I started writing this post in the second week of March while on a break from studying for my ICSE Board Examinations. My aim was to write a post to be thankful for all that has happened and to remember all that happened in the past year.
The post is slightly long and involves a lot about me, myself and I. Please do bear with all the self - praising and if you get bored, I would understand why you closed this tab :)
The school year began differently. We were called to school about a week before the rest of the students resumed as we were in Grade 10 and our teachers wanted us to have a head-start.
The first two months of school were hectic. Two rounds of elections were held to constitute the Student Council, we held our annual inter school Model United Nations competition and in the middle of all that we wrote our tests and scrambled to finish portions well in advance.
The beginning of the year was a test of many things - academics, emotional well being and integrity. The last year has shown us many of these qualities in different people and has resulted in us exploring many avenues of change in friendships, competitions, hobbies and how we act towards one and another.
The next few months flew by and were marked with regular class tests as well as two week long exams. Many of us began taking our studies seriously. A drastic change was observed in some people's behaviour and attitude towards exams. People began doing better in their exams and hoped to increase their percentage, a holy and feared word.
By December, the exam fever had reached the suburbs and we were waiting for it down town. The talk of applying to new schools and how difficult it was what was being discussed at everyone's table during Break.
By February, after two Preliminary Examinations as well a Mid Terminal Exam, our confidence was shattered, yet our teachers guaranteed us that our performance in these preparatory exams would be much worse and not necessarily indicative of how we will do after a brief two week long study holiday break and then our month long examination. They promised us that we would all do well.
Although our results are not yet out, I am fairly certain that all of us have done well.
With the end of the examination on 26th March, 2018, our school lives had OFFICIALLY come to an end. We bid farewell and exited the holy gates, eagerly waiting for the following academic year, in different schools after a well deserved summer break.
It is with complete happiness that I announce that I will be attending one of India's finest schools - Mallya Aditi International School (MAIS) where I will be studying Political Science, Economics, History and Sociology with an intent to study either Public Policy or Political Science or in related areas such as International Relations in the future.
The post is slightly long and involves a lot about me, myself and I. Please do bear with all the self - praising and if you get bored, I would understand why you closed this tab :)
School:
My time in Sishu Griha Montessori and High School finally ended after thirteen and a half glorious years. Our formal graduation ceremony was held on 9th February, 2018 and I was one of five students who was bestowed with the honour of delivering a speech. That gesture on the school's part was truly heartening. My speech mainly revolved around our life from joining school in Montessori and graduating as the batch of 2017-18. The day was sentimental but most of us managed to control our emotions. For one last time we gathered together over dinner, realising that it was the last time we would be celebrating together as Sishu Grihites.The school year began differently. We were called to school about a week before the rest of the students resumed as we were in Grade 10 and our teachers wanted us to have a head-start.
The first two months of school were hectic. Two rounds of elections were held to constitute the Student Council, we held our annual inter school Model United Nations competition and in the middle of all that we wrote our tests and scrambled to finish portions well in advance.
The beginning of the year was a test of many things - academics, emotional well being and integrity. The last year has shown us many of these qualities in different people and has resulted in us exploring many avenues of change in friendships, competitions, hobbies and how we act towards one and another.
The next few months flew by and were marked with regular class tests as well as two week long exams. Many of us began taking our studies seriously. A drastic change was observed in some people's behaviour and attitude towards exams. People began doing better in their exams and hoped to increase their percentage, a holy and feared word.
By December, the exam fever had reached the suburbs and we were waiting for it down town. The talk of applying to new schools and how difficult it was what was being discussed at everyone's table during Break.
By February, after two Preliminary Examinations as well a Mid Terminal Exam, our confidence was shattered, yet our teachers guaranteed us that our performance in these preparatory exams would be much worse and not necessarily indicative of how we will do after a brief two week long study holiday break and then our month long examination. They promised us that we would all do well.
Although our results are not yet out, I am fairly certain that all of us have done well.
With the end of the examination on 26th March, 2018, our school lives had OFFICIALLY come to an end. We bid farewell and exited the holy gates, eagerly waiting for the following academic year, in different schools after a well deserved summer break.
It is with complete happiness that I announce that I will be attending one of India's finest schools - Mallya Aditi International School (MAIS) where I will be studying Political Science, Economics, History and Sociology with an intent to study either Public Policy or Political Science or in related areas such as International Relations in the future.
Other Stuff:
I have learnt a lot over the past year; dealing with failures, celebrating success, exploring new technology, making new friends and expanding my knowledge.
A key achievement that I feel is noteworthy is that I am now a certified PADI Open Water Diver. My sister and I got certified in Bali, Indonesia in the months of September and October 2017 respectively. Scuba Diving has been something that I have wanted to do (along with sky diving) ever since I watched Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara in 2011. Now that I have conquered going underwater, I would like to try to sky dive sometime in the near future.
I attribute this (the certification) as one of my most notable achievement as an essay on scuba diving and getting certified and why I liked that sport/ hobby that was submitted by me as part of the admission process was probably instrumental in securing admission in MAIS.
Over the past year, a lot of responsibilities have fallen on me. I was elected to the position of House Captain in school that naturally led to a lot of work. At the end, we lost the House Cup, but lifted the Co-curricular cup, beating all other Houses by a mile. I was instrumental in leading the Organising Committe of our Model United Nations in school. Being on the Organising Committee has taught me a lot in the area of team work and getting people to do their job. I attended Harvard MUN India in Hyderabad and was awarded a Special Mention for representing Libya in the IMF.
