THE BRAIN WRITES

"Think of the bigger picture..." — I’ve come across this cheesy one-liner umpteen number of times. Yet, it saddens me to say that people don’t realize the valuable lesson entailed in this statement. One facet of life where we fail to see the bigger picture is when it comes to the concept of delayed gratification. Most of us, if not all, tend to favor the immediate reward and cannot wait for something later. This happens in spite of knowing that the latter, which carries greater weight, magnifies the result as compared to the former. I believe temptation is the driving factor behind most of our decisions. Feel free to throw in other aspects such as circumstances, etc. It’s just that temptation is at the center with the others acting like spokes emanating out of this hub. Grit and resilience, among other fancy terms, are the darlings of motivational speakers and spiritual gurus. It’s worth knowing that temptation is the undercurrent behind these attributes of persona...

Image Credit: theodysseyonline.com Verbal- 160, Quant-161, and AWA-3.5 It has been more than 170 days since I appeared for the GRE General Test. An avid user of Quora, GRE is one of the topics which I follow on the platform. Most of the questions posted revolve around how to prepare for GRE, how many months are required, which books to read, so on and so forth. This compelled me to write about my preparation strategy in the months leading up to the D-day (read the actual GRE test) on the second of August 2018. Please note that my way of studying may not suit you, but then what’s the harm in reading someone’s two cents on this matter! Quant The questions aren’t difficult. But what makes them challenging is their framing; you need to read the question carefully to get the hang of it. Skimming over them too hastily should be avoided at all costs. For example, one question that I came across while solving a mock was as follows:             A quick glanc...

Credit for this guest post goes to Abhinn Gupta and Vedant Gupta. The owner of thebrainwrites.com doesn't support, advocate, or promote any opinion or view expressed in the content below. If you're interested in a guest post on thebrainwrites.com, comment below with your contact detail. According to Cambridge dictionary,  origami  refers to "the art of making objects for decoration by folding sheets of paper into shapes" .  This paper folding craft gets its name from two Japanese words — ‘ori’ for folding, and ‘kami' which means paper. Therefore, Origami is the craft of molding a paper into realistic  two dimensional and three-dimensional models .    Basic origami uses a square sheet of paper that is transformed using folds and bases. Usage of any adhesive (fevicol, gum, fevi-stick) and scissors is  discouraged . History   Paper was invented in China in around 107AD. Paper folding was practized after that and was an active part o...

Image Credits: Pratyush Singh Credit for this guest post goes to Pratyush Singh. The owner of thebrainwrites.com doesn't support, advocate, or promote any opinion or view expressed in the content below. If you're interested in a guest post on thebrainwrites.com, comment below with your contact detail. Today’s India standing proud on the shoulders of it's founding fathers who liberated this land from the crutches of the invaders who were not just limited to the British but went on to the Portuguese, the Mughals, the Turks, etc. with a strong sense of belief that this 21st century belongs to it and making a point to the world about it being a force to reckon with. With a massive 35% population below the age of 35, India proudly boasts with it being the youngest nation in the world. With such a massive pool of potential young talent, the country must make sure as to the needs of the 35% is very well fulfilled so that their real potential can be utilized in t...

Image Credits: Yash Singh Credit for this guest post goes to Yash Singh. The owner of thebrainwrites.com doesn't support, advocate, or promote any opinion or view expressed in the content below. If you're interested in a guest post on thebrainwrites.com, comment below with your contact detail. Listening: 9.0, Reading: 8.5, Writing: 7, Speaking: 8, Overall Band: 8.0.  In my experience, IELTS is an extremely accurate estimation of a person's English language capabilities. Hence, if one wants to prepare for the test, they work on improving language skills rather than taking to preparation like a conventional examination. Rote learning and exercising stress for cracking IELTS is a strict no. Having said that, it is always helpful to be aware of the format in which the test would happen, and practice to get accustomed to the time limits. My preparation was focused on taking as many mock tests as possible. I opted for the British Council and they provide a booklet wi...

Image Credits: British Council Listening: 9.0, Reading: 8.5, Writing: 7, Speaking: 7.5, Overall Band: 8.0. This was my result when I appeared for the IELTS Academic Test in September, 2018. Before diving into the preparation strategy and relevant tips & suggestions, let me make a point clear: IELTS isn't a test where overnight study would guarantee you awesome band score. The pivotal point in acing this exam is your existing command over English, both written and spoken. For someone who has been using the language as a medium of communication for a really long time (say, right from the time they started at school), IELTS won't be a major hassle to deal with. On the other hand, if your usage of English is infrequent, intermittent, or really casual, you'll find IELTS to be challenging--I won't sugarcoat my words. The content in this post is useful irrespective of you appearing for the Academic or the General version of IELTS. If you have doubts on which version o...

Image Credits: Harsh Parashar Credit for this guest post goes to Harsh Parashar. The owner of thebrainwrites.com doesn't support, advocate, or promote any opinion or view expressed in the content below. If you're interested in a guest post on thebrainwrites.com, comment below with your contact detail. Over the last few years, people have become infatuated with the art of writing, making a career out of it or pursuing it as a hobby. Yes, I'm confidently saying people are choosing writing as their hobby!   The most common gigs people write are poetry, short stories and stand up sets. All of them have one thing in common: identifying and resonating with the audience. I am a Hindustani Poet. When I write, I always keep one point in mind--when people start relating to your words, only then do they read or listen to you. I am listing a few tips that flow through my mind when I begin writing a piece. Do not rush while writing. Writing poetry is not just ...