Tuesday, August 25, 2020

KIEU paragraph Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

KIEU section - Essay Example There are various qualities of Kim that have empowered Kieu to consider him in a unique way. The creator has made Kim calm steadfast all through the story since it rather took a position of commitment. The dedication of Kim is apparent for the situation that in spite of living endlessly from Kieu for more than years, he consistently cherished her the most. All through the story, Kim has been anticipated to be adhered to the promises them two have taken (Lexuan). This is obvious from the statement, â€Å"Our deepest slants fine as silk threads†¦ Will join us always - this we vow (Adams Stanza 09). These words rather permit the perusers to comprehend the force of affection and obligation of Kim and Kieu. Perusers will likewise see Kim as sentimental. The sentimentalism being noted in this setting isn't simply constrained to the way that he adored Kieu yet in addition he cherished his nation the most (Lexuan). Being an educated man, he realized that he will never lose the expectation of discovering Kieu. Toward the finish of the story, it turns out to be peaceful obvious that his expectation towards discovering Kieu was not squandered. In general the story has given a reasonable yet an inside and out hold of the pith of

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Internship Report on Meezan Bank Essays

Entry level position Report on Meezan Bank Essays Entry level position Report on Meezan Bank Paper Entry level position Report on Meezan Bank Paper Article Topic: Favor Me Ultima Affirmation Internship preparing forâ the understudies of Commerce and Business is a complimentary segment of the education,â where understudies areâ put atâ various associations ofâ their respectiveâ specialization; to see and apply their hypothetical information what they have contemplated dur ing their scholastic program at the establishment. Meezan Bank is one of those associations where understudy can accomplish his/her scholastic andâ professional information beneficially. In the readiness of this temporary job report, I recognize the support and help given by various individuals from Meezan Bank Ltd. I found each one very co-employable and supportive for giving me the hypothetical just as down to earth information about the capacity and activity of the bank. I am heartly appreciative to CAD ( Housing) office, Manager CAD The Senior Vice President, Mustafa Mohsin, Assistant Manager Syed Adnan Ali, Officer Aurangzab, Qaiser, Naeem Javed. They have been most strong individuals throught my entry level position. What's more, I need to pay my gratitude to Humail Jilani, Sana mehmood, Salman, Kashif, Ali, Rehan, faraz from Car Ijarah. Faraz Ahmed Jalal, Habeeb Siddiqui, Noman Ahmed Akif From Labbaik Laptop. Akrama Farroqi, Salman, Fahad Khan, from Housing. Raza Saeed, Amir, from RMU for their collaboration.. Dynamic This report is uniquely implied for understudies of business. It is worried to a short investigation of the activities, capacities, Products and Services of Meezan Bank. Meezan Bank is the biggest Islamic Banking Network of pakistan. Islamic financial one of the quickest developing sections of the money related industry. Banks serving the Islamic populace must follow a few quite certain standards of Islamic law on the off chance that they would like to hold existing clients and pull in new ones. Banks must be prepared with specific items and administrations and they should set up projects to prepare their work force to help these items and administrations so as to exist in this serious commercial center. This Report contains detail of MBL Management structure, items and Functions alongside their highlights. It likewise remembers departmental work for MBL Consumer Head Office. Presentation OF MEEZAN BANK Meezan Bank Limited, a publicy recorded organization was consolidated on January 27, 1997 and began its tasks as a venture Bank in August that year. In January 2002 Meezan bank was allowed as countries undeniable business bank permit as a devoted Islamic Bank, by The State Bank of Pakistan. Meezan Bank is the first and biggest Islamic Bank in Pakistan having a system of more than 220 branches in more than 60 urban areas across Pakistan. Meezan Bank offers a total scope of Islamic financial items and administrations, including free web based banking for all Pak Rupee account at all its branches. Meezan Bank today a significant point alongside the assessment of Islamic Banking in pakistan. Meezan Bankâ is obliging an inexorably insightful and requesting money related customer who is additionally getting distinctly mindful of Islamic Banking. Meezan Bank bears the basic duty of driving the route forward in setting up powerful and penned Islamic Banking System. Meezan Bank offereing important items and administrations to its clients with no infringement of shariah standards. Crucial STATEMENT OF MEEZAN BANK Vision [pic] |â | |â | |Establish Islamic banking as banking of first decision to encourage the execution of an equitable| | |economic framework, giving a solid establishment to building up a reasonable and only society for humanity. | Mission [pic] |â | |â | |To be a chief Islamic bank, offering a one-stop look for innovativeâ | |value-added items and administrations to our clients inside the limits of Shariah, while streamlining | |the partners an incentive thro ugh a hierarchical culture dependent on learning, reasonableness, regard for | |individual venture and execution. | Service Mission [pic] |â | |â | |â | |To build up a submitted administration culture which guarantees the predictable conveyance of our items and | |services inside the best assistance parameters, advancing Islamic qualities and guaranteeing | |recognition and a quality financial encounter to our clients. | SHARIAH SUPERVISORY BOARD MEEZAN BANK The fundamental standard of Islamic banking adheres to the laws of Sharia, known as Fiqh al-Muamalat (Islamic principles on exchange). The term â€Å"Islamic banking† is equal with â€Å"full-hold banking† and â€Å"Sharia-consistent banking. † Members of the Shariah Supervisory Board of Meezan Bank are Internationally-famous researchers, serving on the sheets of numerous Islamic banks working in various nations. The individuals from the Board are: Justice (Retd. ) Muhammad Taqi Usmani (Chairman) ? D r. Abdul Sattar Abu Ghuddah ? Sheik Essam M. Ishaq ? Dr. Muhammad Imran Ashraf Usmani (Shariah Advisor) ? The Board of Directors of Meezan Bank: H. E. Sheik Ebrahim Bin Khalifa Al-Khalifa (Chairman) Mr. Abdullateef A. Al-Asfour Mr. Rana Ahmed Humayun Mr. Mohammed Azzaroog Rajab Mr. Ahmed Abdul Rahim Mohamed Mr. Alaa A. Al-Sarawi Mr. Mian Muhammad Younis Mr. Mohammad Abdul Aleem Mr. Irfan Siddiqui (President CEO) Mr. Ariful Islam (Chief Operating Officer) MEEZAN BANK SEGMENTS Meezan Bank is overseen by a group of expert brokers focused on the reason for Islamic Banking. This single binding together factor releases the colossal intensity of a devoted and spurred group focused on satisfying the Vision and Mission of this Bank. The business portions of the Bank are: Consumer Banking Corporate Banking Investment Banking Commercial Bankingâ (including Small and Medium Enterprises) Treasury Financial Institutions Asset Management (oversaw through an auxiliary Al Meezan Investment Management Ltd. ) PRODUCTS AND SERVICES OF MEEZAN BANK Banks that agree to Islamic law are prohibited to charge premium or late installment expenses, which is likewise viewed as a sort of riba. To limit hazard, banks will regularly require an enormous initial installment on merchandise and property, or demand huge security. It is legal for the Bank to charge a more significant expense for a decent if installments are conceded or gathered sometime in the not too distant future since it is viewed as an exchange for merchandise instead of gathering premium. Sharia-grumbling financial items incorporate Mudharabah (benefit sharing), Wadiah (supervision), Musharakah (joint endeavor), Murabahah (cost in addition to) and Ijarah (renting). Another way that banks work inside Islamic laws while attempting to turn a benefit is by purchasing a thing that the client needs, and afterward offering the thing to the client at a more significant expense. Results Of Meezan Bank 1) Car Ijarah [pic] 2) Housing Finance (MUSHARKAH) [pic] 3) Meezan Lap-Top (MUSSAWAMA) [pic] 4) Meezan Labbaik Ummrah [pic] CAR IJARAH (YOUR OWN CAR. Speedy, AFFORDABLE HALAL! ) An Islamic Ijarah is an advantage based agreement, I. e. he Lessor ought to have responsibility for resource during the time of the agreement. Under Islamic Shariah, all pos session related rights and liabilities should lie with the proprietor while all utilization related rights and liabilities should lie with the client. A customary rent contract doesn't recognize the idea of these liabilities and places all liabilities on the client of the advantage, opposing to Islamic Shariah. Under Car Ijarah in Meezan Bank, all possession related dangers lie with the Bank while all use related dangers lie with the client, along these lines making the Lessor the genuine proprietor of the advantage and making the pay produced through the agreement passable (Halal) for the Bank. Methods OF CAR IJARAH There are two separate elements in Car ijarah. 1) INDIVIDUAL Salaried people, With necasary records and conditions can apply for Car Ijarah Facility. 2) CORPORATE SME’S Small Business Entities. SME’s are legitimate elements that chip away at little premise. Sole Propritership Partnership having under 50 Million current resources are called SME’s. Business To lie in Commercial Entities, A firm should have deals of 300 millions over 50 million current resources. Corporate are those Entities having over 700 millions deals. Generally the Companies enlisted under organizations Ordinance are corporate firm. Tenure:3 to 5 years Security Deposit:0 to half ( 0% S. D isn't for Individual Clients, in light of the fact that because of State Bank guidelines unwinding can be given to Corprates. ) Key Features of Car Ijarah Low month to month rental. Rental paid after conveyance, not in cutting edge. Quickest handling and conveyance. Tracker alternative accessible. Least security store. All new, utilized, nearby, imported and extravagance vehicles can be financed Additional Car Ijarah highlights are; Continuation Of Lease Rentals In Case Of Total Loss Or Theft Of Vehicle If the rented vehicle is taken or totally devastated, the ordinary renting organization keeps charging the rent lease till the settlement of the Insurance guarantee. Under the Islamic framework, lease is thought for use of the rented resource, and if the benefit has been taken or annihilated, the idea of rental gets void. Thusly, in the previously mentioned consequences, Meezan bank doesn't charge the rent rental. Takaful Instead of Insurance Legally (in understanding to Pakistan’s Law and Regulations), it is required for all renting elements to guarantee the rented resources. All things considered, Meezan Bank protects its rented resources. Meezan Bank guaranteed its advantages through Takaful just, which is Islamic item for protection.

