A special “cry bar” has opened in Fudan University recently and become a hot topic among college students. As the time goes on, the “cry bar” is growing in popularity among students.

In the “cry bar”, students are free to vent their grievances or blow off their pressures or troubles on life or study through bitter tears even loud cries. Besides, they can turn to the on-duty psychological counselors for help if they like.

What’s more, they can even abuse and break object offered by the “cry bar”, and the school will take responsibility of the financial loss.

The cry bar is used to help students release their sorrow and stress. Through this way, they hope the students can find a place to get refreshed and relieve the depression or sadness.

What is it like?

When you get into the “cry bar”, you can only see a role of sofa, a few tables without any decoration, but only tissue papers on them—-a lot of tissue paper. There, different from other bars, is no food, drinks or music, students just sit their quietly, weeping or listen to the comfort and suggestion from the psychological expert.

If the students want to stay alone to have a good cry, the bartender will give them a separate room; no one will come to disturb them.

The bar, which is divided into confiding room and venting room, are used for different purposes. The former one is made for the students who need a place to have a good cry or just sit down quietly for a moment, while the latter one is equipped with numerous balloons for students to stomp, a sandbag hung from he ceiling and boxing gloves provided for the students to beat or kick and even a box of glass cups.

Online bar

In addition, the school opens an online “cry bar” on the campus forum every Tuesday afternoon, with on-duty psychological counselors hosting the online talk.

According to the students in the university, up to now, the bar’s “business” is very good and become more and more popular these days. It becomes a hot topic in Fudan University and other universities. To this new and special kind of bar, most college students are very curious and have a tolerant attitude towards it.

Response from students

One student from Fudan University said:” Many of my classmates have been to the cry bar only out of curiosity, because people are always talking about it. I think it is embarrassing to cry before others in the bar, but many of my classmates have been there for relief, some of them like it very much. They said the atmosphere is quite good. May be I need some time to get used to it.”

As a new way of venting grievances, sorrow and frustrations, campus “cry bar” is gaining more and more attention and accepted by more and more college students.

Sam Baldwin (Tom Hanks) is a good father and a successful architect. But he’s also a lonely widower. His precocious 8-year-old son Jonah calls a radio call-in show because he is concerned about his father’s emotional welfare and feels he needs to have another woman in his life.

When Sam hesitantly takes the phone and discloses the story of his magic-filled marriage, he proves to be a deeply feeling and gentle man. His plight profoundly moves the program’s sympathetic female listeners, and thousands of women write in offering to help him `recover’ from his mournful insomnia.

Annie Reed (Meg Ryan), who is about to marry Walter soon, is among the listeners. After hearing Sam’s story, she finds she has fallen deeply, inexplicably in love with him. Deciding he is her destiny, she treks across country on a wildly romantic impulse to meet him.

After Ann decides Sam is not the one by a misunderstanding, she leaves Seattle and begins her new life. The letter she never sent was posted by a friend of Annie, and therefore Jonah, who feels that she’s the one for his Dad, already booked a flight to New York in order to meet her on the roof of the Empire State building, just like in “An Affair to Remember”. Of course, his father follows him instantly. Then, there comes a magic, romantic and perfect ending, as is the typical Hollywood love story.

Romantic comedy

Sleepless in Seattle is a great romantic comedy, but it’s very different from other Hollywood Romantic comedies. Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan star in a movie where they are hardly onscreen together and yet we feel both of their characters shinning.

It’s an amazing job that director Nora Ephron does in making us care about the relationship between these two characters when they are hardly together onscreen.

In the whole movie, the two only meet two times. The first time is when they encounter with each other in the street in Seattle, they watch each other and only say “hello”, then separate. The second time, also the last time in the movie, they meet on the top of Empire State Building, and also only say quite a few words.

However, without touch, sex or quarrel as other love stories, we can still find it beautiful and attractive. This feature also makes the movie distinguished from other Hollywood love stores and become a classic movie.

Perfect performance

The actors are well-suited to this movie and have a very excellent performance. Meg Ryan, Blond-haired, blue-eyed with an effervescent personality, is one of the most likable actresses in American at that time and has a certain ineffable innocence, is able to convince us of the magical quality of her sudden love.

The most impressive part of her performance is the first time she heard Sam’s voice on radio, changing her emotion little by little following the stranger’s story. The performance is natural and uncontrived. Tom Hanks also did a very good job in playing a middle-aged father and architect.

The movie can be said a feather-light romantic comedy. It delivers a feeling of warmth and some explosively funny moments. Generally speaking, it is a love story about destiny and magic.

