Life Update

The last post I wrote that was not related to Kokoda was on the 14th of April which makes the fact that it was only 19 posts ago one of the reasons I jokingly changed the title of this blog to "The Not-so-Daily Lukey" which I will change back to "Daily Lukey" once I get back into the swing of things again. Anyway, the point of that little fact was to show how long it has been (almost 6 months ago [that's half a year!]) since I wrote a regular post. In that time a lot has happened (I think, we'll see when I get down to it) and so today's post is a little bit of an update on what has been going on.

So I wrote that introduction two days ago and now I am here, writing the rest of the post. Welcome to the world of procrastination. Except, I procrastinated by doing other work so it was not entirely wasteful procrastination. Could it even be called procrastination then? Anyway, school has been busy lately, especially since it is VCE, and with my 3/4 Methods exam just four weeks away the work is becoming more real as I get through more and more practice papers. I have done well in my SACs so I have that but I also need to do well in the exam if I want to get a good score so there comes that. The plus side is that in four weeks, I will no longer be doing Methods. Although I will miss it because I like mathematics, it will be nice to not have that as one of my hardest subjects anymore so I can focus more equally on my subjects, particularly the ones I am struggling with. I guess nothing much really has happened though since Kokoda, though I do feel I could use a random thought Friday post right now (wait, I moved that to Saturdays but anyway) because, as you can tell, my mind is all over the place right now. Nothing much really has happened though. We've had a catch-up with the Kokoda group, a presentation night for the whole leadership program plus some minor Rotary events we help out at but it has been a while since we have all been together again, I think we need to organise something. It is sad how people drift apart some times but hopefully we can organise another Relay for Life next year which can act as our reunion of sorts. I'm on my school's first SRC (this is only the school's fourth year) which was a great experience but is sadly drawing to a close as the new SRC representatives are elected for next year. One of the best things about being in a new school (aside from the new facilities) is the new traditions you get to create as well as the community feel you get from it. So, we may have only been around for almost a semester but it was great to set some of the grounding and actually have some input into things at the school and inputting student ideas. I had better finish now as I think you are all pretty much up to speed. Of course there are always the personal moments that occur but that is why this is the internet, and not my real life.

Hope to get another post out soon, see you soon!

Another Apology and a Hope

Again, I am sorry for the recent spate of short/missing posts. For reasons beyond my control, this blog has sadly been neglected over the past few days. For this I am incredibly sorry. I can not stress how sorry I am that this even occurs. I try hard to bring out daily content for all of you but some days are just too hard to get anything up. This is why I brought in things like Segments and Series so that I could schedule a few posts in advance to give myself some time off to catch up on homework. I am trying to keep this up but sometimes my life gets too busy with all these things going on but I am excited to bring you all new content. For example, I can not wait until April so I can share my Kokoda experience with you all, including the lead-up to the trek. However, there is a slight possibility that there may be a few days after the trek where you receive no posts. For this, I am apologetic but after hiking Kokoda I need a break. I will try to schedule as many posts as I can but there is only so much I can write between now and April. Anyway, all we can do is hope. After everything else is taken from us, we can still have hope. I hope that this blog returns to full-posts as my life returns to its normal school lifestyle.

I am very sorry, see you tomorrow!

Pre-Exam People

As you probably know, this week is my exam week at school. As such, long posts like these are not going to be as frequent due to the time I need for studying. So do not be surprised if you see another short post either on Tuesday or Wednesday (Thursday is my last day of exams). Today, however, was my first exam and it was for VCE Maths Methods Unit 2. Needless to say, I have been studying very hard for this subject (and my other ones as well) over the past few weeks and so am very pleased to finally have this exam over with. However, right before the exam during the last-minute studying time I noticed a few different types of people that appeared prominently all around me. These types occur every time there is an exam and so in this post I am going to walk you through these different types of people.

