Well. I stopped the title before it became a song reference. Are you proud of me? I'm proud of me. Are you proud of me? LOL!
Anyways. I totally disappeared, didn't I? Yes... I vanished sometime during the last quiz meet and I haven't blooged about it and I feel like a terrible person for it. So here's the down low on the last quiz meet.
I was actually pretty relaxed by the time we got to our first quiz, probably too relaxed. A group of us quizzers got together and got a tour of Ambrose University (they have an amazing music room, by the way), and we had watched Tim Hawkins for most of the drive, so we weren't really in the worst mood. Dropped my stuff off at the hotel where my mom and I were staying, went out for supper and showed up a bit early, not that it was a bad thing. Talked to some people, got pumped up, went to announcements, and trekked upstairs for the first quiz of the meet.
Jon and Patricia did really well in the first quiz, but I erred out. Talk about a bad move right off the bat. I couldn't think about how everyone else was doing as much cause I just kept thinking about how stupid all of my jumps were and how much of a moron I felt like for getting the questions wrong that I did. It was not a good quiz, in my opinion, and after the quiz Jon and I ripped up the score sheet into several pieces. My mom took me out for ice cream right before DQ closed, and we watched a movie. WOAH! What happened there? I wasn't studying? Like, really? Yeah. I freak myself out, too.
I admit, I still didn't sleep very long but when I woke up I wasn't in a panic like I usually am during quiz meets. Which was odd. But on to the stuff we care about, right? The quizzing. The morning quizzes went a LOT better than the quiz the night before and we all felt better in the end of it all, making it into championships and stuff. We were excited, like we always are when we do well, and even though we took a long road in the afternoon, didn't make it to finals. We had some amazing quizzes, impossible questions, Patricia banged her head on a microphone (then got the question right) and we had an all-around good time. Jon, Patricia and I all made it to Great West and we're all going, after I talked their heads off and threatened to kick Jon. Heh heh. I'm not violent.
BUT WAIT! There's more! We all went to Great White North practice together!! YAY! That was fun. My quizzing was... off... Patricia didn't feel too good either, but the day was fun. Before the practice, Patricia and I went looking around at Home Hardware, then I felt bad for just hanging around in the store and bought tic tacs. :oD.
The practice itself was great. I got some good advice on jumping, challenging tips (no, I'm not gonna dedicate an entire page to challenging. Maybe.), and TONS of motivation.
Anyways, Great West is a day after tomorrow, and I have a LOT of work to do... I'm gonna go finish up the flashcards! Up to chapter 18 is up... I apologize for the wait and the rushed-ness of this blog!
Quizzers UNITE!
Maegan
Tomorrow! Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrooooooow there'll be suuuuuuunnn! Just thinking abooooout.... Tomorrow! Wipes away the cobwebs and the sorroooooow till theres noooooone...
Yeah. The quiz meet? Its tomorrow. Lets all break out into song. From Annie. Yeah. We're all that cool. Who's ready? Not me! Although, when am I ever ready for these things?
So... after arranging rides and everything to and from Calgary, NEXT had an epic practice today! Our last-minute stuff always goes well... even though today we were all acting unnaturaly protective of our specializations and stuff... we're trying to all get really great personal scores to get into Great West and that I guess is turning us all into total divas... LOL!
Preparation for the meet... I'm going to wake up early tomorrow morning to get my flashcarsd done and getting everything ready for the meet tonight so I have nothing to worry about tomorrow morning. Around this time every meet, I usually have my cards done. Unfortunately, this time I don't. I apologize.
Here at NEXT we have decided (well, at least kind of decided) that we are going to attempt to avoid the candy, sweets, and any form of unhealthy food that we may come across for this entire weekend in attempts to have sharper minds and healthier bodies for quizzing. Jon's theory is that the 'junk' food will slow us down and we won't quiz our best. Or, ahem, as Patricia would say, beyond our best. Hopefully this is the right move, or at least a good one that we can keep up. I guess I'll have to switch to herbal tea to keep me awake, huh?
