Seven Types of Heroines’ Friends

      Some have said that the human life is like a show in which there are heroes, heroines, villains, maids and so on, and that, the characters which cannot be forgotten are the heroes’ and heroines’ friends. As a young lady, I imagine my readers to be heroines, and I think that the great companions and good friends in a heroine’s life can be categorized into seven types in the same ways as Snow White and Seven Dwarves. Let me show you each type of friends from number one to number seven.
         As a heroine, your Number 1 is “A Close Friend”. Because her and your life patterns and hers are very similar, she is the one who can comprehend you well. You study and work together. You both love the same Korean romantic series. You meet the wolf guys, eat the food with unpleasant taste at the same canteen, and may have no parking lot in front of the office, identically. Your close and friend you can understand whatever each other likes and doesn’t like. 
       The Number 2 for a heroine is “An Advising Friend”. She is an experienced person who will advise and help you when you are in trouble. Perhaps she is a senior in your major or in your office. She could be called an official mentor for you. You can learn many things from her. Be polite and humble to her, and save her phone number in your first list. In times of doubt and crisis, she can be your Doraemon*.
        As for Number 3, “An Amusing Friend” is really in need for a heroine. Although you cannot count on anything serious from the amusing friend, she will make you laugh whenever you are sad. She is as a royal jester who makes the heroine happy. Sometimes, when you meet problems, you may not want anyone to tell you how to solve the problem. But you just want someone to make your brain clear enough to seek a solution of the problem on your own, and your amusing friend can do this for you. 

        After you have a senior friend, you should have “A Junior Friend” as number 4. To her, you can transfer your good personal philosophies. Moreover, she is like a reflection, which reflects yourself when you were as young as she is now. She reminds you of how innocent you were in the past and how you have improved and matured. On the other hand, she reminds you of how spirited you were yesterday and how spiritless you are today. In fact, You will not be able to get too old over the years because your junior friend will drag you to sing at the karaoke bar or update new fashion trends to you.
         A heroine should not missed Number 5 friend, “A Boy Friend. A boy friend is very important. As it is said, men are from Mars and women are from Venus. Occasionally, the Venus people want some good advice from the Mars people as a reference.  For instance, whether you should or shouldn’t invite a man first on the second date, or what a nice birthday gift for your boyfriend would be. One thing that you should be careful about, though, is that do not change his status from “a boy friend” to “a boyfriend”. Otherwise, you may lose both your friendship and a relationship.
         As a heroine, Number 6 is “A Friend from the Opposite World”. You might be bored if every day you meet friends having similar life patterns, so the way to make your life more colorful is to have some friends from the opposite world. Try to contact your friends from when you were in high school or before you studied in the university. Their majors, jobs and lives are now varied--engineer, dentist, artist, businessman, gay, straight, playboy, and even pregnant mom. You will be excited and feel different atmospheres in your reunions.
        Last but not least for a heroine is Number 7, “An Old Friend”. There is a case of a couple of old friends. She is neat but he is naughty. They studied in the same primary and secondary schools for twelve years. Because their mothers are buddies, she, with her mom, usually visits his house. Although they are not intimate, they are concerned about each other. When his dog dies and he cries, she is the only one who understands why. This is because they have seen the pet since it was a puppy. An old friend is more valuable than any diaries, and can reflect your past better than every big photo album in your living room.
       CONGRATULATIONS, if you have all groups of a heroine’s friends. However, to have friends, you have to be friends. You are heroine in your life but don’t forget to be heroine’s friend in your friends’ lives.

*Doraemon is a Japanese manga series created by Fujiko F. Fujio (the pen name of Hiroshi Fujimoto) which later became an anime series and an Asian franchise. The series is about an earless robotic catnamed Doraemon, who travels back in the time from the 22nd century to aid a schoolboy, Nobita Nobi. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doraemon

Louder -- Charice

Truth and Lies

     I am a person who prefers the truth, both saying and hearing, and I do agree that lies can hurt someone -- either a liar or a person being lied. There are many reasons causing ones to lie such as avoiding punishment or embarrassment, getting rewards that they couldn’t get, maintaining privacy, protecting another person from being punished, and getting out of social situation. In some reasons, I was a liar, used to be forced to lie and was tricked by lies.

