.. L i F e - i S - G o o D ..

Personally, this is the most important lesson carved in my heart by my dad. He haven’t said it directly, but this way of thinking contributed by him makes me get back on my knees many times already. And, that’s why I’d like to share it with you and hope you’ll be better off after reading this article.

Life is the biggest school if you look at it as a whole in depth. It might not be as easy as looking at any scenes you see around you all the time. It takes you whole life to learn. Thus, we all will graduate in the last day on earth. I’ll start at the young age which I would call “family period”. This is the most important and the purest period as the saying “children is white.” They really are The length of this period varies on each person. This period is when you learn a lot: learn to live, to love, to laugh, to give, to get, to make friends, to be in the society, and etc. You would learn all basics at the time. This is also the time people attach to their families. Moreover, you don’t have to think much about anything, but yourself. You don’t really have any responsibility. If you feel like you have long family period, I would say that you’re lucky.

When you go through any period, there is no possible way to go back. It will be just standing right there confronting same level tasks all over again or fight to be in the next level. Anyway, the next level is when you don’t attach to your family as much anymore. Wait! Don’t look at it as a good or bad thing! It’s just the way life is. At this period, you’ll be thinking mostly about yourself: how your life will be, how to survive, how to get a job, and more..

Next, you’ll think about family of your own. Being a parent yourself will make you understand how your parents feel about you when you were young – just like a cycle.

What else can we learn at the last period? – How to live peacefully & death!! Don’t worry we all will have to pass it one day. The difference is how we handle it.

The idea exactly about learning in life is that there will be tons of tasks for you to pass to the next level and so on. From my experience, I feel like there is someone up there messing up my life in an organized way. After I’ve been facing that kind of mess many times, I feel like there are some practices I’ve got to work on in order to prepare myself for a test which is, of course, tougher. If I get through it beautifully, there will be the harder one ahead. There is  no way to predict at what time the next test will be in front of you. On the other hand, if I am stuck, there will be the same kind of situation I have to face somehow. This happens again and again until you get through it.

So, appreciate anything coming to your life. It might not be as you want, but it is your teacher. Look carefully in every steps in life, then you’ll see the beauty of life. Just do your best!! Walk slowly and looking for tiny miracle and everyday magic!!

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Have you ever felt like you’re at the junction of life? When you have to choose something to be with for life, but you aren’t really sure how it’s going to turn out. At this point, I think life is like gambling!! You have to take the risk to win or lose. If you win, lucky you! In case you lose, you just have to find the way to get back up and choose again. People usually use their feelings and experiences in choosing the path somehow, but does it really work that way?

There are so many reasons why people want their lives to be like they are right now: choose by interest, norm, someone’s  suggestion, and etc. I do wonder whether anyone looks back to the day he chose the path and asks himself if what he’s doing right now is what he dreamed of in the way past. Following your dreams is as important as being responsible to others. And, that’s why it’s tough.

Actually, we confront this kind of junctions a lot in everyday life. People always have choices to choose, then it leads you to another junction. This cycle never ends. When it comes to a big one, it’s harsh and takes a lot of effort to get through the moment smoothly. No one wants to regret about what he has done. So, be careful of what you’re choosing. I keep my fingers cross for all who is facing the same situation as me.

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Culture is what people need to be concerned when they have foreign friends. All people are raised in particular areas with social norms of those societies. That’s why people are different. According to different background, people automatically act like they always do with friends in another culture; as a result, it can cause difficulties getting together. It’s nothing wrong about anybody but misunderstanding

Eastern people are always indirect: the way of talking, acting, or even expressing their feeling. In contrast, western people usually behave directly as what they feel. So, how possible for them to understand exactly what the other is thinking.

Last night, six of us (the mixture of eastern and western people) were going to go join the cruise with all classmates. Unfortunately, it was raining, so we missed it. Then, we were going to somewhere else. Three western people dicided to go to a bar. The thing was three eastern people weren’t alcohol drinkers, and didn’t know how to let the others know that they didn’t enjoy any bar that much. Moreover, they didn’t want to hurt anybody’s feelings because they all realized that it was kind of misunderstood. Therefore, three eastern people did express their feelings indirectly as the way they’re used to do so by telling the other three to get into the bar while they found something to eat at another place. That sounded fine, but it was not. The three people in the bar were waiting while the other three tried to find something to do outside in order to let them have fun the way they like. Then, when we met again before going back home, it could be assume that the three people in the bar were angry because the other three didn’t join them and they didn’t understand. So, three eastern people gave them the reasons, which was a secondary reason.

