Swamped is a good way to describe life right now. Mostly from schoolwork, but also from responsibilities of the extracurriculars. Things I need to do from Sunday - Wednesday: sing in church, meet with a group to figure out a finance paper, take a quiz, take two exams, write one case analysis, be interviewed for the internship I'm dying to have, learn Access for a computer lab, and try to set up an interview with people in the U.S. Trade Representative's office for my Turkey consulting project.
My goal for today was to read the three articles I needed to read in order to take the quiz and write the paper. I went to Panera to read the two articles I had on hard copy. I read those articles faster than I've ever read articles this year. I did not have my laptop open, I knew no one around me, there was no TV, and some smooth jazz was playing in the background. Feeling good about myself, I came home to make myself some dinner and read the last article, which is in PDF form on my computer. That was four hours ago, and I'm on page 3.
Websites I've frequented: Facebook, Gmail, Weather.com, Facebook, Horoscope Compatibility, GWork (our school's website for jobs & internships), Prudential & Nationwide (trying to find insurance quotes for our hypothetical condo we are buying for aforementioned finance paper), Liberty Center (the location of said hypothetical condo purchase...may I live here please?), Facebook, a blog I like, The New Colony, Spider Solitaire, Facebook.
I need that security system that the Federal government has installed on employees' computers so I'm blocked from going to these websites and I can do my work. Here's to another late night.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
Super Recruiter
Did I mention I'm VP of Recruitment for the MBA Association now? High five to me! It's something I've pretty much been doing for the past few months -- organizing classmates to reach out to prospective students via email, lunches, class visits, admissions fairs, and info sessions. I like telling people about the things I love, and I do love me some GW Business School.
Anyway, we had our first Super Saturday recruiting event of the year this year (we'll have another in March). This is the same event I attended last year that sold me on the school, so right away I knew I was going to want to help out. It's not your typical visit day -- we actually have the prospectives sit through 4 mini classes that represent our values (teamwork, quant, business responsibility, and international business). Then we throw in an alumni mentor/current student mentee panel here, a student clubs lunch there, and a presentation by the career center to top off the day. Oh yeah, then we take them out to a fancy schmancy dinner. AND THEN the current students bring them to our weekly IPO, or "Informal Public Outing" (that's business humor, for ya). Allow them to let loose with an open bar after a long long day.
GREAT SUCCESS! After a focus group of classmates who attended last year, we made an already awesome event outstanding. Last year, we had a 50% conversion rate of folks who came to Super Saturday and then committed. I wouldn't be surprised if that number was higher this year. Our biggest selling point is how cool the students are. The most common thing they said was, "I can't believe how nice/friendly/open/honest/down to earth/real everyone is. It's not like that at other schools." "We know," we reply with a smile. "That's why we love it here." Not to mention we have a brand new curriculum that is already kicking ass and taking names (What's up 2nd tier BusinessWeek rankings?! Whoop whoop!)
Okay, this is definitely stream of conciousness procrastination type of writing. Needless to say, I wasn't able to accomplish much work this weekend, as I was gone Saturday from 7:30am to 3am. yowza. (I tried to outlast them at the bar, but I finally broke down and left out of exhaustion when there were still 2-3 left. cripes!). Not to mention we had a welcoming event Friday night for them that kept me out late that night too.
And this week is ridiculous. I think I have about 7 things due for 5 classes in 3 days. And the Follies show goes up next week, so rehearsals galore for that right now.
I'm known in my class for being the one who doesn't sleep.
Anyway, we had our first Super Saturday recruiting event of the year this year (we'll have another in March). This is the same event I attended last year that sold me on the school, so right away I knew I was going to want to help out. It's not your typical visit day -- we actually have the prospectives sit through 4 mini classes that represent our values (teamwork, quant, business responsibility, and international business). Then we throw in an alumni mentor/current student mentee panel here, a student clubs lunch there, and a presentation by the career center to top off the day. Oh yeah, then we take them out to a fancy schmancy dinner. AND THEN the current students bring them to our weekly IPO, or "Informal Public Outing" (that's business humor, for ya). Allow them to let loose with an open bar after a long long day.
GREAT SUCCESS! After a focus group of classmates who attended last year, we made an already awesome event outstanding. Last year, we had a 50% conversion rate of folks who came to Super Saturday and then committed. I wouldn't be surprised if that number was higher this year. Our biggest selling point is how cool the students are. The most common thing they said was, "I can't believe how nice/friendly/open/honest/down to earth/real everyone is. It's not like that at other schools." "We know," we reply with a smile. "That's why we love it here." Not to mention we have a brand new curriculum that is already kicking ass and taking names (What's up 2nd tier BusinessWeek rankings?! Whoop whoop!)
