria. That's okay, though, because really, it's the process of creating and delivering a workshop that counts. I never saw myself as someone who is capable of doing something like this, and now I've done it.
On the morning of the workshop, we arrived at the classroom and realized that there was no electrical outlet near the front of the classroom where the screen was. In our foolishness, we chose not to re-check the room the day before. We were stuck because we didn't bring an extension cord. Jung came up with the bright idea of using the television stand as the extension cord. It worked, but not very well since there was a cord stretching across one corner of the room. During my initial speech, I got caught inside that corner.
The next problem we experienced was a major one: more than half of our audience was late. We can't afford to wait longer than five minutes, but then that means there would be people trickling in during our presentation. That was very annoying and unprofessional on their part. Even though they didn't have class that day with their own instructor, they had a workshop that they signed up for. They should have arrived on time and treat the workshop with the same level of importance as a class. This created so much unnecessary stress for us.
I had one blackout moment in the middle of the presentation where I got tongue tied because I was so nervous about having the blackout. Instead of taking a deep breath like Karen had instructed us to do, I got anxious and tongue-tied.
In the end, we got some very good reviews by the students.
I feel most grateful to Karen, who prepared us so well for the workshop that we were able to go into it with confidence and conviction.
Now that summer school is over, I'm going to get working on prepping my courses! *YAY* (sarcastic).
July happened so fast I can't even remember much of it. So here it goes...
Summer School
I saw my friends from last year again, Sherrie and Peter. Later, while talking to the instructor, I learned that many of my classmates from ESL Part 2 last summer had taken the Winter course. I heard they were quite a handful as well, LOL!
I met two new friends this summer, and their names are Jung and Michelle. Jung is a Korean immigrant who came to Canada and first arrived in one of the prairie provinces. Imagine that, your first winter in Canada and you have to suffer it on the prairie. Brrr...Jung is a high school teacher for the Peel Board, and she is a very organized person. She had to put up with Sherrie and me for the last two weeks of the course as we prepared our final major workshop. Michelle also works for the Peel Board, but as an elementary/junior teacher. She is soft-spoken, but very funny. Both Jung and Michelle were such wonderful people to work with.
Everyday after class, we went to Jung's condo to work on the presentation. We would stay there until about 10pm at night, then go home to sleep, and wake up 5 hours later to go to class. This happened for two weeks!! During this time, I only had dinner with my parents once, and that was because we were taking the in-laws out to dinner.
Sherrie, Jung and I really learned a lot from this project. For one, we learned about a lot of the dominant theories that currently back-up the ESL programs throughout North America. Secondly, we also learned about advocacy and how that is so important for our ESL students. And last but not least, we learned about how to do professional presentations. We owe a lot to our instructor, Karen, who instilled in each of us the confidence to go and stand in front of 21 of our colleagues and teach them about Academic Language Learning Strategies (A.L.L.S.). This was hard work and it was also nerve-wracking. So much preparation went into problem-anticipation and solution alone. That was one of the most exhausting aspects, to anticipate what problems we might have with the content of the workshop, the delivery, and then the other miscellaneous things that could make or break your whole workshop, depending on how well you prepared yourself for them. The stress was magnified by the fact that we only had 2 weeks to plan this workshop, plus do all the research to gather information.
Sherrie joked at the beginning that we would do so well that by next spring, we'd be invited to present our workshop at the Celebrating Linguistic Diversity conference at OISE/University of Toronto. Soon, that wasn't just a joke, but rather a motivational incentive. In the end, we felt very good about our presentation. Our grade wasn't stellar, but that was because our instructor and the evaluator were looking for opposite things in the criteria. That's okay, though, because really, it's the process of creating and delivering a workshop that counts. I never saw myself as someone who is capable of doing something like this, and now I've done it.
On the morning of the workshop, we arrived at the classroom and realized that there was no electrical outlet near the front of the classroom where the screen was. In our foolishness, we chose not to re-check the room the day before. We were stuck because we didn't bring an extension cord. Jung came up with the bright idea of using the television stand as the extension cord. It worked, but not very well since there was a cord stretching across one corner of the room. During my initial speech, I got caught inside that corner.
The next problem we experienced was a major one: more than half of our audience was late. We can't afford to wait longer than five minutes, but then that means there would be people trickling in during our presentation. That was very annoying and unprofessional on their part. Even though they didn't have class that day with their own instructor, they had a workshop that they signed up for. They should have arrived on time and treat the workshop with the same level of importance as a class. This created so much unnecessary stress for us.
I had one blackout moment in the middle of the presentation where I got tongue tied because I was so nervous about having the blackout. Instead of taking a deep breath like Karen had instructed us to do, I got anxious and tongue-tied.
In the end, we got some very good reviews by the students.
I feel most grateful to Karen, who prepared us so well for the workshop that we were able to go into it with confidence and conviction.
Now that summer school is over, I'm going to get working on prepping my courses! *YAY* (sarcastic).
Thursday, July 05, 2007
Ideas for Frankenstein, ESLBO
A Chemistry Lesson--Tools in a chemistry lab
1. Bunsen burner http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jkn/Chem%20151%20Manual%20Intro1&2_files/image030.jpg
2. Test tube http://sps.k12.ar.us/massengale/images/strawb2.jpg
3. Flask http://science.csustan.edu/JTB/LABWARE/LAB-GIFS/Florence-flask.gif
4. Shake flask http://www.fao.org/docrep/t0533e/T0533E12.gif
5. Clamp http://www.biologicalprocedures.com/bpo/arts/1/52/m52f4sm.gif
6. Graduated cylinder http://science.csustan.edu/JTB/LABWARE/LAB-GIFS/Graduated-cylinder.gif
7. Beaker http://core.ecu.edu/chem/chemlab/equipment/images/beaker.jpg
8. Funnel http://core.ecu.edu/chem/chemlab/equipment/images/funnel.jpg
Geography
1. Map of Switzerland http://www.european-vacations.tv/images/maps/switzerland-map.gif
2. Wuertenberg, Germany http://www.yorku.ca/ontbw/img/bw-map.gif
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b6/KgrWuerttemberg.png/464px-KgrWuerttemberg.png
3. Ingolstadt, Bavaria, GEM http://www.itcwebdesigns.com/tour_germany/oberbay.gif
http://www.coletta.de/kolonien/Koenigreich%20Bayern%201914%20+.jpg
4. Mont Blanc http://www.ski-montblanc.com/IMAGES/UltraTrailTourMontBlanc.jpg
5. Map of France and Chamonix (X) http://www.martynhicks.co.uk/personal/pics/chamonix/francemap3.jpg
6. Mer de Glace glacier, France http://www.answers.com/topic/mer-de-glace
Students can make a travel brochure for these cities or countries.
1. Bunsen burner http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jkn/Chem%20151%20Manual%20Intro1&2_files/image030.jpg
2. Test tube http://sps.k12.ar.us/massengale/images/strawb2.jpg
3. Flask http://science.csustan.edu/JTB/LABWARE/LAB-GIFS/Florence-flask.gif
4. Shake flask http://www.fao.org/docrep/t0533e/T0533E12.gif
5. Clamp http://www.biologicalprocedures.com/bpo/arts/1/52/m52f4sm.gif
6. Graduated cylinder http://science.csustan.edu/JTB/LABWARE/LAB-GIFS/Graduated-cylinder.gif
7. Beaker http://core.ecu.edu/chem/chemlab/equipment/images/beaker.jpg
8. Funnel http://core.ecu.edu/chem/chemlab/equipment/images/funnel.jpg
Geography
1. Map of Switzerland http://www.european-vacations.tv/images/maps/switzerland-map.gif
2. Wuertenberg, Germany http://www.yorku.ca/ontbw/img/bw-map.gif
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b6/KgrWuerttemberg.png/464px-KgrWuerttemberg.png
3. Ingolstadt, Bavaria, GEM http://www.itcwebdesigns.com/tour_germany/oberbay.gif
http://www.coletta.de/kolonien/Koenigreich%20Bayern%201914%20+.jpg
4. Mont Blanc http://www.ski-montblanc.com/IMAGES/UltraTrailTourMontBlanc.jpg
5. Map of France and Chamonix (X) http://www.martynhicks.co.uk/personal/pics/chamonix/francemap3.jpg
6. Mer de Glace glacier, France http://www.answers.com/topic/mer-de-glace
Students can make a travel brochure for these cities or countries.
