In life, often, we have to stop and admit to ourselves silently that some things are too difficult for us to accomplish via the direct method, such as getting a decent GP grade, surviving a 20-storey drop and turning into the Human Torch by jumping into the fire, among other things, though you technically would be able to accomplish the latter one for maybe a few minutes before you drop to the ground with ashes pouring out of your mouth.

This is where strategy comes in. Since the direct, hardworking approach doesn't work, and we're past an age where screaming, crying and basically bringing the house down doesn't work either and instead makes us look stupid(good for you if it works), we'll be needing to make things somewhat easier.

Of course, the way strategy works is that you either : a) break down the process, b)do the minimum to succeed. However, empirical evidence has shown that a mixture of both policies are needed. Yes, I have been doing too much econs.

For the purpose of an example, let's take an unsurmountable task.

Bring on Ms. Sharapova!(Scroll up, I suck at html kthx)

Before we get into the nitty gritty, let me first introduce you to Maria Sharapova, postergirl of Women's Tennis(which isn't saying much), who can obviously be considered a fairly good specimen of the female gender in my opinion. In my mind, I shall now formulate a strategy of marrying Miss Sharapova before she loses her flexibility.

1) Sit around a lot.
2) Hopefully study.
3) Write the occassional blog post.
4) Watch TV.
5) Play games.

This, my friends, is what we call bad strategy, seeing as how it hasn't worked so far. I suppose if I do any of the above to get myself a ticket to Wimbledon at the right time and the right place, it might just suffice, but even then Tarzan has a better chance of winning a ticket to the Chocolate factory.

This is also an example of how what I'm currently doing doesn't contribute to the current goal directly(again, not good strategy.) In my mind, the foundations of a good strategy would be the following :

1) Have a clear goal of what you're working towards. In this case, I wish to achieve wedlock with a cute tennis girl, Maria herself in particular.

2) Determine the set of obstacles which stand in the way of your ultimate goal. Her : all the way over there(wherever she is), caught up with training, bad with English, and reportedly dating Andy Roddick, an American men who wears lacoste to play tennis. Me : JC student, not a whole lot in common with her, very little opportunity to meet her, may not be "her type" at all. Depending on the goal in question, this can be pretty depressing ; However, if a movie with as bad a title as "Snakes in a Plane" can make it to the box office, anything can happen, so don't give up!

3) Formulate a set of actions that will help you achieve your goal. In my case I need to a)Raise my international cred so that I may be noticed, which may in turn require a whole new set of strategies and hence go on forever, b) Plot a situation where I would get to meet her. Given that people are around her most of the time and we probably won't be shipwrecked together anytime in the near future unless her boat smashes wildly into Pulau Tekong, this isn't likely either. c) Work out, A lot. Nope.

4) Actually go about it. This is where many plans fall flat on their face, eg class video filming. People have an idea and lay it out really nicely, only to scrap it because it's too much work. If it were easy, everyone would be doing it. Though, to be fair, if it was Britney Spears instead of Maria Sharapova more and more people are achieving the goal.

Realistically, however, I'm not going to marry Maria Sharapova, I don't want it bad enough to go about doing all this, and there may (or may not) be (arguably) better substitutes in somewhat closer proximity, even if they are shoved in between piles of trailer trash. I do, however, have a much more relevant goal many of you have in mind.

I want 3As and an A1 for GP for my A levels.

However, this isn't very realistic either, so let's change it up a little.

I want as many As as possible for my A levels.

Still not very credible.

I want to not fail anything for A levels.

Ah, something plausible at last! Though I probably could slip up somewhere and land on my ass feeling really dumb.

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D'oh, 6 days without a post. The perils of pokemon and gaming. (note lack of studying)

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Imagine if Mcdonald's ruled the world. People would be sentenced to the Electric McChair for McMurder, the radios would be playing FanTastic raps over and over till people keeled over holding their heads in agony, and I'd be McFailing my A Mclevels.

Wow.

Is this a long post? I only gauge it based on the length of the blue bar to the right.