       I was a liar. When I was a sophomore, my friends, seniors in the same major and I had to prepared a welcoming activity for freshmen - sophomore was the host of the activity. To hold an out-of-campus activity without permission from the school was not allowed but asking for permission is a kind of boring and complicating process. Moreover, it was yearly activity and a kind of tradition for first year student. Therefor, some advisers and teachers in our major agreed with this activity and helped us to do it. They gave us helpful advice because our activity was more like ice-breaking games during the trip. By the way, we still did some little crazy games such as finding some hints in the straw with closed eyes and having another friend telling the direction. Unfortunately, a personnel in the school knew it and he called me on phone directly in the evening before the welcoming activity day. He said if he could find the fault, we all -- both sophomores and seniors -- had to be punished. I was very shocked but what I said to him was I pretended not to know anything - not even participating in preparing meeting of the activity. I was afraid that if I had said something wrong without consulting my friends, it would have made everything worse. I thought he didn’t believe me at all but he couldn’t find any defect from what I had said. ei ei ei Then, he called me again in the next two hours to recheck. I told that he misunderstood the activity and we just prepared local sports among us. I was very surprised myself that how could I managed such a tactful lie. 

freshman welcoming activity

       However, we has to change our program into on campus activity and there was something went wrong in the town that night. we couldn’t use telecommunication and we couldn’t cancel the buses. So we have to pay for the buses’ cost for the whole day. We all was very upset because of the collapsed project and there was another thing  make me more deeply upset. The guy who called me seemed too worried about his working position more than freshmen’s safety.   
       I hided the truth. I used to have class with a crazy teacher. He was hot-tempered and hated to listen to our comments against himself. Moreover, he never prepared for the class. Therefore, we informed such terrible things to the his supervisor. When he knew that some of us tattled to him, he was very angry and asked us to comment him directly in class - don’t say his bad thing behind the curtain. My friend, sitting on the first chair, said the truth about his bad habit - and he got more angry. Another classmate, sitting on the next chair, told a lie that he was a good teacher. Then he seemed to be satisfied, but, seriously, I was really hate it. At the time, I was a student, sitting on the third chair,  I could not tell him both the truth and any lies. So, I said in general that, “No one is perfect. To judge any people is none of my business. It belongs to God.” Fortunately, he seemed to be satisfied with it. But I didn’t like it because it caused him no change. On the other hand, it is useless to say the absolutely truth to this kind of person because it caused him no change too.  
        I was tricked by lies. I was tricked by lies. There was two cases that I will never forget them. First case was when I was an exchange student in Malaysia. During the convocation days, some undergraduates including international students in the university prepared performances to show at night. I planned to go back home on weekend but my friends asked me to help her in a performance because she was not good at performing. Therefore, I postponed the leaving day. During the convocation days, students had to walk to class because on-campus buses didn’t work. I had rehearsals with a group of students everyday before the performance night. In the afternoon before the performance night, I was very tired because I was fasting that day. Therefore, on phone, I asked my friend (nickname A), who asking for my help, to pick me up at the dorm because she had a motorbike. She said she had lots of homework to do and apologized to me. Then I called another friend (nickname B), having a motorbike too. B said she was very busy at the time, but A was here with her and she could ask A to pick me up at the dorm. Suddenly, I finished the phone call and asked my roommate to walk with me. My roommate said that if she were me, she would never help her anymore and not perform in the night too. She was very surprised that I was not angry. Of course, I was not angry but I felt very bad. While we were walking to the hall, A came to us with a pale face and gave us the motorbike’s key but we said nothing and kept walking to the hall. Perhaps she was afraid that I would not perform anymore. I still help her because I didn’t want to damage the performance and hurt friends in the performing group, not because of her. The performance that night got a great response form audiences. But my positive feeling to A had been damaged and it was very difficult to repair trust.

