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Week 13

What is the sweetest, most precious moment you have ever experienced.  Tell me about it.  What made is so precious and so sweet?  Explain.

The most precious moment I've ever experienced was laying down on my bed with my cat. She likes being around us, especially when she sleeps next to me or my sister. Her favorite spot is neck or chest, she buries her face in my neck murmuring and sometimes massaging my skin. I also think she doesn't know how to hide her claws, so she actually might give us some gentle scars haha. Can't wait to see her again this summer break!!

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Week 12

Explain the difference between two things that you find beautiful.  How are they different?  What makes them different?  What makes them beautiful to you?

Two things I find beautiful are coffee and diary entries. Although they are related to each other for me, these are two completely different things. For coffee, I find its beauty not just in its taste and smell, but also in those little morning coffee rituals. But for diary entries, I usually make them at the end of the day. That is to say, while coffee helps me welcome a new day, writing in a diary helps me reflect on how it’s finishing.

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Week 11

Think of any two things that are opposites and find a way to COMPARE them.  Find a way to show yourself how there are similarities between those two things.

Introverts and extroverts. Introverts are people who tend to lose energy after interacting with people, whereas extroverts tend to recharge from communicating with others. They also feel more comfortable around a new company, while introverts need more time to open up or make a first move. However, thinking of some similarities they share, introverts might act as active as extroverts in a company of their close ones. And when it comes to extroverts, no matter how good they are with social interactions, they also need some time alone to recharge, just like introverts usually do. Basically, both of them are humans craving connections, just in a different ways.

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Week 10

Nobody can say which of them holds the correct opinion or if there really is a correct opinion regarding religion.  There are 12 major world religions.  I am not asking you to choose one side or the other.  I am asking you what you think.  Do you resonate with either of these men and their thoughts on religion, or do you have your own opinion different from either of theirs?  What are your thoughts on religion and its place in the world?

I don’t think I strongly agree with any of them. Because everyone is free to think whatever they want on this topic. What I don’t like is someone trying to make others follow their own beliefs. Richard’s saying is, for example, seems unnecessary to deliver. I would be okay with others believing in something I don’t.

Also, to me, religion is not something you get depending on your family or country. I do have something I believe in, but it’s difficult to answer when someone asks me about what specific religion I’m following. I feel like life could somehow lead me to something I get to choose.

What I think about religion’s place in the world is that it can be both beautiful and terrifying, depending on how people interpret it. There are some people who show you how much their belief helped them in life, and there are other people who show you how much they’ve adjusted the religion to their own needs.

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Week 9

Do you agree with Donne or with Teasedale?  Is every human life invaluable or would the world be better off without us?  Explain.

I cannot disagree with any of them. There must be a reason why we exist, and I do appreciate people’s lives. However, Sara Teasdale’s poem leaves a stronger impression. I always believed the land is going to be perished once a human foot steps there. It makes me feel sad, and I even try to avoid reading the news and research papers on how much Earth resources are being consumed by us, people. It’s sad that so little can be changed by single minds when there are whole industries you cannot control. But I should say I feel like I’m not educated enough on this topic, maybe I would think differently if I’d known more.

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Week 7

Describe the most amazing meal that you have ever eaten.  What was it?  Where were you?  Who were you with?  What was the atmosphere like?  What happened?  Tell me about it.  Describe it to me.  Tell me why it was the most amazing meal that you have ever had, and be sure to be as descriptive as possible! 

Although it’s really difficult to choose just one meal, the one that comes to mind first is the meal I had with my older sister this winter break. My sister and I like going out to have breakfast at some coffee shops on weekend. We went to some café we’ve never been to before, and it was the best choice we could make that day.

The meal I ordered was a breakfast consisting of some horse meat slices and a toast. The toast was soaked in something which I believe was basil oil. Moreover, there were also boiled eggs split in two halves, some slices of tomatoes, and mozzarella cheese with salad leaves. I slowly enjoyed the meal with some iced latte all while updating my sister on my life in Korea.

