Happiness
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The angel asked, “You aren’t happy. How can I help you?”

The poet replied, “I have everything. But I lack only one thing. Can you give it to me?”

To which the angel happily said “Sure. I can give you anything you desired.

“The poet stared right into the angel’s eyes, “I want happiness.”

“All right,” the angel nodded. And the angel proceed to take away everything the poet possessed. The angel took away the poet’s talent, destroyed his looks, robbed his riches and killed his wife. The angel then left for heaven.

A month later, the angel appeared in front of the poet.The poet was lying on the ground, half dead, hungry and struggling for survival. The angel then returned him everything he once possessed and left for heaven again.

Two weeks later, the angel paid a visit to the poet. This time, the poet, together with his wife, thanked the angel profusely. He finally found happiness.

Often, a person need to lose everything before he/she know how to cherish. Actually, happiness is right in front of you. Just what is happiness? When you are hungry, a bowl of hot noodle in front of you is happiness. When you are tired, a soft bed is happiness. When you are crying, a gentle tissue is happiness.

Do you ever feel troubled when you have a problem you cannot settle?

Do you ever feel lousy about yourself?

Experienced failure and start to give up?

Meet Nick Vujicic.

Born without limbs, Nick conquered the difficulties in life.

Instead of giving up, he persevered and gave life his best shot.

Instead of blaming himself or others like God, he focused on trying his best and making an impact and making a difference for the world and the people around him.

Now……. does studying for your exams feel a little much easier now?

Our problems are nothing compared to this man. So what’s stopping you from giving your best today?
Read Nick’s story:
http://www.lifewithoutlimbs.org/about-nick-vujicic.php

So, your exams are coming in three weeks and you have yet opened up your book to start studying.If you are panicking and thinking about the ramifications of getting bad results, or you are feeling resolute about not studying because you know that even by studying now you will never do well.

I have 4 words just for you.

It’s Not Too Late!

Yes, these are wise words from an experienced practitioner. In my hey days, I was a last minute procrastinator too, and I managed to score As for my exams anyway.

This is not an attitude worthy to be learnt, but since you’re in this predicament, I have no choice but to share my secrets with you.

The main idea is to be FOCUSED, reduce distractions and FOCUS.

1. Reduce thy Distractions
If you have a habit of partying every Friday night and weekends, put a stop to it right now; At least for the next few weeks until the end of your exams.
If you have a habit of watching TV or surfing the net for hours every day, for the sake of your exams, stop it. Discipline yourself to reduce these distractions, and think about the abundance of time you will have during the holidays anyway.

One method I use regularly is to force myself to finish a topic or two, and then reward myself with 30 minutes of recreation activity. Step by step, it’s bound to work.

Another drastic measured I used before is to completely dismantle the computer, and place every different part of it at different hard to reach places of the house. A little drastic, but it suits those who love torturing yourself. Works every time!

2. Know thy Enemy
Know exactly what you are dealing with. Know what will be tested for your examinations. Write them down and paste it somewhere visible. It should include the subjects and the chapters you will be tested.

3. Plan thy Time
Now that you have an overview on the number of topics you need to study, plan your timetable before the exams now.
Allocate 2 - 3 topics a day to study and complete. Do this diligently until your schedule ends. Remember to keep the days before your papers light and easy, you are supposed to study, not burn yourself out.

Spread the topics evenly among the remaining days and remember to be realistic when planning. Spend this weekend, carefully planning your study plan and discipline yourself to start on Monday.

4. Count thy Happy Days
Keep a calendar and put a large smiley face =D at the day you end your exams. Strike out every day that has passed and evaluate whether you have finished what you have set out to do.

Keep yourself motivated by knowing the numbers of days till you are free from exams. Yes, it is a happy thing, we know.

5. Stay Focused
If all these don’t work, it is not too late. You are lucky it is only the mid year exams. Important moral to learn from this is that time is very precious and you should not be wasting them in unwanted distractions.

