Mr. Magnificent is one of my old friends. We have known each other for more than ten years. He is really an extrovert/ he is very extroverted; he loves socializing with people and thus has a lot friends. He is talkative/communicative/sociable but never garrulous (talk a lot, esp. about unimportant things) He is always the life and soul of a party. In contrast, his son is shy and reserved (not willing to express feelings and opinions) and sometimes a bit aloof/unapproachable (unfriendly). This is really strange!

Mr. Magnificent is a sensible (having a understanding over people’s feeling and nature of human relationships) person – he is considerate and always avoids embarrassing others. He is also a good listener – he will always lend an ear to anyone in need – even strangers – and keep others' secret tightly(not a blabber mouth). This is why he has the ear of (trusted by…) many of his friends.

While Mr. Magnificent is approachable and kind, there is the negative side of his personality. Perhaps because he is always the focus of parties, he is sometimes a bit conceited/ arrogant and self-important. While he is knowledgeable and helpful, he is quite pushy. He is a good participant of activities, but hardly a good organizer, because he is very impetuous/ impulsive(acting without thinking about the consequences first) and often acts on a whim (sudden impulse to do sth). I still remember the blunders (mistakes that cause troubles to others) he made in organizing the trip to the Mt Everest. But of course, we didn’t blame him for this as we understand no one is perfect.

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My dream is to travel around the world. Such a dream is common among people. But many of them have given it up as they grow up. Even those who are determined to strive for it in their lifetime are not guaranteed with success. Luck is also important for such a great dream.

Suppose my dream really come true, I would go back to my roots first – Guangzhou – the place where I was born. Yes, I have a special sense of belonging to the place. After spending 1 month there, I would travel westward – across Guangxi to Yunan. I would spend half a year there, visiting different cities and of course, Puer which has been made famous by puer tea. If I were not to put down some roots there, I would travel to Sichuan, Qinghai and Tibet. I have been longing to visit Tibet for years, because it is such a pristine/unspoiled/untouched/virgin territory. Travelling to there is like going on/making a pilgrimage. What a sacred experience!

So is the pause of my journey of China (of course I would come back because my roots are here). The next destination would be Nepal. It’s an ideal place for people who want to escape the crowd, wander off the beaten track and get back to nature, like I. I am fascinated by its virgin/pristine forest and the flora and fauna. I am particularly enchanted by its diverse game bird community. Of course, I also want to try trekking through the undulating mountains, the Himalayas. If I could climb to the summit, the Everest, the scenery must be awe-inspiring (of course this is just kiddingJ). After recharging in Kathmandu, it would time for I to set off to India. What would hold/lay in store for me? Were I going to have an elephant ride? I were really excited about it.

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From now on, I will write an article featuring on some phrases and vocabulary regularly. Comments are welcome. Let's learn and practise together!

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Global warming is the enhanced greenhouse effect. It is mainly the result of excessive burning of fossil fuels. In recent decades, the effect of global warming has become very prominent: considerable rise in sea level, extinction of many endangered species, changes in world climatic patterns, increasing natural disasters (such as drought, flooding and cyclone) and surge in pest population in some places of the world.

Being aware of this world crisis, the governing parties of many countries such as the USA, the UK, Japan have been in bid to improve their green credentials (qualifications and experience in environmental protection, policy). Many have established laws to ban/ encumber deforestation, like the political parties in Brazil and Bangladesh. Measures such as increase in cost of electricity consumption have been introduced to encumber/discourage excessive energy consumption. This, to some extent, can reduce the pressure exerted on the finite/nonrenewable resources in our planet. But many of these policies and measures are just piecemeal solutions; they are not targeted at the root causes of the problems, but produced and enforced one bit at a time.

To balance the need to alleviate global warming while maintaining normal economic and industrial development, many places in the world have been proposing/putting forward/working towards(striving to achieve a goal) sustainable development. It refers to development of industry, for instance, which does not threaten the environment, social and/or economic stability. Examples include the establishment of national parks, game reserves and bird sanctuaries/asylum (like the Yellostone park in the USA), ecotourism (such as those in Nepal), controlled logging, farming with improved and environmentally friendly agricultural methods. Just to name a few.

