For Academic Success, How Important is Online Tutoring

For Academic Success, How Important is Online Tutoring 0SHARESShare Finding out personal tutor who meets your problems in daily homework, school assignments, weekend projects and preparing for unit tests and competitive exams is very difficult. Personal tutors charge big amount, but they may not be available on needful basis as and when required. It is tough to get extra help finding through your exam with flying colors. Online tutoring is a premier service that gives a platform for both student and tutor to interact with one another online all during the day and night in the comfort of their own homes. Here you go how online personal tutoring is important for your academic success: It offers help in all the major subjects from all across through K-12 education and college education It helps take your daily tutoring classes just like the classes taken in your school Online tutor help you to complete your daily school homework, assignments, weekend projects and a lot more It helps Reading and Writing Essay help, Math problem solving, Science experiments, English Grammar It helps prepare you for surprise test, unit test and final examination at the end of the academic year It offers all other online educational resources that can help you get better learning the subjects It offers access to library resources extending tutoring help for it Tutors not only make you learn   the concepts but prepare you to deal with subject with smart tips and tricks The tutoring sessions are recorded can be accessed as ready reckon and revisions at the time of test preparation It helps you to learn time management while preparing for competitive exams Tutoring online websites use a fun-filled learning tools and techniques which give you a relaxed and stress free education. Online tutoring saves a lot of time and efforts by giving right help at the right time. You can utilize that extra time in learning new things Online learning is cost effective. Whatever you save in your pocket can be spent in other curricular activities that help your overall development. [starbox id=admin]