CommunicationTechnology (ICT) for Sustainable Development

Question: You are a representative of a huge association situated in Sydney. By presenting teleworking in the association, your boss intends to add to economical turn of events and has gotten some information about teleworking. You are to compose a report to be introduced at the following official gathering. The report ought to include: 1. Teleworking and its difficulties to the association and the telecommuters. You ought to think about the social, financial, moral and lawful variables. 2. A basic audit in the case of teleworking would truly lessen nett ozone harming substance emanations as generally accepted. Your report ought to incorporate suggestions that give rules to the association as for acquainting and dealing with the telecommuters with accomplish practical turn of events. Answer: Presentation The ICT individuals have the influence to comprise and attempt to comprehend the smaller than usual issues which can up in any cooperation. Discussing the authoritative difficulties, one needs to decide the work to be done in the task alongside the groups who deal with the aptitudes in a multi-gifted approach to grasp the weight of the clients. It is imperative to be recognized about ICT which will help in following and speaking with the lives of the individuals and analyzing their future. The relational abilities are for the most part to recognize and look at all the highlights which are basic (Tony, 2014) to comprehend the portrayals on the open task who have a future in the equivalent. The expanded methodology and the emphasis is basically on the consideration how an individual uses an innovation to speak with others at home. Individuals have the obligation to shape and use all the trouble board which are for the most part under the scholastic conversations and must be appropriate ly managed after. Telecommuting has the ability to track and work from wherever regardless of the association. There is a need to shape a half and half flexibly where the representatives can follow the data and speak with the workplace representatives relying on the time. There has been an advantage for the support of absolute additions which can take an interest and empower a household development in the occupations. There is a great deal of advantage which helps in acquiring and decreasing the blockage on the streets and along these lines essentially expanding the work low to proceed the (Johnson, 2013) cooperation of huge organizations. A portion of the targets which have been expanded are checked under the usage and assessment of the arrangement which persistently help in meeting and gathering the gracefully to comprehend the power of work and all the prerequisites. There is a need to incorporate all the natural wonder which will prompt effect and examination of better flexibly of work with data and correspondence innovation frameworks. (Tintin et al., 2014). Rundown For a practical turn of events, in Sydney, there is a requirement for teleworking specialized technique which can adjust the gracefully of the items relying on the need. There is a task called National Broadband Network which can audit and present the criticalness in Sydney with the arrangement of skilful administration and system. To work with a superior arrangement, approach for huge administration in the network alongside the advancement in the offices as (Caillier, 2013) per the key development helps in building up a superior outcome to center towards the arrangement which trigger the establishment and workforce plan. With the emission of telecom working, there is a need to distinguish and break down the abilities of the administration which can follow better interconnection and influence for business. The arrangement has been settled up to proficiently and alluringly increase key information which can hinder the requirements and the future requests. The capital needs must be ove rseen under the data which gives better arranging and a chance to create workforce for a superior future. There is a need to accomplish a progressively improved objective which can go into the learning and fulfilling division and help to flexibly better conditions to nature. The assets have the ability to deal with all the discussion which could guarantee a superior procedure of arranging with the ICT workforce government. There are focal basic components which are incorporated under this which are: There is a need to keep up and balance