Turning Point

Turning point

School of life continues
No matter one likes it or not
Decisive moment renews
Whether it’s past or future
One step ahead lies
Another world of success
If I still hold up plans
Turning point
What would you say
A deceased personage
We shall never forget
Moving on
Wild lilies also obtain
Their blossom
With mellow fragrance
Shining in the sun dance

Written by JerSki BjorkSen

Secret

Secret

Hush
Don't tell anybody
I only tell you
Because we're good friends
Is it true
Sigh
What a fool
It isn't a secret
If you let someone else know
Best friends can turn into
Enemies
Secret can become
The worst nightmare
So it must stay with yourself
Understand?

Written by JerSki BjorkSen

Good-bye Duck Weed

Good-bye Duck Weed

Never ever you gave praise
But reproach
What is the point calling anyway
Why must tradition bear such a burden
I think I have had enough
Good-bye duck weed
Turn my head around
Jettison those old memories
I should
Always hold tight
Even tides are high
Knives of streams cut fast
I say
Good-bye duck weed
Tomorrow is another day
Although it might not be the best

Written by JerSki BjorkSen

Role of Cognition

Cognitive process is a mental activity that allows human beings to receive and perceive information so as to coordinate neural activities to achieve both explicit and implicit tasks assigned by the central executive frontal lobes.

I have always wondered how this ability affects a person’s second language acquisition. A subject’s first language skills should be, in general, well developed and his or her brain should not have any impairment, either. Under this circumstance, the subject must be able to use cognitive ability to learn a second language in a natural setting. My question is: how do we perceive sentences or phrases in foreign languages and comprehend contexts completely without losing much original semantic meaning?

Presumably, social and cultural differences could play a critical role in learning a second language. But what about the role of cognition? Do we change our cognitive processes when learning a second language? How much effort is enough for a person to process information in a second language, especially in terms of cognition, as well as in the first? Could it be possible? Different tasks might require various concentration and mechanisms. The point is how we can measure a second language learner’s cognitive ability?

To be continued…

Thunderstorm

Thunderstorm

Fingers run rapidly
On my laptop
Messages and blogs
Emerge
From various spots
I hope to catch
Something relatively
Soft
Under the thunderstorm
We suddenly got
Photo
Music
And my old guitar

Written by JerSki BjorkSen

On the way to science

Neural plasticity is definitely something phenomenal in humans. If one does not have any deprivation of neural stimulation and development, he or she should be able to rewire brain to learn something new. Certainly, it also concerns one’s exposure to various stimuli and reception of good training from exterior factors.

I suppose I will be a living example of this genre if I endure to the end. What I want to find out is also where my potentiality lies on the way to science. Equilibrium is a key to magnifying flexibility in dealing with all sorts of dilemmas. I personally had a terrifying experience while doing my undergraduate in linguistics. It was near the end of my degree but somehow I was under enormous pressure due to my perfectionism. One day after I woke up, I found my body was covered with pinkish spots all over except the face. I thought I contracted some kind of fatal disease. But it turned out my immune system was impaired because of severe pressure… Later I read some articles regarding this issue and realized one’s metal status could really affect physical conditions.

Experience makes one grow wisdom if we reflect upon our lives often. This is the road I choose and I do not want to give up at all. On the other hand, it’s good to be away from Taipei for I had seen myself trapped in a rut without too much willpower to change. Who really knows how my brain has undergone some change? Getting together with friends and enjoying a good chat is great but it would suck if the topic is never geared toward something more profound and beneficial to life. After all, my brain is different from everybody else’s, right?

On the way to science, I keep saying my prayers. I know I can make it if I hold on to the end…

Out of my shell

Out of my shell

Rain drops float
Upon the surface of You
Lake Geneva
My smile is still
What about Yours
Readjustment is never
An easy task
They say
Your heart is always red
Mine has turned a little grey
Time and different space
Push me slightly
Out of my shell
Yet I tell myself
One shall never be afraid
Of his own fate
And unknown path

Written by JerSki BjorkSen

The First Day of Class

Today I had my first class at UTD, which was nothing particularly new. The professor didn’t show up until late because he had to hold a dissertation meeting. Instead there was a graduate student covering the lesson. Well, it’s the first day of class, so I didn’t expect too much. The info I got was something I had read in Taipei.

I also got to set up my NetID so I’m now able to access to the computer on campus. I really love this school, not too big and too many students. I am sure I’ll be fine doing research here.

