Hello, Tim!
I hoped that this wasn't another of those clichéd weeks. Alas, things haven't been going the way I wish they would for quite a long time already.
This week held some of my more sentimental and emotional days, and I believe it was the pressure coming from pushing the application schedule that made me like this. Just this evening, I finished the TWELFTH modification of my motivation letter. In normal cases, I would be willing to do a dozen times of refinement for my article. However, this time, I felt like I had lost connection with my motivation letter. If you have both the first and the latest version of my letter, you wouldn't think it came from the same person's head. I understand that since I was applying for a program that is entitled "International Business", there are a lot of things which I don't know about. Therefore, my cousin pulled practically all the strings she could find: the agency we paid to help us with the more complicated parts of the application, her friends living in NY who are apparently professors in business studies, a friend of hers who is still studying in Austria, etc. to help me check whatever I need to improve.
I was grateful. Seriously! But then when I see comments from different people start to contradict one another and was combined with my cousin's own opinion, I became confused. I re-read the passage I have now, and I cannot say that any paragraph belonged to me. It wasn't like the people were just helping me type out the paragraphs; I was the one who did the writing. But what I did was wipe away the paragraphs that were born from my own ideas and inserted ideas of other people, all of which I had no previous knowledge of. I babbled about the articles I had never read and the lessons I had never taken. There is absolutely no pride be taken when all I wrote was but some information crammed into a word processor.
I don't know how much naivety I still have in my thoughts but I thought in this kind of application forms you are supposed to show who you really are and what your personality is to convince the professor that you are the person to go to the program? What is it worth if all I did was try lying through my teeth? Every time I alter my passage according to what the grownups "recommended" me to add, something to include in my article, they told me how it made it look a lot better, but I didn't feel like they were complimenting my work, regardless of what they really thought; in my ears they sounded like praises to their own idea. The student in my head kept reassuring me that it was okay because this is what all students do and that the people who helped me all had some sort of relevant backgrounds which would turn out to be incredibly helpful. I tried to listen but it doesn't disperse the uneasiness in me. I guess, in the end, I am just too headstrong to admit that I dream of completing this application and come out successful so that I could hold my up high and stolz sein (which is "be proud" in German, a word I just learned last Wednesday). Anyway, I was a bit emotional, I understand, but it DOES feel good just to tear across the keyboard and type something HUGO-like.
As for the sentimental part, it was more like a premature nostalgia. I look at my bookshelf and thought of how I wouldn't be able to bring all my books with me, and it just sort of dawned on me that at the end of everything, no matter your wealth, your gender, your nationality, your sexuality (by the way, gay people will be lawfully recognized no matter what in less than a month after which would reach two full years of the highest Constitution ruling. Yay! All I need now is a boyfriend ha ha), you won't be able to take anything with you when you leave, either abroad or just depart from the consciousness of the world. It is just sad. I look at my mother and thought about all the things I'd miss about her and the roof under which we have lived for just a little shorter than my eighteen years of life.
I am grateful, at least, that we have something called the internet, which promised some video chat when I feel so lonely.
This is just what everyone experience before they go abroad to study, right?
Sincerely,
Hugo
Monday, April 29, 2019
Sunday, April 21, 2019
Year Three, Almost Free 31: Ten-Minute Challenge and What a Short Letter
Hello, Tim!
This still managed to be an incredible whirlwind of a week. Lots of emotions around different events.
But since I really haven't got much time reserved for this week's letter (mostly because I really am not granted a choice) I figured this could be a great 10-minute challenge, namely I get to write as much as I can in ten minutes.
Without further ado, time starts... now!
Okay. SO there were tons of things I want to elaborate on, but firstly, I want to talk about the funeral and the incineration of my second uncle.
He was a fisherman for over three score years, but last week we got the news of how his boat tumbled due to some horrible weather, and when he was found, his heart had stopped beating already. My uncle was from my mother's side, which is a family of ten or so siblings. Of course, my family was devastated, and that was when I thought bitterly that this is just going to be sadder and sadder. I know that my mother is a person with a spirit made of iron, but at times like this, she still needed comfort with her family. In this age where people are having fewer and fewer children, people are just going to get lonelier.
I don't know a lot about my uncle, but the story of how he was caught in an accident and was imprisoned in China for more than a year was told a dozen times at the family dining table. He was said to be a tough person shouldering the burden of nourishing a family of five by earning solely from fishing.
He was loved by his siblings, and that is the universal truth.
Then comes the story of my last interview for colleges in Taiwan. The interview was split into three parts, and the three professors from either part kept showing great interest in regards to this blog, which made me largely at ease since I just have to tell roughly the same story for three times, occasionally adding more information. So yeah, I have a good feeling that I'll be accepted.
Ten minutes have just passed.
Man, I really hoped that I still have the time to mention my personal statement for Germany which nearly drove me crazy, but I think this is all for today. Tomorrow will not be any different. German class, more personal statement refining, and I also have to ask Summer about my recommendation letter. Also, I have a computer sciences report due Wednesday.
