Sunday 11 December 2016

7 days of Harry Potter: Day one!

Hi guys!

In order to celebrate seven days of Harry Potter contest, I'm going to post a black out poem here!


Okay, so many are wondering what exactly this means. Well, to know more, go to:

https://youtu.be/QSO_BYnZRkM

For my blog post about how yo make a Harry Potter inspired pendant and ring, click on the link below!

http://creativebookie.blogspot.in/2016/03/how-to-make-harry-potter-based-pendant.html?m=1

So excited!
Adios!

Monday 14 November 2016

7 Study Tips: Tried and Tested!

Holà everyone!
With the exams fast approaching this festive season is going to be really hectic for us. It is that time of the year in which so many people (including me) search for all kinds of tips in Google in order to study faster and smarter. Some of the tips work, some of them do not and some of them might work but we never apply it in our lives (*cough* studying your portion as it is taught in college *cough*). What we don't realise is that by looking at all of these tips in the Internet, we are successfully procrastinating our time by not using it for studies (well, what's new in that?). And this is why most of the time, the tips fail to have an impact on our studies.

So I decided to experiment with some of the tips and find out whether they actually work or not and hence saving your time as well. The opinions are strictly mine, these tips might or might not work for you but I'll share my experience!
So here we go!

             

1. Keep your study place neat and tidy.

Believe it or not, this one actually works! I am a messy person and my study table usually looks as if it had just been hit by the stampede that killed Mufasa in the Lion King (oops spoiler) along with a tornado. So I decided to move my lazy butt for once and do some work by cleaning my room till it sparkled (well almost). Turns out that I did have a pleasant time studying. It gave me more room to pace along when I did not understand a sum and to sleep when I gave up on studies. Okay, jokes apart. This one actually works.

2. Study in the same place at the same time everyday.

Didn't work. I tried to do it but in the end I got really frustrated after sitting in the same room for a long time and ended up in the living room. This might work for some people but for me it didn't. Maybe it is because I like change, even if it is in my study place.

3. Jot down your own notes.

Completely, totally works. I can vouch for this one because have been making my own notes since the tenth grade and it was only because of those that I got a very good percentage in my board exams. So here are five thumbs up for this rule.

4. Study in groups

Bad idea if you are a chatterbox. Worse if you are friends are chatterboxes. Worst idea if all of you are chatterboxes. Otherwise, a good idea.

5. Take notes/Highlight with various colours

This isn't a HUGE transformation in your notes that will make you learn 1000 times better as people would like you to believe but it does help in remembering them fairly well and gives an appealing, colourful look to the otherwise boring book.

6. Plan your studies well beforehand.

Okay, let me be completely honest with you, this only works if you are a person who actually STICK to your plan. If you don't, please don't waste your time in planning. If you think you can atleast try to stick to your plans and finish maximum work as per your timetable, GO FOR IT!

7. Test yourself
This works. You can use practice papers on the back of the guides in order to test yourself on the lessons that you have just studied in order to know how much of it you have actually got into your mind. In this way you can understand how much you have learnt and how much you have not.

Finally it all boils down to your determination and will power. No matter whatever tips you use or don't, if you have the will within you, then there is always a way.

So these are some of the tips I tried and tested! If you have any more tips to share with your friends who are facing the exams right now, do feel free to include them in the comments! Do the tips above work for you? Let me know!

                       ----------------

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Tuesday 19 July 2016

How it is like to be a Science student.

   As I have talked about this in my previous posts, being a Science student is definitely not a piece of cake, especially when it comes to hard work. Science is considered to be one of the toughest streams and I, as a Science student, can guarantee that it is a hundred percent true. Being a Science student is fun but it sucks a lot of times. Here are some things that an average Science student goes through:

1. The Syllabus: After being trained for so little in the tenth grade, the eleventh grade seems like a gigantic elephant in comparison to it. The horde of books for the eleventh and twelfth grade could dwarf the armies in the Lord of the Rings. There are only four main subject in the science stream which are Physics, Chemistry, Maths and Biology but the information encompassed in those books is insane! I feel that the makers of the textbooks think they are creating them for freaking NASA scientists as about half of the information in those books are never going to be used in our life.