Besides all that, I think another reason why I enjoyed that meal so much is that I like cafés with nice atmosphere and aesthetically served food. It’s even better sharing the experience with my sister, who also enjoyed her panini sandwich :)

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Week 6

I do like art and creativity. As people get older, they tend to create ‘I can’t draw’ sort of limitations in their heads and they think art is not something they’re "talented at". But maybe Bertrand Russel was right, and art exists for everybody. I also like the word "imprisoned" here. Cause not everybody’s letting that artist inside them express itself. I believe if people felt more free about it, they would be more familiar with the true meaning of art, which I believe is expressing one’s soul.

I’m not quite sure if I have ever "burned", but I definitely wouldn’t describe myself as someone yawning at life. Actually I’ve been wanting to try screenwriting these days! I tried it once recently, and I liked the process of creating characters and their lives in their own world.

Also my sister used to ask me ‘If you would film a movie, what kind of plot would it have?’, and now I’m asking my boyfriend the same question. I just realized how fun it is to add some creativity into daily conversations as well.

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Week 5

Whether we wish to or not, we all go through experiences in life that change us.  What is an experience in your life that you feel changed you? 

The one that comes to mind first is probably deciding to move abroad. There’s no way you move abroad and not change. I think it also had to do with my age, cause I moved here at the age of 19, I just stopped being a teenager and made my first steps into adult life.

Read the following quote and tell me what you think the difference between 'change' and 'growth' is. 

"Change is inevitable.  Growth is optional." John C. Maxwell.

Change might be good or bad. Growth is always about something good. Change is inevitable because we’re always affected by something that’s happening around us. Growth is optional because you only grow when you have a so-called ‘growth mindset’. That is to say, some people always stay where they are.

Did the experience you had help you to grow or did things just change or do you believe that it is impossible to change without growing in some way?  

In my case, yes, the change was followed by growth. But it really depends on whether or not a person wants to grow.

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Week 4

"Each indecision brings its own delays, and days are lost lamenting over lost days... what you can do, begin it, for boldness has magic, power, and genius in it." -Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

How do you think the quote relates to the passage that you read this week?  Has 'indecision' been a factor in your life?  If so, tell me how. Tell me whether you think this author's advice is good advice or not and tell me why you think so.

It is a good advice. Whether I want it or not, I have to make some choices everyday. Waking up and deciding what this day is going to look like is an important decision, too. Which is why postponing those would result in losing your days «lamenting over lost days».

How it relates to Sylvia Plath’s passage: I wanted each and every one of them, but choosing one meant losing all the rest, and, as I sat there, unable to decide, the figs began to wrinkle and go black, and, one by one, they plopped to the ground at my feet.

This «unable to decide» part leads to unavailability of some other lives the author would like to have («wrinkle and go black», «to the ground at my feet», which means they’re not on a tree anymore). I this this is exactly what Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was trying to say as well. You either have this life or you start losing it.

I don’t know why exactly, but I’m more indecisive when it comes to some smaller choices. Like do I want to have an iced americano today or a hot one. Some bigger decisions are somehow easier to make. Let’s say, moving to another city. In that case, it feels like I already know what my next step would be. But I also think I’m pretty young and I will still have lots of decisions to make in the future.

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Week 3

1-How do you feel the two pieces are related?

I think both of them are about sacrificing your current life in order to get something better. I’ve already heard of Anais Nin’s poem, and I really liked this «risk it took to blossom» part. It means the price of doing nothing is much higher than the price of going for something. Charles Bukowski’s poem also reminds me it’s better to lose something («losing girlfriends, wives, relatives») now rather than give up the life you can get («there is no other feeling like that») once you "go all the way." Both poems mean it’s worth it («it’s the only good fight there is»).

2-Do you think it is better to take risks in life, or do you think it is best to play it safe?

For me it really depends on the situation in which I’d have to make such decision. As an example, if I feel that there’s even better life waiting for me, I’d take a risk and try. And if I really want it, I’d do it until I get there. But on the other hand, some things are just too valuable. Once I found something I truly think I belong to, I’d rather keep it tightly.

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Week 2

e. "If the path be beautiful, let us not ask where it leads." Anatole France

Q: What do you think the author is trying to tell us about beauty here?

I think it’s about learning to enjoy the process rather than constantly wait for certain results. Sometimes people are scared of uncertainty, which makes them plan years ahead. Planning for results is good, but it may make the beauty of the process invisible. In other words, if your journey brings you joy, it’s good to be able to enjoy it without constantly being worried about what’s going to happen next. I think so myself too, and it helps me worry less and enjoy more.