Rain,

This week:

- Rain so heavy that my entire road flooded
- Broken camera (lack of photos)
- New TV



- My Dad independantly verifies that I'm Amy Pond in disguise.
- I subscribe to fuckyeahredhair because I have a bit of a ginger fetish
- I redye my hair an even brighter red
- Shopping for baby socks makes me broody



- We decide we're going to hire a caravan for ROAD TRIP '11 despite being skint and unable to drive...yet.
- I have exams in English Lit and History. No need to panic its ONLY MY ENTIRE UNIVERSITY APPLICATION AT STAKE. I need an A in English to read it at uni. Panic stations, everybody!
- I realise I hate compulsive liars with an absolute passion, but only because they have alot of power over me. I'm incapable of a decent lie, no exaggeration.
- I watch a dodgy youtube version of the Harry Potter clip at the MTV awards and nearly die of excitement.



- I have a mildly traumatic experience at dog training. Heel, Dusty...I said heel! HEEL! THAT'S NOT HEELING!!!
- I realise how far ahead of the times my school was, for Britain, vis a vis our fabulous amazing Show Choir.

Less of the listing, please, it's boring.

So it's tuesday evening and I've broken the back of the AS exams...4/6 is good. And I finally feel like I'm qualified to explain my revision techniques.

• Keep your revision hours low. I get up at 10, have breakfast, revise for 2 hours, have an hour long lunch break and then revise solidly for as long as I can bear it, usually between 4 and 6. Different hours work for different people - I have a friend who does 7am till noon without a break - but don't over do it or you'll burn out.
• Mix cramming and long term revision. If you revise your subjects too early in the exam period you'll forget everything...depends on the exam, but it's usually easier to do the majority the day before and just sneaky bits earlier - maybe you have a maths exam tuesday and history on friday, do a tiny bit of history on monday but mostly maths. This is good because it breaks up the monotony a bit, but you also do most of your revision in a big block.
• Make every second count. Don't revise for revision's sake. If you're not learning anything, it's not revision. End of. It's a million times better to do an hour of concentrated revision than a whole week of revising key terms you don't need to define or concepts that are above and beyond what the syllabus requires. And above all, stick to the syllabus! Exam boards won't ask you to discuss what you haven't been told to learn.
• Music...or not. I have to have music when I work. Didn't used to when I was younger, but now it keeps my mind focused and stops me getting too bored. Some people insist on complete silence. When I was younger I used to blast heavy metal, because it blocked everything out and made me focus. Each to their own, it's just a case of working out what makes you tick.
  
• Know what you don't know. This links to the thing about making seconds count...prioritize things you don't understand, know your weaknesses, et cetera. That said, don't forget to go over your strong areas. I tripped up in History because I didn't revise Liberal Reforms, believing I knew them. And I did, but not nearly well enough to make a difference.

OKAY, boring studying aside please!

The hunt for a uni is getting rather difficult. Although I'm def applying to Cambridge, and I'm going to open days for Exeter, York and Nottingham, it's SO HARD to find an ABB course for English in a decent uni. Plus the tariff scores confuse me no end, it's so annoying. What we need is a comparison website of all the entry requirements, so we do.

If it wasn't for the fact that I never have a minute to spare these days, I totally would.

ANYWAY, Friday was AB-FAB! Why? We went to the beach! Which for a bunch of girls from Birmingham (google it. It's pretty damn landlocked for such a small country) is a big event. We went, we talked, we ate chips, we wasted money on the penny arcade, we got matching tacky bracelets and above all, in true british seaside style, I got royally sunburnt. Pics to follow when they're uploaded :)

I'm also hearing rumours that I'm getting a new camera for my birthday. Excitement abounds!

Anyway, that's all for this week. 20 mins until I'm late posting.

Emma x