Posts by SirNeutron

SirNeutron

Nov 9, 2013

Scholarship / "I am young and I too have dreams" - NTU Scholarship Essay [2]

TOPIC: Describe, in less than 300 words, a short essay on a subject of personal importance to you. You may choose any topic. Examples include: an event which has influenced you or a family member/friend/person who had a significant influence on you. (less than 300 words)

"I only have an hour or so," I said to myself.

Children from many parts of India, including me, were doing the impossible. With only sixteen hours left for the Board Examinations, Maharashtra received an enormous load shedding leading to a black out. With only an hour of power left in the inverter I rushed along, revising my Mathematics syllabus.

The doorbell rang. It was my neighbour Akshay with his mother, Mrs Harlalka.

"We ran out of power, would you mind if Akshay studies at your home?" asked Mrs Harlalka.

There were three of my friends studying in my home already. Nonetheless, we took him in. A few moments later, the lights started flickering. The inverter was almost drained. We had a mutual understanding that it was about time to light up the candles. Straining our eyes in the dim light, we kept on studying with the burden of the exams on our back.

I clenched my report card in my hand, tears rolling down my eyes.

"Merit Certificate," it stated in the card, "For exceptional performance in the Board Examination."

I looked up in the sky, it was a sunny day. But I had not forgotten the event that took place four months ago.

"Wouldn't it be delightful if the blackout didn't occur that day?"

It was Akshay. We looked at each other agreeing on the facts.
Conservation of energy resources, that is what I want to work on. All these years living in India I have come to understand that not only is it a place of many people but also a place of many dreams. I am young and I too have dreams. A dream which empowers people with a future untouched by the crisis of energy.

That is my dream.

SirNeutron

Nov 27, 2013

Research Papers / Have we become too dependent on technology? RESEARCH PAPER [5]

It is difficult to start off from scratch but you got to do it. I am writing few points in the direction you should proceed. If I were to write the paper I would maintain an unbiased notion about technology. We are really dependent on it as well as many features of it is overly depended upon. I see you have chosen your path so I am proceeding your way.

1. Start by writing about technology and how it has shaped the world over time. (everything has a good and a bad side)
2. Now start focusing on the bad side. For example you can state that internet is both a boon and bane (in your case bane). Increased number cyber attacks has swept all the nations. Minors are being exposed to inappropriate materials (well who doesn't? :P) over the web.

3. Social networking websites have made people more asocial. They tend to chat more and seldom interact with real people. People are getting lost in the virtual reality of the social media.

4. The world was happy even before the invention of Macs, iPhone and windows. People now seldom write letters and even more, their vocabulary are getting ruined due to the constant usage of internet slangs like LOL, LMFAO, YOLO etc. These days, most of the action happen in Microsoft word (and in school exam!)

5. Mobile phones are a handy little thing but what freaks me more is the radiation caused due to the mobile towers. Half the mobile towers in the world radiate more harmful rays than they should. These rays are one of the major cancer causing reasons.

6. You can also mention the classic "TV is a idiot box" thing if you want.
7. Everything is going "e" these days. Be it e-books, e-money, or whatsoever. Isn't it more assuring to pay using cash or cheque? One thing goes wrong and you may end up losing a fortune! iPads are really popular these days but can it beat the traditional book (in terms of reading)?

8. Our parents had homework in their generation. Larry Page, Bill Gates all of them had to do homework, write papers in their school. Was there google in their time? How did they do it? Good old encyclopedias!!! Knowledge learned through personal experience and hard work will remain with you forever.

9. Global warming took a toll in the environment many times this year and all because of the tremendous rise in industrialization (also a technology). Increased number of human fatalities, ozone layer depletion, rise in sea level, rise in temperature etc all of these due to technology.

10. To ease our life we frequently drive around in cars to save us from the hard work of walking. This produces Carbon and sulphur emissions from the cars to rise into the atmosphere. here the sulphur mix with water in the clouds to form Sulphuric acid and the same thing with carbon happens, thus forming carbonic acid. Voila! we have acid rain.

11. The global trend is to make life simple. Life has become so simple that we humans seldom come out of our caves and do something physical. More and more people are becoming obese. Boys should go out and play cricket/ soccer and stuff but they tend to play them in their playstation.

12. On the conclusion I am giving you three choices. Either you can write that technology has ruined many integral parts of our life.
OR
Freedom is basic human right and technology has just battered that philosophy of several hundred years to pieces and made us its slaves.
OR
Too much of everything is bad for us. Indeed technology is necessary in life, it shows our thousands of years of evolution. But overindulging in it can have adverse effects on us.

You can also insert the story of WALL-E if you want to make your essay more interesting, yet subtle. (I hope you have seen it. You must)

SirNeutron

Nov 27, 2013

Scholarship / I BELIEVE - NTU SCHOLARSHIP ESSAY (MY VALUES AND BELIEFS) [2]

TOPIC: MY VALUES AND BELIEFS
NOTE: On the contrary to my previous essay, I have written a completely new one, starting afresh.

Growing up in a typical Indian middle class household, I moralise and believe in the quote "Shraddha Aur Saburi". It is Sanskrit for 'Patience and Dedication'.

I believe in excellence. People tend to misunderstand excellence for success and get involved in the rat race of becoming successful. This is not only a case in India, where students are tearing themselves apart for the JEE or so, but also a case in the whole world.

Success is the destination. People seek this destination but often tend to forget the path leading to it, excellence. I believe in excellence, not success. Success comes inevitably when one excels.

Like "Shraddha", one must dedicate himself to his work. My father is my inspiration and it is he who taught me how to dedicate myself. I remember being volatile and always bubbling with energy. It was hard to channelize all that energy but the challenge was worth it.

One may not always get their desired results even after applying themselves. "Saburi" played an important role in my life and taught me about being patient. One may not achieve the desired results each time; patience plays an integral part here. Patience is a hard fruit to bear, even more for a volatile person like me.

My beliefs did not build in a day. I recall remembering the quote "Shraddha Aur Saburi" the day I stood clutching my 'Certificate of Merit' after my Board Examination results came out. I had never felt so happy before.

I am young but I too have dreams; dreams of success and glory. Studying at NTU will bring me one step closer to my dream. It won't be easy at all but I believe in myself.

I really do.