by Grace Weng
The bus halts to a sudden stop. The standing passengers hold tightly onto their handles, but nevertheless lean at least thirty degrees forward and crush people in front of them. With the driver’s second step on the brake, they bounce back up and immediately prepare them-selves for the next round of excitement which the driver might surprise them . Taking the bus during with rush hours can be an unpleasant experience for many, but encountering a bad driver can virtually annihilate one’s good mood for the entire day. What I mean by a bad driver is not one who is not good at driving, but one whose driving habits and attitude are inappropriate and abominable. Often, the bad driver drives exceptionally well, and his skilled maneuvering of the vehicle leads to his impetuous driving. Despite the large number of cars roving through the streets during traffic hours, the bad bus driver can always make his bus overtake other vehicles, and continue driving at full speed. Though one would usually expect the bus to decelerate while turning, the situation is different when it is conducted by a bad driver. Instead of slowing down, the bus swerves swiftly around the cor-ner, drawing a perfect arc as it turns, causing other drivers to look on with awe but the passengers to wobble unsteadily as they strive to defy the centripetal force. When the bus stops abruptly for a red light, they unintentionally squish and squash people around them, while si-lently cursing the driver for his uncivil driving habits. Not only does the bad bus driver reveal his lack of consideration for pas-sengers through his driving habits, he also shows his impoliteness in a much more explicit way, by being rude and querulous. The rudeness that the bad bus driver shows towards his passengers is something I have always failed to com-prehend. For seemingly no reason at all, he is always angry and irritated with the passengers. With his tightly locked brows, he gives a despising look to the ones standing next to his seat. If some-one asks him a question concerning the route, he either answers in a harsh, exas-perated voice or completely ignores the inquiry. In the latter case, the passenger, assuming that the driver did not hear him, asks again and receives the first response with another look of annoyance. Complaining is another favorite habit of the bad driver. While chewing his betel nuts, he complains of the other buses getting in his way, the taxi that stops by the side of the road, the traffic, the lights, the police–basically every-thing he sees in his view. Of course, he does not make it any easier for his pas-sengers. Whether the passengers are getting on or off the bus, the driver com-plains impatiently, “Can’t you move faster?” “What’s taking so long?” Some-times he does not even wait for the last passenger to land his feet on the ground, but scoots away while the back foot is still stepping down from the stairs. With the installment of the new stored-value ticket machine, he has more to complain about than ever. When someone is having trouble inserting the card or inserts it the wrong way, he grabs the card from them, pushes it inside the machine, and says harshly, “Isn’t it as simple as that?” (a pretty mild expression compared to the “Are you stupid or what?” that he might say another time). It’s a pity that passengers not only have to endure the swarming crowds during rush hours, but they also have to put up with the terrible driving habits and attitude of bad bus drivers. However, as a passenger who takes buses almost every day, I can readily assure you that the chance of running into a bad bus driver is not that frequent. In fact, there are many polite and helpful drivers whose kindness can make your day, even as you squeeze your way down the crowded bus!
