Pearl Chia Eileen

Reflections for 2009

2009-10-28T12:20:00.002+08:00

Its the end of the school year, yet again. This period has always been a feared part in my life, especially this year. The time where all the exam results come back, with dumb parent teacher conferences and all.

Throughout this year, i faced many challenges, unlike previous years. I have learnt a lot of things during the course of this year, and im not happy with my results. But whatever, since its already over. At the start of the year, i was disappointed with myself because my resuts were not very good last year. But as the year progressed, i slowly learnt that this was part and parcel of life and i gradually learnt how to cope in this class. I learnt how to handle situations, and things that i did not like. I badly wanted to go to a different class at the beginning of the year, but i understood that i had to strive to get the things i want. I understood that i had to learn how to live with things that i did not like or did not want, and continue living life. Life cannot stop just because i was unhappy with the situation i had been put it. I just had to face it.

I can say that this class had brought me lots of fun, though i still cannot forget my class last year. It has also allowed me to understand many things. It made me understand, as part of growing up, i would have to face many of these situations i did not like as i ventured into the future. These were inevitable.

I regretted that i did not work hard enough at the final dash, but i'll put it behind me. Because we cannot be living in the past forever. We eventually have to move on, and so my holiday resolution is to study hard during the holidays. Till then, bye!

T2W10 Adventures Of 2046 (20)

2009-07-11T21:22:00.002+08:00

I cooked porridge for him as it would be easier for him to eat. Initially i thought he would not like porridge as in my opinion he was a rich young master that had eaten many delicacies. I felt like i was making him condscend by making porridge for him. Seeming to have discovered my worries, he assured me that he liked to eat homecooked porridge rather than delicacies. I felt that such a caring guy was long extinct, but i was wrong. He told me that he preferred to lead a idyllic life, by the beach in a pent house, where he could gaze at the stars every night while listening to the sound of the waves. He asked me if i felt that he was a encumbrance to me as i had to take care of him and could not study. I tried to jocose him by agreeing that he was a burden, but he knew i was just joking.

T2W9 Adventures Of 2046 (19)

2009-07-11T21:09:00.002+08:00

We woke up as the sky was lighted up with the sun's golden rays. Walking back to our house, which wasn't very far from the beach, we washed up and changed into our uniforms. At 720am, we walked downstairs to wait for Manager X to fetch us. The same sports car drove into the porch, but inside the car it was a different person. A obese man in suit was sitting inside car. He introduced himself as his chauffeur. "Young master is sick." he said. We thought that we might want to visit him after school, so we asked if he could fetch us to his house after school. He agreed. Thanking him, we alighted from the car and walked towards our classroom. We weren't late today!

Lessons passed with a breeze, and soon after we were dismissed. The chauffeur waited for us patiently as we walked towards the car. We arrived at Manager X's house, just to see him sitting indolently by the television. He looked pathetic as he was pale, but was garrulous as usual. I stayed to take care of him as the others went back home. I felt a tinge of bliss just to be able to take care of him, but i don't know why.

T2W8 Adventure Of 2046 (18)

2009-07-11T20:52:00.002+08:00

Lessons finally ended, and we took the train back home. Arriving at the station near our house, we decided to visit the supermarket before heading home. We had to stock up with nutritious food and other ingredients to cook. We headed different ways as Chiro and Taroko headed to buy daily necessities while me and Sasuke headed to buy cooking ingredients and other food. After paying, we lugged the grocery bags back home, took out the stuff and placed the different things into the fridge and storeroom. We took a bath in the bathrooms in our separate rooms, then went to study. We could only manage to study in sedate environments to achieve equanimity of our minds, so that we would be able to absorb what we studied. Noise would impede with our studying.

It was about time to have dinner. As i placed the rice into the rice cooker, i walked to the other side of the kitchen and started preparing the ingredients for dinner. I was almost done with cooking and setting up the dining table when they were all attracted by the aroma of food and came out of their rooms. As our palate was pretty compatible, i had little diffficulties while preparing meals for them. I was in charge of the meals, while the others had different jobs like cleaning, washing and folding clothes. I felt that my job was pretty slack compared to theirs as i enjoy cooking.

After our meal, we would go out to the beach for a walk. Enjoying the serenity of the beach and the sound of the waves hitting against the breakwaters. It was pretty therapeutic. That night, we fell asleep with the sound of the waves on the breakwaters.

T2W7 Adventure Of 2046 (17)

2009-07-11T20:45:00.002+08:00

Slowly, i began developing a ardent interest for maths. Solving challenging mathematics problems were the happiest as you work the solutions out step by step. My aim was to reach the pinnacle of mathematics, where i could solve problems easily. Although there were an array of mathematics problem, i realized that eventually if revolves around the same rule. You will be filled with exultation when you finally are able to realize that.

