Preparing for Entrance Examinations

It is an art by itself to prepare for an entrance examination. The important point is to ace in the examination in a short time. This article is written by Arun Roy for students preparing for IIT-JEE. It is applicable for any entrance examination. Some of the qualities that Arun Roy mentions as needed by students are as follows:

• Right kind of attitude
• Perseverance till the goal is met
• Know thyself in recognizing strengths and weaknesses
• Planning a schedule (Time Table)
• Familiarization with the entrance examination
• Practice, Practice, Practice!
• Self-assessment

Plants

Coriander

Kanakambaram

Jasmine

Cooler not working

It is Monday morning. The cooler is not working in the Speare building. The exit doors are all left open for air circulation. This is the second time that I have noticed the exit door left open. The first time was when the renovation work on the roof was going on.
Obviously, all residents in the building left their office doors/windows open for fresh air. It is still not hot yet. We hope the cooler starts working before noon.

Delicious Dessert

Szewing made this delicious strawberry pizza.

Heat – The New NBA Champs

Mavericks was in total control during the earlier part of the game. They had a strategy for every player in Heat except for Wade. Wade slowly picked up heat. Once he became red hot there was no stopping him. Wade is the hero of Heat. A very bright future for awaits this young athlete. He is a selfless player. Though he overshadowed in terms of performance, every member of the Miami Heat team deserved the winning ring.

Wade with the Championship and MVP trophies (Picture Courtesy: www.nba.com)

What is this?

Can you take a guess?

Nature

Yesterday evening was prime time for me to take some pictures. I felt the elements of nature were talking to me and conveying something. Though, I did not get the message, I captured the moments of my interaction.

Weed
A weed growing in the midst of a puddle.

Bird
A bird that just left and is inspecting the parking lot for violations.

Facing the sun
The Coriander(Cilantro) plants facing the sun and are inclined towards the sunlight while growing.

Dusk and Sunset
I took this shot at dusk yesterday from my apartment.


Lawn
Summer has arrived with the greenery returning to the front lawn.

Advantage Heat

Heat is leading in the NBA finals game. Wade literally stole the match from Mavericks. Mavericks had complete control over the game except for the fourth quarter and the over time. Wade came back at the right time to keep the Mavericks from winning.

Dwayne Wade is a player with common sense. I am in all praise for Dwayne Wade. Even though Dwayne was not able to shoot from the field, he was never frustrated. With perseverance he used his wits to get the better of Mavericks. He used his spin move and his smart dribble to tackle any number of defenders. Dwayne is every defender’s nightmare. He would not hurt you physically like Shaq, he would simply make you hit him and claim a foul. Smart move!

Dwayne Wade cracking the three Mavericks defenders to get a foul call (Picture Courtesy: www.nba.com)

Shaq proved indispensable in spite of Dwayne's performance. He displayed strong leadership skills in the final quarter. He had a positive attitude when he was leading the team and calling the shots. He was vocal and took responsibility in guiding the players.

Heat should be looking to wrap the finals by winning the next match in Dallas. This is a tough job. Mavericks are well motivated and good in Dallas. This is next to impossible with the current form of Mavericks.

Yesterday’s match had a thrilling finish. I am starting to like watching basketball more and more. It is a short game where the odds can turn from one direction to another in milliseconds.

Dominant show by Heat

Shaq and Wade (Picture Courtesy: www.nba.com)

In the 4th game, Heat were in full command. Their defense was commendable. Shaq and Wade played their best in recent games. For Mavericks, only Terry and Harris were able to get some points, but not enough to challenge Heat. Unfortunately, Stackhouse and Nowitzki were not in form. The match had its moments: Stackhouse flagrantly coming on to Shaq, Shaq jocularly getting a technical foul. I don’t know. It is always fun to watch Shaq’s game.

Flagrant foul by Stackhouse on Shaq (Picture Courtesy: www.nba.com)

Growing Season

Jasmine Buds


Coriander and other seeds germinating

Heat Survived

Miami’s Heat survived a critical game yesterday evening. They were well placed at half time. Shaq started off good with support from Wade. He worked on his splits to tackle double teaming. His throws behind the line improved. Little things like these made a big difference in his game. Mavericks were leading comfortably until the last 3 minutes of the game. It was a very close finish. Some critical shots from Shaq, Aslem and Payton saved the game for Heat.

Also, Dirk missed the most important free throw that cost the Mavericks the game. It was a close match, but Heat deserved to win for Wade’s contribution.

Wade is in the top position. But, Heat as a team needs to work more on the coordination.

