Mom don’t understand me at all, she doesn’t care about what I want or what I do, she only sees the girl that she want me to be. Mother always tell me what I should and should not do, I think in her eyes there is only two types of women, a wife or a whore, there just cannot be anyone that doesn’t fall under these two categories. When ever I tried to wear something of new fashion to school, she always think that I was slowly becoming a prostitute in the street yet she never look at what modern people are wearing. Mother is raised as a traditional housewife and she want me to be like her, but I don’t want a boring life she has now, I wanted excitement and adventure and I want to see the different parts of the world; but every time I tried to explain to her my dreams, she just couldn’t accept it. She doesn’t like the idea that I’m going out with boys or play with them or at least not until marriage, but mom, how do you get to know the person you like if you don’t get to know them? Please give me some trust, I’m not going to become a prostitute just because I wear a shorter skirt or talking to wharf-rat boys, I know you want me to have a good life in the future but everyone is different and people have different ways of living, I just cannot be the home girl you want because I’m not you.

Jeff is recovering from the cold he had yesterday, but he is not going to let the cold defeat his will of going to school because he knows very well how important that English 2850 class is to him. As usual, Jeff step out of his apartment building at 10:00 am, he turn right and walk towards Catherine Street; despite the cozy temperature outside, he is wearing an extra sweater today because of the cold. Jeff take another right turn at Catherine Street and now he’s on Madison; what a beautiful weather it is today! But Jeff can’t seem to enjoy all of this for he is feeling dizzy and start to regret his decision of going to school; why did he not stay home today? What was it about the English 2850 class that is so important? Should he turn back home right now? Questions haunted him as he is walking towards the City Hall train station. 10:15 am Jeff arrived the station, he swipe his card and walk towards the same spot he usually wait for the 6 train. He notice the rat, Mr. Cat, under the tracks is searching for food; Jeff admire the bravery of Mr. Cat for having to survive under a dangerous environment. 10:20 am a local 6 train is finally here, Jeff couldn’t wait to get into the train because he is sweating like rain. On the train, Jeff feel like time is forever because he is so eager to get to class on time. 10:35 am Jeff finally arrived at 23^rd Street and now he is happy and he is thrill, but it was only the beginning of the day, so Jeff start walking towards the school getting rid of any distress and ready to fight the long run battle of the day.

This is a painting created by Jackson Pollock, he is well known and influential American artist and known best for his drip paintings in the abstract expressionist movement. When I first encounter this painting, I was amazed; the complex of the painting and the colors are just really appealing to the eyes, the line movements, the dots and drips seems alive and full with energy. Because the painting is huge we know that it needs tremendous amount of work to construct a painting this size; Jackson said that when he was constructing this painting he was “lying flat on the floor”, “on the floor I am more at ease” and  “I feel nearer, more a part of the painting since this way I can walk around it, work from the four sides and literally be in the painting.” Art work like this requires the full devotion of the heart and passion of an artist because it isn’t like landscape painting where you can just mimic what you saw, you need the creativity and imagination instead. Many people at that section actually lie down on the floor and tried to feel what Jackson felt while looking at this painting up close, unfortunately I wasn’t able to capture the scene when I took out my camera. Overall, I picked this painting because it is unique and it really opened my eyes.

Upon reading the poem, Discourse on the Logic of language, it reminded me of the efforts Frederick Douglass put through to master the English language. As said repeatedly in the poem that English to the slaves is a mother tongue and also a father tongue at the same time, although being both a mother tongue and father tongue is contradictory, it is in some senses true; many slaves like Frederick Douglass was born in America and English to them should be the mother tongue, yet their masters forbid them to master English in order to keep them oppressed and subject to slavery, so English to the slaves is a father tongue because they could not learn English when they were a child. Just as language are important for human beings to exchange information, knowledge, feelings, passion, freedom and all other essences of being an civilized human were reduced to ashes in the practice of slavery. When Frederick Douglass in his journey to freedom, he has became aware of the monstrosity and deformity of slavery both upon the slavers and slave holders themselves, and I think it is very difficult for us in modern era to picture slavery in practice which words are becoming insufficient to describe the horrific scenes of the whipping and the demonic smiles on the masters to enjoy torturing its own species. When I finish reading the poem and thinking back about the life of Frederick Douglass, I feel a sense of sympathy and strong anger on what had slavery do to society, and yet, even till today the state of a superior group of people dominate over the inferior, or, the majority over the minority, still exist in our world in the form of society, economy, and politically.

1. The Mahayana Buddhist temple

“All those who appear as Buddhas in the three periods of time fully awake to the utmost, right and perfect Enlightenment because they have relied on the Perfection of Wisdom.” from The Heart Sutra.

The Mahayana Buddhist temple has the tallest Buddha statue in the city. Buddha represent people who have Perfection of Wisdom and the Mahayana Buddhist temple is one of the oldest temple in New York City for believers to practice to obtain true Wisdom. Many times, when I passed by the temple I could see monks meditate in front of the Buddhist statue and I always wonder what they are thinking about inside their head.

2. Central Park

“I hear bravuras of birds, bustle of growing wheat, gossip of flames, clack of sticks cooking my meals, I hear the sound I love, the sound of the human voice, I hear all sounds running together, combined, fused or following, Sounds of the city and sounds out of the city, sounds of the day and night.” from Song of Myself by Walt Whitman.

Walt Whitman, who lived in New York city enjoys the bustling sounds and the liveliness of the city and also likes the peacefulness when the out of those noises. Central Park is a ideal place for people who want to get relieve from the busy city. I often went there, rent a bike and just circle around the park, the air there are the freshest and most importantly it is quite.

3. Bronx Zoo

” And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.” from Genesis.

I still remember the times when I went to Bronx Zoo, it was one of my favorite place to go to in New York when I was a little kid. I remember I like to watch the lions and the tigers the most because they are the strongest in all the animals there, but most of the time they just do nothing in their cage.

Jeff Ren