If you excuse me for a minute, I would like to leave the desk and just yell into a pillow.
Yours sincerely,
Hugo
This still managed to be an incredible whirlwind of a week. Lots of emotions around different events.
But since I really haven't got much time reserved for this week's letter (mostly because I really am not granted a choice) I figured this could be a great 10-minute challenge, namely I get to write as much as I can in ten minutes.
Without further ado, time starts... now!
Okay. SO there were tons of things I want to elaborate on, but firstly, I want to talk about the funeral and the incineration of my second uncle.
He was a fisherman for over three score years, but last week we got the news of how his boat tumbled due to some horrible weather, and when he was found, his heart had stopped beating already. My uncle was from my mother's side, which is a family of ten or so siblings. Of course, my family was devastated, and that was when I thought bitterly that this is just going to be sadder and sadder. I know that my mother is a person with a spirit made of iron, but at times like this, she still needed comfort with her family. In this age where people are having fewer and fewer children, people are just going to get lonelier.
I don't know a lot about my uncle, but the story of how he was caught in an accident and was imprisoned in China for more than a year was told a dozen times at the family dining table. He was said to be a tough person shouldering the burden of nourishing a family of five by earning solely from fishing.
He was loved by his siblings, and that is the universal truth.
Then comes the story of my last interview for colleges in Taiwan. The interview was split into three parts, and the three professors from either part kept showing great interest in regards to this blog, which made me largely at ease since I just have to tell roughly the same story for three times, occasionally adding more information. So yeah, I have a good feeling that I'll be accepted.
Ten minutes have just passed.
Man, I really hoped that I still have the time to mention my personal statement for Germany which nearly drove me crazy, but I think this is all for today. Tomorrow will not be any different. German class, more personal statement refining, and I also have to ask Summer about my recommendation letter. Also, I have a computer sciences report due Wednesday.
If you excuse me for a minute, I would like to leave the desk and just yell into a pillow.
Yours sincerely,
Hugo
Monday, April 15, 2019
Year Three, Almost Free 30: Two Interviews and Finally Relaxed (not Just Yet)
Hello, Tim!
This week, I had two college interviews to attend, and it was certainly a nerve-wracking experience. Let's see what happened!
On a weekday, we students who have interviews to go to are granted special leave for the whole day, regardless of when exactly the interview is going to take place. Both Angela and I have interviews at four in the afternoon, she taking finance & law and me taking French lit. Our schools were the same one, so we decided to meet up in the morning for more last minute preparations. At this point, I believe all there was lacking was the comfort we need to talk about ourselves and our own opinions. At the brunch where Angela designated as our rendezvous, we threw each other questions relating to topics like death penalty, abortion, and the sort. When students go to interviews, some would resolve to memorize a script, but that was just too polished to be something out of your own heart, which would make it less convincing to the judges, who are, in most cases, professors doing interviewing for many years. An interview is not a speech contest. What the teachers are hoping to see the gears turning in one's head, how it sparks and how one can show the difference he/she possesses in a short amount of time. Therefore, the ability to think on one's feet is way more important than that to recite a script from memory.
Angela's father drove us to the college, loosening up the time constraint I would have if I were to commute on my own.
Prior to the interview, I was led into the waiting room, where the director of the French department, was giving a speech about all the reasons why we should learn French. Not why we should be learning French at Fujen University, but why we SHOULD learn French. It talk was in French, with a college student standing by the lecturer doing oral translations for the audience. I always welcome all sorts of listening practice for both French and German, and to my own satisfaction, I could understand around 70% of the speech without the help of the translator despite knowing that the professor was probably intentionally using all the easy words, for the benefit of us and the translator alike, for she was still just a student.
It was my turn for the interview. I was first led into another room where I was to pick randomly a topic to talk about for roughly two minutes.
It was pure good luck that I got this topic: "Talk about why the French are paying so much mind to philosophical studies while here in Taiwan we only care about the basic subjects like Mandarin Chinese, math, English, and should this sort of philosophical studies be introduced to Taiwan?"
In fact, a few days ago at school, Angela, Selena, Sabrina, and I gathered together to form a discussion circle of all different recent topics, which was also in preparation for the coming interview. Selena had to go to an interview for philosophy, so we had accidentally brushed through the topic before, making it a lot easier to think of some powerful opinions. I talked about how France used to have so many renowned philosophers in the past, and how the fact had directly influenced the French culture and their way of teaching, I then said that if we the Taiwanese kept our tight grasps on only the studies that we have used for several decades, we wouldn't have anything new to think about, hence there will be no place for improvements and will just be marching the same grounds over and over. The three judges were apparently resolved to keep a stern face for the whole interview, and I hoped that they are somewhat satisfied with my answer.
Then the judge in the middle asked me about the autograph I got from a French author I mentioned in my personal statement, which to my ecstasy, was something I was familiar with. I then pulled out from my memory all the things I could remember about this autographed book: its name and the name of the author, about how the book won some award in 2010, and what the book was about. I made the impression that I am someone who values written works very much and that it was something that really happened to me.
