Video games( MondayTalk #7)

You might have noticed that for the first time in two months I haven't put a blog post up on Monday. I was meant to write it on Sunday night but an interesting thing happened...I bought Sims 3. And anything and everything was put on hold.

Last week was the first week of the second semester. It was such a busy and a bit stressful experience. I have, yet again 7 courses, I have to do a three week internship which will be evaluated and I will get a grade on. Also some of my professors are not on the same page as me in terms of my future plans. I do have some really awesome ones that start to tear us apart to build us up again. I do genuinely appreciate those types of professors more.

Other than that, there was a party on Thursday which was a lot of fun. I had a chance to unwind and let my hair down, dance with my girls and also catch up with friend. I did wash down a number of beers but it was all in the name of good fun. After the party ended I went on a walk with my best friend and waited, like true ladies for the subway and buses to star their schedules. I did have a pizza when I got home, but again, all in the name of not starving myself and in good fun.

This week I have to start on my projects. I have 6 projects these term and they are hard stuff. I can estimate I will have to write a 30 page paper on a macroeconomic subject, a 15 page paper on an entrepreneur and a combined number of  5000 code lines for the other 4 projects. And the code part we are doing it in teams and I will have some help. It is still a lot of work for just 11 weeks of school, now just 10 weeks.

That's about it for tonight. Uploading program will be resumed to normal as of today and tomorrow. I do hope I can keep it up because it is actually really fun doing blog posts. I get to put all of my knowledge in one place and have kind of a weekly diary type post which is fun!

Beat the blues (FactFriday #5)

Every once in a while everyone gets a bit down and not so motivated to go on. Believe it or not there are foods out there that can help you not feel so blue and down.

The thing that we should understand is that we should not stuff our faces just because we are sad. In no way shape or form am I suggesting to go out, buy a ton of junk food and sit in a dark corner and eat your feelings. These are just mood boosting snacks that can help but food is not an answer.

1. Chocolate helps with STRESS! Not only does chocolate taste divine but it can also help with stress. Opt for dark chocolate because it is jam packed with antioxidants.

2. Salmon is great for anxiety. Because I have been in the finals period of the school year, I have a fair amount of stress. Salmon is wonderful way to calm oneself.

Staying motivated (MondayTalk #3)

Because I live in Romania and my educational system is different, I don't have finals week. Finals last 3 weeks here and an average Romanian students has about 5 exams. I myself have 7 this year.

It is so hard during this time of the year to stay motivated and study, study, study. Today I have to study for an exam that I will take in 2 days and I did nothing. Granted I have a 10 on my midterm but that is not the point. Instead of lying around all day I should have worked on something, anything productive! But no... I just sat around and watched tv series like Greek and Grimm. I imagined a lot too. I pictured myself in an Ivy League college, doing a project and loving every minute of it.

As it so happens I love doing projects, research, giving presentations, tests/exams not so much. Even the most basic exam for which I over-studied scared the crap out of me. Giving a presentation, not so much. 

But because I cannot pack up and go and should get back to my own world of studying. Before that I am going to leave you with some tips that make me keep going even when the level of boredom hit an alarming level.

1. If you can take it no more, take a nap. 15 minutes of napping will be like a restart for the brain. When you get up, you will be energized and some of the knowledge will have steeped into your mind.
2. Call a friend. Yes, this can be distracting but if you call someone that is motivated then he/she could help you go on with your own studies.
3. Listen to music. I keep some music rolling on a 5% volume at all times. I don't know why but I can work longer if I have music playing in the background.
4. Have something to drink at all times. The thirst might be an illusion that you are hungry and before you know it you are in the kitchen cooking a four star meal and neglecting the fact that the next day you have an exam.
5. Don't stay up all night. It is not worth it (unless you actually have no choice). Your brain needs time to soak in the information and if you don't sleep for at least 5 hours you might get flustered and screw it all up.

Finals and stress ( MondayTalk #1)

For all the students out there, I know you fell my stress and panic for the beginning of the final exams and the handing in of projects. If you live in Romania or have a similar educations system, then probably you are knee deep in test and project right about now.

I like to joke about being a professional test giver and that that is my major but on a serious note, I know how stressful this time is and not being my first rodeo, I have some tricks and tips for before final period/during so that nobody has a nervous breakdown or anything.