Okay, our semester just got over. I am sitting in front of the computer with nothing special to do. Next to me lies a stack of books and a bag. I want to put the books in the bag, but am afraid to do so because then I would have to open the bag and expose my laundry to everybody in the room. I am sitting next to a friend who lamented on her grades and is resilient enough to start studying right away. There are a bunch of guys behind me who are either playing starcraft, watching a movie, or eating stuff.This room is well air conditioned. There are a few students in the self study room. The school is not providing lunch today. The movie club is shooting their latest film outside the room, in the hallway. I just tried to put the books away into the bag, while nobody was looking, but shut the bag lid too fast and crushed my finger. I am bored. I am bored. I am bored. I am sad because I have nothing to do except this when I'm bored. I am wondering whether I should go home or stay and study. I am hungry because I didn't eat lunch yet. I want to learn starcraft. I am debating whether I should stay here or go to the self study room. I am hoping that nobody is reading this shit. I am going to listen to music.
%^#asdf, I just thought about my grades.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Monday, December 7, 2009
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Essay on Abortion
Okay, so a few months ago my biology teacher asked me to write this essay on abortion. Man it took me a whole freakin Sunday to do it!! Of course I spent like 2/3 of it creeping around in Youtube, but it was tiring anyhow. As you can see, not many 'real' ideas are included actually - I just used the thesaurus to make it seem longer and more text-book like.
In today’s world of vast scientific development, abortion, or pregnancy termination, has become a prevalent method used by women. Typically, an abortion is conducted after the deliberation of the mother; if she feels physically or socially unable to continue her pregnancy, she chooses to bring an end to it. So why, with much confusion I wonder, is it a topic of such social controversy? Of course, the mother would have to face dire consequences for it, mostly mental traumas. However, I strongly oppose to banning abortion for two reasons; violation of the mother’s right to decide, and the predictable increase of illegal and unsafe abortions.
First of all, whether an abortion is detrimental to the woman or not, it is ultimately the mother herself who chooses to have it. And, as mentioned above, choosing to have an abortion is undoubtedly not an impulsive decision; she would have been through many ponderous self-debates. So why is it hard to conclude that she has made the best decision for herself? How do others get to decide for her? She is the one who would be going through the actual labor of continuing pregnancy, delivering a baby, bringing it up well, and other obligations unnecessary to mention. If she feels she’s not ready to carry on those things, it would only be fair to respect her decision. The government should not violate one’s right to decide nor be in control of her body.
Second, legal or not, abortions have been, and always will be a part of society. Therefore restricting it would only increase the rate of illegal, unsafe abortions, which could afflict the woman’s health more severely. A new law would be needed to tackle such illegal abortions and further legal hassles would be endless. If abolishing it is out of the option, why illegalize it and yield additional consequences, when legalizing it will provide safe and more reliable procedures? Banning abortion would only manifest the current government’s defects in implementing a new law, and be a futile waste of national finance.
Of course, when taking abortion as an option, a woman has to get past the possibility of some serious consequences. Infection, sepsis, recurrent miscarriages and rarely death could be the complications of abortions. Most of all, the woman would face major psychological damage from the experience, such as depression. However, as said above, the woman will probably take all of this into account while deliberating before deciding; it is her free will. In addition, banning it will rather increase the threat of such physical outcomes, as could be deduced from the increase of illegal, unsafe procedures. As for the psychological traumas, well, delivering the baby or carrying the burden of raising it could be equally as traumatic; we, as outsiders, never know.
All in all, I strongly suggest that abortion should not be banned. I repeatedly tout that aborting a baby is undeniably a choice of the mother herself, and abortions will continue to be conducted regardless of the government’s effort to annihilate it. It’s difficult to understand why abortion is causing such a dispute when there are countless numbers of children worldwide living in poverty, famine, and under environments where they could develop an attraction towards crime, warfare, etc. Wouldn't it be much more practical to support and help these kids instead of using up our valuable time to debate on such a meaningless matter?