My close friend and I

     The second case was happened before I came to the U.S. I had a senior friend (nickname C).  he and I usually went together everywhere, for example, eating, jogging and shopping. Sometimes I asked him to wait me till I finished meeting with my friends and we would have late meal at night. Some of my friends thought that we were in a relationship but I never felt in that way. One day in February, C had to go to Bangkok and had no place to stay. He had some friends working there but he couldn’t contact them. I had a very close friend (nickname D) studying in a province not far form the capital and airport, so I asked my friend to help C to stay at his apartment. C changed when he came back. He said something like feeling neglected by me and asked me to be D’s girlfriend. Four to five days later, he kept silence and didn’t want to talk with me anymore. I had two probably reason for this case. First reason, He felt neglected by me and my friend. Perhaps he used to think that he is the most one close to me but he found the truth when he met my friend. My friend and I were very close. We studied in the same high school and always hanged up with each other in previous day. Many friends think he is my boyfriend but he is absolutely not. (I asked D what happen during the days there but he said it was nothing. He had very busy at the time.) Second reason, he fell in love with my friend. (no more comments for this second reason)  If it was the first reason, he could tell me directly and he could see I had never change; on the other hand, If it was the second reason, he could feel free to love. I had no right to disallow anyone to love someone.  I don’t like the way someone keep silent to me. If something happen and I had done something wrong, I prefer the straightforward way. I was very upset at the time and I called my close friend very often and told him what C did to me (in the wrong ways but I don’t want to mention them here). He asked me not to be worried and forget it. After two months that C was gone, I knew that he had a new and close friend, a handsome guy. I was quite sure it was because of the second reason. C and I talked together again but not in the same way. Too, my positive feeling to C had been damaged. But every cloud has a silver lining. I had learned the hard way not to be too worried about someone who never think of anyone and only see his pain. My friend and I become closer and this situation made me know how great our relationship between me and my close friend is.
     As I had mentioned in my previous blog post, a good person is the one who is sincere. The definition is very simple and important. What I have learned is that the truth may hurt for a short time, but lies forever.   

 

     As I had mentioned in my previous blog post, a good person is the one who is sincere. The definition is very simple and important. Remember that the truth may hurt for a short time, but lies forever.  

Broken-hearted Clinic

     Hello all ladies but not gentlemen, welcome to our Broken-hearted Clinic. Nowadays, there are numerous ladies attacked by the broken-hearted disease. Many of them go out of control and some of them commit suicide. Our clinic perceives this terrible crisis and we have pursued the medical research in the antidote. Eventually, we find out the four pills to cure the broken-hearted disease. Let’s see the specific properties of each.

      The first pill is called Crying. Actually, one cannot be broken-hearted without tears. So, let your tears flood during listening to heartbroken songs or watch love tragic movies. Optimistically, this is the time you can get into the songs or movies most. Crying until you are at the most painful point, you will recognize that losing many tears do not make you lose your balance as caused by the *meniere’s disease. The world still spins and you are still alive.
      The second pill is called Good Looking. The ones, attacked by the broken-hearted disease, often make their lives worthless by getting drunk, eating too much, quitting their job or avoiding society. Is it better to take care of yourself more? Enjoy your single life with your friends and family, work diligently, and spend your time freely. You can do all of them without being worried about not calling your boyfriend to tell where you are and what you are doing. By the Good Looking pill, you may slightly get even with your ex-boyfriend. He may regret you when he sees you are more attractive and successful. Consequently, your health will be improved, both physical and mental. This is as if killing two birds with one stone.
      The third pill is called Helping. Some argue that we should not help others while we are blue. But this is just as fighting fire with fire and so relieving suffering with suffering. Because a general symptom of the disease is to feel poor; to help the poorer ones, such as orphans and homeless people, makes you to feel better and see how worthy you are.
     The last pill is called Facing. To face others without tears, especially face your ex-boyfriend shows that you survive. When you meet him, you may miss him. But “practice makes perfect”. Similarly, after you meet him many times, you will be indifferent to him. You may say hi him with a smile as if he is your friend. Probably, he puzzles why you are happier without him.
    These are the directions to take the pills. For the Crying pill, you must take it first and can’t continually take it more than a week. Then you take the rest afterwards and they can be taken interchangeably, depending on the situations you encounter. Except the Crying pill, you can take all as large dose as you want, without having any side effects. Besides, the pills don’t cause the negative attitudes towards your next love. All four pills are effective, guaranteed by women doctors who were experienced and got over the broken-hearted disease before.

