Holidays and Kokoda

It is coming and I know it. The nerves are building and so is the excitement. It still is not going to hit me that I am doing the Kokoda track until I actually start it. Still, it does not mean I am not nervous about it. There is just so much that is happening now that the Holidays have started and I guess I am just glad that I have already finished all my homework or else I would have something else to stress about. Still, how many people can say that they have done the Kokoda track. Wow, that was a really random introduction so I am sorry for that but after all it is a random thought Saturday post so forgive my random musings.

Source: http://mrsec.com/2014/02/mrsec-com-final-signing-day-thoughts/random-thoughts-1/

I think I said yesterday that I was getting a start on those Kokoda posts and I have. I have already written posts for every day from the 15th to the 20th so there are six posts right there. Now I just need to write some more for the rest of the time and then maybe a shorter post on the 26th (Saturday) and a Doctor Who post for the 27th (Sunday) so that I have the weekend to recuperate without having to worry about the blog. I know that if I do not write those posts than there will be no post on those days. I can tell that that is how it would play out. You will have to wait and see what each post is about (they are all different but all related to my Kokoda experience) but I do hope you will enjoy it. The series of posts related to my personal experiences (which are the majority of them so far) are titled "My Kokoda Journey" and I even made a picture for it to appear in each one of those posts. The only posts that are not about my personal experience is a post on the History of the Kokoda track and a post on the story that my group wrote for our group presentation to the leadership group. The rest of the posts are all going to be about my experience. Well, at least the ones I have written so far. I do not think there is anything else I can write about the Kokoda experience that is not related to my journey so at this point it should be interesting. You will have to wait for the 17th to see the picture I created as the 16th is the post on the history of the Kokoda track. They are all scheduled to be released at 12:30am (00:30 [24-hour time]) each day so they should all be live by the time you want to read them. Anyway, aside from Kokoda it is also the holidays which is incredibly exciting! It is great to just be able to have a break from homework and school for a while. This is why I wanted to get all my homework done straight away so that I could have a break between school and Kokoda. I am sorry for a lot of posts being about Kokoda as of late but it is a big part of my life right now so I am sorry for fixating on it. However, this is my blog and as much as I write it for you guys to read it is mine and the story of my life. I will not apologise for writing what I want unless it is completely outrageous which I doubt it will ever be.

Enjoy the rest of your holidays! See you tomorrow.

Apology and Disclaimer

Hey guys, you are not forgotten. I am incredibly apologetic about the lack of posts recently it is just that things suddenly have become very busy. I have had to move my brother out of this room (hooray) and into the piano room which meant moving the piano into my room along with the desk and computer and moving the book case out of my room. On top of this I started Year 11 on Friday and also bought a new phone. I bought a Telstra Urbane (Prepaid) as my old Galaxy Ace kept crashing and had too little memory (even with max expansion). I am actually writing this post on my new phone which is exciting. I can not promise anything but we should be back to normal tomorrow with a Doctor Who Sunday post. It is a bit of a bummer that I missed out on all those posts because otherwise tonight would have been my 300th post.

I am sorry guys. See you tomorrow.

Daily Lukey: The Journey to 200 (Part 3)

So we have come to Part 3 (June) of this series of posts to celebrate 200 posts on this blog. We began the month of June with a post about the importance of writers; the people who make the show great. I then continued my weekend of writing with a post about fan-fiction that can sometimes add extra elements to a show you love to watch or has finished its run on television. I then came to a day where I had nothing to write about so I did the 25 random questions tag which you can check out, like the rest of these posts, by looking through the archive down below to the right. I then discussed regrets and what they can mean to us before I moved on to how privacy has been lost in our society. I then got sick of people talking about people as if they only had one trait, or category, and wrote a post about it. Then I wrote a post about YouTube before moving on to horrible drivers after going on a late-night learner driving outing (I may have lost myself towards the end of that sentence). I then discussed the different types of spoilt people (and Sandy made one of his first appearances here) before going through some anecdotes of what our parents have taught us.

