The snow is thawing, the pigeons are sitting on the balcony, Leafs fans are saying this is their year. You know what that means: The winter term is nearly over and the exams are upon us. The pressure is mounting just as the temperature is rising. Adding to that, one hour is lost on the day before exams start, thanks to daylight savings. It seems that the pressure will boil over on that day. How to find a release to all the stress? The answer is to throw a celebration the Sunday before the exams, April 6th.
You may be saying, "But that day is not a holiday!" Well, that is right. It is just an ordinary Sunday here in Canada. But many people celebrate and party on days that aren't holidays anyway, so why let that be an obstacle? Besides, there are legitimate reasons to celebrate on this day.
If you are Scottish, or want to be a Scottish, then Tartan Day would be for you (this is NOT a joke, even US President Bush has given backing to Tartan Day). If you have itched to wear that tartan all winter, why not wear it to celebrate the return of the spring season? Throw a parade if you feel like it. There's one in New York, so why not here too. I heard that Mark McDermot is planning to hold a celebration of Tartan Day. Go see him in his office, MC 7056, if you want to help out. (If you want to know more about Tartan Day, check out www.tartanday.com.)
If you don't feel like wearing a tartan, there is another way to celebrate. The day is known as "Drop of Water is a Grain of Gold Day" (I am not making it up) in Turkmenistan (yes, the country where January is named after its president). You can spend the day talking about how silly a holiday it is, or play games to guess what the next holiday in the country would be named, or just have fun. It should help calm your pre-exam jitters.
Of course, it's up to you to decide what to do on that day. No matter what you do, do it in moderation. You don't want to be burnt out on the day before the exams start, be it due to partying, sleeping, or studying.
Jason "the Screamer" Lau