yeyj: Yesterday the HTTP was not connected all day, so that I even couldn't read your offline message. Things have been good at present, 8.22am, hope it could last for at least two hours. Please accept my apologize.

jingyang_nfls: Hello. I see that your computer is OK now.

jingyang_nfls: Have you see my email?

jingyang_nfls: Guess I am.

jingyang_nfls: Just took a walk.

yeyj: The one yesterday?

jingyang_nfls: Sure.

jingyang_nfls: You haven't replied yet.

yeyj: The tone of that email was much more than mature, I guess I'd made something quite sad.

jingyang_nfls: Mom's killing the caterpillars. They're horrible indeed, climbing up my window.

yeyj: It was such such hard work that I have to have a good thought of it.

jingyang_nfls: My English teacher said that I am very mature for my age, but I don't think so myself.

yeyj: More important, the computer was too difficult to cope with yesterday.

yeyj: You surely is.

jingyang_nfls: Will your computer be fine from now on? So yesterday was only an exception?

jingyang_nfls: I don't want to receive anymore disappointments.

yeyj: I don't know why the bad thing happened, just wish it were an exception.

yeyj: Disappointment? You mean the chatting, email or what?

jingyang_nfls: and mms still doesn't work, not that I want to use it anymore, just wondering.

jingyang_nfls: ?

yeyj: I was worried indeed, fear you would treart me like skinning a cat.

jingyang_nfls: chatting. You were there from the beginning, and I knew there's something wrong with your computer system.

jingyang_nfls: weren't there.

jingyang_nfls: Nah. I am not that cruel. But quite sad for not seeing an email in the morning.

yeyj: It is the last day, and I still have a long way to inish my homework.

jingyang_nfls: and went directly to bed after check my hotmail.

yeyj: Did you read the note I sent you yesterday then?

jingyang_nfls: Yes. I have.

yeyj: So you wouldn't feel worried, right?

yeyj: I am worried.

jingyang_nfls: Do you have homework in the summer?

yeyj: Sure.

yeyj: Not many, but most of them are geography which I hate most.

jingyang_nfls: Horrible thought, after been here for three years, I would not do any school work during the summer.

jingyang_nfls: What kinda stuff do you talk about in geography?

yeyj: Three month's totally free time?

jingyang_nfls: Yes. If you like, you don't have to do nothing at all.

jingyang_nfls: Many went on a vacation to Hawaii, Florida or even foreign countries.

yeyj: Envy you a lot. Regarding the caterpiller thing, how come there are so many in summer?

yeyj: US is not a foreign country for you now... Then why do you still consider yourself as an alien?

jingyang_nfls: Despite of the freezing temperature last winter, local people still say that it didn't snow enough.

jingyang_nfls: So the caterpillars thrive in the spring.

jingyang_nfls: I am still a Chinese citizen, then why am I not an alien to the Americans?

yeyj: Then average annual snowfall was said to be 180 inches, according to the website.

jingyang_nfls: That's why I DON'T like snow at all.

yeyj: So you are now already staying in a foreign country, correct?

jingyang_nfls: Get snow days off though, just like I used to have summer days off from school because it was too hot.

yeyj: Most Singaporean would die in case there is a happy happy storms of snow flake.

yeyj: I like it.

jingyang_nfls: Well, that's a different point of view.

jingyang_nfls: Used to like it, but when you have a year experience in Houghton, you'll learn to loathe it.

jingyang_nfls: There's a joke about it.

yeyj: I was changing the script, but didn't find a suitable one.

yeyj: I would stay there.

yeyj: After reading your last email, I really thought a lot.

jingyang_nfls: That one man who just came to Houghton loved snow, saying it was so artful and romantic, but his whole family broke up in the end because he went crazy after see snow for 30 days.

yeyj: Feeling you are so great to write a 8K message. Maybe I won't be able to do so any more, I mean recently.