the heading of the business according to the requirements and regard the setting which can help in communicating workforce. The assortment of information and investigating it to work as per the present workforce group can assist with dealing with all the holes which would some way or another been separated. (Tahavori, 2014). A base to give audio effect execution to design all the assets and clary all the jobs which will deal with the duties according to the checking impact. Teleworking and its difficulties With the systems and rules and guidelines, one needs to deal with the difficulties in the organization and attempt to concoct effective outcomes as well. Subsequently, for this, there are sure focuses and prerequisites which should be accomplished: There is an affirmation that the practices and the exhibition of the work done should be adaptable and as indicated by the working environment condition. There is a change which supports and attempt to design all the behaviors in time for the workplace laborers. To deal with the administrations of cloud and other sharing apparatuses which needs to have security in the framework, they need a help where the workers will cover and are empowers to deal with the profitability factor alongside (Ampomah et al, 20133) confirmation that they will get upgrade in the ability to go after a virtualised idea and effectiveness. There is a need to coordinate to the desires for the business who might give a superior device and successful stage for setting up vigor in the frameworks, characterizing a presentation according to the results in the particular measure of time. The telecommuters have the ability to deal with the correspondence and primary accentuation is on making calls to the next spot which will help in keeping up solid connection. Telecommuters are utilizing an extraordinary aggravate in this to set up coordinated effort and the business action. The advancement and count of the advantages which for the most part incorporate the working environment condition need to deal with all the virtual needs which compare to travel and figure all the models under the movement which in any case would take a ton of time and upsetting endeavors in voyaging significant distances. (Dehabadi et al., 2014). The work and the usage of the representatives who need to come and permit unequaled business must be guaranteed that there is a procedure to work and accomplish all the effective administration which will reach out towards the ascent in the areas, directing a normal study to all the remote territories. The assistance to work among all the representatives, there is a result which center more around how and what work is finished. The result must be chosen relying fair and square of the beneficial innovative development. (James Griffiths, 2014). The employments which are effective and lead to an adaptable time and approach consistently have a job to upgrade and give a change to the adaptability of the work. The methodology which can have different and higher goals for the most part search forward for additional issues as they have been segregated from the general work which has a higher effect and progressively focussed as well. To procure a superior improvement item, there are benefits which for the most part utilize the specialty of conferencing and overseeing it with the mix of a broadband framework which will prompt maturing the profitability. Now and again, there is a community oriented work which is overseen better various groups to virtualise and standardize the work proficiently and treat it totally incorporate the advantages to bigger benefits. (Park, 2014). So as to defeat the issue of fuse of substantial telecommuting rehearses, there is a requirement for some basic alternatives which can have a superior benefit and give accommodating choice to go from various practices and technique. The overseeing and correspondence in the work environment is overseen according to the presentation, arrangement approach, measures which fulfill the time constraints alongside setting up an early on stage to all the more likely work wellbeing and laws. Telecommuting is viewed as a superior method to work to a level where one doesn't needs to confront issues in regards to security or sharing data which can bridle the subtleties and encode with the virtualisation procedures. The information assortment and an effect on decide a superior standard of joining and rousing a flexibly of work to encourage the limit and capacity to analyze and estimating all the holes. The information assortment and augmentation in the arranging power alongside the flexibly of work should be considered according to the surveys which could prompt effect and providing business. With the advancement of (van Lier et al., 2014) system and the components to fill the hole, there is a need to proficiently deal with the exercises under correct time, age and expertise. The organization need to oversee and work according to the foreseen development which will mirror the survey of the arrangement according to the size of the office. Thinking about the social factors in the part of teleworking, there are sure cases which differentiate and bring work preparing and other authoritative work from home which totally include the creation and inclusion of how to bring fundamental apparatus work to fire up dissemination, delivering a superior track organization. With no uncertainty, (Azarbouyeh Naini, 2014) there is a wide scope of assistance which prompts more work and choices, subsequently, helping the customers to get together the desires according to the new innovation advancement. Survey for teleworking With the wonder of media transmission, there are numerous representatives who play out their work sitting at home, independent of their assignment and the time. There is a need to decrease the emanations which would somehow or another drive to a bigger conceivable territory,

