14 day challenge - a retrospective

From my retrospective, I will say the 14-day challenge was complex because remembering to upload it every day was a hassle as you have so many things to do. Doing the actual game plan you assigned yourself was not hard, as it could be done quickly if you tried. During the first 2 days, everything was going smoothly because I remembered to do my game plan every day, but after 2 days had passed, we went camping, and I completely forgot about everything. Luckily, Miss Disa said I could restart my game plan from a day onwards. When I started again, it didn't go as well as planned since I kept forgetting to write it. I either wrote it late or forgot about it. After a few days, I got the Gist of it, and I kept doing most of it on time, but when the 14-day challenge was about to finish.The thought of doing my game plan vanished from my brain and i forgot to do it., and I completely forgot about it. Luckily, I made up for those days and did my game plan on time.

Blog 3.1 Progress or Regress

 I will keep this blog a short one. Miss Disa explained the 14 day challenge to us. I feel rather optimistic since I'll be able to have a motivation to improve my lifestyle, habits, and assignments. Especially since now we'll have to schedule things such as my IGCSE exams study session and deciding which assignments to prioritize. 

It's a good opportunity to get my life together too. Since I will be moving, I have to schedule when I will do my assignments and my chores to clean up and pack. Other than that, I can keep track of what I eat, what I do, and especially my exercise. I've been planning to go to the gym for the longest time now. I'm excited to get a gym membership once I move.

I just hope that I can actually make some progress even after this challenge and not instead feel motivated by all the game plans and to-do-list.

That's all for now. Thank you for reading.

Blog 3.2 - Alisa AEP 10 | 14-day challenge debrief

 To start off, I wasn't able to do much for my challenge. This is probably partly because I normally don't have a schedule or game plan for my days. I wasn't used to having to think of a plan for my day on a daily basis.

In the beginning, I started off surprisingly well. I would wake up, follow my morning routine, and then write my game plan. I wrote the results at the end of the day. But as I progressed through the challenge, I began to forget to write them. The thing is, there's a difference between writing a gameplan and having my own routine. And that difference being I don't write actually write my routine. The things I do in the morning are automatic. I've been so used to following that certain routine that it was built into my system. To be honest, if I were introduced to the 14-day challenge earlier (and it was longer than just 14 days), there may have been a possibility for it to be added into my automatic daily routine. 

Now, my opinion on the challenge is not entirely negative nor positive. Don't get me wrong, I think it's healthy and motivating for someone to have a pre-plan for their day -- especially when they like to keep things organized and in order. But for the people who like to enjoy their day free from a specific schedule or a set of tasks being reminded to them, having a game plan might stress them into not doing anything they need to do at all. The challenge really depends on the person. On my end, I like to do things on the go. So having a game plan might (emphasis on might) help me remember the things I have to do, but it won't actually necessarily help me to do them.

To conclude, the 14-day challenge was a learning experience for me. I learned that it is possible for it to help you with your day, but it isn't exactly for everyone. I was able to finish a few tasks that needed to be done, but I also dreaded being reminded of them. 

Blog 3.2_14 Day Challenge Debrief

 So, how was it?

Simply put, I wasn't all that into it. I started the challenge feeling rather optimistic. "Oh hey! A way to keep track on my progress and improve on my habits!" It was a good idea. It really was. It's just that after about a few days or so, I stopped viewing it as a positive outlet and more as a task I have to complete each morning and night. 

I had no issues fulfilling my game plan or eating healthy or exercising. It's really only writing down the progress that made me groan. In this case, fulfilling the challenge is easier than documenting it. Doing it was easier than saying it per se.

I don't know. In a way, I think I just felt awfully pressured to fulfill it. Awfully pressured to write my progress and results and game plan. I'll admit I'm seeing some improvements in my daily life. I'm watching what I eat and I prioritize my work. I find that I'm opening my schedule to be able to do more active exercise too.

I think things like that should come naturally. Of course, it's different for everyone. For some people, they think that it's the most effective to track their progress to see their improvements. It's better for them to have reminders and alarms or the like in order to be better.

While in my case, it's really a slow go. I don't need to write or track down anything. If I mean what I'm doing and strive to improve, I can do it. Reminders and trackers and journals only make me think pessimistically. "Oh, I didn't eat vegetables today," "Oh, I didn't get to exercise," "Oh, I didn't have eight hours of sleep." If anything, it causes me to regress in my improvement.