In today’s world of vast scientific development, abortion, or pregnancy termination, has become a prevalent method used by women. Typically, an abortion is conducted after the deliberation of the mother; if she feels physically or socially unable to continue her pregnancy, she chooses to bring an end to it. So why, with much confusion I wonder, is it a topic of such social controversy? Of course, the mother would have to face dire consequences for it, mostly mental traumas. However, I strongly oppose to banning abortion for two reasons; violation of the mother’s right to decide, and the predictable increase of illegal and unsafe abortions.
First of all, whether an abortion is detrimental to the woman or not, it is ultimately the mother herself who chooses to have it. And, as mentioned above, choosing to have an abortion is undoubtedly not an impulsive decision; she would have been through many ponderous self-debates. So why is it hard to conclude that she has made the best decision for herself? How do others get to decide for her? She is the one who would be going through the actual labor of continuing pregnancy, delivering a baby, bringing it up well, and other obligations unnecessary to mention. If she feels she’s not ready to carry on those things, it would only be fair to respect her decision. The government should not violate one’s right to decide nor be in control of her body.
Second, legal or not, abortions have been, and always will be a part of society. Therefore restricting it would only increase the rate of illegal, unsafe abortions, which could afflict the woman’s health more severely. A new law would be needed to tackle such illegal abortions and further legal hassles would be endless. If abolishing it is out of the option, why illegalize it and yield additional consequences, when legalizing it will provide safe and more reliable procedures? Banning abortion would only manifest the current government’s defects in implementing a new law, and be a futile waste of national finance.
Of course, when taking abortion as an option, a woman has to get past the possibility of some serious consequences. Infection, sepsis, recurrent miscarriages and rarely death could be the complications of abortions. Most of all, the woman would face major psychological damage from the experience, such as depression. However, as said above, the woman will probably take all of this into account while deliberating before deciding; it is her free will. In addition, banning it will rather increase the threat of such physical outcomes, as could be deduced from the increase of illegal, unsafe procedures. As for the psychological traumas, well, delivering the baby or carrying the burden of raising it could be equally as traumatic; we, as outsiders, never know.
All in all, I strongly suggest that abortion should not be banned. I repeatedly tout that aborting a baby is undeniably a choice of the mother herself, and abortions will continue to be conducted regardless of the government’s effort to annihilate it. It’s difficult to understand why abortion is causing such a dispute when there are countless numbers of children worldwide living in poverty, famine, and under environments where they could develop an attraction towards crime, warfare, etc. Wouldn't it be much more practical to support and help these kids instead of using up our valuable time to debate on such a meaningless matter?
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Book Report on Tuesdays with Morrie
Title: Tuesdays with Morrie
Author: Mitch Albom
Publisher: Anchor Books
Year: 1997
Volcabularies:
1. inexplicably: incapable of being accounted for or explained
2. insidious: operating or proceeding in an inconspicuous or seemingly harmless way but actually with grave effect
3. dab: to pat or tap gently, as with something soft or moist
4. aphorism: a terse saying embodying a general truth, or astute observation
5. congestion: an excessive or abnormal accumulation of blood or other fluid in a body part or blood vessel
6. replenish: to make full or complete again, as by supplying what is lacking, used up, etc.
7. audiovisual: of, pertaining to, involving, or directed at both hearing and sight
Comments:
Before the school made it mandatory for us to read this book, I had vaguely heard of its existence and had an abstact image of what it might be like. Well, my prediction had been correct; it was another one of those books about the true meaning of life, death, fame, money, friendship, love, and all the things considered to be lacking in today's society. But because I had not had the chance to actually encounter books like these(or, for that matter, any english book since I entered high school) I was eager to start turning the pages.
In the book, Mitch Albom, a successful sports journalist bumps into his old sociology proffessor(Morrie) on TV, who was dying from Lou Gehrig's disease. He realizes that he has not contacted Morrie for sixteen years and visits him. The two arrange to meet on Tuesdays, on which they will have oral lessons on the topics mentioned above. On each lesson they have Morrie expresses his views towards life as a dying man, and through this Mitch discovers he had changed into an adulterated work-a-holic. He rediscovers his proffessor and tries hard to take in his aphorisms. However, Morrie's disease eventually takes over and he dies towards the end. The book is based on a true story.