Friday, August 21, 2020

Morisson v. Olson :: Ethics in Government Act

Realities: The Ethics in Government Act made the situation of free insight to examine certain high authorities of the national government. At the point when matters emerge which may warrant such guidance, the Attorney General of the United States may research the claims. On the off chance that he discovers reason, he may train the Special District Court to name a free advice. This individual might be evacuated uniquely by the Attorney General upon ?great reason? what's more, the position might be ended uniquely by the Special District when it chooses the examination has been finished. Upon proposal from the Attorney General, free advice Alexia Morrison was doled out by the Special Division to explore Assistant Attorney General Theodore Olson. Ms. Morrison mentioned that the Attorney General furthermore allude her to research Deputy Attorney General Schmults and Assistant Attorney General Dinkins. The Attorney General denied the solicitation. The Division declared that the choice of the Attorney General was conclusive, however that the conditions of the demonstration were expansive enough to permit Ms. Morrison to examine in any case as to if Olson could have planned with Schmults and Dinkins. Ms. Morrison had each of the three men of their word summoned. Each of the three moved to have the summons subdued, guaranteeing that the free guidance arrangements of the Ethics in Government Act, that demonstration which set up the workplace of the autonomous examiner, were illegal. Issues: 1.     Is the arrangement of an autonomous advice, an official branch official, by the legal branch illegal? 2.     Do the forces vested in the Special Division by the Act struggle with Article III of the Constitution? 3.     Is the Act is invalid under the protected rule of partition of forces? a.     Does the arrangement of the Act confining the Attorney General's capacity to evacuate the autonomous insight to just those cases wherein he can show great reason, taken without anyone else, impermissibly meddle with the President's activity of his intrinsically designated capacities? b.     Does the Act decrease the President's capacity to control the prosecutorial powers employed by the free advice? Choice: 1.     No. 2.     No. 3.     No. a.     No b.     No Thinking: 1.     Congress has Constitutional position to enable courts to delegate certain official branch positions. a.     The Appointments Clause of Article II permits Congress to ?vest the Appointment of?inferior Officers, as they think legitimate, in the President alone, in the Courts of Law, or in the Heads of Departments.? b.     The free insight is a second rate office. i.     She is dependent upon evacuation by a higher official branch official. ii.     Her obligations are restricted. iii.     She must go along at whatever point conceivable with the approaches of the Department of Justice. iv.     Her locale is restricted. v.     Her position is restricted in residency.

Friday, August 7, 2020

The Ultimate Recognition

The Ultimate Recognition I got an e-mail the other day from a deferred applicant, who said that getting into MIT would have been the ultimate recognition of all the effort Ive poured into everything in my life thus far. I sympathize I know how it feels to pour a lot of yourself into something, and not see it pay off in the way you expect, or hope. Its very painful. And embarrassing. One of the worst parts is when people who believe in you ask SO HOW DID IT GO??? and you have to break the news, when really youd rather curl up in bed and put your shades down and never look anyone in the eye again. And then, over empty tubs of ice cream and a carpet covered with tissues, wonder why you bothered to work so hard when it didnt pay off anyway. I sympathize, but as someone who has made this mistake infinitely many times in the past, continues to do so now, and probably will be unable to avoid doing so in the future I dont believe that trying to define what ultimate recognition is, under ANY circumstances, the right attitude. An example. In High School, I was the captain of my robotics team. I joined the team as a freshman because my eighth grade science teacher encouraged me to. I was very ambitious: I wanted to become team captain, I wanted to lead us from success to success, I wanted to help us bring in money from sponsors, and win the most prestigious awards that FIRST offers its teams. I worked my butt off, and the first part of my dream came true I became captain my junior year. I wrote essays for our awards applications, was on the drive team at the regionals. Well! you say. You got into MIT, so obviously all those things happened, because MIT only accepts the most flawless human beings on the planet. NO!  