It has been a long time since I have posted something. I can attribute that to a very busy schedule that involved preparation for an MUN, an olympiad and an exam. However, now that I am on vacation, I have finally found some time to post something for a change. So, I am going to take this opportunity to post my “Year in Review” for 2016.
2016 has been a hell of a ride. The world has changed so much within such a small period of time, some changes which I won’t explicitly state, but are pretty much implied. For me personally, 2016 was a year of growth, change and success. The year started with a short vacation, in which we had to complete insane amounts of homework. While most of my friends decided to go on a school tour to Pokhara, a city about 150 km West of Kathmandu, I stayed behind. I didn’t want to hamper my learning, not even for 3 days, as exams were fast approaching. I regretted the decision almost immediately afterwards. However, all was not doom and gloom as while my friends were out busy riding boats on famous lakes, I was happily relaxing, learning and stargazing. I even managed to catch up with the Quadrantid meteor shower, which takes place annually just a few days after the New Year!
We had our board examinations in the month of March. It was a hectic time for me and my friends. We had to sacrifice a lot of leisure activities for a period of 20 days, something which we had never done before. Nevertheless, the exams went quite well and after the final exam on the 21st of March, we had officially completed schooling and could relax for a couple of months. However before truly embarking on a long-due holiday, we had to manage our “portfolios”, something which as since become infamous at my school. A long, arduous process was finally completed about 5 days later.
The vacation, contrary to my initial expectations, turned into a boring affair. There was literally nothing to do. Furthermore, the need to make a decision regarding further education, a very consequential decision, made it a very serious time indeed. In the end, I chose to leave my school and pursue A-level education, as I thought it provided a far lucrative preparation for university than the other courses available. Thus in order to realize this, I gave an entrance test at Chelsea International Academy, a school that is not so far away from my home (contrary to its name, it has no connection to Chelsea football club!). I managed to get a scholarship along with my acceptance at the college, which felt really good. As a result, I chose not to give entrances at other colleges.
The results of our board examination were released on the 28th of May. There was a lot of controversy surrounding the actual release date, with many news agencies claiming that the results would be released as early as the 24th. However, those reports proved to be false. Nonetheless, the results did come eventually, and to my satisfaction, I found out that I had gotten the desired 10/10 CGPA.
Before the results were released however, I was browsing through my Facebook feed when I saw an advertisement for the “3rd National Astronomy Olympiad”. Having been an avid space enthusiast since my formative years, and having not had the opportunity to showcase my talents in the field of astronomy since grade 3, I was really interested in taking part. However, upon browsing through the syllabus, I became demotivated. The syllabus mentioned know-how of physical principles that I had never heard of! Moreover, the competition stated that it was for “Grade 11 and 12 students”. I was just a freshman out of grade 10. I didn’t think I could quite do it.
However, I convinced myself to take part. There were two weeks more left until the first round. Thus, instead of feeling outdone by the syllabus, I tried learning what I could. I didn’t have much success, but in the end, even that little bit of preparation helped me. I managed to get into the second round quite comfortably in the end.
Meanwhile, I had a smooth assimilation into college life. I made new friends, who have helped me a lot in getting used to college life. The things that we were taught were interesting and the teachers who taught them were good. Thus, it wasn’t much of a surprise that I felt right at home in college. There was also a Model United Nations that took place during that time, and I am honored to say that I won “Best Delegate” in my first Model United Nations.
The olympiad progressed into the second round. We were told to make telescopes, a planerium and a sundial, along with a report on a predefined topic. Having the engineering skills of a pig and pretty much non-existent free time with college classes in full blow, I was pessimistic about my chances to say the least. I managed to scrap together a telescope, which considering the difficulty I had in obtaining the materials, was quite an achievement. My sundial was pretty good and I think that my planerium was passable. The only positive thing was my report, which I think I prepared well.
There was just one more hurdle to overcome before the second round drew to close. We had to present our reports in front of everyone. This was what I waiting for; my presentation skills are something that I am really proud of. I presented my report really well; I feel better than the rest. Nevertheless, I wasn’t feeling too optimistic, because of my faulty project work.
It came as quite a surprise when I was selected in the Top 21! I credit my top 21 placement on the presentation round, without which I would have appeared as an incompetent snob (excuse my language). In the meantime, there was a Mathematics Olympiad that took place at another A-level college. I managed to secure runner-up, although I was disappointed with the final round and the event in general.
