Learning & Type of Learners?

Students use variety of learning methods. Suitable study skills and habits are essential for encoding information and knowledge, and retrieving the same at the right moment. Every student has his own mode of learning. Students with high visual capacities may have difficulties listening to a teacher for long hours. And, students who are high in auditory skills may not enjoy visual learning process in teh class without audio support. There are roughly three category of learners:-

Visual Learners: A student, who is a visual learner can learn best by looking at information through written words, actual pictures or the real scene of the learning materials. Some of the unique features of visual learning students are (a) They visually read fast and get the content by reading and viewing a presentation. (b) They love reading by themselves rather than listening to someone. (b) They learn by studying maps and figure out the location and do not depend on directions given to them. (d) They focus mainly on thoughts and may miss layout necessities such as punctuation, grammar, spelling, and language rules. (e) They sketch while listening in the class and they are better artists than orators. (f) They qualities of imagination and visualisation are higher in them. (g) Visual learners may appear to be disinterested in the class, while they actively register complicated concepts in visual file folders. (h) They may be easily frustrated with writing assignments. (i) Their problem solving capacity is superior than others.


Auditory Learners: The strongest learning mode for any auditory learner is hearing which is a significant aspect of the development of linguistic competence. An auditory learning student is one who best learns by listening. Such students enjoy learning when they listen to classroom lectures and group discussions. Good auditory learners tend to: (a) get distracted by noise easily (b) call someone via phone instead of any written communication. (c) remember what they hear better than what they see. (d) acquire information by listening rather than viewing. (e) express themselves by talking rather than writing. (f) follow complex sets of oral directions, and even rote information, such as multiplication tables. (g) demonstrate their work easily because they store information in a series of steps that they can retrieve easily.


Kinesthetic Learners: Kinesthetic student will learn by implementing the concepts physically. They benefit from experiential learning. (a) They are usually slow in writing and reading compare to the other two type of learners. (b) They use postures and gestures very often. (c) They prefer the practical part in learning rather than listening or seeing. (d) The do not enjoy sitting long hours in classroom. They benefit learning through exploration. (e) They memorise things when they are physically active. (f) They understand materials better when they are role played or acted out.

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Students! Tips to Face Exams Stress-free.

For most smart students who utilise some study techniques, examinations are not a scary affair. And board examinations are easier than believed. Then how to face examinations stress-free? Explained here:

Learning and practising relaxation, positive thinking and panic coping techniques can help reduce your stress to a great extent.


To get familirised with the real examination scenario, simulating examinations at homes will be good.


Most of the students can follow the techniques of studying by mind maps, using linear, spider or patterned notes for each chapter.


While studying for the examinations, students should make sure the they learn each topic and not just selective few as the pattern / syllabus often changes.


While studying for the exams, revise at least the basics of all concepts if not the details. Different subject requires different methods of studying.


In case of Maths, students should practise lot of worked examples to understand the concepts clearly. Use color coding for formulae and some visual images like maps to recall them.


For Science, students should use highly visually active techniques to test oneself on visual diagrams.


As far as History & Geography, forcing mind to remember concepts is not a good idea. Instead, key word maps & notes should be reviewed at regular intervals.


The best way to remember what one has studied is to have a real understanding of a topic through constant questioning.


Students should follow some memory tricks like 'Associating the Information / Concepts, Revising, Using Flash Cards, Linking concepts with real world or imaginary objects to boost their confidence and feel stress-free in the exams.


Every student has his own ideas and methods to learn. The trick is to find what is right for each one. Cool and calm mind will help the students, perform well in the exams.

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Tapping Network for a Job Referral

In today's competitive world, landing a referral for a job is very often a candidate's short cut to the top of the resume pile and that is the only reason referrals work.

Candidates who have acquired a referral is 3-4 times more likely to be hired. The hiring process is often faster for referred candidates. One of the compelling reasons why referrals are a win-win situation for both employers and employees is that referred candidates, once hired, stay on longer and perform better.

Looking for a change in job? You better put a word to the relevant people specifically HR professionals who you think will help. You can write an email or talk to them about the opportunity you are looking for. Using social network sites like Linkedin, Facebook, Twitter or your alumini network will also help you.


Not all jobs are posted publicly and it helps to let your social network know that you are looking for new opportunities. But to get best out of professionals who might help you, you need to know what kind of mentorship is best for you.


Articulate your personal brand. This is an external view to self, what you can offer, what are your unique points. The more known and articulate it is, the easier to find a fit when one is on a job hunt. Keeping your referrals updated on your current role and any skill upgradations will be an another strategy.


You can ask your previous managers or stakeholders to open in a line or two on the work you have done. This not only provides comfort but also some view on your strengths and quality of work.

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Tips for Building Emergency Funds

'Emergency Fund' is that fund which is used to set aside funds to be used for any emergency like loss of job, illness or a major expense. Here are some tips for having an emergency fund:

Everybody should have allocated emergency fund though some do not need to put away the requisite amount if they enough assets. One should never come to the conclusion that credit card will support in case of emergency. It should be kept in mind that the cushion that plastic money provides lasts only 15-30 days, till the bill arrives.


There was a time when gold was seen as the safe investment for tiding bad times. Instead, the emergency fund should be stashed in a liquid option, such as a sweep-in bank account or an short-term debt fund.


