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A place for Writing 12 students to read each other's writing, to critique, to suggest, to improve.
About Me
- Brad
- Former adult teacher who loves island beaches. Happy homebody and family man; once devoted dog owner, now without Tashi, my Tibetan Terrier. I prefer the absurdity of the imagination to the absurdity of imagining nothing.
11 comments:
“Of course, she doesn’t know the answers.” After a mid-term exam was over, a group of girls chatted behind me.
“How could she know that answers, right?” one of the girls scoffed at me.
I knew the answer, but I was afraid of being laughed at.
They were ‘the foreigners,’ and they make everyone feel below them.
They thought they were best of the best because every summer vacation starts they went on a vacation to the US to learn English.
That happened a long time ago, and I don’t know where they are, and what they do now.
But this I know of. Even though I don’t have any university diploma, or anything, I’ve learned to use my hands to speak the Deaf, and learned English and am going to learn other languages for fun. . .
I used to be a poet, but now I am a realist.
I've heard it said that poets write two or three good poems, often, and do so before celebrating a 30th birthday.
It's all downhill from there! I wrote my best poems in my late 30s, supported by an email "listserv" on the internet called Poetry-W. You sent one email to the group and everyone got one. We could do "Crits" (criticisms and suggestions) and "Subs" (submission of new work) and we were supposed to comment more than we submitted. Some did; some not so much!
The group included real poets with a soft heart for a beginning writer. For two years I wrote a poem every week or two.
And, then I was done.
I used to be emotional but now I am more realistic
I used to be very emotional, I cried at the tragic ending of a romantic movie. I cried when people treated me unfairly. I was still a little baby, crying seems to the solution of every life time misery.
After being on earth for 30 years, I understand any emotional expression will not change your life; crying alone will not change a thing. Emotion alone is just a motivation for changes. Now,
I became a doer other than a thinker.
There is no time for you to think and feel; in stead, there is only limited time for you to act.
He used to be a teacher, an engineer, but now he is a housekeeper.
He used to be an amateur writer too. He wrote a lot of poetry and novels short and long, but he never put anyone of them to be published. These works only can be seen in a small circle, handing down between the close friends. In any meaning, he was absolutely an “amateur writer”. We knew the reason, and at that time it was obvious. While we read his works, we all shouted “bravo!” for his genies. Meanwhile, we felt pity for he was born in a wrong time.
Now he is a housekeeper living in the United States. He goes to school like a pupil to learn English from the ABC. He goes to the piano lecture accompanying with his grandson and urges him to practice at home. Now he is a full-time tutor to educate the next generation.
I met him last summer and asked him: “Do you feel sorry about the past?”
“Let it will be.” he answered.
I nodded and looked him up and down for a while. Suddenly a thought wells up in my mind: he seems like a seed stored the nutrition not for himself but for the next generation’s blooming.
I used to be a very active person outside of the home, but right now I spend more time in the quietness of the home.
I was very busy with different jobs and careers. I was a part-time teacher for theatre and cinema in the art schools in Esfahan, Iran. Also, I was a coach and advisor for an amateur filmmaker group. We journeyed together during weekends and summer, going to different places and ancient villages to make documantry short films or fictions. During a month, I had two preaching opportunities at the church. While during the week, I was in the service of my students, from the school or church, and my colleagues in the film group. I was in touch also with governmental organizations to make cinema and theatre festivals for youth. I was one of the judges for these events.
Right now, I am just a student not a leader. I work very few hours a week without have any communication with others. I lost a little bit my self-esteem here in Canada. Dislike a busy professional person there, in Iran, I am living here, in Canada, like a very ordinary person. I used to be a heroin for my students. Just for satisfying myself, I attend a local theatre group that practice once a week. I am doing well in that group, even my first language is not English, showing or proving to myself I am not an ordinary person. I am a true heroin woman. I have great abilities, and I will triumph a day again. Let my English get better, let my English doesn’t defeat me, then, I will show to everyone who I truly am.
Real Life
I used to be somebody: I was always talking on my phones; I was also getting orders and placing orders; I was always chased by someone of chasing after someone; I was always traveling from cities to cities; I was always telling lies or being cheated; I was always tired of my life and dreaming to have a long vocation.
