Chao Tien-yi: Shih Heng-ching's釋恆清 Buddhism and Life佛學與人生 is my favorite. The teacher’s lively and vivid style and systematic teaching gave me a clear picture of Buddhism, and made me think more deeply about philosophies of life.
Laurence He: The Chinese Department’s History of Chinese Literature by Ke Ching-ming柯慶明 is great! His unique approach to Chinese literature focuses on the concept of “love” in each dynasty. Susan Hu: Introduction to Astronomy 認識星空 by Sun Wei-hsin孫維新! The lectures are lively and vivid, and the professor is eloquent, full of personal charm, even dashing! Even people who aren’t especially interested in astronomy are sure to be won over. You get the chance to go comet watching at Yangmingshan. Jeslie Chen: General Psychology II 普通心理學乙, taught by Lin Yi-cheng林以正 in the Sociology department, is good. The teacher is young and humorous, and the lectures are lively and interesting. The professor starts out by talking about a topic the students are interested in, then works up to a discussion about psychology based on it. Natasha Lee: I recommend two courses. The first is Chen Ming-tung’s 陳明通 Elections and Local Factions選舉與地方派系. The classes are quite relaxed, the teacher is funny, and you don’t need to worry that the exams will be too difficult. The second is Principles of Civil Law 民法總則, taught by Liu Tsung-jung劉宗榮. The teacher uses plain and simple language to explain civil law, and the lectures aren’t too boring. As long as you go to class regularly and prepare beforehand, you won’t be too pressured by the exams. Nicole Li: I like Introduction to Business企業概論 by Wei Chi-lin魏啟林in the Industrial Management Department. This course is not difficult and it will give you an overall idea of business. Most important of all, you learn not only about business, but about current world events as well. I enjoyed the professor’s comments on politics, economic policies and society. Chen Pei-chia: I have three courses to recommend. (1) Business English 商用英文, taught by Yang Hsiao-ting楊小定, is a useful course which features business letter writing, business vocabulary, and general ideas about business. (2) The instructor of Marriage and Family 婚姻與家庭is humorous, and he talks about a wide range of practical topics, such as interaction between the sexes, marriage and married life, sex, and educating children. (3) Professor Yang Nai-tung’s 楊乃東 Theories of Second Language Acquisition 第二語言學習概論 offers some useful foreign language learning strategies. Amy Yueh: I like my German One class, taught by Angelika Loo. She’s very cute and conscientious, and you can learn German with little pressure. And most important of all, her grades are very high! Rebecca Chen: My favorite course is the Anthropology department’s Contemporary American Society and Culture北美洲當代社會與文化, taught by Pu Tao卜道. You can learn about native North American cultures, religious communities, thought trends, and society as portrayed in movies, from the angle of anthropology and sociology. The teacher is very knowledgeable. Alicia Yu: I like Ecology and Environmental Protection生態保育. The teacher gives us a clear picture of what environmental protection is about, and can inspire our passion to try and protect the environment.
