Q&A ~ With Booknut

[Booknut, Head Moderator]

Jay wrote: "Have you seen the latest episode of The Originals?"

Yep. It was good, and I can't wait for the next one :)

[Jay]

Booknut wrote: "Jay wrote: "Have you seen the latest episode of The Originals?"

Yep. It was good, and I can't wait for the next one :)"

Yeah

I'm excited to see the next one

[L]

Q). I am curious as to what type of e-reader do you own? {How many books does it hold on it?}

[Booknut, Head Moderator]

Lucinda wrote: "Q). I am curious as to what type of e-reader do you own? {How many books does it hold on it?}"

I have a Mac laptop, and on it is a program called Adobe Digital Editions. This allows me to read either epub/pdf documents. As of today, it holds 1794 ebooks.

[Jay]

Booknut wrote: "Lucinda wrote: "Q). I am curious as to what type of e-reader do you own? {How many books does it hold on it?}"

I have a Mac laptop, and on it is a program called Adobe Digital Editions. This allow..."

Awesome

[Jay]

What did you think about Alec Lightwood and Magnus Bane in City of Lost Souls?

[Booknut, Head Moderator]

I love them both, but I think Alex is a total idiot sometimes! I hope that both of them find happiness - preferably together - as the series reaches its conclusion.

[L]

{1794 Gosh! :) }

[Jay]

What did you think of Damon and Elena being together?

[Zohal, Co-Moderator]

What is your favourite genre to write? How often do you write?

[Booknut, Head Moderator]

Jay wrote: "What did you think of Damon and Elena being together?"

I love them together! They're such a cute couple.

[Booknut, Head Moderator]

Isabelle wrote: "What is your favourite genre to write? How often do you write?"

My fave genres are fantasy & dystopian. I try to write a few pages a day on my various stories, so that I don't leave any of them for too long :)

[Eugenia (Genie In A Book)]

How did you find the HSC and what ATAR did you get?

[Booknut, Head Moderator]

The HSC was good, all around. I got an ATAR of 92.6 - which is great, because it gives me the option of either doing a Bachelor of Arts Majoring in Psychology, or a Bachelor of Ancient History. Which one I'll be doing, I haven't decided as of yet.

[Eugenia (Genie In A Book)]

Wow that's amazing! It's great that you can keep options open and follow what you really want to do :)

[Jay]

Have you seen The Vampire Academy movie?

[Booknut, Head Moderator]

No - it comes out in March here in Australia.

[Jay]

Booknut wrote: "No - it comes out in March here in Australia."

Sorry hope you enjoy it next month

[Booknut, Head Moderator]

That's okay - I can't wait to finally see it when it does come out :)

[Jay]

Booknut wrote: "That's okay - I can't wait to finally see it when it does come out :)"

Cool

[Jay]

How do you choose books to read?

[Booknut, Head Moderator]

I pick the genres I love the most and I choose books from them - via GR listopia and GR recommendations.

[Jay]

Cool

Are you excited about season 6 of The Vampire Diaries?

[Booknut, Head Moderator]

Definitely!

[Jay]

Booknut wrote: "Definitely!"

Awesome

[Zohal, Co-Moderator]

How is Uni going?

[Booknut, Head Moderator]

Isabelle wrote: "How is Uni going?"

So far so good! I actually have Uni Enrolment Day (which is basically the day you pick your classes, and get your Student ID, etc.) tomorrow, as well as Orientation Day coming up. Macquarie Uni starts the term on the 3rd of March. I'm super excited to start my Bachelor of Ancient History classes!!

[Aurora, Co-Moderator]

Congratulations Booknut! Maybe you'll see my sister around campus some time!

[Booknut, Head Moderator]

Aurora wrote: "Congratulations Booknut! Maybe you'll see my sister around campus some time!"

Thanks Aurora - and maybe!! <3

[Zohal, Co-Moderator]

Hey, Booknut! :)

I was wondering if you could give some pointers on presenting a speech. I figured you might be able to help since you've probably done your fair share of speeches in High School.

One question that I have is how do you use your palm cards? Do you put dot-points of what you will say on them or do you put the whole speech on there? What's the most effective way to prepare for a speech?

Thanks in Advance! :) :D

[Booknut, Head Moderator]

Isabelle,

The best advice I can give is to firstly assess yourself. Try to find the answers to the following questions:
- How confident are you at speaking?
- How good is your memory?
- How good are your improvising skills?

Once you know the answers to those questions, you can better tailor your presentation to suit you, so that you give the best presentation you can.

Here are some presentation options to consider, depending on your answers to the aforementioned questions:

Option #1: If you're like me, and aren't 100% confident of your ability to remember points word-for-word, and are afraid of stumbling over your words (or just forgetting everything):
- Use palm cards
- Include your speech word-for-word
- Practice your speech again and again using the palm cards, until you're confident enough to not be looking at them 100% of the time
- You should get to a point where you don't need to read straight from the cards...but if you do lose your train of thought, you can glimpse at them and find what you needed to say.

