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[spinach-studies]

21-May-2019 | Fri | Partly Cloudy | 13 – 24 °C | Berlin, Germany  

Grinding out my Maymester reports at a cafe in Berlin while my parents are out roaming around the city.

[spinach-studies]

26-May-2019 | Sun | Luleå, Sweden

The past month or so has been quite hectic. Multiple project deadlines, then finals, then a two-week study abroad trip after a quick respite visiting some old friends. Grades came out a while ago and they turned out better than expected. I was so sure that I’ve failed a class or two, but I guess the graders were so stunned by my sloppiness that they just let me pass the class. I even got an A on a statistics class that I don’t think I’ve learned/retained much from.

Here is a photo of the breathtaking sunset at Luleå. What an exhilarating two weeks travelling around Scandinavia while learning about different computational modelling research in biomedical engineering.

[spinach-studies]

30-April-2019 | Tue | Rain | 9 – 18 °C

It’s been almost two weeks since I’ve last posted here and took time to reflect/review on my progress. Last week was supposedly dead week, a week intended to let students focus on studying for finals. Instead, I’ve spent most of my time completing assignments, finishing up projects, and preparing for a presentation. In other words, no substantial studying or absorbance of knowledge was made last week. So here I am, at the library, cramming the very last minute.

[spinach-studies]

19-April-2019 | Fri | Cloudy | 4 – 7 °C

This morning was frankly very unproductive even though I woke up before 7 am. I decided that I need to turn things around so I headed for the library and will give my best to focus and get work done till the 6 pm closing time.

[spinach-studies]

13-April-2019 | Sat | Partly Cloudy/Sunny | 2 – 16 °C

Working on a SPICE project for a class. I don’t think I’m understanding the material properly and might have to retake this class in the future. I would love to master the material and next time I take this class I should give it more time and attention.

♫ Now playing: Blurred by Kiasmos ♫

[spinach-studies]

10-April-2019 | Wed | Overcast/Rainy/Sunny | 5 – 13 °C

Applied and got approved for my first credit card today. Personal finance has been an issue/topic that I knew I need to get on top of for the past 4+ years but never brought myself to face it. In the beginning, I’d tell myself that I was too young, too unemployed, too busy to take care of it. I’m a third-year university student now, with just a little more than a year left before I graduate and face the actual world with real responsibilities and consequences. Not saying that there aren’t any at this point but living in a college town sure makes one feel sheltered, the “REAL adult life” far too removed and irrelevant. A few months ago I managed to get a part-time gig at the start-up I interned at over the summer, which granted me my first IRA. Though I am taking this month off to focus on school, I am, in fact, kind of employed. And I’m not “too young” anymore to not know and manage my own financial situation.

Part of me is convinced that I could’ve and should’ve started earlier. The accuracy of that hunch proves to be unimportant. I can’t go back in time and stop my past self from avoiding the task, but I can stop that procrastination and make a move now. And that is exactly what I have decided to do.

p.s. if anyone has any tips on personal finance or just growth in general, please hmu!

[spinach-studies]