jingyang_nfls: Your emails often make me ponder so, completely wakes me up.

yeyj: That man won't be me.

yeyj: But the one of yours last time was tending to depress me.

yeyj: For you looked more depressed.

jingyang_nfls: That's all right. I thought I could make it over 10K. But don't have enough time to stay online.

jingyang_nfls: That took me an hour to thought and type up, but have said many stuffs I wanted to say for a long time.

jingyang_nfls: When one gets older, one is more thoughtful, right?

yeyj: I would do some reply later. But one thing I must tell you, your tone then seemed to be of a big big sister of mine.

yeyj: I mean, much more adult-like than me.

jingyang_nfls: you have a sister? not cousin?

yeyj: In spite of being a kid still.

yeyj: Kidding again.

jingyang_nfls: How old is she?

yeyj: No, I mean a dignified female older than me, while not being considered as a madam.

yeyj: Caught it?

jingyang_nfls: My cousins live far away from me, I don't really have a role model to look up too.

jingyang_nfls: Yes, sir.

yeyj: How's your mood now? Your words appeared to ask me think less of the past.

jingyang_nfls: One cousin who is 17 years older than me went to MIT. But don't know him.

yeyj: Mere one year, too little any mining

jingyang_nfls: My moods vary. Being light-hearted at the present. You?

yeyj: MIT? What is that?

yeyj: Fine.

jingyang_nfls: Mass. Institute of Technology.

jingyang_nfls: like "ma shen"

jingyang_nfls: a top college where the NFLS student just went to.

yeyj: Oh, the Ma Sa Zhu Sai Zhou?

jingyang_nfls: Yes.

yeyj: I got it. The one of California is also good, right?

jingyang_nfls: There are many good ones in California, just where I wanna go.

yeyj: Your cousin... Cannot be from Nanjing. It is lucky that I live with my cousins since born.

jingyang_nfls: to the "sunshine states", away from coldness.

yeyj: Where is Stamford? Can't spell it.

yeyj: And Florida.

jingyang_nfls: Not that close with my relatives except for my grandparents.

jingyang_nfls: Califoria.

jingyang_nfls: Florida is on the East coast.

yeyj: You said NFLS students would be spread all over the world after ten years,

yeyj: too far away to imagine.

jingyang_nfls: Gee, you should know your geography.

yeyj: I just give up.

jingyang_nfls: Yes. Japan, England, many may come here and to Canada, Austrlia.

yeyj: I know it. That is general knowleg=dge.

yeyj: My goodness.

jingyang_nfls: Who knows. I don't know how many will actually stay in China.

yeyj: But I'm sure three quarters must stay there.

jingyang_nfls: I don't know for sure, but now one of the prime goal for Chinese college students is to go aboard.

yeyj: I didn't actually remember how I felt after hearing yo were going to the states.

jingyang_nfls: But look at class one, in three years, 4 people already went away.

yeyj: China has no future--

yeyj: It can't be true.

jingyang_nfls: Just too many people, too much competition.

jingyang_nfls: It is a great place, I am proud of it, but...

yeyj: That's only 2% among the students of the whole grade.

jingyang_nfls: What do you mean?

yeyj: I actually don't know why I would come to Singapore either.

jingyang_nfls: we are the "middle kingdom" center of the world.

yeyj: That's not coincedence, nor fate.

yeyj: That is a common feature of the present world.

jingyang_nfls: Probably to get more of a worldly experience?

yeyj: we are just the ones involved in this experiment.

yeyj: While there are many more.

jingyang_nfls: you sound very sophisicated.

jingyang_nfls: Who knows if they are wise choices

yeyj: We are admiring the others of many things we haven't got, but in fact, we have much more on the other hand.

yeyj: What is sophisicated?

jingyang_nfls: like learned, complicated.

jingyang_nfls: How do you learn your English vocabularies?

jingyang_nfls: from the books?