Sustainable development sounds penicillin to global warming. But it requires cooperation between the government and different sectors of society. Since it is usually not easy to reach compromises between different parties in society, only when benefits of all parties involved are balance, can development in every social aspect be truly sustainable.

Dearest Self,

Guess what, I was enlightened by my experience today on MTR.

I was on the way to Causeway Bay to pick up some books I've been longing to read for ages. Thinking that there were still a few stations ahead, I took out a newspaper and read it. But I was too absorbed in it that I forgot to get off the train. Normal 0 0 2 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 I alighted from the train the next station and took the opposite line to go back. Well, it never rains but pours, I made the same mistake again. Anxiety and frustration overwhelm me. I managed to control myself and calm down. The compartment door was closing. My eyes alighted on a woman pushing herself and her baby in a carriage onto the train.A flash of inspiration suddenly came across my mind: If I had managed to get off the train, the woman would have been stranded between the closing doors and left in dangerous conditions. It was true that I did a good thing unintentionally. It was also true that I avoided putting the woman in danger. Yes, this is positive thinking: instead of crying over the spilt milk, we may well consider thinking about who would have possibly been benefited by our blunders. I used to be a person like this until when I started doubted my values. Now, after exposure to some atrocities and the real nature of human and society, I retrieved this - one of the most valuables things I have acquired: give, give and give.

There are reasons for having not written diary for days. The first, obviously, is that I need to catch up with my revision process as it is seriously lagging behind my schedule. The second is I've been thinking about if writing diary can really help keep a keen sense of writing. I mean, if there are trainings which are more effective in this respect, why don't i spend more time on them? Although writing diary is a relaxing and therapeutic activity, it takes a lot of time for I to write just one paragraph. The worst is the products are usually of low quality despite my effort.

I think I am weakest in vocabulary, which is the building block of every language. Honestly, I am always hindered by simple grammatical problems and I need to refer to dictionary from time to time, even though I  have restrained hard from doing so. But writing diary is the easiest as well as the most convenient way to keep me produce passages everyday. It's really a dilemma for me.  

Happiness, a necessity to man, has been thought about and sought for by every individual in the human history. Its importance to human life is beyond doubt and has been repeatedly proved by poems, prose, autobiography and  thousands of real stories. From cradle to grave, we are on a journey of exploring the meaning of happiness. The most common question is: If happiness is visible, what is it like?

To me, happiness is like a glass prism. When you look through a prism, you may see the objects on its another side as it is transparent. But due to its glass properties, light may also be reflected in your eyes so you see the things around you other than those in front. If you turn it a bit or if you view it from a different angle, what you see changes accordingly. Life is the same. We might be frustrated and get lost sometimes. But if we change our way of thinking a bit, channel more energy to the people around us, spending more time with our families, our precious friends and take a deep breath amidst the colorful flowers, the BEAUTY and LOVELINESS of our lives will be REFLECTED to us through a prism called HAPPINESS.

Sometimes I really want to give up and let go of everything I have been struggling for.

The world is confusing and in one sense, fathomless. The interwining of the physical world and human spiritual utopia forms a kaleidoscope in which we, the mundane and worldly lots, can never hold an eternal and unbreakable belief. When we are small, we once believe we can live with our beloved ones, our parents, our best friends and our dear toys. What happen then? All of them, as time goes by, leave us gradually and some, lucky enough, remain in our precious and abiding memory; People who, for their first time, taste the sweet berries of love always think there is something called long-lasting. What is the frequent ending for them ? Couples, except those who are able to get through extreme adverse conditions hand in hand, break up one by one, usually because of petty, avoidable quarrels, common inconsideration and all other practical factors. Where are their so-called "eternal vows"?

In sight of all these sufferings, there comes Buddhism which emphasize on

liberation through special spiritual practices. However, not many people can realize they are driven by the endless cycles of sufferings. For those who can see this through, it is always hard for them to give away all they possess in the practical world. Indeed, only those who experience appalling human tragedies and completely lose interest to the human world can devote themselves to buddhism.

The voyage of life is like a labyrinth, in which we keep turning around corners, doubting ourselves and encountering failures. Then we usually want to give up. However, don't forget there are companions, who are also seeking the exit of this labyrinth, soothe and support you at critical moments. So, treasure them as they are your light in darkness.

