12/26(Wed) The Present (Host:Anne)

[Anne Lin]

The Present: The Secret to Enjoying Your Work and Life, Now!

The Present is a book from the author of Who Moved My Cheese, who is the #1 bestseller in New York Times Business, Wall Street Journal, and Business Week.

The stories of book brings a life philosophy that good things happen to those who open The Present that makes your work and life better each day, which is a practical guidance for these turbulent times.

The Present is a brief book past 100 pages. The Present is an engaging story of a young man’s journey to adulthood, and his search for The Present, a mysterious and elusive gift he first hears about from a great old man. The Present, according to the old man, is “the best present a person can receive.” Later, when the young boy becomes a young man, disillusioned with his work and his life, he returns to ask the old man, once again, to help him find the Present. The old man responds, “Only you have the power to The Present for yourself.” So the young man embarks on a tireless search for this magical gift that holds the secret to his personal happiness and business success. It is only after the young man has searched high and low and given up his relentless pursuit that he relaxes and discovers The Present – and all of the promises it offers.

Johnson, author of book, lays out a bare-bones tale of a man who learns a valuable lesson about living in the present from a wise old gent. Stuck in a rut in his job and personal life, the younger man learns about The Present, a three-fold way of living and working. Bit by bit, the old man explains how it works: in order to achieve bliss in life, it’s important to pay equal attention to
-the past (learn from mistakes),
-the present(live in the moment)
-and the future (plan for it as best as possible, but don’t “lose yourself in worry or anxiety”)
The common-sense knowledge and concentration on living in the now lend a Zen feel to the story, and the good idea of living philosophy is bound to be embraced by modern people.

My dear friends, I wish the book can focus on what will make you happier and more successful in your work and in your personal life, today! Like the young man, you may find that it is the best gift you can give yourself.

This the book review from Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/produc ... 55&s=books

Questions:
Session I:
Q1 – The 3 points of the book are the past (learn from mistake), the present (live in the moment), and the future (plan for it as best as possible). Please share with us your life experience from these 3 points.
Q2: What did you do in life when you feel the happiest?

Session II:
Q3: How will or did you apply what you found in The Present to your work or life?
Q4: How has using The Present made you more happy or successful?


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聚會時間：2007/12/26 (星期三) 請準時 6:45 pm 到 ~ 約 9:00 pm 左右結束
聚會地點：日安。KAFFA 北市南京東路三段303巷24號 (02)2719-7895
捷運南京東路站（木柵線）
走法: 出捷運南京東路站後, 順著慶城街直走 3 分鐘到 "萊爾富便利超商" 時, 右轉直走 30 公尺即可看到 "日安。KAFFA"


給新朋友的話：
1. 請事先準備2~3分鐘的英語自我介紹；討論完畢後可能會請你發表1~2分鐘的感想(feedback)。
2. 請事先閱讀討論主題相關內容以及host所提的問題，並事先寫下自己所欲發表意見的英文。
3. 來之前請先讀一下討論主題，思考一下如何回答及討論。
4. 在正式加入之前（繳交可退還之保證金NT$1,000)，可以先來觀摩三次。

[Rock]

Mm~~, this is something about philosophy. I guess I need to think it over before giving out any stupid ideas, or other people will laugh at me.

[Kooper]

I bought the book yesterday. It's a thin book and written in a very readable manner. Also, it's English is not difficult. Anyone could probably finish it within one hour.

[Anne Lin]

Dear all,

I am so happy to learn that you have bought the book. It is a very short book, only 139 pages in Chinese version, and you can finish it in an hour easily. I suggest to think about your work and life while reading the book.

[Rock]

Yep, I did think about my life a lot this evening... Hey, I should stop doing that!!! It's not healthy for an old man.

[Henry_Wu]

Nice topic, and this topic really do me good. I will try to read this book.

[Rock]

Post this "poetic" verse by Kooper's order.

To realize the value of ONE YEAR,
ask a student who failed a grade.
To realize the value of ONE MONTH,
ask a mother who gave birth to a premature baby.
To realize the value of ONE WEEK,
ask the editor of a weekly newspaper.
To realize the value of ONE HOUR,
ask the lovers who are waiting to meet.
To realize the value of ONE MINUTE,
ask a person who missed the train.
To realize the value of ONE SECOND,
ask a person who just avoided an accident.

To realize the value of ONE MILLISECOND,
ask the person who won a silver medal in the Olympics.
Treasure every moment that you have! And
treasure it more because you shared it
with someone special, special enough to spend your time.
And remember that time waits for no one.
Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is mystery.
Today is a gift. That's why it's called the present!!
- Unknown

[Kooper]

Hi Rock,

Where is the rest? I saw you bring more than one sheet of paper yesterday.

