A*STAR India Youth Scholarship - Information & Updates

Sorry for keeping the title a little mundane. This post includes the Procedure for Application of the A*STAR India Youth Scholarship and the Syllabus for Written Test. More info & update space coming up.

This is intended to be the first post among the string of posts that relate to the same scholarship and my updates. Please tag along, and if you need any help, just email me at (atharvjoshi@ymail.com) or join the blog. The first post is a bit boring, because it touches upon formal details, but anyways, if you just want the updates, promptly scroll down.

So, Read only if:

Number 1: I presume you are either an applicant/wannabe or someone selected under the Singapore MOE (Ministry Of Education) & A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research) India Youth Scholarship.

Number 2: Or, you just are one of those awesome people I’m missing right now, reading my updates.

Number 3: Ah, just read along anyways! 

To begin, I have some web clippings (jpeg images) that tell something about the scholarship, the benefits, and yeah – the Moolah! Trust me, during my online research pre and post obtaining scholarship, I found websites reproducing the SAME info again and again, which is of no help to anyone benefitting from the scholarship. Sometimes, just reading written text builds your confidence and satisfaction, and as 4 years is no short time span, such info helps. Here goes nothing!

For more info, go to the Official Website. 90% of other hits on Google lead to nowhere but copy-paste!

In short, this promises to be a wonderful opportunity, studying in a country well known for its edu system, enjoying certain benefits, working hard and it can help you shape your future career. But, there are some areas you need to probe, and then decide for yourself whether you are up to the challenges that you will be facing. I arrived in Singapore on 27^th Dec 2011, just like 8 days before, and I found things different from accounts that were recounted by past scholars, through social media or telephone. So, let’s start from the beginning.

In June/July, start checking for the advertisement in any leading newspaper, or just check out the MOE website. Send your documents (Report Books, Birth Certificate etc), and you should fill in a very extensive portfolio online, asking for things ranging from Parent’s details to number of siblings. Leave aside atleast an hour to fill it up carefully. Make a rough note of some of your Achievements, even anything trivial will do. The key is to show that you are good at many diverse areas, be it CCAs, Sports, Academics or Leadership Roles. After filling in, promptly submit and wait for them to contact you. (Send documents through a reliable courier service)

Singapore - The Little Red Dot at the end of the Malay Peninsula

As given in the important dates screenshot, you will get a letter from MOE inviting you to the Written Exam at your preferred centre. Now, you have 3 papers – General Ability, Mathematics and English. During our written exams, the Gen. Ability paper had questions on Series, Complete the Pattern (the kind of Mental Ability you see for the NTSE exam). It mainly tested your spatial abilities, how you can work with shapes in your mind and match the pattern to one of the options given. This test required speed, doing 48 questions in 20 minutes. The English paper is generally quite like school exam papers, divided into sections – Comprehension (Reading Passages and answering based on them), Grammar and a Structured Essay. The Math test is there to scare you, its tough. It covers Algebra (upto Indian equivalent of 9^th Grade), some problems testing Application skills, Geometry (Grade 8), Speed/Distance problems (Grade 10) and yeah, Trigonometry (Grade 10). If you just touch upon these topics, and use your head a little bit, the Math paper should be a breeze. 

During your written test, there are parent & student briefings, and try and listen to the details and ask the MOE representatives whatever queries you have.

After this, you wait. Atleast for about 2 months. If you are selected for the interview, you will get an email and a letter from MOE. Umm, quite tired by now, I intend to cover the Interview in my next post. Sorry! Have been sleep deprived for the past 3-4 days. 

Mr. Curious - UPDATES

WiredDifferently

Its been more than a week since I came here. One week done in school already. Touched down on CHANGi on the 27^th. I have been posted to Temasek Secondary School, one of the better schools and I am staying at Victoria Hall, a massive boarding complex in the Victoria School campus. There are four of us in our room, one Vietnamese, one Laosian and an Indian, and me. The people here are really friendly, the hostel staff, the teacher mentors, the peers at school and the teachers at school too. I have met a bunch of 17 Indians (mostly seniors) staying at VH too. By the way, I’ve had my parents come with me for 8 days, helping me settle in. They left today at 7pm. I had time to explore Singapore (MRT, Bus Service, Sentosa, Singapore Flyer, TOPless Bus Tours around Singapore), and met up with some relatives and contacts staying here. The schooling here demands hardwork, and lots of it. This means staying up till midnight completing homework, assignments and also having fun!!! So, this blog is a diary cum info space for me from now! Contact me a atharvjoshi@ymail.com or just find me on Facebook by following the link to the right tab of the blog!