yeyj: I don't believe the destiny is like that. Some scientists claim the time is a loop, and we will experience the same thing again and again.

jingyang_nfls: You've got a lot of SAT vocabs, the ones I don't use often at all.

jingyang_nfls: History repeats itself.

jingyang_nfls: What are human beings anyways.

jingyang_nfls: ?

jingyang_nfls: I believe in aliens, like the ones from outer space, if aliens don't exist, human being are so lonely then.

yeyj: Basically, from reading some dictionaries, or, referng to them. Just copying down a little while reading, but I would become already very erudite after reciting all the words taught by our teacher during the remedials.

jingyang_nfls: We had to write about what is it like to be a human being for English, I wrote about human's rational and irrational mind and endless search to understand ourselves and the universe around us.

yeyj: We are also very lonely inside ourself. Remember the discussion I mentioned last time about communism? Our conclusion is...

jingyang_nfls: What?

yeyj: Although communism is good, but the level is too high, people cannot manage it.

yeyj: Why we consider it as far-fetched is that the resource of the earth doesn't seem to be enough for the full development of the human.

jingyang_nfls: I don't know what to say about communism, the "ideal state" is such a fatasy that I don't believe it could be achieved, because of the evil side of human nature.

yeyj: To reach such a height is possible only if another big movement take place. But who know who will be the genius o this century?

yeyj: Ever play Starcraft?

jingyang_nfls: I don't understand how nationalism could be so important, or races, or religion. People spend so much money producing weapons , but they can save the money and energy to make our lives better.

jingyang_nfls: is that a game?

yeyj: The three tribes inside the game is just that kind of "peccable".

yeyj: I mean, every thing has its shortage, comprising the pities of our life.

jingyang_nfls: I read many stuff about communism from my history book, of course, the western view.

yeyj: It is said that the ego world is just imagination.

yeyj: I said.

jingyang_nfls: What is your impresstion on democracy?

yeyj: Communism is not welcome in Singapore, either.

jingyang_nfls: You sould like"daoism".

jingyang_nfls: How do you spell impresstion?

jingyang_nfls: I cannot recall at the time.

yeyj: Like the US? China do not agree. Like China? The western countries don't sanctify. Thus, none at present.

yeyj: It is imposible to figure out at present, we are not that deep after all.

jingyang_nfls: It's hard to manage such a big country.

yeyj: Which country? US or China?

yeyj: Bot.

yeyj: Both.

jingyang_nfls: That's why I am not going to politics.

jingyang_nfls: China.

jingyang_nfls: US has much less people.

jingyang_nfls: and because of its special history, people advocate freedom more than anything.

jingyang_nfls: But racism is still a problem.

yeyj: What's my impression on the population of China? Terrible, make it unbelievable to become the greatest country of the world. Or it will be considered as a pure legend.

jingyang_nfls: I am not that "open-minded". That's why I don't fell comfortable many times.

yeyj: I feel like absorbing other opinions after leaving China, do you?

jingyang_nfls: India is catching up... The education system in China is not ideal

yeyj: That's the success of the plot of US.

yeyj: Just hearsay.

yeyj: Better than India anyway.

jingyang_nfls: Yes. I opened up myself to many other stuffs that I never get a chance to hear in China.

jingyang_nfls: And then I start to think from different points.

jingyang_nfls: Get a lot of Indians over here, don't know why, but I don't like them.

yeyj: Actually only less than twenty percent Singaporean students go to university, overall.

jingyang_nfls: What do the rest do? work?

yeyj: This is serious discrimination!

jingyang_nfls: Singapore's univeristies are worse than China's, right?

yeyj: I haven't get used to the scholl system here yet. How many forms of schools are there? Not know.

jingyang_nfls: People from India. sorry, I got the idea from somewhere I don't know. They don't mix with Chinese either.

yeyj: But the National University of Singapore is said to be the third in Asia.

jingyang_nfls: What is your school system?

