tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77129448281124999022024-02-20T18:07:03.559-08:00hiraismHi! I'm Hirai. I'm writing about various things from the viewpoint of an ordinary Japanese.hiraismhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06037270521337076621noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7712944828112499902.post-21344639055588866732011-02-03T00:31:00.000-08:002011-02-03T00:34:01.478-08:00AdmissionI received an e-mail the day before yesterday notifying that I am admitted to the EMBA program I mentioned previously. The program starts in May and I have to do a lot of preparation before that.<br />
<br />
Yesterday, I replied to the offer letter from the faculty by e-mail and by snail mail after that, and went to the bank to have my balance statement made in English for the I-20 form and eventually F-1 Student Visa by the U.S. Government.<br />
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I haven't talked to my superior about my enrollment since I was not admitted yet. I am really unsure whether they would approve of my study when I tell them even if I only have to take time off from work to attend the 6 sessions 2 weeks each during 15 month period of the program... I might have to quit my current job although I have to fund the extremely expensive tuition.<br />
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Still, I'm optimistic despite the situation and looking forward to attending the classes.hiraismhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06037270521337076621noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7712944828112499902.post-55640195367329383422011-01-24T15:11:00.000-08:002011-01-25T22:16:35.986-08:00Absolute PitchI'm thinking about having my daughter acquire "absolute pitch" ("AP"). AP (aka "perfect pitch") is the ability to identify or re-create a given musical note without the benefit of an external reference. More plainly, if you have it, you can tell which sound it is in the musical scale ("C, D, E, F... " or "do, re, mi, fa...") when you hear whatever sound it is. It's an amazing ability. Even when you hear a chirping bird or a dripping tap, you can identify its note. That well-known classical musician Mozart is also said to have had such an ability (he was said to have the ability to SEE sounds as various colors!).<br />
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It is said that children can acquire this ability only during a limited period of time (between 2 and 6 years old) and that it generally takes 1 to 2 years to earn it. The earlier you start, the easier. Once you earn it, it will last for the rest of your life. There are some music schools where they train children for AP in Japan (mainly in Tokyo).<br />
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In Japan, not a few parents at least once consider the same thing as myself especially if their children are females. The reasons are sometimes unclear. In most cases, it is not that those parents want their children to become professional musicians. In fact, they tend to think the ability as a gift for their children only parents can give since its window is open only for a limited time when they are too little to decide anything on their own. They expect their children to appreciate it in the future because it would make their lives more joyful. These children will be able to compose and play music very easily.<br />
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From time to time I clumsily strum my guitar and hum a song for fun. I imagine what my life would be like if my parents had let me acquire the ability...hiraismhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06037270521337076621noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7712944828112499902.post-86064386611142027832011-01-12T21:04:00.000-08:002011-01-24T16:51:58.347-08:00RoppongiI sometimes spend time in a Starbucks in Roppongi because it's close to my workplace.<br />
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I think Roppongi is the most multicultural city in Japan. In the cafe, there are always foreign people from all over the world, like the Philippines, US, China, South Korea, Latin Americas, African countries, Russia, Romania, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Germany, UK, Middle Eastern countries... It's because there are many foreign embassies around there.<br />
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Roppongi is well known for its night life especially among foreign people in Tokyo. There are a lot of clubs, bars and restaurants open until morning.<br />
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TV celebrities also love Roppongi and are often seen in those places, some of which are rumored to be run by <i>yakuza</i> (Japanese mafiosos).<br />
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Rumor has it that a real estate company that acquired a piece of land in the center of Roppongi a few years ago leased it out as a public parking before construction of a building on it and had to offer eight free lots to local eight <i>yakuzas</i> respectively in return of "protection". The company must have been very careful for the <i>yakuza</i> lots not to be next to each other. Otherwise, there would be a war between them...<br />
