6-15-10

Our essay due was postponeded to 16th.
ah.

We got into groups and discussed what 12 items we would bring into an island. It was interesting how some people had sunscreen and baithing suit for those 12 items. I thought I was too unrealistic to think that I could kill an animal or cut down trees with a knife or axe. I would be running away if I actually face animals. So I thought I would need guns or AK-47s like the other group had said. ha.

It was the second to the last class with Rab.
Noo.

6-14-10

We had the last PWT in this class.
I picked the 2nd question which asked if Santiago achieved success or suffered failer.
I do not really remember what I wrote.
I only know that I wrote more then I thought I would.

I was so sick yesterday.

06-11-10

I read Yumi's blog and realized it.

This was Rab's last class held in ILC.

I always looked forward to this class and I am sad that won't have it anymore.

It entertained us but more then that, all those things that we learned in there had great impact to it. Rab made us think by using what we feel close to. And Computers. I dont think anyone has slept using computers during class.



Anyway, we first learned how to change a presentation to a video with our voice. Than Rab showed us clips of video. Some were telling us to make an act, and some were only making us think. Whatever the strategies you want to use, we already have technique and know how to make those vidoes. We have to think the best way to actually getting the audiences to stand up and make a move on what you state.



I thought the one with painting man's face on the walls were most effective. well, at least to me, it was. Maybe it is so because I already heard that it had succeeded and saved his life. But more then that, I think it would most effect me to make an act because I can see that everyone is doing it. I know it is not good to wait for the others on doing whenever I want to do. I know that in a world where everyone thinks that way, no one will make an act and nothing will be changed. And I am trying to get rid of the habit of following the crowd. But do you guys all think that you would actually go and paint that man's face to save his life? I would like to say yes and I really hope I will if I If you are not sure that this action would make a change would you still do it? Knowing that you would be breaking the law and spary painting on someone else's wall, would you do it even if you are alone?

06-09-10

In this class we had another discussion. This time it was about our essay. Each person were to say the thesis statement and give reasons why their statement is right. Then all the other people in the group were to point out how they are wrong or weak on some points. I was the last one to go, I only told my group what I my topic is after the class was over. We took too much time on each person at first. Well it means that we had things to say for that long so I dont think it is a bad thing.

06-08-10

I was one of the "students who has only read less than 20 pages and will fail the test". But that was only till yesterday, 08th. I will finish it by todaaay. todaaaaaay. uh maybe not but i will tryyy.

When we were all discussing on different interpretation on OMS, I just started saying random things. I was in a group with Izumi Yumi and Tomoaki. We somehow concentrated on the interpretation of the sea, and only sea for the most part. First, one of us said that it represented woman. We thought that it was the interpretation that would fit most likely, but we had to go against it. So another disagreed that the ocean represent ocean itself. Since Hemingway loved nature and "protected" them, ocean could be just simply be ocean. haha. and Then, another disagreed that ocean could be Hemingway's life. Those fish that are in the ocean, or in his life, is his wives. When it came to the last person, we all ran out of ideas since we only looked at the ocean. It was only the last minute we started to discuss about other events or charactors in the novel. We kinda sucked at that dibating haha.


I will watch the Earthlings after Rabs BBQ party.

06-07-10

I had so many question marks during today's class. Could any conservationist be a hunter at the same time? Does it make a difference if one eats the meet after they hunt? So there would not be any difference if it is hunted for food or just for pleasure? Should human be in charge of controlling the number of existing animal? Do we have rights to kill them if they are too many or do the animals have the right to live no matter what. What about those cows that are being killed for foot-and-mouth disease? Why are we not cure them but kill all, even those that does not have the disease yet? ah I do not know. ha it is so easy if I could just get away with that on everything. "I do not know".

I had tutorial today. It helped me in many ways haha. What we need is comfortable situation. Then we can try new things without being scared of it. Like P&D practice. yes comfort.

06-04-10

Once again we had another 2 continued period of classes in ILC. We got to work on our essays for the whole time. This time, however, Rab went around the class and did like a mini-tutorials for everyone. It helped me A LOT since I still had trouble on trying to pick a topic.