After that, you will in retrospect, realize that actually solving mathematics problems can be a joy!

T2W6 Adventures Of 2046 (16)

2009-07-11T20:24:00.002+08:00

When we walked into the class, the teacher was already there. The teacher signalled for us to walk to the front of the class, and introduced us one by one. We were seated right in front and in the middle of the class, with Chiro sitting beside me, Taroko and Sasuke were behind us.

Most of the students were paying full attention to the lessons before breaktime came, but after the break, we began to feel lethargic. Tiredness was visibly prevalent among students and it reached paramount during the third period after breaktime. Especially for me. It was mathematics, and i have had a aversion towards it since primary school. My dislike for it was intrinsic, probably because i did not have much fate with mathematics, but i decided that i would overcome it once and for all this year.

T2W5 Adventures Of 2046 (15)

2009-07-11T20:10:00.002+08:00

As we were wondering what to do, a sports car screeched to a stop right beside us. "Hey, want me to drive y'all to school?" a voice sounded from the car. It was Manager X! We did not know why he was here, but we did not have time to think about that. All we wanted was to get to school on time. We hopped on and he drove us into our school, just in time. We got off the car, but we were stopped by the discipline master. He asked us for our names and classes. The discipline master was about to bring us to the principal's office when he was stopped by Manager X. He spoke to the discipline master softly. He was actually asking the discipline master to obiliterate our names from the detention slip as we were new to the school.

As he was talking to the discipline master, the principal walked by. "Hey dad." Manager X whispered. Though he whispered, we all heard what he said. Under the aegis of the principal, the discipline master then became congenial about giving us another chance. Then we walked off to class. As we walked, Manager X reminded us that being late could be detrimental towards the school's reputation, and he suggested that he would fetch us to school everyday so that we would not be late. I was mesmerized because he was virile in helping us by fetching us to school. Uncontrollably, i looked at him and smiled widely. He went up close right in my face, and asked me what i was doing. I was shocked and ran off into class.

T2W4 Adventure Of 2046 (14)

2009-07-11T15:33:00.002+08:00

Yawning as i woke up, i turned to look at the clock. I was shocked. It was already 730am and school was starting at 8! It was imperative that we get ready for school. I rushed to each of the band members' doors and started waking them up. I then rushed into the bathroom to wash up, and hurriedly changed into my uniform. Since they had not washed up, i went to prepare breakfast for them. Grabbing our bags and breakfast, we rushed out of our house.

Arriving at the MRT station, it was flooded with people going to work and school. As it was the first day of school, the platform was especially filled with tired students waiting for the train. Four of us waited patiently for the train to arrive. We were heading for the school we had transferred to after we moved to Taipei, XX secondary school. The train finally arrived. People gushed into the train.

At the next stop, a elderly lady boarded the train. She saw an empty seat and was ready to sit. Just then, a inconsiderate middle aged man squeezed through and plopped onto the seat. It was absurd. Who would be so rude? Especially it was a old lady who was vulnerable. She could not balance well, and if she had to stand, she would not be inviolable. The passengers on the train felt contemptuous about that man. He didn't look that weak that he could not balance and had to sit.

After 5 more stops, we alighted. The train station was just beside our school, making it near and convenient for us. As we walked out of the train station, it started pouring. We were shocked as we were almost late for school. With the rain, i doubt we would ever reach the school on time even if it was just a traffic light away. Standing in the shelter of the pavillion, we did not know what to do next.

T2W3 Adventure Of 2046 (13)

2009-07-11T15:19:00.002+08:00

The next day was the day before school was going to reopen. I asked the other band members to meet in the band practice room for a talk. I told them that we had to reach analogous viewpoints before we return to school, or we might be maladjusted when school reopens.

After a long talk, we decided that we would approach our pedagogue tomorrow and ask if he could give us additional lessons for the time we had missed out last year. We had to study hard. With that, we ended the talk. We decided that we had to have another good meal before tomorrow in order to neutralize the catastrophic effects on our bodies having been to busy before that.

Around evening, we ordered two pizzas. Seafood supreme and hawaiian with drumlets. We dug into the pizzas and drumlets as we were starved. In less than half an hour, the food was finished by four of us. Our stomachs were satisfied. Three of us turned to look at Chiro. We grinned at her and said, "Thanks for cleaning up for us!" With that, we ran back to each of our rooms, leaving her to clean up the crumbs. Feeling a little guilty, I decided to help her with it.

After taking a bath, I decided to play my favourite drums as I have not had time to jam with them for quite some time. I walked into the band room and started wearing ear protectors, and jammed with all my might. After years of playing them, they were still the best way to relieve stress. Not realizing it, I had jammed for 3 hours, and it was already 12 midnight. Walking quietly to my room, I buried myself under my blanket and fell fast asleep.