The next round of the Astronomy Olympiad was the most grueling. We had to take part in a 10-day training course which involved topics that were required for the International Olympiad that was going to take part later. For me then, it was all about the national olympiad. I didn’t care much about the International one, as I was so convinced I wasn’t going to be selected!
As part of the “closed camp” as it was called, I had to take part in a trip to the “Everest Science Center” and miss unit tests at college. I had lofty expectations of the Science Center, but I was to be disappointed. It wasn’t a Science Center as much as it was an archaic museum. However, we found out that it was this organization that was bringing Buzz Aldrin to the country, so my opinions about the place greatly improved. We had gone to the Everest Science Center in order to get some observation practice. The skies were brilliant and we got to see many constellations, as well as the interior of the Milky Way galaxy.
Back from Biratnagar, we were to sit in an examination to decide the top 5. I wasn’t feeling upbeat about my chances though, as I had not done much preparation. However, the exam went quite well. I expected to score good marks, but I had that nagging feeling that I had not done enough to break into the top 5. With that, the Astronomy Olympiad drew to a close.
After the Astronomy Olympiad, I was presented with yet another memorable opportunity. Buzz Aldrin, the second man on the moon, was reportedly set to arrive in Nepal! I couldn’t believe what I was hearing at first; I had to double check with the concerned authorities. They gave me the confirmation that I had needed. Buzz Aldrin was in fact, coming to Nepal. I bought a ticket to attend one of his programs in Kathmandu as soon as I could. It was not every day that you could meet one of the few men to have walked on the surface of another celestial body. For me, Buzz Aldrin, along with the astronauts of the Apollo program, all other astronauts, the scientists that worked on getting these astronauts to space and the scientific community in general that embarked on such momentous events are heroes. Consequently, being able to meet a personality who I hold in high regard was especially memorable for me.
About a week after the fateful Buzz Aldrin encounter, the results of the Olympiad were out. I was in for a shock. I had placed first with a score of 86. At first I couldn’t believe my eyes. I felt as if it had to be a mistake. Only it wasn’t. It was the truth; I had secured the first position. How do I describe that moment? Pride, happiness, elation, sense of accomplishment. These words cannot even scratch the surface of what I felt that day.
With that, I had firmly established the roots for future successes in the field of astronomy. Being one of the top 5, I was fast tracked into the national team for the International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA), which was going to be held in India. From then on, everything was second fiddle for me. I was maniacally obsessed with trying to prepare well for the Olympiad, which in hindsight, I would incline to feel I wasn’t able to do.
In retrospect, I would not have taken part in the MUN that took place at Chelsea. For some that might seem scandalous. I assure you, I have my reasons. But at the time, I was hungry for the challenge. I had laid off my olympiad preparations for a week, which greatly hindered my progress, especially in the “Night Sky Observation” portion. Consequently, I feel that had I not had the ‘distraction’ of CMUN, I might have been able to place higher in the IOAA. However, it is also true that I made many new friends at the MUN, some of who have come to be really close to me. In the end, I think I am still confused about the whole experience.
Nevertheless, old time kept on flowing. Soon, the olympiad was upon us. We departed on the 9th of December for a period of 10 days. The olympiad was held at the wonderful, aesthetically charming and detached city of Bhubaneshwar in the state of Odisha. The observation exam was first. I thought I did quite well, considering the difficulty level of the questions. I was quite incredulous when people dismissed the question papers as, “very easy”. Nevertheless, I was trying to do things at my own pace and level, so I barely took heed to any of these comments. An interesting note about the olympiad was the communications blackout. On the day of the opening ceremony, we were to hand our electronic devices to our team leaders. We later learned that this was because of fear of leak of question papers.
After the observation test came theory. The theory paper was especially challenging, particularly for me. I had not got enough time to prepare myself for all the rigorous mathematics and physics needed to solve the questions. In the end, I felt I might scrape at least a 100/300. Data analysis was not particularly easy either. At that moment in time, I felt that my Data analysis exam went the worst. I was utterly pessimistic about my chances for an honorable mention, a diploma given to the participants who score more than 50% of the mean of the top three placed participants.
Like the rest of the year, however, surprises were in store. I managed to just exceed the cutoff; I received 50.7%. Consequently, I received an Honorable Mention, the first of its kind at the IOAA for Nepal. I feel proud to have received recognition for my nation, although I was a bit saddened by my apparent lack of competency relative to participants of other nations. It is something that I have vowed to work on in due time for future events. Moreover,I feel that the experiences I gained being in the presence of beautiful minds from across the globe will only help me excel in the future.