Commercials and NBA

Some of the commercials during an NBA telecast are excellent.

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.-Ralph Waldo Emerson

This is one of the famous quotes of Emerson that Dwayne Wade (I think) used before basketing the ball after tackling the defenders all around him. It was an excellent motivational clip.

Heat Troubles

Mavericks clearly dominated the second game. Shaq did not even get chance to breathe. His trouble in free throws was aggravated by Mavericks defense, who double teamed to tackle him. On top of this, he is admonished by NBA with a fine for failure to appear on the media after the game. Shaq is in a series of troubles.

The third game is being played in Miami. I hope Alberto (the tropical storm) brings some luck to the Heat during its course of stay in Miami in addition to the rain and winds.

Communication

Think like a wise man but communicate in the language of the people.

-William Butler Yeats, poet, dramatist, essayist, Nobel laureate (1865-1939)

Rafael Nadal is the French Open Champion again

This is a season of many sports events (Football, Basketball, Tennis); today signals the end of French Open Tennis. As expected, Nadal wins over Federer. It is always an absolute treat to watch Nadal and Federer play. Nadal’s Tennis was an absolute display of bravura. He was very emotional after the win.
Gone are those days where the player tries to speak English or has an English translator. Federer spoke French and Nadal spoke Spanish; the commentator did the English translation for International viewers. I guess the absence of an American/English player in the finals has its impact.

Quote

This is another way of saying to always do the right things in life.

Never undertake anything for which you wouldn't have the courage to ask the blessing of heaven. — G. C. Lichtenberg

Mavericks beat Heat in 1st Game

It was an exciting first finals game in Dallas. Terry took the match away from Heat. I was expecting the competition to rise between the two giants, Shaq and Dirk. But, the game was actually controlled by Jason Terry and Wade Dwayne.


Jason and Wade, Photo by Glenn James Getty Images/NBAE
It seems that the Mavericks have a knack to pull up the game after half time. Also, the top scorers in the game missed some simple baskets. I just couldn’t believe that a player of Shaq’s cadre could miss so many free throws. Was the coach helpless? It was pathetic. I guess star power matters here. Shaq alone lost 7 points in free throws. That would have mattered something in the final standing.

Friendship

Damon and Pythias is a mythological story about trust, loyalty, and friendship.

I heard this story recently from Ward who narrates it to Beaver stressing the importance of friendship and willingness to give life for each other. It is a very simple story with a profound thought.

Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia

There is a lot of talk on the radio about hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia and a lot of people consider 666 to be the number of beast. The Omen seems to be cashing on this point.
I wonder who turns 6 today or who will be born today.
It is an absolute coincidence that I posted at 6:00 today. ;)

Rang De Basanti

I had been reading about this movie in many blogs. This movie lived up to its hype. Aamir Khan’s character was, as always, witty. He had been producing high quality and good movies with English actresses. He seems to have some lucky charm when he works with English actors and British regime. (Lagaan, Rang De Basanti) The movie is entertaining and thought provoking, with the recipe for a successful Bollywood story. The language is colloquial, regional, and capturing. Aamir is his usual Ghulam stylish and evokes laughter.

The Constant Gardener

A very well made movie with detailed description of the difficulties encountered in Northern Kenya. It was a coincidence that I happen to watch this movie when Bono and Brian Williams made a trip to Ghana and other African countries. Though, this movie was a suspense movie, it uncovered or described the very much exploitation that huge medical companies carry out in the name of testing. This, multiplied (not added) with the corruption in diplomatic levels, increased the woes of Africans. The bigwigs not only look for guinea pigs in the poor African nationals but also control demand and supply of the medicines. One is likely to feel depressed and deranged after watching this movie.

Mavericks vs Heat

Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat fight each other for the NBA Finals Championship. The Western Conference final matches between Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns were very close. Yelling coaches, arguing players and emotional partners was an all too familiar scene. The Mavericks fought back from a 15 point trail in the 3rd quarter to a well-deserved win. Nowitzki and Terry created magic. It was a slow and inching blow to the Suns. It would be interesting to watch Dirk Nowitzki take on Shaquille O’Neal on June 8th in Dallas. A fight between two giants!

Hail

As I am writing, at this very moment, it is hailing outside. The hail is intermittent. I hope it stops soon.
Even though, it is nothing like the October 2004 hail in Socorro, the deafening sound of hailstone hitting the windows and roof is scary enough for people who have no alternative shelter, insurance or money to handle one more disaster like that.
Update: The hail stopped soon and it was raining for a while. No major damage reported.