Well, I have flashcards to do, sleep to try to get, and a bag to finish packing.
Question: What is the most important item you have at a quiz meet, other than studying materials?
So... until we meet again, QUIZZERS UNITE!!!
Maegan
This blog will be very short. I don't even have a question to write at the end of it.
2 new epic-sauce studying methods on the study page!
Now, if you people comment on this blog I'm gonna be sad cause you don't comment on the other ones and you choose the one blog where I'm not saying anything interesting to comment. Well, with the exception of April, who is just really cool and comments on my blog posts :o)
QUIZZERS UNITE!!!
Maegan
Skip the first paragraph if you're not just bored.
So, guys, I posted this literally minutes after posting the blog about the meet, because it was a draft before and I hadn't finished it when I wanted to post it so if you want to read about how the meet went, read the blog.
Yeah... you have to read to blog to find out how NEXT did. I'm not spoiling ANYTHING for those who actually care.
Too bad everyone who actually cares probably already knows.
BUT the blog post has the STORY... *nobody moves* FINE! Don't read my blog.
Anyways, the purpose of this blog is to let you all know that I think I just found a place where being an obsessive quizzer is a good thing. I was just talking to my friend from dancing (If you're reading this, I hope you don't mind that I'm talking about you on my blog, you know who you are...) about theory and she said something about using flash cards for Highland theory... memorizing definiteions and stuff... and I, myself using flashcard machine for my Highland theory, directed her to the website that I use. Then it kind of clicked in my head... Quizzing... theory... Quizzing... theory... WOAH!!!!! IT WORKS! It is terribly pathetic that it took me THIS LONG to figure it out...
So, I was going over my study methods and I realized just how obsessive they all sound when all you're trying to do is memorize a few, or a few hundred (or so it seems) definitions of movements you can execute no problem. I mean, the flashcards with push-ups... that'd work fine... I think I'm gonna use that one with steps of a dance for my theory since I have to up my pracitce time anyways, but most of them are totally... like, unrelated! No key words, although you oculd try to find words that you constantly forget, so that takes out a chunk of them. No verse numbers, so that takes out high lighting. Trouble spots... those I can maybe use but most of the study methods would SUCK for Highland theory.
The tips, too, I just realized how obsessive I am! "Make sure you eat while you're studying" "If your eyes are closing on their own, take a nap" "Schedule study times with friends!" And the new one I just posted "Make a schedule with when you're going to do each method that you use to study"... WHAT? I laughed SO HARD comparing how much I study Quizzing with how much I study theory... I mean, I don't think I've touched my theory book since last week, and its a MIRACLE if I can keep my hands off of my quizzing work for more than an hour or two.
BUT! As different as the two are, from the work ethic I learned from Quizzing, listening to my body when I'm studying for a long time and learning what works best for me, to working as a team, calming myself down and eating the right 'brain foods'... its all thanks to Quizzing, and without it, I probably would've failed my last few theory exams. Badly. So, Quizzing is pretty cool that way. And many other ways but don't get me started.
Questions: Where do you see skills obtained in Quizzing reflect in real life? (Yes, there IS a world out there for all you study-a-holics) And... was this too much of an essay for you to bother reading this far? *sigh* Oh well.
Quizzers... UNITE!
Maegan
Okay guys. Quiz meet. You knew that this blog was coming. You knew it... its the blog about the quiz meet. And boy, do I have a blog for YOU!
Okay, so, chapter one: Arrive. Talk to friendly people who I like talking to until my parents arrive... my dad actually came for Friday night! Not as freaked out as I was last meet, finally spot my team and stand around talking about how pumped we are and playing cat's cradle (or attempting to, in my case). Sit down in the sanctuary, choose a stress ball for the night, hand out some blueberry-pomegranite gum and sit, talk, and wait for announcements to start with a huge case of the butterflies. We. Were. Ready.
