"Time Management" by ARK

I haven’t blogged in a while. This article’s title explains EXACTLY why I haven’t been able to post anything. I have been trying to manage my time, but I guess there’s nothing new about that.

You may have already read from my previous posts how much of a hell this school year is going to be.

Time management is a great weapon for me. Since I don’t believe I’m all that smart (though Dev insists so), all I can do to handle all the terrible schoolwork is organize my schedule. It’s easy, it’s sort of fun, and it’s the best way I can ease my tension.

You see, I stress out a lot when I know I have unfinished work. I tend to finish everything before the deadline, and that’s what keeps me calm. I hate having to worry about things I shouldn’t be.

Now I’m gonna show you how I do it. Maybe it would work for you too.

This is how to manage your time:

1.       Have a checklist of everything you must do. If you have a LOT of things on your list, make sure to divide it into categories like “School” and “Chores”.

2.       Don’t get into detail when it comes to lists. When listing things you must do, simply write a title or anything that will make you remember what the chore is exactly. For example, you have math homework. Writing down “Math Homework” on your checklist is better than writing every question in the homework. . Don’t write everything down, ‘cause this will only pressure you. It isn’t fun to look at a checklist full of detailed agony.

3.       Write the deadline right beside the title. This will get you on the right track, for you will know which activities to prioritize.

4.       Procrastinate a bit. Don’t stress over deadlines that are over months away. Unless of course it’s a big-shot project that requires you to dish out all of your sanity. It’s okay to relax a bit. This will let you breathe for a while.

5.       Put a check on finished work. You know you’ve done well when doing Step 5 felt very good. It does feel really good, marking some of your work as “finished”. It’s like checking away some of your problems.

It’s really just about recognizing your priorities and doing something about it. It’s up to you to create and follow a schedule that will rid you of your stress. Living a stress-free life is actually easy, ‘cause it’s only a matter of choice.

 If you haven’t read my "School is Hell This Semester" posts, here are the links:

http://devandark.blogspot.com/2012/06/going-through-hell-by-ark.html

http://devandark.blogspot.com/2012/06/hell-week-by-dev.html

http://devandark.blogspot.com/2012/06/adjustment-by-ark.html

"Can't Go Alone!" by DEV

So yesterday we were at the mall, trying to drain down four and a half hours of unproductive school hours, when Ark and I noticed the number of girls inside the female comfort room. Ok, that didn’t sound right. Well the door was open and we happened to pass by. You can’t blame us for noticing, can you?

Anyway, I remembered my age-old question of why girls go to restrooms in small groups. Why the heck can’t they go alone?

I asked a bunch of trustworthy girls I knew, to see their point of view. Grandma said there was no reason. My classmate said they do it for fun. But there must be something else! Something’s fishy. The girls must be hiding something. I might as well “formulate” some guesses.

1: Maybe some girls are members of a dark cult? Maybe they worship some random toilet paper. Meetings are held where toilet paper is abundant, and they do mysterious rituals like offering food and chanting songs. Yep, that’s outright creepy. 

2: Maybe it’s the real way aliens abduct female humans? Maybe they hypnotize girls into visiting the nearest comfort room and that’s where they kidnap them and take them to Mars! And maybe they’re replaced by shape shifting alien drones. No wonder they look prettier after stepping out of the comfort room.

3: Maybe it’s a secret drug scheme? Probably. Girls work together to buy/sell drugs while inside the restrooms. And since there aren’t any CCTV cameras inside, there’s no way for them to get caught! It’s actually a brilliant idea. But nah, that’s impossible.

4: Maybe some rock concerts are exclusively performed there? After all, rock concerts are dominated by men. And there’s just no easy way for a rock music-loving girl to watch those concerts, right?

5: Maybe there’s a Portkey inside every female comfort room that leads to Hogwarts? For all those who don’t know what I’m talking about, go ask Harry Potter. That must mean most of the girls I meet are witches, and they could use magic! Better respect them from now on.

6: Maybe they go to comfort rooms together for safety and protection? They also use it as a chance to look at themselves, and see if they’re a mess. They use it as a chance to fix the way they look before reintroducing themselves to the world! But nah, that’s impossible.

I’m still bothered. I still don’t know the answer. But I won’t be asking anymore. I read on 9gag.com why girls SHOULDN’T go inside comfort rooms alone. BAAAD things happen in there, trust me.

"Five Songs!" by DEV

These are just 5 songs I'm listening to right now. I just wanted to share. 'Cause, you know, I'm cool that way.

