It’s been a while since I wrote about food. Mmm… food…
Yesterday, the (initial) small gathering of friends turned into a 2×5 long table in the middle of the 50-ish seat restaurant. Why it’s called “Prince Sushi,” I have no idea. Chalk it up to Engrish?
Out in Mississauga, excellent rolls, great presentation, mediocre service & wasted desserts.
After a long and tiring 15 weeks in Vancouver, I arrived back in Toronto shortly before midnight on Friday. There were already events lined up, responsibilities to fulfill and lots of R&R in the schedule.
I spent most of Saturday reading the paper and catching up on TV. I was looking forward to the dedication ceremonies at church with three families and their recently newborn babies participating (I was supposed to photograph it). Afterwards, I was heading to a new all-you-can-eat sushi place with friends.
Saturday, I was feeling somewhat sore, similar to post-excercising but I had not been to a gym since August. Meh. 45 lbs. suitcase, carry-on, camera bag and laptop weren’t strenuous. 6am Sunday, I wake up and notice I’m having difficulty bending over from a standing position. I walk back to my room and as I bend over, I end up falling to my knees at the foot of the bed, my hands over the frame. Thus begins the most physically painful 14 hours of my life, to date.
Thanks to the valiant effort of one of our executives, our business cards arrived on Friday.
Did they turn out as expected? (drum roll) No…
Pretty soon, I’m going to start calling this school year the year of “unfulfilled expectations.”
One of the best things about being a student? Discounts!
One of my favourites is http://www.rabaiscampus.com/en/, where I get all my magazine and newspaper subscriptions.
The Toronto Symphony Orchestra has a student program (called TSOundcheck) and when I arrived in Vancouver, I hoped that the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra had something similar. Nearly 5 weeks later (since everything just takes SOOO much longer in Vancouver), my membership arrived.
Recently, there were workshops on networking, interviews & cover letters. A large part of it was about our “personal brands.” How I’m perceived to the outside world, what my reputation is, and how to create emotional retention/connections. This all fits into the broader theme of reputation, expectations and image, something that was touched on in Marketing.
I have been blogging for 3½ years; Google my name and it is the first result. I have Facebook & LinkedIn pages. I strive to exhibit an honest, accurate image of myself while trying not to hide my opinions, views, flaws and persona. It’s a difficult task.
A large part of why I have been vocal is simply that my expectations have not been met. Rest assured, these are my expectations and reflect my own personal values. They are based upon my experiences and shape my worldview.
It’s 8:05am. I’m meeting my Logistics group at 10am. The questions for the case analysis, due Thursday, still have not been posted.
Fortunately, I have Investments problem set #1, IT case 1 and finance to work on. Fortunately? Ugh.
5 weeks of classes, 1 week for exams, 1 statutory holiday, 2 days off and 2 days of career development workshops. Rinse, repeat.
My first entry about the preceding term overstepped some boundaries and for that, I sincerely apologize. I am not trying to be malicious, negative, or cynical (well, beyond anything that is innately me).
If I was not confident in the program, I would have done the economic thing, ignored sunk costs and moved back halfway across the country. That being said, not being honest about both the accomplishments and shortcomings of the program leads to complacency and does a great disservice to the future classes of this innovative program.
When I originally started writing the entry regarding Term 1A, it quickly devolved into a loud, obnoxious rant about the shortcomings and missteps of the Early Career Masters program. I deleted it, walked away and then came back, trying to be as neutral and objective as possible.
A few days later, an extensive survey did go out. I’m carefully gauging my comments to questions such as “How much practical knowledge did you gain?”
A classmate read my entry and scolded me. I shouldn’t be brushing aside these issues and biting my tongue, hoping it’ll improve. Air my grievances and get my frustrations out. Time to pick up my (figurative) quill…
It’s been a very busy few weeks and now that Term 1A has ended, I’m sitting here, collecting my thoughts.
The last three days have included a bonfire on Jericho Beach, exploring various parts of Vancouver, and pulling out my hair as an unfortunate combination of technical mishaps has me trying to recover hundreds of gigs of data.
You know you’re getting old when…
Today, it’s the last, and arguably most important, of that list.
Congratulations, N.Z. & P.S.!