Two strangers get closer and closer because some uncanny magic guiding and decide the other one is their unique destiny of whole life. The story itself is beautiful and moving, appealing to the lovers, also the ordinary people.

Beautiful lines

Besides, the language in the movie is also beautiful. There are some examples:

Annie Reed:“Destiny is something we’ve invented because we can’t stand the fact that everything that happens is accidental. ”

Dennis Reed: “Annie, when you meet someone and you’re attracted to them, it just means that your subconscious is attracted to their subconscious, subconsciously. So what we think of as chemistry is just two neuroses knowing that they are a perfect match.”

Annie Reed: “You think you can tell by just looking at him, but you can’t. What if I never meet him? What if this man is my destiny and I never meet him?”

These beautiful and dramatic words also make the movie more unforgettable.

Music

The music in this movie is also suited for the story developing. The most famous one is when I fall in love. Until today, many people love this smooth song very much. Whether or not people enjoy the film, they will simply love this soundtrack.

The songs and soft music were famous for their timelessness and romantic moods, and one can fully agree with the producers’ choice. When people listen to these beautiful songs, they will easily drift into the magical world of dreams, whether in the day or at night.

You’ve Got Mail

Similarly, with the same director and actors, Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan and Nora Ephron worked out another romantic movie in 1998, named You’ve Got Mail.

This is a story about two people from New York who only know each other by E-Mail. They don’t know each others names; they don’t know what the other does for a living. They just have a friendship that has blossomed via E-Mail communications.

Joe and Kathleen give each other advice on how to deal with these “bad people” they have met, without knowing that they are giving advice on how to deal with each other!

Sure the formula for this film is simple and straightforward. You always know what is going to happen next. Does that make it a bad movie?  No. Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan do a fantastic job with their roles, as in Sleepless in Seattle. They proved they are a perfect on-screen lover in the two movies alike.

On the whole, Sleepless in Seattle is a very excellent romance movie, and because its stories, performance, particularity and music, etc, it deserves its awards and can always be called a classic movie in Hollywood history.

Have you ever abuse others with some slanderous words? I think the answer is definitely yes, although you don’t want to admit it.

In reality, we always have too many concerns, but fortunately, people find a very good place to vent their anger, there no one can interfere their words, they can say what ever they like but don’t need to bear the responsibility. Yes, I think you have known the place. It’s Internet.

These days if you enter a discussion board, especially in the amusement part, you will find a large number of abuse words. Many people don’t communicate with each other politely and civilized, but hurting others with some damn words, some even too indecent and dirty to see.

For a very long time, I think the people who can use high-techniques or can use written words express their opinions in public are educated and civilized, at least are polite enough. But now I know I was wrong.

It seems nowadays many people take the internet space as their private space, they can say whatever they like, abuse anyone they don’t like, even spread some rumors which can hurt other’s feeling.

Suddenly a lot of cynics emerge on line. They criticize movies, stars, politics, educations, society and everything they can think of, using the most vicious words. Just because no one can recognize them on the Internet, they feel totally safe and show their true color immediately.

Internet has provide us a good opportunity to make friends, communicate with others, air one’s opinions and learn new things from others, but many people don’t cherish or make good use of its function, only take the internet as a venting place or battle field.

For example, celebrity blogs are every popular nowadays. It offers us an opportunity to understand a real person, not through the media, but through direct connection. But many celebrity blogs have become a promotion place for commercial purpose or venting place for their objectors. Many frenetic fans consider that all the people are crazy and stupid except himself and his star.

Very funny, yes? I think you are more or less familiar with Han han and Gao xiaosong’s on-line quarrel several days ago. Thousands of people join the quarrel, venting their anger and supporting their star through dirty words. At last, Han Han won, Gao Xiaosong failed, vowing that he will never open a blog again because he can’t bear the abuse words.

Powerful abuse words, yes? But it’s so shameful. A magazine has made a investigation on this, saying over 80% of Han Han’s supporters have never read his book before, they attend the mass quarrel just for fun. Internet offers them a good place to entertain.

I don’t oppose people to present their ideas, complains or criticism, but I really wish we can have a clean and civilized on-line environment.  Once the words are put on line, every one has right and opportunity to see and comment on it, so we should take responsibility for it.

On-line abuse words or quarrels are not only entertainments or joke. It’s time for us to take it serious and call for civilized communication on line. Don’t let them pollute our on-line environment.

sometimes you are too angry to stand other’s behavior, sometimes you hate someone very much, then you use some damn words to vent your anger or hatred. It’s even much better if you can find someone who can share your feeling. But the truth is, most of time we don’t have the courage to condemn others directly.

