8 April 2012- The day I will never forget

I can never ever forget this date-8 April 2012.The day I gave IIT-JEE. The events of the day changed me for once and ever. I had been preparing for this exam for the last two years in Kota and I was in an above average batch in my coaching,so expectations were always high from me. Also all my school teachers had faith in me and had helped me a lot during those two years.

My exam centre was in Ajmer and I had arrived there the previous evening. I revised my notes and then went off to sleep at about 11 P.M. I slept peacefully and was woken up in the morning by my mother.So a couple of hours later,I was outside my exam centre.Although I had studied in Kota,I had never seen so many students together.So at about 8.30 AM,the gates were opened and I was soon sitting in my exam room.

Paper was distributed soon and looking at the paper I thought that the paper LOOKS easy.So I started answering and the usual things took place.I came out of the exam centre after paper-1 in confident mood.After two hours,paper-2 started and got over in three hours.I came out of the exam hall and had the feeling that I might score around 250 (yes,I was foolish enough to even have thought of these many marks).

So we went back to Kota that night and I was happily saying that I had done the paper wonderfully and might get selected and stuff like that.

Then,next afternoon,my mother told me to calculate my marks and compare that to the expected cut-offs which had came in the newspaper.I procrastinated and told her that I needed to study for other exams.But eventually I decided to calculate my marks.

My first six questions in the first paper were wrong and I was dumbstruck.I had committed so many silly mistakes.But I thought I would score around 180 or so.After calculating my total marks which were just above 100,I was heartbroken and thought I that I am good for nothing.

When you work hard for two years for one paper,it is natural to get depressed if you screw up that paper.I had not even went for tennis for eight long days before the JEE-well this was long duration as the night before my Physics board exam,I was playing tennis with my friend and ended up getting 95 in that.But that day and the following two-three days taught me some great lessons about life.

After one year in BITS-Pilani,I look back and think that the JEE debacle took place for good.Otherwise I would not have worked hard for my AIEEE and BITSAT and could have failed in those exams too.

1 year before....DPP's,Sheets,ISAT,sample papers etc

Now....laptop,DC,Running,Tennis.

What running teaches us in real life

Running teaches us some of the most important lessons in life.It is undoubtedly the best form of exercise and also the best form of utilizing your free time.It is said that the person who can run well can do anything in life as he will have a strong will power.

On a personal note,I have improved my running quite a bit and I can now run about 6km without stopping in between.My aim is to run the Goa Half Marathon next year and I will be training by keeping that in mind.Running is my happy hour and I enjoy the feel one gets after running few laps of our campus.

So what makes running so enjoyable ?

Running is very economical as it requires only a pair of shoes,shirt and shorts.It can be done anywhere and at any time.Running is also said to be the sport that requires very high level of endurance and will power.Marathon runners are the fittest persons one can find on our planet.They would have fought through several blisters and pain to complete the 26.2 mile run.

But what does running teaches us in life?

Running teaches us never to give up and also to keep on trying to improve yourself.It also teaches us to have some spare time for ourselves too.A runner will never be lazy and will always be full of energy.It is rightly said ,"The greatest distance a runner has ever run is from the bed to the road".This quote defines what running is.When you start running,it feels as if you can go on forever.Running also freshens up the mind which is helpful in doing other things.Running also increases your social circle as runners mix very well with other runners.

So what are you waiting for,put on your running shoes and get ready to conquer the miles.

Happy running !

I want to be a child again

This is a bit nostalgic.

Last night I had a dream about my childhood. That has to be the best dream of mine ever.I relived my entire childhood in one single night.I could feel my entire childhood running behind my close eyes.From my days spent in Jalandhar to the days spent in Janglote,I experienced it all.

When I woke up,the only thing that came to my mind was that I wanted to be a child again.I wanted to play all the stupid little games I used to play with my neighbours in Janglote.I want to go back to the swimming pool of Jalandhar and go to school by "Shaktiman".Those days were so much fun.Nothing was serious back then and we used to enjoy every moment of it.Words like 'study' and 'homework' were a joke back then.

