Head Start Public Speaking Contest

Recently I have awaken up at night. My night sleep can be divided into three part. I fall asleep immediately when I hit the sack. I wake up at midnight, at 2 or 3 o'clock and stay awake for a hour or so. Then I fall asleep again till I get up in the morning. When I wake up at night, I keep staying in bed, and thinking of many things in life, oftentimes negatively, but when I get up in the morning I always feel refreshed and uplifted.

I usually slept the night entirely without waking up when I was young. As I get older, my sleep interval become shorter at night. During the day, I usually take a 30 minutes short nap after lunch, followed by another 30 minutes nap at around 6 o'clock. In the evening, I have good energy to read, to study, or to watch youtube after dinner till I go to bed at 11 o'clock. I don't know how most seniors do with their daily activities. Do they also experience the short sleep intervals at night?  

This morning, my huband got up earlier to prepare the fresh soybean milk for me. I need to leave home at 7:30 to participate in the Head Start Public Speaking Contest as a judge at Taiwan Library in Zhonghe. It takes about 30 minutes to get there. The contest starts from 9:00. Prior to the start of the contest, a brief orientation was given by the Education Specialist for the Jump Start & Head Start Schools, covering the following:

1. Overview of the scoring rubric and evaluation standards

2. The role of judge in the Q&A portion, where each judge will ask a predetermined question to our upper-level contestants

3. Presenting awards at the conclusion of the event

I was required to dress in formal attire. As a token of our appreciation, a stipend was provided. It has been a while since I last got the money from an event. 

Double Six, Lucky Day

I had an appointment with Brother Jimmy at XinChuang Sports Center at 10 o'clock this morning. I got on Bus 918 before 9 o'clock and transferred to Bus 99 at XinPu Bus Station. I didn't know where XinChuang Sports Center is, so I googled on the internet beforehand, and was advised to get off at the KaiYuan Plaza station. It took me more than 20 minutes to walk to the sports center, as I had no sense of directions. 

Brother Jimmy invited more than a dozen WuGu residents to join the sports event. We enjoyed the jacuzzi and swimming pool till 11:30. There are two swimming pools at the sports center. The standard 50 by 25 meters pool is restricted for qualified swimmers only. The qualification is non-stop swimming for 200 meters. I'm thinking about taking a qualification test in the future.

The jacuzzi at XinChuang has a splendid view over a big floor to ceiling window. It felt great looking at the green trees against the blue sky outside while laying on the jacuzzi bed. It is like having a luxurious vacation at a five star hotel on a tropical island.

At 12 noon, we took the bus back to WuGu. While Brother Jimmy rode the indoor bicycle, I joined the online Zumba and Taichi classes for 30 minutes. It was raining when I got off Bus 918 at CiJi Hospital. I rode my bicycle home and laid flat on my bed till 4:30.

This morning, I took the opportunity to make acquaintance with a few residents. I listened to their stories, happy and sad. An expert swimmer resident told me he used to be a team member of XinChuang Swimming Squad. After a head injury due to the traffic accident, he stayed at WuGu. I also taught two residents how to hold their breath while immersing their heads in the swimmingpool.

I told the Director of WuGu that I could accompany Brother Jimmy and residents to XinChuang Sports Center every Friday. It fun to make friends with people around Brother Jimmy. There is no time like the present. I plan to use both the fitness center and the swimming pool for two hours. As I know where XinChuang Sports Center is now, and I shall get off the bus at Material Testing Center station. It takes less than less than 5 minutes to walk to the center.

Grain in Ear

It's another rainy day, another busy day, the first Thursday of June. According to the Farmers' calendar, today is "Grain in Ear", the ninth of the 24 solar terms, a good day to sow, to take action, and to pray for the good fortune.

