u/Spiritual_Advice2763

Hi! I’m a foreigner learning Chinese and I chose the name 沈澜清 (Shěn Lánqīng) for myself.

I’ve heard it’s a good idea to ask native Chinese speakers about Chinese names, so I wanted to get some opinions 😂 Does it sound natural? Does the combination of characters make sense, and what kind of impression does it give you?

Any honest feedback is appreciated!

I believe that eye contact between two people is such a strong form of connection. So much can be said through people’s eyes, even if they haven’t uttered a word. Just 5 seconds of eye contact with someone you might be fond of, can cause such a whirlwind in the body. You feel your heart start to beat faster, your pulse bouncing off your throat, your stomach fills with butterflies, and the blush rising in your cheeks. Sensations which rarely appear.

I like to revisit those moments. Those moments of contact. Some might say that nothing really happened, but no one really knows how one feels, no one can actually put themselves in your shoes. That’s the beauty of it though, only those two people making this form of contact can really feel it. But the thing is, a lot of times it can be misinterpreted, one-sided… I might feel the butterflies flutter in my stomach, but he might not. Thats the downside of eye contact, you won’t ever know how someone really feels. 

I always like to wonder what could have been? If both of our feelings were the same, could we have had a future? If there weren’t any other circumstances, could we have been together? All these possibilities tangle like threads in my mind, but they always end up fading, theres no point in dwelling on something that cannot be. 

I still wish though, I wish it could be, I wish something more were to happen. But alas, our stories have already been written, all that remains for me to do is wait. 

I don't know who needs to hear this, but if you're younger than me or just starting your A-levels, please don't make the same mistake I did.

For years, my older brother kept telling me to study properly. Ever since I was a kid, he'd remind me to stop procrastinating and build good study habits. I always thought, "I'll change later," or "I'll start taking it seriously next term." Later never came. Now I've just finished my first year of A-levels, and I'm disappointed with my grades. Not because I couldn't understand the content, but because I spent so much time procrastinating that trying to suddenly switch into "study mode" at the last minute felt almost impossible.

People really underestimate how hard it is to change habits you've had for years. You can't expect yourself to go from avoiding work all the time to studying consistently overnight. I wish I had realised that earlier.

And this isn't just about alevels. It applies to any demanding course or curriculum. The workload catches up to you, and procrastination stops being a small bad habit, it becomes something that affects your confidence, your grades, and your stress levels.

It's honestly so frustrating looking back because I know I could have done better if I'd built discipline earlier instead of relying on motivation or waiting until I "felt like studying."

If you're still early in your studies, please don't wait for the panic to kick in before you start. Future you will be so grateful. trust