How to pick the right watermelon?

A short funny video by Maz Jobrani, about our Iranian tradition of choosing watermelon by tapping on the surface and listening to the sound it makes!!

Amazing technique, isn't it!?

World Cup song by Shakira

Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)

2010 World Cup!

Hey everyone,

Hope everyone has had a great final week and hopefully you are done with the finals by now.

Fortunately this summer we have something to make our life even more exciting, something which keeps us alive and energized for next month,

WORLD CUP 2010

Here are the groups, matches schedule and link to FIFA official website to download the pdf format of the schedule:

Groups:

Matches schedules:

FIFA link for detail information on teams and matches:

http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/tournament/competition/64/42/24/2010fwc_matchschedule_3004_en.pdf

2010matchschedule

View more presentations from Ahmad Amin.

Study Tips for Finals

Ack, exams are coming! With final exams, students have two goals. First, you want to ace the exams, or at least get decent grades and do as well as possible. Second, there's your sanity; you want to get through exams with a minimum of stress and test anxiety. Fortunately, with the right study skills techniques, you can both manage your stress and do well on the tests. Here are some study skills tips for final exams to help you do well and stay sane.

• Time management. Plan, plan, plan. Before finals begin, get out your calendar and schedule as much of your finals week as possible. Then stick with the schedule.

• Schedule in study breaks. Don't plan to study non-stop for the next five days. You'll go insane, and you'll be too fried to do well on the exams. When you write your schedule, include short study breaks to help you recharge. You'll feel so much better and will be able to concentrate so much more. Here's some suggestions for >great study breaks.

• Schedule in sleep. Some people can function well on three hours of sleep a night. Most cannot. You'll do much better during exams if your mental state is good, and sleep is essential for this.

• Exercise. There's no better source for stress relief. Just don't overdo it to the point that you're procrastinating heavily. Go for short, stress-relieving activities, like racquetball or a treadmill run. And don't underestimate the value of a brisk walk.

• Prioritize. You have limited time to study and will have to choose what to spend the most time with. You could spend hours and hours on that math exam because if you do really well, you might be able to pull of a C. Or you can spend hours and hours on a history exam because if you do well, you've got a good shot at an A. It's up to you.

• Form effective study groups. Just don't waste your time with lousy ones. Here are some tips for effective study groups.

• Free your schedule. As much as possible, eliminate other responsibilities. Work fewer hours. Put off social events. Definitely put off shopping.

• Ask your professor for help. If you're confused about your notes or the readings, go to the resident expert. This works much better if you don't put off studying until the last minute. It's a good idea to read through all of your notes before you start to study, so that you can inquire early about things that confuse you.

• Keep things in perspective. What's the worst thing that can happen if you don't do well on this test? Excessive stress will make you crazy and hurt your performance on tests, so as much as you can, relax. And if you're having serious problems with anxiety during final exams, seek help at your school's counseling center. This is a common problem that schools are well equipped to help you with.

6 Tips to Beat Final Exam Stress

Just for the record, these tips actually work, and the list doesn’t include any cliche’ crap that doesn’t, like “deep breathing exercises”.

1. Avoid stressful people.

Stress actually is contagious. During exam week, resist the urge to have a study session with your super-tense friend, especially if she’s complaining about all the work she has to do and breaking pencils all over the place. Her stress will only add to your stress.

2. Eat healthy and exercise.

This seems like a no-brainer, but it’s a wonder how many people forget it. Skip the sugar, which will make you crash, and go for snacks like granola bars, healthy cereal or fruits and veggies to keep your blood sugar stable. If you’re studying for a long period of time, eat some protein too. Also, try to get some form of exercise. Even a 10 minute walk will leave you calmer and more focused.

3. Just say NO.

I don’t mean to drugs, although I’m not recommending them or anything. What you need to say no to are the people who want to take up your time. There will probably be a friend who needs to talk to you for hours about her life, or a keg party the night before your final, and if you say yes, you’ll probably be tempted to blow off studying. Resist the urge. Say no to the distractions and be selfish for a day. You want a good GPA, right?

4. Force yourself to take breaks.

For every hour or so that you work, take a 10 or 15 minute break. Let yourself do whatever you want (check Facebook, check out that guy sitting nearby, stare off into space, call a friend, etc.) for those 10-15 mins, then start working again. This gives your brain a little rest and will help keep you more focused when you are actually doing work.

5. Visualize it all going right.

This is actually my favorite tip of all, even though it sounds kind of nuts. Imagine yourself taking the test and feeling confident that you know all the information. Picture getting all of the answers right, and focus on how relaxed you feel. Then picture the A on your test paper. When you imagine a happy ending, that’s often what happens, because you make the decisions that lead to it without even realizing.

6. If you’ve studied all you can, get up your confidence!

When test-time rolls around, it’s time to get yourself into confidence mode. You’ve prepared as much as you could, and now it’s time to ace the test. The tip here is to do whatever works to convince yourself you are going to do really well. Again, I know this tip sounds a little crazy but you just have to try it for yourself. I think you’ll like the results.

A nice music video for Iran

This nice music video for our Iran . . .

یه موزیک ویدیوی بسیار زیبا درباره ایران

به امید دیدار ایران آزاد و سرسبز به زودی