Thursdays are usually full of activities. The online basic Japanese with 623 classmates of Taipei Medical University began from 8:15 till 9:00. We practiced singing a famous enka "Like the waters flow in a River" by Misora Hibari. I could memorize the entire lyrics by heart. I watched the video this morning, I felt touched again by the profond meaning of this popular song among Japanese people. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuM3xdX3W1Y

I watched an intermediate Japanese podcast, talking about a recent phenomenon. People are less interested in the news. Likewise, I don't like to watch or listen to the news. In the past, my husband and I used to listen to the BBC news before we went to bed. Now I prefer to lay in bed quietly before I fall asleep. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9K5Xz408ix0

From 10:30 till 11:00, another English conversation class with 623 classmates took place online. We talked about hobbies. Rai likes hiking. Her husband likes gardening. Cindy likes traveling. Cindy saw two polar bears walking on the ice searching for food. She also saw an arctic fox family of five when she was in the Arctic. Polar bears are endangered because the number of walrus reduced rapidly due to the climate change. I also enjoy hiking and traveling. I like reading manga and watching anime, too.

After lunch, I took a nap for 30 minutes.  It was raining when I left home with my raincoat on to the Wheatland Center from 1:30 till 3:30. We learned "Go Right Away", a new song by the Energy Group, a debut song at the closing ceremony of the World Masters Game 2025. Then we sang karaoke and practice slow jogging. It was still raining when I left the center. 

Courtyard House in Beijing

I got up before 7 o'clock, the weather was cloudy. I left home at a quarter to 8, to the DaAn Sports Center. While waiting for Bus 909, I enjoyed observing young swallows flying back and forth under storefront overhangs near the bus stop. They are eager to hone their flying skills and grow their wings before they embark upon their journey to the south to spend the winter.

I arrived at DaAn Sports Center at 8:40, the bus was crowded with people, young and old, the traffic was jam packed on the street. I usually go to the DaAn Sports Center in the afternoon, it takes less than 20 minutes from my place to the sports center. But it took around 45 minutes this morning. While running on the treadmill, I saw the broadcasting of the Roland-Garros 2025. I looked at the tennis players with admiration. Their arms are full of muscles. I only ran for 30 minutes, not as long as 40 minutes, because the guy running next to me had the armpit odor, I could barely stand. While using the weight lifting facilities, I saw a muscular woman training her legs to lift the barbell. I wish someday I can do the same.

The reason why I went to the sports center this monring, it's because Brother Jimmy and I had an appointment at noon with a relative's friend from Beijing, about the inheritance of our grandparents' courtyard house in Beijing.

At noon, I had lunch with my farm house friend and my Korean teacher till 2 o'clock. We listened to the presentation of Riway's Purtier, an expensive product of deer placenta for an hour before lunch. I'm not interested in direct marketing business. I only joined the lunch gathering to pay the traveling fees of NT$8,880 for five days shopping tour to support my farm house friend who is in the direct marketing business.

I didn't take a nap today. I watched No. 6 DVD of Demon Slayer. I ran into an interesting podcast for intermediate Japanese learners. I also recommend it to the Monday online Japanese classmates. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lu2HUZqG-LQ

From 9:15 till 10 o'clock, we had online Toastmaster Magazine reading in English. As I was in charge of tonight's reading, I selected the feature article about visualizing your goal by creating a vision board. Four of us shared our ideas and thoughts. https://www.toastmasters.org/magazine/magazine-issues/2025/june/visualize-your-goals

Four Kittens

Three plus one of us went to the farm house in GuanXing this morning. We got on the free New Taipei City Bus at QiZhang station at 10:30. All of a sudden, it was pouring down on our way. I didn't worry a bit, because I wore my raincoat to ride the bike to the station, as the sky looked cloudy today.

After arriving my friend's farm house at 11:10, I saw four kittens just born two weeks ago, two black ones and two black and white ones. The mother is a black cat, the father is a tiger cat. Don't ask me how come they have black and white kids!

We enjoyed a heartwarming lunch, a full table of many delicious dishes,  Alkaline Zongzi. After lunch, we had oriental melons and coffee. We sang karaoke for one and a half hours. My firend gave each of us a bundle of 6 alkaline zongzi and a bag of sweet potato leaves to take home.We got on the free New Taipei City Bus in front of the farm house.

