Wonder or Wander

Writing personal essays drill 4: a list of ... things WATER : Obviously water is vital to one’s life. But it can be also dangerous. So, in a developing country, you are extremely careful because germs grow in the water. You don't forget a treatment. After the treatment, the water smells disgusting and it looks dirty, but it is now good to drink. You drop a tablet to add a flavor. FOOD : One should eat. It is pleasure for most people to savor exotic dishes, but my judgment for a taste is very subjective. The mood at a dinner table dominates my taste of the dishes. Who prepared, who is sitting next to me, and what we talk about are more important than the food itself. What if you agree to me but are not so social? Fill your refrigerator with fresh vegetables and fruits. Those will keep you from unhealthy food at least. Lastly, be more careful if you are not rich, because we live in a country where the poorer the bigger. Next, you got me: EXERCISE . Gym membership, yoga, marathon....

Writing personal essays drill 3: On … (meditative: move from concrete experience to philosophical thoughts) In fall 2001, I audited a class in the computer science department while working full-time at the University of Chicago . I was curious about how lines of code would make a machine work. The course was interesting enough for me to audit the next one in the following quarter. Then, I don’t remember what got into my mind. I registered for the last sequel in spring 2002 as a graduate-student-at-large. Oh well, within the first couple of weeks, I painfully realized that I was torturing myself. My brain had little usefulness for the programming. I needed help, so I emailed my supervisor, Karen, to ask for permission to meet one of the teaching assistants during my office hours. She replied that she would leave the decision to my discreet judgment. So, I went to the TA office and got some help. But, I needed more help! So, I visited the professor. She spent time explaining how I...

Written by Don McLean (1988) Starry starry night, paint your palette blue and grey Look out on a summer's day with eyes that know the darkness in my soul . Shadows on the hills, sketch the trees and the daffodils Catch the breeze and the winter chills, in colors on the snowy linen land Now I understand what you tried to say to me How you suffered for your sanity How you tried to set them free They would not listen They did not know how, Perhaps they'll listen now. Starry starry night, flaming flowers that brightly blaze Swirling clouds in violet haze reflect in Vincent's eyes of chine blue Colors changing hue, morning fields of amber grain Weathered faces lined in pain are soothed beneath the artist's loving hand .

Do you guys want to create an account at MySpace? I think it will be cool.

Writing personal essays drill 2: an anecdote (dialogs, gestures, and characters) It was yesterday. The elevator stopped on the 6 th floor. I had a disturbing feeling, because the person whom I least wished to encounter, particularly in a small place like this elevator, lived on the 6 th floor. The door was open. My instinct was unfortunately correct. It was him! I kept silent and so did he. The door was closed. What an uncomfortable silence! I tried to be cool, so asked with slight hesitation, “How are you, Sir?” He answered in a low tone, “I’m fine… and you?” while looking at the elevator door. I answered back, “I’m fine, thank you.” There was still a moment of silence until the elevator door was finally open on the 7 th floor, my destination. I walked out of the elevator. The conversation was very dry, but rather hopeful. On a beautiful day in October last year, there was a fierce fight in this building while I was out. When I came home, there was a police car in front of th...

Writing personal essays drill 1: a character sketch To my eyes, there was no man as handsome as him. To my best knowledge, he was the only one in town who wore black sun glasses. There was not a single gray hair on his head. He had a big belly that no one would attempt to attack. He looked awesome in his dark blue suit and shiny black shoes. He was my ideal man. Coming back from his office, he almost always had a package of yogurt. Did he love yogurt so much? I am not sure. During holiday seasons he used to buy pills for stomach ache in advance and placed them on a shelf. One of us always ran into them. In the evening of one of those days, he grabbed my hand and walked to a watch shop. Even when he finally put a watch around my wrist and paid for it, I hardly believed that he was buying one for me. At the age of eight I became a watch owner. Don’t imagine a Mickey Mouse or Snow White type of kid’s watch. It was a real one with twelve numbers and three needles. Worrying about jealou...

Dear Friends, Wishing you a year of peace, health and personal fulfillment. I continue to be astounded at the blessings (people) in my life. This fall I started to work on a film with Muhammad Yunus, the 2006 Nobel Peace prize laureate, an amazing man. Dr. Yunus is the Bangladeshi economist who started using and developing microcredit in the 1970s and has transformed Bangladesh through his work. Perhaps the most powerful thing I’ve learned from being with this inspiring and humble man is this: One individual CAN indeed change the world. I now know this in every cell of my being. What an empowering and frightening concept! It puts all the responsibility into OUR own hands. It’s something that should be taught, but everything in our culture conspires to keep us from recognizing and believing this. If you’re looking for a way to nudge our world to a better place, you could do worse than starting here: http://storyofstuff.com Much love, Bill