Day 207- "...An
escape to sunny weather and spirituality" (Monthstone reading: 6 months)
A little late but not too much. I have been
travelling again. In fact, even as I write my entry for January I am cosily
reclining in my 'sweet corner' at Chacha's house in Lucknow. The name was tagged
today by my cousin Bhaavya, as I have taken quite a liking to a cosy spot in
her brother's room; with my laptop setup here, I hardly leave this corner.
Though I was done with my major applications in
the month of December, four more remained. I completed them all by mid-Jan.
After updating my last entry, I started on my travel which I had been anxiously
waiting for. The plan was to spend 10 days in Mumbai, 7 days in Bangalore, 3 days in Hyderabad and then back home to Delhi. Let me start with the regular outline.
Road-Map
GRE (done)
TOEFL (done)
University
Applications (done)
Financial Documents (partially done)
Visa
Interview (remaining)
Time-line
·
20th- Dec- 1st Jan- Hibernation in Mumbai :)
·
2nd Jan- 8th Jan - stay in the 'Art of
Living' ashram at Bengaluru...An extremely fulfilling experience
·
9th Jan- 11th Jan- Pit-stop at Hyderabad
·
12th Jan- 14th Jan - Delhi:Chandigarh:Delhi
·
14th Jan- 28th jan - finished
applications; started worked on photography page and logo; photo-editing
·
29th Jan- 4th Feb- Visit to Lucknow
and Allahabad;
Got a glimpse of the Maha Kumbh mela at Allahabad
(an event that happens every 12 years)
So
now that the application season is over, I have switched to the
patience-testing period of waiting for application replies from the
Universities. Till the time I hear from them, its me and my routine....that's what I talk about
in this post.
If you are not already working in a 9to5er and are
in a similar set of circumstances as me, then this post should make sense to
you. No matter how much we covet it, freedom from a 9to5er comes at a cost; the cost of being at odds with a set
pattern. It tends to attract more attention; and suddenly the world becomes
interested in knowing what the hell you are doing with your time.
Life is not a mechanical routine. Discipline is
good and extremely essential for developing in any field; in fact the 9to5er
instills that essential discipline. However, the problem starts when it becomes
difficult to step out of it; unwillingness to leave the comfort zone to try out a path that is more
promising. I call it the 'bean-bag effect'. The longer you sit there, the
harder it becomes to get-up. However, once you are up, you will inevitably face
the withdrawal syndrome and would want to get back to your cozy spot. This is where a few things will
keep you from giving into it.
So this is what I did, and presently do, to ward
off my withdrawal syndrome. I am currently enrolled in a few online courses at coursera, which I would be taking in my
University curriculum once my Fall session starts. I have also enrolled in
alternate courses (like music, nutrition etc) for subject appreciation and
understanding basics. I practice my music regularly, travel and complement my travels with photography. I follow
some interesting photography blogs like 'PhotoJojo' and 'Digital Photography School' and regularly purchase a monthly magazine called
'Smart Photography'.
Currently, I am also working on my photography-page (goes live by month-end).
Along with this, I take utmost care about fitness. It is not only important to
exercise daily (even if for 15 minutes), but to also eat a healthy diet. Apart
from physical health, mental workouts are equally necessary. For these, I turn
to mind-games that boost word-skills, spatial memory, speed etc. An effective
game to try is the n-back
training. This is one of the best work-outs for strengthening recall
power. However, even with all this you may still get distracted, impatient or
restless at times; this can be taken care of by meditation.
Now lets not get daunted by the term. All it
requires you to do is relax, breathe right, think nothing with your eyes closed
for 15-20 minutes. This small routine promises
better decision-making, calmness and the power of being in control of things.
This I can vouch for from my 5 day-experience at the Art of Living Ashram in Bangalore. Along with the process of Pranayam, it reduces your sleep requirements without letting you feel
any kind of exhaustion during the day.
All these activities have not only helped me in
smoothly transitioning from my office routine, but are also proving to be a
strong training ground for Fall-2013 term. I would recommend adopting a similar routine, if not
the same, to keep yourself active and ready when the term starts. I will be
back by end of February/early March to update you as the admit/reject season
starts then. In the meantime, if you have any questions/ suggestions, please feel free to ask
here. You can also touch base at 'siddhartha.chandra0112@gmail.com'
PS: A regular dose of good movies also keeps the
spirit buoyant. Some of my recent watches (in no specific order of rating) are:
'Never Back down', 'Raging
Bull', '3:10 to Yuma', 'The insider', 'Bridge to Terbthia', 'Mary and Max',
'Finding Forrester', 'Peaceful Warrior' and 'The Green Mile'.
