Hey Guys! Well the topic's given above, and here is my response. It's 769 words long. Since English is not my first language, I would love any and all feedback.
And of course in return I'll review your essays to the best of my ability.
"Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for a while and leave footprints on our hearts and we are never, ever the same."
And as I sit here reflecting on my thoughts, the person that first comes to mind is my twenty-two year old brother BIGB. When I think of him, I cannot help but wonder just how much of him I see in myself.
For as long as I can remember, I loved imitating bhaiyya. Anything he did, I had to give a shot as well. He played basketball, and a couple of years later, I joined my school's basketball team. He played at the district level and I went on to play till the state level. He joined karate, I joined karate. While he had to leave the dojo with a purple belt, I achieved the status of a sensei by gaining a black belt. All those years I wanted to be just like him, but instead of being annoyed by a clingy little brother, he made my dreams his own, always pushing me to test my limits, to take one more step out of my comfort zone. It is little wonder then that he has affected every aspect in my life - from the way I dress, to the way I perceive life!
BIGB has never been afraid to follow his heart. This is the one trait that I treasure above all else. He is never afraid to lead his life on his terms and not budge in to parental or peer pressure. This one instance stands out in my mind - after having given a number of college entrance examinations the twelfth grade, he had scored very good marks in LOLTEST - the entrance examination for admission into the LOLCOLLEGE, one of the top engineering colleges in the country. So good in fact, that he could opt for the much coveted Mechanical Engineering degree. But for as long as I could remember, Physics was the love of his life and this is what he wanted to pursue in college. Knowing very well that our parents would not allow this, as soon as the marks were declared on LOL' website, he immediately put Physics as his number one preference of study across all the three campuses of LOL in the country, finalized the selections, and only then gave Ma and Papa the good news. Oh boy were they were furious! But today when they see how well he has done, and how happy he is, their eyes gleam with pride. In fact, BIGB is the one to convince my parents to let me apply to Ashoka and other liberal arts colleges abroad, where I can pursue my love of both Psychology and Computer Science. I am more than confident that with his high standards to guide me, I will always be motivated to be the best version of myself no matter where I end up or what I do.
When my brother left for college, it was as if a part of me went missing. This was my go-to man, my rock in life. If I was not in the right frame of mind, if I was disheartened or dejected, he was the one to always have my back. He was the one I always went to for advice because it always seemed to work out and ease my life. With him gone, I began reflecting on all the memories that we had shared - from stealing tamarind pods from our relatives' neighbours' trees in the country, to the long jogging sessions on the beaches of ABC. Every passing day brought a realization that no matter how far we were from each other, our shared history would always keep us close.
He has had a huge impact on my life in the simplest way possible - by just being himself and letting me learn from him. I remember getting beat up every time we got into fights, but I also remember how after every fight bhaiyya never forgot to teach me a choke or a punch for self-defense. He has been that one person on my life who has inspired me to pick myself up after every fall, big or small.
From the pitfalls of procrastination to the secrets of seduction, the lessons I have learnt from BIGB are numerous. I am not sure where I would be today without him, but I do know that I owe a great deal to him. To borrow from the popular MasterCard advertisements - roommate for twelve years, brother for seventeen. But a friend for life!
And of course in return I'll review your essays to the best of my ability.
"Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for a while and leave footprints on our hearts and we are never, ever the same."
And as I sit here reflecting on my thoughts, the person that first comes to mind is my twenty-two year old brother BIGB. When I think of him, I cannot help but wonder just how much of him I see in myself.
For as long as I can remember, I loved imitating bhaiyya. Anything he did, I had to give a shot as well. He played basketball, and a couple of years later, I joined my school's basketball team. He played at the district level and I went on to play till the state level. He joined karate, I joined karate. While he had to leave the dojo with a purple belt, I achieved the status of a sensei by gaining a black belt. All those years I wanted to be just like him, but instead of being annoyed by a clingy little brother, he made my dreams his own, always pushing me to test my limits, to take one more step out of my comfort zone. It is little wonder then that he has affected every aspect in my life - from the way I dress, to the way I perceive life!
BIGB has never been afraid to follow his heart. This is the one trait that I treasure above all else. He is never afraid to lead his life on his terms and not budge in to parental or peer pressure. This one instance stands out in my mind - after having given a number of college entrance examinations the twelfth grade, he had scored very good marks in LOLTEST - the entrance examination for admission into the LOLCOLLEGE, one of the top engineering colleges in the country. So good in fact, that he could opt for the much coveted Mechanical Engineering degree. But for as long as I could remember, Physics was the love of his life and this is what he wanted to pursue in college. Knowing very well that our parents would not allow this, as soon as the marks were declared on LOL' website, he immediately put Physics as his number one preference of study across all the three campuses of LOL in the country, finalized the selections, and only then gave Ma and Papa the good news. Oh boy were they were furious! But today when they see how well he has done, and how happy he is, their eyes gleam with pride. In fact, BIGB is the one to convince my parents to let me apply to Ashoka and other liberal arts colleges abroad, where I can pursue my love of both Psychology and Computer Science. I am more than confident that with his high standards to guide me, I will always be motivated to be the best version of myself no matter where I end up or what I do.
When my brother left for college, it was as if a part of me went missing. This was my go-to man, my rock in life. If I was not in the right frame of mind, if I was disheartened or dejected, he was the one to always have my back. He was the one I always went to for advice because it always seemed to work out and ease my life. With him gone, I began reflecting on all the memories that we had shared - from stealing tamarind pods from our relatives' neighbours' trees in the country, to the long jogging sessions on the beaches of ABC. Every passing day brought a realization that no matter how far we were from each other, our shared history would always keep us close.
He has had a huge impact on my life in the simplest way possible - by just being himself and letting me learn from him. I remember getting beat up every time we got into fights, but I also remember how after every fight bhaiyya never forgot to teach me a choke or a punch for self-defense. He has been that one person on my life who has inspired me to pick myself up after every fall, big or small.
From the pitfalls of procrastination to the secrets of seduction, the lessons I have learnt from BIGB are numerous. I am not sure where I would be today without him, but I do know that I owe a great deal to him. To borrow from the popular MasterCard advertisements - roommate for twelve years, brother for seventeen. But a friend for life!