Dear friends,

It is already 11 days into the new year.. Firstly, I want to wish you, Happy New Year!!! 

Secondly, I want to share with you the news that I passed my exam for the last paper called "Managing People in Organisations". I was really pleasantly surprised when I saw the results. I had to read two books in a very short time and hopefully sing the tune as desired by examiner. In fact, I want to say that I actually learn something from reading the books. It is the chimmer / deeper version of Edward de Bono's different colour hats. The books are very interesting as they are filled with short stories to deliver learning points. Bottomline - just glad that the exam part of the MBA is done.

Thirdly, I have signed up for the required two electives. I will be spending two weekends in May in Kuala Lumpur doing topics like "Market in a Digital & Cross Cultural World" and "Strategic Decision Making". Hope they will be interesting outings for me!!

Lastly, I have taken a small baby step to start on the thesis when I agree to meet with my classmates to brainstorm this weekend. The thesis being the final requirement of the MBA. Keeping my fingers crossed on this.

If things go according to all the various plans from various fronts, the first six months of 2012 will be very very very demanding on me!!

Dear friends, I really really appreciate the support that you have given to me. To those I have not talked to much, do rest assured that you are always in my mind and heart.

Good health to you and family. Gongxi!! Gongxi!!

Edgar 

Dear Friends,

My MBA programme is now down to one last exam in August, two more electives and 20,000-word project to go to finish. One step at a time as I try to fit a money spending exercise with my income generating activities in the form of my business and teaching assignments.

Recently, I attended a talk. The speaker said formal education is becoming a thing of the past. He said we should not even force our children to study. Huh? He said we, as parents, will have no clue at all what the future high-paying professions will be. A high tech successful entrepreneur (whose name I have forgotten) actually offer college-going kids to quit college with $100,000 of his money if that kid has an idea accepted by him. Do you know of anyone who did not finish school but actually a billionaire? Of coz. But do you know of any professors, who teach business skills and entrepreneurship, who are actually billionaires?

As I sat there, I was also thinking about how we did our research for our MBA assignments. We no longer plough through tonnes of books at the library but instead the quality of our research depends on the choice of appropriate key words relevant to the topic.

I was also thinking about the shortening business cycle. After each cycle, you see many "old" companies with previously successful business model being dethroned by new ideas. The speaker asked how many of us is not wearing a watch? Two of us said they are not wearing any watch as they now rely on the handphone to tell time. Huh again! "Convergence" has destroyed and is destroying outdated business models.

I shared the above perspective with my children and both of them said it is certainly very interesting indeed.

See you when I see you, my dear friends. Be well. 

Dear friends,

 

Before I run off for my meeting with some staff, I thought I will spend some time with you here.

 

The month of May started with me paying $8,050 being the third instalment of my MBA school fees using my credit card. Technically already late due to me dilly dallying over which credit card I should apply or use to get some cash rebates or points ie. to maximise the discounts. Finally I proceeded with my existing card after considering the additional effort needed (which I can't afford) to apply for a card from Standard Chartered.

What is the main programme for third term? Firstly, one more exam (hopefully) which I really really dread to prepare. Why? I have to read two gigantically thick books. I postponed twice already. But I will definitely work towards August exam. I also awaiting my results for Operations Management exam.

 

Secondly, I will be attending my final compulsory weekend class on Strategic Consulting in Practice this weekend. It starts 2 pm on Friday and ends on Sunday 5pm. So weekend is effectively BURN.

 

Thirdly, while most of my classmates have signed up for 2 electives already, some of us (definitely including Edgar) have not committed to any. What is an elective? A particular course which you can choose from a list of courses being run over a few centres such as KL, HK, Dubai, Scotland etc etc.

 

Lastly, another big requirement awaiting for me to fulfill is to write a thesis of twenty thousands words which I have not even thinking about at this point in time. This would be my project for 2012.

 

So till the next posting. You will see me posting here if I am bored this weekend.

 

Take care, my dear friends. 

Dear friends,

It's very cliche to say "It's almost the end of February! Time really flies".

But it is true. especially when I only procratinated a few times in updating my posting here. So without further delay, I sincerely wish you a Great Rabbity New Year ahead and really appreciate the support to my humble effort over these years.

For this posting, I wish to share two incidents over participation of an individual in a Group to do an assignment. Firstly, it is a story from my MBA class. In my last completed assignment, I was "accidentally" entered into a group I had not worked before. We managed to complete the task by due date after many streeful hours from myself. I decided to go back to my "old trusted" team mates where efficiency, effectiveness and familiarity in working style reign.

There was this chap who had wanted to force his way into our group but we said no. @##^@$@%^ were heard by many classmates and they wondered why. Well I couldn't work with him as he was too opionated and principled (essentially he thinks he is always correct and refused to budge). I GUESS he has reached the stage that no other groups are willing to take him too.

Second incident is about a student of mine. She sent me an email recently (ie. many days after the project was supposed to have had started) and told me that she has not joined a group. She is only one with this issue out of more than 50 students. I wish to use the incident to help her realised that she has to address her relationship with her classmates as this could happen in working world too. I want her to do a self reflection and learn from this minor setback.

Human interaction is not easy. IQ and EQ must be equally emphasised.

Dear friends,

The heavy workload of last quarter has finally taken its toll on me. I managed to clear 3 assignments efficiently and effectively though with the help of my team mates. Thus I will have 2 papers for examination in March 2011. Got to start reading the books soon!!

I just heard Suu Kyi has been released. Based on past experiences, she could go back to being "house arrested". For what she stands for, she has already paid with 20 years of her life and her lost time with her husband.

Good night.