Training Your Voice

Training Your Voice Our Advice for Taking Care of Your Vocal Cords and Avoiding Dysphonia ChaptersSinging: What Are the Risks?10 Tips to Take Care of Your VoiceSinging: How to Retrain your VoiceSinging: Why Should You Consult a Speech Pathologist?“If I cannot fly, let me sing.” - Stephen SondheimSingers know that losing their voice, inflammation of the throat or larynx, chronic laryngitis, hoarseness, coughing, or a sore throat can all be terrible for their singing.Furthermore, women are almost twice as likely to suffer from vocal problems than men. Of course, singing teachers and professional singers are more at risk, too.In this article, we're going to look at the risks of singing in terms of your vocal health, how to take care of your voice, techniques to train your voice, and why you should consider seeing an ENT specialist or speech-language pathologist.Search for singing lessons London here. TraceySinging Teacher 4.92 (13) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors PortiaSinging Teacher 4.91 (11) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors NicolaSinging T eacher 5.00 (11) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JazzSinging Teacher 5.00 (6) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors PerrineSinging Teacher 5.00 (3) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors TiemSinging Teacher £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors TomSinging Teacher £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MiriamSinging Teacher 5.00 (4) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsSinging: What Are the Risks?Using your voice excessively can damage your vocal cords, pharynx, and larynx. Make sure you warm up before you sing. (Source: JuergenPM)Put simply, your voice is technically a string instrument and you need to take care of it. If you don’t use the right vocal technique, you run the risk of damaging your voice.Voice loss or hoarseness can occur when a singer’s technique isn’t great. This is one of the risks of singing since you can tire your vocal cords without even noticing. This can make vibrating your vocal cords even more difficult. If you don’t rest your voice, nodules and polyps can appear on your vocal cords.This is the first sign of chronic laryngitis, which leads to an inflammation of the vocal cords.  Instead of singing, you might want to consider singing lessons or a visit to a speech pathologist or otorhinolaryngology specialist (also known as an ear, nose, and throat specialist).An untreated vocal injury could lead to dysphonia, irritations of the throat that are initially benign but can lead to worse problems.These can be caused by a multi tude of factors:Lifestyle: smoking, coffee, alcohol, drugs, lack of sleep, stress, poor breathing, bad posture, dehydration, etc.Temperature changes: you can avoid these with a scarf, honeyed soup, eucalyptus pastels, essential oils, etc.Excessive consumption of antibiotics and medicinal products.Allergies related to pollution or pollen.Asthma attacks.Respiratory problems (lung disease, bronchitis, a bacterial infection in the lungs, etc).Gastroesophageal refluxSwelling of the throatThe hectic lifestyle of singers can also result in voice problems, aphonia, dysphonia; tours, interviews, and a lack of rest can put the singer in a vicious cycle.Find out more about how to avoid vocal cord injury.10 Tips to Take Care of Your VoiceSo how can you take care of your voice as a singer?Here are ten tips to look after your voice. It’s recommended that you warm up your voice before you sing.This is a way to prepare your voice before a concert, for example. Honey is a natural remedy for inflammation of the vocal cords. (Source: stevepb)Second tip: sleep.  If you’re tired, you’ll have to force your vocal cords to sing.  You need to sleep well so that your vocal cords can rest before any exertion. Poor sleep can lead to hoarseness or voice loss.Thirdly, you need to adopt a good posture to open your lungs, allowing you to breathe with your stomach and abs.  To do this, stand up straight, with your feet hip-width apart, hands apart, and shoulders relaxed.  You need to attempt to reduce muscular tension so that you can sing powerfully and fluidly.It’s recommended that you exercise regularly so that you can increase your lung capacity and vocal endurance.  Following a session of physical activity, the body consumes a surplus of oxygen to feed the muscles used and limit the production of lactic acid in muscle tissue.  You’ll notice an improvement in your singing as you improve your lung capacity.Any more advice?Here’s a short list:Qu it smoking: smokers run the risk of fatal diseases (lung cancer, throat cancer, etc.)Rest your voice to reduce tension in the muscles in the respiratory system and throat.Avoid chills.Stop talking: silence is one of the best ways to rest and care for your voice.Don’t sing when your throat is sore or inflamed: sore throats, viral infections, allergies, etc.Consult an ENT specialist or speech pathologist if your symptoms last over a week.In the event of benign inflammations, surgical intervention may be required.  In some situations, more serious medical intervention may be necessary.Check out our tips for looking after your voice.Singing: How to Retrain your VoiceSingers, singing teachers, and just teachers might benefit from retraining their voice, especially in the case of hoarseness or laryngitis. A straw is great for your voice. (Source: Alexas_Fotos)If rest isn’t enough, there are several exercises you can do to retrain your voice.However, don’t self-medicate. Without the advice of a doctor or medical professional, you may make things worse.  You can always enjoy liquorice or eucalyptus pastels, drink herbal tea, lemon juice for coughs, a teaspoon of honey in a glass of milk or coffee, etc.  Avoid pharmaceutical products including cortisone and corticoids as they can have side effects if the wrong dosage is taken.To get your voice back, you can always do the straw exercise.  This involves doing sliding to the top and bottom of your range into a straw and singing notes at a high volume.  This will help them reduce swelling.Here are two other exercises you can do if you’re struggling to sing:Voiced fricatives: such as the sound of the letter “V” across your vocal range, contracting your abs as you breathe out, and releasing tension as you breathe in.“M” exercise: Say “M” while holding the note and feeling the vibrations about your nose, then say “E” (behind the teeth) and then “ooh” (lips).Unfortunately, these exercises can’t fix everything and there may be something more serious going on in your throat.Find out more about looking after your voice.Singing: Why Should You Consult a Speech Pathologist?If you have problems with your voice for over a week, you should consult a speech pathologist. In some cases, a visit to a medical professional may be necessary. (Source: valelopardo)A pathologist?This is a specialist focusing on speech, language, and communication.  They deal with voice, speaking, language, and problems with swallowing or hearing. They can suggest treatment.There are also ENT (ear, nose, and throat) specialists who can help.In the case of the following, you should consult a specialist:Vocal fatigueVoice lossVocal fold paralysisVocal cord alterationChronic coughingBroken voiceAllergic reactionDifficulty producing high notesSwelling in the throatLaryngeal painThe doctor may consider a laryngoscopy to have a look at the state of your throat and vocal cords.  This involves placing a light on their forehead and inserting a mirror into the back of the throat.For minor issues, rest may be all that’s needed.  They might advise other natural remedies like herbal tea, etc.  In the case of more serious conditions, such as a nodule or polyps, you may need surgery.Keep in mind, that you don’t need to be unwell to visit a pathologist.  Singers might want to go to get advice on techniques to keep their vocal cords in good condition.It’s important to look after your voice, after all.If you want to work on your voice and improve your singing, you might want to consider getting a vocal coach or private tutor on Superprof. They can help you improve your singing, take care of your voice, and provide bespoke singing tuition. There are three main types of tutorials on offer and each one comes with several advantages and disadvantages.Face-to-face private tutorials are just between you and your tutor. The sessions will be tailored to you, your needs, and your strengths and weaknesses. Of course, since the tutor will be dedicating a lot of time to you and your tutorials as well as tailoring them to your needs, this type of tutorial tends to be the most costly. However, it's also the most cost-effective.Thanks to the internet, webcams, and video conferenc ing software, you can also get online tutorials. Again, these tutorials are just between you and the tutor with the main difference being that you're not in the same room. With fewer travel expenses and the ability to schedule more tutorials each week, the tutor can charge a more competitive rate for these tutorials. Generally, these tutorials are better for academic subjects and not hands-on ones.Finally, there are group tutorials. These are more like your traditional classes with several students and one teacher. The cost of the tutor's time is shared between all the students in the class so you can expect to pay less per hour for these tutorials. Unfortunately, this means the tutor can't spend as much time focusing on you and your singing.

