过了昨天，我已度过了生命的两个轮回，即将迎接我的第三个轮回。

　  想起十二年前的那个小姑娘，编着马尾辫，背个很沉的书包，放学回家时在家门口常找不着钥匙。后来老爸火了，往我脖子里挂根线，串着家门钥匙。呵呵，那时太小还不不懂事，对生日也没很特别的印象. 只记得老爸会起个大早，给我和妈妈下一大碗好吃的汤面，浇头配料很足，里面应有尽有，现在想起来都要流口水。

    今天一早打开手机，看到妈妈发来信息，短短几行字: “我和你爸早上吃了面给你庆祝生日。你一个人在外注意身体，自己买点好吃的，注意营养多吃水果。不要省钱。” 

    看了后，感觉拿手机的手都有点抖，突然觉得手机变得好沉。想想每次他们发短信过来，都反复强调让我吃饱穿暖，生怕我会虐待自己，有时候说多了甚至会觉得罗嗦。 在父母眼里，无论我是否长大，是否在未来有了自己的家庭，成为别人的妻子，我永远还是那个脾气有点倔强，做事有点迷糊让人没法放心的小女孩。

     想起前几天无聊时候翻看一本《女人一生要做的50件事》，其中有一条就是：在你生日那天，问候母亲。 今天是自己的生日，也是值得她庆祝和纪念的日子，想想的确是蕴涵深意义的。  

    我人生的第二个本命年，也就是今年，细想来都做了些什么呢？ 回头看的时候，只是一些或深或浅的脚印。得与失，是很难说的。至少，我找到自己想要过的生活,也体会到了真正对自己重要的人.　

　 　也许我失去的只是一片绿叶，得到的却是整个森林。  

    这一年，对于我来说很重要。有许多曲折，有许多难忘，更收获许多成长。去了一些地方，参加了一些活动，留下了一些珍贵的照片.一路走来也觉得生命正是因为多彩才愈加靓丽，生活因为更多的体验才愈加厚重，人生的意义就在于不断的重头再来、不断的追逐陌生。 

    我现在开始学会思考一些东西，而不是遇事就莽撞的处理。心态也不再像之前那么浮躁，而是希望可以追求一种平和．努力用笔写下思考，文录下踪迹，不会放弃行走，不会放弃思考，不会放弃对生命更多颜色的体验和感悟，无论什么样的经历，我都会好好珍惜！现在我虽然还处于在求学阶段，可是这个时期又不同本科时候那样无忧无虑.要面临一些选择，要做出一些思考，也要学会放弃一些，才能得到一些。　　　　　　　　　　　

　　我会一直向着太阳走，把阴影留在身后；也会一路背着太阳走，直到看不到阴影。 

  　有一种地方适合居家，有一种地方适合旅游，有一种地方适合创业：这些地方只有都走过了才会知道自己适合在什么地方做什么。我对这句话印象很深，正如与人交往也是一样.有一种人只适合做点头之交，有一种人适合推心置腹，有一种人可以做自己的知已，畅所欲言;而有一种人可以做相伴一生的爱人,携手到老。有一种人生是安贫乐道，有一种人生是随心行止，有一种人生是创业守成。我们的生命只有一次，却不能个个体验、样样来过。  

    近来常常和朋友会谈到人不避免的“从众”心理。将自己的生活的各个方面比别人去比较，然后得到一种不满足.品尝比较后带来的果实，不平衡的心态会时不时的作怪，感慨哀叹会莫名的来袭，浮躁的情绪常常会把自己带到一种不可控制的压抑中，自己也无法解脱。

    其实我们都无法逃避这种比较，但是我们可以选择比较的范围。我始终相信每种人生都是有滋有味的，只要找到适合自己的生活方式，那就是幸福的一生。

    下一个本命年的时候，不知道我将如何度过？相信到那时候，我会有一个自己的家，有相伴一生的爱人守护在身边。生命少了一点偏激，却多了一份踏实。不会在幻想中虚构美好，学会在真实的环境中、在平淡的生活里去寻找美。

    生活是平淡而悠长的，平凡如微风在田野、小溪、湖泊、高山、大漠轻轻拂过，没有狂风巨浪，没有暴风骤雨，没有人会注意它存在。不指望大富大贵，但希望在下一个本命年来临之时，将许多自己愿意回味的苦涩甘甜酿成一坛好酒，串起晶莹剔透的段段经历，心怀感谢地在酣醉于命运的恩赐。第二天醒来，始终充满活力，带着股傻傻的勇气，向着阳光前行。  

   写下这些，以资纪念这个难忘的本命年,愿所有爱我的人和我爱的人都幸福健康快乐！

 ----2007.12.6

“在海的远处，水是那么蓝，像最美丽的矢车菊花瓣，同时又是那么清，像最明亮的

Mona Lisa Smile
  

  As a young woman trying to decide what to do with my life, I thoroughly enjoyed Mona Lisa Smile. There were definite times in this movie that are not following the best Christian example. As for those searching for purpose in life, this movie shows that there is more after graduation then a 2 bedroom apartment and a ring on your finger. This movie brings up many norms of an age passed for those of this generation to consider. This movie was a tear-jerker for me and I am looking forward to seeing it again.

