Friday, December 31, 2010

Journal #3

Write your opinion to a character action or reaction. What would you have done?

On the page 110


I am going to Rome with the person who David hates and has asked (okay,told) me never to see. It is pretty much that his fault that I am going to Rome.

Explains and supports

In this quote, we can infer that Georgie is very emotional and childish. After fighting with David who is her present boyfriend, she decides to fly to Rome with her ex-boyfriend without telling him. The reason that they have a fight is Georgie didn't want to admit her fault. She breaks her promise because she has lied that she never go out with Mark again. She promise that she will never meet Mark again after they broke up. She says she will never contact or meet Mark again. If Mark starts to contact him She will tell David what happens. However, she is still in love of Mark because of his good looking. She has already been out with Mark for a long time, but she didn't tell David anything about it. She doesn't want to be controlled by David because she thinks she is old enough to make her own decision about what she wants to do. She is tired of David because he never get the free day to take her to Rome. She decides to go to Rome with the Mark who can make her wish come true.

Why the quote is important to the novel?
This quote is very important to novel because Georgie decides to go to Rome after she has a fight with David. Georgie still doesn't know who is best suitable to be her boyfriend. She tries to date with David and Mark at the same time, but everything doesn't go smoothly at all. After a while, David discovers that Georgie has contact Mark for a long time. David is mad at her because he thinks she is not trustful. She doesn't tell him the truth. On the other hand, Georgie also starts to be disappointed at David because she doesn't want to take any order from him anymore. She thinks that David is bossy and jealous. She wants to go to Rome to make herself relax and run away from her problems for a while. The trip to Rome is not only an experience but also a decision for Georgie. This is the moment that she makes up her mind that she is going to go to Rome with Mark. This quote shows the reason why Georgie decides to abandon David and go on vocation with Mark. Without this quote, we can't infer that what is her final decision for this surprising. Rome is a place that she has dreamed to go for a long time. The story is entering the rising action of novel. We are going to know what is going on when she finally arrives her fascinated place. Is anything going to change after she goes there?

Why the quote is significant to me?
I think the quote is significant to me because I face this kind of problem before. I don't like people lie to me,either. If I am Georgie, I will choose to tell David what I have done. Though he may be angry at my behavior, it is better to tell lies to the person who love and care about you. I believe that telling the truth is very important because you can gain other people trust. Though the truth can be really harmful sometimes, it is still the best solution to tell people the truth. Lie is a bottomless trap, so you are never able to got out when you fall into it. When you tell a lie, you need to tell more lies then to make up your first lie. When I was little, my mom told me a story about it. One upon a time, there is a boy who likes to plays the trick on the town people. He keeps telling them lies , so they don't believe what he says anymore. In the end, nobody help the little boy when he asks for help. The boy can't be trusted anymore. I think it is important to tell the truth because it can tie up the relationship with one another. Everyone live in the world should be honest and trust each other. Otherwise, the war is going to take place and the harmony in our live is going to cast away by the anger and disappointed. The relationships of each others are built up by the trust and love.

Connect this quote to the "bigger picture "
This quote also reflects some issues that have related to people nowadays. In the this quote, we can infer that Georgie never doesn't really discuss this problem with David. In fact, David doesn't really spend time explaining to her about reason why he doesn't want her to meet Mark, either. They don't really spend time talking to each others about this topic. However, the good communication is very important in a relationship because people could be able to talk and get closer to each others. There are more and more problems such as, fights, killing, and divorce that occur in this world now. Many people start to use their violence to show their power or solve their problems. More and more laws are created because people depend on them to solve the arguments instead of sitting down calmly and listening to others' thoughts. We need to learn how to create a good communication, so we got a chance to know others' thoughts and stories. Listening carefully to each others and giving advices to them can not only solve problems but also have the better solution which is combined by a lot of new ideas. Most people ignore the magical power of communication, but it appears everyday in our life. Some people choose to run away from problem instead of talking to others about their thoughts and feelings. The good communication can solve all kinds of problem, but we need to be courage to start it.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Journal #2

If you had to choose one of the characters to be your friend who would you choose and why?