Monday, July 02, 2007
Updates from June
Highlights:
1. I celebrated my birthday one week early with the Gang. They surprised me by taking me to dinner at Saigon Star. That's when I discovered that Saigon Star had been renovated, and now it looks just like all the other Asian fusion restaurants, like Spring Rolls and Asian Legend. That's not a bad thing, except they changed their menu, too! All the former authentic Vietnamese dishes have all been expunged to make the menu more presentable and easier to read. That means that there's a lot less variety to choose from now.
After dinner, we went to see a movie, Shrek 3. The reviews weren't all that positive, and at the end, some of the Gang said it was quite boring, and I have to admit, the beginning was a bit boring. But, it was still very funny the rest of the way. I liked it and that's what matters most! =P
Then we went to have dessert at Kelseys. We ordered some finger foods and then two apple crumbles a la mode. The waiter even put two candles on it, the sparkly kind when it burns. It was so pretty! For gifts, I got a $50 dollar gift card from T&Ca, and then I got an elegant chrome watch by Guess from Cl. and D.
It was a fantabulous night!
2. On Friday afternoon, I went downtown to the World's Biggest Bookstore to buy a textbook for my summer school course. While riding the subway, I was reading Speaker for the Dead, the 2nd novel in the Ender Trilogy by Orson Scott Card. A stranger sitting across from me interrupted me to ask me if I liked the sequel, b/c he apparently doesn't think sequels are any good. I told him he should try it b/c in some ways, it's just as good as Ender's Game. Some ways.
He went on to tell me about the books he likes, and then I asked him his opinion on Robert Sawyer. Surprisingly, this stranger doesn't think very highly of Sawyer either. He was trying very hard to say that Sawyer is a self-obsessed, self-gratifying and self-promoting writer, but he couldn't say it. I could guess though b/c that's how I found Sawyer as well when I met him. The Stranger said that Sawyer believes he's a much better writer than he is. A lot of his ideas aren't that original. I TOTALLY AGREE!
Anyway, I thought that was so weird how I bumped into a total stranger who also doesn't like Sawyer. To be fair, I only met Sawyer once, and I haven't read any of his novels, only heard and read excerpts. But, the thing that is strange is that I don't feel like I want to read any of his books, especially after having met the writer and have heard the writer read live. This is very unusual b/c what has happened in the past is that when I meet a writer and I listen to him/her read live, the experience is so special and magical that I get sucked into the hype. This time, it was totally the opposite. Could you believe that?
How sad.
3. On Friday night, my mum had to go to her friend's house to help out with preparing the food for the next day's BBQ. My dad drove her, so I was stuck with babysitting Steph. She was okay at first, but then she realized that my parents were gone, and so she started to cry. I asked her if she wanted cookies, and she said no. Then I asked her if she wanted milk, and she said yes. So, I gave her the heated milk and I was hoping she would fall asleep after that. Boy was I wrong!
She wasn't feeling secure enough to fall asleep without my parents at home, so she sat up watching TV. Then she wanted to have cookies, so I gave her the cookies so that she won't start crying again. She had the cookies, and then went back to watching TV. A while later, she wanted to get out of bed and go look for my parents. I wouldn't let her b/c then she'll start crying again. But, she cried anyway. As I was helping her out of the bed, she vomited on me and the blanket! EW!!
I remained very calm, though. I was very surprised with myself. I took the blanket off the bed, put our clothes into the washer, and washed all the sheets. I didn't get to bed until 1:30 am. My parents came home in the meantime, and my mum was not pleased. She glared at Steph and the toddler almost started to cry again.
4. Finally, on my birthday, I stayed at home and filed. I have to file my stuff right away and organize everything, otherwise, I won't feel like doing it any more in the future.
1. I celebrated my birthday one week early with the Gang. They surprised me by taking me to dinner at Saigon Star. That's when I discovered that Saigon Star had been renovated, and now it looks just like all the other Asian fusion restaurants, like Spring Rolls and Asian Legend. That's not a bad thing, except they changed their menu, too! All the former authentic Vietnamese dishes have all been expunged to make the menu more presentable and easier to read. That means that there's a lot less variety to choose from now.
After dinner, we went to see a movie, Shrek 3. The reviews weren't all that positive, and at the end, some of the Gang said it was quite boring, and I have to admit, the beginning was a bit boring. But, it was still very funny the rest of the way. I liked it and that's what matters most! =P
Then we went to have dessert at Kelseys. We ordered some finger foods and then two apple crumbles a la mode. The waiter even put two candles on it, the sparkly kind when it burns. It was so pretty! For gifts, I got a $50 dollar gift card from T&Ca, and then I got an elegant chrome watch by Guess from Cl. and D.
It was a fantabulous night!
2. On Friday afternoon, I went downtown to the World's Biggest Bookstore to buy a textbook for my summer school course. While riding the subway, I was reading Speaker for the Dead, the 2nd novel in the Ender Trilogy by Orson Scott Card. A stranger sitting across from me interrupted me to ask me if I liked the sequel, b/c he apparently doesn't think sequels are any good. I told him he should try it b/c in some ways, it's just as good as Ender's Game. Some ways.
He went on to tell me about the books he likes, and then I asked him his opinion on Robert Sawyer. Surprisingly, this stranger doesn't think very highly of Sawyer either. He was trying very hard to say that Sawyer is a self-obsessed, self-gratifying and self-promoting writer, but he couldn't say it. I could guess though b/c that's how I found Sawyer as well when I met him. The Stranger said that Sawyer believes he's a much better writer than he is. A lot of his ideas aren't that original. I TOTALLY AGREE!
Anyway, I thought that was so weird how I bumped into a total stranger who also doesn't like Sawyer. To be fair, I only met Sawyer once, and I haven't read any of his novels, only heard and read excerpts. But, the thing that is strange is that I don't feel like I want to read any of his books, especially after having met the writer and have heard the writer read live. This is very unusual b/c what has happened in the past is that when I meet a writer and I listen to him/her read live, the experience is so special and magical that I get sucked into the hype. This time, it was totally the opposite. Could you believe that?
How sad.
3. On Friday night, my mum had to go to her friend's house to help out with preparing the food for the next day's BBQ. My dad drove her, so I was stuck with babysitting Steph. She was okay at first, but then she realized that my parents were gone, and so she started to cry. I asked her if she wanted cookies, and she said no. Then I asked her if she wanted milk, and she said yes. So, I gave her the heated milk and I was hoping she would fall asleep after that. Boy was I wrong!
She wasn't feeling secure enough to fall asleep without my parents at home, so she sat up watching TV. Then she wanted to have cookies, so I gave her the cookies so that she won't start crying again. She had the cookies, and then went back to watching TV. A while later, she wanted to get out of bed and go look for my parents. I wouldn't let her b/c then she'll start crying again. But, she cried anyway. As I was helping her out of the bed, she vomited on me and the blanket! EW!!
I remained very calm, though. I was very surprised with myself. I took the blanket off the bed, put our clothes into the washer, and washed all the sheets. I didn't get to bed until 1:30 am. My parents came home in the meantime, and my mum was not pleased. She glared at Steph and the toddler almost started to cry again.
4. Finally, on my birthday, I stayed at home and filed. I have to file my stuff right away and organize everything, otherwise, I won't feel like doing it any more in the future.
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Researching Aboriginal Canadian Myths and Legends
Tourism Victoria--with info on the Sasquatch, the Cadborosaurus, and a mermaid.
CanTeach.ca--a webportal to many sites
Native American Mythology--at Encyclopeadia Mythica
Turtle Island Native Network
CanTeach.ca--a webportal to many sites
Native American Mythology--at Encyclopeadia Mythica
Turtle Island Native Network
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Importance of the Wild Hunt
"[...]a phantasmal group of huntsmen with the accoutrements of hunting, horses, hounds, etc., in mad pursuit across the skies or along the ground, or just above it.[1] The hunters may be the dead, or the fairies (often in folklore connected with the dead).[2]"
- Wikipedia
"[...]the Hunt was placed in the Tapestry to be wild in the truest sense, to lay down an uncontrolled thread for the freedom of the Children who came after. And so did the Weaver lay a constraint upon himself, that not even he, shuttling at the Loom of the Worlds, may preordain the shape exactly what is to be. [...] we have such choices as we have, some freedom to shape our own destinies, because of that wild thread of Owin and the Hunt slipping across the Loom, warp and then weft, in turn and at times."
- The Darkest Road, 102
This is why The Wild Hunt is so important to the world in the Fionavar Tapestry. I would also compare it to the pomegranate tree in the Book of Genesis. Both of them make it possible for humans to make our own choices. The pomegranate tree, however, is bad for us. The Wild Hunt could be both good and bad.