yeyj: Not clear.

yeyj: The first two ones are in Japan.

jingyang_nfls: I treat my classmates as Americans, no matter their races.

yeyj: Nothing is mature, because there is still space to develop.

yeyj: That's good.

jingyang_nfls: They are based on how rich the universities are, not other qualities.

yeyj: But I'll treat you as American-Chinese.

yeyj: Joking.

jingyang_nfls: Wait a sec.

jingyang_nfls: Dad's asking me to find a calculator for him.

yeyj: What do you mean by "they are based on..."?

jingyang_nfls: While a one is just sitting in front of him.

yeyj: I get it.

jingyang_nfls: the rankings of the universities.

yeyj: Your family is fun.

yeyj: Really?

jingyang_nfls: OK. I was a little late in explaining.

yeyj: The same in the US?

jingyang_nfls: What do you mean by that? You have never met my family.

yeyj: I hope not.

yeyj: From killing the caterpillar, etc.

jingyang_nfls: I don't think so. They have much better facilities than China.

yeyj: My mom never dare do so.

yeyj: The same in Singapore. But I don't appreciate it very much.

jingyang_nfls: We have too. There are just too many of them. They freak me out.

yeyj: Although things are not too bad here.

jingyang_nfls: We are missing the casual air between classmates.

yeyj: Casual air?

jingyang_nfls: I know that you mean.

yeyj: You mean being more and more serious, nervous or what?

jingyang_nfls: like classmates in China are more close together. We have the same back ground so we could understand each other better.

jingyang_nfls: You led me into it.

yeyj: I try to be as close as possible to my friends, but I find myself not a humorous person after all.

yeyj: That doesn't mean anyhting.

jingyang_nfls: Couldn't type that well today. My hands are cold.

yeyj: What the temperature ther?

jingyang_nfls: You don't have to be humorous to be a good friends. People have their own personalities.

jingyang_nfls: Pretty high. 70 degree F.

jingyang_nfls: Another English measurement.

jingyang_nfls: You'll have to get to use to that by chatting with me.

yeyj: Oh, you were trying to say that... If we return to visit our friends, it will be difficult for us to share the same laughter and sadness?

jingyang_nfls: The internet is going to disconnect itself in less than 4 minutes, be prepared.

yeyj: Will you be back after that?

jingyang_nfls: I don't think so. I hope not.

jingyang_nfls: Yes.

yeyj: I'll try to accustom myself to anything.

yeyj: Anyone in the US speaking British English?

jingyang_nfls: Though I am not close to NFLS students anymore.

yeyj: Me too.

jingyang_nfls: Yes. people that are from Great Britain.

jingyang_nfls: They also get their own lives.

yeyj: I wonder if we could say anything to each other after not communicating at all for three years.

jingyang_nfls: Life goes on whether we are absent from their lives or not.

yeyj: What are you refering to "we" as?

jingyang_nfls: Do you mean we as me and you or on a larger scale?

yeyj: Anyone.

jingyang_nfls: I meant me and you and jiafei.

yeyj: For instance, I felt quite sorry when FAnLulu was leaving, but barely greeted with her on her visit back to school.

yeyj: Not a word more.

yeyj: You've left, I think.

jingyang_nfls: This computer is retarded.

yeyj: What does that mean?

jingyang_nfls: I am back. if you still didn't see my last messages, I repeat it again.

yeyj: I certainly saw it.

jingyang_nfls: Retarded? means stupid.

jingyang_nfls: american slang.

yeyj: Is that slang?

yeyj: Oh,yes.

jingyang_nfls: yes.

yeyj: How long can we last for?

yeyj: The last chatting..

jingyang_nfls: Contiueing with our discussion.

jingyang_nfls: I don't know. Friday is suppose to be my free day.

yeyj: Hope things are still Ok next Saturday.

jingyang_nfls: But I haven't played my piano yet, and my lesson is tomorrow.

