By Kikuyo Yamada
You forget where you put your keys, you often misplace your glasses, and sometimes you can’t even recall what you were just thinking. At bedtime, you stare emptily into the bathroom mirror, wondering whether you have already brushed your teeth or not. Once you showed up for a dinner date at the wrong restaurant. What exactly is happening to you? Should you start worrying about these lapses as a sign of a more serious memory problem, maybe even Alzheimer’s Disease? According to medical research, these mental slips are a normal part of your mid-life. (Oops, what if you’re only a teenager, or in your 20s? Don’t panic and please read on.) Even teenagers, who are capable of memorizing CD lyrics, can occasionally blank out. Unless your forgetfulness is accompanied by deeper failures in reasoning and logic, there isn’t really anything to worry about. If that still doesn’t make you feel better, let me tell you something – even Einstein once forgot how to do simple arithmetic while working on relativity! However, if memory loss becomes a consistent pattern, like forgetting what you’ve just said or done, repeatedly missing appointments, telling old silly jokes over and over again to the same group of people…or even more serious problems like radical changes in behavior: irritability, depression, irrational suspicions (like your boyfriend is cheating on you, somebody broke into your house when you were asleep, people are trying to kill you, etc.), then maybe you should seek further help. But still, even if you do have these symptoms don’t jump to the conclusion that there’s something wrong with you. Our brains, whether young or old, have evolved with a built-in forgetfulness, and after a period of time they get cluttered with useless information. This can be compared to the memory space of your PC; when you install computer games that take up too much space your PC gets slower, and sometimes it just stops working. That’s why every once in while you have to use an anti-virus program to clean out unnecessary files and reconfigure the remaining ones so that your computer runs faster and more efficiently. The same process happens to our brains. When you have too many things in your schedule, and you just can’t finish all of them in time, of course there’s a possibility for you to blank out just like a computer. A more serious case, like illusion, is caused by the accumulation of stress and an excessive workload. If this happens very often to you, your body is giving out a signal: it’s time for you to take a rest. Other reasons for memory loss could be poor diet, vitamin deficiency, or a glandular imbalance – not necessarily dementia. In order not to forget things so easily, besides continuous practice (such as memorizing poems), you need to know how much you can take, and please remember that a certain amount of relaxation or leisure time will help you to go on. Don’t be too hard on yourself. So, do you still remember what the title of this article is?
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By Kay Karstadt
Have you thought of replacing your library table with an up-scale hotel to get some rest between study sessions? Since January there is another option for tired students and their visitors to campus: The Leader Hotel Taipei. The hotel, a tower-like building situated next to the College of Management and the Second Student Activity Center, offers 72 rooms in four different categories. Constructed by National Taiwan University, the hotel is managed by the Leader Hotel Consultant Co., a hotel-management enterprise that also manages another establishment in Lukang, Changhua. NTU students enjoy roughly a 20% discount on the published room rates. “Deluxe Single” rooms and “Deluxe Twin” rooms are priced at NT$3800 and NT$4400 respectively. These rooms, although not very spacious (10 Chinese ping), are quite comfortably furnished with a huge TV-set and a DVD-player. The showers have different massage functions. If you can afford a little more, the “Leader Suite” is definitely worth trying out. It is double the size and comes together with a small kitchen, a dining area, sofas, a king size bed and a huge bathroom with a Jacuzzi/Steam room combination. The official rate is NT$7200. But if you really want to impress your guest, you can spend a little more (NT$8800, undiscounted) and take him/her into one of the four maisonette-style “Executive Suites” within the Business centre on the 10th floor. The outside walls are entirely made of glass and there is a small garden, decorated with a variety of plants and flowers that surround the building. Now you really feel like being far away from shabby Roosevelt Road. There are stairs leading up to the bedrooms and two luxury bathrooms on both levels. If you are looking for entertainment, you can check out the Lounge Bar, also on the tenth floor. The great garden view and the glass walls of the Executive Suites are also among its features. Other facilities include a gym and sauna on the third floor and an Italian restaurant on the second. In my opinion, the restaurant could use a little more decoration; the big room seems rather cold, but the food is really tasty and fairly priced. It can accommodate up to 150 people and