Book Club- Staying Together Reflection

On page 7 of Staying Together, Hiroshi said, “You can never really understand someone from another culture. I agree with this statement. Different cultures have different language and different traditions. People are conditioned by their culture since they were children, when their minds were like blank sheets of paper. As a result, they developed a unique taste and ways of thinking. These differences lead to different habits. People can enjoy other cultures, and people can also respect different cultures but they can never really understand another culture. Even people within a culture do not understand each other completely, needless to say understanding someone from another culture. In my experience, I have met a Chinese woman in the plane. Her seat was besides mine. She told me that she had get married with a Swiss for ten years and had two lovely children, but if she wants to take children to china, she need to tell her husband in a formal way and receive her husband’s agreement, or her husband will call the police. It is difficult for Chinese people to understand this behavior. There are many other similar examples of misunderstandings in her life. She didn’t plan to divorce, but she regretted her marriage. I think this is a good example to support the quote.

How to Survive Without Parents-Process Paragraph

Do you have experience living alone without the care of your parents? Maybe you have to face many complicated issues and emotions while you are enjoying your freedom. A thorough preparation is the key to surviving without parents. At first, when we decide to leave our parents to live alone, we need to learn the most elementary skills to survive. They include cooking, cleaning and so on. You can learn them from your parents and practice doing housework while helping your parents. These basic skills not only increase your confidence to live alone, but also relieve your parents from worrying about you. Second, besides mastering these basic skills, you should also keep in touch with your friends and make new friends. Friends are your precious gifts when you live alone. They could give you encouragement and make you laugh when you are depressed sometimes. They also could give you suggestions when you are confused. More friends could create more opportunities. Third, you need to get a job and earn money to support your lifestyle. Fourth, keep and develop good habits. You have to nurture good habits like reading, thinking and doing exercise. Good habits could keep your life healthy and happy. Finally, plan for your future and arrange your priorities. Living is more than surviving. You need to pursue your dreams to make you life complete. You can make a one year plan or a five year plan to help you achieve your goals. Living without parents means you are mature, but you need to make plenty of preparations to support your wonderful independent life.

Celine Dion- Let's Talk About Love

A song “My heart will go on” made many Chinese people know a singer: Celine Dion. Celine Dion is a successful singer. She delivers the magic of love from both her voice and her experience. I want to share one of her songs today. I remember the first time I experienced this song was on my way home, in taxi, when I was so tired. A voice flew to my ears and suddenly inspired my soul. Her amazing voice fits the lyric perfectly! Today I will speak to you about pop music, Celine Dion, and the song “Let’s Talk about Love”. I believe this song represents Celine Dion very well. I hope that you will sense the spirit of this song, or just relax and just enjoy it.

The term “pop music” was first used in 1926 in the sense of “having popular appeal”, but in the 1950s, it originally refers to what we now know as rock & roll. The theme of pop music includes romantic loves and feelings. Pop music as a genre features a noticeable rhythmic element, catchy melodies and hooks, a mainstream style and conventional structure. Sometimes it used to refer to any music have high number of sales. A defining characteristic of pop music is that anyone is able to enjoy it.

Celine Dion was born in a big family. She liked singing since she was a child. Her music has been influenced by genres ranging from pop and R&B to gospel and classical. The first time she gained international recognition in the 1980s by winning two wards. After that she began her singing career, and becoming one of the most successful artists in pop music. However, in 1999 at the height of her success, she temporarily retired in order to start a family and spent time to accompany her husband, who had been diagnosed with cancer. She returned to the music scene in 2002, and began to perform at the Coliseum at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas.

“Let’s Talk About Love” was released in 1997. The theme of this song is love. It shows the blessings of everyone in the world, intending to awake the love between human beings. At last, it extends the theme to trust and life.

Today you heard about the definition of pop music, a bit of Celine Dion’s story, and listening to one of my favorite songs, “Let’s Talk About Love.” Although the theme of love seems a cliché, we human beings still need it. Love gives us courage to live and dream. People will always need love in their lives.

Movie Reflection-Philadelphia

I watched “Philadelphia” . The director of this movie is Tonathan Demme. The main actors are Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington. This film is a story about a man who had AIDS and the discrimination he faced. His company fired him with the excuse that he didn’t work hard. At last, he sued them and won success.

