One plus 1 on Child's Tatami

--colaboured with Echo Lee
Before this topic is discussed, I would like to explain what the definition of right is, especially the one of women’s rights.

A right is a power or liberty to which one is justly entitled, or a thing to which one has a just claims Rights serve as rules of interaction between people, and, as such, they place constrains and obligations upon the actions of individual or groups. For example, if one has a right to life, this means that others do not have the liberty to murder him; if one has a right within a society to a free public education, this means that other members of that society have an obligation to pay taxes in order to pay the cost of that education.

The term Women’s Rights typically refers to freedom inherently possessed by women and girls of all ages, which may be institutionalized or illegitimately suppressed by law or custom in a particular society.

From the definition of Right and Women’s Rights, it’s quite clear that any practice or action that infringe on them is not allowed or illegal. However, it is not fixed like the sun rises up from the east every sunny day. In some certain countries, some cultural and religious practice is acceptable for the local people and the local laws. Instead, it turns out to be a crime to do so in other countries. Take the Female Genital Mutilation (FGM for short) in Africa for example.
The practice of Female Genital Mutilation is carried out among 28 countries in Africa and the Middle East for cultural reasons. It’s commonly known as female circumcision, involves the partial or complete removal of external female genitalia. This practice is committed on the grounds of culture, religion or tradition. Although it exists in most parts of Africa, almost all the other countries are strongly against this so-called Female Genital Mutilation and treat FGM as a crime against personal integrity. And FGM has been found to be detrimental to the reproductive, sexual and psychological health of women and girls. It is one form of genders violence against women. As the chair of FORWEARD (the Foundation for Woman’s Health Research and Development) stated: “Culture can only be valued if they are in harmony with basic human right.”

From above, I can conclude my viewpoint—any immigrant is not allowed to maintain their cultural and religious practice if only they infringe on legitimate rights, women’s rights included.

Those Tears, Those Glories

While this year’s Asian games was getting hot in Doha, while the passion of the whole nation’s sport-lovers have been ignited and they were cheering up for our athletes in front of the TV set, waiting for the most excitement our athlete achieved their dreams and miracles, and acquired the glory for our country, we were still in a peaceful busying for our preparation for the incoming final exams. Actually, we missed so many previous moments of the excitement, but in the classroom, in the independent study, we were also making efforts, for the glory of ourselves and the dreams of our life can finally be attainted. We work hard and we try, if we fail, we won’t feel regret, just like our girls in the 2004 Athens’s Olympic women’s volleyball final, they struggled and endured, at last, they make it. Unfortunately, at that time, I didn’t miss it. I witnessed the victory came to China and witness the miracle produced by enduring and persistence.


There is no doubt that the women’s volleyball final is a dramatic one.

In the first set, china begins with a good star, opening an 8-5 lead with Zhang Ping particularly effective on attack. Setter Feng Kun and her team members also combined superbly with two successful blocks. But the Russian front player’s (I didn’t know what her name is) three consecutive points helped Russia catch up to 18-18. After the 24-24 tie, both teams beat off four set-points and it was her again who spiked home her ninth and the final point of the set for Russia.

Turned to the second, although our girls fraught fiercely, we still could not destroy the Russia’s defense and the final error made by our player, we lost, either. At this time, father and I stated to get nervous though the air conditioner was still on work and keeping on freezing the hall, the sweat still came out of our body. At that time, I think most of the Chinese audience got the same feeling as us. But we still trusted our girls waiting quietly and give them support silently.

The third set stared. China changed its fighting plan and our defense had been improved. Zhang Na, the new face of the game, had made impressive diving saves. The game turned smoothly when the score of both team had surpassed 20. The last deceive ball in this set, with Zhang Ping's ace, China finally clawed one set back with 25-20. Here, our audience felt at ease.
After the inspiration of the chief coach Cheng Zhonghe, the fourth set arrived. When the scores went to the tied at 20-20, both teams played more evenly, as Russia led at 23-21 before China, Russia was trying to make the game in a 3-2 run. That Russia’s excellent played introduced above was still impressive in attack but this wasn't enough to stop China from running out comfortable set winners to tie up the match with 25-23.

Finally, the decisive, also the final set came. Russia made its last try at 11-12, but China started to gain the ascendancy with consecutive points from Yang Hao and sealed the match with an excellent spike from Zhang Yuehong to the fantastic scenes of jubilation. Zhang Yuehong's winner spike capped China's brilliant comeback in the women's volleyball final on Saturday, winning the country's first Olympic volleyball gold medal in 20 years, since the 1984 Los Angles Olympics.
After Zhang's winner smash on the Russian floor, the Chinese began crying and hugging on court side, while a stunned Russian team sat on the bench in tears.