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Now I'm writing this in the Starbucks in Roppongi over a coffee. I'm feeling like I'm traveling in an unknown country surrounded by different faces from every corner of the world...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTjxF5yd6X97ZSaUI-ex4nw073HPI_kzVW0LNm04jWjLX4AnJ2YL-VjDLG-ohLA7GQ9GGXsaq-qIjrON2Ss9rOMbenpfGzLZHt0Skg7aI9-tHWgusAOYF6tpSx7h3ZdOhjIN76RxlX1UU/s1600/2009_Roppongi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTjxF5yd6X97ZSaUI-ex4nw073HPI_kzVW0LNm04jWjLX4AnJ2YL-VjDLG-ohLA7GQ9GGXsaq-qIjrON2Ss9rOMbenpfGzLZHt0Skg7aI9-tHWgusAOYF6tpSx7h3ZdOhjIN76RxlX1UU/s320/2009_Roppongi.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>hiraismhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06037270521337076621noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7712944828112499902.post-78653256791739980692011-01-09T04:28:00.000-08:002011-01-30T06:54:17.556-08:00MeltdownThe German friend also recommended me the book "The Creature from Jekyll Island" by G. Edward Griffin. It is about the history where central banks played significant roles in waging wars and exploiting people especially in the UK and the US. They have allegedly detached their money from the true value such as gold, attached it to mere paper and manipulated it by inflating and deflating "money supply". The book was somewhat shocking to me, for it displayed many an evidence documentation indicating the governments and corporates have conspired to make wars, revolutions and depressions happen to profit from them.<br />
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I like this book very much because it is mental intriguing, but I hate it when I have to explain the book to my friends because I always sound like I am talking about a dubious conspiracy theory.<br />
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When I look into related articles, I bumped into a book called "Meltdown" by Thomas E. Woods, Jr. The book is a recent bestseller in US and also covers "Lehman Shock". Woods is a scholar from "Austrian School", the most famous from which is Friedrich Hayek, a former Nobel Prize Laureate in economics. This book is non-conspiracy but very critical of the central banks along the same line with "The Creature from Jekyll Island". They have also had significant influence on Ron Paul who is a Libertarian congressman from Texas that wrote "End the Fed".<br />
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This is the book that explains the current economic situation excellently and I have recommended all my friends to read it.<br />
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<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Creature-Jekyll-Island-Federal-Reserve/dp/0912986395?ie=UTF8&tag=hiraism-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" target="_blank"><img alt="The Creature from Jekyll Island: A Second Look at the Federal Reserve" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0912986395&tag=hiraism-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=hiraism-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0912986395" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Meltdown-Free-Market-Collapsed-Government-Bailouts/dp/1596985879?ie=UTF8&tag=hiraism-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" target="_blank"><img alt="Meltdown: A Free-Market Look at Why the Stock Market Collapsed, the Economy Tanked, and Government Bailouts Will Make Things Worse" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=1596985879&tag=hiraism-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=hiraism-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1596985879" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />hiraismhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06037270521337076621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7712944828112499902.post-45582917468261536602011-01-09T01:50:00.000-08:002011-01-09T01:56:55.839-08:00IdiocracyA German friend (and client) lent me a US movie called "Idiocracy", which is not released in Japan, the other day and I loved it. He was saying he had also loved it and already seen it several times. The story is about the human world 500 years from now. A very ordinary military man and a street girl are frozen in an experiment by the US military and travel through time by accident. They end up with the first couple in US where people's intelligence has deteriorated for 500 years. It was a hilarious comedy but contains something you cannot enjoy blindly. I like the character, "the former US President Camacho" the best!<br />
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</div><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Idiocracy-Luke-Wilson/dp/B000K7VHOG?ie=UTF8&tag=hiraism-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" target="_blank"><img alt="Idiocracy" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B000K7VHOG&tag=hiraism-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=hiraism-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000K7VHOG" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /></div>hiraismhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06037270521337076621noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7712944828112499902.post-70151209684302909342011-01-08T09:13:00.000-08:002011-01-08T09:13:22.698-08:00Android KindleI started using the smart phone as my e-book reader after downloading a Kindle application from Amazon.com. Before that, I was using a Kindle reader to read my e-books. I decided to use the former as my default reader because it is lighter and smaller, it responds to my commands more quickly, and its display is brighter and clearer, than the conventional Kindle reader. With this, I can read e-books in a crowded commuter train without any frustration.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQJsef5ATdlCaVksqXg0_SCQGpf2EjMt1kOOisyIoLX0K-1Cb1qt7v5vYMsdXjnj7d-sQtQ3WJNuNHOOwenkwU2FJ4d__yICChMniVE1yGM4kmVv_iesY7pHyTqCQXrjlof-IVTpeeGe8/s1600/tta_kindleforandroid-720_320x240.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQJsef5ATdlCaVksqXg0_SCQGpf2EjMt1kOOisyIoLX0K-1Cb1qt7v5vYMsdXjnj7d-sQtQ3WJNuNHOOwenkwU2FJ4d__yICChMniVE1yGM4kmVv_iesY7pHyTqCQXrjlof-IVTpeeGe8/s1600/tta_kindleforandroid-720_320x240.