- Wikipedia
"[...]the Hunt was placed in the Tapestry to be wild in the truest sense, to lay down an uncontrolled thread for the freedom of the Children who came after. And so did the Weaver lay a constraint upon himself, that not even he, shuttling at the Loom of the Worlds, may preordain the shape exactly what is to be. [...] we have such choices as we have, some freedom to shape our own destinies, because of that wild thread of Owin and the Hunt slipping across the Loom, warp and then weft, in turn and at times."
- The Darkest Road, 102
This is why The Wild Hunt is so important to the world in the Fionavar Tapestry. I would also compare it to the pomegranate tree in the Book of Genesis. Both of them make it possible for humans to make our own choices. The pomegranate tree, however, is bad for us. The Wild Hunt could be both good and bad.
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Understanding the World of Fionavar
"And on the north wind there came then the triumphant laughter of the first and falledn god, who was coming down on them like a hammer bringing fire, bringing war" (The Summer Tree, 166)
I never caught this part of the story on the previous readings, and I always wondered why Rakoth Maugrim was so powerful? Why did vanquishing his forces meant that he would be beaten down and incapacitated? Here was my answer this whole time.
Rakoth Maugrim wasn't just one of the gods who turned evil and corrupt, but he was the first god of all the gods. That's why he's so powerful, such that he has the power to create and to unravel. That's why he's called the unraveller.
When the Bael Rangat war ended, the humans and lios alfar had a lot of help from the other gods. It was Mornir, the god of Thunder, who gave power to the magi to helm their own magic, independent from the wild magic of Mother Earth, Dana. From that release Amairgen Whitebranch was able to bind himself to a human source, Lisen of the Wood. From the magic that they created, the humans had a chance. And in the end, they won the war. They were able to bind Rakoth Maugrim to the mountain, Rangat.
Rakoth Maugrim is invisible until he regained so much of his strength that he was able to materialize as flames and smoke. Otherwise, we can only see him through the people and creatures who work his will and carry out the heinous atrocities under his direction. When all of his carnal subjects were destroyed at the end of The Darkest Road, that stripped Rakoth Maugrim of his powers.
I never caught this part of the story on the previous readings, and I always wondered why Rakoth Maugrim was so powerful? Why did vanquishing his forces meant that he would be beaten down and incapacitated? Here was my answer this whole time.
Rakoth Maugrim wasn't just one of the gods who turned evil and corrupt, but he was the first god of all the gods. That's why he's so powerful, such that he has the power to create and to unravel. That's why he's called the unraveller.
When the Bael Rangat war ended, the humans and lios alfar had a lot of help from the other gods. It was Mornir, the god of Thunder, who gave power to the magi to helm their own magic, independent from the wild magic of Mother Earth, Dana. From that release Amairgen Whitebranch was able to bind himself to a human source, Lisen of the Wood. From the magic that they created, the humans had a chance. And in the end, they won the war. They were able to bind Rakoth Maugrim to the mountain, Rangat.
Rakoth Maugrim is invisible until he regained so much of his strength that he was able to materialize as flames and smoke. Otherwise, we can only see him through the people and creatures who work his will and carry out the heinous atrocities under his direction. When all of his carnal subjects were destroyed at the end of The Darkest Road, that stripped Rakoth Maugrim of his powers.
Saturday, May 05, 2007
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Monday, April 23, 2007
Learning about Islam Part 3
Learning about Islam Part 2
Sources:
Same as the previous post.
Important points and passages:
"The roots of their division can be traced back centuries. When the Prophet Muhammad died in 632, two groups couldn't agree on who would be his successor. The group now known as Sunni believed the new leader (or caliph) should be Abu Bakr (who led from 632-634). The group known as Shia believed Muhammad's son-in-law, Ali (who led from 656-661), was the rightful successor to the Prophet and that Sunnis usurped Ali's rightful leadership."
-Why should the Prophet Muhammad have a successor to begin with? Isn't he made a prophet by God, and not the people? Why did the people feel that they had any say in who "succeeds" the Prophet Muhammad?
" Al Wahhab advocated another of Taymiya's more controversial tenets - that some self-declared Muslims were really unbelievers and it was the duty of orthodox Muslims to conduct jihad against them.
In Taymiya's time, it was Mongol invaders. For al Wahhad and bin Saud, it was the Ottoman Empire, which ruled most of the Arabian peninsula. Bin Saud believed that his campaign to bring pure Islam to the Arabian peninsula justified his wars with other Muslims. "
- The CBC website also says that for modern Muslims, this jihad is of a personal nature whereby individuals have to wage their own struggle between harmonizing their faith with their modern lifestyles.
- This might be especially true for Muslims who are living in the West and are raised on Western beliefs and customs
" In 1932, the kingdom of Saudia Arabia was established."
- The history if worthy of more exploration.
I am particularly interested in the history section of the BBC website. It includes the following topics:
Same as the previous post.
Important points and passages:
"The roots of their division can be traced back centuries. When the Prophet Muhammad died in 632, two groups couldn't agree on who would be his successor. The group now known as Sunni believed the new leader (or caliph) should be Abu Bakr (who led from 632-634). The group known as Shia believed Muhammad's son-in-law, Ali (who led from 656-661), was the rightful successor to the Prophet and that Sunnis usurped Ali's rightful leadership."
-Why should the Prophet Muhammad have a successor to begin with? Isn't he made a prophet by God, and not the people? Why did the people feel that they had any say in who "succeeds" the Prophet Muhammad?
" Al Wahhab advocated another of Taymiya's more controversial tenets - that some self-declared Muslims were really unbelievers and it was the duty of orthodox Muslims to conduct jihad against them.
In Taymiya's time, it was Mongol invaders. For al Wahhad and bin Saud, it was the Ottoman Empire, which ruled most of the Arabian peninsula. Bin Saud believed that his campaign to bring pure Islam to the Arabian peninsula justified his wars with other Muslims. "
- The CBC website also says that for modern Muslims, this jihad is of a personal nature whereby individuals have to wage their own struggle between harmonizing their faith with their modern lifestyles.
- This might be especially true for Muslims who are living in the West and are raised on Western beliefs and customs
" In 1932, the kingdom of Saudia Arabia was established."
- The history if worthy of more exploration.
I am particularly interested in the history section of the BBC website. It includes the following topics:
- Ibrahim - the Muslim view of Abraham
- Musa - the Muslim view of Moses
- Prophet Muhammad (570-632)
- Early rise of Islam (632-700)
- Islam in China (650-present)
- Muslim Spain (711-1492)
- Ottoman Empire (1301-1922)
- Mughal Empire (1500s, 1600s)
- Safavid Empire (1501-1722)
- Islam in the UK (1500s-present)
- Slavery in Islam
Learning about Islam
Resources
CBC Indepth
BBC Religion and Ethics: Islam
Important passages for further exploration:
"Islam's deep intellectual tradition may be seen in classic styles of Islamic expression, including maraboutism in Morocco (a saint-centred system of ruler-worship emphasizing Sufism), and the Shi'ite scholarly tradition in the Middle East."
" The history of Islam cannot be separated from the history of Islamic society. Throughout history Islam created political institutions such as the caliphate and the sultanate. But these institutions were eventually challenged as observers watched political revolution take hold in the dominant colonial Western countries.
This erosion is at the root of the political and social turmoil plaguing the Islamic world today."
"Most families in the Islamic world are monogamous, and the practice of polygamy is usually dicated by economic factors and the insistence of Islam to integrate all members of society into a family structure."
The above was all taken from the CBC website.
CBC Indepth
BBC Religion and Ethics: Islam
Important passages for further exploration:
"Islam's deep intellectual tradition may be seen in classic styles of Islamic expression, including maraboutism in Morocco (a saint-centred system of ruler-worship emphasizing Sufism), and the Shi'ite scholarly tradition in the Middle East."
" The history of Islam cannot be separated from the history of Islamic society. Throughout history Islam created political institutions such as the caliphate and the sultanate. But these institutions were eventually challenged as observers watched political revolution take hold in the dominant colonial Western countries.
This erosion is at the root of the political and social turmoil plaguing the Islamic world today."
"Most families in the Islamic world are monogamous, and the practice of polygamy is usually dicated by economic factors and the insistence of Islam to integrate all members of society into a family structure."
The above was all taken from the CBC website.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
What Kind of Reader Am I?
| What Kind of Reader Are You? Your Result: Literate Good Citizen You read to inform or entertain yourself, but you're not nerdy about it. You've read most major classics (in school) and you have a favorite genre or two. | |
| Book Snob | |
| Dedicated Reader | |
| Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm | |
| Fad Reader | |
| Non-Reader | |
| What Kind of Reader Are You? Create Your Own Quiz | |
Thanks to Grace Granger for recommending this quiz.