I finally chose a topic now and I will not change it i hope. I am no longer doing cross cultural communication in business. I'm sorry Kana and Yuji. But I am still writing about cross cultural communication, I have not changed that.

My research question is
Is the new technology released by NEC which is shaped like eye-glasses working as a language translator efficient enough to solve the conflicts that occur in cross cultural communication.
uh

6-02-10

I loved how we got to do a class out in the field and how Rab was picking on the grass the whole time as he explained us about Cuba history. :D
Well it is true that I was really hot when the class started and really cold at the end. AND I was trying to forget about the bugs underneath me. But I liked outside class anyway.

Somehow, I had mixed up 3 Bs and Biography. I had only searched on Hemingway and I thought I had everything covered. ha. So all those things Rab told us about Cuba was new to me. I have to do the 3 Bs again before I start reading that book. I hope I can find something interesting in the book that could interpret as being something that happend in the past.

ahhh essay topi......

6-01-10

We had free time to work on our essay in ILC today. While we were doing that, Rab called up on one by one to tell the PWT scores. I should have been little bit more confident.

I am lost at what to write in my essay.
so.

I state here that I will decide my topic by the end of June 2nd, which is today.

or at least have ideas of it. haha.
yeah I know. Im not being hard on myself.
I will try my hardest though, yes I will.
cross cultrual communication
cross cultrual communication.


Hemingway

5-31-10

Class today started with the news of how most of us were way off on grading our own PWTests. If I am the one who graded 12 points over what the other teacher had graded, I was only doing so because I had confidence in myself. ...yes. uh yeah. I pretty much put higher grade than I would usually get.

Rab today talked about nationality. Should it be based on paper or by blood. I have two passports: One Japanese and one American. The way I spend my day, the way I think, I am a lot more Japanese than American. Actually, by the traditional way of looking at it, I am not American at. Plus, do I look like American? no. Is there American blood in me? nope. I am 100 percent Japanese. If nationality is based on paper, am I both Japanese and American at the same time? Maybe yes but it feels weird for some reason. If nationality is considered as a type of way to label someone, I could perceive it without any trouble. But if it involves something deeper, considering traditions and understanding culture, nationality confuses me.

I have to start on the essay.
Today in class I have mentioned that my essay will be about
[cross-cultural-communication in Business. looking at if there is connection between improvement of cross-cultural-communication and economical recovery]
I have to search a lot to find out what I want to focus on.
Because for right now, I only have vague image of my outline.
waaaaa.

05-28-10

Okay in this class, we had another 3 visitors.

Rab had shared not-so-biased news websites with us. I was too busy writing them down I did not get to check it out so much. I should better go look at them whenever I have time. I was amazed what sentenceworker can do. However, I found it hard to make a decision where its suggestion is correct or not. hm. oh and the criterion? I have forgotten about it till just now. I have to do it.

I was home in Saitama this weekend. I have lost track of time. I mean, when I'm at home I do nothing but lay around. It was a baad idea to come back home this weekend ha.

05-26-10

I missed you today, Rab.
I know everyone else did too.
I am sorry that your son and your mother-in-law had to experience such tragdy. I wish for your mother-in-law to recover quickly.

For the replacement of Rab, Sylvan came to teach us. His lecture was interesting. Those videos and how he explained them were all new to me. And somehow, I felt that the class was shorter than usual days. Maybe it felt short because I was interested in his talk so much that I had forgotten about time. Or maybe it felt shorter because we basically did only one thing. Rab's class feels like it is always busy with a lot of things to do. Whenever I think back at what we had done that day, I recall so many things. So many things that we learned that day.
I am not trying to say that either one is better than the other, but I am just saying that uh yeah we missed you Rab.

