theproudbooknerd

thanks for the tag @deskdays !!! <3

1) favourite article of clothing you own?

i have this super comfy white shirt that says “ok, but first coffee”  #lifemotto haha

2) what are some of your favourite songs at the moment?

Dynasty by MIIA

Afraid by The Neighborhood 

One Mississipi by Zara Larsson

Don’t Play by Halsey

3) favourite study method?

pretending to be teaching a concept to someone as a revision ik it sounds weird but works for me

4) favourite breakfast cereal?

koko krunch by nestle

5) if you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?

any place where there is snow because i’ve never touched snow like WUT (i live on a tropical island btw)

6) to you, what is worse: failing, or not even trying in the first place?

failing and not trying to prove yourself to yourself again

7) what is your favourite thing to photograph?

anything looks good during the golden hour, so it’s not really a specific thing just a specific time which inevitably influences the picture

8) is there a weird fact you inexplicably know? if so, what is it?

that Liam Payne was scared of spoons haha i just can’t over that

9) would you rather be able to detect any lie you hear, or get away with any lie you tell?

detect lies i hear because #trustissues

10) are you freaked out by bugs?

i don’t like bugs as in i would not want one on me but i’m not scared of them in anyway

11) do you like to keep your nails painted?

i never wear nail polish, idk i just don’t like it unless it’s transparent which defeats the whole point of nail polish 

Chemistry revision: flashcards

so once again i got some more chemistry revision done and since i really practiced writing chemical reactions today, it involved learning my radicals by heart. personally, i choose to make flashcards for that!!! i actually use flashcards for most subjects and find them extremely helpful. seriously, those things are AMAZING! so lemme guide you through the benefits of using flashcards.

How are flashcards useful?

they greatly condense information, making it easier to recall

you can practice anywhere, anytime. just place them in your bag and pull them out if you’re in the car or waiting for the bus.

they allow “active recall” which stimulates your memory . for example, in the GIF above you’ll see that the name of the substance is written on one side whereas it’s symbol and charge is on the other side. this way, i can think about the corresponding symbol and flip over to see the right answer, try again and so on. you get the hint.  this is a lot more effective than just reading a text passively.

gives opportunity for self-reflection. since the question-answer style challenges you and helps you know what you remember and what you don’t, so as you can test yourself and prioritize certain areas.

Tips for making flashcards

incorporate images and diagrams: this can be really helpful for visual learners whereby certain imagery can be associated to a certain piece of information

read out loud on your own or have a friend quiz you:  when asking yourself the question or being asked the question, you have to commit to whatever answer you were able to recall and say it out loud. otherwise, reading through the questions and answers would be just as passive as reading through a passage because you recognize the information but don’t quite recall it . this is called the “illusion of competence” and you can read more about it on https://collegeinfogeek.com/flash-card-study-tips/ .

make them yourself instead of printing them off the net: trust me, this tiny effort will go a long way as customizing and writing the information in your own words enhances the process of memorizing the information

give yourself a break

hey guys! so today i spent the whole day on my chemistry and physics revision, before deciding to pick up a nice book and pretty much give myself a well-deserved break. as I thought of what I would like to post today, I realized that my posts only show a part of my day where I am composed, have my ish together and study. 

however, the message i want to give is not quite “stay in your room and work all day”. yes, you must study and work hard to attain your dreams but you need rest and take of yourself as well. so from time to time, close that textbook and treat yourself to a nice break. read a book, go walk, strum a couple notes on your guitar or really anything. just remember that it’s ok to take a break.

in fact, you could have a reward system where for example if you study for lets say 2 hours straight, you will treat yourself to a movie night or something like that. if you’re nervous about a test and you’re shaking your head at this post, just know that scientifically, studying for a very long period of time without breaks is not effective at all. rather, short study sessions must be formulated so that your brain can take in the information. 