Bye for now, and, yeah, wait for the next post!

Atharv

Google Zeitgeist 2011

"An interested outsider's view on what the World and India searched for, according to Google's 2011 Zeitgeist"


About a day ago, I noticed a Green pop-up on the Google homepage. Always interested in such Google Antics, a 'Show Me' took me into the world of Google Zeitgeist! FYI, Zeitgeist is German for "Spirit of the Age" relating to any particular mass-trending climate in any area.

Zeitgeist is just another year-end list compiled by search giant Google, which shows top searched terms for the year, giving us a clue of what we, the users have spent the last 12 months looking for.

According to Google - "Zeitgeist sorted billions of Google Searches to capture the year's 10 fastest-rising global queries and the rest of the spirit of 2011." Here are the top 10 this year. Credit - Google Zeitgeist 2011 

What Zeitgeist 2011 Tells Us 

As you can see, this year's overall top-10 list tells us:
1. We love Technology and Entertainment.

2. That 東京 電力 (TEPCO, owners of the Fukushima Daiichi power plant), was the first non-Latin term to make it to the global fastest-rising list.

3. WE LOVE REBECCA BLACK (Really? Damn. And I thought 13-year old teens were intelligent! What a LETDOWN!) Shh, Don't tell the Kitty!

Credit - Memebase

Moreover, Zeitgeist tells us how the World reacted to situations, be it Osama Bin Laden's death, Anna Hazare's crusade against corruption, Amazon Kindle Fire's rise to the top in Consumer Electronics or as we've *sadly* seen, Rebecca Black topping the list. 

How Google Zeitgeist Works

Instead of me explaining how Zeitgeist compiles billions upon billions (I love Carl Sagan <3) search terms, relates them with trends and comes up with the top-10 list, here's a lovely screenshot of Google explaining how they do it!

This answers most of our questions! Credit - Google Zeitgeist 2011

What's on Zeitgeist?

There's an awesome lot to explore on the website. For a start, the website has a 'Top 10 Lists' page, which has a variety of lists (including fastest rising, fastest falling, fastest rising on Google Maps, and fastest rising on Google News Et Cetera, Et Cetera) and this is for EVERY continent. Also, every continent has content from certain countries - Egypt (Famous for the Tahrir Square movement), India (World Cup, Anna Hazare and more), United Kingdom (The Royal Wedding), United States (Ah! This HAS to be in every list) to name a few. 

Credit - Google Zeitgeist 2011 

Due to the fact that readers will get bored, and that the blogpost will be *verrry* long and due to other reasons, I cannot go into every detail (Who CAN???), but here are some things I found Interesting! (All images are screenshots from the Google Zeitgeist website, ALL CREDIT to Google - the Gods)

Some Comparisons on the Google Zeitgeist 2011

1. Apple iPhone 5 (4S really) vs Steve Jobs

This was during the period of his death (Sad). The graph is almost similar, Also compare iPad 2 and Steve Jobs - the graph of the iPad 2 is almost constant throughout the year, whereas Steve's has one peak, during the period of his death.

2. Ryan Dunn Dead vs Amy Winehouse Death

Another sad moment for the entertainment list. In the list, the searches during the death periods of Amy Winehouse and Ryan Dunn (an American TV Daredevil) there are comparable peaks. 

3. Amazon Kindle Fire vs iPhone 4S

Amazon Kindle Fire, a product on my shopping cart, surprisingly topped the Consumer Electronics list! No wonder, a cheap, quality smart tablet is what one wants. Interestingly, here, the iPhone 4S (at No. 2) emulates Kindle consistently. But, due to the 'last year comparison' clause, Kindle tops the list!

4. Rebecca Black vs Osama Bin Laden

Yes! LOL! This comparison in the Fastest Rising People playlist. Surprisingly, Rebecca loses this one!

