Study study study

Number of hours until my English exam: 32

Number of quotes I need to know for my English exam: 44

Number of times I have stopped studying to check my emails/blog/play minesweeper: Too many.

I have a secret ... I'm not very good at studying. People assume I must be, because I get good marks, but I think it's more to do with the way I think, and my memory, than studying hard. I tend to get distracted (like right now!)

I'm currently surrounded by pieces of paper with things like "The horror! The horror!" (Conrad's Heart of Darkness) and "A shudder in the loins engenders there" (Yeats' "Leda and the Swan"). My room looks like a cyclone hit it - schoolbooks, pens, university prospectuses, eraser shavings and previous exams are everywhere, and I can't remember the last time I put any clothes away (although I have a theory that it is easier to find clothes on the floor than in my even-messier chest of drawers).

I know that this probably isn't the best environment to be studying in. I actually had plans to get a bit of a filing system going - Chemistry crap goes in this draw, Maths crap goes in here... it seems a bit late to do it now. So I'm soldiering on.

I've been told by every single one of my teachers that I should be studying for AT LEAST five hours a day. I know people who do eight hours a day. Me? I think I managed three yesterday.

I think that, at this point, I just can't let this get to me. There's no use cramming, for one. Also, I know that everyone learns in a different way, so it's possible I don't need to study that much (I've been getting good marks all year like this). It's also possible that that's just wishful thinking, but I'm sticking with it. And hey, it's too late to worry about it now.

Here's hoping this tactic doesn't fail me when it matters.

*

A shout-out to my new readers! It's great so see some people I don't actually know on here. Keep up the wonderful comments! I promise I'll try to reply to them all.


Quote of the day:
Hermione - This year I plan to study a lot--
Ron - Well, that would be cool if you were actually hot!
"Goin' Back", A Very Potter Musical

Long time no see - I've been to the movies a lot

Whoops, it's been awhile since I was here. I hope you all missed me!

I've finally got my last assessments out of the way, and my trial exams, so the stress-induced freakout of my last post has abated. In order to pass the free time (heheh, what is the 'free time' you speak of?) and/or procrastinate from studying, I have seen not one, but three excellent films in the last couple of weeks: The Young Victoria, UP, and Mao's Last Dancer.

The Young Victoria is an absolutely beautiful film. The impeccable cast, led by the wonderful Emily Blunt, is only one aspect of the film's achievement. The cinematography (not that I pretend to know anything about cinematography) was beautiful. I'll admit that I'm a sucker for love stories, royalty and history, and this film excels in all three, so perhaps I am a little biased. I really did love this film though. Highly recommended.

UP was, as always, a wonderful Pixar achievement. I've decided that Pixar films are always perfect because they take so bloody long to make, that any tiny imperfection in plot, character, animation, etc is picked up. UP is very different from it's predecessor, WALL-E, and certainly had big shoes to fill, but the film manages to go above and beyond what we expect from a children's movie. Like the first Shrek movie, Finding Nemo and other giants of this genre, UP makes adults and children alike laugh and cry (including one memorable moment where my friend CC managed to do both at the same time). I loved the fleeting nods to the "Dogs Playing Poker" series of paintings and the Star Wars X-Wings. I can also assure you that I will be yelling "SQUIRREL!" randomly in the middle of sentences from now on. Anyway, if you haven't seen this movie yet, you really, really should. Don't wait for the DVD.

Finally, we have Mao's Last Dancer. I really wish I'd read the book before I went to see the film, but that's just because I'm a Reader with a capital R, not because the movie didn't make sense. It was a really lovely film; it didn't have the breathtaking beauty of The Young Victoria (although the scenes in China were stunning), or the hilarity of UP, but it was definitely one of the better Aussie films I've seen in awhile, and it very nearly made me cry (which is definitely an achievement!). The knowledge that every word of it was true made it even more poignant (Li Cunxin, whose autobiography the film is based on, has recently been named Australia's Father of the Year). Also, the dancing is spectacular. Again, I highly recommend this film.

So there you have it - my last couple of weeks summed up in three films, and three exams. That's seriously all I've been doing. My life is boring (or should I say average?). Props to M for seeing two of these with me :)


Quote of the day:
"Hey, I know a joke! A squirrel walks up to a tree and says, 'I forgot to store acorns for the winter and now I am dead.' Ha! It is funny because the squirrel gets dead." - Dug the dog, Pixar's UP

What to do when you should be doing something else

Rozzy needs to post something. Actually, Rozzy should be studying, but hey who cares. What should Rozzy write about? Procrastinating!

In my opinion, procrastinating is healthy once in a while... probably not as often I do it, but oh well. Anyway, leaving things undone and just taking a break is something we all need to learn to do every so often, especially if we are COMPLETELY STRESSED OUT like most of the Year 12s I know (including me).

So how do you procrastinate?

Presenting... Rozzy's Ultimate Guide to Wasting Time!

1. Make a list of things you need to do.
2. Put it away so you don't feel too guilty when you don't do these things.
3. Hop on the net and check your emails. If they're important, don't reply.
4. Go to MLIA. If you need it, there are about 500 pages of hilarious and average things to read about.
5. Go to LunchTimers. This one's especially good if you don't want to think too much. Play simple flash games with strangers and waste time.
6. Watch A Very Potter Musical, even if you've seen it before. If that's not enough, download the free soundtrack.
7. Watch Little White Lie, which is an excellent webseries also by Starkid.
8. If you've had enough of web-based procrastination, try reading a book you've read a hundred times before like, say... Harry Potter. There are lots of them to take up your time.
9. Have a nice, long shower, especially if the weather is hot (like it is here). Unless you have water restrictions, in which case you should go and stare wistfully at the shower.
10. Read blogs with no real purpose, like this one.

EDIT: So I took my own advice and had a nice long shower, and in the process remembered some of my favourite procrastination techniques that I somehow managed to forget.

11. Watch a whole series of your favourite TV show on DVD. (I like watching Scrubs)
12. Read fanfiction, preferably of the really crappy "omg plz review my first fanfic i luv u guys so much i wont spell anything properly!" variety, so you can laugh at it.
13. Rearrange your bookcase so your books are in alphabetical order by author. (Yes, I actually do this sometimes.)
14. Watch informercials (only for the REALLY desperate).

Post your other time-wasting ideas in the comments!