6 Safe Internet Practices to follow #BlogChatterBlogHop

 It's always amazing that everything is in our finger tips due to internet. We use internet for many things - like check reviews online before watching a movie, order food, quickly check the status of our loved ones , search for an old friend, read blogs and watch videos before traveling blah.. blah.. 

Internet has become an important part of our lives. Sharing our wifi password to the guests at home is like an age old tradition of offering water to guests .. lol.

But, only one question remains in our heads. How safe is internet? How to prevent malicious security attacks, hacking and many other problems that we face being online. 

How to protect our data and how to ensure privacy? This is a large topic but here are some practices I follow to be safe on this world wide web.

6 Safe Internet Practices that I follow :

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Ad blocker and popup blockers:

I always use popup blockers on my browser. Whenever some new website shows a popup to allow Notifications, I always click Deny. We have many ad blocker softwares available which are powerful and I feel, they are very helpful.

Photo sharing securely on social media:

I hope, you all are utilizing the feature of sharing personal photos on social media to specific people and not to public. This feature is available in all social media sites including the popular facebook and instagram. 

Please don't share children's photos publicly. To share photos to a group of people or family, Google drive and One Drive is better. It is very easy to upload photos to social media and share in a click, but we don't want anyone to misuse our photos or our children's photos, right?

Location Settings OFF:

I always set my location settings off while browsing. Google tracks our travel history when we search with google maps and drive to specific location. You can specifically turn location settings off on google and Facebook. 

Image by Biljana Jovanovic from Pixabay

Anti virus software:

A good anti virus software and regular scans for vulnerabilities are a must for safe browsing. This investment is never a waste for a personal laptop. 

VPN (Virtual Private Network):

I use VPN only for work, but this is good option if you want to keep your data safe. Don't trust public wifi for important work dealing with sensitive data. 

Restrict downloading of apps:

I would never download an app if I don't think it's useful. Even If I have to download, I use it for sometime and uninstall it when I don't use. 

Many apps collect personal information and are not secure. I heard, TEMU is such an app which isn't secure but provides cheap items. 

Image by Thomas Ulrich from Pixabay

Bonus tips:

• Always check that website url has https: to differentiate between secured websites over not safe ones.

• Try not to signup on websites if you don't trust them. The problem is not only about revealing your name and email id, but also because your inbox will be spammed with multiple emails.

• Don't signup to websites with facebook or with google. It's better to create an account, and delete that account when you don't use those websites. I don't like when I have to give permission for that website to post or view my information on facebook / instagram when I signup.

• Try not to share personal information online. 

Image by Bruno from Pixabay

What other practices you use to be safe during browsing? Please do let me know in comments.

Until next time,

This post is a part of Blogchatter Blog Hop and link it to www.theblogchatter.com

Health and Habits #BlogchatterBlogHop

First of all, Happy Ugadi / Gudi Padwa to all who are celebrating.

Ugadi is our Telugu new year and this year, we are celebrating on March 22nd. We prepare and eat 'Ugadi Pachadi' on this day, which is made with 6 different tastes: sweet, sour, bitter, spicy, tangy, and salt. 

Coming to this blog post's topic, I associate my health with my daily habits. 

We are what we are based on what we do regularly. Right?

There is one healthy habit that I am proud of.  I have a habit of detaching completely from work after office hours. Not checking emails or even not opening the laptop after 5PM. I kept my notifications Off on phone for office emails and slacks after 5 PM. 

You don't believe me when I say, my manager doesn't have my phone number. The only way he can contact me is through slack/ office email. Credits to my manager and his perspective on work-life balance. I am so grateful for that.

I consider my brain having a switch. After 5 PM it switches to family mode. It switches back to work mode only the next morning at 8.30 AM if it's not a weekend. I know, I am very fortunate to be working in such an organization that cares for the work-life balance of employees. 

Try these simple tips:

1. Keep your work notifications off after work hours or at night if not possible. 

2. Set an expectation to your team and manager that you will be offline after work hours and cannot respond immediately. Let there be some exceptions, but set an expectation.

3. Be mindful of whatever task you are doing. If it's work, it's 100% work and if it's a personal task, give it a 100% as well. Don't combine tasks and multi-tasking is not for long-term success.

One habit I want to change is trying yoga daily. I know the importance of yoga on my health and peace. I know that 30 to 60 mins a day of yoga makes a huge difference in my life. I have experienced this difference. 

I prefer taking yoga classes in the morning. But, with kids' school arrangements, it's becoming tough. I am busy with my dance classes and kids' activities at least thrice a week. There has to be a way and I am going to find it soon. 

In this Telugu New year, I hope to make things right. 

What is that one habit of yours which you are proud of? And, what is that one habit you want to change?

Please let me know in the comments.

Until next time,

This post is a part of Blogchatter Blog Hop.

A Typical Day in my Life #WriteAPageADay

 This is my first post of the year, in the second month of the course. Blogging has taken a back seat due to other commitments. 

Here is a fun blogging activity: I will write a post every day in February. This initiative is from Blogchatter.

