The Chinese Civil War

One of the required books we are to read for English class is "Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts." This book deals with a Chinese family in which Maxine, the main character, is exposed to stories of her ancestors and compiles them into one, well, memoir. We were given to assignment to research the Chinese Civil War so we are aware of some part of China's profound history.

The Chinese Civil War began in 1927 and carried on until around 1949 between the communists and the nationalists. The communists were composed of the lower and middle classes, as the idea of communism was that all people were equal. They were led by Mao Zedong, a dictator thought of as both good and bad. Aristocrats and the rest of the upper classes all supported the nationalistic side because they took such pride in their country. Their leader was Chiang Kai-shek, some thought he wanted China to be a democracy, and some thought he was just greedy for power. These people, also called Kuomintang, were supported by countries such as the United States while communism were supported by the Soviet Union since they followed the communism form of government.

What was odd about this war was that on a few occasions, China was reunited, but only by another more important war: World War II. China put their fighting to a halt when the Japanese attacked a few times but then proceeded on with their war when World War II had ended. Although they have stopped fighting, there was no real end to this war. No agreement was signed and peace was not restored between the two parties even still today.

Ghost Story

English class was particularly interesting the other day, as it was all about ghost stories. The whole class shared one story that was either related to an experience they had or one that was made up. Here is one story I shared about the unexplainable events that occured in my school long ago.

There have been many mysterious stories of the events that occur at old private missionary schools, as they have been around for centuries. Most unusual happenings occur within the student's dorms. These dorms are now classrooms haunted by the remnants of unfortunate victims of these strange events.

It was a windy and rainy night as the maintenance man of the building woke up for the second night in a row to hear water drops falling from the worn down shower head of his bathroom. Weary with tiredness, he slowly sat up and dragged his limp body to the bathroom. Down the hall he went, feeling the damp, humid atmosphere with each step he took. He reached the bathtub and turned the faucet handle and the dripping stopped immediately. He turned back to return to his bed to see his faithful dog standing in the bathroom doorway curious to see what the trouble was. Without a word, the man motioned his dog to go back to his bedroom and there was nothing to worry about. With his dog leading the way, the man crawled back into bed, creaking the loose floorboard as he went.

The following night, the dripping noise was much louder than the night before but it was a still night, and the wind didn't howl like the night before. The man got up once again and groped in the dark for the faucet handle. Instead of the handle, his had grabbed something furry and warm-bodied. The man looked upward to see his old dog's shadowed form hanging from the shower head. The dog's blood dripped crimson red, sounding as clear and shimmering as the blood. Drip... drip... drip....

Free Post 2: Abracadabra

This is my second free post while on spring break. I've had a lot of free time on my hands lately and my mom and I rented this movie because it looked mildly interesting. Little did I know, this movie changed the way I look at the meaning of a general interest and an obsession.

Mystery, love, and, of course, magic. These were all factors of The Prestige that made it such a magnificent movie. However, its main theme really caught my eye, as this is what made this movie especially unique.

The movie begins with some very simple words that provide the audience with the meaning of a prestige. "Every great magic trick consists of three acts. The first act is called "The Pledge"; The magician shows you something ordinary, but of course... it probably isn't. The second act is called "The Turn"; The magician makes his ordinary some thing do something extraordinary. Now if you're looking for the secret... you won't find it, that's why there's a third act called, "The Prestige"; this is the part with the twists and turns, where lives hang in the balance, and you see something shocking you've never seen before." narrates Cutter, the old magic trick inventor. This statement captured me at once and for me, the magic definitely began here, at the beginning of the movie, well it actually begins at the end. A murder occurs, the murder of Robert Angier, a brilliant, young magician played by Hugh Jackman. The suspect is another great magician, Alfred Borden played by Christian Bale. Both are equally obsessed with magic, how it's managed by one so as to fool the audience with illusion. The audience takes a blast to the past as the present moments trigger a memory. Though these memories, the audience sees obsession turning to madness in these brilliant mens' eyes, as the magic fades with an unexpected twist.

This movie is not for the naive or the sensible. It goes beyond what is seen and into what is felt. I never thought a movie could lead to wondering and analytical processes. Some helpful advice to any readers of this piece: if you watch this movie, open all senses and close your mind to tangible beings as you fill yourself with the illusion presented. As Borden says in one of his closing remarks, "Abracadabra."

"Now you're looking for the secret... but you won't find it because you're not really looking. You don't really want to know the secret... You want to be fooled."

Free Post: Musicals Galore

During the spring break, we were asked by our English teacher to write two free posts, meaning writing about pretty much anything. I decided to write about a musical that was introduced to me by a friend who is also a lover of musicals.

Mamma Mia! is a great, rock musical for anyone who loves to jump up and dance. It is the story of Sophie who is getting married to Sky very soon and wants her father to give her away at her wedding. The only trouble is she doesn't know who her father is. However, from reading her mother Donna's diary, she finds out there are three possible men that could be her dad: Harry Bright, Sam Carmichael, and Bill Austen. Donna is ever so surprised to see them all there. All three of them became convince they were invited because they were Sophie's father. As the musical progresses, all three men are given a chance to speak to Donna and reminisce about their time together. A particular man stood out to Donna, as he could have been the love of her life: Sam. In the end, Sophie settles on having three dads and that she is not ready for the huge responsibility of marriage. However, a wedding does take place: it is between Sam and Donna. After the wedding, Sky and Sophie leave in search of their bright future.

An important theme that stands out to me in this musical is the bond between a mother and a daughter. One particular song summed up the joy, melancholy, and sadness of that feeling a mother has when the time comes for her daughter to get married: Slipping Through My Fingers. It is a beautiful melody enhanced by the lyrics that go with each beat that is played. When the time comes for me to get married, I hope all the feelings this song portrayed helps me to let go of my mother and start a new life.

