It was a normal day, except I was watching Case Closed: Full Score of Fear. (名探偵コナン 戰慄の樂譜) I am not going to tell you the entire plot, probably some, but definitely I am going to tell you the inspiration it gives me. This movie basically describes a consecutive murder on musician, and a bombing attack during an orchestra by “Amazing Grace”. (Please look up if you are interested in how this all works.)The plot has almost nothing to do with what I am talking about, which just gives you an understanding of what I am discussing next…

“Amazing Grace,” a wild-known music that praises things, or could also be defined as purity, but what if purity is mixed with guilt(the bombing)? It might be an interesting question.

The world is full of perfection and imperfection, so in other words, that means grace with disgrace. For example, a person might be tripped by water when he goes to the ball park, which the person will usually complain. Frankly, it is definitely acceptable to complain about the unfairness of life, but rarely of us praise the little luckiness in his life, such as going to the ball park on time after being tripped. Just like the families of victims in Full Score of Fear, what they care is just victims’ lack of luck, while they do not understand is that they are popular musicians that have reputation and plenty of money…. That hatred might lead to another murder…

Thus, bad things continue, but good things rarely increases due to the huge desire of humanity, that some people consider good things should always happen on them. The world itself still creates a lot of perfection, but greedy humanity kills the majority of it… Going back to the original question, purity is the world, and that deadly guilt is not human beings, but their minds, which is going to swallow the world someday… As Conan has said in another episode, “Detectives do not decrease the crime rate, nor stabilise, because we are not that grateful to change our, human, minds, nor ourselves.”

Knowing that humanity is so dark and hopeless; however, there is a way to change this corrupted society- Being amazing and graceful. Because of amazement, unfortunate pasts will be replaced; because of grace, hatred will be forgotten!

That’s everything I gain spiritually from a single cartoon!!

The remaining subjects were sent to a scorch, where they were supposed to cross through 100 miles in two weeks to get the “cure” of the Flare, because the WICKED planted the virus in their brain. Teresa was in another group of subjects, all girls.

During the second trial, candidates met a lot of random but calculated situations, such as silver metal that ate human head, and meeting the heavily infected community, or Cranks. They also met two leaders in that shelter, Brenda and Jorge, who helped them get through the area. Cranks would attack or kill every living creature they have seen, so that was the reason to have a new alliance. After that, Thomas was kidnapped by Teresa’s group, which Teresa said that it was just an act to save everyone. Although it turned out to be true, Thomas never trusted Teresa anymore, instead he trusted Brenda.

Finally, some candidates reached the final destination, but there was no cure but another monster. A lot of them sacrificed, and a WICKED berg came to save all the remaining candidates. WICKED told them that this was another trial, and they have almost every data collected. Now, it’s time for them to find the cure themselves….

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This book remains interesting, but the introduction of WICKED seems to be so short that does not even bring awareness to the readers. I like the part that people were murdered by the head-eating silver ball because it was kind of bloody… The new members, Jorge, Brenda, Harriet, Aris, Rachel, and Rat-man(Janson, my personal favourite, increase the complexity of the Scorch Trials.

Another climax is the betrayal of Teresa, which is probably the most interesting part in this book; and this plot also connects with The Maze Runner- Thomas and Teresa were really close in the maze, but this book reveals the hate Thomas has on Teresa due to her act. This shows a contradicting situation, to save a person or to “act” betrayal to a person, which might be a questionable problem.

This was a continuation of The Maze Runner, but there are several points that frustrate me, including its, again, repetition of words, minor explanation on WICKED, and more importantly, no implication of how the blueprint works. Basically, I think that the author puts too much emphasis on the Scorch but ignores the main of this whole trilogy, the Flare.

 

I’ve read a lot of books before, but not this best-selling trilogy!!

