Welcome New Year

With New Year just around the corner, it would definitely be a good idea to sit down and evaluate the year before. One way to do that is to take out your checklist from last year. If you haven’t got last year’s checklist, make one this year!

The problem with many checklists, however, is that they may contain the ‘unrealistic’ factor. Decided to study 20 hours out of the 24? The resolution isn’t going to last more than a month or two(if even that long), let alone the rest of the year. What good is a resolution like that? (not that you shouldn’t study at all, I mean) The point is, resolutions should be small, simple and positive: they are changes that you can easily integrate into your life.

Some examples of ideal resolutions could be

• Staying in touch with old friends whether through the internet, phone or in person
• Eating healthy
• Quitting a named bad habit
• Being nice to other people, regardless of who they are
• Caring about yourself and being happy!

Of course, these are just examples. But here’s another suggestion if you happen to fall into this category.

If that’s the case, here’s one really nice suggestion I found on tumblr. Take a jar and keep it aside. Every time something good happens to you, write it down on a slip and put it into the jar. Throughout the year, your jar should slowly fill up and at the end, you can sit down and realize how fulfilling your year had been. If you ask me, this really sounds like an exciting and cheerful way to end your year!

-Riku

Stay Warm in Winter

AssalamuAlaikum and happy winter holidays! I hope everyone is enjoying their end of the year break from school, studies and exams! I’m sure this is a well-deserved break for many students!

This week’s article will be about different ways to combat the cold. With rumors in the air of drastic load shedding in the electricity and gas department, it wouldn’t hurt to know a couple of ways to keep warm without having to use your heater, whether it runs on gas or electricity.

First of all is dress warm. The human body gives off quite a lot of heat and it would definitely be a good idea to insulate yourself and thus keep warm. Try wearing turtlenecks and leg warmers, a hat wouldn’t hurt either. Dressing in layers would also efficiently keep the heat trapped in. Wearing a pair of socks is also good for staying warm.

If you feel that it is cold inside the house as compared to outside, the best thing would be to draw open your curtains and let the sunlight in. Sunlight is nature’s way of warming your house up. It would be ideal to remove any obstructions that block sunlight. Before dusk however, remember to put the curtains back because now you have to retain the heat absorbed during daylight.

Still feeling cold? Make yourself a nice cup of coffee to warm you up! It doesn’t have to be coffee, by the way. You can drink tea, hot chocolate, soup, whatever you like and it’ll keep your body warm by raising its temperature. So this is definitely a good past time for cold winter afternoons.

In case of black outs and no power for lighting, you can utilize candles. Not only are candles a source of light, but they’re also a source of heat, no matter how small. Buy several candles and enjoy a winter night in the candle light. Watch out where you place them though!

Do you enjoy cooking and baking? These two activities can keep you and your kitchen warm! However, watch out for steamy meals. Steam can increase humidity and thus make the environment colder since humid air has the ability to absorb heat efficiently from its surroundings!

Try out these tips and see what results you get. Not only would you be utilizing activities available to you, you’d also be saving energy and resources! Have a nice winter holiday and stay warm!

 -Riku

The Do’s and Don’ts of Studying

Yayy! My exams just finished and I am absolutely ecstatic with joy since I can finally get my nose out of my school books-well for the time being, anyway. In the meantime I’ve been celebrating in my own way by reading, writing my story, baking and watching a teensy bit of TV. At times I want to run back into the school building and go straight to the Headmistress’s office to shout “Wait, I need those exam papers back! “since I’m just so unsure of how my exams went. Well even if they didn’t go so well this time there’s always next time, right? Right!

This is why I have decided to enlighten you all with the dos and don’ts of studying before exams. I can’t guarantee you a brilliant grade; I’m no genie after all. But what I can guarantee you is more ease while you’re studying. Here goes!

 The Do’s and Don’ts of Studying

On Normal Days:

Do take notes in class-and not just the kind that your teacher dictates. Make your own notes in your own words. This way it will be easier for you to understand what you’re reading when you go over them.

Don’t miss out on classes. Bunking class to go to the cafeteria may seem attractive at first but you’re going to regret it in the long run. If you miss too many classes they’re going to pile up and you’ll have a lot of catching up to do. Make sure to borrow someone else’s notes (or better yet, get your teacher to explain what you missed out on if they have the time) so that you don’t get left behind.

Do revise daily. Go over your notes at least once before every next class so that what you actually understand what your teacher is saying.

Don’t leave all your studying until the last minute. Cramming does not work before exams-especially when it’s your finals and you have to learn the entire syllabus. Cramming only works on tests. Studying a bit daily keeps the load of studying from piling up on your shoulders.

Do attempt from the chapters you complete. If your teachers give you worksheets then even better! If you get stuck on any problem, move on. In the end discuss all your problems with your teacher.

Don’t procrastinate. Delaying only leads to it building up.
Do practice, practice, practice. Because practice makes perfect! :3

The Day before the Exam:

Do decide how many hours you plan on studying that day beforehand. A timetable really isn’t necessary just so long as you keep a fixed number of hours in your head. Then stick to that special number like your life depends on it. ;)

Don’t overburden yourself. Keep taking five minute breaks after every hour of studying to keep yourself from losing concentration. If you easily lose track of time, set an alarm.

Do turn off your mobile phone and sign out of all your social networking sites. And by this I do not mean that you should turn your phone on to see if your friend replied to your last text message every break. Try to minimise all the distractions.

Don’t skip out on meals. Especially breakfast as it is the most important meal of the day. According to studies, it helps to keep you energised throughout the day so that you can carry out your daily activities.