can also be booked for special occasions together with two VIP rooms. For NTU students, the 10% service charge will be waived and there is also a special NT$599/person offer for our yearly advisee gatherings. You must notice that when you enter the hotel there is another large door right across from the main entrance, next to reception. This is the entrance to a small museum featuring Taiwanese people who contributed to the love of their country. The latest exhibition is on Liu Shia (劉俠), a famous disabled writer who published under the synonym Xing Lin Zi (杏林子) and died earlier this year. On the second floor, there is also a small movie theatre for short and informative films on these people. The museum, operated by NTU, shares the same building as the hotel but has nothing to do with the Leader Group. So go and check it out even if you don’t want to rent a room or have some lunch. The museum is free of charge. The receptionist, a very nice lady, spent quite some time with me showing me around the whole building and answering my questions. I was very impressed by the entire facility and especially by the friendliness of the staff. I believe they will make every effort to make your stay enjoyable. By Ann Chen
It was another Sunday evening at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, with families and couples taking walks to enjoy the serenity. But across the street, near the intersection of Chung-Shiao East Rd. and Guang-Fu South Rd., at the Songshan Tobacco Factory (松山菸廠), shouts of “Free Tibet! Free Tibet” were heard. Don’t misunderstand, this was not a political rally. This was a world of music, ideals, and mysterious Tibetan Buddhism. This was the Tibetan Freedom Concert, held for the very first time in Taipei on April 20. The Tibetan Freedom Concert was established in 1996 to draw international attention to Tibet’s situation and to support Tibet’s liberation from the occupation of China. The Tibetan people have suffered from decades of oppression and cultural annihilation under China’s control. Over the years, thousands of people have participated in this event. The concert has taken place in many big cities such as New York, San Francisco, Sydney, and Tokyo. It was initiated by the famous hip-hop trio, Beastie Boys. One of its members, Adam Yauch, who is a Tibetan Buddhist and a supporter of the Dalai Lama, got the idea to hold a charity concert to draw worldwide concern for Tibetan issues. In San Francisco in 1996 the band had its first concert in the name of freedom for Tibet and its people. The concert is sponsored by the Milarepa Fund, a non-profit organization launched in 1994 which actively supports the Tibetan people’s nonviolent struggle for freedom. The fund is also dedicated to promoting compassion and nonviolence in the world. “Milarepa” is the name of a favorite hero in Tibetan Buddhism, who believed that music was the key to maintain peace and harmony among all mankind. Generating awareness of Tibetan issues through youth activism, music, and performance is the fundamental mission of the concert. It’s going to take time before the Tibetan people regain their independence, but certainly, in the long run, through the promotion of this event, more people will show their concern. The money raised in the concert goes to other organizations, also dedicated to the liberation of Tibet. In addition, the money helps improve the living conditions of the Tibetan people. The Milarepa Fund is determined to keep fighting until the Tibetan people regain their rights. The mission behind the organization might seem controversial, yet the concert itself is not. People gather for the love of music and freedom, and many just want to enjoy themselves. You get to see the coolest bands and people, as well as Tibetan monks draped in crimson and saffron robes, chanting and blowing those long trumpets. That’s right, hip-hop isn’t the only music performed here; you can also hear traditional Tibetan music at the same time. Meanwhile, exhibitions relating to Tibet and its culture are another important part of the venue. Whether you’re a big fan of music, a Tibetan enthusiast, or even if you have little idea about the struggle of the Tibetan people, the Tibetan Freedom Concert is a good chance for you to catch a glimpse of the mysteries of Tibet and its culture. After the success this year, the fund has promised to come again in 2004. So see you at the concert! By Allison Peng
“How tall are you?” That’s a question I’m very familiar with, and usually don’t want to talk about. When people, mostly girls, tell me how wonderful it would be to be so tall, I smile and say nothing, because for me being 175cm tall is a mixed blessing. Then they always ask me how tall my parents are. I don’t mind, really. Maybe some people just want further information. Yet my parents aren’t especially tall. Then I have nothing else to say, since I can never remember whether any of my other relatives are tall or not. But my parents’ attitude is even worse; they’re always asking me what’s the use of a girl being tall. Girls are cuter when they’re petite, they say, especially when somebody notices their tall daughter. Then they’re always asking me to stand up straight, and they keep lecturing me that