 

Thomas was thrown into a place, whose memories have all been deleted by a group called WICKED. A lot of people with no memories about their pasts have been living there for a while. They lived in a maze that was basically impossible to be deciphered, a place where the Grievers stayed, and those who were stung would go through “The Changing.” A woman called Teresa was sent here one day after Thomas’s transfer, but she was unconscious. During this time, Thomas went into the maze at night in an attempt to save Alby, the first Glader, and Minho, the runner. Instead of being killed by the Grievers, he killed them. Several disputes have occurred among the leaders regarding Thomas, but they decided to let him be the leader of Runner. He and Minho discovered some facts about the Grievers. And then Teresa was awake….

Thomas found out that he and Teresa are telepathic, and a lot of strange things happened after Teresa’s regaining consciousness. The Grievers took one Glader per day, and Teresa kept telling him about that the maze was just a code. As time passed, they have found out more and more things about the maze- the code of shutting the maze has been discovered, and all they needed was to go to the hole of Grievers to have a final battle. According to what Thomas has discovered, the place for entering the code was in a small hole of a huge sky. Thomas, Teresa, and Chuck, Thomas’s best friend in the Glade, ran together to that final destination. They did and killed the maze; however with heavy casualties.

They walked to the center of WICKED, a scientific organisation that explored the brain interaction during intense activities, which would include sacrifice. WICKED told them a tiny part of everything, that they were here to find a cure of Flare, a widespread disease that killed almost everyone on the planet. WICKED manipulated Gally, a person Thomas hated the most due to his opposition toward him, to throw a knife at him, but Chuck sacrificed for him instead…….

All the survivors went to another place for a new trial…

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I think that The Maze Runner is the best one in this trilogy due to its unique writing style and creative idea with various combinations of topics. The author has perfectly used a fantasy, the maze, to support or build upon a reality, the Flare. Certainly there are a lot of interesting facts that are used in The Maze Runner, such as Thomas and Teresa’s telepathy, Gally’s opposition, Thomas’s  friendship with Chuck, Newt supporting Thomas, Alby’s sacrifice due to his fear of the flare, Minho’s use of Glader words, the Grievers, and more importantly, the conspiracy, probably, behind WICKED.

The book is really surprising at the end- the fact that the maze was built for a scientific experimentation for a cure of the Flare, and everything has been expected by WICKED’s scientists. It is unbelievable  that the author is able to write a book with such complexity, but remains coherent and interesting. In addition, I could make deduction of the maze as those characters explored more clue. Thus, it is actually interesting from the beginning; the twisting ending is a huge bonus.

However, the repetition of certain words irritated me, such as “contemplative,” “breathe,” and “serum.” I really hope that the author could use a variety of vocabularies so that the book itself will not be dull speaking of literature. Another advice is that characters should have more personalities because that helps readers remember the properties of each character, so it will not be abrupt when somebody does something.

Overall, The Maze Runner is a good book, but “The Scorch Trials” and “The Death Cure” are not as good as I thought!

The current increase of dominant platform creates more problem with its convenience. A lot of people are silently scolding at others using internet, either by community websites or on an internet chatting room. The pain will only be compounded, not just increased; the damage for victims is more significant through internet because it is easily spread if status is posted publicly. According to American statistics, 43 percent of American students have been the victims of cyberbully, which also showed the significance of this problem. In our society, we should face this problem by advocating in school!

Citation- ‘Make this all go away’: Cyberbullying multiplies teen pain | Al Jazeera America. (n.d.). Retrieved May 23, 2015, from http://america.aljazeera.com/watch/shows/edge-of-eighteen/articles/2014/9/17/-make-this-all-goawaycyberbullyingmultipliesteenpain.html

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法律上人們需要承受網路霸凌的罰則並不高, 所以無法喝止這事之發生, 不過可以確定的是網路霸凌的機率越來越高, 可以說是科技帶來的風險. 實體世界中, 其實人與人的相處是較為平和的, 因為對方可以看到進行會話的你, 不過網路世界中, 沒有社交的壓力感, 就造成了肆無忌憚的毀謗, 導致接二連三的不幸. 人民的力量很強, 可以透過集體的力量將被霸凌者推下懸崖, 那為何不把他們救上陸地呢? 值得我們深思熟慮.