Local Specialities and Traditional Recipes of France

Local Specialities and Traditional Recipes of France The Diversity of Regional French Cuisine ChaptersThe Wonders of the South WestFavourites from the South EastFlavours of the Centre RegionThe Winds of the WestThe Specialities of the North and the East The Capital, Melting Pot of the Nation’s Cuisine France is well renowned for its varied cuisines. In fact, each region has its own local customs and its own cultural identity. And these different identities reveal themselves on delicious plates of food!French regions are proud of their differences; the Parisian brasserie is nothing like the Marseillais Bistrot so be careful you don’t mix them up!Let us guide you the rich gastronomy of France and each region’s specificities… maybe you’ll recognise the names côtes-du-rhônes or châteauneuf-du-pape? And of course, you’ll know the cheeses of the region; Cantal and Reblochon.You can feel the sea breeze for miles in this part of France.A region faced towards the Atlantic, the West has an abundance of fish and the best oysters in France.The inner land is, however, more grain than seafood. It is home to livestock and produces quality dairy products: goat’s cheese in Charente, camembert in Normandy, butter, and numerous other cheeses.Artichokes, green beans, onions… gardening enthusiasts will not be disappointed!And how could we forget the Saint-Jacques scallop and the Breton lobster with its infamous blue shell?The wines of the Loire Valley, known for being lighter than their southern counterparts, are a must-try, but the cider, calvados and perry of the region may still be the more popular choice.The sweet pastries of the Western region are unrivalled; the Kouign-Amann, a Breton cake made up of several layers of butter and sugar is sure to give you a boost!And of course the crêpes, so delicious that you’ll speed through the rest of your dinner just to get to them.The Specialities of the North and the EastOh, how we love the warming dishes  of this region! Close to Belgium, the specialities of this area stretch to more than just beer and fri es (although these are in their own right, delicious!).Better than the sweet beetroots of the Picardie area or the chicory soaked in béchamel sauce, are the delicious mussels, maroilles cheese and spéculoos biscuits.Fresh fish is also on the menu, coming from the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer.Champagne plays a central role in festivities and is a symbol of partying and of success. And along the banks of the river Rhine, the vineyards of Alsace make quality white wine.Flammekueches are there to save you from the cold in those winter months. A mixture of cabbage, potatoes, crème fraiche and lardons make up this indulgent dish. Oh, and who can forget sauerkraut, a veritable institution in this region!Rhubarb and plum tarts sing with flavour from the fresh fruits picked straight from the Orchards of Lorraine.The charcuteries are varied, go down to Lyon where the sausage filled brioche is well worth the visit!The Capital, Melting Pot of the Nation’s CuisineAlthough clearly situated in th e north of the country, Paris acts as a real crossroads to all the different regions of France.Between the Bretons who moved down to Paris and the people from Auvergne who sought better fortune in the capital, different cultures met in the same city, at the same time preserving their own traditions and mixing with others.Since the nineteenth century at least, the City of Lights has set the bar for restaurants in France. All kinds of regional and foreign cuisines can be found there.The local brasseries are fondly thought of by many, while even Michelin starred chefs are happy to eat there.Thus, in a single neighbourhood, you can eat the cuisine of nearly every corner of France!But don’t just stick the capital, crisscrossing the beautiful cities and countryside of France lets you taste local gastronomy for real.Learn more here about the History of French cuisine.Discover more about traditional French Gastronomy here.Try out these great French recipes.

