It seems like yesterday when the school bell rang, “Free at last! Free at last!”, but believe it or not school starts in exactly three weeks. Well, for me it does. For someone else it might be two and to another, four. Whatever the number of weeks till school, the countdown has definitely begun. From back-to-school shopping to back-to-school bed time changes, it’s all coming back. Fast.

Everybody wants to be better than last year, right? I hope so, atleast. So, in honor of being bigger and better than ever before, I’ve compiled a list of things that can make you the student that gets the grades worthy enough of making it on the refrigerator.

1. Take notes and lots of it.

When your teacher repeats something like a broken record, it probably means it’s worth listening to. Always have a notebook and pencil handy. Yes, pencil, not pen. (Unless required.) You can erase off a pencil mark, not a pen mark. Also, as you start getting older, learn to use the art of shorthand, because lessons can go by pretty quickly and you won’t have time to jot down every last word.

2. If at once you fail, try, try, again.

If you’ve been getting A’s and B’s all your life, you’re probably not going to start getting 100’s on all your report cards right off the bat, because there’s probably someone who has been getting those grades all his-slash-her life and will continue to get those grades. Don’t stop, though, because I promise you, if you give effort, you will see results.

3. Learn to say no.

This sort of goes with hanging out with the right crowd. If you’ve got friends that party it up till 2 AM on Wednesday night, I’m going to take a plunge and say it’s probably not because you’re learning about deoxyribonucleic acid. You are allowed to have fun, but don’t abuse the priviledge! So, a few times a week, learn to say “no” to your friends and finish your homework and your chores. In the long run, it will matter.

4. Dress to impress.

You have to learn to look good and approriate at the same time. Just because you’re dressing for school, though, don’t wear big baggy sweatshirts and throw-on jeans, either. Clean up your looks so it’s healthy and savvy at the same time. (Something great to wear is polo shirts!)

5. Start early and finish right.

Just because it’s summer does not mean that you can’t study. You can. Nobody wants to learn during break, but it’s THREE MONTHS long. Trust me, you’ll have forgotten way more than you’ll have learned. The last month or so, sit down a few times a week and refresh your memory. If you’re really feeling up to it, grab some books on classes you’re taking in the fall and brush up so you’ll be ready to impress. Also, finish right! Yes, you have to do your homework everyday. Yes, you have to learn everyday. It’s a part of life. Just remember, the harder you try today, the easier your life will be when you grow up.

Nepali Word of the Week

Namaste [nʌmʌsˈte]: hello.

Example: Namaste, my name is Bhabika.

Book of the Week

Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult

Shay Bourne – New Hampshire’s first death row prisoner in 69 years – has only one last request: to donate his heart post-execution to the sister of his victim, who is looking for a transplant. Bourne says it’s the only way he can redeem himself…but with lethal injection as his form of execution, this is medically impossible. Enter Father Michael Wright, a young local priest. Called in as Shay’s spiritual advisor, he knows redemption has nothing to do with organ donation – and plans to convince Bourne. But then Bourne begins to perform miracles at the prison that are witnessed by officers, fellow inmates, and even Father Michael – and the media begins to call him a messiah. Could an unkempt, bipolar, convicted murderer be a savior? It seems highly unlikely, to the priest. Until he realizes that the things Shay says may not come from the Bible…but are, verbatim, from a gospel that the early Christian church rejected two thousand years ago…and that is still considered heresy.

Change Of Heart looks at the nature of organized religion and belief, and takes the reader behind the closely drawn curtains of America’s death penalty. Featuring the return of Ian Fletcher from Keeping Faith, it also asks whether religion and politics truly are separate in this country, or inextricably tangled. Does religion make us more tolerant, or less? Do we believe what we do because it’s right? Or because it’s too frightening to admit that we may not have the answers?

Song of the Week

Carrie Underwood – Undo It

Picture of the Week

From restartmyheart.tumblr.com!