Jasmine's English Lab

The video clip marks the latter part of my first-ever sketching course under Prof. M. K. Hsiang's instruction. If I want to continue learning sketching skills under his professional guidance, I'll have to wait until October when he has classes again. In between, I'll find time to keep practicing; otherwise, what I have learned so far might gradually be forgotten. 

On the one hand, we need to have plans to live a life with definite goals. On the other hand, we should expect changes anywhere anytime so that we can cope with changes with a reasonable attitude and modify or change our plans accordingly since changes are inevitable.

 

Take my hiking plans for this year as an example. When Audrey rejoined me on my hike up Dalunwei Mountain on January 17, I was more than happy to be able to hike at least 3 times a week from then on. But less than 5 months later, my legs told me that I had demanded too much work from them. After thorough consideration, I decided to listen to them and cut down on the times I hike up the mountain. So, I have only hiked twice a week for the past three weeks and my legs are feeling much better because of enough rest in between. Audrey and I both agree that listening to the body is the right thing to do if we want to hike together for the longest time possible.

 

Another good example is my interest in patchwork a couple of years ago. I had planned to frequent a patchwork shop to do patchwork designs as one of my favorite pastimes in my retirement. But I had to eventually bring this newly found feminine practice to an end because of my poor eyes and symptoms of vertigo, even though I had successfully made several patchwork products such as coin purses, a multi-purpose pocket and a bag. To keep me from rekindling the passion for patchwork, I stopped going to the shop suddenly and cold-bloodedly without telling my mentor why. But I have to admit that it was a heart-breaking decision that I’ve ever made in order to allow my body time to heal.

It is breaking news that Michael Jackson died on Thursday L.A. time at the age of 50. Dreams of his comeback to the music biz were shattered. For more information, click on http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31552029/ns/entertainment-music/.

There is still another thing that I started doing this year. In April, I mustered up my courage to write an email to my TESL professor at UWRF, deliberately attaching two photos, one to refresh her memory of a trip she took us on to St. Paul, Minnesota for a baseball game nearly 20 years ago and to let her see how I look now. I particularly mentioned one thing that she did for us a group of English teachers from Taipei, telling her how I was touched by the fact that she had started knitting stocking after stocking in the summer when we arrived at R. F. so as to give each of us a Christmas gift on the day we were invited to her house for Christmas. Also in the email I told her a lot about myself after my return from R. F.

 

Recently she gave me a long-awaited reply and I was thrilled. The following are some excerpts from my second email to her in response to her reply:

 

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Don't worry about my handwriting problem. I figure it is more of a mental problem than of a physical one. Currently I'm taking a sketching course, secretly intended to serve as a form of rehab. I need to take it easy when it comes to writing. I think I tend to get too self-conscious, subconsciously wanting to write as perfectly as I can, which is irrational. However, sometimes I'll think of the connection between two facts: that I am left-handed by nature and that I was forced to use my right hand to learn to write and eat with chopsticks when I was a child. Anyway, I feel lucky that I have no problem typing on the computer. Actually I can type pretty fast both in English and in Chinese.

 

I am happy for you that you still play a vital role in the TESOL program at UWRF and that you are not alone now. You said I can contact Mr. R. T. this summer. Do I have the right picture that he only stays in Taipei for the summer and that I need to wait until July to be able to contact him? If so, how and where am I supposed to reach him? I think you will have to talk to him about me in advance, or else it may appear rude of me to contact him.

 

Speaking of the Structure of English course, I remember only Phoenix and I out of our group took it as an elective. We both found it interesting to draw those "sentence trees," because we had never approached a sentence that way. As for the Harry Potter series, I must admit that I take little interest in anything that has become the rage. Therefore, I haven't watched the Titanic movie or Gone with the Wind, nor have I seen any of the Harry Potter books. However, currently I'm struggling with a book titled "Three Cups of Tea" since I am a volunteer. It's a book about a mountaineer-turned-volunteer American determined to build schools for girls in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The reason I say "struggling" is that in the book are full of delicately chosen words that I find hard to comprehend.

 

Attached is a PowerPoint file of fjords in Norway. I share it with you since you said you are going on a cruise there this summer. If possible, I will do as much traveling as possible in my retirement years.

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(Note that TESOL refers to Teaching English to Speakers of Others Languages.)

 

I hope we can stay in touch by email and the above excerpts surely can help me decide what to include in my next email to her.

to be continued...