Blog Critique -- To write love on her arms.

I have recently visited a blog called "To Write Love On Her Arms". I found this blog through recommendations of blog giant, Myspace. When I first read the blog name, it just seems to me that it is a blog about love relationship and thus I am interested in it. The title is really sensational and it does attract me to click and have a look. But after reading one of the posts, I discovered that it is totally different from what I expected, however, I still like this blog. It is a blog dedicated to encourage people and lead them out of their depressions. It also mentions a campaign which is run by the blogger, it is called the "World Suicide Prevention Day". Maybe others may feel bored of it because it talks about theories of life, but for me, a psychology lover, I just fall in love with this blog.

The post I want to discuss about is the post on September 11, 2007. Once again, I was attracted by the post title, "Part 1 of a long-overdue update. / Hope is not a myth." It is not hard to guess when the post is posted on this exact day, it must be something about the 911 incident and bingo, the blogger uses this event as an introduction to its main idea, stopping people from suicide. He describes this event in a very touching way and tries to show how fragile a life can be, so that people will agree that life is precious and they should cherish it. In this post, he specifically stresses a message which is "DEPRESSION IS TREATABLE". He tells viewers that he understands it is hard to survive in the world and feeling depressed is normal and common, but then he points out that hopes exist in the face of depression and if one needs help, there must be someone who can offer help. What the underlying message is that suicide is not a way out and it will not solve any problem. However, this sentence is such a cliche and that is why he tries to use another way to bring out the message and it works.

Beside using the 911 incident, he also quotes two recent stories, one is about Owen Wilson and the other is about Mother Theresa. As we all know, Owen Wilson is a comedian, however, he has committed a suicide recently and the rumor is because he broke up with his girlfriend. I read this news too and I was quite shocked about it. He indicates that though many audiences might think Owen Wilson, a laughter, is a free person and does not have much stress, however, his suicide attempt just proves that they are wrong and he also has depression. On the other hand, he uses Mother Theresa as another example of depressed people. Mother Theresa is always portrayed as a generous, humble and obliging saint. Nevertheless, she also had her pain. These two stories help to reinforce that every body has their stresses, their problems and their struggles. He reveals that "Life is hard. Owen Wilson isn't always laughing. Mother Theresa wasn't always walking the streets of Calcutta feeling like a million bucks." That is absolutely true and these two cases just give credence that a human being, a real people having depression is not abnormal, but the difference is whether they ask for help or not. Even the process of healing, growing and letting it go will be certainly uncomfortable, we should still try to face it and solve it. As he says, "We were meant to live", small depression should therefore not be a reason for us to sink, if we strike on, we will definitely lead to a better life.

To conclude, this is really a meaningful blog. The messages it wants to spread and the examples it uses are really strong. Though the post may be a little bit long, it is still worth reading it. From the lists of readers' responses it has received, it shows a support to this blog. All in all, I am fascinated by this blog and I appreciate the cheerfulness it gave me even though it may only last for a short period. Ha!

Shooting*

I like my crew in every team!

Hi Rise: Faye, Shulina, Sujin
Second Home: Aileen, Faye, Rita
Magic Power: Aileen, Jin, Stephanie, Sujin

Every shooting is enjoyable.
They're exciting and full of fun.
All in all, I really learn a lot from those actual shootings.
What I really appreciate is that we have great group work.
Thank you guys! You're all so lovely!





Finally, all practical works are done.
There's only written works left.
Come one, production file, I'll finish you!
Proposal, Treatment, Schedule, Shot List,
Director Statement, Edit Script, Transcript,
and also Story Board!
Hohoho...
Almost done!

Friendship*

"To develop a sincere friendship,
it needs a long time to cultivate.
But to lose a friendship,
it just needs not more than a second."

Do you ever,
have an experience that you treat someone really sincerely,
but that person somehow is not a honest person?
How do you feel,
when a friend who you trust take advantage of you?

Tell you what,
I really hate someone being dishonest.
Not only with your works, but also the attitude towards your friends.
I just cannot be friendly to those people.
Others may have the skill of being double-faced,
but let me tell you, I don't belong to that kinds of personality.
If you ever enrage me, I'll for sure show you the "red light".
If you ever move forward, I'll definitely take revenge.
Don't expect I'll still smile at you and pretend nothing,
I just won't act in this way.
You can say I'm immature,
because mature person can hide their emotions.
So sorry that I'm not.

I really understand this world contains different kind of people.
And I really understand the need of being detached.
I'll learn, but absolutely not to my dearest classmates.
This skill may probably be very important when you're in the society,.
but I don't think it's necessary to use it now.

Anyway,
Forgiveness.

Sickness*

I truly pray for my dearest HITOMI.
Please get well soon.

Since I came back to Sydney in mid-June,
I have already been sick for twice.
The first time, I vomitted for the whole night.
That day was really harsh for me,
because I got to hand-in an essay the next morning.
Finally, I did hand-in, but a late one.
I felt so bad about it as I didn't finish it before hand.
The second time, I had a serious flu.
Coughing all the time and having a running nose,
it's kind of embarrasing,
especially when you sneeze loudly in front of other people.
But it's just so painful to resist it.
It eventually took me more than two weeks to recover.
I've got to admit, my resistance against diseases is reducing.
So, I'm planning to do some exercises during my term break.
And hopefully, I can achieve this target. Ha!

