Calculated Changes

"Whether you think you can, or you think you can't – you're right." Henry Ford

This year's last school week is over. The first term went by in a blink of an eye. The whole four month journey barely seemed like one full month. Even though days did not differ that much from one another I still felt intrigued and entertained. This being said I will full-heartedly enjoy my Christmas holidays.

On Wednesday I had a graded physics TP (practical work). We were warned about this task from the very start of the school year. When we received the preliminary protocol about a week beforehand it was clear that it was going to be a game of luck. Up to that point we had done precisely 9 different experiments and you could get any one of those. In the protocol it was clearly stated that the subjects will be given at random with the help of Python (yes that part was explicitly stated). I am grateful that I fell upon a simple electricity circuit that I had prepared in a previous session.

Also on Wednesday – my class organised a secret Santa. We had a month to prepare and it was quite fun when we finally got to exchanging gifts in class. There was a true feeling of unity for that hour. Some gifts were very original like a vinyl of Patrick Sébastien. Furthermore I was very pleasantly surprised to read Häid jõule on my gift, I felt especially welcome in the whole French ensemble.

Since it was the last week before Christmas we got the nice gift of having the exam (here's one article where I explain more precisely what I mean by DS aka exam) on Friday instead of usual Saturday. This meant that on Friday we only had classes in the morning and then the exam after lunch. It was quite a nice change and this meant that I got to catch up on some sleep already on Saturday.

Moreover with the day free I met up with a fellow EEB2 graduate who also studies at a preparatory school in Lille. We were laughing about the fact that we had spent four months in the same town, yet not once had we seen each other during that time. This is probably because we have certain paths and routines that keep us from going off route whatsoever.

The very next day I flew to Estonia with my mother. I am truly happy to be back here. On the first day back it snowed. Then there were the usual first slice of black bread and a wholesome family get together with singing. If there's one thing which I tend to struggle with it is keeping up with myself when changing my environment for a limited amount of time (like two weeks). It feels like it's not enough time for creating a full on new system but too much time to just waste. This is a calling for a temporary self-made structure for my days, since school does not provide it.

Last week's recommendation was Hyperfocus and I specifically brought out the part about consumption of information. Since then I have been trying to pay more attention to the quality of content I consume. It was a good change since I had fallen prey to bingeing sitcoms for the past two months. I replaced those mindless series with TED talks (like this one) that are just as entertaining, but also have a certain academic value.

On the topic of changing routines – it is time for an update on my coffee situation. For the past month I have regulated myself to not drinking any coffee at all in the mornings and I can not say that I feel a noticeable change in my overall physical and mental health, but I must remark that my freshness in the mornings has not changed (I guess one can talk to me before I have had my coffee). Also I find it is more reasonable that I now drink two cups of coffee per day and do not overstimulate my brain as much (at least due to caffeine).

About a year ago my brother gave me his Kindle since he did not use it himself. I have used it a little here and there, but I had not really seen its full potential, since I just read free books or some random books from my mom's library. Recently I purchased my first e-book (I chose The 4-Hour Workweek) and I must say that the machine is truly a marvel. I have found most useful the highlighting feature because I can access the highlighted quotes from the web. This means I can use them in my future recommendations with ease.

To conclude this week's suggestions – try new methods and routines to see how they fit your life and also – get yourself a Kindle!

Thanks for being here! Till next Monday morning!