10 Ways to Get Rid of Writer’s Block

Posted by William Kwan on Dec 30, 2011 in Productivity

Writing is either the most rewarding or the most frustrating activity in the world.  The despair of being stuck on a sentence can make you pull your hair out.  Fortunately, there are many ways to combat writer’s block so you don’t have to spend fruitless hours in front of Microsoft Word.

10 Inspirational TED Talks to Get You Thinking

Posted by William Kwan on Dec 29, 2011 in Learning

You may have heard of the Technology Entertainment and Design Conferences, a set of global conferences bringing together some of the most successful and interesting speakers in the world. You can watch these speeches at TED.com, one of the best websites to learn new ideas and kick-start your creativity. However, searching through the 900+ videos can be a daunting task. Here are ten must-see TED Talks to get you started.

How to Ace the SAT in Three Weeks Part 6: The Essay

Posted by William Kwan on Dec 4, 2011 in Learning

Format

The very first section of the SAT is the dreaded essay, where you’re given 25 minutes to write up to two pages on a given prompt.  Marked on a scale of 2 to 12, the essay makes up 30% of your total Writing score.

Preparation Materials

• No need to buy anything here; all you need are the essay prompts from past essay exams

Guide

The SAT essay is heavily criticized for the formulaic writing style it forces the test-taker to adopt because of the time constraints.  25 minutes is not enough time to write out a well-thought out, cleverly expressed essay, even if you’re a brilliant writer.  What’s more disturbing is the fact that there is a proven correlation between essay length and score; in other words, the more your write, the higher your score will probably be, even if it’s total crap.

But personally, I like the SAT essay.  Yes, it requires a dull, mechanical response; however, being able to produce a sizeable chunk of decent writing in a limited amount of time is a valuable skill to have (especially if you’re a blogger!).  If you’re aiming for that perfect 12, you want to fill up most of the two pages with clear, organized, and relevant writing.

The Buteyko Technique: The Correct Way to Breathe

Posted by William Kwan on Nov 19, 2011 in Health

Stressed?  Anxious?  You know the drill.  Stop for a moment, take a deep breath, and everything will be better.  Or will it?

How to Ace the SAT in Three Weeks Part 5: Writing, Multiple Choice

Posted by William Kwan on Nov 14, 2011 in Learning

Format

The SAT Writing Section is divided into three sections: one 25-minute essay, one 25-minute multiple choice section, and one 10-minute multiple choice section. The multiple choice questions consist of improving sentences, identifying sentence errors, and improving paragraphs. They are arranged in ascending difficulty per section, with the 10-minute section always being the final part of the exam.

Preparation Materials

• Official SAT Study Guide

• Material from The RocketReview Revolution: The Ultimate Guide to the New SAT

Guide

The Writing multiple choice is one of my favourite sections, and it’s not because I’m a stickler for proper English. In my opinion, it’s the easiest section to study for three reasons: