Desk inspired.

So, the other day I was browsing through the IKEA catalogue to buy a (cheap!) white desk and a study chair for my room. I think it is better to have my own personal study space instead of having to 'borrow' tables around the house. Of course, having a tight budget (sgd100!) and a small room is tough, but I know I can work something out. You know I could always push my bed outside teehee. Anyways ..

Being inspired to write or study is the hardest thing to do now because I have other prior commitments that often at times get in the way of my studying. Honestly, I rather do the chores around the house or even do laundry -haha- than sitting down doing homework and revision.

I like the colour white because it is clean and simple. White is such an easy colour to coordinate, and accessorizing with pink and blue hues will definitely make the small workspace inviting - you know, for slamming studying my textbooks and do revisions. 

Having such a pretty, well organized desk will definitely motivate me to sit still -hah- and study as planned, as I get easily distracted -with facebook, whatsapp, random text messages etc - while revising. At the moment, I am doing literature reading and writing, at the family kitchen table which only makes me think of food all the time. Haha. I really do need my own space to study, without distractions.

Ok, I would seriously consider a loft bed except that the height of my small room is deem unsuitable.

This is such a pretty place to hibernate haha. 

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Vivid and bright colours, makes me happy!

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Such clever use of space and well organized.

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I liked this, a lot. A lot. ❤

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Clutter free. Simplicity. Clean. White is fab!

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Perfect for small spaces, like my bedroom. This is so pretty.

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Now, let's just hope I can find that perfect desk/chair for my room, and within budget.
I don't want to study at the kitchen table, for the rest of the year, and finished up all the food. Heh.

My study pledge for 2013.

I pledge to ..

To study better with good studying habits.

And also, to stay positive and be cheerful. Have a great weekend! 

Begin again.

The beginning is always the hardest.

The journey of starting all over again is .. depressing and lingering thoughts of giving up is always, ALWAYS in my mind, taunting me.

Take a deep breath and .. cry.
Just let go. Don't hold back your frustrations, your disappointments, your anger. Trying to hold onto negativity is never good. Pretending you're ok when you're not will only make things worse. I am always in a constant mess, putting on a brave face but at the end of the day, I would be exhausted and even more heartbroken than before. Tis is never wise to let a broken heart roam in happy pretense. Lesson learnt.

So just be. Be sad. Drown in your sadness. I think it is ok to be unhappy. We are merely humans, constantly learning. We grow from the pain. It is a learning process, with all its crazy maze of whirlwind emotions.

Let your feelings wash over you. Take a nap. Listen to your favourite music. Talk to someone you love. Take the day off. Stay in and hibernate under the covers while watching funny sitcoms. Read happy books. Take things slow. Smile, because, just because. Know that things will get better. 
It always does.

We always emerged stronger after each hurdle.
After all, there's a rainbow after a storm.

Let's begin again. x

Reading (boring) textbooks.

So the other day, I was putting together my textbooks and flipped one open, casually letting my fingers run through the pages. My eyes scanned the lengthy paragraphs, bored, and realized that I don't really like reading textbooks. I do loved reading, but textbooks are relatively boring and unlike a happy novel, textbooks are about hardcore facts and never ending. Reading a textbook is hard work!

Knowing that I must learn to deal with the difficulty of absorbing and understanding textbook materials since I am studying humanities, literature and english language, I goggled (but of course!) and found helpful hints and suggestions that tackled the subject about reading textbooks effectively.

(image from x)

SQ4R. The textbook strategy that helps to get most of textbook reading.

Survey. Question. 4R (Read. Respond. Record. Review.)

Survey. Skim ahead. Read the introduction of the text and browse through the chapter contents and index. Surveying a chapter helps to get an overview of the subject. You will learn what the chapter is about quickly. To survey a chapter, read the title, introduction, headings and the summary or conclusion. Also, study any visuals such as pictures, tables, maps, and/or graphs and read the caption that goes with each.

Question. Create questions and answers while reading a text. Questions give you a purpose for reading and help you to stay focused on the reading assignment. You need to have questions in your mind as you read. For example, if you are reading a chapter about the elements of weather (Geography), ask yourself "What are the elements of weather?"

Read. Read carefully, actively engaging the text to find the answer to each question that you have formed. Be cautious not to skim for the answer to your questions as you might end up missing important information. Stay focused and flexible so you can gather as much information as you need to answer each question.

Respond. Once you have read the chapter, close the textbook and answer your questions in your own words. Reread the chapter again if you are unclear of the answers. State key facts and concepts clearly.

Record. Once you have understood the material and can summarize in your own words, take notes. Write down the questions and its answers. You could highlight and/or mark the text, or take notes, or a combination of both. Note taking encourages you to be concise and more selective of important information.

Review. Review notes regularly. Integrating a weekly review period into your study routine can be a very effective strategy for retaining information. Reviewing helps you to remember more of the information longer, therefore it will take only minutes to skim over your notes and recall key points.


written extract taken from
http://www.how-to-study.com/study-skills/en/a-strategy-for-reading-textbooks.asp
and http://www.lib.uoguelph.ca/assistance/learning_services/handouts/SQ4R.cfm

Novel Reading vs. Textbook Reading 

"I am always surprised by the fact that many students read their textbook the same way they would read a novel, starting on page one and reading straight through to the end. Try reading your textbooks more like you would read a newspaper or magazine. Start by skimming through a section, reading the subject headings and any definitions that appear in boldface print. Study the pictures and figures carefully -- these are chosen to illustrate and highlight the essential points of the text. Next, read the introduction and summary and finally go back and read the text itself. Start with the material that most interests you, but be careful not to skip a section. Keep some scratch paper handy for jotting down important terms and working out problems. Leave your highlighter pens in the drawer. Most importantly, don't try to digest too much information at once. Read in 30 to 45 minute blocks of time with frequent breaks. This will help you to stay alert and focused."

