Writing test Today I took the writing test again in order to be leveled up to another class. However, I don't think I can make it because I was so nervous that my mind went completely blank for the first 15 minutes and could not come up with any idea to write about. I was afraid that my lacking of inspiration would appear to be the lacking of writing ability... I cannot stop myself wondering the meaning of writing test. Can writing test really represent students' writing abilities? What about students like me? I just cannot catch inspirations fast and create a beautiful essay in 50 minutes! Or I am thinking in a wrong way? "A person with great writing skills can always write a convincing article regardless the topic." Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Please explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, you should consider ways in which the statement might or might not hold true and explain how these considerations shape your position. Sounds like a GRE issue task, huh? Anyway, I really don't want to enroll in the summer term...:(((

Spring semester The first day of spring semester was OK. I was happy to see my classmates, but I did not have many chances to talk with them. The only one I talked the most with was Qui. We were both in NYC during the winter break, she was with her husband, and I was with my friends. So we talked about our experiences in NYC between classes. She told me that from the photos I posted online she discovered the beauty of the city, which she did not notice when she was there. I was so glad to hear that. But I guess this was the only one thing made me feel happy today. After the last class dismissed, I cannot find my student ID card. Therefore, I spent almost an hour to go back to every classroom and the library to search for it. But everything turned out to be in vain. Surprisingly I was not very upset. I guess that's because today was so normal that I would like to encounter something special even if it's not a good thing. However, I was not that calm when I knew that I have to pay 25 dollars to get a new student ID. (I really don't understand what is the reason for such a high price.) Luckily, I finally found it on my desk when I went back to my room. I hope I could have this kind of good luck through this new year...!

Logical problem Here is part of the paragraph that my friend was totally confused by my logic. Although she also speaks Chinese, and I explained what I wanted to express in Chinese to her, she still can not get my idea. Scandals do not make people be more aware of important social problems. Most of the scandals are intended to reveal ugly secrets of celebrities’ personal lives. However, drawing public attention to this kind of information does not make our society better. Moreover, scandals and gossips about popular teenager idols might be bad examples to the young people, making them confused on certain moral issues in daily life. Now I start to think before my English writing skills, I have to improve my logical thinking ability first... :(

Writing requirement There are two writing courses required for first-year students who are diagnosed as having relatively poor writing skills. Because I am one of them, I have to start one of the writing classes in the coming semester. However, that means I have to enroll in this summer to take the other course to match the university's requirement. In my university, the tuition rate of one credit hour in summer term is about 30 times higher than that in my country. To be practical, using the same amount of money that I should pay for a summer term studying, I could hire an excellent teacher to improve every aspect of my English skills for a year in my hometown. This fact makes me feel really bad for my parents who give me all of the financial support I need to study abroad. Why can't I do a better job? How can I do a better job? I wrote a practice essay and asked my friend to give me some advice today, and she said there were several logic problems, limited vocabulary, and unclear expressions in it. It was really frustrating. Now, the new semester is going to start on the day after tomorrow, I am getting more and more nervous to face a new beginning...

First notebook entry: Introducing myself I am learning English because I am studying abroad in USA. My native language is Chinese, and I grew up in Taiwan. I enjoy listening to music and watching movies very much. I also love drawing pictures and reading novels.