Sunday, April 08, 2007
The Horse and His Boy, Book 3 in the Chronicles of Narnia
Okay, I just finished reading The Horse and His Boy (HHB) this morning. Bree is so delightfully annoying. He is so full of himself it's absurd! At the same time that I want to smack some sense into him, I also feel like I want to pat him on the back and tell him it's okay to feel inadequate. Most everyone is inadequate and very very few of us are great. Bree just has to get adjusted to the different surroundings and the different animals.
And contrary to my prediction about Bree and Hwin, they don't end up marrying one another. I find it truly hiliarious that Lewis would actually wrap up their story and explain what happened to these horses later on, and point out that they don't end up marrying one another, although they remain good friends. Isn't that just so hilarious? I think so.
I was keeping track of all the topics that I can write essays about. I know there must already be a lot of essays written about these topics, but instead of just passively reading other people's essays, I'd like to write some of my own. Before I do so, however, I'd have to do some more research and take notes. I'll use my blog as my notebook.
Topics:
1. Narrative Style - Lewis tells the story like he's a grandfather telling stories to his grandchildren. At some points in the story, it mentions that the story of HHB was actually recounted to the current narrator by characters like Bree and Shasta/Cor. I find the idea of a horse telling stories so hilarious. I'll be using this word a lot whenever I have to refer to Bree. Another thing I thought was worthy to note was the metafictional quality of the narration, such as when Bree debunks myths about horses that were taught to children through fantasy stories. This story itself is a fantasy story.
2. Background to Lewis' knowledge and love of animals - At some points in the story, I get the sense that Lewis would have been a great advocate of animals, especially horses.
3. Feminism as an emerging force in characterization - Hwin and Aravis are both very strong female characters in this book. Perhaps once I've read all 7 books, I will have a more complete picture of the female characters in the series. Perhaps only then will I be able to assess accurately Lewis' treatment of the Feminist topic in his stories.
4. Aravis and Shasta/Cor's characterization
5. Hwin and Bree's characterization
6. Race, the Other, and the Alienization of Persians, Arabs and Anglo-Saxons - This goes back to my very first thought about this book where I asked the question, "Does anyone find the basis of the story racist?" I suppose I should tweak that question so that it reads: What are some instances in the story that portray the Persian and Arabian cultures as the Other? What impact do they have on generating or perpetuating the alienization of Muslim and Christian peoples and cultures? How do they achieve that effect, if there is one? I do not dare to forget that Lewis comes from an educated British background, of which there inevitably would have to be certain facets that colour his view of the people of other nations and ethnic groups, not to mention the different religious beliefs. This colouring is a product of the upbringing and the time period in which Lewis lived. For this reason, I would not dare to call Lewis racist, but at the same time, I cannot read HHB and not see an underlying current of racial tension, subtle as it may be. This is something that I am very eager to explore in the near future.
7. Aslan as God
Some say that Aslan is more comparable to Christ, but the way he was portrayed in HHB, he appears to have more similarities with God. There's a saying that goes, "God works in mysterious ways." This saying came to mind frequently while reading HHB, especially every time the children and horses were being chased by the lion.
And contrary to my prediction about Bree and Hwin, they don't end up marrying one another. I find it truly hiliarious that Lewis would actually wrap up their story and explain what happened to these horses later on, and point out that they don't end up marrying one another, although they remain good friends. Isn't that just so hilarious? I think so.
I was keeping track of all the topics that I can write essays about. I know there must already be a lot of essays written about these topics, but instead of just passively reading other people's essays, I'd like to write some of my own. Before I do so, however, I'd have to do some more research and take notes. I'll use my blog as my notebook.
Topics:
1. Narrative Style - Lewis tells the story like he's a grandfather telling stories to his grandchildren. At some points in the story, it mentions that the story of HHB was actually recounted to the current narrator by characters like Bree and Shasta/Cor. I find the idea of a horse telling stories so hilarious. I'll be using this word a lot whenever I have to refer to Bree. Another thing I thought was worthy to note was the metafictional quality of the narration, such as when Bree debunks myths about horses that were taught to children through fantasy stories. This story itself is a fantasy story.
2. Background to Lewis' knowledge and love of animals - At some points in the story, I get the sense that Lewis would have been a great advocate of animals, especially horses.
3. Feminism as an emerging force in characterization - Hwin and Aravis are both very strong female characters in this book. Perhaps once I've read all 7 books, I will have a more complete picture of the female characters in the series. Perhaps only then will I be able to assess accurately Lewis' treatment of the Feminist topic in his stories.
4. Aravis and Shasta/Cor's characterization
5. Hwin and Bree's characterization
6. Race, the Other, and the Alienization of Persians, Arabs and Anglo-Saxons - This goes back to my very first thought about this book where I asked the question, "Does anyone find the basis of the story racist?" I suppose I should tweak that question so that it reads: What are some instances in the story that portray the Persian and Arabian cultures as the Other? What impact do they have on generating or perpetuating the alienization of Muslim and Christian peoples and cultures? How do they achieve that effect, if there is one? I do not dare to forget that Lewis comes from an educated British background, of which there inevitably would have to be certain facets that colour his view of the people of other nations and ethnic groups, not to mention the different religious beliefs. This colouring is a product of the upbringing and the time period in which Lewis lived. For this reason, I would not dare to call Lewis racist, but at the same time, I cannot read HHB and not see an underlying current of racial tension, subtle as it may be. This is something that I am very eager to explore in the near future.
7. Aslan as God
Some say that Aslan is more comparable to Christ, but the way he was portrayed in HHB, he appears to have more similarities with God. There's a saying that goes, "God works in mysterious ways." This saying came to mind frequently while reading HHB, especially every time the children and horses were being chased by the lion.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Khalil Fong 方大同 - 春風吹
Taiwanese singer/songwriter. He's a big fan of Michael Jackson, and at the Chik Chak 903 Music Awards 2007, he performed alongside Ivana Wong and Hins Cheung. He even performed the moonwalk very nicely.
This is his new song, Spring Wind Blowing.
Saturday, February 03, 2007
Semester 2 Has Begun!
Yesterday was the first day of 2nd semester. I'm currently teaching grade 10 English, and two sections of ESLE.
I was very apprehensive about the grade 10 English class, becuase I haven't had a large class above 28 students since last September. I was afraid that I wouldn't know how to conduct myself in front of such a large group. It turned out to be fine. The students seem very friendly and cooperative. There doesn't seem to be any behavioural problems, as yet. The tip I got from DR, who taught this course last semester, is that the students must be kept busy for every minute of the class. Otherwise, they will start slacking and chatting and go out of control.
My 2nd period class of 18 students was lovely. Just lovely. When I entered the class, I realized how relieved I was. I felt like I had come home. "This is where I belong." It was a very surprising reaction.
My last period of the day was after lunch, and it was with seven students. SEVEN!! There were supposed to be nine, but two of them didn't show up. It was so quiet and so dead. There was no energy. I think I'll have to come up with a lot more group activities for this class to get them to know one another first, and build some comeraderie.
At the end of the day, I was so wiped! All of us were telling each other how tired we were, it was kind of funny.
That's all for now.
I was very apprehensive about the grade 10 English class, becuase I haven't had a large class above 28 students since last September. I was afraid that I wouldn't know how to conduct myself in front of such a large group. It turned out to be fine. The students seem very friendly and cooperative. There doesn't seem to be any behavioural problems, as yet. The tip I got from DR, who taught this course last semester, is that the students must be kept busy for every minute of the class. Otherwise, they will start slacking and chatting and go out of control.
My 2nd period class of 18 students was lovely. Just lovely. When I entered the class, I realized how relieved I was. I felt like I had come home. "This is where I belong." It was a very surprising reaction.
My last period of the day was after lunch, and it was with seven students. SEVEN!! There were supposed to be nine, but two of them didn't show up. It was so quiet and so dead. There was no energy. I think I'll have to come up with a lot more group activities for this class to get them to know one another first, and build some comeraderie.
At the end of the day, I was so wiped! All of us were telling each other how tired we were, it was kind of funny.
That's all for now.
Friday, January 26, 2007
Kashgar's Desert Willow 喀什葛爾胡楊
Song & lyrics by Dao Lang (click on title)
Arrangement by Mac Chew
From the beginning, I never considered where
in my heart you should be placed.
From the beginning, you called to my imaginations.
At that moment when I was about to give you a special place there,
You had forgotten me already,
I, in turn, had to look hard and deep into my memory
for every little bit of our love,
hoping that your heart would turn to me again.