so take a break before you break

book nest & language improvement

hey everyone, so today i invested a lot of time at the local library looking at some French novels to read as a part of my aim to improve. i found these in the ‘book nest’, which is basically a chain of anonymous book sharing that i have recently begun to participate in. to elaborate, people around the country leave books that they want to share with others in this letterbox and you can take one, read it, place one you want to share, etc, etc; these letterboxes are found in many supermarkets and libraries. i think it’s a beautiful concept and is an amazing way to discover new books.

despite of being verbally fluent at the language, i suck at grammar and conjugation and whatnot. since i have also taken spanish language acquisition classes before, i thought i would dedicate a post to the topic of learning languages.

Tips for learning new languages

Apps: i have used an app called “Duolingo” in the past and it is freaking amazing. It has a streak system which to me is really motivating for making sure i practice spanish on a daily basis even if it’s for a short period of time.

Reading: whether you are at a “beginner” level or moderately fluent at the language, the best thing to do is to read books in the given language. This helps to not only improve in terms of language “norms” but also learn new words or gain inspiration and key expressions you could use. a good way to do so is by highlighting the terms. however if you’re like me and you don’t want to damage the book or you’re not allowed to (if borrowed or something like that), i like to note down new words in an address book (the ones with alphabetical sidebars)and create my own dictionary/new vocab book. ]

Start a journal in that language: when you can’t find a certain word you want to use, you will naturally look for it and thus expand your vocabulary. i like to do this especially during breaks and take actual pictures, stick them in the diary scrapbook-style and describe what’s going on in the image and whatnot.

These are things I personally did when learning Spanish and they worked really worked out for me. Leave a comment or reblog if you find them helpful and share a couple of your own to help out others. After all, the studyblr community is about sharing knowledge and helping each other out.

hey guys, I’m so sorry for going MIA for like more than a week! 

honestly i was so caught up in the whole trying to stay productive in academics while balancing between family and chill time; i just couldn’t find time to take pictures and/or formulate good posts for y’all because i do strive to create good content for you guys and knew that i would be unhappy if the posts i was providing were not satisfactory.

however, i am indeed back and will try my best to continue making good content for y’all. also i did continue my motivation streak (though off tumblr). thus i have chosen to “skip” those  days  on tumblr and resume to where i have reached (i.e. day 15/58). i apologize for any inconveniences and for being inactive for so long.

on a sidenote, i came back to 27 followers!!! so thank you for your support and i hope that i will not disappoint you in the future.

xx

Math Revision

now i don’t know about you, but i struggle a lot in maths and it takes me a crazy amount of time to grasp topics.

 last year, i was doing great in the subject and thought it would be a good idea to take EXTENDED mathematics in IGCSE and god i was so freaking wrong, because it hit me like a brick. however, i did not give up (even though i admit that i did cry a couple of times when i practically failed tests) and worked hard until i managed to get an A*. yep, i went from getting an E or D to getting A or A*. since this progress is so dear to me, i thought i would make a post about how i study maths and how i improved. so here goes:

How did I stay positive?

well to be entirely honest, i didn’t. i spent a lot of time crying and stressing over my terrible grades or creating scenarios in my head as to what subject i could switch extended mathematics with.

i know, this isn’t quite the model example to be giving you, but i want to be completely frank to you and let you know that no one is perfect. those negative thoughts that linger in your mind? they happen to everyone and it is okay to cry or feel sad about it, because containing those feelings will simply worsen things since they can just emerge later on and affect your life and grades in the future. so let the tears, frustration and anger come out. come to terms with your disappointment and take it as a reason to work towards improving.

for me, talking to my family and friends was really helpful because they reminded me that anything is possible and that it’s not the end. as well, since i am quite close to my teacher, i also spoke to her regarding my difficulties and she helped me work on certain points that i hadn’t grasped and gave me some past paper questions to practice. so make sure to reach out for help because that’s what your teachers are there for!

How to improve in Maths? 

