Old Candy

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her.  She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up.  She was tired of fighting and struggling.  It seemed as if as soon as one problem was solved a new one arose.  Her mother took her to the kitchen.

The mother filled three pots with water.

In the first, she placed carrots.
In the second she placed eggs.
And the last she placed ground coffee beans.

She let them sit and boil without saying a word.  About twenty minutes later, she turned off the burners.

She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.

Turning to her daughter, she said, "Tell me what you see."

"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied. (You known the tone of voice.)

She brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did, and noted that they felt soft.

She then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg inside.

Finally, she asked her to sip the coffee.  The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma.

The daughter then asked, "So, what's the point, mother?" (Remember the tone of voice.)

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity - boiling water - but each reacted differently.

The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak.

The egg had been fragile.  Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid center. But, after sitting through the boiling water, its insides had become hardened.

The ground coffee beans were unique, however.  After they were in the boiling water...they had changed the water.

"Which are you?" she asked her daughter.  "When adversity knocks on your
door, how do you respond?  Are you a carrot , an egg, or a coffee bean?"

Think of this: Which am I?

Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity, do I wilt
and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat?

Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial
hardship, or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff?  Does my outer shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and a hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean?  The bean actually changes the hot water - the very circumstances that bring the pain.  When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor of the bean.  If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you instead of letting it change you.

When the hours are the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate to another level?

How do you handle Adversity?

ARE YOU A CARROT, AN EGG, OR A COFFEE BEAN?

Glancing at the title---Going out for a Drink or Two? Take "Bob" with You! when reading SSP, I was pretty much curious about who on earth Bob is, some one with the magic to stop car accident? Bob doesn't refer to a specific man, but some one who can drive home the drunkers at the party. The original passage is as following:

 

 

If you were to go into a cafe in Belgium and ask anyone there if they were Bobs that night, you would be serious answers such as " No, but my wife is " or "No, I've cycled into town." Others might say yes and point to their glass and say:"Drinking coca cola tonight." Then who is Bob?

 

Bob doesn't refer to a certain person.Bob is the person who does not drink when he or she has to drive and is responsible for getting the rest of a group of the people home safely. The idea is hardly new.In 1995, "Bob Campaign" was lauched in Belgium to solve the problem of driving drunk.

 

After just one year, nine out of ten Belgians had heard of Bob. In Belgium, It is even known to children that they should pick up a Bob before party stareted, who would ride them home aftewards.The number of fatal traffic accidets as a result of driving under the influence had declined, as well as the amount of people caught driving under the influence.European countries like Holland,France,Greece followed the step after Bob Campaign got success in Belgium.

 

The succcess of this campaign lies in the fact that its focus is not on the negative consequences of drunk driving, but on taking the responsibility to prevent drunk driving. It is the difference between a negative message and a positive one.

 

Thus, bisiness opportunities turned up for industries like "drive-back service" If you are about to drink  with colleagues on Friday night, do you take a cab home and pick up your car the next day, or just risk the journey home? In Holland, there is now a solution--- you can call ScooterBob. A driver at your location on a foldable scooter, places it in the trunk of your car and drives you home.

 

Cool Bob

靠在站边奶茶铺的"小吧台"边等车, 大概看我正悠闲, 这位在旁边转悠了很久的阿婆级人物终于忍不住上来甩了条包装精致的毛巾,要我帮她做个调查. 起初我没回应,只是摇头, 硬是不肯说话. 看我如此坚决, 她也只好退去,对奶茶铺里的两个小伙说, "难做啊, 谢谢你们昨天的推荐." 一听这话,顿时觉得不对, 原本对这类人物的厌恶之情烟消云散, 到起了几分怜悯之心, 这位年过半百的阿婆要是家财万贯又何必做这档子苦差事,大概也是穷途末路, 出来化缘来了.

 

我嘲她使了个眼神, 招手让她过来, 她顿时脸上挂起了小太阳,随手甩出三条毛巾, 让我挑种颜色."小姑娘, 调查要录音的,大概要15分钟,规定的,你辛苦一下哦."  哎, 我看还是你比较辛苦吧. 问卷内容是关于范冰冰的一则洗发水广告, 按照阿婆的"指示", 把几页问卷顺利完成,最后留了个假名,假手机号,假地址. 从头至尾都是假的,因为我从未见过那则广告.不过有一样是真的, 那就是她可以回去交差领工资了,这比什么都重要. 还有一样更真, 就是我眼睁睁看着2班车擦肩而过, 无奈好人做到底, 终于赶在第3班溜掉之前把问卷结束掉.

 

如今,大学生兼职市场调查问卷的也不计其数, 愿意配合的过客似乎凤毛麟角,因为城市的脚步太快不愿停留. 建议你们下次拿到大学食堂来吧, 我们边吃边聊, 你调查来我填表.

Before my internship, I was very much worried that being an English teacher of high school might be a tough job for me.Because in my mind, a teacher of that level is in a position to give an instant speech of any topic raised by the students. She has no problem to carry on a class even without preparation. She could write on a certain topic of high school level in a short moment without any assistance. That is not the case at all!!!!!!
 
They themselves can't even make sure the answers without checking the correct answers at the back of the book. For example, there is a type of exercise called Close Text, that is several words of the passages are omitted, and the students are required to choose the correct one in the following four answers A  B  C  D. Usually there will be 10 to 15 words taken out. Today, the teachers were struggling about that, some lost 4 or 5. God! After checking the right answers, they re-understand the whole text, and then explain it to the students. God! How could they teach students how to do this type of exercise??!! Just doing the exercises everyday?Practice makes perfect??!!
 
