What Your Handwriting Says About You.

Handwriting analysis

We are very familiar with the study of temperament and all that in personality analysis, however another way of discovering more about your self is through your handwriting.

Writing is an activity you carryout everyday be it in business, school or even when you append your signature.

One reason for this is that your handwriting is like your character - it sticks with you. It is also one of the most difficult thing to change once you have fully developed it.

Graphologist (those who study handwriting and its various application) claim that up to 5000 personality types can be unraveled with a simple handwriting analysis.

When undertaking a writing analysis, it is important to note that there is no real standard handwriting anywhere, the analysis is just a measure of how you write. To successfully take a test, try to

look at your writing holistically and with an unbiased mind

Consider what others have said about it.

The major areas considered in handwriting analysis are

The size of letters

The spacing between each word

The way you cross your T's , F's and such

How and where you place your dots on I, j and the likes

If your handwriting slopes or not

The way you write letters a, g.

How you connect your letters

The pressure you exert on paper when writing.

How your signature looks like.

Handwriting analysis has proved very useful in crime investigation and health, it is believed that certain ailment such as diabetes can be detected with handwriting analysis. Another application of handwriting analysis is in the determination of the personality of applicants by recruiters.

Learn more and take a Handwriting Test HERE.

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A Hundred Days of Kidnap: Chronicles of #BRINGBACKOURGIRLS

BringBackOurGirls hash tag, heralding the release kidnapped girls

Our daughters were taken captive a hundred days ago. Their exam gist and girly talks was silenced by evil menacing men who bundled and loaded them unto trucks late at night, their destination - Zambisa Forest (but are they really there?).

Their captors are terrorist, Islamic extremist who preach that western education (and probably any of its inputs) is evil and against the will of God. Their once gloriously expected destinies now lies in the hands of Boko Haram, the Nigerian government and pressure groups from the local and international scene.

Their cries has not gone unnoticed, although government took days in accepting the kidnapping of over 250  girls from the Chibok Government Secondary School in Chibok, Borno State, the local scene swung into action, a “bring back our girls” campaign was launched (#BringBackOurGirls). The hash tag campaign has since gained attention, Prime ministers have carried it, first ladies, activist, super stars and celebrities, school girls and boys just to name a few. Social media has transformed how we Nigerians now speak. Today marks a hundred days of their kidnap.

A hundred days after, we can only boast of girls escaping off by themselves, no concrete action has been taken. Our military has not shown positive drive to bring back our girls, Chibok community itself has been invaded over and over since the kidnap by terrorist, the people say no one values their life.

Who should we be talking about? who is suffering the most from all these? Is it the girls, their parents, our government, us as a people, or even the terrorist? I ask myself, are we going to ever see these girls again? They may have been married off, raped, forcefully converted to Muslims or even killed, none of these options looks any more palatable, we (the parents, friends, Nigerians and international community and the writer too) only want to see our daughters again.

The psychological effect is disheartening; some of the escaped girls say they don’t ever want to go back to school. More villages has been destroyed, people in the North east, (sorry in Nigeria) now live in ‘the fear of Boko Haram’. Nowhere is safe any longer, I wonder if the grass is truly greener over the fence.

The harsh reality still looms, but we want to hope, yes hope against all hope. Our government is not giving hope, Boko Haram now dictates to us what we must do if we are ever to see our girls (sisters, friends, future brides, mothers and whatever destiny ever had in wait for them) again.

Malala’s recently visit helped shake things up, does this mean our own plea means nothing? Well, it’s no longer about who pleads; we just want our girls alive and back. Please bring back our girls, let us rejoice again, let smiles fill our faces –for the parents and families especially. Let us believe, let us have hope again in our government, in our collective voice, in our democracy and our God (whichever God you believe).

Federal government, International community, Nigerians and the families, let us pray, let us hope, let us do what we can humanly do and let us keep watch because if there is a God, and there truly is one – he sleeps not over this matter. Our girls shall return one day, yes they shall come to us albeit with testimonies and stories of how they were saved.

Let us continue to mount pressure on Government (in a civilized manner) and then continue to keep hope alive - #BringBackOurGirls.

