Tossing and not catching

Juggling is a physical act that involves alternately tossing and catching two or more balls. To learn how to juggle, you need discipline, focus, determination, and of course — a lot of practice. It also requires a bit of skill in manipulating your audience’s attention with quick, precise movements. For our class task, we were challenged to learn how to juggle three balls within four weeks.

In general, juggling can be seen as a reflection of our daily lives. You need to know how to juggle different aspects of your life properly in order to achieve a balanced one. This, too, requires discipline — especially when it comes to succeeding in your studies. The time given to us to learn juggling was four weeks, but for some, that wasn’t enough. To truly succeed, more time and experience are needed to master the art itself.

So, how does juggling relate to our studies? It’s all interconnected. By learning how to juggle, the discipline, determination, and effort we put into it can influence the way we approach our studies. The act of tossing and catching the balls can symbolize how we “toss” and “catch” the subjects we learn. It may look easy when others do it, but juggling — just like studying — takes patience and practice. Some people are naturally gifted and can pick it up quickly, while others may struggle to get the rhythm right. Similarly, in studying, some students can absorb information easily, while others might find it challenging to understand even a single topic.

Besides throwing balls in the air, juggling also involves style — the way you move and engage your audience. In a similar way, when studying or working with others, it’s important to make a good impression on your peers and lecturers. Sometimes, your attitude, confidence, and presentation can influence how people perceive you. Impress those around you with your intelligence and charisma — having both brains and presence can definitely help you in the long run.

Nonetheless, no matter what situation you’re in, if you put in enough practice, keep a bit of faith, and hold on to a little luck, I believe you can achieve whatever you set your mind to. All you need is a clear objective and support from those around you.

Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda

So there’s this song by Bruno Mars — It Will Rain. It tells the story of a guy who feels like he can’t live without the girl he loves — the love of his life, or so he says. If you really listen to the lyrics, you can feel how desperately Bruno Mars needs her, how deeply he adores her. Which is kind of lame… I know. 

Anyway, apart from the drama, the song actually uses a lot of modals. Now, don’t get confused — this isn’t the kind of models who get paid to wear clothes, and it’s definitely not the kind of morals where you talk about values or ethics.

The modals I’m talking about are words like should, could, and would — and other words related to them. In Bruno Mars’ song, there are plenty of modals that strongly express his feelings for the love of his life.

Our lovely lecturer gave us a fun task: to replace the modals in the song with different ones and see how it changes the lyrics. And surprisingly, when you swap them out, the entire mood, setting, and storyline of the song completely change. It’s amazing how powerful just a few words can be!

The cool thing is, you can try this with other songs too — for example, We Will Rock You by Queen, How Could I Live Without You by Celine Dion, and many more.

So remember: just because a singer gets all dramatic with their song doesn’t mean you have to get caught up in it too. Change the modals, change the mood — and who knows, you might just feel better after!