1. practice: 

maths is all about practice. so i do practice a ton of questions from my textbooks, revision guides and past papers. but, if the unit was long or if i am revising for an end of year exam that compiles a whole year’s topics, i need to go over the methods/rules before practicing because i’ll be straight up clueless.

2. write examples  and add notes/instructions to them:

now i don’t know if this is the same for everyone, but in my case simply having numerical workings in my copybook does not prove to be helpful and when i look back at them, i just don’t know what on earth is going on. so instead, i’ve found that writing details notes and instructions (kind of like a how-to tutorial) next to my workings help me in retaining the different concepts and mastering varying methods to solve the problems. i usually do this in class as my teacher demonstrates the method or the second i get home after class (since i often don’t have enough time and because it’s best to focus on understanding what the teacher is demonstrating). 

so i definitely advise you to try that out, because it is super super helpful especially when you revise your old topics after a long time. i’ll try to post an extract of notes where i practice this technique so that y’all get a clearer image of what i mean. 

3. make sure to jot down key terms/points and formulas that your teacher mentions

4. understanding>writing:

also, as i just mentioned, it’s best to focus on understanding what the teacher is demonstrating and how they solve the question, this way you can identify the steps and apply them yourself. trust me, looking at them as they apply the given method is a lot more useful than looking at the plain workings in your notes. 

5. i know this may seem obvious but do your homework:

homework and other assignments ensure that you practice the methods regularly so that you are able to grasp the topics well. also make sure to solve the problems on the day that they are assigned, that way the lesson is still fresh in your mind and you can easily enhance your understanding of it.

6. from time-to-time, review previous lessons:

this will make sure that you don’t forget  the topic so as to not end up crying when you open up your copybook and realize that you don’t recall anything ( not that it happened to me of course… haha *smiles awkwardly before running away*). a good way is to review the topics ever weekend or follow the “overcoming the curve of forgetting” technique which i discuss in my [1/58 days of motivation] post (or check out @studyquill ‘s printables). 

7. don’t hesitate to ask for help

i am so glad to have reached out to my teacher and asked for help because if it weren’t for her help, i would definitely have quit extended mathematics by now. also, my parents and friends were an amazing source of motivation for me, where their support  really pushed me to believe in myself. so don’t be scared or ashamed to talk about your struggles and reach out for help. 

supplies:

Artline brush marker (in black and brown)

cello Finegrip (in black, blue and red)

Physics revision

shoutout to my copper wire lights which you will indeed notice in most posts because i am straight up obsessed with them XD, also sorry for the delay for this post as my wifi was not working yesterday for no reason whatsoever

How do I revise physics?

personally, i choose to make flashcards in order to recall formulas, key points, theories and any laws as they are easy to condense.

 as well, for any processes (ex: principles of geothermal energy), i like to create flowcharts and other such diagrams since they make memorizing easier by simplifying information and showing the relationship between different steps, plus they’re just more interesting to look at than a block of text. 

however, my biggest advice for physics revision is practice. there’s a lot past papers available online or in textbooks/revision guides that are appropriate for your syllabus and exam board. if you don’t manage to find any, don’t hesitate to ask your teacher for some past questions. after all, they’re there to help you!

supplies:

cello Finegrip (in black, blue and red)

Bic VISA felttips (in blue)

Super U  felt-tips (in some kind of robin egg blue; they have cornrow tips and are super inexpensive but efficient)

Productive Procrastination

‘Wonder’ my favorite book ever! warning: it is an emotional roller coaster that will make you smile and cry at once, teaching you that “you can’t blend in when you were born to stand out”.  ❤

as today was prize giving + report day (aka the official last day of school), i thought i would just cut myself some slack and chill for a while ‘cause it sure has been a long semester deserving a nice break. however, i still kept in mind the utmost rule: no zero days. 