it’s nice to be tall, but even better if I could be elegant too. Especially my father, who always likes to check if I’m the tallest girl in my class, in my dorm room, or in my department. Of course, I understand that people’s questions about my height are mostly with good intentions, and are just compliments. I never consider them to be insults. But the point I want to make here is that being tall is not as good as people think. It brings a lot of troubles, actually, such as the following. First, I bump my head all the time. On anything. When it rains and I have to share an umbrella, I always have to hold it or risk having my head poked with every step. Second, I have a terrible time buying shoes that I like because of my long feet, which often embarrasses me in the shoe stores. And even if they do have my size, some shoes look pretty only when they’re a lot smaller than the pair of boats I have to put on. Besides, I can’t wear high heels, for it makes me stand out even more in a crowd, and I feel so unnatural walking like a duck. Third, I couldn’t get any reduced fares at a zoo or an amusement park even though I was only 11 years old. Furthermore, I’m often assigned things like the high jump and long jump, which I don’t know anything about. And the person in charge always gives me the same reason – because you’re tall. Also, when people know that I like to play basketball, they usually reply – no wonder, because you’re tall! To be honest, I really can’t put up with this, and I’m worried that it will get even worse in the future. Still, there are advantages, I must say. For example, I was able to join the honor guard in my high school and it was one of the best experiences of my life. I can reach everything without difficulty no matter how high it is, I can see over the heads of other people without having to jump, and I don’t have to worry that people will be able to find me in a crowd. All I have to do is stand still like a pole. And there are also a lot of clothes that actually look better on tall people. Therefore, if you ask me whether I like to be tall it’s a tough question. In fact, it seems to me more like a mystery. By Ann Chen
It was another Sunday evening at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, with families and couples taking walks to enjoy the serenity. But across the street, near the intersection of Chung-Shiao East Rd. and Guang-Fu South Rd., at the Songshan Tobacco Factory (松山菸廠), shouts of “Free Tibet! Free Tibet” were heard. Don’t misunderstand, this was not a political rally. This was a world of music, ideals, and mysterious Tibetan Buddhism. This was the Tibetan Freedom Concert, held for the very first time in Taipei on April 20. The Tibetan Freedom Concert was established in 1996 to draw international attention to Tibet’s situation and to support Tibet’s liberation from the occupation of China. The Tibetan people have suffered from decades of oppression and cultural annihilation under China’s control. Over the years, thousands of people have participated in this event. The concert has taken place in many big cities such as New York, San Francisco, Sydney, and Tokyo. It was initiated by the famous hip-hop trio, Beastie Boys. One of its members, Adam Yauch, who is a Tibetan Buddhist and a supporter of the Dalai Lama, got the idea to hold a charity concert to draw worldwide concern for Tibetan issues. In San Francisco in 1996 the band had its first concert in the name of freedom for Tibet and its people. The concert is sponsored by the Milarepa Fund, a non-profit organization launched in 1994 which actively supports the Tibetan people’s nonviolent struggle for freedom. The fund is also dedicated to promoting compassion and nonviolence in the world. “Milarepa” is the name of a favorite hero in Tibetan Buddhism, who believed that music was the key to maintain peace and harmony among all mankind. Generating awareness of Tibetan issues through youth activism, music, and performance is the fundamental mission of the concert. It’s going to take time before the Tibetan people regain their independence, but certainly, in the long run, through the promotion of this event, more people will show their concern. The money raised in the concert goes to other organizations, also dedicated to the liberation of Tibet. In addition, the money helps improve the living conditions of the Tibetan people. The Milarepa Fund is determined to keep fighting until the Tibetan people regain their rights. The mission behind the organization might seem controversial, yet the concert itself is not. People gather for the love of music and freedom, and many just want to enjoy themselves. You get to see the coolest bands and people, as well as Tibetan monks draped in crimson and saffron robes, chanting and blowing those long trumpets. That’s right, hip-hop isn’t the only music performed here; you can also hear traditional Tibetan music at the same time. Meanwhile, exhibitions relating to Tibet and its culture are another important part of the venue. Whether you’re a big fan of music, a Tibetan enthusiast, or even if you have little idea about the struggle of the Tibetan people, the Tibetan Freedom Concert is a good chance for you to catch a glimpse of the mysteries of Tibet and its culture. After the success this year, the fund has promised to come again in 2004. So see you at the concert! By Jolene Tien