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by Angela Tsai
If I could bargain with God before I came in to the world, I would beg him that “Please, don’t let me be a twin!” Many people, especially newly married couples, think tat having twins is a wonderful, at least interesting idea. But if you were a twin, like me, you would probably put away such a naihve thought. Don’t believe it? Listen to my story! When my twin sister and I were infants, according to what my mother told me, our crying sounded so similar that our parents could hardly distinguish which one had been fed. This means that it’s possible that one of us had too much milk while the other went hungry. Since then, we have been doomed to share everything, food, clothes, books, friends, and even birthday cards. It’s really a bad experience to receive one card saying, “Happy birthday to Angela and Michelle!” even though we sent cards for our friends separately. And then we had the problem deciding which one of us should keep the card. The card seemed to belong neither to my sister nor to me. How we wished to be considered as two individuals rather than one. But unluckily, people always shattered our dream. To become two independent individuals, we insisted on wearing different clothes, even though most people expect to see twins in the same dresses. But then another problem occurred. People would ask us curiously, “Why do you hate each other?” Oh God! Why do wearing different clothes have to do with hatred? It doesn’t make sense! But I’ve lacked the energy to argue with them. “Are you the younger or the elder?” This is the question that I fear most but always haunts me. Although we’ve given up the tag of twin, in the same dresses, we still have to answer this question at least three times a day. Moreover, in order to avoid complicated explanations, I nod to all those who pass and greet me whether I know them or not. In only one situation can I take advantage of my special identity? When I meet people who insists they know me but I forget them, I’ll deal with my embarrassment by telling them, “Well, you’ve mistaken me for my elder sister, Angela.” However, the real pressure between twins is the inevitable competition, especially over things relating to grades. After the entrance exam of senior high school, almost all our relatives consoled my sister because she did not get into the best high school, as I did. What’s wrong? It’s an excellent school, isn’t it? So, they expressed their sympathy instead of congratulating her. Actually, it’s really hurt my sister. She felt she was a loser in their eyes, compared with me, even though she never felt ashamed of the school she entered. This kind of competition has plagued us for twenty years. When we learned to play piano, every lesson ended with the teacher’s commenting on which one was better than the other. Our figures, hairstyles, personalities, and everything that can be compared are always the topics of conversation for our relatives. We never regard each other as the competitor even if others think so. Whenever there is a comparison, one of us will feel stabbed in the heart. Do you still want to be a twin? In Chinese thought, twins must have a deeper affinity given by god, so they are destined to accompany each other all the time. My mother, an elementary school teacher, has taught many pairs of twins who relied on each other very much. They even went everywhere together. I can’t imagine it. Maybe before I came to the world, God forgot to teach me how to behave like a twin! by Tiffany Chiang
On December 29, 1996, a student of the Graduate Institute of Planning and Building in took his life by suffocating himself with a gas emission pipe. Why did he choose to, as Alexander Dumas so delicately put it, violently break this mortal coil that obstinately demands us to live? There is no answer, because the person who holds all the answers can never give them anymore. The only thing left, after the initial shock and overwhelming sadness of his classmates and teachers, is guesswork. Everyone has their theories; no one has any definite conclusion. It is sad that suicides seem a regular occurrence in NTU. Death has never been easily dealt with, either by Westerners or Easterners, but a death occasioned by suicide is an especially uncomfortable issue. Many people do not wish to talk about it, treating the subject as a taboo. However, no one seems to notice that all the hush hush only activates the underground grapevine faster, promoting all sorts of bizarre motives and theories. Besides, confession is good for the soul, and talk may have relieved many of the shadows of sorrows and guilt buried in the student friends? and classmates? hearts. There is the possibility that a suicide can be the result of a physical disease. Both the Building and Planning student and the accounting grad student who jumped off the management building two years ago were reported to have been mentally unstable to the extent that it threatened their graduation plans. In cases such as these, support from instructors and fellow classmates may not even be enough; it would be a good idea for the suicidal student to consult a psychiatrist and/or even reconsider the value of pursuing further studies at this stage. The psychology department in NTU provides consultants for students who are afraid of formal medical treatment and prefer anonymity, but a formal medical diagnosis and treatment is still the best policy. Most girls