Also, understand that by consistently revising and doing your work, you can avoid that unwanted panicky feeling you are feeling right now.

Lastly, after understanding and planning your timetable, you should realize that conquering your exams is not that hard at all. If you can do it in 3 weeks, you are certainly able to conquer it more easily in 4 months starting from the June holidays. Isn’t that so?

Homework can be viewed in two different ways: a useful tool, or a waste of time. No matter how wonderful
homework is, the benefits will only be realized if information is properly digested.
To prevent wasted time, there are a several things you can do to make homework
useful. Here are 10 ways in which homework time can be made productive.
1. Homework Overview
Immediately before beginning homework, it is wise to confirm what is expected. If the material is worksheet related, read the instructions and headings. If the assignment is an essay, read the required elements. Work should only begin once expectations are perfectly
clear.
2. Work in Pairs
Many people learn better in small groups. By completing homework with someone that has the same aptitude for a particular subject, joint learning takes place. The saying, “Two heads work better than one” comes to mind.
3. Quiz One Another
Working with a partner has many advantages. Another advantage is the ability to quiz each other on homework questions. In fact, the individual asking questions tends to learn just as much as the one answering.
4. Make Homework the Same Time Each Day
Homework should be done at the same time each and every day. This gets the mind and body into a routine. Once a routine is established, the brain will automatically be ready to soak up information. If there are no assignments for the day, take the time to review material.
5. Provide A Snack
The brain needs food to thrive. Feeding your body before you do homework ensures an alert brain that isn’t preoccupied by a hungry stomach. Of course healthy snacks are better than sugar filled treats.
6. Positive Homework Feedback
The best way to help a child improve is to use encouraging feedback. For example, if she answers a worksheet question incorrectly, don’t just tell her she is wrong. Let her know what she did right, and why she came to the wrong conclusion.

7. Recreational Time Before Homework
School is 6 or 7 straight hours of learning. Children need to give their brains a break after school hours. Homework should not begin immediately after the last class of the day. Instead, let your child play or relax before really digging into study material.

8. Take Periodic Homework Breaks
As students get older, homework tends to take up more and more time. The brain functions best when it is given 10 or 15 minute breaks every hour. This ensures information is absorbed and not forgotten once the head hits the pillow at night.
9. Homework Help Availability
When a child has a homework question, the best time to get an answer is immediately. More information is stored if problems are answered and corrected as soon as they arise. Make sure your child or student has someone available for questions during homework hours. This can be a parent, teacher, sibling, or tutor.
10. Review Homework
After homework is completed, it is important to review the finished product. Check worksheet answers, review essays, make sure all questions have a response. Success is in the details.
In many households, homework is a dreaded word. Instead of being looked at as a helpful tool, it is viewed as an immense waste of time. These 10 tips will transform homework from haphazard busywork, into a necessary learning tool.
Jennifer Berry
http://www.worksheetlibrary.com/

I’m sure many students out there are keen to know how I achieved my A’s in many of my Math Test and Exams, from Secondary School to Junior College days. I’m here to share a few tips with you and hopefully they will aid you to do well too!

1. Pay attention in class especially to the examples which your teacher goes through as these are the different types of questions for your examinations. Revise through these examples before the exam.

2. Always complete your Mathematics homework on the day which it is given, as these concepts have just been taught in class. This will help to enhance the concepts and methods which you have to master.

3. Practice the rest of the questions from the exercise which have not been given to you as homework on another day during the week. This is to further improve your speed to work through these questions and ensure you can finish your exam papers on time which is extremely important for a top student.

4. Take a look at other good students’ work after they have been marked. This will help you to learn different ways of approaching questions which will be useful in the exams as you will need to fastest and safest method to save the questions. It is good to know various methods to do a question!

5. Learn various ways to check your working. Checking isn’t just looking through your working; there are many effective methods to check your answers for the different chapters. Ask your teachers or tutors about it, or you can contact Jasper and Benjamin for tuition. We’ll teach you how to achieve your A.