- By Brian Zimmerman

(http://www.academictips.org/acad/literature/readingandhighlighting.html)

Visual learner and me.

I am a visual learner and I don't like noises when I'm studying, which is challenging because the only place I can study beside my quiet bedroom, is the public library. Bummer. Also, I can't participate in a group study often, as I learnt that not only can I absorbed and learnt more in what I am reading/revising and also concentrate better on my assignment alone, being in a group especially with girls only, we tend to study about an hour or so and spent the rest of the day talking and sharing stories. Haha.

Recently I found out that while doing a really confusing problem sums with Big Bang Special Edition Still Alive album in the background, not only did I manage to finish up my homework, humming of course, I realized because Big Bang is a korean group and I don't even understand their language, thus my somewhat hard-wired English brain ignored their catchy tunes, and can concentrate fully with what I am doing in hand. Great!

TIPS FOR VISUAL LEARNER

• Draw pictures in notes to illustrate ideas.
• After reading, review notes or underlined material to reinforce learning.
• Write it out!
• Use a variety of colour pens, highlighters, note cards etc for different concepts/subjects.
• Make your study area visually appealing.
• Use outlines, pictures, graphs, charts and diagrams.
• Make mind maps.

(extract taken from http://medicine.utah.edu/learningresources/tools/styles/visual.htm)

Funny lah the way my brain works, but hey, it helps with the music on because studying in silence is dead uncomfortable. Too bad I only like listening to Big Bang songs. Guess it would be the most repeated playlist and annoyed album for the rest of my poor family members (hah!) while doing mathematics. *grins*

So, what is your learning style? Here's a cute illustrated guide to find out yours.
Click click.

(the utterly gorgeous Big Bang -  oh be still my beating heart!)
image from x

Psst : Fyi, I like Fantastic Baby and Haru Haru. ❤

Making a study goal.

THE THREE W'S OF GOALS

Each goal you set should state WHAT you will do and WHEN you will accomplish it. Implied in each goal you set is your WILL (determination) to do it.
For example, a goal for a research paper might be stated as follows: I will (your determination) finish gathering information for my research paper (what you will do) by November 20 (when you will accomplish it).

(extract taken from http://www.how-to-study.com/study-skills/en/setting-goals.asp)

So for every week, I will make a study goal. I get distracted easily and bored too, if i studied for a long period of time. A study goal helps me because it is easier to commit and simple to follow. January is a month of beginning and I don't want to start off with something heavy because I might get overwhelmed and restless, and probably give up on the entire study goal altogether. Thus for now, I begin with organizing my books and notes first. Writing down my goals for each subject helps too. Cleaning up my desk/study area and putting up inspirational quotes/posters to prepare myself for the unruly busy coming months ahead. Tis like a battle, only no bloodshed; just tears and outburst frustrations, and that occasional hair tearing. Oh don't forget the classic head slamming on keyboard too. Haha.

Hopefully by the end of the month, I would come up with a proper timetable that helps me to stay focused and motivated in my studying. =)

Same old, same old.

Four subjects. Because it is easier to get a decent score with fewer subjects than trying to be ambitious and greedy, and ended up like my current grades. Ouch.

I'm being cautious and I don't think my head can take in too much struggling, i mean studying. Heh.

English Language. 

Mathematics.

Geography.

English Literature.

Come precious weekend (sacrifices are crucial) I would be busy organizing my old dog-eared school books, scribbled assesment papers and scattered notes, and doing research on the best private school (must be nearby and oh please be cheap!) or private tutor for my Mathematics. I will definitely die a lonely death trying to solve a problem sum. Yes, I have that much rage against Maths. Lol.

Oh well, have a great weekend!

.. so what now?

Post-jitters. Heartbroken. Disappointment. Failure.

Truth? I deserved this. I do. I didn't put in much commitment in my assignments and i half-heartedly did my revisions, slacking most of the year and only did last minute cramming on the week itself. I am such a klutz.

So what now?

Hence my new resolution. Reflect. Retake. (haha so cliche.)

Somehow after a good night sleep (of course crying myself silly until i get tired and promptly fell asleep) I decided to be brave and try again. Afterall, isn't this a lesson to be learnt? This is MY mistake and I REALLY REALLY want to do well in my gce o levels and have good grades. Yes, I flunked badly but I think everyone deserved a second chance. I know this is definitely going to be hard, frustrating and i would probably kick myself while mugging in a few months time for even considering retaking as I may get distracted with life, but for the sake and love of an old childhood ambition, I WILL TRY. Twenty thirteen, please be kind. Oh and Maths, we will never understand each other -lol- because my brain is more wired to languages rather than numbers -haha- but I will conquer you. Well, actually a C is good enough for me lah. *winks*

Dear heart, let's do this! ❤