Investing the emergency fund in a good equity-based option for better returns will be ideal.


Emergency fund should be large enough to take care of your living and other essential expenses, such as house rent, school fees, health care and insurance, for 3-4 months. At the same time, do not allocate too much money to it.


Do not try to build the corpus too quickly. It will be a burden on your cash flow and derail other plans, such as saving for retirement or child's education. If you have not already established in emergency fund, start putting away 10-15% of your monthly income for this purpose. This will help you build a corpus in about 2 years. Income tax refund or annual bonus should also be diverted to it.

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How to Assess the Real Merit of Educational Institutions?

All parents want the best options of schools and colleges which is a hard task to check. Here are some suggestions:-

If academic league tables are still important to you for your children, assess the data over a longer period than one or two years. Five years is a good measure and ten years allows you to see a proper trend. If the data is based on anything less than 40 students taking the final exams, ignore the results completely as one or two students doing well or badly distort the results.


Check, whether school has wide range of clubs, societies, interesting trips and opportunities for students to pursue things they are really interested in? If these are barely listed on websites or in prospectus, then do not really mean to give the student a fully holistic education.


Check about the level of career counselling or university guidance opportunities. If there are no serious programs in place, and no arrangements to listen to the students, then forget it.


What about the accessibility to the top person? Is he or she is willing to engage in communication? Send an email for a brief skype conversation about the educational ethos of the place and look at the response. The top person should be passionate about the ethos and always want to talk about it.

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Hair Coloring! Do's & Don'ts.

Men or Women! Hair coloring can turn into a disaster if not done right. Here are some do's & don'ts for hair coloring:-

Choose the right color, keeping your skin tone in mind. To find this, look at your wrist. If the shade of your skin is greenish, you have cool skin tone & a yellowish shade means you have a warmer skin tone.


Always keep in mind the color of your eyes and eyebrows. Many people have cool skin and warm eyes. For this, you can can pick a neutral shade to balance both.


Make sure that your highlights should be three shades lighter than your original hair color. Before getting colors like purple, red, blonde or gold, check if they go well with your skin tone.


To have a bright & sun-kissed look, consider the Brazilian blonde look in which streaks aer added only to the tips of the hair.


Concentrate highlights on the lower portion of hair i.e. from about your ears down, to help slim and elongate your face.


If hair falls past your shoulders, lighten the lowest few centimetres a little to make your face appear smaller.


To soften a strong, square jawline, have thin streaks spread evenly throughout your hair with a few extra-light highlights in the front section.

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Parents! How to Support Your 'Children' When They Fail?

Failures are part and parcel of everybody's life. In today's competitive world, everyone is running the rat race and kids are no exception. Children are framed, tuned and pushed to succeed in everything they do.

Parents should make their children feel that they do not win, it does not mean they are not successful. The right attitude can make all the difference.


Parents have high expectations from their children. But expectations, when not met by children, should not cause problems. To excel in any field, children require parental guidance and optimum pressure.


Parents should never force their idea or impose their will on their child. Children should be allowed to choose the field, they are interested in.


Unhealthy comparisons will mar children's development and confidence in the long run. Every child has a different capability and capacity.


Parents should never judge their children on one day's performance. Instead, they should try to make them strong and brave. The best strategy is to attack the problem and not the person (children).


Parents should teach their children that failures should be considered a part of learning curve. Most parents, specially mothers, tend to panic easily and worry about failures. As such, they should equip their children with the strength to manage failures.


Parents should always keep their communication channel open with their children. There should be an open environment at home where the children feel comfortably to openly speak to the parents. This will have a positive impact in building confidence in doing well in the future.


To make them realize that winning and losing are two sides of the same coin, parents should make it a point to inculcate hobbies like reading (not just school books) and / or participating in one additional sport.


Most important Suggestion for the Parents: Never compare your children with yourself. Your times and struggles were different from what it is in today's world. If you wish to share your experiences, talk of your failures and how to you managed to overcome them. This will help your children to reassure and set realistic expectations from life.

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Etiquettes (as a guest) before / on 'Marriage' Function Day

Weddings are a great place to socialise and use your networking skills to make a good lasting impression. The couple and their families spend months planning the wedding day, making sure that is it is an affair to remember for one and all. Here is a list of some important rules to follow when you are invited as a guest:-

If your partner or spouse is invited to the wedding, then the name will be written on the invitation card as 'Mr & Mrs Iyer'. But if either of spouse name appears, never go with a plus one. Also, do not take your kids, if the invitation does not say 'Iyer Family'.


If the invitation card includes 'RSVP' (a request for a response from the invited persons for confirmation of their presence for the function), respond immediately about your presence or persons attending instead of you.


Reach the marriage venue at least 15 minutes in advance. Avoid sitting in the first 2-3 rows as families of bride and groom take these spots.


Unless you are the groom's / bride's best friend or close relative, it is better not to enter their make-up room.


As far as dress-code is concerned, lighter colors are usually suitable for morning / afternoon and for evenings, darker colored dress will be ideal.


You will have to maintain silence once the wedding ceremony starts. Avoid coughing or talking to others or attending to phone-calls. Phone ring tones / your conversation over mobile might distract the bride and groom.


