Mind Over Monsoons: How To Be Productive When It's Raining

Some people walk in the rain, others just get wet

-Roger Miller

Its that time of the year again when the sunlight has been tuned down to a minimum and the sky is overcast with clouds, rain, thunder, and lightning. Every time you look out of your window it gets harder to tell what time of the day it is and you can't help but feel sleepy, lazy and oh, did I mention hungry? It doesn't help that it is almost holiday season so you are stuck at home, with nothing to do, or at least that's what you think. 

As the rains have started in many parts of South India and will now be moving up north, I thought this was the best time to write a blog post on Mind Over Monsoons. I had been feeling gloomy and unproductive in this weather but I find myself having a lot of free time and I am here to tell you how to be productive when it's raining outside. Your ultimate guide to monsoon productivity is here, so make yourself a cup of hot tea or coffee and settle down, take notes and spend the rest of your summer and monsoon break at maximum productivity level!

Top Ten Ways To

Planning You Way To Monsoon Productivity 

      1. Organize/Plan/ Make a To-do list
This is a no-brainer and applicable for all year round productivity but the reason why this is the number one point in my guide is that during the holidays we feel entitled to 'do nothing'. I myself have been guilty of this several times. Even if you do not have a day to day list of items that you want to do at least have a general idea of the goals you want to complete in this one or one and half month break. This will help you stay on track and god, oh god, the satisfaction of ticking that thing off after you have finished it is something your inner nerd will thank you for later.

      2. Get Creative
Okay, so you can't go outdoors, big deal. There are hundreds of interesting things to do from the comfort of your home. 

• Have you always been wanting to decorate your room, put up photos or fairy lights? You can do that now!
• Paint pictures or glass painting on old used bottles
• Make that scrapbook which you have eyeing on Pinterest.
• Start a photo journal
• Play some music, write blog posts, make your website, make YouTube videos!!!

    3. Hello, Endorphins!
It's raining outside and it's not drizzling. No. It's pouring sideways and the roads are jammed and you cant make it to your gym. You can't go out jogging in the park. So what do you do? Watch F.R.I.E.N.D.S on repeat? Yes, you could do that. But you could do that while exercising from the comfort of your own home!

• Try yoga at home. You can find many YouTube videos and follow along.
• Do a quick skipping session with your simple jump rope
• Put on loud music and dance like no one's watching
• Pilates! Just you, your body weight and a yoga mat. 
• Clean your house. It's going to help you stretch and get in a good work out.

     4. Online Courses.

School or college is closed but you can still learn a lot through online courses and this can be in any field of your interest. Websites like Coursera and Udemy offer many online certificate courses for you to choose from and it will not only give you a new skill but also add to your resume.

    5. Online Internships

I am not asking you to fly across the country here. From the comfort of your home, apply for Work From Home internships and do freelance work for companies. If you start looking you will be surprised at how many companies need an intern to help them out. Internshala and Twenty19 can help you there. 

     6. Cooking experiments

All those dishes you said you would cook but never did because you did not have 'enough time' well guess what, now you are free and I am hungry. So cook some delicious food because we tend to get more hungry in this weather. Bake some delicious food too and don't forget to take photos and tag #TimeTravellinShutterbug on Instagram if you want them to be featured on my account.

Photo credit ITC Hotels

   7. Pamper Yourself With At Home Spa Day

You finally have some time for yourself so while you watch that movie for the 15th time, you can simultaneously pamper your skin and hair. Please remember that all the rain and dirt in the monsoon is going to leave your feet dirty and they will need some extra care.

• Scrub your face, arms and legs do de tan with some potato, tomato or even homemade besan and channa flour scrub.
• Put on some hair oil after a good hair and head massage or put on a hair mask
• Put on a face pack/ Multani mitti/ yoghurt-honey-turmeric etc
• Clean your nails and give yourself a mini meni-pedi, soak your limbs in some hot water with salts
• Take a long hot shower, shampoo, and condition
• Moisturize and finish off with fresh nail paint

Viola, you are a whole new person!

Photo from Google Images

   8. Indoor games

Be it board games or other small in-door games, the time to play them is now when it is raining. Try monopoly, snake and ladders, housie, card games, hide and seek, dumb charades etc. Growing up, I used to have my neighbor girls and friends over all the time during holidays and we would play these all day long. It's time to bring back some of that childhood memories to our grown up-adult self- summer/monsoon breaks.