Wish you a happy single life and to find a new love soon. Thank you for coming.

*Meniere’s disease is a disorder of the inner ear that can affect hearing and balance to varying degree.

Foreign Travel

@ The Dutch Square in Melaka, Malaysia

with Merlion in Singapore

    Foreign travel provides us with many good and interesting experiences. Certainly, the enjoyment of a trip plays a big role. The different places we visit give us different pleasures. For example, we can enjoy swimming or sunbathing at the beach, beautiful landscape and bird songs while hiking, and photo shooting at landmarks of a new country. 

    Moreover, when we visit any country, we can learn about new cultures through the people’s way of life. Some countries have a special way when they greet each other such as a handshake, cheek kiss, salutation and so on. The way people eat is also different in each country, for example, using a hand, spoon and fork, or spoon and knife. If we visit some countries during festival or national celebrations, we have a chance to learn their national traditions during our stay. Additionally, foreign travel provides us with a chance to make friends. For example, you might make new friends while spending your vacation in a home stay with local people. Above all, these experiences will become cherished memories in our life and may give us the desire to travel abroad more and more.

a Chinese kid and I in China

     my Chinese friends and I in China

@ Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion in Penang, Malaysia

@ Merdeka Square in KL, Malaysia

                           

A Good Person

      I am a small creature with soft fur and sharp claws. People often keep me as their pet. I like to curl up on the windowsill, purring and chasing mice. Exactly, I am a cat. Many people define what a good cat is. But in reverse, on my honor as a cat, I desire to define what a good person is. “Meawww…”

 

      A good person is the one who puts himself in the other person's shoes. It means that imagining you are in another person’s situation, especially when it is unpleasant or difficult. I believe that someone has their own reason to do something. Therefore, a good person is the one who don’t tell me off for scratching their furniture. But a good person is the one who knows that it is because I want to grind my claws. Furthermore, a good person would understand that sleeping at least 17 hours a day is a cat’s nature. It doesn’t mean cats are lazy. Whenever someone tries to understand the unusual things of others by being in their shoes, the one is a good person.
     A good person is the one who always respects the rights of others. For instance, a good person won’t cage me when I have an affair. Certainly, I know that you are anxious about me. You worry I may lose blood in fighting with other cats. But my slogan is that my Queen cannot be touched by any other Tom cats. Therefore, a good person is the one who let others to make their own decision in their lives even though how much he is close with them. 
     A good person is the one who is sincere. This definition is very simple and important. Generally, cats are straightforward. We show what we really think or feel through our speech and/or action. Yawning means happiness, for example. But to be a person is more complicated than a cat. A person’s smile doesn’t always mean happiness, for example. Sometimes, a person cannot show his real thought and feeling in some situations. This recognition is beyond my ability as a cat. However, as long as a person is sincere even though his thought and act are different, the person can be considered as a good person.
      Above all, we, as a person or a cat, cannot judge a person only from their appearance. For instance, a person who often goes to religious places might not be a good person. I have ever seen that some people leave their unwanted pets at the temple. On the other hands, a person who goes to bars or pubs might not be a bad person. I have seen the bar owner next block give some foods for stray dogs very often. Besides, our good person may be bad for others and others’ good person may be good for us. Therefore, to open mind and accept the differences between each other is another definition of a good person. And it makes the world more livable. “Meawww…”

Journey to Philly

 

      This is my first time in America but not the first time in foreign countries. Actually, I had been in China for a couple of weeks through a cultural exchange program and in Malaysia for one year as an exchange student at University Sains Malaysia. I'd learnt lots of experiences in those Asian countries and inspired me to find more chances to be in Europe or America. The U.S. Is one of the most destinations. I was very glad that I've got this opportunity.

