September 3, 2014
Lt Leo Gradwell
‘Are you happy in the Navy?’, this was the signal passed to a neighbouring vessel by Lt Leo Joseph Gradwell during a German air raid. An Oxbridge barrister, adept in six languages, he was not quite the man one would imagine fighting the best German warships with only a yacht sailing certificate. Captain of one of the British merchant ships of the ‘scattered’ PQ17 convoy, he had a Times Handy Atlas to stay alive after being ordered to disperse at the lurking threat of the the Nazi warship Tirpitz. PQ17: well, it’s obviously an intriguing code name though quite a historic one. PQ17 was the code named convoy containing British and American ammunition, weapons and aid that were sent to the Russians to prevent the unstoppable Germans from capturing Moscow; crossing the hell rough Arctic ocean. Dating back to the venerable Second War, PQ17 Arctic Convoy Disaster has been tagged one of the most infamous naval disasters in the history of warfare. This may seem to have no connection to that of an 18-year old prat’s life. Self-confessedly, even I would have been in the dark about PQ17, like most other people, had I not stumbled upon the documentary broadcast on the BBC, presented by the legendary, albeit controversial, Jeremy Clarkson.
Time to draw the connection.
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Posted by Budhaditya
August 19, 2014
Entry to the University of London LLB programme @ 41 was a watershed event for me last year, and the six following months… a roller coaster ride. From sleepy beginnings (The snakes and ladders of study) through wake-up moments (A Journey to the Centre of the Mind) it has been pulsating, right up to the finishing line.
The last time I ran this race was two decades back during my Chartered Accountancy Finals. Those were different days though. In early 20s, youthful potential energy was in abundance. Devoid of any serious responsibility, life was relatively uncomplicated. In short, those were days when the heart thumped more in anticipation of love and life rather than apprehension of failure and fear..!
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3 Comments | LLB | Tagged: Distance Learning, Exams, India, KK, Kolkata, Law, LLB, mature student, University of London International Programmes, UoL | Permalink
Posted by KK
August 15, 2014
This happens to be the final page of my travel(b)logue, which is what I referred to my blogs as in my first post… On completion of my study, I set off for some adventure-packed fun. Launching myself off the platform and flying down the zipline was somewhat like my study experience over the past four years – a journey, from bracing myself to embracing the world!
So here’s to the ‘long and short’ of my trip with the programmes (spellcheck hasn’t got used to this word yet). I’ve expanded the word ‘trip’ itself, to incorporate some of the most important lessons I’ve learnt from it.
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Posted by thakurhema
June 6, 2014
Ready for an exam
The time since I last posted my blog, it has been quite a hurricane for me. And I think I have survived. To say simply, the time has not been the rosiest. Managing the increasing burden of the examinations and the mounting backlog of my music lessons simultaneously has been one of the trickiest legs among all the examinations that I have taken. Admittedly, I have not been out of my home for most of the time – this has been the most vexing parts. It is indeed no child’s play to self-motivate and keep the pace ticking to gobble up the endless miles of the syllabus. Much has been said, opined and written about the much anticipated exams. So I won’t further add to the discussion, though I don’t think I would be able to resist.
There goes a saying, ‘Time and tide waits for none’. While I had focussed on my exams and music (relatively limitedly) the world had not been still. A lot has happened. India has undergone one of the most significant changes in its governance, Narendra Modi (our new PM) taking not only the national but the global media by storm. Not only India, democracy has triumphed in nations such Afghanistan, South Africa and Iraq. The case of Afghanistan has been awe-inspiring proving that all humans have hope for something better. To add, South Africa has re-elected their leader – President Zuma. Seen from the bird’s eye view, a silver lining can definitely be seen peeping from the black, sombre clouds. Witnessing the rise of a man from the echelons of a naïve tea-seller to that of the leader of the largest democracy, to the dew-fresh hopes in Afghanistan for sunny days ahead, it has really ignited my zeal.
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Posted by Budhaditya
March 26, 2014
In this blog, I share with you a few study and examination guidelines that I have penned during ‘motivating moments’! Happy reading 😉
1) Breathing before a study session prevents sighing post it…
So let’s take a deep breath and plunge!
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Posted by thakurhema
February 25, 2014
It’s time to get on top of those study roadblocks!
What makes the earth spin? Day to day experiences dictate that an applied force is required to keep something in constant motion. However, contrary to belief, a force is required to stop movement – for example, what stops a rolling ball is the force of friction. Movement is presumed to be a natural tendency…
This may seem far stretched, but drawing parallels, it makes me ponder over what keeps us from moving on in accordance with our plans; case in point, study plans. A shift of focus from motivation, or the lack of it, to the roadblocks, is a good starting point for its assessment.
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Posted by thakurhema
February 10, 2014
October 2013 was a breeze when life at the University of London had just begun. By December 2013, the sails picked wind and the cruise sailed comfortably till the new calendar remained out of gaze.
On the morning of 1st January 2014, the hair on the head began experiencing an anti-gravity pull.
Responsibilities at work were piling, eating into valuable study time. Festivities and celebrations were becoming botherations.
A cricket commentator would say … the asking rate is rising; wickets are falling and overs getting exhausted without adequate runs on the board.
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1 Comment | LLB | Tagged: exam preparation, India, Kallol Kundu, KK, Kolkata, Law, LLB, study schedule, time management, University of London International Programmes | Permalink
Posted by KK