I was also the Co-Chair of a committee in the Intra-School MUN. The experience was great!
Our school also graciously thanked me for being a founding member of a Quiz Club that was established and run for the past three years. The reigns of this horse has now been transferred to my school mates who are in Grade 9/10.
My sister will be leaving India for good in August as she will be studying Chemical Engineering in The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in Manhattan, NYC, USA. It is absolutely amazing that she managed to get in and receive a 50%+ merit tuition waiver for her studies. I hope that she has a good time there and HRH Trump does not present himself as a hurdle.
I have completely recovered from my Sports Injury in which I suffered multiple fractures in my leg in April 2016 (due to a fall while on a mountain biking adventure). My final surgery was done in mid April 2017. Recovery took a few months. I am back to playing whatever I want, although my fitness has considerably fallen. I have continued to cycle the busy streets of Bengaluru at least three or four times a week. As I recently shifted houses, access to the Golf Course has been easier and I have been playing regularly with the intention of playing at least once a week on the course and practice a few times in the Driving Range. Cricket remains to be one of my favourite sports, however I have not been playing much. Regularly exercising has been helping me in the past few months. I feel that my fitness has been regained considerably.
I look forward to the upcoming IPL season and hope that the trending hashtag #eesalacupnamde (Translates to: This time the cup is surely ours) comes true and Royal Challengers Bangalore wins.
As is obvious, I am making an attempt to start blogging frequently again and I hope to continue this streak.
The past year has been absolutely fabulous. 2018 is going to be way different. The stock market is expected to do not too well, my sister will be half way across the globe, I will be in a different school, surrounded by new people and I will probably curate new hobbies and expand as a human being in terms of knowledge and learning and in size, vertically, NOT horizontally. I look forward to all of this!
Our school also graciously thanked me for being a founding member of a Quiz Club that was established and run for the past three years. The reigns of this horse has now been transferred to my school mates who are in Grade 9/10.
My sister will be leaving India for good in August as she will be studying Chemical Engineering in The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in Manhattan, NYC, USA. It is absolutely amazing that she managed to get in and receive a 50%+ merit tuition waiver for her studies. I hope that she has a good time there and HRH Trump does not present himself as a hurdle.
I have completely recovered from my Sports Injury in which I suffered multiple fractures in my leg in April 2016 (due to a fall while on a mountain biking adventure). My final surgery was done in mid April 2017. Recovery took a few months. I am back to playing whatever I want, although my fitness has considerably fallen. I have continued to cycle the busy streets of Bengaluru at least three or four times a week. As I recently shifted houses, access to the Golf Course has been easier and I have been playing regularly with the intention of playing at least once a week on the course and practice a few times in the Driving Range. Cricket remains to be one of my favourite sports, however I have not been playing much. Regularly exercising has been helping me in the past few months. I feel that my fitness has been regained considerably.
I look forward to the upcoming IPL season and hope that the trending hashtag #eesalacupnamde (Translates to: This time the cup is surely ours) comes true and Royal Challengers Bangalore wins.
As is obvious, I am making an attempt to start blogging frequently again and I hope to continue this streak.
The past year has been absolutely fabulous. 2018 is going to be way different. The stock market is expected to do not too well, my sister will be half way across the globe, I will be in a different school, surrounded by new people and I will probably curate new hobbies and expand as a human being in terms of knowledge and learning and in size, vertically, NOT horizontally. I look forward to all of this!
Cryptocurrencies, Stock Market and Investments:
In the field of technology, I was fascinated by Block Chain and then obviously cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin caught my eye in early September and I managed to convince my father to open a trading account to trade cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ripple and Ethereum. Over time, our profits grew and we felt our first shock when the market collapsed in January. Nevertheless, my faith in cryptocurrencies is unabated and although my profits are not as high as in 2017, I continue to trade and inspire people to invest in cryptocurrencies. I manage the investments of my sister, grand mother and parents. No one can guarantee whether at the end of this, I will have a fortune or lose my initial investment which was itself worth pennies (not risking too much due to obvious reasons).
I managed to participate in an ICO (Initial Coin Offering), a new experience in the field of cryptocurrencies. While I am writing this section of the post, the company, Sphere looks promising (especially after FaceBook's data scandal) and is doing well. My investment looks secure, but no one can predict the future.
With some of my profits, I have managed to completely self fund (not counting Birthday money or money given by relatives and parents) an Amazon Echo, Amazon's virtual assistant. The field of AI has blown me off my feet and the availability of a product like Echo in this price range is stunning.
Due to the bearish markets that we are in right now, my focus on cryptocurrencies has shifted from merely investing in existing ones to ICOs (Initial Coin Offerings) and reviewing their abilities and benefits. A principle that I have developed is to not invest more than 1% of my personal portfolio in cryptocurrencies and I am sticking to that.
2017 was also an amazing year in the stock market. With the exclusion of one company, all my trades were in profits and I have managed to sizeably grow my portfolio. In the months of April and May and a part of June, I hope to enhance my trading skills by spending more time understanding the stock market and executing more trades independently rather than using my father to do so for me.
So that was the last year, I'll be back next year with a similar update. Until then, I'll obviously be writing on different topics. Stay tuned :)
So that was the last year, I'll be back next year with a similar update. Until then, I'll obviously be writing on different topics. Stay tuned :)
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