Frustrations

There are just so many things that frustrate us in the world of today. Some of them are things we have no control over while some of them we do have some control but still do nothing about. We are all unique in this way as we all have different frustrations and different issues. Some of these are trivial, some are concerning while others are just plain frustrating (well, duh). First off, writing these introductions are frustrating. However they are also necessary because if I just started straight into what I was doing people would have no idea what was going on until halfway through. So you see, not all frustrations are unnecessary and without reason. I guess today's post will just be me venting my frustrations on a few things, some of which do not really concern me directly but are still frustrating.

Image Source: http://bloviatingzeppelin.net/tags/technology-frustration

My first frustration is how I am doing homework nearly every single night and yet my brother can get through a whole week doing barely an hour. The worst part is he is doing VCE! All he does is come home and watch television. I mean, he went through three seasons of King of Queens in a week! On top of that he has work and CFA so it is just so unfair. Then he comes in and annoys me when I am trying to do my homework and I am only doing one VCE subject this year. He is in year 12!! It is just so frustrating. I rarely have time other than the weekend to watch a DVD and if I do watch television I will be on my laptop while doing it or just watching some of the shows on free to air television. Here is one that does not actually involve me but is actually frustrating. Every afternoon after school now the bus that goes past the station and starts at our school is always so packed of people that some times the bus driver has to stop people getting on. This is incredibly frustrating as generally there are only a few who actually use that route to get home while the rest are just lazy and can not be bothered to walk the distance which is not even one kilometre and can be done in under ten minutes. Like I said, they are just really lazy. It also means that the people who actually do have to use that bus to get home are the ones that miss out because of the selfish majority. It is just so frustrating! They were just two examples of things that frustrate me but I will not go on otherwise, again, this blog will be made into one where you have to show your age before entering.

Don't let the frustrations get you down, just take deep breaths and stay calm, see you tomorrow!

Study Distractions

We have all experienced distractions. We all know how annoying they can be and how destructive they are to our planned events. For someone to be always able to study without experiencing any distractions is to be very lucky. It is no easy task being able to sit down and study for an extended period of time without being distracted a few times. It is incredibly frustrating and so I have decided to compile a list of sorts that contains certain things I find distracting when I am trying to study. Chances are that you guys have experienced at least one of these and if you have not then I envy you. Oh, do I envy you...

Image Source: http://studysuccess.org/

The first, and main, distraction I come across while trying to study is people. Have you ever tried studying with your friends? It is really hard to do it well when every few seconds you start talking about something else or going out on a tangent that is in no way related to what you are trying to focus on. Sometimes you end up spending half the time studying and half the time socialising. Of course, this is not a bad thing but it can be very distracting and frustrating afterwards. Having people watching you while you are trying to study is also very distracting. Suddenly you become very self-conscious and think twice about every move you make. Suddenly a task that should have taken only forty minutes goes on for an hour. You can see why I do not like people staring over my shoulder when I am trying to just get my work done. Electronics is another major distraction. This is especially annoying when you are on your laptop researching something and  you just say to yourself that you will spend ten minutes on Facebook for a break. However, this break tends to stretch into time periods that are much longer than previously intended which is why I like just going in and getting things done. That way there is less chance of me being distracted while on breaks. Then there are the background sounds like television or radio that distracts you and all you can think about is storming down there and switching the offending article off. This happens way too often to me and as you can see, even this Blog can be distracting. The above list is but some of what distracts me and there is a lot more but I will not list them all here as it would be very long.

Don't let distractions stop you from studying and never take breaks on Facebook or technology, see you tomorrow.

Acronyms

There are just way too many acronyms out there it just really becomes annoying. There are also abbreviations which are also so plentiful they are beginning to put me on the edge. As you may know I am currently completing a Recruit course for the CFA. You may also know that the CFA really love their acronyms. So in the theory portion of the course there is a lot of acronyms to get used to. Also, in school, I am currently doing Game Design as an elective. This means a lot of programming, which is fun, but also means a lot of abbreviations. Seriously, where will it end?

