Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring

The Fellowship of the Ring is up there with The Matrix and Star Wars, movies that are definitely worth seeing more than once on the big screen. J.R.R. Tolkien's masterpiece has now been successfully transferred to cinema format. The casting is brilliant, the special effects outstanding, and the costumes and makeup definitely have my pick for this year's Oscar. Folks who haven't read the LOTR trilogy may be disappointed by the ending to the film. Several subplots are only beginning to emerge, and of course the main adventure is far from over at the end of book one. Honestly though, I never actually read books 2 and 3 of the trilogy. Hopefully I'll be able to spare a few hours from my MBA studies over the coming months, and at least finish The Two Towers before the movie version comes out next Christmas.

'Twas the night before Christmas...

Went to the St Kilda post office this afternoon to send off some birthday presents (yes, people "do" have birthdays around this time of year). Everything was so quiet. No queues. No stressed postal workers. Amazing relaxing. It all felt quite surreal, kind of like the lull before the storm, as such.

I don't have many Christmas traditions. Having lived in 3 different Australian cities, and with parents that separated when I was pretty young, my Christmas experiences have varied somewhat over the years. This year I'm spending Christmas in Melbourne with my father's side of the family, my mother will be in Bali, my step-father in Jakarta, and my sister in Florida, so we're definitely all over the place.

I'll have to wait at least another year before I can experience a Melbourne NYE though - I'll be heading up to Sydney later in the week for a few parties, some golf, and even a bit of camping. New Year's Eve in Sydney is always a huge event. I've normally avoided the big nightclub events like mobilehome, and instead either hosted or attended house parties on or around the harbour. This year, I think I'll be in Kirribilli somewhere ... still to be confirmed.

Another one to check out: Robot Sushi

Cool web site. Robot Sushi is a small sushi restaurant in the Melbourne CBD. I'll have to check it out sometime.

Restaurant Review: The Point

The Point is situated right on the lake in Albert Park. Floor to ceiling windows and a backdrop of the lake ensure a spectacular view, and the modern Australian food equally brilliant. Mains range from around $25 - $33, with entrees in the mid-teens. For those not quite so hungry there are also some interesting appetizers at around $7 - $8 each. The service is impeccable, with consistent wine refills and a friendly smile. Licensed only, the restaurant's drinks list is extensive, with mostly Australian wines, a taste of France, and a good variety of Scottish whiskys. There's also a cafe in The Point complex with cheaper meals, and a fine range of cigars available. Check out the link to The Point's website at Citysearch for an IPIX view of the restaurant.

Adrian's tip: Book yourself in for a dinner at The Point over sunset this summer. It's worth every dollar.

schoolfriends.com.au

I've been registered on schoolfriends.com.au for a couple of months now, and have been successful in catching up with one former classmate from my junior high school back in Darwin. The concept behind this site is great, but it's suffering from a lack of volume, which in turn is probably due to a lack of marketing. For a service that's free to the consumer, there's probably very few $$$ available for marketing though. My solution - marketing postcards. They're a great conversation starter. People could pick them up in cafes, reminisce with their friends over coffee, and then go home and register... (the b-school brain is already starting to tick)

Closure

3 months since my retrenchment, and I'm still waiting for my final expense claim to be paid. I should start charging interest.

Redundant Ansett workers were finally given their pay-outs this week, so I guess I shouldn't be complaining too much (considering I received my main payment the day after I was retrenched). In a depressed business environment, we should all be content with the fact that "these things take time." ;-)

Update (22/12):My expense claim came through this morning. I'm free !!

MBSees' Cafe

The MBSees' Cafe at mbsnow.com is an independant website maintained by an alumnus of the Melbourne Business School. It lists the personal web pages of several students and alumni, and even a few academics. Might prove to be a useful resource in the coming months.

Time for an infrastructure upgrade

With my MBA studies commencing next month, I'll be needing a new laptop PC. My previous laptop was a Dell Latitude PIII-600, an average machine that I had to give back to Dimension Data when I was retrenched. Over the years I've had laptops from Compaq, IBM, and Dell. The IBM Thinkpads are the most reliable by a long shot. Unfortunately, they're also quite expensive. The IBM Thinkpad: R Series seem to provide pretty good value for money - there's a PIII 1.0GHz / 128Mb / 30 Gb / DVD-ROM with built-in modem and networking and Windows XP for $3999 available on the IBM website.

If anyone out there has used the R Series, can you please send me your war stories. I'm planning to make my purchase in early January.

Japanese?

In my ongoing effort to move away from being a techo, and becoming a well-rounded businessperson, I have recently taken up Japanese language classes at the CAE. We're working from the text Japanese for Everyone, and I must admit, I'm really enjoying it. My pronounciation is still pretty shocking, and my vocabulary is still limited to the basics like introducing myself, counting, shopping, and ordering food. I've been studying in intensive mode this month (2 x 3hr classes a week), and will switch to a reduced pace when I start my MBA. Still, it'll be an interesting challenge taking on five MBA subjects and a language simultaneously.