Source: http://doublehockeysticks.com/2013/06/04/id-love-your-help/

I then wrote a post about blogs before starting a new series where I went through my YouTube subscriptions to get rid of the channels I had subscribed to over the years but never actually use anymore. This went for a total of six parts where each part was posted every second day. I discussed how much I enjoyed rainy days and my reasons for it. Can I just say how two hours ago it was pouring and now you go outside to a sunny and clear-blue skies. Damn you Melbourne Weather! Anyway, after the next installment of the YouTube series I wrote a post about an emergency fire alarm that went off at Werribee Plaza and the horribly unsafe (and uncaring) response from customers and business owners alike. After another day of YouTube I wrote a post about a horrible experience I had waiting to watch Despicable Me 2 (Don't judge me). I then, after another YouTube post, discussed the wonders of blogging and why I, and so many others, find it so appealing. Another YouTube post later I wrote about how my school claims to be 'green' yet uses enough paper to save a forest. After the final YouTube subscriptions post I wrote about another experience I had with a fire alarm at a theatre (I mean, first a cinema issue, then a fire alarm issue, then both. I was cursed). I then wrote a post about free periods and what people do during them which was followed by another short post due to that stupid Science Timeline assignment. I then rejoiced when I finally found relaxation after the Science poster was completed before publishing another post a day later about that feeling of accomplishment we get when we complete something that either took a lot of time or a lot of effort. I then complained (what's new) about irresponsible dog owners leaving dog poop in the middle of the path (and they still do it). On the second last day of the month I wrote about the Social Network Population before giving my review of King Kong Live on Stage which I had just seen (and am still reeling at by the way). That was June, be sure to check back tomorrow for July. August is coming on Thursday, and the final two months (September and the start of October) on Friday.

Thank you all so much for your support over the last few months, see you tomorrow!

The Journey to 200 Posts Part 1

So we have come full circle and back to Random Thought Friday. Today's Random Thoughts are going to be a little less random as we take a journey back through the 199 posts that lead up to this, the 200th post. So let's get started shall we because it could be a long one. We began back in march with an introduction to me and my reasons for writing a daily blog (oh, how naive I was back then). Then I spent the next few posts complaining about schoolwork and my experiences over the first few days of the holidays. After this, my blog went on a bit of an hiatus over the Easter break when I went to Phillip Island and my first post back was a reflection of my experiences over the past few days. Then I went on to complain about YouTube's April Fools Antics and then explained my obsession with Beautiful Creatures (which I got over) and Catching Fire (never getting over that, but you can always hope). It then went on to the post about how much I enjoyed Oz the Great and Powerful and the annoying stereotypes of Kids Movies and how sometimes the older people enjoy it more than the children the movie is aimed for.

Source: http://hillsandheights.org/2013/08/12/oz-the-great-and-powerful-at-forest-hill-park-on-friday/

I then went on to examine my new found obsession with the wonder that is Doctor Who before, ironically, writing a post the next day on procrastination and how whenever I need to start something I find every excuse not to. The next day Mum was sick and I was still procrastinating (some things never change) and then I proceeded to complain about irresponsible parents and annoying children in the following post. Next I wondered at the amazing technology in shopping centre car parks coupled with my review of The Croods. Friends and Family was next reflective post which followed in quick succession with my review of Oblivion, which was awesome by the way. I finished off the holidays with a daily update and another post about Catching Fire and my clumsiness. I began the new term with my complaint on the amount of homework we had followed by my first post about the Kokoda Leadership Opportunity which was actually the day we found out about the program and we only had a night to think about it and fill in the form. Lucky I decided to apply. I then celebrated because I had finally caught up with all my homework before I reflected on New Zealand Legalising Same-Sex Marriage. The next two days were about Relay for Life and then I wrote about Community and how I gained that from Relay for Life. I continued with a post about the sacrifices we make before celebrating after my great parent teacher interviews. I then wondered at how little people used Google Plus, the catchy tunes of Dumb Ways to Die and finally the convenient skills of scheduling. Ironically, I did not schedule that post though I probably should have because I did not come home until really late. I finished off the Month of April by describing my quirks, analysing faith, watching reality television and how easy it is to cause offence.

So that was merely the first month and a bit of my blog and there are still so many more wondrous posts to discover on our journey through 200 Daily Lukey posts. See you tomorrow!

