First Week

Home for the next 10 Weeks

I am tired.

I think it will take a little while to adjust to my new life. For months and months I have been going to class until 10 pm and now, I need to be asleep by 10 pm. Hopefully it does not take too long to adjust. I will fill you in on the details later, but I have started my internship at New Brunswick Southern Railway. Other than getting used to the schedule everything seems to be alright.

I am more concerned about this weekend however. It is time for the May Iaido Seminar in Guelph, Ontario, and it so happens that I am going. It also so happens that I have two martial arts tests while I am there. I am not too concerned about one, but for the other I am quite concerned. I have not had as much practice time with my sword as I would like, since the University would not let me use it on campus (shocking, I know). Anyways, I will go to Guelph and do my best. Worst case scenario I will have an excuse to go to Guelph again in December... though... let's hope that remains optional.

Also, I really need to take Jerusalem to the car doctor. I don't know what is wrong but when I am trying to maintain a certain speed (where the car only needs little bits of gas at a time) it is a bumpy ride. I don't think it is major, but it kinda makes me sick... Hopefully I can figure out a time to go to the mechanic soon...ish...

Out the back Door

Presentation Day...

Another term is done and with the end of another term comes another round of presentations. I am soo ready for these presentations. Two done... two to go...

If I don't look Il Divo I don't know who does!

p.s. Doesn't that one eye just stare into your soul?

The Hopes of IP

I had such hope. At what point do we let our own integrity shift because there is no way to insist on right? If someone does something that is deemed wrong, it is our responsibility to stop it, or so we might think. But, what if someone does something deemed wrong, but in the fight for justice the battle is long and draining and ultimately ends in the death of justice?

In my groups, in this MBA, I have more than once been confronted by someone submitting work to me for editing that was clearly not their own. What is the correct course of action? Do you bring it to their attention that you are aware of their plagiarism, or try to bring it to the attention of the higher authorities. That ties in to the impotence of post secondary institutions involving their ability to deal with academic misconduct. To accuse someone of cheating, or copying, holds grave consequences, and the act of bringing down the hammer is now no simple as that.

To accuse someone of any academic crime is to incite a lawsuit against yourself and your institution. It is in that way that Universities have put their ethics away in a secret place and only try to prevent academic crimes when it is convenient. The good professors will do everything they can to prevent these such actions, because if they do occur those professors will be forced to try and bring punitive action. Better to prevent than to punish.

That brings me to my predicament... I am not backed by the University. Should I discover blatant plagiarism I should let the infractor know and give them a chance to rectify the situation. Is there no punishment for that crime? Had I not known I could be facing the hammer as a single person's academic misconduct could have us all thrown out of University.

My hopes for academic integrity dwindle. As I discover these actions I rectify the situation without rectifying the cause. I submit the work and I pass, but the infractor will in infract again... and again...

My integrity is resolute in my behaviour... but broken in the bahaviours of others...

Study Ethic

It sounds like my new roommate is deathly ill. I don't know what he is doing, but he is in the bathroom and it sounds like he is coughing up a lung. I hope he is not, that could be rather awkward.

I am sitting at my desk and I am very close to falling asleep... save me mate (mah-tay... not mate... heads out of the gutters people)...

I must study... MUST!!!!!!! MUstttzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.....

Niban

So, there is a series called Afro Samurai. In this series Afro is the second strongest warrior in all the land, called Number Two, or, Niban. It is demonstrated that he is Niban by a headband that he wears that has "II" written on it. Afro's Father was Number One, or, Ichiban, but when Afro was a boy, the old Niban killed his Father and stole the Ichiban headband. Only Niban can challenge Ichiban, but anyone can challenge Niban.

Through a set of circumstances and the process of elimination I have determined that I am Niban. The student in our class with the highest grades was given a certificate - she is Ichiban. We were told that four students had 4.0 or higher, and I knew one of them, that meant that I was Number Two or Number Three. Looking at one more piece of information which was a leaked group listing with the high academic performers highlighted puts me at Number Two.

So. I am Niban.

Why did I bring up the story of the Afro Samurai and of the story of how it is the goal of whoever possesses the Number Two headband to try and defeat Number One to take their headband and to achieve godly strength? Because though there is no real incentive in the MBA, I am Niban, and that makes it my duty to try and become Ichiban.

Am I going to try and expend all of my energy on this? No? I have many other things taking my time, like work, and writing, and trying to remain sane. But... if I can, and if I have the energy I will make a move for that Number One headband.

Ichiban... I am coming for you!

Student

Student [Stood-nt, Styood-]

-noun

1. when cheap-gourmet is not an oxymoron, but a way of life.

Sure, we eat a lot of KD, and wieners, and beans, and chicken noodle soup (but only when it is on sale for $0.89 or less because $1.12 is toooooooo much), but that does not mean that we cannot appreciate the finer things in life. No, in fact, by being subjected to a student's diet we actually have a greater appreciation for the finer things that one might imagine.