End of 2001 Update

A few interesting events have transpired since I last updated my blog. Sincere and deep apologies to the readers out there whom I've kept in the dark these past three months. I've been going through a bit of a rough patch, but things are starting to seem a lot more positive now.

First and foremost - some news that most friends and family would already know. My recent post "Ten Signs Your Job is in Danger" couldn't have been more timely. On September 20th, just nine days after the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, I found myself caught in that wrong place/wrong time phenomenon called retrenchment. My innings was over after four years and nineteen days with Com Tech / Dimension Data. I received a cheque equivalent to about six months pay (after tax), and was supervised as I packed my desk and left the building. Not the farewell that I would have planned, but a harsh realisation of reality. Fortunately I was not alone - 144 employees were slashed off the payroll in a single day, including several of my friends and close colleagues.

Now the dilemma. My career plan had been to work for Com Tech for around five years, then head to the States to do my MBA, most probably commencing in the fall of 2003. Should I find another IT company to work for in Australia for a year or two, and continue with my US MBA plans, or consider the Australian MBA market for a degree starting as soon as possible. The economy was (and still is) pretty dismal, the employment market is far from brilliant. I would be unlikely to find a job as enjoyable and financially rewarding as the deal I had with Com Tech.

I spoke extensively with friends and family about the issue, and for a while started pursuing both options, applying for jobs and working on applications for Melbourne Business School and the AGSM. I flew to Sydney in October to get my MBA referee reports completed and meet up with some of my former colleagues. During my time in Sydney, I had a revelation - my retrenchment was not a setback, it was an opportunity - I could accelerate my career change ambitions, start the MBA almost straight away (the top Australian schools start their MBA programs in January), and re-emerge in a new profession as the economy was recovering in 2003.

I completed applications to both Melbourne Business School (located in Carlton, Melbourne) and the Australian Graduate School of Management (at my undergraduate UNSW campus in Kensington, Sydney), a grueling process in itself, that I'll hopefully write about sometime soon. While waiting for my application results, I fulfilled some of my travel bug ambitions, taking in Bali, Tokyo, Kyoto, and Hong Kong. Upon return to Melbourne in late November, I was honoured with the news of been accepted to both schools.

Final result - I'm signed up to start my MBA full-time at Melbourne Business School in January!

In light of this change in direction in my life, I've renamed my blog to "Doing the Melbourne thing." I haven't made firm plans for how the blog will be structured in the coming months, but I would like to keep the focus on things MBA-related. I'll try to convey the Melbourne Business School experience to you, and let you in on some of the quirky and interesting details of the program. It's a tough program - I'll be doing 20 subjects in just 16 months with very few little time for travel or outside activities, but I'm certain that it's the right thing for me to do at this stage in my life, and that it'll be an incredibly rewarding experience.

It's great to be back!

Is the world falling apart?

Terrorism in the U.S with potentially tens of thousands lives unnecessarily lost. Corporate collapses back home - OneTel, HIH, Ansett. How can all this be possible in the information age. We strive in the IT industry to build systems that promote the sharing of information, allowing 'decision makers' to have access to all the information they need in a timely manner. How could such an act of terror occur without warning? How could business executives allow a company to keep running when the daily financial losses are so great, and then shut it down in such a dramatic manner. Investors will lose just about everything. Thousands of people will lose their jobs. Incredible. And yet - it all seems insignificant in comparison to the huge loss of life experienced in the U.S.

Ten Signs Your Job is in Danger

Coal miners used to carry caged canaries when they worked underground. Because the birds were more sensitive to changes in the atmosphere than humans, they acted as a living early warning signal. Every miner knew that when the canaries drops off its perch it was time to get out fast because an explosion or build-up of noxious gas was imminent.

Fortunately few knowledge-based workplaces are as physically risky as an underground coalmine. Nevertheless, having an early warning system to alert you when danger pops its head over the horizon can be helpful.

Startup.com

Startup.com is an awesome documentary about an Internet startup company in NYC in 1999/2000. It traces the two twenty-something founders, as their company grows from a handful of employees to over 200 in a matter of months, and then crashes just as fast after the April 2000 tech-wreck. They meet with VCs, encounter technical problems, fight with their competitors, and fight amongst themselves. This movie is sensational, primarily because it is real. Go and see for yourself - it's showing at a few independent cinemas in capital cities at the moment.

25

25 - A significant age, some may say. Distinctive. Worthy of note. The age where car insurance premiums drop off, and car rental companies let you hire 4WDs and sports cars. The age where you transition from the 18-24 to the 25-39 category on surveys

Over the past week, I've been celebrating my twenty-fifth birthday, my quarter-century, half of fifty, yadda yadda yadda. Picked two very cool venues for drinks with friends - Mink Bar in St Kilda in Melbourne, and Klassroom in Surrey Hills in Sydney.

How many hours did you work last week?

Turns out my weekend work effort has a secondary benefit. The 21 hours I put it on Saturday and Sunday means I'll be answering this question on the Census form tomorrow night with a figure of 70 hours. I normally work a 45 - 50 hour week, but last week's effort means I'll be pushing up the Australian average considerably.

