Blood donation Day

Hi there...

      October 1 is celebrated as the National Voluntary blood donation day. For all those out there trying to do something good, here's the opportunity.

Let others benefit from your good health. Do donate blood if ...

ü       you are between age group of 18-60 years.

ü       your weight is 45 kgs or more.

ü       your haemoglobin is 12.5 gm% minimum.

ü       your last blood donation was 3 months earlier.

ü       you are healthy and have not suffered from malaria, typhoid or other transmissible disease in the recent past.

Do not donate blood if you have any of these conditions

1.      cold / fever in the past 1 week.

2.      under treatment with antibiotics or any other medication.

3.      cardiac problems, hypertension, epilepsy, diabetes (on insulin therapy), history of cancer,     chronic kidney or liver disease, bleeding tendencies, venereal disease etc.

4.      major surgery in the last 6 months.

5.      vaccination in the last 24 hours.

6.      had a miscarriage in the last 6 months or have been pregnant / lactating in the last one year.

7.      had fainting attacks during last donation.

8.      have regularly received treatment with blood products.

9.      shared a needle to inject drugs/ have history of drug addiction. 

10.   had sexual relations with different partners or with a high risk individual.

11.   been tested positive for antibodies to HIV.

Donation Do’s and Don’ts

Before you donate: 

• DO get a good sleep.
• DO drink plenty of fluids.
• DO eat a good meal before you donate.
• DO eat iron rich foods the week before you donate.
• DON'T skip breakfast.
• DON'T drink caffeine two hours prior to donating; it can increase your pulse rate.
  
  After you donate: 
• DO drink plenty of fluids. 
• DO leave your bandage on for four to six hours.
• DON'T skip meals. 
• DON'T drink any alcoholic beverages for five hours.
• DON'T smoke for one hour.

 

Visit to Planetarium

Hi everyone..

     I had a great experience yesterday. As a volunteer of Teach India Initiative, I had been teaching some under-privileged students for the past 2 months. In one class some of them asked me what a Planetarium was. I explained to them and they 

were very eager to know more about it. Then, I thought, why not take them to the Planetarium as part of a educational trip. Soon, I started organizing the trip to Birla Planetarium. My friends (Nachiketas, Aishwarya, Krithika and Sowmya) too joined. Apart from them, there were many who supported me for this. I'm just grateful for them... without them it would not have been possible. 

    

        As for the experience it was simply great. The turnout was very good, more than I expected. 38 children were already eagerly waiting for us when we reached the locality. We started around 1 pm. We had their attendance taken and briefed them about our visit. They were very enthusiastic. We reached the Planetarium around 2 pm. We took them to the park first, which had games that demonstrated various principles in Physics. There were few, who just enjoyed being in the place and played fully to their extent.

 Also there were the eager few, who observed how the models worked and what principles were behind them. 

    Then, we assembled them around 2:45 and went to the 3D science movie. They were fascinated by the glasses provided to them and when the movie started they joy knew no bounds. The smaller ones started waving around their hands trying to catch something in the air. So many "oohs" and "wows". We were just thrilled to see their joy. 

     Then we went to the main show about the planets at 3:45. They sat in their places and started admiring the interior of the stadium. When the show started, they fell silent. When the show ended there were some who were complaining about how some of their friends kept talking and some who were just too happy to be there. After seeing all these, they rushed to the bus. Then came the snacks time. Some children lined up, again and again to get more snacks. As we had enough snacks, we didn't complain and everyone got at least 2-3 rounds of their favourite snacks. On the way back we stopped at Gandhi memorial and took some snaps and just relaxed for some time.

    On the whole, the trip was simply great. We had fun and the most important of all it was most satisfying. The children thanked us for the wonderful trip and asked us to join in more such activities. I hope to conduct such activities further too...

The Number-Rhyme system

Hi there...

       Hope the Number-shape system worked out for you. You might be wondering.. What if I want to memorise a list of more than ten items? Well, here is the technique. It is called the Number-Rhyme system. This will help increase the list to 20 items. OK, here is how it works. Just as in the case of the Number-Shape system(prev post), you have to imagine the numbers with a different creative item which rhymes with the number. Let me give some examples:

1. 1 as bun/sun
2. 2 as shoe
3. 3 as tree
4. 4 as pour
5. 5 as hive
6. 6 as kicks
7. 7 as heaven
8. 8 as ate
9. 9 as pine
10. 10 as pen

          Follow the same technique you followed for the Number-Shape system and there you have it...Simples techniques to improve your memory. Try it.. Practice it.. Memorise any list (20 as of now) and feel great about yourself.

The Number-shape system

Hi...