Gifts: (a) If the invitation says 'blessings only', respect it as there might be a valid reason for expecting the same by groom/bride family members. If you still want to give a gift, you can do the same after the wedding. (b) Give something that will be appreciated by both the groom and the bride. (c) Teaming up with other friends will be a great idea. (d) It is better to get your gift couriered to prevent the bride / groom from having to haul dozens of boxes back home. (d) If you want to gift the couple a large amount, you can do it via Cheque. & (e) Are you a close relative either to the bride or to the groom, gift gold or jewellery or gold coin / gift card will be ideal.


As the couple will have to talk to everyone, keep your communication short with the couple.


Before you leave, thank the bride and the groom, their family members for including you on this special occasion.

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Tips & Rules for 'Grocery Shopping'

Deals, offers & discounts by merchants / malls have resulted in buying much more than what we actually need, resulting to wastage of your hard-earned money. Here are some important & useful tips for your grocery shopping:-

Before you go for shopping, make a grocery list. Note down only what you need and buy only those.


Never go shopping when you are hungry as shopping with hungry mood will tempt you to buy more than you need.


Always try to shop alone or with a friend or neighbor who is health-conscious and who believes in eating a balanced meal. Do not get attracted to junk foods, especially with 'Buy 1 Get 1 free' offers. Do not go with your children for grocery shopping as they force you to buy snacks which are high in sugar and fat.


Keep in mind, canned, frozen and pre-packaged foods are high in fat, sugar, sodium or all of them. Fill your cart only with fresh items as it will be healthy for your family members.


Even most low-fat foods are manufactured with sugar or salt to make up for the taste factor. Check for the ideal & healthy contents like 5 grams or less per 100 grams for Sugar, 0.3 grams or less per 100 grams for salt, 5 grams or less per 100 grams for fat. Eat for healthy value and not for calorie value.


You will notice even in small grocery shops that high-calorie snacks, chocolates and chips are kept in a highly visible and attractive manner. Never get attracted towards them.

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How to be Mentally & Physically Fit at Your Workplace?

Though we put more emphasis on our healthy eating and regular exercise, health problems like back-pain, knee pain, spinal issues & spondylosis have become common now for most of us. The major reasons for these issues are, bending the wrong way, lifting some heavy objects, driving for long hours or sitting in a wrong posture etc. How to be mentally and physically fit at your workplace? Here are some useful tips:-

Everyday Morning Walk: If not in a park, at least on the treadmill, take a walk every morning. Walk as much as possible. Use stairs in your workplace and park your vehicle little bit far away from your office to walk.


Food Habits: Eating plenty of green leafy vegetables and fresh fruits or fruit juice will keep you away from health problems.


Body Posture While Driving: While driving long distances, ensure that your knees are level with your hips. If needed, use artificial back support. Keep your chest parallel to the steering wheel as the distance from the steering wheel is a crucial element in avoiding problems in the wrist, back, neck, arms, shoulders and your spine.


Body Posture at Your Workstation: Use a footrest to keep your knees level with the hips. Your chair should push the lower back forward. The computer / laptop screen should be levelled with your head.


Resting Your Wrist: Avoid bending your hand and wrist when using computer / laptop keyboard. Keep your hand and wrist in a straight line while working.


More Simple Relaxation Exercises: (1) Sit straight and stretch with your legs with toes facing upward. Try to raise your legs 30-40 degrees and slowly put them down without touching the floor. Try this for at least 20 times. (2) Every hour, walk around at least for 5 minutes to overcome your sleepy mood or yur laziness.

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Diet-friendly Kitchen

How to make your kitchen diet-friendly? Here are some tips:

Keep all junk foods out of sight if you are the only one in your family on a diet. Instead of unhealthy foods (which will tempt you to have), keep only healthy food to help you stick to a diet, in sight.


Stick on your refrigerator door, some inspirational magnets that will encourage you to stick to your diet and remind you why eating healthy will be beneficial. Sticking dietary schedule also will be a good idea to keep you on track.


Always use small plate and eat in smaller portions. When you put less food on your plate, your brain begins to feel fuller faster.


Never watch TV while having your food. If you do, your attention is not on your plate and you end up eating more than you actually require. It is better to have a separate dining area where you can eat your meals.


Spices like cinnamon, black pepper and ginger not only add flavour to your food, but are also great for those on a diet. Ensure that your kitchen is always well-stocked with seasoning and spices.


Always keep your kitchen clean so that cooking becomes a delight. It is better to clean up after every use and make sure it stays that way always.

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How to say 'No'?

Most women & men habitually say 'Yes' as they risk being termed selfish, if they do not. It is not about being inconsiderate or egotistic when you have to turn down somebody's request. It is about having a balanced approach. It may seem a bit strange and difficult to say 'no' if you are a compulsive 'yes-sayer'.

But consider the power of saying 'No', it can save you time and energy for things that you really care about. It can keep you away from people to take advantage of you. It gives you mental strength and lets you enjoy your life more.

Anybody can restrain from saying 'yes' immediately. Making on the spot decisions can put you in a fix. You can always tell a person that you will let them know after you have had time to think about it.


Consider the time commitment carefully. Most of us miscalculate the time it really takes to do a task. If you are asked to complete a task within 2 hours, check your schedule. If it looks tight, say you can take it up whenever time permits.


Be firm and do not feel sorry. And do not say 'yes' simply because you are capable. You will be presented with several opportunities to express your skills. Consider your time availability, family commitments and other responsibilities before you accept any request.