We never won a regional, never won those awards; I was heartbroken and felt like a failure. Worse, I hadnt only let myself down, but I had let an entire team down. When I graduated and passed over the reins, I wondered what the heck the point was. Winning a regional, winning a Chairmans Award that would have been the ultimate recognition of all the effort Id put into that team during High School. Sure, the team had gone from 10 people to something like a 60-strong operation and sure, Id spent a bunch of time mentoring middle school kids in Robotics, and yeah, maybe that second grader I tutored LOVED it when I showed him our robot  but I didnt think about any of that, because I had a very specific idea of what ultimate recognition meant, and I didnt get it, and I was disappointed. My robotics team is kicking butt now. They won the entrepreneurship award last year. They built a spectacular robot, and made it to the semifinals for the first time in our teams history. And I realize, only now, when Im no longer on the team, that all my hard work was part of a picture bigger than myself: the payoff wasnt on as short of a time scale as I had expected, or hoped. The ultimate recognition is not ultimate at all, because it will continue: my work and the work of everything who has ever been on that team is constantly being recognized, long after weve left. Another example. One of my best friends in High School always wanted to go to Hogwarts (college name pseudonym, for privacy.) Since Middle School, or something. She had a Hogwarts sweater, and said that everything she did, she did for one result: get into Hogwarts. She didnt get into Hogwarts. She cried. A lot. We brought her flowers. She asked us WHY she put in all that work, what the point was. It broke our hearts, because she was obviously blind to the fact that she had become a brilliant writer, photographer, journalist skills that would obviously serve her wherever she ended up going to college (shes now doing some crazy awesome study abroad program) and beyond that as well. She defined what ultimate recognition would be, and didnt get it. Her work is paying off in a different way although its not the way she expected or hoped. And it will continue to pay off, even though that Hogwarts sweater is in some garbage heap somewhere. A final example. In High School, I (and all of my friends here at MIT) were academic rockstars; we got straight As, we were valedictorians, we won lots of awards, etc. I came to expect that hard work paid off in a specific way. I work hard - I receive external validation by getting an A. I work hard, demonstrate my enthusiasm for a subject - I receive external validation by winning an award. The result: some of us became dependent on those to feel good about ourselves. One friend says that at the beginning of a program, he looks at the awards they hand out at the end, then tries to shape his choices and behavior to fit the criteria for winning that award. Thats really sad. Hes  won so many awards over his life that somehow winning awards is a requirement for feeling good about himself; the thought of  no longer doing so is totally unbearable. And now he doesnt always act the way he wants to act, because he wants to be recognized in the way hes used to being recognized. I should add that, as disturbing as that probably sounds to you, its the same attitude that drives people to e-mail me with questions like WHAT MUST I DO TO BE ACCEPTED TO MIT??? The answer is: NOT ASK QUESTIONS LIKE THAT. That is the wrong. question. just like reading the award description and molding yourself after what you imagine a winner would be like is the WRONG. APPROACH. NO. DONT DO THAT. I think I sort of had that approach in mind when I got to MIT. Id gotten so many As and won so many awards that I had a hard time tearing my attention from the results I wanted. Then I got here,  stopped getting straight As, stopped winning awards, stopped being top of my class, and woah.  The foundation of my self-confidence basically disappeared. That happens to a lot of people: we have to rebuild our self-confidence out of tougher stuff than grades or class rank, because we are not longer the smart kid or the nerdy kid because EVERYONE here is smart and nerdy. And thats a really good thing, I think. A final story. And the reason why I was thinking about all this. I just did poorly on my Quantum II final. I also did poorly on the midterm, way back in October, and it was important to me for a lot of reasons that I ace this test. Did I study hard? Yes. Did I do every problem they suggested we do in preparation? Yes. Did I do all the homework? Yes. Did I attend all office hours I could possibly attend? Yes. I even crutched to office hours in the rain, once.  