Back In New York

I came home to New York yesterday and it feels great. My fiancée and I had planned to go to Planet Hollywood, which is a great restaurant in Times Square.

The flight went really good. My bag was overweight but the clerk told me that it was okay for this time so I did not have to pay anything or repack it into two bags.

The flight was a little less comfortable on my way back to New York because I did not fly economy extra. The differences were that there is less space and that you cannot start the movie you want to watch whenever you want to.

I was also allowed to bring my guitar as carry on, which made me really happy. I watched the new Batman movie and parts of Mama Mia.

I got through the security checks without any problems and then took the bus to New York. I met my fiancée when I arrived there and we went to Planet Hollywood to eat. I had to bring all my bags to the restaurant, which was pretty unpractical and heavy.

The restaurant is great though because it is not a fancy place but a place where you can relax and not worry whether your face is clean or not.

We ordered Texas tostadas for starter. They tasted amazingly good, especially together with our “bananarama” drinks. We then shared two main courses. I had spareribs and my fiancée had sizzling fajitas.

We usually box our food if we cannot eat it. We cleaned our plates this time though so there was nothing to box. The food was really good, especially the spareribs. My fiancée and I have eaten there several times before but the food was especially tasty this time.

I shipped my Canon camera lens today and I really hope that the damage will be covered by the warranty. There is definitely some physical damage on the lens but I never dropped it or anything and I am always very careful with it. That is why I think the warranty should cover it.

I woke up at 10 AM today so I am really happy that I am not suffering from a jetlag. I will relax in the coming days and be with my fiancée before school starts. I still have a week before all that happens so that feels good. 

Last Day In Sweden

This is my last full day in Sweden. I have had a great time over here and it has been really nice to see my family again. I am looking forward to go back to New York too though because it is a city that I have come to admire a whole lot.

The main thing that I do not like about Sweden is that all stores close really early. My sister and I went out today to buy a digital guitar tuner and a plectrum. We were there at about 2.45 PM but the store closed at 2 PM.

It was pretty annoying because I was really looking forward to use it when coming home. I also spent some extra time with my sister and family today because I do not know when I will see them again. It will not be more than a year though.

I have to pack my bag today and there is a lot of stuff that I have to bring this time. I have bought a lot of Swedish groceries. I bought a cheese that weights two kilos, three packages of cream cheese with shrimps, and one big Swedish sausage.

It is near impossible to find a big cheese like that in New York so that is why I buy a big one like that. The cream cheese is also very Swedish and so is the sausage. There are many different sausages in New York but I am not sure of what brand to buy and which ones that tastes good so I rather just bring one from Sweden.

One thing international students will have to think about every time they pack for a trip is to make sure they bring their I-20 documents and VISA. The I-20 also needs to be signed by a school official before returning home.

I will also bring a few DVD movies from Sweden because I have a few really good movies that I have not watched in a long time.

I think my bag weights about 28 kilos so I am not sure if I will have to pay overweight fees. However, you are allowed to bring two bags weighting 21 kilos each so I should be able to avoid it.

I will also bring my Swedish guitar. I have never learned how to play so I will start practicing a little in New York. It is pretty big though and I am not sure if they will let me bring it on as carry on luggage.

I definitely do not want to check it in because I only have a soft case for it and I fear that it will break if I do so. 

Swedish Pizza

It is only two days until I go back to Sweden again. Time has gone really fast but it has been nice and relaxing over here.

I stayed home the whole the yesterday and hung out with my family. I had some Swedish pizza, which I really like. The pizza over here is pretty different than the one in New York. First of all, it is smaller and second of all, there are more ingredients on it.

I had kebab on my pizza and that is also my favorite. In New York people usually only eat one or two slices and that ordinarily makes them full. In Sweden people can eat a whole pizza and they will be called women if they do not.

I had dinner at my grandmother’s house today. She had prepared smoked salmon with potatoes au gratin. It was delicious so I had to portions of it. We also had a special white chocolate cake for desert. It had never tried it before but I will definitely eat it again if I find it somewhere.

My sister and I went to IKEA today so that she could take use of her gift card. We got a bunch of stuff and I paid a part for it as a delayed Christmas gift. My sister and I agreed to buy gifts for each other a few days after Christmas when the big sales are on.

Tomorrow will be my last full day in Sweden so I need to prepare a bunch of things before my trip. I am going to buy some Swedish groceries to bring to New York, including cream cheese, ordinary cheese, and some candy.

I am also going to a music store because my sister wants to buy me a guitar tuner and a plectrum. My sister bought me a guitar a few years ago and I never learned how to play it. I am really in the mood to start learning it now though so I will bring my guitar form Sweden to New York.

I have already found a few websites that provide free lessons and tips. It will definitely be a challenge but I think I will manage it. I am a little worried about if the airline will allow me to bring the guitar as carry on because I really do not want to check it in.

The risk is too big that it brakes since I do not have a hard case for my guitar. I think I will be allowed to bring it though because I talked to the check in guy when going to Sweden and he said that it should not be a problem.

I have not worked out in a few weeks now so I really need to go to a gym when I come back to New York. It takes about two weeks to lose your stamina so I guess the first few times there will be pretty tough. 

Merry Christmas

Today is Christmas and my family and I are preparing for dinner and drinks. We will be nine people celebrating here and I really think we will have a great time together.

I have a few more gifts to wrap in but I have one more hour before the guests start to show up. We will eat a lot for Christmas. A few of the dishes we will have are ham, eggs, salmon, herring, and potatoes.

People get tired of the food right after Christmas but they are also looking forward to it before each Christmas. I really love the food and I always eat too much.

I went to buy fish with my grandmother yesterday. I had to drive her and it took about an hour to go there. It is a place close to a lake called Ringsjon so their fish are very fresh and tastes absolutely delicious.

I am a little disappointed because of my camera, which broke a couple of days ago. I can only take pictures on a really close distance because it is the focus on the lens that is not working.

My warranty expires January 8^th so I will have to send the camera to Canon right after I come back to New York. Until then, I will have to use my dad’s camera so that I can take a few Christmas photos.

The weather is pretty bad. It was raining earlier this morning and I really miss the snow. It ruins the Christmas spirit a little but the food and the nice environment, here at home, will most likely make this Christmas wonderful.

Donald Duck is broadcasted every Christmas in Sweden and I will watch it this year as usual. It lasts for about an hour I think and it is a very Swedish tradition to watch it.