Source: http://www.zpsb.szczecin.pl/en/international-business-studies/learning-at-wpbs/photo-gallery/ibs-photo-gallery/

The first type of people you see are the focused study-ers. These are the people who you see just sitting quietly going through review questions or re-reading notes or sections of the text books. They are generally calm and not overly stressed about the exam. However, they are at the right level of stress to motivate study while not allowing it to overcome them. The next group of people are the late-night study-ers. You can generally tell who these people are by the way they are seated at a table. If they are lying across the table with their head in their arms then you know that they are sleeping. They generally have a higher-than-average level of stress as they were silly enough to stay up late the night before without thinking about getting enough sleep. The next group of people are the over-thinkers. These are the people who get hung up over one question that they did not understand. Their stress levels are very high and so they take everything out of proportion. They are generally the people who look worried, are rushing around or appear to be playing a game of twenty questions where the questions just never stop. Other people fall under the category of nervous wrecks. These are the people who have prepared for so long that when the day finally arrives the stress and pressure has built up. Sometimes though, this same type of person may not have studied for that long. Maybe they only studied for a little while and it is only right before the exam that they realise the mistake they made in doing this. This group of people display very similar symptoms to those of the "over-thinking" group. Finally, you have the socialisers. These are the students who do not seem to care about the exam and are only worried about catching up with their friends. Friends who are busy studying and not wanting to be distracted. These are the people who make you wonder if they even realise they are about to sit an exam. Their stress levels are very low and while this can be a good thing, it is always good to be mindful of others. Just because you are sure of yourself and what is going to be on the exam, others may not be.

There are quite the number of different groups out there, see you tomorrow!

Scheduling Woes

So sorry for another short post given it is only 6:30 but my Methods exam is tomorrow and I need to study! Not to mention all the other subjects later this week. That is why I scheduled two posts over the last two days (Friday and Saturday). Generally, I say that I love scheduling as it gives me the freedom to have days off writing for this blog so I can focus on other things or just relax. However, sometimes scheduling does not work so well and little problems arise. You may have noticed a lack of a post yesterday. Well, you can blame scheduling. For some reason it did not post when it should have and now when I go to look for it, it seems to have disappeared as if it was deleted. It was a really 'interesting' one too on The Great Firewall of China which I spent a whole Semester studying for my individual humanities research project. However, you will just have to wait until later in the year or early next year to learn about this 'feat' of the modern world. Anyway, so because of what happened there was no post up yesterday. Generally when this happens I just write another post and schedule it so that it should have come out yesterday. Because of this, blogger posts it with yesterday's date and the time I choose. This is something I generally do when a technical issue such as this occurs but this time I thought I owed it to you all not to lie. Also, I did not want to spend more time than I needed to away from studying for these exams. I will hopefully see you tomorrow with some 'witty' observations from my first exam.

See you tomorrow!

Another Busy Study Day

So again, I am sorry for writing another one of these late posts but when you have to study you have to study. Before I continue on this post, I just want to say that I do see Study as important and that no study is a very bad thing. Especially around exam time, study is important. However, it is important not to wake up, go to school, come home and then study all night. Somewhere in that schedule there needs to be a break for relaxation. For me, I try not to start studying straight away unless I have something after school like CFA or my Leaders of the Future Program. This way I am still getting a break from study. This generally means that I relax or do some training for Kokoda after school. This break is very important. Then I do study or homework. Of course, you should be taking regular breaks while studying as always but at the end before you go to bed give yourself at least thirty minutes of relaxation. This will make you a healthier person overall both physically and mentally.

It is getting late though and I need my break, see you tomorrow!

Busy Study Day

So sorry guys but tonight I was caught up studying and so this is another picture-less late-night post written on my phone. I hate when this happens but it will probably begin to happen a lot more until next Thursday. This is, as some of you will know, because of my school exams. I have VCE Maths Methods on Monday which is going to make me study really hard until the day and then my other subjects on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. I want to apologise in advance for more posts like these due to my study habits. In the coming days I am going to write a few more posts about studying and how to do it effectively so stay tuned for those because I know how popular they were last Semester. They will include some new things as well as some rehashing of the old yet great stuff.

So stay tuned because exam week is coming up both on this blog and in my life. See you tomorrow!

You Know it is Exam Time When...

There are so many exams going on at the moment. There are VCE exams and (I am not sure of this so do not judge me if I am wrong) the International Baccalaureate (IB) exams. Aside from these there are also all the end-of-year exams that come up for nearly every high school. There are several markers that can help you recognise when an exam is coming (if you do not know dates or are not very organised). Here is a list of just some of the ways you can work out if an exam is coming. If you have any more, do not be afraid to share them either by comments or the contact form to the right.