2. Schedules: Science students have one of the most crammed daily  schedules ever. Especially in grade twelve. Lots of students go to tuitions in addition to college and that makes it even worse. Tuitions give homework to the students and so does the college and it burdens us. We are either in college or in tuitions or doing homework or eating or sleeping. We are completely drained as we finish our college-tuition routine and don't even feel like studying at the end of the day.

3. Practicals: Practicals can be some of the better part of the life of an average Science student. Well, almost. The practicals are usually the highlight of the college lectures. It is quite interesting to experience science taking shape in front of you. Plus it is also a good time to make friends as well! "Could you lend me your journal for one day?", "Can you explain that to me again?", "Hey, please help take the readings of this instrument here that I have no idea how to use.","Can I borrow your pencil for now?", "Damn, I don't even understand what this old lady is teaching us.", "I'm going home as soon as this practical ends, who the hell sits for the lectures?" And of course, who can forget the little side quests that we take after finishing the practicals? It usually requires courage to mix two unknown chemicals and reagents without the teacher knowing what we are up to and without knowing the actual outcomes of the reactions. And that is what makes a science student feel like a science student. An additional advantage is: people think we are really smart when we walk around in a lab coat!

4. Board exams: This is basically a taboo word. Merely uttering this word makes whatever tiny happy world we have built around us come crashing down. The word "Exams" ring a giant alarm bell in our minds. Along with it comes a flood of remainders: Practicals start next week, journal submission tomorrow, EVS seminar on Monday,English oral examinations on Tuesday and theory exams starts two weeks later.

And then the panic starts.

And there is the whole affair of people scaring you. All the relatives collectively feel that you really need their 'valuable' advice and warnings."This year is extremely important for you. At least in the career point of view. So work as hard as possible in order to achieve most marks. Don't waste a single moment. If you just finish your twelfth, life would be so easy for you and you would enjoy it!" Yeah we heard the exact same words during our tenth grade, uncle. And we still hear it everywhere.
Usually the people who give this advice was once a very mediocre student.
And the result is that you get even more panicked than before. 

5. The "Aura": Many a times you must have seen Science students boasting about taking Science in front of students of other streams. You are bound to be irritated. But you know what? Just let them boast. Because that is all they have. 
A typical Science student, no matter what his/her percent is, likes to boast that he/she is in a slightly more difficult stream than the others in order to make himself feel a bit 'superior'. Even though he/she fails the exams consistently. I call this the 'Golden Aura of Science'. Because whenever a student mentions that he or she is in the science stream people look at them with this weird expression filled with awe and respect as if they are soldiers fighting against a demon for a noble cause. Like how Dobby looks at Harry Potter.  
Okay, I might be exaggerating this a bit.
But it does feel like that, you know. It feels good. It feels like we've actually accomplished something major. Even though all we have done was to choose the Science stream and later moan about why the hell we chose it over Arts and Commerce.
I am sure everyone could relate to this. If not, you are still in denial.

6. Entrance Exams: Oh, you know what is gonna come ahead, don't you?

Entrance exams are a student's worst nightmares coming to life. In India, we have three major types of entrance examinations for the students in the Science stream. They are: the NEET exams for aspiring medical students, the JEE exams for aspiring engineers and CET exam for both separately. The NEET and JEE both contain negative markings as they are All India level but the CETs do not have that since it provides only state level admission. So lots of students just blindly place their hopes on CETs and do limited studies. 
If you were following the news, there was this whole fiasco of the medical CETs being cancelled and the NEETs replacing it in Maharashtra this year. That messed up many students's life. When it was declared that NEET would be the main exam, students didn't take CET seriously. Later they declared that the results of this year will be based on CET scores and NEET results will be applied from next academic year, well that made lots of students lose their minds. 
Well done, education department. 