Before we eat the main course in Sweden during Christmas everyone drinks something called Glogg. People only drink it for Christmas and it is definitely a part of the holiday. There are many different kinds of Glogg, with or without alcohol but the most famous brand is Blossa.

I am starting to miss New York and my fiancée so it will be nice to go back there again. It is still nice to be with my family in Sweden however.

Driving

I did a lot yesterday. My sister and I had to buy the last of the Christmas gifts so we drove to Lund. There were a lot of people but it was not too much of a hassle because I am used to the crazy tourists in New York.

I bought some Swedish breakfast in the morning and I enjoyed it as much as the day before that. I was really looking forward to drive because it had been one year since I did that.

I thought it would be hard to drive after so long but I got used to it really fast. The car I drove is automatic too so it is pretty easy to drive it.

We found all our Christmas gifts pretty fast. I actually think we waited in line longer than actually looking for what items to buy.

I got my baggage later that day. It felt really good actually. I had called them in the morning to ask them where it was and they told me they had found it and would drive it to me in the afternoon.

Nothing was missing in the bag so that feels really good. We ate some Swedish “Kalopps” for dinner. My dad cooks one that tastes really good and this one was no exception.

My sister and I decorated my grandmothers Christmas tree that same evening. I had some whiskey for the first time in maybe a year so that was very nice. I really like the warm feeling you get when drinking it.

The tree came out great. I whished there could be some more lights in it though but that is okay. The weather has been pretty grey so far so I really hope for some snow for Christmas. I am not sure that is going to happen though.

My camera stopped working today. I was taking some pictures and I suddenly could not zoom with it. It is a digital SLR camera so the lens is removable. It is only the lens that is not working actually but that one alone costs over $1500.

I called Canon today and they said I could send it in. I will have to wait until I come back to New York though. I think I bought it in January last year so I only have a few more weeks until the warranty expires.

I drove a truck with a manual stick. It was really fun actually. I have never driven a big truck like that but it was actually quite fast. Driven is something I really miss in New York so I try to drive a lot when here.

I need to buy some more Christmas gifts tomorrow and I need to give my grandparents a ride because they need to buy some food. I am already looking forward to it.  

First Day In Sweden

I have spent my first day in Sweden now and it feels great. I am jetlagged but it is nice to be home other than that.  

My family and I had Swedish breakfast when we came home and that was wonderful. We had biscuits with cheese, ham, cream cheese with shrimps, and marmalade. I have really missed that in New York actually so I will eat a lot of it these coming days.

I also went out to take pictures. My sister wanted to take a long walk so we walked for about one hour. I actually used to run that certain way before, which I cannot believe these days. I got some pretty nice picture of the Swedish countryside but it was, unfortunately, raining.

I did not decorate the Christmas tree today. I felt a little too tired to do that but I went to see my grand parents anyway. They live about ten minutes away if you drive a car so it is easy to get there.

It has been about a year ago since I saw them so it was very nice to meet them again. I will decorate the tree tomorrow, which I am looking forward to. It is kind of a tradition for my sister and I to do so.

It feels like Sweden has changed a little since I was here last time. It might be just that I have not been here for a year, but I am not sure. One thing that it very different from New York is that there are so few people here.

It is nice because it is so much quieter and calmer. It is easy to get bored from it though. I will go out to buy the last Christmas gifts tomorrow. I am still waiting for my bag to come, and it will not arrive tonight.

I called the airline and they do not know where my bag is, which is pretty worrying. They told me that they got a lot of bags lately though so they have not registered all of them yet. I really hope that they will find it. It would be really annoying to have to deal with insurances and things like that.

I will post a lot of blogs these days because I want to talk about my time in Sweden. I will also put up a lot of pictures here so that all of you can get an insight in my daily life. 

Arrival To Copenhagen

I just arrived to Copenhagen after eight hours in the air. The flight was very comfortable, especially since my ticket had been upgraded to economy extra.

There was a snowstorm the morning I woke up so I was a little worried that the plane had been cancelled. I checked online and there were no messages about any delays for my flight, but I took the bus to Newark Liberty Airport a little earlier because of the storm.

I arrived about three hours prior to when my plane would leave so the check in had just opened. Everything went smooth and when I checked in my uncle had helped me to upgrade my seat from economy to economy extra.

I had a lot of space on the plane and I got more drinks and better food. I will definitely consider upgrading my tickets in the future.

The only thing that has gone wrong so far is that my baggage has been lost. The staff says that the bag arrived to Stockholm instead of Copenhagen and that they have to send it back to Copenhagen.

I am glad that it is not missing or have an unknown status though; at least they know where it is. I am still worried, however, because I have some valuable stuff in it, such as my laptop, tripod, and Christmas gifts.

What is good is that they will drive it home to my address when it arrives to Copenhagen so I will not have to worry about going to the airport again.

My dad will pick me up at the airport and we will go to by some alcohol for Christmas afterwards. The reason for that is because the alcohol in Denmark is a lot cheaper than in Sweden.

There is only one company in Sweden that is allowed to sell alcohol so it’s a monopoly. I guess the state wants to control the consumption of it, bit it really is not a very good thing because alcoholism is still a big problem in Sweden and I would love it to be cheaper.

I will go to meet my dad now. I did not sleep on the plane so I will have to stay up for a whole more day, which is tough. I will probably decorate my grandmother’s Christmas tree today or tomorrow, and I am really looking forward to doing that. 

Done With Finals

This quarter is finally over after a tough week consisting of four finals. I studied a lot last weekend and it definitely paid off.

I had three tests yesterday so I was a little nervous about it. I did not worry about the math though because that class has not been very hard for me. I have gotten 100% on everything in that class so my professor told me that I only had to do ten out of the twenty questions on the final.

I finished in about half an hour and went to a computer lab afterwards to study. My teacher had posted my grades just about ten minutes after I had turned it in to him, which I thought was very impressive. I got all answers right so my final grade will be A.

The next test in business law was almost killing me. I was very nervous because there had been a lot to study. I studied very much for it but it did not help my nerves. The test was not easy. There were more true or false questions n this one than on the midterm and I hate those questions.

True or false questions are hard to answer because there is always an “IF” factor. If I am insecure of what the right answer is, I usually write something next to the question explaining why I chose that certain answer. I am not sure if it helps but at least, sometimes, it justifies my answer.

I felt very doubtful after the test. I looked up some of the questions so I knew I had at least two wrong answers from the true or false section. The rest of the test was not a problem for me though.