For this interview, I was less lucky to have anyone to accompany me. I gave a call to my uncle to ask if he would be able to give me a ride to the university since I had to be there before eight in the morning.
The interview was incredibly long. One would have to knock the doors of three professors for a total of twenty minutes of inspection. One professor asked me for my plans after I graduated, and I was a bit caught off guard. I stammered a little, talking about how I might be looking for programs abroad when I graduate after saying I wanted to be a teacher, and the professor launched a long talk -longer than mine- about how it was not necessary if I wanted to become a teacher because all I would need is a teacher's license. I kind of blew my interview at this point, but the third professor gave me hope. He was a friendly, welcoming guy, bringing up about his brother we also used to go to the same senior high school (ZZSH) like I do, and then he asked me about my past experiences in teaching as well as my vision as a teacher. The time was almost up, and I was asked to ask him what question do I still have for him.
The first thing that came to my mind was "What was the biggest setback one teacher can face?"
His face did lit up right then, telling me that it was a big but good question. "Being a teacher is a lot like being a parent, where you can face a lot of negative emotions, and for the rest of the part, we can teach you when you enter the school."
I was not sure if the last part of the talk was intentional or not, but it did give me hope.
Still, getting admitted to a university in Taiwan is not my destination. I still have Germany to deal with, which, honestly, was a bigger wall of bricks than the interviews in Taiwan could ever be.
This week, I had two college interviews to attend, and it was certainly a nerve-wracking experience. Let's see what happened!
Friday- Fujen Univerity- French Language and Literature
On a weekday, we students who have interviews to go to are granted special leave for the whole day, regardless of when exactly the interview is going to take place. Both Angela and I have interviews at four in the afternoon, she taking finance & law and me taking French lit. Our schools were the same one, so we decided to meet up in the morning for more last minute preparations. At this point, I believe all there was lacking was the comfort we need to talk about ourselves and our own opinions. At the brunch where Angela designated as our rendezvous, we threw each other questions relating to topics like death penalty, abortion, and the sort. When students go to interviews, some would resolve to memorize a script, but that was just too polished to be something out of your own heart, which would make it less convincing to the judges, who are, in most cases, professors doing interviewing for many years. An interview is not a speech contest. What the teachers are hoping to see the gears turning in one's head, how it sparks and how one can show the difference he/she possesses in a short amount of time. Therefore, the ability to think on one's feet is way more important than that to recite a script from memory.
Angela's father drove us to the college, loosening up the time constraint I would have if I were to commute on my own.
Prior to the interview, I was led into the waiting room, where the director of the French department, was giving a speech about all the reasons why we should learn French. Not why we should be learning French at Fujen University, but why we SHOULD learn French. It talk was in French, with a college student standing by the lecturer doing oral translations for the audience. I always welcome all sorts of listening practice for both French and German, and to my own satisfaction, I could understand around 70% of the speech without the help of the translator despite knowing that the professor was probably intentionally using all the easy words, for the benefit of us and the translator alike, for she was still just a student.
It was my turn for the interview. I was first led into another room where I was to pick randomly a topic to talk about for roughly two minutes.
It was pure good luck that I got this topic: "Talk about why the French are paying so much mind to philosophical studies while here in Taiwan we only care about the basic subjects like Mandarin Chinese, math, English, and should this sort of philosophical studies be introduced to Taiwan?"
In fact, a few days ago at school, Angela, Selena, Sabrina, and I gathered together to form a discussion circle of all different recent topics, which was also in preparation for the coming interview. Selena had to go to an interview for philosophy, so we had accidentally brushed through the topic before, making it a lot easier to think of some powerful opinions. I talked about how France used to have so many renowned philosophers in the past, and how the fact had directly influenced the French culture and their way of teaching, I then said that if we the Taiwanese kept our tight grasps on only the studies that we have used for several decades, we wouldn't have anything new to think about, hence there will be no place for improvements and will just be marching the same grounds over and over. The three judges were apparently resolved to keep a stern face for the whole interview, and I hoped that they are somewhat satisfied with my answer.
Then the judge in the middle asked me about the autograph I got from a French author I mentioned in my personal statement, which to my ecstasy, was something I was familiar with. I then pulled out from my memory all the things I could remember about this autographed book: its name and the name of the author, about how the book won some award in 2010, and what the book was about. I made the impression that I am someone who values written works very much and that it was something that really happened to me.
Saturday- Chenchi University- Education
For this interview, I was less lucky to have anyone to accompany me. I gave a call to my uncle to ask if he would be able to give me a ride to the university since I had to be there before eight in the morning.