Actually, a quick calculation reveals that my weekend work effort will boost the average Australian working week by a grand total of 0.004 seconds.

e'cco - a classy meal in brisbane

While in Brisbane earlier this week, I went to e'cco bistro for dinner on a cabbie's recommendation. The wine list was extensive, the menu enticing, and the decor funky in a very mod kind of way. One of the great features of e'cco is that the prices for entrees and mains are fixed. This allows you to peruse the menu and decide purely upon what you feel like eating, rather than matching your tastes to your budget. Our selection - mussels in a thai lemon sauce for starters followed by grilled baramundi with roast potato, fennel & ligurian olives. Wash it all down with some good conversation and a bottle of Happs semillon chardonnay - very nice for a 'house' wine. Add it to your must-do list next time you visit sunny Brisbane.

The Computer Game movies

For something different last weekend, I went to see Tomb Raider and Final Fantasy at the huge Hoyts Village Greater Union complex on George St in Sydney. Angelina Jolie is sexy, sensational, and fun as Lara Croft in Tomb Raider. This movie is an absolute hoot. All the guys exit the cinema raving about Angelina Jolie, and all the girls come out saying "I want to be Lara Croft".

The fully computer animated Final Fantasy is very impressive. The story line is pretty pathetic, but the quality of the animation is incredible - better than anything I've ever seen. It's not quite lifelike (a few more years yet methinks), but you can tell how much effort has gone into the production. Definitely worth seeing on the big screen.

Just finished another road trip - Sydney and Brisbane this time. First day back (it's a Saturday) and I'm at the office. Damn I need a break. I have 230,000 frequent flyer points and about three weeks leave stocked up. I was planning on saving it all for my RTW trip next year, but maybe I should take a week off sometime soon and cash in on some of those points.

When personalisation technology fails to deliver...

Got an email from amazon.com this morning reminding me to update my wish list in preparation for my birthday (August 23rd). They suggested I might want to include the latest Backstreet Boys album.

Trillian

Trillian is one of the first products I've seen that acts as the universal instant messaging client. From the one docked application I can now conduct my IM on AOL, ICQ, MSN, and Yahoo. It also has plenty of skins available. My choice - LCARS. Bit geeky, I know - but very neat.

New name. Same attitude.

Com Tech Communications, the company I've been with for almost four years, has today renamed to Dimension Data Australia. We've taken on the name of our parent company, in order to better leverage the global brand. Does this mean there'll be more international travel for yours truly ... probably not - my role is targeted just at the Australian operation for the moment. But I will be able to now say things like "I'll have to check that with our London office" and "Our research associates in New York have come up with a new methodology for engaging a customer for a loyalty-centric integrated solution."

A stressful but rewarding experience

Well the GMAT is complete, and I'm back on the road again. I'm sworn to secrecy about the content of the GMAT exam, but I can tell you that it was a stressful experience, the clock was ticking, and that I achieved my target score exactly (700). I was very pleased with the two essays that I wrote, although I have not yet received the scores for those. I found the Quantitive section very challenging. The questions were much harder than any of the practice exercises that I'd done. The Verbal section was pretty much as I expected. All up, I'm happy with this score. 700 is just above the average score for those applicants that are admitted to the b-schools I want to go to. Time for a break, then I'll start considering the application essays and referees.

Malaysia disallows divorces via SMS

"KUALA LUMPUR--The Islamic religious authorities here will not allow Malaysian Muslims to divorce using short message service (SMS) although this mode of seeking a divorce has been reported to have been accepted in the United Arab Emirates and Singapore.

The religious adviser to the Prime Minister described requesting a divorce via a mobile phone message as an "irresponsible and dangerous act". [via ZDNet]

T minus 4 days...

Four days until the GMAT. I am officially on study leave now. The kitchen bench in my Melbourne apartment is my study domain. I do actually have a separate "study" room in my apartment, but it's filled with PC equipment, and the desk is invariably crowded with random junk that I've accumulated over the past few weeks.

I've amassed a collection of nearly 400 words on flash cards that I'd like committed to memory by Monday. Recent inclusions are "desiccate," "implacable", and "equivocate." Interestingly, my recent attention to expanding my appreciation and application of the English language has also sparked an interest in considering other language studies. I caught myself surfing the CAE website the other day for French and Japanese courses.

I have quite a bit of travel coming up over the next couple of weeks (woo hoo! the drought is about to come to an end!), so attending a night class isn't really suitable for me right now. I'll see how things are going later in the year.

anthonyjhicks.com presents a Wireless Market Update

Anthony Hicks, a software consultant in my Sydney office, has put together a brief summary of the today's AsiaPac wireless products market.

"I think the wireless war will be won by both players working together to support Bluetooth (well in my ideal world anyway). The mobile phone becoming the modem and the PDA the access device. It also ensures that manufacturers stay within their core areas of expertise, avoiding horrible product mutations such as Motorola's Accompli which should never have been released to the market. As a consumer I still prefer to carry two separate highly functional top-notch devices rather than compromising for one, however over the next four years one of the manufacturers (maybe Nokia?) is sure to crack the ultimate single device."