05-25-10

I practiced P&D today. I had kept repeating to slow down when I speak, so that everyone could understand what I am trying to say. Maybe I thought about it too much. Because when I was being asked some questions, I was reaaally slow on answering it. ha
Later on we got into groups and wrote a paragraph about Rab's bag which were slanted for and against it.

oh by the way, did you know that I am the best student in Rab's class?
Think about it. Have I caused any trouble? I do not think so. Have I talked back to Rab in a rude way? I have not done that either. I am the student who has never slept or interupted his class. You may, however, have a impression on me that I can not wake up in the morning. Let me ask you a question here. Have I ever came into class after Rab has started talking? Think back at the times when all the girls were late to class after swimming. I was always the first one to come back from the PE. I always sat in down in a chair before Rab went out to get his coffie. In another words, I draw a clear line between study and pleasure. As I have not wasted learning time in ICU and will not do so in the future, I am the Rab's best student.

05-24-10

We had another P&D practice. My turn did not come yet, so I have to it on the 25th. With my unique acsent that I have, I have hard time trying to get each word out. When I go up the front, however, I tend to speed up. Then, not only the audience would be confused with what I am saying, but my tounge would get all confused with what its doing. So what I have to do first, is to slooooooow down. Itll probably help me not to panic.

It was interesting to hear other people's topic essays. Rab gives us topics that are so big and broad, each students have research questions from different fields.

yay nice weather today :D

NISBETT - 7th chapter

The end of this chapter,from page 188, caught my attention. I , and probably many other section mates that spent school years abroad, have been thought to be better in math just because I was Asian. Here, he brings up a question, "why do nonlogical Asians tend to do so much better in math and science than Americans?" Than he gives two reasons. First, they never said that Asians have trouble with formal logic. Second, not only Asians have trouble with the way they concern contradictions but Westerners also causes logical errors. If he admit those two, what happends to his satatement on "nonlogical Asians"? We're not "nonlogical" after all then. I thought this part made his previous argument weak suddenly.

Later on that argument, he saids that Asians think that "everyone, under no circumstances and with enough hard work, can learn to do math." On the other hand, "Americans are inclined to believe that skills are qualities you do or don't have." If this is true why do they study? For me, I studied because I knew studying would let me gain skills in understanding and solving problems. Why would anyone study if they do not think that you can not improve your skills? It sounded nonsence to me.

05-21-10

When Rab tricked us again with the news of a war, I felt stupid for not knowing it. I felt bad about myself for not watching the news. And when Rab told us that he was only joking, I felt stupid again. Because I did watch news the day before. haha. I believed Rab without any suspection that I brainwashed myself to believe that I did not watched TV that night.

All these years I have tried those stereograms and I was unable to see it right. Yes, I knew I was suppose to do the cross-eye when looking at it. Yes, I knew I should look at it as if I was looking the wall behind it. But I could never see what others were seeing. But it was different today. I saw it the frist time in my life. Well it was not popping out, it was curved in. Who cares I saw it :D

I have not decided the Essay topic. I have to try really hard this weekend ahh.

05-19-10

I have always been scared of presentations.
In highschool, yes we did have few practices on being confident in front of everyone. However no one really told me how to do this. What Rab had taught us today was something really easy. I am not saying that I managed to speak while I made eye contact to everyone, I sucked at that. But each points Rab had made were easy and everyone has to agree on that. "Good morning""Thank you all for coming"etc.. All I have to do now is get used to that. Now I know what to do and what to practice before hand wherenever I have to give a presentation.

Thank you Yuji for the document.
I will comment on it as soon as I have time.

05-18-2010

What I realized today was that I tend to look down when someone is "angry" with me. I had no clue that Rab was winking to us while he was walking around. I tried to recall what he was doing but I could only remember his voice. That means I automatically closed my eyes on the nonverbal communication.

Well another psychological test that we took today, I was not really impressed by the results. It was interesting. I have to agree on that. Especially Tomoaki's mother. Anyway, on yesterday's test, we actually imagined a color, an animal, water, and a white room to answer those adjectives. However, in today's test, we only drew what Rab had told us to write. As I drawing and thinking about the balanced usage of the paper, I wanted Rab to tell us how may pictures we have to draw on that paper. This means that what had effected my drawing was not how I thought about those things (myself, mother, father,etc) deep down but it was the ideal picture with balanced drawing. So, I think today's test was much less realiable compared to yesterdays'.


Ah Fisher.