Boosting Your Memory: Five Food that Can Help

Hello readers, its #MemoryFriday again, here are five foods or fruits that you should eat to boost your memory.

Memory boosting foods

Image Source:

Daniela Do Prado Fre

Interview with Adejoke Adewuyi, a First Class French Graduate of University of Lagos (UNILAG)

Joke Adewuyi, a French graduate

Hello dear readers, today's post is a bit different, I am conducting an interview with a French scholar from one of Nigeria's top university. She studied French language, a course that many admission seekers in Nigeria won't love to settle for. Read her story.

Hello Joke, how are you doing, thank you for honouring our request for this interview.
 I am glad and equally grateful for the opportunity to share my story.

Can we meet you
I am Adejoke Motunrayo Adewuyi, a French graduate from the prestigious University of Lagos

 how was it like studying French seeing that Nigeria is not a francophone country?

(hmm) it was very challenging, infact in the beginning I had great fears, a lot of questions ran through my mind, but I thank God that today it is a different story

What kind of fears, can you share with us?

fears of coping with the various courses since they are art related and I was a science student, you know courses like History, Literature and the likes.

That leads me to my next question, why French?

(hmm) it was a redirection and it is divine. I actually wanted to study medicine, but all efforts to gain admission proved abortive. It was not that I did not pass the exams, I did pass them well but I was never given the admission. I then settled down to pray and that was how the redirection came.

You must be a very spiritual woman. Did UNILAG meet or exceed your expectations?

yes in a way, Unilag did meet my expectations.

How were you able to make such a shift in area of study since you were science, especially in such short time?

I would thank God first in this because he really helped me. Secondly I was very determined and I worked hard. I made up my mind to be the one of the best and God helped me.

Thank God for his faithfulness, what activities were you involved in while in school?

I was a member of the French club

Any other

I used to act stage drama, sing and recite poems in French. I was involved in spiritual activities as well and yeah, I worked too

Wow, tell us one play you acted – a summary

Ok, ‘Trois pretendants, un mari’ by Guillaume Oyono Mbia. It is a drama. ‘Three suitors, one husband’. Funny enough, I acted a male role –the village chief. We didn’t have enough males.

What kind of work was it and how did you balance everything?

I worked as a partime French teacher in two schools, as a home lesson teacher and also as work/study participant on campus

That’s terrific and very industrious, you must be very hardworking

A lot of people tell me so, I don’t just believe in idleness

And beautiful as well, you could pass for a pageant queen

(smiles), thank you

What is the career prospect for French graduate like you in Nigeria?

There are a lot of them, teaching, banking, tourism, administrative capacities in international organisations etc. But there is a problem, apart from teaching or lecturing, one might need to get additional qualification to boost his/her certificate.

What are the challenges of studying French or a foreign language in a Nigerian University

The first challenge is the environment. Nigeria is Anglophone; therefore the platform to practice what you are being taught in the class is not really there. Second, it’s the issue of audio visual equipment. Since the environment does not offer a favourable platform, good audio visuals ought to be put in place to enhance students’ listening, comprehension and oral abilities.

So what did you graduate with?

By the grace of God, I graduated with a First Class.

 you must be a scholar, what was your motivation

(inhales) firstly, there were people who had graduated with first class in my department, though they were few. So I told myself, if those ones could achieve it, then I can do likewise and even more. Another motivating factor were my parents. They believed so much in me and I was determined not to let them down. There also was a man of God I respect so much, he finished with a first class and I told myself “if he could with all the spiritual activities and other things he was involved with, then I can achieve same feat”.

The man of God graduated from my school, he is Dr D. K Olukoya, the G. O of Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries.

So what are you doing now and what is next for Joke

Well I just returned from my Youth Service. I am currently processing my Masters (M.A) programme. Before then I will be working on some of my unfinished literary works.

Any advice for our readers

My advice for them is that they should acknowledge God first in all you do because with him you can never miss it. Secondly put in your best because anything worth doing at all is worth doing well.

We hear you are also the CEO of a small company, La Lumiere. Tell us about it.