As I was saying the CFA have a number of acronyms they love to use. For one, they have their name (CFA = Country Fire Authority) but then you also have the sub-organisations such as VFBV (Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria). They also use a lot of acronyms for equipment like BA (Breathing Apparatus). Even in the theory there is a lot to look out for like SPADRA (Safe Person Approach and Dynamic Risk Assessment), WATCHOUT (Weather, Actions, Try-out, Communicate, Hazards, Observe, Understand, Think), and LACES (I'm not even going to explain what that one is) just to name a few. In programming there is a lot of abbreviations just to make it quicker and easier to code. For example lbl (label), btn (button) and many more. Where is our English language going? We'll probably wake up one day and be speaking entirely in acronyms.

Don't ruin our English, see you tomorrow!

School's Back

So it is that time of the year again. The time where teenagers live in fear of the two words set to ruin their lives. Those eleven letters are enough to ruin almost anybodys' mood. School's Back alright and already students are reaclimatising to school life. This includes early mornings, sleepy days, homework, tests and assignments. For this Blog it means more of these shorter, picture-less posts written on a phone.

Yes, so it is times like these where having a smart phone with the blogger application on it is more valuable than you think. With all I have going on at the moment expect to see more of these shorter posts. On Monday and Thursday nights now I have my Recruits course for the CFA which will take up a lot of time including homework between sessions. Also on Monday nights I have String Ensemble meaning I do not get back until later. On Tuesdays I have Methods Tutoring after school but my Tutor is on Holidays until the end of the month so that's alright. For now, Wednesday nights are free which is great for catching up and winding down after a hectic start to the week. Fridays I do Jujitsu and Saturday mornings I do Piano. In between all this I need to sleep, do homework, study, train for Kokoda and walk the dog. I know this seems busy but it could be a lot worse. Let's just say I'm grateful for what I've got.

Don't fall behind on schoolwork, see you tomorrow!

Relaxation at Last

Finally, after hours (and I mean hours, that's right, it's in bold) of working on our Science Timeline Assignment it is finally at a point where all that is left to do is some final gluing which will take, at most, 20 minutes of our time. I am not going to go into another description of what the assignment is as I did that in yesterday's post. Basically, it is a very long timeline on the evolution of plants and animals that takes a long time to do. It was supposed to be finished at the end of our double period today but our Science teacher, being very nice, let us hand it all in on Friday. However, we plan to finish it tomorrow and hand it in then just in case something happens. I am really happy with this assignment and just want to put it behind me and move on to enjoying my holidays. Also, exciting news at the end of this post (not as exciting as Kokoda but up there)!

Image Source: http://blogs.library.jhu.edu/wordpress/2009/01/msel-hours-and-access-change/

First, an explanation of why the last few posts have been pretty short. The main reason, as you would already know if you read yesterday's short post, was the Science Assignment. Last night I stayed up to 11:30 to finish the titles for the timeline which meant that I was really tired and so not up to writing a long post. The day before the post was also a little shorter than normal but it was pretty long. Another reason for this is because I managed to download the Blogger app for my Galaxy Ace so it was hard to gauge how much I had already written due to the size. Also, images came up as their original size when you attach one and you can not choose where to put it so that was the main reason there was no picture yesterday. So basically that is why my last few posts have been short but rest assured that the following days will be back to normal. Sunday afternoon I am going to go see King Kong so that will be great and I will post a review that night, so look forward to that. It is meant to be really good and my grandmother (who is very critical) said it was the best show she had ever seen so I can not wait! However, I did promise exciting news before so here it is. Today I went to the Dentist to get my braces tightened and the dentist said that I could get my braces off now (hopefully this time it does, click here for the last time I was supposed to have my braces off). So we booked it in for next Monday morning which is great which means I will not have to have braces for the holidays. I will however have a plate/retainer to wear so that is the downside but it is great that after two years I can finally get my braces off. Hooray!

Good oral hygiene leads to healthy smiles and a happy Dentist, see you tomorrow!