Okay, this is definitely stream of conciousness procrastination type of writing. Needless to say, I wasn't able to accomplish much work this weekend, as I was gone Saturday from 7:30am to 3am. yowza. (I tried to outlast them at the bar, but I finally broke down and left out of exhaustion when there were still 2-3 left. cripes!). Not to mention we had a welcoming event Friday night for them that kept me out late that night too.
And this week is ridiculous. I think I have about 7 things due for 5 classes in 3 days. And the Follies show goes up next week, so rehearsals galore for that right now.
I'm known in my class for being the one who doesn't sleep.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Spoiled
Google has spoiled me. I look at my textbooks and all I want to do is type keywords into it and have my answer immediately.
"What about the index," you say, "you lazy piece of shit." True, the index has a similar outcome, but only for really important words that are in bold. I want the random topics hidden in the words I don't want to read.
"What about the index," you say, "you lazy piece of shit." True, the index has a similar outcome, but only for really important words that are in bold. I want the random topics hidden in the words I don't want to read.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Weekend Wows
What a weekend. I turned 26, the Steelers won, Barack Obama is now our president, and I got to watch it in DC on a jumbo tron with 2 million people at the National Mall.
Birthday fun -- A classmate of mine was going to have a party on Saturday anyway as an inauguration celebration and because his girlfriend's birthday was Friday. Turns out my birthday was Sunday and another classmate's birthday was also Friday, so it was just a big celebration. I went incognito and straightened my hair and wore contacts. I do it for special occasions. But the unfortunate result was that a lot of my friends didn't recognize me and didn't say hi or happy birthday until halfway through the party.
Here's a snapshot of one of the highlights (or really a lowlight) of the night.
Here I am after I found out that the $5,000 I thought I won (and already mentally started spending on my school trip to Turkey in May) from this birthday present lotto ticket, was not actually real. The back of the ticket read:
I'm a sucker. But then a group of us left the party and dancing occurred. All was forgotten.
Oh, and there were a lot of people out and about in DC, in case you hadn't heard. Bars were open late, and it was tough to catch a cab.
That's a crowded bar.
Sunday was the actual bday, which I spent with folks I often neglect because of school -- my old Apple buddies and my parents. We went over to my parents' house for some delicious pizza and Steelers. Twas a grand old time, especially because "Pittsburgh's goin' to the Super Bowl!!" (Click for a catchy tune).
Then today I braved the crowd of 2 million to be a part of, to sound cliche, *history*. I felt like the inauguration was the Woodstock of my generation -- I wouldn't be able to look my future children in the face if they found out that I was living in DC and did not go. Besides, I hadn't heard Obama speak in person yet, and that's something I've been wanting to do.
The energy was incredible. People didn't mind the crowds because it was such a celebration. A weight was lifted off the shoulders of America. I was a mile or more away from "The Moment" (as CNN has so lamely dubbed it), but everyone who was around me watching the jumbo tron between the WWII Memorial and the Washington Monument felt just as connected as the folks packed in at 12th Street between the Monument and the Capitol. There was much rejoicing.
I was a multi-media fiend. With my left hand, I filmed everything from Biden's swearing in through the closing benediction with my Christmas present Flip video recorder, and snapped as many pictures as possible with my digital camera in my right hand. And while my phone battery still lasted, I was snapping and sending picture texts and emails to my family. My hands were frozen by the end of the day, but it was worth it. Here are some pictures:
It was cold. I bundled.
Lots of people here.
Lots of people there.
No longer "President-Elect." If you look closely, the closed caption says,
"President Obama: Thank you, thank you."
My underoos that kept me warm.
And I needed that warmth, because I decided to walk 5.5 miles from the Mall to the last metro stop I could get to before I would have to start walking on a highway to get home (putting me only 3 stops away from home). It took me 1.5 hrs to get into the city in the morning, on a trip that usually takes 20 minutes. The only reason I even was able to fit on the train was because I live at the 2nd stop on the line. There was no way I was getting on a train in the middle of the city right after the inauguration. So I decided to walk to the point at which enough people would have gotten off the train so I could fit. It was still crowded, like a usual rush hour crowd, but this was at 2pm on a Tuesday. Rad.
Awesome weekend.
Birthday fun -- A classmate of mine was going to have a party on Saturday anyway as an inauguration celebration and because his girlfriend's birthday was Friday. Turns out my birthday was Sunday and another classmate's birthday was also Friday, so it was just a big celebration. I went incognito and straightened my hair and wore contacts. I do it for special occasions. But the unfortunate result was that a lot of my friends didn't recognize me and didn't say hi or happy birthday until halfway through the party.
Here's a snapshot of one of the highlights (or really a lowlight) of the night.
Here I am after I found out that the $5,000 I thought I won (and already mentally started spending on my school trip to Turkey in May) from this birthday present lotto ticket, was not actually real. The back of the ticket read:
- Winning tickets of $100 or more must be sent by mail or in person to the Money Fairy, 123 NoWhere Drive, in Make-Believe Land.