7. Competition: With India being the second most populous country in the world and with a population of about 1.2 billion people, the competition is pretty tough for most of the time. No matter how good you are, there is always someone better than you. Always. Being on Science is the worst because there are a LOT of students and VERY less good colleges. Aaand there is the whole caste reservation system that puts students in the general category at a disadvantage. According to the recent news, the cut-off at Delhi University was apparently 99.25%. Well our future looks promising!

But being in Science is not all thorns though. There are occasional roses here and there. We get to learn the reason behind simple things that we observe daily but never give much thought to it (eg: Why is the surface of water in a test tube concave? How does a refrigerator work? Which solution is used in dry cleaning? What exactly is light? How are polymers made? How does life originate? etc.) These small questions and their perfect answers makes us realise the complexity of the world and helps us to appreciate it better.

Hope you liked this post! A big thank you to all the people who participated in my survey: Irene, Prachi, Aishwarya, Swati, Shivani, Shubhada and Harshada. Love you all!

Feel free to comment about your opinions about this topic or share this post to your friends if this is relatable! Thanks for reading!

Instagram: @manasa2510
E-mail: manasa2510@gmail.com
Twitter@manasa2510

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So that's all for now, guys! Adios!

Friday 20 May 2016

The Blogger's Note: April and May!

Namasté and hello everyone!

April and May were super busy months for me and this year they went as soon as they arrived! Time flies.

So here are some things that happened to me these months:

1. I caught a cold.
Okay, this might not sound that interesting, but for me, cold and flu are a giant no. It is because once I catch the flu, it dosen't leave me for months together. And untill it subsides, I am not allowed to eat or drink anything cold.
And of course, the stupid flu decided to attack me during summer.
Honestly, summer is the worst time to catch a cold. It is like reading Hunger Games all over again. All the things that you love leaves you.
But Flu during Summer? How weird is that considering it is 41 degree Celsius everyday?!

I desperately needed to eradicate the flu from my body

So here are some things I tried that might help you one day:
A. Drink loads of hot/warm water. Trust me, it really works
B. Inhale some steam.
This is definitely an age old practice so I guess everyone knows this by now. Or just take a steamy bath.
C. Apply Eucalyptus oil to your sore nose.
Okay, I'll warn you: When you apply it on your nose which is sore after rubbing it again and again on your tissue, it hurts. A lot. It is basically searing pain in its pure form. But it numbs your skin after a minute and feels pleasant later. It is just like aftershave. Plus I actually have a special technique to dilute the pain to a considerable extent. All you have to do is take a piece of cloth or tissue and make it damp with cold water. Once you apply the oil/essence on your sore nose, immediately place the cloth on your nose to lessen the pain. It works. I tried it.

2. I started 12th grade.
Let me tell you what I have learnt:
Take Science as your stream only if you are either willing to manage time efficiently and study really hard or if you are willing to sacrifice your happiness and hobbies and study really hard.
There are lots of privilages in taking the Science stream in India. Your parents announce with pride, "My child is a Science student." and people look at you with awe as if you have climbed Mount Everest. At that time, you will feel the non existent golden aura of being a  'Science student' enveloping you.
Yep. The stamp of society's approval.
Additional advantage: You can change streams after 12th as Science is the hardest stream.
But believe me, apart from this, Science is not extremely fun. Especially if you hate Chemistry and Maths or if you are really creative and stuff. In that case, take Arts. It might be better; I don't have an idea about it though. Oh, the times I wished to change my streams to Arts is inumerable, even it is still mostly shunned by the conservative Indian society. It was one of the main reasons I opted for Science. I got a great percent in my 10th grade but now I am so down in my 11th that I am praying to all the gods in the world to just get me promoted to 12th. I think I will get promoted. Pray for me. (Update: I did get promoted. Yippee.)