Stupid Assignment = Short Post

So today's post is going to be short and picture-less. The reason? A stupid assignment for Science. In this assignment we have to make a timeline of plant and animal evolution that spans over the past 700 million years. The catch? Well, one centimetre has to be equal to one million years meaning each timeline (working in groups of 3) is 7 metres long and 3 A3 sheets wide. This means 51 sheets of paper! Luckily my group started right away or we would be struggling. Just tonight I finished ruling up the remaining half of the lines and adding all the names of the eras and periods. This means that tomorrow all we have to do is glue our information and pictures on which is going to not take too long. Luckily we have two periods to finish it and it is due at the end. I am optimistic that we will finish on time while I am not so sure about some other groups who only just started constructing their actual timeline which means they will be lucky to finish, at least with a passing grade. Anyway, I'm tired, it's late so goodnight!

Always plan to finish your assignments early so if it takes longer than expected it won't matter, see you tomorrow!

Free Periods

We have all had them and, at times, we have all enjoyed them. Of course, if you bothered to read the title, I am talking about free periods. Those rare times where the teacher says those magic five words that can send a class over the edge. Who knew what an impact "work on whatever you want" could have? It is one of those times you can really see the ethic students put into their work. I myself enjoy free periods because it either gives me time to catch up on work or relax. Of course, some students take "relax" a little too far but we'll get to that in a minute. Basically, free periods rock!
I mentioned earlier that a free period can split a class up and allow people to see the work ethic of a number of students. First you have the students who are 'frantically' trying to finish assignments or work they left to the last minute. I say 'frantically' with inverted commas because they always seem to have time to talk or, worse, criticise those around them. The next group of people are those who are not in a rush, are ahead and are just doing work now to save themselves homework in the future. This is generally the category I fall into. It's the best one not only because I'm in it but because we are not in a rush and we have time to socialise which makes it even more relaxing. The third, and almost worst, group is the one where people do nothing but chat when they know they have something important due. It annoys me because I would worry/stress a bit too much if I did that, those lucky bastards. The fourth, and most entertaining, group is the one where they take relaxing too far and end up falling asleep. I say entertaining because often they accidentally do something like fall off their chair or someone does something to them like push them off their chair. I guess I really do enjoy free periods.

Don't leave things to the last minute, see you tomorrow!

A Green School?

The school I go to claims to be a 'green' school but we all know that this is only partially true. A 'green' school is one in which little paper is used (and wasted) and things are mostly done on computers to save this paper. I will admit that our school does save a lot of paper through what we do on our laptops but there are many cases I can think of that go against this 'green' school ideal. I mean just a quick trip through some of the parts of our school would make you question it. Of course, there are lots of recycling and, more specifically, paper recycling bins around the school but there is a whole lot more paper that could be saved by my school. My school is certainly not a perfectly 'green' one.

Image Source: http://eurogrouprecycling.com/website/

The first major amount of Paper that could be saved around the school is the bits of paper that have our school values on it of "Respect, Aspiration and Contribution". You may be thinking that a few bits of paper with those words on it is no big waste of paper but I do not think you understand the extent of it. On every board around the school there are these pieces of paper on it with one value on each in large letters. Sometimes there are even two sets on the one board or an extra bit of paper nearby that has them all on it. It would save so much paper if it was just these posters everywhere around the school, four sheets of paper would be replaced by just one in all the different locations around the school. Then there are some of the worksheets we get in class which could just have easily being done on the computer with much less effort from the teacher. Of course, some of this does happen but a majority of the time it does not. So, as you can see, our school does waste a fair bit of paper and that is not even the end of it.

Image Source: http://www.thesocialleader.com/2011/03/counterproductive-compassion/

We only just received a Science assignment which is the biggest waste of paper I have ever experienced. Working in groups of 3 (there are 200 students in Year 10 and all are doing the assignment) we are to make an approximately 7 metre long timeline of the evolution of plants and animals with a scale of one centimetre for every one million years. Of course, this would be alright except on top of that it has to be in A3 paper and be three rows. That is exactly what is on the task sheet. Yeah, 3 rows of A3 paper which works out to 51 sheets of paper. That is 51 sheets per group! That is the biggest waste of paper I have known so far. They are only going to display the best from each class but due to the size the possibility of even that is slim. So all these sheets of paper are going to go back to the people who made them which, in turn, will promptly end up in the bin. What a massive waste of paper! It is the worst Science assignment ever, it would make more sense to do it all electronically but no, the Science teachers had to choose the dumbest option they could find. So, as you can see, however 'green' my school claims to be, there are many areas of improvement.