Kim wrote back already, which truly made my day. I’m looking forward to visiting them in August. Hopefully all is going to be well after this summer term.

Okay, I guess this is it for today and my hurting thigh is really killing me. I want my healthy leg back!! Got to read some chapters in the cognitive psychology book…

A New Start

For those who knew my recent move, I’ve settled myself in Dallas already. It’s not my first time to be here so everything seems alright. I went to UTD yesterday and registered two courses, cognitive psychology and behavioral neuroscience. My advisor happens to be the program head and he is a nice guy, at least that’s the first impression I got…

It was also thrilling to see my old friends from Taiwan. I’m currently staying with them and will locate a flat as soon as possible. I found it would be very tough getting around without a vehicle, so I need to get one soon. The most urgent thing is getting a place to live near the campus.

I’m looking forward to my classes next week and I know it’s going to be challenging. Yet, I always love challenges, don’t I? Anyhow, this is my new start, a brand new moment savoring the academic essence of great minds and philosophies!

Your Smile

Your Smile

There was sunshine in my favorite place
Music dance and smoking cigarettes
I stared at my own poem
On Sterling’s oil painting
Again and again
Your smile suddenly appeared at the other end
Heartbeat deep breath and face turning red
I thought we had already met
In fact
We never came across each other’s path
Till that night at Watersheds
What a wonderful chance
I encountered a fantabulous friend!

Written by JerSki BjorkSen

You Never Learn

You never learn

Pleading howling froze air
Hot blood splashed in a sec
Lives were taken lightly
With uncertain motives
You never learn
This is not a first incident
1991 Texas
1999 Colorado
You never learn
Why must there be a reason
Time does not allow hesitation
History matters
Yet we are often too forgetful
If victims were your beloved
Would you still make excuses
Those who hold important positions
Don’t overlook responsibility
You never learn
Next time it could be your turn

Written by JerSki BjorkSen, April 17, 2007
After the campus shooting at Virginia Tech

Lie

Lie

Why did you smile
Couldn’t you tell
I was cursing inside
Where was trust
You thought I never knew
Lie
Wearing a disguise
Coating the surface
Yet cannot forever hide
Lie
When the sun rises
Snow will melt
The core of your malice
Shall be exposed to
A flood of despite
And never-ending grind
Lie
Don’t think you’re wise
For I have clear mind
With piercing eyes
I will seize you
No matter where you abide
Lie
It’s time to die

Written by JerSki BjorkSen

Churning Mind

Churning Mind

Starry night fell
Upon a child’s breath
Chest moved slowly
Like sponges in blue sea
Numbers were still
Characters were lopsided
Who could save the little cicada
Stuck on the tip of bamboo rod
Churning mind
I once got
Didn’t know how to draw
My favorite owl
Black or white
Where to dab
The symbol hid underneath
A well-developed skull
You know
I was also a prodigy
A star with a golden heart
Never too late to win
The game between future and past …

Written By JerSki BjorkSen

Jasmine Sea

Jasmine Sea

Green sleeves gyrate
Toward my face
Charming fragrance
You seem to dress
In a summer too great
Nightingale’s singing
Silver Moon’s revolving
On the Jasmine Sea
With our net too thin
To catch any elegance
In magenta space

And blue mountains’ laugh

You see

I never leave

Written by JerSki BjorkSen

A Step Further

Finally I have gotten my F1 visa and the flight is on May 1. I can’t believe this has happened so rapidly over a short period of time. Supposedly I am going home with my siblings for Tomb-Sweeping Day but decide to stay so I can finish off some teaching hours before I take off.

Those who think I’m insane can’t understand my passion. Why does every one of us need to follow the same course of life? I pull myself together hoping to be one of the pioneers, traveling on a journey to the unknown yet full-of-surprised road. Don’t let anybody use prejudiced comment to derogate you! We all have some strength in certain aspects. We are masters of our own life. We are citizens of beauty in this galaxy…

A step further on my path to scientific field, dream, and travel of world certainly draws me closely to the petite figurine in my head. I smile at the gray sky but feel sunshine inside. Farewell, Taipei! Farewell, my friends! Farewell, my hometown, Taidong! The valley of sand, a place filled with tons of life-long memories, shall hold a special spot in my full-fledged soul.

