潔西這幾天剛好跟學生說到寫英文日記是個練習英文的不錯方式。因為真的Practice makes perfect. 英文這種東西是不練就會忘記,就連潔西也是一樣的耶。大家應該第一個反應都是,我連中文日記都不寫了,怎麼可能寫英文日記呢?哎呀,沒辦法囉,中文每天在說不可能會忘,英文可不是天天說的,不天天多給自己練習的機會,那怎麼進步呢?
很多人想說要用英文思考,假如你平常沒有養成用英文思考句子的習慣,怎麼可能到了要用的時候馬上反應過來呢?我個人覺得寫英文日記也是個不錯的方式。也不用日記,真的可以的話,把你的facebook status偶而用英文或雙語,那也不錯啊。英文就是要多練習囉。
日記要寫什麼?每天寫的東西不都一樣?每天的生活都一樣記記流水賬多無聊啊?那表示你這個人真的很無聊耶。假如你的生活這麼無趣,那你自己就要自我反省了。其實我們一般人最常用到的句子多半都是在講自己,介紹自己,自己的公司,家人,興趣,做過的事。再來真的沒什麼好寫的話,看看社會新聞,有什麼有趣的內容,令人生氣的,令人感動的,令人無法相信的。潔西看到那個高中生居然拿水果刀殺母親,而且有厚厚的一本計劃書真的很感嘆,這個社會的問題真的很大。再來不想寫新聞的人觀察一下周遭。那天潔西坐在圖書館,隔壁坐下一個小女孩,十歲左右,手上翻著一本書,坐下來從目錄在開始從頭興緻勃勃的看著,潔西忍不住偷喵一下,這一看,傻了。這小女孩看的居然是糖尿病的書。哇!究竟是她自己還是家人有糖尿病呢?突然覺得有一股心酸。當然可能潔西太多愁善感了,說不定人家是要做報告,可是十歲小孩放暑假,在圖書館,唉。
好啦,又離題了,我這離題王。寫的時候呢,可以寫用free writing 的方式,隨便想寫什麼就寫什麼,甚至中翻英,有不懂的字用中文補上去。然後呢再做第二次修改,最好有網路或很好的字典在一旁。把所有的句子改成是正確句型的句子。用最簡單的方式來表達自己。假如有不確定的方式,或著覺得是中翻英的表達方式,可以google一下用法,看看結果是什麼,就知道用法對不對。假如你覺得根本沒什麼時間做第二次修改,只能有寫一次的時間,那我就建議,條簡單的句型,用簡單的字來表達你的意思。切勿中翻英。因為這樣的結果常常會是錯的,倒不如轉個彎想想怎麼樣用你有限的單字來表達你所要表達的意思。這個時候你就會養成用英文思考的方式,也會知道你自己少的是什麼,單字會句型,還是一些慣用語。
好累喔。潔西今天早上又頭痛了。不知道是昨天去聽兩廳的免費的夏日音樂會,非常得不錯,整個人都想放大假,飛到南美去跳森巴了,唉。不過呢因為等不到公車,換車又很久,回到家太晚,所以晚睡,外加去吃飯的時候一顆預防頭痛的藥掉到地上找不到,回到家另外兩顆預防的藥睡前有忘記吃,半夜起來補吃,完全就是我會做的事。早上頭痛到個不行,電視不能看,電腦不能用。現在該睡了。啊,對了,交個筆友或外國朋友也不錯。下面是我寫給一個朋友跟他說我住院的慘狀,大家可以參考一下,呵呵,晚安。
It all started from my running out of medication. In Taiwan, the health insurance only pay for 8 tablets of imigran a month. Therefore, when I used up the 8 tablets in three weeks (the first time in over a year), the doctor thought that my migraine was getting worse. He advised me to stay in the hospital for a few days to do some check up and take some medication to prevent the headache.
I agreed and was there for five days. The fifth day, they gave me a brain CT scan and something call lumber puncture, which was to put a long thin needles into my spine to get some fluid to check if the pressure in my brain was normal and to check if there were anything wrong. I had to lie flat for 7 hours after that procedure and I did. The results came out to be OK. Everything was fine. They couldn’t find anything wrong with me, at least physically. Thus, the doctor said it could be stress, environment, personality, gene or other possibilities. Actually, the doctor who did lumber puncture for me has the same problem and she couldn’t find any reason and she still has to take 6 tablets of imigran a month.
Anyway, they let me go home the next day since they couldn’t find anything. I left the hospital but I didn’t feel right. When I stood, I felt dizzy. I went home and was on bed for two days. I checked out some information on the Internet and found out something called spinal headache. I noticed that if I got up to get some water, I felt dizzy and got a bad headache. It was said normal and it would wear off after a few days. All I could do was to drink a lot of water and rest a lot. I did that. I hardly left my bed for long. On the second day, I tried very hard to take a shower and wash my hair and it hurt so much that as soon as I got out of the bath room, I had to lie down and lie down flat and dry my hair while lying down on my back. It’s really funny now I look back and not at that time.
The third day, I tried to get up and go get some water. I sensed something wrong right away: I had a sharp headache, I couldn’t breath, and I felt so much press on my back. I felt much better after I lay down, but it’s the third day, and I couldn’t always lie down flat on the bed. It seemed like it’s getting worse. My sister took me to the emergency room and on the way there, I felt I was going to die. When I talk to the doctor, I was sweating so much and I could hardly talk, I was so sick and felt really weak. Still I asked the doctor, “Is this normal?" “No, it’s not.", the doctor answered. She told my sister to find a bed for me and arranged for me to admitted in the hospital, again!
Later the doctor explained to me that it’s because of lumbar puncture. The fluid was flowing away from the small hole they did lumber puncture and my body didn’t make up fast enough as it should be. Therefore, the pressure in my brain was too low, and I had the spinal headache. All I had to do was to lie flat and had a lot of water and they gave me iv at the same time so I could get more water faster. I couldn’t even lie on a pillow cause it would hurt so much. Really. I had to do everything fast otherwise I would have a very very bad headache and all I could do was lying flat on bed. It’s hell.
Anyway, it was good that finally I got out of the hospital after almost a week. Then I became very weak. I think most people would become weak if they have to lie on the hospital for two weeks. Sigh. Well, the only good thing is that my headache has become so much better. I’m taking some medication to prevent the headache. However, because of that, I kind of think I am lack of energy. I feel even weaker.
As a matter of fact, I fainted the other day. I was going to put the wireless phone back to the living room. And the next minute I found myself lying on the hallway and didn’t know what happened and my whole body hurt. It took me a few seconds to realized that I passed out. So weak! Okay, this is my long story. Not so interesting, a bit miserable, perhaps, haha. But now I look back, it’s kind of funny, couldn’t believe that happen to me.