T2W2 Adventure Of 2046 (12)

2009-07-11T15:06:00.002+08:00

After that major decision, we juxtaposed our decisions and thought again and again if we had made the right decision. In that paradoxing plight, we did not know what we did was right or wrong. What we knew was if we did not want to give up both, we would definitely not be able to cope. The hectic balance between studies and work would incapacitate us.

We were still pretty troubled, but we decided to visit the newly opened steamboat shop for dinner, and to countdown for the new year. The food was extremely nice tasting for all of us. It was not because the food was very nice, but because we had the company of each other whom we had regarded as family members. I admit, I was very happy to have 'family' members like them, as I did not have siblings when i was younger, so I treated them as though they were my real siblings.

Reaching home, we were slightly palliated of our troubles and drifted off to sleep..

T2W1 Adventures Of 2046 (11)

2009-07-11T12:03:00.002+08:00

After we recovered, we began our intensive training to prepare for our first EP. It was really fun, but at the same time it wore us out. As we weren't scions of parents with fulsome opulences, we had to work hard to earn a living. Our lives at that phase were very fulfiling, though sometimes we got so busy that we could not see our parents for many months. We tried our best to call them whenever we had free time so we would at least know how they were doing.

In the period where we were preparing for our first EP, upgrading courses intensified. Life was practically full of courses. Dance courses, then to singing courses, and to music classes. We could only sleep for four hours at most during that time, other than that, we had to practise during those times when we weren't sleeping.

We did not mind sacrificing our time and sleep during that time because it was the winter holidays. Slowly, the new school year was about to begin. It was an important year. In the education of Taiwan, the third year in secondary school the students were supposed to prepare for their big examination - the leaving school examinations. Students had to get good results to get into their desired high schools. Just then, the big decision came. We were in the midst of preparing for our album, but we had to balance school too. Furthermore, it was the important year. We pondered hard and long over the decision, whether to put the preparation of the EP to a halt or give up our studies.

We held a band meeting. It was bona fide that we wanted to release a EP, but we also wanted to continue with our studies. After a long talk, we decided that we would halt the preparation for the EP to focus on our studies for a year. We could prepare for the EP anytime later, but for studies, it was a make or break.

Day 10 Oral

2009-06-23T17:36:00.002+08:00

Picture discussion

This picture depicts a man standing in a middle of a room, probably a room in the old folk's home. The old people are following what the man is doing, but some do not seem to understand what he is trying to do as some are not following. I think the man is most probably teaching the old folks on the procedure for washing their hands clean. He is teaching the steps on what they are supposed to do, and now he is teaching on how to clean the back of their hands. I think he had some training related to hygiene, most probably medical training, where the medical staff are required to learn how to disinfect and be hygienic when handling things and patients. I think different elderly have different points about this activity, as some of the elderly are following the man enthusiastically and looking at his every movement. Some elderly are just looking around at the other elderly doing those actions with the man, which also shows that they do not know what is going on. I think teaching the elderly on how to wash their hands properly is very important as this can prevent the spreading of diseases if they maintain a high level of hygiene.

Conversation
1.Tell me about a performance that impressed you.

A performance that impressed me was that Lollipop, a Taiwanese boyband, performed on the stage where every performer aimed to stand on when they just came into the industry not long ago. Just after they released 2 EPs and one official album, there they were, standing on the stage with about a million audience downstage. They were the pride of a television show which they had participated in before officially joining the performing industry. They had set history when they stood up the stage and performed, and it has took the industry by storm. Since then, they had been popular over almost the whole of Asia. They had did really well in the performance in the big stage. I would consider a career in acting because almost all of my friends say that I have a talent for acting as I am very dramatic and can act out my feelings very well. Acting is a very fun thing which not everyone would get the chance to try. If I had a chance to try out acting, I would definitely give it a shot. I would prefer to start with a role which is very playful and cheerful and also likes to play pranks on people. It is quite similar to my character and I believe I would be able to bring the fullest out of that character. Another type of role I would want to attempt is roles that are total opposites if my character in real life. It is a kind of challenge to myself and if i do not do well in that kind of character, it would inspire me to work harder to act out that role.

2.Some people worry too much about things. Do you agree?

I agree that some people really worry too much about things before they happen. Even if it is something they cannot control, they still worry about it. Since you cannot do anything to change the final decision, why do they still worry so much? Things like results, health, image, appearance and even love can make people worry. I think worrying too much is not good for your health and people should try their best to minimize their worries. If that is not possible, they should at least try to stay cheerful when they have worries. People can either ignore those worries that are unimportant, like example things caused by peer pressure which makes people worry about love, image and their appearance. As for health worries, it can be solved by excercising and eating healthily. If you worry about your results, you can either hold a study session, hire a tuition teacher, or listen up in class. In order to deal or forget your worries, you have to find out where your worries are coming from. Then you can find a friend to talk about your worries to, and they might help to think of a solution for your worries, and it would be solved. If your worries are about unneeded or uneccessary things, the most effective way is to stop worrying and tell yourself that you need not worry for such unimportant things. I think people worry because of the stress that the society is giving. For students, their worries are mostly that of how their friends see them and results. Due to the overcompetitive education, which is not really needed, it adds to the worries of students.