05-15-2010

In today's NP lecture, which started at 10:00, I counted 5 CB students coming in late. And that is only the ones I saw comming in. Ha what a wonderful ELP section we have here :D Oh yes I was few minutes late too sorry.

I was little surprised at how Rab was in hurry today. He always seemed to not care about time but just focus on what he thinks is important and what he wants to talk about. Anyway, first half of the class, I could not come up with words that would fit for the given phrases. It was obvious that I was in little panic for not being able to get the answeres. I mean, you all heard Rab say "Gentleman is a noun, you would want to say gentle". Yes that was me. I could not help it. When I write the word Gentle, -man just automatically follows it.

Latter half was fun like everyone else have said. However, I was not satisfied with the result as much as everyone else did. Especially the one with water, resembling sex and love, I thought it was unreliable. My answer to it was PUDDLE - SAFE DIRTY MUDDY HUMID DARK SHALLOW. haha. What I want to state is that if it was not "water" that was representing "sex and love", I would have had different adjectives. The reason I chose puddle was because I am the type of person who does not want to go near the water. In a puddle you can not drawn. It is safe to be around. haha. I just wanted to mention this because I thought I was the rare case which the object being questioned actually effected the result.

oh the retreat?
I woke up that morning.
Ready to head to school with my stuff being all packed.
But my clock.
Somehow it played a trick on me.
Those hands of the clock was pointing to 10:13
I jumped up and called the school.
And that is how my retreat ended.

NISBETT - 6th chapter

I just found it funny when Nisbett repeats "once again" on page 139. one again we can talk about the difference. once again lets talk about Westerners and Easterners.

page- what I picked - according to Nisbett, I am more of a ..

141 - Cow and Grass - Easterner
143 - Group 2 - Westerner
145 ???? (Easterner??)
146 - ( 2 ) - Westerner
147 - ( 2 ) - Westerner

The second pictures, which were flowers, I picked Group 2. This time according to Nisbett, I chose the one which Americans would pick. Because I picked group 2 concerning the straight stem just like Nisbett has explained, I can not understand why someone would pick group 1. In the book, Nisbett just says that the target object resemble group 1 more and that it is easy to see why Koreans would pick group 1. However I can not see how the target and group 1 share the family resemblance.

Anyway, I did the questions myself as I read the book. It turned out that I have more westerner charactoristics than easterner's. This was surprising because I grew up in Japan. Even when I was in United States, I always thought I had different ways of interpretting things. Well I could be wrong on that. Maybe strong image of myself being Asian made me feel that way. However, when I looked at the persentage of result on those questions, the way Nisbett interpreted the tendency sounds unreliable. For example, the question with flowers says that Koreans chose Group 1 60 % of the times. 60 %. If the question was asked to a another group of Korean, that persentage could go other way around. 60 % is too close to 50%, which tells us that it could go whichever way, depending on who you ask.

NISBETT - 5th chapter

Reading the 5th chapter, I think i have found one of the fallacies being made. "Non sequitur"-"linking two or more ideas that in face have no logical connection."

On page120, it happends. Nisbett explains about the resault he has found by asking Koreans and Americans about personality and situation. He discribes that "Koreans thought that personalities are more subject to change the Americans did." Watch closely to what happends next. He connects the that fact to their traditional way of fiewing the world. Western regarding the world as static and Eastern regarding as constantly changing.
I do not see how their view on personality can directly connect to how they view the world. There is not enough explaining of how those two connects. That idea suddenly appears in the paragraph and left without being treated as an issue.


I think everyone is halfway back to ICU by now.
I have so many things to regret.
But it is too late now.
Im looking forward to hear what all happend over there :D

05-12-10

When Rab said he was only joking after mentioning that the monbukagakushou lady came to see the laziest people alive, I only thought he latter half of it was joke. I did not think monbukagakushou was a joke too.

We used Little Brown Hand book again. Remembering all those labels of why written statements were wrong, would make me fall asleep. I have to make sure I understand them and be able to tell the difference. The news article we used to discuss in the group was interesting. It was interesting because topic was not special but rather ordinary. I have read those kind of articles and heard those types of arguments and never thought deeply enough to realize that it was a red herring.