Yes I am, it’s called La Lumiere , it is s language consultancy firm. It handles every issue pertaining to language for both individuals, private and public organisations. We offer both French and English services. Our services include translation, writing, editing, public speaking, teaching of French language, and training of French teachers. La Lumiere is also into supplies of language materials for schools

 
Thank you so much, how can people contact you
For now I can be reached on Facebook Joke Adewuyi  , adewuyijoke9 on Twitter and Adejoke Adewuyi  on Linkedin. I am hoping to break into the blogging scene very soon as well by launching a site for LaLumiere.

Joke, it was so nice to have you here. Thanks for telling us about yourself and your goals. Best of luck! Readers, thanks for joining us as well, and if you would like to encourage Joke in her goals, please send her a message. 

Thanks for stopping by!

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Ten Secrets on How to Enjoy Academic Blogging

Academic blogging is a valuable part of the wider ecology of academics, with the potential for engagement, outreach and reinforcing academic impact.Blogging can be a useful tool for information dissemination and fun, but blogging can take its toll on individuals. Here are ten things bloggers should keep in mind if they want to enjoy what they do.

1) Write about yourself and your life. People are just as interested in researchers (and their activities) as their research also write about what goes wrong as well as right – the human story of failed experiments is interesting but rarely gets told.
2) Find your blogging voice. Don't worry if it takes a year or more. Your blog will evolve as you discover your style, which might be short topical pieces or long-form reflective essays (or a combination of the two). Read other academic blogs and you'll quickly see the range of voices people use.
3) Be clear what your blog is for. Are you writing to share your musings on life, the universe and everything, or a specific theme or topic? Again let the scope evolve; it can be difficult to start blogging with a mission statement, but it is useful to start out by thinking what you would like to achieve with your blog.
4) Blog as yourself. While there are circumstances in which blogging anonymously is necessary, in general it is better to be clear and open about yourself and your academic position. It's also important to make clear whether you are writing on behalf of your university.
5) Think about how controversial you want to be. Calibrate the degree of controversy according to risk (especially for an early career researcher compared to a tenured professor); in general, only be prepared to put something on a blog that you'd be prepared to say to someone's face (or shout out in a crowded room). Courting controversy can be fine if you are a senior academic, but be mindful that your position lends a level of authority to what you write – so make sure you're happy for your words to be quoted.
6) Remember: a blogpost is a publication. If you are writing about ongoing research which is not yet published or patented, then be mindful of the dangers of prematurely revealing details of potential inventions or intellectual property.
7) Let your university know about your blog. Have a chat with your line manager about your intention to start an academic blog. You might not need their permission, but it's best if your blog doesn't come as a surprise to your manager or institution at an inopportune time.
8) Think about how often you want to blog. If your blog acquires a following then your readers will look forward to your next post, so don't put yourself under pressure by creating expectations of, say, a blogpost every few days when you know you can't keep it up in the longer term.
9) Use social media to promote your posts. Twitter is an easy way to tell the world that you've just posted a new piece on your blog, opening up wider interaction and engagement.
10) Blog because you want to. Don't blog because you have to – it should be fun, not a chore! There are already plenty of onerous tasks for an academic; this should not become one of them.

This article was first posted at the The Guardian

Excel in Pages Listed on Nigerian Blogs Awards

Yours dearest has been listed on the Nigerin Blog Awards site. Although the listing doesnt't qualify the site for any award yet, it is a positive step in that direction.

Excel in Pages features educational and instructional articles for the consumptions of Nigerians and the general internet users who want to improve their academic performance, succeed in ther exams or improve in their character.

The listing would be the first for me, but i hope to go on to win in my segment of the bloggers award and then proceed on to the African bloggers award.
the Nigerian Blog Awards was created to celebrate Nigerian bloggers and their contents.

Excelinpages.blogspot.com is listed under the educational and instructional blogs section.
To view this, go to Nigerian Blog Awards, click About then list of Nigerian blogs or go straight to Nigeria Blog Awards

Ten Signs You Need a Private Tutor

Wikipedia defines a tutor as an instructor who gives private lessons. Shadow education is a pejorative name for private supplementary tutoring that is offered outside the mainstream education system.

Private tutoring has come of age, Egyptians were known to hae practiced this form of learning. Today many families still rely on private tutors to equip their children for the future.

In case you are wondering, when do i need a tutor for my kid. Here are a few sign that should make you consider hiring a private tutor .