Most Tagged on Daily Lukey

So today I was thinking of inspiration. Then it hit me, literally. As I walked outside Sandy came and rammed me full-on (accidentally of course). Then I realised that this blog is already at least 12% tagged with "Sandy" so today I thought I would talk you through some of my most popular tags in terms of posts tagged with them. So sit back, relax and ignore Sandy. The number of tags includes the tags of this post and the percentages take into account this post (so 178 posts).

Source: https://support.google.com/blogger/answer/44498?hl=en

1. School (56)

So I am not really surprised by this because, as I say on numerous occasions, I write from inspiration and since I am at school five days a week most of my inspiration comes from school. So that is why School is tagged fifty-six times within this blog. This makes up 31.4% of this blog.

2. Friends (46)

This one was a little surprising as I did not think I talked about friends a lot in this blog but apparently I do. Well, I guess when you are as popular as I am... just kidding, I am not that conceited. Still though, Friends does make up 25.8% of this blog (yeah, I am using a calculator).

3. Entertainment (33)

I guess that I talk about a lot of entertainment stuff in this blog even though I am not that entertaining but anyway, someone somewhere must be. I mean, if they make up 18.5% of my blog they must be something special. You do not get on my blog that easily. Okay, maybe you do.

4. High School (32)

Again, I am not that surprised about the large number of posts in this blog regarding High School. I guess if you really wanted to know why you can look again at number one because this is basically the same reason except there is a little less as High School is a bit more specific than school. Still, making up 18.0% of my blog is no easy feat.

5. Annoying (32)

As this blog is taken from a lot of my personal experiences there really is no reason why this should be any lower. I am just saying that if something is annoying me and I have nothing else to write about, be prepared for some offloading. 18.0% of this blog is me ranting about what is annoying so yeah, go check those out!

6. Family (28)

Family, no surprise this is so high. I mean, seeing as for the majority of my life I have been with them and all of my life I have known them it is no wonder there are so many posts tagged with this. They make up the majority of my life and 15.7% of this blog (see what I did there ;)

7. Homework (28)

Yet another non-surprising popular tag. I will often discuss homework issues or other things related to homework on this blog. It is a part of the reason why some posts come out really late and are short because they were written on my phone. Blame homework, it makes up 15.7% of this blog.

8. YouTube (23)

I live on YouTube and rarely a day goes by when I have not visited it at least once. Seriously, I can not remember the last day I was not on YouTube although, admittedly, that is not saying a lot since I do not have such a great memory but, anyway. It makes up a large portion of my life and 12.9% of this blog (I did it again).

9. Sandy (22)

This lovable dog has, arguably, being on this blog too much. I guess this post was sort of putting it into perspective in the fact that there are a lot more other topics with more posts. However, since there are a few hundred different tags, being the ninth most popular is probably saying something. He comes in at number nine with 12.4% of this blog about him. See my great approximation in my introduction. No, I just edited that two seconds ago, hehe.

10. Facebook (21)

Yeah, as much time as I do spend on YouTube I do spend a lot of time on Facebook as well. Especially over the school holidays when I get bored and addicted to all the different games online. Woops, looks like that time is coming around again (1 more day!!). Facebook makes up 12.1% of this blog.

So you can see, there are a variety of popular posts on my blog. See you tomorrow!

The Curse Has Lifted

So as some of you may know one of my electives at school is Game Design. Sure, it sounds all fun and exciting but basically there are just modules (basically just a textbook with each chapter as a module) that you have to complete that includes games and stuff to code that it walks you through. In this sense it is good as you learn how to code for games so you can eventually make your own. It is also good because next term (we already have started our proposals) we spend the whole time just creating our own games to put into practice what we learnt. It is going to be fun and I am making a puzzle game just so you know. I guess, since I completed all the modules and game proposals today it is also a time for me to relax and finish other homework. Seriously though, if you are looking for a class where you can get away with minimal work then Game Design is for you.