I am so proud of you, our girls. Show my honor to those who keep on pursuing their dreams.

There misses to this movie

Talking about Citizen Kane, I think it’s funny for the missing of us for several times.

The first time I came across he was the last summer holiday, when I was exhaust after retuning home from the evening Latin dancing course and seating myself before the TV set pressing the buttons on the remote control. He came into my view in the 6th channel of CCTV at the scene of his interview by a journalist, making a speech and proclaiming that he was an American in public. The black-and-white picture always cannot grasp my attention and I though of it as an outdated movie which only can make me tired rather than entertained, so without any hesitation, I changed my channel.
The second time I was in the DVD shop when I was told that I can bring out one more among the particular gifted area for free after my paying for 5 DVDs at one time. The Citizen Kane was coincidently among the gifted area and I coincidently chose the one next to it, The Sixth Sense which I was showed and being long impressed in and after Missy’s class one year ago.
The third time, also being the last time we missed each other was in the newspaper-reading class this semester when Graham played his DVD for us. Black and white movie always got a magic to fall me into a sleep so quickly than you can imagine and meanwhile, I didn’t refuse the invitation to sleep, so when all my classmates were watching the remarkable film, I was fascinated in the dream. Well, when the movie came to its end and I was waked up to be told that we have to write a review, I decided to make the full use of the resource through internet to download the movie and making my class up. And this time, finally, Kane and I would never miss each other.

About the movie

Citizen Kane comes out to be the greatest motion picture not only in the black-and-white era of movie history but in any era. As a film, Citizen Kane is a powerful dramatic tale about the uses and abuses of wealth and power. It's a classic American tragedy about a man of great passion, vision, and greed, who pushes himself until he brings ruins to himself and all around him. The whole story of Kane’s life was told by the connection of six people’s memories from different aspect. Among the story, two things impressed me most. The first one is the last word of this remarkable finger--Rosebud. The second is his stress that he is an American.

Rosebud
From the beginning, at the time Kane died, he left a word “rosebud” and a journalist was sent by the press to investigate Kane’s relative and friends to find out what was hidden behind such a last word of the great person. However, the journalist failed. This is what made the audience believe that “Rosebud” was of great importance to reveal some secret about the hero. When the plot developed from that part to the end, I watched the whole movie carefully and kept on guessing, trying not to miss every detail which has relation to the truth. However, the answer is out of my exception. It’s a sled! The sled which he played with when he was a child and the very one he left outside his cottage covered by the snow, and the very thing finally melting in the fire. Many people felt a little bit ridiculous and so confused about such a thing. However, just this little and unimportant-liked thing gave the reflection of the desire of purity and nature of such a powerful finger after the American have pursuing the American dream the whole life.

I’m an American
Charles Foster Kane, the greatest newspaper tycoon, himself was also the hero of the news to the US news-buyers. He is the one who concerns so many discussions. Someone said that he was a communist; some may say that he was a fascist and some may say he is the pusher of the reform of the democratic system. But he himself kept on stress that he is an American.
Actually, he is an American. His whole life was a sample of an American who persisted in the American dream of his own. And his effort and brilliant has pushed him the summit of the glory. His glory of success and the achievement he gain just represented the desire and hope of all the American people about their career.

The American dream
What is American dream? The American Dream is the belief that in the United States of America, hard work and determination can lead to a better life, usually through the earnings of money. In the understanding among Chinese people, some consider the American dream to be having two children and living in a department containing two living rooms, one guest hall and one kitchen. They are in a wish that when they come to the old age, their lives may guarantee with financial security and medical safeguard. Currently American dream sarcastic the middle class in America. Lifestyle is lived by a sizable minority. The American Dream has been criticized for its emphasis on material possessions as a way of finding happiness.