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by Tiffany Chiang
“Meow." No, I must have been hearing things. Maybe I didn’t get enough sleep yesterday. Maybe I should consider eating breakfast from now on. Maybe I should get that overdue medical checkup. "Meow, meow." My head shot up. I definitely wasn’t hallucinating. Since when did we have a cat in our lab? I glanced over the top of my computer and saw the assistant facing me with a sheepish grin. Okay, what did we have here? My curiosity got the better of me and I got up to take a look at his screen. He was testing a screen saver by Petz, Inc. There in the middle of his screen, was a cartoon cat running all over his desktop. I saw him feed, brush, spray, take photos, and even change the color of the cat. There were also toys in one corner, and the cat chased a metal ring around the screen. Later, when the assistant called up some lab work to finish, the cat quietly went to sleep. Cute, I thought. The only thing was, these "Catz” had to be “fed” on a daily basis - otherwise they turned mean, or might even die. They have “Dogz”, too, the assistant said - did I want one? No thank you, I didn*t think I was ready for a commitment yet, even with a computerized pet. “How about these?” he asked, and sheep started dropping all over the screen. These sheep jumped, bounced, ate flowers, took showers, rode rockets, and interfered with every command on the computer, exhibiting their existence in the most annoying way possible. They also bleated disconsolately if you picked them up (with the mouse) and threw them out of the way. Like real pets, it was better to put up with them, unless you planned to exterminate them permanently from your computer. Frankly, I wondered why these sheep were allowed to frolic around in the first place. The professor walked in. The assistant guiltily tried to turn off all the screen savers on his computer, but the professor had already caught a glimpse anyway. There was a tense moment of silence. Finally, the professor said, “Could you install that in my computer?” by Daphne Chiang
Are you the type who will stop and take a second glance at stray dogs on campus, and maybe feel bad that you can’t offer them a happy home? If so, you may have noticed something different about your canine friends lately. In order to prevent these poor creatures from giving birth to yet another generation of homeless animals, the Life Conversation Association has launched a campaign to solicit volunteers to assist in the neutering and caring of stray pets. The process involves a number of stages: first, the volunteers feed and observe the dogs and cats wandering the streets, then they notify the association and set up appointments with veterinarians to inoculate and spay the animals. A rice grain-sized microchip is then implanted in the animals’ neck - this operation is so simple that it doesn’t even require anesthesia. The microchip enables the association to keep tabs on the animal via computer. The dogs are given identification plates and the cats, red collars. They are kept in the hospital for up to seven days, then they are re-released in the area where they were found, where they continue to be observed and cared for; else an adoption is arranged for. Funds to finance this program come from private donations or through the sponsorship of various enterprises. Your help is needed to continue this worthwhile program. Call 715-0079 for information - NOW! translated into Chinese by Chen Tzu-yun 陳次雲,Associate Professor, DFLL
Translator’s note: This Irish folk song is a political satire in which the country woman Nell Flaherty represents Ireland, and the knave that stole the drake is clearly England. The censure is articulate and thorough. This work compares favorably with two poems containing political barbs in the ancient Chinese Book of Songs 詩經, namely Hsiang-po 巷伯 and Ta-tung 大東. Coincidentally, Ta-tung also happens to written in octets, with a total of seven stanzas. This poem consists of eight octets, beating Ta-tung by one stanza. My name it is Nell, quite candid I tell, That I live near Coote hill, I will never deny; I had a fine drake, the truth for to spake, That my grandmother left me and she going to die; He was wholesome and sound, he would weigh twenty pound, The universe round I would rove for his sake - Bad wind to the robber - be he drunk or sober - That murdered Nell Flaherty’s beautiful drake. 奴家閨名叫娜兒,頗為坦白我直說,我家住庫特崗附近,我絕不否認; 我有一隻好公鴨,我說的是真話,那是祖母給我遺物當她要就木; 公鴨健康又強壯,他一秤二十磅,為找他的緣故我願環宇漫步 - 惡風吹打那土匪 - 不論他醒或醉 -是他謀殺了娜兒傅烈蒂的美麗公鴨。 