Study Guide 101

Hey Guys!

It may be almost the end of February, but it is not too late if you want to start studying, even for your Os. I promise.

Although it may seem like a tall task, we all can do it.

A large part of studying (for me at least), is to write my own notes. So today will be all about how to write notes:))

HOW TO WRITE YOUR OWN STUDY NOTES 101

Step 1: Gather your resources.

I typically use:

• Mildliners
• Blue pen
• Pink pen
• Red pen
• Black pen
• Green pen
• A ruler
• Pencil
• Textbook & other notes
• A notebook (I'm using a grid notebook)

But seriously though, any pen you like to use it completely fine. But find a notebook you really like. It doesn't really matter theoretically, but it helps with the motivation.

Other than that, I find music really helpful, but of my entire song collection of over hundreds of songs, not all of them are actually helpful music, so take some time to create your playlist. I do this on my laptop even though the phone works as well. For studying purposes, I have 37 songs I love that I put on repeat. Here they are:

The other thing is that I find that having water by your side it super useful as well.

Step 2: Flip through the chapter and take note of the main points.

For me, I tend to highlight the things I feel are important as I go along.

Most importantly, take extra note of the headings. These are usually the key points.

Step 3: Start writing proper.

I like my notes to be structured, so this is what I usually do:

1. Write the name of the chapter at the top of the page. (I like to doodle a little beside, just to make the notes look pretty.)
2. Write the key points, meaning the subheadings.
3. Decorate your notes a little, but never be overly concerned about the aesthetics. The content is WAY more important.
4. Now, write down the subheading and put in the content. Don't worry if you need diagrams, in fact diagrams are even more helpful sometimes.
5. I usually put my formulas in a red box, and other things I need to memorise in a box of another colour, depending on the colour theme for the chapter.

Step 4: Summarise.

Now that you are done with the notes, summarise everything. I usually don't write out this part, but i photocopy and cut out parts of the textbook, like the Key Ideas part and the Mindmap provided.

Step 5: PRACTISE, PRACTICE AND PRACTICE.

It is not enough to write notes if you want to ace your exams. You need to practice questions. I would recommend:

• Ten-Year-Series (fondly known as the TYS)
• other more renown assessment books [Let me know in the comments section below if yall want recommendations] 

Alright guys, that's it for today. All the best and share with me some of your own study tips below:))

Nitezzz

Essay 1: Are Teens Today Overprotected? + 怪我

Hey guys!!

I'm super sorry for the lack of posts lately. School has been an absolute nightmare. So many things are going on at the same time. Still, I would like to take some time to share this essay with all of you. I wrote this for a school assignment, and is actually based on an O'level 2013 question. Of course, although this is an original piece of writing, this version is edited by my super awesome English senpai, Ms Jessie Ng. Hope you guys will like this:))

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‘Ah girl, listen to mummy. It is better to be safe than sorry.’ Does this sound familiar to you? How many of us have, in fact, heard this line come out from our parents’ mouths in our schooling years? I have heard this one time too many, yet I strongly believe that parents do not always know best. It is with the same conviction that I say that many parents today are overprotective, and youths, overprotected.

First of all, I feel that many parents today are more highly educated than those from about 20 to 30 years ago. Hence, there is a higher tendency for parents to think that they know the education system better than anyone else, or more specifically, the child. There is a higher tendency for parents to think that they have more experience than the child. There is a higher tendency for parents to think that they know everything, just because they are more educated than their children. But this is not the case. The truth is, there have been many changes made to the education system since our parents’ times. The truth is, education in the 21^st century is very different from that in the 1980s or 1990s. The truth is, many parents cannot accept this fact. In a nutshell, this is why many parents are overprotective of their children—because they think they know everything.

Youths may be overprotected simply due to the fact that society today is very competitive. Most people have an academic degree, so how can we find a job without one ourselves? This need for a degree pushes parents to drive education towards only results, despite the teachers’ push for a dynamic and holistic education. This phenomenon is obvious in the following actions: parents driving their children to school, parents arranging enrichment classes for their children, even parents carrying their children’s bags for them. The rationale? Parents do not want their child to be tired and then as a result, not be able to absorb what the teachers are teaching them. But what does this do to a child? My own primary school life was exactly like this, and this stayed on until I was in Secondary Two. What happened to me, you may ask. Well, my life turned out to consist only of studying and nothing else. I did not manage to form meaningful friendships with my primary school classmates, and eventually I started to push everyone away. Spending recess with a book was all I ever knew, and I never experienced what the social butterflies did. It was not until I entered secondary school that things started to change, but that is another story for another day. The main point is, a parent’s overprotectiveness can lead to a child’s isolation, and is this a sign of young people being overprotected? Yes it is. Why? Simply because they do not get to live their own lives. A lot of times, children with a similar story to mine are simply living out their parents’ dreams instead of their own.

