footsteps in my daily life
I talked to C-san on the phone, and then went to the Church to attend the Mass.
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In today's Gospel, a paralytic, who was carried on the stretcher by four men, was described to have been healed not only soul but also body. Fr. C explained that the paralytic was healed not because of his desire to be healed but because of the faith of the four men. The Gospel says, "Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, <My child, your sins are forgiven.>" I was so delighted at this episode since it ensures that even those who don't believe in God can be redeemed because of our faith as long as we can keep our faith in God, and that we also can be saved, regardless of our sinfulness, by the help of other faithfull people... How wonderful!! It made me aware that we have to live devout life by all means not only for our salvation but also for pagan's salvation...
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I went to Longbrunch to study with J-san. B-san showed up later by chance and we studied together. After that I drove B-san to his house and had dinner with him: Taco-rice was very delicious!
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It started to snow again as forecasted, and very heavily!!!
We went through a chapter that reviewed 10 key studies in L2 reading in today's class on Teacing Reading in a Second Language. One of the studies illustrated in the chapter showed the significant usefulness of "previewing a text" as a pre-reading activity. Previewing, which introduces students to key features of a text so that students can establish their own expectations about what information they will find in the text, will increase students' comprehension and enjoyment of what they read. According to the study, previewing the text is more benefitial than providing students with appropriate background knowledge before reading.
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Integrating writing activities of many kinds with reading activities seems to be very helpful for students to comprehend a text better: "write-before-you-read-activity", "annotating", "keeping a reading journal", "summarizing the reading" and "discussing the reading" etc...
I went to the rec-center with J-san to work out. While I was wraming up, I met M-san by chance and exchanged words with him after a long while. He's also preparing for the teacher's exam in July. It would be great if both of us could pass the exam...
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1. If you can imagine it, You can achieve it. If you can dream it, You can become it. (William Arthur Ward)
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2. The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. (Eleanor Roosevelt)
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3. Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined. (Henry David Thoreau)
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4. The roots of true achievement lie in the will to become the best that you can become. (Harold Taylor)
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5. Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination are omnipotent. (Calvin Coolidge)
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6. All greatness is achieved while performing outside your comfort zone. (Greg Arnold)
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7. Don't be afraid of the space between your dreams and reality. If you can dream it, you can make it so. (Belva Davis)
I talked to C-sans over the phone. Although we live a great distance away from each other, we can still listen to each other by phone... In prayer, however, we can even listen to our unspoken thoughts and feeling through God... C-san emailed me the follwoing quote from the Bible later: "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. (Matthew 4:4)" Thanks C-san!!!
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Wednesday is the day to watch the "Star Trek Enterprise!", so I went to J-san's house. Against our expectation, however, a basketball game was televised instead of the Star Trek... So, J-san and I decided to watch the Star Trek "Next Generation" on another channel...hehe Actually, it was very good enough to satisfy us having been disappointed to find that the Enterprise was not broadcasted.
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Later on, I went to the library to find some articles for article report assignments... Then I ran into P-san and L-san there.
I simply kept reading an article for the article report assignment all day long today... There's nothing much to mention but this for today... Oh, by the way, the title of the article is as follows: "Second Language Reading: Reading Ability or Language Proficiency?" (by Patricia L. Carrell).
I pulled an all-nighter last night to get through with the article report assignment... I always rush assignments at the last minute... Although I could somehow turn in the paper before the deadline, I have to get rid of this bad habit in real earnest!
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I played ping-pong with B-san after dinner, and went to bed as early as 8pm...(^^;
Right after I woke up, I called C-san. I had a pleasant chat with her!
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Before dinner I went to a gas station to gas up my car. When I went over to the checkout counter after I finished filling up the tank, I found out that I didn't bring my wallet with me..., which means that I didn't carry my driver's license either...whoops..(^^; Luckily enough, the cashier allowed me to go back to get my wallet on condition that I leave the vehicle registration form behind me...
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Later on I went to the rec-center to work out, and ran into J-san by chance. She seemed to have been very busy with thesis... Good luck, J-san!