Set your priorities. Before you accept a request, take time to consider if you are really willing to spend the time and energy on this new commitment. Re-evaluate your priorities when you have too much to handle. Create healthy boundaries that will help you maintain self-respect and enjoy relationships.


Be very clear while turning someone down. Some people are extremely persistent and do not get the message unless you are really firm with them.

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How to Tackle & Manage Tricky Conversations?

In personal or professional life, learning to navigate through difficult conversations is a must-have skill for everybody. Here are some useful tips to manage tricky conversations:-

Before getting in to any conversation, introspect on what you really want and what kind of behavior will help you accomplish it. And anticipate and prepare for the other person's reaction so that you have your answer ready.


The imbalance between what one wants to say and what one ends up saying can be rectified the moment a person becomes conscious of the tone of the conversation, and makes an effort to be patient and tolerant of the partner's view, even if she / he thinks it is flawed.


Meaningful conversations can happen only when people are able to engage in a healthy dialogue. Crucial conversations require focus on emotions and the ability to manage differences of opinion. We should always remember that other person is as passionate about his or her point of view. If you want your views to be respected, extend the same courtesy. Another technique to tackle the tricky conversations is to politely agree or disagree.


Different people respond differently to similar situations as our emotions are triggered by the way we process information in our minds. But if emotions take place in your conversation, you have three choices: (i) Continue the conversation (ii) To be silent & (iii) Burst out with anger. Keeping these options in view, you can opt for a solution-oriented dialogue or avoid the conversation.


Conversation is not about winning or blaming. It is about sharing and learning. The main conversations blocks are internal assumptions, possible lack of skills, inability to handle the actions or behaviour of others and too much focus on what one wants. To have a smooth conversation, never indulge in unhealthy gossip.

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How to be Safe & Secured 'Online'?

In an increasingly online world now, safety and security have become more critical than ever as stories about hackers stealing passwords, credit card information or personal information keep breaking. Here are some important tips for you to be 'Safe & Secured' Online:-

Always use long passwords for your email accounts and online payment gateways. The recommended minimum is eight alpha-numeric characters. Though some services have character limits for passwords, you can still opt for maximum 14 to 25 alpha-numeric characters.


Use both upper and lower cases for every password with special characters (like &% etc.) also.


Avoid words that are in dictionaries as there are programs that can crack passwords by going through databases of known words.


Character substitution is also one of the best ways while choosing the passwords like using 'Zero' in stead of the letter 'O' and a '$' sign for the alphabet 'S'.


Do not use easy to guess names like your name, your company name, your date of birth, your hometown. Even pets and relatives names should be avoided.


Never re-use passwords on other accounts unless you use the same user ID and passwords for sites that do not link to credit card or other personal information.


Apart from above, use a good basic anti-virus software for your laptop / system to prevent virus and to be safe and secured online.

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Boosting Brain with Exercises

We all know that physical exercises will definitely keep us physically fit. But it also keeps you mentally fit and boost your brain. How? Explained here:

Physical exercises improve our cognitive function and enable us, think more efficiently and effectively.


People who undertake physical exercise are 25% more productive than those who do not. To excel also professionally, do physical exercises on daily basis.


Cardiovascular exercises signal the brain to release the key hormones of serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. These hormones reduce stress, elevate your mood and make you feel happier.


Finding difficult in remembering anything? You can improve your memory power by 20% if you do physical exercises for 30 minutes a day.


Cardio exercise session floods the brain with chemicals which will help you think more effectively and even improve your decision-making skills.

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Taking Care of Your Feet During Summer

The summer heat can make your feet dry and rough with the skin peeling off due to bad weather conditions. Here are some useful tips to take care of your feet during summer:-

Use Shea Butter for your feet. You have to follow these steps (i) Soak your feet in warm water 10-15 minutes and cleanse your feet thoroughly by scrubbing properly with a sponge to remove dead skin, rough areas and calluses from under the feet. (ii) Now take another tub of warm water and add one teaspoon of Shea Butter to it. (iii) Soak your feet once again for 10 minutes in it. (iv) Pat your feet dry with a towel & (v) Finally, apply little amount of the Shea Butter on your feet thoroughly to keep it smooth and moisturized.


Wearing sunscreen on your feet is another solution to protect your feet as during summer season, the feet are often forgotten to protect skin from the sun.


In order to keep your feet soft and to prevent dry, cracking heels, use a foot cream regularly at night as part of your home pedicure routine. As such, the skin on your feet needs moisture just like the rest of your body.


Always keep coconut oil handy and your feet will need it even in summer. Coconut oil has the ability to moisturize dry, rough skin. It nurtures skin cells and removes impurities in the skin. You can leave your feet with coconut oil on overnight and wear cotton socks. You will notice soft and beautiful feet when you wake up.

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India's Top 10 IIT-JEE | Medical | Competitive Entrance Exams Coaching Centers

Parents! You have the plan to get your son(s) / daughther(s) admitted in to any of the reputed Coaching Center for IIT-JEE / Medical & other Competitive Exams Preparation? Here are the top 10 Coaching Centers which are conducting regular classes and are providing also Distance Learning programs:-

Aakash Institute: Established around 25 years back, Aakash Institute has over 100 centers in almost all cities in India. Here it may noted that around 7600 Aakash Students got qualified in IIT-JEE (Main) Examination & around 4500 Aakash Students got qualified in AIPMT (All India Pre-Medical Test) in 2014. Aakash provides also the Distance Learning Progams for IIT-JEE & Medical aspirants who are studying in 8th to 11th Std.


