Correção de texto: Diary

Title: My (student) activity log. [my (student) journal, or something like that], I don´t particularly like "diary", it can be understood as "agenda". Some English dictionaries accept it in that acception, though.
But then, it´s me. Others may like it this way.


In English our "diário" can be also several things, a log (of travels, for example) a journal, a schedule of activities to excursions etc.



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Yesterday we were back to school for the second term/yesterday school reopened for the second term/yesterday the school started off the second term...

Usually I would not be very happy about it, but this time I was really looking forward to attend classes again, mainly because I’m now finally taking subjects (actually, only 2) of my specific area (Computer Science). (So) They are (1): Introduction to Probability and Statistics, Digital Circuits, Object-oriented Programming, Energy, Science, Technology and Society and Quantum Physics.
(here I counted more than two subjects. but then, I always was bad at numeracy!)


I was (well, I am) also anxious in part, because of the preparation for the TOEFL (In two weeks I will finally sitting the exam).
(the finally it´s because stated “you were looking forward to” take the examination. But you could use it to express that you are about to “unload” your anxiety at last.)


I have been thinking a lot about which country I will choose, which depends mainly on my score on (2) the exam [TOEFL is a language exam]. Assuming my grades are above the average, I will be given the option to do a Scientific Iniciation Program. And I do have some good results in Mathematics Olympics and Robotics Championship (nothing extraordinary, just high school competitions). I have a country in mind, wich I wish I would go, but I will keep it a secret!
(If you are to write TOEFL-quality pieces, don´t use the overly informal “he he”)


My only class of the day was Digital Circuits [I am not a hundred percent sure, but I think “that day" could do as well). The professor is very friendly and told us some funny stories from his life/from his own experiences. For example, although he has an undergraduate degree in (3) Electronic Engineering [but it could be, i.e. Eletronics and Civil Engineering, if separate courses].

He said that he actually hasn’t got used to the practical part of the course because (at the time) he always could count/rely on a friend who was good at it, and was a fast learner when it comes to practical classes! He abandoned (4) the Engineering course [or dropped out Engineering] in further studies [when he got to postgraduation perhaps?] and got a PHD in Neuroscience.
[At first] It may seem like a radical change, in fact, in part it was. However, he explained how actually how these these areas/fields are related: in Electronics, there are three main types of logic gates, AND, OR and NOT. Yet, a complex circuit with all this three types of gates can be simplified by using some NAND (if I’m not mistaken) gates. So, if you look closely to a digital circuit, you will see a lot of NANDs gates. The fact of all these gates can generate a complex operation isn’t exactly intuitive.
In fact, as he said, if the human civilization were destroyed and some aliens were visiting our planet, they would look to the circuits and didn’t understand (5) how a apparently repetitive thing can carry out complex algorithms. In other words, deciphering a circuit would be a very hard task of reversal engineering.
But what does it has to do with our mind? Well, according to him, if you would analyze the human brain, you would see a big number of cells and structures very similar, in spite of our obviously complex behavior. That’s why understanding how the/our brain works is so hard, it works in the same way as an electronic circuit, a difficult exercise of reversal engineering!
Actually, this is not the only analogy between the nature and technology that he told us, there are also some others interesting ones. That class was really exciting!

In the evening, I had dinner (diner is the eater, dinner the meal) with many friends, which is a bit unusual, since after the first period of the university, each one has followed different paths (that is, each of us took different subjects, courses and so on). I really liked the meeting!


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Some chunks I tinkered with, could be kept there. It was a new choice of words, perhaps for clarity or for a more natural way.
Others couldn´t go on without edition, to my thinking.
Consider it as a rough draft, I am no teacher, just a learner.
Hope it helps.

My try:

Yesterday was the back-to-school time. Usually I would not be very happy about it, but this time I was really looking forward to attending classes again, mainly because I’m now finally taking subjects (actually, only 2) in my specific area (Computer Science). The subjects that I’m taking are (1): Introduction to Probability and Statistics, Digital Circuits, Object-Oriented Programming, Energy, Science, Technology and Society and Quantum Physics.

I was (well, I am) anxious also in part because of the preparation for the TOEFL (I'm going to take the exam in 2 weeks). I have thought a lot about what country I will choose, which depends mainly on my score on (2) the language exam, since ("once" or "since"? Remeber the difference?) my grades are above the average (You can drop the article). I have done a Scientific Iniciation Program and I have had / gotten some good results in math olympiads and robotics championships (nothing extraordinary, just high school competitions). I was going to mention the country I was thinking about, but as I change my mind every week, it’s better not to say anything, hehe.