You told me that " 'Till death do us part" means one's entire lifetime,
and you would not give it up for me.
I felt that I should find other ways to see you,
yet fear that we shall never be together.
I'm willing to wait until our next life,
when we'll hold each other in our arms,
and you'll renew your love for me.
I will silently pray that when Heaven remakes this world
to pay you special attention so that your appearance will not be altered,
Then no matter in however impoverished a village or however noisy a city,
I'll see you and recognize you immediately.
Let me wander through this earth for three thousand years,
and grow as old as the Kashgar desert willow.
I will search carefully for you for centuries onwards,
and find you in any reincarnated form.
I do not fear the gusting of the wind,
nor the thrashing of the rain,
nor the burning under the sun,
nor any harm this sandy desert may do me;
I'll lay down my heart and my love plainly for you to see.
I would that my body be eroded over the ages by the wind,
and hope that then, you'll feel my true love.
Our love stopped in this century,
from the moment we arrived to the moment we left.
What landscape has it transformed into?
Our love is hidden under the soil, which has made it suffer so,
and become such a lament.
Kashgar page on Wikipedia
Desert Willow (Huyang) on Wikipedia in Chinese only
Arrangement by Mac Chew
From the beginning, I never considered where
in my heart you should be placed.
From the beginning, you called to my imaginations.
At that moment when I was about to give you a special place there,
You had forgotten me already,
I, in turn, had to look hard and deep into my memory
for every little bit of our love,
hoping that your heart would turn to me again.
You told me that " 'Till death do us part" means one's entire lifetime,
and you would not give it up for me.
I felt that I should find other ways to see you,
yet fear that we shall never be together.
I'm willing to wait until our next life,
when we'll hold each other in our arms,
and you'll renew your love for me.
I will silently pray that when Heaven remakes this world
to pay you special attention so that your appearance will not be altered,
Then no matter in however impoverished a village or however noisy a city,
I'll see you and recognize you immediately.
Let me wander through this earth for three thousand years,
and grow as old as the Kashgar desert willow.
I will search carefully for you for centuries onwards,
and find you in any reincarnated form.
I do not fear the gusting of the wind,
nor the thrashing of the rain,
nor the burning under the sun,
nor any harm this sandy desert may do me;
I'll lay down my heart and my love plainly for you to see.
I would that my body be eroded over the ages by the wind,
and hope that then, you'll feel my true love.
Our love stopped in this century,
from the moment we arrived to the moment we left.
What landscape has it transformed into?
Our love is hidden under the soil, which has made it suffer so,
and become such a lament.
Kashgar page on Wikipedia
Desert Willow (Huyang) on Wikipedia in Chinese only
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Rice Paper: Restaurant Review
Last night, my friends and I went to the new Rice Paper restaurant located at Leslie and Finch, inside Leslie Square Plaza. It is a new restaurant that just opened up about a month ago. It serves Vietnamese/Thai cuisine.
We got there nearly at 8pm, and we had to wait another 40 mins. for a table. The restaurant has a lounge area near the entrance for this reason. The couches were very comfortable to sit in, and they were also arranged in a pattern that allowed patrons to sit facing one another and chat while we wait. I really liked this touch. The 40 minute wait did not feel like it because we felt comfortable and cozy. This was a very nice touch.
The restaurant's interiors look very modern and very clean. By clean, I mean the view of the dining room from where you're sitting. The glass strips that divide the various sections of the dining room makes it look much roomier than it already is, being a big space. The glass strips also create a lot of optical illusions because of the reflecting light and images. Strangely, this creates a sense of privacy.
Unfortunately, the most important thing to a restaurant is not the appearance and the atmosphere, but the quality of the food. And Rice Paper's food is truly not worth the price ($20/person). Here's why:
1. "Bo Koh" - Vietnamese tomato and beef stew. The beef was so chewy, it was impossible to eat. This tells me that the chef doesn't know how to cook this cut of beef properly. Secondly, the soup in the stew did not taste anything like the authentic "bo-koh," which is made using a particular blend of spices. Without these spices, it will only taste like spicy tomato soup. This is my favourite stew of all stews, and I, needless to say, was tremendously disappointed.
2. "Bei-rgoong" - Shrimp wrap. This is another one of my favourites of Vietnamese cuisine. My family makes this occasionally, and I like to do the wrapping. When eaten fresh, the rice wrapping is soft, yet chewy. This restaurant "bei-rgoong" was not soft at all. It was, again, VERY CHEWY. This tells me that they were not made fresh.
3. "Chicken with Red Curry". The sauce was very good, excellent for dipping. They did not go cheap on the spices for this dish. The chicken was moist and succulent. The only drawback to this dish was that they put chicken wings in it, instead of meatier parts of the chicken. For a stew, that's a disappointment for me personally, but those who love chicken wings will love this dish.
NOTE: This dish comes with 1 small French baguette. To order the rice, it costs $1 extra. For another piece of baguette, it'll cost $1.50 extra.
4. "Thai Glass Noodles." This was the spiciest dish of all. That wouldn't have been bad at all, if not for the fishy tasting shrimps and squids. That tells me that they used very low quality seafood to make it. The seafood must have been the low-grade frozen type. I don't like seafood because of the fishy taste, and seafood that isn't fresh has a very strong odour of that fishy taste. This was the worst dish of all and that's why more than half of it was left uneaten on the table.
5. "Roat Pig's Neck with fake 'Fish Sauce'". This was one of the best dishes, but too bad it was only an appetizer. Thin strips of roast pork sat on a bed of lettuce with a fake "fish sauce." The FISH SAUCE is another major flop. It can't even qualify as fish sauce, which is the most basic dipping sauce to Vietnamese and Thai cuisine. Like ketchup to western dishes, and soy sauce to Chinese dishes, the fish sauce must not be compromised.
6. The Drinks. Very tasty, but you can't go wrong with drinks.
For the service, it was quite good. The servers were all very cordial and accomodating.
Atmosphere and service: 4 stars out of 5.
Food: 2 star out of 5.
We got there nearly at 8pm, and we had to wait another 40 mins. for a table. The restaurant has a lounge area near the entrance for this reason. The couches were very comfortable to sit in, and they were also arranged in a pattern that allowed patrons to sit facing one another and chat while we wait. I really liked this touch. The 40 minute wait did not feel like it because we felt comfortable and cozy. This was a very nice touch.
The restaurant's interiors look very modern and very clean. By clean, I mean the view of the dining room from where you're sitting. The glass strips that divide the various sections of the dining room makes it look much roomier than it already is, being a big space. The glass strips also create a lot of optical illusions because of the reflecting light and images. Strangely, this creates a sense of privacy.
Unfortunately, the most important thing to a restaurant is not the appearance and the atmosphere, but the quality of the food. And Rice Paper's food is truly not worth the price ($20/person). Here's why:
1. "Bo Koh" - Vietnamese tomato and beef stew. The beef was so chewy, it was impossible to eat. This tells me that the chef doesn't know how to cook this cut of beef properly. Secondly, the soup in the stew did not taste anything like the authentic "bo-koh," which is made using a particular blend of spices. Without these spices, it will only taste like spicy tomato soup. This is my favourite stew of all stews, and I, needless to say, was tremendously disappointed.
2. "Bei-rgoong" - Shrimp wrap. This is another one of my favourites of Vietnamese cuisine. My family makes this occasionally, and I like to do the wrapping. When eaten fresh, the rice wrapping is soft, yet chewy. This restaurant "bei-rgoong" was not soft at all. It was, again, VERY CHEWY. This tells me that they were not made fresh.
3. "Chicken with Red Curry". The sauce was very good, excellent for dipping. They did not go cheap on the spices for this dish. The chicken was moist and succulent. The only drawback to this dish was that they put chicken wings in it, instead of meatier parts of the chicken. For a stew, that's a disappointment for me personally, but those who love chicken wings will love this dish.
NOTE: This dish comes with 1 small French baguette. To order the rice, it costs $1 extra. For another piece of baguette, it'll cost $1.50 extra.
4. "Thai Glass Noodles." This was the spiciest dish of all. That wouldn't have been bad at all, if not for the fishy tasting shrimps and squids. That tells me that they used very low quality seafood to make it. The seafood must have been the low-grade frozen type. I don't like seafood because of the fishy taste, and seafood that isn't fresh has a very strong odour of that fishy taste. This was the worst dish of all and that's why more than half of it was left uneaten on the table.
