Do you ever find yourself never having time to do anything you want to do? You ever get overwhelmed just thinking about how much left you have to do some days? You ever just want to give up and take an indefinite vacation to Honolulu? Well one, you either need the vaca and are too busy for your own good or like myself, you struggle with managing your time.
See, here’s the deal. I don’t think I am a person who gets easily overwhelmed. I have never (and plan to never) had a breakdown over my workload. I think that as time passes and time changes, it’s inevitable that our schedules sometimes giving us more time to focus on our selves or vice versa. Even as I was writing this article, I couldn’t help but be reminded of the other 20 things I am going to have to get done in the coming weeks.
So how in the world do we fix and de-stress ourselves? Most of the things we stress about are more often than not our own minds overreaction of the actual truth of the situation. You feel like you have ten million different things to do when you really only have 5. I also find that as we have less to do, those days where we have tighter schedules and less free-time feel like you’ve been working non-stop without coffee for two months. Did I mention you didn’t get paid?
There’s only one solution to this phenomenon; patience. Anxiety is hard to calm down once it starts going, so let me give you some pro tips of mine that have worked:
Allocate time where you aren’t doing any work, but rather purely relaxing
Start drinking de-cafe tea. Believe me, it first tastes like watered down leaves, but once you get the right temperature it suddenly feels like a hot yoga session from Budha.
Get enough sleep people. I can’t tell you how often I see people go through a tremendously busy schedule running on 4hrs. It’s not good, and you’ll likely begin seeing longterm side-effects.
In the unprecedented time, take care of yourselves guys.
This is experience from a Canadian student who has just completed Y1 of IB.
Where to start? The international baccalaureate programme is a highly esteemed program aimed to make more well-rounded and flexible students. There are numerous requirements from compulsory community service to a 4000 word essay. Not to mention exams that are worth 80% of your mark. If you decide to do the IB, there will definitely be a lot on your plate.
Now on to my experience: Have I enjoyed every aspect of a the program? No, of course not. There have been times where I’ve almost pulled my hair out because of how useless some of the work we do is. Have I grown as a person and become more well-rounded? While it was forcibly, I indeed did. I’m only halfway through the program, and let’s be honest, year 1 is definitely the better year for most, but I can at least give you upcoming grade 9 and 10’s a taste of what you’ll be in for.
The workload isn’t what makes the program difficult. It’s the fact that we need to balance our extra-curricular’s, supplementary conditions of IB andclasses with more content being covered quickly. At the beginning, I was super stressed out. I felt like with every waking minute I had no time to myself. After a while though, you sort of get used to it and learn the most important skill you’ll need to survive; the ability to prioritise. Honestly I swear what i’m saying is completely true for me. I generally am a pretty decent student. My average is about a 91%, i’m pretty good at every subject. (though I find that with sciences, they’re a bit of a hassle) Anyway, all you need to do to is think “what’ll happen if I don’t complete this assignment?” How much will it affect me and will I regret in the near future?
Putting 100% of your effort in all assignments is tiring and downright unhealthy. Yes, it is important to do the work, but if you can leave those couple of math questions for the weekend and instead focus on studying for a test, I find that it is often better for me. I have learned to look at what’s the most important to me, and what will give me the better grade in the end if completed. That’s my trick to not burning out! I try not to be too critical of myself and I acknowledge that the mark I receive reflects the effort I put in whether it is good or bad.
I look at things holistically and it helps me cope. I had a lot of anxiety when I started with all the pressures of starting something new as well as all the new expectations from teachers. Something to remember; you’re often your worst critic. It’s what you make your experiences out to be that separate you from either being self-deprecating or resilient. Take that as you will, and I hope that the my blog even if only a little eases some of the stress of transitioning into IB.
Now these aren’t in any particular order. I have enjoyed some more than others of course, but it was simply too difficult for me to come up with clear rankings. An obvious motif with all of these manga and manhwa is that a lot of them are incomplete. Of course most of them have gotten to a comfortable point where I can freely give my opinion on them, so that does not lower the value. If you want any recommendations just email me at ilhanyusuf2003@gmail.com~ I have read so many manga like the ones listed, so I’m a resource waiting to be used!
1. Kochou no Yumeji — 182 chapters (incomplete)
This is a japanese fantasy manga that tells the story of Kochou, a human girl who strived with her very being to be needed by others meeting the indifferent Shirogane, an ayakashi (a type of spirit) known as “the dream-eater.” Will Kochou finally learn to depend on others? Will Shirogane find out what he was missing and be pulled from the brink of loneliness?
My opinion: I really appreciated the art of this manga because I felt like it gave the story such a dreamy mood. I enjoyed the bits of Japanese lore mixed with the manga’s storyline, it really added this element of realism. The entirety of the manga I was on the verge of crying while smiling. It was sweet, it was bitter, it was a rollercoaster of emotion.
