The five people you meet in heaven

All endings are also beginnings. We just don't know it at the time. When one ends the life in the real world, he will meet 5 people in heaven, each of which will give him a lesson. Eddie learned these before he became an angel:
Lesson 1: All people are connected together... Fairness does not govern life and death. If it did, no good person would ever die young... Strangers are just family you have yet to come to know.
Lesson 2: Sacrifice is part of life.
Lesson 3: Learn to forgive.
Lesson 4: We have to live without love for many years...Life has to end. Love doesn't.
Lesson 5: We are all valued. Find and treasure this value...

Being Interviewed by ETS China

30/12/2007

Yesterday I was invited to ETS China Office in Beijing to represent the Chinese TOEFL test takers to give a brief introduction about my opinions of TOEFL. They interviewed me and will make a short video about the ETS's progress in China over the last years. Only two students were selected and I was the one representing TOEFL test takers. They say I will come out in the video right after ETS international Chair! How interesting and exciting!

Failure in applying for the university top-class scholarship 2007

Dear ****,

The fail in the comprehensive top-class scholarship applying in THU definitely surprised me greatly. I have had a long talk with the scholarship committee to find the reasons. I know I am overall excellent, and still confident with my abilities to success. The true reason for my failure relates to my social work I got involved in after I return to THU. The committee admits I am a fully comprehensive excellent student, they were shocked about the awards I have achieved the last year. However, to be best qualified for a compressive first-class scholarship, I must not just fight my own way regardless of the class and the department. I did pretty well in the former semesters, but to be honest, I didn't tried the best after I returned to THU. I think you understand this point well, since you have seen I have been so busy after I got back.

But I have grown out of the failure finally. People sometimes say life cannot be perfect. I regard it as a recognition of our own short comings and regrets. Because we have somehow failed in some way, we learn we still have room to thrive. I have achieved a lot in my college life in THU, but failed few, and consequently grow somehow not so used to the feeling of failure. I now know that I am excellent, but also am not, and can never be, perfect. However, that is why I should keep on going in my life, and keeping on fighting, and archiving.

I don't usually show others my sorrows and shortcomings. This may kind of be a shortcoming itself, I think. I have been really busy these days, but finally decide to spend time on writing this. Failure teaches success. I fail, I learn, and success in return.

The purpose of study

Some of my Hong Kong friends keep asking me why I study that much. I figure I may have somewhat presented others a biased image of me. I am not a 'zip liber'. I don't live to study. On the contrary, I play quite a lot, and am pretty skilled of enjoying myself outside of study rooms.

The answer for my attitudes towards studying is quite simple--because learning just makes my personal life more meaningful. As a typical Chinese and a 22 year-old teenager, I value greatly "golden mean" in my everyday life. Some people regards golden mean simply as middlebrow, which I consider definitely misleading. To quit with the ability to achieve, and to overdo when not gifted. This is the central wrong that golden mean opposes. As it is for me, when I have the ability to do academically well, I simply feel not responsible for myself if I don't try the best. If I can get 95 out of 100, why should I just go for 60? In America, there is an saying that goes "with which responsibility comes which responsibility". I personally like it very much, and think it quite accords with the message I learn from golden mean. Wherever the root is, if the personal ability has been gifted, why not take the responsibility and just try to maximize its value?

An internship opportunity in ETS China

To share is sometimes more exciting and happier than to succeed myself. One of my friends who is currently working in ETS China invited me to work for her. I gave the opportunity to Zhexin, since she may need it more badly than me, plus, I am currently very very busy with the GRE preparation and the US university application. I may do quite well in ETS, Beijing, but I am also eager to see Zhexin's achievement and success in a broader area than her academic world. She needs more training out of campus, and will be much happier about herself if she succeed.

summer training programme in inner Mongolia

07/10 depart from BJ
07/11 arrive at BaoTou in inner Mongolia
...
07/27 depart from BaoTou to DaLian
07/31 DaLian to JiangXi

Test	Test Date	Reading	Listening	Speaking	Writing	Total
TELXML	July 6, 2007	27	23	20	30	100

No preparation.No satisfaction.

