Yes, I'm still alive! I'm now just reorganizing this site and my life and then I'll be back on! Sorry for the delay. I've been through quite a mental journey that I'm excited to share with you about, with re-prioritizing my life and organizing everything and just figuring things out. Thank you for your patience!!
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With all that's been going on in these past two weeks (family, illnesses, studying), it's been hard to find time to blog! I had hoped that I could blog over break, but unfortunately could not find the time. That said, I'm back with more blogs!
In light of the new year, I wanted to share some of my resolutions. Hopefully it'll inspire you in making or adding to your resolution list. Let's make this a year that we actually achieve all of our resolutions!!
Hope this gives you a lil inspiration! sweet dreams. xoxo, s.k.j. things are wrapping up......which is always a good reminder of the flu/cold/fever season. Remember to stay warm, hydrated, and well-rested. For those of you that have finals this week (like me) make super sure to balance sleep with your studying schedule, and good luck! For those of you who have finished, LUCKY!
What are some of your favorite things to do during breaks? I personally love to spend time with family, sleep, read, and do all the things I couldn't do with all my homework (like cleaning, cooking, and writing). I guess that's it for now! I should get back to studying, and I think I'm coming down with something! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! (May or may not have a blog next Sunday because it's Christmas). sweet dreams. xoxo, s.k.j. For many people, with finals coming up either this week or next, studying will take up the majority of their free time.
But it doesn't have to. If you study effectively, you can cut the time you are studying in half (that said, you can't flake off all year and expect to study effectively right before finals). Remember, study smarter, not harder. I suggest finding a quiet, clear, and distraction-free space to lay out your study materials and get to work, taking breaks as needed. It is important to rest and sleep as well, and many people forget this! Drinking plenty of water, getting at least 8 or 9 hours of sleep each night, eating healthfully (lots of fresh foods), excercising daily, and skipping the caffeine will keep your mind feeling sharp and ready to take your tests. Once your mind is sharpened, sit down, focus, and get studying! Here are a few study materials that I like to use for certain subjects. Good luck! 1. English. Personally, for the writing aspect of a typical English class, I use Word Hippo to find synonyms for vague or simple words. I like it better than thesaurus.com, but that's my personal preference. I find that it also helps to read sample essays online to get a sense of style or format for certain types of essays. (You can just do a simple Google search and a sample should pop up). Finally, for vocab, I like to use Quizlet, which has virtual flashcards. You can search for one already made by another user or make your own . Also for vocab you may find vocabtest.com useful if you can find your vocab lists there. WORD HIPPO SAMPLE ESSAYS QUIZLET VOCAB WORKSHOP 2. Languages. I love using the app Duolingo which has a variety of languages to choose from. It'll help you get in some valuable practice with communication, translation, speaking, writing, and building your vocabulary. I'd recommend doing a little activity daily. And, you can also use Quizlet (above) for vocabulary practice as well. spanishdict.com is also a great resource for studying vocab and especially for conjugations (I'm not a fan of Google Translate). DUOLINGO SPANISHDICT.COM 3. Science. I study for science mostly by reviewing notes, worksheets, and my text book. A handy resource when doing some textbook problems is a website called Slader. Most books can be found here, and many answer keys provide the explanations behind answers. I also recommend using Khan Academy resources. Whether you watch lessons or practice on the website, or watch video lessons on its YouTube channel, Khan Academy is really useful for drilling information into your head. Speaking of YouTube, I also love the channel Bozeman Science, and sometimes I find some useful videos on CrashCourse. SLADER KHAN ACADEMY WEB KHAN ACADEMY YOUTUBE BOZEMAN SCIENCE CRASHCOURSE 4. History. I am currenly taking APUSH, so most of my resources are specifically for that course. However, if you want resources for history in general, sites like Khan Academy and CrashCourse can provide you with resources. Besides reading my textbook and studying from it, I am heavily reliant on YouTube to reinforcce the information I take in. Gilder Lehrman, Adam Norris, and Alex Drake Mamie Hall all have resources specifically for APUSH. I find that watching the videos refreshes the information in my head and helps me with visualizing and organizing facts. The videos also emphasize specific themes or events that you may see on the AP test. Also, I use the webiste ClassZone for quick quizzes as a checkpoint, and the Gilder Lehrman website for the timelines which help me mentally organize events. Adam Norris also has a website with useful Quizlet links. GILDER LEHRMAN YOUTUBE GILDER LEHRMAN WEB ADAM NORRIS YOUTUBE ADAM NORRIS WEB ALEX DRAKE MAMIE HALL CLASSZONE 5. Math. I also use Slader with my math textbook (above). However, CalcChat has much the same features and is just as handy for math (although sometimes it's more reliable than Slader). For some of the more complex topics which are harder to grasp, I like to use the YouTube channel PatrickJMT which helps to explain the concepts in a slow and visual way. CALCCHAT PATRICKJMT sweet dreams. xoxo, s.k.j. As the Christmas season begins, it also means that finals are about to start... ...and that means students will be in a mad rush to raise their grades, which, in turn, translates to burdens of stress and fatigue. So how do you combat this constant pressure and endless need for more energy? Organization is the way to go. So, here are ways I stay organized throughout this stressful–and merry–time. 1. Have something to write on at all times. You may have a million things going on in your mind at the moment, which can add up to feel extremely stressful. Rather than trying to remember everything you're thinking about, write everything–and I mean everything–down. It'll make you feel calm knowing that there's nothing you're forgetting, as you can always refer to paper. I personally like making lists and organizing my thoughts into mind maps, as this helps me to organize my ideas and visualize connections between thoughts. 