I have developed a technique for studying for exams. I guess I could call it "start early enough that by the time of the exam you're just so bored of it that you don't even care if you fail". That is an extremely good technique, may I add.
Since I like (read: am a little obsessed with) organising and schedules, this arrangement suits me perfectly. I don't get stressed over hundreds of pages left to read the night before the exam and I don't have to study so much at a time either, which would be just boring. To be honest, I don't really stress over exams, rather if I have a million and one things to do at once. Anyway, the point of my studying strategy is to give me a free day before the exam. For example, I am now here writing this post. I have Finnish finals tomorrow.
Okay, I cheated. I studied a little just a while ago. But only like 20 minutes. And only because I really haven't studied so much for this exam. But seriously, I am Finnish, I can speak Finnish, right? You'd think so, but nooooo.... Why do they have to make such a simple thing like writing essays so difficult?
It happens every single time. I have more or less motivation and enthusiasm during the learning period and the day before the exam I am like "damn it, if I haven't learned it by now, I definitely won't learn it by tomorrow". Or then I get some miraculous, sudden blast of self-confidence and think like "yeah, piece of cake.. I'll rock this exam even with my eyes closed". That feeling could also be called a hallucination sometimes, according to my experiences... Usually, the thing I think about the day before the exam is that I just want it to be over. A little bit like right now. And here's my advice for all my Finnish counterparts before the beginning of the final exam time.
Technology hates me. No joking, all these program updates and technical problems wouldn't exist if it wasn't to irritate me.
I am not totally retarted so of course I manage to watch tv and use the computer and my phone on my own. However, whenever there is any exepction to the normal with computers especially, I am so lost. It is made so difficult for normal people 'cause if you want to install something, first you have to go to place A where you fill out a form and then it takes you to place B where something weird happens and then you wait for something to happen to your computer and then you have to log in to a million places with a million accounts and then your contacts are flying in every possible direction and to change one thing you have to basically start all over again and at that point you are just simply banging your head on the keyboard.
See my point here?
Well, this all started when Messenger and Skype kindly announced that they got married so I have to move in to a new home. I just don't like having long conversations in Facebook chat so that is the only reason why I still use a Messenger account. Anyway, I did exactly what the information e-mail told me to, but surprise, surprise, when I finally finished the process, I was more confused than ever. Luckily I know people who are smarter than me so I can go whine to them how I wasn't made to function with technology.
All I am asking for is a little bit of simplicity. Or a personal technology guide 24/7.
I know that with time I will get used to all these new changes and learn to use them, maybe even adapt to the constant development of technology in every area of life. Whether I have to particularly like it, is a different question.
Here's a song, the title of which describes pretty well my current state of mind.
Okay, I should start studying now. I really do. I have an exam coming. I have so much to learn. Hmm... my favorite tv-show is on... I am a little hungry... my cat needs washing... it's the fourth Friday of the month so studying brings bad luck... my toenail is hurting... Yep, I cannot, simply cannot study now. I will start tomorrow, I promise. No kidding, I will.
Excuses, excuses. I claim that students are the masters of making up excuses since they constantly agonise over picking up the book. The struggle with your willpower and the temptations of delaying the responsibilities is excruciating. All this reveals the one fact we can't deny: we are lazy. It is so true because once you open the book, you sometimes realise that it isn't so bad after all, especially if you like the subject. The beginning is always the hardest part.
Now I will tell you a secret. I always write a studying plan on a paper and intentionally book more days for it than I really need. Doing that, I don't have to feel so guilty when I delay the starting day a little. Well, the downside is that once I delay it with one day appealing to extra time, the next day I appeal to the fact how I am already good at the subject so why would I need to study so much, and the next day I convince myself that the mark doesn't matter so much.. It's the average that counts, right? Okay, well, I am good at school and I really do study, though this makes me sound like the laziest person on the planet. I am not, really.
However, being a little lazy can be a bad habit but sometimes you just need to be lazy. Nobody can work with 100% every single moment of every single day, it is not healthy. So, the next time you need an excuse for taking a little break, think that you are just protecting your brain from overheating. You won't learn anything in that state of mind anyway. You'll do fine. And well if you don't, you have nobody but yourself to blaim. So, take a deep breath, do something fun and return to study when you have gained back your energy and motivation. That's the way it should be.
I wrote an essay today in my Finnish practise final exam about an interesting topic. According to a study, the five most important values for 15-30-year-olds here in Finland are sense of duty, sticking to the agreed, independence, getting along on your own and your own welfare. Well, I made quite a few arguments for and against each of them, so I started to think: what do I value the most?