To my surprise, focusing deeply on the book was easy, regarding that the only time I could split up to spend reading it was between the long bus rides between home and hakwon. I at once felt content with Morrie, especially with his views toward emotions. This is because I consider myself quite an emotional person, and his lessons gave me tips on how to deal with my own problems. For instance, I read that it is important to 'detatch' oneself from emotions, and how we do that is by fully diving into it. A few days after reading this, I was feeling tremendous jealousy towards an aquaintance and decided to use this lesson to get over it. While I would have just held back and swallowed it before, I let it get me deeper and deeper. After I thought I had understood what jealousy feels like, I slowly was able to detach myself from the emotion. From that day on I have always used this detaching techique whenever I confronted an emotional problem. I felt that Morrie, in his shriveling body, contained knowledge that could be used among everybody.
Also, Morrie's lesson on marriage left me thinking for a while. The fact that it is not surprising to find people rush into marriage and get divorced some 6 months later perked up one short but strong question; What would my marriage be like? Would I be one of those people, or, like Morrie, get engaged in a true marriage where I would feel how important a loved one is?
I believe that what today's people lack the most is love. Not something that starts and ends quick and leaves nothing but a list that reads 'sum of money I wasted on him/her', but real love. Love that requires a lot of respect. Love that gives you a lesson. Love that one can depend on when he's on his dying bed. And, I profoundly felt that I want to have that when I myself get engaged in marriage years later.
All in all, reading Tuesdays with Morrie was an experience like no other. I found out that this was actually a document on a real happening, and searched on Youtube the Nightline show Morrie appeared on right away. After looking through all of the nine videos, I felt that I had learned a life-time lesson on everything. I recommend this book to anybody who feels he/she could use up some time to relax and think.
Author: Mitch Albom
Publisher: Anchor Books
Year: 1997
Volcabularies:
1. inexplicably: incapable of being accounted for or explained
2. insidious: operating or proceeding in an inconspicuous or seemingly harmless way but actually with grave effect
3. dab: to pat or tap gently, as with something soft or moist
4. aphorism: a terse saying embodying a general truth, or astute observation
5. congestion: an excessive or abnormal accumulation of blood or other fluid in a body part or blood vessel
6. replenish: to make full or complete again, as by supplying what is lacking, used up, etc.
7. audiovisual: of, pertaining to, involving, or directed at both hearing and sight
Comments:
Before the school made it mandatory for us to read this book, I had vaguely heard of its existence and had an abstact image of what it might be like. Well, my prediction had been correct; it was another one of those books about the true meaning of life, death, fame, money, friendship, love, and all the things considered to be lacking in today's society. But because I had not had the chance to actually encounter books like these(or, for that matter, any english book since I entered high school) I was eager to start turning the pages.
In the book, Mitch Albom, a successful sports journalist bumps into his old sociology proffessor(Morrie) on TV, who was dying from Lou Gehrig's disease. He realizes that he has not contacted Morrie for sixteen years and visits him. The two arrange to meet on Tuesdays, on which they will have oral lessons on the topics mentioned above. On each lesson they have Morrie expresses his views towards life as a dying man, and through this Mitch discovers he had changed into an adulterated work-a-holic. He rediscovers his proffessor and tries hard to take in his aphorisms. However, Morrie's disease eventually takes over and he dies towards the end. The book is based on a true story.
To my surprise, focusing deeply on the book was easy, regarding that the only time I could split up to spend reading it was between the long bus rides between home and hakwon. I at once felt content with Morrie, especially with his views toward emotions. This is because I consider myself quite an emotional person, and his lessons gave me tips on how to deal with my own problems. For instance, I read that it is important to 'detatch' oneself from emotions, and how we do that is by fully diving into it. A few days after reading this, I was feeling tremendous jealousy towards an aquaintance and decided to use this lesson to get over it. While I would have just held back and swallowed it before, I let it get me deeper and deeper. After I thought I had understood what jealousy feels like, I slowly was able to detach myself from the emotion. From that day on I have always used this detaching techique whenever I confronted an emotional problem. I felt that Morrie, in his shriveling body, contained knowledge that could be used among everybody.