  Since "Mona Lisa Smile" is about a free-thinking college professor in the 1950s who motivates all of her female students to resist the conformities placed upon them and make something special of their lives, you would think that a bulk of the running time would be spent in the classroom, where this inspiration stems. Instead, there are four classroom scenes in total, thus making the whole basis of the film a hard one to swallow. It's only one of many problems in a progressively uneven screenplay, by Mark Rosenthal (and Lawrence Konner (2001's "Planet of the Apes"), that turns its every character into a cliche and its every plot development into an easy preconception. 

  In the Fall of 1953, Katherine Watson (Julia Roberts) moves from her Los Angeles stomping ground to New England to teach art history at Wellesley, a prestigious women's university. Planning on instructing the future leaders of the country, Katherine is given a rude awakening when she discovers that her students are using their further education as nothing more than a bridge to marriage and having a family. 

  In this post-war era, nothing more is expected of women, and in the case of uptight student Betty Warren (Kirsten Dunst), who is about to be married to a lawyer (Jordan Bridges), she is happy to follow such a path. Katherine's other pupils include brainy Joan Brandwyn (Julia Stiles), who is torn between her engagement to Tommy (Topher Grace) and a chance to study law at Yale; promiscuous Giselle Levy (Maggie Gyllenhaal), who is carrying on an affair with Professor Bill Dunbar (Dominic West) and several other men; and the chubby Constance Baker (Ginnifer Goodwin), who has begun to believe she is destined to become an unhappy spinster. It's an uphill battle Katherine must face in order to get these young women to realize they have the ability to go further in their life, but it is one that she believes is worth fighting for. 

  Directed by Mike Newell (1999's "Pushing Tin"), "Mona Lisa Smile" has been appointed a top-flight cast of young talents, but misuses each of them as an archetype rather than a full-bodied character. Such is the downfall of most of the film, which holds great promise and a number of effective moments, but goes the lazy route and feels like nothing more than a female version of 1989's "Dead Poets Society." 

The script is the biggest culprit, as the movie moves all over the places and never finds a clear rhythm. The classroom scenes are fascinating and convincing, particularly one in which a fed-up Katherine presents them with a slideshow of demeaning advertisements that give women the impression that they are useful for nothing but cooking and cleaning, but there are far too few of them. The rest of the time is spent developing half-baked subplots that lack structure and, in many cases, a satisfactory payoff. 

Katherine, although played well by the always capable Julia Roberts (2001's "Ocean's Eleven"), feels like more of an enigmatic stereotype than a three-dimensional character. She seems to have one goal—to inspire her students while fighting the system laid upon women in the 1950s—but in being so set in her own ways she comes off as more rigid than open-minded. It doesn't help that she often dresses and acts more like someone from 2003 than 1953. Taking up too much of the picture's running time are two romantic subplots, one with long distance boyfriend Paul (John Slattery) and another with Bill, that hold neither conviction nor heat and go nowhere. In the world of "Mona Lisa Smile," all of the male characters are, in fact, lunkheads. 

It is a testament to the abilities of the younger cast members that they retain poise and dignity in the face of such commonplace roles. Kirsten Dunst (2002's "Spider-Man") is delicious fun as the outwardly snotty Betty, who isn't so much a bitch as she is an angry product of the teachings of her traditional mother. Dunst nicely injects Betty with a level of humanity that likely wasn't apparent in the screenplay, but her amazing 180-degree turnaround at the end feels like more of a necessity to formula than a natural progression. Julia Stiles (2003's "A Guy Thing") is quietly touching as the intelligent Joan, who wants a career but would rather have a family; unfortunately, her character is maddeningly sidestepped near the conclusion and lacks any sort of character arc. Maggie Gyllenhaal (2003's "Casa de los Babys") brings acidic wit and an undercurrent of hurt to the resident slut, Giselle, but there is obviously something much darker and serious going on with her character than the film has the courage to face. And newcomer Ginnifer Goodwin (TV's "Ed") has some good moments as the low self-esteemed Constance, but comes off as a little too abrasive in some of her line readings. 

The most poignant and interesting character, not to mention the only one who isn't a stereotype, belongs to the wonderful Marcia Gay Harden (2003's "Mystic River"), who brings a shattering reality to her part as Nancy. A spinster and fellow Wellesley professor Katherine rooms with, Nancy has unhappily come to terms with being alone for the rest of her life. In a moving, understated late scene, Katherine tries to persuade Nancy to go out for a night on the town, but her attempt is lost on a woman who would rather stay home and watch a game show on television. There is more going on with Harden's Nancy than meets the eye, and the film would have been better off had it followed her life, rather than the less interesting Katherine.

"Mona Lisa Smile" means well, but the very old-fashioned nature of its plot seems irrelevant to today's times. Sure, as viewers, we can watch it and be thankful that things have gotten better for women, but it doesn't really hold much insight into the topic. The rushed ending, which leaves story threads hanging in the balance in order to have a tidy, would-be heartwarming final scene, seals the deal. "Mona Lisa Smile" is a motion picture that strives to be important and gain respect, but is without the sharp intelligence and backbone to achieve such a feat.