Let out the recent emotions~
Finished the First Semester#
Due to SHU's three-semester system, I finished the first semester in November. The following courses were taken in the first semester:
Matrix Theory: An advanced version of linear algebra. However, I only knew how to solve routine problems and memorize proofs for the exams. But I think this course is the most relevant to practical applications. There are a few teachers who left a deep impression on me. One male teacher always had a smile on his face while teaching. Even if he only taught one theorem in a class, he tried to teach us something. Another typical male teacher in the engineering field didn't scold students in class and didn't pay too much attention to students' feedback. But he showed his pure passion for mathematics. The last female teacher of the semester also gave us a lecture on topics unrelated to the exam. She said, "Oh, don't always think about exams. It's not interesting if you only focus on exams." I really admire people who are good at math. For science and engineering, I increasingly feel the importance of a solid foundation in mathematics. Being good at math really helps with understanding related subjects.
Reading and studying, being able to find a direction that I love and am passionate about, is truly a joyful thing. It also allows others to see the shining light in me.
Modern Communication Principles: An advanced version of communication principles, which mentioned the mathematical ability I mentioned earlier. A large number of formulas and theorems overwhelmed me, but the main reason was that I didn't have the patience to spend time learning systematically. This course also left a deep impression on me. The teacher could keep up with current events (gossip) and was more casual compared to the matrix theory teacher. She didn't expect us to learn much. During a group presentation in class, she mentioned that presentation skills would be useful in our future work and hoped that we could understand this. She also said, "You are all graduate students, but you are still doing such basic things." Hhh, I was a bit discouraged. It's true that I'm not good enough.
The classic scene was when class was over, WYT said, "You are all graduate students, and what's important in class is not important to you. Can't you have a little observation? No one has come to erase the blackboard until now." "I have finished a semester of classes. Haven't I taught you this little observation yet?"
Scientific and Technological English: This is a well-known teacher in the school who gives students a lot of freedom. The main focus of the class is personal presentations on the content we have worked on and explanations of paper writing formats. The teacher is very open-minded. As long as we do our own work, we don't have to worry about graduating. One of my classmates from the school has already booked her as a supervisor. I'm really envious.
Physical Education: I didn't get badminton, but I got tennis. At least both involve hitting a ball with a racket, and the sound of hitting the ball is like "pong pong pong," which is really stress-relieving.
The teacher likes to talk about his youth in class (bragging), and then his students lead us in activities and learning. In 10 weeks of class, we only learned the most basic techniques of hitting and swinging. It's a bit of a pity. Starting from October, senior students in the lab started to organize badminton and other exercises. It's really nice, even though there is no progress in research and projects, life is still very happy, hhh.
Special Topics in the New Era: A course on the red curriculum, with group presentations and an exam.
The online exam was rushed, and I didn't analyze the questions based on practical situations. I hope the teacher will go easy on me and not fail me.
This course allowed me to see the excellent students who are applying for graduate school. They do well in every course, and their presentations are fluent, with reasonable division of labor in the PPT. I admire them.
Summary#
To summarize this semester's courses, it was my first semester at SHU, and that's all about classes. There hasn't been much progress in research, and the teachers don't understand it either. They haven't pushed me. I'm trying my best to read the books I'm interested in. Although they are skill books for work, for me, they mainly fill in the gaps in my knowledge that I didn't pay attention to in the past. It's interesting to see things like "Oh, so that's how domain names work, and this is how IP addresses are divided..." It makes me happy, like a child reading "Why Do We Have Ten Thousand Whys?" and exploring the joy of the world.
What have I done:
✅Code Thinking Record, first pass
✅In-depth Understanding of Computer Networks
✅Illustrated HTTP
✅C++ Primer, 60%
Expectations#
After finishing the first semester, I started to worry about the lack of progress in the next semester if I have to do research related to my own research. After all, the topic is about computer graphics in the School of Computer Science, and I can't procrastinate like I did with the English speech.
My expectations for the future are:
- To be able to work on relatively normal research topics.
- Sincerely wanting to improve my English, especially speaking and reading abilities.
- Read more books outside of the field of engineering.
Team Building Activities + Class Ice-Breaking#
Before the exams, the class proposed organizing an ice-breaking activity and having a meal together with the first-year graduate students.
For someone with social anxiety, I took two brave steps.