Having good time management can be interpreted as having a balanced lifestyle. Generally speaking, if you play too much, you lose the drive to work hard; and if you work too hard, you fatigue yourself and you are unable to stay productive.

Remember, having time management is not supposed to keep yourself busy, but productive and making results!This principle applies not only to two general activities in life; work and play, but to what I term as the 6 core functions of life: physical, mental, social, career, emotional and spiritual.

Staying physically healthy and fit through exercise and a balanced diet can keep you less stressed, fatigued and weary.

Keeping your mind active by critically thinking into issues and challenging yourself from status quo keeps you intellectual and drives you to achieve more than you are able to.

Having good relationships with others and contributing to the society through social and voluntary work makes you find your self worth and is an important social aspect.

Being focused of your career in terms of work or studies gives you less time to idle and implants unto you a sense of identity.

Expressing yourself appropriately and not hiding your actual feelings prevents malicious emotions from bottling inside you. You are emotionally more stable and able to communicate better with others.

Having something to look forward to, having hope for the future and possessing a personal mission to accomplish is the spiritual aspect and the last aspect of the core functions.
What is missing in your life today? Do you feel the need to build up that area of your life? Share with the world your comments today.

Most of us know it when our children have the potential to do better but just aren’t bringing in the scores. Underachievement in kids can be caused by many things:

Are they emotionally disturbed?

Bullying, low self-esteem, unable to adjust to changes are some of the reasons why some children underperforms. The child who has experienced a death in the family or whose parents are going through a divorce is very likely to go through a period of underachievement.

Do you spot a learning difficulty?

Learning difficulties or an unrecognised physical problem such as a vision or hearing difficulty can adversely affect their learning. Speak to their teachers or observe your child for learning disabilities and seek help immediately if you find something amiss.

Are you expecting too much?

This is the most common problem among many parents; overly high parental expectations can be deeply distressing for a child who is unable to meet the expectations constantly. The child may rebel or show his frustrations by giving up altogether. Plan realistic goals TOGETHER with your child and make timelines to achieve them. Encourage them along the way, it will work wonders.

Peer Pressure

Some children have difficulty fitting in the social circle and resort to other means to find similarities. Speak to your child about friendship and facilitate means of resolving issues with peers, however bear in mind to give your child freedom to solve these issues.

Time Management

Find out if your child is disorganized or doesn’t know how to cope with a busy schedule. With several subjects to work on every night, many children feel overwhelmed as they do not know to how manage their effectively. Plan his or her schedule with her and find out how much time your child should be spending on homework everyday. Allow him free time to do his own leisure readings, play an hour of computer games during the weekend, engage in sports which is extremely healthy for the body and mind to excel.

Feeling Loved

Offer emotional support. Show acceptance and affection for your child and make sure he knows that you love him regardless of his academic standings. Cheer him on every little success. An improvement from D to C is a good start. He has to regain his faith in himself and believe he is capable of better work.

Still finding it difficult to develop time management? Here are some helpful tips that you can use immediately.

1. Write it down. What you remember today, you will not necessarily remember tomorrow. If the greatest ideas you will have that will change your comes at 3am, and if you don’t write it down, you will forget it forever. Write down your goals, your resolutions, your ideas, and your thoughts. Write it down.
2. Review your goals regularly. Daily, weekly or over a month. I hope you wrote your goals down, because writing it down gives you greater control in monitoring your progress. Be able to classify short term from long term goals and provide realistic targets to achieve.
An example of a long term goal is to score A1 for Chemistry. Your weekly target should be to complete a self test every Friday with an A2 grade.

3. Don’t push yourself. Recognize that every human has its downs and ups. When you are down, don’t look back and pick yourself up. When you are up, don’t overstress yourself to maintain it forever and be mentally prepared to deprove occasionally.