Wasting paper is wasting our future, see you tomorrow!

Distractions

Distractions are around us all the time and it isn't until we are trying to concentrate that we realise how distracting they really are. It's currently exam week at my school and so I am learning first-hand just how distracting things can be and so today I just want to talk about the different types of distractions and how to best overcome them. It is obvious that it isn't easy to avoid distractions but you can limit your exposure to them.

Image Source: http://www.howtocopewithpain.org/blog/4453/distraction-can-reduce-pain/

In our world it is no secret that there are a myriad of distractions around us. Even the tiniest things can be the most distracting. Who's ever tried studying when someone has the television on loud down the other end of the house? Who has ever tried studying while their annoying siblings put incredibly loud music on down the other end and your parents say nothing? All these things are distractions and keep us from doing what we need to. Distractions can turn a ten minute task into the slowest hour of your life. Distractions can ruin your careful planning and preparation. The worst part is when you're in a test and you're 'friend' won't stop tapping his (or her) pens on the table like he's some wannabe drummer. Do you know how hard it is to concentrate when this is going on? It's even harder just to stop yourself from walking over there and snapping all their stationary. These are all very annoying distractions and can have negative consequences on the quality of our work and our performance in stressful situations (such as tests or exams).

Image Source: http://web.scott.k12.va.us/martha2/VaStudiesTests.htm

Distractions can be incredibly annoying but some of them can be overcome. If you're trying to study and all you can hear is the television then try and move as far away as you can, within reason, and shut the doors between you and the television. It is very important not to be able to actually see the television or you'll just end up watching it. If you can still hear the television just tell the person and if they don't listen to you then you'll just have to put up with it. The same can be said about the music except if it's your brother. Feel free to give him a whack over the head. If he's the nicest brother/person in the whole world then don't though. For test or exam situations you will most likely know before you go in who the person who does that is and so try and get a seat as far away from them as possible. Also if they are a person who likes to talk during tests and exams (I'm getting this all from the one person) then do not share a desk with them because during a VCE exam they can take your paper off you as well as that person's, even if you weren't talking because the people running the exam won't know that. So the simple thing is if you can't avoid the distraction just get as far away as possible from it within reason. Distractions really are annoying though so don't go psycho if it happens to you (unless its your brother)!

Image Source: http://simplelifestrategies.com/sls-reduce-distractions/

May the odds be ever in your favour (and good luck with exams), see you tomorrow!

Competition

Competition can be a good thing as well as a bad thing. It can be used to motivate people to aim for something higher. It could even be used as an incentive such as if you do this you will beat that person you have always wanted to beat. However, it can also be used as a de-motivator and can sometimes cause more harm than good. Sometimes too much competition can lead to psychological issues which are certainly not good.

Competition is one of the best motivators around. It acts as an incentive for someone to do something just for that thrill they get when they win or beat someone. Sometimes we have people we have never been able to beat and so when the opportunity arises to change this, we take it. I know some people who wouldn't do something unless it meant beating someone. A good example of this is my friend Xavier and Language Perfect. Xavier is obsessed (and I mean me to Hunger Games obsessed) with beating me in Language Perfect. Even though he cannot access it from home he still spends hours during school to gain points. Currently he is beating me but by a very small margin so I will overcome him pretty shortly. So competition can be used as something to motivate a person to do something, it is quite an effective motivator as well.

