Category Archives: Living in Cambridge

missing the group dynamic

Posted on August 9, 2008 by | Leave a comment

I am sitting on my bed, deep in paper and printed off excel sheets, trying to figure out a sensible sentence for my final paper. It is torturous for a number of reasons.

The first is that it is the last, final thing and it is hard to find the motivation to keep going. It is also really sad to think that it is actually the last thing.

Although fortunately the weather has conspired today to give me grey skies and rain. So at least I did not really want to venture out into the great outdoors today.

However, the other thing is I miss working in groups – I miss the tension, the creativity and the sharing of the problem, laughing.

It is really boring working by yourself…..

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The GMAT ghost

Posted on August 6, 2008 by | 3 Comments

For those that are not in the know the GMAT is a truly horrific standardised exam that you need to do to get into an MBA of any note. You need to complete a multichoice question about every 20-30 seconds, and as you get them correct they become more complex..yuck! And obviously if you get them wrong they become easier… so the perfect outcome is that you come out completely, mentally knackered! It is possible to study to get better at the questions……Excellent news I know…. what a joy!

I sat the rotten thing in August 2006..I did okay but not in the super 700′s… it was ages ago… since then I have completed finance and accounting, cost accounting and before that I did a steady stream of chemistry, physics and biomechanics in my various undergraduate degrees. It is also known that women do worse on the GMAT than men, but that their score does not predict their position or performance in the MBA. I can do number relationships, I can use a calculator and I am better now with spreadsheets, none of which are measured on the GMAT. It is all about strategic guessing.

So why am I still haunted by my GMAT score? Why do people chose this one measure to decide whether I can play around with numbers or not and whether I can do the job at hand?

Curious how 3 digits can be so influential.

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Frolicing in the French Sunshine

Posted on August 5, 2008 by | 1 Comment

I am sitting back at my desk – clearly procrastinating, listening to the rain, and watching it fall from the sky.

Who would have thought that a short hop away is the sunshine in France?

But it is very sunny, lovely and hot in France – or at least in the Ardeche region where I had the pleasure of spending the last few days with friends from the MBA. We climbed the hill pictured, it was pretty heavy going, rather steep and a little bit slidey in parts Although this was about as action as we got…. it was the only semblance of exercise we did if you don’t count lounging in a lake, carrying picnic baskets or repeatedly lifting your hand to your mouth and then clearly chewing. This final one maybe could be considered an exercise just based on the high repetition?

I also had the chance to have a crack at my newly improved French…. hmmm…. not so sure it is that much improved… although I can now ask for the toilet in a full sentence!

It was a lovely break from the current project/IP/Thesis which is proving to be rather tough going!

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Slow release

Posted on July 27, 2008 by | Leave a comment

This weekend we have had more going aways, see you later’s and good byes. Fortunately the weather has been hot-hot-hot so it has all been out door – so lovely.

However, it is all starting to feel weird and I guess it had to happen sooner or later.

I feel like a balloon slowly loosing its air….It’s as if this year my balloon was always being filled with busyness, people and things – lots of external stimuli. And as we edge into summer and I type another word of my thesis a little bit of air also escapes.

I guess that is a flowery way of saying I don’t really want to go back to the real world. Actually that is not true I am quite looking forward to stepping back into work (in what ever guise it appears in, in the next few months).

However, there is absolutely no way I am going back until I have a mighty sleep!

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coffee blobs the perfect addition to a white skirt

Posted on July 25, 2008 by | Leave a comment

I have one friend who I remember meeting for the first time.

She was this vision in white – white shirt, white shorts – well it was the 80′s! And to this day I remain completly in awe of her ability to carry off this vision in white.

I have one white skirt that I love – and today the sun is out – so why not stick it on – right?

Within 1/2 an hour I have managed to add blobs of brown – just a little bit of slightly, milky, coffee down it! Excellent!

Back to denim……. the completely indestructible!

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Illegal immigrant sting in Cambridge!

Posted on July 25, 2008 by | Leave a comment

Great headline huh! And in fact it appears to be all true. Dojo, the haunt of many cash strapped MBAs, the place that guarantees you some yummy asian soup has been busted with quite a few Chinese without the right to remain in the UK. Whoops!

This is clearly a disaster for the people of Dojo and some others who are likely to be heading back to their home country. However, it is also going to be a problem for next years students if this handy little place does not reopen!

Actually, it is quite amazing the stuff you can learn over your breakfast. The local paper is amazing and paints quite a scandalous city, full of danger at every turn. There are drugs hauls in Pubs, burglaries and old age pensioners who can not take a bath because of some failing or other of the council.

Just one intrigue after another in this little town!

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Bowels of the Tate

Posted on July 24, 2008 by | Leave a comment

Sounds rather grim doesn’t it – but it was actually quite interesting.

I am a member of the Tate, which even now I am in Cambridge I quite like going along to.

And as part of their member management – I guess – they offered to show us into the yet to be converted parts of the old power station. They are planning a new whizzy version and are going to use the now disused oil containers as gallery spaces.

It was rather exciting to don the old hard hat and reflector jacket and venture into the spaces. All dusty, smelly and echoey as they are.

Anyway, I am not sure that I will be here in 2012 when the new gallery opens but it was fairly cool have a look before they become beautiful!

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A cuppa with the Queen

Posted on July 24, 2008 by | 3 Comments

As I strolled through the front gates of Buckingham Palace with a hat perched on my head, newly purchased from John Lewis just for the occasion. It did occur to me quite how bizarre this afternoon was likely to be. Fancy going along to the Palace for a tea party with the Queen, Duke, Charles and Camilla! I mean really how odd!

As much I would like to claim a tete-a-tete I was in fact there with a couple of 1000 other people. However, they were honestly the most well behaved crowd of people I have ever been with. And goodness do those royals earn that cup of tea in the end. The Queen especially, looks completely and absolutely engrossed in each of the numerous conversations that she has with people. Camilla makes Charlie look a little bit old and the Duke appeared to be a touch on the cranky side. But who can complain when they are all but a few meters from you!

The tea, sandwiches and little cakes were just yummy and you do feel very privileged to be wandering about the grounds of Buckingham Palace for a couple of hours in the sunshine. Particularly when you realise that many of the people there had done something clever to get the invitation – unlike me who just filled in a form and had a few friends purger themselves in letters of recommendation!

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Pretty toes

Posted on July 21, 2008 by | 1 Comment

I have such pretty, pretty, oh so smooth feet tonight after a little splurge on a pedicure. Happiness can be found at the bottom of a nail polish pot – who would have thought.

Fortunately, it has coincided with a spot of sunshine so flip flops here I come!

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WALL-E

Posted on July 20, 2008 by | Leave a comment

Well he is pretty cute – in that kind-of-ET like way. Big eyes compared to his head…..WALL-E is the latest Pixar creation and stars in his own film – not bad for a previously unknown robot some would say!

However really it is a chick-flick in disguise…. Robot falls in love with another Robot – who takes a while to get on board with the love thing – there is a daring battle to save human kind from some crazy Robots using a plant, a near death experience and well…. it is not to hard to figure out how it all ends. There is also some pretty interesting commentary on the future climate, recycling and CSR stuff – but maybe I am reading too much into what is actually a rather lovely film!

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