Sharing: one difference between Chinese and American

Original post copied from an American friend of mine:

"People often ask why I travel so much, and the answer is simple: because for every day that I travel I feel more alive than than the day before. This is a difficult concept to explain, but before I left for Asia I felt like my life was too predictable. While I didn't know the exact specifics of where I would end up, I always knew the general direction. Coming to Asia changed all that. There are so many new sights, sounds, opportunities and people to meet that nothing ever gets old, and the growth opportunities under such circumstances are exponential. While I know I would be a great person if I stayed in America and continued working hard - there are endless amazing people who are living proof to this concept - I personally needed something different. Asia is my way of branching out in an individualistic manner, and every day I am here I am on the path to finding that which I am looking for."
original passage can be found here: http://www.brettdavenport.com/

Summary of my comment and reflections:

I always think it a fabulous thing to have such a friend that grows up in a totally different culture, especially when such a friend is so open to share with others. This friend of mine, from the moment we meet, has been continuously giving me surprises and inspirations. Those who have checked the web link I provided above will know that this guy has been traveling for almost 2 years as an undergraduate in U.S. He successfully got granted in turn to ShangHai Jiao Da, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Singapore NanYang Technology University and Tokyo University as an exchange student. Plus, he has had research programmes in DaLian China, and Cambridge Britain, as well as one internship experience in General Electric. I have no doubt about his bright future since he has the work ethic, brains, and motivation to accomplish great things. Just as his Chinese name goes, "Bright Sunrise(明旭)".

From the short paragraph I copied from his blog, I found one obvious difference between Chinese and American--the attitude towards a predictable life. As a college student who has been under the educational system for more than ten years, and as the only child in the family, the idea of seeking for a unpredictable life has never stroke me before. Further, according to what I have seen and experienced all these years, I think I can assume the majority of Chinese people would not be carrying the same mind as my friend 明旭. Perhaps that is the reason why traveling is not as popular in China as in other western countries. We Chinese mainly grow up in an atmosphere that advocates stable process, careful decision, and ethic in favor of mean and conservative. We are always told to "Thing twice before you act" and "When I walk along with two others, they may serve me as my teachers". We are hardly told to stand up to be the best or to challenge the long-established ideas. Maybe, I am afraid, under such a situation, we are also losing the long for surprises in life and the braveness to be different from the majority, thus eventually failing to be creative. For most of us, maybe me included, a peaceful and enjoyable life maybe our life long dream. We don't want, and don't desire, unpredictable cases.

"The answer is simple: before I came to Asia I felt like my life was too predictable". This idea strikes me heavily when I am still thinking about what I need to do in the future. I mean, planning and preparation for the future is not a bad thing, but maybe, sometimes, it is much more meaningful and interesting to start speeding for the mysterious life rather than to wait for surprises and success to come.

Diary_What Chinese college education lacks

I suppose those who may be reading this article all have experiences of Chinese college life. I am writing this just to express how I consider the Chinese education system, based on my over 10 years' school life. Those who want to share with me your thoughts are highly welcome to offer me your feedback. I do not mean to offend anybody or any government or organizations. Below is only peosonal opinions and is not against any individuals or universities.

According to my experiences, Chinese college education has at least the 3 disadvantages below. I am not saying that it has no merits. The focus of this article is the problems that exist.

Firstly, Chinese college education does not teach values, at least not in the proper way. Chinese government and heads of its universities have for sure realized the importance of teaching values. This can be show in that all Chinese Us require its students to take literal and other moral training course such as "Introduction to Mao Zedong's thoughts" and "Ideological and Moral Education". Disappointingly, their performance is obviously not good enough, otherwise, it would not be the case that hardly any students regard these so called moral training courses useful and that there won't be so many students dreaming of going abroad and never come back. In my opinion, the best way to transmit to teenagers a moral foundation is to expose them to good personal character and invite its imitation. According to my experience, college and university professors still have room to improve themselves.

Secondly, Chinese college education has not a balanced teacher-student relationship. Throughout Chinese history, people have always been advocating the importance of politeness and carefulness. We're always told to "think twice before you act". However, as the world becomes flatter an flatter, it seems a part of the public has been over-transmitted to our traditional ideas. The teacher-student relationship is an example of this point. Traditionally, teachers are always in an position of authority and the students have little choice but to passively absorb the information provided by the teachers. The result is that the students either try a lot of means to undercut the teachers' authority, or simply become machines that just listen. They either develop strategies such as interrupting and disturbing in class, or keep silent throughout the whole class. Even if the teacher asks "any questions?", hardly any student raises his or her hand, unless on the basis that they will get an extra credit for such actions.

The third point about the Chinese college education is that it sustains too extreme pursuits of competition. It may come, as a surprise, to hear that Chinese Us over focus on competition. "This is what happens in capitalist societies", you may think. However, if you are a college student like me in one of the best Us in China, you will know that I am not telling a lie. Throughout the whole college education system, students are pitted against each other. They compete to get scholarship, to earn high marks, to pursue master or doctor degrees, and they even compete to make boyfriends or girlfriends. I am not saying that this is wrong. This is actually what also happens in U.S Us. The speciality of Chinese college education system is that almost all the competitions focus on the students' academic performance. In innumberable cases those with high grades enjoy extra benefits. I know very good marks are of course merits and representation of the student's ability, but is it too extreme and sad to overemphasize the use of academic results?