1. Maroon 5- Payphone

2. Rihanna - Where Have You Been

3. Foster the People - Call It What You Want

4. Carrie Underwood - Good Girl

5. Matchbox Twenty - Disease

So, just to clear some things:

1. I'm a reeeally good singer, but that doesn't mean I own any of these songs, or these videos.

2. This list is not a Top 5 countdown, and is listed in no particular order. As if anybody cares.

Enjoy listening to them. :)

"Things You Didn't Know: BREAKFAST"

1. Breakfast May Make You Smarter.

2. Breakfast May Make You Slimmer.

3. Breakfast May Make You Sweeter.

Read the details here:

http://people.bu.edu/salge/tips_breakfast_1.htm

Now let's all have breakfast.

"Dissolved" by ARK

Here’s a link to my old post entitled “Discipline”. I think you should read that before reading this one:

http://devandark.blogspot.com/2012/06/discipline-by-ark.html

But I warn you, you’ll be rather disappointed. I was.

You see, all the discipline I so happily described in that article has suddenly disappeared. It has dissolved like sugar on water. And to think that I posted "Discipline" just a few weeks ago. 

Cat Pig and I passed the LRT station again today, and everything was a mess. People were everywhere. They formed messy lines EVERYWHERE. They were on the stairs, on the ticket booths, on the platform area- IT WAS A COMPLETE CHAOS. The guards eventually gave up and decided to lift the line-forming rule. And that made things even worse.

People came from all directions, squeezing and pushing for a little space inside the train. Everyone looked like sardines.

It’s a shame the disciplined people I once knew are gone now. It’s back to normal again. I must admit that it’s a relief.

Dev’s gotta do his “homework” now, so I’m gonna cut this short. It’s Dev’s turn to use the computer. Bye guys.

"Hell Week?!" by DEV

And the perfect answer to Ark's previous post was stated by Mr. Darth Vader himself. 'Nuff said!

"Going Through Hell" by ARK

Hell week is here. But I'm pretty sure I'm exaggerating.

For those who don’t know, hell week is our term for the busiest, most challenging part of our school year.

And yes, it’s a bit odd that it’s only the first month of school. But our professors are very active and that makes everything hard. They've already given us a truckload of homework, and I can sense more coming. I can’t begin to imagine what they’re gonna make us do during the ACTUAL hell week.

Not to mention that we haven’t me three or four of our professors yet. I’m willing to believe that those who have not yet attended our classes are active in giving away schoolwork too. I dread the day when all these activities clog up my schedule. It’s time management put to the test.

I’m soon gonna have to follow my own stress-relieving advice. I’m gonna be taking more baths (‘cause it’s my secret stress buster) That is, if I find enough time to do it. I do hope I manage to squeeze my relaxing baths into my wall-tight schedule. I mean, who doesn’t have time for baths?

Another one of my stress-busting techniques is listening to music. Dev and I are both certified Gleeks, and Glee music helps me out most of the time. But I’m starting to open up to new kinds of music. Music is something I’m starting to love.

It helps if you can hold on to something, especially if you’re going through “hell”. But it’s all about a positive attitude and a great outlook. It’s also good to be organized. I’m able to blog right now, because I’ve organized my work. And luckily, my blog fits well enough. Just try not to get so caught up in your plans that you forget to have fun. That’s the point of life after all: living everyday with a smile on your face. There are times you can’t do this, but never ever give up on positivity. We can do this!

"Snow White!" by DEV

School's been SOOOO STRESSFUL. And it's only the first week!

You heard from Ark that I haven't been attending my classes, but Cat Pig is totally getting stressed out.

Here's my only reaction to our very first HELL WEEK:

LOL. By the way, this is the first funny 9gag post I've seen in AGES. Yup, sorry to say, but 9gag aint that funny anymore. Still cheers me up sometimes though.

"Adjustment" by ARK

No, this isn’t about braces getting adjusted. It’s about me, adjusting to the school atmosphere.

Like I mentioned before, this week is the “adjustment period” of our college. Professors could choose not to attend their classes, but then again you could never be sure. That’s why I choose to attend all of my classes, even if some of them don’t come. My studying time automatically turns into a vacant period, during this situation.

Dev doesn’t come to school anymore. Ever since he learned that Cat Pig could talk, Dev’s been sending him as a “substitute student”, as he calls it. He thinks he would pass that way. But not me, I believe in proper education.

I have to adjust to waking up early, taking down notes, flying to school, doing homework ALL OVER AGAIN.

Anyway, to do this I must do a lot of adjustments. I have grown used to the unproductive days of summer, that’s why it’s hard for me to switch into “productive mode”. In an unexpected twist of fate, two of our professors came today and gave us homework right away.

I tried doing some of it, but it wasn’t my best. I’m still stuck to my lazy attitude-something I can’t live with-not during the third year of my college. I do hope I get out of this silly phase after a while. I’ll get used to it. I know I will.

I have a LOT of adjusting to do. I better get started now.

"How Do You Sleep?" by DEV

Just a little something I wanted to share.

It's hilarious!

P.S. I don't know who Daryl is.

