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!
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 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 