2. The Moon Witch and Sun King: My Salvation — 23 chapters (incomplete)
When Lee Shana accidentally crossed into another world full of fantasy and beauty, sadly she had become a witch in the midst of an execution. Dying at such a wonderful age?! She couldn’t let that happen! She had to escape no matter what! But after her escape she offended none other than the crown prince Luther! What else could go wrong?
My opinion: Honestly, the fact that I have really enjoyed this manhwa even with so few chapters was a big surprise. I really really really love the art in the manhwa! It’s so whimsical, and fantastic. I love the character design and how a cold-hearted prince and a hot-blooded recently made noble lady meet and navigate their relationship. I’m excited to see how the elements of magic will become significant to the plot!
3. Sica Wolf — 72 chapters (incomplete)
On a mission to find the two most important people in her life, Sica steps foot outside the Magician’s Tower for the first time ever! She soon meets Karsus, a mercenary swordsman who looks like her first love. Despite being confused for someone else, Karsus offers to help find the people Sica’s looking for if she helps him with his work. Thus the two begin their adventure.
My opinion: I at first expected that I wouldn’t enjoy this manhwa because I’m not a big fan of love triangles, but I was sorely mistaken! The plot is interesting, it is a bit fast-paced but the setting is explained well. I enjoy how both Sica and Karsus’ characters were developed by explaining their past experiences to one another. I’m excited and am awaiting an update!
4. Beware of the Villainess — 27 chapters (incomplete)
I became the villainess of a novel! Do I hate it? No! I find it rather nice. A duke’s daughter = a jobless rich person. How I can miss out on a chance like this?! This is the best chance to just enjoy life. I should throw out the main plot and just live life how I want to! Not long after waking up as the villainess, I witnessed my fiancé, the novel’s male lead, the crowned prince, cheating. I saw him embrace a lady other than I and he was smiling so bright. I was brought to tears… Just kidding, I didn’t cry! My tears are worth too much to be wasted on that garbage. Instead of tears, I yelled out, “Your highness, are you trash?” The main character with a personality of a refreshing soda! The girl-crush protagonist that will completely throw out the main story! Why? Because it’s a waste for a girl to be surrounded by cheap cars.
My opinion: This manhwa is just the epitome of a quirky, strong, hilarious female lead! Every single chapter will leave you wreathing in laughter. I appreciate how this manhwa finally breaks the standard for isekai and finally the female lead is willing to deviate from the original plot of the novel. Melissa sees the flaws all the male leads have and puts them all in their place one way or another. Not to mention (spoiler alert) — she literally becomes OP halfway through. I recommend anyone looking for a badass female lead and a good laugh check this one out!
5. Living as the Tyrant’s Older Sister — 61 chapters (incomplete)
The art of this Manhwa is so memey, so I felt it only fitting to use a meme to represent how much I love and appreciate living as the tyrant’s older sister — but for real, Alicia is a real beauty!
When I opened my eyes, I was inside a fantasy novel world! The beauty I see in front of the mirror is the future tyrant’s older sister, Alicia! She’s not even a protagonist or an antagonist, but a character that doesn’t appear much and gets beheaded by the (upcoming) tyrant little brother. My life is all about escaping that fate from the novel. In the end, I seduced the male lead’s merchant friend who also doesn’t appear much and was about to leave the country with him. How-e-ver. The face of the man who spent the night with me was extraordinary. “I-I’m pretty sure the name I heard yesterday wasn’t that name but something else. Uhm, what was it. I-I think it’s Sir Lancelot.” “Ah, that’s my friend.” “…” “Why, is there a problem?” Excuse me, you’re asking if there’s a problem? A lot. There’s a lot. …. Why is the male lead on my bed!
My opinion: Similar to beware of the villainess, this one will really make you burst into laughter. Alicia is I feel one of the most relatable isekai’d female leads for me. (I mean personally if I got isekai’d, I would probably be swearing like a sailor everywhere I go hehe) This manhwa is pure comedic gold, and the art just emphasises how bizarre and hilarious some of the situations in this manhwa are. Alicia is not afraid to use her beauty as a weapon if it means her gain, and that’s what I absolutely adore! If you’re looking for a female lead that can swear her head off when made, this manhwa was made for you!
Preface: I completely understand and believe that this pandemic is serious, and I am in no way, shape, or form am saying otherwise. I want to just make a point that we need to be more logically and stop panicking unnecessarily.
I vividly remember during my winter break vaguely hearing in the background stories of a virus that seemed to be running rampant in the now epicenter, Wuhan, China. No one other than the ones who experienced the virus since the start could really tell what an issue it would pose in just a few measly months. I wasn’t at all alarmed, I mean I live in a developed country with a great and inexpensive healthcare system. What was there to worry?