yeyj: I wonder how Wang Yu is doing now,

yeyj: must be revising helter-skelter.

jingyang_nfls: But sometimes I play at 12 at night, I am certainly not a pleasent neighbor.

jingyang_nfls: Why does it take so long for them to take their exams?

yeyj: Is there enough time to carry it out a week later? What?

jingyang_nfls: Carry what out?

jingyang_nfls: miscommunication here.

jingyang_nfls: The conference?

yeyj: They hae to attend revision lesson for more than one week, then finish the exam in three days.

yeyj: Don't you remember that?

yeyj: Yes, the conference.

jingyang_nfls: No. I don't have any revistion lesson here. Remember I told you that we don't know that's on the English final exam until the morning of the day that we took it?

yeyj: They certainly won't give a response before Wednesday, I am not sure whether I'll have time to check email.

yeyj: It should be Ok.

yeyj: However, no chance to read my email every morning from now on.

jingyang_nfls: That means you won't be sending me any 6K emails from now on?

yeyj: Maybe until September.

yeyj: I can give you a 10k one after returning to Chian.

jingyang_nfls: Good. This fall I'll be super busy myself.

yeyj: In case computer is perchased at home.

jingyang_nfls: How long are you going to be staying in China?

yeyj: Your school year is starting at September, right?

yeyj: One month and a half. Too precious.

jingyang_nfls: right after labor day here. Which is in the beginning of Sept.

yeyj: Already luxury for you.

jingyang_nfls: Wow. What do you do once you got over there?

yeyj: I understand how you will be like.

jingyang_nfls: Won't be attending any school, right?

yeyj: Just like how you treat me lat winter.

jingyang_nfls: Certain not studying in NFLS for a month?

yeyj: Super-duper sorry and busy.

yeyj: I know it, so no sarcastic.

yeyj: I won't lie to my friends.

jingyang_nfls: Where did you get that "super-duper" from?

yeyj: Sometimes just make fun of Wang Yu.

yeyj: Our teacher said it. It is the original form of super.

jingyang_nfls: You haven't answer how are you going to spend the one month and half in China?

jingyang_nfls: I used to make fun of him a lot.

jingyang_nfls: Ok. didn't know that. That word sounds very funny.

yeyj: Sorry. Visiting friends, school, relatives, certain places in Nanjing.

jingyang_nfls: and how are you going to make up your school work then?

yeyj: I find it interesting. You are not irritated, I hpoe.

yeyj: Which school?

jingyang_nfls: I mean certainly it not during a holiday that you are going back , right?

yeyj: I don't belong to NFLS any more, so cannot attend the course there.

jingyang_nfls: I am too envious of you to be irritated.

yeyj: I'll do my homework before going back.

jingyang_nfls: Can you be a sit-in student, like attending the classes, but not doing any homework.

jingyang_nfls: That's a lot of work to do.

yeyj: There will be an O level Chinese Exam this November, so there will be enough free time then.

jingyang_nfls: That'll be fun. I am listening to a college computer class this summer, just sitting in.

yeyj: I've no idea. i think I 've done many things wrong to friends in NFLS.

jingyang_nfls: What is O-level, like how many points do you have to earn?

jingyang_nfls: What kind of things?

yeyj: I'll have to attend nine exams.

jingyang_nfls: not replying their letters and emails?

yeyj: Regarding the sujects we are learning.

yeyj: Just like the ones in CHina.

jingyang_nfls: That's a pain. Hate exams, have a huge headache after a three-hour one.

yeyj: VERY bad, isn't it?

yeyj: Yi?

yeyj: WHat are we waiting for?

jingyang_nfls: yes. Very. Every countries has their own ways to torture their poor high school students.

jingyang_nfls: Waiting for what?

yeyj: Cruel.

yeyj: That's not offensive, I hope.

yeyj: Singapore is not ideal.