The interview was incredibly long. One would have to knock the doors of three professors for a total of twenty minutes of inspection. One professor asked me for my plans after I graduated, and I was a bit caught off guard. I stammered a little, talking about how I might be looking for programs abroad when I graduate after saying I wanted to be a teacher, and the professor launched a long talk -longer than mine- about how it was not necessary if I wanted to become a teacher because all I would need is a teacher's license. I kind of blew my interview at this point, but the third professor gave me hope. He was a friendly, welcoming guy, bringing up about his brother we also used to go to the same senior high school (ZZSH) like I do, and then he asked me about my past experiences in teaching as well as my vision as a teacher. The time was almost up, and I was asked to ask him what question do I still have for him.
The first thing that came to my mind was "What was the biggest setback one teacher can face?"
His face did lit up right then, telling me that it was a big but good question. "Being a teacher is a lot like being a parent, where you can face a lot of negative emotions, and for the rest of the part, we can teach you when you enter the school."
I was not sure if the last part of the talk was intentional or not, but it did give me hope.
Still, getting admitted to a university in Taiwan is not my destination. I still have Germany to deal with, which, honestly, was a bigger wall of bricks than the interviews in Taiwan could ever be.
Monday, April 8, 2019
Year Three, Almost Free 29: Letter of Motivation and My First Set of Professional Attire
Hello, Tim!
Today is Saturday, and I was just working on my (possible) personal statement that is for Germany application until I was totally stuck. To change the mood, I figured that I might as well start the blog writing right now.
Besides, many literature studies there are taught in German while courses for business studies using English are more common. No matter how fast I can pick up German, there is no way I would be able to attend lectures taught in German within less than five years.
After tapping aimlessly on my keyboard, mulling over what to include in my statement and what not until my thoughts are all tangled up.
It was exceptionally difficult even when my cousin had given a considerable amount of advice for business application mostly because I don't have much prior experience to anything relating business, and even though what my cousin had suggested me to put in my statement, but some of them doesn't sound like me, and I think in a statement like this, it is better if I don't pretend to be someone that I am not, hence making me even more confused about what to write. I think I need to put it aside for a while, let it sit, let it ferment, and see what might eventually come.
SO I am not going to comment on how I look because from what I know about myself it is going to be either borderline narcissistic or utterly self-deprecating, and I want neither of those. The shirt fit my body shape well, and it is promoted for its permeability. The suit jacket (is that how you call them?) was a bit heavy but had a very pleasant texture.
So yeah, this is my very first set of suit, and there are going to be various occasions in which I would need its help.
I believe this can be called laziness?
I'll go read a book or something. Let's see if more words will come out when I feed my brain some.
Sincerely,
Hugo
Today is Saturday, and I was just working on my (possible) personal statement that is for Germany application until I was totally stuck. To change the mood, I figured that I might as well start the blog writing right now.
Why I Got Stuck
My family and I have been talking over this "studying abroad in Germany" deal and has now decided on taking international business as my college major. Here is a short version of why I don't think I'll be taking other courses into consideration. First of all, international business in Germany focuses quite much on languages as well, which is something I value dearly. Besides, they also offer chances to study abroad to places like England and France as well as a semester's length of internship, a lot of which are even mandatory. This might sound a bit too realistic to my liking, but it sounds a lot more practical and offers a more useful set of skills.Besides, many literature studies there are taught in German while courses for business studies using English are more common. No matter how fast I can pick up German, there is no way I would be able to attend lectures taught in German within less than five years.
After tapping aimlessly on my keyboard, mulling over what to include in my statement and what not until my thoughts are all tangled up.
It was exceptionally difficult even when my cousin had given a considerable amount of advice for business application mostly because I don't have much prior experience to anything relating business, and even though what my cousin had suggested me to put in my statement, but some of them doesn't sound like me, and I think in a statement like this, it is better if I don't pretend to be someone that I am not, hence making me even more confused about what to write. I think I need to put it aside for a while, let it sit, let it ferment, and see what might eventually come.
I Got a Suit
Just this even, my cousin took me to the department store to search for a suit that is fit for all of my upcoming interviews. I thought I was mentally prepared for this day but it turned out I still had some doubts lurking. I don't even know what those doubts were about! There was just a compelling voice in my head that would appreciate if I just refuse to try on the suit. Here the try-out picture:
SO I am not going to comment on how I look because from what I know about myself it is going to be either borderline narcissistic or utterly self-deprecating, and I want neither of those. The shirt fit my body shape well, and it is promoted for its permeability. The suit jacket (is that how you call them?) was a bit heavy but had a very pleasant texture.
So yeah, this is my very first set of suit, and there are going to be various occasions in which I would need its help.
End
All this thinking is giving my brain a horrible travail, and I don't think I have the brain to keep on doing anything but writing down any of my words...I believe this can be called laziness?
I'll go read a book or something. Let's see if more words will come out when I feed my brain some.
Sincerely,
Hugo
Sunday, March 31, 2019
Year Three, Almost Free 28: Typing Like Crazy and College Application
Hello, Tim!
This week is also a remarkable week. This week, our scores of the GSAT are submitted to different schools we hope to apply for, and they released the list of who gets to go to the interview of which school. Once the list is accessible, we generally have only three to four days left and we have to upload our soft copies of our personal statements to the corresponding schools.
