Kaplan GRE Exam Vocabulary (Phone App)

Posted on December 7, 2011 by admin

Designed technically for those aiming to crack the GRE, this app is an amazing tool for anyone trying to better their existing vocabulary. Armed with over five hundred flash cards, this application gives definitions, synonyms and usage of these words. It also has phonetic pronunciations of words and their parts of speech.

There are different levels of difficulty, from beginner to difficult to advanced. For each word, there is an option to bookmark it with a star, so you can go back to the word whenever you want.

Since it is designed for the GRE there is also the option where you can take a quiz. Multiple choice format is also available. You can set the font size according to what is most suitable for your viewing. For landscape viewing, you can simply tilt your device.

It is a good tool for those who want to learn new words. Say you have a few minutes to kill before meeting someone, just turn your app on, and you can go through their numerous flash card to build on your word power on the go.

There could have been more words, I think. Although there are other options too, like Kaplan MCAT and Kaplan Biology, for the respective subjects and contents. Some of these come at a price, whereas the Kaplan GRE app is free.

The app is user friendly. It is fairly easy to use. The bookmarking section allows you to go back to the words you have bookmarked, should you wish to go back to them. The existing word bank is extensive.

All in all, a good, and informative application to have on your phone.

My rating is : 4/5

Link: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.gwhizmobile.vocab&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsImNvbS5nd2hpem1vYmlsZS52b2NhYiJd

Posted in Android Apps | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

What are the odds?

Posted on November 30, 2011 by admin

Have you ever said the above words in reference to any situation in your life? I know I have, and many times, indeed without any notion of what the odds really are and how one arrives at a number for them.

Odd though it may seem at first, odds and probabilities, are defined as a state of mind towards some proposition of whose truth we are not certain. Though they may be a state of mind, some genius somewhere, decided not to agonize and squirm mentally, but to do something about it. (Maybe just to kill time, or take his mind off the buggering question!)

I found myself this morning, obviously unable to sleep because of the same buggering question. What are the odds that my daughter gets admission to the school I want to send her to? Consider this. There are 500 seats available and 3000 students applying for it. What is the probability that Saee will get selected?

When I was done rolling and lolling aimlessly in bed, I decided to do something about it. Thank God for the internet. I was able to log on and find out how to calculate probabilities.  Here’s what I got.

A lot of people with weird sounding and difficult to pronounce names, have done a lot of work on these problems. Probability calculations are used for risk assessments in commodity trades. They are also used by the government in environmental regulation. Most of the probability problems use dice, and cards as a tool for learning. For example, a dice has 6 faces, and you want the face with the digit 2 to face upwards when you roll the dice, what is the probability for this event? Get what I mean? Who said gambling was for good-for-nothings? So much for ‘lucky-hand-at-poker’, it is all a matter of how well you studied math in school.

I didn’t. I barely managed to get a passing score in math. Thank God for my mother who tried her level best to see to it that I still managed to get a decent score in the numbers department. I still can’t remember any tables beyond 12. Shamefully yes, I still have to calculate beyond the table of 12. Algebra was okay. But geometry eluded me. All the shapes and figures in my book were just nuisances some people had put in my life to make it miserable. Talk about trigonometry, limits, derivation… these are all just super sounding words I remembered because of my affinity for words (not the concepts, the words, mind you!) I loved big words. Always have, always will. All I remember parabola and hyperbola are for the way my big burly coaching class geometry teacher used to say, Pyarabola.. Kya bola? :D

Coming back to the question in question, all I remember is that the symbol for probability is “U”. Maybe from the way the inventor might have shaped his hands to rest his head.

Poor Mrs. Joglekar. How hard she tried! I wish I’d have paid more attention. Maybe then I would have  had my answer today. (Not that it would have helped, certainly not, but it might have helped me kill time!)

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Off to School

Posted on November 25, 2011 by admin

In a few days, the circus will begin. Just that we won’t be the audience. Nope, not even the innocent bystanders. We will be right there, in  the ring, doing gymnastics or whatever it is that circus people do. It is that time in your child’s career, when you must secure admission for her in a ‘grown up school’.

Saee has been quite excited by this new school she will be going to. Having heard stories that the new school will be big, with lots of space to run around and lot more friends to play with, she is busy day-dreaming about her fantasy school. I for one, am terrified.

I wish I could be as nonchalant as my unassuming  husband. He seems to be okay with whatever school our daughter goes to. I, on the other hand, am having nightmares. Rather, I’d be having nightmares, if I could sleep.