清大彭明輝的部落格. (n.d.). Retrieved May 24, 2015, from http://mhperng.blogspot.tw/2015/04/blog-post_30.html

As you show your impress on the advance of technology, you might not have noticed a rising issue accompanying with internet- cyberbully. Cyberbully is a public shame intended to a particular person or group, which is usually conveyed by posting status or using inappropriate words. Menacing threats through the use of technology is also likely to create psychological harm to the victims. There have been several notorious cases that showed the imperfection of the society- the fact that people have paucity of sympathy. Instead of standing up or at least comforting the victim, humanity seems to be helpless in this case. Why? Because it is not happening on us? That is probably the most important reason. One way to prevent cyberbullying from happening is to be sympathetic; an uprising condolence might affect the victim’s mind. Next time, when you see others suffer from psychological pain, stand up and cheer for them so that they are able to step the next step!

Bilton, N. (2015, April 29). When the Cyberbully Is You. Retrieved May 20, 2015, from http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/30/style/when-the-cyberbully-is-you.html?ref=topics&_r=0http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/30/style/when-the-cyberbully-is-you.html?ref=topics&_r=0

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有愈來愈多的不幸是因為網路霸凌造成的, 給了受害者們不幸的傷害, 並且人類似乎已失去了原有的同理心, 只會找地方來滿足自己的優越感, 不只不幫助受害者還給他們2度傷害. 法律的喝止, 告訴又能有幾分影響? 那些無惡不作的人們還會擔心法律的束縛? 忍氣吞聲絕對不是處理網路霸凌的態度, 也絕對不要成為ㄧ個不碰科技來預防霸凌的落後者, 我們所要做的也許需要很大的勇氣, 亦然需要覺醒, 但只是ㄧ句話, 如師長之對話, 就可以結束這ㄧ場惡夢. 毋須絕世英雄, 只要ㄧ個在心底不願分享的秘密, 那個ㄧ用千金的同理心.

如何面對網路霸凌？ | 即時新聞 | 20150427 | 蘋果日報. (n.d.). Retrieved May 20, 2015, from http://www.appledaily.com.tw/realtimenews/article/new/20150427/599896/

 

A lot of people faced bullying in America, approximately 13 million students, both small and big. Bully has a variety of fields, including racism and disparagement, affecting the habits, thinking, and acting of an individual. The responsibility is not only restricted to the educators, but students, parents, and community should also take care of bullying. One day, you or your children might also be bullied without awareness! It is a public duty to advocate the importance to warn bullies, which legal actions might be necessary, and to permanently convince those to positively affect the society. According to the American Academy of of Paediatrics, it states that “Every bully causes serious damage to the victims and their families.” Therefore, instead of silently being a bystander, we should stand up by telling teachers, parents, or accusing if necessary.

Citation- Honda, R. (n.d.). Preventing Bullying Is a Community Effort. Retrieved May 16, 2015, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rep-mike-honda/preventing-bullying-is-a-_b_4097364.html

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霸凌被官方解釋為一種長時間持續的、並對個人在心理、身體和言語遭受惡意的攻擊, 以肢體, 口語, 跟肢體進行, 政府也積極宣導反霸凌之作為, 當然學校也盡力配合, 但單方面的制止不足以喝止霸凌者, 那些想顯現優越感之所以做出被世人認知為違法並愚蠢的事. 台灣, 幸運地, 只有ㄧ些瑣碎的事件, 但並不代表這是完美. 身為ㄧ個台灣公民, 愚昧的度過ㄧ生極度不符合青天白日滿地紅的象徵, 所以我們必須做好自己之本份, 確保你身旁無之類諸事發生. 就算ㄧ萬難擋萬ㄧ, 大家的扶持必定帶來正面影響, 將來, 我們就能驕傲的帶著台灣護照, 與有榮焉得講述我國的努力, 特別在霸凌的這塊上.

