Summary for 2016

The image 1* of me writing a similar summary for 2015 is still vivid in my mind, but now it is already 2016! People always regret what they have done or what they have not done, especially during this special moment of reviewing/looking back at 2* the past. However, in the past year, I am proud that I have at least accomplished one resolution that I set at the beginning of 2015 - writing notebooks!

Here are two things I learned in 2015:
1. Time management is not about finishing the most urgent task, but saving (or putting aside) time for those not-so-urgent but important tasks, for example, learning languages, skills, reading books, and most importantly, saving a few hours for quality time 3* with your family.

2. In evaluating yourself, others' standards can be your reference, but they cannot steer your course 4*. I grew accustomed to comparing myself 5* with others, in terms of grades and other academic achievements. I usually won in the past. However, in 2015, I started my master's program and began to attend class with much more outstanding students. I turned out to be average. I cannot win in the competition of grades now! This taught me to focus on some other aspects that define a person or make a person special: character, personality, interests etc.. I don't know whether this is a good change, or whether I should work harder and harder to compete in terms of grades again. I have started to think about what defines a person since I fell behind in the race of exams.

There is another thing that occurred recently that I am happy about: my cousin started a new relaionship! After 3 years, she finally emerged from the trauma that her ex-boyfriend caused her: he had been two timing her. The only concern/ thing that gives her pause 6* is that her current boyfriend is 6 years younger than her! But anyway, she is happy. That is enough.

Wish you a good 2016!
Cramming for finals now.

Kailin

1* It is more common for English speakers to talk about an image in their mind, rather than a scene in their mind

2* Reviewing is very serious and formal, as in reviewing an assignment. Looking back seems more appropriate to me

3* Quality hour is a little awkward, Quality time is more frequently used, and is a set phrase

4* Steer is a verb, so it cannot be used alone as an object, it needs a noun after it

5* When we talk about making a comparison, we almost always say, 'comparing (something) with something else.'

6* "Something gives someone pause" is a phrase that means something causes a person to hesitate, but not necessarily because that thing is a bad thing. "Concern" on the other hand, is more appropriate if it is referring to a negative quality about a person that is causing your cousin to hesitate.

Good job!

Daily Routine

My day starts at 7am. Eating breakfast at my dorm may take a whole hour sometimes.1* I don't know why it takes so long, perhaps because I need to steam an egg in the morning, also peel an apple and cut it into slices. 2* Next, it is another half an hour for makeup[makeup is a more colloquial expression instead of skin care products] and getting dressed. Then it is time to go to class or do self-study/review my lessons.

After 3 hours of tiring and obscure/impenetrable3* courses on advanced economics, I welcome my lunch. With 3 hours class coming up in the afternoon, my meals during the intervals 4* is the most quality time I get all day. (Did I misuse quality time? Is it always used between friends or family members?)5*

By the way, only on Wednesday afternoon and Friday do I have no lessons to attend. This is not what I imagined a master's program to be like. I thought it would at least be more relaxing.

The most frightening things about my day are the following: First, in the first hour of lessons, I found I had already lost track of the teacher's thoughts [teacher's lecture might be more appropriate]; Second, piles of assignments are waiting to be done and are due soon, which usually take hours to finish.

What a day!

My favorite pastime is to read novels - trashy romantic novels. However now, it has really become a PAST time.6* I have not been able to sqeeze any time in to read novels, probably due to a failure of time management.

Luckily, I still make time for my biggest interest: learning English. But as you can see from my notebook records, the frequency with which I write my notebook entries is still declining. In addition, I am trying to make a regular habit of exercising, though this plan may be disturbed by the coming midterms! I also try to form a new habit7*: I joined a BP debate club, which organizes regular traninings and tournaments for entry-level debaters.

I cherish the time of studying in this program, but I still haven't found a way to balance my life. People may advise alternating work with rest. However, this doesn't work when I am still thinking about undone/unfinished homework during the time I am supposed to be resting.

By the way, have you read Asking the Right Questions by M. Neil Browne and Stuart M. Keeley? I saw people recommending this to improve one's critical thinking ability and I started to read it. Let me know if you have other recommendations!

Thank you for any corrections!

1* If you want to emphasize how long something takes, you can use the word "whole" to describe the time unit

2* Both Cut and Slice are acceptable I would favor Cut though, so that you don't repeat the word in the same sentence

3* Obscure or Impenetrable are both acceptable here

4* Intervals is acceptable, a more colloquial word though is Breaks i.e. my meals during my breaks

5* Quality time is good here

6* Very clever expression :)

7* You can use the verb "make" or form" to refer to a habit. The difference is that if you are trying to create a new habit of something you did not do in the past, we would say "form a new habit." If you are referring to doing something that is a routine or ordinary part of life, but which you are trying to do on a regular basis, most people would say "make a habit of doing something." i.e. make a habit of eating vegatables every day, vs. form a new habit of studying Spanish every day

Good job!

Tianjin

Thanks to the severe explosion, Tianjin made the headlines of numerous international media outlets for the first time.

The explosion at the port area of Tianjin woke up the whole city at midnight. Some people even thought it was an earthquake. It is fortunate that the striken area is thinly populated. However, the blast still claimed over 50 lives including 12 firefighters, with 700 people hospitalized.

Two things are critical after a devastating accident: how the rescue effort is carried out, and how the incident is reported. I wil mainly concentrate on the latter part.

Rumours went viral after the severe blast: one called on citizens to close windows and stated that the subsequent rain would be hazardous due to its combination with the leaking cyanide; the other claimed the air pollutants in Tianjin were moving to Beijing. They were both proved false.

The public was so anxious to know the truth that they easily believed everything claimed to be true. At the critical moment, it is very necessary to prevent the second disaster caused by rumours and public panic. (1)

A very interesting news item/(-or-a very interesting example) concerned a CNN correspondent, who reported in front of a hospital using his phone and was later violently interrupted by the grieving relatives and friends of the dead and the injured. At the very beginning, CNN stated that it was "officials" who interrupted the reporting.

When the news came out, some Chinese netizens criticized the local government for its backwardness and anti-openness because they disallowed foreign reporting. But it turned out that the "casual" reporting behaviour was in itself disrespectful to the victims and thus irritated the victims' family. It reminded me of previous incidents (2) involving both local and foreign people, in which case Chinese netizens seemed to be accustomed to standing by the foreign side. This actually revealed again the big issue of distrust between our people and government.

Even now, people are doubting the air and water quality indicators released by the government, thinking that they have been largely underestimated. But in fact, a large part of the data was collected by professionals from local universities and their team. They have worked day and night since the accident (3), but it was a pity that local media failed to note this cooperation between governments and people.

Finally, according to my chemistry friend, it was lucky that the sodium cyanide in the explosion didn't come into contact with a strong acid. Otherwise, the city could have been razed.

(1) This depends on what you want to convey. If you are only referring to the incident in Tianjin, you would use past tense: At this critical moment, it was necessary to prevent a second disaster caused by rumours and public panic

(2) Accidents are something that doesn't happen intentionally. Incidents is better here, because it includes everything that happens between local and foreign people, both intentional and unintentional

(3) When you use 'since', you usually have to use the word, 'have' before the verb