Choosing a school is no longer something parents are able to do. It is quite the other way round. A school chooses you. Like for example there is Singhania School in Thane. You apply for the admissions and wait. Cross-fingered and cross-eyed with anxiety. The admissions are on the basis of random sampling.

But you can’t afford to wait to see if you get admission there, can you? The results are only displayed in the end of the month of February. By that time, all the other schools have finished their act. So unlike other ‘smart’ parents who have taken admission for their ward in another school, you are left in the lurch, hanging by only a faint sliver of hope that your child is ‘randomly selected’ in the best school in Thane.

How do you decide which school shall be the best? Well, if I were able to choose, I’d probably say, Daly College in Indore is the best you can give your child. They teach your child everything from horse-riding to shooting. Of course, that is if you can afford to pay for the tuition. You must choose then, from what is available. Based on what I have heard, Singhania is the most sought after school in Thane. I have no inkling, why this is so. Yet, ever since I came to live here in Thane, even before I had Saee, I would hear a statement every now and then that would go, “Oh, my child didn’t get admission in Singhania,” with a corresponding droopy face, or “XYZ goes to Singhania!”. Need I say anymore?

But other than the frenetic obsession with which Thane-iites seem to revere this school, I have no idea why it is so revered? The campus is big, sure, but so was the campus of my relatively unknown school in Vasai. How do they teach? What is their philosophy? Do they force children to think for themselves, or make them parroting machines? The school won’t even let parents or prospective students’ parents within the premises unless admission is secured. How is one supposed to make a decision? Based on hearsay?

There are other schools too. DAV, Euro School, Nalanda… each flaunting their CBSE or ICSE courses. Each proclaiming to have a bigger campus and better facilities. There is one school which has air conditioned classrooms, and IPod learning for kids! Are you kidding me? What do kids need air conditioned classrooms and Ipods for? We are not trying to raise a spoiled rotten bratty kid here, thank you but no thanks!

There are others who claim to have tie-ups with international schools. Please, man give me a break! Teach my child the basics, but teach them properly for godssake. I do not want to send my child to tuition classes. I’d much rather that the school taught my child well enough that she is able to throw her bag when she comes home and goes out to play. I’d much rather that the school taught my child to be a good human being and to care for everyone. I’d much rather that my child is taught to make paper boats and sail them in water than make her into a fussy kid prim and proper enough to not go near mulch. Is there any school here in Thane that does all this?

I’ll be more than happy to send my child to them. Yet, I know with despair that my questions will never be answered. Schools now are not what they used to be, and probably they will never be. I must go with the herd. I must join the circus.

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Revolution 2020: My view

Posted on November 25, 2011 by admin

When Jeejaji came home this Monday, he put what looked like a nondescript looking book in my hand. One look though, and I knew that it was something I have been eying on since 7th October 2011. That’s the day Chetan Bhagat’s Revolution 2020 released. Although I am not a huge fan of Chetan Bhagat’s previous books, and I know he won’t judge me for this, I always thought that Chetan Bhagat is a mediocre writer whose capabilities have been blown out of proportion with respect to his talent. I was forced to eat my words with this book.

I am not saying  that he is the best writer we have seen in India. Indeed, India has been home to stupendous talent in the writing arena. What I am saying, is that CB has grown mature as a writer, and his writing has begun reflecting that marination. I do believe that talent must marinate before an artist is recognized for his or her art. The artist must soak every flavor his creativity has to offer, so it reflects in every word, in every sentence, in every punctuation.

Revolution 2020 begins as the protagonist narrating his own story to the writer, which is a nice way to begin a story. The writer forces you to get intrigued, by himself getting intrigued by the protagonist. As he narrates his story, Gopal Mishra, Chetan Bhagat’s protagonist, takes you through his journey of failure, heartbreak and triumph over his shortcomings.

I did get sufficiently interested in the book to be able to finish reading it in three days. This was remarkable, considering some of the new crop of writers’ books, that have been gifted to me over the last couple of months are so unreadable, you can’t proceed beyond a mere couple of pages. The language is impeccable. I love the fact that even though the book is grammatically perfect, there is still the subtle Indian-ness about the language. It doesn’t repel you; quite on the contrary, it brings you closer to the protagonist.