# When you child is getting over familiar with you 
Remember the old saying, "familiarity brings contempt" well even with you kids the same princple applies. Your should begin to suspect this when your child begisn to take assignments unseriously and sleeps when you are the one teaching.

#When you are too busy
This is onw time when we want to be responsible parent but other demands are on our neck. This is a good opportunity to hire a tutor.

#When mummy is expecting a baby
Pregnancy can be very stressful, so couples can agree to get a helping hamd with the kids homework and stuff when mummy is pregnant and some months after her delivery.

#When you childs school is crowded
a crowded class means that your child would not be able to get the full attention of the teacher. When you notice this and you still don't want to pull your child out of the school, you can setle for a tutor. You can also read about what to consider before enrolling your child in a new school here.

#If you just hate teaching
Actually not all parents are good at teaching, that is where professionally trained or experiencec tutors come in. They would take the stress of forcing yourself to do what you don't enjoy.

#When your child takes special subjects in school
Your child may be taking a special subject such as music classes or a language class that you as a parent is not familiar with. A tutor familiar in that area will surely be a relief.

#When your child is physically challenged
Physically challenged or disabled children need special attention. A great way to solve this problem is to get a tutor who is experienced in handling children with disabilities. A professional tutor or teacher should be able to solve and help such a child.

#When there is a big exam coming up
Yeah! some big exams require extra study and preparation, this is a time to consider a tutor. Example are WAEC, NECO, JAMB and the likes.

#When you have the cash
Money does answer all things, if you have got cash and are hoping to add extra value to your kids learning, a splash on acquring a private tutor is a big plus. Guess what, old Greek warriors, generals and even kings usually had tutors too.

#If it is recommended
Some children are quite slow in picking up things and can thereby slow down the pace of learning of others. A school's administartion may recommend you getting an extra hand for your ward, kindly follow the recommendations.

I do hope you found this piece quite usefu either for you or some other person. Don't forget to share.
I would also like to know if you know any other sign that shows  a need for a private tutor, drop it as a comment.

Reading Novels - a boost to Your Brain

Neuroscientists have discovered that reading fictional novels can improve the functions of the brain function on different levels.
The recent research, the brain benefits of reading fiction was conducted at Emory University. The study titled, “Short- and Long-Term Effects of a Novel on Connectivity in the Brain,” was recently published in the journal Brain Connectivity.
Researchers discovered that becoming engrossed in a novel boosts connectivity in the brain and improves brain function. Interestingly, reading fiction was found to improve the reader’s ability to put themselves in another person’s shoes and expand the imagination in a way that is similar to the visualization of a muscle memory in sports.
Carol Fitzgerald of the Book Report Network said: “People are interested in escape. In a number of pages, the story will open, evolve and close, and a lot of what’s going on in the world today is not like that. You’ve got this encapsulated escape that you can enjoy.”

source: psychologytoday.com

Some Useful Tips on Effective Note Taking

Hello, its me again your friendly academic

excellence OP. Today I want to share simple

nuggets, yes nuggets because you may have

known them but not applied them before.

First, note taking is an act of memory boosting, the

truth is that no matter how good you are you just

can't store everything up on the brain. By the way,

when your brain has reached saturation point, it

goes to shot down mode. Think of it as that time

when everything comes in through one ear and

goes out through the other.

Simple secrets.!

#1 Rest - when it comes to brain efficiency,

nothing works like rest.

#2 Eat - simple but easily neglected, and please

not balance stomach ..

#3 Watch out for noise- noisy areas reduce brain

assimilation rate. A simple trick is to plug

earphones playing cool, I mean cool music.

#4 Watch out for distractions - such as traffic,

friends! yeah friends. Television and those things

that easily captures your attention.

#5 The smaller the better- if you want to improve

memory, remember this golden rule. the smaller

the better. If you have to upload lots of information

up into the brain, break it into sizeable chunks.

I hope you find this useful be you a student,

working class or just layman.

Feel free to share and ask questions.

Your friendly Academic Excellence Coach.

SOME ANIMALS WITH THE BEST MEMORY IN THE WORLD - and What we can Learn from them.

Welcome to #MemoryFriday. Every Friday I have resolved to post an article about the human memory and ways to boost or improve it.