Also, Morrie's lesson on marriage left me thinking for a while. The fact that it is not surprising to find people rush into marriage and get divorced some 6 months later perked up one short but strong question; What would my marriage be like? Would I be one of those people, or, like Morrie, get engaged in a true marriage where I would feel how important a loved one is?
I believe that what today's people lack the most is love. Not something that starts and ends quick and leaves nothing but a list that reads 'sum of money I wasted on him/her', but real love. Love that requires a lot of respect. Love that gives you a lesson. Love that one can depend on when he's on his dying bed. And, I profoundly felt that I want to have that when I myself get engaged in marriage years later.
All in all, reading Tuesdays with Morrie was an experience like no other. I found out that this was actually a document on a real happening, and searched on Youtube the Nightline show Morrie appeared on right away. After looking through all of the nine videos, I felt that I had learned a life-time lesson on everything. I recommend this book to anybody who feels he/she could use up some time to relax and think.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Been So Long
Woah......... It's been like 2 months since I posted my last 'post'. What happened to the vow I took(to write freely on this blog at least once a week)? Gotta work up.
The reason I suddenly decided to write again after all these days is because I have something really important to say.
Man, do I feel proud!
You see it's summer vacation and I had nothing do to, literally, so I decided to check out my blog. You know, look at all the good comments, smile, look at the bad comments, contact the people who wrote the bad comments, pay them back, smile, and so on. I was then looking through the posts I had written ........... when I bumped into the post in which I temper-tantrumed about how much homework we were given. As I read what I wrote about several weeks ago, I couldn't help but notice that although I had described the amount of our tasks as something against any logical reasoning, I ultimately succeeded in doing them!! In Time!! To have realized this was astonishing and I suddenly became overwhelmed with self esteem.
When I think of it now, I think I was apprehensive about everything at that time. Now I know that every complaint I spat out, every curse I put on our school was nothing but an excuse to let myself think I was behind others. I am no different from anybody who comes to our school; therefore why should I be the one to express what everybody feels inside out loud? I am so ready for the second semester. The challenges I will face in a few weeks will be no different from the ones I faced months before, so I think I'll be able to handle them more efficiently.
However...........(gulp)....... it is true that I am a bit concerned about myself. Man, everybody, and I do mean EVERYBODY, seems to be studying. I have always recognized "Vacation" as a "Period of relaxation and preparation", but emphasized on the "relaxation" part more than anything else. Conversely, everyone else seems to think differently. I feel unspeakable inferiority towards them.... Oh well. If anything bad happens, it's my fault, so I shouldn't complain. Best wishes to everyone who worked hard these past few months.
The reason I suddenly decided to write again after all these days is because I have something really important to say.
Man, do I feel proud!
You see it's summer vacation and I had nothing do to, literally, so I decided to check out my blog. You know, look at all the good comments, smile, look at the bad comments, contact the people who wrote the bad comments, pay them back, smile, and so on. I was then looking through the posts I had written ........... when I bumped into the post in which I temper-tantrumed about how much homework we were given. As I read what I wrote about several weeks ago, I couldn't help but notice that although I had described the amount of our tasks as something against any logical reasoning, I ultimately succeeded in doing them!! In Time!! To have realized this was astonishing and I suddenly became overwhelmed with self esteem.
When I think of it now, I think I was apprehensive about everything at that time. Now I know that every complaint I spat out, every curse I put on our school was nothing but an excuse to let myself think I was behind others. I am no different from anybody who comes to our school; therefore why should I be the one to express what everybody feels inside out loud? I am so ready for the second semester. The challenges I will face in a few weeks will be no different from the ones I faced months before, so I think I'll be able to handle them more efficiently.
However...........(gulp)....... it is true that I am a bit concerned about myself. Man, everybody, and I do mean EVERYBODY, seems to be studying. I have always recognized "Vacation" as a "Period of relaxation and preparation", but emphasized on the "relaxation" part more than anything else. Conversely, everyone else seems to think differently. I feel unspeakable inferiority towards them.... Oh well. If anything bad happens, it's my fault, so I shouldn't complain. Best wishes to everyone who worked hard these past few months.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Book Report 2
Title: The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, aged 13 3/4
Author: Sue Townsend
Publisher & Year: 도솔, 초판발행 1990. 2. 12.
