Thanks for ESL 114

At the beginning of this semester, I told to many people, "I don't like writing, though I use my language Chinese." My advistor told me, "Good writing is very important, no matter you are a sociologist or a scientist." Indeed, I know the importance of writing.
Now, at the end of this semester, I want to told many people, "I don't like writing either, but I know how to express my idea clearly in an academic article." That is the reason why I say thanks for ESL 114.
In China, I was always forcing on too many fundamental things of English, such as spell and grammar, which made me feel like studying English is boring. However, in ESL class, I learned how to use this language, especially in writing. In my mind, language is a tool for connect with others. After, taught thesis statement, APA style and presentation in this class, I know how to express my opinion clearly and logically rather than just say a plenty of idea.
Besides, ESL 114 made me esay to adapt to the new life in America. To be honest, ESL is the most relaxed class in the five classes I take this semester. In this class, I didn't need to be nervous to study. Also, in this class, I can study with my friends and make friends with my other classmates.
I like this class.Thanks for ESL 114. Thanks for Joy, especially for your encouragement. Wish you enjoy your PHD in LA!

Equilibrium Point of Life

This blog seems to be the last two blog for ESL114 in this semester which is also my first semester in America. Time is fleeting should be the more suitable sentence to describe my feeling rather than time flies. Even though the horrible final is not far away, I feel the peace more than before. Probably, it means that I find the new equilibrium point of my life, and it makes me feel peace all the time.
Everyone should be going to find the equilibrium point in life. At this point, person could live in a sample life which does not have either too much heart-shaking or unbearable sadness. However, it has happiness enough and unpleasantness enough. People living in this kind of life may feel happy because of the high score they got from their exam, the very interesting person they meet, the effects of their diet or the movie with happy ending. And also it is very common for them to encounter with some uncomfortable things such as quarreling with friends, getting wet from suddenly heavy rain, missing a very important lecture or too much homework to do. While, the most important is that they have hope in their lives. Some of them feel satisfied about their lives. Some of them feel unsatisfied about their lives. But they plan to change it or have already found the way the change it, for example they know that if they work harder or study harder they will achieve their goals. Even though, they know some dream such as to be a millionaire or to be a president will never come true. Even though, they realize that the god is not that equal enough because some people are born with amazingly beautiful face or very smart brain, so they don't need to work hard to become a famous person which is impossible for most of common people. They can find their way of living at the equilibrium point and improve themselves by working hard resulting in that they will be better than before.
However, life is not always peace like that. Sometimes it gives us unpredictable changes in our lives. Sometimes we choose to live in a new way. When our life changes, the equilibrium point of life disappears. If the change is a really big surprise, we will feel extremely happy in a period of time. If the change is a disaster, we will feel like what we believed is not true or what we persist is not worth for. There will be a period of time for us in black mood, because we don't accept the change and don't understand why it happened in our lives. For instance, if someone encounter a traffic accident and have incurable disability, it should be very difficult for him to accept the truth that he will not come back to his happy life before. Because we are not able to change it, we have to accept it. After we accept it, the life of us will become peace like the life before. We may find the new equilibrium in our life, and also feel happy and sad every day. The happy life before maybe in our memory, sometimes we miss it very much. But we don't say our life is still in trouble after the big change.
Life is always changing, and seems not to change back. However, we could live in peace as long as we find the equilibrium point of this period of time, because we accept the truth and we change as our life.