We all were wrong in this situation, and no one meant to hurt each other . However, I’m pretty sure that we all hurt since we weren’t aware of the differences of cultures. I have no idea what to do back then really. All I want to say is “sorry.”

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Today is my first day in School of Law. The orientation and reception were nice and enjoyable. In the LL.M. program, there are 17 students who’re from different countries. We have a lot of information to share, so the 8 hours we had weren’t enough.

However, it’s not easy for us, international students, to get involved into American students community, I guess. Even if the professors convince us to do so, I still think that it might be an awkward situation. Culture, sometimes, is a difficulty. While international people don’t know about usual ways to do things in another country or even society, they could be considered as a joker. Anyway, I’ve never confronted this kind of situation in the university so far. And, I hope not to face it.

After living here for a while, I have not only good but bad experiences as well. Thank you very much for people’s kindness and some people’s cruelty. I’ve learned a lot from those experiences.

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I have 2 computers to use right now, but I’m really not sure I should get another one haha. What I have are Fujitsu S2110 on my table all the time and Asus Eee PC 7″ in order to carry out with me when I’ve got something to do. The point is I do have passion for tablet PC (I really do) after I try my BF’s Thinkpad X61T for a while. I had this kind of feeling before when I got my first Palm Pilot, Sony Clie TJ27. It’s like I would have fun whenever I touched it: super cool!! I can’t make a decision so far whether I should get one for myself or not. However, I’m getting an HP TX2500Z for my younger brother soon. I’ll wait and see how I’m going to feel about it though. If I’m still want one, I bet I’ll go for Dell Latitude XT ;P

How much fun you do you get from tablet PC?

I have no idea about other people, but myself. It’s so fun that you get a good tool that can make you feel much better when you’re bored especially if the thing has multi-touch. Passive digitizer is touch screen that you’ve got to press hardly to make it get what you want to do and not so good in writing or drawing. On the other hand, active digitizer is great for writing or drawing. It gives almost the same feeling as using paper and pen. And capacitive touch is what we have on iPhone.

In my position, I’ll choose Dell Latitude XT which has Active digitizer and capacitive touch because Thinkpad X61T has passive digitizer and active digitizer. I’ll be back and talk about the differences if I decide to get one.

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Have you ever planned for anything about your life? It sounds normal, doesn’t it? What I want to say really is there’s no way to plan every steps in life.

What if someone plans to start his job and family in countryside, who knows if his boss will send him to another country next week. It’s, eventually, like something go wrong when we plan things perfectly. "Keep it slow!" & "Do step by step!" are what fortune is telling me to do so. Because we’ve faced sort of accidental situations all the time, we need to be prompt without a long term plan.

I really feel like there’s someone up there messing up humans’ lives; I don’t know if it’s for fun or he’s on duty but it seems to be painful anyhow.

Take what you think it’s good for you right now! No one can tell about the future; however, what’s good today will lead you to another good way. Even though, it’s not what you plan to be, take it because it might be what you mean to be.

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There are so many doors people have got to pass along their lives. Does anyone agree with me that life is challenging? It’s like we have to pass the test before getting to the next level, and sometimes we get lost and go to the way that we have never expected. However, that we have no plan for the way we’re on might be a great opportunity and change.

No one knows what’s going to happen next, and the future is hidden as its nature. I can’t explain how awesome that we’re in this position. In my opinion, every obstacles is the test. If you can’t pass it, the next door is still closed. Many times, people fail and be hopeless, but luckily, we have choices to choose; for example, doing it again and again, avoiding this path and finding a new one, giving up and stay put, living in their dreams doing nothing to improve themselves, or ask for subsidization. After we pick an alternative, things change. So, that means the next doors also switch.

“No pain, no gain”

In order to succeed in something, we’ve got to do something to get it. Compare to fairy tales, leaders must be challenged by another side which is always bad side in the stories, and they will achieve after a grand fighting and being the winners. This kind of stories, by the way, is a really good way for kids to learn how life is. Anyway, I think most people use Defense Mechanism unconsciously in order not to be hurt. We never realize that we do it but learn how to use it automatically. Therefore, people who do well in Defense Mechanism will be fine in hard situations.