Yeah, it's a happy week.
Turning away from humor and fairytales, I have to prepare myself for Anne Frank's Diary.
I know that as a book lover, I should have read this years ago instead of only now, but the same also goes to many a world's classics I have yet read. But better late than never, right?
I don't think there will be any need to cite what Anne Frank's Diary is about. Last week when I went to see my little niece dancing at her school's spring events, I came across a book store, and given that I still had sufficient time to spare, I headed inside like I always do. For a book that has seen the world with its eyes for more than half a century, I didn't expect it to still be on the shelves for the top 50 English books sold, but there it stood, with a cover that is not so elaborate but dressed with four black-and-white pictures of the same smiling girl with dark locks that shone under the natural light.
It's a book with a German background, and I would hate myself for not reading this well-known book before setting my foot onto the land of Germany. Sure, I have read about Hitler and his monstrosity (which was still an understatement) in history lessons, but I wish to have a more literary approach to the event.
But at least, I have something decent already, now all it needs are possibly some small fixes...
They are invited to attend a friendly event offered between cities, Phoenix and Taipei. Yes, William and Patrick are now representatives of Taipei City! How cool can that be! That would be heading for an exhibition of some sort, and then join the students there at school for several days until the event is over.
For nine days, they will be far away from us, away from our school, and away from tests... How lucky.
At least we can expect some souvenirs, that is for sure.
End
This is the end of this week's letter. I have spent over eight hours today in front of this laptop, and I think my eyes are complaning. Until next week!
Sincerely,
Hugo
This week is also a remarkable week. This week, our scores of the GSAT are submitted to different schools we hope to apply for, and they released the list of who gets to go to the interview of which school. Once the list is accessible, we generally have only three to four days left and we have to upload our soft copies of our personal statements to the corresponding schools.
Yeah, it's a happy week.
My Next Book to Read
So this week I finished the book I was talking about two weeks ago, and now I am ready to move on to the next book.Turning away from humor and fairytales, I have to prepare myself for Anne Frank's Diary.
I know that as a book lover, I should have read this years ago instead of only now, but the same also goes to many a world's classics I have yet read. But better late than never, right?
I don't think there will be any need to cite what Anne Frank's Diary is about. Last week when I went to see my little niece dancing at her school's spring events, I came across a book store, and given that I still had sufficient time to spare, I headed inside like I always do. For a book that has seen the world with its eyes for more than half a century, I didn't expect it to still be on the shelves for the top 50 English books sold, but there it stood, with a cover that is not so elaborate but dressed with four black-and-white pictures of the same smiling girl with dark locks that shone under the natural light.
It's a book with a German background, and I would hate myself for not reading this well-known book before setting my foot onto the land of Germany. Sure, I have read about Hitler and his monstrosity (which was still an understatement) in history lessons, but I wish to have a more literary approach to the event.
Personal Statement, Personal Struggle
The ordeal of the day is to try finishing all the needed documents for a college course of education in one day. Where do we start? First, the number of words is not limited for the self-introduction section, meaning that you have to write until you have nothing remarkable to tell about yourself. Second, I have to write a total of around two thousand words on the following three topics: Motivation of application, study plans for four years, and your view on the current educational system. The largest hurdle for me is the last part because since that I am still a student under the mentioned "current educational system", I have to refrain myself from blatantly degrading the flaws me, my friends and teachers at school had pointed out so freely. If I kept my thought on just how bad the system is, I would sound like no more than just a high school student whining about the system and how it has wronged my, crippling me and preventing me from entering a better school. No, I most certainly do not want that, so I had to keep finding ways to insinuate and only be blunt at times. It's time-consuming and energy-demanding.But at least, I have something decent already, now all it needs are possibly some small fixes...
William's and Patrick's Whereabouts for the Next Week
Next week on Tuesday, William and Patrick will be parting for Phoenix, America!They are invited to attend a friendly event offered between cities, Phoenix and Taipei. Yes, William and Patrick are now representatives of Taipei City! How cool can that be! That would be heading for an exhibition of some sort, and then join the students there at school for several days until the event is over.
For nine days, they will be far away from us, away from our school, and away from tests... How lucky.
At least we can expect some souvenirs, that is for sure.
End
This is the end of this week's letter. I have spent over eight hours today in front of this laptop, and I think my eyes are complaning. Until next week!
Sincerely,
Hugo
Sunday, March 24, 2019
Year Three, Almost Free 27: Brisk and Oh I NEED A BREAK
Hello, Tim!
This week, (copy and paste from the opening from last week) was...
The more frustrating thing is that I cannot focus. "Just five more minutes on the phone and I'm going to finish this paragraph of the personal statement" is the biggest lie of this week. I don't know why, but there always seems to be a part of my brain that is not there at all, and something vacuous has taken the stead of the vacancy in my brain and is not helping at all but mesh with the other parts of my brain.
