Journal

(A) Useful expressions

1. mature (adj. v.): full-grown; develop

  e.g. We should have a mature plan to catch the drug trafficking

2. fussy (adj.): not peaceful

  e.g. Don’t be fussy about your tiny wound. You only hurt your finger.

3. devastate (v.): lay waste, ravage

  e.g. The countryside is being devastated by the visitors.

4. norm (n.): standard

  e.g. The norm of morality is difference in every culture.

5. dovish (adj.): moderate

  e.g. He is one of dovish politicians of our times.

6. peril (n.): danger

  e.g. No one knew they were in peril before the crash.

7. scapegoat (n.): one bearing blame of punishment for other

  e.g. Master would never be wrong as there is always a scapegoat behind.

8. hatch (n., v.): plan

  e.g. 911 event was the hatch of terrorist.

9. fascinating (adj.): attractive, charming

  e.g. The light scene of the Victoria Harbor is fascinating.

10. gown (n.): the formal dress for the undergraduate

  e.g. I will dress the gown when I celebrate for my graduation ceremony.

11. euphemism (n.): mild expression instead of a harsh one.

  e.g. All politicians know euphemism.

12. reascend(v.): to rise again

e.      e.g. John lose his position in the company but he reascended the position two years later

13. guerrilla (n.): informal army

  e.g. Guerrilla played an important role in China during WWII.

14. mediate (adj., v.): connected indirectly; to be the medium for bringing about

  e.g. U.S.A. mediates between Taiwan and China.

15.grasp (n., v.): hold; understand

e.g. It would be easier to grasp if there was a shred of reason behind it.

16. emerge (v.): appear, become known

  e.g. The sun emerged from the mountain.

17. inspire (v.): encourage

e.g. This was hardly likely to inspire confidence in those inactive boys

18. anarchy (n.): chaos, disorder

  e.g. The kingdom was in a state of anarchy after the king was dead.

19. ultimate (n., adj.): the greatest, most advanced; last, final, extreme

  e.g. Your conclusion is ultimate.

20. lash (n., v.): flexible part of whip; strike with or as with a whip

  e.g. Rain lashed on the windows.

(B) Reflecting on English language learning experience

Apartment or house

In my first assignment, I have chosen the topic “how to buy a house” for my writing.  While I received the marked assignment back I found that there were many circles on the word ‘house’. I have wondered why the circles only on the word ‘house’.  Have I got a wrong spelling?  No, I have checked in the dictionary for many times.  It is corrected.  So what’s wrong for that word?

But I needed it to do the second assignment, what could I do?  Then I sent e-mail to my lecturer asked her about this.  I got the reply the day after.   The true is that Hong Kong has a special real situation.  It is not same as most of the foreign countries.  Normally, Hong Kong’s residence is a flat in a building.  It is different from a house.

I was never aware about this before.  For me, flat, house, apartment, building are same.  I only know that they the place where the people live in.  There is no different between them.

Few days before, when I passed a property agency I looked at its bill.  I found some of the bills were written in English.  ‘Apartment for rent’, this was what have been     written in the bill.  If I have seen this before I won’t use the word ‘house’ for my assignment.  I think I should also learn English from my daily life first.

A discussed lesson

I have a big discussion group today.  My group members and I took an interesting topic.  It’s about living together before marriage.  For me, I don’t agree with the statement.  If someone wants to get marriage it is not needed to have a “probation period”.  It is only my opinion. 

And some of my group mates said if the lovers live together first they would find the problem (e.g. different living habit) before marriage.  If the problem cannot be solved they should break up.  It is better than to have a divorce.

I totally disagree of that point.  If the lovers really love each other no problem is a problem.  It is because you are eager to stay with your lover.  You would only leave your lover, as you don’t he/she anymore.

The discussion has not reached a conclusion.  But what I have got is my group mates’ feeling.  We have a very difference ideal about marriage.  They see marriage is very important in their life.  They don’t want their marriage has any defect.  And I don’t have the same point.  I think marriage is only a part of my life.  Even I get divorce I can marry again. 

At the end of the discussion, we did not argue any more and only shared our point of view.  And we slowly and slowly changed to other topic.

Application letter

I have learnt about writing for an application for a few lessons.

We started the topic with discussion.  However, it’s a little bit boring.  In my group, all the five people didn’t talk too much.  Everyone only said out one or two words and then stopped talking.  I think that if the whole could discuss together with the lecturer it would be more interesting.  My lecturer always has given us special ideas.  (Sometime I would think that if my lecturer start the all the discussions first and then leave them to the class classmates might be more interested to have the discussions.)

Actually, I don’t know why we should writing for application.  Maybe it is useful for further study but for employment, it may not work.  For me, I still haven’t applied for any job position but my sister has.  What I learn from her is she never needs to write an applied letter.  She only writes down her resume and sends to the company.  And she almost succeeds to get every job.  How lucky she is!!

In the secondary, every writings should be written more than 600 words, even for a memo or an applied letter.  I think it’s crazy.  This type of letter is the way to let somebody know the fact.  If I only want to tell someone about my age I will write down ‘I am twenty years old’ or add with ‘ I was born in 1982’.  In total, it would be no more than ten words.  How could I write more than 600 words for my age?

So I have problem to write letter in past.  If I use letter for my personal purpose it would be easier.

(C) Free writing

Writing journal

What is the meaning of the word ‘journal’?  According to Oxford Dictionary, it means diary.  I like writing diary but I would not write for every day.  I world write while I want something to joy down.

In past, my English teacher needed us to write a journal every week.  She always said to me, ‘you could do a better job in journal.  But why you couldn’t do the in writing composition.’  What my reply was, ‘because I don’t like writing composition,’ I said in my heart.

In school I have to follow a topic and write a composition.  Yet, some of the topics were interesting though, for me, most of them were dull.  I am not smart.  I couldn’t do a good job for something which I am not interested in.

However, I like free writing.  I can choose the topic I like.  If I do like the topic it is my pleasure to write about it.  If I don’t like the topic and some one make me to write or think about it my work would be only so-so and even a bad work.

And free writing dose not need to follow any format, if I am right.  It is not a letter or an essay.  It is my diary, my own creation.  I would have my own style.  Thus, I could create my world in free writing.

My first presentation in SPACE

The presentation for Hong Kong and Chinese Society in transition was my first presentation in this college.  I felt pressure as this was not only self-working.  This was teamwork.  My group mates and I would get the same mark.  Every little thing I did would affect my group mates.

I was the second person to present our work.  However, what I presented was the first major part.  I only had some stars in my head.  My hands were shaking.  Even my voice has a little bit changed.  The worse was I had stomachache.  I haven’t had my breakfast in this morning and additionally I was nervous.  The stomachache has lasted for a long time until I took a pill (I took the pill when I was home at 1:00 and my stomachache started from 8:00).

After the whole presentation, this was the first I saw my group mates had a smile on their face.  I think I was doing the same as the same time.

Thanks God.  It was past.  But the presentation was not good and not too bad.  I would give me a pass.  I know that this time we did the work in rush.  We only have talked about the presentation for three times.  It seemed each of us did the work in our own way.  The works could not be combined into one.  Especially the conclusion, two group mates did the conclusion but without knowing what other group mates’ working.   Actually, I don’t what they have done too.  Not totally but there must be some misunderstanding.

Time is very important.  But normally, we have no time for the preparation.