The lights are flicking, the crowd is screaming, young girls are fainting and the pop stars step up to the microphone, clad in black leather with tinted sunglasses and holding his hands up in the air to incite the cults …… this is the stereotype of pop icons in old people’s eyes.

The common mainstream assumption of Generation Post 80s are a bunch of crybaby or slackers or cynics who love pop icons such as Michael Jackson and Jay Chou, even frenetic or crazy about them. The pop icons have done much harm to youngsters.

It is undeniable that some pop icons have negative effect on youngsters. Such as drug and alcohol use or eating as little as possible to emulate the unrealistic low weights of their favorite stars.

Moreover, extreme copycat may go extreme and follow the one we worship when they lose or end up their life. In a word, pop icon worship is purely a monster without one single benefit.

While for some, pop icon worship can be unhealthy, even dangerous. That’s meanly because they worship an undeserving pop icons or the attitude is wrong.

The truth is, for most of us, the worship of pop icons is a pleasant diversion and amusement that can actually improve our lives and bring us a lot of joy. We have the rational mind to control it and will not be lost easily.

Besides, most of us have the ability to choose an icon who deserves our love and support. If we can achieve this, the object of our interest will set a good example that helps us strive to achieve our own ideals.

If we idolize someone for their accomplishments, especially those who have met a lot of frustration before their success, their accomplishments will spur us on to make gains in own life. From this we can see admiring a pop icon can also have a positive influence on our ambition, courage and willpower, making our life colorful and joyful.

For example, the popularity of Donald Trump’s hit show The Apprentice has made him and his star apprentice very hot icons among TV audience. The new-found star in every season must experience a lot of cruel examinations and competitions in public.

The final status is gained step by step, under the supervision of audience. With the popularity of the TV show, it has inspired many young viewers to move forward on their own dreams and prepare themselves with all kinds of unexpected challenges.

The worship of icons ultimately helps to convince us to make changes in our own lives by actual movement and encourages us to pursue our dreams.

Indeed, if there is a key to being a “healthy” fan, it is in our ability to enjoy what a pop icon brings to our life, without them becoming our life. If we can just have fun with it and don’t let it replace everything in our real life, we can gain inspiration and find ourselves through their efforts and success.

by hyacinthy

Monday, 8 December, 2008

 She became an excellent actress in front of strangers, even her friends and families, pretending to be happy.

She couldn’t accept what would happen after the people around her knew her real illness, especially in China, where most of people still have deep prejudice toward AIDS. This kind of avoidance continued for about one year.

In the October of 2004, Julia went to the AIDS village in Henan, where a lot a farmers were infected with HIV and lived a very pathetic life.

“Since then I have changed my mind and gained the courage to envisage my illness. There were so many people in the world who need our help; I must take the rest of my life time to help them as possible as I can. Compared with others, I don’t deserve any sympathy.”

She exposed her illness to the media and accepted the individual interview, telling her story to the public. This was definitely a difficult choice for her to make,“ I was totally relived when I told the truth to the public. The feeling of telling the truth is so beautiful; I am tired to tell lie to the people who care about me.”

In the past eight months, although she lived alone in the small village, she make long-distance calls everyday to her parents, making up some stories to comfort them and hiding the truth.

“if I am a AIDS patient in America, things will not get so complicated, at least I will gain the respect from the public and understanding from my families and friends, but in China, it’s so hard for me to make the choice, I am afraid to lose them.

“The most powerful weapon is not the disease itself, but the mock and scandal. I am not sure how much I can do to help other AIDS patients after I publicized my disease, but at least I would like to have a try.”

“I want people to know, AIDS is not as horrible as people thought, we have the courage and confidence to face it and even conquer it. What we need is not isolation and discrimination, but understanding and equality.”

Up to now, she has attended many commonweal activities as a representative of AIDS patients. This year, she attended the International Teenager AIDS Forum in Canada at the invitation of United Nations Children’s Fund.

As one of the two Chinese representatives, she had a deep communication with the youngsters from other countries.

“At first I still have some hesitation to tell the truth about the AIDS situation in China, because this is a sensitive topic in our country. However, after learn the situations in other countries; I think our government has done a good job on protecting AIDS patients.

Although in china, college students are not a high-risk group, we still need to pay attention to them and care about the potential risks.”

 Julia is quite content with her current life, although she knows the HIV will divest her life at any time, she want the rest of her life to be meaningful.

“I have a dream—-wish all the Chinese people treat the AIDS patients as the patients of common flu or cancer. This dream gives me the courage to continue my life, to pursue my happiness.”

Friday, 5 December, 2008

It was a peaceful spring morning in 2005, everything in the small village in north Hubei province was quiet and beautiful. However, Julia, a young girl who isolated herself from the outside world, felt that the whole world around her disappeared.

