Exams, revision and self-development.

YO HOMIES!

[I swear London brings out my inner ghetto child]

It’s been a while since I last posted and to be honest although I don’t have a solid ‘excuse,’ if you will I’ve keeping myself occupied. I’m making a conscious decision however to make an effort from now. I wanna stick at it. In fact, I’m gonna stick at it. I just need a bit of prodding and inspiration from time to time...

As most of you know, it’s that dreaded exam season again. It seems to arrive sooner with every passing year and the symptoms are EVERYWHERE. Stressed moaning students, the various people temporarily deactivating their Facebook accounts, libraries suddenly packed to the brim, procrastination in all shapes and forms and of course, a rise in the sale of red bull and such energy drinks! =P Personally, I am beginning to feel the pressure! Being in my final year of my degree it feels like I’m coming to an end of an era, AND I AM ABSOLUTELY BRICKING IT. Over the years I’ve developed an off switch somewhere in my brain so I am able to block things out completely which is quite handy. I’m already finding myself uttering the three words which students akin can relate to: “after my exams,” which is basically the line we all use to put off ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING you could possibly think of. The rest of the year, these words equate to the word lazy, but for this short period of time it transforms into a respectable nod of approval.

Revision is an interesting area of discussion. I myself, tend to get particularly ambitious and want to cover EVERYTHING and take notes (i.e. copy practically everything down with colourful pens.) Hell, half the time my notes are longer than the page in a book ‘cause my handwriting is so big and I combine sources and add in extra explanations for myself! After spending a week studying at Queen Mary, however, I have discovered new techniques. Let me narrate a conversation I happened to overhear: “I know how to answer Q5 in the exam, do you understand Q2, teach me?!” Shocking that this is even possible! I mean, yeah, you can get an idea into how the exam will be laid out, even potentially topics that come up. But to know exactly what formulae to use for each subsection of every question and have template answers, really?! People are able to analyse the type and structure of the question in previous exams and derive a method to solve calculations without understanding anything at all. Risky and amusing, but in short time spans, I am assured that it has proven to be highly successful. There’s revising, there’s revising smartly and then there’s just taking the damn piss.

Everyone has their own learning style, you can find out yours by conducting a simple VAK test, check out Google, I’m sure there’ll be plenty of alternatives available. Results will vary from Visual, Auditory, and Kinaesthetic to a combination of these. I happen to be a visual and kinaesthetic learner, so I learn by seeing and doing things as opposed to by hearing of things. Naturally, this means that I should read more, in particular colourful books with pictures (I just read that back and it makes me sound like a four year old) and put things into practise, doing and touching things (and that makes me sound like a baby exploring! – BRILLIANT =S). Anyway, it makes sense to utilise your strengths with your revision technique. Another revision tip I have is cutting the crap. Seriously, this is the time of the year you should be fuelling your body on good stuff, not the dentist’s worst nightmare! With your mental exertion at it’s peak, surely you want this is the time when you want the best inside you so your performance is optimum...

Exams and revision aside, this will be the final few months where student behaviour is acceptable, and frankly, I’m gonna miss all of the lie-ins, lack of routine, the flashing of my student card cheekily requesting student discount on everything and not having to answer to anyone, at all. On a more serious note, I’m sure that my learning has not come to an end and I still have much to gain from working. Self-development is one of those things in life, the more you put in, the more you gain. It’s always great to volunteer for things and consciously consider improving your skills base be it athletically, academically, technically, confidence levels, leadership, learning a new language, what ever tickles your fancy really. 

I'm constantly thinking of ways to better myself and to explore ways to self develop. I want to push myself and be the best person I can be. For example, I blog to work on my writing skills, I make cards to channel my creativity, I love to read and I'd like to think this makes me somewhat knowledgeable. I've also got targets for myself, like sometime in the next year I want to complete a 5K run and begin to learn a language.

A few of my friends have/will be taking gap years or travelling abroad to teach or for charitable work, (out comes the green eyed monster – for those who aren’t fans of Shakespeare I’m referring to jealousy/envy) and I see them developing despite not being in education. There is so much out there to learn in this world, TV and the internet can only offer so much. I recommend taking some time out to pursue a hobby or something; I came across this quote last night: What we love determines what we seek. What we seek determines what we think and do. What we think and do determines who we are. I think it touches on this area. GO OUT THERE AND GRAB LIFE. If you want to be a musician, go and do it. If you want to go swim with dolphins, go do it. If you want to climb a mountain, go do it. If you want to write a best seller, (you know what’s coming!) GO DO IT! Or as Nike would say, just do it! You’re the only one stopping yourself! Sometimes, I seriously think I’m my own worst enemy sometime in terms of progressing and I’m sure some of you share this view. It’s a tonnes easier just to laze around and take things for granted, easier to watch a film than to read a book, easier give up your dreams than to go out there and fight for them. Where does all our childhood ambition go?! Go out there and take some risks! Do things a bit different, shake up the routine a bit!