I'm not sure if I'm willing to wait four years for the single device. Personally, I'm hoping for the combined phone/music/data device by 2003.

Swordfish

Don't try to read too deeply into this film. Swordfish is essentially your everyday action blockbuster. John Travolta and Hugh Jackman are average in their roles as the cosmopolitan terrorist and the reluctant computer hacker. The action is brilliant, the sound impressive, and the body count high. Overall - definitely a worthwhile break from my GMAT study.


Rating: 6.5 out of 10

To all my friends and family that I've been ignoring for the past few weeks ... rest easy, I'll be out in less than seven days.

740 on the practice exam!!

GMAC Practice Exam number 1 this morning: 740 (98th percentile). Woo hoo!!


However, I was pushed for time in the Quantitative section, and I was not at all impressed with my performance in the Analytical Writing section. Definitely more practice needed in that department.


Practice Exam number 2 scheduled for Thursday afternoon. Only 7 days 'til the real thing!

At least there's consistency

For the past three Sundays, I've played 9 holes of golf at Albert Park. I've only taken up golf this year, so my scores aren't that impressive. 76, 74, 75 on a par 37 course - at least there's consistency. My current target is 70, and I'd like to break 60 by the end of the year.

Putting words into action

Disclaimer: this blog entry took 36 hours to convert from paper to electronic form ;-)

Ok, it's time for a pragmatic approach to learning new words. For the past three weeks, I've been using the good old flash cards system to help me expand my vocabulary, the theory being that by creating twenty new flash cards a day and continually reviewing those already created, these new words would slowly but surely permeate into my everyday speech and writing. Trouble is, I'm not a creative writer. Most of my writing (and indeed most of my talking) is related to my mercenary day job as an Applications Architect.

The writing section of the GMAT is undoubtedly the primary reason for my trepidation to date. Although it does not count towards the overall score, the results of the Analytical Writing section are released to the schools, so it's important that I do well.

So, let the writing begin!

Ten days until the exam (including four days of work).

Ten random words that I've learnt so far:

aberration, extol, sedulous, rapacious, gainsay, functionary, univocal, pragmatism, stold, moribund (hmmm ... not a good one to finish on)

We all know what pedestrian the noun means, but what about pedestrian the adjective?

Enough for now. Back later...

Double figures!

Our weblog host has now been in Melbourne for ten (10) days straight - a new record. Strange feeling - it's almost like I'm actually a local. The scary part of this is that it's only 14 days until the GMAT now. I've been doing a great deal of work on the vocabulary, started teaching myself to speed-read, and have brushed up on the basic rules and formulae of mathematics. It's all about practice, practice, practice now. I'll try to fit in at least 2 - 3 practice exams prior to the big one. I also need to get back into essay writing mode - the GMAT includes two 30-minute essay writing exercises.


I also need to start thinking about which schools to release my results to. The standard US$190 fee for the GMAT includes the release of your score to 5 different b-schools. At this stage I'm thinking those five schools will be Haas, Stanford, MIT, Melbourne, and AGSM.

Shrek - bring on the smiley cramps!

Awesome! This movie is very funny. An impressive attempt at stabbing Disney in the back, with heaps of hidden jokes, and wacky characters. Thoroughly enjoyable.

Long Road to MBA goes Ad-Free!

A sound investment methinks. I've bought out the advertising space on my own web site. What will I do with that extra 120 pixels? Send your ideas to whocares@bigpuddle.com.au

Virgin Blue to start flying Sydney - Melbourne

Virgin Blue, Australia's only low fare carrier has celebrated its first preliminary financial results by announcing it will begin flying on the world's third busiest route, Sydney-Melbourne as of July 15.


Target price: $66 one-way, provided you book early. Woo hoo!!

Heading for a Record

At the same time as comtemplating The Next Big Trip, I'm also heading for a record that's somewhat anti-travel. Since moving to Melbourne in January, the longest period that I've actually spent at home in Melbourne is . . . eight (8) days!


My most recent flight was last Friday (June 22nd), so if I can make in to Sunday without making that drive out to Tullamarine and hopping on a Qantas jet, I'll be very proud.


I may actually break it by a factor of two or three - my next confirmed trip isn't until late July at the moment.

The Next Big Trip

Last year it was two months in America (a.k.a. "the States"). Six months on, I'm getting a little edgy. It's time to start planning for The Next Big Trip. Various ideas have been thrown around - backpacking South-East Asia, skiing in South America, "doing" Europe, etc. The plan that seems most likely at the moment is a round-the-world trip encompassing Japan, England (and possibly France), Canada, and the United States. The timeframe: 4 - 8 weeks in the middle of 2002, possibly overlapping with the soccer World Cup in Japan. Current entourage: 4 people including self, one from England, one from Canada, and a fellow Aussie who has spent several years in Japan. Should be heaps of fun, and hopefully won't break the MBA budget too much, as we know several people along the way who'll be willing to host us.


Japan, France, and for the most part, Canada will all be new to me. For the US, we're pretty much just thinking NYC and LA. No world trip is complete without a few days in New York!

The Tyro

Teaching myself new words is proving to be an interesting experience. I've set myself a challenge of adding 20 new words a day to my somewhat limited vocabulary. Apparently, a word I could use for this is 'accretion'.

• accretion n. a gradual build-up or enlargement

Over a period of four week, 20 words a day should lead to a gain of around 500 words. Nice in theory, but I'm a bit of a tyro at this, and I'm still refining the learning process. So, realistically, I'm expecting to achieve about half that target.

• tyro n. novice, amateur

Anthony's study advice

Anthony's just finished this semester's exams, and has offered me some study advice for my upcoming GMAT:

1. take leave.
   
2. delay adsl install till after your gmat.
   
3. leave laptop at work.
   
4. do lots of writing to exercise those handwriting muscles.
   
5. go home early from work.
   
6. exercise in the morning (jog etc).
   
7. lots of coffee.. get a plunger (you've probably already got one I guess)
   
8. uninstall web browser on the dell :)

Regional Role - Indonesian Focus

Great article on my step-father's job in Indonesia. My parents have been working in Jakarta for the past five years. I try to get over there once or twice a year to check up on them, and remind them that they should eventually return home to Aus.


When I arrived in Indonesia, I of course had no idea that I was coming to a country on the verge of great change. There have been several highlights in the sometimes turbulent period I have been in Jakarta. Firstly, in the tense days surrounding the resignation of President Soeharto we passed through tank blockades to get to work at the Regional Office in the Embassy. Secondly, on the day after the President resigned it was very difficult to acquire the few (but highly significant) newspapers that had been printed, and my driver spent all day riding around Jakarta’s unusually near-deserted streets on a borrowed motorbike in search of newspapers. Thirdly, from the time of the East Timor independence protests outside the Embassy, I acquired a representative range of protesters’ banners from the Embassy railings. These banners now form part of the collections in the Australian Archives.

21 days 'til the GMAT!

The majority of my study so far has been focussed on extending my vocabulary, and brushing up in the Maths department. Thanks to KS and KM for your assistance to date - much appreciated. Best new word I've come across so far:

• slugabed n. a person who stays in bed until a relatively late hour

U.S. college professor named 2001's Sexiest Geek

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Ellen Spertus, a womens' college professor with a doctorate from MIT, strapped her father's slide rule to her thigh and walked away with the title of ``Sexiest Geek Alive 2001.'' [via TH]

Four weeks 'til the GMAT !

Booked my GMAT exam in this morning - scheduled for July 16th. Four weeks to study - need to brush up on some long words, write a few essays, and pull out those old maths textbooks. Seriously, I'm really excited. I've been wanting to do this for a while, but work and travel keep getting in the way. A lot of the work that I was going to be doing in July has been moved back a month, so I should hopefully have the time and energy to put in a decent effort. Any study advice out there?

Zing.com is shutting down...

Zing.com, the site I used to host my USA 2000 photos, is shutting its doors in a couple of weeks - yet another dot com crash and burn. At least they've given me a bit of notice. They've even developed a simple app to download all the photos that I previously spent hours uploading. All my descriptions and comments will be lost though...

Almost ADSL

Four months after it was ordered, my home ADSL service was about to be installed last week. Alas, at the last minute, I was advised that there was a problem at the local exchange and that my installation would need to be rescheduled. Next morning, my phone line was dead.... Four days later - still waiting for a fix. Go Telstra!! I'm ashamed to be a shareholder.

3000 Miles to Graceland

While the rest of Australia utilised cheapo-Tuesday to see Baz Luhrmann's latest flick Moulin Rouge, I ventured into a near empty cinema to experience a cinematic masterpiece - Kevin Costner playing the bad guy in the bloodbath movie 3000 Miles to Graceland. With an absolute stellar cast including Kurt Russell, Courtney Cox-Arquette, and brief appearences by hubby David Arquette and good 'ol Christian Slater, this movie was definitely a little different to what mainstream Hollywood usually dishes out. Kevin Costner plays the alleged illegitimate son of Elvis Presly, and together with a band of fellow impersonators, pulls off an impressive heist of a Vegas casino netting themselves a cool million or three. What follows is a trail of love, betrayal and carnage around America. Amusing, entertaining, and with a body count that I haven't seen since the early days of Stalone and Arnie. This movie could quite possibly reach cult status.


Rating: 8 out of 10.

Q1 global SMS messages top 50 billion

I must admit - I'm a bit of an SMS junkie myself, probably averaging around 10 messages a day, but I was quite taken aback to discover that as a planet we are now sending around 200 billion SMS messages to each other every year. That's over 500 million messages a day, 22 million messages an hour, 380000 messages a minute, and over 6000 messages a second. I guess I shouldn't complain too much when a message doesn't arrive instantly. [via ZDNet]

Govindas

Went to Govindas restaurant and movie room in Darlinghurst for the very first time last night. Amazing - I lived in Sydney for seven years, all my friends raved about the place, and yet, I had to move interstate before I ended up there myself. Food was average - Vegetarian buffet, but the movie room is kind of cool. Lying down on couches and pillows, people hundle together and watch a movie. The feature last night was 'Himalaya' - great story, very scenic, go see it yourself.

Ok, so I've been off the air a bit recently - 3 months, 2 hours, 47 minutes, and 14 seconds to be exact .... but I'm back!! I'm blogging again baby!!

Melbourne Business School

Went to an information session at Melbourne Business School last night. Looks pretty good. The full-time program can be completed in 16 months, and there's the opportunity to exchange to a b-school in the US during the third term (equivalent of the first semester of 2nd year in the States). At only AUD$42,000, this could be a fantastic opportunity ... and it's in my own backyard!

Hannibal

Ten years later, the sequel to the incredible film Silence of the Lambs has been released. Hannibal was originally given an MA15+ rating in Australia, but after public outcry about the amount of gore and grotesqueness (* is that a word? *), the rating was upgraded to R, restricting it to audieces 18 years and older. My advice - ignore all the media attention, and go and see the movie for yourself. This is big-budget horror at its best. Anthony Hopkins is brilliant as always, and Julianne Moore acts as an adequate substitute for Jodie Foster in the role of Clarice (although she doesn't really get the accent right).


Rating: 8 out of 10

Where is Adrian?

Hmm... haven't blogged for 12 days. What is happening to me? Are my blogging days over? Was this just a passing phase? What city am I in right now? Am I expected to blog everyday? Some people do. Would it be common courtesy for me to blog at least once a week? What if I'm not in the mood, or too busy? Can I blame my lack of blogging on the Anna Kournikova virus?


Rest assured, I'm alive and well. Had a ridiculous week last week travelling back and forth between Sydney and Melbourne twice, and finally handing in the keys to the Sydney apartment. A little more relaxed this week, gradually settling in to the life that is Melbourne. For all you die-hard aviation fans out there, don't miss the Australian Air Show at Avalon this week. Anthony's put a great preview together on his weblog.

Requiem for a Dream

Writer/Director Darren Aronofsky's Requiem for a Dream is a fairly disturbing movie about the destructive effects of heroin and loneliness. The movie deals with the separate collapses of the lives of a mother and son in Brooklyn, NY. This is not a movie for the light-hearted. The drug use is excessive, and designed to make you think twice before heading down that path. The editing is most interesting, with repeated uses of the same footage for shoot-up sequences, and split-screen effects for conversations between people who are right next to each other anyway.


Rating: 7 out of 10.


Side note: Be sure to check out Darren Aronofsky's earlier film, Pi. Oh, and the web site for Requiem for a Dream is very clever too.

Back in Sydney...

Back in Sydney for a few days, catching up with friends, cleaning the old apartment before the lease terminates on Wednesday, and attending a training course. Busy week coming up - four flights in eight days. It's a strange feeling having two 'homes'. At some stage later in life I'd always planned to have a home/unit in the city, and a house in the country to act as a weekender and a place to telecommute from. Unfortunately, while I may be temporarily renting two properties in different cities, I only have one household worth of furniture, so there's been a lot of sleeping on couches and floors recently.


Reading Richard Branson's autobiography at the moment (Losing My Virginity). Very interesting and quite inspiring. Full review will be posted when I've finished it.

Hamburger University

With over 65,000 graduates since 1961, McDonalds' Hamburger University in Illinois has an alumni community that rivals that of Harvard Business School. Thanks for the tip Anthony, but I don't think I'll add it to my shortlist.

Remember the Titans

Disney's Remember the Titans is a feel-good American sports movie, based on a true story involving an integrated black and white high school football team in the early 70's. The movie's fairly predictable, with underlying themes of tolerance, sportsmanship, and driving ambition. Denzel Washington is impressive as the head coach of the team, as are many of the young actors playing the up and coming football stars.


Rating: 8 out of 10.

Made it to Melbourne . . .

Highlights of the past few days:

• locked my keys in my car on my last day in Sydney
  
• saw Blade Runner - The Director's Cut at the Moonlight Cinema in Sydney on Tuesday
  
• spent 10 hours driving to Melbourne on Wednesday
  
• slept on the floor in my new Melbourne apartment on Wednesday night
  
• removalists delivered all my things on Thursday morning (minus the DVD player which is currently 'lost in transit' - doubt I'll ever see that again)
  
• set up the new apartment, unpacked everything, bought a new fridge and washing machine
  
• still need a couch...
  
• still need decent connectivity... looks like I'll be putting in a ADSL connection, but it might be a while yet
  

London Business School in Sydney

London Business School are hosting an information session in Sydney on February 15th. Details below:


TRANSFORM YOUR FUTURE


We're just dropping you a line to let you know that London Business School will be staging an Information Evening in Sydney next month, on Thursday 15th February, at the Hotel Inter-Continental, 117 Macquarie Street, from 6.30-8.30pm. Attendance is free, and there are still spaces available, so if you would like to come along it will be great to meet you.