I get lazy. I start thinking "What even is the point of this when I'm not making any progress?" It demotivates me. It may be due to this perfectionist mindset. "If I'm not improving day by day then I might as well not keep going." It's not that I wasn't putting effort into this. It's that I'm reminded more of failure than I am of glory.

Most people will just tell me that failure is supposed to motivate you, but that type of inspiration reminds me of how parents hit their kids to discipline them. You motivate and teach someone through praise and reward, not punishments and reminders of how they're a failure.

No one told me that I was a failure during this challenge, but the walls of posts I made were loud in saying it. If I want to be great, I need to be great once too. So I can have this mindset of "I managed to do this once and survive, I can do this again."

It will then translate to: "I did great things, but now I can reach higher and be even greater!"

I'm not a "make good of a bad situation" type of person. I panic and I cry. I'm not a good problem solver. What I am good at is improving onto something. Make it better and reach for higher.

Of course, it's all a self-discovery journey anyway. I'm improving and I can see my efforts in doing so. I intend to continue improving on my lifestyle and habits further.

Thank you for reading.

Blog~ 14 days cha cha challenge

I want to start by writing what I first thought of, before writing this blog. I think it was a great opportunity that I did not use well, almost wasted. It was an excuse to break the continuous cycle that I had. And I did change a bit, but that bit is not enough in my eyes. Since it has been a lot to change that one bit. But if you are determined enough it can be accomplished for sure.

I can say I was caught off guard, it was really an excuse to change but I guess not. We have a lot of these 14 days to go through I guess. We really do, I will continue to plan my days like usual but add a sprinkle of discomfort to it so it can feel like a challenge. 

It was a great way to help us establish new habits or break old ones. Struggling to maintain the routine due to various reasons, such as lack of motivation or unforeseen circumstances make it harder than it is, to stick to a new routine for an extended period of time. 

Missing a few days of finished work is quite discouraging, but it is always useful to remember that setbacks are a natural part of the process of forming new habits. 

Identifying the barriers. This reflection helps to develop a better plan for future challenges. I would say it was a slap on the face of how slacked of I am :’D

Really studying before relaxing is the way that should be, I realized that more. It is a huge step for the quiz week self. I'll continue on that. :))

AEP Blog #3.2 “How was the 14-day challenge?”

Salutations fellow readers! It is I, Ayesha, here to create a blog about a certain well known experience that all AEP students were required to put themselves into. The catch? Its a challenge. A two week challenge. 

My writing and typing skills sure aren’t working for me today, but I digress. I’ll try my hardest and see what I can output about thus 14-day mental reminder, workout and encounter. 

Way back when Ms Disa announced it, I was rather stunned over how I was actually going to have to force myself to create to-do lists. Those were the thing of the past for me. For some odd reason, I stopped making to-do lists back when online class started and didnt seem to put that habit back on me. To-do lists are great! But it seems like Ive lost its purpose by somehow forgetting that I have a to-do list. So, something that was graded was a big push for me. 

It would be quite hard to describe how I felt during each of the days but I can thoroughly explain what I have learnt and generally express the mental strategies I had to make in order to make this plan a success. 

Given it being 14 days, I had to make sure I made things in a solidified time frame. Writing on the padlet should be in a specific time so I wont forget… all of it was planned in a full proof manner. 

Except it wasn’t as easy as I imagined.

On the first day, I wasn’t able to answer it. Great. But for all the other days I was able to answer it but my answering schedule was so messed up for the first week — not to mention the camping in which I almost forgot to ask my teachers to sign. I wont go through the details but I have to thank my trusty sister for reminding me hehe..

Although this blog might be a little short because of the time I have to write this. I think I have learnt one main thing. Which is…

Writing to-do lists!

I am now starting to write to-do lists again, although this may not be the biggest improvement aside from my already implemented daily stretches and avoidance of sweets… managing my time has been such a big  obstacle for me and having these to-do lists make me realised all over again why I was able to manage my time so well when I was back in primary school. 

I don’t know if I’ll be able to continue doing these to-do lists but until now I have been making them. Perhaps its a great thing! Especially with my IGCSE’s coming up. 

I thought at the start that this 14-day challenge would just be another task I’d have to do but I didn’t think it would be as beneficial as I imagined but here you go! I am now practicing a practice I once left before, thinking it wouldn’t serve me any use. 

Thank you so much for reading and see you in the next one! 

