Wish me luck

I always write down my worries or things that pressure me on a piece of paper, then throw it away. Afterwards, I feel like a weight on my shoulders has just disappeared.

I buy a whole new set of stationery before exams. I believe that if I use my old one, I'll make the same mistakes again. But I don't buy new erasers, as they might help me to correct new mistakes.

It's a bit silly, but I always have to wear my glasses rather than my contacts when I'm sitting an exam. I don't know if it's because it makes me feel smarter or just more confident. Either way, I tend to do relatively better (I think).

Eating chocolate before exams! My mum firmly believes that the cocoa component helps with thinking, and I believe it, too. Now every time before tests, I munch on some dark, milk or peanut (you name it) chocolate. I'm not sure if the theory can be proved scientifically, but it gives me an excuse to eat chocolate once in a while.

There's a saying I truly believe in: "If you laugh now, you will cry later." Therefore, I tend not to laugh too much. Also, if I have an important event the next day, I'll watch sad movies to force myself to cry.

When it comes to exams, I am very superstitious. I never eat anything that's dark-coloured before an exam, nor do I eat eggs because they're the same shape as a zero. I always hold my books and notes, and never place them on the floor. Also, I have a certain way of putting my stationery around my desk during an exam. I wear a particular clover necklace and I even have a special hair tie for the occasion.

Superstitions are rife in my life. I won't use a device until it's been in one accident that has left its mark. My phone and iPad bear battle scars from brawls with the pavement, and the glass is cracked on both. My laptop case is scratched and dented, and the metal itself is all dinged up, but it's still perfectly functional.

Another superstition: I won't walk under plants indoors. Potted palm fronds scare me; they feel like fingers. The story of Baldr's death, by a mistletoe-branch dart, frightens me, too.

If I sleep with my blanket upside down, I feel that something bad is going to happen. I tried to fight this superstition once by forcing myself to sleep with the blanket the right way up. It got into my head; I couldn't fall asleep for three hours.

There's one from Turkey I find particularly fascinating. Locals believe that chewing gum at night is similar to "chowing down on the flesh of a dead person". If you go to Turkey, don't chew gum at night!