Day 8 Oral

2009-06-23T16:42:00.002+08:00

Picture discussion

This picture depicts a scene of children and two adults on a field. I think that the adults are the teachers of those children. They are probably the students in kindergarten. From the picture, I can see that they are playing a game which the person standing in front of the teacher is supposed to protect the students behind her and the person in front is supposed to catch the people behind. I think everyone is enjoying themselves because they are playing with their friends and get to interact with the other people at the same time. I think the children will change roles after this, or do some cooling down and prepare to go home. I think playing games are a very good way for children and teachers to build a closer relationship with each other as if you are willing to play games with the students it shows that you are willing to get close and interact with them, and they will be more willing to open their hearts towards you.

Conversation
1.Tell me about a business you would like to run one day.

I would like to open a shop which sells healthy breakfast in Taiwan, for those busy people who do not have time to make or eat breakfast, but still can enjoy the benefits of having breakfast. In this urbanized society where people are too busy to enjoy the breakfast, having a shop selling breakfast is very important. My strongest skill is the ability to cook well. I can cook quite well and a variety of different food. As for cooking breakfast, I have also researched on the benefits of certain food and have tried making different kinds of healthy breakfast. The results turned out to be pretty positive and I am sure that I would be able to produce delicious and healthy breakfast. Running a business would be difficult when it comes to funds and publicity. A lot of money is required to make publicity and set up a shop. It also takes some time for the shop to gain fame or popularity, which makes it a big challenge to set up and run a business. You would need lots of determination to run a shop, so that you will try over and over again after every failure. Other than that, you would need a good business mind to be able to use it for making your shop better known. If you are able to overcome these factors, the future would be bright for your business. I believe I would be able to overcome these difficulties and bring my breakfast shop to fame.

2.What are some of the difficulties faced by women wishing to pursue a career and have a family?

When women want to pursue a career and also want to have a family, there will be many difficulties faced. Even so, the difficulties can definitely be overcomed. The difficulties that will be faced are when their children get sick and their mothers cannot take leave to take care of them, leaving them alone at home. As children fall ill often, if their mothers keep taking leave, sooner or later they will be fired if their superior cannot understand why they are always on leave. Employers can help such women by giving them additional leave to take which are specially catered for when their children fall ill. This way, it would be easier for the women when their children are sick. Employers can also apply a policy of working frmo home the women are on leave to take care of their sick children. This way it ensures efficiency of the work to be done on that day. The advantages of working from home are that the women would still be able to complete what they are supposed to do and not delay anything. This also makes sure that their colleagues would not be overloaded with the work left undone from the days they were on leave. The disadvantages are that some people may not have a computer or internet connection from home, which makes it difficult to work from home.

Day 6 Oral

2009-06-23T12:08:00.002+08:00

Picture discussion

The picture depicts a sports stadium with some people sitting on the benches. I think the girls are watching the runners run around the track while competing. The girls are smiling and cheering with joy as they cheer the runners on. They look very enthusiastic though they are standing under the sun. I think the girls are feeling very happy while cheering as some of the runners are probably their friends or are winning the race. I think they feel this way because the runner that is winning is probably a person in their class or their good friend. One of them is jumping with joy and smiling while cheering. Two others are laughing and looking attentively through the race. Another girl is eating a lollipop but is also watching the race closely. Behind them are a group of boys, most probably watching the race too. Some guys are looking at them shouting and cheering.

Conversation
1.Tell me about a time when you realised that you had been wrong about something.

There was once I misunderstood my friend for betraying me and I got angry at her, not talking to her for a few weeks. I was very angry because I thought she had betrayed my trust. After some time, I finally decided to clarify the matter. It turned out that I had misunderstood her. I learnt that without concrete proof I should not decide on anything because there may have been some misunderstanding in it. Even with concrete proof, you still have to consider the other factors at the point of time and not just decide to ignore her, which may result in you losing a good friend now and forever. People may find it hard to admit their mistakes as they may think it is very embarrassing to do so when they have already insisted on a certain viewpoint. When they are supposed to admit their mistakes it will be very hard to do so. If the person being misunderstood can be more understanding towards the person who had made a mistake, then it would not be so hard for the person in the wrong to admit their mistakes.

2.Do you think everyone can learn to be good at sport?

