Sandy's Remarks on everything - from her homepage to life

What am I thinking about?...

Sandy's confessions (on 11th Jan, 2002)

Having reviewed what I've done over the post year, I've got a confession to make:

1. I have been too lazy in my MA study, having slept too much but read too little (don't you notice that I seldom talked about my study?...). I should be grateful that I obtained my master's certificate in the graduation ceremony (diary for Dec, 2001).

2. I have been too greedy, having eaten too much, which contributed to the increasing size of my body and face!

3. I have enjoyed myself through travelling so much around England, Scotland and Europe and I have taken so many photos that I've got very little money left.

4. I have spent much time surfing the net and updating this homepage of my own... Hey, so why don't you read it in detail to appreciate what I've done? (just kidding! But I don't mind if you want to make some comments in my guestbook!)

Time has passed quickly... (on 24th Nov, 2001)

So, it's been another month since I last updated this homepage. What do you think about it? Boring? Nothing special? Hope to hear some responses from any one of you through email or my guest book.

Yeah, one month has passed and every day I tried to find something to do to make myself busy. I did feel busy but I can't tell how I've spent my time. When I was still studying my Master's course, I didn't have much time to reflect on my life; it wasn't until now I realised how much I've been enjoying my life (cos I've got much time to think), though on the other hand I'm getting worried about many things. Maybe lots of people have the same situation where they're too busy to stop to think about what they've been doing and what they actually want from their jobs or studies.

The war on terrorism is still not over. Either the development in Afghanistan or the phenomenon of world economic recession (e.g. which company lay off its employees, how much loss companies - especially the airlines - had after the 911 atrocities, the cancellation of Christmas parties, etc.) hit the headlines of the newspapers, which are filled with advertisements about some cheap tickets offered by airlines like British Airways. An air crash happened in New York on 12th Nov, 01, which is another blow to Americans who have already been hit by the terrorist attack in September. The first question came to my mind when I heard of the news in that afternoon was 'why are Americans so unfortunate this year?' Yeah, unfortunate. I think not just in the US; around the whole world is filled with a gloom atmosphere and fear. Fear of any more terrorist attack; fear of taking a flight; fear of losing a job; fear of

Mixed feelings (on 26th Oct, 2001)

Not just a few words. I've got a lot to say in this updated version of my homepage, though thousands of words may still be not enough to express all my feelings. By the time you'll be reading this column and my homepage, I should have finished my dissertation (yeah, finally I made it! My 'baby' was born!), indicative of the end of my one-year master's course, and have finished my trip to Europe, thinking about what to do in my future. I'm still in (Greater) Manchester.

This homepage has just had its first anniversary. It was initially created to make a track of my one-year master's study. Looking back on the past year, though world economy recession and terrorism may cause a doubt of whether our studies were in a wrong timing, I did learn a lot in and outside the classes, which is why I'd say coming to England to study my master's course is the wisest decision I have ever made. It's not just about learning some theories and academic terms. More importantly I've seen much about people from different countries and also I got a chance to live independently (again, if my experience in the student hall in Hong Kong is taken into account) and enjoy my life. Many of my friends have gone back to their home countries for work or studies. It's not easy to adapt to the changes and a new challenge is facing me. It's also a time to think about my future. What'll be my next goal/dream?

Things are changing every day. The 911 atrocity in the US has certainly changed our life to some extent. We are now filled with fear by the everyday headline news - threat from Laden, anthrax... Tomorrow, where will we be and what will we be doing? Is the World War III coming? And the end of the world? I read an article some days ago on a local newspaper ('The nonsense of our modern-day mystics' by William Hartston, p.19, Daily Express on 15 Oct 2001), . The writer talked about coincidence. Since the attack, some theories on the event were made, saying with seemingly strong proof how coincident things were. Like the number 11 theory. I agree with the writer that we can find out a lot of coincidences in an event but at the same time there're also a lot of non coincidences. People just like to make things complicated with those coincidence theories. Another thing I'd like to say is, sometimes there're things out of our control and we can't avoid fate (but it doesn't mean we don't do anything).

Hope you'll enjoy this updated version (if you read it).

One more thing, Switzerland is sooooooooooooooooo beautiful that I hope to buy a house and live there one day! (Is it the place where my dream house will be?)

My Summer Holiday (on 1st Aug, 2001)

So, I've been in England for more than ten months and in no more than two months I need to submit my dissertation, which signals the end of my one-year masters' course. My feelings are mixed and contradictory. On the one hand, I couldn't wait to finish my dissertation, which prevents me enjoying a great summer holiday and has been keeping me worried (about the progress of my dissertation), guilty (of not having working hard), puzzled, bored (with my life, which is only about dissertation) and under pressure. On the other hand, I know I'll miss the campus life of the past year once I finish my study, and I have to face the reality again, to look for a job. Looking back at one year ago when I was struggling with the choices of universities, I'm amazed at how fast time has passed by.