Source: http://www.nyfa.edu/summer_camp/programs/game-design/

However, for me this subject is cursed. It is not cursed in the sense that I suck at it (which I do not by the way) or it is really hard. It is cursed because every time I have Game Design I get a runny nose during that class and at no other time during the day. The thing is, it is not the classroom as I have other classes in there and this does not happen. It really is a curse. Also, because it is so quiet as everyone is working (or watching YouTube videos) you can not blow your nose because it will just draw attention to you. It is sort of like during Assembly or Mass when there is a minutes silence and during that one minute you have never wanted to sneeze more in your entire life. It really is horrible. If you read the title of this post though (as so many do) you will know that the curse has lifted. This is so true because today was the first time in a long time that it did not happen. I even had tissues ready. It was probably me jinxing myself because the other times I was not prepared for it but as soon as I started cluing in to what was going on it changed on me. Story of my life. Wow, I never thought I could get through a whole post just talking about this (Gas Bag level "Luke" reached) but apparently I just did. Always nice to show myself up.

Seriously though, Game Design is cursed (do not do it, or do it. It is your choice to make), see you tomorrow.

Getting Distracted

Have you ever started something, gotten distracted and realised hours later that you still have not done what you were originally meant to do? Yeah, story of my life. It happens to me all the time and so today I am going to discuss some of the times this has happened to me through examples. I know I did a post on distractions back in May but that was more about studying as I wrote it around the Semester 1 exams. This one is going to be different so you may see something familiar but overall it is different. So yeah, do not say I write the same stuff over and over again. Even my YouTube Subscriptions and Politics Series were different in that each post contained something different. If you have not read either of these two series then I am not fussed but if you look in the archives down there on your right (it is so hard to point through words) Politics will be under August and September while YouTube Subscriptions will be under June.

Source: http://www.daxmoy.com/london-personal-trainer-asks-what-is-your-distraction/

So when you try to start an assignment you sit down and open your books to start writing (if the assignment is to be done by hand). However, within a short period of time you tell yourself to go get a drink, it's good to keep hydrated, you are a good student. On your way to get a drink you hear the television and stop to look at what is on. BAM, YOU ARE DISTRACTED! Suddenly you have to go to bed and you have not even begun when it is due the very next day.

You are screwed. When you try to start your assignment and you open your laptop because you need to submit it electronically. You then open up your Internet browser to do some research. Ten minutes later you give yourself a little break. Every student needs a break to maintain their attention and health, you are a good student. You spend your break on Facebook and YouTube and BAM, YOU ARE DISTRACTED! Suddenly you have to go to bed and you have not even begun when it is due the very next day.

When you are studying for a test and you can not remember something and can not find any reference to it in any of your books. You decide you will text your friends to see if they can help you. However, you receive no response so you turn to Facebook and message them. However, on your way to message them you come by your news feed and BAM, YOU ARE LIVING YOUR LIFE THROUGH OTHER PEOPLE, YOU ARE DISTRACTED! Suddenly you have to go to bed and you have not even begun when it is due the very next day.

When you are meant to be practicing for a music exam or performance and you have just arrived home from school. You allow yourself a short break because you know you need a rest from music. You turn to the music on your phone and YouTube. BAM, SUDDENLY YOU ARE IN THE DARK EDGE OF YOUTUBE WITH NO HOPE OF ESCAPE, YOU ARE DISTRACTED! Suddenly you have to go to bed and you have not even begun when it is due the very next day.

When you are supposed to be writing a blog post and you turn to news.com for inspiration and find nothing. You decide to turn to Facebook to find something to vent your frustrations on. BAM, YOU FIND YOURSELF ABSORBED IN THE DEPRESSING READING OF FACEBOOK STATUSES, YOU ARE DISTRACTED (and possibly questioning your will to live)! Suddenly you have to go to bed and you have not even begun when it is due the very next day.

I hope these experiences did something for you as they did nothing for me, what is the point of this post? See you tomorrow!