Therefore, to say that the year 2016 was memorable would be an understatement. I have nothing to say in regards to the year 2017; I hope it will be as thrilling as the year 2016 was, if not more.
2016 has been a hell of a ride. The world has changed so much within such a small period of time, some changes which I won’t explicitly state, but are pretty much implied. For me personally, 2016 was a year of growth, change and success. The year started with a short vacation, in which we had to complete insane amounts of homework. While most of my friends decided to go on a school tour to Pokhara, a city about 150 km West of Kathmandu, I stayed behind. I didn’t want to hamper my learning, not even for 3 days, as exams were fast approaching. I regretted the decision almost immediately afterwards. However, all was not doom and gloom as while my friends were out busy riding boats on famous lakes, I was happily relaxing, learning and stargazing. I even managed to catch up with the Quadrantid meteor shower, which takes place annually just a few days after the New Year!
We had our board examinations in the month of March. It was a hectic time for me and my friends. We had to sacrifice a lot of leisure activities for a period of 20 days, something which we had never done before. Nevertheless, the exams went quite well and after the final exam on the 21st of March, we had officially completed schooling and could relax for a couple of months. However before truly embarking on a long-due holiday, we had to manage our “portfolios”, something which as since become infamous at my school. A long, arduous process was finally completed about 5 days later.
The vacation, contrary to my initial expectations, turned into a boring affair. There was literally nothing to do. Furthermore, the need to make a decision regarding further education, a very consequential decision, made it a very serious time indeed. In the end, I chose to leave my school and pursue A-level education, as I thought it provided a far lucrative preparation for university than the other courses available. Thus in order to realize this, I gave an entrance test at Chelsea International Academy, a school that is not so far away from my home (contrary to its name, it has no connection to Chelsea football club!). I managed to get a scholarship along with my acceptance at the college, which felt really good. As a result, I chose not to give entrances at other colleges.
The results of our board examination were released on the 28th of May. There was a lot of controversy surrounding the actual release date, with many news agencies claiming that the results would be released as early as the 24th. However, those reports proved to be false. Nonetheless, the results did come eventually, and to my satisfaction, I found out that I had gotten the desired 10/10 CGPA.
Before the results were released however, I was browsing through my Facebook feed when I saw an advertisement for the “3rd National Astronomy Olympiad”. Having been an avid space enthusiast since my formative years, and having not had the opportunity to showcase my talents in the field of astronomy since grade 3, I was really interested in taking part. However, upon browsing through the syllabus, I became demotivated. The syllabus mentioned know-how of physical principles that I had never heard of! Moreover, the competition stated that it was for “Grade 11 and 12 students”. I was just a freshman out of grade 10. I didn’t think I could quite do it.
However, I convinced myself to take part. There were two weeks more left until the first round. Thus, instead of feeling outdone by the syllabus, I tried learning what I could. I didn’t have much success, but in the end, even that little bit of preparation helped me. I managed to get into the second round quite comfortably in the end.
Meanwhile, I had a smooth assimilation into college life. I made new friends, who have helped me a lot in getting used to college life. The things that we were taught were interesting and the teachers who taught them were good. Thus, it wasn’t much of a surprise that I felt right at home in college. There was also a Model United Nations that took place during that time, and I am honored to say that I won “Best Delegate” in my first Model United Nations.
The olympiad progressed into the second round. We were told to make telescopes, a planerium and a sundial, along with a report on a predefined topic. Having the engineering skills of a pig and pretty much non-existent free time with college classes in full blow, I was pessimistic about my chances to say the least. I managed to scrap together a telescope, which considering the difficulty I had in obtaining the materials, was quite an achievement. My sundial was pretty good and I think that my planerium was passable. The only positive thing was my report, which I think I prepared well.
There was just one more hurdle to overcome before the second round drew to close. We had to present our reports in front of everyone. This was what I waiting for; my presentation skills are something that I am really proud of. I presented my report really well; I feel better than the rest. Nevertheless, I wasn’t feeling too optimistic, because of my faulty project work.
It came as quite a surprise when I was selected in the Top 21! I credit my top 21 placement on the presentation round, without which I would have appeared as an incompetent snob (excuse my language). In the meantime, there was a Mathematics Olympiad that took place at another A-level college. I managed to secure runner-up, although I was disappointed with the final round and the event in general.
The next round of the Astronomy Olympiad was the most grueling. We had to take part in a 10-day training course which involved topics that were required for the International Olympiad that was going to take part later. For me then, it was all about the national olympiad. I didn’t care much about the International one, as I was so convinced I wasn’t going to be selected!