Today, I want to look at the animal world, gather one or two information on the best memory in that realm then apply it to us human beings.
Memory systems in any dimension refers to three methods of managing information or data. These are
1. Data acceptance.
2. Data storage.
3. Data retrieval.
Data processing is not really a very important aspect of memory. Processing is more in tuned if you would need analysis or derivations.

Let me first shock you by telling you that contrary to what you may have thought or known, we humans actually have poor memories compared relatively to animals. Human memory is temporal or transient, only able to accept, store and retrieve small packets of information per time. The massive amount of data and longevity of time data are stored by some animals are stunning and jaw breaking feats that we can only meet using a high tech super charged computer.

I am not going to list them by ranks or position, that is not the aim of this post. I will share the animals into two groups, namely Group A and B. Then I will bring out the lessons we need to consider.

Group A : in this group animals like the bottle nosed dolphin,  Elephants, Chimpanzees and whales fall in. They are highly evolved animals with different techniques for keeping such a memory so as to survive and remain relevant themselves or against other animals. A good look at this animal group shows that they are social animals. Social animals are highly developed and intelligent animals that have good means of communication, adaptation, feeding, reproduction and all other things that make them top grade animals. For example it is well known that some elephants can even recognise the corpse of a fallen comrade, dolphins responds to the calls of friends even after ten or twenty years apart. These are the advantage of living in close nit families.

Group B: this group includes animals like sea turtles, albatross, salmons , herrings, and some migratory birds. A close look at this set shows that tho they are not social yet at one point of their lives millions of these animals all gather together to travel vast distances for issues from reproduction,  territory, food to even security. These animals may not have powerful intelligence but they have evolved simple but efficient tools for charting and locating places they did not even grow in. Some of the noteworthy tools includes changes in ocean current, earths geomagnetic field,  the sun,  water salinity etc. Turtles travel millions of kilometer to lay eggs in islands that they were hatched some fifty years before, guess what! they lay their eggs at the same island and the same time, what a memory.

These animals don't have brains like us, no technology . some only have crude organs yet their memory is way advanced than ours.

Lessons to be learnt.
First the social animals acquire their memory during birth, some by experiences keenly observed and most of all by LISTENING. Research has proven that those who talk less but listen more have better memory. Since they are apt to accept more data, store data and the reproduction of same data later on is easier for them. Lesson ONE in memory boosting is to LISTEN MORE!

A look at our second group is that they use simple but efficient crude tools. We can learn from them by also using tools such as a NOTE. Notes are simple to make but they can be very effective in storing and reproducing info days,  weeks or even years later. Lesson TWO is to use NOTES - I will write on this another time.
The final lesson I want to share is that memory boosting is not something that can be done alone. The social animals live in family units while the migratory animals never travel alone. Memory is best developed among places or people you love, respect and environments you feel welcomed in. The lesson here is that YOU CAN'T DO IT ALL BY YOURSELF. We all need somebody to lean on says the song of Michael Bolton.

I hope you have learnt something and that you found this useful. Feel free to send your questions or to SHARE with friends.

Cheers!

Harsh Lessons from the Chibok Experience

A night to the day of senior school certification exams of some girls schooling close to a dark forest in Northeast Nigeria and disaster struck. Three weeks later, it has become a world outcry - a popular hash tag #bringbackourgirls.
But there are some hard truths that we must learn some harsh lessons and reality from. My dear Nigerians and readers.

1. Terrorism is nearer us than you suspect. Let's stop the thinking that it is in the northern regions alone, the south is fully involved. Terrorism is global, guess what! The world is one small village, terrorism is now local. The jungle justice is terrorism too.

2. Its NOT the way of truth or love. It has no origin in any religion, tradition or polity. Terrorism is some one playing fanatics and dragging some people along.

Now to The Lessons.

1. Examinations are no longer test of your IQ alone, someone in  Chibok had low  SQ- Security Quotient. The principal, state government, villagers, etc. Info gathered tells us that WAEC requested the girls be moved to another area for security reasons, someone wanted to play smart. Exams go beyond book work- its a test of your know - ledge. Ask yourself "what do I know".