A Guide to the Hindi Alphabet

A Guide to the Hindi Alphabet How to Learn to Speak Hindi: Learning the Devanagari Script ChaptersHow Do You Write in Hindi?History of the Devanagari ScriptBasics of the Hindi AlphabetLearning to Write the Hindi LettersHindi On Your Electronic DevicesSo you have decided to take the plunge and learn how to speak Hindi. You are eager to discover Indian culture and ready to immerse yourself in this Indo-European language.But of course, you can learn to speak Hindi - but you also need to learn to read and write it.So come  and discover the Hindi alphabet with us! by the end of the first millennium AD, it had evolved into Devanagari and Nandinagari (one of the Hindi alphabets used in central and south India, and that has also been used for Sanskrit.)Indic Keyboard for  Android devices that allows you to switch easily between various different Indian alphabets and English.On iPhones, you can simply add a new keyboard and switch by pressing down the “globe” icon on your current keyboard.Do you need to get a Hindi keyboard?To write the Devanagari script, you can simply change the keyboard options on your computer and type with your normal keyboard. Here is the usual layout (called InScript) on a normal QWERTY keyboard:An InScript keyboard for writing Hindi. Image by Suresh Kumar Shukla on Wikimedia Commons.However, if you don’t want to learn the layout by heart, you might want to invest in an InScript keyboard for when you have to do a lot of typing in Hindi.

Is ADHD Genetic

Is ADHD Genetic There is so much discussion online about possible causes of ADHD watching too much TV, eating too much sugar, lax parenting, schools that dont allow for enough creativity or physical activity, etc. Surprisingly, one of least discussed topics is the connection between our genes and ADHD. We know that genes strongly influence our appearance, our intelligence, our athletic ability, and even our personality, so why not ADHD symptoms as well? Decades of research have in fact established that genes play a significant role in the development of ADHD. For parents of kids with ADHD, its probably not surprising to hear that ADHD often runs in families. Most children with ADHD have at least one close relative with the disorder, and one-third of fathers with ADHD have a child who has ADHD themselves. The strongest evidence for the role of genes in the development of ADHD comes from studies of identical twins. Researchers have found that if one twin has ADHD there is a 90% chance that the other twin will have ADHD as well. This is compared to a 25% chance among non-identical siblings. Overall, scientists estimate that ADHD has a heritability factor of .76, meaning that genes are responsible for about 76% of the differences that contribute to the development of ADHD. For comparisons sake, genes are responsible for about 70% of individual differences in IQ, with the remaining 30% being determined by non-genetic factors, like access to high quality early education. As with IQ, whether or not an individual develops ADHD is largely influenced by genetics. However, environmental, or non-genetic, factors also play a role. These factors include exposure to toxins, maternal smoking during pregnancy, and premature birth (among others). If a child is exposed to one or more of these environmental factors, then he or she is at risk for developing ADHD. If a child is exposed to these environmental factors and he or she also carries genes that predispose him or her to ADHD, then his or her likelihood of developing the disorder increases significantly. If we know that genes play an important role in the development of ADHD, is a genetic test available? Many parents ask this question, and why not given that genetic testing exists for many medical disorders and even for ancestry DNA profiles? While scientists can confidently establish a genetic basis for ADHD from twin and family studies, identifying specific genes associated with the disorder is a much more challenging task. ADHD affects multiple parts of the brain and impacts a wide range of cognitive functions. No single gene or chromosomal region is responsible for all ADHD symptoms. Instead, multiple genes make small contributions to the development of the disorder. Researchers have identified a few of these genes already, but they have a long way to go before they have a clear genetic picture of ADHD. So, currently no genetic test for ADHD is available. Despite not yet having a clear understanding of every piece of the ADHD genetic puzzle, researchers are optimistic about where this line of research is headed. In the future, scientists may be able to conduct genetic testing that will measure ADHD susceptibility, even in very young children. This testing would open the door for prevention and early intervention opportunities that could greatly improve the lives of children and families who are at risk. Equally as exciting is the possibility of using precision medicine, which optimizes treatment based on an individuals genetic profile, to tailor ADHD medications and behavioral interventions for each child. This could greatly reduce the amount of trial and error involved in finding the right ADHD medication or the most effective behavioral and cognitive interventions. Understanding that ADHD is strongly influenced by genetics should help parents recognize that they are not to blame for a childs symptoms. There is, however, a great deal that parents can do to help their child manage their ADHD and reach their full potential. In the future, with access to a clear picture of each childs unique ADHD genetic profile, parents, teachers, and healthcare professionals will have the ability to be even more effective with the interventions they use to support children with ADHD. ABOUT DR. MARY ROONEY Mary Rooney, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California San Francisco. Dr Rooney is a researcher and clinician specializing in the evaluation and treatment of ADHD and co-occurring behavioral, anxiety, and mood disorders. A strong advocate for those with attention and behavior problems, Dr. Rooney is committed to developing and providing comprehensive, cutting edge treatments tailored to meet the unique needs of each child and adolescent. Dr. Rooney's clinical interventions and research avenues emphasize working closely with parents and teachers to create supportive, structured home and school environments that enable children and adolescents to reach their full potential. In addition, Dr. Rooney serves as a consultant and ADHD expert to Huntington Learning Centers. ABOUT HUNTINGTON Huntington Learning Center is the tutoring and test prep leader. Its certified tutors provide individualized instruction in reading, phonics, writing, study skills, elementary and middle school math, Algebra through Calculus, Chemistry, and other sciences. It preps for the SAT and ACT, as well as state and standardized exams. Huntington programs develop the skills, confidence, and motivation to help students of all levels succeed and meet the needs of Common Core State Standards. Founded in 1977, Huntington's mission is to give every student the best education possible. Call us today at 1.800.CAN LEARN to discuss how Huntington can help your child. For franchise opportunities please visit www.huntingtonfranchise.com. This website does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The material on this site is provided for educational purposes only.