"Cat Pig Can Write?!" by DEV

This seriously surprised me. The previous post isn't signed by anyone, but there's Cat Pig right at the bottom! I asked Ark and he said he didn't post it. So...does that mean my pet is a genius?

Cat Pig is even more awesomazing than he was before! I never thought he could talk, you know. AND, realizing that he's that smart, I could totally use him to pass my college subjects! Yey!!

"Things You Didn't Know: DEATH"

1. It's impossible to kill yourself by holding your breath. Go ahead, try it. I won't be responsible for the mistake of this particular trivia.

2. It's a myth that people commit suicide more often during the holidays. In fact, it's the opposite.

3. More men than women are likely to commit suicide over failed relationships.

"Death" by ARK

I woke up to a surprising piece of news this morning. A friend of ours died today. Andy used to drive us to school when Dev and I were young. When we learned to fly, we said goodbye to him. But sometimes, when we would cross paths, I would smile at him and he would smile back. Though our connection was that limited, I considered him a friend.

In fact, we did cross paths no less than a week ago. While hovering over the street, I saw Andy and I smiled at him. It’s creepy to think that it was the last time I was gonna see him alive. He’s somewhere else now.

He had an accident last night, and I wouldn’t go into the details. But he was in a critical condition until this morning, when death had visited him.

I’m posting this in honor of Andy, who I believe is in a better place now.

Death is inevitable, and that’s what makes it so terrifying. But we should learn to see it as another doorway- an opportunity to get closer to God, perhaps. We must stop worrying about the pain it would bring to us and the others around us. Instead, we should live our lives to the fullest, making it more meaningful each passing day.

But as I say, death must not only be mourned but also celebrated, for through it, another soul reunites with God in Heaven.

Andy, you will be remembered.

Thank you so much for everything. J

"Call It What You Want!" by DEV

School's so boring, even my blog has turned boring. I blame Ark and his long posts.

To spice things up a bit, here's a song I just learned. I heard it from my classmate and I declare it awesomazing.

Here's "Call It What You Want" by Foster The People. Enjoy. :)

Whew... I can now sleep with the comforting thought of me completely dominating this blog. Oh yeaaah!!

Just kidding.

"Worse Than Summer" by ARK

School was boring today, I must admit.

Nothing at all happened. Once again, no professor arrived to meet our class. And it sucks because our schedule made us go to school very early. By 7:30 we were supposed to be at school. We ended up waiting for professors that we knew would not come. Not yet.

You see, this week is the adjustment period. It’s when we could legally NOT come to school. That is because everyone is still ADJUSTING: Even the teachers.

Still, you never know. You could not actually predict whether a professor would appear and do his job early. Some of them are like that. And those professors are the kind who don’t like absences, and don’t tolerate tardiness. Well apparently, none of our enlisted professors -so far- are like that. They would most likely appear on the second week… or if they’re feeling lazy, the third or fourth week.

Anyway, staying in school doing nothing is boring. In fact, going anywhere and doing nothing is boring. You must do something, or else you will melt with boredom. Have something planned –no matter how simple the planned activities are. Or at least have a close friend with you. It’s good to have someone to share the boredom with.

That’s exactly what we did today. My friends and I completely sat outside the classrooms waiting for at least 7 hours. I’m not exaggerating here. This was worse than summer. At least during the summer vacation, Dev and I were able to do more productive things- like sleep and blog. Staying there was a waste of time, money and energy. Good thing I had good friends to stay with.

We stayed there, planning on how to avoid that kind of boredom next week. Yes, ‘cause we’ll be doing it every Tuesday. So we had to think of things we could do during our vacant periods (which is at least 4 hours). We pooled together crazy ideas such as playing Bingo, bringing foldable beds, visiting the university “resort”, and pinching each other. None was good enough to withstand a 4 hour break.

We’ll survive this. I know we will. Things are just a bit harder this year. Last year, we had to endure 3 hours of boredom. Now we have 4 hours and 30 minutes of freedom. Yes, let’s just think of it that way.

Good night everyone. J

"Flood Watch" by ARK

And so it begins…

Dev and I flew back home after our first day of school, only to find our home surrounded by my so called “muddy water”. Yes, our house was flooded. But since both of us could fly, we never touched a tiny drop. That’s a big relief for me, you know.

Tomorrow we’ll be heading to school again, and I’m wondering if we’ll be facing the same challenges. Will it rain hard like it did this morning? Will the streets be flooded too? Can the weathermen predict what will happen tomorrow? Of course not…not with the bipolar disorder that our clouds are suffering from. Now, only time can tell.

It’s not raining tonight. But I bet it would storm at midnight. It always does. I could only find comfort in my cold bed. I’m looking forward to a great sleep. Just for tonight, let me forget all about the flood. Let tomorrow worry for itself.