Universal Studio VS. Walt Disney World

In the spring break, I went to Orlando to enjoy the warm sun shine and the famous theme park. In fact, I have been to the only two theme park including Walt Disney World and Universal Studio during the whole spring break. Different people should have different idea about the two theme park, some people think Universal Studio is more exciting and more suitable for adults. In contrast, others may think Walt Disney World is more beautiful and more diversity.
Walt Disney World, the biggest and most famous Disney World over the world, has four different theme parks. Every park needs one day to visit. When I first entered Magic Kingdom theme park with the enchantment of fairy tales with exciting entertainment, classic attractions, backstage tours and beloved Disney Characters, I saw the Cinderella Castle which was the most fantastic castle I dream for. There are 48 attractions in Magic Kingdom. People in different ages are able to have fun from the 3D movie such as Mickey's PhilharMagic, thrill rides including Space Mountain, Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain and some interesting visitations like Minnie's Country House and Mickey's Country House. Except Magic Kingdom, there are other three theme parks Animal Kingdom, Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios. All of them are very beautiful park with different theme and suitable for everyone. In my memory, there is only one thrill ride make me up and down.
In Universal Studio, I enjoied a really big and thrilling roller coaster named Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit that made me scream at 65 mph. However, except some thrilling roller coasters and some Mega Drops. Other attractions are not as attractive as them in Disney. For example, it doesn't have fireworks at night or some backtages tours. Also, some attractions are made simple and crude which are not as delicate as them in Disney.
It seems that Disney has moderate attractions than Universal Studio and suitable for everyone in different age, while Universal Studio is more thrilling and suitable for young people to experience thrill and scream.
Although there are some differences between them, both of the two theme park are very interesting and worth to spending a lot of time in it. So I relaxed myself by screaming in Universal Studio and have fun with a lot of people in Disney. These two theme parks gave me a perfect spring break.And I think I experience the summer in Orlando!

really angry and in trouble

It has been a long time that I never feel so angry like today. Besides feeling angry, I know that I meet a big trouble.
Let me show you the thing make me angry first. In today afternoon, after my lab, I walked towards the Computing Applications Building, while feeling happy about I got a really high score of my mid-term and enjoying the really sunshine. At that time, I never think that one person who would make me extremely angry was waiting for me in the LAS Student Affair office of the Building. In fact, I waited for her for a while, before I met her.
Why did I go to the office? Because, I wanted to ask the answer about evaluation about my syllabus that I handed in at the beginning of this semester. She told me that after eight weeks I would get the answer; however, I got little information from her nowadays. I tried to use e-mail to contact with her before, and got no answer. When I entered the office, everyone was working in it except her. No one knew where she was, so the only thing I can do was wait. Finally, she came, “what can I do for you?” asking with her inhospitable voice. After I told her me question, she checked then told me there was nothing in my folder. How weird it is? I was definitely sure that I gave my syllabus to her, and also remembered that while I was waiting for her explain, she asked me with her fierce voice “do you have other things?” “So I have to hand in it again?” “Absolutely.” Her answer drove me really angry. It is not my wrong to lose the syllabus, it is her wrong! And because of her incautious I have to wait for another eight weeks, which means it should be really hard for me to select me course for the summer school and for the fall term. I waited for her apologize, but got nothing. Then I walked out this building with angry.
As I just transferred here from China this semester, how many credit I can get is the main problem that make worry about every day. Before transfer, I was a sophomore in China. Nevertheless, they decided that I can only transfer 15 credit to UIUC, and only 5 of them was really transfer. Even though I take 18 credits this semester, I will still freshman standing until next spring, when I should be a junior. As a result, I can’t choose Sherman which is a dormitory for students except freshman to live for next year, and have to study pretty hard to catch up with others. I am not mean to complain my transfer, but I really don’t know why the credit is how hard to get!
After I went out the Computing Applications Building, I thought about many times to come back and argue with this person. However, I gave up. Because I tried to consider that maybe she was in her trouble, such as lower salary for economic crisis or illness for family member. I just hope that she can understand the difficulty of transfer students.

Censorship of films

Opinion: we should have censorship of films
Support 1: we already have censorship of films. (fact)
Support 2: censorship of films can avoid children watch the pornographic films and volent films, which could give them bad effects. (opinion)
Support 3: directors shouldn't be allowed to put every thing they want in the films, which have bad effects to society or have bad influences (opinion)

living in dormitory or renting in apartment

Thesis statement:
In University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, most of students choose to either living in dormitory or renting apartments, seems that only this two choices for student to live. These two ways have some similarities; however, their are different from each other.
Topic sentence1:
No matter living in dormitory or rent apartment students have similarity life-style.

• students can share utilities with others in both ways, such as the microwave and refrigerator.
  
• students are able to choose live in single way or live with roommate.
• it is possible for students to do sport in gym and study in library, no matter they living in dormitory or renting apartments.

Topic sentence2:
In contrast, there are some difference of living in these two ways.

• firstly, the time period of living. Students can living in their apartments whenever they want; while, most of dormitory only open in the class-time.
• moreover, the price of living. The price of dormitory is medium, 500$ per month; however, the price of apartment is variable, from 200$ per month to 900$ per month.
  