On the page 6
I was so pleased to finally have a boyfriends who would actually do some of things I wanted to do, instead of Mark, who always told me where he was going and asked if I wanted to come,too, which just isn't the same at all.

Explains and supports

In this quote, we can infer that Georgie wants the person who is considerate. David is perfect for her because he is thoughtful and gentle. David treats her nicely and shows up to help her when she is in trouble. For me, I would choose David to be my friend too. Because a friend is a person who you know well and regard with affection and trust. I don't want to make friends with the person, such as Mark, who even doesn't listen to my opinions and respect me. My friend don't need to like the same thing I like and they can be whoever they want to be , but at least, they have to respect my thoughts and take my opinions as advices.

Why the quote is important to the novel?
From this quote, we know that Georgie thinks David is a really good boyfriend compare to Mark. She doesn't regret being his girlfriend. However, she still can't forgot her ex-boyfriend Mark because he is cute and sexy. She judges appearance first so that she dated with Mark first before she started to date with David. After bumping into Mark one day, she starts to think how good looking Mark is again, therefore she is confused now. She doesn't know who is the person that she is going to choose. In her mind, she can't make her decision and doesn't know that which factor is better or more suitable for being her boyfriend ; "good-looking or thoughtful?" She is not sure whether her decision about contacting Mark again is wrong or not. Georgie is confused with her feeling and the story line of the novel keep showing how she reflects her thinking about making her mind.

Why the quote is significant to me?
Sometimes, it is really hard to find a friend who will really share my thoughts. I feel lonely sometimes though I have lot of friends surround me. I think a friend should be someone who know me well and could read my mind. However, it says"a faithful friend is hard to find." Maybe one day I will find a friend who knows my thought and shares the same interest. Now, I still enjoy hanging out with my friends. When I spend my time staying with my friends, I always have a good time. We laugh out loud even something(or jokes) is not even funny at all. Though we all have different personalities,
we got along with each other pretty well. Friends can be the person who I can always have a good time when I stay with them. My definition of friend is someone you will have the feeling that you belong to them and always have fun with them wherever you go. They don't need to be someone who are very famous or rich. They can be whoever they are in front of me.


Connect this quote to the "bigger picture "
Every people in the world has different personalities. However, it is really miraculous to see how people got together and choose their friends. Some people make friends by judging their appearance. However, the first impression is important but not always right. For example, Georgie chose Mark to be her boyfriend because he was cute and popular. After Mark dumped her badly, she realized that Mark was selfish and rude. Also, some people choose someone who is popular ,so they can also be popular. They choose to lie and pretend to be someone else to meet others' expectation. They don't think they are cool or good enough, so they decide to be friends with someone who is cool or popular. On the other hand, they can't be themselves and have to wear the masks all the time to please others. I think it is very important to make the friends who you will really enjoy doing anything with them. They will accept who you really are and you don't need to afraid that they will reject your idea when you share your opinion with them. Making friends is a important lesson for everyone in the world. Though it is hard to find friends who are suitable for you, it is much more valuable than anything in your life.

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Journal #1

A character analysis based on the quote

On the page 6
I don't know exactly, but David and I have watched "Roman Holiday" at least twenty times, and I never get bored of it- it's so sad, so funny, it's set in gorgeous Rome, and Audrey Hepburn looks just amazing.

Explains and supports
From the information above, we infer Georgie is romantic and emotional. She likes to imagine that she is a princess and is going to have the adventure with her prince in Rome. She thinks Rome is a country that are full of beautiful buildings, wonderful temperatures(or weather) and history background. She believes that everything miracle could happen if she gets a chance to go to Rome. She likes to daydreaming because she has watched "Roman Holiday" many time and never gets tired of it. She has watched that movie so many times ,so we can know that she really hopes that she could go to Rome to experience the same thing that had happen on Audrey. She loves romantic stuff and likes to day-dreaming. Perhaps, her life is full of pressure or not go smoothly as she expects to be. In this reason, she chooses to watch that movie to satisfied her imagination or release her pressure. At least, she still gets the moment that she can enjoy her own magic or romantic kingdom when she watches movies.