I think if you try, it is possible that everyone can learn to be good at a sport. If you are willing to learn, nothing is impossible. Excluding people unfit for sports, even the handicapped are able to excel at sports, what more a normal person like you and me. I think some people are better at sports than other people are because they are willing to work hard to achieve the results they want to achieve. Another reason is that their natural talent in their genes have already decided genetically that they were suited for sports. Natural talent in your genes is only a few steps of headstart for those people, it is the hard work they are willing to put in their later years that determine if they will be good at sport or not. It is not very fair to say that men are better in sport than women because men and women are made equal in some ways. Although men are designed to excel in sport more than women in terms of their stamina and body build, but it is possible for a women to win men in sport because some women can do sport very well and are willing to train hard.

Day 4 Oral

2009-06-23T11:31:00.003+08:00

Picture discussion

In the picture, I see a man who is sitting the wheelchair. He is cannot go up the bus if there is no one helping him he probably has no energy to push himself up the slope, which is specially catered for people on wheelchairs to aid them in getting on the bus. One young man is helping by pushing the man in the wheelchair up the slope. Another man is standing at the end of the slope, preparing to pull the wheelchair onto the bus as the wheelchair gets nearer. As for the other people standing around, they are helping by not pushing their way up the bus but waiting for the man in the wheelchair to go up the bus before boarding the bus themselves. They are helping by being considerate to the handicap man. The people around the man in the wheelchair are probably thinking about different things. Some people are probably thinking how he leads his normal life in a wheelchair. Some of them seem to be impatient in waiting for the man to get onto the bus as it has probably took quite some time. A man is holding on to his phone, most likely taping down the process as he has probably not seen it before. I think after the man goes into the bus, the other people waiting outside are most probably going to complain when they get into the bus for waiting so long. The man may fall off the slope if they do not wheel him up properly as the slope is quite small for a wheelchair to go up. After the man gets up the bus, his wheelchair may roll around the bus without people going to help him if there is no one related to him on the bus. I think other people should be more considerate to such people if they ever meet them on the public transport as they have difficulty getting around so the other people should try to wait while they are getting on to public transport.

Conversation
1.Tell me about an area of natural beauty you have been to.

I have been to Hort Park which is near the Henderson Walks. It is place where there are different species of flowers and fruits around, mostly flowers. One fruit which is quite unknown to me is the reddish banana. I do not know the scientific name for it but the banana is red is color, which made me curious as I have never seen a red banana till that day. That area was filled with the natural beauty of flowers and it made me feel that nature could actually be very beautiful if you really put your heart in and experience nature. It made me feel like protecting Mother Earth when I saw that, as when the global warming gets serious, you may not be able to see such beautiful things again. After going for this trip outdoors, it taught me not to be cooped up at home with my computer and television, but that I should go out and experience the beautiful nature often. I would recommend it to others because it is quite therapeutic to the mind and soul. It can also encourage other people to get in touch with the nature more often. The air there is very fresh because of the plants there and it is a good place to get fresh and unpolluted air.

2.What is your view on protecting natural habitats and looking after wildlife?

My view on protecting natural habitats and looking after wildlife is that it is very important to do so. If we do not protect natural habitats, the animals living in it would not be able to survive. It may also result in them being extinct in the future. Looking after wildlife is neccessary as keeping some of the wildlife in the zoos will not only ensure reproduction of their future generations and it will also allow the future generations of children to be able to know about those animals. I think that we are destroying nature to a great extent as we are cutting down forest every minute. At this rate, the global warming would speed up and the destruction we are doing to the natural habitats of animals are huge. Even so, developing the cities to a certain extent is also essential as it ensures the people living in it to have technologies such as the seismometer to measure impending earthquakes. Other than essential technologies, things like air-conditioner are not that important. Even if it damages nature, developing of the cities are important as some technologies are absolutely essential. Mankind should only have the essential technologies when developing a city and aim to minimize the damage to nature.

Day 2 Oral

2009-06-23T10:59:00.004+08:00

Picture discussion

This picture depicts women attempting to cut the hair on a mannequinn's head. These women are probably here to learn how to become a hairdresser. They are trying to cut the hair on the dummy's head and learning the different styles of cutting different people's hair. Those women are most probably from Phillipines and do not have anything that they can work as when they go overseas and look for a job, and thus are learning a new skill in order to survive when they go to a foreign country. I think they are very happy to be here because they are all smiling while learning this new skill. They seem to brim with enthusiasm and are very keen to perfect their skills, as this is a skill which ensure their survival when they go to a foreign country. I think the next activity for these women are to learn how to wash the hair of the dummy as there is a conditioner placed in the middle of the table which is most probably for the dummies after the hair is being cut.