Source: http://thecampusminister.com/on-the-cle-1st-quarter-exams/

Work will begin to slow down in preparation for study and revision. This can be likened to the "silence before the storm" adage that works in many situations.

You begin to revise old topics in class. If you are doing this and you do not know there is an exam coming up, I am pretty sure there is. Your teacher would not be wasting precious class time on revision if it was not going to benefit you somehow.

People seem to get more distracted and pay even less attention. At least when there is normal work and students are learning something they need to pay some bit of attention so that they learn what they are being taught. However, since revision is going over things we already have learnt students do not seem to be as focused and spend a lot of class time playing games.

My brother watches even more television. It may not seem possible but a good indication of when exams are coming up is when my brother decides to re-watch some old television show just for the hell of it. When the DVD comes out you know someone is procrastinating.

People begin to stress out the night before and your inbox blows up with messages from stressed classmates doing last-minute fact-checking. This happens even before an assignment is due. Facebook just seems to become even busier. It really is an interesting phenomenon.

Posts like these begin to appear. Posts focused on exams like this one appear more on my blog. I know that last exam week every single day was a full post on one part of exams. You also notice a lot less short posts as I do not stay up as late and find it harder to procrastinate. Who am I kidding, I procrastinate anyway.

Do not leave all your studying to the last minute. See you tomorrow!

Did you really just say that?

Do you know those times when you are talking to someone and they say something and you are taken off guard? Or when you scroll through your Social Networks and see something that someone posted and have to ask yourself "why?" If you have experienced that then the best you can do is know that you are not alone. Statistics (that I just made up) show that at any one moment there is a 97% chance that one or more people are thinking this. Sometimes I think it when I see studies like this. Some people are amazed at the findings. I am just amazed that someone was interested enough to do a study on whatever it was they were studying. Some just seemed overly complicated. It is times like this that we question the thinking processes of certain people. Sometimes it can ruin your view of the future.

Source: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/unleashed/2009/11/dog-lovers-cry-foul-over-comments-from-jay-leno-and-chris-rock-about-michael-vick.html

Sometimes you just need to think before you speak. Do not just think about what you are going to say, think about whether or not that statement could hurt someone's feelings or make someone feel less about themselves. There are some incredibly thoughtless people out there who just say things and try to pass it off as a joke. Even if they are joking it does not make it hurt any less. Once it is said people begin to look at themselves and they realise if it is true or not. Believe me, the "it was only a joke" line never does you any favours. It just makes you look like more of a prick. On Facebook you see it all the time. People just posting meaningless statuses just so people ask them what they are on about. Talk about an attention whore. If you want people to notice you more, say something intelligent or interesting instead of something that makes you look like a self-important person. Seriously guys, I have said to think before you speak but you should also remember to think before you post. Think about how that post could make you or others look or feel. Once you feel confident enough that you know what you are saying can not offend anyone. Then you can post it. Of course, there are times when you need to voice your opinion and sometimes this can hurt people's feelings. The important thing you need to find is a balance and the fine line between opinion and just aiming to hurt someone.

Think before you act, see you tomorrow!

Daily Lukey: The Journey to 200 (Part 4)

Welcome to part 4 of the series where I take a look back through the 199 posts that lead up to the 200th post. This is all to celebrate my 200th Post last Friday and this series will run until this Friday with a break tomorrow for variety. We begin July with a post celebrating the fact that I had my braces removed! It was such a great day and it really made a great start to the school holidays. I then wrote a post about television shows that people watch because it is there rather than for any enjoyment/educational purpose before I celebrated my 100th post. I took a look through the many features of this blog and advertised that I was adding all the photos for each month that appeared on the blog (and a few that did not make the cut) to celebrate. Each month a new month of pictures is posted. This month's one will be pictures from May 2013 and can be checked out by following the Facebook page link to the right under pages. I then wrote a post about holiday homework before I wrote another on the magical creation of movies. Magical, I have said that word too many times today to be normal. I then wrote a post about boredom (while I was bored might I add) and followed that with a post about the top five most successful YouTubers (I was bored on this night as well). I then discussed the ever-changing and always surprising adventures of walking Sandy (he did begin to appear a lot in this blog) followed by a post on Facebook Games and how, over the holidays, I become addicted to them (no judge). I finished the following day with a post in response to all the reports of seniors 'mistaking' the accelerator for the brake and proposed that perhaps it was some sort of "senior rebellion".