Also, you must understand it doesn’t mean because you have some grades you have what you need in life. Quite often after all the struggle people still feel as though there is something missing, perhaps just something depriving them of fulfilment. I’m not trying to devalue education, you must understand education is a stepping stone for big things. You have so much potential. I believe every single person has the capability to do something unique and special, I think you all have a world record within you that is waiting to be unleashed so explore... Let me end by saying: study hard, use your strengths to your advantage, eat well and remember it’s not all about the academics. There’s more to life than books, grades and jobs. =]

-K

P.S. Couple of little things. Show your support by joining the Kay’s Take fan page on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Kays-Take/189308221115770. Feel free to post suggestions for future topics and ask questions. And if you’re a fan of my cards and crafts, join the Kay’s Krafts fan page on Facebook also: http://en-gb.facebook.com/pages/Kays-Krafts/158470380884257.

THANKS EVER SO MUCH!! =]

Technology

Hey dudes and dudettes, 

Sorry for the lack of blog posts in the last couple weeks, hopefully that’ll change now for a while and I’ll keep at it at least until exams kick off...The topic up for discussion today is technology and its enhancements as well as drawbacks to society. 

Right, so, many have proclaimed that as a society we are currently living though the ‘digital age,’ as it were. Not many people in their lifetimes will bear witness to a time in which changes occur at such an exponential rate. Not many people grow up with any idea about the drastic changes that will take place over their lifetimes. In the past it has been predictable... Not now though. Now, everything is so volatile. Unforeseeable changes take place rapidly. The older generation are always moaning about how much has changed since they grew up. [Mind you, so do I from time to time!] It’s simply amazing watching thing develop, can you IMAGINE what on earth it was like a couple of decades ago, where computers, mobile phones and social networking weren’t central to our existence?! Up to the age of about 14 I didn’t have a computer at home or a mobile phone so I feel as if I can truly appreciate what things were like. Granted I was young and I probably didn’t have much use for a computer/mobile before that stage; but it’s beyond me WHY these days eight-ten year olds have mobile phones, and smart phones at that, if I’m honest.

Never before has knowledge been so close to our fingertips via our good friend, Google. Yet, it seems that despite this never before have the younger generation been so THICK. [Obviously, not everyone.] But seriously the number of naïve teenagers who can’t even communicate properly. I struggle to comprehend their text messages and in fact many of them can’t express themselves on a piece of paper. It’s simply ironic because this is the age where networking is vital. You are able to find and stay in touch with all the significant people you met throughout your life, but somehow you don’t know how to construct a string of words together properly... There’s no excuse really. 

I mean, I remember going to the library every couple of days when I was young, I don’t think I’ve ever got through as many books since I fell in love with the internet! It’s a serious shame, because there’s nothing like spending a few hours engulfed in a book. And yet all around the ‘younger generation’ complain about reading and how boring it is and how they’d much rather watch the film when its released. Come on now. NO FILM, HAS EVER, COMPARED TO THE BOOK! [Excluding Matilda and Charlie and the Chocolate factory which gave the books a run for their money. Perhaps this is because they’re short children’s books and because they probably don’t even take more than 2/3 hour to read, the producers are able to encapsulate their story well.] It’s an absolute JOKE that LIBRARIES are being CLOSED DOWN due to the budget constraint. Some dude called Neil Gaiman (jokes about his surname aside) said: "Libraries are our future – to close them would be a terrible, terrible mistake – it would be stealing from the future to pay for today which is what got us into the mess we’re in now.” Couldn’t have put it better myself. 

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge fan of technology and computers, those who know me well know I’m a secret geek. I love that I can just send someone across the world a message from my beautiful iPhone with What’s App, FOR FREE. I love that I never have to miss my favourite TV shows because I can catch up via 4oD or streaming from other website. I love that my inner valetudinarian can seek medicinal solutions without having to visit a doctor. I love the satisfaction of being able to open up my PC and sort a problem out and my ability to program in a number of languages. In fact I want to do another Cisco course or something else computing related after Uni. 

What I don’t like is that technology is slowly sucking away the joys of the simple things. I can’t remember the last time I got a hand written letter. I can’t remember the last time I went to the library to take out a book that wasn’t educational. [I do read fiction books but not nearly as much as I would like.]  I can’t remember the last day I went without using my laptop let alone the last day I went without using my phone. The paradox of technology is that never before have there been so many conveniences yet we complain about having no time. 
 

It is thanks to technology that I’m able to share my opinions with you... However, I urge you to shake things up a little this week. Pick up a book. Send someone a letter. Play a board game. Make someone a card. (Check out some of my ones below – I do sell them so get in touch if you are interested...) Do something old school. Do something a bit personal. I’m gonna be doing the same! =] 

-K