05-11-10

Howdie yall. Its time for posting a blog!

Today's class was intresting then the usual classes. Of course, the main reason was because that lady from Monbukagakushou had joined with us for the day. There were not much difference but I believe everyone was working and concentrating to the class slightly harder then the other days. Even Rab seemed to be exicted to have a visitor in our class. I was afraid of that lady but I think it was a nice stimulation for us.

Anyway, todays discussion felt like we were solving a puzzle, which was interesting. Although I could not get the answer by myself for most of them, It made me give "ahhh"s and "ohhh"s when Rab explained it to us. Especially when I heard the reason why women who are Muslim has to cover their whole body, I felt like I had a light bulb turning on above my head.


Oh if any of you go to Guutara with CB students,
say that you belong to a group named "CB"
when Miki Tomoya Naoko and I went there today,
they told us that we would get discounts if we collect enough points.
I think all you have to do is tell them that you are one of the "CB"
and they will keep up the points for us.

05-10-10

Another sentence was written on the board for us to find assuptions today. The last assumption, the most important one as Rab said, I could not find myself. The first time Rab explained to us that we should not include assumptions in our thesis statement, I thought it was impossible. Every ideas or suggestion would include assumptions. I baiscally had given up on try to think of a thesis statement that has no assumptions. However, I learned today that some assumptions are valid depending on the reader. Now it is understandable and I can try to avoid invalid assumptions. And evidence. And opening sentence. And uh conclusion. And uhhh.

I regret leaving LBH at in my room today.
I will read them tonight.

NISBETT - 4th chapter

The impression that this book talks about differences between eastern and western repeatedly has not changed yet. Indeed that is the topic of this book, but I felt like I was reading the samething over and over. However, 4th chapter interested me more compared to the first 2 chapters. I hope it will get interesting as we read to the end. If so, I would have enough vitality to read the first part of the book agian.

The reason this book seems more appeal to me is those data and researches Nisbett uses to convince the reader. It had caught my eye first at the end of chapter 3. I looked in the back of the book and found where the sourse was. I would like to check on "A cross-linguistic study of early word meaning" by Imai and Genter as soon as I get a chance. Anyway, in chapter 4, the strategies used to find the tendency of eastern and western was interesting. Maybe they are standerd way of investigating, but it was new to me. However, I was wondering if those results of showing the pictures actually connect to the fact that Japanese pay more attention to environment than Americans. I am not trying to say that Japanese do not pay attention, but it seems like a different thing when it is in a picture and it is in a real life. After watching those video of protesting and discussion on why Japanese do not protest, I get the impression of westerners taking action concerning their enviroment but not Japanese.

05-07-2010

wow wow wow.
hey hey hey.
what the #('&$'"# are you doing.

the whole time I was watching that video, those words and sentence went around my head repeatedly. I know I have said before that I would be too much of a chicken to stand up for anything. Well, with all those vidoes Rab lets us watch, I think I am starting to think differently. Just look at them. I thought police were suppose to protect citizens. Maybe it was just me, I had the wrong idea about police. Nah nah. That is just crazy. What surprised me the most was that those police were harming the protesters like it was a matter of course.

well PWT practice was uh yeah interesting.
I will be ready bye the 21st PWT.

NISBETT - 3rd chapter

okay I'm falling behind a little. gotta catch up.

Chapter 3 had me concentrated on the reading better than 1st and 2nd chapter did. However, I feel like I'm being too critical when I read this book. Everytime Nisbett expalins about how Asians are or how Asians think, I go "phss yeah right". I read with disbelief, and I do that with no reason to it. Maybe it's similar to the situation where you make fun of what you own but you get mad if someone else makes fun of it. Do you know what I'm talking about? For example, a guy would be talking about his girl. He would complain how she doen't cook, how she makes him do everything, and that she is spoiled girl. However, when his friend explains that girl to another person just like he did, he would say "you're not allowed to say those stuff about her!". Yeah. Then, you'll know he was just NOROKEing. Okay I got off topic, but its just like that when Nisbett talks about Asia. I sometimes do say that asian people concern more about what other people think, and what their position are in a group. But when Nisbett talks, who is 100 percent a westerner and has evidences on asia only from polls he took from asian, I just want to say "you dont know enough about Asia to talk like that". hm.

