Placement Tests, oh my!

I have a rather large pile of laundry currently staring me in the face, but I'm going to 'do more important things' and ignore it. AKA, blog.

Recently I got a letter from my college telling me that since I expressed interest in the Asian Studies department, specifically the Chinese department, I would have to take the placement test. Normally, that doesn't faze me, because really. It's a placement test.

But this... Oh, man. I am so on edge about it, for multiple reasons. One, I have to write an essay in Chinese, 200-300 characters in two hours or less. I don't KNOW 200 characters! This will be the most repetitive essay they have ever read.

So that's rather daunting. I wrote about 80 characters last night, just to see how many I remember. I don't remember a whole lot. I needed a reminder on how to write my own name in Chinese, for crying out loud!

Oh, summer. You ridiculous thing you.

Anyway, that's not even the worst of it. I also have to do an oral test during Orientation week. Yikes. I get nervous speaking to new people at the best of times, speaking English. But this? Knowing that the future of my Chinese speaking career rests on how well I'll be able to do tones correctly, with the head of the Chinese department is pretty terrifying.

So, I practice. And practice. And practice. I picked up an old textbook yesterday that'll help with reading/writing, so I'm going to review for a bit before I sit down and write the whole thing in one sitting.

I am so going to upload it, along with an English translation after I'm done. Wish me luck!

Camp NaNoWriMo Shall be Conquered! Twice!

Soon, so very soon, hundreds of wannabe writers will be plodding away at their dream novel - myself included - during the upcoming months of June, August, and September. Days spent in front of the computer screen (not like that's not reality for me already) and praying that, in the end, it will all make sense.

Don't know what I'm talking about? Check the link!

Tones and Pinyin - Chinese Lesson 1

Learning Chinese might seem totally out of your ability, but truly, it's not. Once you get the hang of the basics and practice a little everyday, speaking Chinese comfortably can be in your grasp. So, I've decided to start uploading basic Chinese lessons here for anyone who wants to learn! This will probably be the longest one, as others will be 'How to Say' types of posts.

I'm Back!

Wow. So much for trying to write a blog post everyday. Or was it week? Eh. Doesn't matter now! What does matter is that I am done with high school, and in three months - off to college! I am so glad to be done with high school. It wasn't the classes that I minded, it was some people I had to take those classes with. But I'm done with them forever, until our high school reunions!

Could that be... Inspiration?!

I think it might be! The cause is very simple to discover, my dear Watsons. I finished my senior paper on Tuesday, decorated the manilla folder Wednesday (now I insanely regret not taking a picture of it... it was a work of art, that) and handed it in Friday. It's like a giant burden was slowly released from my shoulders during the course of this week, and after the paper forced me to write on a deadline, inspiration has finally struck again!

Review: "The Little Stranger" by Sarah Waters

Overview


In the small town, a local doctor, Dr. Faraday, happens to go out to old Hundreds Hall one day to treat the one and only servant there. Hundreds is the home of the once-noble and well off family the Ayres. However, since the war began, their luck seems to have run out - now it's only mother, daughter, son, and the one servant in the lonely setting.

The son, Roderick, had been in the war himself and now has a nasty limp and a scruffy temperament. The daughter Caroline is becoming an eccentric spinster, while the aging Mrs. Ayres has to move on from the luxurious past into the dismal future.

Dr. Faraday soon becomes a regular visitor to the decomposing hall and its sad occupants. However, something more threatening seems to be at work in the dark and silent rooms...

Busy Weekend!

For something completely opposite of last weekend's bite-sized vacation, I stayed indoors, in my pajamas, and did not leave the computer's side pretty much the entire weekend. Wanna know why?