Do keep a water bottle on you at all times. Keeping hydrated helps to clear your mind and hey, a little water never hurts anyone.

Don’t leave your room a dump. Your exams aren’t an excuse for you to keep your room messy. The tidier your room, the less the distractions, and the easier for you to concentrate.

Do keep calm. This may contradict all the other things I mentioned but seriously, what are exams anyway? I mean they’re just sheets of paper with questions that are meant to mess with the student’s minds. No big deal-definitely not the end of the world. So keep your calm and give it all you've got! :D

On the day of the Exam:

Do have breakfast.

Don’t oversleep.

Don’t panic

Don’t have a nervous breakdown (remember what I told you-you survived 2012. You’ll survive this too!)

Do pack your stationery beforehand along with anything else you’ll be taking with you to the exam hall.

Don’t be late! The last thing you want is to not be in time for the exam you’ve been studying so hard for.

Do go over your notes if you have the time.

And then keep your head high as you walk into the exam hall. Give it all you’ve got and just pray for the best. Have faith in yourself and it will work out!

Good Luck! J

-Sam

The Guest Speaker Program at Agal

The first thing that came to my mind when I woke up this morning was “Its Blog Post Day yayyy!” Well okay, maybe that wasn't the first thing…but it was the second! The first thing that came to my mind was more along the lines of “I have GOT to stop falling asleep reading”. Lol. Nevertheless, I was pretty thoughtful of what I ought to write on-and that was when it hit me. Why not do a post that isn't extremely random but rather, is more concerned with something that actually happened at school. Hey, this is the Agal Blog after all. J Well, here we go!

The Agal Guest Speaker Program

Just yesterday Asad Umar came to Agal for a motivational talk. You can only imagine how excited everyone was. Especially all the PTI fans. A Council Meeting was held 2 hours before the actual event and for once, no one was tripping over chairs or yawning-everyone was ACTUALLY pretty wide awake. All the Council Members were given their assignments for the duration of the event (including being an usher, giving out refreshments and checking on the guests from time to time). AK was given the responsibility of being an usher. Ha! The halls were filled with teachers and students alike as they scurried from one room to the other, making sure that everything was in place. I once happened to walk into a group of girls testing over a hundred pens to make sure that they worked and another girl re-washing a tray! Talk about strange…

The talk itself was to be held in a huge tent that had been set up earlier in the front garden of the school. It looked lovely with the stage, chairs and decorations. A red carpet had been rolled out from the entrance, leading up to the stage. By 12:10, the head girl had “The Welcoming Committee” standing on either side of the red carpet outside the tent. The moment Asad Umar stepped into the school, all the talk of getting autographs and pictures died down. A bouquet of flowers was given to him and he was welcomed to the school. He was led to one of the two sofas at the front of the tent just as the headmistress and students of another Beaconhouse Branch also turned up. Everyone took their seats and the event began.

The Head Girl began by giving all the guests a warm welcome and expressing how pleased she was that everyone had taken out the time from their busy schedules to be there. Another Student was called upon for a brief intro on Asad Umar. The Student explained that Mr Umar was a graduate of one of Pakistan’s leading Universities and had won many awards. Not only had he been the CEO of Engro corporation, but once he realised that everything led back to the political stature of the country, he gave up his job (which he was being paid around 7 billion for) and instead stepped down into the busy battlefield of Politics. Whoa.

Mr Umar then began his talk. This being his first talk at a school since 1977 led him to admitting that he had been somewhat hesitant on how to keep teenagers interested. He had finally decided upon a talk on the topic of success as that is pretty much what everyone at high school is concerned with. He explained that his life had not always been perfect. In his childhood he had to face many tragedies including his mother being diagnosed with cancer and the death of his grandmother (who he happened to be very fond of).  Furthermore, he emphasised on the education he received as a young boy. Having attended an average school as a child, he had been blessed with teachers who believed in all their students and encouraged them to pursue their passions. All these reasons led up to his being who he is today.

Strangely enough, Mr Umar informed the audience that in Pakistan approximately only 1% of the total population receives a proper education. Being part of that 1%, he said that everyone ought to try their best our believe that they could do anything that they set their mind to. His advice was priceless; Make your own decisions and do what you are passionate of. Don’t do anything just because someone told you to. You grow from making decisions and learn from your mistakes.

The air seemed to change once the talk came to an end; as though everyone were still deep in thought. Having been fully prepared for an hour long bore of a speech, everyone was fascinated by his humorous talk that carried so much meaning. A short question and answer session followed, accompanied by the presentation of a shield to Mr Umar. Finally, The Headmistress of Agal thanked everyone for being there and had the refreshments served. Mr Umar then went to the Principal’s office for tea.

In the meantime, a group of us girls (including yours truly) waited outside the office to somehow get some autographs from him. Having been given the duty of doing the write up for the event, I had a pen and Diary on me. Sad as it was, everyone had me take out pieces of paper for them for their autographs (Luckily enough everyone had their own pens). Which is when it hit me; Mr Umar had said that he was in a hurry…wouldn’t a group picture be a better idea? Everyone agreed on the “Group Picture” Idea and in the end we even got it!

Overall, it was lots of fun and almost everyone was extremely pleased after the talk. (I say almost because there were many girls who didn’t get to be in the picture-technically it was their own fault though. They didn't have to rush up to the Cafeteria Area to finish their Lunch).

Well that’s all for today! The Midterm exams are starting on Tuesday so I need to get cracking…eek! Keep following us and leave us your feedback. See you around! ;)

-Sam