Set in Varanasi, it is the story of three childhood friends. Gopal, Raghav and Aarti. They each have their ambitions and their affections. How easy or hard is it to achieve what they want in this society which rewards those who are willing to bend the rules to their benefit? While Gopal struggles with his humble beginnings and mediocre abilities, Raghav is more able, smarter and the one with the will to bring a change. In a society which demands money for just about anything, who will ultimately succeed? The one who will bend, or the righteous one? In the end, you are still not able to decide. That’s the beauty of the book, as it draws from the biggest and best lesson of life… life itself.

The end could have been different. I would have presented it differently. I like the route CB makes Gopal take in the last few chapters, though, I for one would have preferred that Gopal would have done it differently. According to me, there was no need for Gopal to alienate Aarti from him, so that he could do what was right. He could have done the right thing, without having to portray himself as a bad person. But then again, that is just my point of view.

Revolution 2020 is definitely not in the league of A Thousand Splendid Suns, The God of Small Things, or To Kill a Mockingbird. It is not a book you will want to read again and again, to comfort you when you need a friend. Yet, it is a book which read once, will not fail to make a definite impression on your mind. You will be left thinking about Gopal, Raghav and Aarti, long after the last page is turned.

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My Cookbook Collection

Posted on November 21, 2011 by admin

As I amble along (at a much slower pace than I would prefer) on my other blog, there are still many people who don’t believe that I am, as a matter of fact, making these recipes. Please note that the cutlery and crockery in each of my pictures is pretty much repetitive. A big part of the credit for this newly acquired cooking skill goes to my mother. She is one talented lady, and her shoes are too big for me to fill. Also partaking of the credit, is my fantastic cookbook collection.

To those who are learning to cook here are some of the cookbooks I recommend.

1. Rashmi Uday Singh’s Chicken Cookbook

This book has taught me a lot about how to handle chicken. What is meant by boning the chicken, trussing, how to make sure the marinade works well. It has a vast collection of chicken recipes from India and all over the world. A lot of well-known chefs, a few celebrities, and the author herself have contributed to making this book a bible of chicken recipes. I especially love her “My all-time favorites” section.

2. Exciting Vegetarian Cooking by Tarla Dalal

That Tarla Dalal is a cookery expert, is no secret. In this book though, she excels, in that she provides a little bit of everything. Right from Gujarati Undhiyo to Chaat items, to continental recipes. Everything is vegetarian, and yet for the most part, extremely delicious.

3. Fun Foods for Fussy Kids by Sanjeev Kapoor

Feeding kids is a challenge for most  mums. I bought this book as something of a faint thread of hope that my daughter will eat some of it at least. It turned out that not only does my daughter love this recipes, so do my husband and me. They are fun, fast and fabulous. Chef Sanjeev Kapoor is a miracle-maker.

4. The Authentic Goa Cookbook by Deepa Suhas Awchat

This book is my new religion. I love Goan cuisine. And I love Deepa Suhas Awchat for bringing me the recipes to some of the most amazing Goan Hindu and Catholic preparations. If you ever get your hands on this book, please try the Chicken Xacuti and Tender coconut and cashewnut curry. Just brilliant! Priced at Rs. 345/- this book is a steal, I am sure you will cherish forever. Just one tip: Follow the recipes to the T. Exactly. And you will have a recipe everyone in the house is praising.

5.Anjum’s New Indian by Anjum Anand

She is the Nigella Lawson of India. The recipe I got the maximum praises for, on Project Indian Cooking, was the Tomato Poached Eggs. It is ingenious to say the least. I also loved her Goan fish curry, stir fried peppers with gram flour,  and tomato rice. Once again, should you find this book, follow the recipes in the exact manner. They won’t fail you. They are that accurate! The best part is that each and every recipe is associated with the corresponding picture. It makes it that much easy for you to visualize the final product.

6. 1000 Indian Recipes

This book is a magnum opus of cookbooks. 1000 recipes by different chefs all over India. Although the recipes are really good, there is no good index system to find the recipes you want. Also there is not a single picture in the book. It seems more like a textbook. Without the pictures, it becomes difficult to know what the end result should look like. Otherwise, it is a really good book, with a lot to choose from.

7. Sampoorna Paakakala by Usha Purohit

This book of vegetarian cooking is in Marathi, therefore may be a hindrance to some. I learned most of my day-to-day cooking from this book. My chakali recipe on the blog is from this book. The measures are a little vague though, sometimes. Yet, overall, this book makes for good everyday recipes.

A lot of thanks to all these chefs  who have made my life easy. If I have come to be known as a good cook, from a barely passable one, I owe it to my mom and these books.

