Women Of Destiny

im dying D:
do u believe it? *no* LOL.
as u all know, i have been slacking for the past 6 months in school. and except from going to school for my friends, duties (and yes scolding people too xD) i have not really been studying hard. and due to that, i failed my maths. and science. and d&t? history. blarblarblar. haha! but overall, i just failed maths.

the bad news is..i havent been listening at all since the start of the year for maths. so nothing is in my brain. and yes, i have to study super super hard now! D: to keep up with the class. that sucks okay? but given my i-dun-care attitude, i dun care much about it. xD but for some reason, this few days, i have been study. (maybe i just started from yesterday xD i think i did xD)

and yes, im under stress.. *sheet* hehe, let me describe my type of stress. LOL. it's like when i cannot solve the question, or i just dun understand wad the nugget their talking about, i'll just cry for no reason o.o sounds stupid eh? haha. maybe im just suffering from depression or some retarded illness. HAHA. as u noe, im kinda retarded. LOL. kidding~

maybe God's trying to ask me to study hard.. hmm..maybe! :D den i'll receive enlightenment and all those stuffs (: which would be damn cool. hehehe..

actually u noe why am i posting at 12.42am when tmr im suppose to go to school? cos im bored -.- haha! im as lame as ever D: lol.

BRENDA!! :D i really agree with ur post luh! oh my mama, i just missed all those times we spent together in the cell retreat. the fun, laughter and all those stupid things that i told which were actually so lame. hehe. maybe we should have this kinda stuffs instead of cell :D haha! exercise u noe ~ hehe..

now, the government is advertising a healthy country mah! :D (i think) HAHAHA. i think im very high now. before i go on and on about useless stuffs xD (hmm..maybe im retarded due to stress xD as in very high at times LOL im getting lamer)

ELLYN ♥

"Sian, except for 1 subject, you beat me to the rest of the others." My friend, JH, said glumly.

OH! I'm so glad to see BRENDA's post. Its so nice! Especially the poem at the end. Definitely adding some colours to my so far lousy day. And Brenda, we do have some similarities there. I'm forever looking forward to recesses and the bell that indicates the end of the day, and needless to say, holidays (CNY!!). It is not freaky at all la. I love having something to be excited about. =)

Guys, i had a bad day today!! Totally sian about it. Nevermind. Promised i would elaborate more on my previous post. Again, they are from my school's vice principal.

Which way do you prefer to study? Try to figure out your learning style.

1) Silence VS music?
Do you prefer to study in a quiet place or cant do without music?
Its hard to find somewhere really quiet to study, especially in Singapore. Sometimes, even libraries can be irritatingly annoying, like those soft buzzing from constants vibrations of phones, or the music leaking out of someone's ear piece. Trust me, even that can be disturbing to some people.
However, silence helps people to concentrate and focus better. No distractions! Also, will be able to be more efficient and productive.

I cant believe why some people cant do without music when they study. Really, i cannot stand it. Its ok to listen to some songs, but definitely, not radio stations. My VP said, unknowingly, you will pay attention to what the DJ is saying instead of the work in front of you, and resume study when the songs are on, only, to listen to the DJ when he talks again. This is very distracting, and does no good especially when you are trying to drill some theories into your head.

2) Group or alone?
For me, i will just catch up on the latest gossip or news if i am studying in a group. VERY UNDESIRABLE. However, as my VP mentioned, for subjects like literature or Math, it is better to study in a group. Lit may requires you to read alot of books, and you may not have the time. It helps if one of them are assigned a book each and read up on it, then share about it. like summarised up the book, to the group on the following meeting, but that doesnt mean you dont have to read it yourself. VP did that in his university days during which he is required to read at least 40 books each term. Meeting in a group will help. For Math, yes, you might get the right answer, but the intermediate steps may be wrong or too long. People in the group can help to correct it or/and teach you faster methods to obtain the answers.

In a group, other than the occasional distractions, more work can be done, greater coverage and faster pace of understanding. Think, between having someone explaining to you and there to clarify your doubts with, and figuring it out on your own which takes ages sometimes and still not able to grasp the concept, which is faster?

Studying alone, better concentration, longer attention span, increased efficiency and productivity with the minimal distractions.

3) Morning lark or Night Owl?
Some people function better at night or in the morning. Early birds might have an advantage as they work better in the daytime, and it is the time when they are in school! Nocturnal creatures, can stay up till 4 or 5 am in the morning without feeling tired. Only when they go about their daytime activity do their tiredness sink in........... Zombies, my VP would say. (haha) This affects their sleep cycle. When people are sleeping, they work. They sleep when people are working.

It really depends on whether you are more "alive" at night or in the morning. But, for students, the suggested one would be to work in the morning since it wont make any sense to study into the wee hours and wake up 2 hours later to go to school. I did that once, during the End of year exams, Physics paper. I slept at 5 am and wake up at 6 am. HORRIBLE. Cant even think properly. Luckily, it was the last paper.

