Concentrate In Class

      A classmate of mine demanded yesterday, "How do you manage to concentrate in class all the time and remember everything?" I've been asked this question more than there are pens in my pencil case, so
I decided to film my third video today, after a nice brunch with my best friend from my old school. I wish I had amazing drawing skills like hers *droop*. Anyway...
      Concentrating in class. A majority of students groan when they hear the phrase. I have a classmate who says, "It's okay if I don't concentrate, I'll just go over the stuff afterwards on my own." Actually, if you concentrate in class, using sustained attention, your working memory inputs data and you won't have to do any revision at all!
      My video mentions four tips:
1. SLEEP
2. FOOD
3. Object-based attention
4. Get rid of distractions
      Simple and self-explanatory, really. One point I would like to make is that no-one, I repeat, no-one, not even Einstein himself could focus for a whole hour's lesson. The trick is to use sustained attention instead of focused attention; the difference is the latter is a short burst, only for a very brief period of time and it tires you out. Kinda like sprinting versus long-distance.
      Good luck in exam week, everybody! <-- that means start revising NOW ;)

Cloth Hunting

Rolls upon rolls of fabric had me drooling!
Literally.

      A stroll to one of Kowloon's busiest districts on a warm autumn afternoon might not be your idea of a day's outing, but my rapidly-diminishing DIY project ideas had me going for a cloth-hunting round. Everyone knows Jordan and it's streets lined with vibrant rolls of fabric, but a look at the price tag could get an enthusiast (like me) going "hm..."
      The solution? Sham Shui Po.
      One of the oldest districts in Hong Kong, it stocks everything from computer gadgets to shoe-laces to washing detergent. That is, if you know where to look. Lending a hand from my grandmother, we went to Ki Lung Street to buy cloth.

Ki Lung Street

      The stores won't be your best bet for cheap stock; it's the un-airconditioned, swaying-in-the-wind metal huts outside. On roads that are seldom used, tourists and locals alike rummage amongst the piles of cloth available. The patterns are quite nice too. My grandma commented that the quality is even better than that you get in Shenzhen, mainland China. As in most cases, old people are right. So I bought these:

[left to right] $15, $30, $40, $20, $30

      A great bargain! The two on the sides I'm going to make circle skirts, the flowery one a bag, the rock-music detail is for my sister's locker deco, and the plaid is undetermined. Any suggestions?

streets of Sham Shui Po

      Anyway, it was nice walking around Sham Shui Po. Don't you just love the weather when it's breezy and cool but the sun still shines? ;)

Below is a list of popular shopping places in SSP (alphabetical order):

Ap Liu Street --> electrical appliances, electronics, second-hand gadgets

Cheung Sha Wan Road --> fashion wholesale

Fuk Wah Street --> cheap clothes, magazines, SHOELACES <3

Ki Lung Street --> cloth, leather, lace 

Nam Cheong Street --> leather, buttons, cloth wholesale

Yen Chow Street --> Golden Arcade (computer parts & accessories); Dragon Centre (girly accessories & sticker photos, FOOD)

And of course afterwards we went for a big dose of McDonalds McFlurry... 

Yours truly,

Autumn Picnic

Hi everyone (yes it's me again)

That's me on the left. Nah, that's my best friend Luna ;)

      I went on a day trip today thanks to my friends :D My legs are exhausted from all that walking. So the day began with me waking up at 11:00am, eating a bowl of cereal and milk, then taking a shower and brushing my teeth. Then was the laborious task of preparing food: threading sausages and pineapple chunks onto the tiniest sliver of a tooth-pick. After an extra coat of Max Factor Wild Mega Volume, I was ready to go! Walked ten minutes down the hill to Tai Hang Tung Recreation Ground, tramped around the grass and voila! Found me chummies and we had a nice time eating and playing. Forgot to bring a picnic mat though. *Whoopsie* We had a nice time running under the sprinklers and hiding shoes...

Poor parrots.

     Then in a desperate *ahem* educational attempt to broaden their horizons and show them the real side of Hong Kong, we decided to go to bird street! Walked around admiring their beautiful feathers (the birds', not my friends') of tropical blues and yellows. Felt a bit sorry for the parrots with chains around their twig-thin feet. Around us were old chaps with cages covered in white muslin, boasting to their comrades over cups of tea gone cold; we decided to exit delicately and fly over to Goldfish Street (yes, I know, technically that's not its name but whatever). Passed the Mong Kok Flower Market on the way, with me chittering about species of plants and their use in the eco-system and me chummies rolling their eyes at the roses; Luna bought asparagus seeds and promised that I'd get the first bite when they pop out of the ground.
      Reached Fish Street, showed them the fish and turtles and hamsters; also the stationery shop and art supply store. Pretty tiring day, but eventful and maybe even intriguing?
      Just thought I'd let you know.

"Good friends, good books and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life." ~Mark Twain

Yours,

Book Review: 100 Essential Things

      Hi everyone! Each month I'll be reviewing a book on my YouTube channel, and this time it's the incredible 100 Essential Things You Didn't Know You Didn't Know  by John D. Barrow.
      It's a math book.
      Please don't freak out.

ISBN 978-0-393-33867-6

      The first thing you see on the interesting graphic-filled cover is a humongous 100 made of different objects: coins, a bear, a tennis ball, playing cards and a diamond. What do they have in common? The next thing that catches your eye is the phrase "MATH EXPLAINS YOUR WORLD". Intimidating, eh?
      I know, I know, don't judge a book by its cover. However for visual people like me, and obviously my mom, who picked this up from the bookstore, book covers play an important role in attracting readers. Which in my case, I think was very worthwhile!

      The back-of-the-book-thingamajig (which I have found out is actually called the synopsis, commonly called the blurb, from my wonderful first subscriber Lauren) reads: "Have you ever wondered why you always seem to get stuck in the longest line? Why two's company but three's a crowd? Or why there are six degrees of separation instead of seven? ..." My attention captured, I read on in rapture as Barrow explained different aspects of life with a small problem, often not more than two pages each, accompanied by simple ink, hand-drawn diagrams.

      If you don't have time, do what I'm doing: Read a problem a day and you'll be finished in 100 days!

Here's the video:

Yours truly,

Welcome

      Haha I have no idea whatsoever what to write for my first post! Well here's a little profile about me: I'm Aggie and I live in Hong Kong. My YouTube channel aims to just illustrate the life of a teenage student and help anybody out there who needs it! I find there are a lot of YouTube channels for fashion, make-up, song covers; and although these very talented people do give us a lot of entertainment, some of us are struggling to keep up at school so I hope my channel just gives you a view of my life!
      This blog is the written version of my YouTube channel SilverStudies42. I'll be posting whenever I'm free.