2014 is coming!

       

       Hey, friends! Time flies, and a new year is around the corner. When you are watching the fantastic fireworks and celebrating the coming of the next year with your friends pleasantly, don’t you think it’s a perfect time to recall things you did this year?

      Looking back to 2013, the thing which has changed my life the most is becoming a sophomore. Being a sophomore varies greatly from being freshman. Because I become an officer in the club and I have part-time jobs, I have to schedule my time appropriately. For me, it’s really a strict challenge. There are many activities for us to prepare, and part-time jobs are necessary for me to afford my living expenses. Schoolwork is essential to keep it well. How to balance three of them is the most important topic for me, so I try my best to do and I don’t have any other way but to meet the challenge. Although it’s difficult, I've heard a saying, “we are sophomore, so we suffer more, but we also learn more, we get experience that others won’t get.” I think I will have a sense of accomplishment and feel rich when I recall all those things in the future.

 

My club officers, by the way, I'm in Chuen Huei club

      Although as the old saying goes, “the new will never come without the old go,” recalling isn't a bad thing at all. Sometimes those lovely parts of memories would make you feel warmer, and those also remind you that what you have done is really memorable. We all live a life different from any other else. As a result, review and smile! However, don’t forget to make a wish for the next year. The most important of all, wish you all have best wishes and happy New Year!

Causes of teenage pregnancy

   Recently, I saw a special subject on TV which was focus on the teenage pregnancy in those developing countries. However, it only talked about the situation in those countries, and I wonder what led to teenage pregnancy. In order to know more causes, I Google it. I type the keyword "causes adolescent/teenage pregnancy developing countries" on Google and I browsed several websites. 

  I found that adolescent pregnancy is a culturally complex issue. In some developing countries, they put more emphasis on male instead of female because female are not expected to be success. Any investment on girls seems a waste. As a result, it’s a significant gap between girls and boys at the starting point. Somehow, when girls are pregnant, they have problem getting rid of the reproductive fate. The reason is that they would lose a lot of resource and chances once they get pregnant. Therefore, there’s no other meaning for their existence but for reproduction. Besides, pressure from all levels also leads to pregnancies. National laws prevent girls from avoiding pregnancy. Community norms and attitudes block the way if female try to ask for help or knowledge, so they have no choice but to get pregnant again and again. Some teens do not fully understand the biological and emotional aspects associated with having sex. Family members force girls to get married when they are still children. Schools wouldn’t provide the course about sexual education so students get information from other unreliable access. Her sex partner may refuse to use condom.Furthermore, cultural expectation is also one of the reasons leading to teenage pregnancy. In India, aged-old customs support child marriage. In some sub-Saharan African countries, early pregnancy is often seen as a blessing because it is proof of the young woman's fertility.

Poverty also plays a role in whether young girls are likely to get pregnant and they then enter a vicious cycle because early motherhood often compromises their educational attainment and economic potential. Because of poverty, they can’t go to school.

      Because of the discrimination on girls and gender inequality, girls’ rights seem to be overlooked. Some limits for girls are invisible, because they are hidden behind some social norms and culture rules. Everyone should obey and any opposes are not allowed to be heard. It has a great connection to injustice. It’s rooted in tradition and it’s hard to change. Females lack ways to something for themselves, besides, what they say are not be regarded as important at all. 

      Teens can become pregnant as a result of sexual abuse or raped. It also relates with girls’ rights. Because they have little power, they have hard time saying “no.” Their voice can’t be heard, so tragedies happen over again and again.

     It's amazed to found the causes of teenage pregnancy are different between Taiwan and those developing countries. I think we should realize the social problem because some people around us may be facing the corner.

Xitou- the village of monster

         Last weekend, I went to a spot called "the village of monster."  It's a famous attraction located in Nantou, as it named, it is famous for monsters. Actually, monsters there are fictitious, but every monster has their own story. The stories are all about humanity, and the reason why they were born. It's worth for us to read the stories behind them, because they could wake up something has been overlooked by us for a long time. It's time for us to pay attention and maybe there won't be so many tragedies.

the entrance

        However, there are always two sides to one coins. The cost of tourism is mountains of trash,to-and-fro transportation and overexploitation. How long can we enjoy the beautiful air and scenery here or years later they won't exist anymore? We shouldn't squander and take them for granted. If we really value them, we should cherish what they bring to us instead of wasting.

a brief sketch of view      

My hometown, 中興新村, is facing a crisis

       My hometown, Chung Hsing New Village, is located in Nantou county, and is used to be the seat of government of Taiwan province. As a result, it has a very nice town planning. There are a lot of trees, old houses, and our memories.