As part of the “closed camp” as it was called, I had to take part in a trip to the “Everest Science Center” and miss unit tests at college. I had lofty expectations of the Science Center, but I was to be disappointed. It wasn’t a Science Center as much as it was an archaic museum. However, we found out that it was this organization that was bringing Buzz Aldrin to the country, so my opinions about the place greatly improved. We had gone to the Everest Science Center in order to get some observation practice. The skies were brilliant and we got to see many constellations, as well as the interior of the Milky Way galaxy.
Back from Biratnagar, we were to sit in an examination to decide the top 5. I wasn’t feeling upbeat about my chances though, as I had not done much preparation. However, the exam went quite well. I expected to score good marks, but I had that nagging feeling that I had not done enough to break into the top 5. With that, the Astronomy Olympiad drew to a close.
After the Astronomy Olympiad, I was presented with yet another memorable opportunity. Buzz Aldrin, the second man on the moon, was reportedly set to arrive in Nepal! I couldn’t believe what I was hearing at first; I had to double check with the concerned authorities. They gave me the confirmation that I had needed. Buzz Aldrin was in fact, coming to Nepal. I bought a ticket to attend one of his programs in Kathmandu as soon as I could. It was not every day that you could meet one of the few men to have walked on the surface of another celestial body. For me, Buzz Aldrin, along with the astronauts of the Apollo program, all other astronauts, the scientists that worked on getting these astronauts to space and the scientific community in general that embarked on such momentous events are heroes. Consequently, being able to meet a personality who I hold in high regard was especially memorable for me.
About a week after the fateful Buzz Aldrin encounter, the results of the Olympiad were out. I was in for a shock. I had placed first with a score of 86. At first I couldn’t believe my eyes. I felt as if it had to be a mistake. Only it wasn’t. It was the truth; I had secured the first position. How do I describe that moment? Pride, happiness, elation, sense of accomplishment. These words cannot even scratch the surface of what I felt that day.
With that, I had firmly established the roots for future successes in the field of astronomy. Being one of the top 5, I was fast tracked into the national team for the International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA), which was going to be held in India. From then on, everything was second fiddle for me. I was maniacally obsessed with trying to prepare well for the Olympiad, which in hindsight, I would incline to feel I wasn’t able to do.
In retrospect, I would not have taken part in the MUN that took place at Chelsea. For some that might seem scandalous. I assure you, I have my reasons. But at the time, I was hungry for the challenge. I had laid off my olympiad preparations for a week, which greatly hindered my progress, especially in the “Night Sky Observation” portion. Consequently, I feel that had I not had the ‘distraction’ of CMUN, I might have been able to place higher in the IOAA. However, it is also true that I made many new friends at the MUN, some of who have come to be really close to me. In the end, I think I am still confused about the whole experience.
Nevertheless, old time kept on flowing. Soon, the olympiad was upon us. We departed on the 9th of December for a period of 10 days. The olympiad was held at the wonderful, aesthetically charming and detached city of Bhubaneshwar in the state of Odisha. The observation exam was first. I thought I did quite well, considering the difficulty level of the questions. I was quite incredulous when people dismissed the question papers as, “very easy”. Nevertheless, I was trying to do things at my own pace and level, so I barely took heed to any of these comments. An interesting note about the olympiad was the communications blackout. On the day of the opening ceremony, we were to hand our electronic devices to our team leaders. We later learned that this was because of fear of leak of question papers.
After the observation test came theory. The theory paper was especially challenging, particularly for me. I had not got enough time to prepare myself for all the rigorous mathematics and physics needed to solve the questions. In the end, I felt I might scrape at least a 100/300. Data analysis was not particularly easy either. At that moment in time, I felt that my Data analysis exam went the worst. I was utterly pessimistic about my chances for an honorable mention, a diploma given to the participants who score more than 50% of the mean of the top three placed participants.
Like the rest of the year, however, surprises were in store. I managed to just exceed the cutoff; I received 50.7%. Consequently, I received an Honorable Mention, the first of its kind at the IOAA for Nepal. I feel proud to have received recognition for my nation, although I was a bit saddened by my apparent lack of competency relative to participants of other nations. It is something that I have vowed to work on in due time for future events. Moreover,I feel that the experiences I gained being in the presence of beautiful minds from across the globe will only help me excel in the future.
Therefore, to say that the year 2016 was memorable would be an understatement. I have nothing to say in regards to the year 2017; I hope it will be as thrilling as the year 2016 was, if not more.
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