Chapter two: After waiting around, watching quizzes, and running through a few dances in the hallway to get my blood pumping and get excited and stuff, we sit down to quiz. I, of course, MUST have the seat furthest away from the quizmaster or I get a bit freaked out. We did well that quiz... Finishing with 180 points, we did well and my dad was proud.
Chapter three: Fast forward to Saturday morning. My dad unfortunately couldn't be there, but we, NEXT 1, were determined to do well. First quiz of the day was a perfect quiz. Like, it couldn't have gone any better for our team. We all quizzed out with no errors, finishing with a score of 300! This gave us the confidence boost that we so needed for the rest of the day... and believe me... that little boost was all we needed.
Chapter 4: Last preliminary quiz, 170 points. Happy face :o) The rest of my team went to Ikea for lunch, but my mom and I went to Fat Burger, and that was the best veggie burger EVER! Just saying. I got a new fidget toy from Education Station (a didget fidget... look em up. They're fun!) and arrived back to find out that we, NEXT 1, had actually placed 1st in the morning. I did, in that moment, feel unprepared for this, so I went and studied until Alannah and Jessica from Edson 1 came and said hi to me. Then all of the sudden there was, like, a party in room 7. That was fun. At 2:00, though, with dropped jaws and twinkling eyes, we headed to our first quiz of the afternoon. We had a great afternoon after that... We all had those moments where we got questions that we thought otherwwise impossible and were happy to have some very close quizzes with neck-to-neck competition. After a few of these quizzes, we had done what in previous years, and even just moments before, we would've thought impossible. We actually made it to finals!!!!
Chapter 5: After running outside for a little bit to cool down, eating some fruit and freaking out a bit more, it was time. We were called to the sanctuary for announcements. I was dying on the inside. I really was. I just wanted to get this over with... we had already decided as a team that now nothing mattered. Even if we all erred out, it wouldn't matter. So we walked in, jumped fast (but smart), respected eachother's specializations, and started the quiz strong. John got an impossible quote (number wasn't really even close to finished)... We were feeling good, but we didn't really take the quiz seriously until we got third person in. Now the rubber met the road. Question 11. We can actually do this... we can do this because we really actually don't care. We're not freaking out. We're not stressed. I answered the last question. Multiple answer. What came... grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. They said I was right. My face went beet red and I ran back to our seats crying. We did it. We actually did it. We prayed and thanked God for giving us the opportunity and putting us on such a great team together... still couldn't believe it!
Great meet... I placed 10th, Jon placed 8th, Patricia placed 13th... and we're all VERY happy! :oD! Teamwork is a valuable thing!
NEXT 2 did really well too! Shoutout to Lana for placing 14th in Consolation... we're all, at NEXT, doing a lot better than we ever have before. I think I speak for everyone at NEXT when I say that we all did our personal bests. (patricia says that best i
Question: How was YOUR quiz meet?
Quizzers UNITE!!!
Maegan
So... first of all... I thought it'd just be responsible of me to say this... My Nerves page is not a cure for anxiety disorders, nor is however the advice works for you diagnostic of an anxiety disorder, however, if you are experiencing extreme anxiety that cannot be subdued, or the anxiety is unexplainable or continues even when you're not quizzing, if it is interfering with your life or if you have to sit out quizzes because it gets that bad, you may want to consider talking to your doctor about the possibility of an anxiety disorder. They won't judge you... in my experience, my doctor was impressed that I brought the issue up on my own and helped me find the help I needed. If you need advice or support in doing so, feel free to email me at [email protected].
I'm also going to copy/paste this to the Nerves section... but seriously. If you have anxiety that you suspect is a problem, even if it isn't a treatable illness, just asking your doctor for a referral to a psychologist or group therapy IS A GOOD IDEA.
Now that I'm done telling you about that, let's move on to the issue of the week.
In case you didn't notice in my last post, its the quiz meet.