Allen Career Institute: Founded around 25 years back and based at Kota, Rajasthan, Allen has Study Centers at Ahmedabad, Bhilwara, Chandigarh, Indore, Jaipur, Navi-Mumbai, Rajkot, Vadodara & Surat. Allen also has Distance Learning Programs for IIT-JEE & Medical Aspirants.


Base: Base, founded in 1991, is imparting integrated programs for school students for IIT-JEE Preparation. It has study centers in Bangalore, Mysore, Shimoga, Udupi, Hubli-Dharwad, Belgaum, Gulbarga & Tumkur. BASE also provides DLP (Distance Learning Programs) for IIT-JEE Aspirants.


Bansal Classes: This ia an another reputed Coaching Centre, based at Kota, Rajasthan, offering Class Room, Distance Learning, Online & iTab Learning Programmes for IIT-JEE / Medical aspirants. It has its Study Centers at Agra, Ahmedabad, Ajmer, Alwar, Aurangabad, Bareilly, Bhilai, Chandigarh, Dehradun, Jabalpur, Jaipur, Jammu, Jhansi, Korba, Kota, Mathura, Meerut, Nagapur, Pune, Thane & Yavatmal.


Byju Classes: Headquatered at Bangalore and having branch in Delhi, Byju Classes have Coaching Centers in Mumbai, Noida, Kolkatta, Nagpur, Mysore, Durgapur, Chennai, Pune, Gurgaon, Chandigarh, Calicut, Trichy, Surathkal, Hyderabad, Manipal, Ranchi & Warrangal. Byju Classes not only conduct Classroom Training but also provides online coaching & teaching through tablets. It provides Tablet Learning not only for IIT-JEE/Medical but also for CAT, UPSC, GMAT & GRE.


FIITJEE: Founded in 1992 by Mr. D.K. Goel (an IIT-ian from Delhi) and headquartered at Delhi, FIITJEE has Study Centers not only all over India but also in Baharain & Qatar. FIITJEE provides coaching specially for IIT-JEE aspirats and also for National Olympiads, KVPY, NTSE, SAT etc. for the school students who are in 5th Std. to 12th Std.


IITians Pace: Based at Mumbai, PACE IIT & Medical was established in 1999 and provides coaching for Engineering & Medical aspirants. It has branches / study centers in Mumbai, Delhi, Lucknow, Goa, Akola, Kolkatta, Patna, Nashik, Pune, Nagar, Bokaro & also in Dubai.


Resonance: Founded in 2001 by Mr. RK Verma (an IIT-ian from Chennai), Resonance has study centers in most of the Northern States of India. It conducts Classroom Contact Programmes for IX to XII Std. Students, Pre-foundation Career Care Programmes for VI to X Std. Students, e-Learning / Online Programmes and prepares students for NTSE, IJSO, BITSAT & KVPY Competitive Exams. It is incredible to note here that around 18000 Resonance Students, through contact classes, DLP & e-Learning programmes, have passed JEE (Advanced) in 2014 itself & 400 Students have qualified in Medical Entrance Exams.


T.I.M.E.: T.I.M.E (Triumphant Institute of Management Education) was established in 1992 in Hyderabad and now it has the core team of over 40 IIT/IIM Graduates. T.I.M.E. now has around 235 offices located in 120 towns and cities across the country. It offers wide range of programmes for national & international level entrance exams like JEE, CAT, MAT, GMAT, GRE, IELTS & TOEFL.


Brilliant Tutorials: Based in Chennai and founded around 40 years back, Brilliant Tutorials provide both Classroom and also Distance Education programmes for IIT-JEE / Medical / IAS / GATE / IES / BITSAT / BPOE / CSIR-UGC (NET) Entrance Exams. It has Classroom Centers in Haldwani (Uttrakhand), Mumbai, Guwahati, Lucknow, Faridabad & an e-Learning Center in Madurai.

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Parents! How to Choose a Good Playschool for Your Children?

Most Playschools are privately owned, and expensive. Whether you want to send your child to playschool or not. If you have decided to send, you have to consider the following factors:-

As an initial step, try to find something that is not very academically inclined.


Availability of Time to Spend: Think whether you or your spouse have time for your child. If both you and your spouse are working and have no time to teach, your child may lag behind his classmates when he starts his school education.

However, if either of you stay at home, then sending your child to playschool is not a necessity. And you have to keep in mind that very young children have an incredible ability to learn as their brains are remarkably sharp. So, it makes sense to put your child in an environment conducive to learning at this young age.


Less Academic Playschool: Playschool where you want to send your child should be less academic as your child should not be struggling like trying to learn maths. Prefer those Playschools which let the child have fun while learning and having a garden and that has many outdoor activities.


Socializing Atmosphere: Playschools also provide an opportunity to socialize with other children. Also, your child will gradually get used to the concept of classroom in an informal manner.

Families who are living in an isolated neighborhood or in a place where there are not many children can send their children to playschools. This will help your child to interact with other children at a very young age.


Routine Habit: Sending your child to a playschool will help ease in to a routine at a very young age.

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Health Warning Signs You Should Never Ignore.