Anyway, I really wish to see a healthy HITOMI next week.
Come on, HITOMI, get over it!
Let's defeat the devil of disease!

Exhausted*

It all started on Friday morning.
My first job was to finish the podcast.
And luckily, it wasn't a difficult job actually.
So I just had to spend like a lesson time to edit it.
Straight after the lesson, I then had to start my first shooting:
Faye's "Hi Rise" short video.
We rented the gear and walked to the place.
The gear was kind of heavy but thanks god,
Jin's there helping us.
We started our shooting at around seven.
But what disappointed us was that, some interviewees weren't there.
So then we had to take another day, Tuesday to finish that part.
Alright, it will be boring if I continue describing the whole process.
Perfectly matched with the schedule,
the shooting ended around ten,
and after setting the camera here and there, I was exhausted.
And you know what, we still got to take the gear to Aileen's house.
After all those works, I finally reached home at around twelve.
And I went directly to bed as I was really tired.
Then it came to Saturday,
my crew were going to meet at eight in the morning.
And I had to admit, this's the earliest day I ever had in Sydney.
Getting up so early is such a torture to me,
especially when I went to bed so late the previous night.
I just felt like my spirit was not with me the whole morning.
At least not until my stomachache.
The pain just brought me back to the work.
Well... I was glad that my spirit came back,
but unfortunately, I had to work with the pain.
And it's even harder when that shoot was a outdoor one.
We had to brought the gear to quite a lot of places.
Nevertheless,
I think it's worth it because those're really fantastic shot.
This day, we ended at around five and when I got home,
it's already half past six.
I was supposed to sit motionlessly on my bed to wait for my dinner.
But tell you what,
I just fell asleep within five minutes and so,
I couldn't hear my homestay mother calling for dinner.
Haha... I cannot imagine how I could fall asleep with the bright light.
I can only say I was really run-down.

More photos will be added later.

He*

Can you say you're an optimistic person?

Tell you what,
the news I received on Monday still remained firmly in my mind.
And I can hardly remove the scene I saw that day.

"He was smiling and greeting us at first.
But when we handed him the card and the flowers,
the smile on his face just disappeared.
He kept silence for quite a while,
but then he tried hard to fake a smile to thank us.
His eyes turned wet and he started covering his face.
When he stepped into the lift, we heard he took a deep breath."

On that morning, Yedda and I met him in front of the library.
He greeted us happily with a "nothing happened" facial expression.
If I were not told of that news,
I would have naively thought all things were solved.
However, the world is just not that simple.
It was really depressing and I had to admit my eyes are quite shallow.
I can't help sobbing when I saw that sorrowful face.
Maybe I am still young, I have never seen such a hopeless face before.
The scene hurt me seriously.
My memories with him just popped into my mind.

"He always carries an optimistic smile.
He always makes joke with us.
He always praises our class.
He always allows extension to our assignments.
He always gives us good marks.
He always keeps asking us questions though no one ever answer.
He always has a lot of funny gestures.
He always creates a relaxing atmosphere during the lecture.
He always talks about sex.
He always... He always..."

What can I say, I just like this tutor.
And I shall always pray for you.

Do you know,
your beloved may not always stay with you,
that's why you should cherish them all the time.

Stay Strong*

This entry is especially dedicated to my friends who got their results today.

The eight of August.
The day of releasing HKCEE result.
It's also the day which many students described as a horrible disaster.

First of all,
I got to say CONGRATULATION to those who have satisfied results.
And for those who were depressed,
never lose up hopes.
I'm always standing there to support you!

Time really flies,
it's already been one year since my result was released.
And I can still clearly remember my feeling last year.
It was happy,
because I got a satisfied result.
It was angry,
because I didn't understand why some of my subjects failed.
It was depressed,
because I got to leave my dearest classmates.
It was joyful,
because we finally overcame the hard days.

It's just like all kinds of feeling gathered together.
At that time, I was so nervous about this exam.
It seemed like controlling my future.
I just thought that my later career has a lot to do with this certificate.
But after a year,
I understood that the CE result was not that important.
I then treated this exam as part of my compulsory life experience.
(Even though I have escaped from the other public exam, A Level.)

I understand you guys may feel a bit confused about the future right now.
Some of you may not continue your study in the same high school,
but that doesn't mean that it is the end.
Do not give up, there're still lots of choices for you to choose.
Trust yourself,
may be you can even create a better future with the other paths.
Especially for those got enough marks to get back into your own school.
Think before you act,
do not apply the school just because it's the laziest way.
Sometimes, there're other schools that suit you better.
Entering the same school is not always the best choice.
Anyway, whatever you guys have chosen, I'll also support you.
Because I know you know yourself best.
I know you'll never play with your future.
I always believe in you all,
please remember I'm always there supporting you!



*HKCEE=CE=Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination