Preparing for Graduate School?

The competition is tough when it comes to admission to international graduate programs in prestigious and elite universities. That is why a good preparation is needed in order to get in. Being intelligent is no longer enough these days. It takes strategy, good recommendations from professors and a lot of hard work in order to be admitted into your desired program.

I never got the chance to do a gmat review when I was applying for a master's program at the university so I never will know what it was like. Fortunately for me, the graduate program that I applied to did not require it. But I bet it would have been a very different experience.

Reviewing for GMAT is not only about memorizing. It is also about how dedicated and enthusiastic your instructors are. If you have instructors who have the drive and the passion, I bet you too will be driven to do your best. Studying is actually fun if you know how to go about studying. There are actually strategies that gmat preparation centers teach that one will never learn while studying alone. Diagnostics, mock tests and feedback are also vital in gmat review preparation. Although they are not the real thing, it helps you to gauge how much you have learned and how much you still need to hurdle to succeed and attain your desired GMAT score.  

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Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception

Today is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Today, we remember how Mary said YES to God, that despite being an ordinary person, God's grace will always be gifted to those who are humble enough to accept it.

Photo taken in 2009 at the Vatican Museum in Vatican City in Italy.

As a friend priest in Japan, Fr. Resty Ogsimer puts it:

The lowly handmaid of the Lord who, like us, was a person in pilgrimage on this earth and who because of her openness to God was ever growing. Like us, her complete faith also involved the chalice of suffering and the daily trials of life. Mary's Immacute Conception shows what God's grace is: gift, not reward!

Wherever we are in the world, our faith remains. May the Immaculate Heart of Mary continue to pray for us. May we, like her, be able to say YES to God's will and not our own.

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Laternenfest 2011

Laterne, Laterne, Sonne, Mond und Sterne... so goes the song that my little girl learned last year at the Kindergarten during the Laternenfest.

I am so excited for my little girl's Laternenfest this year. She really had fun at last year's Laternenfest and I am not surprised why.. It's scheduled on the 8th of November, Tuesday at 5:30 in the evening. I know my little girl is excited too and I know why... because it means creating our very own lanterns. There are so many craft ideas available online and I can't wait to create a lantern or two for my little girl. I am even tempted to order some books so that it will be easier for me and my little girl to choose.

There are some really good books that I found on the Internet and I am very much tempted to buy them. Although they are in German, I think I can manage to follow the instructions. But then again, there are also free instructions and patterns available on the Internet so I might just as well make use of them. I can even use my own creativity to create something original for my little girl. Last year, I went to the Kindergarten to make our very first lantern there. It was an Indian girl that we created and it was fun making crafts with my little girl although I did most of the work.

This year, I am planning to do it here at home. All I need to do is buy the materials from a craft shop.

I don't know what kind of lantern we will be creating this year but the following are my options:

An owl:

A pirate:

A princess:

A giraffe:

A Halloween Witch:

Or this cute monster:

Which do you think will my little girl like? I know it will be so much fun creating whatever lantern she decides we will make. I am looking forward to it. But first, I am off to the craft shop to check some materials out! Will post some photos when me and my little girl are finished making the lantern. It should be fun!

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