LOI Student Achieves University Level English in 1 Month

LOI Student Achieves University Level English in 1 Month LOI student Moira Urenda achieved university level English in 1 month.Earlier this year, we had the pleasure of offering a one month intensive English scholarship to a group of 5 Bolivian students  through our new Academic English Program that weve created in partnership with AUPP.We would like to thank the people of iTEP, creators of a great English proficiency test that is being accepted by more universities every month. They were kind enough to provide us with testing before the intensive month of online English study began and a follow up test to measure  the results and effectiveness of our English classes.The students had 1 hour of live classes 5 days a week and were required to study independently on the integrated work 1 to 2 more hours a day. During this time the students raised their English level by 1 point on the iTEP which is the equivalent of raising from A1 to A2 in CEFR.We had one student raise her score from the equivalent of a 42 TOEFL score to an 88 TOEFL score. Th is is incredible! In 1 month of studying English with LOI she made huge improvements. While a score of 42 would not allow you into any major U.S. universities, an 88 will get you into almost all of them.Obviously she worked hard for this score and took her studies seriously. We would like to congratulate all of our Bolivian students for their hard work.Interested in seeing a huge improvement in your English in just 1 month? Try our English Boot Camp.If you have a group of students interested in our Academic English Program or the American Universities Pathways Program please contact: learn@skypeenglishclasses.com.

