Struggle on the Verge of Poverty Struggle on the verge of poverty It is nothing funny It only brings you endless depression and anxiety Especially when you are pursuing too much The huge distance between your dream and reality On numerous stormy nights It makes you unable to move and breathe From time to time, you stop to doubt, cry and hesitate Which path to take Whether you are doing the right thing If what you are doing makes any sense Where lies your paradise Why you have such miserable destiny Give in to reality or keep on walking You can’t help questioning and asking When suddenly a tender voice whispering The night might be too dark to survive The mountain too high to climb The road too long to go through But the star is still shining The trees are singing Your heart is bright You are strong-minded You have made it so far You can make it further Further than beyond Someday you will see Despite of all the trying days Your dream is worth fighting Life is always worth living

If money is not a big issue, what would you like to do most?

A Little Noon Nap Nightmare Hard to recall Where, when and why we were meeting each other Only the how memory is still clear On the bustling street, we encountered After a short conversing, we walked into a restaurant A good seat we took, a fancy meal we ordered Soon came to the end however we enjoyed Time to check out, we went to the counter Only to discover too much we consumed Unable to afford, we decided to escape together Chased by some stranger, I was so scared Lying down quietly with my eyes opening wide Turned out it was a nap dream I’ve had PS: It all originated from a noon nap I’ve had today. Here is what I’ve truly dreamed: My cousin and I decided to have dinner at a restaurant. After we finished our order, the waiter asked for a checkout, that’s how everything runs in a Chinese restaurant. I was so furious to find out that we were asked to pay 300 hundred RMB for 5 dishes. I did the math on the spot, and could hardly accept and afford that. I complained to the server how it could be so expensive with such small portions. So I refused to pay anything for it. At that time, my cousin rushed out of the restaurant without saying anything to me. I got worried and was about to chase her when suddenly my father and several other relatives appeared. They were hanging out around accidentally. So we decided to look for my cousin together. I was wondering when seeking for her what made she disappear so suddenly. Did I humiliate her by refusing to foot the bill? Or was she unhappy about our current situation-So poor that even a fancy meal was a luxury to us? I woke up suddenly without clearing my head from the strange event in my dream. I decided to write it down as a diary entry but changed my mind after I wrote down the first sentence. I just had the strong urge to make it a poem. So here it was.

The Benefits I've Got from Learning English The Benefits I’ve Got from Learning English Some philosopher once said that everything happens for a reason. But there is something happening very naturally, you can’t exactly explain why, such as my passion for English. It was like fall in love at first sight, I was deeply attracted by English the first time I learnt it. As time flashes by, my passion for English is only becoming greater and greater. Learning English has brought me enormous pleasure in the past 9 years. It’s a good company I will always keep, a soul mate I shall never lose throughout my life. As I once put it like this: Music and English is my lover. There are many friends showing their concerns for me: What sense does it make with your English diploma if you can’t go abroad? Now I will just tell you some of the many benefits I’ve got from learning English. Firstly, it brings me happiness. As I mentioned, I simply enjoy the process of learning this language. I think it is one of the most beautiful languages in this world. It’s like a magic, a piece of music, even a work of art. I feel so fortunate because I know many fellows around me think it a torture to learn English. Millions of people including English native speakers don’t necessarily feel happy about learning English. Secondly, it taught me how to think. I mean, really think, independently, freely and critically. I view myself as a study nerd, or a walking dead before going to college. I only knew study after years of being brainwashed by my parents who never graduated from junior high school and my school teachers. Luckily, things got changed up after I went to college where I was able to have more free time to do more reading both online and offline. But what really inspired me to reflect on my life in the past years and started to think independently came from some impressive lectures delivered by English-speaking celebrities. It is like a fresh air I never breathe in before. I was like a hungry wolf, greedily absorbing every piece of new ideas and insights. Thirdly, it extraordinarily expanded my horizon. I knew little about the world before until one day English entered my mind and open a brand new window for me. I was able to see another whole new world beyond China through English. I was able to chat online with people from all over the world, catch a glimpse of what is going on there and share and exchange new ideas and perspectives with each other. My life is greatly enriched thanks to English.

Today Is My Birthday Today Is My Birthday Just like any other birthday I’ve had over the past 20 years, I spent my birthday in my school dorm. No celebration, no fancy dressing up, no big dinner out, no shopping, no hanging out at all. Everything is as normal as usual. I’ve been quite used to it. Far away from home for ages, I have learned to be independent and strong in mind. How about my roommates? Won’t they celebrate birthday for you? Well, the fact is that if you have never celebrated birthday for others, how can you expect the otherwise? Sometimes I do buy presents and birthday cards to whoever deserves my friendship. Sometimes those who come from rich families do treat us to dinner for free though we are not very intimate with each other. That doesn’t really matter to me. For me, every day is unique and special just like my birthday. Once it’s gone, it’s forever. You never have the same day twice after all. I choose to live in the moment and cherish every day. Sometimes we do need to highlight someday to surprise ourselves a little bit. For me, It’s not my birthday, it should be a day when I can spend with people I love most-my beloved family. That’s exactly why I did nothing special on my 23th birthday except for writing down this diary. Actually, I did have some surprise today. Earlier this morning, I posted online, sending out a message by making a little wish: Today is my birthday, wish all those I love and whoever loves me happy every day, stay healthy, sleep soundly and eat deliciously. To my great astonishment, a plethora of good wishes came to me all at once, including some electronic celebrating cards. Appreciate all the wishes I’ve received. A mysterious call from one of my junior school classmates really made my day.