In the Chinese AIDS patient group, Julia was the only college student who had the courage to publicize her illness. One year ago, she was a happy sophomore in one reputed university in Wuhan, majoring in English. However, an unexpected disaster pushed her into the dark gulf. She was discovered carrying HIV. Since then, her life has been totally different.

April 5^th, 2005, the Tomb-sweeping Day of china, Julia stared at the people who were sweeping their families’ tombs, said: “in fact, there is no difference between hero and common people after they died. If I can conquer my only enemy, the HIV, I can also be a hero.”

sudden change of life

It was 366 days ago when Julia found herself infected with HIV, then several months ago, she escaped to the small village from the city she studied and lived, where a lot of classmates and friends were around of her and cared about her, however, without knowing her illness.

One year ago, Julia’s foreign boy friend left her and return to his country to cure his AIDS. Within 48 hours, Julia was confirmed to be his girl friend. Being persuaded by her teacher, Julia agreed to take a HIV test in the local illness control center. She was attest to have sexual relationship with her boy friend and infect with HIV.

The young girl faced with unimaginable pressure and desperation since then, “so tired, life is so tired,” Julia couldn’t feel any hope at that time, “it’s like I have been abandoned by the society and lost myself.”

happiness in the family

Julia was born in an average family in Xi’an in 1982. Her father was a driver, which was quite a good occupation at that time. As the only child, her parents love her very much and regarded her as the most precious treasure.

Her family was a very big one. Julia’s grandfather had four brothers and 5 sons. Her Dad was not their favorite child, so they didn’t give him the opportunity to go to school. Although he hadn’t received formal education, he still got the job to be a driver, and met her mother through his work. Their love was seriously rejected by her mother’s parents. However, they got married at last after conquered all kinds of difficulties.

“I think my mother is very great, she and my father love each other and got married through their great effort. Although we are not rich, we live together happily. That’s enough. Maybe I was affected by my mother and father’s love, I believe in true love and dream of it. When I meet Mark, I believe he was my true love and give him everything I have, without any hesitancy. Even now, I am not regret of our love and relationship.”

The financial condition of Julia’s family was not good. Her parents put all their hope on Julia and did their best to make sure that she could receive good education and had promising future. They sent Julia to the best local school, studying with the children with good family background.   

“I had a strong sense of self-esteem when I was a child, although my family was not rich, I projected to be arrogant before people, unless they disdain me,” Julia said. Actually, Julia turned out to be her parents’ pride and comfort.

a strong girl with persistence

After she graduated from senior school, she went into a technical secondary school to study English. To everybody’s surprise, this plain-looking girl finished three years’ course with high scores within two years, and successfully applied for a famous college in Wuhan city.

When she began her college life, Julia felt like in the heaven. “College is a place that you can do everything you want by taking advantage of self capability and remorseless efforts. I must change the poor condition of my family and myself through my effort.”

The strong sense of superiority became her belief and faith and gave her stronger spiritual motivate. She took some part-time jobs to earn money by herself, relieving the burden of her family.

While other college girls were still bathed in the protection and financial support of their parents, Julia had already began her independent life; while her classmates were still bothered by the weekly assignment, she has already previewed the course of next semester by herself.

“I like to compare my strong suit with others’ shortcomings, so it’s impossible for me to feel self-contempt. But I don’t like to tell others my deep thoughts; maybe it is a kind of self protection.”

Involving in such a complicated thought, she did a very good job in her study. Beside, she found a handsome foreign boy friend, which envied many girls who want to improve their English or went abroad. Julia was no doubt a famous girl in her university.

Four College girls died after jumping off from a sixth-floor balcony at Shanghai Business School to escape from a fire in their dormitory room.

It has been almost a month since the four young girls left the world. Their deaths arouse serious discussion about young people’s ability of self-rescue in emergency.

A witness told China Daily that she heard cries for help from a female student in the dormitory in the early morning and saw the fire on the sixth floor.

Four female students hung on the balcony’s handrail for about two minutes before they fell to the ground, according to the witness.

The four students died instantly after jumping from the balcony to escape the blaze.

The fire has been put out and no other injuries have been reported.

What a pity

They are all in their best time of life. What a pity they lost their lives in such a way.

Liu Wenwen, Chen Rui, Wang Jiayan

Chen Rui, 19, from Sichuan; Liu Wenwen, 21, from Jiangsu; and Shanghai locals Wang Jiayan and Zhang Yanping, both 20, were all students at the Shanghai Business School.

