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POST EXAM VIBES

Recently my ISC exams finished.  That sentence is enough to bring a wave of relief down my spine but when after the wave has passed then I get to real thinking. After a few minutes of peace, I realize that I have nothing to do, academic-wise. 

Technically, I still do have to start studying a few months after I reach college but I feel a void in me. It really hit hard when I realised that I will never be going back to my 15-year-old school as a student anymore, I did not really get the feeling when I was inside the building but as I stepped out there it was!

I have gotten so used to always “doing something” that it feels weird not to work on something which has a deadline. Now it’s all doing it by your will and to be honest to me it seems more frightening to me as the consequences are larger. For example, if one does poor in their examinations it is totally their fault but it is a given, we had to pass that barrier and due to unforeseen circumstances, an individual may have failed to achieve his or her expectations. But there can be ways by which he or she can improve that, however, when you do something of you your own there is less chance for that as then people are less sympathetic and at times there is no option but to start completely over.  Like when you start a new business venture and the business does not sustain for some reason. 

But I guess that is the real world the tougher it is the tougher we become, we have no choice but to overcome the challenges that are thrown upon us. 

I am trying to get used to it.  Here’s to new beginnings!

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THREE LIFE LESSONS FROM THE TEMPEST, BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

William Shakespeare was truly one of the most influential men of the 17th century. His plays, tragedies, and comedies are an inspiration to us to date. 

Today I bring the three life lessons that I learned from The Tempest, which is one of the last plays by Shakespeare. It is also considered Shakespeare’s most “magical work”. 

Here they are-

First,  Never betray the ones who try to help you. This is in reference to Caliban who was half-human and monster and the only son of the witch Sycorax. Caliban was never loyal to Prospero, his master. Prospero gave Caliban a second life, educated him, fed him and also took care of him but Caliban did not seem to appreciate any of these. Instead, he always plotted to harm Prospero and thwart his missions. However Prospero never punished Caliban but when Caliban crossed all limits by trying to kill him with the help of Stephano and Trinculo, he had enough. 

He punished Caliban extremely harshly which had a life-long impact on him. From this, we all learn not to trouble good people to such an extent that they forget their kindness and empathy. 

Second, Always respect the work people do to help you. 

One of my favourite bonds in the play is that of Prospero and Ariel. Although Ariel was Prospero’s slave he never treated her like one. Prospero always made sure to acknowledge and appreciate Ariel and had also promised to set her free after his mission was completed. His mission would be incomplete if Ariel did not help him execute it.  

Prospero’s constant care and love towards Ariel made her the most loyal servant to Prospero. 

Third, Always prefer your reason over retaliation. Prospero’s change of heart at the end of the play is an example of a selfless good deed that will be remembered by all. 

If Prospero wanted he could have killed or imprisoned  King Alonso and his men but decided to drop his plan as he did not want to cause any more trouble in their lives. He choose kindness and partly it was because of his daughter as she was all set to be the Queen Of Naples as the daughter-in-law of Alonso. Prospero even being wronged terribly did not forget to take back what he deserved, this is what I admired the most about him.

 He forgave his treacherous brother Antonio and his accomplice Sebastian but he also took back what was rightfully his, the dukedom of Milan. 

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Intuition – One Of My Unusual Abilities! & How Has It Benefitted Me Over The Years.

“Intuition is the whisper of the soul” and I have this unusual capability of intuitive thinking.  This ability has helped me in various ways-  the most important one being decision making. In an unfamiliar and complex situation, I am able to make decisions promptly and effectively, thanks to this capability. 

 In the due course of years, I have noticed that my intuition on several things has turned out to be correct -for example in my high school years I had auditioned for two clubs – photography and dance. The photography club auditions were more competitive as there were many candidates but there were not as many candidates for the dance club. My intuition told me that I will make it to the photography club but my chances for dance class was bleak. As expected, my intuition proved me right and I got selected in the former. This thought that I considered being my intuition could have been that my passion for photography was more than that of dance, therefore somehow my subconscious mind propelled me to think positively about it and maybe that’s the reason my intuition turned out to be correct. You get what your heart truly desires and so I feel if intuitively I think positively about something it is because my heart wants it bad and so I put in my full effort to acquire it. 

Relying on my intuition has helped me to be more open to ideas as I feel that my rational mind that mostly relies on logic is limited at times.  Intuition on the other hand allows me to recognize new and exciting opportunities. I have often felt that my intuition has helped me recognize the things that I actually desire to do- those dreams that have a true connection with myself and my core values as well as tat times those are the dreams that I am afraid of pursuing. 

Other than helping me identify my wants, it has also acted as a cautionary element and to a certain extent has allowed me to read people if not 100% accurately but at least to a certain extent.  Recently during my summer holidays last year, I decided to pursue an internship to strengthen my work experience. I gave an interview for a student-based organisation, while the organisation spoke a lot of being charitable and being in community service, yet the body language of the interviewer made me think that this may not be the right place and true on deeper research I found out that this was one of the fake NGOs with no genuine work being done. 

Overall, intuitive thinking has given me access to deeper intelligence and wisdom and it has been a positive factor in my life.  However, I am aware that intuition has its limits and cannot be always correct and that is why I apply my intuition that complements my rational decision-making process. This lets me explore both my instinct and tactical thinking.

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How To Make Reels?- The most happening feature of Instagram.

HOW TO MAKE REELS ? :  Simple steps to make Instagram reels for beginners             

Reels are the newest and the most happening feature of Instagram now days. It is their take on the popular TikTok which was banned in India last year.  Reels are basically short multi-clip videos that can be recorded up to 30 seconds with audio, effects and new creative tools.

According to Instagram, “reels in Explore offers anyone the chance to become a creator on Instagram and reach new audiences on a global stage.”

So, lets learn how to make the most happening feature of Instagram. Below are the simple five steps to make reels on Instagram :

  • You must download the Instagram app from the App Store or the Play Store. All those who have Instagram in order to use reels you must update your Instagram app to the latest version.  Then scroll down 4-5 times in the search section until you see the reels option.
STEP 1
  • Then you have to click the Instagram stories camera and select the reels option and then select an audio which can be a popular song or an original audio of another user. You can also use your original audio by simply recording the video.  If you are using a song you can also select a specific part of the song to use in the reel. 

Note: If you have a public account your audio can be used by other users.

STEP 2
  • After selecting the audio, you have to record the reel by pressing the capture button it has to be  up to 30 seconds maximum or you can also use any video from your gallery which is 15-30 seconds long.  Reels can be recorded in a series of clips one at a time or all at once, or by using video uploads from your gallery. If you are recording you can select Instagram effects for the video like done in stories.   You can use GIF’S or stickers or hashtags and text on the reel. Also if you want the text only to appear at the beginning or at the end of the video you have to set the slider so that it only covers the first few seconds of the video or the last few seconds of the videos.  After recording the video or adding it, you have to click “preview”.
STEP 3
  • After you click preview your whole reel along with the audio will show and you can add a caption, hashtags of your choice and edit the video thumbnail.  You can also add a cover of your choice from the camera roll and tag your friends and family.
STEP 4
  • The last thing you have to do is select where you want to share the reel. If you have a public account the reel can be shared in a dedicated space in Explore, where it has the chance to be seen and discovered by the wider Instagram community. You can also share your reel with your followers by posting it to your feed where it will appear under the new reels section.  When someone views you reels, they can see the song , hashtags and effects you have used in the reel. But if you have private account , reels will only be shared to your feed and your audio will not be shareable with users who don’t follow you.
STEP 5