a zero day is one where you don’t do a single thing that can directly or indirectly contribute to your dreams or overall goals, aka the last thing an ambitious student should do.

thus, i decided to engage into some productive procrastination. i  know, i know. “productive” and “procrastination” are two words that never seem to go along, but trust me they can. as form of productive procrastination, i chose to tidy up my room (and especially my desk which looks like it has witnessed a storm- which in my case is called exams). this is helpful in the sense that now my study space is much more organized and a clean space, free of clutter and distraction is key for effective studying. then, i went ahead and read ‘Wonder’ for what must be the hundredth time!

since i am discussing this topic, i  thought i would give you some ideas on when productive procrastination must be used and what it is. so here goes nothing:

Productive Procrastination

sometimes we simply don’t feel very “inspired” or have one of those days where no matter how much we try, we can’t work. so it is natural to avoid that work and migrate the task to later. in fact, it is perfectly ok as from time to time we all need proper breaks, because we’re not machines and we’re not perfect. however, when doing so, the least we can do is ensure that whatever we are doing instead of that work must be productive. 

so here’s what you could do on those boring, uninspired days:

tidy up your study space

re-organize your bookshelf

take out your laundry 

literally anything, as long as it has a positive results of some sort as on days like this, you can tend to feel disappointed for not managing to complete task A but you can at least know that you did  not just waste your time and actually did something that is indeed useful! so when one of those days come by, don’t beat yourself down and simply make effective use of your time, because engaging in other tasks could help in getting greater morale. then you can go ahead and continue the initial task!

not just procrastination, do productive procrastination.

Chemistry revision

once again, i chose to focus on enhancing my understanding of topics  in chemistry. you’ll notice that i will be focusing on chemistry revision during this motivation streak as i am striving to improve my grades. this semester since they weren’t very good.

given that i am discussing this topic, i thought it would be great to address how i personally deal with “failure” or simply not achieving my goals. before anything, i just want to point out that i am no expert, i am only hoping that my personal experiences will help you guys out as this is something that i still struggle with.

so here goes nothing:

Dealing with failure  setbacks

1. don’t panic  

when you don’t reach your targets or receive disappointing grades, you should not panic thinking that it means that you’re horrible at the subject, that you will fail in the subject, that you’re going to fail in school, fail in life, bla bla bla… believe or not, in bad times our minds can imagine some pretty far-fetched and terrible things. this one test will not determine your life, your dreams, your fate or define you! so don’t overthink or panic because there will always be another chance and in this case another test. rather, take it as a challenge to prove yourself next time. i know its easier said than done, but you can only move forward by 

2. at the same time don’t bottle up your emotions    

meanwhile, trying to stay calm doesn’t mean you should keep your emotions in and just angrily reject it all. instead, let it all out and come to terms with your feelings as well as taking complete responsibility for what has happened. remember. keeping those emotions inside will only be destructive in the future and lead to sudden outbursts/mood swings/pessimistic attitude later on, which affecting your life in general as well as future grades for example.

3.. hustle harder

once you accept your feelings and are composed, it’s time to get your ish together. this is not a “failure”, it is just a setback from your goals. in fact, it is one that you can learn from. so sit down, pull out your bujo, a piece of paper or just your mind and write down the answers to the following :

what can i learn from this?

how can i avoid this next time?

what should i do differently?

you have just sketched out your masterplan towards achieving your goals. remember that not achieving a certain target  that contributes to fulfilling your dreams does not meant that you should change your goals, because trust me the thought of changing subjects or my dream career has crossed my mind a billion times whenever things don’t go as planned. rather, if the initial plan doesn’t work out, change it.

 change the plan, but not the goals.

supplies:

cello Finegrip (in black, blue and red)

Super U Felt-tips (in beige; these have cornrow tips & are super inexpensive but very effective)

Artline Stix Brush Marker (in black)

Pilot Hi-Tecpoint V5 (in purple and pink)

Pritt micro correction roller