2. Get enough sleep. Sleep is essential to staying organized, because you can't be organized with a scattered brain! Getting about 9 to 10 hours a sleep per night–or adjusting accordingly depending on your physical needs–will help to clear your mind and keep it sharp, so you will be better able to study for finals and simply be more calm. Skip the caffeine, which can make you hyper, jittery, and later crash. 3. Prioritize. Write down a list of the most important things you want to do, followed by thelesser-important things. Follow the list in order, and make sure to take lots of breaks. Prioritizing also means finding time for out-of-studying things to do, such as spending time with family, or your dog, getting some exercise, or going out for a bite to eat. Think about what you value. Is it worth it to skip a family picnic in order to study for a bio final that you are confident in? 4. Physically clean your environment. Being organized for finals includes not only clearing your mind but your workspace. When your workspace (e.x. your desk, your room, your counter) is clean, your mind feels more clear as well, and you can more easily focus without being distracted. Put away your phone, pull out the study materials you want to work on, and focus on what's on your workspace. 5. Be planner-savvy. I highly recommend getting a planner. That way, you can organize your assignments, test dates, and things you need to do–all in one place. It allows you to visualize due dates and make enough time to complete assignments accordingly. Plus, it helps you to never forget to turn in an assignment! Below is an example of a planner, but there are many types to choose one. Feel free to experiment and find the one that best fits your style. 6. Be time efficient.
Last, and most obvious, you need to find a way for you to best keep track of time. Keep a watch with you at all times (a phone can be distracting), and set alarms at various intervals to remind you to stay on track. Write out a timeline each morning/night for time frames designated to complete a certain task, and stick with it. Hopefully these tips will help a little with taking an edge off of finals. Don't stress and stay organized (I know, easier said than done). But whoever you are, you are amazing, no matter your score. In the end, no one will care (or at least should care) what you got on your final, and you've had a whole semester to prove your standing in the class. And, as always, rememeber that grades don't define you! (See my recent blog titled as such.) I wish you good luck!! sweet dreams. xoxo, s.k.j. p.s. Did you know that you can figure out the score you need to get on your final to reach your goal grade? Use the link below to do the calculations for you! Life saver! Tick-tock, tick-tock. As humans, we constantly find ourselves waiting for almost anything and everything. We wait for boring conversations to end, or a more exciting one to start; we wait for classes to end, or lunch to start, or school to be over; we wait for commercials to end and movies to start; for the first day of school and for graduation. Lately, as the spirit of Thanksgiving wraps up, we wait with impatience for Christmas break to commence. Waiting is ingrained in our lives. While it allows us to develop patience, we also shouldn't let it dominate our lives. So, here are 3 ways we turn waiting into a more positive experience. 1. Be in the moment. Try to stop thinking about the future and focus on the present. Clear your mind, look around you, and realize your presence–and others'–in the world. 2. Find something you're grateful for. Waiting may seem boring, but if you think about all that you have to be grateful for, in the present, then staying in the present won't feel as bad. You can also be thankful for time. Some people, after all, don't get much of it. 3. Know that waiting is a state of mind. Sure, you may not be able to get up and leave in the middle of a boring conversation, but you can change your mindset so you don't feel as trapped. Think about something interesting, dream about your ideal world, focus on your environment. There is always something to do while you're waiting, if you just look around you. sweet dreams. xoxo, s.k.j. The holidays are approaching... ...and that means families may be looking for a new addition to their family in the form of a cuddly canine or fuzzy feline. Many may go to breeders looking for that "perfect pooch" but forget about all the wonderful dogs kept in cages at shelters. As breeders breed more animals to make profit, the animals in shelters are neglected, resulting in large numbers of animals being put down. Many people look to breeders to purchase pets because they want that perfect, well-behaved, beautiful pet. Yet animals in shelters may be just as cute—and perhaps even more loving (not to mention the drastic difference in cost). Another option besides adoption is fostering. Through foster programs, people can make an animal happy and have that cuddle buddy or play buddy but without the long-term responsibility. Especially after the holidays, when dogs are ruturned to shelters or let out onto the streets after people decide they do 't want them, fostering becomes important to shelters in making sure each dog is cared for. So whether you adopt, or foster, or support a shelter, you are helping improve the lives of thousands of furry creatures. Don't buy from a breeder. Give a shelter animal a chance. #adoptnotshop. Visit the website of your local humane society or shelter for more information. If you live in the bay area, here is the link for the Humane Society od Silicon Valley: sweet dreams. xoxo, s.k.j. Recently, all I've been hearing about (besides the election) are complaints about grades...
