I’ve got the accounting final tonight, and then I’m done! I think I am going to do fine, however my reputation is on the line. :)First semester over.. I can’t believe how quickly it has passed. All the first impressions have stayed the course, and so far I am quite pleased with the program and the school. The quality of instructors has been good. The class of 2010 has got spirit and enough 'unique' characters...this definitely has made going to class fun and interesting! :)
I have already made a list of ‘fun’ things to do.. I know who does that? Only me. I have a stack of books that I can’t wait to get through!!! Will be in the burbs for most of August, sitting in someone’s backyard reading.....aah can’t wait! Also cannot wait to browse TIFF’s movie schedule, and decide which movies I am going to see at the film festival in September.
I have to wake up early tomorrow morning, as I am going up North for a mini break. That is going to be tough, as we are all going out tonight after the exam. Good thing I’m not driving.....I can sleep on the ride up.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Using my WHOLE brain is kinda good...
We have to hand in our accounting project tomorrow, and I think I am done with it. I might take a tiny peek tomorrow before I submit it, just in case...
We had to analyze the financial reports of two companies, churn out some ratios and discuss our findings. I chose Hershey's and Kellogg's. Initially, I was falling asleep reading these reports. However I have to admit I actually learned something new, and I actually felt like I used my whole brain. I had to really think, instead of coasting (which is what I have been doing).
I had no clue that ethanol prices affected my weekly grocery bill – Did you? Apparently corn farmers are planting ‘fuel crops’ rather than ‘food crops’. 2 weeks ago, I wouldn’t have known what a ‘fuel crop’ was!
The more I delved into these reports, the more interesting it got. It was like a story (okay, not as interesting as fiction) however it was still quite fascinating. A company going through and explaining what they did right and what they did wrong, assessing the past and trying to forecast the future.
At the end of it, I realized that this is pretty cool. It's weird - I actually had an opinion about each company. I guess this is a good thing, considering this is one of my career options post MBA. For the record, I like Kellogg's - solid company! However Hershey’s is yummier!
We had to analyze the financial reports of two companies, churn out some ratios and discuss our findings. I chose Hershey's and Kellogg's. Initially, I was falling asleep reading these reports. However I have to admit I actually learned something new, and I actually felt like I used my whole brain. I had to really think, instead of coasting (which is what I have been doing).
I had no clue that ethanol prices affected my weekly grocery bill – Did you? Apparently corn farmers are planting ‘fuel crops’ rather than ‘food crops’. 2 weeks ago, I wouldn’t have known what a ‘fuel crop’ was!
The more I delved into these reports, the more interesting it got. It was like a story (okay, not as interesting as fiction) however it was still quite fascinating. A company going through and explaining what they did right and what they did wrong, assessing the past and trying to forecast the future.
At the end of it, I realized that this is pretty cool. It's weird - I actually had an opinion about each company. I guess this is a good thing, considering this is one of my career options post MBA. For the record, I like Kellogg's - solid company! However Hershey’s is yummier!
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Stop the Insanity!
Most readers have probably been wondering when my socialist/non-capitalist streak would come out. That side of me has been quiet for a while, but I saw this headline and I just thought people are nuts! Designer Bag Hysteria at Whole Foods
Is it just me? I really don’t get it – What’s all this fuss for a cloth bag that was probably made in some sweat shop in the third world country using child labour and costs 25 cents.
I like nice, pretty, well designed things, be it clothes, shoes, tech gadgets just as much as the next person. I can even understand the hysteria over the iPhone or anything technology related. I would love to be a buyer at Holts, and I am a foodie, so good food is definitely one of my indulgences.
However this whole obsession with designer stuff is just distasteful at all levels. I understand that high fashion is a business, but it’s just so sad that we as a society are so shallow that we can’t see the fact that really it’s all about people trying to fit in. Working and living downtown, I see a lot of people dressed head to toe in designer garb, and on any given day these people have at least $10,000 worth of ‘stuff’ on themselves. I realize that it is hard to try and not get swept away in our culture of excess. However, my philosophy has always been that money in the bank is better.
The funniest thing is now that ‘saving the planet’ has become trendy we are being encouraged to do what most people in third world countries having been doing for decades. Reuse plastic bags and use cloth or jute bags. A $15 grocery canvas bag being hawked on Ebay for over $150, just because some designer created it, is just ridiculous. This is herd mentality at its worst.