5. "Roat Pig's Neck with fake 'Fish Sauce'". This was one of the best dishes, but too bad it was only an appetizer. Thin strips of roast pork sat on a bed of lettuce with a fake "fish sauce." The FISH SAUCE is another major flop. It can't even qualify as fish sauce, which is the most basic dipping sauce to Vietnamese and Thai cuisine. Like ketchup to western dishes, and soy sauce to Chinese dishes, the fish sauce must not be compromised.
6. The Drinks. Very tasty, but you can't go wrong with drinks.
For the service, it was quite good. The servers were all very cordial and accomodating.
Atmosphere and service: 4 stars out of 5.
Food: 2 star out of 5.
Saturday, November 18, 2006
Nuyen's B-day
Last night, the Gang went out to celebrate Nuyen's birthday. First, we had dinner at Rex Saigon Buffet. I had lots of mango salad and curry chicken. At one point, "Cathy" was chatting with Nhan, and he responded with "Nuyen is good to have a girlfriend like you...but he's not worth it."
OUCH!!! Nhan just killed two birds with one stone, and the funniest thing is that he didn't even know it. I just sat there laughing my ass off as Clare tried to explain to Nhan what he just did. "You just dissed me by saying Cathy's a good gf, and then you dissed him by saying he's not worth it!" ROTFLMAO!!!
After dinner, we went to a driving range in Vaughan. On the way there, I rode in Nhan's car with Clare and Leung. We played the cd that I had just burned for them, full of TVB theme songs from the 80s. The three of us were on a high, and Nhan kept muttering "God help me...for the love of God..." and so on. Obviously, Nhan is not a fan of 80s kung fu movies from TVB, nor is he willing to fall in love with the music. Too bad!
The song that got us the most was
劍伴誰在（倚天屠龍記主題曲）
作詞：黃霑 作曲：黎小田 演唱：梁朝偉/梅艷芳
（女）倚天劍何在
（男）寶刀出鞘期待
（女）期待劍開
（男）問蒼茫大地上 劍伴誰在
為你尋遍八方路 想你心開
（女）心已隨風中笑影 偷偷投夢內
迎入你全部豪放姿采
（合）不知你不知我 誰武功厲害
劍是龍 劍是虹 騰躍萬年萬代
一招了 千招了 良將知良才
以熱誠以熱愛 衷心喝采
（男）望江湖七洲四海 劍在人在
仗劍行遍八方路 胸襟放開
（女）撫劍攜心中笑聲 輕輕投夢內
尋覓你全部流放的愛
（合）以熱誠以熱愛 放盡異彩
OUCH!!! Nhan just killed two birds with one stone, and the funniest thing is that he didn't even know it. I just sat there laughing my ass off as Clare tried to explain to Nhan what he just did. "You just dissed me by saying Cathy's a good gf, and then you dissed him by saying he's not worth it!" ROTFLMAO!!!
After dinner, we went to a driving range in Vaughan. On the way there, I rode in Nhan's car with Clare and Leung. We played the cd that I had just burned for them, full of TVB theme songs from the 80s. The three of us were on a high, and Nhan kept muttering "God help me...for the love of God..." and so on. Obviously, Nhan is not a fan of 80s kung fu movies from TVB, nor is he willing to fall in love with the music. Too bad!
The song that got us the most was
劍伴誰在（倚天屠龍記主題曲）
作詞：黃霑 作曲：黎小田 演唱：梁朝偉/梅艷芳
（女）倚天劍何在
（男）寶刀出鞘期待
（女）期待劍開
（男）問蒼茫大地上 劍伴誰在
為你尋遍八方路 想你心開
（女）心已隨風中笑影 偷偷投夢內
迎入你全部豪放姿采
（合）不知你不知我 誰武功厲害
劍是龍 劍是虹 騰躍萬年萬代
一招了 千招了 良將知良才
以熱誠以熱愛 衷心喝采
（男）望江湖七洲四海 劍在人在
仗劍行遍八方路 胸襟放開
（女）撫劍攜心中笑聲 輕輕投夢內
尋覓你全部流放的愛
（合）以熱誠以熱愛 放盡異彩
Monday, November 13, 2006
Upon First Meeting Zhao Min
Top to bottom: Alyssia Chia, Gigi Lai, Kitty Lai
After reading the book , I realize that none of the actors who have played Zhao Min in the TV series match well with the book's descriptions. When we first meet Zhao Min, she is dressed up as a man, holding a fan with a handle that is made of white jade. "The hand that held the fan was so pale they matched (23, p.1075). Even in male dress, she looked very pretty. When she spoke, she did so delicately and did not try to conceal her true gender.
At the Green Willow Villa, Zhao Min wined and dined with Zhang Wuji and the rest of the Ming Sect desciples. After a while, her face developed a blush from the alcohol, and this actually made her look even prettier. She is still dressed up as a man to boot!
What makes her so mesmerizing is not just that she's pretty, but in her beauty there is an underlying current of the heroic and the noble.
I have seen 3 versions of HSDS, and I think that Gigi Lai looked best as Zhao Min, but Kitty Lai played the payed the role the best. Alyssia Chia, as pretty as she is, looked a bit too gentle, and acted the part with too much delicate childishness. Now, after reading the descriptions, I realize it's foolish to picture any actress as Zhao Min because she is described in such a way that she could never appear in the flesh.
I wish Jin Yong had spent equally as much paper on describing Zhang Wuji's appearance.
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Funniest Scene So Far
Ch. 22, pp. 1032-1033
"宋青書心中大駭，偶一回頭，突然和周芷若的目光相接，只見她滿臉關懷之色，不禁心中又酸又怒，知道她關懷的絕非自己，當下深深吸了一口氣，左手揮掌猛擊張無忌右頰，右手出指疾點他左肩 ‘缺盆穴’，這一招叫作 ‘花開並蒂’，名稱好聽，招數卻十分厲害，雙手遞招之後，跟著右掌擊他左頰，左手食指點他右肩後 ‘缺盆穴’。這兩招 ‘花開並蒂’ 並成一招，連續四式，便如暴風驟雨般使出，勢道之猛，手法之快，當真非同小可。眾人見了這等聲勢，齊聲驚呼，不約而同的跨上了一步。"
The above is a description of a set of Wudang kungfu called "Blossom and the Receptacle". It is made up of four manouvres that are executed in rapid succession. First, you use your right hand to press on an acupressure point in your opponent's left shoulder area, and then you hit the left side of his forehead. You repeat this with your left hand and strike the right side of your opponent's shoulder and forehead. It is executed with such speed that your opponent will be immediately immobilized by your pressing on those two specific acupressure points. Then, he is also disoriented because of being struck on the forehead twice.
When Zhang Wuji was heavily injured by Zhou Zhiruo's sword, he couldn't even stand up straight to fight his opponent, Song Qingshu (son of Song Yuenqiao). Song thought that this would be his best and probably only chance to humiliate Zhang Wuji in front of Zhou Zhiruo. So he attacked Zhang Wuji with the "Blossom and the Receptacle." Little did Song know that Zhang Wuji had already mastered seven levels of Qian Kun Da Nuo Yi. Zhang Wuji used this to "return" whatever Song wanted to use on him back onto Song himself. When Song wanted to press on Zhang Wuji's acupressure point, Zhang pushed his hand back and Song ended up pressing on his own acupressure point. When Song wanted to strike Zhang Wuji on the forehead, Zhang pushed that back, too, and Song ended up hitting his own forehead. Because these four manouvres are executed with such speed, Song Qingshu ended up immobilising himself completely, became disoriented , and fell over backwards "with a bang."
"只聽得拍拍兩下清脆的響聲，宋青書左手一掌打上了自己左頰，右手食指點中了自己左肩 ‘缺盆穴’，跟著右手一掌打上了自己右頰，左手食指點中自己右肩 ‘缺盆穴’。他這招‘花開並蒂’四式齊發，卻給張無忌已 ‘乾坤大挪移’ 功夫挪移到了他自己身上。倘若他出招稍慢，那麼點中了自己左肩 ‘缺盆穴’ 後，此後兩式便即無力使出，生他四式連環，迅捷無倫，左肩 ‘缺盆穴’ 雖被點中，手臂尚未麻木，直到使全了 ‘花開並蒂’ 的下半套之後，這才手足酸軟，砰到一聲仰天摔倒，掙紮了幾下，再也站不起來了。"
ROTFLMAO!!!
In the 1986 TVB version, the martial arts choreography looked so cool when Tony Leung acted this out. I didn't know that the novel description would actually be so hilarious.