2. Education is not a luxury ,its part of our lives. The parents and villagers in Chibok valued this so much, let's keep this fire of education burning. I keep wandering, all the bombs, tanks etc what build it,Education of course.

3. Schools are not just building, its an institution of knowledge. This is what the enemies are fighting against. The don't want the mind to be inspired, reorientated and renewed. Its beyond the certificate , its the exposure. After my university graduation I began to see this more.

4. Children are children, boy or girl. There should be no gender bias as to our provision of life needs in this twenty first century.

5.  Our schools should be more secured. I remember vividly Fulani cow grazers roaming the campus at night when I went for night classes. Now Fulani herdsmen are another security challenge, we should be smart and alert. Boko haram aren't the only evil around us.

7. Rumours should be verified. Let us stop treating rumours as rumours especially when it concerns our security. Rumours should be reported and verified.

8. Our security agencies should step up if they want us to cooperate with them. Seriously I don't even know the security short code in my country.

These lessons are harsh, but they must be learnt. Our condolence and feelings go to the girls, their parents, friends and loved ones.

We would keep the banners up #bringbackourgirls.
Do SHARE to the next person.

Ten More Things You Should Consider This Back to School Season

It’s back to school season again and its that time when schools are throwing their doors open for new intakes, despite the Ebola outbreak. This post is to give you a head start so you are fully prepared to tackle the challenges of picking out the best school for your child.

Ten things to consider when enrolling your child in a new school

I hope to share with you some valuable “school hunting “guides when next you go for ‘school shopping’ for your kids. You don’t have to be a parent to read this; the information should be at your fingertips.

The first question you might want to ask will be, why change my kids school? It could be due to any of these: 

• Change in environment due to work or travel
• Poor performance in previous school
• Another could be a change in status, may be you won a lottery or hit the jackpot, a job raise or anything that normally change status.
•  maybe you just felt a need to change

 TEN MUST HAVE FOR YOUR KIDS NEXT SCHOOL 
                                                                    
1. PROXIMITY TO HOME: while your teenage kids may frown at this, this aspect is very vital if you still have younger ones aged 5 – 12. If you have a combination then a suitable fair enough distance is okay. If you can always drop them off and pick them after school, its fine if not make sure the school either has transport facility or near the home for ease to the kids.                                                                                                                                                                                                      
2. RECREATIONAL FACILITY: these are those facilities every good school must have. The school should be spacious to accommodate the pupils or students and it should contain a sport center, soccer, table tennis, basketball or any sporting facility. A school without recreational facility is going to be one boring school for your ward.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

3. SERENITY OF ENVIRONMENT:  a noisy school means lots of distraction. If you want the genius in your child to flourish, you must mind the environment the school is located in. Be on the lookout for trees, gardens, small plants, grasses and all those stuff that makes you feel close to academic paradise. Schools void of this reminds me of ghost haunted schools, and you don’t want your kid telling you ghost stories of his or her classes.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

4. BALANCED CHILD – TEACHER RATIO: this is the ratio of the number of pupils or students in a particular class to the number of teacher, or it can mean the number of student that takes a particular subject to the number of teachers available to handle that subject. A balanced ratio always has the advantage of the students at heart.

EXAM ROOM TIPS FOR YOU

Hello dear readers, it’s me again EXCELINPAGES, your regular exam success tips provider. The last time I posted, I discussed on how you can correctly predict where your lecturer will set his exams from (read that here). My post today is on WHAT TO DO IN THE EXAM HALL.

I hope you understand that the earlier post talks about what you can do before the exam, now I will talk on what you should do during the exam in the exam hall.

Here are some ground works to do before, leave your home on time, make sure you are close to the exam hall, and look out for your name to know where your hall will be.

First Begin by Prayers thanking God for strength to be in the exam hall.

UNDERSTAND INSTRUCTIONS

When you get your question paper, GO THROUGH THE QUESTION INSTRUCTIONS even before you put down your name on the answer sheet. Remember that some exams are actually test of your understanding of instructions. So I suggest that you read the instructions and get a good understanding. If you are confused, ask the examiner close by.

FILL OUT YOUR DETAILS

After the instructions, go over to your answer sheet AND FILL OUT YOUR DETAILS such as name, exam number, matric number, etc.