I've realized today, despite how firm human's faith is at a particular instance, it will be eroded by our encounters along with doubts arisen gradually, like the invisible invasion of evilness into one's conscience.

So what cause this unpleasing yet undeniable fact?

The changeable nature of man's mind. We are made up of, as what have been long recognized, physical and spiritual part. Changes in the natural part of the world, in human relationships and in people's thoughts towards the universe's structure,  origin and connection with human beings.

I am experiencing the same thing now. 

Leaving my blog unattended for a day, I feel sry for it.

At the same time, I am sry for my friend, who continuously support me when I was in prolonged depression, for my unwillingness to face the reality. I was too confused and lost at that time as there were too many things, doubts, deductions, frustration and indetermination pouring onto me. When all senses were gone, I resorted to returning to the isolated, self-centered world within myself. What I believed at that time was: Only there I could find a bit of security and restfulness.

However, after confusing, struggling and reading for days, I have been refreshed, with new realization, enlightenment, resolution and new purpose of living. However, perhaps this is due to my incomplete realization or lacking chance of applying my new knowledge, I sometimes still think of the sad things happening these two months, and when I do so, usu. at night, I will feel very hopeless and bad. This means: I am still not stable.

But this is not a pathological as I know myself quite clearly. I would rather see it as a stage of growth- what I now dun understand or am puzzled about, perhaps I will understand them later.

One may wonder what have caused me to change so acutely and quickly within few days. Frankly speaking, these few days were not easy at all. I struggled a lot. At the beginning, I tried to solve the problem by myself. When I found this was impossible, I resorted to talking to fds. However, my bad feeling swelled quickly after I hung up. Then I started shifting my focus onto reading - reading the books about buddhism I bought at a book fair. It healed me for a night. But crisis came when I found I was made more pessimistic after learning buddhism- perhaps I am just too inexperienced to assimilate it- I found myself being bounded by it. Luckily, someones saved me from this mental crisis by showing me an powerpoint showing an enlightening story about shared happiness and love. I was stunned by the dedication of the seriously ill man in the story, who still wanted to encourage his roomate in the same ward, who could only lie flat on his bed. Although the man was blind, which is revealed at the end of the story, he pretended he could look out the only window of the ward, and depicted to his roomate the outside picturesque scenery he saw with descriptive words. Day by day and month by month, the man who could only lie on his bed lived for the conversation with the blind man. One day, when the nurse arrived and bring water for their baths, she found the blind man lying lifelessly yet peacefully on his bed. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take him away. As soon as it was appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved to next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the change and then she left him alone. The man propped himself up with all his strength and looked out the window which his deceased roomate used to peer through. He found the window faced only a blank wall. He asked the nurse what kept his roomate make up stories for him everyday. The nurse told the man of his roomate's blindness "I think he just wanted to encourage you." she added.

Such a beautiful story. "Today is a gift, that is why it is called the Present", "Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled"

From now on, think of the things you have which money cannot buy and understand there is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite OUR OWN SITUATION. Let's say:"Love can finally prevail in the world."

Waken up by rain drops, I am reminded of the arrival of summer, and the my times of last summer, which was once considered as the happiest and most meaningful time.

This summer is very different from the last summer, in my attitude towards my quest for friendships and my feelings.

I truely believe friendship can be acquired only if you are willingly to show honesty, friendliness, helpfulness and eagerness to those whom u want to make friend with. Then I was rewarded by meeting a lot of "friends" and creating my first "community". At that moment I really believed in my "friends-making theory" and this notion was repeatedly strengthened and intensified. (At the time I was too happy that I sometimes really doubted if I was dreaming, as I finally could taste the sweetness of friendships after three-year loneliness.) So that I lived in anticipation and bliss everyday. Whenever I was engaged by other things, I always thought of my "friends" and then smiled sweetly, which can last for minutes sometimes.

My sense of success reached the peak after I arranged a badminton game and invited the majority of my "friends group" by myself. Isn't it comforting for a boy who has been lonely for years to be the "leader" of his friends?

However, things went badly afterwards. Perhaps time is the harshest challenge to any kinds of human relationships. I found my friends were not interested in socializing with me as before and some of them were forming their own groups. I started doubting my golden theory and confusion followed along with doubtness. Dissapointment slowly filled me up.