For a period of time, the virus seemed to be getting progressively worse, until finally the first case was confirmed in Canada, the country I live in. It all seemed to go over my head, I mean suddenly a virus that was so far away suddenly is a couple minutes away from where I live? Safe to say, I wasn’t the only one who was shocked. Social media was blowing up with conspiracy, fear, and overall misinformation. Suddenly friends were cancelling plans with me because they were scared and my own fear was setting in. I spoke with my parents asking about the risks and whether it would be as bad as SARS or MERS, and they said currently the virus should not be of great concern. The first case was of a man who came directly from Wuhan where the virus was already widespread. Public health is experienced and ready to combat this situation.
It was terrifying to see the once booming Chinatown completely and utterly empty. I mean it just doesn’t make sense. Why in the world would people be scared of businesses that are likely older than myself? How did prejudice and discrimination rise so drastically? Why are people panicking so much? these were all questions looming in my head. Of course, caution be damned, I still went to Chinatown, I still went outside, I still lived my life.
In the coming months, this virus progressively got worse, and was dubbed the virus name SARS-CoV-2, but the more commonly used name in the public is the disease name “COVID-19.” So many countries were affected by this virus, countries like Italy, Iran, the US were all being hit hard with dozens upon dozens of cases daily. It was starting to sink in. The severity of the virus and the risks and tribulations in brought with it. There are few things we can do other than trying to prevent the spread, and washing our hands often.
Advice for public about prevention – World Health Organization
I finally understand the severity of the virus to people who have other underlying health conditions and I believe it is the job of society to band together and take on that responsibility, but I do NOT understand or agree with the panic stockpiling people seem to be doing in response. I don’t see ANY correlation between COVID-19 and hording a bunch of toilet paper making it harder for people who actually need it to get it. I like to think that we need not be panicking, but rather we need to be aware of the virus .
Alert NOT Anxious
Dr.Mike
This is not a natural disaster or anything of the sort, so please for the love of god STOP buying all the toilet paper.
A lot of us have probably been exposed to Lil Nas X’s runaway hit “Old Town Road” on Youtube, the news, or maybe on your favorite meme site, but what’s the hype? It seems like a typical rap song with a pretty quintessential beat, but personally, I think the appeal comes with the fact that it has a kind of country beat! I learned of the song through the media and I asked “what’s the appeal?” I think the appeal of the song lies in the fact that it plays on the idea if rap could ever be considered country. I realize and a lot of us have realized a lot of country music is created by predominantly white creators. It’s no secret, it’s just the way it’s been.
Now, I’m not trying to suddenly turn a rap song into a big public issue, but I feel it is important to also acknowledge that certain genres have been historically split based off race and there unsurprisingly has never been a big uprising against it. Take country and rap as two examples. I’m not saying this is necessarily a bad thing, because if people of certain races feel more comfortable and suitable for one style of music then that is fine! What I find so interesting is the fact that Old Town Road took two music genres that are polar opposites to date, and made a song that encompasses both of the appealing aspects of both genres.
I believe everyone should give the song a chance, because although it seems like it is just a meme song at face value, when you look more intently at what the song has done for rap and country, it definitely is refreshing!
I’m not sure if all of you are familiar with the term “dystopia”(I sure wasn’t) but they basically as my teacher put it, “ a perfectly horrible world”. Dystopia’s are the opposite of utopia’s and they essentially are a failed attempt to create the so called “perfect world”. With some dystopia’s, it is quite clear that the attempt failed, but with others, you often need to do some deep thinking into what exactly is flawed within the world. My class has been doing a dystopian novel study so I have been quite interested in this whole idea. I don’t consider myself an expert but I will kind of be outlining some of the differences in the novels I have read which are 1984 and Brave New World.
1984
1984, George Orwell’s bleakly dystopian novel about the dangers of totalitarianism, warns against a world governed by propaganda, surveillance, and censorship. The novel essentially is a world eerily similar to the life during WW1 or WW2 with food rations, mass poverty, and property destruction everywhere you go. I found this book quite interesting because it kind of always was at a very action heavy stage. There is a lot of deceit, betrayal, and contradiction. See, I think the appeal of Dystopian novels is the excitement to see what is going to happen next. Personally, I preferred 1984 over Brave New World because there was a lot more to look forward to. Not to say Brave New world wasn’t interesting! It simply has a different kind of appeal which I will mention later one. The extreme ideas shown in 1984 kind of make a lot of us laugh and then we see characters truly believing the garbage being spoon fed to them. it just is so absurd that we find it really interesting!
This is my image of the physical attributes of 1984. A bleak, emotionless, gritty world.