seem to prefer to take the quick and quiet route. Whereas girls either jump off buildings or take sleeping pills, boys seem to go for more tragic measures. The Building and Planning student who chose the conventional way of using a gas pipe emission, balanced the drama by recording the whole process down with a V8 standing nearby. But this was nothing compared to a Civil Engineering senior student, who chose to burn himself to death. “He had left a note explaining the reason of his decision,” Mrs.Chou Chia-Pei (? ? ?) the advisor of the student said. “It was mainly because he felt alone among his classmates, and he was a person who valued friendship very much.” Mrs.Chou also commented that this alienation is very typical among NTU students. Because NTU students are usually elite when it comes to schoolwork, they are used to receiving special attention and privileges. But come to NTU, and they find that they suddenly are not that special anymore. Some people deal with this fact better than others, but there is always that small percentage of students who cannot get over the feeling of bewilderment. Also, the fact that the Civil Engineering student had been preparing for graduate school exams may have also accelerated this feeling of detachment and lack of concern from his fellow classmates. His death was a big symbolic exclamation mark, indicating his end like the flourish of a performer leaving the stage. The DFLL also has its share of suicides. Just a few years ago, a sophomore jumped off a building, her body unrecognizable after the jump, making a sensation in the news. Mr. Peterson, who taught the student when she was a freshman, commented that “her unhappiness wasn’t easily detected.” Although Mr. Peterson wasn? the personal instructor of this student, he said he was still shocked when he heard the news. Karen Chung, who has been special advisor for many special admission students in DFLL, says that the most talented students often do not deal with mental pressures as well as the average student. “Most teachers, when they hear that a student they have once taught has committed suicide, immediately feel self reproach. ‘Was there anything they could have done to prevent it?’ This is the first question that comes to mind ,” Ms. Chung said meditatively. “However, in order for the teacher to be able to help, the person has to want to receive help in the first place. There is also the fact that the final decision is really made by the person who committed suicide, not the teacher.” It has been said that suicide is a permanent solution for a temporary problem. But it is also worth realizing that suicide is a decision, a not very acceptable decision in the eyes of many people, but a decision nevertheless. On this note, instead of criticizing, we should try to understand that this final decision had been considered and reached before being performed, and we can only pray that all the people who have committed suicide have finally found peace. We should also try to comprehend that it is our choice whether we want to live and that we have the ability to be who we want to be. by Charly Tsai
For the first time a Taekwondo competition was held at NTU. The games were based onfriendship and were just for fun so there really wasn’t anything to win. The only thing tobe gained was more experience for the National College Cup in May. Our entire school teamwas in the competition since most of them are beginners, this way they could learn and letour coach see how to improve their skills. Even though I have been a contestant since I was a freshman, I had to be there too,since it was an order from the coach and I couldn’t say no. An order is an order, so evenif I didn’t get a good night’s sleep before the competition I still had to be there. All Iknew was that I would have two opponents, both of whom were new this year. They wanted tocompete with me because they wanted to see how it would go in May. It was their first timeto compete since they started to train. We were all in class 8, which is 70kg and up. Ifelt it was not really fair since both of them were only around 75-80 kg while I was likean elephant compared to them. But according to our coach it was a good thing for me, sincethey needed to use all their power if they wanted to get any points at all. To get a pointyou have to kick above the belt of your opponent and it also has to sound like you areclapping your hands. So there I was in the first round fighting against a contestant fromMingchuan University; she had yellow belt and wanted to test her fate for the first time.She came into the ring and started to scream trying to scare me away; if this had been myfirst time maybe I would have been scared, but since it was my seventh competition I justlet her scream like an idiot. She screamed and came forward but I didn’t take her assomeone I should be afraid of, so I gave her a kick. Her expression said something like"What? Where did that kick come from?“ Maybe it was because I had trained for solong or because I was playing around with her. She got more and more angry and started tocry out even louder. During the second round I started to realize that I shouldn’t playwith her too much, and the coach said I should pretend she’s just a board, kick her withall my might and then see if she would dare to scare me any more. But since it wassupposed to be a friendly competition I let her do whatever she wanted but I repaid her bynot giving her the chance to score any points at all. I wanted to be cruel instead ofbeing tough. I gave her what she deserved, which was to allow her no rest at all. Even ifit would tax my energy, I didn’t care. With a score of 7-0 I came away the winner. by Alan Lan
