Surviving Hermes

The final wrap up

2006-05-18T15:21:00.000-04:00

Commencement for the Class of 2006 officially took place yesterday, May 17th. I figure it's time for me to wrap up this blog that I have neglected for so long. Hence, I am back dating a bunch of entries to talk about the last couple of months at Columbia. For myself, even if no one else will bother to read it.

Congratulations to the Class of 2006 MBA Graduates.

Congratulations to the Class of 2008 MBA admits.

There is a long road ahead of us yet!!

CBS Recognition Ceremony

2006-05-14T21:50:00.000-04:00

The CBS 2006 Recognition Ceremony took place on May 14th, Mother's Day at Madison Square Garden. The event took place fom 5PM to 7PM although all graduates were told to be there by 3PM. I realized that it was so we can stand around in the back and wait to get in, yuck.

I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I made the Dean's List as of May 1, 2006. What that actually means, I'm not so sure. Grades really are the last things you think about as a business school student.

The ceremony itself was actually quite good, a few speakers and then student awards, then we each went on stage to collect our alumni pin, the famous Hermes symbol cast in silver and white. Then the final student speaker, PP-M gave the most amazing speech. I was pleasantly surprised that he is such a moving and witty speaker! Here's part of his speech, I thought I would share:

T’was the night before graduation
So many thoughts in my head;
Sadness, elation -
So what can be said?

Seems we just had orientation,
A whirlwind of fun
And so much information
About all that could be done.

We felt like young princes
Who would soon be kings
(Except for the ladies
Who felt feminine things).

Two years to explore,
Hang out and discover,
Such outstanding new people -
Perhaps even a lover.

“Wow! This is fantastic,
Too good to be true,
An expensive vacation,
But what can you do?”

Early days in our homerooms,
Meeting our clusters,
Recounting our stories,
The very best we could muster.

A designer, a dancer
Four consultants, a jock,
A writer, several bankers
And brokers of stock.

“I worked for the Peace Corps!”
“I launched a new brand!”
“I pitched for the Astros!”
“I played lead in a band!”

Such astounding achievements,
Such incredible flair,
It left me to ponder
Just how I’d got there.

Next came the clubs;
A bewildering array
Of everything imaginable
For the discerning MBA.

Soon followed elections
And we endeavored to get
The votes of the classmates
We’d only just met.

Then reality struck
Like a bolt from the blue:
We were hit with Statistics
And Financial Accounting, too.

Debits and credits,
Covariance, μ,
Correlation, net income -
And so much of it to do.

Before long it was clear
Our degrees of freedom were lost
To the lumberjack Clarkson
And marginal cost.

An avalanche of assignments
And to make matters worse,
Four brilliant A-types to work with -
A quite unbearable curse!

In those early days I developed -
I’m not ashamed to admit -
My own confidence interval:
I’d never felt such a twit.

Yet one class was different;
Our most prized possession:
The Thursday night workshops
In Applied Regression.

Disco lights in the deli,
Cheap beer on the floor,
DJ Joe playing Bon Jovi,
Talent-less dancing galore.

This caught on so well
That we didn’t stop there;
Soon beer pong and poker
Became standard fare.

A gossip column emerged
To rival any I’d seen;
Top ten lists for both genders
Scoops mundane to obscene.

For most men at b-school
It soon became clear
The art of courtship eludes us
And should be taught here.

Despite all of our talents
Just this one skill we lack,
But the sheer extent of our weakness
Took the ladies aback:

“Thought I’d meet a guy when I came here
But my logic proved flawed:
It’s true the odds are good,
But the goods are so odd.”

Lest we lose focus
On the reason we’d come,
The next thing that awoke us
Was the resumé drum.

Our latest tormentors,
The Office of Career,
Seemed concerned with our leaving;
“But we just got here!”

So we toiled and we troubled
And learned to our dismay
The GMAT score we’d been proud of
Was only okay.

Corporate events
Then gave us the chance
To engage on a daily basis
In a soul-destroying dance.

With Pepsi on Monday,
On Tuesday with Chase,
The networking was shameless,
The brown-nosing a disgrace.

And the emails kept coming,
And coming and coming,
And coming and coming,
It was truly mind-numbing.

Speakers and pizza,
Pizza and beer,
Did I mention the pizza?
It’s quite popular here.

The pace never relented;
No matter how hard I tried,
I could never escape
From the Upper West Side.

Then finally the home straight
As Eskimo Pie arrived,
Then Follies and finals
Wow! We’d survived.

Looking back now
That semester was golden,
An experience designed
To inspire and embolden.

Though our bonds with each other
Would continue to grow
Through the next installments
Of the CBS show

And so many more highlights
Intrigue and invention,
Boondoggles to everywhere,
Far too many to mention,

But from then on things were different,
Time started to fly,
Until this morning I woke up
And two years had gone by.

I appreciate your patience
With all my rhyme,
I’d love to go on
Alas! We haven’t the time.

But I’d be failing my duty,
Not playing my part,
If I didn’t leave you
With a few words from the heart.

And so I humbly request
Your permission to close
By switching from poetry
Back into prose.

Oh the memories! :) I'm going to miss CBS.

After the ceremony, we hiked up to Carmine's for yummy celebration dinner. Salad, pasta, steak and tiramisu plus a bottle of wine to complete the festive atmosphere.

Last Semester of B-School Wrap Up

2006-05-13T15:29:00.000-04:00

The final verdict from Add/Drop, I took voice lessons and never looked back. It was wonderful! I took on Broadway showtunes as an area for development. In 2 months, I learned tunes from "Annie get your Gun" to "Oklahoma!" It was fun and educational, which is more than I can say for some classes that I "could have" taken.

Otherwise, the last semester of school was rather uneventful. I took things easy, went to class, focused on learning rather than passing and relaxed. Every Monday and Wednesday, I took up training with a personal trainer for an hour. Other days of the week, I took to cardio exercises, running, biking, swimming. I started off doing about 8 push-ups (and almost collapsed) and at the end, I could to 21 push-ups. Starting running about 2 miles, and ended with around 5 miles, outdoor on a sunny day. I became a much healthier person! Although I've spent less time in "business school" activities, overall, I think I became a better person. This, I believe, is a much better outcome than spending all my time in finance or marketing classes.

Last Semester Summary:
Add/Drop
Classes + my ratings (1 to 5)
HPL 4.5
Retailing Leadership 4
Managerial Negotiations 4
Power and influence 5
Voice Lessons
Personal Training
Wrap up Marketing Conference
Lunches with Matt and Steph
Columbia Business School Annual Dinner
Disorientation
Graduation/Commencement

I ended the semester with three papers, no final exams. So essentially I was on vacation a week before many of my colleagues. What can I say? I took some great, but not strenuous classes and learned a lot, while having an amazing time. I'm going to miss B-school! Re-entering the rat race is going to be hard after such a relaxing semester.