- Valid only in your dreams. Any resemblance to a real or implied lottery ticket is what makes it fun.
- THIS TICKET FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY. Thanks for being a good sport.
ODDS OF WINNING: 0 in 10,000
I'm a sucker. But then a group of us left the party and dancing occurred. All was forgotten.
Oh, and there were a lot of people out and about in DC, in case you hadn't heard. Bars were open late, and it was tough to catch a cab.
That's a crowded bar.
Sunday was the actual bday, which I spent with folks I often neglect because of school -- my old Apple buddies and my parents. We went over to my parents' house for some delicious pizza and Steelers. Twas a grand old time, especially because "Pittsburgh's goin' to the Super Bowl!!" (Click for a catchy tune).
Then today I braved the crowd of 2 million to be a part of, to sound cliche, *history*. I felt like the inauguration was the Woodstock of my generation -- I wouldn't be able to look my future children in the face if they found out that I was living in DC and did not go. Besides, I hadn't heard Obama speak in person yet, and that's something I've been wanting to do.
The energy was incredible. People didn't mind the crowds because it was such a celebration. A weight was lifted off the shoulders of America. I was a mile or more away from "The Moment" (as CNN has so lamely dubbed it), but everyone who was around me watching the jumbo tron between the WWII Memorial and the Washington Monument felt just as connected as the folks packed in at 12th Street between the Monument and the Capitol. There was much rejoicing.
I was a multi-media fiend. With my left hand, I filmed everything from Biden's swearing in through the closing benediction with my Christmas present Flip video recorder, and snapped as many pictures as possible with my digital camera in my right hand. And while my phone battery still lasted, I was snapping and sending picture texts and emails to my family. My hands were frozen by the end of the day, but it was worth it. Here are some pictures:
It was cold. I bundled.
Lots of people here.
Lots of people there.
No longer "President-Elect." If you look closely, the closed caption says,
"President Obama: Thank you, thank you."
My underoos that kept me warm.
And I needed that warmth, because I decided to walk 5.5 miles from the Mall to the last metro stop I could get to before I would have to start walking on a highway to get home (putting me only 3 stops away from home). It took me 1.5 hrs to get into the city in the morning, on a trip that usually takes 20 minutes. The only reason I even was able to fit on the train was because I live at the 2nd stop on the line. There was no way I was getting on a train in the middle of the city right after the inauguration. So I decided to walk to the point at which enough people would have gotten off the train so I could fit. It was still crowded, like a usual rush hour crowd, but this was at 2pm on a Tuesday. Rad.
Awesome weekend.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Namaste
I did yoga today for the first time. Classes this week are free at school, I'm still on vacation, and my good friend classmates do yoga, so I figured I couldn't pass it up. Hey, it was pretty great. This could be really good for me, I think. Hopefully it will help with my inability to fall asleep at night, my bad knees, and all the stress I store in my body. Tomorrow is power yoga. I'm planning to be sore after that.
Namaste.
Speaking of Namaste, over winter break I re-watched all 4 seasons of Lost. Thank goodness the episodes are free online. And ABC has a really good video player. Very clear picture. But that's right. Over 70 episodes in about 2.5 weeks. I'm hard core. And oh-so-ready for the Season 5 premiere on January 21. So excited.
Namaste.
Speaking of Namaste, over winter break I re-watched all 4 seasons of Lost. Thank goodness the episodes are free online. And ABC has a really good video player. Very clear picture. But that's right. Over 70 episodes in about 2.5 weeks. I'm hard core. And oh-so-ready for the Season 5 premiere on January 21. So excited.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Blogging about a Blog
I'm in New York City right now on a career trek with my school. That means we visit a bunch of companies and schmooze with GW alums to find out how we can get jobs and internships (and if you are really lucky, you find one through the trek!)
In an effort to continually promote the brand and our amazing students, the guy who organized the trip put together a blog to chronicle our visits and experiences. He asked me to be one of the bloggers for the trip, and I of course accepted.
Without further ado, please visit the GW MBA New York City Career Trek Blog. Tell your friends.
In an effort to continually promote the brand and our amazing students, the guy who organized the trip put together a blog to chronicle our visits and experiences. He asked me to be one of the bloggers for the trip, and I of course accepted.
Without further ado, please visit the GW MBA New York City Career Trek Blog. Tell your friends.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Aw Shucks
I ran and was elected for one of two positions as cohort representative on the MBA Association board (governing body for the MBA program). That's pretty cool. And what's cooler is my best bud in the class, who I befriended way back at the visit day in February, also ran and also was elected. We will team up with two cool kids from the other cohort and one international student yet to be elected to be the first-year representatives. Look out. Times they are a changin'. We believe in GW and will be doing great things.
Act Responsibly, Lead Passionately, Think Globally
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