Most people have the experience of dining at McDonald’s. You know the Big Mac is tasty. But how many of you know how a Big Mac got to taste like a Big Mac? I bet not many. By reading this article, you will discover the mystery of McDonald’s and turn out to be a McDonald’s expert, just like me. I worked at McDonald’s. It was definitely not for any economic reason because beggars earn more than McDonald’s workers. What motivated me to work there was my love for the restaurant. Going to McDonald’s was like going to some paradise for me when I was little because the only things I did were eating yummy French fries and playing with Happy Meal toys. So I started my longtime relationship at that age and I still go very often today. I worked at McDonald’s for 6 months. And I got to know almost everything McDonald’s workers had to know, and even some things that we were not supposed to know. Working in McDonald’s is definitely not as easy as you might think. We are all very well trained before we start working. We all have to watch videos which have specific subjects. For example, we have to watch a series of videos about how to make a Big Mac before we actually go into the kitchen and make one. And we are also required to memorize everything about making the food we are asked to make. From the quantity of chicken nuggets that can be put in the frying basket to the ounces of sauce designed for different kinds of hamburgers, every step and process of food making is all set so there’s almost no room for you to make hamburgers your own way. It sounds like they are trying to make us to get the jobs done like robots do. I have to say that’s the idea. Many people would doubt the cleanliness in a McDonald’s kitchen. Honestly we don’t wear plastic gloves while making food, but we are actually all required to wash our hands thoroughly with some non-toxic sanitizer before entering into the kitchen. And touching anything unclean with your hands is not allowed. Once you touch your hair or apron, no matter what, you have to go wash your hands again. Well, at least that’s what they say in the worker’s guidebook. The guidebook also says you have to obey orders from the managers. Workers in blue shirts are managers. They are responsible for different areas but anyway we have to work harder when those blueshirts are around. Workers in red are so-called McDonald’s Aunties. What they do is play with kids or do surveys with customers and most of the time they just walk around in the dining area and see what they can do to help. Workers with the highest workload and lowest pay are the people in green. They can be at the counter or in the kitchen. We can simply tell how good they are by looking at the cards pinned on the chest. We don’t just see their names but also some numbers put in columns on the card. The numbers range from 1 to 4, and each column stands for a category of work he can do. If you see a guy with a lot of 1’s on his card, that means he is very experienced. So we should go to the guy with a 4 in column “C,” which means he is a begin-ner at the counter, because he would probably forget your order and charge you less money. The person in green with a yellow stamp decoration on the left sleeve is the best of all. He or she usually stands right behind the bin. The person is called the quality controller. What this person appears to do is just wrap or package the hamburgers. But actually what he or she does deserves the highest salary of any McDonald’s worker. The quality controller is more of a quantity controller. They have to con-trol the amount of products put in the bin. This task is extremely important. McDonald’s has a policy that we are not supposed to make customers wait for their orders. So we have to prepare the food in advance and put it in the bin, while we also have this rule that any product should never stay in the bin for more than 10 minutes. Therefore it’s up to the quality con-troller whether customers wait or prod-ucts have to be thrown away. There are tons of things quality controllers must consider. For example, they have to know the day, the time, the number of customers, even the weather, to decide what products and how many of them should be put in the bin. And they still have to go on packing hamburgers. If any mistake is made, there’s no way out. I got to be a kind of fill-in quality controller a couple of times, and I think I could have saved thousands of Africans with the food I wasted. Therefore, the 10 minute rule is not always so accurate. But somehow you can look at the little card put beside the hamburgers on the bin. The numbers seem hard to de-code but if you look at your watch you’ll get it. It’s the time the product is put in the bin but you have to add another 10 min-utes by your watch to get the right time. As for the apple pie, there should be a time written on the bottom of the box. This time no code or password. Just add 90 minutes to it and that’s the time it expires. There are definitely some pass-words between the workers. Sometimes the quality controller or a manager might shout “Big Mac is delicious!” Once the counter people receive that password, they know that there are too many Big Macs in the bin and they are going to expire. So next time the counter guy recommends anything to you, I would say you better think about it, unless what he recommends is exactly what you want. I love McDonald’s. And I am defi-nitely trying to get more people to fall in love with it. I honestly hope my article helps every one of you to understand McDonald’s better and enjoy it more. by Phoebe Chen
