Talking about China&sorts

This Friday is the speech contest. For the EAS department. I signed up to do the Chinese section, but she didn't give me a chance.

Only two people are allowed to give a speech. Then there is one-two alternatives just in case someone backs out, or for whatever the reason can't give their speech. I really wanted to give the speech and try my best. I was going to practice to sound the best I could at being native, Spencer was going to help me too. But she sends me an email as the alternative.... and I really was.. crushed. Because I wasn't given a chance.

It's unfair. Just because I might not be so great in class doesn't mean I can't deliver a decent speech. All it is is about fluency and how natural it comes off. That's what they judge you on. With enough practice and help from other native speakers there's no doubt that you can make yourself sound like you've been living in China for a year or so. But yeah. Yeh 老师 didn't give me that opportunity to give my all here. So I'll sit in the audience looking like I'm supposed to be useful. I still get a prize though... maybe a Chinese book will be nice, if that's even my prize. I might get candy for all I know.

Oh, right! I still have to give Spencer his book back... from last semester.... ah geeze, failed and let him down too -sigh-



I still haven't even got an acceptance from HKBU, but they're telling me to pick out 6-8 classes...... so I've been looking at the list. But I'm just so indecisive and not sure what I'm wanting to take, but I've decided on these 4 already.

Japanese IV
Basic Cantonese for Non-Chinese Speakers
Study of Arts in Hong Kong
Looking Through The Leans

They said that they'll try to get me in 4 of my selected, but I really want five or six. Because the course list is soooo HUGE and it's such a variety of unique classes I want to take so many! I'm scared I won't be allowed in to Japanese IV, but if that's the case I'm going to fight my way in. Not only will it 1) allow me to continue Japanese language study in a more harder environment but also 2) introduce me to more natives. Because all the other international courses are taught in English. And think about it. When you take international only courses, you only meet other foreigners. Nothing wrong with that, but I want to meet more native HK students. Especially those who also have an interest in Japan.Other than the offered Cantonese class, the other two courses are more of a look into HK society and how the people are and why. That is what the "Study of Arts in HK" class is. Here's it's description.  

Every place has its own story/stories that can be narrated, illustrated and represented creatively through visual arts if not in words. This course attempts to tell the many stories of Hong Kong by looking at examples of local art works, including painting, sculpture, cartoons, photography and architecture that are produced from the early 19th century to the present day, as a way to outline the character and history of the place. With the supplement of texts and documentaries, students will learn from the visual examples how Hong Kong transformed from a small fishing village to a metropolis city of over seven million people; or from a British colony to be a part of the People’s Republic of China nowadays. Alternately, the socio-political changes, technology development, education reform, cultural interaction of a place can also influence the production of works of art, in terms of style, medium and meaning. The search for identity before the return of sovereignty before 1997, for example, triggered off a substantial amount of art creation on the issue on Hong Kong identity. The course will adopt a multi-disciplinary approach in reading stories of Hong Kong, not solely from the view points of visual arts, but also sociology, history, cultural studies, geography, and/ or literature, whichever can bring new insight to enhance our understanding on the topics. The opportunity to study original works of art, either from museum or private collection, enables students to make direct encounter with the history of the place, which will ultimately inspire their thoughts and interpretation of the subject of Hong Kong.

I thought this would give me more an understanding on what the culture is and more about HK in general. Then this next class, "Looking Though The Lens", I thought would open my eyes to more of what's around me and of sights and things I might miss otherwise since I need to make movies and such.

 The world and its cultures are external before one looks deeply. As artists and as responsible citizens, ways of focused looking will help us to learn from, and benefit back to our society and the world. This is a course on fundamental knowledge of lens-based media, including photography and moving image productions. The essential foundations provided in this course are not merely technical craft but ways of inquisitive looking. Looking is attentive and active while seeing is external and passive. Accordingly, supplementary to technical training, this course aims at broadening students’ visual perceptions and sharpening their senses responding to the outside world. Students will explore and experiment how photographers, moving image artists understand, capture and represent actuality. Technical workshops on colours, optical theories, camera movements, framing and operations will be offered. Field work for practising skills of observation is an
important part of the course. Class assignments will enhance students’ ability to look into details both in aesthetic realm and in cultural contexts.
Students will be working on photography and video production that are essential craft for media artists in various fields and in a cross-disciplinary manner. This course serves as a foundation for works of photography and moving image, interactive media with moving and still content, spatial design, visual narrative, and video installation. Students will be both technically and intellectually ready to engage in further experimentations of lens-based media
creations in advanced courses.

They both sound really exciting. The Lens class is still up in the air though, but I'm going to take the Art in HK class, if they let me in.

I'm grateful for my itouch even more now.
I've had a mixi account for a few years now, but hardly went on it because well, it's just harder to use than facebook. But every so often I check up to see if I have any new friend requests or messages, etc. I added most of my Japanese friends in Japan on it so I would never lose contact, thus led me to Twitter when I saw some were starting it. But the mixi app for the iphone/itouch used to be 99cents which is stupid. But now it's free! So I downloaded it, and now I'm on it constantly. I'll even post pictures on it now or respond to others' つぶやき (status updates) or post my own つぶやき. The app version is easier to use than the online site.

Even when I started using Twitter for my friends, I was using it a lot at first. But Twitter is still Twitter to me. It's not very interesting nor is it fun. It's like a facebook but of nothing. I post pictures on it every so often and write a tweet in Japanese (I only use it for Japanese, but I post things in English every so often). But then as I scroll down to just see what has been happening, I'm thinking "why the hell do I need to know what these people are doing with their lives?" And I get disgusted with Twitter again. To be honest, I don't even know why I have 17 followers.... I follow 21 people, over half of them are my friends in Japan, but the others are little stars or people who post rarely as well, but usually have something important to say. A good amount of my followers are my Japanese friends as well, which is what I wanted to keep in contact, but people from SUNY began to follow me... and I refuse to follow them. I don't want to see statuses from them other than facebook, and even from facebook their posts sometimes never show. I just think, my life is not that spectacular, and the weirdest parts about it, I usually never reveal on statues. This blog is probably the only place I get personal with myself. And not everyone gets a look either.

But the SUNY friends can follow me, it doesn't bother me much actually. But I just won't give back the favor of following them.

But thanks to these apps, I'm using mixi more often and Twitter on a basis that's not everyday. Facebook has always been a different story. It takes over my life.... lol.... if only it was funny haa.

It's like what, 1:50am and I'm drinking champagne... 

maybe another mimosa before sleep lol.... I already took a 3hr nap though. Chinese test tomorrow, -sigh- I feel like drawing and music.

Tomorrow I need to figure out the rest of these study abroad forms that they suddenly sent me. So much for waiting on an acceptance letter :O

..............oh....wait.