The classes can't go deep. In daily class, the teachers explain the texts  sentence by sentence, focusing much on language points. For example, if they come across the sentence." Children raise money for charity" Then the teacher would draw their attention on the word "raise", they will explain, instead of raising money we could also say collecting money, and several examples where the word "raise" is used. I guess  partly because the use of the word "raise" is an important language point in the college exam. Usually their assignment covers translation, multiple choices, and the similar level not as deep as writing. If the teacher ask the why question which could have led to an deeper issue, the student will give one or two reasons or ideas about a certain topic. The teacher give a rather simple comment like "GOOD, that's interesting" . I guess the teachers can't go on to stir up a deeper discussion, for she herself is not able to express the idea in English, or in other words, her languge proficiency restricts much. Since they are oriented by the college entrance exam which mainly checks on listening, grammar, reading, and a 150-word written work, the teachers don't need to work hard on writing, expressing ideas which i think is a truly major measurement for one's languge proficiency.
 
Writing is just ridiculous!!! Usually they have a modle. Take the topic environment as an example. Then the passage will go like Paragraph 1, Some people think...others think...and my opinion...  Paragraph 2, First... Second... Third (reasons) ParagrIfaph 3 To sum up....if they student handle his composition according to this modle and his languge is ok, he'll get a good mark.
 
I just can't understand how far on earth should a teacher reach? Are they really qualified to serve as a guide? If an English teacher only means to help the students to get a high mark in the exam, then all my worries should have vanished right away. Or I am too stricted with myself? English teachers of high school are not required to reach the level as I mentioned at the very beginning???

 

Yuck!!
 

I would nickname this guy X, a Chinese college student.

 

Living with those native students for a couple of weeks, this guy is entirely shocked by their behaviors. Girls, turning on a docile look on campus, almost become flirts in the club at midnight. Once when X guy walked a girl to dorm after coffee, "Give me a hug." said the girl, and X was just standing there straight, as still and hard as a stick, lost in reaction to the sudden big hug. To us, it might be considered rather sexual, but i feel it is definitely not about sex but socializing. I guess it won't be a tough time for X to go through and he can surely handle it well.

 

The club! In US, many students of 15 and up have gone to several dates before they graduate from high school. This is not surely for sex. On the occasion like the club, X is learning how to socialize with people he doesn't know in a situation that he will encounter as an adult. He is not necessarily to get blind drunk, dancing out of mind with those fellows, but rather, he is exposed to a situation where he should make his own decision accoring to his own set of values. X is supposed to has his own limits on what he wants, and I am sure, he does! I bet Mr X is taught about some of the steps by the girls, and the same time, heart pounding.

 

Hug! When we look at the American movies, the behavior of students is far more open than the similarly aged Chinese youth. Hug or kiss you may say, might smiply be a  way of frindliness and nothing more. As long as Mr X feels comfortable with the person, a hug is as  perfeclty normal as a hand-shaking in his culture.  

 

It's all about socializing and getting to be a memeber of the society. As X matures, he'll know there are different levels of friendship and togherness with the people he has encountered and situations he has experienced.  It's a part of growing up.It's definitely not about SEX, Just have fun.

蜗牛县，或称之为龟县都是恰当好处的。因为该小县给我的第一感觉就是------慢！

 

交通规则自成一章。车子刚驶入该县，任凭司机拼死拼活地按喇叭，前面的车子依然是蜗行牛步，缓不济急。汽车、摩托车、电瓶车、行人、动物共行一道。看似混乱的路面状况，“你”与“我”之间却配合默契。当小电驴不由自主地飘向路中央，随后的小汽车便极其配合地往旁边靠，在这你谦我让，你漂我移中，形成了属于他们自己的交通潜规则。习惯了城市的风驰电掣，实在无奈这蜗牛县的悠然自得。

 

房屋结构杂乱无章。蜗牛县的房子充分体现其自由生动的一面。上海居民区的房屋，排排整整，A与B一一对应，容不得你自由发挥。蜗牛县可不愿被束缚，A与B面对面，C与D背对背，E与F之间时而会冒出一棵参天大树，偶尔又有G在山坡间崭露头角。有窃窃私语状的，又有冤家路窄状的，纵横交错，规律难寻。与其说杂乱，还不如说是脱离城市的自由。

 

 

原本想借这两天出游散散心,结果适得其反，大彻大悟。旅游绝非赶集，想在短时间内囊括所有景点只会叫人心力交瘁，也游不“深”。这就如读书学习，想一口气吃成胖子只会造成便秘，还是得慢慢吸收，用心体会。还有，没文化没素质的人是没资格旅游的！至少是会妨碍别人旅游的！不懂得欣赏当地的文化更不懂得如何尊重当地人，只是带着一副"傲"的嘴脸四处摆弄，真不明白这“傲”到底打哪来？！

 

此次短途行算是幡然醒悟，先多读点书再笑傲江湖吧。

 

（发现一个很奇妙的现象，走进当地一家NGS，整体感觉与上海没多大区别，后来我把目光聚集到个体上，果然发现一个个散发出来的气质和这边的外来人员不谋而合，一方水土养育一方人啊!)

 

贴几张dead mature,哈哈.

沃舟湖岸边.

七盘仙谷.