   9. Reading & Writing

I am guilty of buying or borrowing novels and never getting around to finishing them as I get caught up in academic work. Monsoon holidays can be the perfect time to catch up on reading and hey if you are that broody writer type then start writing now! Stay motivated with hot drinks like green tea, coffee, hot chocolate or tea! It will instantly give you a boost.

  10. Time Off

Monsoons many time come with power cuts and this is the perfect excuse to get off technology, internet, and social media. Make some tea and pakodas, play games with your friends and family read a book, make your arts and crafts and just take a social media detox.

Are there any other things that you love to do in monsoons which I have not mentioned in this ultimate guide to monsoons? Leave them down in the comments below. Suggestions, comments, and questions are always welcome.

Share this blog post with your friends who have complained of being bored in the holidays or feeling lazy due to the gloomy weather and you can thank me later!

Like what you see and want more travel blog post, inspiration, travel style and budget travel ideas then go follow my Instagram account @timetravellingshutterbug

Acknowledgement: To my sister, Sonali Khetia for taking my photos for this blog post.

Links To Get You Going:

Exercise: Pilates Videos

Online Courses: Coursera, Udemy

Internships: Internshala, Twenty 19

Signing off,

Nishma Khetia.

Extracurricular Activities: Are They Wasting Your Precious Time?

30 certificates and 10 trophies later, 

what have I really achieved?

All of our lives, as children, teenagers, and young adults we have been taught how extracurricular activities are so important, and rightly so, but many times we forget (parents, teachers, and students) on where to draw the line on these extracurricular activities. It is very true that college admissions give a huge importance to extra-curricular and even provide scholarships to extremely talented students in their own fields but this is for entering into the undergrad level. Before, I go into the details of my own experience, achievements, and lessons I want to highlight a few key points.

Key Points While Considering Extra-curricular Activities

1.Time Management

I am just going to go ahead and say it. This is a real struggle. And not everyone is capable of learning at the same pace. I count myself in that category. Some people can pull all nighters or be super fast as grabbing new concepts, I am neither of those. How are all the students expected to participate equally in extracurricular activities if more than half of us are slow learners and need more time to focus on academic material, which after all is the primary reason for going to college. 

Lets me be real honest and tell you that any college needs committees and students to carry out activities, they also need an audience to see these activities and participate in the contests organized so you will be told it is 'important' for you to participate and attend these events but at the end of the day, you have to decide if it is something you really need to do and if it will bring you closer to your ultimate goal, whatever it may be.

2. Pick your strengths. Be specific. 

I have struggled with this. There are people who are truly what people call  'all rounders'.Most of us are, however, not all rounders. Pick your favorite thing that not only relaxes you but where you feel you can truly stay committed. Whatever it is, make sure you stick to it and continue it forward. When it comes to extracurricular, like anything else, practice makes perfect and you need to be the best in your game.  college.
Trying to be an all rounder is not happening and I learned this a little late in life. Jumping from debate competitions to essay writing to the joint editor of the college magazine, juggling amateur photography, anchoring college events, organizing a bunch of unrelated college events are a lot of activities that I had on my plate during my first two and half years of college life with no common goal.

3.Learn to say No.

Whether you are forced by your parents or your peers if you think an activity is not right for you do not do it. You will waste your time and energy and neither will you benefit from the activity nor will you excel in your academics. Set aside your weekly time dedicated towards your activity. It can be hard to not think about it throughout the week especially when you need to pre-plan meetings etc but learning to say no is crucial in group events. Don't take me in the wrong way. Team work is important but what is the point in grinding yourself if it is not worth your time.

The Secret To Pick, Excel, and Benefit 

At Extra-Curriculars:

First of all, you need to think and plan, on what you are trying to achieve. Is your goal to pursue an MBA after your undergraduate degree or are you going to go for core Research or something totally different like take up teaching or pursue a career in sports? Once you have decided that all you extracurriculars should automatically align with that. Now, wait for a second, of course, your interest matters. If you enjoy singing or playing a musical instrument while doing research in Biotechnology that is totally your choice, the point I am trying to make here is don't let someone else (parents and teachers included) tell you to do something totally unrelated and uninteresting to you. 

If you are planning to go for administrative or managerial positions, yes, your communication, leadership skills, team work, problem-solving skills will immensely develop through coordinated group activities at college level. Definitely, try for leadership posts! But if a lot of your future and interest works through individual-based work like creative or content writing, photography or something along those lines or you just enjoy swimming for example then there is no need to collaborate and break your head doing it.