Source: http://www.mad-blog.com/2009/09/

I then wrote a post about Twitter which was, ironically, followed by a post about the annoying things in our lives. I then celebrated a productive day by writing a post about it before again writing another post the next day on Annoying things People do on Facebook because, apparently, I had not complained enough two days before. Then school returned and I wrote a post about that before the wonder wore off and I returned to late-night posts written on my phone. The blogger app by the way is not that good. It is alright but pictures can not be resized or repositioned which is very annoying (I must have been having a very annoying month in July). I then complained about how some people seem to have so much money to spend before I wrote the next post on selfish people. Yeah, I wrote a post about selfish people on a blog where all I do is discuss things that have to do with me, what of it? I then discussed what the world would be like if idioms were real following a video I had watched on YouTube following the same sort of theme but with similes and metaphors. I then complained about some spooky driving I did where I believed I was in Slender Man (seriously, it was a bad night to be wearing a suit). I then wrote a post to reaffirm my love for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, it was going to come sooner or later. Here I discussed film-related things including the two trailers. Also, the new tv spot for Catching Fire came out today which includes all new footage and is set to Coldplay's Atlas which was written for Catching Fire (because it is just that awesome). I then wrote a post expressing my annoyance at the amount of acronyms in the world based on the amount of acronyms there were in the CFA (even the name is an acronym). I delved into the mind of Sandy and his logic the following day before answering some more random questions when I could not think of anything else to write about. The following two days were late posts and this was followed by a post on weird advertisements. I then wrote a post on some of the stupid things that have been said in court (which I found online thanks to Facebook). I then complained about study distractions,  neglecting to mention that a daily blog is a major one, before complaining about people who always told you way too much. July was ended with my review of The Way Way Back which I won tickets to thanks to Mix 101.1.

Thank you for supporting me and check back on Thursday for August with September and the start of October coming on Friday. 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!

Annoying Things People do at Melbourne University Open Days

So last week you may recall I wrote a very similar post about some of the annoying things people do at University Open Days. That was all from my experiences at the RMIT University Open Days and I thought that there was no way that people could top some of the annoying things people did that day. However, today I went to the Melbourne University Open Day and my view of how annoying people can be changed. I am sad to say that I lost some of my faith in the future generations as well as their parents. For those of you who do not know, Melbourne University is the leading University in Victoria and has just being named Australia's number one University for 2013 so congratulations to them. Basically, it is like Melbourne's version of Oxford and due to its ranking and reputation it had a very busy Open Day with thousands of students (and their parents) trying to find the right course for them. This large volume of people also lead to a few annoying (and sometimes selfish) things that people did.

Source: http://www.unimelb.edu.au/

Before I go on I am just going to reiterate one of the points I made last Sunday about people stopping in the middle of busy pathways. This happened so many times today and it was even more annoying as it was a lot busier than the RMIT Open Day so it caused more blockages. Most of the time it was just teenage girls fan-girling (if you could call it that) over meeting new people. It was just so annoying. Other times it was just people arguing over where they were and where they should go next. Guys, just think about others around you when you do this. The second annoying thing I found today occurred during the Bachelor of Science information session. This session was so packed that they had to stop letting people in and the first time we tried to get in it was too full (and this was us arriving fifteen minutes before it started). So basically you either came very early (like we did the second time) or tried your luck at coming a little bit later. So imagine my annoyance when I saw people not even paying attention to what was going on and instead texting or playing on their phones. It was just so disrespectful and rude to both the lecturer and the voluminous amount of people who could not make it in. Some people would miss out while others got the opportunity but did not do anything or even pay attention. It really set me off the deep end (in my mind, I am not that kind of person [ or am I? {Seriously though, I am not}]). Then there were the parents who did not care about anyone but themselves and so when Dad and I arrived around forty minutes early for the next session (we had to otherwise we would never get in) there were already people waiting so we waited behind them in the corner so we did not block the exits for people coming out when this eventually did occur. However, around 20 minutes before it is about to start a few parents come storming down and push their way towards the front of the crowd. Then they give everyone who is shooting them daggers death stares. Seriously, if looks could kill there would have been a massacre at the Sidney Myer Asia Centre. It was just incredibly rude, selfish and disrespectful of them to expect to get ahead of people who had been waiting upwards of half-an-hour. One lady was actually told to leave because of doing this and believe me, I wish I could have cheered (but that would have woken up Dad who kept falling asleep on me [not literally on me but you get the point]). So that was my annoying University Open Day experience I had to get out of my way. Seriously though guys, the rest of the day was exceptionally wonderful (despite the bad weather) and Melbourne University is a great place to learn.