Last time when I was confronted with this sort of conundrum, I had taken a bit of meditation and it works wonders, now that I think about it. Yeah, I'll try that tomorrow.
End
I am not pleased with myself like this when there are still so many things on my list to do but none can be done with the time left for me. I think I perform horribly when it comes to time management. That is certainly something I can and should reflect upon because it can only get worse when I reach college either in Germany or Taiwan.
Sincerely,
Hugo
This week, (copy and paste from the opening from last week) was...
The same.
Preparing for the midterm so that I don't get flunked this semester, preparing for the college application, studying German and so on. I promise that after all this is over I'll head out for a walk.The more frustrating thing is that I cannot focus. "Just five more minutes on the phone and I'm going to finish this paragraph of the personal statement" is the biggest lie of this week. I don't know why, but there always seems to be a part of my brain that is not there at all, and something vacuous has taken the stead of the vacancy in my brain and is not helping at all but mesh with the other parts of my brain.
Last time when I was confronted with this sort of conundrum, I had taken a bit of meditation and it works wonders, now that I think about it. Yeah, I'll try that tomorrow.
Falling into the Realm of Musicals
I have a friend back in my middle school times, and her nickname is Stone, and she has become a huge fan of western musicals ever since she got into high school. Almost every week, you can see her sharing on her social media about a new musical she had watched that is attached with several lengthy paragraphs about her reflection. This finally, finally propelled by her enthusiasm, I picked from her list a musical called Bare, which was a story about a gay couple deeply closeted in a Catholic boarding school where they are challenged with pressure coming from the ever-prying eyes of the other people. It was such a splendid show! I really want to go into details like Stones always do, but I HAVE NO TIME.End
I am not pleased with myself like this when there are still so many things on my list to do but none can be done with the time left for me. I think I perform horribly when it comes to time management. That is certainly something I can and should reflect upon because it can only get worse when I reach college either in Germany or Taiwan.
Sincerely,
Hugo
Sunday, March 17, 2019
Year Three, Almost Free 26: Test Scores (Finally) and Kill the Farm Boy
Hello, Tim!
This has been yet another week passed in a blur. With a history report in the equation, I had quite a hard time juggling with all different things in my hand, hence making me think that I have everything unorganized.
Long Overdue: GSAT Scores
This is the one topic that I had promised, and since this week I had started writing my letter relatively earlier, I think talking about this comes to the first on my list.
The scores came out on February 25th. I woke up with a gasp, eyelids flinging open abruptly. I stumbled off my bed because I was fully aware of what was awaiting me. It is said that the scores will first come in in the form of text messages at around six in the morning. I consider this a very cruel arrangement, for won't even have time to at least have a peaceful breakfast. I snuck into my mom's bedroom to get her phone, whose phone number was designated the recipient of the message. Just as I walked into her bedroom, her phone blinked to life, which was a notification of an incoming message. With trepidation practically making my four limbs tremble, I picked up the phone. It indeed was the message from the examination center with the fearful note.
The full mark of every subject is 15. The light coming from the screen was blinding in the lightless room of my mother, but I squinted my eyes to adjust myself to it.
It read: Chinese, 12; English, 15; Social Studies, 13; Math, 13; Sciences, 7.
I remember talking about the criteria requested by Germany in order to be eligible to apply for a school in the country, which was having a total of 53 points. I was so nervous I had momentarily lost the ability to add numbers. I kept getting 53 when I added the five subjects but later I found out that I had gotten 63, which later turned out to be the second high score in the class. I was, however, not so pleased with my Chinese score, which was a lot lower than the scores I had gotten in mock tests.
Overall, the score I got was much better than the previous two mock tests, since I got incredibly lucky to have such high math scores.
Now, I want to direct the focus back to applying for college. Now that I have met the standard of the German college application, all I am supposed to do is to be more diligent in learning German. To be honest, learning German, albeit quite difficult, is actually more enjoyable than the everyday school-taught subjects.
Still, I also have to apply for a Taiwanese university. For what reason? After some fiery debate and several convincing words, my parents and I have agreed on also striving to get into the best college I am able to reach in Taiwan lest my application in Germany should not be successful (knock on wood) or I shouldn't be able to accommodate to the German lifestyle. My parents wanted me to have a place to come back to, even though initially I didn't think that necessary.
Now, with my score, what universities can I apply in Taiwan?
I wasn't given many choices, sadly. Even though I got second place in total in-class, my Chinese score was... unsatisfactory. I don't have to mind my sciences score because the majors I'm picking won't be asking for the score of that subject. But for one who drools about entering a course that is affluent in language-related studies, having a mere 12 on Chinese is unacceptable. Many of the prominent municipal schools in Taipei demands a Chinese score over 13, meaning that I am one regretful point under the requirements, hence blocking my path to apply for better French/German or English Literature majors in universities like Taipei University and Taiwan Normal University, along with the others. Note that how much a difference I can make with only one point.
