Author Archives: vivianwu

Posts by vivianwu

Comments by vivianwu

"I like how you actually went out to explore this neighborhood after hearing about it from your neighbor. I actually grew up in Canarsie, and my grandparents still live there, and I lived there until I was 9 years old and I can agree that the area has changed dramatically since I've moved. Before moving, my block was filled with Jewish and Italian families just like your neighbor said. Like you were the only white person when you visited, whenever I go to visit my grandparents, I'm usually the only (or at least feel like the only) Asian person in the area. It's interesting seeing how despite all the changes, your 93 neighbor still values living in Brooklyn."
--( posted on Dec 19, 2012, commenting on the post White Flight )
 
"This actually reminds me of the conversation I had with a friend of mines who just came up from Florida to New York City for an internship. She talked about how everyone in the South is so sociable to each other that it is weird not being so openly outgoing to everyone, especially because she found it so fascinating how she could be on the subway and so close to someone but not say a word to them. But I can agree that it is because of the fast paced culture of New York City that causes us to behave this way, which can seem different for others new to the city, and for us going outside of NYC."
--( posted on Dec 3, 2012, commenting on the post Encountering a Southern Attitude )
 
"This reminds me how unrealistic and surreal it was for me when I also met a celebrity on the streets of New York City. I agree with your message that even if it doesn't seem so, there is always constantly so many things going on in the city, and I liked the way you described this specific instance to show it."
--( posted on Dec 2, 2012, commenting on the post The Big Apple )
 
"I liked the humor you added to this piece, it made your piece much more engaging for the reader and it set the tone for it as well. The way you included different ways people say "cheese" in other languages was great as well, I liked how you did more research into it to make your piece more informative."
--( posted on Dec 2, 2012, commenting on the post Say Cheese. )
 
"I can understand your experience of having to play an instrument because of parents and because everyone was doing so; similar to you I was told to learn the piano and violin because everyone else did. I liked how when you were given the opportunity to make your own decisions though, you did break our of your shell and choose something that you wanted, not something to follow the norm."
--( posted on Dec 2, 2012, commenting on the post Struggle Between Cultures )
 
"I posted this picture with your approval though."
--( posted on Dec 2, 2012, commenting on the post Private: Funny Photo )
 
"I've never heard of this type of punishment before, but after reading your post I can somewhat see the reasoning behind the Singapore government's actions. I like how decided to do more research into this topic because you were unfamiliar with it and wanted to learn more, it enriched this piece more by making it more informative to the reader."
--( posted on Nov 19, 2012, commenting on the post Caning )
 
"I couldn't agree more with your post, less than two months ago I was still that suburban kid that you mentioned in your post, living and learning about the city for the first time, but now after a short two months; I already feel so integrated into the city. Additionally, I like the dialogue you included into this piece made it livelier for the reader."
--( posted on Nov 19, 2012, commenting on the post You Must be New Here )
 
"I agree with your conclusion that the more advanced a society is, the harder it is to go back to basics, however sad but true it is. When I look back at the countless stores I went to just to charge my phone and laptop after the storm, it seems almost ridiculous how reliant we have become on it. We definitely need to find a balance for how much we depend on the electricity and technology."
--( posted on Nov 5, 2012, commenting on the post Life in The Stone Age )
 
"I liked how you stepped out of your comfort zone to go to this club where evidently most people spoke korean because you are interested in the korean culture, and the description of your experience was very well making the reader feel like he/she was right there with you."
--( posted on Nov 4, 2012, commenting on the post Annyeonghaseyo , je ileum-eun Nancy ibnida )
 
"I understand that feeling that you had of always automatically assuming everyone else should know English because I am so used to speaking and hearing it everywhere. Sometimes my parents, who are immigrants from China, say something grammatically wrong in English, I also always find that urge to correct them, but when I am speaking Mandarin and I mess up the grammar, my parents are not constantly picking at me for my mistakes."
--( posted on Oct 23, 2012, commenting on the post What Do You Mean You Don’t Know Perfect English? )
 
"Personally I think that the playwright could have created more movement by having actors act more scenes rather than have the actors tell the stories through dialogue. For example, I would rather see the scene of Roelf, slowly growing apart from his family and how he started to lose his wife, being acted out rather than him just telling the story to Simon."
--( posted on Oct 13, 2012, commenting on the post Private: Incredible Set and Actors for Just a Recording )
 
"Your story about your cousin the little boy Joey reminded me of a five year old girl I took care of who would always be happily tapping away on her kindle fire whether it be watching a t.v. show online or playing games. It was so impressive seeing how many features she knew how to use all on the device, and even give me tips on what games were fun. I also agree with Sam, I'm also curious about all children who are also exposed to this technology at such a young age, because when I look back, I remember that instead of the iPad I play around with now, gameboys were the "in" devices for us back then. I really enjoyed this piece, it was humorous and the camwow pictures at the end of your piece were a really nice touch."
--( posted on Oct 8, 2012, commenting on the post iPhonatics )
 