5. Anna Hazare vs Poonam Pandey

Who isn't a fan of Anna Hazare, the anti-corruption crusader! "The Protester" is indeed Time Person of the Year 2011, and Anna is one of them. However, in these two graphs, we see something interesting - When Poonam Pandey gained fame (during the Cricket World Cup 2011), Anna Hazare was still unknown, but when we see Anna's spikes, we also see some spikes on the Poonam graph, for some reasons I cannot figure out! You can try this out yourself too!

Oh, that's pretty much it. Wait. Mr. Curious pitches in with something!

This article on the Daily Mail looks interesting, especially the blue boxes! Mr. Curious Suggests!

Below is the link to the Official Google Zeitgeist website too! Play around and enjoy!

Google Zeitgeist 2011

And to end the post, here's an Official Google video titled "Zeitgeist 2011 - Year in Review" on YouTube! 

(Don't forget to join the blog, because that's what a novice blogger likes)

Wired Differently

Of Chances, Singapore and Other Things...

"I'm not weird, just Wired Differently."

Wait. See the thing 'marqueeing' above? A wonderful thing happened a few weeks back. In fact, it was a series of events, like a 7-7-7.

Me talkin' about the 2012 A*STAR India Youth Scholarship. (Yeah, go, Google that out!). And, it so happens that I've bagged it. :)

And, on the 27th of this month, I'll be checking-into a country smaller than the state of Goa (which has been my abode for 12 years). And Goa happens to be the smallest state in India. Go Figure! Among everything else, the course is for 4 years, from my 9th grade to my 12th grade.

On the 10th of November 2011, I got an e-mail containing the offer letter (this was after clearing a written test and an interview). At that moment, a logic gate opened up! A decision had to be made, and chickening out was not in my list of logical inputs! After all, what shall I tell, say 20 years later, that "You know, I had this amazing chance, and I decided not, and here I am" LOL! Yeah, LOL!

But, decisions have to be taken! Having confidence in you, and the sense that you've made the right decision is like tightrope walking. Only the skilled and the experienced get through (not to mention the lucky ones, though few). The novices stumble  at first, but make it anyways. Its all a diorama of your mind, and all you have to do is filter out the crap (illogical inputs) and the rest is yours to decide. But, in the end, you have to be firm in whatever you do!

Among the other things, if December 27th is not struck off from our Gregorian scheme of things, if Santa-Banta Claus dosen't come saying "Meri-ex-Mast" and Et cetera, Et cetera, I'm going. Friends, Family, Hobbies and Goan Life will be missed, but as the wiser guy says, "to gain one, let go of another".

Oh yeah! The blog will change a bit, too. Naturally, this being my 'mouthpiece', will feature updates from S'pore! Just hit the "Follow" button to the right! :D

Mr. Curious pitches in with something!


With everything 'over'-written said and done, iSignoff with these much-relevant lines, and the song itself!

Que Sera, Sera
Whatever Will Be, Will Be
The future's not ours to see,
Que Sera, Sera.
What will be, will be. 



I hoped I have not indulged in Nonsense.
Wired Differently!

 

The Return of Wired Differently

"Because things are the way they are, things will not stay the way they are."

Bertolt Brecht

A bolt from the blue. After 3 months, garnering 20000 pageviews and after a 3 month 'hibernation' period, Wired Differently is BACK.

Well, I'm here. And I'm back. A Lot has changed. For good, or for bad.

West Bengal has a new name, Akon's making his mark on Bollywood, the Annoying TRAI regulations, and, yes, Blogger has a new interface. A leader in Libya is no more, and so is he:

Talking about trends, Beti B (or BayB) is all set to endorse Loreal-Paris in the next 20 years; One Cyrus Pallonji Mistry will have truck drivers writing 'Ok Mistry Bye Bye' on the back of their trucks (Courtesy: Ramesh Srivats). AND, who can forget the Son-in-Law of Rajnikanth, and his most famous jig:

(And yes, I have learnt to identify the URL very clearly, and wish you do the same. OTHERWISE, you'll have the song opened in 5 tabs clicking on shared links on Facebook. And YES, the song has its own Wikipedia Article)

Yes. Change we believe In. Change we can believe in. Not, this, fools!

"Change is inevitable. Except for vending machines."

Anonymous

Until then, this to announce that I'm back. A LOT has changed for me as well. This won't be another dead blog. I have many things in store for you.