However good competition may be too much of a good thing often leads to a bad thing. Too much competition can have a big effect on a person's life. Sometimes competition can even control their lives to the point where things are being ignored just so that they can beat that one person they have always wanted to beat. Again, I use Xavier and Language Perfect as an example. Xavier, as he is unable to go on at home, has to go on during school and this does not mean just lunch time and recess. He does it during class time which means he is missing out on prime revision material (it's revision week for us) which could have a negative impact on his exam scores next week. Other cases of competition being a bad thing is for those around the person (or even the person themselves) who might develop psychological issues from this competition such as trauma, obsession or depression. So no matter how good competition may be, too much is not good. Competition is very important but we need to keep careful watch on how much competition we have. Some competition is good but too much is bad.

May the odds be ever in your favour, see you tomorrow!

Studying Tips

So it's that time of year again. Yes, it's time for exams! The time we all love to hate. The only really good thing about this is we only have to go to school for the exams which means really short school days. It's also good because the whole week before is just Revision Week where they can't teach us anything new. The downside of this is also that we can't have anything due that week and so all our assignments are due the week before (this week) meaning a very stressful time for students. At least once this week is over all that's left to do is study. In today's post I am going to discuss some study techniques that could help you do really well on your exams!

For Maths subjects I find starting my revision by reading through the chapters we have completed to be my first step in studying. From this reading I make summary notes on key concepts of the chapters. These may include formulas, graphs, rules and a few questions as examples. After this is completed I find it time to complete the chapter review just from the summary notes so you can see if you need to add something. Once this is done it is also useful to go back to the chapters and complete some more questions that you weren't on the layout that you completed the first time around. I have used this many times both in normal Maths and Maths Methods and it really has helped me a lot in remembering all that I need to. It is also useful to go online and do find some practice tests on Google. It is very helpful to complete these tests under exam conditions and without breaks as this will provide you with great practice. Remember, cramming the night before will do you no good as you will not retain what you just read. If this does work for you (and you get good marks), I am very jealous of you.

For subjects like Humanities and Science where there is a lot of information to remember I find the following study methods helpful. First, I create a summary sheet of all that I can remember about the topic (or topics) without looking at the text book or notebook and then I look through my textbook/notebook/workbook and write down any extra notes I may have forgotten in a different colour so that it stands out and I know what I need to work on remembering. After this I go online and search up online quizzes or tests about the topic that can help me revise. I also find the use of flashcards to be very helpful and I used it a lot (and to great effect) in the Semester 2 exams last year as there was a lot to remember with Health and Physical Education and Science. There is a great free app for android called StudyDroid  where you go online and make the flash cards (you can also create them on the phone) and you can sync the ones you create online with the ones on the phone so that you can study topics on the go. I also use this app in my Piano lessons for theory. I find it very helpful and there is bound to be a similar flash card app on the Apple App Store. Remember, trying a variety of study methods is best so you can find which one works best for you.

For LOTE subjects (such as French or Chinese) there are a number of tactics I use to revise. The first thing (and most favourite) I do is use Language Perfect to revise some old vocabulary that could come in handy as well as learn some new adjectives that might help in the written task. The next thing I do is read through my workbook and look at some of the activities we have completed and then do similar ones that I make up myself or search for online. This really helps with the application of different words and verbs because there is only so much you can do when you know what a word means. If there is a written component it is also very helpful to look over some of the previous topics you may have covered to gauge what sort of writing task it might be. If the teacher provides a Revision Sheet make sure you complete it as they are very useful. Then you can try your hand at several different writing activities to see how you do, the teacher will be happy to look through it with you to see where you could improve. Remember, just because you learnt something last year does not mean it will not be involved in the exam.

For English where there may be a text response essay there are ways you can study. First, the teacher will generally tell you what it is you will be responding to if it is a text, or the sort of topic (such as persuasive writing). If it is a text the first thing to do is to write a summary of each part of the text so you can gauge what you can remember about it. This way you know what parts of the book you may need to re-read if you cannot remember what it is about. From your summary look at some key themes and write down some good  quotes for each because there is more than likely going to be questions relating to some theme or something. From here it may also be useful to make up your own prompts based on previous ones you have worked on or other ones relating to major (or minor) themes in the text and then write a plan out for this. If you want, you could write out an essay and show it to your teacher for feedback but just a plan is enough so you can work out what sort of topics you might discuss. For something else, like a persuasive piece or text analysis, it is best to look at examples of these and use textbooks or notebooks for examples of how to write something like this. You might even do a Google search for some of these topics and practice things for you to work on. Just don't forget to practice, even if this just means writing out a plan. Some practice is better than none. Remember, just because you may not be allowed to bring in your text does not mean you do not use quotes.

