1.27.2004
Disastrous 1st presentation
Last week was crazy! I just had 2 complete dinners for the entire week! Mostly because of preparing Management Principles (manpri) group presentation. The actual presentation went well and our prof had only good words to describe our attempts on pulling off a Kris-Korina talk show on the car manufacturer wildcat strike issue. The fun part ended there. Before the start of the panel interrogation and defense proper (in front of the entire class!), our prof reiterated that his role is take the side against our recommendation. And he assured us no matter what our recommendation is, he is sure to make our recommendation look lousy and weak.
And so the interrogation started, each of the 6 members of the panel (composed of our classmates) had 2 chances to ask a 4.0 question. After a grueling 60 mins, it was evident to the entire class that our group was not prepared (although we did!). We couldn't even give one satisfying, let alone convincing, answer to their questions. It made us look dense. Maybe it was because we didn't expect the questionings would be that in-depth and we didn't exhaustively cover all the possible scenarios of the case. We merely assumed that solving the long-term issues will be sufficient.
Oh well, we did felt a little better when the prof said that since we were the first group, he will be giving us added consideration depending on the contents of the paper we submitted to him earlier that morning. (He gave each of us a hand-shake! as if we lost a courtroom battle.) But thinking about it now, it wasn't much of a consolation. It just meant we were not good enough to set the bar high. Thank goodness we still have a second chance to present in the class... that time, we will make sure we cover everything!
And so the interrogation started, each of the 6 members of the panel (composed of our classmates) had 2 chances to ask a 4.0 question. After a grueling 60 mins, it was evident to the entire class that our group was not prepared (although we did!). We couldn't even give one satisfying, let alone convincing, answer to their questions. It made us look dense. Maybe it was because we didn't expect the questionings would be that in-depth and we didn't exhaustively cover all the possible scenarios of the case. We merely assumed that solving the long-term issues will be sufficient.
Oh well, we did felt a little better when the prof said that since we were the first group, he will be giving us added consideration depending on the contents of the paper we submitted to him earlier that morning. (He gave each of us a hand-shake! as if we lost a courtroom battle.) But thinking about it now, it wasn't much of a consolation. It just meant we were not good enough to set the bar high. Thank goodness we still have a second chance to present in the class... that time, we will make sure we cover everything!
1.22.2004
DCruz
He is our groovy professor in Financial Accounting. The 65-year old (estimated) teacher loves to wear bright and funky shirts. He teaches accounting using his own technique, firmly believing his method is simpler and easier to implement. The book he authored is the entire GSB's textbook for FINACC, even after resistance from several accounting professors. For him, "Accounting is an art and not science." Would you believe that? In Accounting, you must be precise to the last centavo. But based on his statement, you get the impression that often times in the real world, accounting is subject to interpretaions, estimates and work arounds, which after the course, I now understand and believe.
As a teacher, he is very considerate. He makes sure all the foreign students (Chinese nationals) understand the lessons. BTW, quatro ako! :D I remember, whenever the class felt that the topic is difficult, he encourages us by saying "No, this is easy. But although this is easy, it still takes a semblance of intelligence to understand it."
He loves to tell funny stories of his experiences from work and school. What I love about him is that he doesn't BS around. He is comfortable in voicing his thoughts even if they step (just a little) over the borderline of being unethical. He admits, even is proud, that he had paid the arbiter of the fire insurance to jack up the estimated loss of his mother-in-law's burnt-down building. Of course, so that they all made money out of it.
Unsolicited general advices are frequently handed out like once he said, "If you're going to marry someone, better marry a rich one. Beauty won't get you anywhere far. Look at me I married a rich girl... but of course, I love her!"
Of the three profs I had last term, I will miss his witty remarks the most.
As a teacher, he is very considerate. He makes sure all the foreign students (Chinese nationals) understand the lessons. BTW, quatro ako! :D I remember, whenever the class felt that the topic is difficult, he encourages us by saying "No, this is easy. But although this is easy, it still takes a semblance of intelligence to understand it."
He loves to tell funny stories of his experiences from work and school. What I love about him is that he doesn't BS around. He is comfortable in voicing his thoughts even if they step (just a little) over the borderline of being unethical. He admits, even is proud, that he had paid the arbiter of the fire insurance to jack up the estimated loss of his mother-in-law's burnt-down building. Of course, so that they all made money out of it.
Unsolicited general advices are frequently handed out like once he said, "If you're going to marry someone, better marry a rich one. Beauty won't get you anywhere far. Look at me I married a rich girl... but of course, I love her!"
Of the three profs I had last term, I will miss his witty remarks the most.
1.16.2004
new beginning
Several friends got married this January.
12/31. Mark and Caroline married each other. I guess they want to start the new year with a new life.
01/09. Jed Quiambao's ate got married in Boracay.
