Sunday, March 18, 2012

Dead/Final Week Stress Management and Study Tips

I have been SO busy, and I am VERY behind on updating blog. Good news is that I got a full-time job. Bad news is that I am still taking a couple of classes, and finals are next week. When do I have time for blogging? This post is about the ways to deal stress and tips to study. 

1. Take a Shower: It is a great way to get refresh.  Dead week and final week are super stressful. Even only ten minutes of showering can reduce a lot of stress. When I feel tired after studying and/or working for so long, I usually take a shower and come back to study. My brain works better on that way.

2. Eat Healthily: I know people don't have time to cook or even eat during the dead and final week, so a lot of college students tend to eat snacks as meal or get fast food. PLEASE DO NOT. I am not asking anyone to take time cooking healthy food during those weeks, but making some simple comfort food would not take long time. Remember to eat breakfast before test at least a slice of fruit.

3. Find a Way to Express Your Stress: When you had a bad day, it's better to let others know that your day wasn't right. There is no need to hide it. Let it out is good. There are a lot of ways to express stress. The common way I see is to just Facebook it. Some people have concerns for facebooking their problems, but I think it is OK. If you don't want someone to know, you can express it by journalizing. I do it sometimes. 

4. Only Study in a Place without Distraction for a Few Hours a Day: Sometimes studying for too long would not be effective. Time is scarce during those weeks, so it is better to use time efficiently. The brain can only focus small amounts of time in a day, and the distractions would waste a lot of valuable studying time.  Plan a study time when the brain works the best, and choose a place where is quiet. Make sure to tell the others to not distract you unless it is emergency and turn off all the technical devices. 

5. Get into Study Groups: I know some people might prefer to study by themselves, but discussing materials with other classmates is definitely a great way to study. I didn't believe study groups are helpful until I experienced it. I actually got help from other classmates, and I gave help to them, too. Perhaps there are places you might missed to study, but another classmates can remind you, so you will catch that. Overall, helping each other score best on the test is nice thing to do. 

6. Put away the Heavy Textbooks and Focus on the Light Notecards: The test is around the corner, and the time is running out. There is no time to focus on the details of the long chapters. It is the time to only focus on the highlights. During the term, I like to make notecards for the key words and important parts for each chapter. When it comes to dead week, I would only focus on the information on the notecards. The good thing about them is that I carry them around everywhere I go, so I can study anytime and anywhere. 

I hope they are helpful!! Good Luck!!

Thursday, March 1, 2012

February Food Craziness Part 1: The Best Birthday Brunch

Wow, the month of February went fast. I have been lazy about blogging after my birthday. Sorry!! The month of February is about my birthday and valentine's day. It is my favorite month of the year because it is a month of love and celebration. My family and I had some food adventures during those days, and we had food coma. We usually eat healthily, but indulging ourself once a while is OK, right? I mean the month combines my birthday and valentine's day. They are all about cakes and candies. I am such a foodie. I like to cook, eat, and write about food. I hope you will enjoy.
Birthday Brunch
For my birthday brunch we went to Tasty n Sons. It has been featured on many Portland Traveling Sites, and it was ranked "Top 10 Best Breakfast in the US" on Yahoo. Therefore, I thought it should not be very wrong to try it out. When we entered the cafe, there was a long line. That was a good sign!! We had to wait about 45 minutes. We were glad that there were a lot of Artistic Stores around it to see while we were waiting. 
I felt happy that all the portions were small, so we could try a lot of different dishes. They all were made from scratch and tasted so good!! 
Fried Egg and Boiled Spinach: Although it was a simple dish, but they made it taste so delicious. It was pretty, too. I like the food is not only yummy, but also looks good.
 Biscuits with Cheese, Fried Egg and Chicken: It was probably the BEST fried chicken I ever had. I try not eat too much fried meat because it is usually very oily, but this fried chicken was not oily at all. The biscuit itself was great, too.
English Muffin with Fried Eggs and Beans: Although my family is not a big fan of Mexican food, we really liked the beans. Surprisingly, we were fighting for them. 
French Toast: I love french toast, but I barely order from restaurants because they usually make it too sweet. I prefer making them at home, but that is rare, sadly. The sweetness of this french toast was just right. 
Chocolate Potato Doughnuts: This was my favorite among all the dishes we ordered. The cream dip for the doughnuts was yummy. I wanted to lick the plate. I wished we'd order more than one, so we did not have to share. My mother hoped she could recreate this doughnut at home. Good Luck, mother.
Granola: To be honest, I barely eat any kind of bars. I don't like granola, but I enjoyed this granola. It went very well with the fruits and dairy cream. It was healthy, too.
All in all, it was a fun experience. I was surprised that all the dishes were simple, but Tasty n Sons made them taste amazing!! I liked eating things I don't like or don't usually eat. We definitely want to return even though it is a little far from where we live, and I wish it was closer to my house.