Columbia Business School Annual Dinner

2006-05-01T23:10:00.000-04:00

I received this invite in my email:

************************************************************************************
Dear Student Leaders,

In gratitude for your leadership and support this year, the Office of External Relations cordially invites you to:

Columbia Business School’s 30th Annual Dinner

Monday, May 1, 2006
6:00 p.m.

The Grand Ballroom at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel
Lexington Avenue Entrance, Third Floor
New York City

The honorees for the evening will be:

Distinguished Leadership in Government Award
The Honorable Robert B. Zoellick ’49.
Deputy Secretary of State

Distinguished Leadership in Business Award

Sidney Taurel ’71
Chairman and CEO
Eli Lilly and Company
*********************************************************************************************

Black tie! At the Waldorf Astoria! How cool is that? I decided to go, especially after S.D. told me she was going. I was also lucky because I have a black dress hanging in my closet that was so far untouched, save a few at home "fittings." I tried to wear the dress in Taiwan for Cathy's wedding, but being too fat, it was kinda unflattering. After 2 months of personal training, the dress was no problem, I looked great! SO HAPPY!

While the speeches were kinda boring...:p, dinner was great. It was also entertaining to get dressed up
and see my friends all dolled up in their tuxs. After dinner, we went to the Bull and Bear at the Waldorf for drinks. Ricky came to meet me after work and we took a car home together. Wonderful night!

Oh, here is the Official Proclaimation that May 1st is "Columbia Business School Day" in New York City.

CBS taking the news by storm...

2006-04-23T09:41:00.000-04:00

All because of this video.

Every Breath You Take

The video's be cited in the WSJ, Washington Post, NYT, etc. plus countless online listings. Not to mention a special appearance by CBS cast and crew of Follies on Power Lunch, CNBC.

MOR, we love you!

Lost my motivation...

2006-02-07T22:15:00.000-05:00

What are the goals of getting an MBA?
1. Get a awesome job afterwards
2. Get a degree with a great reputation
3. Form a lifelong network
4. Have fun
5. Take a break from work

So after I've accomplished, 1, am getting very close to 2 and 3, got 4 from the beginning, I'm really left now just with 5. As a second semester second year, I'm starting to question the meaning of being in b-school to me now. Classes are great, but pretty much a breeze (by my own choosing of course). I have the job. I'm really just out to enjoy myself at this point! Of course I still have my duties in clubs, but executing on those duties are more fun than work anyway. Stress level = low. Plus, I figure this is the last chance I have to cruise until I start working again, so I'm really trying to take advantage of this break.

I can't wait until Spring Break in Peru! Just counting the days...

Add/Drop

2006-01-30T22:32:00.000-05:00

I have THE BEST classes this semester, save one. High Performance Leadership, Power and Influence, Negotiations, Retailing Leadership, all amazing classes. The only hitch is, I need 5 classes, 15 credits, so I need one more, just one. I started off with High Tech Marketing, a class that fit so perfectly into my schedule that I could not ask for more. Unfortunately, after the first class, I realized it really is not for me. I did not like the attitude of the professor, who kept saying, "if you can't do this, drop the class, if you can't do that, drop the class..." So I dropped the class. Then I signed on to Supply Chain Managment, which I later dropped as well after looking at the syllabus...ugh. Then I signed on to Marketing Research at the recommendation of Stephanie, my Conference partner, who is also in this class. But...ugh...not liking my first class there either. Now, I'm thinking about giving up on a business school class all together and taken voice lessons at teacher's college instead! It's my last semester, I have a job, I want to take a worthwhile class no matter what type of class it is. I haven't made my final decision yet....will see tomorrow.

Winter Break!

2005-12-17T10:16:00.000-05:00

Having finished my final paper, Intro to Venturing, I officially finished up the first semester of my second year. I'll be out of school until January 18th.

Next semester, no recruiting, I got the best job offer! Exactly the one that I was pushing for. Only 3 days of classes and Spring Break to look forward to. I am so excited!

Funny article today: The weirdest CEO comments of 2005.

You know it's getting late when...

2005-12-13T01:59:00.000-05:00

...your friends still online on AIM and MSN contact list all live in Asia.

Still working on this MDM paper at 2AM. I'm actually about to call it quits for the night and finish up tomorrow after the presentation to P.S. 182. My brain has stopped functioning.

Article in the DP

2005-12-11T23:54:00.000-05:00

This is pretty funny...

Productive Sundays

2005-12-11T22:36:00.000-05:00

Today's fortune cookie fortune - 12/11/05
"Questions provide the key to unlocking our unlimited potential."

My Sundays are always productive. Sundays are the last day of the weekend to catch up on all the work that was not done earlier in the week despite the best of intentions. Therefore on Sundays, I almost unfailingly have large load of work to cover. Thankfully, the more work I have, the more incredibly productive I become. I must say, I am very impressed with myself.

After a productive meeting with the Intro to Venturing team in the morning, I started working on finishing my part of the marketing plans workshop project. Just now I printed out the 23 page document in color and placed it in a pretty binder for submission tomorrow. I even made tabs for the upfront anaylsis section and the marketing research section. Again, very impressed with myself. Now, at 10:30PM, it is time to go on to the Managerial Decision Making paper, once again. Or, I could work on the ELCL calendar, tough choices, neither all too desirable.

I can't decide whether I work better or worse with music. There are days when I can't stand the eerie quiet of my workspace, but more often than not, music disrupts my line of thought and I don't think I work as fast. Most recently, I've been listening to HK radio stations over the internet, this, I've realize is really distracting as I actually tend to enjoy the random stupid stuff that the DJ's talk about in HK. Whatever...I'm out of stuff to write here....

Procrastination....

2005-12-09T16:20:00.000-05:00

So I've sat in front of the computer all day today, with the distinct goal of writing this paper for managerial decision making. So far, I have written an introduction, which took about 10 minutes of the 5 hours that I have been sitting here. Otherwise, I have been reading blogs, searching for random things on the internet or chatting online. Basically, I have done nothing. I need HELP!

The only thing that ever keeps me on track is a deadline, and by deadline, I mean hours. Days, be it one day, does not push me over the edge. Tell me I have 10 hours, and I start moving, give me 30 minutes and I will accomplish feats of unbelievable efficiency and write what could "believably" have taken 3 days. This tells me that I have great potential. That I could have actually complete my paper in the 5 hours that I have sat at this desk instead of spending it doing nothing. *sigh* I think I need a therapist...some type of anti-procrastination coach to get me going.
I bought a book once, called "Eat that Frog" that's supposed to help you stop procrastination. It said to do what you dread doing the most first then move down to the easier items on your to-do list. What it fails to do, is tell me how to do the thing I dread most first...like what step exactly do I have to take to MAKE myself do the things that I hate. If I followed the book's advice, NOTHING would get done. Since I wouldn't even do the things I want to do!