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An Extra-marital Affair

Posted on November 15, 2011 by admin

I am having an extra-marital affair. I am absolutely head-over-heels crazy in love with the new addition to my family. Nope, it’s not what you are thinking. This is my new smart phone, the android phone that I am in love with.

First of all, it is really sexy to look at. Sleek, stylish and really really cute. The lime-green side panels just add to its charisma. To someone who has been using hand-me-down phones all her life, this is like a dream come true. Alright, I’ll admit. I haven’t used only hand-me-downs, I have used brand new phones as well, but none this sleek, none this stylish. It is almost like being able to romance Aamir Khan after having being content with Emraan Hashmi  all along.

Then there is that other divine feature that I have been drooling over for a long time. It’s a touch screen phone. How cool it is to be able to use your fingers to do all the talking… so to speak!

The clarity, the camera! Ah! Every penny spent was worth it. (Even though, half the pennies were very generously gifted to me by my loving mom.)

The best part though, is the android. It is bloody smart! It knows when to switch of the display light, like for example when you are talking to someone, and switch it back on as you move the phone away from your ear. It knows which contacts are present on Facebook, the new addition to the roti, kapda and makaan philosophy (I believe, the world has come to a stage, where food, shelter and clothing are no longer the basic needs of mankind. Facebook is as essential for survival as the other three) and imports the images to your phonebook! How cool is that!

It also saves the text messages in the form of conversations, like in a chat, so you no longer have to go to your sentbox to search what was it you had quipped the last time around to a particular person. It is all there, systematically and chronologically arranged.

Last but not the least, there are the cool games. The Talking Tom that Saee loves, which led to the addition of three more talking friends. The angry birds, a fantastic way to kill time, and Whatsapp.

There are other cool things such as the dictionary, you tube, gmail, facebook, navigation, google maps, gtalk, and the best one… quickoffice!

What’s not to love? It is almost like having a secret extra-marital affair with your phone. Never mind that the object of my affection is more in the hands of my daughter than me. No wonder that my husband wanted the exact same phone as a birthday gift.

Guess. now he’s the one having the extra marital affair. Tables turned, my friend, tables turned!

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Confessions of a hassled Mommy

Posted on August 9, 2011 by admin

While I was driving to work today, I saw a lady toting her young son to his tution classes. I guess that he must be going to his tutions as he wasn’t wearing any uniform. Now this child was yelling, screaming and hitting her hand all at the same time. His mother, hair frizzy with exasperation, just tugged on to his arm and pushed him forward.

As I looked on, the hapless woman just looked at me and winced. She must have thought that I must be judging her. I might have, had I been the girl I was three years ago. But being married and having a kid has definitely taught me a thing or two about frustration.

Quite on the contrary, I empathized with the mother. I know how hard it is sometimes. Picture this. You are at a mall, and your kid demands something, never mind that she is going to completely ignore that ‘something’ once it is home. You refuse knowing all too well the fate of that ‘something’. There you go. You are the worst parent in the whole world, and no one could be more neglectful of the child’s desires than you. The meltdown begins, and the child, a perfectly agreeable and cute little person suddenly turns into a tantrum throwing, yelling, screaming urchin! What do you do? Rather, what CAN you do? Maybe pull the child to a somewhat uninhabited area and wait till he/she calms down. This to preserve your own sanity and dignity in a place full of people who are watching hawk-eyed as to what your move would be, ready to cast a judgement on you just in case you prove to be a bad parent.

Picture another scenario. Your child loves a particular vegetable. One day you make the vegetable confidently, basking in the knowledge that your child loves it and will eat it without fuss. HA!

Not so fast, my friend! Your child may just spit out the morsel you put so lovingly in their mouth, refusing lunch or dinner altogether. You can plead, beg, and implore all you want. The decision is made. The die is cast. There will be no more eating, no matter what you do. What do you do? Yup… The right question is… What CAN you do?

Scenario number three. Your child wakes up happily in the morning. First she refuses to brush. She has two different toothbrushes and two different toothpastes to keep her ‘motivated’ to brush her teeth. But this morning, she doesn’t want either. She won’t brush if her toothbrush was made of angels’ feathers. Every effort of yours to not turn unpleasant turns to zero, zip, zilch! Strawberry milkshake for breakfast, you ask. NADA. Jam biscuits? NYET!

That’s right… What CAN you do?