"宋青書心中大駭，偶一回頭，突然和周芷若的目光相接，只見她滿臉關懷之色，不禁心中又酸又怒，知道她關懷的絕非自己，當下深深吸了一口氣，左手揮掌猛擊張無忌右頰，右手出指疾點他左肩 ‘缺盆穴’，這一招叫作 ‘花開並蒂’，名稱好聽，招數卻十分厲害，雙手遞招之後，跟著右掌擊他左頰，左手食指點他右肩後 ‘缺盆穴’。這兩招 ‘花開並蒂’ 並成一招，連續四式，便如暴風驟雨般使出，勢道之猛，手法之快，當真非同小可。眾人見了這等聲勢，齊聲驚呼，不約而同的跨上了一步。"
The above is a description of a set of Wudang kungfu called "Blossom and the Receptacle". It is made up of four manouvres that are executed in rapid succession. First, you use your right hand to press on an acupressure point in your opponent's left shoulder area, and then you hit the left side of his forehead. You repeat this with your left hand and strike the right side of your opponent's shoulder and forehead. It is executed with such speed that your opponent will be immediately immobilized by your pressing on those two specific acupressure points. Then, he is also disoriented because of being struck on the forehead twice.
When Zhang Wuji was heavily injured by Zhou Zhiruo's sword, he couldn't even stand up straight to fight his opponent, Song Qingshu (son of Song Yuenqiao). Song thought that this would be his best and probably only chance to humiliate Zhang Wuji in front of Zhou Zhiruo. So he attacked Zhang Wuji with the "Blossom and the Receptacle." Little did Song know that Zhang Wuji had already mastered seven levels of Qian Kun Da Nuo Yi. Zhang Wuji used this to "return" whatever Song wanted to use on him back onto Song himself. When Song wanted to press on Zhang Wuji's acupressure point, Zhang pushed his hand back and Song ended up pressing on his own acupressure point. When Song wanted to strike Zhang Wuji on the forehead, Zhang pushed that back, too, and Song ended up hitting his own forehead. Because these four manouvres are executed with such speed, Song Qingshu ended up immobilising himself completely, became disoriented , and fell over backwards "with a bang."
"只聽得拍拍兩下清脆的響聲，宋青書左手一掌打上了自己左頰，右手食指點中了自己左肩 ‘缺盆穴’，跟著右手一掌打上了自己右頰，左手食指點中自己右肩 ‘缺盆穴’。他這招‘花開並蒂’四式齊發，卻給張無忌已 ‘乾坤大挪移’ 功夫挪移到了他自己身上。倘若他出招稍慢，那麼點中了自己左肩 ‘缺盆穴’ 後，此後兩式便即無力使出，生他四式連環，迅捷無倫，左肩 ‘缺盆穴’ 雖被點中，手臂尚未麻木，直到使全了 ‘花開並蒂’ 的下半套之後，這才手足酸軟，砰到一聲仰天摔倒，掙紮了幾下，再也站不起來了。"
ROTFLMAO!!!
In the 1986 TVB version, the martial arts choreography looked so cool when Tony Leung acted this out. I didn't know that the novel description would actually be so hilarious.
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Notes Ch. 21, pp. 974
When Zhang Wuji battles Kongxing, one of Shaolin's three "divine" monks, there are hints as to the difference between kungfu that is jiang 剛 versus kungfu that is yinrou 陰柔. Jiang kungfu is more agressive and uses clear methods of attack. Yin kungfu is more sly, and attacks by first drawing your opponent into a trap.
"三十六式得招數，一瞥之下，似乎其中破綻百出，施招者手忙腳亂，竭力招架，其實這兩招似守實攻，大巧若拙，每一處破綻中都隱伏著厲害無比的陷阱。龍爪手本來走的是剛猛的路子，但到了最后兩式時，剛猛中暗藏陰柔，已到了返璞歸真，爐火純青的境界。"
In wuxia novels, the kungfu used by females is usually of the yinrou nature, while men use the jiangyang kungfu. My guess is that females rely on a more sly strategy when they fight because they don't have the physical strength nor the muscular stature of the males. Of course, this attitude is very sexist, and wuxia novels by Jin Yong do display this prejudice.
"三十六式得招數，一瞥之下，似乎其中破綻百出，施招者手忙腳亂，竭力招架，其實這兩招似守實攻，大巧若拙，每一處破綻中都隱伏著厲害無比的陷阱。龍爪手本來走的是剛猛的路子，但到了最后兩式時，剛猛中暗藏陰柔，已到了返璞歸真，爐火純青的境界。"
In wuxia novels, the kungfu used by females is usually of the yinrou nature, while men use the jiangyang kungfu. My guess is that females rely on a more sly strategy when they fight because they don't have the physical strength nor the muscular stature of the males. Of course, this attitude is very sexist, and wuxia novels by Jin Yong do display this prejudice.
Saturday, November 04, 2006
Notes: Qian Kun Da Nuo Yi
Ch. 20. Zhang Wuji and Xiao Zhao are in the secret chambers of the Ming Cult Castle. It is here that Zhang Wuji finds the sheep skin with the instructions of Qian Kun Da Nuo Yi written on it.
Qian Kun means heaven and earth. Da means big. Nuo Yi means to move around. I interpret this name to mean "move heaven and earth." A wugong that teaches one's neigong (inner energy) to become so powerful as to be able to move heaven and earth, that must be some incredibly powerful stuff.
In actuality, it is a neigong that releases all of the inhibitors inside a person's body. The novel description uses the example of a man who is trying to save someone in a building that has caught on fire. Normally, one man's strength is very limited, but when he is in a critical and dangerous situation, he can exert an abnormally large amount of strength. Such a man could lift a fallen wooden beam to save his brethren. In western medicine, this might be described as simple adrenaline. When you're in a dangerous or critical situation, you will be able to achieve things that you would not normally. One real life example of this is Olympic athletes. When it's the gold medal race/competition/match, some athletes are able to shine and deliver their very best, far surpassing their own personal best results to beat the rest of the competitors to win the gold medal.
Qian Kun Da Nuo Yi simply allows a person to use and exert all of the inner strength in one's body. Everyone has this inner strength, but nobody can control it. Only during moments of dire urgency will people accidently discover how powerful we are. QKDNY allows one to control one's inner strength, so that one can be as powerful as a giant at any moment.
Qian Kun means heaven and earth. Da means big. Nuo Yi means to move around. I interpret this name to mean "move heaven and earth." A wugong that teaches one's neigong (inner energy) to become so powerful as to be able to move heaven and earth, that must be some incredibly powerful stuff.
In actuality, it is a neigong that releases all of the inhibitors inside a person's body. The novel description uses the example of a man who is trying to save someone in a building that has caught on fire. Normally, one man's strength is very limited, but when he is in a critical and dangerous situation, he can exert an abnormally large amount of strength. Such a man could lift a fallen wooden beam to save his brethren. In western medicine, this might be described as simple adrenaline. When you're in a dangerous or critical situation, you will be able to achieve things that you would not normally. One real life example of this is Olympic athletes. When it's the gold medal race/competition/match, some athletes are able to shine and deliver their very best, far surpassing their own personal best results to beat the rest of the competitors to win the gold medal.
Qian Kun Da Nuo Yi simply allows a person to use and exert all of the inner strength in one's body. Everyone has this inner strength, but nobody can control it. Only during moments of dire urgency will people accidently discover how powerful we are. QKDNY allows one to control one's inner strength, so that one can be as powerful as a giant at any moment.
Friday, November 03, 2006
Notes: Jiu Yang Shen Gong
Chapter 19, p. 897-898. Here, it's revealed how Zhang Wuji was able to completely master the Divine Powers of the Nine Suns. When he was tied up in the Baggy Monk's magical bag, he tried using his power of the Nine Suns to break out of it. While he was doing this, the magical bag became a pot, and the power of the Nine Suns was building up, almost like steam. Inside this cloth "sauna", Zhang Wuji's power of the Nine Suns grew more and more potent. Like steam to raw flower to make a bun, all of the pressure points on his body were "opened," so that he was able to master the powers of the Nine Suns even sooner, and with greater potency. The result is that Zhang Wuji is now the most powerful of all the heroes of wulin.
p. 901-02. In the book, Xiao Zhao (brightness) first appears to be a very ugly girl. This is because of a birth defect, which is feigned. In the 1994 TVB version of this story, Kong Hay-man acts this part like the novel describes. In the 1986 TVB version, Siu May-kay doesn't.
