June 18, 2011

Before I start this blog post, let me do a quick plug. Some people have asked where I've been these past few days since the GRE exam. Actually, I've been busy with this: updating my homepage and redesigning it. Feel free to click here: http://www.taojing.name/

Since taking the GRE, I've become quite lethargic. Let me share my feelings about the GRE exam. For months before, I was holding my breath, imagining how joyful and carefree I would be after the exam. But after the exam, I found myself quite calm. There are two reasons for this: First, I couldn't control my temper at the last minute; I relaxed a bit in the weeks leading up to the exam. Second, having the experience of taking the college entrance exam as a foundation, when I finished the exam, the feeling was similar to that after the college entrance exam—an indescribable mix of joy, exhaustion, and confusion.
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I've finished the GRE, and half a year of 2011 is over. Honestly, the second semester of my junior year should have been the best time for rapid self-improvement. Firstly, I didn't have many classes, and secondly, I accumulated a lot of social experience. But I chose to take this exam, so naturally, I didn't get to improve myself. However, after this six months, I discovered many of my "little-known" quirks. First, I can't stay in front of the computer; when I get away from the computer and sit at my desk, I get a lot of inspiration. Second, I have the potential to accomplish anything that others can't, but perseverance and willpower hold me back. Third, focus! Focus! Focus! I'm too easily distracted, perhaps because this isn't something I enjoy.

Having finished the GRE, the path ahead is much clearer. Although I don't know how many points I'll get (my stomach was in terrible pain during the test, almost to the point of wanting to give up), it's over now. Whatever the score, I'll move forward and not retake it. This summer, I'll prepare for the TOEFL. I plan to use this opportunity to identify my English weaknesses. I'll review the vocabulary lists for CET-4 and CET-6 several times to see how many words I've missed and fill in the gaps. These are things I'll start working on at the end of June.

Four months after the GRE, I have a lot of things to do, and I need to complete them one by one in the coming weeks. It would be a waste not to put my good ideas into action. In July 2011, you can see my new work and changes. But before that, I still have to deal with my final exams. Honestly, I hate school final exams. First, they're all about memorization, with no technical content whatsoever. Second, the entire exam scope is published, which is a complete waste of time. Even my project management professor, whom I quite liked, gave a paper that was entirely based on memorization, which was very disappointing. Teachers, could you please reflect on your teaching methods? If you want to raise the passing grade, could you at least give some practical, open-ended questions to satisfy students who don't want to waste time?

I planned to prepare for my exam today, but I didn't do anything. I spent the whole day watching Evangelion. Thinking about it, this is probably the third time I've watched it, and each time I have a different feeling. However, I'm always a bit confused. Anyone want to chat with me about these psychologically and philosophically rich themes sometime?

I had planned to write a blog post a few days ago, but I never had the motivation to start. Yesterday, a stranger told me that he was reading my blog post, which immediately gave me a lot of motivation. Haha, I'm easily satisfied, aren't I?

Finally, let me do a little advertising: http://www.taojing.name/. It took me two days to create this website, and I hope you can give me some feedback.