OIY!

End of Semester...

2005-12-08T23:24:00.000-05:00

The semester is now wrapping up, one class is complete, just four more to go.

Retailing Finance - COMPLETE
Marketing Plans Workshop - Presentation DOWN, just need to turn in the "plan", almost done
Managerial Decision Making - Paper, to be started today
Intro to Venturing - Paper, pretty much done
Educational Leadership Consulting Lab - My part is pretty much done, waiting for others

So, so far, it looks pretty good!

We had our Marketing Plans Workshop yesterday. After dividing up the parts and assigning responsibilities, we split and Matt was given the responsibility of putting the slides together into one complete presentation. We agreed to meet at 9:30AM in the morning to catch up on any last minute things before class started, and guess what....

I was the only one there at 9:30AM. Anita came about 10 minutes after class started and Matt, Matt Matt Matt...he was still absent at 11AM! Anita and I started freaking out because he was the one with the presentation. Thankfully, I had also downloaded everyone's parts and I ended up putting the presentation together last minute as other people were presenting.

We called every chance we had and our eyes darted to the door everytime someone walked in, or out. Finally! At 11:15 or so, Matt arrived. Phew! Apparently he was out until 4AM last night, partying, and didn't wake up until 11! It was a good thing we didn't get our turn to present until close to the end of class, but it was a very close call!

The presentation itself actually went very smoothly despite our winging it. :) We definitely won the award for Best Animation!! :)

My classes for next semester

2005-11-29T22:51:00.000-05:00

I got into every single class I bid for! Whooppeee!! So now I know that next semester, I am taking:

High Performance Leadership
Power and Influence
Retailng Leadership
Managerial Negotiations &
High Tech Marketing and Entrepreneurship

This also means that I get Thursdays free and clear. I had actually constructed two scenarios for picking class, one with Monday free, and the other with Thursdays free. Then I went through all the classes I was interested in to see which schedule gave me the best classes. In the end I went with the Thursdays free schedule, and boy am I glad. True, this means I had to give up Top Management Processes and Economics of Strategic Behavior. both highly praised T/Th classes. But between TMP, ESB and HPL, every student had enough points to get into one, and only one of those three classes. I'm happy I got HPL and a Thursday free. For me, this is win-win.

Also, next semester I will have a huge block of free time between classes on Mondays and Wednesdays. While this was troubling at first, I now have decided that the long break is the perfect time for me to schedule my personal training appointments. Also, a block of time is much better than several short breaks. Overall, I am VERY happy with the results! It's be a good week so far!

[ClusterB06] b-day bash 11/1

2005-11-14T22:11:00.000-05:00

What: Birthday Party – Cecilia (23), Rufus (30), and me (25)
When: This Saturday, 11/12
Where: Brass Monkey
55 Little West 12th StreetNew York, NY 10014
(212) 675-6686Cross Street: Washington StreetDirections: A, C, E at 14th St; L at 8th Ave
http://newyork.citysearch.com/profile/41301899/new_york_ny/brass_monkey.html

I got to Brass Monkey at around 10PM, wanted to be fashionably late of course! We had a really good turnout, a bunch of cluster B girls actually showed up! Very psyched.

At around 1AM, Kim, Hsuan and I headed over to Pastis for some supper. My french onion soup barely arrived before Ricky called and said he is picking me up! Despite the yummy french onion soup, I had to run. :(

Overall, I had much fun for my birthday!!

The 1st Annual Columbia Business School Marketing Conference and Cocktail

2005-11-08T23:12:00.000-05:00

Phew! So it is finally over. The 1st Annual Columbia Business Schbool Marketing Conference and Cocktail: Marketing in a World if Increasing Consumer Power took place on October 28th, 2005. So far, we have heard almost nothing but positive feedback about the outcome of the Conference! So Stephanie and I are thrilled!

Here are some things we learned:

Lesson #1: If the Conference topic is interesting and the speaker line-up impressive, the people will come.
Attendance was amazing. While we had expected a crowd of 150 to 200, we got over 300 attendees overall. And this was the one part of the Conference that we were so incredibly worried about. The key to the success in attendance is to not depend on students. This Conference really became a professional event, for alumni and marketing professionals to learn and to network. The line up of speakers were so impressive that even industry specialists wanted to attend. Hence, we had great turnout from professionals who figured they'd take the afternoon off. Students are flakey and often overcommited.

Lesson #2: Go for the big guns.
They actually will come of you give them enough notice. Columbia Business School is no dinky institution. Not only do we have some of the most talented students in the world, we also have a strong alumni network and an Ivy League brand. If the speaking engagment fits in their schedule, even the biggest CEO's are happy to attend. Big guns draw big crowds, don't be afraid to invite them!

Lesson #3: Get everything in writing!
Columbia catering, print services, facilites, etc. are by far the most unreliable services in all of Manhattan. To avoid crazy price increases, have everything in black and white.

Overall, the Conference was a great success. We are now working on sending out a feedback survey to get ideas for improvement for next year's survey. We also want to send out formal thank yous to our keynote speakers and panelists. Then we are ready to start planning next year's Conference.

We took our AVPs, Annie and Jessica out to dinner the other night. First of all to thank them for doing such an amazing job. We really could not have pulled the event off without them. Lime Leaf, yummy thai food! Very excited. The dessert was excellent! But on a more serious note, we also told them that if they do not want to take on the Conference next year, they should decide by January. If they don't want to be VPs of Conference, we need to traning someone else, so it's important they let us know.

As VPs of Conference, I have received the most notable exposure to company contacts and faculty and administration. I introduced the Dean and shook his and as I walked off stage and he walked on. I introduced the CMO of Amex, who thanked ME for the "generous introduction". Marketing companies who recruit all know me because I asked them for money, and was the key contact for them in relation to the Conference. In the future, I can say, hey, remember I organized the Conference and spoke to you before? All in all, the process was sometimes frustrating and painful, and looooonnnngggg, but the outcome was very rewarding. I do not regret for one moment that I took this project on and I would recommend it to anyone, without hesitation. That said...boy am I glad its over! :)

Recruiting Sucks!

2005-10-17T21:55:00.000-04:00

So for those people who think, once I get in to the MBA program of my dreams, I'm all set! Beware, getting in is just the beginning!

As soon as you get in, you start planning for your exit strategy, which ideally results in a high-paying, MBA-deserving job. So you thought you were competing with the so-called cream of the crop to get into the b-school, now your are competing the cream of the cream to get that ideal job.