The professor posted the grades an about an hour after the test and I was very relieved when I saw that I got 92 out of 100 on the test. My final grade in business law will therefore be A.

My last test yesterday was in microeconomics. I was not nervous about it and the test was not hard for me. I finished first in class actually and I checked my grade today, which showed up to be A.

I had my last test today. It was in consumer behavior and covered about ten chapters. I studied a lot for it yesterday and I felt ready for it this morning. The test was not easy but it was not too hard either.

The hardest thing about it was that it was multiple-choice questions and many answers were very close to each other. I think I will get an A though. I also got back my term paper from that class and I got an A on that one.

Right now it looks like I will maintain my 4.0 GPA, which is great news for me. 

Shoes

Shopping for shoes in New York is not really one of my favorite things to do but my fiancée loves it.

We went to DSW, which is a chain store that sells shoes only. Their stores are huge and they have all kinds of shoes there. It is pretty impressive how big they are. I took a picture last time I was there so that I can show you the size of it.

This is my last study day before the finals. I have studied business law mostly and I think I know most of it now. The subjects I have to learn include real estate, contracts, torts, and wills.

It is very interesting actually and the view people get in Europe that the laws in the United States are crooked does not really make since anymore. The truth is, most Europeans do not have a clue about how the legal system in the States works.

I also looked over the math I need to know for tomorrow. I need to know everything from the matrix system to exponential equations. It is not very hard if you put some effort in getting familiar with it.

I have also studied for the microeconomics test. My professor posts review questions online before every test so there are a total of three review question sheets online right now. This is great to study before the tests and it basically means that you will be fine on the test if you can answer those questions. 

I did those questions this morning. I got 100% on all of them so I think I am ready for the test tomorrow. I will probably look over it tomorrow again, before the test though.

My business law teacher decided something last week that I really like. Every student who shows up 15 minutes late will have five points deducted from his test score. The number one thing I hate is when people show up late for class so I really like this decision.

This is especially good on the final because many people are nervous and if someone suddenly walks in, right in the middle of the class, a lot of people might lose their concentration.

I have not studied much for my consumer behavior class but I have read my notes a couple of times. I will spend a lot of time tomorrow to study for it though, so I am not worried that I will not have enough time for it. 

Vaccination Day

I went out today to vaccinate my kitten for rabies. It has been a month since I got her and because she was too young to get the shot when I got her, I had to do it today.

She got really scared when my fiancée and I took her outside. We carried her in a special bag made for cats and dogs so she could not run but she was making a lot of noise.

She got a little calmer when we got on the train but every time we switched train or walked outside, she started to make sounds. She was also shaking a little but everything went fine other than that. She is sleeping right now, obviously exhausted after a tough day.

I have started to study for my finals now. I have typed my notes and printed the documents and I have reviewed it a couple of times.

There is a lot to review for the business law class but most of it makes since. The hardest thing about it is to remember definitions and elements.

I also have a lot of chapters to read for my consumer behavior class. I have tried to limit the number of pages I have to read by highlighting and writing down certain page numbers that are important.

I will not study consumer behavior that much these days since that test is a day later than the other tests. I will put more energy on studying business law and microeconomics.

My fiancée convinced me to watch the movie “Gone with the Wind” so I tried to watch it yesterday. Unfortunately, it was very late so I could not watch the whole movie. I like it so far actually even though it is very old.

I tried the white chocolate with mocha at Starbucks a couple of days ago. It is absolutely fantastic and I really like it with whip cream. I have only bought it ones but I am sure I will get it again.

I am going to Sweden soon and I am really looking forward to that. I need a break from the busy life here in New York and I think that my eight days in Sweden will be perfect for that. I will try to relax most of the time. My sister and I have planned to go barbequing in the woods.

We used to do that when we were kids and it is a really nice place. I am sure it will be very cold though but we will set up a campfire. I am looking forward to take many pictures and I will definitely post some of them on the blog. 

How To Study For Your Finals

Now that most students in the United States are preparing for their finals, I was thinking that I could talk a little about how to best prepare for it.

I have four finals to prepare for this quarter and three of them are on the same day. I have never had that many finals packed into one day but I still feel confident about getting a good score on all of them.

The key to pass with a good grade is to start studying in time. I usually start about a week before but the first stay is just small preparations. I think that it is important to type down your notes in word or some other similar program.

While doing this you should also have the book next to you and, if you have to, add missing information from your notes. By doing this, people will get a great outline and an easier sheet to study.

If people do this about a week before the finals take place, they will also get a great review that makes it easier to remember things on the day of the test. I do this all the time and it really helps me.

I have about 45 minutes with train to school and this is a great time for me to review and study the material needed. This is a total of 90 minutes (to and from school) that I will study for the test. Since I do this, I also do not have to study much at home.

I have a lot of free time because I plan my studying this way. A very important step in studying is to take breaks, which I get by studying on the train and come home and relax a bit before starting again.

90 minutes every day is 7.5 hours a week. How much time people need for preparation to a test differs but for me, it is definitely enough. Since you might have three tests the same day, like me, you will need to study more than that though.

Many people also do the mistake that they think of something else while reading their material. After reading all the pages they simply cannot remember it because their minds were somewhere else. It is very important that they focus on the notes and after reading a paragraph ask themselves: “what was it about?”

I constantly ask myself what I am reading and ask myself questions while reading. I do not only do this while preparing for a test, but also when reading magazines such as The Economist. It is a fact that I learn more that way.

I hope this gives people a basic understanding and idea of how to study. This might not work for everybody but it will definitely help most of you. 

First Snow This Winter

I went to Rockefeller Center last Saturday to see the tree. I did see it, but I have never seen that place so crowded after the lighting ceremony.

The place is crawling with tourists and the best viewpoint was impossible to reach. I brought my camera and tripod but I decided not to take any pictures because I really could not get a good view of the tree.

My fiancée and I went back to Times Square later on and checked out some stores. It started snowing for the first time this winter and that was very nice.

I had a quiz in math today. I think it was the most difficult quiz this quarter but I still got 5 out of 5 on it. The teacher is really fast with posting the results on the online blackboard, which I really appreciate because I want to know the results as fast as possible.

I will have a lot to do this week because of the upcoming final week. I do not have more tests this week though so that gives me some time to study and concentrate on my last week.

I think I will go out to take more photographs at night. I took a lot of pictures last Saturday when I went to Times Square. The darkness gives a totally new perspective in a picture and I am really happy with the ones I took.