My favorite scene is at the end of this movie. In his funeral, they showed the video when he was a child. I cried. I thought a lot about it, it was a beautiful and warm memory. He was so innocent when he was a child. His life is cruel; he went from a famous lawyer to a nobody overnight. He lost his reputation and wealth, but he did not lose hope of living. He asked another lawyer whom is his partner before to help him, but he refused. He didn’t give up; he decided to sue his former company by himself. Luckily, he received his family’s support. The process of the lawsuit put his in many cruel situations while he was dying! Although he didn’t need to do sue for money because he would die soon, he still fought discrimination until the end.

After I watched this film, I pondered upon this story. In the beginning, I didn’t sympathies with him because I thought other people were paying his mistake. However, when I watched the ending, my thought changed. Now I think he is a hero. From him, I saw a persistent spirit. Everyone has the right to fight for what they believe is true. Try your best and never give up.

Overcome My Obstacle- Learning to say no!

Do you feel hard to refuse others? Maybe you feel it is easy, but please don't tease me that it was hard for me once. Today I am going to tell you about how I overcame my obstacle: learning to say no!

Sometimes I thought I was influenced by my parents. In my mind, they almost never refuse anyone. So even if I didn't want to do something, I didn't know how to say no to others. I don't mind this behavior when I was a child, but when I grew up, my dislike for this behavior grew more and more each day.

The first time I realized this habit made troubles for me was after my first promotion. Maybe because I worked hard and did not refuse difficult work, everyone liked me, and I was promoted. After that, my work became harder than before but my work style was still like before: I never refused others' requests. This bad habit made me more and more busy. I realized I need to change, but the others were accustomed to relying on me. I didn't know how to control the work those days until I read an article: We Need to Say No Bravely. From that article I learned we need to refuse wisely to keep work in control. I did it immediately and was surprised at the result. After that I built my authority and worked efficiently. I also changed my attitude towards life: giving me more confidence and self-discipline.

Now when I recall the experience of overcoming this obstacle, I appreciate that article, and I feel lucky that I changed. With this change, I am now a more mature person. In addition, I have many friends and we communicate easily and happily. I wish my experience will inspire you: if you are unwilling, just refuse, but remember to say no wisely.

Music Reflection

Music was one of my interests when I was a student. My musical interests have changed over time. I liked different singers at different periods of my life, but I have liked one singer for a long time: Wang Fei. The first singer I liked was Fan Xiao Xuan. I liked her pure and lovely music so I bought all of her albums. When I was older, I felt her songs are a little childish. At that time, my classmates recommended a song to me. I listened to it and got addicted to her voice. Her name is Wang Fei. So I bought all of her albums as well. I found her songs presented her attitude to life: brave, pure and cool-this was what I appreciated. I could even communicate with her from her music. I heard many others' songs, but no one I could love like Wang Fei. After I began work, I did not have much leisure time to explore new music. I began to taste other styles of music but I mainly listen to music from my culture and language because I am familiar with my culture. I love popular singers from other countries too. Although sometimes I don't understand the lyrics, the music move me too.

Good Eating In China

I am going to introduce some good Chinese food. The first dish is my favorite: Spicy Fish Hot Pot.












This is one is a famous Shanghaiese dish. If you go to Shanghai, remember this dish: "Xie Fen Xiao Long", or "Little Crab Buns". You could find this dish everywhere in Shanghai.










There are plenty of choices for food in China. Besides Chinese food, there are cuisines from all over the world in China, especially Asian cuisines. I was once addicted to Japanese food. It is more expensive compared with other foods, but it is worth the price.









When Korean opera became popular in China, poeple in China became familiar with Korean food. I especially enjoy Korean BBQ and stirred fired rice cake.











My deepest impression of Shanghai for the 4 years that I have lived and worked there is all the decilicious foods I have eaten. There are many restaurants from all over the world in every business district in Shanghai. Chinese food includes eight great traditions: Anhui, Cantonese, Fujian, Hunan, Jiangsu, Shandong, Sichuan, and Zhejiang. Besides Chinese food, there are many foreign cuisines in China. If you enjoy food tasting, China is the best place to be.