Surviving Revision

Yeah, I know, it totally sucks. You have to fit your life around going over stuff you've already learned, but even though you've already learned it, it still takes loads of effort and stress to go over it again. It's boring and feels like it's filling up your life, but as you get towards the end of your revision you get closer to the beginning of your exams, which are really scary, so you kind of don't want it to end either. This point in your life is almost zero fun, and the rare fun moments are besmirched by the thought of having to get back to revision soon.

However, as resourceful human beings, in the hardest of times we develop survival techniques. We CAN get through this! Other people have before us, so we can too. Everybody has the capacity to make it past the "this is so awful I can't take it any more" revision wall, to make it become bearable, and to eventually get through the exams and on to the good parts of the year. Here are a few techniques I've picked up:

1. Snackage. As a hardworking student you are permitted to eat more than usual, although rubbishy food might actually make you feel worse. I recommend chocolate-covered almonds, crackers with Marmite or chocolate spread or whatever floats your snacking boat, dry cereal (don't knock it, totally great).  Keep some small snacks beside your desk (or wherever you're working) and reward yourself whenever you hit even a minor achievement.
2. Revision websites. This way you can do games or quizzes and it doesn't feel so utterly dull. Plus if you get 10 out of 10 on a quiz, it makes you feel like you've made progress and achieved something, even if it's really not that difficult. Obviously there's BBC Bitesize for up-to-GCSE revision, and beyond that I recommend Get Revising. As well as using other people's flashcards and quizzes or whatever, you can make your own revision resources and also make a revision timetable. It makes the whole process a lot less like hard work.
3. Group revision. Okay, this one requires willpower, but it's totally worth it. If you get together with people revising the same subject you can answer each other's questions and have group discussions, which are particularly helpful for essay subjects. Also you feel much less alone in your suffering. But you really should try to keep on track for at least an hour. It's so easy to stalk that weird person's Facebook photos instead of talking about The Duchess of Malfi, but you feel racked with guilt afterwards, and you've missed an opportunity.
4. Flashcards. This isn't new to anyone I'm sure, but they're so great I want to mention them. When you've got a set of colour-coordinated (unless you're lazy like me) cards with condensed information on them, the stuff you've got to learn is a lot less daunting. Plus you can whip them out at any opportunity, 'cause they're small and portable and it's easy to flip through them.
5. Mind-mapping. Oh my god I love it. I know it depends on your personal learning style, and I'm not one for tables or lists, mind-maps just make sense to me. They're super quick to draw because you don't need to faff around with a ruler or sentencing or anything. If you've only got 15 minutes you can mind-map an answer to an essay question, for example, and you've gone through the whole essay thought process without writing an essay. Plus, if you've got the time, you can use it to revise by colour association: different coloured strands for different themes, or picture association if you're that way inclined.

There you are, four things I do to make revision more bearable. I'm not advising that you don't do other things like practise papers and re-reading texts and all the usual stuff too. Good luck! 

A Happy Post

Here are some things that make me happy: 

1. Feeling really, really full after an awesome meal.
2. Presents that have old-fashioned labels.
3. Photos of my favourite people.
4. Stories about schoolgirls from over 70 years ago.
5. Wearing fancy perfume just because.
6. Using my laptop. It makes me feel like a journalist on the go.
7. Kissing in various forms of precipitation.
8. Passing notes to friends.
9. Putting a tea cosy on a teapot.
10. Patchwork quilts.

Confessions of a Lying Witch Child

So I guess the BBC is having a Lindsay Lohan season or something, because last week 'Freaky Friday' was available on iPlayer, and this week it's 'Confessions Of A Teenage Drama Queen'. I'd heard of this film but not seen it, so as a crappy teen chick flick fan, and having absorbed more than my daily dose of Degrassi already, I felt needs must and put it on. I'm still not sure whether this was a mistake or a great decision. It did give me a lot of material for a blog post.

Here's the basic premise: whiny brat New Yorker with questionable clothing style (even for the noughties) Mary 'Lola'* Step moves with her mom and little sisters to SUBURBIA. I know. Her life is so difficult. At her new school she encounters the Burberry-clad Queen Bee, Carla Santini, square nerd with similar music taste Ella Gerard and token love interest Sam. Makes 1 enemy, befriends 2 and mildly flirts with 3. She faces some basic issues, e.g. a mentally troubled teacher, the disapproval of Ella's parents, reality compared to her Tracy Beaker-style lies, auditioning for the school play. But then: OH NO! Total disaster. The band 'Lola' and Ella fangirl over, 'Sid Arthur' (which is a totally lame pun on Siddhartha that shouldn't be allowed) breaks up. There's going to be a final concert with an after party that they TOTALLY HAVE TO GO TO, not least because bitchy Carla is going. But this proves challenging. Thus ensues a series of hilarious and complex shenanigans through which lessons are learned (sort of) and everything magically doesn't go to shit. There are some interesting fantasy sequences of 'Lola's' with bright colours which are actually better than most of the real plot. This all plays out to dreadful teen music by Atomic Kitten, Simple Plan and LiLo herself. Waaaay.