For now, I announce my alter ego -Mr. Curious:

iSignOff

Jana Gana Mana - The Complete Indian National Anthem

Its been a long time since my last blogpost (barring the Quizbots), and this one has something to do with India and her National Anthem!!! Read on!

Every school student (or for that matter anyone) promptly stands in attention for about 52 seconds everyday and as the 'song' culminates with drumbeats and 'Jaya He! Jaya He! Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya He!' everyone is filled with a sense of patriotism. But does our National Anthem 'Jana Gana Mana', crowned the Best National Anthem of the World, really end in 52 seconds?

Not so, and those of you who read 'The Times of India' today would've been bemused by the fact that the National Anthem we sing today, is but, ONE=FIFTH of what was originally penned down by Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore a 100 years back! It even gave me a pleasant surprise, and I wondered, "If 20% of the song is sooo beautiful, then lets see what the real deal is!"

'The Lord of India's Destiny', to whom Jana Gana Mana is officially addressed is showered with praises of Victory in the 'hidden' 4 stanzas, and as in the TOI article, "the first stanza is a paean to the astonishing geographical diversity of India, the second is a tribute to its multiple communities and the remaining, a salutation to India's undying spirit."

The Entire National Anthem is a really beautiful piece (although it will be hard to memorize), but I urge everyone of the readers to please listen to the anthem, which is sung by 39 of the country's best singers and this video is courtesy, once again, The Times of India! (PS. The video loads quite quickly, so please listen to all 10 minutes of it!)

Link to the Video

I sign off, presenting you the lyrics of the Complete Jana Gana Mana...

Read On!

Stanza 1 (National Anthem of India):-
Jano Gano Mano Adhinaayako Jayo Hey,Bhaarato Bhaagyo Bidhaataa Panjaabo Sindhu Gujaraato Maraathaa,Draabiro Utkalo Bango Bindhyo Himaachalo Jamunaa Gangaa, Uchchhalo Jalodhi Tarango Tabo Shubho Naamey Jaagey, Tabo Shubho Aashisho Maagey Gaahey Tabo Jayogaathaa Jano Gano Mangalo Daayako, Jayo Hey Bhaarato Bhaagyo Bidhaataa Jayo Hey, Jayo Hey, Jayo Hey,Jayo Jayo Jayo, Jayo Hey

Stanza 2:-
Ohoroho Tobo Aahbaano Prachaarito,Shuni Tabo Udaaro Baani Hindu Bauddho Shikho Jaino,Parashiko Musholmaano Christaani Purabo Pashchimo Aashey,Tabo Singhaasano Paashey Premohaaro Hawye Gaanthaa Jano Gano Oikyo Bidhaayako Jayo Hey,Bhaarato Bhaagyo Bidhaataa Jayo Hey, Jayo Hey, Jayo Hey,Jayo Jayo Jayo, Jayo Hey

Stanza 3:-
Potono Abhbhudoy Bandhuro Ponthaa,Jugo Jugo Dhaabito Jaatri Hey Chiro Saarothi, Tabo Ratha Chakrey Mukhorito Potho Dino Raatri Daaruno Biplabo Maajhey,Tabo Shankhodhwoni Bajey Sankato Dukkho Traataa Jano Gano Potho Parichaayako,Jayo Hey Bhaarato Bhaagyo Bidhaataa Jayo Hey, Jayo Hey, Jayo Hey,Jayo Jayo Jayo, Jayo Hey

Stanza 4:-
Ghoro Timiro Ghono Nibiro,Nishithey Peerito Murchhito Deshey Jagrato Chhilo Tabo Abicholo Mangalo,Noto Nayoney Animeshey Duhswapney Aatankey,Rokkhaa Koriley Ankey Snehamoyi Tumi Maataaa Jano Gano Duhkho Trayako,Jayo Hey Bhaarato Bhaagyo Bidhaataa Jayo Hey, Jayo Hey, Jayo Hey,Jayo Jayo Jayo, Jayo Hey

Stanza 5:-
Raatri Prabhatilo Udilo Rabichhabi, Purbo Udayo Giri Bhaaley Gaahey Bihangamo Punyo Samirano, Nabo Jibano Rasho Dhaley Tabo Karunaaruno Ragey,Nidrito Bhaarato Jagey Tabo Chorone Noto Maatha Jayo Jayo Jayo Hey, Jayo Rajeshwaro, Bhaarato Bhaagyo Bidhaataa Jayo Hey, Jayo Hey, Jayo Hey,Jayo Jayo Jayo, Jayo Hey

Later,

Atharv Joshi

Wired Differently: Quizbot # 9

Quizbot is a weekly quiz initiated by yours truly in an attempt to reach far out in everyone's quest for Curiosity. Besides, Quizzing is one of my hobbies and thanks to SEQC, now one of my passions.