Yes, group work teaches you a lot. I cannot even begin to explain that in this blog post. But the truth is group work is time to consume unless the leader is near perfect but the ideal situation is quite the contrary in most cases. Only a few people work and the rest enjoy the benefits of praise. Unnecessary meetings to plan events that could easily be coordinated with simple phone messages are scheduled, but wait the leaders are not crazy! No one replies to phone messages anymore. Wouldn't the world be simpler if we could effectively communicate and finish all the task without face-to-face club meetings that take up an entire evening? So basically, everyone is at fault. That's ok. But, in all of this, if you find that you are the hard working person whose efforts are going in vain then stop wasting your time and find a better outlet and a brilliant alternative for yourself. Trust me there are many!Do not nod your head next time someone tries to throw a group task your way. Politely refuse it altogether. 

It is not your job to fill the seats in the audience and increase the number of participants in a competition for God's sake. 

I realized this later. But better late than never. 

Why don't you invest time in yourself instead? Take up a sport, exercise, cook and eat healthy food, read your favorite book, sleep! Because at the end of the day when you have that endless list of college events, one after the other and numerous extracurriculars lined up on your schedule you will be drained out and before you know it your focus will shift from the task at hand, academics! 

Try Out These Student Planners And See The Difference!

This blog post is written from my point of view with the target audience of college students but if you are a parent or a high school kid, you can apply this too. High school is the time to experiment and try what you like. I was too shy back then hence the over compensation on my part for extracurriculars in college! If you are a parent, help your kid pick what they like. Do not pressurize them with a crazy schedule that steals their childhood away and leaves them unhappy trying to go to football practice when they clearly have a musical heart.

To sum up this rant of a blog post, I will tell you to honestly reconsider the time invested in extracurriculars and be very stingy with it. There should be only two reasons for an extracurricular activity: true joy or long term benefit. The ideal situation would be where you can find something that can do both. Cheers!

Disclaimer: 

This blog post is not meant to offend any college, institution, clubs or leadership positions. It is a student lifestyle hack to teach students to be smart and wise with their time. 

Think I am nuts? Here are some interesting articles I came across discussing the same topic. Check them out ;)

How To Adult: Disadvantages Of Extracurricular Activities

Classroom: Negative Aspects Of Extracurricular

Content Wise: Advantages & Disadvantages Of Extracurricular

Signing off,

Nishma Khetia.

TRAVEL+ACADEMICS: INTERNSHIP IN JAPAN

"Never let success get to your head. Never let failure get to your heart"
-Unknown.

I was finally in Japan. After one year of filling out applications, messaging random people, stalking University professors, sending out hundreds of unsuccessful emails, I landed a fully funded research internship at the National Institute of Genetics (NIG), Japan. It felt surreal. I had dreamt of that moment many times but the reality was way better. I was smiling like an idiot at the Tokyo International Airport with a sense of accomplishment.  Few hours before that, I was in a totally chaotic situation. My flight from Chennai to Mumbai was delayed by two hours which gave me only 15 minutes for immigration at the Mumbai Airport. Also, due to the delay, I did not receive my luggage at the Tokyo airport.  Fortunately, I was in a country that embodies kindness. The airport personnel provided me with compensation money to buy the basic necessities and also sent my luggage to the place I stayed in after two days.

I took the famous Shinkansen or the bullet train from Tokyo to reach NIG which is located in Mishima. It is a small town located in Shizuoka and it takes about 2 hours from Tokyo.Once I reached there, I was cordially invited by my Guide and the members. When I told them about my luggage fiasco they immediately took me shopping. Well! That’s the dream, right? Land in a new country and go shopping!

Group Discussions.

I started my internship the next day. I was excited and nervous. It was exactly like my first day in school. The lab is working on some interesting topics related to cell signaling pathways.  Basically, they try to figure out the cues responsible for cell-cell communication. This is very important in developmental biology (embryogenesis) where a single cell becomes a whole human being. Additionally, fields like cancer biology, antibiotic resistance studies also benefit from cell signaling. I got to meet really passionate people and experimented with cool techniques like RNA interference, confocal microscopy etc. My mentor and my lab members were great teachers. They taught me the concepts from basics and helped me in every step of the way.

I  made great friends from different countries. We went out on weekends, cooked food together organized farewell parties. We also took the Japanese lessons offered at the institute. They definitely made the stay more fun.

Trips In Japan

Tips For Students Applying For Internships!