Family Story Part 2

In this revised version of Family Story Part 1, we were assigned to add magical realism to our original. This post would include fantasy and the magic of our imagination to bring our version of the family story to life.


1. A Vision of the Future

It was a typical Friday night. We had gone out to dinner as usual because my mom had some work to finish up at school. The food court always sufficed our appetites; I ordered raamen with a side of gyoza. The meal was hearty and comforting, especially the soup as I could feel the heated liquid run down the side of my throat. As I was preparing to take my next sip, I saw a swirl of color as the steam coated my face. I pulled the foam bowl away from my astonished face just in time to see a peculiar sight, well, at least not one you would see in your dinner. There was a figure of a masked man walking around the whole of my house then hauling up boxes of my mother’s jewelry to see what he scored. His eyes were as cold as anything and had a malicious personality of its own. Then, the image began to fade as fast as it had appeared. I was staring so intently and so unbelievingly at my raamen soup that my mother asked “Something wrong?” It took me a while to process what I had seen and concluding moments after staring deep into oblivion ‘I must be too tired to be seeing straight.’ I didn’t think anything of this odd vision until we arrived home.


2. A Shadow in Light

The reflection of the glass doors rippled as my father pulled the handle. The four of us walked past the escalators, and I took a glance past the descending moving stairs and into the opening they led to. It was unusually darker than usual, seeing as the sky was still partially lighted. I turned my gaze back and helped my grandmother cross the parking lot until I could finally see the familiar blue Toyota. We proceeded inside the car and were off towards home. My mind wandered elsewhere to looking forward to my soothing shower and sleeping in my soft, welcoming bed. I fixed my eyes past the glittering glass window to see people dressed in rags. They were slightly hunched over, which masked their faces in shadow. They looked cold and had shaggy overcoats, like coats worn by people rushing past on New York streets, but not quite as clean and business-like. This was an odd sight, as it was a humid evening, and the sky was a dark shade of dull grey.
The car turned a corner to the familiar street to our house. As my mother slowed down to turn into the garage, out of the corner of my eye, a beam of light emitted from the doorway of our house. I turned my head instinctively to see the shadow of a man, his figure obscuring some of what looked like the living room light in the doorway. His dark figure suddenly rippled and vanished before my very eyes followed by the door closing shut on its own and immediately dousing the beam of light. Still astonished, my focus shifted and I looked to my father and mother’s faces wondering f they had seen what I’d just seen. Unfortunately, my mother’s face still looked as weary as ever, and my father’s resembled an eager child wanting to watch his favorite TV show. Apparently then hadn’t. The car wheels grazed the gravel of our worn down garage and just as soon as the car was parked, my impatient grandmother stepped out of the car. I rushed out after her, as I too was eager to get out of the car and inspect the scene of the phenomenon. Her arm felt cold to the touch as she walked unsteadily up the steps to our simpleton abode. She and I finally came up to the painted dirt red porch. I let her arm go, and she proceeded up the rest herself. My father always leaves a flashlight beside the door helping her to fit the key with the secreted lock. My grandmother turned the knob forcefully, but the door didn’t budge. “What’s going on here?” she questioned frustratingly. She opened the lock once again and finally the door opened. “The door must have been unlocked already.” As soon as I stepped inside I knew my worst fears became a reality.


3. A False Probability

My grandmother called my mother who followed right behind us and helped my grandmother enter the foreboding living room. I stood frozen at the doorway as my mother took cautious steps around the house slowly creeping her way to her bedroom. She stood at the doorway and then turned on the light bracing herself for any surprises once the room was illuminated. Her finger flicked upward and fortunately nothing jumped out at her. However, things were not the same as she left it. Jewelry was poured out on her bed and she noticed three things missing from the tangled mess of necklaces and rings, one of which was her class ring. When I finally regained my mind, I walked to the bathroom where my grandmother began to call for my mother. The screen was gone, and the clear panel of the nearby window was broken. Just after she inspected the bathroom, my mom called the police.
“Well, there are no fingerprints on the window or the broken panels outside,” said the cop. I figured this because my notion was that the burglar who I saw in the doorway only broke the window to cover up any unexplainable behavior such as appearing out of thin air. No one would have been able to explain it. The policeman continued, “We can try to see if there are but I’m afraid the fingerprints will have been erased by the rain.”
My mother asked, “Are they going to come back?” Her voice was slightly raspy and shaky.
“ Not likely,” explained the policeman. “They usually don’t. But it looks as if something scared him away. You are all very fortunate that he or she didn’t come when any of you were home.” He added, “You’re also lucky that all of you are safe. You can call us if you have any other questions or concerns.” We thanked the policeman and proceeded to clean up the mess the burglar had left.
I wanted so much to relax and enjoy my weekend even with this recent troubled memory. I walked past the screen door and stared outside at the fruit tree across the street. As I stared, a familiar dark figure appeared. He had a coat just like the people we had passed, although it was metallic black. Perhaps he was their wring leader. His coat shone even in the darkness, so did his eyes. They were cold and hard, like an unbreakable piece of metal. A gold glimmer also shined on his piercing grey finger, my mother’s class ring. He stared right at me, and then vanished with the same ripple I had seen before.
I never found out why he broke into our house or why he had particularly stolen my mother’s class ring. What I do know is he was unexplainable, not your usual burglar. To this day, I never encountered him or the other dirty-coated strangers I saw on the street last night. However, the living room light shines brighter than usual, and the broken panel on the bathroom window serves as a reminder of my impression of a child’s daydream gone wrong.