As recruiters come on campus to interview candidate after candidate of your well qualified peers, you realize that while in the society at large, you might be cream, among the others in the Columbia MBA, you're just one other candidate. Not to mention all the other Wharton, HBS, Stanford, Kellogg, Chicago GSB students that you are competing with!!

But what can one do? Me, I try to keep in mind that it's not just them evaluating me, its me evaluating them as well. If they like me, I have just as much power as they do, so first concentrate on getting them to like me. :)

With an four interviews lined up and one that I'm pushing like crazy to get, it's hard not to be somewhat cynical about the recruiting process. I know that things usually work out in the end, I do have a standing offer from my summer internship already. But as a Type-A MBA, I naturally want to seek out additional options. It is the one time in my life that I will ever possibly have recruiters knocking at my door, and the opportunity to feasibly pick one out of three of four equally fantastic jobs. Wow...I really got to work on my interviewing skills!!!

:)

www.gsb.columbia.edu

2005-10-15T10:57:00.000-04:00

Scheduling thoughts...

2005-10-15T10:06:00.000-04:00

Usually, by Thursday of the week prior, my schedule still looks good. Friday, a couple more things pop up, but still, relatively clear sailing. Yet come Sunday, and then Monday the meetings start showing up out of nowhere. I live on outlook and the calendar on my Treo. Without such modern technology, I probably would have no idea where I am supposed to be at any given time and would miss a bunch of meetings or show up late.

Now on my calendar, I have:
- classes
- interviews
- MAC meetings
- Case practices
- More networking events (which can be skipped)

Which leaves me scant hours to actually do the work, work. Sad isn't it?

Then I have to try to manuver around conflicts. Setting up meetings is a nightmare since everyone else at the b-school has similar hellacious calendars. NUTS!

137 Registered!

2005-10-13T22:57:00.000-04:00

After only 1.5 weeks, 2 promotional emails, 1 alumni general notice, 1 email to prospectives, god knows how many emails to recruiters, we have 137 registered!!!! YAY!!!! This is definitely better than expected. I suppose the marketing club does have an upper hand when it comes to marketing. :)

I spent all day at school working on the MAC Conference. I had no class because it was rescheduled to tomorrow, but I still managed to spend a whole 8 hours, sitting in the library, working with Stephanie on Conference this, Conference that. The good news, is that we finally got our last two panelists confirmed. What a sigh of relief that is! We were so worried that we would not be able to fill the last two slots, but Virgin Mobile and Unilever both came through today. Steph and I started cheering in the library, people must have thought we were dorks. So, after a full day of Conference work..we though, "What the hell did we get ourselves into?" This is a full time job!

My priorities are currently as follows:
1. MAC Conference
2. Recruitng - practicing for Case Interviews
3. Classes and homework

I have no choice, there are only so many waking hours in a day that I can actually stay awake and function in. Add to that one hour per week to watch Lost another for Desperate Housewives, maybe 10 hrs to complete all other bodily necessities (eat, sh*t)...and there is only so much time left to work! :)

I had my first case practice of the year today. What a disaster, I don't even want to think about it... push push push out of mind.... push!

Speakers....

2005-10-12T20:23:00.000-04:00

Pretty amazing the number of amazing speakers we get in these classes second year. It really make you realize the clout of CBS and how incredible our professors are.

Yesterday in Retailing was the CEO of Neiman Marcus, and the CEO of PacSun. This happens every Retailing class, CEOs, CFOs, COOs, SVPs, EVPs...corporate leaders come in every week to talk to us, little MBAs...amazing.

Then in Educational Leadership Consulting Lab today comes one of the former heads of Tishman Speyer, who now started a series of publics schools for troubled youths in NYC. The Chancellor, Joel Klein, will also be gracing the class with his presence in the future.

For Intro to Venturing, the stars of the case often come in to talk to the class from their own points of view, the challenges they faced when starting their business. They then talk about the many other entrepreneurial adventures they had taken on since the case.

For Marketing Plans, we had the Director of Trojan Condoms (hee hee), and this week, the Creative Director of Ogilvy and Mather.

Practically every class...it's just really amazing!

17 more days to go...

2005-10-11T20:38:00.000-04:00

...to too many things. The MAC Conference of course, is on October 28th. Our website is up and running at www.mac-conference.com! Very exciting! But we still need to secure two last panelists and there is now significant pressure to get that program printed. Also the budget is extremely tight. I feel somewhat responsible for not getting enough corporate sponsors, but we really didn't have much time...sigh...getting money is always tough for an event with no proven track record. Good news is, registration is up and is doing better than anticipated. The concern for attendance is easing, phew........

I now also have three interviews confirmed for the week of October 21st, it's crunch crunch crunch time. Sometimes, I don't know how I'm going to handle so much at the same time. Need to prep for cases and learn all about the companies I am interviewing for. Oyi! I finally got my act together a joined a case prep "team", I don't know how that's going to work out, but now that I'm looking for a REAL job I have to take this all more seriously!

Oh, there is also a midterm next week. Sigh!!

What is the MAC Conference you say?

2005-09-22T21:18:00.000-04:00

Well...it's the source of my anxiety and stress but also a source of pride. I'm proud to be working on such a big project with such amazing speakers.

The first annual marketing conference at Columbia! For the number four MBA program in the nation, it's about time! The theme of the conference will be "marketing in a world if increasing consumer power." It's somewhat inspired by my experience at my summer internship. As technology improves, consumers have more choice to zap out advertising. There's Tivo, XM commercial free radio, etc. How are advertiser to reach their consumers?

I think the topic is extremely interesting, we also have two amazing keynotes secured. The CMO of American Express and CEO of Coach. At the same time, we are lining up some great panelist, who are not yet confirmed...so can't be named...yet!

My days at school are now spent in classes, and ever free moment is MAC meeting, MAC meeting, MAC meeting...

First its with my Co-VP, then wieh the Asst. Dean, then with the Office of Student Life, then with the Vice Dean, then with the head of the Marketing Department, then with the MAC board...the meetings never end. Also email after email after email to get more people to sponsor, to attend... next it's promotional materials, programs, giveaways, totes...then the budget, tickets, attendance...

Think about adding all that with recruiting presentations, company lunches, on an yes.... classes, homework! I've had more than one person ask me, how do you do it? Well, I'm not the only one, it's b-school, we're all ambitious, we all have our hands full. It's just a matter of more full or less full. :)

MAC Conference

2005-09-20T22:21:00.000-04:00

The MAC Conference is consuming my life. Every free moment I have, have been spent on meetings for the MAC Conference, replying emails, sending emails, I'm eating and breathing MAC Conference at this point...

I must say, it is a wonderful experience and opportunity to network, but it is also an immense workload. *Sigh* With recruiting going on at the same time, I really am not getting any break anytime, I feel like the Energizer bunny...going, and going and going and going....