I am going to type down my notes from my business law class later today. I have not done that since the midterm so I have a lot to type. The notes usually add up to about four pages in size ten so it takes a while to type it.

It is getting really dark in the mornings nowadays because of the winter so it is really hard to get up in the morning. It does not really matter how early you go to bed because the darkness itself makes people tired.

I am really looking forward to the Christmas break so that I can get some rest. It will last for about three weeks and I think that is a perfect amount of time to have a break. I do not really like breaks that last too long because I get easily bored.

My fiancée and I went to Burger King a few days ago to have a milkshake. What is really funny about that is that they have really thick straws. I actually think it is a great idea because it is always too hard to drink milkshake with the normal thin straws. The size is perfect but it feels weird to drink from it because of the thickness. 

Christmas

One of the greatest things about New York is definitely the Christmas decoration. Most stores have put up decorations now and the city looks fabulous.

The huge Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center was lit last Wednesday, but I missed it unfortunately. I am going there tonight to check it out and to take some pictures. I was there last year and attended the lighting ceremony, which was awesome.

The Christmas tree lighting ceremony has been a tradition since 1931. The tree itself is attached by wires so that it will not fall. There are over 30,000 lights attached to it. The wire with all the lights is about five miles long, which is pretty incredible.

New Yorkers are crazy about the environment so every year they recycle the tree for various purposes. For example, they ones used the tree for house construction purposes. Rockefeller Centers garden division picks out a tree every year but the tree itself my not come from New York.

They search in areas including Ohio, Vermont, Connecticut, and Canada, but I am sure they look in other places too.

Households are also starting to decorate their properties. My neighbor has decorated his whole house and it looks great. I think that people in Dyker Heights are decorating a lot but I am not sure. I am thinking about checking it out though.

I only have one more week left in school now. I have a quiz in math and the rest of the week will be pretty calm. The following week after next is final week though and that one will be pretty packed.

I have three finals that Tuesday. It is in math, business law, and microeconomics. I will be free that Monday, which is good because that gives me time to study.

I have my last final on Wednesday, which is in consumer behavior. Times has, as usual, gone very fast this quarter. I will go back to Sweden for Christmas and will stay for eight days. I am looking forward to see my family again and to get a short break from busy New York.

I will take a few pictures in Sweden that I will post on the blog. I will also put up a picture on the Rockefeller Christmas tree. 

Selling Books Online

This quarter is soon coming to an end. Time has gone really fast but I feel, at the same time that it will be very comfortable with some vacation.

I sold another book online today. I had set the price at $3 so it was definitely not worth it. However, I had posted the book for sale earlier for $10 so that was the reason I kept it there. It was a very old book so I just wanted to get rid of it.

I have a few other books posted that I want to sell but I am considering if I should sell it or not. I got a total of $5.20 for the book because I will be compensated for some freight charges. The freight charges are, however, calculated in advance and usually do not add up to the actual price.

My total expenses for sending the book was $5 so I made a profit of 20 cents. My opinion is that if you have a book for sale and you will get less than $10 for it. Do not sell it online because it is definitely not worth the work you have to put into it.

This week is relatively calm in school. I have not had much homework, but I do have a term paper to turn in. I will write it either today or tomorrow but I have already written one third of it.

My cat is getting pretty big now. It is growing very fast. It is still cute though and I think that it is getting a little calmer for each day, which is good. It wakes me up some mornings, which can be pretty annoying, especially if you have school that same day.

Google came out with a new version of Google Maps, which I really like. They have added new functions that make it possible to see when trains and buses arrive. It is pretty accurate too so it is much easier to plan on when to leave home before taking the train.

The subway and buses have also been integrated in the GPS system so you can now search for directions by transit and it will show what train or bus you will need to take.

I have a test in math next week. We are learning things about absolute value and logarithms right now and I do not think that it is very hard. I have a 100% score in my math class right now, which feels very good. 

Black Friday

This Friday was crazy because of the great sale that was going on in the country. A lot of people went up very early in the morning to take use of the good deals. When I say early, I mean at around 4 AM.

My fiancée and I planned to get up at 6 AM but we woke up early so we actually went out right before 5 AM. A lot of people go to New Jersey to places like Jersey Gardens and Woodbury, but I thought that we would find the same things here in New York.

My fiancée and I went to Queens Mall and Manhattan after that. We bought a few Christmas and Thanksgiving gifts to each other and we have already been starting to use them.

The first store we went to was Victoria’s Secret. My fiancée really likes that store and they had a few great deals during Black Friday. Every store was really crowded and it got worse for every minute.

The shopping was fun though and we definitely saved some money by shopping now instead of right before Christmas. We also went to H&M because I wanted to buy a coat for my fiancée. H&M had 20% on everything until 11 AM. The sale did not last very long so I guess that is why people get up early.

We were at H&M at about 10 AM so we had plenty of time to stroll around. We found a great-looking coat and a few other things that we bought.

We also wanted to go to Best Buy and Target and those stores are very close to Queens Mall. The area there was very crowded and there was even a line for Best Buy so we did not go there.

Target has a huge store in Queens, which is good because there is more room for everyone. It was still crowded though but I found a few great Christmas gifts over there. I cannot tell you what because I suspect that my family might be reading this blog.

I have been eating all the Thanksgiving leftovers now. I am pretty tired of it actually because I ate a lot of it. I still have some apple pie though that I might eat later.

I was thinking about doing a paper this evening but I am too tired to do it. I have to read a lot and I still have one day tomorrow to do it. The deadline is not for Tuesday as I thought but for Thursday so I have plenty of time to do it. 

Thanksgiving

This week has come to an early ending due to Thanksgiving, which I really like. Today is Thanksgiving and many people will get their families together to celebrate and eat what must be one of the worlds best and biggest holiday dinners.

My fiancée and I have been trying to find a complete dinner to order from a grocery store but we have been out of luck. We started looking for it about three days ago and that turned out to be too late.

I think we called over ten stores around New York but all of them were sold out. We were a little disappointed because of that. The dinner would include a turkey, whipped mashed potatoes, bread stuffing, gravy, and pint cranberry relish.

We wouldn’t be able to cook out own turkey but we went to a grocery store yesterday anyway to see what else we could eat. We thought about chicken but when we arrived to the store we saw that they had one fully cooked turkey left.

We put it in our cart right away together with a cooked chicken. After that, we started to collect thanksgiving food. We got sweet potatoes, apple and sweet potato pie, corn bread, and some vegetables.