A radiant fashionable lady glides onto a terrace which is only shown in black and white. She accidentally drops her apple-green cellular phone when sitting down beside a small round table. Slightly embarrassed, she picks up her phone and demurely glances around. All of the men sitting around her hastily hide their plain black cellular phones. A finely dressed young man walking confidently out of a magnificent commercial building with a laptop in one hand and a mobile phone in the other. He slides into the back seat of a glimmering black car and starts working on his computer while calling his secretary. His secretary informs him that the general manager wishes to speak to him. He then says, “I’ll be in Hong Kong, but my cellular phone will be standing by at all times.” “Shouldn’t you be heading to the airport by now?” the general manager inquires.“I’m already there,” replies the young man, stepping out of the car. Most people are probably quite familiar with these two commercials along with many other mobile phone advertisements. These commercials create an image in our mind that having a cellular phone is fashionable and represents high status. With the introduction of lower prices we also see more and more students with mobile phones on campus. However, cellular phones are now more than just a phone to be carried around. The first difference is their appearance. They are becoming smaller and smaller. For example, Motorola’s Star TAC is even smaller than your palm. Moreover, now there are more colors to choose from. Originally, cellular phones were always black, but now you can see a large selection of brightly colored phones by Ericsson, and silver ones by Panasonic. Another feature is their unique design, for example, Nokia’s banana phone fits the curve of your face. Although every mobile phone has different features, they all share similar functions: Call Preference: one can screen the calls by examining the number shown on the monitor. Voice Mail System: when one doesn’t want to be disturbed or when the reception is poor, one can choose to use the message recording system. Sending Short Messages: when one is in a situation inconvenient to talk, for example, during an opera or a speech, one could send short messages instead. Conference Calling: one can talk to more than one person at the same time. Sending and Receiving Fax and E-mail: when one’s mobile phone is connected to a computer, one can send and receive fax and e-mail. However, faced with a vast array of cellular phones, how do we know which one to choose? The following five top-selling models may give you some clue as to their characteristics. Nokia 8110: has a beautifully designed curve to fit the user’s face, furthermore, it has a long standby time. Nokia 6110: has the function of a super secretary, it will remind the user names, birthdays, appointments, etc. Ericsson GF788: is very small and features bright colors with easy navigation. Molorola StarTAC: has a clam-shell design with double-battery capacity, allowing the user to continue talking while changing batteries. It also includes a vibra-ring feature. Philips Genie: voice dial ? speak a name and the phone will automatically dial the corresponding number. There’s a pop-out microphone to make the user’s voice clearer. 10 questions to ask when buying a cellular phone 1. What is the weight of the phone with the battery? 2. What kind of battery does the phone use? 3. How long is the talk time? 4. What is the memory capacity for the phone book? 5. How loud is the ringer? 6. How good is the reception? 7. What kind of price plans are available? 8. Is there a warranty for the phone? 9. How many extras are included (chargers, hands-free equipment, etc.)? 10 What kind of customer service is provided? by Angela Tsai
At the end of March, three stray dogs were found seriously injured by some type of acid, and then three students at NTU took them to a nearby veterinary. When the news was reported on TV and in the newspaper, the problem of stray dogs finally captured NTU students’ attention. Like what Wu Hsu Yu (吳 書 宇), one of the three students who took the dogs to the veterinarian, said, “It’s a tough problem!” When discussing how to treat those dogs in NTU dormitories and on campus, we should try to understand what a complicated situation we’re facing. Some people concentrate on the issue of respect for life while the others are concerned more about the environment and sanitary conditions. Even students and the school authorities think of this issue in different ways. Students may want to keep stray dogs out of sympathy and humanity, but school authorities worry about budgeting and who is going to take care of the dogs on a permanent basis. Although each of these aspects has its importance and should not be ignored, it’s almost impossible to come to a perfect solution that meets every demand. However, to keep stray dogs on campus or in dorms is a debatable question. For example, can students afford expense of dog food and doctor’s fees? The dogs would need to have shots to prevent contagious diseases if we want them to live in the dorm. Besides, we