ACADEMIC PHRASE BANK MASTERPOST: CONNECTING WORDS

Addition

To begin with, 

In the first place, 

Firstly, 

The first reason

Additionally

Furthermore, 

Another reason why

Secondly, Thirdly, 

Next, 

Pursuing this further, 

Also

Lastly, Finally

In the same way,

Comparison

Similarly,

In the same way,

Likewise,

As with,

Equally,

Contrasting

However,

Nevertheless,

On the other hand,

Even so

Alternatively

At the same time

Otherwise

Instead

Conversely 

Result

Hence

Therefore

Accordingly

Consequently

Thus

As a result

In consequence 

For this reason

For this purpose

Time

Meanwhile

Presently

At last

Finally

Immediately

Thereafter

At that time

Eventually

Currently

Subsequently

In the meantime

Importance

Importantly

Especially

Above all

With attention to

Example

For example

For instance

That is

Such as

As revealed by

Illustrated by

Specifically

In particular

For one thing

This can be seen by

An instance of this

Literary

Clarifies

Conveys

Depicts

Demonstrates

Determines

Displays

Emphasizes

Establishes 

Explains

Exemplifies

Highlights

Illustrates

Indicates

Potrays

Represents

Shows

Signifies

Suggests

Beginnings/Causes/Effects

Affects

Generates

Ignites

Impacts

Imposes

Influences

Initiates

Introduces

Involves

Launches

Leads to

Presents

Promotes

Prompts

Results in

Summary

In conclusion,

To sum it all up,

To summarize,

In the final analysis

You can see why …

Finally,

Therefore,

In summary, 

In short,

In brief,

[spinach-studies]

06-April-2019 | Sat | Sunny | 6 – 21 °C

Got up without snoozing/missing the alarm for two days in a row now! Actually woke up before the alarm even went off this morning. I’ve learned that it is more effective to set all the alarms to go off all at once, instead of staggering them as backups. Getting 7+ hours of sleep does wonder for my health and mental clarity. If I ever go to bed later than usual, I just set a new alarm and commit to waking up at a later time. Trying to wake up “early” as usual tends to not end well -- I either miss the alarm entirely or snoozing multiple times for hours, wake up groggy either way, then proceed to feel guilty for the rest of the day.

Do or don’t -- either commit fully or make no attempt at all.

[spinach-studies]

03-April-2019 | Wed | Sunny | 1 – 17 °C

Currently in a pre-exam limbo, where the only thing that I could focus on (if I can focus at all) is studying/cramming for it. There is other coursework/club duty/paperwork that needs to be done but I can’t seem to bring myself to work on those with this evening exam coming up in a few hours. 

On the brighter side, I do feel a lot better than the previous week! Hope this will be the trend of the month.

[spinach-studies]

College Note-Taking System

Having cohesive and effective notes is one of the key skills I think one should have, especially in an academic setting. When you’re receiving a ton of information each day, you want to be able to keep track of that and remember what you’ve learned. I’m constantly trying out ways to make my note-taking more effective and tailored to my needs. Here’s what my note-taking system looks like so far.

Quick note: click on the images for better quality!

Class Notes

Taking notes in class is an invaluable way to keep track of the new knowledge you’ve gained. However, depending on the mode in which the lecture material is conveyed, I take my notes differently. Here’s a summary of how I take my notes for each type of lecture, as well as some examples from the classes I’m taking now.

Slides (e.g. Macroeconomics)

Macroeconomics is a class in which you should be able to intuitively understand a lot of concepts but also remember a lot of things. Because of this, I’ve tailored my note-taking method and habits to achieve that goal.

I write my notes by hand because handwriting is more effective in committing things to memory.

As for what I actually do - and this is what I’ve done for other classes in which the professor/lecturer uses slides:

Read/skim over the slide.

Read each bullet point as the professor goes through them.

Copy it down if it’s straightforward or write it down in a structure and diction that I understand better (not necessarily in my own words - sometimes it’s just restructuring, e.g. splitting things up or joining different bullet points together).

Take note of any other important details the professor says about any particular point unless I think it’s intuitive or common sense.

Here’s an example from a Macroeconomics lecture.

Oral Presentation (e.g. Anthropology)

During classes in which the professor just speaks and doesn’t use much visual material, I listen before I write instead of attempting to write down every single detail mentioned.

Also, I type up my notes instead of handwriting them since the exams are all open-book so I don’t really have to commit things to memory.

Here’s what I do:

Listen for a cue that tells you what this particular part of the lecture will be about (and write it as a heading).

Write down main ideas and their supporting facts/details. If the facts/details come before the main ideas, then I’d usually draw an arrow.

Write down ideas and details from readings in their own section/subsection.

Sometimes, my professor also shows short clips in class, in which case I’d write down the message that I think the clip was meant to convey, as well as things that the professor points out that I didn’t think of on my own.

I’d also look up concepts/ideas/people/events (in real time) that are important to my understanding of the lecture material.

Here’s an example of a Google Docs document from an Anthropology lecture.