We did not want to wait to cook it because we were hungry so we had a pre-celebration of thanksgiving yesterday evening. The dinner turned out to be one of the best dinners we have ever had. Everything matched perfectly.

I cooked masked potatoes out of sweet potatoes. We had also bought already cooked sweet potatoes with some syrup in a can, which we boiled up. That tasted absolutely delicious. Both the turkey and the chicken were perfectly cooked. We used our small oven to heat it up and the meat got perfectly tender.

The corn bread was fantastic. It tastes like cookies actually. We only tried the sweet potato pie, but that one tasted great too.

The best thing about this whole dinner is that we can eat it again. We got plenty of leftovers so we will probably eat it either today or tomorrow. I am already looking forward to it.

I got back two tests yesterday. I got 24 out of 25 in consumer behavior and 48 out of 50 in microeconomics. I made one stupid mistake in microeconomics, but I am not too angered about it since I got 96% right.

Tomorrow is black Friday and I will go out to shop with my fiancée. I will definitely do some Christmas shopping. The reason it is called black Friday by the way is because stores are making a profit that day.

In accounting, red numbers means it is a negative number, and a black number means it is a positive number. Many stores are struggling until this day so there are many so called red numbers in there accounting sheets. However, on this day most stores are making profits, which turns their numbers to black and it is therefore called “Black Friday.” 

Brunch

I went out for brunch last weekend. I ordered pancakes, scrambled eggs, and bacon. I was really hungry so I ordered extra pancakes, but I realized afterwards that it was more than enough with the usual amount.

My kitten is going crazy sometimes. She is very energetic and wakes me up every morning. She is always biting my nose and hair and sometimes jumps on me. I cannot get mad because it is so cute but it gets a little tiring sometimes, especially at six o clock in the morning.

 Black Friday is coming up. It is a special sales event that happens every year after thanksgiving. There will be great deals all over New York and New Jersey and my fiancée and I is going out to do some Christmas shopping.

We will also buy some thanksgiving gifts for each other so I am really looking forward to it. I want a small Manhattan Portage bag that I can use to put my wallet, keys, cell phone, and a magazine in when going out to do small tasks. I have already chosen one so we will probably go to Soho to buy it in a few days. It only costs about $30 so it is a great deal.

I am getting back two tests tomorrow so I am a little nervous about that. I will get back one in consumer behavior and one in microeconomics. I am mostly worried about the one in microeconomics because it was pretty challenging. I am positive that I did fairly well though.

I have been working on a paper for consumer behavior for a while now. I have been trying to find journals to summarize and it is pretty hard to find journals that match what I want to write about.

I found three of them today though. I wanted to write about another subject but since I found these journals, which I am very happy with, I chose to write about that instead. The subject that I will write about is qualitative research and it is pretty interesting.

The articles deal with how companies use this research method but also how new technology changed the way it is being used. I have not read the whole journals yet because they are about 25 pages each. I will try to read them in the next few days though. 

Busy Week Is Over

I have had a very busy week because of all the tests and it feels great that the weekend is here.

The first test this week was an online quiz in math. I was a little nervous about it because I have never done a quiz online before. I got five out of five on it so it turned out good. It was multiple-choice questions so that helped a little but I would have gotten the same results without multiple choices.

It was pretty much the same as a normal quiz except the format. I did all the questions on paper and then I just chose the right answer.

I started studying after I did the quiz because I had two upcoming tests the next day. There was a lot of information to read for the test in consumer behavior but I had already highlighted the most important parts so it was not that hard to study for it.

I do not really like to study straight from the book. I prefer when the teacher uses the blackboard or PowerPoint presentation and explains everything in his own way. Most teachers are like that by the way.

The test in microeconomics was the most challenging one, in its subject, so far. There was a lot of information about elasticity, taxes, and supply and demand curves. I think I did all right though but I am not sure that I will have all questions right.

I felt good after finishing the two tests but the grades have not yet been posted so I am not sure how well I did.

I went out to have dinner with my fiancée yesterday. We went to the same Chinese restaurant as last week. We had the same dish, which is something they call “Hot Pot.” They give you a big bowl with two different flavors and you bowl your own food in it.

It is like a buffet because you can order unlimited amount of food. We ordered sliced beef, lamb, fish, ham, shrimps, a lot of vegetables, and some sauce. We stayed for almost three hours because it is a really nice place to just stay at, relax, and it great food.

It is also very cheap. The check was approximately $37 and after tip, it ended up at $43. The restaurant has become one of my favorite restaurants so I will definitely go there again with my fiancée. 

Faculty Meeting

There is a big meeting for the faculty at Berkeley College this week so some classes have been classes. My math classes are, for example, cancelled so I was off yesterday and I will also be off tomorrow.

That feels very good because it is in the middle of the quarter and I am kind of tired right now. I will have to do some studying anyway though, but it is also a way for me to catch up a little and do some future papers.

I am planning to do my term paper for consumer behavior either today or tomorrow. The paper is not due until the last class of this quarter but I would love to finish it early. It is not a very big assignment actually but it will still take a few hours to do it.

I think that the preparations will take longer than actually writing the paper. I need to find three journal articles about a subject, which I am free to choose, and I am supposed to summarize these articles. I also need to discuss my personal opinion about the subject.

I have not picked a subject yet, but it obviously has to be about consumer behavior. I would like to write about consumers’ behavior in a recession but I will have to find some appropriate articles about it first.

I got back my business law test today. I was pretty nervous about it but everything turned out to be fine. I only had one mistake so my total score was 95 out of 100. People were only allowed to have two mistakes in order to get an A.

What was very tricky about the test was that all seven true or false questions were true. I put one as false, and I remember that I picked that one as false just because I believed that all questions could not be true.

You should never rely on how many questions you put as true or false. The same thing comes to multiple-choice questions. Sometimes the right answer is covered by the same letter so, for example, you can answer A on eight questions and still be right. Many people do not trust this and end up giving the wrong answer just because it looks bad.

I have an online quiz in math tomorrow so I am going to review some math tonight. I will also have to study for my microeconomics test, which takes place this Thursday. I have reviewed it a couple of times already and I feel confident about it.

Birthday Celebration

I celebrated my birthday together with my fiancée yesterday. I do not really like to party too hard so I really enjoyed our time together.

My fiancée had to go to a museum with her class in the morning so I stayed home and enjoyed a homemade hamburger before picking her up. I bought a Sunday ice cream at Baskin Robbins, which tasted delicious.