• beside, the way of eating. For undergraduate students, they have to choose meal plan while living in dormitory; nevertheless, students have more choices in apartment, such as cooking for themselves, eating in restaurant or eating in dinning hall.
• last, the distance from classroom. All dormitory are on campus, so students can walk to their lecture; but, the distance of apartment is variable, it can be on campus which is close to classroom or off campus which is really far away.
  

Comparision

The similarities are that they are all clocks and flowing to the ground. Also they are both showing the same time. However, they also have many differences. First, the left one is a photo, while the right one is a picture. Moreover, the color of the left one is darker than the color of the right one. Besides, the left one is hanging on a branch, nevertheless, the right one is on a corner of table.

high dropout rate in college

Thesis Statement:
There are many causes for high dropout rate in college, but the major reasons for it are as follows:trouble in college life, high tuition and usefulness for themselves.
Topic Sentence 1
First of all, students think they can't go over the trouble which they face in college life.

• For international students, they have to face a big problem about their language. Because, they are not native speaker, it is really hard for them to study by second language.
• When students enter the university, most of them live far away from their parents and friends. They may feel lonely and unhappy everyday. It is possible for some of them who can't adapt to the new environment to suffer from depression. So they have to drop the university.

• Others maybe addicted to alcohol or illegal drug making their college life like trash. Then, they fall most of exam, so they go back home.

Topic Sentence 2
Second, some students can't afford their tuition.

• Some of students have to afford their tuition by themselves. Therefore they have to choose full time part job. However, the tuition increases so quickly that they can't pay it.
• Because of the economic crisis, their parents go bankrupt. That is the reason why they can't afford the high tuition.

Topic sentence 3
Last, students think the college education is usefulness for them.

• Some of students think, they can study all of knowledge taught in college by themselves, so they don't need to study in college.
• Students don't like what they study in college, they think in society they can study more than in college.
• It is difficult to find a good job, even though they get bachelor degree. This problem is very common in China. The salary of some college students is lower than others who just graduate from technical school. Unfortunately, some of college students can't find any job after they graduate.
  

Life in studying

It was really amazing me when I found that I had been American for more than one month. In China, people always say time flies at the beginning of a journal. I don't want to continue what I used to write in China, but time flying is the most suitable beginning for this journal.
Studying is the most important part in my life. Sometimes it take my whole day from morning to night to study. Because my major is geography which is not chosen by most Chinese, it is really hard for me to find someone who is Chinese native speaker to help me. I choose five courses this semester, four of five courses have no Chinese except me. At beginning of this semester, when I didn't adapt to the class taught by English, every course made me crazy. I didn't understand the whole things the professor said in lecture; I didn't catch up the note; I didn't hear whether there was homework or not. Unfortunately, there was no classmate could help me, because I didn't understand what they said either. Take my major course spatial analysis for example, there is a lab at the end of the lecture, and students have to hand in the lab report before they go back. At beginning, I didn't catch up what the professor talk about in the lecture, and I always couldn't understand the introduction of the lab. So, I still had no idea about the lab when others finished it. I had thought about dropping this course for many times; however, every time I always told myself just try another. Surprisingly, after two weeks, I found I was able to catch up the lecture and can finish the lab without the help from my professor. Nowadays, I am always the first person to finish the lab, because the lab question is about math which I am good at, while the American are not.
Maybe I am the only Chinese who want to get bachelor degree in geography. I have my own advantage and disadvantage compared with others. As a result, sometimes for me courses in 100 level are harder than courses in 300 level, because 100 level courses are like science lecture giving me too many strange theorist and words, while high level courses force on one field without a large number of new words.
Sometimes, I think my effort does not make sense. Because no matter how hard I study, it is also impossible for me to get A in some courses. However, I will improve myself only if I do my best, and grade is not the most important thing.