These evenings are designed to provide potential applicants with further information, and to answer any questions that you might have about our Masters Programmes. There will be a presentation lasting about 30 minutes given by members of the School's faculty, staff and alumni. Following the presentation there will be a question and
answer session and an opportunity to talk informally about the Programmes, the School, and life in London.


If you would like to attend this Information Evening, please register your interest by return of this email to: mbaauz@london.edu


If you have already registered with us for this event, thank you, and we look forward to meeting you there.


Best Regards.


The MBA Marketing & Admissions Team.

The 6th Day

Arnold Schwarzenegger's latest flick, The 6th Day, has been out in the cinemas for a while, and I was originally going to wait until the DVD release to see it. After a hard day of work and dealing with removalists yesterday (yes, it's all in transit somewhere right now), I was keen to sit back and enjoy an action blockbuster. Instead, I saw a movie that (almost) made me think. The 6th Day deals with the controversial topic of human cloning, indicating that 'sometime in the near future', the practice will be technically possible, but deemed illegal. Arnie is your everyday helicopter pilot chartering snowboarders for a living (a good excuse for lots of great action sequences). He gets caught up in a cloning experiment, uncovers the conspiracy, and manages to eventually kills all the bad guys. Pretty standard really, but thoroughly enjoyable.


Rating : 7 out of 10.

Wow - 109 people have checked out my USA 2000 photos. Please sign the guestbook if you do choose to drop by.

Vertical Limit

The disaster movie Vertical Limit is still showing in Australian cinemas. Armed with some movie vouchers that expire at the end of this month, I went to see it for a second time (the first time was back in San Francisco in December). The special effects in the movie are incredible - the entire movie is essentially a series of stunts and explosions, set to the story of a mountain rescue at K2 in Pakistan (although it was actually filmed in NZ). At the end of it you'll feel quite exhausted, and will find yourself contemplating the thought - 'Would you have cut the rope?'


Rating: 7 out of 10.

ASX Investor Day

The ASX are holding an investor day in Sydney this Saturday at the Convention & Exhibition Centre. $15 entry gets you briefings from investment managers and listed companies, heaps of brochureware from exhibitors, and a chance to win a $5000 share portfolio.

7 days to go...

Over the past three years, I've probably been to Melbourne on at least 40 separate occassions, mostly for work purposes, but also to visit friends and family, and to attend some of the great events like the F1 Grand Prix, the Air Show, and of course the AFL. Next Wednesday, I'll be fulfilling an ambition that's been brewing for a while - Melbourne is going to become my home again.


I've been in Sydney for seven years - four years of university, and three years working at Com Tech, and I feel it's time for a change. Fortunately, I'll be able to change cities without needing to change jobs - I've been able to transfer my existing job to the Melbourne office, so I'll still be working with some of the same people, albeit mostly remotely. Should be an interesting challenge.


My MBA ambitions are essentially on hold while I complete my move. Things should be ramping up again in early February, after I've unpacked everything, and had a chance to review all the material that I've gather in both my online and on-site research.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Crouching Tiger is an absolutely awesome martial arts film that is currently rocking the independent cinema scene in Australia. Set in ancient China, this film blends well-performed human relationship scenes of love and redemption, with incredible kung fu and sword-fighting between the film's heroes and villains. Stay tuned - this foreign language masterpiece could possibly be Oscar material.


Rating: 9 out of 10.

Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?

The Coen brothers have produced a very wacky movie in Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?. Set in the deep south in the 1930s, and shot in dull colour, the movie tells the story of three prison escapees, seeking a treasure that isn't really there. George Clooney is fantastic as the hair-obsessed leader of the group. The period music definitely adds to the effect, complete with a couple of scenes where the escapees don long fake beards ZZ Top style, and produce a tune for $10 that turns out to be a best seller all across the state of Mississippi. Look out for a surprise appearance by Michael Badalucco (of The Practice) as a moody bank robber. While this movie is definitely classic Coen brothers, it's not up to the standards of Raising Arizona and The Big Lebowski.


Rating: 7 out of 10.

USA 2000 photo album launch



I've put together 200 of my best photos from my trip to the USA into an album at zing.com. Please take your time to check out the photos, and provide some commentary in the guestbook. You'll probably need a few sessions to get through them all.


Hightlights of the album include:

• Shuttle launch in Florida
  
• Monuments and Sculptures in Washington DC
  
• Yosemite National Park
  
• New York, New York, and
  
• Streets of San Francisco
  

Thanks CM for the tip on zing.com, and all the best for your wedding next week ;-)

UPDATE (17/02/2002): Zing went under in 2001. My photos are no longer online.