And this is just the tip of the iceberg. Your child has now begun to exercise her rights. And you are just the big bad government! At every little step of the day, you will be questioned, challenged and taken to the brink. Everyday, you will be pushed, pulled and slapped.

No matter how many times you have told her not to, she will still hold on to your combed hair while you are helping her put on her shoes, and that hurts!

Sometimes then, all you want is to be able to land one smack right on the bottom of that little tyke. Yet you know that you are not proving to be a good example if you let your anger show every now and then.

Managing a kid is therefore a circus act. You need to juggle all the balls carefully, never losing sight of what is really important. Yet, there will be times, when you lose it and yell. Don’t feel guilty. Even moms deserve a break sometimes.

Coming back to the lady in question, as she looked at me, I just smiled her her knowingly. She smiled back gratefully. Neither of us said a word, but understood each others’ plight completely.

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Confirmation of ownership

Posted on July 30, 2011 by admin

“”This post confirms my ownership of the site and that this site adheres to Google AdSense program policies and Terms and Conditions: ca-pub-6336125164912130

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What’s my worth?

Posted on July 5, 2011 by admin

So many women have come forth and told me time and again, that I am lucky to have a great husband. He takes care of my daughter, and helps me around the house. When I am sick he is by my side, and he even cooks on occasion.

Has anyone told him that he is lucky to have me as his wife? I doubt. The only men who are ever told that they are lucky are the ones who have great looking wives, who do every small chore in the house, take complete charge of the husband’s and the child’s care, and go out, work and earn a small fortune.

There are many women I know who work equally hard at work and at home. I want to tell my Late Father and my Late father-in-law that they were lucky. I want to tell Jeejaji that he is lucky to have Pratibha Tai. I want to tell every man in this world that he is lucky to have his wife.

Don’t get me wrong. I love my husband. He is a great guy. I am happy that he is there in my life. But it is only me who can decide what I am worth. Nobody gets to decide that for me.

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Mission Mommy

Posted on June 23, 2011 by admin

Up until a couple of months ago, I didn’t believe that I could ride a bike. Then I took that first step, and thought ‘Whoa!’ I don’t know how these bikers ride like crazy people whizzing past at full speed! I could never do that.

But you know what? I am a mommy. I never knew what superpowers God grants women when they become mothers. I have discovered my alter-ego as a result of being a mommy.

I have taken this new job which allows me to work in the afternoon. At the same time my daughter goes to school and to the daycare facility in her school for a couple of hours everyday. Come evening, my mind is flooded with images of my poor little daughter being tortured in her daycare. (In a mother’s mind, torture = not getting enough love!)

As soon as my work in the clinic wraps up, off I am va, va, vrooming to rescue my damsel-in-distress. With one eye on the road, and the other on the speedometer, I am not satisfied till the speedometer on my two-wheeler reads 70 kmph. Yes there are daredevils in this world who drive their two wheelers at 120 kmph (like Sushant Raut of Vasai) but for me 70 kmph is a high average. The other day I even touched 80!

I can almost palpate the angry looks the other drivers fling my way. If they were real, you would probably find a million stab wounds all over my body. Ah, but their daggers are only imaginary. And I do wear that invisible ‘Knight-in-shining-armor-going-to-rescue-my-princess’ look. They don’t know do they? I am a lioness going to release my cub! I am a female going to bring my offspring to a safe haven. I am the quintessential mother.

I may be overprotective (that’s what Shrikant says!). It took me a long time to even get comfortable with even the idea of sending Saee to a daycare center. Who knows what kind of food they get? What if the other kids are mean to her? But Shrikant is right. I can’t be with her forever! She must learn to fend for herself. Sooner the better. But oh… she is so tiny! So hapless… :-(

Ergo, the rushing. Everyday I fly to my baby bird thinking that I might find her in tears for being so late (and inconsiderate!). I sit in the parents’ waiting area cocking my ear to pick up sounds of inconsolable crying. Instead my stunned ears pick up the same sounds everyday, “One, two, three… or Jack and Jill…’ Everyday she turns to her governess and waves bye. Everyday she gives her a flying kiss.

Everyday… the sharp knife of jealousy and pure hatred pokes its way deep into my heart. If I won’t let it, it will tease the muscles of my heart here and there to see if it can get any wiggle room. But deep down there it goes, without mercy.

I am happy that my child is adjusting well and I don’t want to see it happen any other way. I only hope that when she grows up, she will realize what her mommy was capable of, for her. Her mommy was on a mission.

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