Bat...Squirrel

2005-09-18T10:31:00.000-04:00

This little fella was hanging upside down right above my head as I sat on one of those little stone benches outside Uris Hall, checking my email. He was totally unafraid, just nibbling on his fruit...ahh, what a life.

No, B-School is not all about parties and happy hour...

2005-09-18T10:01:00.000-04:00

I've heard this so many times. Don't people just party at lot a business school? You have no work! I so wish that were true, it would certainly improve my situation as much as any other b-school students. But in fact, we work, a LOT.

The second week of class was no better than the first. In fact, Monday was the first corporate presentation for the 2nd years, first presentation after only 3 days of class. My schedule is once again chock full of colorful blocks so I make sure I don't forget which meeting I'm supposed to be at, at what time...and most days are booked solid. One good thing though, I surely feel like a VIP.

So Monday was a late night because of this corporate presentation. It's actually quite fun, networking with the people from the company and learning their stories. Of course they only have good things to say about their firm, but they are also believable! Tuesday, I ended up skipping a corporate presentation because I had to do the computer exercise for Wednedsay's venturing class by 9PM. I opted to skip, didn't feel bad about it... things will work out in the end.

Wednesday was a hellacious day. I started off with a meeting at 9:30am about the ever-important MAC Conference. Then had a follow up meeting to discuss implications of the 9:30 meeting. After that, was class, a quick lunch, then another meeting, with the head of the Marketing Department to update him on the progress of our MAC Conference planning and secure funds from the Department. Then another class, a long 3 hour one at that. Finally at 6:30 was the MAC kick-off meeting, this went until 9PM or so, when I finally called it quits and dragged my tired ass home. There were 2 parties on Wed, I had no energy left to go...

Thankfully I only have one class on Thursday and was relatively relaxed after yet another MAC meeting about the budget, plus the ABA kick-off meeting. I find it ironic that now as a second year, I have little first years coming up to me to ask me how I do it. How do I manage to deal with classes, and be VPs of three clubs? Well, I say, you just do it! In all my wisdom. I guess I can only blame my incredibly crazy schedule on myself. I did not have to be that involved in school activities, I could have just cruised along, and gotten my MBA just fine...

But what would be the point in that? B-school is only two years. I say, make the most of it! I am a little over-extended at this point. But I love being "in the know". I have meetings with Vice Deans who know me by name, who tell me they would love to work with me and help me find jobs. I know the staff in admissions, career services, the Chazen Institute, and of course, the office of student life, and I love it. I love feeling like I am part of the school, that I'm really contributing to make it a better place, that I am really connected. So yes, I'm working, hard, but I'm also having so much fun! And that, is how I want to remember my 2 years at b-school...work hard, play hard!!

First week of Classes

2005-09-10T10:21:00.000-04:00

I'm still playing catch-up on Orientation entries, but if I don't start jotting something down, I'll miss everything else!

This week was the first week of classes, we are now officially second years. The first week was really just two days. While classes started on Wednesday, GSB tried a new reorientation program on Tuesday afternoon. If it's the thought that counts, the administration sure gets points for "the thought". The program itself dragged on too long and student interest waned after the Dean gave his welcoming speech. People were leaving en mass by the end of the 2nd hour. I personally persisted, thought I did pretty much tune out by the end. The best idea was the Rececption for the Class of 2006. Drinks and good food are always the way to get the conversations flowing. I was so happy meet up and chat with people I haven't seen since then end of last semester. If reorientation is to continue the only part they should really keep is the Reception, it was definitely well received!

On Wednesday, I had two classes, Intro to Venturing and Education Consulting Leadership Lab. The professor for ITV is truly a hardass and he does not hesistate to admit to, and warn us that he is most definitely a hardass... so beware. He started of the class by showcasing the negative comments he received in his reviews from past years. Comments ranging from, "the professor is mean, and lacking in social graces" to "he needs to take a pronounciation class..." I don't fine his accent a problem at all, but it is obvious that he is anal and yes, probably mean. But a least he is honest in setting up his expectations!

Ed Consult. Lab is an unsual class. Instead of the usual lectures and cases, etc, the class is split into teams and each team consults for a Principal at a New York Public School. My Principal's school is in Jamaica, Qns, a very poor neighborhood with a large immigrant population. She has many issues that us students can help with ranging from operations to human resources management. The tough part is prioritizing where to start. I am so excited about this class! I think it will be an excellent opportunity to learn consulting skills and then apply them to a real life situation, plus give back to the community at the same time. The class is co-taught by a professor and and executive in residence who use to be a partner at McKinsey & Co, so I believe I will truly learn a lot.

As for Thursday, I had just one class, Marketing Plans Workshop. This also looks like it is going to be a great experience since the final project is a marketing plan for a company, service, start-up, etc. of our own choosing. I have some ideas but nothing final for the topic of my project, still need to brainstorm. After class, I met with Stephanie and Leslie to discuss details for the MAC conference, a meeting that took much longer than I thought it would. But we made some crucial decisions and updates, so it was worth it.

And of course, Thursday was the first HH of the year. The turn out was as tremendous as was expected. Breaking my own record, I actually stayed until midnight! The free beer was flowing and there was a lot of catching up with old clustermates, plus of course, the sharing of summer (or last spring) gossip. By the end of the night, Uris Deli was "jumping" and fresh scandals for the Bottom Line was being generated both on an off the dance floor. I learned some new things that night. 1. Miller Lite sucks, tastes like water, 2. I can drink a lot of sucky beer and not get drunk , and 3. we have a pretty darn cool first year class (lots of good looking people). I wonder if it has anything to do with the people who conducted the interviews for the incoming class...knowing some of them...I wouldn't be surprised. :)

Day 1 - The Whirlwind Begins

2005-08-24T23:43:00.000-04:00

At 6:05, my alarm goes off, but I really wasn't sleeping too deeply anyway. I never thought I would be nervous about being a PA for Orientation, but I guess I was, nervous and excited. So I didn't get that much sleep anyway. After hopping in the shower, I quickly hopped into my blue PA t-shirt and hopped the 3 trains to CBS.

I got to Lerner Hall at about 7:30, so I was a little late, no one really seemed to notice. I got a big bear hug from Anil who I ran into outside Lerner, what a way to start the morning! After grabbing two cups of coffee I was ready to attack the first years and of course say Hi to my old friends! It was great meeting everyone again after the summer. As a second year, we all look and feel so much more relaxed.

After breakfast, all the PA's stayed for the Dean's Welcome and Intro to the Academic Program. Cabe did a wonderful job with his speech, really impressed! The highlight of course was the snack break. Tradition goes that we walk up and down the aisle throwing snacks at the students. It's actually a welcome relief from the presentation that they are sitting through, and for us, who doesn't like throwing stuff at people?