Asia 2001

With USA 2000 now well and truly behind me, it's time to start planning for future international travel. In the works are two potential trips; Asia 2001 (Japan, Indonesia, and either Vietnam or Cambodia) and Europe 2002 (UK plus 2 - 3 other countries). Suggestions / ideas / travel buddies welcome ;-)

Digital Frontiers Conference @ Kellogg

Kellogg are holding their 7th annual Digital Frontiers conference next weekend (19-20 January). The schedule includes a range of sessions on the applications of technology in business today - wireless, e-learning, online entertainment, etc. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the area (it's so annoying being so far away from all of this ;-)

Evening MBA info sessions

For those living in the Bay Area, Haas are holding several information sessions at various locations around the Bay for their 3-year Evening MBA program over the next couple of weeks. If any of you get a chance to attend one of these please let me know. Working in the Bay Area and attending Haas on a part-time basis would be a lot of hard work, but it would make financing the MBA so much easier...

Please donate to the Blogger Server Fund

Blogger, the free service that I use to update this web site, have been experiencing an incredible growth in their user base over the past few months, and desperately need some cash to finance an upgrade of their infrastructure. Unfortunately, investor money is hard to come by at the moment, so they're appealing to the blogging community at large for small donations. In the space of a week they've raised over US$8,000 (including $10 from yours truly). If you can, please donate a few dollars. It's an easy credit card payment using the Paypal service. 'Nuff said.

Weekend in Melbourne

Went to Melbourne last weekend to look for a place to live, and to spend some time with my family. Found a nice place with a study and a view of the city. For those that are interested, I'll be moving down around the 24th of January. Notification emails with new contact details will be sent out soon. If all goes well, I'll be in Melbourne for either one-and-a-half or two-and-a-half years depending on when I start my MBA.

Chicago mail

I sent several packages back to myself in Australia while I was travelling around the States, and they're finally starting to roll in now. My Chicago package arrived this morning, complete with copies of several MBA-related magazines and newsletters.


MBA bullet point is a brief newsletter with a combination of b-school news and general business news, that was available in most admissions offices at the US b-schools. The printed version has very well summarised content. Haven't checked out the online version yet.


The student paper at Haas is called HaasWeek, and is available online at www.haasweek.net


The student paper at Chicago is called ChicagoBusiness, and is available online at www.chibus.com

Duke University to Launch First MBA webcast course

Fuqua @ Duke are opening up one of their courses this semester to a worldwide audience. The regular class 'Global Asset Allocation and Stock Selection' will be broadcast live over the web to anyone willing the paying the US$1000 registration fee. "Business professionals without the time or resources to commit to an on-campus MBA program can utilize this course to advance their knowledge of global asset management, while earning a Fuqua certificate after acceptable completion of a final project." This also has amazing potential for MBA graduates to keep their management education up to date on an ongoing basis.

Coyote Ugly

Jerry Bruckheimer's been busy on the production front recently. Pearl Harbour, the latest 'most expensive movie ever made', is due for release this year, and he's also the main producer behind the new TV series C.S.I.


Coyote Ugly made it to Australian shores on New Year's Day, a surprising six months later that the US release, and well over a year since the first previews were shown. The movie is not the tits-and-arse joyride that the preview suggests, but actually the dramatic story of a Jersey girl trying to make it as a songwriter in the big city of New York. Definitely not your standard Bruckheimer action flick - the most 'action' you'll see is a couple of bar brawls. Newcomber Piper Perabo is cute as the lead character Violet "Jersey" Sanford, but I doubt she'll actually make it as a major film star. John Goodman puts in an average performance as Violet's disapproving father. The best character by far is Coyote Ugly bar owner Lil, a hard-arsed but damn sexy thirty-something blonde - my ideal manager.


Rating: 7 out of 10.

Stanford University and Harvard Business School Explore e-Learning Partnership

There's a lot of talk in the b-school press and current management education books about whether e-learning will ever replace the on-campus b-school experience. No matter how much technology you throw at it, when it comes to management education, on campus education will always be a much more rewarding experience. However, for those doing part-time study, especially those with their MBAs being funded by their employer, e-learning in combination with short-term residencies will eventually become the preferred model. Interestingly, the Stanford/HBS partnership is only looking at non-degree education opportunities at this stage.

B-School Bookmarks

I use blink.com to organise my bookmarks, and I've just made my b-schools folder public. Feel free to browse, comment, and add further suggestions: http://www.blink.com/members/adrianhind

Dot-Com Dropouts Head Back to Class

'B-school applications are surging, as e-commerce refugees clamor for business degrees'


B-schools such as Darden, Anderson, and Columbia are quoting increases in applicant numbers of around 15% this year, mostly from people who have been delaying their MBA and working in the now depressed 'dot-com sector'.

Why MBA?

'Five years ago Julie Perigo completed her Master of Business Administration at the Australian Graduate School of Management, University of NSW. One of her final projects for the degree was assessing the status of an MBA with the top 50 companies in Australia. The results were dispiriting, to say the least.


"I had some people ask, ‘Does this stand for the Master Builders Association?’," says Perigo, now a principal with executive search firm Korn/Ferry International. "I think more than the US and UK there is still a bit of ignorance about it." '


Brilliant collection of articles in this weekend's AFR BOSS magazine. The Australian MBA scene appears to be in trouble, with employers not rewarding MBA graduates in the same way as in the US. Looks like I'll have to work for a consulting firm in the US for a few years post MBA to make the whole experience worthwhile... [Thanks CM]