               1. Start early : This gives you enough time to browse through websites, read about the internships and prepare all the necessary documents.  You can find these internships on websites like Internshala, Twenty19 to name a few. Otherwise, you can visit the institute’s website to find more information.

                  2.Watch the deadline like a hawk: Trust me! Deadlines are easy to miss. Nothing hurts like a missed opportunity. So, just note down the deadlines in your sticky notes or Google calendar or anything.  The deadlines for most of the research internships may range anywhere from September to April.

                3.Do your homework: Read about the research work, the professor/scientist, the University. Be thorough. Some internship may ask you to give an interview. So being prepared helps

.

              4.Mail a lot of professors:  There are different ways of obtaining an internship. One is formally applying to a program and another highly underused way is emailing the professors.

Use your social media stalking skills and find professors on the university websites/on LinkedIn and mail them. Before doing that read up, make sure you have enough information and then proceed. Initially, there might not be any replies. I emailed around 40-50 professors and got no reply. Don’t feel dejected. Apply as many as possible. Read some blogs about emailing professors.

Again! Don’t underestimate the value of volume. You try 100 different things, you will definitely hit one.

Even though it was only for a month, I learned a great deal of science and life skills. The experience was not all sweet. I did have my doubts and fears. But at the end, it was all a learning experience and it was totally worth it.

I was fortunate to have a healthy support system. My friends encouraged me to apply every time I got rejected, my family taught me to laugh it off. So, make sure you are not in a negative environment. Also, I had incredibly amazing teachers who gave me a letter of recommendation every time I asked.  No single person can achieve anything alone. Don’t hesitate to ask for help.

Farwell Dinner

Another, important lesson I learned during this process is that you should not stop applying because you think it is out of your reach. Your job is to apply and they decide the results. Don’t every take their position. For example, if Harvard is offering a program, just apply! You never know! :P

I am no big brains. I just tried hard. So, it is not impossible and it is not a complex task.  So good luck! Make the most of your summer vacation.

About the Author: Anjana Sundarrajan is a true Tamilian who will not shut up about Chennai and curd rice. She completed her B Pharm from Manipal University. She is passionate about research and innovation. She is on her way to study Masters in Biotechnology at 
UPenn in the United States.  

She can now write a whole blog for you or better write content for your website for $5.Doesn't that sound like a steal deal? To know more visit https://www.fiverr.com/anjana95

You can contact her on her Facebook or Linked In

Thank you for sharing your experience and tips with us. We hope you continue to support this blog and write for us in the future. We wish you all the best.  

Mandatory Goa Trip After Graduation.

"Life is like that Goa Trip. Either you show it who's the boss or it takes you for a ride"

-Nishma Khetia.

If someone told you a Goa story without high-level drama in it, they would be lying to you. Take my word for it. There is a reason behind all the memes on the internet surrounding Goa plans that fail and they are there for a reason. I am sitting on the train back from Goa as I write this blog post because a lot of my research on travel blogs have told me to journal my experiences as soon as possible as the details are crucial but they are also volatile! After a lot of planning a few of my friends agreed to go Goa the day after the completion of our final exams. We were graduates! Yeah, the ceremony is in November and the results are not out yet *phew* so this was the perfect time to travel for us, take one last trip before we parted ways.

Manipal is 4.5hours away from Goa by train. The Madgaon station, however, is also a good 1.5hours away from the famous Baga Beach. Our hotel was a walking distance from Baga in an area called Calangute. Our journey began at 7.30am from Udupi station and by the time we reached our hotel freshened up it was 4 pm. We were all exhausted but we had no time to waste on rest or sleep which were a rare luxury. We had not been having any sleep for the past two months due to hectic exams so were pretty much used to the idea of sleep deprivation.

After getting some much needed late lunch, we hit Baga beach. The beach is lined with dozens of shacks serving food and drinks. The crowd on the beach was pretty decent. We were told that this was 'off season' ( I traveled in May end). The waves were huge and the water sports were going on in high swing. Latest music blasted from the shacks and we ordered ourselves some drinks. Every shack had a variety of options to choose from. You would have to look at a few places and decide where you would like to sit. We watched the sunset and I clicked a few photos.

The walk to and fro from our hotel was pretty much a routine in Goa. We walked through Tito's lane which is Goa's famous street that has clubs and pubs on one side and local shopping on the other. We strolled through the shops and clubs weighing our options so we could get the best deal to party the night away. Getting ready was the next task and putting on our best party wear because a lot of clubs in Goa require formal wear. After getting delicious dinner we decided to head to Tito's. The other strong option we had was Club Cabana but as our transport back from the club was debatable we decided to go with Tito's. After all the club had an entire lane named after it and all the advertisements hyped it up. Spoiler alert: it was worth it AF.