I did, and I am proud of this, talk to a Kids Help Phone counsellor this morning and recieved some great advice on how to avoid getting myself worked up so I'm not freaking out as much as I usually am. Extra practice today went well, and I feel like I'm prepared for (almost) anything. Team strategy is getting worked out for NEXT 1 (we're all shooting for Great West) and we are READY! Yes, yes I did actually just say that. We're ready. Are you?
Question of the day: What is the first thing that goes through your mind when you've just quoted a loooong verse and the quizmaster says the dreaded word: "Again"?
For me, I think, "My. Life. Is. Over." For half of a second, then I realize that self-pity never helped anyone and start going over the verse again, and super slowly.
Quizzers UNITE!!!!
Maegan
Yes, an entire blog just to let everyone know that I'm done my flashcards for up until this weekend's quiz meet as of last night and they are ready for use!
Here's the link again:
http://www.flashcardmachine.com/891179/5q5v
Thanks for nobody yelling at me :o)
I'm reserving all of my freaking out energy for the next blog... you have been warned. That's why I'm not freaking out on this one :o) Quiz meet this weekend... who's ready????
Quizzers UNITE!
Maegan
This blog has one purpose...
To apologize profusely about the lack of punctuality I have had about the flashcards! I just got, today, chapters 9-13 and I already finished 9. I have from now until the quiz meet to do nothing but study my brains out, so I've got time and I will get them ALL typed up and ready as soon as possible!
Yeah... SO sorry for getting so behind on these!
Quizzers Unite!
Maegan
I... sorry, I need a moment...
Okay, so I have a diploma exam for Math30P next week, right? I am in a 4-day super intense diploma exam preparation course this weekend that's supposed to get me ready for the big test, and I have tons of work to do and material to study and I think that it'll go really well, ya know? Like, I've got everything I need right in front of me to do well.
My mom doesn't see this in the same light...
She thinks that my quizzing will distract me from my math or something. So I am not allowed to study anymore. Not until after my exam is done.
WHAT?!?!?!?
I'm gonna die! I'm gonna just roll over and DIE right now! I JUST started getting back into this whole studying thing from my little rut at the beginning of the year, and now it's all for what? A good math mark? Entrance to University? ...Okay, yeah, thats what its for. BUT really... not at all? That gives me NOTHING to work with at the next practice. NOTHING!
Anyways, I hurt my foot last night. Which will not help my jumping much. I think its either a sprain or a minor fracture, but I refuse to go to the doctor cause I don't want to end up in a cast... I don't care how muchlonger it'll take to get better... I can dance with it and as long as I have an ankle brace on its totally fine.
So. That's my life right now. My question for today: Does school ever interfere with your normal studying?
Quizzers Unite!
Maegan
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone! I hope that you're all doing well after the holidays and that you haven't fallen behind as a result of Christmas shopping and parties. For me, I've had an emotionally trying Christmas this year, and my parents went away for a week... which gave me time to study, while I didn't have to do chores... LOL! I am also going to be starting to see a therapist about anxiety issues after my doctor ruled out a thyroid problem... I knew I was a bit weird... but then again, aren't we all? So I might get more tips from that... for the nerves section... maybe even studying tips.
Anyways, I've been meaning to write a blog on this forEVER now... odd habits of quizzers. Taylor and I were chatting on Facebook and we somehow got on the topic of odd habits. I've noticed a few, but I know there are more. Some people always clear their throat before they answer, some people always say um before they answer, no matter how confident they are in the answer, some are obvious and easy to pick up, and some are so subtle that nobody, themselves or others, ever really notice unless they try. My mom said that I tend to do rond de jambe's when I'm answering a question, and I've noticed that I do jig shuffles (Highland dance) when I'm reciting... Its really funny, in my opinion.
So, question of the day, do you have any weird habits? What are they? Have you seen any that are really awesome?
Other question: Did you study over Christmas or take a break?
So, until I find something else to blog about...
Quizzers UNITE!
Maegan
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