Conversation
1.Tell me about your favourite hairstyle

My favourite hairstyle is with medium length fringe and long hair. I part my fringe to the right and comb the longer hair back. I do not really enjoy going to the hairdresser as some hairdressers do not cut my hair well and I end up looking really wierd. Therefore, I seldom want to go to the hairdresser unless my hair grows too thick. For me, hairstyles are of a certain importance as if reflects on yourself if your hairstyle is badly maintained. It need not be too lavish, but it at least must look normal if not when people see you, their impression of you would be tarnished. My fringe is more important so i will ask the hairdresser not to cut my fringe above the eyebrows. If the hairdresser does not cut my hair well, I will try to clip up all my fringe or wear a cap whenever possible to cover up my hair till it grows back. I would usually go to a $10 cut because it is the nearest available hairdresser. Unless I go to cut my hair with my friends, I would go to the $10 cut shop. Haircuts are just to make your hairstyle look better and neater so a simple cut to make me look neat would be good enough.

2.What is your view about CCTV or security cameras in public places?

I think security cameras are important in public places such as shopping centres, lifts or other shops because it can ensure that no one steals or does anything illegal in such places. In shopping centres, security cameras can ensure that no one is shoplifting, and if anyone does they can be stopped. In lifts, they can prevent molestation or crimes if a security guard is watching the security cameras and stop the crime from happening. These devices are necessary in certain places, but there are also certain places that are not suitable to have these security cameras. Such examples are toilets and fitting rooms, if these places have those cameras, the people in it would feel a lack of privacy, and it is also illegal because it is an invasion of privacy to have such cameras when people are changing. Security cameras can make people relaxed or tense depending on the person and situation. In shopping centres or lifts, those people who want to commit crimes like shoplifting or molesting would feel tense when they see such cameras. As for people who are innocent and are not intending to do anything illegal, they would feel relaxed. If the cameras are placed in fitting rooms or toilets, the people inside may feel tense to do their businesses faster as there is something watching them which will cause them to feel tense as it is invading their privacy.

T1W10 Adventures of 2046 (10)

2009-03-23T21:20:00.003+08:00

It was a rest day for 2046 as we had caught the mass flu bug. Even though we were in repose, we still planned practices for our instruments and research for the upcoming school project. I felt light headed, so we were talking nebulously. The doctor gave us some medicine and reminded us that we had to be abstemious when we were eating. We did not listen to his advice, but still act as if there was no disparity and continued to eat omnivorously. Whenever it came to food, we would seem to recover instantly.

While searching on the internet, I found a new hobby - assembling model aeroplanes and cars. To be continued..

T1W9 Adventures of 2046 (9)

2009-03-09T19:40:00.002+08:00

Initially we were pretty worried over the costs to attend so many courses and to put on dental braces. We were relieved to know that our company would underwrite the full costs as it was written in the contract that the company was to pay any course fees they required us to attend.

Dance lessons started, and three of us are coping fairly well as we have had more or less some experience in dance. Taroko could not catch up in some parts of dance as she have not had any experience in it at all, so the teacher was extremely harsh on her. The dance teacher told her bluntly that if she does not put in double the effort she would soon lag far behind us, and not be able to catch up easily. She was quite sad after being lectured, so three of us treated her to a meal at Subway, though not exactly sumptuous because we could not afford too expensive meals. Though it was not a expensive meal, we could see that Taroko really appreciated our gesture.

Sometimes, things got so busy that when we finally had time to sit at the attic and talk our hearts out to reminisce into the past, we will have a feeling of nostalgia. Thinking back, where we could spend time with our parents, siblings and play computer games everyday, it was totally different from now! Though we may miss the pass, but it would be mendacious if i said we did not enjoy our lives now. As youths, being able to learn so many new things which our peers would most likely not the chance to, was a big privilege.

T1W8 Adventures of 2046 (8)

2009-03-08T18:02:00.002+08:00

Through months of intensive training and increased to music, it awoken the latent talent for music we have. Unleashing this talent we were given, we proved that it was not only veneer understanding and ability we had towards music. Even so, this would not come true if we did not have dreams. Only with dreams, we are great. Deciding on the style our band's music will go, we modified some areas of our instruments we had just started to learn in order to accommodate the changes.

I learnt drums when I was younger, so the company decided to let me learn bass guitar, which complements drums because it improves the player's tempo and groove. Taroko had learnt the flute earlier, but it was not of such a relevant link to a band's style, so the company assigned her to learn the electric guitar. Chiro, with her ability to play the acoustic guitar, was asked to learn the electric guitar as she would pick it up easier with her fundamentals in guitar. As for Sasuke, she was asked to attend lessons on the bass guitar because of her talent in music, and the lack of a bass guitarist in the band. In addition to that, a myriad of lessons were assigned to us-hip hop, etiquette class, dressing and also a makeover.