italki Team Language Challenge Week 2 Update

italki Team Language Challenge Week 2 Update The italki team is taking  the 2015 New Years Language Challenge How much Chinese can they learn in 20 hours? 3 members of the team at italki are taking the language challenge to improve their skill in Mandarin. Each of them will have 20 hours of lessons between January and February. Can you do better than them?  Check out their original Public Video Pledges that they made at the beginning of the Challenge here. Week 2 Updates Week 2 of the #italki #2015 New Years #LanguageChallenge and our 3 office challengers #learningchinese are very competitive. Who do you think will improve the most? Check our blog for the most recent updates! #competition #stayawayfrommynotes A photo posted by Italki (@italki) on Jan 28, 2015 at 1:04am PST Aimé, Intern Week 2 This week I was able to complete 4 hours of class sessions with my teacher Lea. In those lessons I have been able to learn a few more sentences and my pronunciation even got a little better. I can confidently say that week 2 was a whole lot better than week 1. Although I reached my class session goals I once again failed to get much study time on my own, which is hurting my chances of coming out on top of this language challenge. I’m really enjoying having lessons with my teacher Lea, she is really patient with me and is very encouraging. Instead of getting upset with me when I make mistakes, we often have a good laugh and get back to work which makes class a lot of fun. This upcoming week my goals are to have an hour of lessons five days a week and an hour of practice on my own after each of my classes. I am still not confident enough to speak Chinese in public but as this challenge progresses my confidence is definitely growing. Josie, Services Week 2 This week I was finally able to get 3 hours of lessons and 3 hours of studying completed with my teacher Elena, so I’m very pleased with myself. I’m still bit scared about my goals as Chinese is very hard and I feel like I don’t have much time to study as I work full time. It’s hard to find motivation to study when you get home late from work and you’re feeling tired. When it comes to my lessons however, I’m working with Elena who is a great teacher. She explains things well and we tend to go at a quick pace, which I like because it challenges me. She is also working with Karthik so I might have to tell her to sabotage his studying so I can come up on top. This upcoming week I’m taking a lot of classes, my goals are to complete those classes and clean up my notes in order to help me study better. All said and done this challenge is turning out to be harder than I thought but I still feel like I will come out on top of this challenge… Aimé and Karthik wont know what hit them! Karthik, Data Scientist Week 2 This week I was a good challenge week for me. I was able to get 3 hours of lessons down and I feel like I’m making a lot of progress. I can finally introduce myself, say where I’m from, where I’m living, where I work and what I do. I was very proud of myself when I was able to have a 30 second conversation with my teacher without any problems. With that being said, my pronunciation is still awful and my grammar is horrible. I know around 40-50 words, but I have trouble stringing together cohesive, comprehensive sentences. This upcoming week, my goal is to have 3 hours worth of sessions with a 50% focus on pronunciation. I also want to have another 30-60 second conversation, which I can record and compare to the previous week to see if my pronunciation is indeed improving. I’ve been very pleased with my teacher Elena, she is very patient, flexible, and fun. Last lesson, because I like math, Elena humored me by allowing me to quiz her in simple arithmetic in mandarin. This was a great exercise for me because it engaged a different part of my brain and kept me interested. italki Team Language Challenge Week 2 Update The italki team is taking  the 2015 New Years Language Challenge How much Chinese can they learn in 20 hours? 3 members of the team at italki are taking the language challenge to improve their skill in Mandarin. Each of them will have 20 hours of lessons between January and February. Can you do better than them?  Check out their original Public Video Pledges that they made at the beginning of the Challenge here. Week 2 Updates Week 2 of the #italki #2015 New Years #LanguageChallenge and our 3 office challengers #learningchinese are very competitive. Who do you think will improve the most? Check our blog for the most recent updates! #competition #stayawayfrommynotes A photo posted by Italki (@italki) on Jan 28, 2015 at 1:04am PST Aimé, Intern Week 2 This week I was able to complete 4 hours of class sessions with my teacher Lea. In those lessons I have been able to learn a few more sentences and my pronunciation even got a little better. I can confidently say that week 2 was a whole lot better than week 1. Although I reached my class session goals I once again failed to get much study time on my own, which is hurting my chances of coming out on top of this language challenge. I’m really enjoying having lessons with my teacher Lea, she is really patient with me and is very encouraging. Instead of getting upset with me when I make mistakes, we often have a good laugh and get back to work which makes class a lot of fun. This upcoming week my goals are to have an hour of lessons five days a week and an hour of practice on my own after each of my classes. I am still not confident enough to speak Chinese in public but as this challenge progresses my confidence is definitely growing. Josie, Services Week 2 This week I was finally able to get 3 hours of lessons and 3 hours of studying completed with my teacher Elena, so I’m very pleased with myself. I’m still bit scared about my goals as Chinese is very hard and I feel like I don’t have much time to study as I work full time. It’s hard to find motivation to study when you get home late from work and you’re feeling tired. When it comes to my lessons however, I’m working with Elena who is a great teacher. She explains things well and we tend to go at a quick pace, which I like because it challenges me. She is also working with Karthik so I might have to tell her to sabotage his studying so I can come up on top. This upcoming week I’m taking a lot of classes, my goals are to complete those classes and clean up my notes in order to help me study better. All said and done this challenge is turning out to be harder than I thought but I still feel like I will come out on top of this challenge… Aimé and Karthik wont know what hit them! Karthik, Data Scientist Week 2 This week I was a good challenge week for me. I was able to get 3 hours of lessons down and I feel like I’m making a lot of progress. I can finally introduce myself, say where I’m from, where I’m living, where I work and what I do. I was very proud of myself when I was able to have a 30 second conversation with my teacher without any problems. With that being said, my pronunciation is still awful and my grammar is horrible. I know around 40-50 words, but I have trouble stringing together cohesive, comprehensive sentences. This upcoming week, my goal is to have 3 hours worth of sessions with a 50% focus on pronunciation. I also want to have another 30-60 second conversation, which I can record and compare to the previous week to see if my pronunciation is indeed improving. I’ve been very pleased with my teacher Elena, she is very patient, flexible, and fun. Last lesson, because I like math, Elena humored me by allowing me to quiz her in simple arithmetic in mandarin. This was a great exercise for me because it engaged a different part of my brain and kept me interested.

March Madness Munchies

March Madness Munchies http://www.sheknows.com Seven-Layer Court Dip Need we say more? Seven layers of pure deliciousness carefully arranged to resemble a basketball court will be the hit of the party. The layers consist of refried beans, shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, guacamole, salsa, olives, and scallions. Make sure to add crispy tortilla chips in the stands to watch as your party guests devour this delicious appetizer. http://www.werecallingshenanigans.com Dunkin Buffalo Chicken Bites You’ll make a slam dunk with these buffalo chicken bites dunked in either blue cheese sauce or ranch dressing. Simple and quick for those party throwers who have a full day of class before throwing the party, this is the perfect snack. Grab some plastic condiment cups from the dining hall and use a Sharpie to draw a net. Dunk your chicken bites and score some points! http://blog.emeals.com Buffalo-Ranch Chicken Taquitos Nobody can say no to a crispy, delicious taquito. These homemade buffalo ranch chicken taquitos are bound to go quickly at your watch party. It might not be the roundest snack to remind you that it’s March Madness, but you’ll forget that once you start munching on them! http://unsophisticook.com Basketball Popcorn Bags This is another easy-to-make March Madness Munchie for the busiest of college students who like to play host or hostess. Take some orange popcorn bags and a Sharpie to draw lines that resemble a basketball. Pop some popcorn, your flavor of choice, and fill the bags to the brim so your friends can eat while watching their favorite teams play each other. But beware, you may find popcorn on your floor the next morning! http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com Nutter Butter Referees These cookies are absolutely adorable! Buy some Nutter Butter cookies and melt some white chocolate. Dip half of the cookie into the melted chocolate and let dry. Put some black icing into a plastic bag and cut the corner off so you can make precise lines for the hair, mouth, and lines on the ref’s uniform. Your guests will be sure to love the cookies who call the shots! http://www.julieseatsandtreats.com Peanut Butter Dip For those peanut butter lovers out there, they will be sure to hover around this dish at your March Madness party. Creamy and sweet, this dip will go with anything you want to dip in it: pretzels, apples, cookies, you name it! Make sure to buy a bag of Reese’s Pieces and arrange the candy to look like a basketball on the surface of the dip. It’ll add a great crunch to your munch! http://www.2wired2tired.com Slam Dunk Basketball Cookies Everyone loves Oreos. So you can’t go wrong with these chocolate covered Oreos made to look like basketballs! Melt some Wilton orange candy melts on a stovetop and dip the cookie in. Let the chocolate harden on wax paper. Once it’s dry, take some melted black candy melts and pipe it through a plastic bag to make the lines of a basketball. They’re sure to make a slam dunk at any basketball party! http://www.hanielas.com Basketball Hoop Cupcakes If you’re feeling a little crafty, these cupcakes will surely be a slam dunk! Topped off with a mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup and carefully placed icing, your guests will enjoy trying to eat this dessert without making a mess while watching their favorite team dribble the ball down the court. Show off your unique baking skills to impress your guests! http://www.recipegirl.com Basketball Strawberry Everyone loves chocolate covered strawberries, so why not step it up a notch and decorate this classic dessert to look like a basketball? Just like the Walton orange candy melts used for the Slam Dunk Basketball Cookies, melt it on the stove and dip the strawberries in. Use a plastic bag with a corner cut off to delicately place the black icing to make the pattern of a basketball.