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A fresh bowl of a ruined semester is one of the most historical dishes of University of Delhi, passing from one batch to another as a legacy. Here is an easy to learn instant recipe to acheive your own ruined semester.

Cooking Time: 6 months

Cal: An average CGPA

Ingredients

  1. Previous Semester’s Grade
  2. Procrastination- 8 Cups
  3. Scrolling on Social Media- 3 Cups
  4. Bunking Sessions
  5. Proxies (optional)
  6. Failed Mass Bunks
  7. Feelings for Crush
  8. YouTube Videos
  9. Netflix (according to spice tolerance)
  10. Societies’ sessions
  11. Fest season
  12. Kasol trip (skip this step if impossible)
  13. Guilt Trip
  14. Tears 
  15. Previous Years’ Papers
  16. Coffee
  17. False Promises (suggested garnish)

Method:

  1. Take a pan and sauté the previous Semester’s Grade with undivided focus, add 2 tbsp of free periods spent in the library. Let it burn. Empty the residue at the back of your head.
  2. Take another pan to add 8 generous cups of procrastination, mix it with 3 cups of frequent scrolling on Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp. Let the mixture cook for 5 ½ months. (Caution: it may lead to allergic reactions like insomnia and lack of concentration during lectures. This may even compel you to miss your lectures scheduled at 8:45 am.)
  3. Grind a few innocent bunking sessions, adding a few drops of pleasant proxies might make the substance addictive in nature. Dry roast failed mass bunks and add it to render slight bitterness. Grind it till a paste is formed having a thick consistency. Add this paste to the pan. Let it cook on medium heat.
  4. At this point empty the newly developed feelings for your crush into a bowl. Marinate it with 2 cups of casual feed checks, several drops of attempts to start a conversation and a pinch of heart-burning. Take a smaller bowl and add romantic hypothetical situations along with 100 grams of cheesy pick up lines for a peculiar texture. Whisk as hard as you can till the emulsion starts bubbling. Now slowly drizzle 2 cups of realization that your crush is in a 3 years old relationship. Transfer the emulsion into the marinade and let it rest.
  5. Add earphones in a large skillet or pot (select a suitable size according to the time taken for you to reach home) over medium-high heat. When sizzling, add YouTube videos to taste. Stir occasionally. One may add mid-week Netflix binge-watching sessions according to their spice tolerance.
  6. Check the pan and stir it with a ladle to avoid the mixture from sticking to the bottom like your professors’ expectations from your assignments. Generously add society meetings, double the number of society meetings if you are in the dramatics society, further add deadlines and workload. Cut your soul into two halves, chop one of the two halves finely and sprinkle it for aesthetic beauty. Add the other half if you are organizing any fest.
  7. Transfer the contents of the pan into the pot. Let the sauce heat and flow over. 
  8. Turn on the “mid-semester break” exhaust when a pungent smell is observed. Take a break from the kitchen and go for a Kasol trip with friends. Now, remember about the fourth step and let your heart sink. Alcohol consumption may reduce heartburn.
  9. As soon as you start feeling alive, turn off the exhaust. At this point, you will realize that the kitchen is burnt. It is time to start all over again.
  10. Repeat step 1-7 and fail miserably.
  11. Take the last skillet available, place it on high heat and add 3 tbsp of semester date sheet, this may cause choking and loss of senses. 
  12. Frantically add 100 slices of guilt trip, a generous number of tears and finely chopped previous years’ papers. Stir vigorously and add infinite cups of coffee for better results.
  13. Garnish with false promises of hard work for the next semester. Serve when hot and burns self-confidence.

 

Feature Image Credits: Aditi Gutgut

Priyanshi Banerjee

[email protected]

Study breaks help give you a short duration to unwind and relax and temporarily forget about the stress of mounting syllabus. However, doing them right is imperative to derive the most out of the 30 minutes of respite.

Duration of the Break

The duration of the break you take heavily impacts your ability to concentrate. It’s is advisable to take study breaks every ninety minutes or so to enhance concentration, and ability to understand and absorb. Taking breaks that last for more than 30 minutes end up actually hampering not only the study flow, but also the ability to concentrate better. By taking larger breaks, one may actually put themselves at risk of actually taking longer to redeem the previously built concentrative flow. This means starting over, and putting in the extra effort of getting your mind into study mode again. A short break of no more than thirty to forty minutes can actually help refresh your mind and improve concentration. The mind feels fresh and ready to take on new information.