Piecees of me

It's been a while since I last updated my web blog. The tight time schedule in Tsinghua has deprived the habit of writing frequently from me for a long time. Now in summer vacation, I finally have time to sit down and summarize a little bit the passed few months' time and the long existing lost memory in Hong Kong.

Piecees of me_memories in Hong Kong

It is really upset to draw the days in HK back to memory. They are the best time ever in my little growing process. Last month my Hong Kong friend Ivan came to Tsinghua to visit me, we talked a lot about the time we spent together in HKUST (who was it that invented the phase "the good old days?"). Wonderful sea view through New Hall, the dormitory I lived inin UST, fabulous travel experiences in clear water bay, and most importantly, the precious friendship I have developed there. Those who know me well will know that though I look happy when I am with my friends, I am inside a introverted person who does not like sharing my thoughts so much. I have mentioned above that it is actually painful for me to recall the good old days. However, sometimes it just happens so naturally, beyond my ability to control.

Pieces of me_current situation

I mentioned that I have dropped the habit of writing frequently for quite a time. But in the next 20 days time I will get typing frequently again.

I am taking the GRE writing section late this month, thus having to take some time practicing everyday. I wish I can use this opportunity to post more from now on.

Taking the GRE test is sort of a dramatic process for me. My friends will know that I have taken it once, but only the writing section. I choice cancelling at the end of the section, not satisfied with my performance(actually I don't even wanna call that a performance). Then, at the end of June, I took the Internet based TOEFL(IBT) test. That is during the examination week,namely the busiest time in a semester. Guess what is the result? I got full mark in the writing section.

"This is my life!" I always talk to myself when the IBT result comes to my mind.(My Christian friends would comfort me that God loves everyone again...)

I always wonder what I have become during these three years college life. A warrior, a some sense blind person, a top student, or a just a kid that longs for its dreams...? I used "pieces of me" as the title of this little article, being afraid of that I may have already become a mixture of all these.

Whatever, I am, and shall be, only me.

Introductioin:

An movie based on a essentially true story happened in 480 BC. A story about how the Spartan king Leonidis led a 300-person size army to hold off the invading Persian army whose size is 20 times as large.

Pieces of memories:

Over all I would give it 4.5 out of 5 stars. 5 stars for the historic story itself, 3 stars for the actors and actress, and 5 stars for the amazing scenes. Those who like films such as "Lord of War", "The Matrix" shall enjoy this film.

UST—different culture, different school

I get fond of the design of the bring link of UST. Seeing from the top of it I can have the best view of the sea. Sea winds bring not only wet air but also relaxation of the body.

I am enjoying myself here in UST, because of not only the beautiful campus, but also the precious experience of life and culture. I can not tell how much I have changed over the past three months. One thing I am so sure now is that, I am having a better understanding of my personal life, together with the ability to explore beyond it. I understand there will for sure be a episode when I go back to Tsinghua during which I wander in ambivalence. I am comfortable with that. I will get through that.

Time flies. One month later I have to go back to Tsinghua. Surely I am gonna miss the friends here madly. As I told one of my friends here, “I experienced the third excitement of my life here. The first is my third year in high school during which I got the first prizes of two national Olympic competitions, the second my reflection at the end of year 2 in Tsinghua.” I like this experience so much. I promise I will come back here later in my life.

Confluence dinner in UST

11-14 Tuesday

One of best parts I am fond of of Hong Kong universities is that there are always great amounts of opportunists to meet successful individuals in society, which may put students in a favorable position in the future job market. Attending the confluence dinner on 14^th Nov is a good experience for me, both in and beyond campus life.

Our table host was CEO of an IT company with a rich experience of personal interviews and conversations. This excited me a lot since I happened to be seeking for chances to talk to employers. It is really interesting to see how an engineer or manager gets shaped in the society.

Due to the presence of many mainland students, he first talked about the great changes taking place in China. Politics is never exciting to engineering students, but he kept a good focus on the economic development which excited most of us. Later on, we put forward lots of questions with respect to his career. He was nice and shared with us his insights of the job opportunities and the way he judge his employees.

One thing remarkable is that the difference of best students and best money makers was again put forward on the table. I have heard for too many times to fight against, that the best students are not usually the most successful when it comes to money and careers. Personally, I think it is sort of unfair to the group of good students. After all, never have we heard about any school that aims at providing the society with the best career skills equipped students. Take a look at any university website, what we can find in the mission and vision of it are always something like “To be a leading university with significant…”, and “To give all students, undergraduate and postgraduate alike, a broadly based university experience, which includes…”. Besides, for most of time, we are always making a not self-realized emphasis on the academic background of a student rather than the other aspects. Thus, it becomes understandable that most of the so called best students may not have so strong interpersonal skills. What we are talking when referring to “the best students of *** university” are actually those outstanding in academic progress and with not poor social skills.