May the odds be ever in your favour for Exams, see you tomorrow!

Pressure

Pressure, we all feel it from time to time. Pressure can come in many forms and at many levels. It can affect us in different ways. Pressure can be a bad thing but it can also be a good thing and can motivate us to new levels. However too much pressure is not a good thing. We all experience pressure in our daily-lives and some of us handle it well while others don't. Pressure can come from many different sources as well which can sometimes throw us off guard if we aren't expecting it.

Pressure doesn't have to be bad thing, it can be used to motivate us and push us to better things. If we feel pressured to do something we usually will do it almost right away just to get it over with. This can also mean that we have more time to work on it such that it turns out better than if we felt no pressure at all. A great example of this is a school assignment that we have a short period of time to complete. Some people feel pressured into starting straight away so they can get it over with, this tends to leave the person with a lot more time at the end to go over it and spend time on the presentation of it. Some others would leave it to the last minute and they feel even more pressure and they get over-worked and don't complete the work to as high a standard as the people who started straight away. It just goes to show that even though pressure can be a good thing too much of it is not such a good thing.

It's no secret that we all face pressure in our daily lives and that this pressure comes from many different sources. Pressure can come from school, work, friends or even family. It can come in the form of work (assignments, reports), relationships or even illness. Pressure can change us and can bring out the best in us. For example, we might be feeling the pressure of a family illness. This puts a lot of pressure on a person (trust me, I know) and it can bring out the best of a person. It can show a person the depth of their emotions and the ability of theirs to keep up with the work load and their family issues. Pressure can bring out the best in us even when it comes from a number of sources.

Pressure comes in many forms and can be beneficial and detrimental to us in many ways. It can also come from many different sources and can bring out the best in us. Pressure can teach us things about ourselves we otherwise would not have known.

May the odds be ever in your favour, see you tomorrow!

Google Plus

I have to come clean about something, I love to use Google Plus! I said it, come at me. I like to use Google Plus and I really like it! By the way, do you know if you type in Google with a lower case 'g' Google chrome spell-check says it is wrong. Just saying, I think there is some connection between Google and Google Chrome I just haven't worked it out yet. Maybe its the colour scheme...

Anyway, so I really like to use Google Plus and part of the reason behind that is that it isn't blocked by those annoying Internet blockers from school and work because it is Google! So that means we can socialise during class, after we've finished our work of course (I'm a good student), and the teacher has no idea what we are doing. It also helps because Google Plus has this thing called 'Hangouts' which is sort of like Skype in that you use your webcam to talk to other people through the internet. This helps because you can change it so that it shows what is on your screen which really helped us during Humanities recently when we were working as a group and we could just show each other what we had done rather than having to discuss it several times. It also helped when searching for data (plus if the teacher was helping one of the students we could follow along) because it was really hard to find what we were looking for. So I find Google Plus hangouts a great way to share work (and socialise outside of school) without having to download a program (such as Skype) and having to create some other account because we can just use our Google account. Did you know you can also create a live YouTube broadcast through Google Plus Hangouts?

I also like Google Plus because you can play games on it even though I don't use this feature that much. It's just good to know its there. There is also a chat option too (like on Facebook) which we use sometimes in school to share information we typed instead of dictating it and repeating each sentence five times. It's quicker to copy and paste. It really is a great site and I just can't see why others don't like it as much, at least it isn't like MySpace or something, it's Google. There are also other people that are on here (friends, celebrities, pages for shows and other stuff) and you can make pages like on Facebook and you can add pages and people into Circles (or groups) such as Friends, Art, School, Work, Family, Celebrities etcetera. So I like Google Plus and I am not afraid to say it.