Far away from her

Yesterday, I took a phone call to mother to say happy spring festival. While chatting with each other, my mother told me that she stayed at home for waiting for my phone call and felt sad because of separate rather than go to her office for a whole week after I went to the US, that is really amazing for me.
In my mind, my mother is a workaholic, who devotes herself completely to her work. While I was growing up, my mother always left me behind and went to other cities for her work. Sometimes, even though she came home after work, she arrived home late rather than have dinner with me. When I was ill, she had no time to take me to a hospital; when I was feeling lonely and sad, she had no time to comfort me. In my memory, almost half of my birthday, I celebrated it by myself.
When I was 18 years old, I went to other city in China to get my bachelor degree leaving my hometown, also far away from my mother. So I could stay with her less than 3 months per year. Before I went to university I told her "we lost nearly on third of time to live together in the passing 18 years, however in the following ten to twenty years it is very possible for us to just have one third of time to live together".That sentence made us cry. It is easy to image that, in the future,when she becomes older and even sick wanting me to accompany with her, I will not have opportunity to satisfy her requirement because of my work.
It seems inevitable for us to avoid separate. Because in our perspective, only without the help of parents and doing everything by oneself, the young person can grow up quickly and have ability enough to make his dream come true. When my mother was 20 years old, she left her parents to get her bachelor degree. After her undergraduate education, she worked in Beijing which is far away from her hometown. Now, I choice is same as her choice she persist in her early life, studying aboard and making myself become powerful rapidly. Nowadays, I understand that we love each other pretty much, but because of our choice love is the only thing we can have.
God is equality, if you want to achieve something others doesn't have, you have to give up something everyone have. As for my mother and me, we choose to turn into the people who have talent and ability to make our world more wonderful than before, we have to give up a plenty of time to live together.And love is enough for us.

The cove

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KRD8e20fBo
When I was a little kid, I always visited marine parks and enjoyed myself in the dolphin shows. It's hard for me to image that "sea worlds" help created the largest dolphin slaughters in the planet.

The cove, the name of the dramatic documentary, is meas that a small gulf area. Also, it's a real place in Taiji, a small fishing village in Japan, with nearly 23000 dolphins killed per year.

The movie is about a man who spent ten years building the industry of dolphin shows up and spent the last 35 years trying to tear it down wanted to do a movie about the dolphin slaughters to stop it with his coworkers, such as adrenaline junkie and free diver. So far, they successfully filmed the dolphin slaughters, and showed it to the world.

Taiji is the largest supplier of dolphins to marine parks and swim with dolphin programs around the world. Every morning all of these dolphin trainer will be lined up selecting the ones that they want for the dolphinariums. Each dolphin sells for up to 150000 dollars. It is easy to explain why people capture dolphins, but it's still difficult to find the answer why they kill the dolphins which are not selected for the dolphin shows. For eat? Because people and dolphin feed at the same level of a food chain, dolphins have too much mercury in theiry body. Dolphin meat containing lots of mercury, it is very toxic. Nowadays everyone knows that people who ingest super mercury will get ill, so nobody eat dolphin meat. However, an experiment shows that a lot of packages that were labeled as expensive meat from larger whales are actually dolphin meat. I really don't understand why fishermen in Taiji kill dolphins and eat their meat to poison themselves, also poison large number of people in Japan.

The man at the end of movie said:" I have to see this end in my lifetime. Right now I'm focusing on that one little body of water where that slaughter takes place. If we can't stop that, if we can't fix that, forget about the bigger issues. There is no hope." In the end, some people supporting the dolphin slaughter in Japan have bad consequence, but the Taiji dolphin slaughter is scheduled to resume every September.

After the movie, I thought a lot of things about what I can do to help this kind of intelligent creature and searched all websites mentioned in the movie. Finally, I found there is nothing to do, except donation. Just because, I'm not a scientist studying dolphin or a photographter who can make photo to show more people about the dolphin. I do not like free diving, either.

People always believe that human-beings are the most intelligent creature in the plant, earth. So, we can have rights to say that which kind of animal is benefit for us, or which one is harmful. Whereas, I wandered that the benefit or drawback is just for ourselves, no one should give negative impact on the nature. Maybe, the better way to show our intelligence is to evaluate every kind of creatures as an equal to ourselves.

about me

hey!
I'm xinsong, xin is my first name and song is my last name, I always forget it.
I have just been to illinois for 2 weeks, and I transfer here from Wuhan University, China. Acturally, I grew up in Beijing, then went to Wuhan to begin my college life.
Last, my major is geography, freshman here.
Ok, that's all, I'm not good at introduce myself...