Is it just me? I really don’t get it – What’s all this fuss for a cloth bag that was probably made in some sweat shop in the third world country using child labour and costs 25 cents.
I like nice, pretty, well designed things, be it clothes, shoes, tech gadgets just as much as the next person. I can even understand the hysteria over the iPhone or anything technology related. I would love to be a buyer at Holts, and I am a foodie, so good food is definitely one of my indulgences.
However this whole obsession with designer stuff is just distasteful at all levels. I understand that high fashion is a business, but it’s just so sad that we as a society are so shallow that we can’t see the fact that really it’s all about people trying to fit in. Working and living downtown, I see a lot of people dressed head to toe in designer garb, and on any given day these people have at least $10,000 worth of ‘stuff’ on themselves. I realize that it is hard to try and not get swept away in our culture of excess. However, my philosophy has always been that money in the bank is better.
The funniest thing is now that ‘saving the planet’ has become trendy we are being encouraged to do what most people in third world countries having been doing for decades. Reuse plastic bags and use cloth or jute bags. A $15 grocery canvas bag being hawked on Ebay for over $150, just because some designer created it, is just ridiculous. This is herd mentality at its worst.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Hubris – Word of the Day, Week, and possibly the Month
It’s unlikely you haven’t heard about this, as the Canadian media has been announcing this every 5 seconds. But in case you haven’t heard, Lord Conrad Black was convicted of fraud on Friday. I knew he was going to get convicted as U.S. corporate governance laws are very harsh after Enron, and in Conrad’s words there are lots of ‘corporate governance zealots’ out there.
A brilliant mind brought down by his own hubris. This is the sentiment echoed by virtually every Canadian media establishment. The Americans don’t really care for him or know him. They just view him as another corporate sleazebag. In Canada, however we are fascinated by him. He is smart, eloquent, well read, and savvy (some may call him sleazy) business man. Perhaps part of the fascination lies in the fact that he could have been so much more. Perhaps part of it is about watching him rise so high, only to dismantle everything he built in one swoop.
Didn’t he know that video cameras capture everything? That if you are going to carry out damaging evidence out of your office, that perhaps you should put it in a suitcase instead of banker’s boxes? Did you know he was expelled from Upper Canada College because he had gotten access to and sold final exam papers? I guess old habits die hard. Of course he is appealing. I wonder what his sentence is going to be. And of course now he wants his Canadian citizenship back.
Apparently all the high profile executives and society people he befriended on his trip to the top have deleted him from their blackberries. Really, why would you try to impress these people and carry out a lifestyle that you can’t keep up? The whole corporate and society ladder thing always reminds me of high school and people trying to fit in. Thankfully, I have never wanted to fit in. :)
This whole situation reminds me of this quote:‘Intelligence and hard work will get you the position and power, however it is only character that will keep you there’.
Off to read the National Post, a Canadian paper that Conrad launched. Yes, I am a die-hard Postie (This is to all the Globe readers, you know who you are).
A brilliant mind brought down by his own hubris. This is the sentiment echoed by virtually every Canadian media establishment. The Americans don’t really care for him or know him. They just view him as another corporate sleazebag. In Canada, however we are fascinated by him. He is smart, eloquent, well read, and savvy (some may call him sleazy) business man. Perhaps part of the fascination lies in the fact that he could have been so much more. Perhaps part of it is about watching him rise so high, only to dismantle everything he built in one swoop.
Didn’t he know that video cameras capture everything? That if you are going to carry out damaging evidence out of your office, that perhaps you should put it in a suitcase instead of banker’s boxes? Did you know he was expelled from Upper Canada College because he had gotten access to and sold final exam papers? I guess old habits die hard. Of course he is appealing. I wonder what his sentence is going to be. And of course now he wants his Canadian citizenship back.
Apparently all the high profile executives and society people he befriended on his trip to the top have deleted him from their blackberries. Really, why would you try to impress these people and carry out a lifestyle that you can’t keep up? The whole corporate and society ladder thing always reminds me of high school and people trying to fit in. Thankfully, I have never wanted to fit in. :)
This whole situation reminds me of this quote:‘Intelligence and hard work will get you the position and power, however it is only character that will keep you there’.
Off to read the National Post, a Canadian paper that Conrad launched. Yes, I am a die-hard Postie (This is to all the Globe readers, you know who you are).