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi20rZfWdUZUvXM5jlY-d2IFcuLuBjzOrIEbLYcoePJJ6TWF2Zht7aMISCSjjVEBtEIfuk9kkLcBVdKlxtmysGhI12JtiVnarMtQsK831Dk_dUEi6yWnZYR0ctsnel8n4dn58R3Q4CVnEk/s1600/16141-amazon-kindle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi20rZfWdUZUvXM5jlY-d2IFcuLuBjzOrIEbLYcoePJJ6TWF2Zht7aMISCSjjVEBtEIfuk9kkLcBVdKlxtmysGhI12JtiVnarMtQsK831Dk_dUEi6yWnZYR0ctsnel8n4dn58R3Q4CVnEk/s320/16141-amazon-kindle.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>hiraismhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06037270521337076621noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7712944828112499902.post-13402900631609940242011-01-07T06:23:00.000-08:002011-01-07T09:38:34.087-08:00Green TeaI usually drink coffee or black tea after lunch at a coffee shop (in Tokyo, Tully's, Dotour and Renoir are popular chains except Starbucks.) However, as most of the food you can eat in central Tokyo is fatty and greasy, I sometimes miss green tea to cleanse my palate. Strong green tea is an acquired taste that I love the most. Yet as opposed to your expectation, there is practically nowhere you can drink proper green tea. You can buy proper green tea at any supermarkets or green tea shops all right. You are still even served proper green tea at your client's office with considerable probability (although you don't normally drink it at your own desk for some unknown reason!) Therefore, for the most part, I have to wait until I'm back at home whenever I want to drink green tea. I really wish someone would make proper green tea for me while I'm working...hiraismhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06037270521337076621noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7712944828112499902.post-48826892047677714902011-01-02T19:37:00.000-08:002011-01-23T20:40:03.361-08:00Smart Phone<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>I bought an Android smart phone IS03 just recently. This is very good and getting more popular than iPhone in Japan. I already downloaded more than 30 applications (apps). Most of them were converted from iPhone apps and are free. The beauty of IS03 is you can use cell phone function such as infrared communication, call blocking and One Seg TV without any additional apps or equipments and it's still cheaper than iPhone. In addition, as it uses a removable SD card, you can easily enhance its memory when needed. iPhone has only an embedded fixed memory, so when it's full, you have to buy a new one. I really like this and am using Skype for free (except a fixed packet transmission fee) whenever talking. If only this had a workable phone recording app...<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcfhFFIXQed62Pisd6HfXKjKTJOz8vr4quVLeiHGvTmneO_J2zlj0AwnT6F5AWBNx2qmRYCmWRBhcjmMLYSsaTuSWtuwITT3fMmP3Ng8sfrnW63OtV-EDUUv9ZCfXybicgvMN-tbe23I8/s1600/IS03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcfhFFIXQed62Pisd6HfXKjKTJOz8vr4quVLeiHGvTmneO_J2zlj0AwnT6F5AWBNx2qmRYCmWRBhcjmMLYSsaTuSWtuwITT3fMmP3Ng8sfrnW63OtV-EDUUv9ZCfXybicgvMN-tbe23I8/s1600/IS03.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">IS03</td></tr>
</tbody></table>hiraismhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06037270521337076621noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7712944828112499902.post-86953186579604558102010-12-27T09:46:00.000-08:002010-12-28T18:48:34.449-08:00Saudi VideoAn Egyptian friend Mona let me know this. It's one episode of Saudi Arabian TV program series describing Japanese society by comparing it to Arabian society like Saudi Arabia and Egypt. This is very interesting because it makes me realize that there still remain some good points in Japanese society from a foreign people's viewpoint that Japanese people should pay more attention to.<br />
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It looks like there are many more episodes from the same program. I am trying to watch them though I understand only basic Arabic greetings...<br />
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Thanks, Mona!<br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mowwJJMb8A&feature=channel">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mowwJJMb8A&feature=channel</a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/-mowwJJMb8A?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
(Translation by Mona)<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">the episode's title : </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Construction with respect</span><br />
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<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">respecting the human value when does it appear? <o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">it appears when dealing with Employment ( workers ) <o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">watch how workers are treated and you will know if this Community respect the human value or not <o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">we went to a place where they build a building in tokyo <o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">and we saw some issues describes their strong attention with safety things and cleanliness and give the worker his value ..