i.justrealized

Reading helps keep stress down:

Reading is the best way to relax and even six minutes can be enough to reduce the stress levels by more than two thirds or 68%.

New research by consultancy Mindlab International at the University of Sussex says reading works better and faster than other methods to calm frazzled nerves such as listening to music, going for a walk or settling down with a cup of tea.

Listening to music reduced the levels by 61 per cent, have a cup of tea of coffee lowered them by 54 per cent and taking a walk by 42 per cent. Playing video games brought them down by 21 per cent from their highest level but still left the volunteers with heart rates above their starting point. (Source: Marie Claire)

I’ve been reading quite a bit these couple of months. What I feel is that reading from a book helps reduce stress much more than reading from the screen.

If you don’t like reading books typically, you may get humor books just to have a laugh. I have a book with only funny pictures — that worked too. I probably flipped through hundreds of times, each time looking at around 10 pictures. That seems to keep my stress level down. Whoever said “laughing is the best medicine” might just be right.

I wonder if this is stress-induced:

NTU’s final year engineering student stabs professor

SINGAPORE: A Nanyang Technological University (NTU) spokesman had confirmed that a final year student from the School of Electrical and Electronics Engineering stabbed a professor Monday morning.

The professor at the engineering faculty was in his office when the student stabbed him with a knife in the back.

Prof Chan Kap Luk, a Singaporean and in his 40s, is said to be the supervisor of the fourth year student in a project.

After stabbing, the male student, who was in his 20s, slit his wrists and jumped.

His body was found at the bottom of a building at the engineering block, which was about five-storey high. He died from his injuries.

Prof Chan received medical treatment for cuts and is in stable condition.

NTU said both parties’ next-of-kin had been notified. (Source: Channel News Asia)

Ahh… My math test is tomorrow and I don’t think I can finish studying it. I am picking questions to study already, even then I am not able to do the workings fast enough.

I guess I probably won’t do well in math. Probably a pass since it’s actually pretty hard to fail. You have to try really really hard to fail an exam at my university. The passing grade is 35 I think. Someone lecturer even told me it’s 30. I think they set the standards too low already. I guess they want everyone to pass.

My friend just showed this to me:

In Web World of 24/7 Stress, Writers Blog Till They Drop

SAN FRANCISCO — They work long hours, often to exhaustion. Many are paid by the piece — not garments, but blog posts. This is the digital-era sweatshop. You may know it by a different name: home.

Of course, the bloggers can work elsewhere, and they profess a love of the nonstop action and perhaps the chance to create a global media outlet without a major up-front investment. At the same time, some are starting to wonder if something has gone very wrong. In the last few months, two among their ranks have died suddenly.

Two weeks ago in North Lauderdale, Fla., funeral services were held for Russell Shaw, a prolific blogger on technology subjects who died at 60 of a heart attack. In December, another tech blogger, Marc Orchant, died at 50 of a massive coronary. A third, Om Malik, 41, survived a heart attack in December. (more…)

Looking at the list below makes me a little nervous.

Examinations are coming

• Mathematics For Computing (6 May)
• Information Systems: Foundations of E-Business (9 May)
• Introduction to Computing and the Internet (12 May)
• Introduction to Java and object-oriented programming (15 May)

There are just so many things to study and I don’t know where to begin actually.

I haven’t actually started to read through the stuff that’s coming out for examinations. I don’t really have a lot of time to do that. I think I’m getting a little stressed with my work too. I wonder if I’ll be able to get through this and still get the good results and the produce good work. I still have another concern though and that concern is perhaps the most troubling.