Lunch is the PA's time to shine. As each Cluster gathers in homeroom, we impart our 2nd year wisdom and words of advice. The first day was about administrative stuff, going through schedules and ice breakers. We had students introduce themselves by saying their names, where they were from, etc. and an embarrassing moment. It worked quite well, we had a good laugh over the cheesy/embarrassing moments.

We then had some free time until 5PM, when they held the welcome reception for the Class of 2007.

The reception was great, lite snacks, great chatting, free alchol...we also had an afterparty, but I forgot where we went... :(

Orientation Week - Sunday, PA Training

2005-08-24T23:33:00.000-04:00

Whew am I tired. It's only Wednesday but I feel like I have been awake for at least a week of my "normal" waking hours. This is Orientation Week a week fo crazy parties interspersed with introductions to academics and career advice from the Columbia Business School. I went through all of this last year and had so much fun that I decided to volunteer to be a Peer Advisor to go through it all over again. I had forgotten how intense the week is. As it was with last year, some students are getting sick! But ultimately, it is A LOT of fun.

As a PA, my week started on Sunday. We had an afternoon of training, with team building exercises led by the cool guys from Chelsea Piers plus a run through of the orientation schedule. Then we enjoyed a great dinner with the Dean in the Deli. It was so great to see everyone again after such a long break. That night, we were advised to get some rest so we could be prepared for being at Lerner Hall by 7:15AM for Day 1 of Orientation.

7:15AM!!!!!!!!!!!!

MAC Conference Themes

2005-08-16T22:10:00.000-04:00

Stephanie and I had a meeting today to go over various themes for the MAC Conference and we came up with two really great ideas complete with solid suggestions for panels. However, I can't publicize the theme until it is really set in stone...so I'll have to hold off on details until later.

Our meeting was over 5 hours long! We decided to meet at Cosi on 6Ave and 23rd. I ran across the place while on a 2 hour lunch that last week of my internship. It's a great location with lots of room to sit and chat. Since it's self serve for lunch, we hogged a booth for 5 hours and no one bothered us. Steph and I work great together, we share many similar ideas but such different past experiences that we can have a great brainstorming session.

Of course we also talked about school and how it's so amazing that we'll be back in classes in 3 weeks. For me, I'm really ramping up to go since Orientation for the "freshmen" starts Sunday. Steph and I both agree that we are so happy first year is over!

Those were trying times! It was the first time I had experience being truly too busy to eat, lunch and dinner. Often I went all day with no food until the 6 or 7PM corporate presentation where I would stuff myself with mini cubes of cheese and appetizers. Those companies with good food were real hits with the students. It is not so much that we are pigs, but more so that we just don't have time to eat! Give us something solid and hot and we'll literally drool over you. Poor MBA first years. It'll be fun being the senior class. :)

Bidding for classes...

2005-08-11T12:38:00.000-04:00

So for a while, I thought I had nothing to write about CBS. Silly me, I just ignored so much that went on a pushed it out of my head or something.

Yesterday we got the results of Round 2 bidding for classes. At CBS, and I think at some other MBA programs as well, you get a certain number of points and you use those to bid for a limited number of classes. I think this is done because there is uneven demand for classes taught by certain professors. Students are forced to prioritize their choices and spend hours figuring out their schedules. Sadly for me, I did not get into the class that I bid the most points for, Biggadike's Top Management Processes. Although I did bid very high and on par with the average bid points in Round 1, I suppose our stars were not aligned. I did, however, get into three great classes! I'm happy about that.

However, all is not lost. Tomorrow begins bidding for round 3 where I will get to pick my remaining 2 classes. Also, there will still be a chance during Add/Drop to change classes and schedules. Next semester, I am going to go all out for TMP and try again!

The biggest bummer is that I still don't know my schedule for next semester, it'd be nice to be able to set up exercise routines and stuff now that I have some time on my hands!

Farewll Interns!

2005-08-05T10:23:00.000-04:00

Actually, only two of the interns' are having their last days today. The rest of us are here for another week to another month. Some just wanted to stay a little longer and others are hoping to get full employment from their internship, and don't even want to leave.

Last night, the S&E group held a little party for their 2 interns. We went to a bar called Red Sky with an hour of open bar. It's really been fun and it was great catching up with people I hadn't really talked to in the office. It seems only yesterday that we went out for our welcome karaoke party and now we're already having our farewell! Time really just flies by.

We also had our Intern Shared Learning session yesterday where all the interns, including those in Boston, shared their work for the past 2 months. The range and quality of the projects was definitely quite impressive. Even the undergrads did an amazing job. I must say, I think this company does a good job of hiring and they are picky people. I've met really smart people working here and half eavedropped on their deliberations for hiring a new person. They're tough critics! At the end of the share session we got a surprise. They had assembled goody bags for us, a really cool messenger bag, scarf, t-shirt and hat all with the company logo on it. Good stuff! I'm going to use it to carry all my "stuff" home on the last day, so I'm keeping it at the office for another week. But I'm really touched! They have definitely left a good impression. :)

I looking forward to getting back to school. Not that work was not cool, it was definitely great having a stead paycheck and all, but it's time for a change again and I think second year is going to be the best ever!

Accomplishments an deadlines

2005-08-04T15:51:00.000-04:00

It's amazing how much could be done in a short amount of time if only I put my mind to it. This morning, a meeting of mine got moved from 12:30 to 10:30, and I swear I crammed about 1.5 days of work into that one hour. In the end the meeting went well and I sounded knowledgeable, but I had to shake my head at how much I slack off when I don't have a deadline! I guess the most important thing to do is to set deadlines for myself as I work. Yet if the deadlines are not real, I know that I can push them and end up still wasting time. Hmmmm...what is the best time management option?

Tomorrow is the last day of work for the undergrad intern and therefore we had a little intern get-together/farewell lunch. It was cozy. I got to impart some of my knowledge from working for a couple of years and got a feel as to what the interns wanted for their future. There really is a difference which school you go to. The difference is not quite in the level of intellectual accomplishment but more so in the level of ambition the students have. Those at the top schools seemed to have a lot more drive. I suppose you have to have that fire to be able to get into one of the top schools. Then the peer group continues to motivate you towards are higher goal.

Rarely do the people I come in contact with say that they want a 9-5/6 job and a good paying salary and that is it. I supposed the social group I am part of has a lot to do with that. New York city is also a huge contributor. In the Big Apple, if you stand still you get left behind. That's why most people move out of the city when they want to "settle", NYC is not a place for "settling".

8.1.05 - Slacking away...