4) Short sprint VS long marathons?
Sprinters are people who take breaks every 45min to 1 hour of studying. This could work better as time is needed for the brain to consolidate and digest the information. Suddenly loading the brain with information may not be helpful. During the process when it is trying to sort out the information, it cant really register new ones. By stuffing yourself with information, you will tend to forget them faster. Though you may still remember the details, it would only be temporary.
Studying with breaks do looks good BUT, exams usually last for a few hours and there is no way you can rest in between.

People who go for long study marathons like 5-6 hours straight may find it harder to focus. Their mind would stray away, and it might get boring. Learning have to be fun in order to make an impression on you!
Try answering this question: Can you remember ONE particular lesson in Secondary school or Primary school? Just ONE.
Was it with someone you like? Was the lesson conducted outdoor? Was there any set-up or demonstrations? OR just a simple joke or something witty from the teacher?

See? If its just boring and mundane readings, your brain might not be triggered to stay attentive.

Still, marathons might prove to be effective and cover greater chapters. For e.g, i studied all the way till 5pm once i get home so that i can watch Yu Le Bai Fen Bai. That tv time can be a longer rest time compared to short breaks.

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Sometimes spending 4-5 days on a topic for a test may not bring you the results you expect to achieve. The amount of time spend on it is NOT equals to the results you get. Sounds unfair, but thats the truth. Aiya, speaking from experience one ok. From myself and from the people around me. Maybe something somewhere along the way has gone wrong. Could be that you memorise instead of understanding it etc.

Well, whatever the case, it is always good to find out what your learning style is. Not cramp all the information at the last minute. Never a solution for major exams. Thus, its better to "experiment" now, than later.

Going to watch Coach Carter now =) BYE!

Signing off,
Jo

Finally found time to blog. Finally, all my tests for this week are over!!! It has been a very busy and hectic week for me. =)

On Tuesday's assembly, our vice principal, again, never never fail to surprise us. He's really a weird, but a humourous guy. His talks are almost always motivational talks. Want to share with your what he shared with us on Tuesday.

He told us that we can actually learn quite alot from sports and apply it on our studies. Like the 2006 World Cup.
1. David Beckham cant score when he dehydrates and vomited. *ugh*

How can you perform well in your studies without good health?



2. What matters is a goal, reach for it. Can you imagine football without a goal?

Same goes for results, setting targets can motivate you to do better. REALISTIC targets, please.

3. Nothing comes without sacrifice.
Blood, injuries, dislocation, sprained ankle etc.

My VP once said the difference between students from prestigious institutes and neighbourhood schools is that they are willing to sacrifice to get what they want.

4. Do your homework.
Do you know that Germany actually studies every single penalty kicks from Argentina by watching through EVERY videos?
And the person who did his homework scored the penalty kick.


5. You are the one playing, not the supporters.

After all, who is taking the exams?



6. Fight to the very end!

Italy scored a goal in the very last minute!







(Taken from Dennis Yeo @ PJC)

He also taught us to identify what type of group we belong to so can we can identify our learning style.
Silence VS music?
Home VS outside?
Morning lark VS Night owl?
Short sprint VS long marathons?

Will elaborate more when i have time. =)

Signing off,
Joanne (always 17!)

Yesterday, our vice principal threw us some questions.

"What have you done for the last 8 weeks? To this, the last 8 weeks meant the holidays which were just over.

Next, "What will you do in the next 8 months?"

"Where will you be in 8 years time?"

I didnt attempt to answer the questions because i wanted to see what he had to say to us. Erm, more like I just didnt feel like answering them, because 1) I did not revise my work in the holidays except completing the homework given, 2) What else can i do except to mug and mug and mug, 3) This is the toughest question, as i had absolutely no clue where to start with.

And this is what my vice principal had to say, " What you did or did not do for the past 8 weeks will affect your next 8 months..."

!!!

He went on, " and what you do or do not in the next 8 months will affect where you will be in the next 8 years."

Oh my gosh, i practically broke out in cold sweat. The way he put it is so scary, yet motivating. I mean the past 8 weeks is already over, and there's nothing i can do about it. Except to chiong like mad till my A's are over.

" No sacrifices, no victory."- Quoted from Transformers. Lesser Yu Le Bai Fen Bai time. Lesser Playtime. The time we have left to study is inversely proportionate to the time we use to play. Dont that make sense?

And he also went through with us some skills and habits that we ought to have, which i feel is also very applicable to you girls.

1. Be portable - Bring your notes everywhere, so that no time is wasted between journeys of travelling. DO SOMETHING ANYTIME ANYWHERE.
2. Do hateful stuff first - We cant always choose to do what we like but we can always choose to like what we do.
3. Review your work after it's marked.
4. Know what is expected of you.
5. Participate actively in class - We learn only if we are involved.
6. Be aware of your own learning style - This is the most important thing, I am still trying to figure out which is mine. Best time? Best place? how do you study best?
7. Get your teachers on your side - I'm not asking you to suck up to your teachers...just maybe be nice, help them with their books and stuff, haa
8. BUILD FRIENDSHIPS, NOT RELATIONSHIPS.

Ok, that's it. The list is inexhuastive. I'm off to hit the books now. Ciao.

Signing off,
Joanne (always 17!)