Demonstrations and Sample Problems (e.g. Computer Science)

Classes in which the lecture is mainly going through demos and problems are kind of tricky, because you want to know and understand what the professor is doing, but you also don’t want to be writing down every single step that’s being executed. Here’s what I’ve found to be the most effective so far:

If there are any, I import the slides/handout onto OneNote and annotate directly on the slide. If not, I just write down things like definitions, important concepts, and syntax-related things.

I focus on understanding what the professor’s doing with the demo or problem.

I then summarize the steps they took and

Write down comments and points they brought up, e.g. common errors, desirable habits/practices.

Also, these kinds of classes are usually classes in which you’d learn better when you actually do problems yourself, so I definitely learn more when I do assignments and labs than when I’m in class.

Here’s an example from a Web Programming lecture.

Here’s one from an Object Oriented Programming and Data Structures class. I often draw things to help me visualize the general points.

Rewritten Notes

My rewritten notes have definitely changed a lot since high school. Since most of my classes don’t require a lot of memorization, I organize my notes in such a way that they’d be easy to index or find information from. Here are some of the ways I do that:

Establishing a Visual Hierarchy

Having a well-defined hierarchy helps me flow through my notes really well as i read them. It helps me organize information like a mind map without actually making a mind map - I know the big topics and their subtopics and sub-subtopics and details … basically it’s easier to see how these ideas fit together.

But why don’t I just make mind-maps? See, the thing is, a lot of my notes require sequential or linear thinking, e.g. in macroeconomics it might be the sequence of events following a change in the economy, or in computer science it might be a general algorithm for solving a certain type of problem, or it might be proving or deriving a certain equation. These sorts of things just generally don’t work well with mind maps. Instead, establishing a visual hierarchy in my notes helps me organize different ideas while retaining the linear nature of the information.

Here’s what the hierarchy looks like.

Here is an example from my Web Programming class, which is a purely project-based class, so no prelims or exams. As you can see, I draw rectangles around important terminology so that I can easily find them while I’m working on a project. I also include examples from in-class activities as well as notes on syntax so I have an idea of how to implement certain things. These examples and notes are further grouped by terminology/concept.

Structuring Them for Easier Flow

My syllabi for my college courses are nowhere near as detailed as the syllabi for my high school courses - those of you who take/have taken Cambridge exams would know. In college, my syllabi are only lists of topics and not what you’re expected to know for each topic. Because of this, I have to find a way to arrange information so that I can achieve the most comprehensive and cohesive understanding of that topic, i.e. so that the flow of my notes is similar to the flow of my thinking.

For example, in my economics notebook, I like to have the details first (e.g. the separate markets: the goods market, the assets market, and the labor market) and then the big picture later (IS-LM-FE). Some people prefer the other way around - seeing the big picture and then going into the details - which I can understand and have done myself for certain topics.

Making Use of Proximity and Spacing

I very much dislike notes without good use of spacing and grouping things together. Keeping related ideas in visual proximity helps your brain (or at least mine) organize this information. It’s also a lot easier to find things and visualize your notes when they’re not just a huge chunk of text.

One thing I should probably mention is that I don’t use colored pens anymore because it just takes a lot of time to switch pens and think of a color palette. I also don’t have much use for it. In the past, I used color to help me memorize and group things in different categories, but now, I’ve found that there aren’t a whole lot of categories I need to keep track of, and when I do, I can do so with just one pen but changing the style of the text.

And that’s what my note-taking system currently looks like. It’s working well so far, but I still think there are other things I could try out that might be a better fit.

So yeah, hope this was helpful, and as always, feel free to drop an ask if you have any questions, or even if you have any suggestions or would like to share your note-taking system. Have an awesome week!

[spinach-studies]

30-Mar-2019 | Wed | Cloudy/Snowy | -3 – 14 °C | Night

I prefer waking up earlier (even though it can be hard almost 50%+ the time) because it is easier to feel more productive and driven that way. I’d love to and had made efforts to adopt the Lion chronotype schedule but have not been successful. The Power of When quiz result suggested that I have a Bear chronotype. Yet, I could not help but notice that I somehow get more done between 6 pm - 9 pm. At least that has been a trend lately. I guess my chronotype is actually a Wolf?