His neck it was green - most rare to be seen, He was fit for a queen of the highest degree; His body was white - and would you delight - He was plump, fat and heavy, and brisk as a bee, The dear little fellow, his legs they were yellow, He would fly like a swallow and dive like a hake, But some wicked savage, to grease his white cabbage, He murdered Nell Flaherty’s beautiful drake. 他的頸是綠油油 - 這顏色最罕有,他配得上人間最高貴的女王; 他的身是雪雪白 - 保證令你喜愛–他豐滿,肥又重,又靈活如蜜蜂, 這可愛的小傢伙,他雙腳杏黃色,他會如燕飛天又會如魚潛淵, 但某萬惡蠻子,為添包心菜油脂,他謀殺了娜兒傅烈蒂的美麗公鴨。 May his pig never grunt, may his cat never hunt, May a ghost ever haunt him at dead of the night; May his hen never lay, may his ass never bray, May his goat fly away like an old paper kite. That the flies and fleas may the wretch ever tease, And the piercing north breeze make him shiver and shake, May a lump of a stick raise bumps fast and thick On the monster that murdered Nell Flaherty’s drake. 願他的豬不咕嚕,願他的貓不捕鼠,願有鬼一直作他祟當更深人靜; 願他的雞蛋不生,他的驢不嘶鳴,願他的山羊飛走像一隻老風箏。 願蒼蠅和跳蚤一直把這壞蛋騷擾,願刺骨的北風教他發抖又觳觫, 願一根大棍子打得他腫包密又多在那謀殺了傅烈蒂公鴨的惡魔。 May his cradle ne'er rock, may his box have no lock, May his wife have no frock for to cover her back; May his cock never crow, may his bellows ne'er blow, And his pipe and his pot may be evermore lack. May his duck never quack, may his goose turn black, And pull down his turf with her long yellow beak; May the plague grip the scamp, and his villainy stamp On the monster that murdered Nell Flaherty’s drake. 願他的搖籃不搖,願他箱子鎖不牢,願他的妻沒有衣服可以蔽體; 願他公雞不啼,願他風箱不鼓氣,願他煙斗和鍋子長缺煙絲和米。 願他的鴨不呱呱,願他的鵝變黑,用她黃色長喙拉倒他的泥炭堆; 願瘟疫抓牢這無賴,把災害烙印在那謀殺了娜兒傅烈蒂公鴨的惡魔。 May his pipe never smoke, may his teapot be broke, And to add to the joke, may his kettle ne'er boil; May he keep to the bed till the hour that he’s dead. May he always be fed on hogwash and boiled oil. May he swell with the gout, may his grinders fall out, May he roll, howl and shout with the horrid toothache; May the temples wear horns, and the toes many corns, Of the monster that murdered Nell Flaherty’s drake. 願他煙斗不著火,願他茶壺打破,更妙的事情是,願他水壺煮不沸; 願他一病不起一直到他斷了氣。 願他永遠被人用豬食和沸油來餵。 願他痛風到發腫,願他齒牙滿地掉,願他牙痛痛到打滾,尖叫和哀號; 願他頭上戴綠帽,雞眼長滿腳,那謀殺了娜兒傅烈蒂公鴨的惡魔。 May his spade never dig, may his sow never pig, May each hair in his wig be well thrashed with a flail; May his door have no latch, may his house have no thatch, May his turkey not hatch, may the rats eat his meal. May every old fairy, from Cork to Dunleary, Dip him snug and airy in river or lake, Where the eel and the trout may feed on the snout Of the monster that murdered Nell Flaherty’s drake. 願他鏟子不挖土,願他母豬不生豬,願他每一根假髮都被連枷仔細打; 願他的門沒門閂,願他的茅屋沒茅草,願他火雞孵不出,願碩鼠吃他食物。 願每位老神仙,從科克到黎雷渡,舒服又涼快把他泡在河裡或湖內; 讓鱔魚和鱒魚紛紛爭食他的大鼻子,那謀殺了娜兒傅烈蒂公鴨的惡魔。 May his dog yelp and howl with hunger and cold, May his wife always scold till his brains go astray; May the curse of each hag that e'er carried a bag Alight on the vag, till his hair turns gray. May monkeys affright him, and mad dogs still bite him, And every one slight him, asleep or awake; May weasels still gnaw him, and jackdaws still claw him - The monster that murdered Nell Flaherty’s drake. 願他的狗饑寒交迫而慘叫和哀號,願他的妻鎮日漫罵到他腦袋歪; 願每個曾帶過一個布袋的母夜叉都來詛咒這無賴,到他髮變斑白。 願猴子嚇死掉他,願瘋狗依然咬他,每一個人都唾棄他,清醒或睡著; 願黃鼠狼仍啃他,穴鳥仍成群抓他–那謀殺了娜兒傅烈蒂公鴨的惡魔。 The only good news that I have to infuse Is that old Peter Hughes and blind Peter McCrake, And big-nosed Bob Manson, and buck-toothed Ned Hanson, Each man had a grandson of my lovely drake. My treasure had dozens of nephews and cousins, And one I must get or my heart it will break; To keep my mind easy, or else I’ll run crazy - This ends the whole song of my beautiful drake. 唯一的好消息我必須公諸於世是老休斯和瞎眼的麥克克雷克, 和大鼻子的曼生,和兔牙的韓生,每人各有我可愛公鴨的孫子一隻。 我的寶貝有成打的侄子和表弟妹,我最少要有一隻否則我心會碎; 好教我容與逍遙,否則我會瘋掉–我美麗公鴨的整首歌在此終了。 by Clotilde Dusoulier
In our last issue you read about how an NTU student built a friendship halfway around the world through pen and ink. Louisa Lin’s French pen friend, Clotilde Dusoulier, read about it, too, and felt anxious to share with Louisa’s NTU friends her side of this inspiring story of successful cross-cultural communication. Here is her response to Louisa’s article: This is a true story. I can tell you, it happened to me. The amazing adventure began when I received one of the thousands “friendship booklets” pen-friends pass on one to another, writing down their address, so that more and more people will write to them. I noticed in that one the address of a Taiwanese girl, Louisa. As I was at that time trying to diversify the origin of my pen-friends, and as it is far more exciting for a French girl like me to write to someone from Taiwan than from Belgium, I decided to write to her. That’s