My only class of the day was Digital Circuits. The professor is very friendly and told the class some funny stories about / from his life. For example, although he has an undergraduate degree in (3) Electronics Engineering (or perhaps "Electrical"?), he said that he actually hasn’t got(ten) used to the practical part of the course / program (at least in AmE, a college course is a set of lessons on a particular subject, much like a Brazilian "cadeira") because there was a friend of his who was used to do this part alone and very quickly when there were practical classes! He abandoned (4) his engineering studies in graduate school (I'm assuming that, by "further studies", you meant a "pós") and got a PHD in Neuroscience. It may seem like a radical change and, in part, it was. However, he explained how there is actually a certain link between these areas: in Electronics, there are three main types of logic gates: AND, OR and NOT. However, a complex circuit with all these three types of gates can be simplified by using some NAND (if I’m not mistaken) gates. So, if you look closely at a digital circuit, you will see a lot of NAND gates. The fact that all these gates can generate a complex operation isn’t exactly intuitive. In fact, as he said, if the human civilization were destroyed and some aliens were visiting our planet, they would look at the circuits but wouldn't understand (5) how an apparently repetitive thing (or "how something apparently repetitive") can carry out such complex algorithms. In other words, deciphering a circuit would be a very hard task of reverse engineering. But what does it have to do with our mind? Well, according to him, if you analyzed the human brain, you would see a large number ("big number" is not incorrect, but I would favor "large" in this case) of very similar cells and structures, in spite of our obviously complex behavior. That’s why understanding how the brain works is so hard: it is, in the same way as a circuit, a difficult exercise of reverse engineering! Actually, this is not the only analogy between the nature and technology that he told us about. There are many other interesting ones. I was really excited!

In the evening, I had dinner with many friends, which is unusual, since after the first semester, each one has followed a different path (that means, different subjects, courses and so on). I really liked the meeting!

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Paulo, isn't "look forward to doing something" standard usage? "To" is a preposition here, right?

Thanks Juliana for fine-tuning. Indeed it should be “but this time I was really looking forward to attending classes...” , thanks for correcting it.


In two weeks I will be finally sitting the exam. (it lacked the BE, the way it was someone would
have the feeling there was something left out.)


Somehow Andre stated he is taking two subjects of his field/area, then he says which ones he is taking. To a layman like me, all the subjects named sound like Computer Science related. So, it may or may not be confusing.


Both, we and Ju made a by-proxy typo (the copy and paste thing!), should be “Scientific Initiation Program”



I would keep Mathematics Olympics (or Math if you will) and Robotics Championship. I think it´s not about Olympics in general but a particular kind of olympics and championship (now I just talked in a general way, then it can begin with small letters).



The fact that – thanks Ju, pointing it out, I had to be sleeping to make that stupid blunder. How could I? I will be all day flogging myself for that one. Oops time!


What does it have – instead of what does it has...how could I do that one? I am pulling the hairs out of my head right now. I should be under influence to let this pass, ha ha! Oh my!

Again, thanks Ju, for the teamwork. It is very kind of you to help others out.

Hello.

I admit I was in doubt about the word “diary”, but, I don’t know why, but “activity log” sounds to me very “technical”! Maybe because I’m used to consult logs of programs or because, if I’m not mistaken, both Facebook and Google+ use this expression for the place in whith people share theirs posts.

"(here I counted more than two subjects. but then, I always was bad at numeracy!)"

In this moment I was referring about all subjects I took, but in fact the text is unclear and confusing in this part

“sitting the exam”

Nice, I didn’t know this.

OBS: I have seen an exemple in Cambridge’s dictionary:
Australian English: “I sat for my exams today.”
This means that the person took the exams today (he or she already have finished them), right?


“ I have thought a lot about what country I will choose, which depends mainly on my score on (2) the language exam, once my grades are above the average, I have done a Scientific Iniciation Program and I have some good results in math olympiads and robotics championship (nothing extraordinary, just high school competitions)”

Ops, here I made the same mistake that before. The correct is “since” instead of “once”!
Now I have just read Juliana’s message and she pointed it out.


