When being pathetic is your hobby

EU Law - CHECK!

Yes, that's right, I finally got my results and I passed! Very impressed, considering the amount of time I spent studying (close to none), but yet disappointed at the same time, because it was very easy and I could've gotten a much higher grade with a little more effort instead of procrastinating.

I can't remember exactly what's been going on around me recently because I spent most of the time in my room studying. And sleeping. I was very close to a mental breakdown or something similar to it, but then I went to a bar, had a beer and enjoyed the view of nature and handsome male nurses passing by in tight pants. I'm pathetic sometimes. 

So what's new/my recent hobbies and activities?

- been suffering from insomnia during the weekend because I was subconsciously nervous about my main exam I had on Tuesday

- almost cried for no reason

- only slept for 3 hours in two days before my exam

- got tipsy from only one beer (I disappoint myself)

- slept for 12 hours after the exam

- daydreaming about stuff I should be doing irl but I'm too lame

- trying to stay positive, even though I'm so close to failing the main exam it's scary

- calculating the number of pages I have to read per day until my next exam

- avoiding socialization with a certain someone I almost dislike, but not really

- PROCRASTINATING

Writing this blog is an alternative to my Economics study session. Words cannot explain my hatred towards Economics. But ya know, it has to be done, like it or not, so I'm gonna hit the books after I finish this confusing post. I finish with all my exams next week and I cannot wait to be over with this because the struggle is real. Studying during summer is frustrating, especially for a lazy procrastinator like myself. Until then, I'm just gonna have to push the limits and study af in hopes I pass at least my main exam. 

Pray for me, k thx bye.

Rant

Today was my last day at the seaside. It went by so quickly, I wish I could stay there for at least a week longer and chill. Haven't studied for shit, of course, but I tried. I even took my book to the beach but kids were screaming everywhere, not only in front of my porch at midnight.

I went to see my grandma who's in a nursing home and was very ill for the past 3 months and she is doing okay. Still not sure if I'm glad I saw my crush after quite a long time or not because I thought I got rid of annoying emotions and thoughts that were interrupting my study routine through the whole semester, but apparently, I'm crushing even more now... I'm an emotional wreck if I combine everything with being stressed due to my finals. Maybe being in a relationshit just isn't for me atm or you really can't handle law school and boyfriend at the same time like I hear so often, idk.

Excuse-zee-mwa for a pessimistic post today but I just feel like getting my thoughts out and see if I feel any better because honestly, I kinda feel sad and anxious out of nowhere. I have so much on my mind lately and I tend to overthink everything so it's getting slightly out of hand. But maybe, MAYBE it's just a bad day because my vacay is over and now I SERIOUSLY have to study or else I will be studying the same thing all over again. 

Tomorrow's gonna be a long day. I have to pay my rent, go to the bank and sort out some adult shit I don't quite get, visit gran, pack stuff and leave asap to my apartment and study! I must not forget to visit the library and return some books and pay a fine because I can never return them on time, then I need to visit my law library and get some more books for my final. I will probably forget to do at least one thing because that's just me, always. I need to buy a planner!

Study tips & tricks for law school

During my active procrastination hours here at the seaside, I came up with some of (for me, personally) very useful tips for studying and I thought it would be great if I shared them with you, you never know when you might need them.

1. First thing first, I highly advise you not to buy completely new books at the beginning of school year. If possible, wait until professors tell you which books you REALLY need and then run to your library and get them there, as many as possible, because they're free (and believe me, law books ain't cheap!). Another cheaper path you can take is that you buy used books from your older colleagues and you might even score a few notes and briefs in the package!

2. Listen to your older colleagues! If possible, get to know people who are at your law school for a couple of years and are well aware of how things work there and know the professors. Ask them for advice, help with studies, how to manage all the work and most importantly, about exams and professors' preferences. This is the best way to start law school a bit less stressed. If you do get a friendly advice from your older pals, DON'T IGNORE what they tell you, because it's golden information, they already know how things work.

3. I know how frustrating it is when you get a book from the library and can't use highlighters in it... it makes me sad really, but there's something you can do about it. I came up with this a couple of days ago (I'm slow, yes) and it motivated me af! The only thing you need is page markers (or whatever they're called) and scissors. Cut these bad boys into thin strips so they can only cover the font size in your book you need to highlight and - voila, you can now highlight keywords and remove it later, no one will ever notice.

4. If you're constantly running out of time and are way behind your studies (me 24/7), sticky notes are a pretty good way to make things speed up a bit. I always need to make notes when I study, but it takes so much time. What I do is take a bunch of sticky notes and write a summary on them as I read through the book. Write only important information or something you have trouble remembering and stick it in the book. When going through the book, quickly skim the text and read your summary on sticky note. It works for me!

5. Stay motivated! Probably the most important thing, because you're most likely gonna be living behind a book during finals season and it will come a time when you'd rather become a stripper. Find a way to get back on track. I personally use some motivational quotes, stick them around my apartment or set them as a background picture on my phone/computer. Watch an episode of Suits, listen to music or go for a relaxing walk. You can also reward yourself with your favorite food or a bottle of wine after you accomplish your daily task. Treat yourself, even during hard times!