Talking about my dissertation, the only word I can say about it is 'fine', or 'not bad'. Perhaps a bit more difficult than I first thought. It's really not easy to overcome difficulties and laziness in the whole process with so little support from anyone else besides my friends. Sometimes I do feel helpless. Now I'm on the half way and hopefully I can accomplish it after coming back with a refreshed mind from the trip to Scotland!

Enjoy the updates of my homepage!

Start of summer holiday (on 23rd June, 2001)

Hi guys, how're you doing? How many months have passed since I last updated this homepage of mine? The past few months seem ages to me, working day and night on my four essays. The only word that can be used to describe my life then is 'boring'. In fact the books I've read are not boring. Most of them have answered the puzzles I had related to languages. It's just that doing the same thing all day long under pressure is too hard to live by. Getting a master degree perhaps is not too difficult (as long as you do really do some study) but the process is really hard. A friend of mine asked me what I learnt and got this year from my study. There were not many classes and most of the time we postgraduate students worked on our own (we wrote essays instead of taking exams in this semester). The main things that I have got from this one-year study are a great change in the view of languages and ways to get along with different kinds of people. I've found how different the culture of the others from different countries is. Certainly I have learnt much more English and got used to speaking English (though my best friends here are Cantonese speaking).

Now nine months have passed and the last and the most important thing we have to do is dissertation. It's also time to think about my future. What will I do after graduation? It remains to be seen and so please keep an eye on my homepage, if you've got nothing to do in your spare time.

Special thanks are due to:

1) Chelsea and her boyfriend for editing the photos for me;

2) Patricia for her continuous help and advice during my study in Manchester, UK;

3) Ivan Ku for his lovely graphics, which I used in my diary.

Updating my homepage: (on 17th Oct, 2000)

I've always got a lot of ideas about my homepage but they're meaningless if not being realised. As a computer idiot who knows little about computer software but still tries to show her works using a user-friendly internet tool, I always want to try my best to give you a most inspiring, interesting homepage to look at so that you won't feel you've wasted your time doing something unimportant. Actually it's not a perfect homepage (and I don't think I can make one) - no interactive games, no beautiful pictures (cos I'm still wondering how I can upload pictures), no news about celebrities like Britney Spears, West Life, Boyzone, Leon Lai, Faye Wong, etc.

I just hope that in the near future more SURPRISES can be brought to you..... Take Care!

Your responses... (on 17th Oct, 2000)

I've heard some words of admiration from my friends who saw my homepage (Thank you!). But strangely enough, my entries in my guestbook have not increased as a result. So, what do you actually think about it? I guess most of you may be so busy with your work and studies that you can't write your valuable opinions about my homepage in the guestbook. Actually I'm not a demanding person and just a few words are enough for me...

My homepage: (on 14th Sept, 2000)

Finally I got my homepage. It's really hard to describe how I felt when I put my homepage onto the internet where everyone can see it.

Some people may wonder why I'd make it. "Aren't you afraid that your personal data will be disclosed?" "Why are you interested in making a homepage of yours?" "What's your purpose? Is it because it's a kind of fashion that you want to do the same as the others?" Yes, maybe. I was inspired by my former colleague who also has her homepage and I took the action once I got the time. I won't deny that it's for fun, but I also want to share with my friends the articles I write, the things I have discovered, my feelings, my experience, bla bla bla... And I've been wondering what my friends or those who have seen it will respond. Is it boring? Interesting? What do they think about it? So, PLEASE SIGN UP MY GUESTBOOK. I need your opinion, whether it's a praise, a criticism or appreciation.

The feelings before I go to England: (on 14th Sept, 2000)

There're only two days to go before I set off for my further studies in England when I write this article. Many of my friends have asked me what I am feeling now. To be honest, I'm getting nervous, worried, upset, but excited and I am looking forward to it. "Why are you nervous? What are you worried about? What are you afraid of?" People expect that I should be happy and excited since it's a rare chance to study abroad. Yes, I do feel excited and happy as it's been my dream to study abroad and now my dream comes true. But, just imagine that you were going to leave your home, your family, your friends and your country, what would you feel if you were me? Though it's just for one year, it's long enough for you to get homesick, especially when you've got no friends or relatives in that country.

Anyway, I believe it'll be an invaluable experience, whether it be good or bad. Life is life because you experience it.

Do you have any opinion on anything written above?

(So, what'll be my life in England? Just remember to drop by my homepage frequently and you'll know it.)

This part was last updated on 11th Jan, 2002

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