Some Wise Advise

2008 is almost over. 2009 is coming. For me, it's a whole new journey, a whole new life ahead of me!! But enough said about me for this post. I want to give some sound and wise advise to any of YOU who have not finished SPM and still have to struggle through school. I am speaking especially to those of you who will be in Form 3, Form 4 or Form 5 next year (2009). Any of you who are facing major examinations next year, please take heed!

[Note: My own SPM results have not come out yet, but if I wait until then it would be too late to share my finite wisdom, so just let me tell you how I survived the grueling ordeal of Form 5!!]

There are many self-help books that teach you how to study in bookstores, but there was one that really helped me this year. I mean really as in REALLY helped me.

The book is called "Study Smarter, Not Harder" by Kevin Paul. Many thanks to my classmate, Tejhpal Singh, for bringing the book to school so that I spotted it. For some reason I doubt he actually read the book but that is besides the point. The book completely revolutionized the way I studied.

So, if you can, please do get your hands on a copy of this super-cool book. (Sorry to Kuching folks, I didn't bring mine with me...) You should spend a few days reading and making notes of the book sometime in January to prepare for the whole year. It is very detailed in explaining how to and why make notes, mnemonics, mind maps, manage your time and so on. There's even a section about music!

Believe me, you won't regret it!

The next thing you must definitely get is g'soft pens. I am totally a fan of g'soft pens, but only the blue one. I don't trust the other colours like blacks and red because they dry up fast, but blue is perfectly fine. I used to use the GS 5566 model which is slim, but recently I started using the fatter BP-GS-55 model which is kinder on my fingers. The only problem with the latter is that it has black markings on the side. Because I regularly bite my pen when I am thinking, after a few days the markings would disappear. I wonder where it went... [o.O] Nevertheless I only used the g'soft BP-GS-55 pen and nothing else throughout SPM, and it served me very well. [That would probably be due to the fact that I had no less than 10 of the same pens in my pencil case, and every single one was used in exam until none was left with more than half of the ink left...]

Another product you should consider is the stabilo point 88 coloured pens. These are important for making notes. Research shows that colour helps your memory! Most of my notes in Sejarah, Chemistry and Biology and splattered with all sorts of colours. So, get as many colours as possible!! I think it's better than other types because its colours are bright and the ink doesn't really soak into the paper which is good for writing on both sides of the paper. I didn't use highlighters much this year, but everyone have their own preferences and study methods, so choose accordingly and wisely!

[I was not paid to advertise the above products. This is just advise from me to you!!]

Having said that, have fun studying! I believe that studying should be fun. I personally enjoyed making notes in creative ways, but when it comes to the revising and actual memorizing, it is hard work. However I believe it will all be very worth it in the end. Good luck!!