[Kooper]

Words & Expressions:

續集電影: sequel

雙關語: pun

良性循環: virtuous circle

惡性循環: vicious circle

windsurfing: a sport in which you sail across water by standing on a surfboard holding on to a large sail attached to the surfboard

化裝舞會: costume party

satire: 諷刺作品 (a play, book, movie, ect.)

sarcastic [adjective]: 說反話的

師範大學: Normal University

催眠: hypnotize

看輕自己: to underestimate oneself

這本書的英文很簡單: The book is written in plain English.





在討論中有人提到成績單的英文是script, 不過查了幾本字典script都只當作填寫答案的考卷而已, 究竟成績單的英文是什麼呢?


一言既出駟馬難追

A deal is a deal. (這是討論當晚有人提出的說法)

搜尋網路也找到眾多可能的翻譯:
A promise once made cannot be changed.
A promise is a promise.
Walk your talk
What is said cannot be unsaid.
A promise cannot be taken back once it is made.

至於哪一個是最佳翻譯, 我也不知道, 請大家發表高見了~

[Vicky Wu]

Hi, Kooper,

我只有聽過”walk the talk”, 而且古今意思不同喔~

話說從前啊, 亞里斯多德常和弟子們邊走邊討論哲學, 因此當時人們就稱這種景象為”walk the talk”
到了如今, ”walk the talk”變成“If you’re going to talk the talk, you’ve got to walk the walk”的現代簡化濃縮版, 翻成中文就是「別光說不練｣, 和古代的意涵完全不同囉~

至於成績單為Transcript
修業證明書則是Academic certification

[Rock]

Can anyone tell me why "Normal University"?
It bothers me so much. I always wonder why I have to emphasize that I am from something normal. And maybe that only makes me look abnormal!

[Wayne]

在討論中有人提到成績單的英文是script, 不過查了幾本字典script都只當作填寫答案的考卷而已, 究竟成績單的英文是什麼呢?

transcript
school report card

[Georgia]

Hi, Kooper,

我只有聽過”walk the talk”, 而且古今意思不同喔~

話說從前啊, 亞里斯多德常和弟子們邊走邊討論哲學, 因此當時人們就稱這種景象為”walk the talk”
到了如今, ”walk the talk”變成“If you’re going to talk the talk, you’ve got to walk the walk”的現代簡化濃縮版, 翻成中文就是「別光說不練｣, 和古代的意涵完全不同囉~

至於成績單為Transcript
修業證明書則是Academic certification

補充一點：中學以下的成績單多半用「report card」表示。

[Lydia]

Can anyone tell me why "Normal University"?

Rock 的問題很有趣
所以我查了一下 Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normal_school) :

The term "normal school" originated in the early 19th century from the French école normale, meaning "model school". The French concept of an "ecole normale" was to provide a model school with model classrooms to teach model teaching practices to its student teachers. [2] The children, the teachers of the children, the student teachers, and the teachers of the students were all together in the same building. Although a laboratory school, it was the official school for the children--primary or secondary.

The terminology is preserved in the official translations of such schools in both the Republic of China and the People's Republic of China since the early 20th century. A Chinese normal university (Chinese: 師範大學; pinyin: shīfàn dàxué, abbreviated 師大; shīdà) is usually controlled by the national or provincial government. A teachers' college (師範學院; shīfàn xuéyuàn, abbreviated 師院; shīyuàn) has lower entrance requirements.[citation needed] In Taiwan, "normal universities" used to prepare secondary school teachers (although they have recently become de facto liberal arts universities), while "teachers colleges" have been renamed as "universities of education."

The terminology is also preserved in Europe, both in the Écoles Normales Supérieures in France and in the Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa. Neither specialize any longer in teacher training.


以上我只節錄部分內容
如果你想了解更多 就請將 " 維基百科 " 這篇說明看完吧 !

" 師範 " 二字在中國古書中有: 模範與教師 兩種意義

北史˙卷四十一˙揚播傳˙論曰：「恭德慎行，為世師範。」
西遊記˙第七十七回：「保護唐僧，拜為師範。」

而 " Normal " 有 標準 典型 規範 之意義
或許這是選用這個字的原因吧

在台灣現有的師範大學
國立台灣師範大學 與 國立高雄師範大學 還是沿用 " Normal "
至於 國立彰化師範大學 則使用 " University of Education "
這樣看來 " Normal " 還蠻特殊的呢 !


Lydia

[Kooper]

Participants (14): Rock, Henry, Tommy, Lydia, Una, Lane, Anne, Vincent, Lynn, Ben, Luis, Kooper, Vicky, Mark Huang

New Comers (2): Lane, Vincent

Speakers (6): Henry, Vicky, Ben, Vincent, Tommy, Lane