For me, the door in front of me is opening after I get lost for a while. I don’t know what’s behind the door yet; nevertheless, I’m sure that hard working is coming so soon. Moreover, I’m living with my family’s expectation, so I’ll do my best, be positive, and try to get rid of stress. OMG!! I’m just about to smile

My door is opening. What about yours? Did you find it?

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Living a life is not easy, but living together with somebody else is much harder. People who’re from different backgrounds, interests, and lifestyle can live together. What about how they live?? Have you ever think about living with someone as roommates for a long while? Will you have any problems? Will you fight? The closer people are, the more problems they have. And it’s real.

I heard a lot of bad experiences about roommates from people surrounding me; for instance, some roommates don’t care about cleaning rooms, some of them invite their boyfriends or girlfriends to Apt. and ask their roommates to get out for a while in the rainy day, or roommates break people’s privacy. I never have a roommate before until now in NYC where the rent is so expensive. I knew my roommate for around 6 months before we moved to this Apt. Although we were not so close, I knew she was a nice person. However, when we started living together, everything was alright and we were very careful about doing things in the 2 bedrooms Apt. The problems have shown up not because she changed or I changed but it was about the differences and lack of care.

I really have no idea about all these but we start do not like what another person do. She doesn’t like mine and I also don’t like hers. We know too much about another one. I think it’s because sometime people think about only themselves and forget to watch out how others behave or feel about what they’re doing. Forgiveness is the most significant thing for this situation. Even though it’s really hard to forgive someone and avoid fighting right after he/she make you be angry, we’ve got to do it. Adjustment is another important thing for people who live together. We have to be careful not to make another person feel too uncomfortable that leads to broken relationship.

Relationship is unpredictable, but I deeply believe that everybody can live with one another. We just have to be careful, care about others’ feelings, find the balance, and be happy to have others in our lives. I don’t know what’s going to happen here. I’ll do my best anyway. *(’v')*

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Along the way from New Hampshire to NYC, I’ve heard a song, and I felt like I had to do something to go through all obstacles (including my thought) in order to reach my dreams. OMG!! Why did I let my time pass this much?? That’s what I asked myself at the first time I heard this song. It sounds stupid, doesn’t it? Anyway, I never regret for whatever I did. As my dad said “time never returns,” I realize that’s true. And I’ve got many details while time passed by. I’m stronger, more independent, and busier. Moreover, I understand life and people better in the real situations. I post this lyric just because I want to remind myself to go straight to my dreams as soon as possible.

.. Someone’s watching over me ..

Found myself today
Oh I found myself and ran away
Something pulled me back
The voice of reason I forgot I had
All I know is you’re not here to say
What you always used to say
But it’s written in the sky tonight

So I won’t give up
No I won’t break down
Sooner than it seems life turns around
And I will be strong
Even if it all goes wrong
When I’m standing in the dark I’ll still believe
Someone’s watching over me

Seen that ray of light
And it’s shining on my destiny
Shining all the time
And I wont be afraid
To follow everywhere it’s taking me
All I know is yesterday is gone
And right now I belong
To this moment to my dreams

So I won’t give up
No I won’t break down
Sooner than it seems life turns around
And I will be strong
Even if it all goes wrong
When I’m standing in the dark I’ll still believe
Someone’s watching over me

It doesn’t matter what people say
And it doesn’t matter how long it takes
Believe in yourself and you’ll fly high
And it only matters how true you are
Be true to yourself and follow your heart

So I won’t give up
No I won’t break down
Sooner than it seems life turns around
And I will be strong
Even if it all goes wrong
When I’m standing in the dark I’ll still believe
That I won’t give up
No I won’t break down
Sooner than it seems life turns around
And I will be strong
Even when it all goes wrong
When I’m standing in the dark I’ll still believe
That someone’s watching over
Someone’s watching over
Someone’s watching over me

Someone’s watching over me

(Hilary Duff)

Is this song really nice? I fell in love with this song immediately. Remember that people who love you will be with you anytime. Believe in yourself and do your best, then you’ll get what you want.

Gift *(’v')*

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