'Lola' rhapsodises about her imaginary family history. Ella totally buys it.

You can tell that 'Lola' is the creative, quirky one because her hair is curly and Ella's is straight.

Even by LiLo's standards, her acting here is shoddy. In 'Freaky Friday' I actually kinda believed the character, stereotypical and OTT as she was, but this is just too ridiculous. Admittedly she had a script to stick to, but take a look at the picture above: who stares that wistfully at the sky when recounting some bullshit about their father dying? Not if you wanted anyone to take you vaguely seriously. Worse is the school musical, a modern adaptation of Pygmalion called 'Eliza Rocks'. Yes, really. In it, Lindsay Lohan destroys David Bowie's 'Changes' with a horrific tweenage-girl-angst-Greenday-style rendition. I died a little inside.

I did however manage to watch 'til the end. I was waiting for the alcoholic singer of Sid Arthur (chief crush of the movie) to crush 'Lola's' soul by destroying her rose-tinted view of him, but they even managed to ruin this. When he didn't live up to expectations she gained all this moral high-ground, and it was shown as a kind of "Lola has so much worldly knowledge now" thing, which was disappointing.  She should have been totally humiliated! Plus he still makes her dreams come true by dancing with her at bitch girl's party, after saying he's becoming sober now, just like that, easy. 

My favourite character was the teacher, who seemed somehow to be the most realistic figure in the whole thing. She is scarily crazy and has some sort of speech impediment, and gets a bit too involved in producing the play, which must remind everyone of one of their teachers in one way or another. She gets some of the only genuinely amusing lines in the film. And she's called Miss Baggoli, which I love and I don't know why. So yeah, you go Miss Baggoli!

All in all, not of of Lindsay's best to say the least. But I recommend watching it if you want to laugh at something utterly atrocious or cheer for Miss Baggoli.

* She changes her name to seem more interesting. This sickens me.

Bookshop Stuff

The bookshop interior.

I feel that the world of book-selling is viewed with a million misconceptions. Countless people have mentioned to my boss how marvellous and peaceful it must be to run a bookshop, how they'd love to get away from their busy lives and do the same as him. These people clearly don't know what they're talking about. In fact, it's a little insulting- like saying, "You don't really do anything, do you?"

It's not a bloody retreat! You don't just potter about, shelving things and sitting behind the till having a chat. It is an actual job. Ordering, returns, talking to publishing reps, unboxing and adding to the system, going through sales reports, organising events, stock taking, customer orders, keeping up with new publications, dealing with nightmare customers, community stuff, and even more if you actually run them. Stuff I can't even imagine: tax things, bank stuff, being available all the time to talk about the business with random people or sort out employees' issues. It's really not that simple.

Obviously there are good bits too, or it wouldn't be worth doing. You get to look at books directly they're available, become friends with the nicer customers, and feel like you're helping with something important: getting someone just the right book, helping children learn to read, all that sort of thing. 

Plus it allows for some interesting stories...

Homemade Kitsch

Gorgeous pencil case by Mad Mother.

Having watched The Great British Sewing Bee (much entertainment, we're rooting for Anne),  the household was in creative mode, and Mum crocheted me this gorgeous pencil case with adorable buttons. How fab is that? It reminded my Dad of craftivism, which in theory is totally awesome and it would be great if Mum's skillage was that way motivated, but as Mum pointed out, is unlikely to really achieve much. Anyway, I'm happy with this great new practical accessory, and I think it's a shame that the handmade isn't incorporated into everyday style more. I mean, nobody's going to show up with the same outfit as you if you've spent all night at it with scissors and a glue gun. Plus, homemade stuff is timeless. Not so long ago, people made most of their own clothes (or for something fancy went to a tailor or seamstress) and wore them 'til they couldn't be worn any more. Disposable fashion wasn't really a thing. I mean, a lot of cool stuff comes from Primark and can be chucked out after a few months, but the homemade awesome could be mixed with this and make something totally new. 

If I actually go through with my thoughts and attempt to, like, sew or something cray like that, I'll blog the results. This might just stay as one of those theories that, due to my general uselessness and lack of technical skill, I never fulfil, but we'll see...

Lucy Fernandez: Endless Style

Lucy rocks a personalised cropped sweatshirt and big pink bow (DJH S3E3)

Gold headband and red military coat with gold trim? Hell yes! (Same episode)

I think it's unfair that Caitlin gets all the credit for being a politically-minded, attractive, stylish girl on Degrassi. In my opinion, Lucy does all this but better. Her style is way braver- what other Junior High student dares to don this amazing red military coat and totally work it around the hallways? Where Caitlin often looks like someone's try-hard mother or some kind of 30-year-old boardroom babe, Lucy has fun with her clothes and isn't trying to look older than she is. She always looks awesome because of it. And she's political and intelligent without rubbing it in people's faces. Caitlin's whole animal testing fiasco happened because she didn't do her research and was way too quick to jump down people's throats- she preached at people and got her comeuppance. But Lucy made a feminist slasher movie and got a load of people on board, because she wasn't lording it over them or taking on airs and graces. Go Luce! 

