winter

by Tori Amos





Lyric:

Snow can wait
I forgot my mittens
Wipe my nose
Get my new boots on
I get a little warm in my heart
When I think of winter
I put my hand in my father's glove
I run off
Where the drifts get deeper
Sleeping beauty trips me with a frown
I hear a voice
"Your must learn to stand up for yourself
Cause I can't always be around"

He says

When you gonna make up your mind
When you gonna love you as much as I do
When you gonna make up your mind
Cause things are gonna change so fast
All the white horses are still in bed
I tell you that I'll always want you near
You say that things change my dear

Boys get discovered as winter melts
Flowers competing for the sun
Years go by and I'm here still waiting 

Withering where some snowman was
Mirror mirror where's the crystal palace
But I only can see the myself
Skating around the truth who I am
But I know dad the ice is getting thin

When you gonna make up your mind
When you gonna love you as much as I do
When you gonna make up your mind
Cause things are gonna change so fast
All the white horses are still in bed
I tell you that I'll always want you near
You say that things change my dear

Hair is grey
And the fires are burning
So many dreams
On the shelf
You say I wanted you to be proud of me
I always wanted that myself

He says
When you gonna make up your mind
When you gonna love you as much as I do
When you gonna make up your mind
Cause things are gonna change so fast
All the white horses have gone ahead
I tell you that I'll always want you near
You say that things change
My dear

the ghosts of Izieu

December 7, 2010

12^th Journal

- The Ghosts of Izieu -

By: James Watson

This book tells about a girl named Elise who followed her Dad and her stepmother to a small French village to spend their two-week holiday. Elise’s father always visited many small villages that had historical story of war because he liked history and terrible things happened to the war victims. He said that, “... those people gave their lives for us ... We musn’t forget that.”

Elise entered the church to see its beautiful window glasses but she found something else. She found herself in the year of 1944, the year of the Second World War! And she met around forty-four children hiding from Gestapo (the German police of Nazi regime). Elise was extremely frightened because she had read the history of Jews arrestment and concentration camps.

Now she knows about her father’s feeling for many forgotten war victims.

I feel sad when I read the story, especially for those innocent children who became the victims of Nazi’s cruelty. It reminds me of a movie titled “Life Is Beautiful” and a book titled “A Boy in the Striped Pajamas” which have same topic about the Jews’s suffering, concentration camps, and the tragic things occurred to children due to the Nazi’s cruelty.

I found an unforgettable sentence or quote when Elise and her father visited the war memorial, “... Dad, can we put some flowers .... Flowers will never be enough.”

It seems sad and tragic, particularly for people who experienced themselves the war, the fears, and the tears, more especially for those who innocent ones.

the fisherman and his soul

December 1, 2010

11^th Journal

- The Fisherman and His Soul -

from “The Young King and Other Stories”

Oscar Wilde

When I finished reading this short story for the first time, I thought that it is not a story for children. Even, for me, it is difficult to understand about the meaning of the story. So, I tried to read it for the second one. And I had an insight that the author had a very interesting imaginative idea about heart, soul and love. Indeed, he wrote it in a very intelligent and artistic way.

In my opinion, the author tried to show a moral message that as human we need love. It is implicitly stated that we should have “heart”. Moreover, we cannot separate our heart and soul, as well as our love.

In the end I feel sorry for the young fisherman because he lost his soul, he lost his love and his heart was broken.

I found some interesting figures of speech, such as:

• “She is more beautiful than the morning star, and whiter than the moon.”
• “His face was white, but his mouth was like a red flower.”
• “... But her white feet moved like little birds.”

Imray came back

November 16, 2010

9^th Journal

- Imray Came Back -

Rudyard Kippling

from “The Return of Imray”, 1891

This short story is included in the book “The Room in the Tower and Other Ghost Stories”. Yes, it is a ghost story. It has setting in India.

Actually I am not very fond of ghost stories. But I found there is also a mystery not merely a ghost story. It also tells about a murder. I was not so frightened when I was reading. It is almost the same when I read Agatha Christie’s works. The only scary part is when I read about a dangerous brown snake called “karait” in India. Snakes always scare me.

In fact, many people from various parts in the world do believe in ghost. Even in developed Western countries. And ghost stories are always famous. Moreover, in this story also tells that animal, such as dog, can sense the presence of ghost.

Again, I did not expect that the servant, Bahadur Khan, would be the murderer. Rather, I expect a different ending for this story. For example, it was one of Imray’s friends who was the murderer.

the secret garden

November 15, 2010

8^th Journal

- The Secret Garden -

Frances Hodgson Burnett

This story tells about a little girl named Mary Lennox. She was a thin girl. She was not a nice girl and always ill. She had to move from India back to England after her parents passed away. She lived with her uncle, Mr. Craven, in a big country house. She found a secret garden. She met Dicken – a twelve-year old boy, very kind, cheerful but poor – and also Colin Craven – Mary’s cousin who believed that he was going to be a hunchback and die. The secret garden changed their lives and the people around them.

This lovely story teaches the readers, especially young readers, how to be nice to other people, to appreciate our meals or everything we have, to make friends, playing outside, to think in positive way, and not to be easily giving up. As human, we need other people. We need each other. We need love.

I found some new words, such as:

• cross, which means always look angry or irritated.
• moor, which means an area of open and usually high land with poor soil that is covered mainly with grass and heather.
• robin, which means small brown bird found in England.

My comment:

I like this story because it delivers good moral messages, such as how to be nice to other people, to appreciate our meals or everything we have, to make friends, playing outside, to think in positive way, and not to be easily giving up. It is easy to be understood. So I will be very pleased to recommend it to others, especially the young readers.

 

cry freedom

October 21, 2010

6th Journal

- Cry Freedom -

John Briley

First part until page 48.

What I’m feeling while reading:

• Quite difficult to understand because it tells about a political issue between white and black people in South Africa.
• A lot of characters, especially African names, so difficult to remember.

But, I do like the first paragraph written in the synopsis:

“South Africa is beautiful country, and an ugly country. It is rich with gold and diamonds, but it is a poor country, where people are forced to live together in small, dirty houses. It is a country of black people with a government of white people. South Africa is a country of contradictions.”

October 22, 2010

7th Journal

- Cry Freedom -

John Briley

Second part until finish.

What I was feeling while reading:

I was so sad when finally read that Steve Biko was dead in tragic way. He was a great leader with great idea of uniting black and white people in South Africa.

Yet, I was so excited and thrilled when reading about how Donald Woods and his family tried to escape from their beloved country – although they are whites but South Africa has been their home country. Donald Woods did that to tell the world about Steve Biko and his struggle, or to tell the world about what happening in South Africa.

Comment:

Good book. A deep meaning one. Tells us about human equality without regarding to our skins, races, or religions.

like a song

by: Lenka




lyric:

I can't forget you when you're gone

You're like a song that goes around in my head

And how i regret it's been so long

Oh what went wrong? could it be something i said?

Time make it go faster or just rewind

To back when i'm wrapped in your arms

All afternoon long it's with me the same song

You left a light on inside me my love

I can remember the way that it felt to be

Holding on to you

I can't forget you when you're gone

You're like a song that goes around in my head

And how i regret it's been so long

Oh what went wrong? could it be something i said?

Time make it go faster or just decide

To come back to my happy heart