With your head held high, pretend you're alright.

the countdown is exactly 15 more days to O-levels and more importantly a mere 40 days to freedom! in short work your ass off, because the end justifies the means.

Good grief i can almost SMELL the freedom, its so close. but then again, the pressure and stress is strong enough to bust a foot-thick pipe. So together with some input from patrick[the study guru.] and claudia, we have clobbered together some useful sudy tips for people who have started to sprout them white-hairs.



1. If you are a person with bad sleeping habits[feeling tired in the afternoon, sugar-high at night?] regulate it slowly day by day. This is because the O level papers you're taking are mostly in the afternoon slots, and nobody can afford the luxury of an afternoon nap between papers.

2. Moderate study slots to your own preference. A hardcore five-hour nonstop session will only result in less than 50% absorption and an extreme crash to your system after prolonged periods of time. Times for different people may vary, but an hour for study and fifteen minutes to break is a good estimate.

3. In the words of ms martens: Drop the complex carbs and grab some apples. This is due to its low glycemic index number[tip picked up from reliable source-biology textbook!], that burns the simple sugars slower and provides longer-lasting energy for cramming. Anything below number-55 is good for snacks in between. eg. pumpernickel bread-41, soybeans-18, all bran cereal-42, fruit yogurt-28.

another perk is that as these foods are absorbed more slowly, the calories from the food you eat are more likely to be burned throughout the day as energy, rather than stored as fat. slimmer bums for all!

4. Use breaks to read and not to watch television. This reading time can also be used to strengthen english<<< which everyone HAS to do right now. Whoo.

5. Study timetables ALWAYS works[says patrick.] If you think you can make it by selecting a few topics and chapters, there will be a lack of motivation. The catch-up-later mentality can be quite addictive, but it will eventually result in rushed worked a few days before exams. It also spaces out your work and leaves time for revision.

6. Remember to leave out one day in every week in your revision timetable ABSOLUTELY free. No, it isn't for you to spent the day mooching around and watching the telly, its for you to catch up on work that you didnt manage to do previously and to revise on content chapters[thats the humanities chapters and also blodge.] prefably, this would be on one of the weekdays to provide sufficient time.

7. If classical music is just not your cup of tea, easy-listening songs with not much lyrics will do just fine. Some instrumental funk music like Santana or piano rock like augustana and something corporate is fine. So put away the jarring guitar riffs of New Found Glory or Paramore[yes! i am denouncing paramore's tracks for your mixed tape for studying!] for the moment and pick up slow jazz.

8. Stick your mindmaps on your walls! They give you a widescope on how different chapters are interlinked and you can use post-its to add in pointers picked up from teachers or classes as exams get nearer. Have fun tearing them all down and burning it after the Os are over :)

9. Focus on weaker subjects instead of avoiding them. Hating your topics and dreading the time delegated on the subject will only make you unfocused and tired. Don't throw in the towel if you can't solve the first question on the math sheet, or got the first ten questions on your chemistry MCQ wrong[it happens. alot.], just keep going XD

10. Encourage friends and yourself constantly, because everyone needs reassurance. Invest in those three-dollar inspirational signs[yes, with the beautiful bits of scenery at the background and words of wisdom printed in bold-black.] Fight em'!



Have fun diving head first into the thundering piles of notes and assessment books all!
To reinforce the first point on this list, i will hit the sack now. There is church in a few hours, and this time i promise i will not even THINK about falling asleep.

Goodnight all.

P.S. lizz you are NOT a groupie. WE ARE BUMBLEBEES will rock with you innit.
P.P.S. shanna, up yours first. To think i actually listen to your mindless drivel on you-know-who!
P.P.P.S. Sarah G, i hate wasabi shakes or seaweed shakes and all that jazz too. They spoil the true essence of a french fry.