We went to Manhattan after that because we both got hungry, and we had decided from before to eat at Hard Rock Café.

My fiancée wanted to give me something for my birthday so we went out to find a jacket for me. I tried the first one I saw and it fit and looked perfectly so I picked that one. I really like that jacket because it looks great, it is very comfortable, and it is a lot lighter than my old jacket.

I really love the food at Hard Rock Café but it is easy to order too much. I have learnt what to order there because I have been there so many times. I used to order one starter to share and a main course each.

This time, I ordered one starter and one main course to share with my fiancée. I ordered the nachos with broiled beef as a starter and the trio steak for main course. I also wanted the dishes to come in at the same time because if I would start with the nachos, I would be too full to eat the trio dish afterwards.

Everything tasted fabulous and nachos is definitely one of my favorite dishes. I have never had it together with the beef and I with definitely have that again.

One thing that I do not like about Hard Rock Café is their straws. They have made them environmental friendly and they taste like paper. It really does affect the taste and feeling when you drink so I really think they should consider replacing them.

I have not done much today. My fiancée and I have stayed at home to study because both of us have a few tests next week.

I saw the movie Wall E yesterday. I am not a really big fan of animated movies. However, I did like the movie The Incredibles, and now I will have to Wall E to my list. I really liked that movie and the effects are fantastic.

Tip

I got a very good lesson today that tipping is very important in New York. My fiancée and I went to a Chinese restaurant in our neighborhood to pre-celebrate my birthday. My fiancée told me that you will not have to tip them because Chinese people never do that, which I am sure is true in China.

After paying the check, we started to walk home. The waitress came running at us just soon after that and claimed that I forgot to give them a tip. It was pretty awkward and I will definitely not go there again.

This shows how important it is to tip in New York. Personally, I hate tipping but I always tip, especially at restaurants, to cab drivers, and at hair salons. Tipping in New York is extreme and I believe that it has gone too far, especially when people force you to give them tip.

Tip used to be given to show people that you think they gave you good service. Nowadays, it is something that you have to give, even though the service is terrible. I want to give waitresses tip, especially if they are good at their job, but I definitely do not want them to ask for it.

Some restaurants in New York have already included tip in the check. Places like Hard Rock Café for example, which is located in Times Square, have included tip in the price. I can understand why, since many tourists presumably forgets to tip.

The thing that disturbs me though, is that Hard Rock Café expects you to give them tip over the included tip. My basic point here is that it is just ridiculous how much you have to tip people these days.

In Sweden, we have to tip at restaurants but that is about it. In New York, you will have to tip almost everyone who offers you a service. I was surprised when I realized that you have to tip your hairdresser, which I find truly preposterous.

Tomorrow is my birthday so I will probably go out to eat that evening too. I think I want to go to Hard Rock Café actually but I will be careful with the tip.

I have three tests next week so I will have to study a little this weekend. One is a quiz in math, another one is a small test in consumer behavior, and the other one is a midterm in microeconomics.

I do not think I will have any problems with any of the tests but I will definitely review for it a couple of times. 

Printer

When I bought my Macbook laptop, I also got a free printer. I did not install that printer until yesterday because I have not really needed it until now.

I always print my documents at school but I think I will change my habits now that I have a printer at home. What is really good with the printer is that I can make copies and scan with it too. I am not sure that I will do all that but it feels good that I have the opportunity to do so.

My birthday is coming up. I am lucky because it will be on a Saturday so I will not have to go to school. I am not going to throw a big party but I think I will go out for dinner with my fiancée.

My business law class was cancelled today, which came as a disappointment because I really want back my test that I had this Tuesday. I am very curious about the results because I am not sure how I did on the first part of the test.

I will have a long weekend now. My math classes have been cancelled next week so I will not have to go to school next Monday and Tuesday.

I read a very good article in “The Economist,” last week. It explained the credit crisis and talked about aggregate demand, which we talked about in my macroeconomics class last quarter. It was very easy to understand so I thought that my teacher should introduce it to his current macroeconomics students.

I talked to him today because I have him in microeconomics right now and he liked my idea. It would be honorable if he would give out that article to his students so I really hope that he does so.

There is a really tasty crab spread from Sweden that I usually buy when I go to IKEA. I bought one pack with my fiancée when I went there the last time and it only lasted for two days. Next time we will go there, I will definitely buy more.

I usually get something to eat when I am at school, but when I have crab spread and bread at home, I sometimes make my own lunch and bring it to school.

It is getting really dark outside at a very early time nowadays. It starts getting dark already at about 4 PM and it makes me feel really tired. It is really hard to get up in the morning because of that. It is also very cold outside so staying under the cover is very tempting these days. 

Veterans Day

I have been studying a lot the last two days because I had a test in business law today. We have covered a lot of material so I did not want to miss out on anything.

The test was a lot shorter and a lot easier than I thought it should be. I do not want to say it was too easy though because I struggled a little with a couple of true or false questions. The test consisted of five true or false questions, five multiple-choice questions, five short answer questions, and one essay question.

I really do not like true or false questions because they can be very tricky sometimes. I always analyze the questions and I think I do that too much occasionally. I know I got one true or false question wrong because I looked up the answer after the class.

I would want the whole test to be in short answer or essay style. I think I will be all right though but I am a little worried about the true or false questions. I know that I answered the other questions correct though.

I got back my consumer behavior test today. I got 39 out of 40 questions correct so I am happy with that. The teacher had also added five extra credit questions so my final score was 103 out of 105.

One thing that I really do not like about test days is when students start to talk out loud about the test ten minutes before it is supposed to start. It always makes me question myself and wonder if I really know everything there is to know.

The students that do talk about the test before it starts are usually always the ones that end up with a bad result. When they discuss a certain topic and what they say is wrong, I start wondering if I am wrong or if they are wrong, which is very frustrating.

I will take it easy for the rest of the week but I have a couple of test coming up next week. I have one quiz in math, a small test in consumer behavior, and a midterm in microeconomics.

The math quiz will actually be an online quiz so I do not have to go to school that day. It works in the manner that you log in to your student account and after you have clicked on the “take the quiz” link you will have one hour to do it. People have only one chance to do it so after that you have turned in the results, you will not be able to do it again.

It will be the first time for me to do a quiz online so I am looking forward to it.

Today is “Veterans Day,” and there was a big parade along Fifth Avenue. The day is designated to the troops currently fighting around the world and to veterans. I really like the parade but unfortunately I missed most of it because I had classes at that time. I was still able to take a few pictures though.