      It was very long airplane journey I have had. It was around 6 hours from Bangkok to Tokyo and almost 12 hours from Tokyo to Detroit. Besides, we had to wait for 3 and 2 hours at Narita and Detroit Metro Airports consequently. Then -_-'' we spent nearly 2 hours from Detroit to Philadelphia. Therefore, the totality is 6+12+3+2+3=24 hours = 1 day. OMG What a long journey it was!!! I couldn't never imagine before how a restless girl as me could endure the very long journey on seat. Moreover, each meal on airplanes made me feel like a chick waiting for her mom to feed.

      I arrived at Kelly Hall, Drexel University at night. The first dinner shocked me, a foot-long hamburger. :o How tiny Noona could finish this. During the first day, I had got a jet lag, being tired and slightly confused. In daytime class, I was sleepy, but i could't force my eyes to close at night. @_@ The bus tour day was the most tired for me. Actually, I really love taking photos but I couldn't because of being exhausted. Fortunately, I could adjust myself with the different time zone after a week. 

  

     Many things in the U.S. are different from Thailand. First of all, I would like to mention about foods. American food are plenty of carbohydrate and not as spicy as Thai food. I really miss Thai food. Anyhow I like the food at dinning hall. There are many kinds of food to choose. I love fruit, especially berries, yogurt, fish sometimes, and chinese food. I love eating many kinds of food but each a little. Although I eat a little compared to Americans, I eat a lot compared to my size. ^_^ Mentioned to Americans, I have no wonder why many of them are fat and paunchy – lots of carbo-consumption plus soda. Anyway, the second different thing is Americans' ways of life. People here are often in hurry, even eating, they are eating while walking or working in front of the screen. I think it will be better if they have some spare time to enjoy slow dance. However, people here are always on time. I really like it. I don't like being late and I'm rarely late. I believe that being punctual is a quality of a good man. Everyone has equal time a day, 24 hours. If ones are late, they do not only waste their own time but also do waste others'.

      There were many places in Philly I had visited and many more I'd love to visit. I love taking Photos. There are many beautiful places in Philly to shoot them through lenses. I also like to shoot the ways of lifestyle here. But it seems rather hard because many feel worried about what I will do about their photos. Sometimes, I have to ask for their permission but the photos I'll have got will not be natural. Y_Y

Last but not least, I am happy to be here. I've got lots of friends from many countries around the world. I've shared idea with them both in and outside class. As an English major student, having a chance to learn English in an English speaking country. I will have a social marketing which I can do it in real when I go back. Now I do miss Thailand. But after I go back, I surely do miss Philly and everyone here.

My favorite photos taken during the trip with my friends

And this, too, shall pass.

     I think I would see the movie "My Best Friend's Wedding" once,-- because there is a punch line "And this, too, shall pass" stated in the movie.

....................................................

     In fact the punch line is originated from the story of King Solomon and his great courtier, Benea. King Solomon had challanged Benea to find a magic ring, being able to make a happy man sad only staring at it and vanish the sadness from a man because of starring at it too. Obviously, King Solomon just wanted to challenge Benea, because there was no the magic ring.

     King Solomon had not seen Benea for months. Then Benea came back with a common gold ring. King Solomon laughed at him --Benea was cornered, run out of ideas. But when he saw the sentence engraved on the ring, King Solomon suddenly stopped his laugh. The Hebrew sentence was "Gimel, Zayin, Utd". It means "And this, too, shall pass".

     Although King Solomon liked to play tricks, he is a wise man. He knew that his smart courtier has succeeded.

......................................................

     "And this, too, shall pass" may not be the philosophy everyone could be appriciated. This is because the world wisdom could not be learned only from seeing or hearing, but we would get them clearly when something had been happened to us.

Similar to love, if we have never been in love, we would not know how painful the broken heart is.

Similar to fear of death, if we have never been come close to die, we would not know how fearful it is.

Similar to be kicked in the groin, if we have never been kicked, we would not know how suffering it is.

Similar to bearing a child, if we have never done it, we would not know if it is more suffering than being kicked in the groin.

....................................................

     Therefor, the ones who have never been disappointed, sad and suffering at the level of closing to die ...but not die, the one would know "And this, too, shall pass" is true.

....................................................

Translated into English by: Noona

Inspiration : And this, too, shall pass., a day Publishing