We were given a makeover in order to make ourselves more presentable. A haircut was unavoidable, followed by a change in dressing style. Only i was asked to put on braces as my teeth were too messy and there was a need to straighten my teeth.

T1W7 Adventures of 2046 (7)

2009-03-08T17:48:00.004+08:00

Dressed smartly, we entered the famous composer's room. We were told to address the composer by the name of Terry. After getting to know four of us better, we were sent to a different room each, where we went through manifold tests to get an analysis on our vocals, stamina and lung capacity. We were also given checks on our throat to make sure our throats were functioning healthily. While reading out detailed voice and body reports, he concocted a different plan for each of us. He also assigned two instruments for us and some vocal lessons to allow us to grasp the skills on singing. He explained the components about each of out voices, and how the four of us could combine to create beautiful songs. Terry was extremely resourceful, within a few short months of training, we have more of less shown improvement.

Now, we could go into the recording studio and record a trial version of our singing to see how much we have improved. Terry gave consummate attention to our weakness and strengths while singing, and re evaluated his earlier plan and we were to undergo another phase of intensive music and skill training.

T1W6 Adventures of 2046 (6)

2009-02-16T20:17:00.002+08:00

Walking around the house, we saw many things to our liking. There was an arcade located at the basement. Our practice place was also on the same level, with brand new drums, keyboard, guitar, amplifiers, mikes and most importantly it was sound proofed so we could practice with our might. The first floor was the living room, with a 42-inch plasma television, big sofa set as we were all gregarious. Behind it was a big space where they converted it into a exercise corner, with treadmills and many other exercise machines. There was a machine with free flow of soft drinks in the kitchen. Another was a machine which could produce food according to our choices - like the one in Japan. There was also a surround sound system in the house so that music can be played in the background. We shared bedrooms, 2 to a room, but had personal rooms to put our own instruments or study there. That personal room became our cache, where we would rest or practise there. Another of our favourite place was the attic, with a glass ceiling which illuminated the house in the day, and allowed us to gaze at stars at night. That became our "habitat", where we would lie sedentary there and share our troubles or childhood memories, and fall asleep there. Outside the house, there a Olympic-sized swimming pool where we can swim there. There is also a jacuzzi in the bathroom, half the size of the swimming pool, to relieve tiredness. The walls surrounding the house are built higher than usual so as to prevent interlopers.

Just as we were enjoying ourselves, Manager X called and said we were to meet a composer who will brief us on our future direction after some analysis. We were extremely excited as this was our first time meeting a composer.

T1W5 Adventures of 2046 (5)

2009-02-16T20:05:00.003+08:00

While waiting to board the plane at the airport, we witnessed a couple quarrelling. It was not us that were busybodies, just that they were speaking so loudly that it made it difficult for us not to listen. They were debating over who was culpable as they looked very agitated. Calling each other epithets as they declaimed over who was responsible of looking after their child. The guy tried to walk away from this embarrassing scene but his wife fettered him saying :"Don't think by walking away it will solve the problem!" The man then flashed back a menacing glare, with a tinge of nonchalance. He pushed the woman away, leaving her sobbing incessantly.

It was then time to board the plane back to Taiwan. We started to think about the scene just occurred just now, and that we will not treat them as a paragon, definitely not. After 5 hours of flight, we arrived at our homeland. However much we missed Japan, we still felt that closeness to our homeland, and that it was the best place to be in.

Due to the overwhelming response of the fans awaiting us outside our house as they knew we were coming back on that day, we were brought to the house that we were only supposed to be introduced to two weeks later. Stepping into this grand place with many facilities, we were just overjoyed to explore our new home.

T1W4 Adventures of 2046 (4)

2009-02-16T19:49:00.002+08:00

Few days later, we were told that we were arranged to visit Japan, the land of the rising sun. The first thing we thought was that the Japanese were all so stereotyped - silky hair, fair skin, and below average height. This trip was quite singular, as not many stars got sponsored to go overseas if they were not there to do publicity campaigns or starr in shows.

We got on the midnight flight on 8 December 2008. As it was not our first time taking a plane, but we were still very excited as it was our first time going overseas with the band members. We were playing games, listening to music, reading a book and watching movies respectively. We landed at Narita Airport in Tokyo and took a domestic flight to Hokkaido. It was some of our first times going to Japan, so we were elated. Seeing the culture there, it was totally different from life in Taiwan. Their convenience stalls were practically everywhere, selling almost everything ranging from chewing gums to lunchboxes. Vending machines were even better, selling drunks, piping hot from cigarettes and some even chewing gum. We had a hot sand bath, where we were required to lie supine in ordered to be covered in sand. It was said to have therapeutic effects and could relax tensed muscles. In this mammoth country, Japan, we were awed by its health benefits in just a simple meal of cold soba, as the ingredient in these noodles could have 54 times the nutritional values of other similar ingredients.

