The lazy student's guide to studying.

So its that time of the year again, semester exams looming around, and for others, its some exam or the other, because its that depressing time of the year, before diwali, and before the cheer and jolly of christmas... You have a whole book to study, an entire syllabus to study, but alas! You've been too busy dancing to Beedi Jaleilae, in the rain! (Thank you, Cyclone Nilam!). Now, with a few hours left on the clock, how on Earth are you going to do it?!  Here's a few helpful tips!

10. Open those books.

Yes, thats right. Go ahead. Take that most basic step! Sure, those books may look big and thick and intimidating, and sure, you're going to have people tell you that Rome wasn't built in a day... But remember, you're just a student! That doesn't really apply unless you're studying architecture so crack that book open, take a look at the syllabus, classify what you haven't done and what you have already done. Haven't done anything at all? Well, thats absolutely okay, in this case, classify the things that you can do, and the things that you can afford to omit.

9. Study smart, instead of hard-

Since you have very little time left to study, you have no choice but to study smart. This would also involve being realistic about your expectations, you can't expect to study the entire book in one night! You have to pick out topics that you can cover, study, understand, remember and recall. Pick out topics that need not be studied
(NOTE: Exercise discretion! Some teachers might even be sadistic and try to ask twisted questions from obscure portions in order to make life difficult for students like us, who may have to resort to last minute studying).

8. Prepare your study space

Sit at a proper study table. Make sure its clean and all your books and study material are neatly stacked and arranged on that table. Make sure that its not prone to distractions and remember, mess creates stress. (Besides, really, one of the world's most annoying feelings is to be studying something, put it down, lose it and never see it ever again, even though you could've sworn you put it on your desk for just a second....)

 Stay as neat as you can while studying, a calm mind absorbs information better than a hassled mind or a disturbed mind. Keep your pen, pencil, etc, by your side. Don't ever get up in the middle of studying in order to get one of these things, this will make you prone to distractions.

Which brings me to my next point.

7. Say NO to distractions!

This involves
a) Putting your cellphone away.
b) Logging out of Facebook.
b) Disconnecting your wifi connection
c) Closing the windows
d) Locking your room door
e) Putting away that interesting novel that's just calling out to you to read it...

As sad and as difficult as this step is, its absolutely essential to push all your distractions away in order to study and retain information effectively.

6. Call your friends up

But not to ask them how much they've finished. Discuss topics with them, ask questions, you'll remember their explanations when it comes to last minute studying. (NOTE: Don't waste time asking people if they've studied or not or if they've finished studying. 95% of the people fib that they haven't studied at all and they're generally the ones with smug chimp like grins on their faces when the results are announced. This is war. Its each man for himself!)

5. Don't waste too much time on the phone

As tempting as it may be to find out if Sita dumped Rakesh or if Rakesh kissed Sonia, it can WAIT! You have a lot of studying to do! Try to keep the conversations as short as is required and hang up quickly, try not to give your poor parents a heart attack with the phone bill ;)

4. Prioritize

Decide what has to be done, what need not be done, and don't waste time doing anything else. Stick to the plan. When you make a plan, don't start doubting it half way. Thats the worst possible thing that you could do. Make sure you have a concrete study plan that you can rely on, and stick to it to get the job done.

3. Know HOW to study

For those of you who are lucky enough to have important questions or a set of guide questions, remember that each question does not require pages and pages of answers, study precisely what the question requires you to answer


2. Resort to creative methods of studying.

Lets face it, you don't really have the time to mug up the entire syllabus, so while you learn, have some fun! Watch videos, conduct experiments, ask questions, do extra reference relating to your field of study. It makes the absorption and retention of information, both fun and rewarding!

The last and the most invaluable tip would be

1. DON'T SIT AND MAKE BLOG POSTS ABOUT STUDYING IN THE TIME IN WHICH, YOU CAN ACTUALLY STUDY :P

Coming up next....

The Lazy Student's Guide to acing exams! The most valuable secrets: REVEALED! Stay tuned... ;)

I dare you to dream!

DISCLAIMER!!!

THIS IS NOT A SHITTY MOTIVATIONAL INSPIRATIONAL BULLSHIT POST.

There. Now, that we've got that past us, here's a simple challenge, I'd like to throw at YOU, beloved reader.

