Speaker's corner
Lessons learnt from a watermelon
Life is like a slice of watermelon. Sweet, hued in rose tones, crisp and luscious. You have to be careful to pick out the pips or they can give a nasty surprise. Sometimes, no matter how careful you are, the pips appear from deep within.
You take a bite expecting cool sweetness to find a bitter gift. What do you do? Grimace, spit out the offending seed/s and take another bite. Life goes on.
Often we forget that all it takes is to discard the pips and ignore their existence. Instead, we chew on them and wonder why life has such a nasty taste to it!
Sometimes the seeds are useful … you start a garden, watch them grow and enjoy a lifetime supply of watermelons.
You must be wondering what in world am I going on about? What is all this about potting soil and watermelons?
Well, some of life's greatest lessons can be learnt every day. It does not need fantastic self-help books, management gurus and extreme yogic techniques to achieve.
Keep it simple and the solutions are simple … simple enough to be found in a watermelon.
I recently visited the US Consulate for a visa to travel to Washington, D.C. for a conference. I wasn't too enthused about it, in light of the recent increased security measures surrounding air travel. Nevertheless, what cannot be cured has to be endured.
So, I trotted along with my colleague Notes reporter Reema Saffarini. We are not fashion plates, loud or aggressive human beings. But the security personnel gave us a terrible time.
They were rude and obnoxious because we had presumed that we could move ahead in the line, as people had moved. The Indian security officer screeched into my face: "We don't know what you will bring here with you." I was stunned but managed to advise him to maintain decorum.
It was in the wee hours of a foggy Dubai morning and I have never faced such behaviour from diplomatic missions in the country. My instinct was to file a formal complaint, which would hopefully mean "disciplinary" action against the man. But … I decided to treat him like a pip.
— Anupa Kurian Notes Editor, education@gulfnews.com
Letters
To be a chartered accountant …
I am very interested in pursuing a career as a CA (Chartered Accountant) or a CPA (Certified Public Accountant). I would like information on universities in the UK, US, the UAE and India that offer these courses.
Tajendra Chugh, IITM, Dubai
Officially licenced accountants are recognised by titles such as Chartered Accountant (UK) or Certified Public Accountant (US). Thus CPA and ACCA ( Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) are equivalent in nature.
Requirement for CPA:
It depends on the requirements of an American jurisdiction. Visit the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) website, www.nasba.org.
Education requirement (New York jurisdication)
Option 1 (only available through August 1, 2009): A bachelor's or higher degree and a minimum of 120 semester hours in:
- 24 semester hours in accounting;
- 6 semester hours or 4 graduate credit hours in business law;
- 6 semester hours in finance (no personal finance); and
- 3 semester hours in business statistics; and
n 21 semester hours in business and accounting electives; - 60 semester hours in liberal arts and sciences; and
- 6 semester hours of economic principles
Option 2
A bachelor's or higher degree and 150 semester hours in:
- 33 semester hours in accounting
- 36 semester hours in general business electives
- 60 semester hours in liberal arts and sciences
Option 3
Fifteen years of public accounting experience acceptable to the State Board for Public Accountancy may be substituted for education.
CA, is Indian equivalent for CPA
A chartered accountant is a person who is accepted as a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) after having passed the final examination of the Chartered accountancy course conducted by the institute.
- The CA programme is of two years apart from the training period. It has three sections, Professional Education (course-I), Professional Education (course-II) and the Final examination.
- A candidate who has passed the Senior Secondary Examination (10+2) or is waiting for the 10+2 exam results can register for the CA programme.
- Commerce graduates with 50 per cent marks, non-commerce graduates with subjects other than maths with an aggregate of 55 per cent marks; and non-commerce graduates with maths with an aggregate of 60 per cent marks are exempted from doing the professional course I and are permitted to register for Professional Education Course II.
- The registration for Professional Education Course-I and Course II is open throughout the year. However, as examinations will be held twice a year in May and November, it is necessary that a student must register at least 10 months before the examinations.
- After passing the Professional Education (Examination -II), candidates are eligible for registration as articled clerks/audit clerks for practical training and for admission to the Final course of the Chartered Accountancy.
For more details visit: www.icai.org
— The higher education response has been provided Subramanian K, director of Meccademia, a Dubai Knowledge Villlage based Indian education organisation
To be is to do …
Currently, we hear about someone who has a strong personality. What does it mean?
Does it mean that he/she has the power to gain things? Or does it mean that he/she achieved a great thing?
I think in order to feel that you are part of the society, you should do something special so that people would know you through it.
For instance, if you are interested in writing, try to write about a new and creative topic to attract the attention of your audience.
Also achieving new things makes society think of you as a good person who really has a strong personality because you are achieving something complex. So, that's what I mean by a strong personality.
A strong personality is a personality that really owns the ability to think of creative ideas and achieves them even if he/she is not a professional in it.
— Rana Mohammad Seyam, English sophomore, Abu Dhabi University
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