01/10. Budi got married in Indonesia, which he had been preparing for since last July!
01/11. Stif married her bf, which she'd known for 10-years! wow!
me? no sign yet... it could be a really really long wait.... *sigh*
12/31. Mark and Caroline married each other. I guess they want to start the new year with a new life.
01/09. Jed Quiambao's ate got married in Boracay.
01/10. Budi got married in Indonesia, which he had been preparing for since last July!
01/11. Stif married her bf, which she'd known for 10-years! wow!
me? no sign yet... it could be a really really long wait.... *sigh*
1.06.2004
new year equals new resolutions
By the end of 2002, I promised to have more fun and recreation in the folowing year. Most probably because I felt overworked and stressed. It was the year in which I felt fulfilled in my young career. I got voted as the year's MVP and completed alot of projects. I was actually looking forward to 2003!
Looking back, 2003 was not as exciting as the previous years. I got assigned to a big team of senior developers where all the exciting work of designing and architecting the system were done by more experienced members. The timeline is very very relaxed, which is both a good thing and a bad thing for me. The good thing is I get to have more free time for myself (realizing my resolution to take it easy). The downside is my technical skills did not improve significantly even if I tried to keep up-to-date by reading technical materials. Can't still figure out why there is a need for EJBs!
With all the free time in my hands, I got interested in photography. It's amazing how I learn to appreciate nature. I began to develop a habit of gazing at trees and clouds and stars. This is, I guess, my version of taking time to smell the roses. I became an aesthetic.
I felt restless, too much time doing nothing. Can't waste time watching TV! So the most logical thing, at least at that time I thought it was the most logical thing to do, was to go back to school. I heard a lot of good things, probably mostly hyped-up version of the real thing, about getting an MBA while still young and single. Being single! I need to write something about that later. Anyway, I was getting bored with IT work, I felt I wanted to explore other areas such as marketing, business, manufacturing, export, finance, and even agriculture. Not necessarily because I wanted to shift careers but I just wanted to see how they work. And so I got in. Breezed through 3 subjects last term. Can't exactly figure out what to do after finishing the entire program.
And so we're starting 2004! Time to do a lot of reflections and thinking. And my list of resolutions for this year is a complete 180 degrees turn from the previous years'. At the top of my priority list is to multi-task. Not trivial ones but tasks that are relevant enough that I can be proud of. Perform well in my day job, continue school, and start a biz. Set long-term goals. Be more spiritual. Exercise. And be confident (thanks to a friend who pointed it out).
Among all the sms messages I received at the start of 2004, these two are my favorites:
"Like birds, let's leave behind what we don't need to carry... Grudges, Sadness, Pain, Fear and Regrets. Fly light. Life is beautiful. Have a happy new year!"
"No one can go back and make a happy beginning, but anyone can start from now and make a happy ending. Hope you have a new year that starts right and ends happy."
Looking back, 2003 was not as exciting as the previous years. I got assigned to a big team of senior developers where all the exciting work of designing and architecting the system were done by more experienced members. The timeline is very very relaxed, which is both a good thing and a bad thing for me. The good thing is I get to have more free time for myself (realizing my resolution to take it easy). The downside is my technical skills did not improve significantly even if I tried to keep up-to-date by reading technical materials. Can't still figure out why there is a need for EJBs!
With all the free time in my hands, I got interested in photography. It's amazing how I learn to appreciate nature. I began to develop a habit of gazing at trees and clouds and stars. This is, I guess, my version of taking time to smell the roses. I became an aesthetic.
I felt restless, too much time doing nothing. Can't waste time watching TV! So the most logical thing, at least at that time I thought it was the most logical thing to do, was to go back to school. I heard a lot of good things, probably mostly hyped-up version of the real thing, about getting an MBA while still young and single. Being single! I need to write something about that later. Anyway, I was getting bored with IT work, I felt I wanted to explore other areas such as marketing, business, manufacturing, export, finance, and even agriculture. Not necessarily because I wanted to shift careers but I just wanted to see how they work. And so I got in. Breezed through 3 subjects last term. Can't exactly figure out what to do after finishing the entire program.
And so we're starting 2004! Time to do a lot of reflections and thinking. And my list of resolutions for this year is a complete 180 degrees turn from the previous years'. At the top of my priority list is to multi-task. Not trivial ones but tasks that are relevant enough that I can be proud of. Perform well in my day job, continue school, and start a biz. Set long-term goals. Be more spiritual. Exercise. And be confident (thanks to a friend who pointed it out).
Among all the sms messages I received at the start of 2004, these two are my favorites:
"Like birds, let's leave behind what we don't need to carry... Grudges, Sadness, Pain, Fear and Regrets. Fly light. Life is beautiful. Have a happy new year!"
"No one can go back and make a happy beginning, but anyone can start from now and make a happy ending. Hope you have a new year that starts right and ends happy."
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