But do grades really define you? You constantly hear the phrase "grades don't define you"–so often to the point that it becomes white water noise. What does it really mean? In the society we live in, contrary to what it declares, grades seemingly do define you. Students believe that a grade will determine college options which will determine career paths which will determine quality of life. We are rated on a 0.0 to a 5.0 scale. We are placed somewhere between an F and an A. We are judged by the number of APs and honors we take or by our involvement in sports or our achievements in extra curricular activities. We compare numbers against the numbers of others, and really it becomes a number game. Constantly, we are graded and degraded, and still society says, "grades don't define you." But society has it all wrong. It hypocritically declares that grades don't have worth but that a "bad" grade translates to failure to achieve success. It has the wrong goals. We try to please others, instead of ourselves. Many times we even try to please strangers (employers, admissions officers, coaches, etc.) that we barely even know. Why? We want to achieve success and to gain self-worth from a cold audience we don't even know. Instead, if we hope to do our very best and climb a ladder against our "best self" versus against others, we will always meet success. If we surround ourselves with people that don't judge us but love us for who we are (our personalities, our traits, our attributes), we will find that to these people that matter most, we are not just a number. Numbers only define us from the viewpoint of outsiders that do not know us. To the people that matter most, it is our true selves that define us. True, society will not always reward simply being the best you can be, and that is something our generation should strive to fix. But if we achieve self-success, then that is better than any achievement you can get from beating someone else. As hackneyed as it is, "grades DON'T define you." sweet dreams. xoxo, s.k.j. Halloween has come and gone... ...which means that soon enough, we'll be enjoying Thanksgiving feasts and Christmas trees, while the New Year is just around the corner. Wow! Time flies by so quickly (speaking of time, did you enjoy your extra hour of sleep last night? I sure did!). The holidays are a time of family and festivities, gift giving and receiving, wrapping up the year and unwrapping new gadgets. As we all celebrating the upcoming season of cheer, let's be sure we stay on our best behavior (and not just because Santa's watching). Here are some of the ways I like to give people some of that winter cheer: 1. Bake for others. I don't know about you, but I love baking, especially during the holiday season. From gingerbread, to green bean casseroles, to turkeys, to sugar cookies, I can never find an end to the recipes that are out there, scattered amongst family members, and cookbooks, and blogposts. My favorite thing to do is bake a variety of different cookies, box them up, and give them to the neighbors and family members. It allows me to talk to neighbors I hardly see. Plus, I get to eat some cookies too! 2. Give your parents (or other adults) a break. You can also just simply give your parents or other loved adult a break. After all, they've worked all year supporting you. Clean the house, make dinners, offer to run errands, or watch the kids... For me, I love to take care of my little cousins or petsit my grandma's bunny. I also find that with extra time with holiday vacations, I can simply spend more time with family, which is rewarding enough. 3. Help those in need. We can't forget about the people that don't have homes during the festive hours that we most likely spend indoors. You can give a simple smile to someone spending Christmas on the street, or even give him a nice meal or a warm blanket. Or, you can work with organizations which help give gifts to those that can't afford presents. Every year, I pack at least one shoebox for a child in need through Samaritan's Purse: Operation Christmas Child. I highly recommend doing this, as it is not only fun but is inspiring as well. Check out the website below and consider packing a shoebox. Or, if you can't, you can donate money for someone else to pack a shoebox for you. However, there are multitudes of alternatives. Look around your community for local donations to families in need. Look online for international donation needs. Look within your school or work for any drives being promoted. The possibilities to give during the holiday season (and any season) are endless.
sweet dreams. xoxo, s.k.j. Just a lil thought...
"Yesterday, I tried to search for my identity, my place in such a huge world. But looking at the stars above, sprawled and sprinkled across a black and looming canvas, I could not find my name amongst the millions. I'm a misfit and an outsider. I found that to be my identity. I happen to treasure these characteristics I call myself. Because I'm unique. Because I'm different. Because I do not and cannot conform to society. Because I am independent–because I am dissatisfied–I constantly search for more, which pushes me to create change. And at the same time, the same can be said about you. We are all loners searching for more, held back by fake bonds of society and status. Yet in the end, if we can overcome these barriers, we can change the world. Remember, We are soloists together. " sweet dreams. xoxo, s.k.j. |
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