Vocabularies -
1. consolation - the act of consoling; comfort; solace.
2. introspection - observation or examination of one's own mental and emotional state, mental processes, etc.; the act of looking within oneself.
3. slopping - to be unduly effusive or sentimental; gush (usually fol. by over).
4. malingerer - to pretend illness, esp. in order to shirk one's duty, avoid work, etc.
5. diabolical - having the qualities of a devil; devilish; fiendish; outrageously wicked
and many, many more.....
Summary:
Adrian Mole is a troubled adolecent. He is bullied at school, his parents don't care for him, has skin problems, has to take care of a bitter old man, his dog causes trouble, and is heartbroke. He even experiences being a one parent child, and at one point was so poor that his phone got cut off. However, aside from all these things he believes himself to be an intellectual. He would read as many books as he can to increase his knowledge, and frequently write poems to cultivate his sentimental abilities. Although this boy goes through rough times, most of the things turn out well in the end(his mother comes back to his father, his father gets a job, he succeeds in becoming lovers with Pandora, befriends Bert Baxter the grubby old guy, etc.).
Comment:
Unlike all the other books we were forced to read, this one was actually fun. This is probably because the speaker is around the same age as me, and of his problems are almost the same as mine. I nodded in agreement to almost everything he would list in diary and felt relieved when things turned out to be good at the end.
Out of all the happenings in this book, there were some parts that I expecially liked such as when he protested against the school for its dress code regarding socks, when his father and mother reunited, and when Bert Baxter got married. However, I have to say that my favorite scene of the whole book was when Adrian hang out with Pandora. Judging from the things he said, Pandora is the beauty queen of his school. Usually this kind of people do not hang out with geeks like Adrian, but somehow he got to strike up a relationship with her. This proved that Adrian is not a complete loser afterall, and might have encouraged every male-reader who thinks he's a nerd to not lose courage.
I heard that there are some sequels to this book. I'll give them a try when I have time(I don't know when that will be, or if it will even exist).
Author: Sue Townsend
Publisher & Year: 도솔, 초판발행 1990. 2. 12.
Vocabularies -
1. consolation - the act of consoling; comfort; solace.
2. introspection - observation or examination of one's own mental and emotional state, mental processes, etc.; the act of looking within oneself.
3. slopping - to be unduly effusive or sentimental; gush (usually fol. by over).
4. malingerer - to pretend illness, esp. in order to shirk one's duty, avoid work, etc.
5. diabolical - having the qualities of a devil; devilish; fiendish; outrageously wicked
and many, many more.....
Summary:
Adrian Mole is a troubled adolecent. He is bullied at school, his parents don't care for him, has skin problems, has to take care of a bitter old man, his dog causes trouble, and is heartbroke. He even experiences being a one parent child, and at one point was so poor that his phone got cut off. However, aside from all these things he believes himself to be an intellectual. He would read as many books as he can to increase his knowledge, and frequently write poems to cultivate his sentimental abilities. Although this boy goes through rough times, most of the things turn out well in the end(his mother comes back to his father, his father gets a job, he succeeds in becoming lovers with Pandora, befriends Bert Baxter the grubby old guy, etc.).
Comment:
Unlike all the other books we were forced to read, this one was actually fun. This is probably because the speaker is around the same age as me, and of his problems are almost the same as mine. I nodded in agreement to almost everything he would list in diary and felt relieved when things turned out to be good at the end.
Out of all the happenings in this book, there were some parts that I expecially liked such as when he protested against the school for its dress code regarding socks, when his father and mother reunited, and when Bert Baxter got married. However, I have to say that my favorite scene of the whole book was when Adrian hang out with Pandora. Judging from the things he said, Pandora is the beauty queen of his school. Usually this kind of people do not hang out with geeks like Adrian, but somehow he got to strike up a relationship with her. This proved that Adrian is not a complete loser afterall, and might have encouraged every male-reader who thinks he's a nerd to not lose courage.
I heard that there are some sequels to this book. I'll give them a try when I have time(I don't know when that will be, or if it will even exist).
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