3. Nine hours of tutions: Yep you heard it right. Nine freaking hours. In the freaking summer vacations. What was worse was that I had to catch a crowded train, stand for twenty minutes while being mercilessly sandwiched in the insane crowd (this part needs a whole another post to describe properly) and walk for half an hour to reach the class every morning, which was in the district capital. My mind used to be completely saturated after hours of learning about unsaturated hydrocarbons. Thankfully, I got shifted back to my own city's branch of tutions.

4. Major motivation collapse: This was a horrible experience I had recently. One day I woke up happily and took my Physics textbook in my hand just to realise that my brain rejected any attempt to accept any input from my eyes or store it. I was constantly distracted, even by the plain wall in front of me. That's when I realised that I didn't want to study anymore. None of the derivations mattered to me. I had ZERO motivation. So I just wrapped myself in a blanket along with my misery and sat on the bed, rocking back and forth holding my Physics textbook in my hand while my mom scolded me for killing time in vain. I requested a lot of my friends to help me get out of that hellhole and motivate me. Finally, I googled some advice and it really helped me. Here's a link to it if you are feeling down:
https://fizzle.co/sparkline/motivation

Oh, and speaking of Motivation, do check out my INCREDIBLE friend, Irene's post on motivation which will definitely get you sparking with energy! Click HERE to read it!
Here's an excerpt:

"Work for victory. Work to transcend mediocrity. Work to look down upon the nuances of the world and know that you’ve conquered it."

I am really excited for May as my family will have a house-warming ceremony for our new home! I wouldn't be moving there till next year though as the new house is in other city and not in the city I currently live in right now, which is also the location of my college and tutions. 

Update: My guests arrived and the house warming ceremony was amazing! Yep, I had TWO days of 'not-studying' and I am so grateful for that.

So that's all for April and May! I hope you are having fun, wherever you are. If not, the dark times you are going through will be over soon.

 Instagram: @manasa2510
E-mail: manasa2510@gmail.com
Twitter: @manasa2510

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Here are lots of virtual invisible bunnies for you.

Adios!

Thursday 31 March 2016

How to make Harry Potter inspired pendant and ring.

Namasté and hello everyone!

      Firstly, I would like to make a special announcement:

      MY BLOG HAS COMPLETED ONE YEAR!
*Throws confetti in the air and performs a happy dance*



And on this occasion, i.e. 'Bloganniversary', I would like to share a creative DIY with you!
                                                 



       All the book lovers agree that Harry Potter is probably one of the best series they have ever read. Some people (like me) are obsessed with anything and everything related to the series. Harry Potter related jewellery are not only a great way to accessorise yourself but also to show your love towards the fandom. Here's how you can make a Harry Potter related pendant and ring by yourself at home. The best thing is, these are super inexpensive and fun to make.

Let's get started!

What you'll need:

1. M-seal
2. Acrylic paints (Silver and Black)
3. Strong glue
4. Clear plastic sheet
5. Paint brush
6. Blade (optional)


Steps:

Step 1: Sketch the symbol of the Deathly Hallows on a clear plastic sheet by using a thin marker. this will serve as your base for making the pendent.


Step 2: Mix the M-seal well and lay it on the sketch on the plastic sheet in the perfect shape. This is going to be your pendant. So don't forget to put a loop of M-seal on it as well so that you can insert it in the chain. Use a blade to straighten the triangle and remove extra bits of M-seal from it.




Step 3: For the ring, make a Harry Potter glasses and attach a lightning scar made up of M-seal as shown in the picture below. Also, make a ring like arc with enough space for your finger to go through as well as enough space saw the glass like M-seal structure to fit between the ends of the ring.

Step 4: Remove the Deathly Hallows structure once it has dried and let all the three set for a while.


Step 5: Now attach the M-seal glasses to the ring with a strong glue and secure all the joints with it. Let it dry for an hour.

Step 6: Paint it in black.

Step 7: Now, paint it in silver to achieve the 'ancient silver' look.

                                      


Step 8: Let it dry for a day.