jingyang_nfls: What's not offensive? Have you done something that I didn't relize?

jingyang_nfls: You said that before. Nowhere is ideal.

yeyj: Ever heard of Yu Jie? He is a "black horse" in Beijing University, a young author who is now pretty famous.

jingyang_nfls: I don't know that to say about Singapore.

yeyj: I meant the word "cruel".

jingyang_nfls: No.

yeyj: Neither do I.

jingyang_nfls: In what way?

jingyang_nfls: literature?

yeyj: But Yu Jie said the development of Singapore is "bing tai".

yeyj: Writing essays which are somewhat anti-government.

jingyang_nfls: Cannot figure out the pingying.

yeyj: Or, different from the usual opinions.

jingyang_nfls: That kinda remind me of the "creative essays competition" that was held in China.

yeyj: bing is ill, tai is state. Understand?

jingyang_nfls: A person who failed his Chinese Literature class won.

yeyj: Great.

jingyang_nfls: Now I get it.

jingyang_nfls: Why does he say so? in what aspect?

yeyj: There is also some kind of "ideas" competition in Singapore, all about creativity. I remember in NFLS, Mr Chen Jinhe aske us to attended.

jingyang_nfls: warning, just seven minutes left for me.

yeyj: Then iu found my school now is also a sponser.

yeyj: Ok.

jingyang_nfls: Didn't he teach you for only one year?

yeyj: He was the teacher for the ECA in NFLS.

jingyang_nfls: I didn't like the way he was teaching.

jingyang_nfls: Photo-taking class.

yeyj: And I stayed with him all along for the art (calligraphy) thing.

jingyang_nfls: What is ECA?

yeyj: He is also a nice person indeed.

jingyang_nfls: Never knew he is a professional at that.

yeyj: I am indebted to him.

jingyang_nfls: I assume that he would be.

yeyj: (silence)

jingyang_nfls: Chao in my mind right now.

yeyj: ECA is the class we attended on every Saturday.

jingyang_nfls: Couldn't think straight as there's much noise going on.

jingyang_nfls: Don't ask.

yeyj: Drama, chess, etc, remember? I can't think of a better name.

jingyang_nfls: Took classical music and Beijing opera.

jingyang_nfls: Was out of options.

yeyj: You?

jingyang_nfls: Yes. Poor choices. But I loved classical music.

jingyang_nfls: Beijing Opera was just something they threw me into.

yeyj: I can't remember how things were going when so many classmates were having opera together.

yeyj: Including me.

yeyj: Wang Yu,

jingyang_nfls: Actually learned some "Chinese traditions"

yeyj: and many other good friends of ours.

jingyang_nfls: YOU were in there?

yeyj: Sure, but I just lost interest in it.

jingyang_nfls: What about the math one?

yeyj: Don't we remember it any more?

yeyj: Which math?

jingyang_nfls: didn't you sign up for that? Dong was fond of you.

yeyj: I think I'd had it, not sure.

jingyang_nfls: Math class that's offered on Sundays.

yeyj: I can't remember what you'd attended, either.

jingyang_nfls: Oh. Well. I have to get off now.

jingyang_nfls: Email me today?

yeyj: I once attended the once in Jinling Zhongxue, other don't know.

yeyj: It depends.

yeyj: Kidding, I'll try to.

yeyj: Despite of the feral conditions around.

yeyj: You've left?

jingyang_nfls: I wouldn't know that. Happened later, right. Well, Bye. See you next Friday.

yeyj: I'll try to. Bye1

yeyj: !!!

jingyang_nfls: or Saturday(your time). When will you be there?

jingyang_nfls: what time?

yeyj: Wait for my email then.

yeyj: Should be the usual time.

jingyang_nfls: OK. Bye.

yeyj: Just see you later, I hope.

yeyj: I'll phone you.

yeyj: The voicemail is not good.

yeyj: That's it.

yeyj: ... ...