I value peace. Okay yeah, it might sound weird coming from a kickboxer, but that is not my point. I hate fighting verbally or non-verbally. Even my personality is built on that, since I can't stay angry at someone for a long time. A few hours is a maximum, at least with my experience so far. Just as much I suffer when I hear or see other people fighting. For me peace also means a state of mind without stress or worries. If I can help someone get there, I am really glad.
I value trust. I guess I trust people easily, maybe sometimes even too easily, because I want to believe the best of everyone. I couldn't live without having people who I can trust, and I want to be trustworthy. I feel honoured when a friend or whoever shares something personal with me 'cause it indicates that they rely on me. If people trust you, you have a good foundation to do anything. The reverse side, however, is that it can be lost in a blink. That is why I consider it so valuable: you have to work for it, maintain it and you get it only if you're worth it.
I value courage. With this I don't mean that I only appreciate people jumping off planes etc, the courage I have in mind is different. Taking risks in life, using your opportunities, being genuinely yourself and not being afraid to stand up for yourself are qualities that are priceless in my eyes. Courage is saying your opinion aloud. It is allowing yourself to feel what you feel, to cry when you're sad and to help people who need help. Of these three, courage is by far the hardest and the most complicated, and I don't claim I have it. I am hoping that someday I will.
These are just a few examples of what I consider important. I think it's good to stop to think about this at least sometime, because this isn't an easy question. But when you know what you believe in, it is easier to make decisions that are right for yourself and you are one step closer to knowing who you are.
This song isn't so related to the theme, but I just like it so much that I want you to listen to it :)
After countless mornings of waking up before 6 am, numerous bus trips, scary amounts of money spent on books and all the clothing crises, it is finally over. All that we have left are a few practise exams and the finals and then it is time to spread our wings and start exploring this wondeful world we live in -- or the entrance exam books. However, one period of our lives has just ended. And just imagine how many new doors are opening because of it.
Everything will come to its end eventually. Sometimes an ending comes with nostalgia, sometimes with relief, sometimes you shed a tear or two. Or a bucket. No matter how terminal it sometimes feels, there comes the time when you start seeing how it is not the end of everything. If nothing ever ended, how could we turn a new page and see all the new, joyful episodes or our lives?
Finishing high school is a step towards adulthood, a gate that leads to a crossroads where we can choose our own path. But just as well can other occasions start new chapters, it doesn't have to be something that turns your life upside down like that. A birthday is always the end of an era, especially if you're around my age, since you get new rights and responsibilities with the age. You can spend a perfect week on a vacation and think how everything will be boring and dark after it, but soon you will realise that the sun still rises every morning and brings light to your life.
We fear the end because the future can be unknown and scary with all the unresolved questions.Nevertheless, we shouldn't let it bring us down. We should be happy to have experienced whatever has ended and look ahead. I want to believe that the best is yet to come.
Time is a funny thing. Sometimes it seems to be the only thing that matters in life and it never feels the same. At times it goes so slow, some other times it disappears without a warning. Why are we so obsessed with time?
Almost everything can be measured in hours and minutes. We tend to say "it's a two-hour-drive from here to there" instead of the number of kilometers because the length of the trip is easier to understand using the time it takes. I often illustrate the degree of difficulty of some exam by telling how long it took me to finish it. Every meeting is settled with an exact time of the day, every store functions according to the clock. Waiting for the time to pass, whether it is minutes, hours, days, weeks or even months might sometimes feel unbearable. Not to mention years... but we have to believe that it is worth the waiting.
I am no exception in this crazy, busy world. I always wear a watch and as said before, I hate being late. I get frustrated while waiting too long in traffic lights, I suffer during a never-ending lesson and I complain when a summer went too fast. Time never goes the way we want it to. No matter how badly we sometimes want it to stop or at least to slow down, it never obeys. All we can do is to adapt to its tricks.
The reason why I am thinking about time right now is that I only have one normal day of high school left before exam week and final exams. It makes me wonder where the past two and half years disappeared. At the same time it feels like forever. All these beautiful, hilarious, unforgettable memories are lasting evidence of these great years with great people.
Although time is something you never get back if once lost, there is plenty of it ahead of you, and we all should make the most of it. I couldn't be more curious and excited to see what it will bring to my path. I will enjoy the sweet and bittersweet memories of my past because I can learn from each of them. However, I will not hold on to them too tight. Making new memories is way too important to be skipped.
The only thing I can say for sure is that time will never stop annoying and surprising us. Maybe that is exactly the point, though. A little excitement in you life is always more than welcome, right?