The Triple Cheeseburger

I had a test in consumer behavior last Thursday and I think it went all right. I am thankful that I read the chapters a couple of times because the different answers for the multiple-choice questions were quite similar.

I believe that the teacher has to be very careful about what answers they put for the different questions. In my test there were some questionable answers that might as well be correct, but because it is not mentioned in the book, it is not.

One example is for example one question that was about online surveys. I do not remember the question nor the answer but I remember that one of the answers was that online surveys is not a hundred percent affective because some people find the new technology hard.

This can actually be true to some extent so I believe that it is not appropriate to put this as an alternative. Most students said that they found the test easy. However, I am sure that many of them will be surprised when they get it back and I think that the average will be lower than expected.

The triple cheeseburger has landed in New York. I had it the first time in Seattle and I loved it. McDonald’s advertise on TV right now that you can get two triple cheeseburgers for three dollars. I tried out the deal yesterday and it was absolutely delicious. The offer itself is truly unbeatable.

I got back my results from my math test that I had last week. I ended up with 20 our of 20 so I am very happy with that. My old thoughts that I was bad in math are finally starting to disappear.

My fiancée and I have finished moving everything now. It has taken a long time so it feels good that we are finally done with it. We had to go to IKEA today to buy some organizers and boxes because we want everything to be organized.

We still have to unpack a few bags with all kinds of things in but I think we will do that tomorrow. One thing that is really good about this room is that we can have the TV further away. The pictures looks better thanks to that and our eyes do not hurt anymore because of the TV being to close. 

New President

The election is officially over and that is a great relief. I have never experienced an election this long and it has been truly historical.

Many people celebrated yesterday since Obama is a great favorite in New York. Most people gathered at Times Square and I know that many foreign countries broadcasted from there.

I thought it would be tight between McCain and Obama but I was obviously wrong. Obama won with a landslide and the democrats now have power in not only the white house, but in the senate and the house too.

My cat is really adorable. She is still very comfortable with my fiancée and I and there have not been any problems with her.

I had a test in math today but I was not very nervous about it. I studied for it a little yesterday and I felt that I knew everything we had to know. The test consisted of twenty questions. 18 of them were about graphing and two of them were based on the previous test we had.

The teacher put two questions from the previous test because he does not want us to forget what we did before. The final will be cumulative so it is important to remember it.

My fiancée and I are still in the process of moving our things out from our old room into the new one. It is amazing how much stuff we could fit in there actually.

It felt a little weird to go to bed yesterday. The room is so much bigger and everything is different. What is really good about the room is that it has double windows. We are on the second floor and there is a road with pretty much traffic outside. With the windows closed we barely hear anything and it is quieter then in our old room.

I have a test in consumer behavior tomorrow. I have not studied that much for it so I really have to start doing that now. We have had a couple of reviews in class so I know what to expect and I have also read and made highlights in the book.

I do not think that I will have a problem with the test. Much of it is somehow a repetition of my old marketing classes. The test will cover segmentation, research, and some psychological measurements. 

Kitten

My fiancée and I have thought about getting a kitten for a long time now. We have looked at different alternatives and found a great adoption center here in New York.

One other issue has been that our room is not big enough. That problem was solved a few days ago because our roommate moved out and we will move to a much bigger room. We talked to our landlord about it a few days ago and he accepted it.

My fiancée found a really cute kitten on the adoption centers website. They had just gotten it and we both kind of fell in love with that kitten right away. I went to have a look on it yesterday and I found it to be really cute.

I dealt with all the paperwork, which was not too complicated. The kitten had to stay over night because it had to be spayed.

When I picked up my fiancée that same evening, we went to a supermarket to buy all the necessities. I actually got a litter box in the afternoon. It is really good and looks like a small house with a transparent hatch. It has an air filter so it will not smell anything.

My fiancée took the day of from her work today so that we could pick up the kitten together. She had not seen it yet so she was really excited. The cat is about two months old and is white and orange. The breed is called Domestic Shorthair.

We got home about two hours ago and the cat is fantastic. It is really comfortable with us and it actually fell asleep on the train home. That is very surprising because it is very noisy down there.

The adoption center told us that it was a little stiff but that is definitely not accurate. The kitten started playing and cuddling with us right away.

One thing that I was a little worried about was if the kitten would start to use the litter box right away or if it would accidently do its personal business on the floor. I am pretty used to cats since I grew up with a few so I know how to train them.

I put the kitten in the litter box and scratched her paws in the sand. She did her business right after that and everything is working out perfectly so far.

I had a quiz in math yesterday and that went great. I just checked my score and I got five out of five correct. I will have a bigger test in math tomorrow with twenty questions so I have practiced for that one tonight. 

Halloween

One thing that I really like about Berkeley College is that they use the latest technology. When I have math for example, the professor uses the projector, which is connected wirelessly to some kind of device that he can draw on. What ever he draws will be shown on the big screen as you can see on the picture.

The drawing device is like I said wireless so he can actually walk around in the classroom while showing examples on the big screen. This is very helpful, not only for the teacher but for us, the students.

I will take finance next quarter, and I will probably take statistics after that quarter. I am looking forward to that a little actually even though it is math because the same teacher I have now in college algebra, I will have in statistics.

The Halloween parade is taking place right now in Manhattan. I decided to stay at home because it is very crowded there and I was there last year. The subway gets crazy around this time because of all the people showing up.

I think that there are about two million people every year that go to watch the parade. It is definitely an experience to be there and I do not think there is anything else like it anywhere in the world.

I had to buy a new metro card today. I do not think I have mentioned this in my blog before but a monthly unlimited-rides metro card is $81. I think that it is pretty cheap actually. $81 will take you anywhere in New York City and you can use the subway as well as buses.

I will have a test in math this Monday. It is only a quiz, consisting of five problems but there will be a bigger test on Wednesday. The quiz is only to prepare us and I think that it is a great idea that really helps students to perform better on the tests.

I also have a test in consumer behavior. I will have to read three chapters for Thursday, which is when that test is taking place.

I am preparing for my trip to Sweden this Christmas. I am really looking forward to go there because I have not seen my dad for almost a year. My mom was here just about a month ago but I miss her too.

I will bring my fiancée to Sweden and I am really looking forward to show her around and tell her about places I used to go to. We will probably travel to Stockholm too to celebrate New Years Eve.

I am from the south part of Sweden so we will have to take the train there. I think it is a five-hour ride, so it is not that bad. I will take a lot of pictures and probably post some of them here. 