Situation one: you turn on the TV and watch ESPN’s Sports Center, trying to check out the latest sports news around the world, but you feel frustrated with the all-English broadcasting. Situation two: you want to find out the latest results in the Chinese Professional Baseball League, but the only thing you get is information about the NHL playoffs or some rugby games that took place in another part of the world. If you have had this kind of experience, don’t worry! You have another option: the Videoland (VL) sports channel. VL sports channel is part of the Videoland TV network, which includes a Chinese movie channel, Hallmark movie channel, a Japanese channel, and a variety channel. On an ordinary TV station, sports news forms only an small part of news shows, but VL sports channel provides a daily half-hour sports news program mainly focusing on sports events in Taiwan. They also broadcast important foreign programs in Chinese, bringing the hottest games to the Taiwan audience. For example, they are now doing post-season NBA matches, which are extremely popular in Taiwan. VL sports channel not only broadcasts NBA games live but reports the latest game results in real time. Ordinary TV stations broadcast live sports games only when there’s a special event such as the Baseball World Cup or the Olympic Games, but on VL sports channel you have the world of sports around the clock. But not just sports: they also have travel programs, and even a traditional Chinese medicine program, which gives tips of how to prevent or avoid SARS. One of the most important advantages from VL sports channel is that the programs are more focused on local news and local issues. But if you are curious about other international sports details, maybe it would be easier to find them on an international sports channel such as ESPN or Star Sports. As far as I’m concerned, I’m happy to have both of them, giving us both local and international points of view. People in Taiwan are showing more and more interest in sports – not only playing sports but also watching them during our leisure time. Long live our sports channels! For the Videoland Sports Channel Website, visit http://sport.videoland.com.tw By Allison Peng
“How tall are you?” That’s a question I’m very familiar with, and usually don’t want to talk about. When people, mostly girls, tell me how wonderful it would be to be so tall, I smile and say nothing, because for me being 175cm tall is a mixed blessing. Then they always ask me how tall my parents are. I don’t mind, really. Maybe some people just want further information. Yet my parents aren’t especially tall. Then I have nothing else to say, since I can never remember whether any of my other relatives are tall or not. But my parents’ attitude is even worse; they’re always asking me what’s the use of a girl being tall. Girls are cuter when they’re petite, they say, especially when somebody notices their tall daughter. Then they’re always asking me to stand up straight, and they keep lecturing me that it’s nice to be tall, but even better if I could be elegant too. Especially my father, who always likes to check if I’m the tallest girl in my class, in my dorm room, or in my department. Of course, I understand that people’s questions about my height are mostly with good intentions, and are just compliments. I never consider them to be insults. But the point I want to make here is that being tall is not as good as people think. It brings a lot of troubles, actually, such as the following. First, I bump my head all the time. On anything. When it rains and I have to share an umbrella, I always have to hold it or risk having my head poked with every step. Second, I have a terrible time buying shoes that I like because of my long feet, which often embarrasses me in the shoe stores. And even if they do have my size, some shoes look pretty only when they’re a lot smaller than the pair of boats I have to put on. Besides, I can’t wear high heels, for it makes me stand out even more in a crowd, and I feel so unnatural walking like a duck. Third, I couldn’t get any reduced fares at a zoo or an amusement park even though I was only 11 years old. Furthermore, I’m often assigned things like the high jump and long jump, which I don’t know anything about. And the person in charge always gives me the same reason – because you’re tall. Also, when people know that I like to play basketball, they usually reply – no wonder, because you’re tall! To be honest, I really can’t put up with this, and I’m worried that it will get even worse in the future. Still, there are advantages, I must say. For example, I was able to join the honor guard in my high school and it was one of the best experiences of my life. I can reach everything without difficulty no matter how high it is, I can see over the heads of other people without having to jump, and I don’t have to worry that people will be able to find me in a crowd. All I have to do is stand still like a pole. And there are also a lot of clothes that actually look better on tall people. Therefore, if you ask me whether I like to be tall it’s a tough question. In fact, it seems to me more like a mystery. By Kikuyo Yamada