Do not let the annoying things ruin your day, 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!

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!

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.

Getting the Most out of Language Perfect

It's halfway through the Language Perfect World Championships and there has already been more than 70 million questions answered! Today I just want to write about how you can get the most out of this awesome resource. There are many things you can do to get the most out of Language Perfect in your studies, with your friends and for recreation. Language Perfect really is an awesome resource for all LOTE students and I recommend it to all schools to get involved. It actually does improve test scores and it becomes a competition between students to a point where they forget that they are actually learning. Language Perfect really is your unfair advantage.

Image Source: http://www.languageperfect.com/

Studying for a LOTE subject? Language Perfect is the site for you. There are so many different languages on this site so whether you are studying Japanese, Chinese, French or Italian there are lists for you to study. Often if you have a school that signed you up you will have the words from your textbook loaded under your language and so if you have a test you can often just study the lists for these subjects. However, there are times when you may only need to know a few words from this list and so on the home page where it tells you your scores there is a yellow box that says edit lists and from here you can search for the words you need to learn and add them to your own list which you can name and save. This way you can study only the words you need to know and not the extra vocab that you would find in the textbook. I use this a lot when I am studying for vocab tests in French and it helps me so much that I rarely get more than two words wrong and usually get full marks. So next time you want a fun technique to study, look no further than Language Perfect.

Image Source: http://www.languageperfect.com/

Language Perfect is also a great resource to use with friends. My own friendship group actually use Language Perfect a lot and it is one of the things that link us together. It is something that we can talk about such as who is beating who and who has done which list. It has just become something that we have become accustomed to. The best way to use Language Perfect with friends is to set goals for each to achieve such as earning 1000 points and the first person to do this will win. Another way to do this is to set a list and the first person to finish it wins. Working with friends is also a good thing because you enjoy yourself so much that you actually forget that what you are doing is study. At first, Language Perfect seemed more of a tedious task but since working with friends it has become a lot more enjoyable. It just goes to show that doing things in groups can be a whole lot better than individually.

Image Source:

 http://footage.shutterstock.com/clip-2525333-stock-footage-two-female-friends-with-modern-laptop-in-outdoor-bar.html

Language Perfect is not just a study tool but also something to be used for recreation. Look at all the people already on 18, 000 points in just 4 days! These people must really enjoy Language Perfect and they are not alone. I too use Language Perfect for recreation and it really is just fun to get that extra thousand points and a certificate for the trouble. It can be so fun that you do not even realise you are learning new vocabulary. Just through trying to get points I have learnt just as many new words as I have revised old ones. To get the most out of recreation on Language Perfect I suggest having a look around at all the different languages to find one you might enjoy learning. It doesn't have to be the one you are studying in class. Just this year I have looked at Italian, Japanese, Maori, Latin and French when I only actually study one of these at school. So do not forget that just because something sounds like a study tool does not mean it cannot be used for fun as well.

Image Source: http://www.languageperfect.com/

May the odds be ever in your favour, 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!

Excitement

We all get excited from time to time. Even the most serious of us have had one moment of excitement in their lives. Excitement can make us anxious and nervous but in a 'good' way. I put good in quotation marks because I can as this is my blog and I can write what I want. Why am I writing about excitement? Because tomorrow is my Birthday (YAY!) and I'm turning 16 (I can get a  Second Life account now!) which is super exciting. So in today's post I am going to talk about the things that excite me because I'm too excited to do a deep and meaningful post about excitement. How many times can I write excitement in this post about excitement? Check at the end for the final excitement count for this post (about excitement)!