when it all began. A few days later, I received an answer of about 10 pages. This letter, just like every single other one I would afterwards receive from Louisa, was lively, interesting, very well-written, and most of all, in a perfect English. I say “most of all” because I was really stricken by how she harnessed that language even though Chinese is such a different one. So we wrote to each other regularly. And one day, my dad asked if I didn’t mind joining to my letter a little note he had written, since he was studying Chinese and felt like experiencing it on someone capable of judging if it was right or wrong. (These people are, as you can imagine, very rare in France. Most of the people you show anything written in Chinese would first say: “Oh! That is very nice!” and then ask: “huh…what language is that? Japanese?”) So of course, I did send it to her. That’s when my dad officially became “Uncle Patrick”. He was very excited when he received a whole letter written in Chinese. And Louisa and him went on writing to each other since then. One day, she sent a letter explaining she was planning to come to France during summer 1996. It was really an amazing trip. We suggested a few places of interest, and asked them to come and visit us at our house in Les Vosges and in our flat in Paris, which they happily accepted. When the time came to meet her and her friend Stacy, I was ecstatic! And it was really an extraordinary experience to speak to a person whose voice you had never heard before, but whom you felt you knew personally! Once again, I was incredibly impressed that they both spoke such great French, only from having taken courses during a year or so! We separated promising we would soon meet again. And now, a few months later, I still haven’t forgotten the pleasure it was to spend a few days with them. She wrote an article about it, so I thought I would too. I hope it won’t get censored because the compliments I make about the special person she is shock her Chinese modesty! Anyway, always remember how great an pen-and-letter friendship can be if it lasts more than two letters (which unfortunately often happens!). by Jerry Wong
Meredith Monk - the eclectic vocalist and composer, captivated Taipei audiences with her performances in early March. Monk, with her signature dreadlocks and easy composure, took the stage and sang with a bare minimum of accompaniment. No, not the usual classical vocal recital, but a radical journey through the infinite possibilities of the human voice that evades classification of any sort. Take Insect for example, a piece where Monk launches into rapid, spasmodic bursts of harsh “ah” sounds, resembling a fly or mosquito. Or Descending, consisting of Indian-style ornamentations coupled with low-pitched siren sounds. Also a choreographer and movie director, Monk’s performance talents are showcased with her body movements blending harmoniously with the music - at times stretching her arms out as if calming the audience, at times putting her hands on her waist and dramatically turning her body with a teasing, jubilant facial expression, at times elegantly rotating her joints as if she were an Oriental dancer. However, do not mistake Monk for kitsch art - her vocal technique is truly inimitable, able to handle wide pitch leaps and microtonal inflections alike with exquisite precision. Her refined control over vocal color and vibrato inspired New York Times’ critic John Rockwell to write, “If she wanted to, Miss Monk could have a respectable career in conventional classical music.” She has, however, definitely chosen to take the road less traveled, expanding her technique in innovative ways. In her Click Song, Monk makes a clicking sound with her tongue, superimposed upon a continuous melody originating also from her mouth! The magnum opus for the evening would have to be Madwoman’s Vision, a soundtrack from Monk’s self directed film, Book of Days. The film describes a young girl in Medieval times having apocalyptic visions of our days, but who is ignored by all but one madwoman who shares her vision. The piece starts with a soothing, religious hymn-like melody, moves into dreamlike choral lines, transforms into a senile witch’s incomprehensible murmurings, marches into outbursts of masculine, low pitched “ho” breaths, and finally returns to the starting theme of tranquility. According to Monk, the piece represents an “overview of humanity, with its joys and sadness and love and pains, which allows her (the girl) to ultimately view life with a sense of compassion.” It has been said that Monk’s music has the magic quality of arousing a deep, subjective experience in her listeners. And yes, by the time the performance ended, it was almost as if I’d beheld the Madwoman’s Vision, undergoing intense emotions conjured up by Monk’s world of soundscapes, and eventually emerging with an indescribable joy of being spiritually healed. The Meredith Monk experience is an unique experience indeed, and perhaps the barren and naked expression of the human voice triggers something of the primordial in our souls that is a common language to us all. by Brian Lin
