2014, the year of the horse

        New Year’s Eve is coming! It is not only an important holiday, but also a time of reunion and thanksgiving. Enjoying the joyful atmosphere, everyone is excited at this moment. To celebrate Chinese New Year, there are many customs, superstitions and activities include:

                                                    

J  House cleaning:

Before New Year’s Day, the entire house should be cleaned in order to remove ill fortune and to make way for good incoming luck. In addition, there is a superstition that if you sweep the dirt out over the threshold, you will sweep one of the family away.

J  Spring Festival couplets:

Doors and windows will be decorated with red color couplets or paper-cuts. These decorations convey a New Year greeting, and the characters on the couplets usually symbolize “blessings”, “wealthy”, “longevity” or “happiness.”

J  Letting off firecrackers:

The origin of it is to scare away evil spirits with the loud noise let out by the firecrackers. Launching firecrackers is also a way to bring in the New Year and send out the old year. Besides, firecrackers with red papers are the most popular as red is auspicious. Also, it is believed that the more fireworks and noise there are, the more luck there will be in the New Year.

J  Red envelopes:

After the New Year’s Eve dinner, children will ask for red envelopes.

Usually, the old generation will not turn down such a request as it means that they will be out of luck by giving money in red envelopes to the unmarried children. Moreover, it is believed that if red envelopes are kept under the pillow and slept on for seven nights before opening will bring in good luck and fortune.

J  Shou Cui(守歲):

        On New Year’s Eve, families will stay up late and get together through the whole night. It is  also called “Longevity Night” because this custom represents the hope that parents will live longer.

UFOs

- Reading from an article.

        Do you believe in flying saucers?

        Appearing in sci-fi movies, it is universally understood that the “little green men and women” that fly UFOs have big black eyes and long fingers. Throughout history, there have been reports about unusual flying objects. In ancient times, such sightings were often regarded as angels, gods, or religious omens. And in the late 1940s, the term “UFO” and “flying saucer” were coined. To describe the UFOs, the writers often used adjectives such as inexplicable, unexplainable, unaccountable, mysterious, baffling, perplexing, and so on.

        Nevertheless, thousands of people claim to have seen “something strange in the sky.” These witness often state that the UFO was disk-shaped or cigar shaped, and moved at an incredible speed. Newspapers sometimes report the stories of individuals who claim to have been abducted by the aliens. These so-called “abductees” even say they were experiencing painful experiments that were performed by the aliens. However, many psychiatrists usually say that UFO abductions are just delusions of people who have mental problems.

        Do UFOs exist? No one can say for sure. Many of people witnessed UFOs were afraid to report what they saw because they feared that others will think they are unreliable or crazy. Moreover, most governments deny the existence of flying saucers. If you saw a UFO or were abducted by aliens, would you then become a silent believer or a public witness?

       

        If you are interested in aliens, I recommend you some movies such as <The Fourth Kind>第四類接觸, <Paul>我們撞到外星人, and <E.T.>外星人.

Here is the information:

http://blog.roodo.com/bluelqe/archives/11445107.html

http://app.atmovies.com.tw/movie/movie.cfm?action=filmdata&film_id=fpen11092026

http://app.atmovies.com.tw/movie/movie.cfm?action=filmdata&film_id=fEone0311652

Anorexia Nervosa

 I have read an article about “anorexia nervosa” before from the internet: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/267432.php

        What is anorexia nervosa? Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that makes people think they are not skinny enough, and need to lose weight to be more beautiful. Sufferers of anorexia nervosa often restrict his or her food intake to the point of starvation. This illness can result in digestive disorders, and even worse, death.

        Some people become anorexic because they are stressed, unhappy, or have anxiety. If you detect that your friends or a family member are abruptly weight loss, exercising a lot, picking at the food, and fearing of gaining weight, they may be anorexic. Signs to ensure that they may have anorexia nervosa are that he or she suffers from insomnia, has brittle hair and nails, or withdraws from family, friends, and society.

        The main reasons that some teenagers and children get anorexia nervosa are because of the influence of their parents, peers, and the media. They look how their parents eat, and how media promotes “thin as beautiful.” Moreover, many women, especially adolescent ones, are easily influenced by the fashion and beauty industry. Looking at any fashion or woman’s magazines on the market, they always show models that are underweight. This instills an abnormal idea into women’s minds that they need to be skinny in order to be sexually attractive. Perhaps the primary reason that these women become anorexic is because they’d like to attract more love in their life.

        Recovering from anorexia nervosa is possible. It is important to seek help immediately if you find that you or someone you know has anorexia nervosa. The earlier you seek help the closer you are to recovery.

  

Pusheen

Are you familiar with her? Have you seen her on Facebook?

She is Pusheen, a popular kitty!

The introduction of Pusheen

<Info: http://pusheen.com/about>

<Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Pusheen?fref=ts>

        Who is Pusheen? Pusheen is a tabby, featuring the chubby and tubby body. This tabby has become popular since she appeared on the Facebook.

        Pusheen has captured millions of people’s hearts worldwide with her pictures. If you want to learn more about her, check the most popular stories from Pusheen’s Tumblr and Facebook pages, I Am Pusheen the Cat.

J  Things you should know about Pusheen.
★ Birthday: February 18
★ Sex: Female 
★ Breed: Domestic shorthair
★ Where she lives: In the house, on the couch, underfoot
★ Her favorite pastime: Blogging, sleeping
★ Her favorite food: All of them
★ Age: All 9 lives left

I love Pusheen because—

She is adorable and funny.

She always follows the latest trends in fashion.