Another sign of overprotectiveness on the parents’ side is when a child is unable to maintain his own life. I am not trying to say that children should live alone, but freedom should still be given to the child where basic life skills like washing up or sweeping are concerned. Youths need to be able to experience and find out the most effective way for them to do things. Yes, we may make mistakes, but can parents say that they were good at folding clothes from the very start? We are always saying that mistakes can be made in our homework, so why does this not apply to other aspects of life? Our parents cannot always be the ones who take care of daily tasks for us. As youths, one day we will grow up and form our own families. If we only learn how to do day-to-day tasks then, will it be too late? Overprotecting the child may not always be the best way to prepare the child for the future.

On the other hand, I can see why many parents end up being overprotective. How can I not, when my own parents tell me this at least three times a day? Parents overprotect due to the fear of their children wasting time going on the path of failure. They do not want to see us making the same mistakes as them but what they fail to remember is that we all have our own lives to lead. We have our own paths to take. We have our own mistakes to make. While their actions are those of love for us, these actions may in fact handicap our self-sufficiency. To share experience is one thing, but to dictate life choice is another.

Thus in conclusion, young people these days are too protected and this is not a good sign. Changes have to be made, and it has to start from every parent.

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Alright! That's it. I really hope that you guys liked it and if I have any more essays worthy of your reading, I'll definitely share.

On a sidenote, HAVE YALL LISTENED TO THIS SONG!! IT IS TOTALLY BAE MATERIAL!! I have been listening to it since Valentine's Day, non stop...

I'll put the MV here

Have a great 2 weeks people, March holidays are coming soon! Jia yous!!!!

~jessykeejiayi

I Thought I Found A Friend- Chapter 2

THE NEW SCHOOL

Here we are. My new school.

Yes, I'll admit that it is not the best school. But neither am I the best student.

Still (insert name of school) IS one of the better schools in the area. 

I was told by my parents that the expected the best from me. Because they give me the best.

Mother was a typical oldest child from a low-income family. She never did complete her primary school education as she had to work to support her younger siblings. By sheer stroke of luck and fate, she found a job in my grandfather's factory, and got to know my father from there.

Father was the typical prince of the family. He studied in prestigious schools through out his educational life, from (insert name of primary school) to (insert name of university)

It was pure love and fate that brought them from the factory to the church,with wedding bells ringing along the way.

Still, Father's family couldn't accept their dreams of Father marrying another rich and educated girl crashing down, and guess where that brought them. Fights and arguments became a norm in the family after Father announced the engagement. And it got to a point where Father left the house, the company and the family.

For some reason, Mother stayed and continued to work as a clerk in the factory.

So for the first 3 years in (insert name of primary school), I was one of the model students in school. I was in Express stream. I handed my homework in, always on time. I passed all my tests with flying colors.

For 3 years, my best friends, Ching Lim and Angela, and I were the Top 3 in school and all our friends were in the Express Stream as well. In Secondary 3, Anglela was our class chairperson.

For 3 years, we were the hot favourites in school. All the teachers wanted us to be emcees for school events, public performances, anything and everything.

But things are bound to change...

Fate and Destiny

Fate.

Untouchable, but felt by all.

Cannot be seen, but it is still everywhere.

Fate and destiny are amazing. They govern who comes into your life, who hurts you to teach you something about life, who comes to protect and fight for you, and who nurses your wounds and comfort you in times of sadness.

I have experienced it, and I believe that all of you have or will.

It is an amazing feeling.

The 12-year-old me didn't believe in friendship, but she came into my life at my 13-year-old year, and completely changed me.

She is the reason I am still functioning, and didn't collapse when I am at my weakest.

She makes my NC experience complete.

She is my happy pill, and you really cannot help but cheer up around her.

She may be hard to understand at first, but she is worth it.

She inspires me to push on even when I feel like giving up.

She deals with more drama than me, maybe at a more acute level, but deals with it so much better.

She stands up for me.

If you happen to chance upon this post,  I just want to say, THANK YOU. There's no way I could have survived NC without you. I am super grateful for your appearance in my life, and everything else that I want to say, you would received every now and then.

I thank my lucky stars that arranged your appearance, and most of all, our fate and destiny.

THANK YOU.