<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">at the scene place : <o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">i think if we asked them what do you call the constructor ...they will say mud Engineer ( he is kidding because even if it's a simple job...in tokyo they give you a decent job's name however your job is ) <o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">they asked all of us to wear a helmet to go to the working site ...workers safety and also anyone who across the building site's safety ! (he is surprised ) they consider it ...their responsibility <o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">even if he came to shoot a programe...they consider it their responsibility <o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">this one will hold the camera later ( one with glasses ) <o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">this banner i didn't know what it meant ..i thought it was a ( gateway ) or something like that ...<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">they wrote..from here you can take off your helmet ...and then from here you have to wear your helmet <o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">so they made a line on ground...before wearing helmet and after ( la elaha ela allah means...there is no god but allah ) Significance on how great this thing is <o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">he says...bring me some more and laughs ...here on their helmet ...everyone's name is written ...ofcourse it's a respect to him ...because he's not just a worker !! he is a Human being with name ...secondly their blood type ...he says : nice...keep on <o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">on the studio again : <o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">and then we went to a different planet ...and to a building in a other planet ...and we saw also the living creatures ...how they are treating them ( he says it with sarcasm) <o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">on the working scene : <o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">they are building a construction ...<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">no one wears a helmet !! the helmet young fellow ! where is it ...ha? <o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">the worker says: they don't give us such things <o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">in japan planet :<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">now they will start Morning exercise <o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">they will massage each others also !! laughing =D <o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">yes...it's a good thing to start a working day like this ...Excellent<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">on the left japan planet...on the right ( another planet ) <o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">he asks someone...do u make morning exercise? <o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">he said : no exercising is just in our Residence ...not in work ...<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">he ask him again: you all don't do exercises together..? ! <o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">in japan planet : <o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">he is checking the Attendance ..<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">he says : sob7an allah ,,,it's glorification the god <o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">this is a new worker ...he joined them today <o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">so they called his name and the team is greeting the new ones <o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">he saw the worker's shoes...these are special shoes ?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">he asks is it steal? she said yes<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">a shoe Padded with steal for his safety ...because he has a value to them <o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">japan planet...and other planet <o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">in the other planet he goes to them and tell them...i want to hit with Crutch here also ( he is joking ) =D <o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">he tells someone: i was in japan...the other man: japan again? laughs <o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">and someone gave me a Crutch and told me hit hard ...and shouts ...<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">isn't there a shoe? only this? <o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">he goes to someone else...when can i hit with this? <o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">he looks at men standing above the building and said : <o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">for god's sake is he wearing shoes or is he Barefoot ...he is barefoot...<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">the end =) <o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: left; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div>hiraismhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06037270521337076621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7712944828112499902.post-85833678716179903642010-12-27T03:09:00.000-08:002010-12-27T03:11:47.230-08:00Interview QuestionsToday, I had an admission interview to the EMBA program on the phone. They turned out to be as follows:<br />
<div><br />
</div><div>1. What can you contribute to our program?</div><div><br />
</div><div>2. Why do you apply specifically for our program?</div><div><br />
