12th Writing Assignment - The End is Nigh

Time for the third installment.....

11th Writing Assignment

Ok - Time for part II of your stories....

10th Writing Assignment

Part one of your magnum opus. Write between a page and two pages for the first installment. Let your imaginations run free!

9th Writing Assingment

Select a sentence from another writer (preferably a literary one) and analyze the sentence based on the principles of writing we have discussed in class. Try to understand the intention behind the structure and think about how effectively it communicates its ideas. The sentence might be an excellent example of a cumulative structure, or a poor one; the choice is yours.

8th Writing Assignment

Sorry for posting this so late. I have been busy with some other projects. This assignment is centered around writing with subordinate modifying phrases (not subordinate clauses). The subject matter is open. Use the subordinate m.p. to extend your ideas or descriptions.

For those of you who want a copy of the notes from the last class, you can download them here:

http://www.mediafire.com/?metoiwnixfj

Please tell me if there are any problems retrieving the notes.

7th Writing Assignment

Ok, your job this week is observe a stranger at a bus stop, in a coffee shop, or on the train. Write an extended description of that person using the cumulative sentence structures we have discussed in class. Remember many a story have grown from a single image! If you want to include a picture of the image you have written on, please add a link.

6th Writing Assingnment

For your sixth writing assignment, you will be writing two descriptive paragraphs; one paragraph should describe a show of sadness (crying) and the other should describe a show of anger (rage). Make use of the cumulative sentence form and try to limit each paragraph to no more than 3-4 sentences. Try to alternate between abstract and precise language.

5th Writing Assignment

This week's assignment is to make a cumulative sentence out of the following parts. Remember, the first part should be the base clause.

He went to speak to Mrs. Bean.

She was tiny among the pillows.

Her small toothless mouth was open like an "O".

Her skin was stretched thin and white over her bones. Her huge eye sockets and eyes were in a fixed, infant-like stare. Her sparse white hair was short and straggling over her brow.

4th Writing Assignment

The fourth writing assignment is to write two headlines using the model discussed in class. Remember to use only one or two sentences maximum. The first example should be based on the information I provided you with in class and the second example should come from you drawing on a fairy tale of your choice. Sorry I posted this so late! (I forgot!)

3rd Writing Assignment

Write a diary entry in a chatty style that explores the romantic/comic. Try to use sentences of varying lengths to give your writing some rhythm. Use the class example as a guide.

2nd Writing Assignment

Write a diary entry from the perspective of an adult. Describe an experience that is fantastic or supernatural. Try to focus on describing the experience objectively. Refer to the writing example we discussed in class.

First Writing Assignment

First Writing Assignment:

A diary entry written as a ten to twelve year old child. The entry should establish a clear time and place setting and should be primarily descriptive. Due midnight Sunday October 18th. Length: approx. 250-300 words

Happy New Year Wishes

Well, 2008 is quickly winding to an end and we will once again need to get used to seeing 2009 printed upon our stationary. This year has been a very eventful one for me, so I'm looking forward to a relatively peaceful 2009.

I wish you all the best for the forthcoming year and hope all the goals you have been working towards are realized. To your happiness and health!

- Paul

Where Are The Paper Airplanes?

Those who have walked through 228 park in the early morning hours will have at some time encountered a delightful old man who used to be at the entrance of the park. This man, in his 70's, would park his antiquated bicycle and remove a stack of papers from an equally antiquated leather briefcase strapped to the back of the bicycle. He'd then proceed to make paper airplanes for all that passed by. He's happily show you how to make them and how to fly them. He particularly delighted in teaching the art of paper airplanes to groups of school children on field trips to visit the museum.

To encounter him was to be bathed in a feeling of such natural warmth that I have yet to find words adequate to describe the experience. Over the last 5 years, he not only gave me hundreds of paper airplanes, but he even gave me a song he wrote for Mother's Day; he even sang it for me. It's not every day you get the opportunity to meet such a rare person. One late morning, on my way home I encountered him in his usual place in the park and had the chance to talk with him. It was a conversation that lasted an hour. He showed me pictures of his family, his daughters and his wife who recently passed away. He loves organ music and used to play organ in church. It was a remarkable afternoon.

I write this now because ever since the park was renovated, he has disappeared. I haven't seen him for many many months now and I feel the loss each time I pass the place he used to park his dilapidated bicycle. It occurs to me now that the park renovations may have made some nice changes to appearance of the park, but everyday I'm reminded of that which is missing.

- Paul

My Honeymoon - Prague

I wanted to share a few pictures taken on my honeymoon. I've narrowed it down to just a few, but I believe these few to really say something about how amazing a place Eastern Europe is. The scenery is so wonderful that it feels as though you've stepped into a renaissance painting. Colors are rich, landscapes mountainous, houses colorful yet austere. Your eye can't begin to take in all the details that arrest your attention.