[spinach-studies]

30-Mar-2019 | Wed | Cloudy/Snowy | -3 – 14 °C

London fog for gloomy days. I took it slow this week, taking some time to journal, to write, and to take care of my own mental health. Next week will be better.

[spinach-studies]

27-Mar-2019 | Wed | Sunny/Clear Sky | -4 – 16 °C

I spent a few hours at the library working on Club duties, preparing documents for officer-ship transition. The election is a month out, and I am curious about who is running for what position. Leading a club as the president has taught me a lot of things. It certainly stressed me out a lot, but it also gives me a sense of direction, belonging, and fulfilment. There are things that I am proud of, and there are things that I wish I had done better.  I'd love to run for another term and to lead the club to new heights with the experience and insights I have accumulated the past year. But, I have decided to study abroad next semester. The opportunity came up and I knew I had to take it. It would not be easy leaving the club behind. After all, I have spent three years there and met amazing people through the club. It was the reason I stayed at the Uni instead of transferring, and I also care about the members dearly. Yet, I must go. I must go experience the world and to see things with fresh eyes again.

[spinach-studies]

24-Mar-2019 | Sun | Cloudy/Rainy | 3 – 6 °C

Photo from another day. Been a busy and productive weekend. Felt focused most of the time and made quite some progress, yet, there is still so much work to be completed.

[spinach-studies]

22-Mar-2019 | Fri | Cloudy/Rainy | 0 – 10 °C

Current Progress: Chapter 11 / 16

I got this Audible a while back. A short “read” but packs bunch. Babauta really breaks down the system in manageable chunks, and I am excited to gradually adopt the ZTD system/mindset this year. Here are some key takeaways I have learnt so far:

Collect, Process, Plan, and DO

These are the four key habits (out of ten) the Babauta suggests to focus on. He calls it the Minimal ZTD.

Do it /  Trash it / Delegate it / File it / Time-block or to-do-list it

make quick decision on things in the inbox

process inbox daily so things don’t pile up and haunt/overwhelm you later

Do it if it takes less than 2 minutes

bye bye procrastination

Set MITs (~6 each week, 1 – 3 each day)

define Most Important Task and schedule them first

this helps to make sure you’re doing important/meaningful work, not just busywork

actually DO the things on the to-do list

no systems, no apps, no fancy gadgets etc can help you get things done if you don’t actually DO the task itself

Work on MITs ASAP

get it done earlier in the day

if it’s a huge task, commit to work on the task for a set amount of time

OPPORTUNITY

view tasks/responsibilities/projects as a learning opportunity

this distracts you from thinking/stressing about how difficult the task is

cultivates a GROWTH mindset

Got recommendations? Send it my way! :D

[spinach-studies]

21-Mar-2019 | Thu | Cloudy/Rainy | 2 – 6 °C

School Took the stats midterm today and it went better than anticipated! I was a little anxious about it since there were no past exams available and I didn't know what to expect. I also skipped a handful of lectures (to catch up in other classes), and when I do attend them, I'm either distracted or dozing off. I do need to catch up on the stats readings, that way I'd be less confused in class and would less likely take accidental naps. Study Retraining myself the Pomodoro technique again. It worked pretty well in the morning, and okay in the afternoon. I got carried away looking at grad school programs instead of studying. Health It was difficult to get up this morning. Set my alarm for 6:45 but then I just kept snoozing till 9:15 and getting out of bed groggy. Felt unmotivated but I made myself workout anyway, which seemed to elevate my energy level just enough. Took 2 Niagen capsules, and got loose-leaf chai instead of coffee at the cafe. Energy level remained high most of the day, even till this moment (10:50pm). Good thing I’m not tired yet, since I have to finish the ECE homework.

Note: Keep to 1 Niagen capsule in the future.

[spinach-studies]

Looking for Studyblrs & Growthblrs to follow!

Hey peeps, just started my blr and am looking for other studyblrs / growthblrs to follow & possibly grow with! Any tips and tricks are also welcome! :D