2013年5月31日星期五

Chinese Valentine's day

Every year on July 7th in chinese calendar is the Chinese Valentine's day - Qixi Festival. It is chinese traditional festival same as Spring Festival, Mid-autumn Festival and Lantern Festival. The history of this festival can dated back thousands years ago.

This festival originates from a sad and beautiful love fairy tail. It is said that, thousand years ago, a cowherd (Altair) falls in love with a fairy maiden (Vega). Their love violates all gods in heaven, and they forbid this fairy maiden to come down the earth see the cowherd again. Even though they can't see each other anymore, they still are deeply in love with each other. Magpies are touched by their love. On every July 7th, magpies will fly from earth to heaven and build a bridge of many magpies to give this lover a chance to see each other.

However, there are some disagreements about whether this festival should be Chinese Valentine's day or not. Some sociologists consider the day on July 7th should be the Chinese Girl's day. It is said that if you look up in the sky, you can see Altair and Vega coincide in the Milky Way. If you listen carefully, you can also hear how they express their love for each other from heaven. In this very romantic evening, girls will put on some fresh fruits and pastries and worship Vega. They will face the moon and pray Vega can give them intelligent mind, skillful hands and perfect marriage. Qiao Guo (fried thin paste) is a special dim sum on this day. Therefore, the day on July 7th also called the Qi Qiao Festival (Begging Festival).

In addition, it is said that the day on July 7th is for students to worship Kui Xing (the four stars in the bowl of the Big Dipper). According to the legend, July 7th is the birthday of Kui Xing. Kui Xing is a god who is responsible for examination and promotion. In the ancient times, some students will also worship Kui Xing on July 7th.

Even though there are many other versions of what festival should be on July 7th, many chinese people still consider it as the Chinese Valentine's day. As for me, I would love to spend that day as Valentine's day, especially after I missed the Valentine's day on February 14th with my boyfriend due to the long distance. 




Does success means we can live the way we want?


Some people consider success is to achieve their goals. I don't. I see success as a process, a process that you put your efforts in achieving your goals. Some people define success in terms of wealth and social status. I don't. I think success is a combination of a lot of things, such as love from family and friends, satisfaction from completing goals, and wisdom. Some people consider success as we can live our lives in our own ways. I don't. I believe that people may choose their own definitions of success to fit their own goals and to realize their values.
People who have the freedom to do whatever they like to do are not necessarily the most successful ones. For example, let's assume a young man who just inherited a huge amount of fortune from his parents. It is obvious that this young man can afford to spend the money on anything he likes and live a life that makes most people jealous. But can we define him as successful? The society admires and respects people who make fortune with their own hands through their intelligence and efforts. Hence, it is not how much fortune a person has, or how free can this person lives his or her life, but whether this person has realized their values and earned the respect from others, that makes people successful.

In addition, definition of success can vary from people to people and it is difficult to have one universal definition for success. In my opinion, I think the most successful people are those who have created most values for this society to help others and make this world a better place, not those who have wealth and can live a luxurious life. For example, those doctors without borders may don't have much wealth. However, I think they are very successful because they put lots of their energy, time, intelligence in helping others.

Admittedly, it is probably a dream for many of us to live life in our own way and enjoy life to the most. However, successful people can also live a simple life. For example, billionaire Warren Buffet, still chooses to live a simple life without making crazy spending on luxury items in his personal life. There is something more important than living the life we want. I believe that creating values for our society, our people and our nation to make the world a better place is more important to define how successful a person is.

In summary, while we are wishing that we could live our "dream life", it is important for us to realize living the way we want doesn't mean a luxurious life. In addition, pursuit of wealth blindly does not mean that you are successful. Rather, it is how much values a person can create for the society that determines how successful that person is.