Simple things may put you at risk of many diseases. You have to watch out for the following warning signs:-

Vitamin-D Deficiency: While staying outdoors for long period of time without adequate sun protection will lead to Vitamin-D deficiency as it will increase the risk of respiratory infections. As such, Vitamin-D is vital for a strong immune system.


Stress: Stress can have a lasting impact on your brain. Those who experience more stressful situations in their work or relationship and / or in their health problems in their middle age period are more likely to develop dementia later in life.


Aerated Drinks: People who drink more than 8.5 ounces of aerated drinks are at an increased risk of developing cancer. Fizzy drinks with high sugar content will cause pancreas to increase insulin production.

The above result in pancreatic cells getting exposed to a higher concentration of insulin than other cells in the bod, which in turn creates an imbalance leading to cancer growth.


Insomnia: Suffering from a lack of sleep or have irregular sleep hours? Insomniacs are at twice the risk of suffering a stroke than people who do not have trouble falling asleep. Sleep deficit has an impact on your blood pressure level. And this will also lead to inflammation of the vascular walls over time. Listening to calming sounds before you go to sleep will be good.

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Parents! How to Foster Reading Habits in Your Child?

Parents nowadays often worry that the reading habit of children is dead and children seem to care about nothing except TV. Every parents know that reading stories enlarges a child vision, fosters imagination and improves language skills. How can parents cultivate the reading habits in children? Explained here:-

Parents can start them young like bedtime story regularly. Very young children not only love stories but the nightly routine calms them down and sleep well.


Parents can also have a few books available and let the child choose a book each night.


Parents can also read stories to their children at meal times. Here, parents can find that their children love the activity and probably eat well also.


For the young children, there are touch-and-feel books with different materials which are available online with different materials.


Comics and graphic novels can be an entry in to more serious reading too. Various versions of classics are available, so whether your child is four years old or twelve years, they could be reading any book of their interest, be it is of traditional story or more contemporary one.


Any book that helps a child to form a habit of reading, to make reading one of his deep and continuing needs is good for him / her.


A visit by parents along with their children will enable the children browse through hundreds of exciting and interesting books.


To further motive the children, parents can take them to a good bookshop as a treat and gift them a story book on occasions. Parents can also teach them to love and respect the books.


The best technique for the parents to foster the reading habits children is to be book-readers themselves.


Having books around the house will encourage their children to pick up a book and glance through it. Reading will follow quite naturally.


According to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, "There are many little ways to enlarge your child's world. Love of books is the bet of all".

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Early Morning Mistakes Everybody Should Avoid.

Are you in bad mood in the morning or throughout the day? You skip breakfast? Here are some few changes you can make immediately after getting up from the bed:-

Wake up quietly and move your muscles slowly. When you wake up, turn to your right and get up from the bed. So, spend a few minutes in silence, take deep breaths and sip room temperature water.


Immediately after waking up, stretch well. Just three to four gentle stretches and a few breaths will help us throughout the day.


Start your day with a cup of lime water or plain water. You can follow it up with green or herbal teas.


Early in the morning, do not give preference to your emails / phone calls / social networks etc. Instead follow 20-20-20 time techniques. Spend 20 minutes for exercise, 20 for meditation and 20 for reading something uplifting.


Never skip your breakfast as missing breakfast puts extra strain on the body. And you will also end up making wrong food choices through the day. Another mistake we commit is, starting the day with sugar in tea, biscuits etc. It is good to begin the day with a few soaked almonds, whole wheat bread, rotis or some fruit.


Being calm in early morning is the most important thing. Before 10 am, listen to natural soothing sounds of nature birdcalls, sound of ocean, chanting of mantras etc.


A cigarette or a strong black coffee on an empty stomach can devastate the digestive system over a period of time. It is good to have warm water or digestive fruit juice and / or non-sugary biscuits to protect your digestive system.

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How to Look Taller in Photos?

Most people feel and complain how they look shortern than they are in the photographs? Here are some tips to make you taller in photos:-

Best way to look taller in photos is to turn partially to your side and place one foot in front of the other. Point your toe to the camera and place your weight on your back foot.


When clicking a picture, the camera should be positioned at a lower level, preferably the waist height.


Another technique is to wear heels but you have to make sure that you have worn a comfortable pair of heels to avoid looking awkward.


Color of your dress plays an important role. Better maintain same color for the top and the bottom, preferably dark colors.


Pull your shoulders back, your chest forward and gently suck the stomach in.


Make sure to stand tall with a shallow curve in the small of your back.


It is better to wear high-waisted bottoms as they project the impression of longer legs.

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'Nausea'. Remedies & What to Avoid?

The nutritious and balanced diet makes a person healthy and keeps diseases at bay. The most difficult situation comes, when we ignorantly take such food which helps promoting any disease. 'Nausea' is a feeling of sickness with an incliation to vomit or a feeling of loathing or disgust. Here are some simple tips of what to avoid and what to eat to cure it?

Avoid foods, prepared with ghee, oil, hot spices, chilly and acidic juices.


Have some pieces of ginger and add with lemon juice. After 2-3 hours, add a little salt and drink. This will treat nausea and will increase hunger.


You can also take dates with lemon juice as 'chutney'.


orange juice with rock salt and pepper will also cure nausea.


Some pieces of radish with rock salt and lemon juice will also help in overcoming nausea.