I dare you to dream.

No, I'm not going to tell you to follow your dreams, i'm not going to tell you to dare TO dream.... its a dare FOR you to dream. No you're not a unique snowflake. Get over it. Take up the dare.

I dare you to step outside your comfort zone and to actually take up something you've never done before.

I dare you to not get discouraged when you try to make a point and someone tells you to shut up.

I dare you to keep going! Even if everyone laughs at what you're doing and tells you "You'll never make it."

I dare you to speak. God gave you a voice. Use it. I dare you to channel your anger against people who deserve it as opposed to people who don't.

I dare you to try something new. Sing a song, even if cats cry when you sing. Draw, even if a kindergarten kid gets a better drawing grade than you. Play the guitar, even if you don't own one....

The whole point of this post is, that people automatically associate dare to dream, with images like this

or this...

or maybe even this...

But sometimes, the inspirational stuff always goes over your head... If I was depressed and somebody tried to show me those kind of images to inspire me, I would most probably learn to not turn to that same person the next time I needed a shoulder to cry on.

Inspiration doesn't come from images and text, its impossible to draw inspiration from that.

You can only dream and be inspired, most effectively, by example. There are some people who are inspired by their favourite celebrities... I say, good for you buddy, but you'd most probably do better to look for inspiration much closer to you. Inspiration doesn't come from great people who claim to have achieved things, inspiration can come from little things. Things that other people may take for granted. Small words of encouragement, tiny pearls of hope, scattered on the sands of time... Quick! Pick them up before they roll away!

I still remember this simple quote, that inspires me till date. I put this quote before all that I do and I have spread the word to at least 5 other people. (I consider that a huge success.)

"The toughest steel has to go through the hottest of fires."

In the end, the sad fact that even if you're inspired to dare to dream or to follow your dreams, the system is pretty messed up and you may not achieve your dream in the first shot. What system am I referring to? Any system really. I'm pretty confident when I say that This is applicable to any system you might have in mind.

So what do we do when we want to bend, but the system tells us to be rigid? You make the system bend with you, thats what you do. You move. Thats the trick, keep constantly moving. The system will move with you, trying its hardest to stop you, but it won't be able to, beyond a point. It is at this point, you can confidently say that you have followed your dreams and will be catapulted towards being free from the pointless ramshackles of society.

I'd like to end this with a quote about perspective.

"We're all lying in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars"

- Oscar Wilde.

Cocktail twirl of thoughts

Its 4 in the afternoon and my mind is in a daze. I know that some people may not exactly consider this the best time to blog, especially since, i'm half sleepy, half awake and thoughts are randomly swirling around my head like somebody is lazily stirring them around with a cocktail stirrer...

I'm supposed to be working on the introductory paper of my project review topic... but my mind is absolutely blank... Hence, me blogging about the blankness in my mind....

**stares blankly at screen**

Ohh yeah.... Today is supposed to be friendship day.... But honestly, should this post be about that? As my facebook status quotes, I love my friends and let them know it, all year round, not just on one particular sunday in a year :). I think certain days dedicated to people are a good idea, because its a way of letting them remember how special they are (ex-mother's day, teacher's day..) but what i'm against, is the mindless commercialisation of these days. I don't need to see a gooey happy mother's day commercial two weeks before the damn thing to go

**watches commercial**

**snaps fingers!**

Oh right! Its mother's day! I just remembered that i love my mom! So i have to prove it to her..

**Runs to store to buy mushy gooey card and overpriced item of some sort**

Kid:Happy mother's day mommy.

Mom: Awwwww **tears in her eyes**

Kid:Phew...

Bah...

In my opinion, if you love somebody, show it to them, every chance you get. Throw your arms around him or her and hug him/ her tight, for no apparent reason. Kiss them on the cheek if you have the guts. An unexpected hug is the best type of hug.

If you really love somebody, grab every single opportunity you get to show them that. Whether its buying them something they've been needing, or gifting them something that they've been wanting. Go ahead. Take the plunge. In fact, it may not even be something material that the person wants. Handmade gifts and little things that show the person you care always go that extra mile. Cause they show that YOU went that extra mile.

Life's too short to hate anybody. Love with all your heart. Fall down. Fall hard. Get hurt. Pick yourself up. Keep going. Thats what life's all about isn't it?

