Advice on Applying for College

One of the main things to remember about applying to college is to start early. No matter how much time you have, time always seems to pass quicker than you think it will. It's not a bad idea to start thinking about what career path you might want to take during your freshman and junior year. It'll make planning the classes you need to take easier. It's also much easier to take the classes earlier instead of taking extra classes during your junior and senior year to fulfill the requiements. You'll also have more time to plan and the examinations needed for college, such as the SAT, ACT, AP tests ect. Your senior year is going to be busy enough without trying to stuff in a bunch of tests and fill out applications at the same time.
The hardest part of the application is always the essay. It's also one of the most crucial parts of the application. Start brainstorming as soon as you know the prompt, it'll make your life much easier when it comes to writing the essay. Think of the essay as something you're writing to someone you know well, don't make it too informal, but having a set audience would make it easier and make you feel a little less pressured. My main problem with writing my essays was that I was stressing out too much and coudn't calm down enough to write well. Relax a little and your writing will turn out better. In fact, if you start early enough, you can make your essay go through several drafts to polish it and fix mistakes. I threw away three or four rough drafts before I wrote something I liked and settled on it.

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The click  of the lock is answered by silence
Silence does not smother anxious queries
Between these stubborn hearts lies the distance
Locked hearts that are missing their keys

In her notebooks are brilliant tapestries
The love, pain and sorrow words weave
All that remains of sweet memories
But she no longer knows what it achieves

When did weapons start to be wielded there,
The battleground beginning its construction
Maybe those deceitful words were the snare
The things all began with that deception

You turn your faces away from each other
Covered in wounds and try to inflict another

This is Just to Say by William Carlos Williams

The most famous poem by William Carlos Williams is probably "The Red Wheelbarrow". His poems are all deceptively simple, but seem to have a hidden beauty behind the words. We're reading some of his poems in literature class, and my favorite is "This is Just to Say". At first glance, it's a note apologizing for eating the plums in the icebox. But then you see the last stanza and the mouthwatering description of the plums. That description is probably my favorite part of the poem, it's certainly the best description of food in poetry that I've come across.

Chi Xin Tan

If you ask me for advice on places to visit in Taiwan, I would suggest going to the east coast. It's more sparsely populated, less polluted and in my opinion has some of the most beautiful scenery in Taiwan. 
 Chin Xin Tan is a spot that I discovered on my last trip to Hualien and is one of my favorite places to visit. It's a shingle beach located in Hualien, known for its clear water and beautiful scenery. Instead of sand, little pebbles cover the beach. Still, the pebbles are interesting enough in themselves. There are abundant amounts of marble, granite and jade located in the east coast of Taiwan and I've found all of them on the beach. The water is pretty calm there, and there aren't many large waves. It looks deceptively shallow, despite the fact the water gets deep pretty quickly once you step foot into the ocean.

Good Fences Make Good Neighbors

The phrase "Good fences make good neighbors" is mentioned in the poem "Mending Wall" by Robert Frost, when the neighbor says his reasons for wanting the wall. Like the poem, its something that provokes quite a bit of thought.
I live in a city, so there are no literal fences between me and my neighbors, but there are plenty of literal and not so literal walls between us. With the exception of my relatives, who live upstairs, I would be hard pressed to even recognize my neighbors. In fact, I don't think that I've ever even greeted my neighbors before. However, my mom does have an ongoing feud with our neighbors over parking spaces. She strongly objects to them parking in the space that belongs to our family even though it remains unused. I would agree with the fact that "good fences make good neighbors", because clearly defined boundaries make for less conflict between people.

The Forge

I'm currently reading Opened Ground, a collection of poetry by Seamus Heaney. His poetry is very different in style from the ones I've previously read, though most of the poetry I've read has been written before the 20th century. The subjects of the poems are mostly focused on country life.
My current favorite from the collection is "The Forge". The poem is simple, just describing the forge and the blacksmith at work. However, the language used in the poem is absolutely stunning. The imagery is vivid and clear, and its amazing how the poet paints such a clear picture with just a few words.

"All I know is a door into the dark.
Outside, old axles and iron hoops rusting;
Inside, the hammered anvil's short pitched ring,
..."
- Seamus Heaney, The Forge

Thinking about things

Success can be defined in many different ways, and the word success often means different things to each of us. To me, success in life means having a ordered, neat life where nothing is rushed and everything is neatly planned out. That is my goal in life, and something I unfortunately have trouble achieving. Deadlines don't really seem to exist unless I'm staring one right in the face. That makes a life with plenty of stress and late nights trying to finish a project right before the deadline.
Mistakes can be cumulative, and a lot of little mistakes added together can be some pretty serious consequences.