also have to have them spayed or neutered, or we will have more and more puppies. Furthermore, if we take in stray dogs which have already been living on campus for a long time, what about ones which come later? In fact, stray dogs can come in and out the school freely because no one guards other entrances besides the main gate. What’s worse, our campus is open to everyone, not only to students and teachers, so what can we do if people abandon their dogs on our campus? Maybe we can forbid people to walk their dogs here, but can we check every car strictly before it enters our school? And who can take care of those dogs during summer or winter vacation while students are away? At the beginning of April, the Animal Protection Club (懷 生 社) asked students to sign a petition voicing their concern over this problem, and the Department of Zoology (動 物 系) also worked hard to set up a Co-raising project (共 養 制) to offer good care for dogs. They believe that only by setting up a complete system for raising dogs and forbidding others to walk dogs at NTU can our campus avoid being responsible for every abandoned dog. They also consider the way we treat stray dogs now-letting them die if no one adopts them-is inhumane. In addition, the cost for catching a dog is NT 1000. Though Mr. 費 昌 勇, a professor in the Department of Veterinary Medicine, has set up a team – 愛 心 補 犬 隊 – to catch the dogs, it seems only to improve the problem for the present, not permanently.. Therefore, students from Department of Zoology asked the school authorities to hold a public hearing to figure out a way to help the dogs. After all, if any system or project wants to be carried out thoroughly and successfully, it needs the school’s enforcement and support. Let’s come back to the three injured dogs. After Wu Hsu Yu looked for adopters and medical financial support on the Internet, two of them were adopted by people who live in the NTU neighborhood, and the other one is still in the hospital. Wu Hsu Yu admits that the medical expense is a heavy burden, which is more than what a student can afford. If you would like to have the dog or donate money, please contact him– 吳 書 宇, 動 物 系 三, 428. by Hsien-yu Lin
Ask yourself honestly. Do you know how to do your laundry by washing machine? Are you sure you can distinguish an apple from a pear? Are you aware you need to switch on the vacuum cleaner before you use it? Dare you claim you can name more than five vegetables ? If you answer “No” to all the questions, congratulations, you are among the growing group of so-called “Life idiots.” What’s unusual about these people is that they are over-achievers in their working fields; they know everything about their specialty; they make you want to kneel before them when talking about their expertise; they are so intelligent that you wouldn’t categorize them as human beings; they can do so well at school that you cannot help complaining to your parents for not having given you a better brain. Calvin is the best example. Since he was in kindergarten, he’s been getting first place in most exams and contests. Now he is a young man of 22 and he’s been to the U.S.A, the U.K, Germany, France, Japan’ any place you name. He has no problems at all talking to a native English speaker as if he had grown up abroad. He can give a speech to 200 people any place any time without so much as a blush. He can solve any computer problem in both hardware and software like he is the inventor or the programmer. He can play Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with such skill that you may suspect he is playing the CD. This kind of person is now everywhere in Taiwan. Why Taiwan particularly? Just imagine, you have computer classes, English courses and piano classes on holidays , and you are obliged to go to math, physics and chemistry cram schools at night. So how can you find the time to do other things? Moreover, you are not only having these courses; you are supposed to practice over and over again till you are exhausted. Yes, you are busy all right, and thanks to Taiwanese parents, you never have you to do part-time jobs. All they ask of you is to get good grades and win prizes. If you perform better than your neighbors or relatives, you will probably get some reward. When you are studying, you are more powerful than an emperor and will be excused from every household chore. Parents or other siblings who don’t do well in their studies are responsible for this work. Thus it is really no big deal that you cannot peel an apple, that you need to wear your keys on your neck all day long, that you use bleach to wash your dog, that you mistake cleanser for cooking oil, that you wash your leather shoes in the washing machine, that you feed your baby sister a coin, that you pluck your father’s valuable orchid because you deem it an ordinary flower, that you play with a CD like you are playing frisbee, that… However, times are changing. There is no way for you to act that innocent any more. In the 21st century we need a person who can get along with people easily, who can fix the toilet, who can be responsible for trivia. If you live in a dreamland where you are God, where everyone admires you like you are one of a kind, you are terribly wrong. It is time to wake up and spend some time learning things out-side school. by Hsien-yu Lin