There are so many fantastic outfits throughout the show I might have to make this a regular thing. She's a contender for my fave Degrassi character, along with Spike and Melanie. And Alexa, actually. Expect more soon...

Sleep: What's Up With That?

I totally accept that sleep is a necessary part of life. I often enjoy it, it means you don't have to focus on anything and you can just be warm and relaxed and oblivious. But what bugs me is when sleep nags me all the frickin' time!

I slept for well over the required eight hours last night, I expected to be all  bright-eyed and bushy-tailed this morning. Nuh-uh. Sleep clung on to me like a needy child, making me all bleary and achey. Why am I tired? I should so not be tired. Jeez. It's making me less able to do stuff I want to do; it transformed today into a trackie-wearing, bedroom-haunting Degrassi-marathon day, when it could have been a dress-and-make-up, homework-efficient, high-achieving day. If I was ill  or something I wouldn't mind really, I like chilling and watching Degrassi. But it wasn't how I planned it. I can't let something dictate me like that. Sleep is like Kathleen-freaking-Mead, bossing me around with a sulky pout. Shut up sleep! You're not in charge here. I gave you what you wanted, leave me alone.

Still, I guess one's got to be positive. Focus on the good things dearie, as Auntie Ada might tell me. It's on days like this I discover the insane Miss Hardboom fanbase on YouTube, with countless HB/Snape or HB/Cackle or even HB/Millie romance videos. Totes useful, right? And I've started a blog. That's pretty cool. Plus I've got through lots of leftover Easter chocolate that was cluttering up my room. I guess I'll make peace with sleep for now. The bitch.

In Defence of Kathleen Mead

Kathleen feverishly consumes a biscuit...

So, when it comes to the original Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High (available to watch here), there are usually disagreements. Love or hate Joey Jeremiah, love or hate the Heather and Erica, a fan of the 80s clothes or think they're the ugliest things ever to cover a back, can't stick the sometimes lame acting or think it adds gawky charm... The list could be pretty much endless. But I've yet to hear of someone who doesn't think Kathleen Mead is "the wicked witch of Degrassi" or at least extremely irritating. I mean, she ruthlessly dictated the Degrassi Junior High Environmental Committee, she was horrible to anyone who threatened her power, she was frequently bitchy to loyal friend Melanie, she was infuriatingly competitive, she was self-centred and she refused to accept help with anything. Plus her voice was so annoying, and she had no dress sense. But I'd like to mount a defence case.

1. She had tons of problems. Like, way more than in any other character's plotline. Her mother was an alcoholic, her father was never home, she had anorexia, she was in an abusive relationship... I think often these were reasons, not excuses, for her behaviour. She had little control over her home life so it's understandable she'd try to exercise control at school. She was always trying to earn her father's attention, hence the competitiveness. Anorexia is an awful illness, and it must have made her more ratty to say the least. And Scott the dickhead capitalised on her vulnerability to abuse her in their relationship, which obviously distracted her from her friends and made her even more determined to be in control of other situations. 
2. Melanie was a brilliant character, and she needed Kathleen to demonstrate this. Their friendship often gave Melanie the opportunity to look out for her friend, and to be the funny guy to Kathleen's straight man. Plus they had some classic moments together: being convinced they were on drugs when Joey sold them vitamin pills, for example.
3. She typified a certain kind of girl. We've all met our Kathleens: the rumour-spreaders, the frenemies, the 13-year-old fascist dictators... For Degrassi to reflect something of real school life, she had to be there.
4. Kathleen had some killer moments. She took Arthur to the graduation dance, not because he was rich as he feared, but "because you're a boy". She gave an evil death stare on numerous occasions which are worth studying; it could come in useful. She was comedy gold.

So there you have it. She's not my favourite character, and by no means a heroine, but Degrassi wouldn't be the same without her. Let Melanie's whines of "Kathleeeeeeen!" haunt the hallways ever more.

Classic Kathleen bitch face.

Oh, and she's an excellent sign-maker. In the DJH episode 'Revolution', she protested against Stephanie Kay's dismal rule as student president with a sign saying "Stephanie Kay may be a good kisser but she's a lousy prez! The student council can't be run on lips alone!" xD

Hello ^_^

Hello! I'm Matilda, YouTube channel name fixitwithtea. I'm part of another, better blog, Snug Musings, but I couldn't remember the username and password, so I thought I'd make another one to rant by myself for now. Expect obsessive worshipping of whatever TV show I'm currently into, or links to cool stuff I've found on the Internet. Thanks for stopping by, and please check out Snug Musings for more professional-looking blogging by my friend Ellie and myself.