Fridays

Before I go on I am going to type something and I am only going to type this once (although you could read it as many times as you want, and this of course), thank god it is Friday. Of course, I could have also typed "TGIF" but that would have taken far less space, time and reasoning. In short, it would have been smarter but these extra sentences make the introduction just a little bit longer. I am just saying, being smart is sometimes over-rated and out-dated so just waffling on, as some put it, can be the better option at times. At least it means you guys actually have something to read. So, we all love Friday and here are some reasons why:

Source: http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/garfield/images/9223014/title/happy-friday-screencap

The first, and most obvious, reason is the weekend. At the end of a long week of staying up late and waking up early it is nice to know that you do not have to get up as early for two days at the end of five long days. That's part of the reason why I love Fridays. On Monday I am slightly tired in the mornings but by Friday afternoon I just want to fall asleep and then I go home and that night I can just sleep until 9am when I need to get up for music. Then Sunday is basically sleep-in until I want (well, until Dad or Mum comes in and interrupts my dreams). That is why I love it because I know that once school is finished and I have returned from Jujitsu I have the rest of the weekend for myself as well as anything else I need to do or catch up on. It is just really nice. Another reason I love Friday is I get to just relax for a night without having to worry about homework. In terms of homework the weekend is also a great time to catch up on anything and if I do not have much homework then I am set to have a pretty good weekend. I suppose it is the relaxation that Friday represents after a week full of five long days that makes it so appealing. For me this is true anyway.

You do not have to be religious to say TGIF, see you tomorrow!

Wet

Today was yet another one of those rainy days and I have no idea where I thought I was going with this sentence. Basically, if you are new or did not notice the hyperlink on the text above or (like me) could not be bothered reading another post then you will not know (but now will) that I like rainy days. The reasons for which I will not go into as I already did in the post I linked above (I think). However, today was one of those exceptions where I wished that it had not rained. I suppose that is why I titled today's post "wet" instead of something more descriptive or just something 'more' like "wetter" or "wet days". Anyway, back to the topic, there was a fair bit of stuff that was done today but I am sure more could have been done if it had not rained.

Image Source: http://www.hereiamloulou.com/2011/07/rainy-day/

Is it just me or are we using more and more excuses everyday? For example, if it is raining that is just another excuse not to do something you knew you were most likely not going to do anyway. So, when I say rain can be annoying I mean it. Lucky for me I had one of those rare weekends where I had no homework. Before I go on, I have something to admit. Between the last sentence and the one before it I may have gotten a little distracted. Somehow, while typing this I started thinking about the RMIT open day next Sunday and from there I began wondering when the Melbourne University one was. Long-story-short I was halfway through signing up for something online when I realised I was still writing this. Sorry guys, I will not blame the rain for this one though. I will blame my epic procrastination skills though. Wow, I have gone off topic so much during this post. It is starting to become a problem. So, because I had no homework (casually proceeding as if nothing ever happened) I learnt how it felt to be my middle brother for a change. If you read my post the other day on frustration you will know what I mean. It was relaxing but I also did manage to help Dad stack up the wood he cut as well as go on a driving lesson and visit my grandmother. So you see it was not entirely a waste of a weekend but rather one of those relaxing ones you need every so often to just refresh yourself. I am sorry about this post as it has been all over the place and only the introduction really had anything to do with wet days.

If I ever go off on a tangent just continue reading as if nothing is happening, see you tomorrow!

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.

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!

Boredom

Boredom reigns down upon us all from time to time and we are left helpless to stop it. Boredom comes when we are at our most vulnerable and can often make minutes stretch into hours and hours into days. Such times as these includes the time many students are experiencing right now which is, of course, Holidays! Holidays, though great, are major causes of boredom as people find themselves with nothing to do. Of course, boredom can come in waves and you may find yourself in utter bliss one day and absolute boredom the next. Personally, I experience boredom quite a lot and have some techniques to overcome such boredom which sometimes can seem unending. However, some boredom I can not control and one must suffer through it to make it into the blissful times. Boredom, like rain, really should go, go, go away and come again another day.