Why the quote is important to the novel?
We could infer that she is venturesome from the quote. She is a venturesome person because she isn't afraid to face challenges and prefer having a exciting life. For example, she symbolizes herself Audrey, who is England princess in the movie because she maybe also has a normal and boring too. She wants to go to Rome to experience the brand new world and fall in love with someone who really know her thoughts. Besides, working at the big city London makes her life routine and busy. She is tired of pretending game in the real world. She wants to do whatever she wants to do instead of being the person who tries to be perfect and follow all instructions to meet the other's social expectation.


Most important of all, She hopes that she could find someone who care about her and always read her mind to please her. It says "a faithful friend is hard to find." In the real world, it is really hard to find a person who really know your both appearance and inner thoughts. Georgie needs someone who would respect her thoughts and share advices with her. Also ,she doesn't like people surround her to cheat on her or hide secrets from her. She reflects herself as a princess(Audrey) who could never listen the truth of herself because people surround pretend to be nice to please her to get help or benefits from her. She prefers hearing the truth rather than guessing and discussing with others.

Why the quote is significant to me?
I think this quote is significant to me because I am the person who like to day-dream too. There are also some similarities between Georgie and me. First, I like to travel around the world to see the countries which have different culture and history background from my country. I also hope I would have a chance to go to Rome one day.I like to imagine how the life would be if I go there. I enjoy meeting new people and experiencing the new thing. Having an exciting adventure is one of my wishes. Also, I am tired of my work sometimes and hope I could find a place to hide or relax for a while. Though I am only a high school student, I still have a lot of thing to think and do. For example, I need to meet the teachers' expectation to got the high mark to apply for good university. Besides, I got to figure out the job that I want to do in the future. However my parents give me lots of pressure and advices which will affect my thinking while I am choosing my career. There are so much things that are waiting for me to do and I want to scream and find an island where there is nobody can find me and disturb my life.

Connect this quote to the "bigger picture "
Nowadays, mos of people live under the great pressure. They have to work hard and act in the certain ways to meet other's or social expectation. Watching movie or TV makes them relax because they can build their own kingdom while they are watching them. Though it only takes two to three hours to watch the movies, they are still very satisfied. They have a chance to stay in their imagination for a while ,and there is no rule to restrain their behavior and thinking. However ,it is very important to wake up from the dreams. Though dreams are wonderful and full of happiness, they are not real at all. Some people choose to live in their own world instead of solving their problems. Problems are not going to be solved by others or just disappear until you start to figure out the way to solve them. No matter how long you run away from problems, the problems are still there. We need to learn how to face the challenge and solve them instead of avoiding them.

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Vocabulary Post

1. Lunatic
Every once in a while I get some lunatic thinking that sending me a bribe, is going to get me off their case.
--- Silly in a wild way
Gary is lunatic because He is always acting crazy.

2. Intrigued
“How do you know these people so well?” I whisper, intrigued
---to interest someone a lot, especially by being strange, unusual or mysterious
Throughout history, people have been intrigued by the question of whether there is intelligent life in the universe.

3. raucously
At this the girls laugh raucously.
---sounding loud and rough
They are laughing raucously while the clown is making a trick on a volunteer audience.


4. Compensate
Candy never compensates and gets places a bit late.
---to provide something good to balance or reduce the bad effects of damage, loss, etc.
The company compensated him for the extra hours he worked.


5. Titter
Brain grins and Tracy titters.
---to laugh quietly, especially in a nervous or embarrassed way.
A couple of the classmates tittered at teacher's smutty jokes.