Being an army officer's son,I have lived in a lot of places and I still get confused when someone asks me where I am from.I cannot relate to a single place and I have had awesome experiences in whichever places I have went.So let me write all the places I have been to since my birth:

Meerut (1994): Born
Akhnoor (near Jammu): Started walking
Tinsukia (Assam): did nursery here
Dharamshala: did LKG and a bit of UKG
Jalandhar: did class 1st and 2nd and I was joined by my cute little sister Rimjhim here.
Janglote (near pathankot): class 2nd,3rd and 4th.Played a lot with my little sister here.
Sagar(MP):class 5th,6th and 7th.Made lots of good friends here.
Damana(near Jammu):class 8th,the most boring place ever,only one unit was posted here,so very less children to play with.
Mhow(near Indore):class 9th and 10th,lots of masti done here
Kota(needs no introduction):the study palace,did a lot of hard work here in class 11th and 12th which paid off in the end.
Delhi:parents presently there,and I am missing them a lot.Irony that the best place my father got posted and I am not there.Don't worry Papa,wait for my vacations to start and then we'll go to all the malls and shops.

So you can see that I have been to a LOT of places and given a time machine,I would have chosen Janglote over all the other places.I have truly enjoyed my 'bachpan' there.Those evening spent playing cricket near the park will forever be in my memory.I wish I just had one more chance living there.

I truly want to be a child again.

What 2013 holds for Andy Murray

Andy Murray had an amazing 2012 where he won the Olympic gold and the US Open. He has now truly came out of the tag 'the outstanding player who never won a grand slam'. He gave a tough fight to Nadal, Federer and Djokovic and came out on top quite a few times.

Its not that he never defeated them,but he lost against them in the finals.He was defeating them in the ATP series and other events but it was in the grand slams where he lost. But in 2012,he changed his attitude a bit and increased his fitness. In fact Andy Murray once said,"I did not change a single shot in the past year,I only changed my attitude".

Many tennis lovers would remember the way he cried after he lost the Wimbledon finals to Federer. He lost the match after being one set up and in front of his home crowd. Any other player would have gone into depression and would not have returned to the same court two weeks later for Olympics. This shows the professionalism of Murray and his mental strength. He was against the same Roger Federer but this time the result was different. Murray was on a mission and he destroyed Federer in straight sets. Soon he won a tough match against Djokovic to clinch his first grand slam.

Murray may have lost the Australian Open final but he is still a roaring tiger. True that clay is his weaker surface but the other players should be aware of the new found belief of the Scot. He is a real contender this time for the French Open and the Wimbledon. He can be a threat to Djoker's No.1 spot at the top. With Nadal just back from an injury and Federer aging,time is perfect for a new rivalry in men's tennis: Murray-Djokovic.

Lets see if Andy Murray can add more trophies in his cabinet.

Board Tips for Class 12 students

Well its the month of February and students of class 10^th and class 12^th would be busy in their Board preparation. In this post, I’ll give some tips for students of class 12^th so that they can ace their board exams while maintaining momentum for their competitive exam preparation. So class 10^th folks, take ‘lite’.

Last year I went through the same phase and I know pretty well what difficulties we face during this period. But believe me, by proper strategy in these last stages, you can take your preparation to a whole new level and achieve results which can make you and your parents proud.

I’ll give you tips about Maths, Physics Chemistry and English.

Maths:

 My favourite subject and the most scoring subject of the lot, you can score cent per cent by some decent practice. Practice NCERT and solve LOTS of sample papers in exam conditions. I would advise you to do one sample paper of maths every alternate day. When you attempt the actual board paper, that would be nothing less than a cakewalk. And mind you, this will help you in your competitive exams also. Believe me as I too did that and cleared most of the engineering entrance exams.

Don’t leave calculus as that will form the major part of your question paper. Vectors and 3D Geometry are easy topics, so master them.

Physics:   

This is a tricky subject that can be mastered with proper understanding and practice only. Solving mock test papers is a must and solve each and every problem of NCERT- you never know what will hit you! You should have proper understanding of the concepts and ALL the derivations of the book must be on your fingertips. Mind you, ALL.

Don’t even dare to leave the semiconductors chapter as that chapter is of around 7 marks. That is an easy chapter and one day is enough for that chapter.

Do all the derivations of book 1 and all the diagrams/graphs of the book 2. That was a key to my success in the Physics exam.

Chemistry:

Boring but scoring, this is the subject that I studied the most in February as I was pretty weak in chemistry. If you fall in the same category as mine, don’t worry, preparing chemistry is the easiest and believe me on this one.