It's the bird's eye view.

       I love this village not only because it's my hometown and I grow up here but also all the things here are priceless and incomparable. How much I love this place is beyond description because there just too much reasons to say why I love it. 

avenue which is surrounded by hundred-year-old trees

     Chung Hsing New Village is fulled of cultural property and preservation. Even just common trees standing beside roads,  they have guarded this village silently for hundred of years. They are older than us, they watch all the process of growing and declining, and they are our invaluable treasure.

the entrance to village

        However, these trees are facing a great danger. Because in the next year, there will be a annual lantern show held in this village. This show is very majestic so that people from every county in Taiwan will flood in. Actually, the village can't hold on so much people because the territory is not big enough to contain so many people. As a result, the Nantou county government said that they would cut down those trees in order to make roads wider, then traffic jams will not happen. I'm so confused that is it a really practicable decision?

There will be no traffic jams if we cut down those trees, hurt nature, and kill our memories? If there's no nature, how can we stock our memories and how can we live? The trees accompany with us for so many years, and we murder them for a month-lasted show. Is it really worth? 

        I love my hometown, and I'm afraid that I can't find my way home if they are gone.

Ever lasting love

Seeing you at the first sight, I can’t hold on myself to have crash on you.

Since that time,  I’ve been walking there, hope I will bump into you or you bump into me.

The distance between us is too far.

The probability we meet is little.

I can only beg for your sight, only a sight, and I’ll be satisfied.

Falling in love with you, it seems impossible.

But on that day, you walk to me and, hold my hand.

Thanks Giving

        Others give something to me, and I thank what they have given to me. There are too many things to thank. But for me, especially, want to thank my parents.

        To thank parents, sounds normal and nothing special. However, if I hadn’t been born, I wouldn’t have existed. I couldn’t taste sweetness, sour, bitterness, and spicy. I couldn’t see the beautiful world. I couldn’t experience the life and know what life would be. As I grow up, they never stop giving their love to me. Every kiss, every hug is precious, and their love can never be replaced.

        Remember what others give me, and keep appreciate in mind. 

A tiny town, with big big sun

Last weekend, I took a trip to Tainan with my family.

A beautiful county, there are a lot of views and seascape.

A cultural county, there are many valuable historic spots.

A friendly county, people there are warm.

Maybe many tourists go to Tainan for those hot spots, but we want to go on a different way. This time, the place impressed me the most is Long-Shan. Long-Shan is a small town, and there seems nothing special but a dock. But if you take a look, you’ll find its difference from other places.

A salty sea wind, there is much fresh seafood.

Big sunshine, people work and sweat like they were pouring rain onto the ground.

Rough hands, people pick oyster and separate it from shells.

Sticks of incense, Gods in Long-Shan Temple protect fishermen and locals.

        Here, I saw the prettiest view. It’s Taiwanese diligence, simplicity and devotion. It’s something we may lose in the future, something very precious, and something worth to be preserved.

        I think the beauty of this town is beyond words. As a result, next time if you go to Tainan, stop here and walk around to enjoy this silent town.

Song- P!nk-F**kin' perfect

It’s a meaningful song, although the name of the song sounds a little bit rude. We may care about what we had done before, and feel regretful or want to cover up that bad experience. However, it’s a part of us, and that’s what we had decided to do. Most of us care about what others look us, no matter what we do, they always have comments. Thus, when the criticism gets more and more, we start to feel that we are worthless. But why we should regard others’ comments as a treasure? If I have enough bravery to try what I want to do, I have chance to complete the goal. If I have courage to keep moving toward, I think all the things are not the waste of my time. The most important of all, we are still alive, and the only thing we should remember is that we are living our own lives. Stop change ourselves for what others say!