The ideas outlined in 1984 are so bizarre that if someone in the present were to put them out there it would sound like a joke, yet within the novel people believe it! I mean just hear me out, freedom is slavery? That is the most obvious contradiction I have ever seen yet in the world of 1984 people believe it because there is no history to back their disagreement up. They are essentially brainwashed and blackmailed with fear of persecution to follow all that Big Brother says. One of my favourite quotes clearly shows the flaws within 1984: ““Fools who don’t respect the past are likely to repeat it.” The government practically erased history to the point where even if you lived through the time, you doubt whether what you know is truly correct or fabricated by the government! It is such a hard concept to rap your head around am I right? To be completely honest, I saw the novel as a cautionary tale for teens because a lot of teens dislike history and ask the question “why do I have to learn about something that happened fifty years ago”? I think George Orwell gave them an answer they will never forget!
Brave New World
The next dystopian novel I have finished reading is Brave New World. Now I am going to be completely honest, it was an odd book. Mature topics were present and I personally wish my teacher had warned me before I read it. Brave New World I feel has a different feel in comparison to 1984. When we start the novel, we aren’t introduced to this sad clearly dystopian world, but rather a futuristic world that seemingly had no problems. In other words, economic turmoil. Overtime, as we continue reading, we realize the problem with this world doesn’t lie with the environment but rather the lack in human feelings and emotions. People within the novel are only driven by the happiness from drugs and sex. The novel essentially outlines a world where people are conditioned into not having certain emotions and into behaving a certain way.
This photo I feel outlines my idea of how the world of Brave New World Looks like, a futuristic well-functioning society.
In comparison to a novel like 1984, the people within Brave New World believe it is a utopia because they once again do not have the history and knowledge to tell them otherwise. It is contrary the readers interpretation of the novel that dubs it as a dystopian world. Personally, I felt Brave New World had less of a plot in comparison to 1984 but rather it was mostly a description of how the world works through the lens of the narrator and a few important characters.
The moral of me outlining all of the different facts between both novels would be that dystopian novels are such a popular genre of story because they seem to have this seemingly bizarre world and we follow how people within the world live. People enjoy change, and dystopian novels take that fact and exploit it! Try reading a dystopian novel and see if you enjoy it!
All of us have probably heard of or have partaken in watching some kind of Disney film. Whether it be Cinderella or even a personal favourite of mine, Mulan. We all have our own perception of Disney and that unique lens I believe has contributed in dictating how we essentially perceive the world too.
One could argue how Disney has done more harm than good while others argue of the wonders it has done in shaping their childhoods for the better. I prefer to not align myself with either side but rather see Disney not at face value for the many movies but more so for how the ideas depicted in the movies that I would not say have bettered me but perhaps led me to question a lot of the knowledge I have and if that knowledge is truly correct.
(The typical yet nostalgic symbol that Disney is here and here to stay)
An instance of me questioning the knowledge handed to me through watching Disney movies lies with the fact that a lot of Disney movies display an exclusively monotonous relationship between typically the “masculine” male and “Damsel in distress” female leads. Movies like Cinderella, Snow White, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid follow this familiar archetypal romantic interaction. We could go on and on about how this is such a toxic and one-sided ideal to instil in children at such a young age but has anyone ever thought on the flip side “Hey, this seems kind of repetitive. I wonder if there are other kinds of relationships?” I sure did! Picture an eight-year-old me profusely trying to research the spectrum of relationships getting into gender identity, discrimination, and so many other complex issues. I can say as a kid who puts Curious George to shame, I did learn quite a bit about not only the LGBTQ+ community but also get this, polyamory; the practice of engaging in multiple relationships with the consent of all the people involved. It was fascinating to learn that there was indeed a flip side to monogamy and this whole heterosexual craze! It was an idea that had never crossed my mind (fairly so, I was at the young age of eight) but when I learned that the ideal of relationships Disney displayed was less than 1/4 of the intricate puzzle of relationships, I felt so enlightened and exhilarated about me finishing that puzzle!
Contrary to popular belief, Disney movies are not only used as an apparatus to brainwash children into being close-minded people when they grow up but more as a way to add curiosity and kind of open discussion up about the knowledge children gain from their movies. As most realize, anything out of the ordinary attracts the eyes and ears of the many children in this world just like myself so I say “Thank you” to Disney rather than “You ruined me and my perception of the world”.
The moral of the story, (fairy tale would be more suitable) is the fact that Disney has changed people. Sometimes positively, other times negatively. We need to acknowledge that Disney hasn’t only done harm but also has created this curiosity because of the scarily unreasonable and overused ideal. Now I know we could go on all day about the philosophy of Disney but I believe I have made my perspective known.
I hope everyone gets to a point in their life where they question why the knowledge they have is as it as and if there is anymore knowledge that they can find. In the least satirically sounding way possible, be thirsty.
I want to plan out my school life and kind of tell people about my day to on-load, you know? I want to talk about topics that are interesting and share my opinion on them!
Ilhan’s Blog 