Cloudy and Chilly, Lonely and Weary

寂寞像朵烏雲With the pressures of finals, please with me a Merry Christmas聖誕節假期之前，偏偏又有期末考的莫大壓力 Before Christmas vacation comes the pressure of finalsby Luke Wang

Time flies. In the blink of an eye, it’s already the end of my first semester. In American culture, December is one of the most exciting months of the year. Without a doubt, it’s because school is letting out for winter break, and Christmas is upon us. Despite enjoying the thought of my Christmas break, final exams and projects loomed over me like a thunderous cloud. Not only did I have an in-class essay, I also had a presentation, my research paper, rehearsal for acting class and other tests. I felt like my busy schedule was killing me.

I hope all my hard work this semester pays off with a high GPA. (Grade Point Average)
The week after finals is the most exciting time for all students:Christmas break, Christmas break parallels the winter break, or Lunar New Year break, In Asian countries. Families get together and celebrate. Fortunately, I was able to visit my uncle in Seattle for my first Christmas in the States. It was a white Christmas filled with peace and love. However, I wish I could be back home for Christmas break. I wish I could spend some time with my family and friends back home. I wish.

Grammar
I hope all my hard work this semester pays off with a high GPA.
to pay off-to result in a benefit.
All of Rita's years of working for the company paid off; she is now the senior vice-president of the company.
Cheating never pays off-even if no one catches you.

Vocabulary
blink of an eye (idiom)-At Sam's college graduation, Jenny felt as if her son had grown up in the blink of an eye.
*If felt like in just the blink of an eye, my little boy became a teenager.
*In the blink of an eye, the ordinary girl turned into a beautiful woman as...
loom (v)-隐约的出现. 不及物动词+介系词+受词。
After the president was killed, the whole country felt war looming over them.
*The approaching final exam loomed in my head each day即将..隐约出现在脑海里
*Anxiety loomed over Nick after he lost his job.焦虑笼罩
*A ship loomed out of the dense fog.浓的
presentation (n)-a report to talk to in front of the people.
Harold spent the whole evening preparing his presentation for the company's managers.
parallel (v)-使平行,使一致para有旁边的意思. 二平行线
At the convention, the two scientists suddenly realized that their experiments paralleled one another's work.
*The parents break parallels their kids' vacations.家长拿假与小孩的假期一致
*Madison Street is parallel to Main Street.二条街是平行的

Chat Room
the semester system
first semester/second semester, first from September finishes before Christmas.
and the second semester starts from second or Third week after the New Year finishes at early May. Each semester last about 15-16 weeks long.
interim-is the short period of the school between the summer vacation break.
The quarter system-each semester is about three months a period. It usually are three semester, but sometimes school add a summer semester for students to take classes.