Jupiter
-- Ayaka Hirahara(平原绫香)
Every day I listen to my heart
ひとりじゃない
深い胸の奥で つながってる
果てしない時を越えて 輝く星が
出会えた奇跡 教えてくれる
Every day I listen to my heart
ひとりじゃない
この宇宙の御胸に 抱かれて

私のこの両手で 何ができるの?
痛みに触れさせて そっと目を閉じて
夢を失うよりも 悲しいことは
自分を信じてあげられないこと
愛を学ぶために 孤独があるなら
意味のないことなど 起こりはしない

心の静寂に 耳を澄まして
私を呼んだなら どこへでも行くわ
あなたのその涙 私のものに

今は自分を 抱きしめて
命のぬくもり 感じて

私たちは誰も ひとりじゃない
ありのままでずっと 愛されてる
望むように生きて 輝く未来を
いつまでも歌うわ あなたのために
The first time I heard this song was in a Japanese weekends TV program, a special charity party held for calling on people to help the ones who are disable but living bravely. Under the spot light on the stage, a smiling and well dressed little girl appears in our views. It seems that at that moment, by the shining spot’s lights, every painfulness and bitterness that accompanied her for more than 14 years since she was born have vanished. I was so surprised that such a 14-year old girl, just using her only two fingers of each hand can play out such a complex and difficult rhythm. That night, she was in collaborated with her idol, the Japanese pop singer Ayaka Hirahara and their wonderful co-operation pushed the party into a climax.

I was deeply surprised by the sight: a little Korean girl who totally owns four fingers can play out such a beautiful rhythm successful and completely. It’s so amazing that I cannot help asking myself how she was able to achieve it! Maybe someone will say that all should contribute to her mother’s diction and remarkable choice. But to me, I think what her mother did is to guide her to a correct direction, and how to proceed with her life actually depend on the girl herself. What spirits she own help her overcome all kinds of hardship? Her braveness, enduring or persistence? More than these, I think. When the song was over, the host asked her in this song which words encouraged her most. She said “ひとりじゃない”, which means I’m not fighting alone.

Indeed, we are not fighting alone. Teachers, our friends, parents and the ones who love us are always standing behind us giving us support. When we succeed, they share the happiness with us, when we confronted with the failure, they stretch their hands to pass the comfort and give us encourage. Words in this song are encouraging and instructive. Listening to it when we are depressed by the realism or unfair treated, our confidence will be strengthened and we will be more persistent in pursuing our dreams. Here I think of the song Hero, preformed by Mariah Carey. I remember we had sung the song at the last class with Yvonne, our first foreign teacher in the college life. Being more brave, hold on and be more enduring, many difficulties and unhappiness will melt away, be your own hero.

Two years has gone. Sitting in front of the computer, the first time I throw myself into the memory, into the time that now is sleeping peacefully in my heart, to recollect every story happened in those beautiful days, to wake up the slept happiness, the miracles and surprise and also the glories we created on the performance stage, and to retaste the purest love and considerateness between my beloved fellows and I. Now, to me, all of these seem a little bit far away and as the time is keeping flowing down, these memories seem to be gradually forgotten by me, by us even by time. However, the cast of that preciousness would never turn pale and would never be covered by the dust of today’s busy work and great pressure and loses its brightness. What it would be is to be polished to be much brighter and to be fresher each time when we looked back and took it out.

Every time when I was asked about the opinions about my college life, I always response with the same answer that college is the place where my dreams’ flowers boom and where the first time I learn how to be. We are dream pursuer. We sow hopes to this land, keep watering it with our persistence and resolution, and we witness it sprout and become prosperity and finally harvest the achievement of academic study.

I remember David, the vice principal of our English department as well as my basic English teacher, had sent us “three learned to be”, which was unforgettable to me, in his instructive speech on the freshmen- welcomed meeting at the first beginning of the first semester as a freshman. He said that while we were in college, in this small society, we should learn how to learn, how to behave and how to be. Actually, the process of life is a process of explosion. During the sailing, we should find out the most suitable way to ourselves to study, to learn how to behave in a proper way and how to show respects to others. The most important one is to learn how to be, how to be more independence, to be much braver to confront with the difficulties, to be more confident to be challenged, to be more sophisticated in dealing with the interpersonal problems. And finally we would become successful and be a real man. These words often inspire me in the coming days while I was conducting my work as a member of the Student Union. Organizing an activity in the student union requires our collaborations, requires the team work and help form each other. Just like the saying goes: two heads are better than one.

I think I should thank those busy days working in the students union, for offering me a chance to have a try on different kinds of work I have never touched before, through which brought me so many working experiences and turn to become more and more mature after tasting the failure and victory. I think I should thank those students with who I collaborated. Just their passion and seriousness towards every job and their patient and determination in solving problems make me realize how important these attitudes are.
Besides the precious experiences in students union, what make me more unforgettable are our stage performances. Our laugh and our tears on the stages, our singing and dancing under the spot light left the great impression in my memory. Maybe in one word I can say that we grow with the expansion of our stage. From the first time we got the first place in the Freshmen English Drama competition only in our English department to the second place of the Imitating Show Competition of the whole university.
to be continuted...[/FONT]