Just think, if you are used to eating well, though you thoroughly enjoy each meal, it is just another great meal. Now, imagine the contrast that we face. KD. KD. KD. KD with wieners. KD. KD. Scallops and Bacon in a Cream Pasta with a starter of Fois Gras. KD. KD. KD. KD...

So we don't get to appreciate that gourmet lifestyle every night, but still, at least we get to live like that sometimes...

Eid

One of the interesting things about being in the UNBSJ MBA Program is that the program has students from all over the world. Where some schools accept this fact, UNBSJ embraces it. Not only is the multicultural demographic pushed as a great opportunity and benefit of the program, but the school program celebrates the holidays of every single culture represented.

On Monday we celebrated Eid, which from what I am told, is the celebration that marks the end of Ramadan which is a time of fasting for Muslims. Some of the students organized the event, the school put a little money behind it, and as the fasting ended, we all feasted.

I would like to say that this cuisine reminded me of the Muslim Quarter in Xian. I guess Muslim culture and surpass the borders of countries.

Mid-Term: Resolution

A-

Well within the bounds of my efforts. I did not aim for A+ and I did not aim for D. This is about where I want to be sitting. I have no need to try any harder, there are no scholarships, and employers don't seem to care a whole lot about my grades. All that matters is that I am satisfied with my efforts, and that I am satisfied with my results.

I am satisfied with both.

Any more effort and it is wasted, any less and I will drop into the ranks of average. I'll stay here thank you very much.

Mid-Term.

So far this program is not harder than my last, that is for certain. Group work is still frustrating, and tests are still easy.

We have reached midterms, which means that we have one midterm exam and one take home midterm. Truthfully, this is not all that daunting. I put some time in studying, nothing spectacular, and I fully expect to get a mark within my goals. I did go in more confidant than most seemed to, and coming out, I was definitely more confidant than most.

So much for the challenge promised to us. Perhaps my standards have already been set too high.

Anyways, the Accounting midterm is finished and everything is well in the academic world.

Great.

They said that this first term is the hardest.

What a pity.

MBA: Orientation

When they say orientation they are not kidding. They do not mean some measly one hour here is the cafeteria and here is the nearest Timmy's, they mean, here is the most valuable resource you have available: each other.

Day Two was largely inside and largely filled with discussion and learning about teamwork and leadership. One thing that we did cover was the Myers-Briggs personality test. Prior to starting this program every student took the test and submitted their answers. The test breaks people into different groups based on their innate preference for certain behaviours, much like the preference of using your right or left hand. Each person is then given a four letter code that represents their personality. For interests sake I am an INTJ, which means a lot of interesting stuff... but... I am not writing about that so if you want to know what that means take a look at the wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/INTJ

If you do check it out, let me know if you think it reflects me or not.

Day Three comprised of a great deal of physical activity, with appeared fun, but in my current physical state was largely beyond my capacity. I was able however to watch and to take photos of the events. I will post some later if I can. The events were all based on interdependency and teamwork. For example, in one event people were blindfolded and led through a minefield by another person. In another event a group would huddle closely together, grab the hands of their colleagues, and without letting go try to untie the knot until the group was in a single large circle. All of these activities got the idea across that to succeed we will need to work together.

Later we were given the groups that would be ours for the next two months. These groups were based on nationality, experience, and on Myers-Briggs personality type. We were split into our groups and given a task. 7 of 10 groups were given recipes, 1 group was told to help by offering process advice, 1 group was told to inspect the health and safety of the operation, and 1 group was told that they needed to critique the food.

We were given one hour for preparation and two for execution. The goal? Make a meal for 50 people.

Immediately all of the groups set to work about their own tasks. I was on the group to offer advice to improve the process. We spoke to the groups before we went into the kitchen, and then when they went in, we followed. We tried to offer whatever advice we could to make it so that we might stand a chance at passing the heath and safety inspection.

Imagine 40 people in a kitchen meant for 15. I have a video of it that I will hopefully post later. Needless to say, the health and safety inspectors were kicking people out of the kitchen ASAP... including most of my group.

After the time was up, the groups had finished and all appeared well. Critics critiqued, and then we all ate... well... most of us. Turns out that the dishes cooked happened to have a whole lot of vegetables in them so... I didn't eat. After supper the last three groups cleaned while the rest of them debriefed. Then we headed home.

Today was interesting. I ordered some headphones to replace a pair that broke. They were sent to the house, but no one was here to receive them. So... they were sent to Purolator.

Today, was a photo scavenger hunt. The groups were assembled and sent on their way. A few of us were held back because of mobility issues, and some others were held back because of the coordinator of the orientation. We were given another task. That was to get all of the individual groups working together to make a single presentation of their hunt instead of 10 different presentations.

I had spoken with the coordinator, and I asked her where Purolator was. She asked if I needed to get a package and I said yes. She said that it would happen. I didn't think much of it until she said to the group of us that was held behind, that she has another mission for us. We needed to pick up a package. So, my and four of my peers hopped into a car to head to Purolator to get my headphones. This was a good chance for us to discuss strategy, but seemingly funny nonetheless. Well, I did get the headphones, and after seeing where Purolator was I is evident that I would not have found it on my own.