          Congratulations! You just learnt how to make the Deathly Hallows pendant and a Harry Potter ring!
      They are beautiful, attractive and easy to make. Show your Harry Potter pride by these simple DIYs. I hope you liked this tutorial!

        My blog started on April 1, 2015 and I am so happy that my blog has completed one whole year successfully. And that is because of you all! Thank you for encouraging me to write, taking your time to read my posts, giving corrections, suggestions and motivating me constantly.
       Whoever you are, wherever you live, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. It is because of you that my blog has actually surpassed 1180 pageviews. I am so happy that people around the world read my blog. I dedicate this bloganniversary to you!

OTHER DIYs:

If you want to check out how to make really quick, cute and simple fandom related character bookmarks in just 4 steps, click here!


                                             


And for a tutorial on how to make a prop bookmark, click here.

                                   

Instagram: @manasa2510
E-mail: manasa2510@gmail.com
Twitter: @manasa2510

You can now subscribe to my blog to recieve my posts as newsletters straight in your inbox! All you have to do is just enter your email address in the subscription box (which is on the top of my blog in the web version if you are reading this in your mobile) and that's all! Do subscribe and share, it will make my day!

#dontcrycraft


Happy crafting! Adios!








Friday 26 February 2016

How to make a cute DIY PROP bookmark!

How to make a cute DIY prop bookmark!



All the bookworms simply ADORE bookmarks and that is the universal truth! Everyone is looking for a unique bookmark or a 'fandom-related' bookmark or just a simple bookmark to place between the pages of the book they are reading. Some people (like me) are addicted to them!  Sometimes, bookmarks are also used to give the book an extra interesting look and appeal and is a cause of envy for other book lovers. So without any further ado, here's how you can make a unique and cute bookmark on your own!

How to make a prop bookmark:

Definition: (What? I am a Science student, everything starts with a definition according to me. Except maybe true love. Or food.) A prop bookmark is basically a bookmark with a small prop, i.e. figurine attached to it.

The things that you'll need:

1.A piece of cardboard according to the length of your book or a sheet of chart paper of any colour you wish
2. Strong glue.
3. Sketch pens, thin markers.
4. M-seal or any clay that hardens  quickly.
5. Fabric/Acrylic paint.
6. Paint brushes.
7. Scissors, unicorns, etc.


Okay, maybe no unicorns. Though, that would have been fun.

Here are the steps to make one:

Step 1: Cut the piece of cardboard paper in a rectangular strip according to the length of the book. If you are using chart paper, cut it into a long rectangular strip and then fold it in half to make the bookmark thick enough to support the prop. Avoid making the strip too thick or your book will have a strange swelling to it.



Step 2:  Once you make the base strip of your bookmark, you can start with the prop. The prop I have made here is that of a girl resting her arms and her head on the pages of the book. Now, take the m-seal and mix the resin and hardener thoroughly to form a homogeneous dough.



Step 3: Remember, m-seal is quite annoying as it starts setting up after half an hour of mixing. So start making a face and hands from it right away. First, separate the m-seal in proper quantities for the features. For the face, you can make a smooth oval and create its features after that. Add the hair made using a flat piece of M-seal and any additional accessories (I made a small red hair bow). For the hands, just roll out a cylinder and then flatten one edge to make it seem like palms.



Step 4: Now place the hands in such a way that the palms overlap each other. Secure them with strong glue. Now, place the head in such a way that it is tilted slightly to one side and it rests over the palms. This is a tricky part so be careful and quick. Support the structure in the back with some more M-seal if needed.


Step 5: This is definitely the most hardest step of all. By now, the M-seal starts to dry and and it becomes really difficult to mould it.
So you'll need to do this quickly.  Make a slit on the bottom of your prop and attach one edge of the chart paper base in it after applying some strong glue in the slit. Make sure that it is well supported and ensure that the prop doesn't fall off the base.


Step 6: Let it dry overnight. You can use a thick book to support it. Just ensure that the base of the prop does not have any rouge glue oozing out of it or else the pages would stick to your bookmark.
And if you try this on your textbook, hey, I will not be held responsible for any page - tearing incident.