Don’t worry, I haven’t wrote “he he” in my TOEFL’s essay, he he… just in this diary / activity log.

(By the way, I will receive my score at Monday or Tuesday and I least in the writing part I’m quite confident, mostly thanks to you).


“I have had / gotten some good results in math olympiads and robotics championships”

Juliana, here, has the sense changed to something more continous?

Juliana, in the last paragraph, may you explain me the use of “each” instead of “each one”, please?

PS: Maybe "Undergraduate Research" can replace "Scientific Initiation Program".





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Yours contribuitions are very helpful, as always. Thanks to Paulo and Juliana.

Hi Andre,

“I have had / gotten some good results in math olympiads and robotics championships”.

Juliana, here, has the sense changed to something more continous?

No, it hasn't. I understand both sentences to mean that you have participated in contests of the mentioned type in the past, and that you have fared well by obtaining good scores or results. There's no sense of continuity involved.

Juliana, in the last paragraph, may you explain me the use of “each” instead of “each one”, please?

Both are correct, Andre. That being said, "each" is also a pronoun, and can be used as a stand-alone term when referring to a previously mentioned subject. It doesn't require "one" to sit next to it. The use of "one" is most often superfluous, and doesn't make the sentence any more clear or precise. "Each one" is not wrong though.

You still did great. Good luck!

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Paulo, it's all fine. You're allowed a slip or two. We all make them.

Yes Andre, “activity log” may seems like something “official” and formal, as the activity logs you pointed out (computers activities, Facebooks of life etc.) or a program to plan physical activities
http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=a00322

In fact I had made an analogy with travel logs, a little journal where people write down everything that happens in a travel, and where it happened, and things deemed useful. Now (these times of everything Web ) there are travel log sites and blogs everywhere.
But the analogy with activity log wasn´t quite right, I must admit.

In truth, on second thought I think “diary” would do, since there is a context you provided. Looks like the sense of a “book to record daily events.” is already being in vogue these days, even Google definition went in this direction.


I sat for my exams today.”
This means that the person took the exams today (he or she already have finished them), right?
Yes, that´s right. He or she finished it.



Don’t worry, I haven’t wrote “he he” in my TOEFL’s essay, he he… just in this diary / activity log.
Relieved now here, I didn´t recall you had let us know of that, before. I take that back then, you can now use “he he” whenever you wish, he he.
Regardless of your score, we are proud of you task and your effort (I speak for myself, but I think the feeling is prevalent among all of us, EE members.) You improved a lot, not only your academical skills, but your critical thinking.



Ju, thanks for cutting me some slack, it´s very kind of you. Sometimes I am in haste, sleepy, or pressed by my bills to pay, or the children are at each other throats when I am writing, hence the mistakes. Well, lame excuses anyway, but I will try to be more careful. At least not to repeat old mistakes, just make new ones.

Thanks for the answers.


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At certain moment of this year I decided to create my own kind of shabbat - after a very tiresome week, it is a gift that I invented for myself. However, differently of the usual date of the jews, I don't mind turning on the light or going out - it's a hommage to procrastination for me. So I spend the day reading things on internet in a very ramdomic way, talking with my friends and watching some videos, for instance. Doing it was good and after some time I extended this weekly particular holiday to friday night too. In fact, trying to do something useful, I used to realize that it was simply improductive. But staying free for about 2 days lead me to the inevitable: making a post-shabbat day, the Sunday. Using also the first day of the week to do nothing was logical and very pleasant.

Now, however, I can feel some effects from this. It's strange: I spend the week working hard, doing my things, studying and so on. I usually wake up at 4:00 AM (even if I don't really need it) in order to get a calmer enviroment and do my tasks. After lunch, I usually stay at the library until the dinner. I could talk and explain more and more, but I can ensure that I'm a sort of horkholic. When Friday comes, however, everthing changes: I become lazy and don't even touch in anything related to my week routine. At Monday, the cycle begins again. It's strange!

Glad to know that at a certain point of this year you decided to treat yourself with such a balance between study/learning and idleness. That is what they call “creative idleness” (ócio criativo). One need to have these “breaks” from time to time. It´s not indulgence or laziness it´s necessary.

http://www.core77.com/blog/articles/the ... _23320.asp

I wished I worked this way, but not yet, I have too many irons on the oven (or, as they say “too many cooks and not enough Indians!”
But I know, that inevitably someday I will get there. Congrats.