As usual, Please post your answers in the comments section below. Also, even if you know the answer to any ONE question, please leave in a comment! Every answer counts!

The last set saw 8 responses, after a delay (again) here goes Set # 9:

Set # 9

1. Which world-famous authors well known book has the title which is also the name of a pseudoscience, a "method" whose objectives include to "create" the Alkahest, the Azoth and the Philosopher's Stone? Give me the name of the author.

2. A group of 17th century intellectuals formed, what may have been the precursor to a present day 'Club' having roughly 1500 members. This present-day 'Club' is based int he building pictured below.

3. Connect the two pictures to an organisation, based in US.

4. Give a word for the following :

- A biscuit having chocolate filling which is sandwiched by two biscuits, which are thin.

- A whiskey, made of corn and named after a region in Kentucky.

- The family, or house of kings to which Louis XVI belonged.

5. The sitter of this set (as always) - Who, with (one of) his most famous creation?

Quizbot # 8 Answers and Scores:

1. This equation will aid you in making the Perfect TOAST :P (2/8 got it correct)

2. The place I am looking for is 'Shravanbelagola'. (7/8 got it correct)

3. The yummy, Shrewsbury! (6/8 got it correct)

4. Revenge for the Angry Pigs! (6/8 got it correct)

5. The word is Beta. (4/8 got it correct)

And now for the Scores:

1. Mangesh - 4

2. Anonymous - 2

3. Rajiv - 4

4. Raghav - 4

5. Siddharth - 2

6. Devendra - 2

7. Krishna - 3

8. Arvind - 4

Link to the previous set: Quizbot Set # 8

Till then, Later!

Atharv Joshi (AAJ)

Wired Differently: Quizbot # 8

Quizbot is a weekly quiz initiated by yours truly in an attempt to reach far out in everyone's quest for Curiosity. Besides, Quizzing is one of my hobbies and thanks to SEQC, now one of my passions.

As usual, Please post your answers in the comments section below.

Quizbot # 7 was amazing, with 15 responses, and I was happy that the questions were crackable and workable :-)... This set comes after a little delay:

Set # 8

1. The image given below has the formula for making the 'perfecto' what? PS. This will really help you enjoy your breakfast!

2. Following are clues to a place, and are not necessary the etymology of the place name. The first part of this town's name is the name of the current month in the Hindu Calendar. The second part is Kannada for "White Pond." The place is one of the many Jain pilgrimage centres. Name it.

3. What sweet item, also manufactured in Pune and enjoyed all over India, gets its name from an English County? The cakes look something like this:

4.Revenge!!! Who is burning with revenge, waiting for their chance? PS. Funda plz.

5. The Sitter of this set. You've seen or heard this term before. This word is typically used for softwares that have been recently made available to the masses, or a software that is undergoing modifications. What word?

Quizbot # 7 Answers and Scores:

1. Ya! The answer is Le Mans, famous for the Annual Endurance Event. (11/15 got it correct)

2. It is the Mouth-Watering, Jalebi! (13/15 got it correct)

3. If you follow the steps, you end up with a Mobius Strip! (5/15 got it correct)

4. It was indeed, Jawaharlal Nehru himself :). And yeah! Thanks to my friend Akash Kulkarni for this question! (9/15 got it correct)

5. South Sudan. Nothing else to be said! (15/15 got it correct)

And now for the Scores:

1. Althaf - 3

2. Mangesh - 5

3. Nanda - 4

4. Satya Mathur - 3

5. Gaurav - 3

6. Anonymous 1 - 1

7. Anniesen - 5

8. Julian - 3

9. Palash - 4

10. Viken - 4

11. Raghav - 5

12. Anonymous 2 - 3

13. Paul - 3

14. Aniruddha - 3

15. PHS QLog - 4

Link to the previous set: Quizbot Set # 7

Thanks for the response ppl!

Atharv