Most people think that being at a tertiary institution is all glitz and glam – a time for non-stop partying, adventures and romance – fall in love with your “college sweetheart” and marry them later.

You watch too many movies my friend. This is not American Pie.

“College is the best time of your life,” I remember one professor telling us this at the beginning of the year.

Boy was he wrong!

The truth is; it’s nothing like that. All you ever get to do is work, work… and work non-stop! It’s a never ending sacrifice of your time, energy and social life.

I’ve been studying the whole day. Yeah! the whole flipping day spent studying and missing out on life. I could think of a million things I could be doing right now, but instead, I’m stuck indoors reading.

Well, I’m technically outside now, I just had to.

Do you know that point when your brain feels drained and numb, and nothing makes sense anymore, and all the words are in Greek? Yeah, I was there.

You’d swear I bunked classes; I couldn’t even remember the lecturer teaching some of these things in class. And it didn’t help that I was freezing in here in the process. Our flat is darn cold.

So, I decided to take an hour’s break – three hours ago. Tee was not impressed at all. She is on my case about how I’ll flunk the exams if I don’t go back to my books.

All this sweating is done for a mere piece of paper, a certificate, a diploma, a degree, which says you were able to withstand a Weapon of Mass Destruction, greatest invention ever formed against young minds.

Is it really worth the time and energy? I don’t know. But mom seems to think it is. She just won’t hear a word about me dropping out. But if I fail this term, I may just drop out.

So now I am now outside, basking in the sun – against Tee’s advice – and trying to study. What can I say, I’m a nature’s person; I don’t do well in confined spaces. So when I walked out to stretch my legs and the sun was out, and there was not a cloud in the sky, I decided to “study” in the yard.

Tee says the winter sun is dangerous, it will make me sick and lazy, two things which are bad for studying. But I beg to differ, I’m enjoying being outside, and, I was already lazy so I won’t blame it on the winter sun.

Like the other day, Saturday, the sun was out but not as warm as today, and I went to the beach to “take a break” from life. I sat there and read a novel, and it was nice. Lonely, but nice.

So now she wants me to go inside to have lunch. I say – let’s picnic outside. Coz my mind won’t cope being trapped inside a cold room.

Moving in with Tee was the best decision ever. Unlike mom, she is not a slave driver; she understands the importance of study breaks now and again.

But what she doesn’t understand is me being on social networks all the time. She says I should stay as far away from Facebook and twitter as possible. But that’s impossible! I just can’t restrain myself from logging in.

If I had logged in less, I would probably be done with this.

ZZ xxx

Dish it: Does Facebook or any other social network distract you from your studying?