6. Relevant
“Not relevant,” he says firmly. “What I want to know is what happened to employees from companies that HG has merged with in the past.”
---closely connected with the subject you are discussing or the situation you are thinking about.
A good comments should be directly relevant to the problem or inquiry.

7. Terrace
I hear Mike go out onto the terrace and decide to have a quick nose around his flat.
---a flat, hard area, especially outside a house or restaurant, where you can sit, eat and enjoy the sun.(a row of often small houses joined together along their side walls)
In the summer night, people enjoy going to the terrace to watch the stars in the sky and let the cool wind blow slowly at their faces.



8. Emanate
There are delicious smells emanating from the kitchen.
---to produce or show something, or to express a quality or feeling through the way that you look and behave.
Great sadness emanated from her song while she was singing on the stage.


9. Questionnaire
The thing is, once I started looking at the Pensions questionnaire properly, I realized that actually a lot of it needed changing.
---a written list of questions that are answered by a number of people so that information can be collected from the answers
The questionnaire is designed to collect data of the new product to find out the potential market.



10. Crumple
Out of the window I see the Mini crumpled into the back of Mike’s BMW, an James is bumbling around pretending to look for his insurance detail while Mike stares at the damage, aghast.
---to crush something into folds; to become crushed into folds
She crumpled the letter up into a ball and threw it on the fire.


11. Intercom
I nod and walk over to press the intercom buzzer.
---a system of communication by telephone or radio inside an office, plane, etc; the device you press or switch on to start using this system
Visitors have to contact residents by intercom in order to go in this apartment.

12. Pathetic
I said loudly”Just leave me bloody well alone. You are a pathetic bastard.”
---making someone feel no respect, often because unsuccessful or showing no ability, effort or bravery.
In life, the most pathetic thing is not separation nor death, it is your inability to appreciate what you have.

13. Stagger
I stagger to my feet and my head starts throbbing as I pull on a robe.
---to cause someone to feel shocked or surprised because of something unexpected or very unusual happening
Because he was staggered by the news of his father's death, he was shocked and almost fell down.


14. Strategic
“Unfortunately for them, our investors did not take kindly to being told about the strategic direction of the company by worried employees, and so the merger talks have been suspended.”
---done as part of a plan that is meant to achieve a particular purpose or to gain an advantage
The company try to figure out the strategic decision to force it's enemy compnay to sell off of the business.


15. Immerse
I pad to the bathroom and immerse myself in the hot soapy water, washing the morning’s events away.
---to put something or someone completely under the surface of a liquid, or to become or make somebody completely involved in something
He immersed his feet into the warm water to rest after going hiking in the morning.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Introductory post

When In Rome

The novel I read for my silent reading project is called "When in Rome." It is a novel of pizzas and passion. The author of the novel is Gemma Townley. This book is a Ballantine Book that is published by The Random House Publishing Group in New York. There are three hundreds and eight pages in the book. The copyright date of the novel is 2004.


"When in Rome" is the novel which could give us a lot of romantic imagination. The main character in the story is a girl whose name is Georgie Beauchamp. She is satisfied with her life because she has a great job in London and is in love with her wonderful, thoughtful boy friend named David. She always enjoy watching her favorite movie which is called Roman Holiday and daydreaming that one day she will go to Rome to have the romantic adventure as Audrey Hepburn had in the movie. Georgie's life isn't change until she bumped into her gorgeous ex-boyfriend Mark one day. Mark dumped her badly two years ago, but she still wants him back to her. Mark started to contact Georgie again after he bumped into her. He invites her to take a trip to Rome with him. However, Georgie chooses to go to Rome with Mark without telling David. She enjoys her Roman holiday and everything goes smoothly before she sees David appear in front of her. Her life is going to be more complicated and she needs to make her choice between David and Mark.

The Book Review Link

http://www.ebookmall.com/ebook/143405-ebook.htm