Today's Prompt: A Typical Day in My Life

Morning: 

I am not a morning person, unfortunately. Still, I wake up at 6.15 am to get my younger son ready for school. After having Coffee prepared by my hubby, I prepare breakfast for my kid. I send him to school and make my elder one ready for school. 

Then, I prepare breakfast for ourselves, and get ready for my office. Fortunately, I am still working from home, so I take my comfy time to get ready before attending our first office call at 10am. Cool 😎 

Work time is till 4.30 PM, lunch at 12.30 PM, and multiple breaks in the middle. You know? Housework in the middle of office work 😉

Evening:

My Evenings are a bit slow and relaxed. Sometimes, I will have tea and snacks. I give snacks to the kids and I might start cooking at 6.30 PM. So, until that, it's either a little bit of Netflix / dance class some days / driving to pick /drop kids at any classes. 

Cooking usually takes 45 to 1 hr. We usually target to complete dinner by 8.30 and sleep by 9.30 PM. 

What stands out in my day?

I love watching Sunrises and Sunsets. From my home, I get to watch the beautiful colors of the sky. How is this Sunrise? 

I love having coffee and talking to hubby in the mornings, which lifts up my mood for the whole day. Those peaceful 10 to 15 mins are an important part of my day.

I love pickup and drops to and from school. I love the conversations with my younger one in the car while picking him up from school and conversations with my elder one occasionally dropping him to some class. I cherish those moments.

I love 'ME TIME' when I watch Netflix for some time in the evening. It's not often that I get to enjoy a show for more than 1 hr.

I love reading a good book for 30 mins before sleeping in the night. 

How is your typical day and what stands out for you in a day?

Do let me know in the comments. 

Until next time,

Word count: 411 words

5 lessons learned from being a teacher

This is the second post that I am writing for #MyFriendAlexa campaign. I will write 8 posts in September month - 2 posts a week and see my Alexa Rank grow. 

If you are on twitter, follow me @mahathi_ramya. I am using #MRReads hashtag for all the wonderful blogs that I am going to read and share. I will share my posts with hashtag #FantasticFeathers.

September 5th is celebrated as Teacher's day in India. On this occasion, I want to share my learnings on being a teacher. 

To the people who don't know, I am a professional classical dancer (Kuchipudi) and I am teaching some students at home just to share my dance skills and improve myself. I have started teaching dance since last year and there are many new qualities that I learned so far in this journey.

Having Patience :

I salute each and every teacher who taught me with patience during my childhood. I think this is a must have quality in a teacher. 

There will be different types of students - a few might be over enthusiast and want to learn more in one hour, whereas a few students don't want to go to next class until they refined their old lesson. A teacher should have the patience to deal with different types of students. 

Sometimes, a teacher needs to repeat the obvious thing a hundred times until it goes to the brain of the student. If some students cannot focus, a teacher has to talk to them about how they can concentrate. I am still learning this new skill and improving on it.

Giving Support :

When I joined my dance class at the age of 6 years, I don't know what dance is. I was not sure if I could do the steps taught by our teacher Ms. Parvathi Ramachandran. But, my teacher and my parents believed in me when they joined me in Dance class. They supported me and encouraged me to learn complex steps and face challenges. 

Now, I am learning to be supportive to the students who underestimate themselves. I am encouraging them that they can take baby steps initially and take time without hurrying. This support and trust from the teacher on a student make a lot of difference in their learning.

Being a life-long learner :

When we teach something to the others, we will actually know how good we are at it. While being a dancer is one thing, teaching the skill is an entirely different thing. If you are not 101% sure of what you are teaching, you cannot teach. You need to practice better first, to be able to train others. 

Thus, I learned that I shouldn't stop improving myself and I should be a life-long learner in this field.


Appreciating the uniqueness :

An art is different when compared to academic learning. To a maths teacher, a student solving a problem himself based on the formula she taught might give her satisfaction. But, in any art, there is no limit of creativity and no two persons have the same creative skills. So, as a teacher, we should only guide students on how to express the feelings, present on stage and other technicalities.  But, a student might completely surprise us with their unique style of presentation. 

After the basics are learned, it is the uniqueness of each student that makes a difference. A teacher has to appreciate this and encourage students instead of forcing his/ her style on the students. 

Dealing with failures :

I remember failing on the stage once or twice. But, I didn't remember my teacher scolding me for that. Mistakes happen and that's how we learn. As a teacher, we should talk to students about their shortcomings and how they can improve instead of hurting them and making them feel low. 

I think as a teacher my responsibility is to prepare my students to face failures, learn from mistakes and deal with their mistakes. 

A teacher can transform your life. I am trying to be a better teacher day by day. So, Happy Teacher's day to all those lovely teachers and to me as well ;-)

In your opinion, what other qualities are important for a teacher? Do let me know in comments. 

Until next time,

I am taking my Alexa rank to the next level with Blogchatter.


Also, Linking this to #MondayMusings hosted by Corinne @everydaygyaan.