4. Learn to say “NO”. If your friends ask you out during your study time, stay focused, and say no!

5. Reward yourself. If you managed to finish what you set out to do today, give yourself a good reward of 2 hours of playtime. If you did well for your common tests, buy yourself a big present. Keep yourself motivated.

6. Do not procrastinate. What you can do today, don’t leave it for tomorrow. What you can do now, don’t leave it for later. Later will never come.

7. Have a positive attitude, believe in yourself. But yet be realistic in your approach. If you have been scoring F9 for a subject, don’t expect to score A1 in your next test. Instead aim for a pass first, and subsequently aim for a better grade.

8. Have I mentioned to write it down? I cannot emphasize enough. Keeping a record of things allow you to monitor your progress and motivate you when you see improvement. It can also allow you to evaluate what’s wrong if you notice deprovement. It is the start, and end of managing your time effectively.

Have you ever felt very sick before? The sort where you can’t get out of bed, have no appetite to swallow anything, the sort where you can’t even enjoy your sleep.If you suffer that during school time, you still have to drag yourself out of bed, to see a doctor. Oh the suffering. Apart from that, you might miss out on an important lesson, miss out on an important concept, and as a result, fail to understand a majority of the entire chapter.

You have plans for your holidays. You want to enjoy going out with your friends and doing the things you like, and imagine falling extremely sick during your holidays. Terrible!

Avoid that completely, stay healthy and keep fit. You’ll be surprised that it will have more than just a physical effect on you.

1. Eat moderately with a balanced diet

Holidays are not a time for you to binge or gorge on your favourite unhealthy food. (ok maybe except new year and Christmas) Eat moderately, not excessively. This means that you can eat your fried food, sweet treats and such, but don’t overdo it.

2. Working out

Anything with the word work in it is a deterrent. Working out is no exception. But did you know that by keeping yourself fit, your body is more able to withstand germs and viruses? Your resistance is increased and immune system upgraded.

Your oxygen intake goes up too after working out (drinking more water enhances this effect), with higher oxygen intake, you focus better, think faster and more critically.

More than just physical effects, you will feel more mentally confident about yourself with that toned physique and well maintained body.

Ready to get out of your chair to do some exercise now?

3. Sleeping early

Ok I’m guilty of this, and so are many other adults like your parents. But sleeping early is important for young people. Your complexion, internal organs, height, weight, basically your health depends on how much sleep you get. There is a good reason why we spend 1/3 of our life sleeping.

But are you having difficulty sleeping? Maybe the next post will help.

So you’ve decided to make good use of your March holidays after reading the previous article, but not sure of the precise steps how. Well, no worries. Over the next few days, I will be going through step by step on the 4 points I’ve talked about. Here’s a recap.

- Catch up with your studies
- Keep yourself fit and healthy
- Catch up with your play
- Pack up your room

Today we’ll be looking to catch up with our studies. Have you ever felt that you need to do better in studies but you lose the motivation instantly when you are not sure how? Here are some steps that will kick start your engine and put you on the right track in your studies.
1. Know your syllabus

Sounds easy and taken for granted. But are you able to recite the topics you have studied till now? If not, its time to start knowing what you have to study and what is coming next, stay mentally prepared at least.

You can check out the O level syllabus here.
2. Read the textbook thoroughly

Yes it is really boring to read the textbook. But did you know that most textbooks are written in a step by step manner?

Reading the textbook thoroughly will put you at an advantage. (Because honestly, no one does it) If you are lagging behind your syllabus, your teacher didn’t call for remedial classes, and you do not have a tuition teacher, your textbook is your best alternative.
3. Be realistic in your plans

If you’re a last minute student and thinking about finishing 8 topics in a day, or studying 4 subjects by tonight, be realistic.

Know yourself, if you are only able to concentrate for a short period of time, give yourself a realistic target to complete. It is better to complete a small target than to plan big and finish nothing at all.

For the March holidays, 2 subjects and 2 topics a day will be sufficient to cover a large chunk of the syllabus.

Well, ready to start studying?