"A repetition that i wish would never stop" - Blog 1 - T3 - AEP 9 - Janek Smigielski

Term three has now begun and something feels quite disquieting. A part of me feels empty when this cycle, which we do every day, comes to an end. Can't exactly pinpoint the issue. Even though I find repetition to be boring most of the time, AEP appears to shift that perception. The routine games and activities we encounter every morning help me to focus and find tranquilly. Every time I reach a point in my life where several changes begin to engulf me, I become anxious. This is why AEP and how I miss the teacher's role in this class not only educate me about the English language but also put me in a comfortable environment. I don't know why it only affects me now, but I would assume it has something to do with the fact that I'm there, finally in the room with a miss, and starting a new path with AEP. Let me now explain why this is the case and what has happened over the past few weeks. commençons par le blog!

I must start by describing the marvels of the several games that Miss Disa herself brought to us. The list would be wordle, hurdle, griddle, contexto, and the infamous scrabble. And there were a few others that I cannot recall, but they were not significant because these were the games we played repeatedly whereas the others were only played once. The board game that continues to bother me to this day, though, is Scrabble, which we play during our game weeks and which I suppose you are familiar with. This is the tale of how I and the other guys in the class competed against the girls, and it may help to understand why I loathe the game. Not one of our better games, and certainly not one of our best letter sets either. We were unable to find a group of letters that would have at least produced a four-letter word. vowels alone. only the vowels. Oh, how horrible. Even the word vowels makes me want to scream in pain...a little dramatic I know, but it would be quite accurate in my case. Anyway, the outcome of the two scrabble games in which Sayum, Leo, and I had been making every effort to overtake the deficit was not in our favour. The girls were the true winners. Given that scrabble is Highly luck-based and that we could have a chance if it were more on the side of skill and critical thinking. or we could simply embarrassed once more by the gals, not sure till we try! Nonetheless, moving past the games, we also receive our fair share of activities.

For our activities, we focused on both grammar and DOGO news. Grammar lectures and DOGO were frequently combined in our classes. We completed two classes and two oral exams in total, and both were evenly spread over the course of a week. These were quite extraordinary. The conditionals were enjoyable because I am accustomed to them. Also, I enjoy watching her films because of the vibrant colours and amusing examples. Nevertheless, because I have trouble remembering things, I get confused. I had the impression that Miss was angry with me because it was obvious during our single exercise. But even so, I managed to complete the rest of the task without letting it bother me.  these weren't my favourite activities, since they were lessons. Lessons are disliked by all. Where it's at is in the DOGO news! Every oral we hear the news that never seems to get old to me. Each news item is unique and steers clear of depressing subjects. It genuinely sheds light on the positive aspects of this world. I'd want to see more news like that. On the other hand, I'm terrified of the quiz part of it. Recalling specific details from the essay can be difficult. You need to pay attention, but you also need to do something different from what the person who just answered did. But I didn't seem to be having any issues over here. Our 14-day endeavour presented a challenge.

I've never been assigned an assignment where the student must arrive at a specific strategy within 14 days, you see. When I noticed this strange assignment, I was perplexed. one that didn't call for essays, calculations of any kind, or question-and-answer sessions. This one urged us to break negative habits, reinvent ourselves, and improve our performance. Doing this challenge taught me that, at least. I'm writing this blog post-14-day challenge, and I must say it was gratifying. I'm surprised to realise that I drink SO much water. The challenge was there to nudge folks from the borderline, between good and bad, towards the proper side, as Miss stated in class. A little prodding goes a long way. I was there myself, and it was this great challenge that truly helped me.

The outcomes of this exercise absolutely caught me off guard. I performed admirably! I should congratulate myself on this one! Even though I'm not quite satisfied with the grade I received, I'm nevertheless ecstatic that this challenge has ended! God forbid that I turn away from my good behaviours and resume my bad ones. It was the results and gameplan padlet. It is very exhausting to have to remember to do it every morning and provide results. If only I could get my game plan to remember to do outcomes and those game plans! Nonetheless, it was occasionally frustrating as well as rewarding to realise what I was capable of. Hopefully, the upcoming weeks won't see much more of this. It would be preferable to stick to business as usual.

The routine was amusing as usual. Looking back now after being given this exercise, it wasn't the same as it had been. I did take pleasure in the orals, the passive, and the terrible scrabble games. But, things simply seem to be different now that the challenge is over. And that's what I mentioned when I first started writing this blog. Is it because I'm worried it'll reach a new point and have a different pace, or do I simply miss the regular schedule so much? Even though blogging has never been my strong suit, there is something satisfying about returning to it time and time again. I will only come to understand this fact in the future. But that's a topic for an other blog. This one is now over. See ya!