During my first unit test in school, I scored 23 marks out of 70 and I passed the exam by 1mark only. So you can easily make out how ‘GOOD’ I was in chemistry. But by proper strategy in the final stages before my board exam, I scored 91 marks in Chemistry.

You should be perfect in physical chemistry as it is based on simple formulaes. Practice the equations given in the book for organic chemistry. Learn all the name equations as they come every year in the boards. As far as inorganic chemistry goes, find a nice chair and table and mug your way to it- there is no other way. I know its tough but if you repeat this for about 5 days, you will get the hang of inorganic chemistry.

NCERT is more than enough for preparing chemistry.

English:

Don’t take English lightly as it will either make or break your final percentage. Don’t be disheartened if you scored less marks in English Pre-board exam. I scored 68/100 in my second pre board. Never take you pre-board marks seriously, only take your mistakes seriously.

Read all the chapters carefully and solve lots of sample papers. In my case, my mother corrected my sample papers and I did around 5 sample papers before giving my final exam. I scored 88/100 in my boards and they can be considered as good marks.

As far as writing section goes, be thorough with all the formats and practice writing a few of them.

So a lot of talk has been given and now before signing off I’ll write my marks so that you can see my marks for yourself:

Maths: 97/100

Physics: 95/100

Chemistry: 91/100

English: 88/100

Final Board Percentage : 91.4%

Gave Board Exam in 2012.

So guys all the best and for any query mail me at shreyanshtyagi@gmail.com or drop in your comments, I’ll be more than happy to reply.

5 Things to learn from Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic,the current world number 1 in men's tennis is an epitome of success.He is a true role model for youngsters around the globe.This player took tennis to a whole new level and overtook both Federer and Nadal in a span of one year.We can never be as great a tennis player as Djokovic,but we can try to be as good a human being as he is.So here is list of all those qualities which we can learn from 'the Djoker':

1.Belief
   When Djokovic was a 10 year old, he would tell his fellows that one day he will become the best player in the world.People would mock him and make fun of him but his will power and belief made him practice for hours.People who questioned his ability were silenced and he his the current world number 1.

2.Sense of Humour
   Novak Djokovic is famous for impersonations of his fellow players like Nadal,Federer,Sharapova and Roddick. If you are a keen follower of tennis,then you would observe that sometimes when he hits an unforced error,he does not whine.He simply laughs at his mistake and makes sure to not repeat it again.Apart from playing on the tennis court,he has danced,sang songs and made fun of his fellow players in good light.Joking around is a part of his personality.

3.Routine
   Djokovic has a strict training schedule which is necessary for a sports person of his calibre. Before a major grand slam,he trains in high altitudes.That is because if he can play long matches at high altitudes,then playing matches of 5 hours at sea level would be cakewalk.
   During the start of his career,he would often get tired in long matches and lost lots of matches due to this.But his new training routine helps him play long matches easily and emerge victorious in most of the matches.

4.Not giving up
   Novak has a terrific record of making comebacks.During the 2012 French Open,he saved 4 match points against Jo-Wilfred Tsonga in the semifinal and defeated him.His resilience is phenomenal and he does not give up easily.This is a great lesson for all of us.

5.Humble in both Victory and Loss
   Novak is gracious in both victory and loss.Even if he loses an important match,he wouldn't fall short of applauding his opponent and congratulating him.After defeating Nadal in the finals of 2012 Australian Open,the match which went on for 5 hours and 53 minutes,he said that he felt sorry for Nadal and wished there were two winners.

Truly,Novak Djokovic is a legend and there won't be someone like him again.

Running:The Best Exercise

So here comes the first weekend of the second semester.Classes have begun at full swing and so has the fun and frolic of college life.People in my college are planning to go to beaches,hotels and other places in Goa.But I am keeping it simple as I have a tennis match on Sunday.

In this post I'll talk about health and fitness.

Health is simply the most important thing in life.Its a fact that lazy people are disliked by all.The importance of fitness was taught by my father to me very early in life.I still remember that when I was in Janglote,I sometimes used to go to jog with my father.

Running is simply the best exercise for body as the whole body gets exercised and stamina also increases.Running is more about will-power.Here will-power means to get going and not stop before your desired distance.

Running has lots of benefits.It increases concentration and stamina and keeps the body weight in check.It is also not costly and can be done by anybody who has a strong will-power.

So people,put on your running shoes and prepare to RUN.