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Meld
Meld

Relax and take a chill pill

Aun Ngo

Fri Apr 24 2009

Relax

YOU can sniff out the unmistakable tension that hangs in the air at the university library as the exam period descends upon last minute crammers.

But what do students do when they have decided that enough is enough and the textbooks are slammed firmly shut with a resounding thud?

Korean student Sung Hee, heads straight to bed.

“When I’m stressed, I sleep for a day up to a whole week!” the 29-year-old said.

But 20-year-old Andrew Mangala takes a different stance. He meditates.

“I sit with my legs together, concentrate on my breathing, and just blank out. Works like a miracle!” the Victoria University student said.

Housemates Aeni and Efy have a slightly different variation.

“Our chill-out activity is pulling out sleeping bags and laying them on our balcony so we can sunbathe, with our drinks and all. Once, we sunbathed from noon till dusk.

“Or we just sing, shout, make stupid jokes and faces, dance around the house, bully each other and even our boyfriends!” the RMIT University students from Malaysia said.

Sung Jong, 19, plays computer games like Starcraft.

“Though I may get carried away a bit and lose track of time,” he conceded, with a grin.

Melbourne University student Giulia Tan takes out her stress and frustration on a punching bag.

“Kickboxing helps me a lot – everything goes out on the punching bag. It’s way better than taking it out on the wall, or even someone else!” the 18-year-old said.

But prevention is better than cure for other students like Elle and Averyl.

The pair maintain their cool by keeping their study environment tidy and writing lists to stay focused and organised.

Meanwhile, 26-year-old Kyu Nam has a sound piece of advice that most would probably baulk at: put in a few extra hours of study by starting your exam preparations early.

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