The Courses

As I have mentioned, I'm taking 3 different courses this semester, 12 credits in total. I think I've complained enough (and it turned out to be nothing worth complaining), and I'll not do that again. As I've attended classes of all 3 courses by now, I'm gonna describe all these courses-- well, more than that. I'll tell you my experience during these first classes.

The first course I took was Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics. That's not at all hard for someone who has finished reading Landau SP. I took it simply because I thought it could be converted into credit of Advanced Statistical Physics of SYSU more easily. So I arrived at the classroom a little earlier, and found this girl sitting inside.

As the girl is quite pretty and sweet, I determined to flirt her. Not knowing whether she's local or from Mainland like me, I tried to talk to her in English, and she turned out to be from northeastern China! I immediately switched back to Mandarin--with northeastern accent, and had a good, happy chat with her. She was not an exchange student, but a true year 0 student! Her major is something like economics. She found out my major and asked me to solve a mathematical problem for her, which I agreed without hesitation. I solved it quickly (it's high school level thing) and explained it to her, in exchange of that admiring expression in her eyes. As the end of a standard flirting procedure, we exchanged our cellphone number with each other, and she left for her class when more and more people coming into the classroom.

The ones sitting around me are all exchanged from CUST, the notorious university known as "MIT China Office". I tried to hide my contempt to these to-be-destroyed talents, and soon began to talk with a slender, long-hair, plain-looking girl. I made full use of my "skill of tongue" and soon we became acquaintances, if not friends. So far I've no intention to hook up with her, but it's never bad to know more girls, pretty or not.

OK, let's come back to the course. The professor is a middle-aged white people. He declared that he was from eastern America, which is likely to be true judging from his accent. He began with a lot of bullshit. (though, considering the difficulty of the course, almost everything to be uttered by him will be quite useless for me, and the only difference is whether his word can make me laugh.) And then, he began to explain trivial things like energy and temperature. He delivered the speech in a slow, calm manner, so slow and calm that is very likely to make us sleep. However, none of use felt like sleeping, and it's indeed a miracle! Finally he came to a question, and I thought it was the best opportunity to legally show off. Hence I bounced up and give a short lecture ad lib. I've make absolutely no particular preparation, for I need none. The lecture was recorded in my blog yesterday, from which you can find that I spoke nothing significant. It demonstrated that my motive was pure showing off, and I succeeded!

After that, I ran crazily to the classroom for the next course, because the two classrooms I had to go appeared on the two different corners of the map, and I've only 10 minutes to cover the distance! The fact is that I arrived in 5 minutes, and I think I'll not run so hard next time.

After arriving at the classroom, I noticed a lovely (in my standard) girl who is possibly from Mainland. (I can judge whether one is definitely NOT from Mainland by appearance, with astonishing accuracy.) Though I've flirted a lot during the day, I determined to flirt once more. I approached to her and began a chat in English, which soon switched to Mandarin when I found she's actually from Mainland. She was exchanged from Nanjing University (where the best Department of Physics in Mainland locates!), and is actually a senior. After some friendly chat as a preparation, I naturally sat beside her and went on talking to her until the class began.

The teacher was an Asian, in fact, was likely to be a Chinese. Oh, I almost forgot to say that the course is named "Defects in the Material". He began to explain this low and dreamy voice, so low and dreamy that make it hard to tell what he's talking about. (and it had nothing to do with the language used.) Therefore, I continually talking with the girl beside me. After the class, I sent the girl back to the dorm, and continued to do all the nonsense-but-happy talking together. I intended to have dinner with her, but she said she had already had tea and was not hungry. Hence, I parted with her.

It is by then that I found I'd been really starved. In fact, it's the first time I have dinner later than 7 p.m. because of class! So I rushed to the canteen and had a great meal. So much for yesterday.

The class today began on 9:00. As it's been too long a time since I woke up before 9 last, I had to use the damned alarm clock function of my cellphone. However, after being "waken", I stayed on the bed until I persuade my body that I don't want to be late for this first class. I intended to have breakfast, but it turned out to be impossible since I don't know how long it would take me. Hence I arrived at the door of the classroom 5 minutes before the class began. I thought I didn't have to be in such a hurry, but it's always better than being late.

The professor is indeed an impressive guy. He arrived and asked me, who was waiting at the door, "Is it the classroom?" I said yes, but it seemed to be locked. In fact I had not tried to open it. He pushed the door, and it swung open. He turned to me and said, "See? You didn't give it a chance!" It's really a good first lesson!

The teacher was another Chinese, I can tell. Though he didn't speak any Chinese during the class, his accent revealed everything. Another thing that caught my eyes were he wore a pair of shorts and a pair of sandals. Though shorts and sandals are not forbidden in public places in Hong Kong, it's definitely not proper either. It really gave me a good impression, for I thought he is not likely to be one of the dude guys.

I've already known that only four students selected the course, and I'm one of them. However, only 3 of us actually turned up! The other two are local students considering their appearance. I couldn't tell whether they're elites or fools, but judging from the difficulty of the course (it's the first time I have no absolute confidence in a course), they must have a real skill to pick the course. I'll learn about their true ability by talking to them later.

That's all for today.