After the application come the interviews, which would be the determining factor if you are to enter the schools or not. I ended up applying for two German majors in two private but also well-known universities, one French major, two education-related major in two municipal schools as well as a major in social work in Taipei University.
Whether I can go to their interviews is still unsure, but now I also have to prepare for the interviews and personal statements needed for these schools, adding a lot more work to my pile.
Having so many things stacked upon my figurative desk and not having nearly enough time is both pressuring and panicking. But as my parents say, this is what is necessary because we are looking ahead.
Long Haul Read: Kill the Farm Boy
I have been reading this book since February, but apparently, I was so busy that I barely had time to pick up my book. These days, my time reserved for free reading is now confined only to the scarcity of time when I am riding on the metro every Monday and Wednesday. I still have yet finished reading it but I am ready to talk about it. Kill a Farm Boy, written by Kevin Hearne and Deliah S. Dawson, is a parody-like fantasy that was supposed to borderline resemble a fairytale. This book hooked my attention the moment it went on the shelves of Taiwan's online bookstore. As a big fan of Kevin Hearne's The Iron Druid Chronicles, I follow him on social media to get first-hand information of his new books. He enjoys and is quite praised for his witty style of writing, mixing both sarcasm and wordplay in a well-structured universe of magic and folklore and so on in his urban fantasy saga, The Iron Druid Chronicles.
It was no doubt that I would immerse myself in this book I'm presenting, just the way like I did in his other books. Unlike some authors who have been writing solo for life in their careers, Kevin never shies away from collaborations. He has, along with other fantasy authors, published several books whose cover page was printed with five people's names. I haven't gotten the chance to have my hand on them, but they are already on my to-buy list.
Back to the book itself. Like I said, this is an unconventional fairytale which was brought to the world to turn the story upside down, like a child would to its toys in a box. It shakes it, tosses it until all the contents inside are ridiculously deformed but still in-shape enough for you to laugh a the morbidity of it. The book talks about a boy going on a journey with his talking goat. The boy thought himself the Chosen One, but was instantly crushed to death as a female muscly warrior fell from a tower. It started weird enough, but it gets way more eccentric. At some point in the story, we have a wide nuance of characters in its most random way possible: The mentioned talking goat who was believed to be the most perceptive in the team, the said female warrior who also happened to be a vegetarian with a blood-thirsty sword, a female bard who was turned into a half-rabbit because of a cursed rose given to a princess, a Dark Wizard with great dark ambitions who also wished to have a profuse-growing beard and can shoot bread from his fingers, a rogue/assassin who was clonked on the head and had a below-average intelligence, and a witch with a glass wand who was a fanatic of crabs and is possibly the on character that fits the most into the stereotype of the original portrayal of the character. They celebrate diversity like Dorothy and her friends and went on quests that, in essence, had no substantial purpose. While taking the route which normal fairytales do, the story often reminds how much closer to real life it is than a fairytale ever will be: Even people who call you bound-teammates can aim bloodlust towards you with even the slight influence; the ones you call friends might not even fell obligated to save you until every man's their own island; people just die sometimes without any actions that are even slightly dangerous, or even more ironically, surviving a big ordeal but losing life to a jar of poison with a label named coffee.
It's got pun, it's got sarcasm, romance, irony and lots of direct mocking aims at fairytales. What's not to love?
I can't wait to finish this one, and get my hands on the sequel that is said to come on shelves in April.
End
I think this concludes this week's letter. I found that I really like to talk about books and how they make me feel. Maybe I should read more so I can do this more often.
Sincerely,
Hugo
This has been yet another week passed in a blur. With a history report in the equation, I had quite a hard time juggling with all different things in my hand, hence making me think that I have everything unorganized.
Long Overdue: GSAT Scores
This is the one topic that I had promised, and since this week I had started writing my letter relatively earlier, I think talking about this comes to the first on my list.
The scores came out on February 25th. I woke up with a gasp, eyelids flinging open abruptly. I stumbled off my bed because I was fully aware of what was awaiting me. It is said that the scores will first come in in the form of text messages at around six in the morning. I consider this a very cruel arrangement, for won't even have time to at least have a peaceful breakfast. I snuck into my mom's bedroom to get her phone, whose phone number was designated the recipient of the message. Just as I walked into her bedroom, her phone blinked to life, which was a notification of an incoming message. With trepidation practically making my four limbs tremble, I picked up the phone. It indeed was the message from the examination center with the fearful note.
The full mark of every subject is 15. The light coming from the screen was blinding in the lightless room of my mother, but I squinted my eyes to adjust myself to it.
It read: Chinese, 12; English, 15; Social Studies, 13; Math, 13; Sciences, 7.
I remember talking about the criteria requested by Germany in order to be eligible to apply for a school in the country, which was having a total of 53 points. I was so nervous I had momentarily lost the ability to add numbers. I kept getting 53 when I added the five subjects but later I found out that I had gotten 63, which later turned out to be the second high score in the class. I was, however, not so pleased with my Chinese score, which was a lot lower than the scores I had gotten in mock tests.