Who Will Know

Who Will Know

White watershed turns
At the corner of my past
Blue chapel erects
On a ground so steadfast
Faltering is your faith
Not my path
Who will know
Whether the heaven exists
Or it’s never there
Withered
Sunk
Which life is going to last
I plot a project
With all my strength
At a snail's pace
Under a vow of inner praise

Written by JerSki BjorkSen, March 31, 2007

Azalea garden

What’s it like hovering above the Grand Crayon? I used to ask myself this question when I was little. The first time I saw a travel book from the next door neighbor, I was mesmerized by all those scenic views from various countries. Cherry blossoms, tulips, Swiss chalets, and English chateaus carried indescribable magic to me. Who wouldn’t want to visit those places if one had a chance?

I looked down the street from my room, spotting neighborhood kids playing house, but I confined myself in a world of books and studies. I knew I had to finish homework before joining them to catch cicadas over the Mountain Cat. Yeah, Mountain Carp and Mountain Cat were two famous playgrounds to us. Certainly there lied a mysterious story under the dark and filthy ground behind a cemetery.

Summer time seemed too short as it always did. I hadn’t had any opportunity visiting my secret garden in the Forest of Horror. W. and I dissected a frog and lizard to see which one’s heart beat faster. We then buried the remains under a rose bush, pretending to be shamans from South America, to ward off the evil. I wonder how those azalea trees were. I planted them for a wish made by my little but wondering soul…

Who said I couldn’t be good at math? Who said I would never speak multi-languages? Who said I must lead a lifestyle everyone else did? Oh, generic category disgusted me. I wanted something different, something out of this world! I wanted to fly over oceans and mountains. I wanted to float in thoughts of unlimited galaxies! I WANTED to be my own master in everything!

So, it’s time to move on. I shall go and learn again. I shall enjoy the ivory environment and savor the nectar of intellectuality and academics. Burning every bit of my energy both physical and spiritual is to define humanity and stretch wisdom to its limits.

I heard childhood friends’ laughter and saw their worn-out khaki uniforms. But the sun shone on those angelic faces, reminding me who I really was-a child from a pristine and blue world of eastern sea…

Sailing

Sailing

Look
Look
I see a travel book
Crooked like a hook
Knock
Knock
I hear a green duck
Pecking on my pot
May first is a dot
For another sailing log
Tenderly
Happily
I shall touch
A brand new part
In my brain and heart…

Written by JerSki BjorkSen

Frothy flowers over my shoulders

M came to Taiwan for a visit; and we met yesterday afternoon. He had another friend with him as well. I sure felt great seeing him since 2004. We had noodles for lunch and then headed to Taipei 101. He wanted to buy a watch, which cost about USD170. But I thought it would be better for him to get that in the States.

While eating ice cream at Taipei 101, we phoned Taylor. He sounded half asleep; but I thought he usually went to bed after midnight. M and Taylor were good friends and we all went to the U. I graduated first, then M. then Taylor. During those past three years, Taylor got married and now has a son. I guess I will be able to see his kid sometime soon…

Recent research demonstrated that using stem cells instead of neural cells can actually make damaged neurons to grow and regain certain cerebral functions. It’s really great news to many doctors and neuroscientists, and of course those whose family members suffer from brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Certainly the researchers used rats as experimental subjects, a usual approach to examine and induce whether it would have the same result for humans. I suppose human experiments regarding any medical trials are difficult because it involves ethics and safety issues. Brain is so complex and any slight mistake can possibly cause severe damage. Therefore doctors and scientists must make sure the risk is the lowest and have to run tests many times on animals before applying them to human beings.

Again, my immediate reaction directed to language related issues in brain. If stem cells can be used instead of neural ones, then how can we utilize this to help those who suffer impairment in language, for example, dyslexia? I need more time pondering on this thing. I want to read more research about this area…

Frothy flowers were over my shoulders when M. asked what I saw myself in ten years. I didn’t tell him I planned to live in Swiss and work for one of the top brain institutions and enjoy myself the beauty of suburban community next to Geneva Lake.

March

March

Bright light shatters
A blanket of snow flakes
Icebergs of Antarctic land
Slowly draw an illegible word
On the surface of my crystal home
Cold
Numb
And blunt
Without explanation
In this cadaverous March
Spins a sapphire seahorse
Blowing colourful triangles
To an unrecognizable soul

Written by JerSki BjorkSen, March 2, 2007