Option #2: You're mildly confident in your knowledge of what you're talking about:
- Use palm cards
- Include main points and key words
- Next to the main point include the number of points under it/use key words
(e.g. 'Point #1: The Universe (main point)
- Sun
- Moon
- Stars
- Planets (key words for that point))
- You should then be able to improvise from those words alone.
(e.g. When you get to 'The Universe' and read 'Sun' you should be able to recall information about the sun without it being in front of you. The cards are just there to remind you what comes next.)

Now onto how to prepare for a speech. Obviously some of that involves figuring out which option (mentioned above) you will use, etc. But there are some other steps as well you can take:

- Multi-media. Sometimes recording yourself going through the speech is a good way of retaining the information. I often recorded me reading out the info, and then put the audio file on my IPod. I'd listen to it, reading the cards as I did so, or simply listened to it whilst doing stuff during the day, exercising, etc.

You can use QuickTime Player to record audio files on your Mac if you have one, and drag it to ITunes from there.

- Time. Be sure to time your speech again and again, until you know how long it should take you, and how quick/slow to speak. Sometimes teachers will even allow you to bring a stopwatch/timer into the actual presentation.

- Re-read it!

- Practice with others. Present the speech in front of an audience before your actual presentation. This will get you used to talking in front of others, as well as give you feedback. I often read mine aloud to my parents, who would then tell me if I needed to slow down/speed up/clarify a point/add more information. You can use this feedback to tweak your speech.

This was all I could come up with for now. I hope these help you, and I wish you the best of luck with future presentations and high school! :)

[Jay]

Awesome Congrats Booknut

[Jay]

Are you excited about Once Upon a Time coming back next week?

[Booknut, Head Moderator]

Excited and upset - excited, 'cause I can't wait to find out what happens next! And upset, because I start uni next week, and I don't know if I'll have time to tune in and watch it :(

[Jay]

What did you think of Elena when she turned off her humanity?

[Booknut, Head Moderator]

I felt terrible for her, but I understand why she did - she'd been through so much.

[Jay]

Did you like the Elena without her humanity?

[Booknut, Head Moderator]

No, not at all.

[Jay]

Have you caught up on The Vampire Diaries?

[Booknut, Head Moderator]

Somewhat. I'm not totally up-to-date but I've been trying to catch up a bit. I've just gotten caught up with OUAT in Wonderland & PLL.

[Jay]

What do you think of Peter on Teen Wolf?

[Jay]

Have you caught up on Teen Wolf?

[Booknut, Head Moderator]

Jay wrote: "What do you think of Peter on Teen Wolf?"

*grimaces* Ugh, I can't stand Peter! He's not one of my favourite characters at all, to be perfectly honest.

Jay wrote: "Have you caught up on Teen Wolf?"

I'm up to Season 3 'Chaos Rising' episode.

[Jay]

What do you think of Allison Argent on Teen Wolf?

[Booknut, Head Moderator]

I love her character <3

[L]

Have you seen the new series MARVEL Agents of Shield? If so, what do you think of it?

[Booknut, Head Moderator]

Lucinda wrote: "Have you seen the new series MARVEL Agents of Shield? If so, what do you think of it?"

I watched the first two episodes and I really enjoyed the storyline and concepts - it looks like it'll turn out to be a very interesting TV series :)

[Aurora, Co-Moderator]

Do you have any tips on keeping motivated during the school year?

[Booknut, Head Moderator]

Aurora wrote: "Do you have any tips on keeping motivated during the school year?"

Sure! Here are a few broad tips that you can tailor to you/the subjects you're taking:

1.) Sleep:

It may sound like the simplest of tips, but it's the best one I can give you. Plan out your evenings so you're stopping your work 30 minutes before you're going to bed.

If you stop working 30 minutes before, you're giving your brain time to stop thinking and start relaxing. This way your brain isn't still working furiously as you settle down to sleep.

And better sleep = a more aware and energised you = motivated and ready to learn!

2.) Mixed media:

No one likes staring at a book for hours on end. Try mixing up the types of media you're looking at.

For e.g. if you're studying, try using palm cards, audio recordings, note taking and even watching podcasts/videos. This way you're more likely to keep paying attention, and you'll retain the information for longer without getting bored.

3.) Make 'you' time:

This is vital. You cannot make it through the school year with 100% of your sanity intact without making time for you and you only at least once a day.

It could be anything...
- Reading a book that isn't school-related
- Watching an episode of your fave TV show
- Going on Goodreads for an hour
- Watching a movie
- Hanging out with friends (etc, etc.)

4.) (linked to 3) Manage your time wisely:

You'll be able to be more motivated if you're aware of what you have on, and be sure to balance it out.

For e.g. making up a timetable for each week, balancing out homework time with 'you' time. (I used to set aside 1 hour of 'me' time before starting my work and then rewarding myself with short intervals of 'me' time after I'd completed a certain number of tasks).

These 4 tips were super helpful to me during my school years, and I hope they work for you <3

[Zohal, Co-Moderator]

Booknut wrote: "Aurora wrote: "Do you have any tips on keeping motivated during the school year?"

Sure! Here are a few broad tips that you can tailor to you/the subjects you're taking:

1.) Sleep:

It may sound ..."

Great tips!