PPAULO, in fact doing it can be advantageous most times, but at least lately I had to catch up some work beucase of the break I made in order to focus on toefl. Thus I really wanted to do something usefull also on thw weekends.

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2 days ago

Yesterday there was (1) the presentation of my undergraduate research. Let me explain the project: basically, it consisted in creating montages (2) in which, using components of low cost robotics, we relate the content of high school with some experiments, including the guides. As you can see, it is a very simple project, but our motivation is based on the fact that most schools use robotics as it were a subject outside of the curriculum of school, as an "extra", let's say. We, on the other hand, haven't tried to create the experiments as if they were only curious, but in fact trying to test and apply what was seen at classes, always using robotics as element that helps with the accuracy of the measurements.

For example, in a experiment we have made a pendulum and we have put a light sensor in the ground. So, everytime the object passed through the sensor, we could measure the time and, with the width of a thread, determine an approximation for g, the acceleration of gravity on Earth.

In another experiment, we can measure the velocity of sound by activating a infrared sensor with a noise (such as the sound of a clap), that starts a timer which is paused when the sound detector detects the wave.

Currently, however, I am not anymore in this area. Actually, I've started another undergraduate research, but now on Real Analysis, which is a subject sort of similar to Calculus, but with a more theoretical approach. I'm liking doing it, although I think I will not get a degree in Math, not because I wouldn't like, but because I think I haven't sufficient talent to in fact follow the academical path. Anyway, I found the subject interesting and my adviser is one of the most inspiring people I've ever met.

Yesterday I also finally saw my scores of TOEFL. My overall score is 99, bigger than I expected, I'm really happy. However, surprisingly for me, the worst grade was in the writing part - I was expecting the opposite. (3)

(1) Can I write "Yesterday was the day..."?
(2) Any better word?
(3) How can I express the ideia of "justamente"? Like "I was expecting justamente o oposto." Pensei em exactly.

Yesterday there was (1) the presentation of my undergraduate research. Let me explain the project: basically, it consisted of robot assemblies (2) in which, we used robotics components/parts of low cost. The work was simple, that is, we had to make a presentation of a/some high-school project and describe it step-by-step, as we were assembling it or making the experimentation. We could even include the use of guides to that effect.



(1) Can I write "Yesterday was the day..."?
Yes, I think so. But you could also put this way “Yesterday was the undergraduate research presentation day...” or “...Yesterday was our undergraduate research presentation day.” To, me seems a little more natural.
Let´s wait more comments on that, though.



(2) Any better word? There is always another way(s) to skin that cat. I suggested the written above, although, there will be other ways.


(3) How can I express the ideia of "justamente"? Like "I was expecting justamente o oposto." Pensei em exactly.

It happened exactly the opposite way from what I had expected/precisely the opposite of what I had expected.

or

However surprisingly for me, the worst grade was in the writing part – rather the opposite of what I had expected.

However surprisingly for me, the worst grade was in the writing part –It ended up happening exactly the opposite/- it happened quite the opposite of what I had thought (at the beggining).




And other ways. Let´s wait more comments.

Hi, Paulo, thanks for the answer.

I'm thinking how I will train my writing in the next 6 months. It seems to me that writing a diary isn't as efficient as I've thought, mainly because almost days I live look the same

Anyway, I've installed a program called Anki. It's used for flashcards and can be installed in cell phones. It have been very useful.

These days I've done also a test in English Grammar in Use that says to me what chapters I have to study.

Oh I know, well I don´t know exactly what you are getting at...anyway, I can guess what how you feel. So, perhaps you feel like you wading in some waters, like crossing a river with water up to the neck.
That is, you may be stunned by the sheer number of things to recall when writting, things like grammar, coherence, coesion, etc.

Maybe it´s a good idea to buy and use some book(s) designed exclusively to writting. Exploring Through Writting by ANN RAIMES, St. Martin Press New York
or Writting and Grammar - Communication in Action by Ruby Level Handbook Edition, Prentice Hall press. could be a good idea or any other that aim to hone that skill in ESL students. I got these in second-hand bookstores, so you might find them even in such bookstores, even online, maybe.
Well, just an idea here, if those don´t help you maybe it be of service to others in the future.

And don´t forget to hone your other skills as well, don´t forget the listening, speaking etc.
I wish you good luck on your exam.