well okay chapter 3. ha. Nisbett compares how Asia and Westerners today concern about independence and interdependence. From the sub-title (or however you call them) that saids "The Non-Westeern Self" on page 48, we can easily tell that Nisbett is comparing Asia to Western, and not the other way around. Western is a standard for him. He gives a lot of examples situation to explain about Asia. But it made me laugh when he said "Japanese weren't being masochistic". (p56) After reading his repeated explanation about how Asians are, who would think that the reason hard work of Japanese after failure is their masochistic behaivor? I do not think he need to add that sentence.

04-30-2010

Essay. Essay. Essay.
Editing section-mates' essay and working on my own, I got reaaaally tired of it. Yes I went crazy. I want to say thanx to those of you that didnt just ignore me when I started jumping around. Some even fooled around with me too. Especially Fumika, haha thanks.
Would you do this or that this or that.
I didnt raise my hand to any of the question Rab had asked us. I just cant imagine myself actually standing up for the rights, knowing that I would get hurt in some way. I would like to believe that I will do something if the government changed the law and we all had to join army. But thinking about facing death when protesting, I might be too much of a chicken to be fighting for myself. hm. This is something sad to admit but I know how I am. hm.

04-28-2010

What we had today? It was the very opposite from how usual class is being held. It was good opportunity for us to do those questions, especially for me. I dont know how I got so many of them wrong. I bet I got wrong more then any of those geniuses in CB, the choco-ball class. Hm suddenly I just imagend Rab with a choco-ball head, weird.

Well, when Yusuke suggested about Rab giving us worksheets, I thought those worksheets would be for us to do it at home. Instead, we worked on it in class. We idividually read paragraphs, and worked on our own. Those worksheets were good for us to practice how to construct a paragraph. But maybe we couldve done it on our own time and check it afterwards.

4-27-2010

Our PE teacher said,"usually, students do not have classes after PE". well then why do we have them?! It is impossible for us to change and come backto class in 10 minutes. Yes, most of the time, PE is held till the very last minute of its class time. oh and I just wanted to mention, since some people thought that a lot of girls dried their hair before coming to Rab's class, they did'nt. Few girls did, but most of them still had wet hair, even those that came in the last.

I didn't get to participate in the discussion that much today. Since discussions were about questions on PWT, I should have tried harder to speak up. However, I think I got the idea of crossing out the questions that are more likely the "memorization quiz". Taking those tests where students could choose which to answer from many questions, I had not much thought about the reason for choosing them. From now on, I will be discriminating those that includes memorization, few small questions, and well, simply the hard ones.

4-26-2010

My morning today started with an e-mail.It informed, "Dearly Rab giving lecture in NP" That was the beginning of an interesting day.NP discussed how someone could control the media.very interesting.In Introduction to Asian Culture, topic for today was also about media.very interesting.After lunch, I had tutorial and talked about, again, media.very interesting.

In the class today, we had time to discus our topic with each other.Again, i brought up about media.very interesting.After that, we had time to discus Mailand.Rab used magic to show how one can be easily fooleddepending where you stand. He used another magic to help us think if direct teaching is better than constructive teaching or the other way around. I personally, thought it was connected to the problems with media. The idea that someone focusing on only part of the event and making others believe something seemed similar. One again, very interesting.

yes it was an interesting day.
and happy birthday Sayako.

4-23-2010

"youuu areee miiinneeee" ...no.
I know all the girls have experienced THAT situation.
Yes that one guy in your grade.
The guy that every girl likes...
Maybe you were not one of the girls who goes after that guy.
However, I am sure you have seen such guy.
When one girl goes ahead and approaches him, all the other goes crazy and attacks her.
Yes. that situation. drama drama drama.
..no. everything belongs to all the girls.
we do not want to fight over such thing.
I am sorry but they are just not wroth it.
And here is an idea.
If we could share, everyone will be happy.
Well, same with the books.
Books online does not belong to just one person,
it belongs to all of us.
When we are bored, we could just turn on our computer
and look at them as much as we want.
If we put them online, we could look at it wherever we go.
Just like some girls do with a picture of their dream guy

ha.