After I got home, I took a nap for 30 minutes. I got up at 4 o'clock and watched a few TED Talks on my desktop computer mainly on the language acquision. I learned from Marc Green's "Beyond Fluency--How to Talk like a Native Speaker", firstly the pronunciation, secondly the colloquial speaking style, thirdly the culture context. Marc can speak more than five languages. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ti_gFEe1XNY&t=12s

In the evening, I caught on No. 4 and No. 5 DVDs of Demon Slayer. I watched two of them in Japanese, not fully understand, because there were no Japanese subtitles. Tomorrow I shall go to the library to pick up another 6 DVDs arrived today. I shall watch them all. It will be the first time I watch the complete series of Anime dramas.

Exercise Team Leader

After getting up, I attended the online NHK Japanese news reading group from 8:30 till 9:30. We took turns reading the standard news after we read the easy one first. I am sure it would be helpful for us to get used to watching the TV news broadcasting in Japanese. I myself need to read the news several times to become a fluent announcer. I recorded the news and posted it on the Line group as a group leader. 

The news was about the popular street kart in Tokyo. Foreign tourists can put on the clothes of famous anime and manga characters to ride in the cart to various scenic spots in Shibuya. I like the business idea to promote the fancy world of Japan. If I had a chance, I'd like to ride the kart in a costume of Demon Slayer!

At 11:00, the Korean language group met for lunch at Saizeriya restaurant near DaPinLing MRT Station. Three of us enjoyed a wonderful afternoon, chatting in Korean till 2:30. 

I invited my Korean teacher to join me to see Brother Jimmy at Taipei Hospital. We took Bus 918 to the hospital and saw Jimmy at the lobby of the psychiatic clinic at 3 o'clock. We waited for 30 minutes before Brother Jimmy and I discussed with the doctor about the dose reduction of Cymbalta from 60mg to 30mg a day for two weeks.

At 4 o'clock we went to the rehabilitation center on the first floor. While we were talking, Borther Jimmy used a hot pad on his back to soothe his back pain. Brother Jimmy told me that he would skip dinner from now on to reduce the body weight to 75 Kgs. And he would exercise regularly to stay fit and reduce the medication. 

I am glad that Brother Jimmy is more conscious of his physical health now. He has quitted smoking successfully. He is working on cutting down the intake of carbohydrate now. When he is engaged in getting well, he would feel happy for himself. And I promise to join his exercise team at WuGu regularly. 

There is no need to reinterate the importance of the health for people our age. When Brother Jimmy can help the residents at WuGu by being an exercise team leader, he will be helping himself by helping others, a shared joy is a double joy.

The Demon Slayer

It's June the first, Sunday. I got up early, arrived at DaAn Sports Center at a quarter past 8. While waiting for Bus 909 at the DaFeng Road bus stop, I saw young swallows flying back and forth under storefront overhangs. In May, I saw the life cycle of swallows, from the nestlings to the full-fledged swallows.

Last Monday afternoon, four chicks were stretching the wings near the nest. Last Wednesday all baby swallows were gone. This morning I saw them taking turn flying back to their nest and stayed there for a while, maybe they keep practicing the flying skills, myabe they just want to remember where their home is before they migrate to the south. It is uplifting to watch young swallows flying in the air full of energy and vitality.  

After exercising at DaAn Fitness Center for one and a half hour, I walked to Cafe Louisa on DunHua Road near the Mall. President Taylor showed up at 10:10, we shared some thoughts about how to promote NTNU Mandarin Toastmasters Club till 12 noon. Taylor will leave Taiwan in October, she has five months to run the club. I wish her all the luck.

On my way back to XinDian, I stopped by the JingXin Library to borrow all 11 DVDs of Demon Slayer. I know it will take me a lot of time, but the more I read the manga and watch the anime, the more I am fond of the story. By August, I shall know all the main characters of Demon Slayer before I walk into the Vieshow Cinema at the YesLife Shopping Mall.