Though we loved this country and the not easily nettled people there, we still had to go back to Taiwan. However, we would visit it whenever possible. Japan had made a deep impression in our minds. Many things ran through our minds while we sat at the restaurant at the airport for our meal.

T1W3 Adventures of 2046 (3)

2009-01-29T19:56:00.002+08:00

In a matter of months, 2046 rose to stardom and subjugated the entertainment industry. Posters, advertisments, broadcasts, magazines and everyone was talking about us. Even when we were so popular, we were not very happy, as we were not adapting to the hectic lives we were leading. We yearned for a haven to retreat in, away from the busy lives we had. As such, school frequently clashed with rehearsals or practice, therefore conflicts broke out. We discussed long and hard and eventuate in a viable plan, to make up for the rehearsals we missed. We planned to practice every night in the garage to enhance our chemistry and skills.

Rumours permeated the Internet, about the members of 2046 being at loggerheads. That's what it is like when someone rises to stardom. Calls came in, emails flooded our inbox, but we did not know how to handle it. Our manager was then introduced to us. His name was X, Manager X. We did not query about his name as we were attracted by his dressing style and his handsome looks. Dressed in a red skull shirt under a black vest with chains, donning leather pants, his eyes hidden under aviator shades. Spiked golden hair, long sideburns and his fringe combed to the left, he was a typical hip hop punk kind of guy. Though he was merely 17, with his looks and his well built body structure, it was enough to cause me to not be able to make my eyes leave him.

In a bid to surpress the rumours, he told the media that 2046 had been arranged in a trip to go overseas, to relieve the stress we had gone through these days. Nothing more was said, neither the location nor duration. That left our supporters feeling cryptic but at least it surpressed the rumours.

P.s See where we are going for our vacation!

Can one improve his or her English skills?

2009-01-22T13:04:00.000+08:00

I believe one will be able to improve his or her English skills with more practice, hard work and the will to succeed. Only when you believe you can succeed, then you will be able to. If you don't believe that you will be able to improve, you won't.

No one will have perfect English or a wide vocabulary from the time they start to learn english. Some people always wonder why some people can do better that others, however they do not put in effort to learn, but only envy those people with good english results. It is only from hard work that they will be able to improve their english skills, so it is definitely possible to improve their english skills.

By reading a wide range of books and gaining more exposure to different words that you will find in the books, you can widen your vocabulary and know more words as you read, so that difficult words don't stumble you. Clear your doubts whenever you are unclear about a word or don't understand things, and it will help you to be able to perform better as you understand what the question requires you to write to answer the question, so that you will get the marks you deserve. Lastly, you must believe that you will succeed even when others may think your chances of improving your english skills are slim. You should not believe what others say but rather, believe in yourself that you are able to do it.

In conclusion, I believe that one will definitely be able to improve his or her english skills with the proper help and the hard work they put it. Nothing is impossible if you work hard.

T1W2 Adventures of 2046 (2)

2009-01-21T20:50:00.000+08:00

In this fortuitous meeting, we had this fate to become members of the same band, and were required to live together as stated in the contract, in a bungalow provided by the company. Living together was quite a challenge to overcome, especially with our incoherent characters. However, we managed to reach a consensus to live in harmony with each other as harmony breeds wealth. Pretty soon, we began getting along so well that we looked like sisters whenever we were together. We shared secrets, fun, enjoyment and were extremely close that we shared almost everything but underwear. We started out busy lives as invitations to participate in entertainment shows, acting and recording our own albums, and our pictures appeared on placards soon after. Many more stuff soon came up and our lives were still filled with fun and enjoyment. Though our schedules were really paacked, we still found time to practice on each of our instruments. We really enjoyed such flamboyant lives as this is when we started to live our lives to the fullest. Everyone in the band soon became integral parts of the band, even our lives.

T1W1 Adventures of 2046 (1)

2009-01-12T21:21:00.000+08:00

The waiting room was inundate with people waiting for their turn to audition for a band. The four winners would be able to form a band, and would be able to rise to stardom. Many people were too nervous and resulted in them being garbled about which notes to play. This was also where I met three passionate musicians: Chiro-a guitarist, Taroko-a singer who plays the flute as well and Sasuke-a keyboardist. They did not panic like most of them did. Meticulously, they cleaned and tuned their instruments, hoping to present the most perfect music as well as they could. Many of the other contestants left after fruitless attempts. Not forgetting to introduce myself, a zealous drummer, whose biggest dream is to be able to share my passion for music with the world-Picho.

After my turn for the audition, I was told to enter a conference room, where I saw the three musicians I met earlier. The company handed us a contract and after signing, a band name was decided on. This is where my life reached the first turning point. I was only 14 when this band, 2046 was formed. However, little did I know my life would change conpletely at this turning point...to be continued.