"I was given a fountain pen as a gift a few years back and my reaction was similar to yours, who even uses these anymore? But after writing around with it for a little bit, I actually really like the way it writes, and how smooth it is on paper, and I agree it does make me feel unique whenever I use it. I also like how you included a picture of the pen and ink, it helps the reader visualize the images in your story."
--( posted on Oct 8, 2012, commenting on the post The Pen is mightier than the Sword! )
 
"Your story reminds me of the time my Indian friend came to eat Pho ( Vietnamese beef noodles) with me and was having a hard time because he was used to using his hands to eat and the only utensils that were available were chopsticks. I like how through this experience you also learned something that makes your culture distinct."
--( posted on Oct 7, 2012, commenting on the post Eating in a Different Style )
 
"I loved this encounter and conversation you had with this supposedly "dangerous" homeless man. It isn't everyday you hear such an blunt, but honest and wise opinion about yourself from a complete stranger. The way you described the story with many details and dialogue also really helped bring the story to life."
--( posted on Sep 22, 2012, commenting on the post Makeup )
 
"I've also heard a bit about this education discipline system in China and some other Asian countries too and it is so sad that these poor kids are punished for something they aren't able to control. In their methods of filtering out the smartest kids, they are so inhumane by discriminating those who are not as fortunate to be as "intelligent." I agree that we are so fortunate to live in a society where every student is valued despite the different levels of intelligence."
--( posted on Sep 22, 2012, commenting on the post Discipline )
 
"I understand the feeling you had of being hesitant to speak German because I took French in high school and I had to speak my choppy French when I visited Quebec with my French class. Even though you were nervous about speaking German, a language you learned for merely a few years, I think it was so brave that you stepped out of your comfort zone to try it out because you were actually able to help someone out."
--( posted on Sep 22, 2012, commenting on the post Ein süßes chinesisches Mädchen hat mir geholfen )
 
"I can totally relate to the way you felt meeting another Taishanese person and the comfort of being able to communicate with her in a dialect you are comfortable with. Although I say that my family is from Shanghai, and I am able to comprehend Shanghainese, my family actually originates from HuZhou a small city off of Shanghai that most people have never heard of, and they speak Huzhounese a less known dialect similar to Taishanese. I had never heard of my dialect being spoken by people outside of my family because very few people immigrate from HuZhou to the United States, but when I was around 15 years old I heard another person speaking HuZhounese outside of my family. I was so shocked but pleasantly surprised to hear this dialect being spoken and immediately I felt bonded through our common dialect because I believed it to be extinct outside of my family. I ran up to the person introducing myself and it turned out that her grandparents were neighbors with my grandparents back in Huzhou. I love how we are almost able to bond with these "strangers" because we share this common familiar dialect that any other person would not be able to comprehend."
--( posted on Sep 10, 2012, commenting on the post Cultural Encounter )
 
"I loved the funny anecdote in the beginning of your post, I feel like I was right there in that hilarious conversation with you and your Nonna. Coming from a family where my grandparents do not speak English very well either, there are similar instances where my grandparents will say an English word in a Chinese way changing the meaning. And I also liked how you also included the link of the way to pronounce Baruch in Italian, it really helped make the dialogue even more realistic."
--( posted on Sep 10, 2012, commenting on the post The many meanings of “Baruch” )
 
"Just like Luke said above, it's cool how you went out to this indie concert and then ended up enjoying the music playing there despite no prior knowledge about it. I personally also enjoy listening to some indie music as well because my english teacher introduced it to me by blasting it in the classroom everyday before class started, but it was a nice change from what I normally listen to. I'm glad that you also included the link of a song of the band for me to listen to because I'm always up for finding new indie bands."
--( posted on Sep 3, 2012, commenting on the post White Rabbits Concert )
 
"Despite being Chinese, I actually tried the Korean version, jajangmyeon before I've tried and even heard about the Chinese version, zhajiangmian. The majority of my friends are korean, so we would constantly go out to get korean food, and the first time I had jajangmyeon, I also had a similar experience that you had. When I arrived at the restaurant I was surprised to find Chinese writing on the store front, and the name of the restaurant to be "Chisnese Restaurant", so my friends explained to me that jajangmyeon was actually a Chinese dish that koreas have fused with their own style of cooking. And after this experience, I actually went out to try the Chinese version of it and was surprised to see how similar the tastes were."
--( posted on Aug 30, 2012, commenting on the post Cultural Encounters: Fusion )