One of my fondest memories is eating a piping hot sausage on a bun and drinking mulled wine, a combination of lemon, cinnamon and red wine. Let me tell you, it will really warms you up.

I was also fortunate enough to visit Kafka's house which has been turned into a tiny bookstore selling only his books. I've been an admirer of Kafka for many years, so it was remarkable to be able to stand in a place he once wrote.

In addition to magnificent churches, you'll also notice a rather colorful building. The building was designed by a famous Viennese artist. He attempted to make the village into art, and as you can see he was quite successful. On the right is the Prague Astronomical Clock built in 1410!

And that's it! This last picture was taken in Salzberg in Mirabell Gardens near the childhood home of Mozart.

- Paul

Public Washroom Appreciation

One of the great things about travel is that it opens your mind to new horizons, as the cliche goes. Yet one of the things I value most about travel is the appreciation it fosters for home. What I mean is, different cultural experiences often highlight unique aspects of your own culture that the everyday humdrum of life has made you take for granted. After my return to Taiwan from Czech, a have found myself with a whole new appreciation for public washrooms.

As those of you who have travelled to Europe know well, public washrooms are not free but require a fee of anywhere from $10 NT to $50 NT depending on where you are. The fee is paid to an attendant that services the washroom and keeps it clean and restocked. The other choice is to use an automatic pay toilet. With this toilet, money must be inserted before the door will unlock and allow you entry. The result is very clean and safe public washrooms, but at a price. I assume this service must also save taxpayers a lot of money, as the fees paid subsidize the maintenance costs substantially. While for some this is an excellent example of a "pay as you go" plan, for those of us not used to it, it can be highly irritating seeking a washroom only to discover we don't have the right change. The homeless no doubt do not get to use these facilities because of the cost, and I wonder if we are not robbing them of some basic dignity by requiring payment for such a basic human need.

Now, as I pass through Taipei's wonderful MRT stations, I look upon the clean, safe and FREE public washrooms and am reminded how lucky we are to have them.

- Paul

No Heroics

For those of you looking for something on the lighter side, I have a TV recommendation for you - No Heroics

No Heroics is a new and delightful tongue in cheek British comedy about a group of dysfunctional superheroes and their daily trials and tribulations. It's a brilliant parody of the popular American show Heroes and the multitudinous comic book heroes turned blockbuster movies. The show is full of superheroes, known as Capes, such as Thunder Monkey who has the ability of call a herd of monkeys. The only problem being that it takes his monkeys about twenty-five minutes to arrive on the scene. So if you're tired of those over the top superhero dramas and you want to be brought back down to earth, give it a watch.

(If you're interested, you can find it here: http://eztv.it/shows/763/no-heroics-ivt2-uk/)

Copyfight

It's no secret that's it's pretty easy to find TV programs from all over the world online. Whether or not it's legal to download them is still for many, a grey area. Here are some of my thoughts on the issue and of course in turn, I'm very curious to know yours.

When it comes to the copying and selling of pirated DVD's and CD's, no one would deny it's wrong. Making money from the efforts of artists who work hard to create that material is impossible to justify. Although record companies and book publishers have reportedly been doing it for centuries, that's another issue. What I'm interested in discussing is whether or not it is acceptable to download a TV program that after being shown on a public TV station, is recorded and then freely distributed through the Internet so that others, presumably in other countries, can watch is reasonable or unreasonable.

A little piece of news.....

Usually I reserve the blog to discuss ideas and issues and steer away from the personal. Yet, once in a while something so big happens that it would be wrong not to share.

I've been waiting to tell everyone this for over a week now.... I got married! On October 10th, that's right double 10, my wife Celina and I celebrated with friends and family our promise to wed one another. The ceremony was held outdoors amid waterfalls and lovely scenery. We even had a string trio for music, a wonderful gift from Eva, which added a touch of charm and magic to the celebration. My mother also made her first visit to Taiwan to attend the wedding. I wanted to share a few photographs with everyone of the happy day.

To cliche or not to cliche? That is the cliche.

My apologies to those of you who visit here. As you can see from the date of the last entry, I've been notably remiss in keeping up. I shall endeavor not to let that happen again.
Recently, I was learning about the history of the word: cliché. It's origins are French and it is related to the early printing presses. Early printing presses used movable type, in which they needed to change each letter's position for every new page. The alternative was to manufacture a fixed plate called a stereotype that would have a fixed phrase that could be used over and over to save time. This fixed phrase or plate was called a cliché.
Cliché is ubiquitous. Whether we are using email, text messages or even just chatting the cliché is everywhere. The simple convenience of the cliché is just too overwhelming for us moderns. Do you think we need to “stem the tide” (cliché) or should we just “go with the flow” (another cliché). Are we capable anymore of expressing ourselves without falling into cliche?