Treading (un)familiar waters

I know I haven't blogged in an awfully long time, but somehow, i feel compelled to, now. Let my readers know that i'm still here. Still alive n kickin.

Well, although I currently have a cold and am slightly sore, I have a lot going for me. I've joined a course in journalism in one of Chennai's best colleges, so YAY! :D

College,(thankfully) is nothing like school. It can get dull, and I've had a few ups and downs but on the whole, (no matter how much I crib), I am completely in love with this place.

Another thing that's new to me is a fact that its an all girls college. I was doubting how I would find an environment like that, but the strange thing is, it's even better than the last co-ed environment I was in. Yes, i do have those moments where i go "It would be super cool if ____(insert guy friend's name here) was here with me right now", but on the whole, it isn't as bad as i thought it would be.

A huge new change is that I have to be up at 5 every day :/. Of course, countless assaults on the snooze button give me a generous half an hour to 45 minutes of extra sleep after which, I check the time, drag myself out of bed and brush my teeth and eat my daily bowl of cornflakes.

I hardly rush any more these days. Even though i could show up as late as I liked in school (A friend of mine actually showed up at 9.30 for a 7.30 class,beat that!), I somehow used to rush a lot more. Now, I find myself being comparitively more chilled out. I now travel by the town buses of the chennai streets but luckily for me, my bus shows up every 5-10 minutes and isn't very crowded in the mornings, so so far, so good...

My college is also situated RIGHT next to a mall :P. Yes folks, you read it right! Next to a mall. It's not a great mall, and the food is generally overpriced but we have places to go, if ever we want to bunk college... Most of us prefer to eat in our school canteen, where one fried rice for Rs.30/- can make a good snack for up to three people (who don't eat very much).

That brings me to the aspect of the people. Again, my expectations of meanness, bitchiness, etc etc have fallen short and i'm thankful for that. My lecturers are a bit edgy (and no, I don't mean fashion-wise) as they have to handle a class of 50-odd rambunctious teenage girls, but it's coming along well...

Like I said.... So far, so good....

Put on your best heels girls!

Gosh i don't know why but i feel incredibly happy. So i'm gonna make a blog post to all the girls out there. (i know my only two followers are guys so bear with me :P )

But right now, i know a lot of people... girls in particular.... who are going through a hard time. You may think its a typical stereotype and that just because we're in 12th, we're complaining. I'll tell you what. This is way more than that. Way deeper.

Teenagers these days are faced with SO much... So much more than studies. We yearn. We yearn for fun, we yearn for happiness, we yearn for acceptance, we yearn for love, we yearn for success...

Whew! Sounds tough doesn't it? Thats what we have to face these days, and I of course, am no exception!

So I would like to dedicate this blog post to every single girl i love, whom i know is suffering.

Whatever it is thats bothering you, just forget about it as of now. It could be a fight with your mom, your boyfriend not understanding you, a fall in your grades, or just about anything. Here's what i'd like yáll to do.

Call your friends up on their mobile phones and make dinner reservations. Its a girls night out so you should dress up! Forget the au naturel(read as au BORING) and go mad with your make up. Give yourself big seductive smoky eyes or seemingly endless sassy sparkle tinged eyes... Go ultra glossy on your lips with sassy shades. Hunt through your closet for the best dress you own. Don't have a dress? Wear your favourite jeans and your best blouse. Smile at that reflection in the mirror, you know you love that girl.

Oh and don't forget your camera! Or at least carry your camera phone. Stash it in your awesome huge bag along with the basics that every girl needs on a night out(Tissues,mirror,compact,brush,cellphone,camera,lip gloss) and you're good to go. Play supermodel with all your friends. Click as many pics as you can. Go wild. Standing around and smiling is so yesterday. Try crazy poses. Don't forget to get home before your curfew so that you can upload those awesome pics on facebook tomorrow!

Prayer of every teenage girl

Dear god,
If you're up there, and if you're listening to me, down here, Here it goes.

I know i haven't prayed in a long time. I began questioning everything around me. IT somehow became cool to say that i didn't believe in you. But i do. I still do. I always have and i always will. I pray forgiveness for acting so ignorant.