 After their death, thousands of college students launches different activities to memorize them, leaving many blessing words on their websites.

Who to blame

Firefighters found an electric device to heat water in the dormitory that may have caused the blaze.

Shanghai police told China Daily that the fire was started by an electric water heater.

Such appliances are banned at the Shanghai Business School, and at most Chinese universities.

The spokesman said that in 2005, the school’s student affairs office issued a notice on its website warning of the dangers of using electric water heaters.

Learning to protect yourself

The fire was not so big at the beginning. If the four girls have more common sense for fire accident, they had a chance to fix it before things get irreversible.

The picture of their dormitory shows their balcony to the next door room was connected. Why they have the courage to jump from the six-floor building, but dare not climb to the next door.

People should think more about the young people’s ability to look after themselves, but not only focus on the school education.

This kind of tragedy should never happen again.

By Hyacinthy
Monday, December 01, 2008

the west gate of Peking University -- photoed by Xiaolin Li

Peking University decided to limit visitors’ access to the campus further by introducing an electronic card swiping system next year.

During the Olympics Games, temporary restrictions for visitors were introduced by Peking University, venue of the Olympic and Paralympics table tennis events, out of security concerns.

The restrictions are set to become permanent, according to the University security department.

Students and school faculty had to show identity cards or passes issued by the university at all entrances to the campus, but visitors will have their IDs checked by the system.

The security department will also use an appointments system, which would require visitors to book a visit to the campus in advance.

The restriction is positive for security

Before the Olympics, just like those of nearly all China’s universities, the gates of Peking University were wide open to visitors. On a normal day about 60,000 people enter the campus, and half of them are visitors.

At weekends that go up to 80,000, and on National Day the figure reached 100,000.

It looks like the new measures have the support of the university community. A survey carried out by the student committee showed that 86 percent of teachers and students support the proposed measures.

“This measure is a good way to make sure our security and the normal teaching and research work to continue, and we feel much safer during the Olympic restrictions.” said Fengjun Zhao, a student of Peking University.

Opposite voices

The restriction also aroused public argument, which is considered to be unfair for the visitors who want to enjoy the famous scenery of the university, like Weiming Lake and Boya Tower.

Haibing Gu, a visit scholar in the university said: “it’s understandable to set up restrictions during Olympic period, but banning visitors permanently is quite unfair to the visitors and local residents. The school resources should be shared by more people, not only restricted to the students.”

international student in University of Westminster

Many British universities rely on funds brought in by overseas students, the foreign slump may deprive the much needed income for them.

At City University London, 27% of students come from overseas. They provide a fifth of the institution’s income. Serious financial trouble would happen in UK universities if foreign students decide they can no longer afford to study here.

This year for the first time hardship funding is on offer to foreign as well as British students.

According to the report of the Guardian, the chief executive from British Council, Martin Davidson, which promotes British course overseas, says domestic students could suffer if the number of foreign students decline, since some courses up to 80% of students are from overseas.

He said: “A number of universities are highly dependent on foreign students for their viability. If the students don’t come, those courses will not run and that will mean our students can’t take part in them.”

But the higher education minister David Lammy said the UK remained a top destination for international students. They were attracted to study in the UK by the world class reputation of its universities and the high quality degrees they can obtain.

A volunteer activity was organized by an environment group on Sunday to help restore the spinney in Canons Park of Harrow, an ancient woodland area in this historic park.

volunteers in canons park - source from the Friends of Canons Park

With the help of Groundwork West London, the spinney conservation project of this group plans to clear up the area to its former glory and allow bluebells and other wildflowers to flourish again.

Matthew Rooum, the committee member of the Friends of Canons Park said most of the restoration work of the park has been done in the last five years, and the park are much more attractive and is used more often by the residents. The organization hopes to continue the biodiversity improvements with their project in a long term.

The Friends of Canons Park is a community group set up in 2003 to support Harrow Council in their bid for a £1m Heritage Lottery restoration scheme of historic Canons Park.

Since the scheme began at the beginning of the year, the Friends and other volunteers have approached to various methods to increase biodiversity and create a more aesthetically pleasing area.

Much of the material that is discarded is being used to build up a hedge, which will eventually provide a natural habitat for wildlife such as birds, insects and small mammals.

Mark Flannagan, a project manager in Groundwork West London provided the volunteers with tools and training in the morning. He said, “we promotes biodiversity by cutting sick or dead trees and coppicing the natural regeneration of more tree species and flowers on the cleared ground.”

The Friends of Canons Park hopes more people would care about the conservation project and join the volunteer work. Robin, a volunteer said, “start has been made and a very satisfying amount of clearing has been done. Congratulations to all involved.”