講了這麼多, 主題不過反霸凌, 我們可以透過以下管道對霸凌者抗議, 讓他們知道法律及人道主義的重大, 以及違反他們的後果. 告訴導師, 投訴學校信箱, 向教育部反映(0800200885), 等方式, 皆可有效制止霸凌. 最後, 身為希望帶來正面的我, 可以給你我ㄧ個更好的社區, ㄧ個沒有霸凌及黑暗的社區!

Citation- 教育部呼籲大家一起來拒絕校園霸凌. (n.d.). Retrieved May 16, 2015, from https://tw.news.yahoo.com/blogs/gov-press/教育部呼籲大家-起來拒絕校園霸凌-105222114.html

Hope u hv a happy day, and spread positivity to the society!!敬祝你有高興的ㄧ天, 並且將正能傳輸出去!!

 

Several studies have shown that school bullying has become one of the major problems, and despite its possibility to be prevented, the increase in statistics were and remain unstoppable. Physical or emotional negativity is what bullying gives the victims, while the culprits show superiority by belittling people through physical or colloquial actions. Basically, when a person seems to be less offensive and is less popular, he/she will probably be the target of bullies. Like I have said before, bullying provides superiority, so some people find it enjoyable and make it a habit, which is inexorable.

Humanity is difficult to be eliminated; our community could only reduce the cases, thus, after seeing my article, do not bully others due to a desire of enjoyment since it is considered childish, harmful, and unforgivable.

Citation- Common Causes of Bullying. (2013, August 16). Retrieved May 16, 2015, from http://nobullying.com/common-causes-of-bullying/

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校園霸凌是個不可忽視的環節, 也許可以預防, 但數據仍顯示增長之情形. 隨處可見的校園霸凌造成肢體及心靈之創傷可大可小, 然而霸凌者可因這違法之行為得取優越感跟歡愉. 言語霸凌可造成低賤感, 雖然創傷無法被看到, 無人得知之時, 霸凌者就可以逃之夭夭.

被霸凌者通常都是校園的弱勢, 包括無力回擊之跟排擠的, 他人認為霸凌可以得到歡樂, 把別人打在地上的快感, 換來的是ㄧ個冰冷倒地的弱勢跟無法治癒的心痛.

ㄧ個霸凌毀了兩個人的家, 但他始終於人性, 無法被阻止然而減少. ㄧ年中,  多少人受傷於無意或有意的攻擊, 為了只是ㄧ個渺小的優越感, 那為何不去證明自己反找後門走? 違不違法只是其次, 重要的是人與人之間那互信的感覺, 被這無情的冰, 撲滅, 並且, 消失…

Citation- 校園霸凌為何蔓延？/校園故事/教育現場/親子天下. (n.d.). Retrieved May 16, 2015, from http://www.parenting.com.tw/article/5020358-校園霸凌為何蔓延？/

Hope u hv a happy day, and spread positivity to the society!!敬祝你有高興的ㄧ天, 並且將正能傳輸出去!!

Every Chinese New Year in my grandmother’s house, we played Mahjong with real money, which made it more serious because several hundreds could be lost easily. Therefore, the atmosphere was pretty dignified, but chatting often occurred. Usually, we played Mahjong for four hours, and then after several days, we went to my relatives’ house and played again with bigger bet. I have attended every single game and  lost 650 NTD for two days, which was unfortunate. However, I was really happy even I lost money because it was merely impossible that every member in my relatives’ families, gathered  and chatted together through a gambling way. This was not a new experience for me, but a yearly routine in Chinese New Year, which I will keep on holding. Furthermore, Mahjong promotes brain development, probably, because it takes a lot of skills. Minor mistakes, such as misunderstanding of probability of winning, could be done often, although I never made mistakes since I was eight. I could tell that we are great at playing Mahjong because, first of all, we discard cards rapidly, secondly, we could know what the others are waiting for just by the way they discard cards.

If You Want to Challenge Me on Mahjong, Better Bring Some Money So That It Becomes Mine!~

Enjoy Your Chinese New Year, Everyone~~