2005-08-01T17:50:00.000-04:00

So after working my tail off for two weeks, I have spent the whole day today pretty much slacking away. It's not really that I have nothing to do, but that my workload has been greatly reduced and once that happens, I'm off seeking more interesting things on the internet. I've been reading other people's blogs and making many amends to the ones that I started myself.

One goldmine that I did dig up is the Columbia databases. There is the most amazing wealth of information on there, from academic journals to the latest business news. I've been using the databases as a resource for the project that I am working on.

But, I must say that I am very interested in the project that I am working on now. After five weeks of credit cards I am now finally working on a pharma project. The lengthy deadlines are a pleasure compared to what I went through earlier. It's a great way to finish up my summer!

I weas actually on the phone today with someone who would like to work at the company I am interning at. I must say, I had more positive things to say than negative ones. I don't think jobs are ever so bad, it just depends on whether its what you want and what you are suited for. As for me, the jury is still out. I'm taking the advice that I need to have the choice to make a choice and that making a choice is what will make me happy.

7.22.05 - Shake Shack

2005-07-22T13:47:00.000-04:00

There's a litte food stand out in Madison Square Park which is about a block from where I live, call "The Shake Shack". Today some guys and I decided to try it out and see what the excitment is about. Apparently the Shake Shack is opened by some famous chef with numerous restaurants in New York. The Shack is famous for their Shack Sauce, which they put in their Shack Burgers. I think in reality, the coolest thing of all is that they put tables out under the trees in Madison Square Park.

The burgers were quite small (works for me) and they were really good, but the real perk is the al fresco dining. The park is beautiful and on a bright, summer day like today, it was the perfect setting for a laid back lunch of burger and diet coke. There was a line of people waiting at the Shack and even a newsreporter recording a bit on luxury "common" food. As we sat in the green plastic chairs, sparrows landed on the backs of seats, unafraid, as I'm sure they are more used to people feeding them rather than hurting them. *Sigh* the lazy days of summer.

Actually today was the first day even since the internship started that I've been able to take a break. On Thursday, we presented the project that I had been working full time on for two weeks. I've been at the office till 8, 9, the one day that I left early (to go to a dinner), I actually had to go home and finish up the presentation till 12:30AM. So it's not a relaxing internship at all! But I'm glad to truly be contributing something useful to the group and the clients. All in all, being productive is most important.

Internship days

2005-07-06T22:19:00.000-04:00

I didn't know where to put my internship experience, should I classify it as MBA or just a part of the rest of my life? In the end, I decided to classify it with the MBA because I felt that the internship is such a crucial part of the MBA experience. The summer is where you test how much you have grown in the past year, the first year of your program. At least that is how I'm looking at it.

So, I started my internship at a marketing consulting agency about 2 weeks ago. I don't want to divulge any details as to the company's name or the names of their clients because so much of their work is proprietary, and I don't want the company or myself to get in trouble.

The experience has been good. I really hit the ground running, was busy since the first week and worked with some really nice people. Although it is the third week and a little bit of tedium is starting to set in. A part of me is feeling like I'm just doing more of what I used to do before I wet to business school, a little differently, but not so challenging. As before, the work is more time intensive than mind intensive. Once again, I find myself questioning whether I would be better suited pursuing a Ph. D. However, I must say that the company is working hard to give me a good experience, and I will work hard to meet and exceed all their expectations. I don't know if I'll take an offer from them, but, well, I'll save that decision for later.

Starting today, I have a project on which I'm managing two junior people. It's only a 2 week project but it's pretty cool to really be a manager. It's also a bit strange being a manager and an intern at the same time. Will see what happens...

2005-05-06T16:49:00.000-04:00

Entrance to church on Columbia's campus, 122 & Riverside Drive. I had to hike to the ISSO today, and walked past this church. It is so huge, I decided I had to take picture. My ISSO story is so stupid I don't even want to post it, but in short, I brough over my CPT application, but did not bring my passport. As a result I have to now go to Columbia on Monday MORNING!!! I'm leaving from JFK Monday afternoon! If only when I went yesterday when I was supposed to!!! Uggh...headache...

thursday, may 5 2005 - MAC Dinner

2005-05-06T10:46:00.000-04:00

Ahhh MAC, the wonderful but unknown Marketing Association of Columbia. Apparently there is a grand scheme to rebrand Columbia's marketing department, Marketing Marketing as it's called. Great idea, I'm surprised marketing had never thought to market themselves before. I guess there's something to be said about the gap between the ivory tower and the MBA marketing students who actually want to be marketers. It took a group of MBA students to do a project on marketing marketing to push the marketing department to believe that they really need to market themselves. A bit ironic don't you think?

Anyways, the MAC dinner at Sezz Medi was nice. All the pleasantries and chatting about summer plans, standard stuff of course. Not to say that people were unfriendly, no we were all the friendliest bunch, and I believe sincerely so. But belong to a club and going out with them for drinks and dinner is not the same as hanging out with friends. I'm actually on the board of MAC, I love it. I have to plan the conference for next year, and I think it's going to be an awesome event, it'll go down in the history books. To be frank though, I have my doubts about the big splash that conferences make. I mean, ok, we all have good reasons to have a big conference and try to make a big splash...but I'm sure that the clubs who had conferences and failed had thought the exact same thing. And they failed....so god knows what would happen. I would be happy to pour my heart and soul into it, but in the end it's all about setting realistic expectations.

Well...the salmon was yummy, the wine was good. I was a bit bummed that I didn't get home until almost 1AM, but well that comes with the territory when you live in JC. I hate events that happen at Columbia, it just takes me forever to get there!!! UGH. I say, lets' really explore NYC, go to the West Village, East Village, Chelsea! Much more character down there.

2005-05-05T18:25:00.000-04:00

This was my bachelorette party veil, you see what's on it? Hehe...

wednesday, may 4 2005 - Bachelorette Party with the Cluster "B"eauties!

2005-05-05T18:02:00.000-04:00

It would only make sense that Japas 55 is on 55th street, right? For some reason it was stuck in my head that it was on 50th street. So as I walked from 5th Ave, all the way to 8th Ave, and didn't see anything remotely like a karaoke joint, I started to panic! Called Tami, Leslie and Kim and no one picked up, the music must have been deafening. So as a last resort, I called Usa and asked her to look up the place on the internet. She said...umm..it's on 55th st. guess that's why it's called Japas 55? Yeah...sometimes I can be really dumb.

Karaoke is always fun for me. Singing with a bunch of girls was awesome! We had the best time. The food was only so so, but the beer and sake was flowing and we all had an amazing time. I love screaming out songs at the top of my lungs, something you don't do at "chinese" karaokes. There you are supposed to perform like a star and most people know and respect that, so they don't make a sound when you sing. With american's, it's all up for grabs, the louder the merrier. I enjoy both, I just love singing. At the end, we shared 'sex tips' for the soon-to-be new brides...nothing I didn't already know...hee hee. We had a blast!