You forget where you put your keys, you often misplace your glasses, and sometimes you can’t even recall what you were just thinking. At bedtime, you stare emptily into the bathroom mirror, wondering whether you have already brushed your teeth or not. Once you showed up for a dinner date at the wrong restaurant. What exactly is happening to you? Should you start worrying about these lapses as a sign of a more serious memory problem, maybe even Alzheimer’s Disease? According to medical research, these mental slips are a normal part of your mid-life. (Oops, what if you’re only a teenager, or in your 20s? Don’t panic and please read on.) Even teenagers, who are capable of memorizing CD lyrics, can occasionally blank out. Unless your forgetfulness is accompanied by deeper failures in reasoning and logic, there isn’t really anything to worry about. If that still doesn’t make you feel better, let me tell you something – even Einstein once forgot how to do simple arithmetic while working on relativity! However, if memory loss becomes a consistent pattern, like forgetting what you’ve just said or done, repeatedly missing appointments, telling old silly jokes over and over again to the same group of people…or even more serious problems like radical changes in behavior: irritability, depression, irrational suspicions (like your boyfriend is cheating on you, somebody broke into your house when you were asleep, people are trying to kill you, etc.), then maybe you should seek further help. But still, even if you do have these symptoms don’t jump to the conclusion that there’s something wrong with you. Our brains, whether young or old, have evolved with a built-in forgetfulness, and after a period of time they get cluttered with useless information. This can be compared to the memory space of your PC; when you install computer games that take up too much space your PC gets slower, and sometimes it just stops working. That’s why every once in while you have to use an anti-virus program to clean out unnecessary files and reconfigure the remaining ones so that your computer runs faster and more efficiently. The same process happens to our brains. When you have too many things in your schedule, and you just can’t finish all of them in time, of course there’s a possibility for you to blank out just like a computer. A more serious case, like illusion, is caused by the accumulation of stress and an excessive workload. If this happens very often to you, your body is giving out a signal: it’s time for you to take a rest. Other reasons for memory loss could be poor diet, vitamin deficiency, or a glandular imbalance – not necessarily dementia. In order not to forget things so easily, besides continuous practice (such as memorizing poems), you need to know how much you can take, and please remember that a certain amount of relaxation or leisure time will help you to go on. Don’t be too hard on yourself. So, do you still remember what the title of this article is? By Eleanore Lin
There seems to be bad news about SARS every day. If you aren’t totally freaked out, then you must at least have felt depressed by it. SARS threatens not only our health but our confidence in life as well. Experts suggest that we remain optimistic despite hard times. But how? Since they didn’t reveal the answer I guess we have to figure it out by ourselves. Keeping an optimistic point of is perhaps not as easy as experts claim, but I believe we can make ourselves feel better. First and most important of all, we have to reduce our fear of SARS coming from our limited knowledge of its life-threatening impact. In fact, we don’t really need to panic if we have the right concept of it. For example, although we don’t know much about the disease, we do know its routes of infection and how to protect ourselves from it. It’s not so easy to get SARS and we won’t get infected without a reason. Moreover, SARS is not incurable. Even if we unfortunately get infected, it doesn’t mean that we are going to die. The chance of getting SARS from the street and dying from it is about one in eight hundred thousand – as hard as winning second prize in the lottery (and how many of us have won that?) If you’re still worried, let’s put it this way: the chances are similar losing your job one thousand times. Not very likely, is it? As a matter of fact, there are still some positive things about SARS, although we all hate it. For instance, everyone will now pay attention to their personal hygiene. Chinese medicine has become even more respected, and mask manufacturers and companies making disinfectants will make a fortune. We now also understand how dangerous the medical profession can be. And we spend more time at home because it seems to be the safest place, allowing us to get along better with our families. Since we all have to coexist with SARS whether we like it or not, there’s no use frightening ourselves or being overly anxious about it. Believe it or not, being optimistic and confident about life is also one of the best ways to keep SARS away. |
Authors
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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