She likes to eat. And me, too. XD

        There are also animated versions!! If you are boring, play the games from her blog. You can dress up Pusheen, and change any of the styles you like. <http://pusheen.com/tagged/game>

        All in all, when I see Pusheen, I could forget unpleasant things. She warms my heart, and I have already fallen in love with this naughty and adorable kitty.

Maikop, Adygea, Russia

       

        It’s a sunny day in winter. And the sky is beautifully clear and blue. Standing right ahead of a spacious square, you can see that the floor of this square is paved with numerous pale yellow and some gray tiles. There are many tall trees, few white street lamps, and some green benches (something of that kind) on either side of the square. The trees on the lawn are almost bare of leaves. And because of the cold weather, some leaves turn red. The most special sight is that the sun’s ray from the left side peeks through the trees, and the trees cast very long shadows on the ground of the square. For me, the shadows just look like an intricate pattern.

        In the middle of the square is a big and round fountain. However, the fountain doesn’t squirt water. Look further back, there is a bronze statue of a man erected in front of the fountain. It seems that the black statue is very tall compared to the two people next to it. On the left side of the square, near the fountain, there are some cute pigeons resting on the ground. Moreover, you can see just a few people sitting on the benches. They are either having a rest, or basking in the warm sunshine. Finally, far behind the square, there are some exotic style of buildings standing across the horizon. It seems that the two-storied large house with lots of white pillar and windows are painted in deep red color. In addition, there are also some trees planted in front of these buildings.

        This place makes me feel an atmosphere of peace and calm. By the way, maybe the tall statue is a kind of monument. And I suppose it was built in honor of someone. Hope you enjoy the picture!

        Have a look at the picture. :))

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=maikop,Adygea,Russia&hl=zh-TW&ie=UTF8&ll=44.603011,40.114067&spn=0.020548,0.042787&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=59.986788,114.169922&hnear=%E4%BF%84%E7%BE%85%E6%96%AF%E9%98%BF%E8%BF%AA%E6%A0%BC%E5%85%B1%E5%92%8C%E5%9C%8B+gorod+Maykop,+%E9%82%81%E7%A7%91%E6%99%AE&t=h&z=16&layer=c&cbll=44.606602,40.106617&panoid=Srxe-IJCOhgAAAQJOMSqTg&cbp=12,0,,0,0

Land of my Childhood-Stories from South Asia

    

    This book contains nine short stories. And there are four stories I want to share.

    In the first story”Carapace” is about a young woman has to choose between two men. The first one is Anura Perera; he earns a lot of money and can provide her with a house, expensive clothes, and a good life. The second one is Vijay, her true love. Vijay works as a cook at Beach Hut, and he just wants to lead a substantial and happy life. The woman loves Vijay, but he does not have marriage intentions. To the woman’s disappointment, she may choose Anura in the end.

   

    In the second story” The Inspector of Schools.” It talks about an inspector who visits schools where the conditions are bad and dirty. In addition, most of the schools have not enough books, so he wants to help the students learn and offer them a place where they can study. However, the inspector makes recommendations but they are refused. He is so depressed and regretful that he cannot do anything for the students.

    “The Kite-maker” refers to how wars can divide families. It is about a couple who wish for peace and is eager to find his son back because of the cruel war. Consequently, the man makes a kite shaped like a dove with silver bells in its wings, and hopes his son can come back. One day, some people give back the couple’s son because they recognized the broken kite. Thanks to the kite, the divided family is able to be together again in the end.

    “The Night Train at Deoli.” This story is about a boy who remembers a girl at a railway station. He meets her there when she tries to sell him a basket. They hardly speak some words; but he is interested on her. He only meets her twice and tries to know who she is. However, the girl is not at the railway station any more. The boy never forgets her.

    The characters in these stories tell experiences of their childhood. They keep some memories in their minds or have some regrets of the past they want to tell. In their young and carefree childhood, there are many stories behind their backs.

One of my idols-Nick Vujicic

“In life you have a choice: Bitter or Better? Choose better, forget bitter.” –Nick. Everyone must face challenges in their lives. Some people are trying to overcome these difficulties, whereas others choose to withdraw when they meet adversities. It seems one’s attitude toward dealing with the obstacles can make all the difference. Here is a perfect example of this. A brave man, Nick Vujicic, smiles in the face of adversity. Nick was born and raised in Melbourne, Australia in 1982. For no explainable reason, he was born without arms or legs. It was a shock to his parents, and they are worried about how he could be able to have a happy and normal life? Fortunately, they had a secret weapon─their faith in God.

        Vujicic had ups and downs, but he was not depressed in his childhood. Instead of feeling ashamed of his condition, he believed his life has no limits. Nick was so positive that he embraced every difficulty he met. It was his attitude toward his life make all the difference. Nick believes that the struggles we face have great purpose in our lives and that having a good attitude will help everyone overcome them.

Nick is so passionate about his life. For example, he has learned to swim, play football, and even surf without limbs. And now, Vuijicic is the president of Life Without Limbs, a non-profit organization. He also becomes a motivational speaker to share his experience, and spread the messages of faith and hope. Nick has inspired many people all over the world, and so many of them were touched and thankful for his encouragement. He once said,“Dream big and never give up. We all make mistakes, but none of us are mistakes. Take one day at a time. Embrace the positive attitudes, perspectives, principles and truths I share, and you too will overcome. ”

Quotes from Nick Vujicic:

“If I fail, I try again, and again, and again. If YOU fail, are you going to try again? The human spirit can handle much worse than we realize. It matters HOW you are going to FINISH. Are you going to finish strong?” 

“It's a lie to think you're not good enough. It's a lie to think you're not worth anything.” 

“Life without limbs? Or life without limits?”

“If you can't get a miracle, become one.”