</div><div>Thanks to my former colleague I mentioned earlier, I was able to perfectly prepared for these.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Thanks, Shun!</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div>hiraismhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06037270521337076621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7712944828112499902.post-788087735495537612010-12-25T08:40:00.000-08:002010-12-25T09:02:28.338-08:00One Piece<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">The author of the famous anime "One Piece" is earning more than two billion yen (USD 20 million) annually according to a renowned weekly magazine just published in Japan. The author Eiichiro Oda, a former dropout from a university, is said to have handed out his autographs saying "I will become a celebrity" from the days when he was not famous at all. He has been licensing his work in US, UK, Canada, Australia, NZ etc.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">When I was little, every kid liked manga and anime, and our life was filled with characters from manga and anime. A friend and I used to draw manga and publish them within our circle of friends. However, nobody imagined a manga author would license his copyright in foreign countries because anime and manga were considered as too Japanese to be understood by foreign people.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Today, thanks to the globalization, I think the quality of manga and anime has become more sophisticated and easier to be accepted among people from other cultures than they used to be. But still I like them as they used to be... coarse and excessively sentimental for kids...</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&tag=hiraism-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&search-alias=aps&field-keywords=one%20piece" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Search Amazon.com for one piece</span></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=hiraism-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div>hiraismhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06037270521337076621noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7712944828112499902.post-62282438549326952342010-12-23T21:36:00.000-08:002010-12-24T07:08:58.710-08:00Telephone InterviewAs I wrote previously, I have to have a telephone interview to an EMBA program next Monday. I am now preparing myself for it. A former colleague gave me some tips below. He has already gotten his MBA diploma from INSEAD, France, conducts interviews himself on behalf of the admission committee of INSEAD, and is kind enough to have written a recommendation letter for me to the faculty I am applying for (not INSEAD) :<br />
<br />
The interviewers might ask you these questions as follows ,so be prepared.<br />
- Describe your work experience so far.<br />
- Describe the situation(s) where you took leadership.<br />
- Why do you apply for our program?<br />
- How do you want to build your career after graduation?<br />
<br />
They will carefully assess whether you will make a member of prominent alumni, so it's quite important to make an impression on them that you are a confident and rational, good communicator and team player.<br />
<br />
These are very informative. Thanks, pal!hiraismhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06037270521337076621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7712944828112499902.post-226836032147417252010-12-23T09:45:00.000-08:002010-12-25T09:06:26.245-08:00Emperor's BirthdayToday is the Emperor's Birthday which is a national holiday in Japan. In Japan, based on the ancient Chinese imperial era system, an era name ("<i>gengo</i>") is assigned to each emperor's ruling period. Japanese people use the imperial era name combined with the years counted from the first year of the period, as well as the Christian era system. Government offices usually use the imperial era system, so we are constantly required to translate from one system to the other.<br />
<br />
The <i>Gengo</i> of the present emperor Akihito is "Heisei" and this is the year "Heisei 22." Today, Emperor Akihito turned 77; therefore it is at the age of 56 that he started his rule when his father Emperor Hirohito passed away in January 1989.<br />
<br />
Although today, after the WWII, the Emperor has become a mere figurehead politically, a number of people come together at the Imperial Palace to celebrate his birthday.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101223/ap_on_re_as/as_japan_emperor">http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101223/ap_on_re_as/as_japan_emperor</a>hiraismhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06037270521337076621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7712944828112499902.post-89994910878667528912010-12-22T04:15:00.000-08:002010-12-23T11:04:47.662-08:00Montessori Kindrgarten<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">My three year old daughter is entering a Catholic kindergarten nearby that adopts Montessori Method next April. I had never heard of this education method until I had to prepare for the entrance examination on her behalf. At first, I was somewhat scared to learn that "works" it requires children to do look like rituals a secret society would require their members to do. However, as I have learned more, I have realized that this method is an extraordinarily well-studied education method for developing children's brain from their early age that Maria Montessori who was a doctor in Rome created in 1900s. Since the creation, it has been producing its "brainchildren" while improved over a century.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">According to an article by a Montessori school, those who were Montessori educated include:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">- Peter Drucker, Management Guru</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">- Larry Page, Co-Founder of Google<br />
- Sergey Brin, Co-Founder of Google<br />
- Jeffrey Bezos, Founder of Amazon.com<br />
- Katharine Graham, Owner/Editor of the Washington Post<br />
- Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, Editor, Former First Lady<br />
- Anne Frank, Author of The Diary of Anne Frank<br />
- Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Nobel Prize winner for Literature<br />
- Prince William and Prince Harry, English royal family<br />
- Friedensreich Hundertwasser, Austrian painter and Architect</span><br />
Impressive, isn't it? Now, I'm in a learning process and reading books on the method.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Montessori-Madness-Parent-Argument-Education/dp/098228330X?ie=UTF8&tag=hiraism-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" target="_blank"><img alt="Montessori Madness! A Parent to Parent Argument for Montessori Education" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=098228330X&tag=hiraism-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=hiraism-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=098228330X" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/How-Raise-Amazing-Child-Montessori/dp/075662505X?ie=UTF8&tag=hiraism-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" target="_blank"><img alt="How To Raise An Amazing Child the Montessori Way" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=075662505X&tag=hiraism-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=hiraism-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=075662505X" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Teach-Me-Myself-Montessori-Activities/dp/0764127896?ie=UTF8&tag=hiraism-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" target="_blank"><img alt="Teach Me to Do It Myself: Montessori Activities for You and Your Child" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0764127896&tag=hiraism-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=hiraism-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0764127896" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Montessori-Science-Angeline-Stoll-Lillard/dp/019536936X?ie=UTF8&tag=hiraism-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" target="_blank"><img alt="Montessori: The Science Behind the Genius" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=019536936X&tag=hiraism-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=hiraism-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=019536936X" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />hiraismhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06037270521337076621noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7712944828112499902.post-31795997754169286042010-12-20T17:53:00.000-08:002010-12-22T08:24:30.498-08:00Entertaining ClientsWorking in the real estate industry in Tokyo, I occasionally have to entertain clients at night. We "wine and dine" them sometimes to get information or a deal, and sometimes just to build a friendly relationship for future deals. Entertaining clients is, by nature, broadly embedded in this industry probably because information is unevenly distributed among limited privileged people who love to entertain and to be entertained. Information here is extremely important like in the intelligence world.<br />
<br />
Recently, Tokyo's real estate market has been gradually picking up. As always in every real estate market, the first movers are lenders thinking about selling off their bad loans collateralized by real estate. Actual real estate disposition follows it.<br />
<br />
I have friends in the banking industry as I used to work for a bank (long time ago, though). They sounds like they might partially start selling their loans soon. I need to introduce one of them to a client interested in buying bad loans tonight over drinks. I am hoping to not drink too much according to the industry standard...hiraismhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06037270521337076621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7712944828112499902.post-60142075288874634172010-12-20T03:49:00.000-08:002010-12-20T06:26:52.304-08:00Internet Riches<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=hiraism-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B001C2P370&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe>I am reading a book whose title is "Internet Riches: The Simple Money-making - Secrets of Online Millionaires." I bought and downloaded it at Kindle Store in Amazon.com (I love Kindle!). This is easy to read and very informative so far especially for the people who are thinking of moonlighting while working or studying like me (I am preparing for the probable cases that I cannot continue my current job after enrolling in the Executive MBA program, such as the case that my company refuse to endorse my plan to take time off and study etc.) I haven't talked to my superior about EMBA yet by the way. I think I am going to do after I am admitted...hiraismhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06037270521337076621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7712944828112499902.post-50736072139527405692010-12-18T19:54:00.000-08:002010-12-18T19:54:15.682-08:00Executive MBAI am applying for an Executive MBA program and have sent all the documents required last week. The program is a joint venture between a US university and an Asian university which I happened to find on the Internet. I need to have an interview on the phone on Dec. 27 and am waiting for the exact time to be noticed. After they reviewed my resume, they encouraged me to apply for it, but I am still nervous. I suppose they will ask me about my submitted essays in detail. They might ask me if I have any questions. Unless I can come up with appropriate questions, they might think I am not so much interested in the program, so I need to prepare for them. Now I'm reading their brochure and website again for the preparation. I am keeping my fingers crossed...hiraismhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06037270521337076621noreply@blogger.com0