Was there anything more I could have done? Probably, but there always is you can always look back and say I SHOULD HAVE DONE MORE! but thats just cruel. I think its unreasonable and a little unhealthy to expect 100% efficiency out of yourself. So, what was the point of all the work I put into that class this semester? WHY did I crutch to office hours in the rain? I did it for a specific result: I wanted an A in that class. I would have liked recognition of all the work I put into it. And now Im probably not going to get that. And last night, it was a huge crisis and the end of the world and MY FUTURE IS RUINED and THIS IS THE UNIVERSE TELLING ME NOT TO BE A PHYSICIST and WHY DO I EVER TRY EVER WHEN IM NOT EVEN GOING TO GET EXTERNAL VALIDATION OF MY HARD WORK. And then I talked to two French House alums, both of whom had their serious academic struggles here and are doing just fine. They both told me that whatever grade I get in this class: its really not going to matter when I look back in a couple of years. Another of my friends here told me something similar: its going to be fine, it will work out, blah blah blah, all the things that are totally impossible for me to realize at this stage because I am so freaking short-si ghted. At this point, though, this kind of disappointment feels familiar. It feels like looking up at the scoreboard and seeing that our Robotics team lost. It feels like listening for my name at an awards ceremony and not hearing it called. It feels like how Im sure my friend felt when that letter from Hogwarts brought unwelcome and unexpected news. I worked hard for a specific kind of validation and reward, and I didnt get it. But I have things to look forward to. Next  semester I will take Quantum III, which is sort of the capstone of this quantum series, filled with awesome applications of all the crazy math techniques weve been learning. I KNOW I learned a lot in Quantum II, even if it wont show up that way on my transcript. But it will make Quantum III awesome, and lets be real how many people can go around saying they know advanced quantum physics? Whatever I become a teacher, a researcher I will be glad I took this class, and I will be glad I worked hard, and it will pay off. The grade is not the ultimate recognition of that. I didnt work the entire semester for one grade. I worked the entire semester for what will follow after this semester, the same way that high school seniors have worked for 17 or 18 years for what will follow those 17 or 18 years; Acceptance To Dream College is just another thing that happens (or doesnt) along the way, and honestly will not turn out to make that big of a diff erence in the long run. On December 22, I fly back home to London for the first time in a YEAR. My mom is wonderful and familiar with my love of theatre, and bought tickets to Richard III, Kiss Me Kate, and Cabaret. She is also familiar with my love of food, and arranged an outing for posh afternoon tea. My friend Davie, who graduated last year, is currently taking a year to study math in Berlin, and is going to stay with my family for a few days right around New Years. Were going to take a tour of Hampton Court palace; way back in my youth, I had the free time to spend weekends roaming through the Hampton Court hedge maze, and eventually had the correct path memorized. Then itll be 2013, which is hard to believe. On January 3, I fly back to Boston for a few days, see the doctor to find out whether my toe is recovering properly, then fly to Los Angeles on January 6th for the American Astronomical Societys annual winter conference. Ill present a poster on my pulsar research from the summer, and do my best to charm the other astronomers. Ill visit friends in San Francisco, fly back to Boston, do research for a couple of weeks, then fly to China to teach for five days. When disappointment catches up with me and Im no longer able to maintain perspective about how much one particular incident will matter to my life in the long run, I like to concentrate on all the things Im excited about. I know that all this is easy for me to say, because IM AT MIT! and MY LIFE MUST BE AWESOME! and WHAT MORE IS THERE TO LIFE THAN GETTING INTO MIT? but let me tell you, we all suffer our fair share of disappointments and failures; do yourself a favor, and learn how to move on from those experiences without beating yourself up. That will serve you much more faithfully in the long run than a particular college acceptance. I know a few very tightly-strung, low-self-confidence MIT students, who sadly havent learned yet how to mentally forgive themselves for what they consider failure, and havent yet managed to detach self-worth from the various forms of external validation theyve become accustomed to. Also, as a last, semi-unrelated note;  Ive gotten a few e-mails recently from prospectives saying thank you for posting so often! which makes me a little guilty. I dont want to give the illusion that, against my will, I drag myself to the blogging interface and bang posts out in an act of self-sacrifice for all the loyal readers. Yes,  this is a job, and I respect it as such but its also an outlet, and this might sound selfish but I think that I post as much for myself as I do for the prospectives. When Im stressed out, its relaxing to come here and tell a story so, really, I should thank you for reading. Blogging is also an excellent form of procrastination. So excuse me while I go study for my 18.06 (Linear Algebra) final.