Take a chill pill.

You know how sometimes life gets a little too stressful? Those nail-biting days when you have school prefect elections on Monday, an oratorical competition on Wednesday, SAT on Saturday, twenty hours tuition weeks and enough homework to scare a lawyer? Because I can tell you: I'm feeling the heat. So I've come up with different ways to just calm the hell down.

First things first, try to keep your phone and laptops away. You need some time alone, and constantly texting or Facebook-ing isn't going to help any. Try it. I swear, it won't kill you. :P

I find reading helps me relax. You know, prop yourself up on your bed, air-conditioning on full blast, covered with a blanket and an amazing book - paperback; none of those ebooks or other horseshit for me - in hand. There's something magical about a good book in that it takes you to another place. A place where there are no elections, orations, standardized tests and whatnot. :)

Have I mentioned exactly to what extent music can save your life? Because, I tell you, I owe my sanity to the world of rock - classic, grunge, hard, alternative, or anything else. How you listen depends on the weather - you can lie on your sofa, sleep in a hammock, lounge by the fire, or watch the rain with a mug of extra-strong coffee.

I love animals. When I'm stressed, worried, tense, or just plain bored, playing with my birds helps me relax. Even if i'm just watching the brainless little twits. It helps if you have a pet you can actually interact with, say a hamster, cockatoo, or a dog.

When all else fails, remember: we've been born with two good legs for a reason. USE THEM. Walking really helps me think straight. Scenery helps too. But there's nothing like standing on the terrace with your eyes closed, feeling the breeze run through your hair (all Shawshank Redemption style)

Life can get really stressful at times. But sometimes, you've just got to learn to kick back and enjoy the finer things. :)

Love yourself. Also, love me. XD

When I was little, I used to look up to my neighbor. He was 16, a tall, gangly kind of guy; one of those badass types who would skateboard around the neighborhood all day with his weirdo friends. One of them would have a crazy mohawk, the next this wicked golden streaked afro (he used to wear this silver tee-shirt to match it LOL) and I would think to myself, "Being a grown-up is so much fun, I can't wait till I'm old enough to go out on my own!  It'll be so cool when I don't have to listen to mom and dad anymore and I can just have fun all day!" (Because yes, my immature little 7 year old mind still used words like grown-up. :P )

And now, when I'm finally old enough, I can't help but remember those good old days when I was 7 years old and think to myself, "Damn. Being a kid was so much fun! I wish I was a kid again." Well, its either that, or "Damn. Being an adult must be so cool! I can't wait to get older!"

Moral of the anecdote: You'll never, ever, be completely happy with what you have, or who you are. No matter how smart you are, no matter how good-looking, or how good at writing (*wink*), you will ALWAYS be wishing you had more. Its human nature.

It is this constant desire for self-improvement which is both a boon and a bane. While its good that it makes you want to continuously improve, its also bad in that it makes you lose sight of the things that are really important to you.

For example, one of my New Years Resolutions this year was to try and become a more interesting person. You know, the kind of person who can hold a lucid conversation with just about anyone. Then I thought to myself, whats the use of that if you can't speak like Morgan Freeman? So then I resolved to improve my PR skills and build-up a little more on my public-speaking. Then one thing led to another, and a quick game of personality-dominoes later, I found myself with twelve different resolutions, half of them rather far-fetched.

So yeah, if there's one thing I've learnt during my 5 years so far as a teenager, its that the single most important thing in life is to JUST BE YOURSELF. Don't try unnecessarily to be something you're not and screw up what you really are in the process.

Be happy with WHO YOU ARE, and the rest of the world will love you all the more for it.

Until day after tomorrow. :)

Keep Calm and Ramble On. (:

A great human being once said: "There are two kinds of people in this world: those who like me, and those who can go screw themselves." (That great human being, btw, is me. :P )

One of the first steps to leading a stress-free life is to not care what other people think of you. Believe me, as a teenager, trying to impress everyone is going to land up pretty high on your to-do list. Its human nature. But don't let it get the better of you. You just can't please everyone. Remember that story about the man, his wife and their horse? (Feel free to comment if you don't; I'll inbox it to you.)

And don't even try to deny it. Remember the other day when you saw that cute girl/guy at the mall and tried to show off (just a teensy bit)? Or when you helped that old lady cross the street just to impress your friends? Or even the time when you picked up that puppy from the road and brought him/her home, if only to show your parents what a caring human being you are?

Now, I hear perplexed teenagers all over the world asking me, what should I do to not care? After all, trying to impress everyone is IN MY BLOOD! Well, first things first: don't misunderstand me. Over the next few years, its crucial that you use your spare time kissing the asses of anyone and everyone who might be of help to you later on. For example, teachers, parents, your rich neighbor, et. al.

Before you go out of your way trying to show off how wonderful you are to someone else, ask yourself if this person is really worth impressing. For example, that PYT you saw at the mall isn't someone you're likely to see again. But your teachers however are. Help them out whenever you get a chance, if only because you're just that nice. :)

Don't get me wrong: you SHOULD help people in need. Whenever you get a chance, help old Mrs. Burton cross the road. Help people as often as you can, because hey, it never hurts to impress yourself. (:

The Teenage Survivalist. B-)

Teenage years are a stressful time in anyone's life. Scared you'll fail that math test you have tomorrow? Have a crush on that cute girl two desks away but can't find the cojones talk to her? Teacher pressure? Grounded for violating curfew? Fear not, paranoid/moody/cranky/high/downright bored teenager, for the Teenage Survivalist is here. B-)