I hope some of these work for you like they do for me. Stay strong!

Procrastination - summer edition

It feels like it's time for me to write at least one blog post since I've been slacking off for the past week (that also includes studying for my last exams). Honestly, I don't know which topic should I write about that would be a tiny bit useful and interesting.

So I'm gonna sum up my boring everyday routine, some of you may find it interesting or at least good enough to procrastinate from whatever work you should be doing right now.

I'm currently enjoying my vacation at the seaside. And by enjoying, I'm referring to sporadically studying during sunbathing, swimming and drinking beer. I came to realization my planning skills are close to zero and same goes for self discipline. I still have three exams left to finish until I start second year of law school and I'm quickly running out of oh so precious time.

I wake up everyday around 9am, drink coffee and have breakfast. After that, I sit at the porch, listen to the neighbour's kids yelling and arguing about who's in charge of their play group. When I get tired of everyone, I head off to the beach, chill out and think about how many pages I have to study per day to not run out of time in the end. After lunch I try to study (unsuccessfully). By the evening, I can finally get my shit together and start studying for real with a beer on the side. Life's tough.

Your new best friends when you start law school

Don't worry, you're still going to keep all your actual, or imaginary friends. I'm talking about essentials you'll most likely, if not urgently need during your precious law studies. Here are just some of my personal favorite law school essentials -  let's just jump right into it, shall we?!


1. CAFFEINE!

Now, that wasn't obvious at all. But still, if you haven't thought of caffeine at once when I mentioned law school essentials, then I don't know... you might have problem.

Either it's coffee, cappuccino, frappuccino, crappuccino, green or black tea and who knows what else, I guarantee you, sooner or later - you're gonna need it. If you are a night owl and prefer to study at night, it's a must.

Also a quick tip - if you drink coffee every day out of your habit (like me), I recommend you completely stop or at least limit you caffeine intake during summer when you have no lectures, because you've probably built a tolerance. After giving your body a break from caffeine for some time, it will work much better in the beginning when you start drinking it again. It's hard, but it works for me (or maybe it's just a placebo effect, who knows).

2. HIGHLIGHTERS

No shit, Sherlock. There's not much to say. Not only your notes are gonna be pretty and colorful, it's also extremely helpful if you actually know how to highlight and at least try to color code your notes. DO NOT highlight everything, because this defeats it's purpose. Only highlight the most important things (I know, in law pretty much everything is important, he he...). I'm a visual type and I usually remember important information or Latin expressions by color. For example, my definitions are always marked yellow and rules orange. I usually mark important titles pink and important words/expressions green. That way I know immediately where everything is, as soon as I look at my notes. Just try it out and see what works best for you.

3. STICKY NOTES

While I was writing this, I realized I really am a visual type. So, another tip from me... if you have trouble remembering cases, rules, definitions, Latin expressions or even your grocery shop list, go grab some sticky notes, write a rule or whatever you need to remember on one of the each note, then stick 'em around your apartment. I recommend places like your fridge (of course, hehe), your desk, computer, mirrors, maybe even a bottle of wine (credits to my roommate for this one), it has to be somewhere you often look at. Then let the magic do it's work. I personally don't even have to read it anymore, I remember by looking at it so often, then I just recall the picture when I need to remember the information. Smooth!

4. NEARBY LIBRARY

Before I went to law school I NEVER studied at the library, because my optimal study space was always my own room with some good music playing. No need to say, that changed. I have an older colleague who studies law too and he said my apartment is perf, because there's a library nearby. At that time I thought to myself I could never study there and I'm just not the kind of person to be at a public place for 10 straight hours.... WRONG! When you sit there and study, you might get a nervous breakdown or an urge to cry but as soon as you realize there's at least 100 other people around you, feeling exactly the same, it comforts you instantly and gives you some motivation. There's also a reason I never study at  the law library - too quiet! Now, everyone likes to study with no distractions, but there... you get the looks just by coughing or moving your chair closer to the desk. No, thanks, city library it is. (Also, headphones with some chillout or uplifting trance playing are very handy!).

Another reason I prefer studying at the library...

5. ALCOHOL

When you come home after a LONG day, possibly pissed off at everything and everyone around you, you might want to relax before you do anything responsible. A glass of wine, a beer, a shot of schnaps, scotch, whatever floats your boat. You aren't an alcoholic for having a drink once in a while, but don't exaggerate (my advice from personal experience), unless you don't have anything important to do the next day (don't forget, you need to "party" sometimes, too). And now, my ultimate tip for beating anxiety at class - if you're 100% sure you're getting called on the minute professor walks into the room, have a shot before you go to class, you'll be confident, able to speak fluently and have a nice rosy glow to your cheeks! (At your own risk, though *winks*)

I hope you do realize that my last tip was pretty much a joke, so... at your own risk, indeed, if you're brave enough *laughs loudly*

That's pretty much it for me. Of course you're gonna need books and money and more money and whatnot, but these are pretty much obvious. If you have the same favorite law school essentials like me - I love you! (maybe leave out the alcohol)