You can also have carrots mixed with black pepper and rock salt.


If due to constipation, problem of nausea arises, cut pappaya with black pepper, rock salt and lemon juice will also help.


Vegetable salads having radish, cucumber, beet root and mix powder of black pepper / salt will also cure your nausea.

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Very Simple Tips to Lose Your Weight.

Though physical exercise is a key factor in burning calories, many do not get time for doing physical exercises. Any alternative solution (for those who like eating and drinking) to lose weight? Here are they:-

Green Tea : As Green Tea is known to have several antioxidants, it boosts the burning of fat.


Soup: Anybody who wants to lose weight, can substitute a meal with any vegetable soup as soups not only high on nutrition but also extremely filling.


Apple: An apple few minutes before a meal will help in keeping a check on weight as it has lot of antioxidants that prevents the accumulation of fat.


Water: Drinking water often throughout the day will also help flush out toxins from the body.

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Why Some Working People Cannot Retire Early?

Many working people dream of retiring early in their lives to lead a life of leisure. But many do not succeed. Why? Here are the reasons:

Lack of AdequateSavings : If you want to retire at the age of 60, you should set aside at least 10-15% of their income for retirement every month. You want to retire at your 50? You need to put away a larger portion of your income (say 20-25% of your income) for retirement planning.


Not Saving in the Right Avenue: Needless to mention, safety is a big concern for everybody but being too conservative can also pose a risk. A 100% debt-based retirement plan will not be able to grow at the required rate. Instead, you need to have at least 25-30% of your retirement portfolio in stocks to beat inflation in the long- run.


Lack of Investing Discipline: Investing just for 6-8 months or for a few years is not enough. Investment should be made for decades both in debit funds & also in stocks for a long-term benefit.


Often Dipping in to Savings: Young working people often find it difficult to suppress the temptation to withdraw their retiral benefits when they change jobs. Sudden rush of liquidity and the heady feeling of a new job is deadly combination and usually results in expenses. Every time job is changed, retirement plan is in danger of getting derailed.


Miscalculation of Needs: Lot of working people do not take inflation in to account when calculating retirement needs. All working people should keep in mind that though many expenses such as clothing, travel and entertainment, will come down in retirement, others such as health care will go up.

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Bachelors / Bachelorettes! Tips to Save Money When Single.

Many bachelors / bachelorettes have a tough time during the month-end as it happens because they do not manage their finances well though they are earning well. Here are some simple tips for them:-

When single earning members start earning money and open their bank account, they should parallely open a recurring account, depending upon their fund inflow and outflow every month. Once the amount matures (which can be 1 year or more), they will get a bulk sum at their disposal.


A mistake most single earning members do not do is 'budgeting' (income and expenditure) every month. If they fail to do so, they end up spending more than what they earn. Once they come to know the expenses for the month, they can prioritize and later, if needed, adjust the budget depending on how much they earn.


If they want to spend their weekends with their friends, they can orgainze the same at their places in stead of going to hotel. This will not only lead to cutting down expenses unnecessarily at restaurants / travelling, but also will assure great fun as everybody can indulge in activities like cooking together, setting the table, playing games.


Most important rule every bachelor and bachelorette can follow is '30 Day Rule'. Here is what is it? If a bachelor / bachelorette feels that they are in need of something, they can / should wait for 30 days and reconsider the decision to buy it. If they manage without that for the first 30 days, chances are that they may even decide not to buy it at all as their urge to possess it would have passed. Lot of stuff go waste as they are bought due to curiosity by fulfilling the desire immediately.

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Basic Rules for Writing a 'Resume'

A CV, full of typographical errors and cluttered information, does not create a good impression. Job seekers should know that Resume is a mirror of what their career has been like and what they can offer in terms of professionalism to the prospective employers. Here are some golden rules to be followed while preparing a 'Resume':-

Typos and spelling errors are not justifiable in a 'resume' as it gives a first-hand account of a job seeker's capabilities and experience. As such, job seekers should avoid typos.


Most of the job seekers use confusing objectives and common phrases like "Seeking a challenging position, want to grow professionally, proven track record, excellent communication skills, can work under pressure & result-oriented" which should be avoided.


To get the jobs, job seekers exaggerate or even lie about their past career. They should keep in mind that employers verify from social networks / references about the job seekers before employing anybody.


Job seekers should limit their 'Resume' to a maximum of two pages as employers have no time to read more than 2 pages. in rare cases, the Resume can stretch to third page. At the same time, most important information should not be missed out.


The format of the Resume should be readable and visually appealing. It is better not to give importance to fancy, colorful and multiple fonts an jarring text sizes, center alignments for texts, bold and italic texts.


As 'Resume' of any job seeker is personal and about the achievements, it should totally be original and better not to copy somebody else resume format.

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Men & Women! Etiquettes to Follow in Shopping Malls

Here are some do's and don'ts you have to keep in mind to ensure that your shopping experience is not hampered by an unpleasantness during sale season in shopping malls:-

You have to be very patient while shopping. Long queues are part of the territory when it comes to a sale. Use time to have a quick look at nearby racks to see if you have missed anything.


You have to keep in mind the number of clothes allowed for you in a trial room. If you want to try on more than that, ask your friend or shop assistant to keep them till you come back for them.