NISBETT - 2nd chapter

Compared to the first chapter, chapter two seemed easier to read. In which I mean that I was little more interested then the last time. As Richard E. Nisbett continues to compare Greece and Chinese, he begins to discuss the difference between Western and Eastern. He, than, uses charts to explain what had caused such differences between those two and how it happened.

Though out the writing so far, I somehow do not get an impression of simple comparison being made. It is more like Eastern is being compared to Western, and not the other way around. Impression of this book gets worse when the author mentions that at one point, Westerners has caught up Easterners in every field. Before that, both plus and minus points were listed tentatively. However, from that statement, Westerners seems to have become perfect.

I understand so little about what is written in this book.

NISBETT - 1st chapter

Books often seem to be rather boring in the beginning then the latter half of the book. Anyway, in chapter one of the book called The Geography of Thought, ancient Greece and ancient Chinese traditions of thought is being compared. As the author, Richard E. Nisbett, uses numerous examples to help readers to see the comparison, it leads to the differences between current Eastern and Western thought, which will be discussed in the next chapter.

From parts I was able to understand, I found some interesting facts that I did not know about. First, the meanings that sign of the Tao has. I have seen that sign everywhere ever since I was little, but did not care to think about what it was symbolizing. Another is that there is no word for "size” in Chinese. Although we often say that there is no perfect English word for a Japanese word, such as "mottainai", such language differences sounds new to me when it comes to other Languages.

There is one thing I realized that this book might help me on the assignment essay. It is the introduction of The Geography of Thought. It gave me a better idea of my background information for the introduction paragraph.

4-21-2010

We didnt do our usual groups discussions today. Intead, Rab explained essantial points in writing an argumentative essay. Again, his examples on a title, a catch phrase, thesis statement, ordering of body paragraphs, and conclusion had made me feel like it was my first time being lectured how to write. Perhaps it was the first time for me to think why all those rules had to be there.
At the very end of the class, we all went to the front and quickly presented our topic for assigned essay. When I went up there, I am sure everyone in the class went 'huh?'. I had suddenly changed the topic right before that class and I had not really thought about it. That is why I said my topic was "whether ringing a bell before a class is good or not". ha...
I'm thinking about changing it again. I hope I'm allowed to do that.

Oh yes, I have a visiter tonight.
She has nowhere to go. ha

4-20-2010

Okay. Still not sure about what I should pick for my essay topic, we continued to disscuss about the same thing. This time, however, we had to reject every ideas that we came up with. It just makes me want to scream like crazy. Rab explains really well on how essay topics and research questions should not include certain things, such as assumptions. Well, the more I to understood Rab, the less topics I came up with, which is none. My "topic panic" continues to this very moment.

4-19-2010

In yesterdays class, considering the time it might be better to say 'in the-day-before-yesterdays class', we mainly discussed what our topic should be for the first essay. Since Rab had told us that what ELP department wanted is for us to develop our paragraph, I was thinking of using the same topic for my argumentitive essay. However, listening to section-mates' opinions on what they should write, I began to think that I should pick a new topic that interest me more. That was the start of "topic panic". Ever since then, every 5 minutes the same thing acrosses my mind : what should my topic be?! ah, panic.

One thing I realized today... Rab was right when he said that we would forget everything that happend in his class if we dont write a blog THAT day. yeah.

4-16-2010 #2

Today, we tried posting video blog for the first time.
It made me very uncomfortable.
Watching myself while talking and having everyone look at my video is a horrifying idea.
However, it is true that I have always felt this way and need to fix it.
I have to agree this is a good way to practice the speaking section on TOEFL.
I like the way how Rab shows us and lets us experience what he is trying to explain.
It makes it easier for me to understand. :D

4-16-2010

If you connect information randomly to prove a statement, it is easy for the others to tell that you did so. It is in our hands to make others believe what we state.

mother of all funk chords
angel on the moon

Testing123

mm flowers