Team Building in the Group#
The plan to go out and play on Thursday afternoon was made after the Tuesday exam.
In the afternoon, we booked five hours for board games to liven up the atmosphere and get to know each other. Unfortunately, two people were missing in the end. One said they went home and couldn't come, and the other said they had a cold.
Except for three students from our school, the rest were transfer students. Maybe because we hadn't had much contact before, everyone was a bit reserved during the board games in the afternoon and didn't really let loose. But things will get better gradually.
We had Sichuan cuisine for dinner. Wow, there were chili peppers everywhere. If you ask me what I ate, I can only say "chili peppers 🌶️" and "more chili peppers 🌶️." It's the kind of spiciness that doesn't reach the throat and stays on the lips. That's why I drank a bottle of beer.
Is this amount of chili peppers reasonable? (Stolen picture)
Regarding drinking, I'm already 23 years old, and every time the elders at the table mention drinking, I say I don't know how to drink. Fortunately, they didn't insist on anything. Personally, I don't really enjoy drinking. In the past, I was still drinking beverages like Rio, and last year during Chinese New Year, I tried a bit of red wine. I don't feel the joy of drinking with baijiu and beer, only the spiciness in my throat.
To be honest, I don't want to drink. The main reason is that I don't like most of the drinking culture at the table. The elders at the table talk about their past achievements and stories, many of which are exaggerated, and some use the opportunity to vent their recent frustrations. It's all about who has a better family background.
But with the changes in myself in various aspects over the past two years, I have started to look at drinking differently. I look forward to gathering with good friends, raising a glass, clinking glasses, and raising the mood. We can talk about our lives after high school, and of course, I haven't actually done this, just imagined it. Maybe it's not as beautiful as I imagine it to be in reality, but drinking should be done carefully to avoid any trouble.
Back to the Sichuan cuisine table, I thought everyone had a bottle in their hands, so I tried a little? Then I started to "dun dun dun." Actually, it was because the dishes were too spicy. I took a bite of chili pepper and then took a sip. Fortunately, I didn't feel anything after finishing a bottle.
The members of my group didn't deliberately try to persuade me to drink, and they even ordered a bottle of cola for me. They are all nice people.
Some people went to another place after dinner to continue drinking and have fun. Considering that I don't have much experience with drinking, I didn't go. They were drinking foreign liquor and such.
Class Ice-Breaking#
To be honest, when I first saw this, I thought it was really impressive that the class monitor and the class committee member could organize such an activity. We don't even greet each other when we meet in class, let alone talk. In fact, everyone is active in their own circles.
By Friday, I struggled and decided to go. I played badminton, which I hadn't played for a long time, and also tried playing frisbee.
From what I knew before, frisbee is a social activity for young people, and there are some stereotypes online. The first time I learned about it was from a YouTuber I like because he plays frisbee every day, and he became a bit darker during that time. (Laughs)
In reality, frisbee requires teamwork and has a competitive nature. Of course, everyone was a beginner, so there were a lot of drops, but it didn't stop most people from having a great time.
The two-hour activity in the afternoon was equivalent to a week's worth of exercise. Phew, it was really refreshing.
I remembered some classmates I often saw but didn't know their names, and I got to know one... cough cough.
23 Years Old#
Nowadays, seeing my age makes me a bit anxious. I still remember the expectations I had for the future when I was a teenager, and they are completely different from my expectations now.
Thinking back to this time last year, I had only one month left before the graduate entrance exam. Now I'm sitting at my desk in the Xiangying Building. I can't say whether it's good or bad.
This year, I started to face my emotions, turn the page on the past, and try to reconcile with myself.
At 23, 24, 25, when I reach 25, it will be a new stage. I hope that by then, I will see a different version of myself and experience a different feeling towards the world.
I'm very grateful that the senior students in 902 remembered my birthday. It's hilarious. They said they would come early in the morning to wish me a happy birthday, but no one could get up on the weekend. It's not a big deal. It feels good to be remembered.
I hope that when I turn 24 and come across this weekly journal, I can smile knowingly.
At 23 years old, this is the end of my first casual article. I wish myself a happy birthday, and thank you to the friends on the cyber world for interacting with me regularly! Thank you for reading this far.
Rant: To the few real-life friends who didn't wish me a happy birthday, you still have less than twelve hours, hurry up (not really). I still hope that you can love life and live it well. Birthdays and such are all virtual.