Overall, the score I got was much better than the previous two mock tests, since I got incredibly lucky to have such high math scores.
Now, I want to direct the focus back to applying for college. Now that I have met the standard of the German college application, all I am supposed to do is to be more diligent in learning German. To be honest, learning German, albeit quite difficult, is actually more enjoyable than the everyday school-taught subjects.
Still, I also have to apply for a Taiwanese university. For what reason? After some fiery debate and several convincing words, my parents and I have agreed on also striving to get into the best college I am able to reach in Taiwan lest my application in Germany should not be successful (knock on wood) or I shouldn't be able to accommodate to the German lifestyle. My parents wanted me to have a place to come back to, even though initially I didn't think that necessary.
Now, with my score, what universities can I apply in Taiwan?
I wasn't given many choices, sadly. Even though I got second place in total in-class, my Chinese score was... unsatisfactory. I don't have to mind my sciences score because the majors I'm picking won't be asking for the score of that subject. But for one who drools about entering a course that is affluent in language-related studies, having a mere 12 on Chinese is unacceptable. Many of the prominent municipal schools in Taipei demands a Chinese score over 13, meaning that I am one regretful point under the requirements, hence blocking my path to apply for better French/German or English Literature majors in universities like Taipei University and Taiwan Normal University, along with the others. Note that how much a difference I can make with only one point.
After the application come the interviews, which would be the determining factor if you are to enter the schools or not. I ended up applying for two German majors in two private but also well-known universities, one French major, two education-related major in two municipal schools as well as a major in social work in Taipei University.
Whether I can go to their interviews is still unsure, but now I also have to prepare for the interviews and personal statements needed for these schools, adding a lot more work to my pile.
Having so many things stacked upon my figurative desk and not having nearly enough time is both pressuring and panicking. But as my parents say, this is what is necessary because we are looking ahead.
Long Haul Read: Kill the Farm Boy
I have been reading this book since February, but apparently, I was so busy that I barely had time to pick up my book. These days, my time reserved for free reading is now confined only to the scarcity of time when I am riding on the metro every Monday and Wednesday. I still have yet finished reading it but I am ready to talk about it. Kill a Farm Boy, written by Kevin Hearne and Deliah S. Dawson, is a parody-like fantasy that was supposed to borderline resemble a fairytale. This book hooked my attention the moment it went on the shelves of Taiwan's online bookstore. As a big fan of Kevin Hearne's The Iron Druid Chronicles, I follow him on social media to get first-hand information of his new books. He enjoys and is quite praised for his witty style of writing, mixing both sarcasm and wordplay in a well-structured universe of magic and folklore and so on in his urban fantasy saga, The Iron Druid Chronicles.
It was no doubt that I would immerse myself in this book I'm presenting, just the way like I did in his other books. Unlike some authors who have been writing solo for life in their careers, Kevin never shies away from collaborations. He has, along with other fantasy authors, published several books whose cover page was printed with five people's names. I haven't gotten the chance to have my hand on them, but they are already on my to-buy list.
Back to the book itself. Like I said, this is an unconventional fairytale which was brought to the world to turn the story upside down, like a child would to its toys in a box. It shakes it, tosses it until all the contents inside are ridiculously deformed but still in-shape enough for you to laugh a the morbidity of it. The book talks about a boy going on a journey with his talking goat. The boy thought himself the Chosen One, but was instantly crushed to death as a female muscly warrior fell from a tower. It started weird enough, but it gets way more eccentric. At some point in the story, we have a wide nuance of characters in its most random way possible: The mentioned talking goat who was believed to be the most perceptive in the team, the said female warrior who also happened to be a vegetarian with a blood-thirsty sword, a female bard who was turned into a half-rabbit because of a cursed rose given to a princess, a Dark Wizard with great dark ambitions who also wished to have a profuse-growing beard and can shoot bread from his fingers, a rogue/assassin who was clonked on the head and had a below-average intelligence, and a witch with a glass wand who was a fanatic of crabs and is possibly the on character that fits the most into the stereotype of the original portrayal of the character. They celebrate diversity like Dorothy and her friends and went on quests that, in essence, had no substantial purpose. While taking the route which normal fairytales do, the story often reminds how much closer to real life it is than a fairytale ever will be: Even people who call you bound-teammates can aim bloodlust towards you with even the slight influence; the ones you call friends might not even fell obligated to save you until every man's their own island; people just die sometimes without any actions that are even slightly dangerous, or even more ironically, surviving a big ordeal but losing life to a jar of poison with a label named coffee.
It's got pun, it's got sarcasm, romance, irony and lots of direct mocking aims at fairytales. What's not to love?
I can't wait to finish this one, and get my hands on the sequel that is said to come on shelves in April.
End
I think this concludes this week's letter. I found that I really like to talk about books and how they make me feel. Maybe I should read more so I can do this more often.
Sincerely,
Hugo
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