Step 7: Once it is hard and dry, it's time to paint it! If your M-seal is white, you might not need any base coat, but if your M-seal is black like mine, it needs a white base coat. Paint it completely white so that the colours you will apply later will be opaque and bright.



Step 8: Now, splash your prop with colours! (That was just a phrase, colour it carefully) You can use any colours you want but it is more advisable to use bright, eye-catching colours.





Step 9: Detailing time! Add details  like eyes, lips, the creases on the bow, etc.



Step 10: Let it dry overnight.


Congratulations! You just learnt how to make a super-cute prop bookmark!
The best part of this is that it is unique, handmade and you can make a prop of basically anyone and anything. You can even make a fandom-related bookmark or an animal shaped bookmark.
I hope you liked this tutorial! Was it worth writing this for three days on my train journey? I think it was!
It feels so good to be back writing in my blog after a month! But I hope this post was worth it. :)
If you want to check out how to make really quick, cute and simple fandom related character bookmarks in just 4 steps, click here!


Instagram: @manasa2510
E-mail: manasa2510@gmail.com
Twitter: @manasa2510

You can now subscribe to my blog to recieve my posts as newsletters straight in your inbox! All you have to do is just enter your email address in the subscription box (which is on the top of my blog in the web version if you are reading this in your mobile) and that's all! Do subscribe and share, it will make my day!


Happy crafting! Adios!

Sunday 10 January 2016

This letter will INSPIRE you!

Namaste!

Why did I greet you with a namaste? That's because 'Namaste' means, "I bow down to the divine within you". Beautiful greeting, isn't it? Read on, because what I am going to say is important.

You matter to this world. You are a wonderful, beautiful miracle. This is your life. You can change it whenever you want. Live happily. Don't choose anything that brings unhappiness to you unless it is beneficial to the whole society. Make your choices. Don't ever regret doing things that made you happy in a good way. It is almost never too late to do anything you want. Nothing is impossible.

Work smart. Do your work consistently. You will reach your goal in life, no matter how far away it is. But always have your goal in your mind. Think about what wonders will wait for you when you cross the mountain of hard work, agony and failures. There is a wonderful life waiting for you. There is success waiting for you. There is happiness waiting for you. Plus if you become famous enough, you can meet your favourite celebrities too!

Be independent. Never depend completely on somebody to do your work. They have their own life and difficulties to take care of. Learn to love yourself. Never be negatively influenced by what others say about you. You do not live for them. You live for yourself. Never act like somebody else. Be yourself.

There comes a time when you feel like giving up. Like you are worthless. You feel as if your life is just a miserable series of failures. But remember, failures are stepping stones to success. Never give up. Don't be ashamed to cry. Crying expels all the negative energy within your body. You will feel better after a good cry.

There are so many people who care about you. Your family, friends and relatives love you.There are more than a billion cells in your body and all they care about is your well being. You are the result of a 3.7 billion years of evolution. Never underestimate yourself.

You have so many beautiful things to see and experience in your life. You are not alone. Don't feel ashamed. Time heals everything. People tend to forget.

Achieve something. Show the world that you can do something. Value time. Respect nature. Try to see things from the perspective of others before you argue. Compete with yourself. Be strong. Be brave. Achieve your dream. Change your life. You are unique.

Love,
Manasa.





P.S. This is an improved version of the letter I wrote to encourage myself. I hope you are as inspired by it as I myself am.

Instagram: @manasa2510
E-mail: manasa2510@gmail.com
Twitter: @manasa2510
Did this letter improve your day? Do tell me in the comments!

You can now subscribe to my blog to recieve my posts as newsletters straight in your inbox! All you have to do is just enter your email address in the subscription box (which is on the top of my blog in the web version if you are reading this in your mobile) and that's all! Do subscribe, it will make my day!

Have a happy day! Lots of love!


Adios!