The Most Boring Class Ever....and OMG!!! I'm going to take my driving test next week!!!

I went on the road for the first time yesterday! Yes, I mean driving on the road. And we went at around 5-6 so it was ruch hour traffic. I kept griiping the wheel to tight and loked in every direction. My driving coach is really cute, he said "If you hang on so tight, your Mom will think you have anxiety issues!" He is so funny sometimes. I think I go too fast, but luckily I didn't go over the speed limit. Although there were a couple times I almost crashed into the cars in front of me. I bet the other student sitting in back was extrememly nervous hahaha. The test is next Friday!!! I hope I pass the writing part....have to get on that right away. It would be extrememly embarrassing if I fail and get my name called. But then I have to take Friday morning off. Hmm....

In other news...what is up with the weather? Isn't there a typhoon coming or something? It is sunny and summery at my house in Bao Shan. Maybe it is going to come in the afternoon or early next morning.

I also notice I didn't change my last post. I feel asleep hehehe. >< I was really mad at my brother then, but then it was all my fault because I didn't even tell him I slept past the bus stop. I jsut hung up on him and walked really in no direction at all, until I noticed I was lost. Hahaha. I went to eat by myself after that and waited for my mom to pick up my brother.

Feeling lazy but i have to do lots of readings....and eat lunch! Ok, I'll come back later and update on Elva! :) and whatever else i missed (the most boring class ever...but remind me cuz i might forget about it)

Slept Past the Bus Stop

Yeah, I did that. And then I had to walk like 3 blocks back to Hotel Royal. Then I got mad because I walked to three different restaurants and didn't find my brother. Well he was supposed to meet me at Hotel Royal but he never came. After that I just went to eat by myself.



Ok, I'll come back later when I'm not really tired and reedit this.

Still Nothing on Playing my Clarinet..but I do Know that Elva is in China

Yeah, I am too busy taking driving lessons so I cannot devote time towards practicing my clarinet. Haha, but I still have to at some point, because I bought the reeds, ten of them too! The one really cool thing about the reeds I bought is that each one is individually packaged in humidity resistant paper. Oh, and they're made in France, just like my clarinet! However, they are different brands. I think the people at Vandoren are quite creative. They say on the insert inside the package that opening the reed is like picking it up fresh from the factory in Southern France. I haven't tried it yet though, so I don't actually know...and I don't know how I would compare the difference (if there is any). Or maybe I can, I will let you know whenever I get my hands on that thing...I mean play my clarinet.

It seems that I know more of the whereabouts of Elva than playing clarinet now. I don't know what I should do...it's not healthy to be obsessed but sometimes one cannot help but admire those qualities in which we find ourselves without. She has a blog too. It's on Sina though, so it's all in Chinese. I'm not sure if people want to see it, so if you do you can ask me. More on why I like Elva later! More reading and homework to do. Ciao!

Issue That I Will Write About

Actually, I don't think my topic will be legal since constantly looking up information about a famous singer (Elva) might be considered stalking. So I think I will choose something related to one of my other hobbies. I play the clarinet. Well played, because I haven't actually played anything on it for maybe five or six years. But, I did go and buy new reeds over the weekend, so I think things will change soon. Haha, I hope sounds still come out! My instrument is probably rusting away right now. Although, I did play a little a few weks ago just to get a feeling of the old days. Yes, I do have old days! Ok, this much for now.

Someone Else's Cool Blog

Another person thinks the same way I do about Second Life! Yup, she's in my class and I read her blog (hope that's ok with her). Rachel’s Blog also talks about the pros and cons of having a virtual world that interacts in almost the same way as real life. What else...oh yeah, I thought her point on education was very interesting. I didn't think about how Second Life could have that many educational benefits in instructing students. Second Life seems more like a game to me, so vitual education didn't sound relevant.

In Class...Thinking of What to do Afterschool

Since there's no one around me that did the homework, I am sitting thinking about what I do after school. Let me tell you what goes on behind the scenes:
1. Go find my brother by taking 2 buses (there's a switch in the middle after I get downtown).
2. Take a taxi to my mom's workplace after buying some snacks.
3. Eat dinner.
4. Go to driving class.
5. Homebound

All these events take me all the way until around 10 PM every day. I can't wait to get my driver's license so that I can go home on my own and not have to run around all over town (literally) for like 5 hours. Yes, I'm exaggerating, but that's what people do when they complain. hmm, I didn't think I would end up complaining. Haha. Blogging is fun :)

Virtual Reality: Healthy to Have a 'Second Life'?

Second life is a virtual reality game that uses avatars (players create their own virtual ID) in real time. The game allows for real people to interact in different facets of Second Life's world as if the events are really occurring. For example, someone can take online courses from real universities that actually have class at the same timeas the virtual class. Lots of companies have also used Second Life to advertise and sell their products, using Second Life's own currency.

In my own opinion, the concept of Second Life is a good premise for future development of companies wanting to expand using online product placement, but the problem is whether consumers and others playing the game will actually want Second Life to be exactly the same as real life. I mean, isn't the whole point of playing games to escape reality and not to relive it again after a hard day of work? Or is Second Life really the game of the future? Personally, Second Life is only appealing in the sense that it is a novelty. Yes, it has cool graphics and you can be anybody you want with the avatar you create, but isn't real life more exciting? Virtual reality can not so easily replace the mystery and wonder of not knowing what will happen in our natural born environment.