We headed home in high spirits at around 11PM. The only downer was that it took me about an hour and a half to get home. I convince Ricky to come pick me up at the train station since it was late and some creepy bald guy keep looking at me when I was on the train. It actually turned out to be a good thing cause the creepy bald guy kept turning back to look at me when we got off a Grove. He even pretended to wait for a cab at the top of the stairs to wait for me to get out (I was walking slow on purpose, so he couldn't follow me). As soon as Ricky showed up, the guy turned and walked away, see that's why I know he wasn't actually waiting for a cab! Eeeeck!

tuesday - wednesday, may 3 - 4, 11PM - 2AM - AVALON end of semester party

2005-05-04T11:50:00.000-04:00

It felt a bit weird getting ready to go out at 10PM, real college like. While most of New York was getting ready for bed on a Tuedsay night, a bunch of Columbia MBAs were getting ready to party. Of course, we just went through a week and a half of exams and we're poised for the summer ahead. I took the PATH to 23rd street and walked over the the ex-Limelight church/club. There was already a line of students I knew getting ready to go in and cabs continued to pull up as we waited in line and more friends joined our line.

The party inside was packed! It was pretty wild. The drinks were pricey, $10 each, but that didn't stop us from buying! There was dancing, chatting, I'm sure there was plenty of hooking up (although of course I was no part of that!). It's been so long since I've been clubbing it was really fun, I missed the crazy dancing..hee hee.. It actually helped the Ricky wasn't there, since if he was I'm sure I would have felt obligated to make him feel comfortable and stick to him all night. It was fun to roam the crowds, hunt down friends for a chat. :)

I guess I've really grown up, I actually did feel a bit too OLD to be partying and clubbing till 2AM. It was also a bit silly to see the folks you hang out with in the library getting wild at Avalon. But I had so much fun, it was awesome..guess I'll try to go clubbing more from now on. Drag Ricky along...gotta remember that marriage does NOT equal the death of all social life!

tuesday, may 3 2005 - Accounting nightmare

2005-05-03T16:50:00.000-04:00

So I know I am trying to "survive" business school. After accounting this morning, I'm not sure I'll make it. This is the first time I feel like I may have literally failed a test. However, in talking to some other folks who took the exam, it sounded like a lot of people thought it was the devil incarnate in black and white (and numbers!) I felt only a tiny bit better. It doesn't help that I woke up with a cold and basically lasted the morning on Dayquil (excuse? Hmm..maybe). If all goes well, I am now officially a second year MBA student, a senior! Wooo hooo!

After the worst exam in history, my Cluster set off for lunch at Dinosaur BBQ. The set up was pretty interesting, at the end of one long table were all the girls, on the other end, all the guys, and me! Well, I arrived late with a group of men, so I had to settle for the other side. But in truth, I love hanging out with guys, the things they talk about!! Well..sex, girls, and how to get sex and girls as much as possible. I found it pretty fascinating! Of course, I know a lot of it is probably guy talk and underneath that boorish exterior must lie some token of sensitivity and sweetness that...at this point, I never want to know about! Thank god I'm taken. The food at Dinosaur was just ok, I had a Cuban Sandwich and it was a bit too salty, it was...EH! I introduced a friend to the concept of a Thai "Soapy Massage" since he was going to Thailand over the summer. If he actually does find a "soapy massage" place, I'm sure he is just the right person to enjoy it... heh.

Now I need to catch some zzzz...so I can get over this cold and be refreshed for my party tonight.

monday, may 2 2005 - Operations @ 9AM

2005-05-02T12:51:00.000-04:00

Ugh! I just finished my Operations final exam and already realized that I made a few really stupid mistakes. I hate that, I just hate making stupid mistakes. At least if I made legitimate mistakes, I can say, oh well...I didn' t know that, I accept it. But stupid mistakes just make me want to kick myself.

Today was an early day. After studying until 1AM in the morning last night, it was pretty tough to get out of bed and get to school by 9AM. At least the Operations exam is open book, notes and laptop. I think those types of exams are the best and by far the most reliable measure of how much students really understand the concepts taught in a class. Since the questions are about applications of concepts, just because you have your books does not mean the exam is easy. Frankly, in the real world, I would be able to access notes and information when I am facing business problems. So school, especially business school which is supposed to prepare you for real life should be no different.

Although I am glad that this semester is almost over, I think I will really miss it once it ends. I'll miss the comradarie of being part of a cluster, the initial excitment of being part of the business school and of course, I will be one year closer to graduation. I don't look forward to graduation. I love being in school and the being part of this community. But of course, the reality is that one has got to make money, that's what the MBA is all about, is it not?

2005-04-30T13:31:00.000-04:00

Start line with confetti, finish time - 1:07 and the cute CWIB t-shirt with my bib number!

saturday, april 30 2005 - Revlon 5K Run/Walk

2005-04-30T12:55:00.000-04:00

This morning, I woke up at 6:30AM to get ready for the Revlon 5K Run/Walk. I was a part of the Columbia Women in Business (CWIB) team and had to meet the rest of the team at 8AM by the 50 St. train station. It was a dreary day and although we all had our cool t-shirts, everyone was wearing a jacket over it. It's like being dressed up for Halloween and then having to wear a jacket over your costume, kinda sucked.

But it was a great experience, so many people came out to participate. I walked the entire 5K with some other girls (Tami from Cluster B), and although it was raining and we could smell horse manure throughout the walk in Central Park, it was still fun. They released red and white confetti at the starting line which made the event quite festive!! Definitely worth it for charity! I also got a lot of water, tea, lunch from Au Bon Pain, the official Run/Walk t-shirt and some freebies from Revlon. I also raised $360!!! :) That was the coolest part of all. Standing in the subway on the way home, shivering in my wet shoes and socks, I still think it was a good way to spend a Saturday morning.

Friday - The Great Day Off

2005-04-29T10:54:00.000-04:00

Granted this is a strange time for me to start a blog about business school, it is in the middle of the second finals week, and I am almost at the official end of my first year of school. I should have started earlier but well, I didn't know about blogger until my good friend curiouseyes.blogspot.com told me about her blog.

Also check out psychesdream.blogspot.com to learn more about me outside of school. There I will keep track of everything outside of school and my wedding planning progress.

Today, I plan to start studying for my Operations final, which is going to be on Monday. We will see if I actually have the willpower to actually take some action. My goal in my Leadership final paper was to improve my decision making skills by not overanalyzing and not procrastinating. To do so I need to set an action plan filled with specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound goals (SMART). I haven't even done that yet...so maybe my first action goal of the day should be... write down SMART goals...we'll see what happens.