The Best Parents in This World-- Chinese Parents Part 2 Here is how they treat their parents in return. To keep their company running at a low cost, they arrange their father to work as the cleaner responsible for every corner in their company. Just imagine the scene a little bit. An old man aged almost 60 still work menially day and night in their children’s company. And their mother, work like a nanny in their house, responsible for all the chores. Cooking, cleaning, washing, taking care of their kids, their mother carry all the responsibility inside of their house. Now you might ask how the children can be so cruel to their biological parents. Well, I won’t say that they are cruel. They are just used to it. They take everything their parents did for granted. They think their parents’ life’s meaning is to see their children live a happy life. And the parents themselves, they never feel tired or unsatisfied about everything their children did to them. Instead they are very proud for their children’s success in careers. Just like what I have stressed through this essay, the Chinese parents are the best in this world. They live for their children. They don’t live for themselves. Isn’t it good to have someone who is willing to sacrifice anything to make you happy anyway? I don’t where else to find such good parents except for China. The story I shared above is just a tiny part of the many things Chinese parents did for their children. There are way more than that and are totally beyond your imagination. Now you should know why I say Chinese parents are best parents ever.

The Best Parents in This World-- Chinese Parents The Best Parents in This World-- Chinese Parents By giving this title to the article I am writing, I am not at all exaggerating anything, I am just presenting the dead truth in my country. I know for sure that all the parents on every corner of this earth love their children unconditionally only with quite few exceptions in this case. The difference is that they express their love in distinct ways. For someone who was born and has lived in China for more than 20 years, I am well qualified to reach this conclusion from my unique perspective that the Chinese parents are the best among all the parents on this planet. Here I’d give an example to show you why I think this way. Let’s call the main characters A and B. They are a compatible couple. Like many other Chinese parents, they put all their hearts and souls to serve and raise their three children: two lovely daughters and one son. Once their children came into this world, they started their endless journey of fighting their way to make a good path for their three children. They worked hard day and night to make sure their three children get a good education. After their three kids graduated from school, they still have to work hard to make sure they can get decent jobs. Getting a job was not that difficult at that period in history, but not easy to find a pleasant one. Luckily, the special Chinese relationship worked out well as long as you have money. They gave gifts and money to their relatives and persuaded them to arrange some good jobs for their children. Now you may think they have already done enough for their children and it’s time for them to enjoy their own life. Then sorry to disappoint you, Chinese parents will never stop working and living for their children. After their children go to work, the parents still work for them to share the burden on their shoulders. Soon afterwards, the three children start their own families and have their own children. But still the parents won’t stop working. They move to their children’s house to take care of their grandchildren so that they can focus on their careers. They are willing to do everything for their children. After years of hard work, their children get very successful in their business. But that doesn’t stop them from working hard for their children. Now you must wonder the three children must appreciate a lot for their parents’ sacrifice. The answer is no. The three children will never get satisfied.

About Me-Part Tree In my three years’ school life, I’ve been working part-time for two years during my vacations and spare time. I have tried many different jobs. Waitress in a hotel, tutoring students aged from 6 to 16 English, Chinese, Mathematics, saleswoman in a bookstore, Teaching Assistant in an International education school, General Worker in an Electronic Factory, waitress in a Korean restaurant(Chinese division for sure), etc. I benefited enormously from those working experiences. They taught me things I can learn no other ways. It really offered me a lot of good opportunities to improve my communicative skill with people from all walks of life. I learned the significance of a strong sense of responsibility. It also led me to dig deeper into the relation of learning and teaching. I always think teaching is to make learning funny. My working experience under an International environment really offered me a great opportunity to expand my horizons. I’ve learned different cultures from different countries. What’s more, I got to realize the huge gap in the educational condition between the rich and the poor. Only the rich can afford such expensive International school, enjoy the best bilingual education. However, money can’t buy anything. Even those privileged students can have many of their own problems from their studies and families. Working as a waitress greatly enhanced my multi-tasking ability and my time management skill. Now you can gather a general idea about what kind of person I am. Sorry for not being able to present myself very briefly. Thank you for your attention. Last but not least, I’d like to share my life motto with you. Life is difficult, yet life is beautiful.

About Me-Part Two I live in my school apartment with 5 other roommates. They all know I am the one to turn to in need of help, because I am always an enthusiastic problem solver. I am naturally good at comforting and courage-giving. Whether they have trouble with their study, psychological issues or their computers, I am always a good listener and ready to give them a hand. I always think that helping others out is helping yourself, because you never know when you will meet the same problems. Sometimes they quite marvel at my optimism and a strong will. I simply say my life experiences shapes who I am today. Indeed, your past makes who you are. I was born in a poor family, by any convention, the poorest among all the villagers. My father is a construction worker. I have two siblings, one elder sister who got married last year and gave birth to an adorable baby girl and a younger brother who is a junior student in a Chinese university. My mother committed a suicide almost 12 years ago. My father alone raised us three children up. It’s no easy for him of course. However, what does not kill you makes you stronger. When god closes a door, he opens a window for you at the same time. The many hardships I have gone through in my life only made me appreciate more about everything I have. It does not stop me from pursuing my dream. It only horns my personality and toughens my heart. It is actually a huge fortune with which I will try my hardest to make my life better and better. I survived in the hot competition and made my way to college at last.