3 months plan, active forums, etc.

• The meeting with my manager last Friday went well. He asked me to put together a schedule for the next 3 months detailing my vacatoin plans, leave of absence, etc. This is done. Emailed him and awaiting his feedback.
  
  
• I joined the B-school intranet student discussion forum. Among the discussion forum participants, there are many international students. Should be lots of fun. Some from India, US, Italy, Germany, Taiwan, and so far a few from Canada. I guess there are only a small number of Canadians because the domestic student app deadline is end of April. And most of them are either waiting for their acceptance offer or still shopping for a better offer. I haven't seen so many enthusiastic students. It looks like most of them either put their career on hold, take out some loans, travel to another country to do the MBA. The motivation is a lot greater if you decide to do it (and when there's a lot on the line).
  
  
• In other news, Second Cup has decided to change its cup sizes. This is interesting, quoting from an article by Misty Harris, CanWest News Service
  
  In the movie You’ve Got Mail, Tom Hanks memorably describes the modern cafe environment as being designed "for people with no decision-making ability whatsoever to make six decisions just to buy one cup of coffee."

  But now, Second Cup has read the writing on the mochaccino-coloured wall and is changing its cup sizes to include just small, medium and large.

  
  
  

Give me a Chacin

• 2 consecutive entertaining games between the Red Sox and the Jays. Give me a Chacin.
  
  
• After waiting for over half a month, Amazon.ca says my order is delayed. Give me a break.
  
  
• Clarchie flying on Thursday. Give me a hug.
  
  (Yook Ma content below removed due to CRTC and FCC rules violations)
  

What am I getting myself into?

• I paid the B-school non-refundable deposit. That's it. No more coconut bun and tea in the morning. No more $4 latte for the next 2 years. Living on student loans for the next 2 years and trying to pay off the loans 5 years after graduation. What am I getting myself into?
  
  
• While we're studying yesterday at my office, Clarchie got a phone call from Hong Kong that her work visa has gone through. No more short distance relationship for the next 18 months or so. What am I getting myself into?

Crunch time in the library

Today, Clarchie and I went to the library again to study. There's a lady who's wearing ear plugs sitting next to me in the silent study room. She was focused and rarely made any noise. And then things turned ugly. She took out a rice cracker (rick krispy style) and started having a meal. Bite after bite. She also brought a 4 L plastic milk jug with her too. Sip after sip, of only Pete knows, what's in there. I sent Clarchie an instant message. I couldn't stand it anymore so I went to see the librarian. The librarian came in and gave her a 2 minute minor. The crunching stopped for a while and it started again. Slowly, piece by piece, she took out little pieces and put them in her mouth. Making noises like you never heard before. She's eating like there's no tomorrow.

Lemon or milk?

Q: Tea or coffee?
A: I usually drink tea but if I drink coffee, I usually have a latte. 2% please and some cinnamon sprinkle too. Green tea latte tastes great too, especially if you need a sugar rush.

Q: The Da Vinci Code or MI:3?
A: TDVC please. Audrey Tautou is nicer to look at for 2 hours than Tom Cruise. I wonder how Professor Langdon and Sophie can wear the same spotless and wrinkleless outfit throughout the movie. Their drycleaners must have done a very good job.

Q: BlackBerry or fancy camera-mp3-phone?
A: BB please. It's the greatest thing since sliced bread. Some asked aren't you 24x7 by carrying this thing? To me, it's all about managing other people's expectations and setting up a n interpersonal service level agreement. oh shoot...did I mention SLA?

Hello Kevi and Friends

Warning: This MV is highly addictive.

That's What Friends Are For
(Burt Bacharach/Carole Bayer-Sager)
...
Keep smilin', keep shinin'
Knowing you can always count on me for sure
That's what friends are for
For good times and bad times
I'll be on your side forever more
That's what friends are for
...

This song is dedicated to all my friends.

It's a girl!

Today was an interesting day.

- For some reason I was more patient than usual when I drove to work. The trip felt shorter.

- A former coworker and (still a) good friend just gave birth to her first, a baby girl. Below is part of the email from the proud father, who sits next to met at work.

Weight: 7 pounds, 3 ounces
Eyes: Blue (so far)
Hair: Light Brown (so far)

- In other news today, I booked a time with the Assistant Dean of one of the B-School's I am applying. We chatted for about half an hour over the phone. I was not too impressed when I saw the alumni contact list they sent me yesterday. The Assistant Dean made a good point that only some of the alumni are willing to be contacted by prospective students. Once you are part of the club, the network will grow wider and you have more access to the alumni. I was extremely impressed with their staff though. Patient, courteous, and responsive.

- I will have a chat with my manager this Friday about my plan in the next few months. My plan inclues: A trip to HK to visit Clarchie, taking a 12-15 month LOA, and handing off my role to other folks. Apparently someone at work is interested in taking over my position when I am gone. I wonder what he's thinking :)

- Last but not least, why did they let Josh Towers pitch again? 4 earned runs in a mere 1.2 inning just doesn't cut it.

Beyond Reason

I am reading this book. The first 3 chapters make a lot of sense to me. I am facing situations now where I need to get better at negotiating.

I need to read "Getting to Yes" by Roger Fisher again too.

I will post some of my thoughts about the book in the future.

What have you read lately?

Decision time

I need to make a decision real soon. It's sometimes more ma fan when you have options. You know if you only have 1 option, you don't have a choice. You don't need to make a decision. Even if you don't, that option will come to you. Maybe I should just shut up and consider myself fortunate because at least I have a choice!

As I was telling the folks in my small group, which B-School's program is better is debatable. Some say look at the surveys and rankings. Other says look at the calibre of the students and faculty. I even heard someone say it doesn't matter where you get the degree but it's how you position yourself when you go job hunting after graduation.

Anyways, I'm looking forward to going back to school. After "floating and sinking" in the school of hard knocks for almost 8 years, it's time to get back to the "unreal" world and dream a little.

Yook Ma blogs

Clarchie and I read some very yook ma blogs this evening. Mandy, you should not link to that yook ma blog anymore. But honestly I am very happy for the author of that yook ma blog. It reminds me of my own experience. Let me explain....
Just kidding. I want to meet the Ho Pung Yau in person. He sounds like a very sweet and charming fellow. The flowers, the dinners, and....

My first blog

Acknowledgement

This blog would not have happened were it not for the prolific blogger Mandy, who inspired me to get one of my own.

Why this blog?

This is a very good question. I'd like put my thoughts in words so that I can organize my thoughts and express them in a way that makes sense to other people. When you have clarity, you can do a lot. People understand you better and in turn you understand others better too.

What did I accomplish today?

Not a whole lot. I slept in today. Last night, a bunch of friends from our church career group threw a surprise farewell party for Clarchie. We had a lot of food -- chicken wings, ribs, edamame, and many softdrinks. We also sang some songs and had a great chat. Clarchie is planning to relocate to Hong Kong as most of you who know me would know by now. So what was I trying to say? That's right. I got home late last night. So I woke up late today.

Clarchie and I went out for breakfast and then we went to my office. Yes we still go to work on stat holidays :) Actually it's because Clarchie wanted to study at a quiet place but the public library is closed today. I spent many productive hours studying for the GMAT exam in the same room earlier this year. So now as I am writing this blog, Clarchie is still studying. Her family will have a farewell dinner for her. So we will go to the restaurant tonight. I also did some work today too.

I think that's it for now. I will write some more later.