Examination Techniques

A few nights ago, there was an event in my hometown that I was invited to. You’d think a gathering of techies would be right up my alley, especially because I used to put this kind of event together myself, but I was completely torn about attending or not. It wasn’t an easy decision, but I reflected, and decided to stay home. I called my husband and told him I decided to pass. When he asked why, this is what I told him: “If I go, it would be because I’m afraid of missing out, not because my heart is telling me to be there.” Success in life is proportional to how much you’re willing to have awkward conversations. — Sandy Barak Saying no to events and requests will take awkward conversations, I promise you. It may feel weird, but the outcome will be well worth it. From PickTheBrain

Many of us work in an endless stream of tasks, browser tasks, social media, emails, meetings, rushing from one thing to another, never pausing and never ending. Then the day is over, and we are exhausted, and we often have very little to show for it. And we start the next day, ready for a mindless stream of tasks and distractions. I am a fan of going against the stream of what most people do, and taking a step back. Is it really worth it? Is this the best way? Are we losing our lives to busy-ness and distraction? What if we did less instead? The Benefits I could probably write an entire book on the benefits of doing less, but here’s the short version: You accomplish more. No, you don’t get more done (you’re doing less, after all), but if you do less and focus on the important stuff, you actually achieve better results, more meaningful accomplishments. This is how  I'm  able to work less but still write hundreds of posts a year (on various sites), create  eBooks  and co

The most commonly used words in written English 1. The 2. Of 3. And 4. A 5. To 6. In 7. Is 8. You 9. That 10. It 11. He 12. For -ize or -ise Many people in the UK believe that words ending in “-ize” such as “organize” are US spellings, and that the correct spelling is “organise”. However, the Oxford University Press insists that words such as computerize, capitalize, capsize, organize, organization, privatize, publicize, realize should take the -ize ending, but that others, eg analyse, advertise, advise, arise, compromise, disguise, despise, enterprise, exercise, merchandise, revise, supervise, surprise should take the -ise ending. In the Concise Oxford Dictionary you will often find that both options are possible in British English - 'realise' or 'realize', 'organise' or 'organize' - whilst for other entries -ize is listed as unmistakably American, e.g. 'analyse' = British English, 'analyze' = American English. Here&

Not Realizing the Importance of Good English Some new students focus entirely on their academic studies, believing that working hard on their studies will compensate for their English-language problems. Later, when they have to write research papers or a thesis or dissertation, or take an oral examination, or give an oral defence of a thesis or dissertation, they realize that they should have worked on their English from the beginning. In addition, when they try to find a job on campus or after graduation, they find that they are at a major disadvantage. Being in a Hurry to Finish Many students are so intent on earning a degree as quickly as possible that they avoid taking English classes. Later, they realize to their regret that taking time to improve their English when they first arrived would have made all their studies (and their lives in general) easier, and probably have saved them time. Shyness and Fear Some individuals are naturally shy. They are cautious in social si