Good News

My math class was cancelled yesterday, which was my only class. That could have been good news if I would have found out about the cancellation before actually going to school.

I was supposed to have a quiz in math tomorrow but it has been postponed to Monday, since last class was cancelled. We are right now calculating linear functions and drawing graphs. It is not that hard so I am not suffering too much right now.

It was not all bad that I went in to school yesterday. I still had to go to the gym and I also had to pick up a book at the Manhattan library.

I found out today that my business law midterm has been postponed one class. That is great news because that means that I only have one test next week, which will be in consumer behavior.

Another good news is that my consumer behavior teacher decided to split up the test next week because he considered it being too much. Instead of having six chapters, we will now only have three.

It is still a lot of information though and we will have a test on the next three chapters the week after.

I also got back my test in microeconomics today. The average score was 73 out of 100, which is pretty low. I got 98 though so I am very happy with that. The mistake I made was a question in which I had at first put the right answer and then changed it to another one.

That was a little annoying but since I got a great score I really do not care about it that much.

There will be a Halloween parade this Friday in Manhattan so I will go there with my fiancée. It is always very spectacular and there are all kinds of crazy people there. The costumes that some people come up with are brilliant.

I am thinking about attending a football game. I have talked to a friend of mine and we both really want to go. The stadium is located in New Jersey but there are buses going there. A roundtrip only costs $10 so it is definitely affordable.

We want to go as soon as possible because Super Bowl is coming up and prices are increasing every week. We have been thinking about buying tickets for about $200. Since we will not attend many football games we thought that it might be worth it.

We will get great seats if we spend that much so that would be a really fun experience. 

Ice Skating In Bryant Park

The pond in Bryant Park is now open for ice-skating and I am really looking forward to go there to skate. I will probably go there today with my fiancée and we have our own skates so we will not have to pay anything for it.

I have not studied much this weekend because I do not have any tests coming up next week. I did type down my notes from my business law class though and they now count to about ten pages in size 10, which is a lot.

I had a really good time with my friend yesterday. We had decided to have breakfast together so I took the train to Chelsea to meet him. We went there about six months ago but they were closed that time so I was looking forward to go there again.

My friend told me that they had great fried potatoes and after tying them, I very much agree with him. We actually ordered a lot because both of us were very hungry. We shared a plate of three huge pancakes, had one omelet each, and some mini muffins and bread with strawberry jam.

I think that the United States has the best breakfast in the world. It is probably the unhealthiest too but I really do not care about that because I do not eat that kind of breakfast very often.

After having breakfast, my friend and I went to a bar to have a beer. It was after 12.00 PM so it was not too early for a drink. Chelsea is a really nice neighborhood in Manhattan. There are several excellent bars and restaurants so I really recommend people to go there sometime.

After saying goodbye to my friend, I had to go to a post office to ship a book that someone bought from me online. Most post offices were closed because it was after 1 PM and Saturday. There is, however, one post office that is open 24/7 in Manhattan.

It must be one of the biggest post offices in the world. It is located on 31^st Street at 8^th Avenue. Whether people have something to send or not, they should just go there to check it out because it is a beautiful building.

There were a huge number of police cars while I was there. I am not sure of what was happening but I have never seen that many cops at the same time before. It was not related to the post office because they were circulating around Madison Square Garden. I think that there might have been some sort of threat that they had to respond to. 

Weekend!

I had a test in microeconomics yesterday. I had not studied for it much because I felt that I already knew most if it since the first weeks have been a small review of material covered in macroeconomics.

I do not want to say that the test was easy but I did not have a problem with it. It was a multiple-choice test and many questions were similar to the ones I was asked in my class in macroeconomics.

The test covered supply and demand, the production-possibility frontier, opportunity costs, and some other things. I find it very interesting and I think I will get top score on the test.

I do not have any tests coming up next week but I have two tests the week after that. One test will be a multiple-choice test in consumer behavior and the other one will be a test in business law.

I assume that the test in business law will be pretty challenging because we have covered a lot of material from the book. We have, among other things, talked about contracts and damages and it is very interesting. I am sure that it will be very useful in the future in some way.

We will also talk about real estate. We have talked about it in some extent already because some of it was covered in the chapter about contracts. This knowledge is great to have since I live in an apartment and have a landlord so I know a lot more know about laws that I might be affected by.

I did not sell all my books in school this quarter so I tried to find another way to sell it. I found a website called www.half.com and they let you sell books online. It is a subsidiary to EBay and it is very practical. I have sold two books in a few days so I am very satisfied with that site.

I will go out to have breakfast with a friend tomorrow. My fiancée needs to visit a museum with her class so I thought that it was a good idea to do so. I have heard that the place we will go to have great potatoes so I am looking forward to go there since I love potatoes. I do not know what it is called though because I have never been there before.

I will meet up with my fiancée after that and we will probably go to Union Square to shop a little. We have been thinking about catching a movie tonight but we will see if we are in the mood for that later. 

Study Tips

I remembered that my math teacher gave me some study tips in the first class. It is really helpful for people that might have problems when studying math. The guidelines are not very advanced but they really do help so here they are:

There is no substitution for study – practice, practice, and practice!

Math is an activity, like an exercise program. To be a successful student, you have to work on math. That is, do problems nearly every day. If circumstances force you to skip a few days, you will find that you’re a little out of mathematical shape when you return to it.

As an exercise program, it is possible for anyone to become mathematically fit with some diligence and a good attitude.

Reading a math book is different from reading a novel or even a history book. You can take your math book with you on a bus, but you may not get very much out of it during the ride. To read a math book and understand it you need to have a pencil in your hand and work through the examples along with the author.

At the end of every paragraph, or even every sentence, stop and ask yourself if you really understood what you just read.

When you find a topic difficult, it is easy to become discouraged. Given enough time, most of the topics in this course will come together for you. However, it is not just the time you spend with your head in the book and a pencil in your hand.

It is also the time you spend watching football on television or playing with your dog. Some mathematical concepts need percolating time, a few hours or even a few days to sink in, regardless of how hard or long you work on problems.

The best advice is that if you find yourself becoming frustrated, put down your pencil and think about something else for a while. Let your subconscious work on it and come back later. However, get help when you need it.

Some of the material you knew before will have faded. Sometimes you should look back over the things you have already done, convincing yourself that you still know how to do the earlier assignments. Do this before you go on to the new material.

This is what my professor told me and other students and I really believe that it will help some people to improve their study techniques.