--EDIT--
Chapter 21, 960-63. The 1994 version portrays the batthle with Zhang Wuji and Song Weixia at Bright Shining Peak fairly faithfully to the novel. Song Weixia is one of the elders of the Hong Dong school for martial arts. He had been practicing the school's highest and most powerful set of wugong called the Fists of Seven Wounds, and he slowly began to injure his own physical health. He had been feeling some pain, but because he was afraid of facing these injuries, and at the same time he didn't want to lag behind his brethren in mastering this set of fist-combat arts, he ignored the pains and continued.
When he meets Zhang Wuji at Bright Shining Peak, Zhang Wuji tries to educate Song Weixia, but Song is too proud to consider the advice of a man more than half his age. Moreover, he attacks Zhang Wuji to show off how powerful the Fists of Seven Wounds are. Zhang Wuji, however, was able to absorb the force of the fists, neutralize it and surprisingly, returns the force of the attack to Song Weixia in the form of jinqi 九陽真氣, pure energy of the Nine Suns.
Song Weixia then realizes that Zhang Wuji was sincere in his advice, so he praises and graciously thanks Zhang Wuji for returning Song's hostility with kindness.
In the 1986 version, this is scene is omitted. One reason I could think of is because the scene is not crucial to the main conflict of this battle at Bright Shining Peak. I believe it was written more to reveal the forgiving nature of Zhang Wuji.
p. 901-02. In the book, Xiao Zhao (brightness) first appears to be a very ugly girl. This is because of a birth defect, which is feigned. In the 1994 TVB version of this story, Kong Hay-man acts this part like the novel describes. In the 1986 TVB version, Siu May-kay doesn't.
--EDIT--
Chapter 21, 960-63. The 1994 version portrays the batthle with Zhang Wuji and Song Weixia at Bright Shining Peak fairly faithfully to the novel. Song Weixia is one of the elders of the Hong Dong school for martial arts. He had been practicing the school's highest and most powerful set of wugong called the Fists of Seven Wounds, and he slowly began to injure his own physical health. He had been feeling some pain, but because he was afraid of facing these injuries, and at the same time he didn't want to lag behind his brethren in mastering this set of fist-combat arts, he ignored the pains and continued.
When he meets Zhang Wuji at Bright Shining Peak, Zhang Wuji tries to educate Song Weixia, but Song is too proud to consider the advice of a man more than half his age. Moreover, he attacks Zhang Wuji to show off how powerful the Fists of Seven Wounds are. Zhang Wuji, however, was able to absorb the force of the fists, neutralize it and surprisingly, returns the force of the attack to Song Weixia in the form of jinqi 九陽真氣, pure energy of the Nine Suns.
Song Weixia then realizes that Zhang Wuji was sincere in his advice, so he praises and graciously thanks Zhang Wuji for returning Song's hostility with kindness.
In the 1986 version, this is scene is omitted. One reason I could think of is because the scene is not crucial to the main conflict of this battle at Bright Shining Peak. I believe it was written more to reveal the forgiving nature of Zhang Wuji.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Mie Jue Vs. Xie Xun
Reading chapter 18, I realized that there is a parallel between these two characters. Mie Jue is a nun, and the master of O-Mei. Xie Xun is a blind old man whose wugong is very powerful. Earlier on, the story of Xie Xun and a Shaolin monk is told. This Shaolin Monk is the teacher of Xie Xun's mortal enemy. He tells Xie Xun to strike him thirteen times, and if he lives, Xie Xun must give up his vengeful quest. If he dies after the thirteen strikes, then Xie Xun's enemy will appear and they will have to resolve all enmity between them.
After Xie Xun strikes the elderly monk 13 times, the monk cannot withstand the force of the attacks anymore and dies. At that moment, he also realizes that he had been tricked. Even as he lay dying, his pupil did not appear. Instead, Xie Xun was so moved by this monk's act of love and forgiveness that he realizes how wrong his past actions were. It is in Xie Xun's arms that the elderly monk breathes his last breath. From that day onwards, Xie Xun promised never to kill another innocent person to force his mortal enemy out of hiding.
About twenty-five years later, Zhang Wuji meets Mie Jue on the way to Bright-Shining Peak. There, Mie Jue and her desciples capture a group of followers of the "evil" Ming Sect. She commands them to abandon their evil past and become good people. They refuse, and she allows her desciples to cut off each person's right arm. After that, if they still refuse to turn against their "evil" Ming Sect, then they will have to suffer the loss of their left arms.
Zhang Wuji begs Mie Jue to stop this torturous mutilation of these warriors, and agrees to accept three strikes from Mie Jue. If he survives, then Mie Jue must release the Ming Sect followers. At the end, Zhang Wuji survives and prevails, yet Mie Jue only grudgingly releases the prisoners. She doesn't even realize that what she and her desciples did was cruel and inhumane. She arrogantly refuses to admit any wrong-doing on her part.
This is one of the prevailing themes of many wuxia stories: followers of an organization that is accepted as "noble and good" in the eyes of wulin may not actually live what they preach. Ironically, followers of "evil and corrupt" organizations may act more chivalrous and more gallantly.
After Xie Xun strikes the elderly monk 13 times, the monk cannot withstand the force of the attacks anymore and dies. At that moment, he also realizes that he had been tricked. Even as he lay dying, his pupil did not appear. Instead, Xie Xun was so moved by this monk's act of love and forgiveness that he realizes how wrong his past actions were. It is in Xie Xun's arms that the elderly monk breathes his last breath. From that day onwards, Xie Xun promised never to kill another innocent person to force his mortal enemy out of hiding.
About twenty-five years later, Zhang Wuji meets Mie Jue on the way to Bright-Shining Peak. There, Mie Jue and her desciples capture a group of followers of the "evil" Ming Sect. She commands them to abandon their evil past and become good people. They refuse, and she allows her desciples to cut off each person's right arm. After that, if they still refuse to turn against their "evil" Ming Sect, then they will have to suffer the loss of their left arms.
Zhang Wuji begs Mie Jue to stop this torturous mutilation of these warriors, and agrees to accept three strikes from Mie Jue. If he survives, then Mie Jue must release the Ming Sect followers. At the end, Zhang Wuji survives and prevails, yet Mie Jue only grudgingly releases the prisoners. She doesn't even realize that what she and her desciples did was cruel and inhumane. She arrogantly refuses to admit any wrong-doing on her part.
This is one of the prevailing themes of many wuxia stories: followers of an organization that is accepted as "noble and good" in the eyes of wulin may not actually live what they preach. Ironically, followers of "evil and corrupt" organizations may act more chivalrous and more gallantly.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Yin Liting's Sword
One of the things I love about reading HSDS are the descriptions of the Seven Wudang Heroes. Each of them have their own strengths and weaknesses. Of the seven, the fifth brother, Zhang Cuisan, is the most famous and the favourite of Master Zhang Sanfeng. The sixth brother, Yin Liting, also has an important part to play in the story.
He was in love with one of O-Mei's desciples, Ji Xiaofu. Unfortunately, his love for her was unrequited. In chapter 18, Zhang Wuji has grown to an adult, and in one scene, he meets his sixth uncle again. Yin is fighting a daoist monk, and here is the description of how skillful Yin is with his sword.
"Suddenly, the green flash of a long sword flew out from Yin Liting's hand, piercing through the wind like lightning through air towards the daoist monk. When the daoist monk realized what was coming and wanted to dodge aside, the long sword pierced right through his heart, then through his body completely; and still onwards it flew. The injured monk kept running, however, and after a few yards, he finally fell to the ground. Three more yards beyond him, the flying sword began to descend, and in another flash of green it struck the earth in an upright position and lodged itself there; an ordinary sword, but ever so divinely powerful."
Being an ordinary sword, but from Yin Liting's hand, it is divinely powerful. This is how Jin Yong shows the reader just how skillful skillful Yin is with his sword.
He was in love with one of O-Mei's desciples, Ji Xiaofu. Unfortunately, his love for her was unrequited. In chapter 18, Zhang Wuji has grown to an adult, and in one scene, he meets his sixth uncle again. Yin is fighting a daoist monk, and here is the description of how skillful Yin is with his sword.
"Suddenly, the green flash of a long sword flew out from Yin Liting's hand, piercing through the wind like lightning through air towards the daoist monk. When the daoist monk realized what was coming and wanted to dodge aside, the long sword pierced right through his heart, then through his body completely; and still onwards it flew. The injured monk kept running, however, and after a few yards, he finally fell to the ground. Three more yards beyond him, the flying sword began to descend, and in another flash of green it struck the earth in an upright position and lodged itself there; an ordinary sword, but ever so divinely powerful."
Being an ordinary sword, but from Yin Liting's hand, it is divinely powerful. This is how Jin Yong shows the reader just how skillful skillful Yin is with his sword.
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