Assuming that you are a female and you look? naive? enough, then you have a good chance of being pulled into a store. If you happen to appear ugly, you may not be able to escape from severe criticism of your skin. Provided you are a beauty-pursuing woman and a weak-willed person, congratulations, you will probably be talked into buying some overpriced product only to find yourself being cheated. Calm down. It’s not the end of the world, it’s just an every-day event near Taida. Let me show you how it happens by sharing my personal experience. One day, while walking casually on the street, I was suddenly grabbed by a hand with different nail polish on each finger. It was a woman wearing scarily heavy make-up. Though she tried very hard to pretend to be kind, I was unwilling to stop until she said she had something to give me. Something good and, most important of all, free. Having a habit of getting give-aways, I was caught in the trap and stayed to see what I could get. First, she asked me to fill out a questionnaire. Before I could finish, however, she bombarded me with a sequence of questions like how I took care of skin and so on. Meanwhile, she claimed that my facial skin was bad and needed special care at once. Without giving me any time to think it over, she comforted me by offering me some free treatment. “It’s acceptable if it’s free,” I told myself. I followed her into a room to fetch the gift, but she seemed not about to give me anything to take away. Behind her, I saw a girl lying on a bed, receiving some treatment. Someone was spraying a creamy material on her face. Because the only bed was occupied, I obviously had no chance to lie down. The woman with heavy make-up tried to make me stay for a while so she killed time by talking nonsense. I saw through her trick however, and persistently refused to stay any longer. Thanks to my brightness, I succeeded in escaping from this witch. Days after that event, I saw someone’s story on the BBS saying how they were cheated. On top of costing a lot, the product was totally ineffective. What’s worse, her skin began to have spots after using the product. After a long sigh of relief, I took notice of the seriousness of this situation and decided to do justice. I started doing some research on how to save yourself from it. Finally, I came up with the following suggestions. 1. Just drop the woman’s hand when she tries to grab you. 2. If she doesn’t give up, stare at her maliciously. 3. Or, if you are not good at pretending to be rude, you can speak a foreign language to her, which certainly will make her feel awkward. 4. Assuming that you are curious about what you can get, you can stay for a while and tell her you are in a hurry. 5. If you are really bored and want to play a joke on someone, they are the best choice. Simply tell her you are interested and ask her to phone you some other time, and leave a long-distance telephone number which is not yours. 6. Last but safest, never reckon on getting things for free. There are all kinds of traps everywhere in Taiwan. Knowing how to avoid them is getting more important. I believe the best suggestion is “never be greedy.” by Laura Jane Wey
She got home just as the evening news broadcast was ending. It had been a long day. Her mother, switching the tv off with a flick of the remote control, rose from the couch to greet her. ’ ‘Anything new, Mom?“ she murmured, knotting her long hair before washing her hands and sitting down to the dinner being kept warm for her. ’'Yes,” the motherly face opposite was troubled. “They found a girl’s body in one of the laboratories of the university today. Somebody splashed her with sulfuric acid. She was an unrecognisable mass of blood and dissolved flesh. Our daughters aren’t even safe on campus any longer. She was killed at school. At school.” It was a minute before the facts registered. The image of a quivering mass of bloody Jell-O rose unbidden in her mind then, and her gnawing stomach threatened to empty itself of the few morsels she’d just swallowed. “God, no!” she whispered, fork clinking on plate as it fell. Eventually she managed to finish her dinner, and spent the rest of the evening reading and writing study notes on Nietzsche. The warm day had turned into a cold night, with rain pouring. As she worked, something kept nagging her in the corner of her mind. Something was peering at her from the shadows. When she stood up defiantly and turned on all the lights in the room, the shadows receded. But something came out of the corner and stood looking over her shoulder. Chiding herself she closed her books. “Tired,” she thought, and headed for the shower. The warm water felt good on her chilly skin. Then, turning around, through the translucent glass of the shower stall with drops of water sliding silently down it ? did she just see something move? She slid open the shower door and looked out. The bathroom was empty, and quiet, except for the sound of running water. Satisfied, she stepped back and reached for the bar of soap. Glancing down, she saw the thin rivulet of blood trickling down her legs, swirling with the clear water down the drain. Just the monthly cycle of blood. Or was it? Was it? Bright-red blood, mixing with water. Bright-red blood, mixing with a clear liquid. Bright-red blood, mixing with sulfuric acid. Life’s blood. Swirling, swirling, flowing away. A quivering mass of bloody Jell-O. The scream rose in her head then… |
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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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