Now I’m nobody: my phones seldom ring; Last year, I have made three shipments in total; my suppliers certainly lost a lot of business because of economic recession or me and my buyers have got new suppliers immediately; I’m stuck in Vancouver and I have got no time even to visit my parents during Chinese new year. . . .
Everything seems like exactly what I expected when I was working; I have successfully transferred myself from somebody to nobody. Guess what? I’m bored now for my longest vocation.
A famous entertainer from Taiwan recently inspired me-- he said, “when you are on the top of your fortune, you should enjoy your success; when you are in the bottom of fortune, you should enjoy your life—real but boring life.”
I used to be talkative, but now I am silent.
I used to be talkative. During recess time, my classmates always surrounded me and listened to what I said. I talked from land to ocean, from domestic to foreign. During the tea break, my colleagues often invited me to their office. They liked talking with me and wanted me to give them some advice on something they confused.
Now, I am silent. It is not because my personality is changed; it is because I have no confidence in my oral English. Those broken English makes me embarrassed and frustrated. So I , mostly, choose to be silent in front of other people.
I sometimes suspect I am getting dumb if I seldom speak to others like this.
I used to be easily frightened. When I watch scary movies, about ghosts, for example, I would have nightmare and scream, waking up everybody.
Moreover, sometimes when I watch movies about snakes, I would scream even if a wire touched my feet, thinking it was a snake. All my friends used to call me a chicken.
But now I am a fearless person, who can watch all kinds of horror movies without averting while watching or screaming at night when I dream about it— in fact—I don’t even dream about it at all.
I am now a horror movies watcher and a reader of horror books, too.
I used to be a shallow and negative person, but now I am positive and understanding.
After I had dropped out of high school my life had changed drastically. I had to start working full time and create new priorities. It was all quite overwhelming at first. I didn't exactly have more spare time, but I had money. The ability to buy my own things, go my own places. There were no longer teachers breathing down my neck to get things done. All I had was a simple work schedule.
After I had become comfortable working, I came to the conclusion it was about time for me to meet new people. This lead me to start attending many parties and other functions. Of course at these events there was drinking and drugs. Among an assortment of very untrustworthy people. Slowly I drifted into that lifestyle, and continued doing unhealthy things for not only my body, but my mind as well. Many people I considered friends I hurt in a number of ways. Then in turn, the same would be done to me. It was a vicious cycle that took me almost 3 years to change. Eventually I did find the courage to move away from it, with a little help from some of the best friends I have.
I won't come to regret the decisions I made during those years, because they shaped who I am today. As well as leading me to some of the most wonderful people that are in my life right now.
After I came to Canada my personality went under a transformation. I used to be a tough person, but now am an emotional. I was a very jolly person and most of my friends enjoyed being with me. It didn’t matter how difficult the times or problems were, I used to find solution right away. Whenever I failed, my parents always stood behind me, but now I am alone are not able to solve even simple issues.
In Canada, I became a weak very emotional person. Most of the time I cry when people treat me unfairly. I feel lonely and homesick. I know this is not a solution, but I can’t improve myself. When I look into my background, I realize I am a different person that I never wanted to be
I used to be a Coward , but now I am a Warrior, ready to fight a good fight. There is always a time in our lives that we feel helpless, and are about to give up. We all experience hardships, we sometimes find ourselves in battles which requires different skills and weapons that we do not have, so we find ourselves losing every opportunity to win. Often, wee drift away from our chosen paths every time we bump into impermeable hindrances . But, I realized that it is sometimes acceptable to withdraw from a battle and train - like what a true warrior does- so that when I return, I’d be more confident, and more optimistic in achieving victory. Like how I stopped attending school and started working. I knew I had to take my uniform off-my armour- and my paper and pen-my weapons- aside, and change them with something else. I had to work and earn my money. I live by myself. I don’t want to be a bother for my family, not because of pride or vanity, but because I understand that they have their own lives to take care of, their own happiness to pursuit and own dreams to fulfill. I put my education behind me, until I realized that in this life, Knowledge is the only battle gear that has two purposes. It can serve as a spear to attack and as an amour to defend. With enough knowledge I’d be able to pursue my goals, unscratched and unharmed. So, now, here I am, equipped again with my paper and pen, learning how to be a better warrior. Gaining as much knowledge as my mind could conquer.
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