Break Activities

What you do during your break is as important as the duration. There are some activities which may actually tire your mind and body, instead of preparing you for another round of revision. Refrain from partaking in activities which include screens of any kind, eg. cell phones, television, iPads etc, as they may tire your eyes, making you more sleeper than awake. Short walks, painting, playing with a pet, cooking etc are better activities to help concentration as they reduce stress hormones without harmful omissions like blue light. Taking a hot shower also helps relax muscles and refresh the mind and body.

Food

Food plays an important role in reducing stress and boosting concentration. Making healthy choices in terms of food and snacks is important while studying, as food can directly affect concentration and stress levels.

  • Omega-3 Fatty Acids

It is no secret that omega-3 fatty acids are extremely beneficial for brain health and memory. Our brains are made of 60% of fat out of which half of those fats are of the omega-3 fatty kinds. Fatty fish like Salmon and trout are good options to obtain omega-3 fatty acids.

  • Turmeric- A staple in the Indian diet, turmeric is another brain boosting superhero. An active ingredient in turmeric, curcumin, is able to reach the brain directly, and benefit memory, reduce stress levels and improve cell growth.
  • Fruits and Vegetables- Vegetables like broccoli and fruits like blueberries and oranges provide vitamins like vitamin C and vitamin K. Including fruits of this nature along with a handful of pumpkin seeds makes for not only a healthy and delicious snack but will also keep you full, preventing unwarranted snack breaks between studying.
  • Dark Chocolate and Coffee- Two sinful indulgences that form the perfect combination are dark chocolate and coffee. Inclusive of flavonoids, caffeine and antioxidants, both these eatables, while delicious in nature, must be consumed in moderation to prevent adverse after effects like sleeplessness, jittery ness and possible heart palpitations.

If you don’t have your parents around to periodically supply you with all these delicious and healthy snacks and meals, fret not. An easy solution would be to stack up on these ingredients beforehand, and prepare a trail mix consisting of dry fruits and dark chocolate and store it in an easily accessible container. Keep the container and fruits within your reach to snack conveniently while studying, or simply take a break and enjoy them.

These three points on making the most out of study breaks are all you need to effectively re-energize your mind and body during the stressful exam period.

 

Feature Image Credits: The Secret Yumiverse

Meher Gill

[email protected]

 

This post originally appeared in Redspoon. For more tips and tricks on the food, visit them at Redspoon.in

It’s that time of the year again. The only thing between you and happy holidays is a traumatic week of final exams. While there are some foods that will definitely cheer you up and keep your energy levels high during this stressful duration, there are others you should definitely avoid, no matter how much you crave for them, especially before your exams. Here are the top food items you just can’t have before final exams.

 

  1. Cookies, cakes, and muffins

 

Cookies, cakes, muffins and pastries contain white flour, which is not digested easily and takes a lot of body energy. So avoid draining useful energy that might help you think more during the exam duration.

 

  1. Chocolates and candies

 

They may appear as a stress buster, but chocolates and candies are high in refined sugars, which can lead to excessive carbohydrate level in the body. So you can end up jittery and distracted during exams, and may even suffer a crash. Better keep the craving aside for a while.

 

  1. Carbohydrates

 

Carbs, if eaten alone and in large quantities, will make you feel more dizzy than alert. This is something you definitely don’t want during an exam.

 

  1. Soda

 

Soda consumption before the exam can not only lead to a sugar crash, but you can also end up dehydrating the whole body. It’s better to keep it for the after-exam party.

 

  1. Cherry Juice

 

Cherry juice is rich in melatonin, which regulates your sleep cycle. So if you plan to stay awake for a late night study, do not have this in the evening as you might speed up a sleep-inducing process.

 

  1. Alcohol

 

This one is definitely a no-brainer. At best, alcohol might cause a headache and nausea. At worst, you might actually throw up on your precious answer sheet. Imagine that, if you like.