One of the main things that excites me is THE HUNGER GAMES! If you don't know what the Hunger Games is where have you been? The moon perhaps. I just totally LOVE The Hunger Games and got super excited when the teaser trailer for CATCHING FIRE was released. In fact I wrote a blog about it where the whole first paragraph was a link to the trailer. Hell, let's do that again. Click anywhere on this paragraph and you can watch the Catching Fire Trailer again! Then watch it a few more times while you're there AFTER you finish reading my blog. I don't know why I like The Hunger Games I just do and I get really excited about it and I can't wait until November 22nd! If you don't know the significance of this date, click anywhere on this paragraph! I get so excited about The Hunger Games that anytime The Hunger Games Adventures (a Facebook game) updates I have a little fan-girl-ing  session for a little bit because I get to play it again! It's so exciting and I just love how it ties into the movies and books  and even has its own parts and adventures! PLUS it has a map of Panem! So yeah, I get pretty EXCITED when it updates and I get to play it. I guess I just get excited about The Hunger Games. I got the movie soundtrack from my cousin for being her Confirmation Sponsor the other week and as soon as I got home I was listening to it. I was so EXCITED! I'm sorry if I use caps-lock too often or too many exclamation marks, I'm just really excited!

Language Perfect! Need I say more? I just really love Language Perfect (but not in the love way but as in I really like Language Perfect, don't get any MORE ideas Xavier) and find it a very useful tool for my French Studying and it also makes it fun and I get my friends involved (mostly Xavier) who want to beat me. One of my friends tried to beat me last year but whenever she got ahead I got even further ahead of her. Language Perfect is really a great resource and I get really EXCITED when I get to 'play' it. For me Language Perfect equals excitement and one of my friends can tell you the story of my face when I couldn't access it one day last year, priceless. I was just so excited! Language Perfect, go check it out!

The final thing I am really super duper (did I just type duper?) excited about is King Kong Live on Stage which is the new King Kong musical premiering next month (well, actually the preview shows start at the end of this month) which I have been super excited about since October 8, 2012 when I saw the ad for it on Facebook and saw the announcement they did (on October 7, so I've been excited about it for almost the whole time it's being announced) and I just got really excited for it and can't wait to see it because I know it is gonna be awesome! I'm really excited about it and I know I'm getting tickets to go see it for my Birthday (which yeah, is tomorrow [EXCITED]) and I'm just so excited to see the musical that I have been looking forward to for so long. It's from the company Global Creatures who did the ones like Walking with Dinosaurs except this time they're doing a musical with its world premiere at the Regent Theatre Melbourne which is going to be awesome and I am just super excited about it! I can't wait, the excitement is killing me (figuratively of course).

So that's just some of the stuff that really excites me and I know today's post isn't as meaningful or as well-written as some of my previous ones but I'm just so excited I can't think straight!! I just can't wait for all these things and I am really EXCITED!!!! Now for the all exciting, word count for the word excite. The word excite (and all the words that can be made from it (i.e. excited)) has been used 38 times in this blog post, have fun finding them all or just be satiated by using the find (ctrl+f) function.

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

French

French, is such a romantic language and you can say anything in French and make it sound romantic. For example: "J'adore comment que je veux vous tuer" sounds so romantic and I dare you to stop reading right now, search up a French person on Facebook and message them with that. Well, even though it sounds romantic the meaning of that sentence is anything but. In English: "J'adore comment que je veux vous teur" translates to "I love how much I want to kill you" which is not so romantic. Don't ask me why I chose that sentence, I just did. Wow, I sound really morose.

As you may know, I study French at school and I find it actually a fun subject (I can just hear one of my friends going "'Fun'? How is French 'fun'?" I don't know how to answer that question but for me French is fun. I just enjoy learning it and I don't know if it is because of the way it sounds, the pretty pictures in the textbook, or getting to use Language Perfect in and out of class to study. For me French is one of my favourite subjects (right up there next to Maths) and it has been shown that learning a different language improves your ability to learn and understand new things or something along those lines. Learning a different language provides someone with the experience to be able to travel overseas and understand at least some of what is been thrown at them (literally and figuratively). 

I used to study Italian in my old school but I never really enjoyed it as much as I enjoy French (I now study French if you haven't picked that up already) now and I guess I'll never really look back because I have learnt some basics of Italian and now am learning more in-depth French which is challenging and enjoyable. The good thing about this is that I can sort of say I am multilingual because I speak a bit of Italian and French as well as a lot of English (I live in Australia, of course I speak English and I am writing this blog in ENGLISH. Do you see the connection?). French has opened up many opportunities for me and I really enjoy learning it and am grateful to have been given the opportunity to do so.

May the odds be ever in your favour, see you tomorrow!
Puisse le sort vous etre favorable, a demain!

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!