     So, with the introduction of how to improve your memory, let me give a small technique of remembering a small list... Now suppose you want to remember a list of ten items in order or even remember them in any order.. you can follow this technique.

First train your right part of the brain to imagine... You have to imagine the number 1 to 10 as some living or non-living thing which you can feel, taste, visualise or smell... The image would be better if the image matched with the shape of the number.. You can imagine the numbers with the following...

• 1 as pen/paintbrush
  
• 2 as swan
  
• 3 as heart(turned sideways)
  
• 4 as yatch
  
• 5 as hook
  
• 6 as elephant trunk
  
• 7 as cliff/boomerang
  
• 8 as hourglass
  
• 9 as tennis racket/ balloon & stick
  
• 10 as bat & ball
  

    Now consider the following list...

1. 1.Atom
2. 2.Prayer
3. 3.Watermelon
4. 4.Volcano
5. 5.Motorcycle
6. 6.Sunshine
7. 7.Apple pie
8. 8.Blossoms
9. 9.Spaceship
10. 10.Field of wheat

Now, all you have to do is use ur creativity and imagine a situation involving the number shapes mentioned above.. For example... For the Prayer(2), you can imagine a swan in the posture of prayer...or for the Volcano(4) you can imagine a volcanic eruption in an island and you are using a yatch to escape from the island... and for the apple pie(7) imagine a cliff made of favorite apple pie(its just an imagination yaar)... try the others too in similar manner and just check out how good you remember the list...

SMASHIN' SCOPE

Hi everyone...

       For those of you who have read my prev post on how to improve the memory, I would have mentioned how the interaction between the left and right side of the cortex.. is important for a better memory... Now, in order to remember well, the SMASHIN' SCOPE principles should be included in your associated and linked mental landscape. Wondering what this SMASHIN' SCOPE is... It is a mnemonic to the memory principles and here is what it stands for...

• S - Synaesthesia/Sensuality - sensitise your imagination
• M - Movement - make your images three dimensional 
• A - Association - link it to something stable in your mental environment
• S - Sexuality - I suppose I don't have to elaborate on this
• H - Humour - the more funny/ ridiculous you imagination is, the better
• I - Imagination - the power house of your memory technique
• N - Number - it increases the efficiency
• S - Symbolism - substituting meaningful image for an abstract concept improves recalling
• C - Color - unleash your color palette
• O - Order and/or sequence - in combination with the other principles, this increases the immediate reference
• P - Positive Images - it is scientifically proven that the brain recalls positive images better
• E - Exaggeration - exaggerate everything size, shape, sound and thus your memory

You must incorporate all the above in your imagination... The principles, a little bit of imagination and exaggeration and see your brain working wonders in remembering...

Different arrow styles in Origami

I was browsing the Internet for learning Origami, where I found this wonderful article of the origami basics. Every origami diagram will be described using complex arrows, symbols and folds. Having seen about the basic types of folds lets look into the various arrows and their meaning.

Often (but unfortunately not always) the "paper" shown in diagrams will have a white side and a coloured side, like standard Origami paper (Kami). If this is the case you sometimes find a symbol which shows whether you should start with the coloured side up or the white side up like in the picture on the left.

There are different kinds of lines which you will encounter in diagrams. Thick lines show either raw edges or edges resulting from folds. Thin grey lines show crease lines which are the result of prior folds. Dotted lines show lines that are hidden behind layers of paper.

Additionally there are lines that show you where and in which direction to fold the paper. A dashed line shows that the fold is supposed to be a valley fold. A dashed and dotted line shows that the fold is supposed to be a mountain fold. Sometimes you will find this line with a single dot like this:

Arrows in diagrams usually tell you in which direction to fold the paper.

	Fold the paper where shown. This usually is a valley fold but can be used for other folds as well.
	Fold behind, i.e. make a mountain fold.
	Fold and unfold, creating a crease line.
	Fold behind (mountain fold) and unfold, creating a mountain crease line.

Fold and unfold arrows also come in the following variants.

	Unfold a part of the model in the shown direction.
	Fold and unfold, i.e. first fold in the direction of the normal arrow, and then fold back in the direction of the hollow arrow.

Apart from these arrows you will regularly encounter the following symbols.

	Open the model where shown.
	Push the paper in where shown. This usually is displayed for sink folds. For details what this arrow means in the specific step you will have to refer to the written instruction of the step.
	Patterns like this are usually displayed together with crimp and pleat folds to show how the final layer distribution should be.

Another set of symbols deals with the way the model is displayed.