God, give me patience... To deal with everything that comes my way. Give me the patience to wipe my friends tears when she gets hurt by a guy. Please remind me not to tell her "I told you so". I know she doesn't need that at that minute and that she needs my shoulder to lean upon and my fingers to wipe her tears. We'll laugh again god. She'll laugh again. Please help her realise that.

Help me remember how lucky i am god. I talk a lot. I rant a lot. I complain a lot. Help me remember that every teenager is not lucky enough to own a 30GB iPod, or a cute lil Nokia phone, or Levis jeans or Marie Claire shoes or a Fastrack watch or a Yamaha acoustic guitar or products from L'O'Real, maybelline, lakme, streetwear, etc. Or heck even a roof over their heads or even a family for that matter. Help me remember how lucky i am. Help me remember to be thankful for all that i have

Give me the ability to understand. Give me the ability to understand that my problems aren't the only problems in the world. There are things that people face greater than not getting a good grade in a test, getting into a fight with a friend, missing breakfast cause i was late, getting rumours spread about them, people face things greater. Help me remember that these are only small problems. Small enough for me to be able to deal with them.

God, please help me know. Know when I should hug somebody or when i should leave them alone and give them their space. Please help me know if i should cry with my friend or if i should tell her to stop crying. Help me know that my best friend who's a guy doesn't share all his feelings with me cause he doesn't wanna look like a wimp in front of me, but please, grant him the ability to know that i won't ever think of him as a wimp no matter what.

Please god, grant me more patience to know....that sometimes the problems of adults are over my head and they are best left alone unless they ask for me to interfere with them.

Give me strength to be able to overcome my own failures, to wipe my own tears, to be able to overcome my own weaknesses and make them my strengths. Most of all, give me the strength to be empathatic and give me strength to be patient...

Grant me the ability to love a person without judging him/her. Grant me the ability to be strong enough to find a solution every time i'm in trouble instead of turning to you only in my times of need. Let me remember and thank you also for every good time i have and every good memory that etches itself onto my mind.

Give me the courage to be myself, the patience to help others be themeselves and the courage to stand up for what i think is right....

Dear god.... I hope you heard all that

Thank YOU!! (Part 2)

Anagha-For proving me wrong and teaching me never to judge anybody too fast cause they can and might go that extra mile just to prove you wrong

Priyanka Murali-For all those wacky,amazing times back wen u were in chennai :)

Pooja-For teaching me how to use ares :P

Karan-For always admiring my work. For being frank and IN YOUR FACE. For understanding that i'm different from arthi and for always being there when i needed a solution. For always making sure i go on the right path

Keerthana- For being an absolute sweetheart to me in this new and scary school. Thank you!

Abhishek- For being the sweetest,nicest,cutest,funniest best friend a girl could ask for. Love you loads and don't you forget it dumbo!!

Naveen-For being one of the nicest elder brotherly characters i have around me. For always making fun of me and caring for me :) btw its LAWYER and not LIAR lol

Harsha- For laying foundation to my dreams in music. For always being there for me when i cried. Tropical icebergs and Arctic snows=We miss you HARSHH!

Maddy-For always being there. For understanding. For teaching me all that i could learn, the hard way

Duraiya-For being the moodiest,craziest,wackiest,silliest girl i know. You rock!!

Radha-For being the calm brainiac i always loved being around

Mukund- For making me laugh with your mad stories. For fascinating me with your amazing coin collection. For always being "SAM"!!!

Pramod- For being my very first crush back in 8th standard!!! And for being amazingly nice and sweet to me :)

Revathi-For being the sweetest,most sincere,unassuming person i've ever met! For all those times when we sat on your terrace on the cold slab benches sipping coffee and talking about the craziness in our teen lives.

Krithika Sundar- For being a totally awesome kickass girl. You may not be aware of it, but i like you a lot and i honestly wish i'd spent more time with you!

Neelu-For being my first best friend in a new school, in a new city where i was scared to death. thank you :)

Chitra mam-My first teacher. For being so patient and kind. I still adore you!

Vinod Ramachandran- For being crazy,wacky,funny,and an amazing friend :)

Swetha- For being such a good friend. Third bench with u was AWESOME. Forget me not :)

And if you're somebody i love, but i haven't put ur name down, a million apologies.

But to all those people who were in my life but had no mention here, u weren't on my mind for some reason and u probably don't deserve any thanks anyway.

Rock out bitchez