Tito's lane at midnight was like a carnival full of people enjoying themselves and dancing to upbeat music. The couple entry was thousand rupees and ladies had free entry and drinks at Tito's. Five of us got in at midnight and got ourselves a nice table. Tito's was divided into a drinks only section, a Sheesha place, restaurant and the dance floor area. As we experimented with drinks, a magician came to entertain us and it was absolutely delightful. Another group of friends from my batch were also in Goa and later came to Tito's. I was on the dance floor till four in the morning celebrating the end of four years of hard work! It seemed to fit perfectly.

Goa had some power problem as they were changing the power lines. We got some disturbed sleep and checked out of our hotel at eleven in the morning. We had hired a driver to take us sightseeing. Cars are not the recommended choice of vehicle for Goa! A scooter is perfect but we didn't know how to ride one or didn't have the license. First on the list was Candolim and we got into boats to see some Dolphins. The boat took us into deep waters where we spotted Dolphins. However, they were quick and unexpected sightings so I could not photograph that.

Next up we headed to the famous Dil Chata Hai fort- Aguada Fort. Okay, I have not watched that movie. Sue me! I shall watch in the holidays. The fort was beautifully located on a hill. It was made by the Portuguese and had a lighthouse. It was very sunny and one could easily get dehydrated. We had lemonade to replenish lost electrolytes and continued our sightseeing post lunch. The boys had Goan fish which they said was delicious.

The last location we visited was Basicila of Bom Jesus. I have seen quite a few churches but this one stood out to me. If you watch the video of the ongoing mass you will get the idea of what I am talking about. It is so beautiful and the mass going on was in-tune and it created a holy atmosphere. I don't know what it was but I have only felt this moving feeling twice in my life. Once when I visited the ISKCON temple in Bangalore on my own and now in Goa. We lit candles at the church and said our prayers.

Our taxi driver then dropped us to the railway station for our train back home. A lot of drama unfolded prior to our settling in the hotel but I choose to not highlight the negativity in my blog posts and instead leave my readers with all my fun experiences with caution tips wherever required. When booking a hotel ensure that the check-in and check-out timings and rules are crystal clear because small hotel owners can take you for a ride! Also, do not depend on your friends to take any sort of travel responsibility, just do it yourself even if that means coming off as rude or just solo travel! Which reminds me,  I'm going to write about the trip that sparked the traveler in me very soon so watch out for that one to be inspired to travel solo.

TOP SEVEN TIPS FOR TRAVELLING IN GOA

1.Carry enough cash! Goa can be expensive. We went during off season but the prices of food and accommodation are pretty high. It does have very cheap alcohol when compared to other Indian states but everything else is costly. I spent 5000 rupees in two days. This is when I traveled to Goa in General class train ticket so if you are coming in by bus/flight you have to consider the cost of that as well.

2.Stay hydrated. As Goa is humid and sunny you could easily loose track of your water intake and the if you are drinking alcohol, it will leave you dehydrated even more. Have a lot of fresh juice and water at all times.

3.Confirm and re-confirm your bookings to make sure you know exactly how things are about to go down. Goa is huge so I suggest booking one hotel in North Goa and then another one for the next day towards Old Goa or South Goa. This would let you explore easily. According to me to fully explore Goa 2 nights and three days would be sufficient.

4. Traveling on a scooter is recommended but I realized that if you are 4-6 people you can hire a car as well because scooter can get uncomfortable and long distances on GPS can leave you exhausted.

5.Watch out for all shady people because there will be a lot of people trying to offer you stuff. You do not want to get yourself into trouble. Also, make sure you have proper transport arrangements after you are done partying. DO NOT DRINK AND DRIVE.

6. There are many beaches in Goa. If you want to go to a laid back one you can discover one for yourself and you do not need to be on a crowded beach if you are looking for a more relaxing vibe.

7. Last but not the list, just keep your calm while traveling to Goa. Things are bound to get a bit out of schedule as everyone is just looking to have fun in their own way. 

That's all for this blog post. Oh, what's that you want more?...Hmm Okay! I made a proper Goa Vlog for you guys. Have fun. Leave your comments below. Thank you for reading.

All photos/videos are owned by me or my friends.

.

Signing off,

Nishma Khetia.