Make sure that you have joined the right queue. Do not stand in a queue that has been started by people who want to cut in to the main line.


Also, if you leave the queue, tell the person in front or behind you that you will be back and you have forgotten something to avoid confusion.


Most important you have to keep in mind that you respect the queue. Never cut the queue, even if you have just one cloth to try. And do not stand in group of friends and relatives. This will annoy other customers.


Do not take things that you can try on outside the trial room like jewellery, footwear or jackets which you can try openly.


To the extent possible, be quick in the trial room so that other customers in the queue can get their turn quickly.


After lifting the clothes from the showcases, do not carry the clothes to the trial room with hangers. Remove the clothes from the hangers as carrying with hangers will be cumbersome for you and it may end up snagging and damaging the clothes of yours and / or others.


Take time and try clothes as much as possible by allowing other customers also to try but never leave the clothes on the floor of the trial room just for the reason you are not buying. Keep in mind, what you do not like might be liked by any other customers. Do not leave soiled clothes for others.


As most trial rooms are very small, you will find yourself sweating in one, spray a little perfume (applicable for women!) - something refreshing. This will be beneficial not only to you and also to the next customer.


You have to also remember some of the above rules are applicable for Billing also.


Have no patience for the above, go for online shopping. Given on the right side of this blog are India's best online merchants. You can not only save time but also lot of money by shopping online for all your needs.

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Men! How to Maximize the Impact of Your Perfumes / Scent?

Do you use perfumes / scents on daily basis? Here are some useful tips on how to maximise its impact for you:-

We all have a different body smell. Initially, you might not like perfumes / scents but gradually will start loving them. Scents take some time to grow on us.


Better places to apply perfumes are your chest, biceps and the muscles. Do not apply on wrists and behind your ears as these areas produce lot of sebum (an oily secretion of the sebaceous glands), which will change the smell of your perfume.


Never mix fragrances by using shampoo, shower gel, deodorant, hair gel etc. Opt fo minimally scented grooming products.


The better hydrated your skin, the longer your perfume lasts on it. Use a fragrance-free moisturizer a few minutes before applying. If you have dry skin, reapply perfume a little more.


If possible, carry the perfume with you. Perfumes / scents / fragrances will leave your skin after around 4 hours.


Do not over-apply the perfumes as some people will not like to smell you before they see you. If you have over-applied, dilute it by slightly wiping your skin with a warm / wet towel.


While applying, do not hold the perfume bottle too close to your skin. Leave a gap of at least seven inches from your body and apply. Following this, the coverage will be more. Apply some in to the palm of your hand and wipe it over your upper body.


Treat your perfumes with care and store correctly. Keep them away from extreme temperature and strong sunlight. Kept it in a cool place. You can also keep them in your fridge.


Women tend to appreciate smells sniffed through their right nostril more than the left one. Men, as such, should stand always on women's right side to impress them.

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Students! Tips to Crack Multiple Choice Questions in School Olympiads / IIT-JEE / Medical Foundation Course Tests / Competitive Exams?

Students! Mastering standardized test taking strategies for multiple choice questions is a key component to successful standardized testing. The following tips for answering multiple choice questions can be very beneficial the next time you take a standardized test:-

Before starting your test, keep your mind cool. Leave no room for any nervousness and / or exam-fear as these will block your thinking power.


Once you are told to start answering the questions, have a glance over the question paper at least for 30 seconds till last page of the question paper.


Keep in mind, if the bubbles to be darkened with pen, think twice and make 100% sure that you are darkening the correct option & for the correct question number, as you cannot erase the darkened bubble filled with pen.


Also, before answering questions, read them well, preferably 2 times. Do not miss the words like 'incorrect, not correct, right, wrong, true & false'. Think twice before answering this type of questions. Though you know the answer well, you might mark wrong answer.


First attempt those questions which are the easiest for you.


In case of Mental Ability / IQ / Maths, you have be very careful while making calculations. Check twice the steps when solving the problems.


While cracking / trying to answer any complicated question (particularly in Maths), if you take more time, skip the question and come later. Do not waste more time for 1 question.


As you might skip difficult questions, make sure you are attending to correct questions and darkening against the said question-number. Use finger to overcome this mistake.


If you skip any question, put a tick / cross mark on the left side to come back later. This will help you to immediately locate the questions you have left to answer later.


Every half-an-hour, take a break of just 20-30 seconds just to energize yourself to proceed further. You can have a small quantity of water.


While trying to answer, eliminate the options which think you are confident, are not right.


If more than one option is correct, probably "All of the Above" is the correct answer.


In "All of the Above" choice, if one of the statements is true, do not choose "None of the Above".


In "None of the Above" choice, if one of the statements is false, do not choose "All of the Above" choice.


If there is no penalty / negative mark, answer all questions.


Do not often see your watch to know the time (left). Have a look over your watch after you have answer at least 75% of the questions.


After attempting all questions, if you still have time, go through your question / answer sheets to ensure all questions have been answered. If possible, evaluate how many minimum number of answers are correct. Self-evaluation will be helpful in the long-run, specially when you appear for IIT / JEE / Medical / Engineering Entrances / CAT & Other competitive exams for jobs.

For all your educational purposes and to save lot money, do not buy books from Bookstore. Instead, get them online from Amazon (India) , Flipkart India etc. Here you can read the customers' reviews to choose good quality books and get lot of discounts.

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