Image Source: http://www.craveonline.com/lifestyle/articles/153208-10-ways-to-cure-office-boredom

The best weapon we have to defend ourselves against boredom is activity. Without it we would be lost in a world where time seems to stop. Of course, during long periods of freedom (such as Holidays) people can often run out of things to do so the best way to overcome this is to spread activities out over the full length of the holidays rather than being very busy at the start and then very bored at the end. However, some activities will lead to boredom and should be done as soon as possible if they must be done. Holiday homework is a good example of this because if you plan to spread it out over time you are going to become really bored over the entirety of your holidays. If you complete all your homework at the start of the holidays however then you will still have a bit of boredom at the start of the holidays but then you will have more free time towards the end to break up the boredom. Going out with friends is always a good remedy to boredom as it is very hard to be bored when you are with friends (unless you are in school listening or watching something incredibly boring {like a droning teacher or a dreadful documentary}). Maybe there is a movie or television show you like to watch and maybe you need to go shopping to get what you need like the DVD or maybe you want to rent the movie. Either way you have created an outing and an activity which will break up your boredom. So, however horrifying boredom may seem, just remember those simple ideas and maybe even add a few of your own. This way you will be prepared whenever the next wave hits.

Keep yourself busy to avoid boredom, see you tomorrow!

Holiday Homework

It is that glorious time of the year when students are again on Holidays. I really enjoy this time of year, despite some people's belief, as it gives me a break from school and allows me to relax and recuperate. Maybe even catch up on some television or sleep here and there. Mostly, Holidays are really fun and enjoyable times that I look forward to. I'll admit sometimes I'll be counting down the weeks but only when there is so much work that I just want it all to end so I can relax. However, school holidays are more often than not marred by holiday homework. Marred does seem like a strong word but sometimes you can get so much homework you lose most of your holidays. Luckily I have not received too much homework so hooray!

Image Source: http://rogermontgomery.com/who-asked-for-easter-holiday-homework/

Last holidays I did not actually have that much homework and all I really had was a Methods SAC which was basically all of Chapter 5. I did not actually realise how big it was though until I started. Luckily I started on the second Sunday of the Holidays so I had a whole week to complete it otherwise I would not have finished. I was working non-stop when I was home to finish it and I only actually did finish on the Sunday before school started. The reason it took so long was not because the questions were hard (in fact there were really only a few hard questions once you understood it) but rather because it all had to do with graphing which took a very long time. These holidays I have learnt my lesson and have already completed half my homework and expect to have finished the rest by tomorrow night and at least there was not any large tasks to complete and it is all pretty simple. So if you learn anything from this post, and I will be surprised if you do, it is to complete your holiday homework as soon as possible just so you can relax for the rest of the time.

A little work at the beginning pays off down the track, see you tomorrow!

Accomplishment

It makes you feel warm inside and can lighten even the darkest days. It happens every so often and each time can make you feel good inside. Accomplishment is what you feel when you finish something you have been working on for such a long time and have put a lot of effort into. Of course I am writing this post about the accomplishment we felt when we finished our Science. Finally, after endless hours of work we finally felt that accomplishment we all strive for. However, sometimes completing long tasks does not give us the sense we strive for and we are left asking ourselves why. Why don't we feel that one thing we all want at the end of a long task? I really do enjoy that feeling of accomplishment and it really makes my week a whole lot better.

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Feeling that sense of accomplishment is so much better when done in groups. This way we all share the accomplishment and it becomes even more as we celebrate together. It is also magnified when the task is either hard or takes a very long time. That is why the Science timeline project gave me such a sense of accomplishment as it took such a very long time and left me working late into the night (okay, maybe 11:30 was the latest I stayed up but for me that is very late). This morning when we finally finished it was such a great feeling as it meant that I had no more work for the rest of the holidays except for the little homework tasks we get from individual subjects. That is also part of the reason I felt really good as it was the last major task I had to finish before the holidays. I do not know many things about these holidays but one thing is for sure, there will not be as much homework as there was last time. Of course I am going to finish the homework straight away so I do not have the same situation as I did last holidays even though I started in the middle of them. Also, I am very excited for King Kong on Sunday so I am sorry if my posts become a little erratic. Have a great holiday!

Don't leave Holiday homework to the last minute, 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!

End of Exams

The time of Exams is over, finally! It just feels so good to come home and know that you don't have any homework for the whole weekend. If this were twitter I would write #Paradise. My schoolwork right now is like the square root of a negative number; it's imaginary! This is really good because now I have a weekend where I can watch some Doctor Who and just relax after a frantic few weeks of studying. It just feels so exhilarating to be able to just relax for once in such a busy year.