When the groups got back we went though a great deal of chaos to make a presentation. The missed two deadlines, and lunch was delayed, but, it worked out in the end.

Tomorrow we are meeting the business leaders in Saint John, and then the orientation is over. At that point we are ready for classes.

MBA: Day One

Today was the first day of the UNBSJ MBA Program. The first day, and in fact every day of this first week, is part of the MBA Orientation. If I can use today as a baseline, this week should be very... special. The days are long, but many of the meals are provided, somewhat making up for it.

Before we got started the Dean welcomed us and then the Director spoke with us for a good long while. It was an amusing speech, but I need not repeat much of it. The only thing I will repeat is that he said that this year is to make us better. This year is for all of us a chance to invest in ourselves. He compared it to climbing a mountain without training. The Professors and Staff are our Guides and Sherpas, but it is the skills we develop on the way up that will foster who we become.

This lasted until lunch. After said meager lunch we had in some business coaches whose focus is leadership, more specifically, vision. I have heard about vision related exercises from many people and had some idea of what to expect. Having taken a Masters level Human Resources class I was prepared for many of the activities that we undertook today. They asked about vision. I knew at the start a basis for where my vision might stem. I have thought about it and through finding ideas that I can relate to, thank you Ayn Rand, I was able to take a gander that my vision would be to produce at the best of my ability, knowing full well that it is not so important what I produce, as to how. This is where I started. It seemed like many people started with blank slates, in not being familiar with these exercises.

So, I did learn some about vision, and about other people's vision, but I took some other things away from today's class. The coaches said that all people can become leaders. This was later refined in pushing that in general, not all people can be leaders, but that all people can exhibit qualities of leadership. They also said, in reference to the MBA class, that "we" are all leaders.

I find this interesting. They cannot very tell us that some of us are leaders and some of us are not! I would guess that almost everyone in that room today believes that they are a leader. As for myself? I would certainly love to fall into that category, but there is not way to know. Not yet at least...

I would like to amend that statement from above:

All people can be leaders, but some people are leaders.

Another thing that came out of today is that managers are not necessarily leaders. This is something that I think many people know intuitively but that should be brought to mind every once in a while... especially the minds of some of those managers out there...

Please do not read this too critically. I enjoyed the seminar today, but those things stuck out for me.

Actually, something did come of today's activities. Well... two things.

The first is the following diagram. This will make a little more sense to mathematically inclined people in the concept, but I can explain it. There are two types of quantities in general. Scalars, and vectors. A scalar is a quantity without direction, like money, or like speed, and a vector requires both a magnitude and a direction, like velocity, or acceleration.

Effective Leaders are a vector. The direction is the vision. Without vision the leader shoots off aimlessly into space, ne'er to be seen or heard from again. The length of the vector, or the magnitude, is the leader themselves. A better leader would be a greater magnitude, being able to accomplish more. Together the two components make up an effective leader and demonstrate the relationship between leadership and vision. I will probably refine this idea later, but this is what had popped into my head.

The second thing I took from today's session was what I saw during our attempt at Guided Imagery. I say attempt, because I do not think that everyone accepted the concept. I must be honest, I thought it was quite ridiculous when I heard of it the first time too...

Guided Imagery is intended for the participant to be in a meditative like state where their mind is free of conscious thought. A guide then gives you instructions for you to follow in this state. Your eyes are closed and your mind/sub-conscious is free to do whatever it wants. The idea is to steer your mind in a general direction and for your body to pull on whatever it has available to fill in the Imagery where the Guide does not.

In this case we were told to leave the room and to leave the planet. We were then told to fall back to the planet in five years time. We were told to fall to find ourselves in that future. We were told to look at the house we were living in, and when going to the door, we were told that it would be our future selves to greet us. We were told to enter, and to ask our future selves what were the most important events of the past five years, and what did I need to do to get to that place. We were then able to ask our future selves any questions we wished. Following that we were asked to leave the planet again, and then return back to this very room. For many people they saw interesting things, for some people they saw nothing. I do understand that it is a hard thing to give an honest try but I believe that those who did benefited. It is a quick way into the subconscious at the very least.

Like the first time I tried the exercise I was able see something that I believe to be important to me. I would surely like to share what I saw, but it is too near to me, and being that it is near, it will remain near.

Coming out of the seminar I did find that my vision changed. True, my initial vision will still hold true for my career, but the vision of my life is different. It is once again quite clear that in all things I seek one of the only things that I truly believe to have eluded me: happiness. Many would argue that I have found happiness in one adventure or another, but those nearest to me know that I battle for it still.

We did one more thing. We were to cut pictures from magazines and glue them onto big pieces of poster paper. The images were meant to represent our visions. My paper is quite clear. You will not find the clutter of rolexes, or cars, or pictures of money, or faraway places, but instead a simple scene that is truly what I seek.

It appears on the surface that I could have that scene now, but, there is something that my pictures do not show; there is a man who is capable of smiling with his eyes... I am not yet that man.

Not yet.