	Rotate the whole model by the specified amount in the given direction, f.e. 45 degrees clockwise for the symbol on the left.
	Turn the whole model over in the shown direction.
	The model will be displayed enlarged from now on. It is also possible that only part of the model will be displayed enlarged for the next steps.
	The model will be displayed smaller from now on. If only part of the model was displayed until now, it will be displayed fully again.
	The eyes shows a change of viewpoint. In the next step(s) the model will be displayed from a different direction. This often involves a 3D view of the model.

An important group of symbols deals with the problem of reference points, i.e. they show the exact start, end and orientation of folds.

	The circle marks an intersection of creases where the fold is supposed to start or pass through.
	Two lines are perpendicular to each other.
	An angle is separated into two (or more) equal parts.
	A line is separated into two (or more), in this example four equal parts.

The following diagram shows all of those symbols in use. As a side note, this diagram shows a way to divide a square into thirds. The thick vertical line passing through the circle is at exactly one third of the square.

The last kind of symbol I want to show you is the repeat arrow which comes in many variations.

	Repeat the current step on another flap/side of the model.
	Repeat the current step on two other flaps/sides of the model.
	Repeat the current step on three other flaps/sides of the model.
etc.
	Repeat the noted steps on another flap/side of the model.
	Repeat the noted steps on two other flaps/sides of the model.
etc.

When repeating steps you have to keep in mind that sometimes you will have to perform the steps in mirror image.

You should now know all the symbols which are necessary to understand Origami diagrams.
A general hint which is very useful when folding Origami models with diagrams is to always look ahead to the next step to see how the result of the step is supposed to look like. With this you should be able to complete most steps without having to read the written instructions (although it‘s never a bad idea to read them anyway...).

Memory techniques

Hi there...

          Being a fresher, I'm waiting for a call from my company. Meanwhile, I thought I could develop my skills, be it reading for certification exam or develop my inter-personal skills or develop a hobby like origami, or even improve my memory(ppl who know me better know that I'm not very good at remembering)... So, just startted exploring ways of doing it. And I'm keeping a note of what I do. Just 2 days back, I went to British Council library and got a book to improve my memory.. It is awesome, it is working and I can already feel the difference... So, just thought I could share some of my experiences and techniques with you... 

The first thing I learnt is every human brain is capable of remembering everything, if we train it to do so. As most of you people must be knowing, the left side of the cortex processes the following:

• logic
• words
• lists
• number
• sequence
• linearity
• analysis

Similarly, the right side of the cortex processes the following mental functions:

• rhythm
• imagination
• daydreaming
• colour
• dimension
• spatial awareness
• Gestalt(whole picture)

So, it seems that the left side of the brain is actively involved in memory. For those of you who believe that, it's the wrong point. A person can remember much more if we train the left and right side of the brain to work together.

The two underlying principles for an extended and a perfect memory are:

• imagination
• association

Simple, isn't it... In the further posts, I'll write about some of the techniques about improving memory. Till then keep imagining (in the wildest way possible) and keep associating(everything and anything with everything else..;))...

Folds in Origami

Hi there...

Hare are the various folds you'll find in origami.. From the next post of Origami, lets look into some of the models.. Happy folding... Practice it..

Valley Fold

The valley fold is formed by folding the paper toward oneself. An arrow shows where to fold the piece of paper to. Symbol: dashed line

Mountain Fold
The mountain fold is formed by folding the paper away from oneself.
Symbol: alternating dashed and dotted line

Petal Fold
The petal fold lifts a point and brings it upwards so that the two edges of the point lie together. It is best to prefold both layers of paper along the shown valley and mountain folds before making the petal fold.

Rabbit Ear Fold
Prefold along the three valley folds first. Then fold the two sides down to the baseline (see arrows). Fold the top point to one side to make the mountain fold. (Take care that you fold the top point to the right side where the mountain fold is set.)

Squash Fold
Prefold both sheets of paper along the valley and mountain fold. Then open the model, fold one layer of paper along the valley fold and flatten the model using the mountain fold.
The big white arrow tells you to open the model.

(Inside) Reverse Fold
Prefold both sheets of paper in both directions (mountain and valley). Then open the model a little bit and bring the top point down so that the mountain fold edge becomes a valley fold edge.

(Outside) Reverse Fold
It is similar to the inside reverse fold except the layers of the paper have to be wrapped around outside the point.

Crimp Fold
A crimp is used as a way of incorporating two reverse folds to change the direction of a flap or point. In most cases it is easiest just to make two reverse folds one after the other (precrease both folds before).
The lines next to the image should show you how the layers lie after folding.

Sink Fold
The sink fold is a method of blunting a point that has no open edges. The fold should first be precreased. Then carefully open the model and tuck the point inside. Flatten the model afterwards along existing creases.