Image Search: http://www.last.fm/music/Relaxation

So what's my plans for the weekend? Well I don't know past tomorrow morning when I have my Piano Lesson. I'll probably relax for once and watch some Doctor Who, possibly do some studying for Methods (just because I like Maths). Though Doctor Who is a certainty and right now I just bought Season 4 and my brother bought Season 5 so we are set for a while. Can I just say that the ending for Season 3 is so good. It's almost as good as the ending of Season 2 which I may have enjoyed more if my good friend Xavier hadn't ruined it for me. So Doctor Who is my new obsession (nothing new on the Catching Fire front except for a few posters) for the next few weeks so you may hear even more about it. So basically this weekend is time for a Doctor Who marathon and relaxation, I cannot wait!

Image Source: http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Series_1_(Doctor_Who)

The real question is how I manage to keep up this blog sometimes. The truth is that I do not even know how I do it. Sometimes I come home from school and start work straight away and continue this until I go to bed. I take breaks for shower and dinner but that is about it when I am really busy with study and school work. Sometimes I worry I will miss a day but it turns out I find time in the end. I do not even know how I come up with some of these topics although they are all related to something that has happened to me recently. These topics don't come out of nowhere. For example, my blog on Faith was scheduled for release on the day of my cousin's Confirmation (for which she chose me to be her sponsor [conceitedness level risen]). I say scheduled because I did not know when I would be able to get home so I wrote it the night before and scheduled it for release. It was actually the first post that I actually scheduled for release. I guess I just see this blog as another thing to do every day and I know it may not be as intricately researched as my friend Xavier's Current Affairs Blog but it is all my thoughts. I just want to say that if you do want to contact me for any reason about this blog or something else you can email me at legolukeytutorials@gmail.com which is the account I use for my YouTube contacts (not my account email) and stuff like that. Don't forget that you can always comment as well. So that is all for today and I look forward to a relaxing weekend!

Image Source: http://people.highline.edu/cmckenney/

May the odds be ever in your favour, 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!

Getting the Most out of Study

Ever had a day where you had to get something done but just couldn't get down and start? I'm sure it's happened to all of us on at least one occasion. There may be an assignment due tomorrow, an exam next week or a report completed as soon as possible. No matter what it is the chances are we'll struggle to just sit down and start it because there are just so many distractions going on around us. We'll just keep thinking to ourselves that we'll start soon and before you know it it's 10pm and you haven't even begun. So today's post is on how to best limit your chance of being distracted and to get the most out of your study or homework.

The best thing you can do to limit distractions is to start as soon as you get home. If you leave it to later you're going to find more and more excuses as to why you can't start yet. If you start straight away you can get it out of the way and enjoy the rest of the night without having to think about finishing it. However, if this is not possible you could have a quick break but don't start watching television or playing a game because you won't stop and before you know it it's late and you're assignment is due in the morning. Once you have had a quick break and are feeling refreshed you are almost ready to start. Before you start be sure to find a place well away from any distraction or if there isn't a space like this then move the distractions away from you. Of course, I don't mean drag the television set out the front door (you probably won't see it again) but instead maybe move the remotes or throw out the batteries (or hide them if you're not wasteful). Just make sure that when you start there is nothing close to you that might distract you. This means no phones! If you do need your phone make sure it's on silent or you'll be messaging your friends when you should be working. Now this is done you can begin your studies.

The best way to complete your studies is to start with the most urgent task so you can get it out of the way and not have to worry about it. However, if you don't really have an urgent task to complete then start with the task you least want to do. This is because you are motivated to do it at the start when you're fresh rather than later on when you're tired and just want to get it done. A good idea to lessen the chance of being distracted is to have all the materials you are going to need with you at the start so that you don't have to get up and go anywhere and lose your concentration. Chances are if you leave to get something you are not going to come back for a while. It's also good to leave the tasks you are looking forward to most at the end. This is because by the end you are tired of homework and if you don't want to do it chances are you'll take a 'short' break and forget about it. If you do something you want to do at the end then there is a higher chance of you getting it done. It can also give you something to look forward to. It's always good to have some water with you in case you get thirsty. If you follow these tips you should be able to get through your homework effectively.

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