So you’ve surfed the World Wide Web, visited some way-cool sites, and have ended up fascinated and disgusted by the content and design of these little homes-away-from-home of people all over the world. You’ve probably also thought to yourself, “Hey, I can do that too!” and soon realize that you, in fact, can’t. Well, here’s some links that will help you get started - everything from HTML tips to downloadable graphics, from homepage reviews to homepage hosts, and the best thing of it all is that they are all totally FREE! Now get on the Net and present yourself to the WWW - the Whole Wide World. Getting Started: These sites will give you a general idea as to how HTML works with different web-browsers, and provide you with basic style tips for creating your own homepage. On Using Standard HTML HTML Writing Aids and Tips HTML Style Tips HTML Tips & tools Hot HTML Tips Furnish And Decorate Your Home: It’s time to tastefully paper and furnish in your homepage. These pages provide free, downloadable graphics to help you design your own fashionable home. UWO Web Server Images Free Art Web Site Realm Graphics You can set up your new home under your university account or with the biggest free homepage host on the Net: Geocities and keep a track of your guests with a counter at NTU or Web Counter Want to know what the experts think about your new home? Submit your URL to Free Homepage Reviews. Until next time, happy surfing! by Quarzart Wang
After a woman struggled with her jammed motorcycle on the pavement of Hsinhai Road 辛亥路for twenty minutes, she finally sought help from others and was able to free her bike. She complained bitterly at the workers who moved her bike so disrespectfully-they had rammed it into a tree. This is the kind of problem the workers on Hsinhai Road have caused us over the past few weeks (starting from March 15) and it has been a trying ordeal for us all. But when silent curses cloud our minds, we often forget that our convenience is mainly built on the labors of others. If we looked closer, we could see the workers all glistening with perspiration. Sweat beads from their foreheads overflowed the dam of their brows and lashes even on a sunless spring afternoon with a mild, cooling breeze. First, they had to dig out the whole sidewalk; then they put concrete blocks over the newly dug water mains; then they flattened out the surface of what was left of the sidewalk; and then they placed metallic wire grids over the pressed surface. Then came the real labor - cementing and re-paving. The “tiles” they use are 30 by 60cm and 6.5cm thick. These grayish-white concrete slabs have to be lifted, pieced together, and laid down one by one with gloved hands and “cemented” shoes. When I inquired them about the reason for laying the new sidewalks, they replied that these slabs were much more durable, and could take more abuse from bikers. Sections One to Three of Hsinhai Road are only a start; most of Taipei’s ancient red tiles walkways are to be converted into these enormities (personally I think it is marvelous that someone finally got around to doing something for our frequently fragmented pavements). They said that they were hurrying the work around our campus to try to cause the least inconvenience, and would be done in approximately two weeks. When I asked them what the major problem was in refurbishing the pipes and pavement, one of them pointed to a car parked on the pavement, and then to row upon rows of bikes, and said, “This, and the rain.” I had no idea how they were going to remove the car, but I’m certain that I would get bike-a-phobia if I had to move so many scooters, not to mention a pair of much, much longer arms. |
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The Taida Student Journal has been active since 1995 with an ever-changing roster of student journalists at NTU. Click the above link to read about the authors Archives
May 2024
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