Sunday, July 8, 2007
How to Effectively Procrasinate
1. Watch every episode of True Hollywood Story ever made
2. Watch everything on You Tube
3. Read every blog out there
My procrasinating wasn't totally wasted. I found this clip from 'The Princess Bride' movie. It's called 'Battle of Wits'. It's not totally related to game theory but it's a good dilemma/strategy for economics theory.
I think this might get me an A on the economics final! If only it could.
Friday, July 6, 2007
Big Words in Accounting
While in the THROES of the accounting class on Tuesday, I was able to EXPROPRIATE NEBULOUS information about notes receivable, and my grasp of the subject is TENUOUS.
These are all the BIG WORDS that I learned in accounting yesterday. My classmate and I made note of all the big words the prof said. Didn’t think I could string a sentence with all those words, did you? ;) (update: had to take out IMPUTE as I used it incorrectly!)
Yes, this is how bored I was in class. This is one of my issues with the Rotman MBA program. They do not grant any exceptions on courses. As a newly certified accountant I have to sit through two accounting classes. What’s worse, is I can’t even remember some of this stuff. But I know its buried somewhere in my subconscious, so I just can’t seem to pay attention in class.
The prof is not bad and he has some good anecdotes about accounting scandals. One was about this company, who claimed revenues on products that had been loaded onto their delivery trucks, however the trucks never left the premises.
I know some people might find the accounting anecdotes boring. However, us finance people just relish on all these ‘corporate accounting fraud’ scandals, as it’s the most exciting thing in our field! This is riveting stuff to us, because we just can’t believe that these people thought that they could get away with it. Unfortunately, everytime Hollywood tries to make a movie about business it isn't very good, with the exception of Wall Street and Boiler Room.
Right now, I am hooked on the Conrad Black case – I don't understand his motive. Did he really need more money ? I guess its never about the money at that level, It’s what people think they can get away with or what they think they are entitled to. My all time favourite corporate scandal is about how Nick Leeson brought down the 233 year old Barings Bank. The weirdest part is this guy spent time in jail for fraud and now does after dinner speeches. Nick Leeson's website
Fascinating business model if I ever saw one! The Economics final is coming up on Tuesday, so I better get cracking. It’s going to be hard. I should have bought the text book. But now it just seems futile to buy it before the exam. Live and learn.
These are all the BIG WORDS that I learned in accounting yesterday. My classmate and I made note of all the big words the prof said. Didn’t think I could string a sentence with all those words, did you? ;) (update: had to take out IMPUTE as I used it incorrectly!)
Yes, this is how bored I was in class. This is one of my issues with the Rotman MBA program. They do not grant any exceptions on courses. As a newly certified accountant I have to sit through two accounting classes. What’s worse, is I can’t even remember some of this stuff. But I know its buried somewhere in my subconscious, so I just can’t seem to pay attention in class.
The prof is not bad and he has some good anecdotes about accounting scandals. One was about this company, who claimed revenues on products that had been loaded onto their delivery trucks, however the trucks never left the premises.
I know some people might find the accounting anecdotes boring. However, us finance people just relish on all these ‘corporate accounting fraud’ scandals, as it’s the most exciting thing in our field! This is riveting stuff to us, because we just can’t believe that these people thought that they could get away with it. Unfortunately, everytime Hollywood tries to make a movie about business it isn't very good, with the exception of Wall Street and Boiler Room.
Right now, I am hooked on the Conrad Black case – I don't understand his motive. Did he really need more money ? I guess its never about the money at that level, It’s what people think they can get away with or what they think they are entitled to. My all time favourite corporate scandal is about how Nick Leeson brought down the 233 year old Barings Bank. The weirdest part is this guy spent time in jail for fraud and now does after dinner speeches. Nick Leeson's website
Fascinating business model if I ever saw one! The Economics final is coming up on Tuesday, so I better get cracking. It’s going to be hard. I should have bought the text book. But now it just seems futile to buy it before the exam. Live and learn.
Monday, July 2, 2007
One more month to go..
What a difference a year can make. Last year this time I was on vacation in D.C. having fun. A year of essay writing, gmat studying, interviews and now a year later -finally at b-school.
The next month is going to be busy - 1 quiz, 2 assignments, 2 exams.. oh and work too.
The next month is going to be busy - 1 quiz, 2 assignments, 2 exams.. oh and work too.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)