'Tis the Season to do Revision...

Wrapping presents, writing cards, putting decorations up (not trimming up), eating mince pies, singing along to carols… and revision? Ok, so that’s not strictly true, out of all of them I’ve only partaken in the last three activities, and I haven’t eaten a mince pie in December yet. So basically all I’ve so far done in this most festive period is sung carols and done revision. Those of you who know me well will know that that is an absurd combination of things to find me doing.

I don’t sing much in public (or in private to be honest, so I could have just left out the “in public” bit… could of). Well this is true if you don’t count church, down a cave, up a hillside or just general walking around (the latter I get some weird looks for doing, but that’s the benefit of headphones, I don’t have to listen to myself), so apart from all that I don’t sing much, so basically I sing a reasonable amount. However I haven’t sung in any professional-esque way since quitting choir in year 7, right after achieving my goal of going to Blackpool Pleasure Beach.

Now this was something I had resolved to change when I arrived at university, the singing bit, not going to Blackpool again (though I’m not saying I don’t want to go to Blackpool again, so no offence to anyone from there). However this was soon put into doubt after only one choir practice, after which through a combination of busyness and can’t-be-bothered-ness I didn’t go again; but yesterday I found the perfect way to overcome such trepidation... the allure of singing carols, that and my new fondness to singing bass, the nice vibration when singing low is much better than the slight pain of trying to reach the highest tenor notes.

That was only one part of my weekend though, and whilst the Christmas festivities beckoned me into their warm arms, I had to resist such temptation. Instead I knew I had to embark on the daunting task of revision. Can I just say, (well it’s my blog, so I guess I can) who puts exams a few weeks before Christmas, that’s just against the Christmas spirit. Although I suppose it’s better than just after Christmas, and the fact that they moved them forward a week leading to 3 days of blissful nothingness (apart from an assignment) in the last week of term.

Before anyone questions, yes I did actually do some revision, and I’m glad I did having found out a few things I didn’t know, and then during revision today finding out that the few things I didn’t know were actually all helpfully laid out on a nifty formula sheet. It wasn’t all wasted though, as today I got absolutely scuppered on a whole section of a past paper, though I then realised that the equations I needed were also listed helpfully in a section later down.

So the first lesson from my revision is get to know what you’re given in the exam; useful stuff. Of course the rest didn’t go all swimmingly either, there were a couple of questions I didn’t get and am now tasked with reading up on said related topics. I realised though that these topics were the ones I missed because of my train being late one Monday morning (this is another interesting story to come, quite possible more interesting than the slightly damaged advent calendar, though they’re both frankly riveting stories, that in no way could be explained in just a few sentences, thereby cutting any attempted suspense. If you’re one to say, what suspense and laugh at this seemingly pathetic attempt at it, be warned in just a few days’ time you won’t most definitely not be able to sleep because of the suspense that will be eating away at you, like a hamster eating a mountain)

Lesson two therefore is go to your lectures and if you do miss one, actually read up on the missed topic and don’t just assume that it’ll all be alright (also be sure to read up on mountain eating hamsters, they most definitely exist and are in no way a figment of my slightly weird imagination, and a terrible simile as well).

My final lesson for successful revision is this: whatever you do don’t just give up because of one question that has a massive amount of words, that as an engineer scares you to no end, and turn to writing a blog post instead. That should never, ever be done…

Another door another day... also to add to the already overwhelming suspense, some of those items you can see will be talked about in the upcoming month.

Revision, Revision.... Pokemon!

So it's that time of year again, but this year it has a greater precedent as how well i do in the next few months will determine where i will spend the next 4 years of my life studying. Quite daunting thought and you would think that would put me into the right mind for some solid studying over the Easter holidays, indeed that is what i thought just two weeks ago. Oh how long ago does that seem now, because unfortunately even with best intentions in my mind, yet again as many-a-time before it has occurred, something (or as it normally turns out things) have shown a way out of the unpleasant task of having to face the fact that i need to get some work done. And yet again this task of potentially ruining my education has fallen to the ever-brilliant Pokemon.

Ok yes i know i'm 18 but who cares Pokemon is still as awesome as it always has been especially now i've managed to get it on my netbook, enabling Dratini to potentially be best ever starter Pokemon. Now for those of you who have never played Pokemon and are wondering what on earth i'm chatting about, there's one simple solution: get the game, you will not be disappointed (although like Star Wars stick to the original). Of course i've been off for a week now, so surely i can't have spent all that time playing Pokemon, could i?

Actually this time, surprisingly, that is correct. I haven't spent all that time playing Pokemon, i mean i'm not playing it now in fact... otherwise i wouldn't be able to focus on typing but instead be writing something along the line of: "Damn you and your hyper potion" (i mean seriously why do the gym leaders always use hyper potion, it's sooo annoying) or "Enjoy your bath" (as i use surf) or indeed other puns/ awesome Horatio Cane style phrases, i might get my sunglasses out to add to the effect whilst staring into the distance walking in some dramatic style (i have to admit that Horatio's phrases were the only reason i watched CSI: Miami, and i suspect this might be true for others as well.)

And just in case you're wondering, no i didn't spend the holiday watching CSI: Miami. I wouldn't waste studying time to watch some TV show. No i watched The Big Bang Theory, since that is not just some TV show, it is one epic show, although slightly irritating due to all jokes at the expense of engineering, but hey-ho at least for my final year project i get to build and test something (maybe even race it) instead of sitting around with test tubes or drowning in books and papers of theoretical physics. That is, of course if i stop watching TBBT and get studying for my exams, otherwise i won't be doing any of that.

Alas there has been a lot of other stuff going on aswell. Last week i stayed in Suffolk, which is filled with very old buildings and anglo-saxon stuff but more importantly 7% cider which was quite easily the best way to end the lent-water diet. Then of course the important morning lie-in, as studies have shown that a good nights sleep leads to good learning state-of-mind, although if the lie-in stops the learning occurring i'm not so sure it entirely works.

So here i am with only a few days left of the holiday with no work done, but plenty of it to do and 6 exams to sit in the summer (including for some reason still unbeknown to me, even though i agreed to doing it (my maths teacher should really be a salesman), a 3 hour non-calculator STEP paper; and the other worrying thought that i've self-taught one of them, so that may not end well...) It's going to be a long final 6 weeks of school, but at least i can be safe in the knowledge that i have study leave and all it's studying time to come. Which means it can be put to it's best use: completing my Pokemon game before the summer holiday.