once again, i'm not going home for the weekend since i have so much work to do. my main goal for this weekend is to read a case study on AIDS in africa and begin writing a paper on it which is due at the end of the week. i miss my family and our weekly sunday dinner, but i really need to focus on school at the moment.

the more i read the assigned case studies, the more i realize that i made the right choice by going back to school. in strategic mgmt, we read cases on large corporations and study their structure and strategy. it is really enlightening to see how these companies function. after working for a large multi-national company and experiencing firsthand the daily routine from the lowest levels of production to the highest level of executive strategy meetings and CEO dinners, i now have the opportunity to understand how it is done in other companies. the case studies offer us practical insight in management without having to read a boring textbook.

in our globalization and corporate responsibility class, the cases reaffirm my desire to get into the field of economic development. i've been in the corporate world and realized that the ultimate goal was to make money for the company. although my past professional experiences were very rich, i now know that the ultimate goal of my 40+ hours a week should be to make a difference in the world. i've been researching socially responsible companies and organizations to find an internship for next year and have come across a few that are really exceptional. the one that amazes me the most is Planet Finance. this NGO provides microloans to small businesses in developping countries. an example of a small business that would benefit from a microloan would be a woman in thailand who raises chickens and sells the eggs at a market. planet finance would grant her a loan for $80 which would help her rent a stand at the market for a year in order to increase her business. what an amazing concept!! why didn't i think of something like that?

anyway, i've said all of this simply to say that i'm very happy with my decision to go into econ development. it may not be an industry that pays a lot, but i will definitely be a richer person for doing it.

yesterday, i spent most of the day studying - can you believe it? it was pretty crazy and against my nature. i did, however, take a 1 hour break to watch "so you think you can dance?"... a much needed break without thinking about about corporate and social responsibility.

so i took the test this morning, and i think that stressing out so much yesterday has caught up with me. i just feel totally overwhelmed. i'm going to take a break and go to the pool today to clear my head a bit. balancing school work is hard enough, but balancing school and personal life is an extreme sport. i feel like i have so much to do that i can't even think about a social life, and when i do think about it, it gets really complicated.

guys honestly have no idea what goes on in a girls head. they are clueless to any clues girls exude. they can't see the gray area - it's either friendship or relationship - they think there is no in between. THERE IS! well, at least, there can be. the balance between school and personal life would be SO much easier if guys could understand that...

once again, i found myself in yellow stress last evening as my printer ran out of ink. not to worry, i walked to school to print out my 50 pages of reading. this actually turned out to be a good thing, since i ended up doing my reading at the library away from distractions. for those of you who know me, yes - i said "the library". i think it may have been my first trip to a library in.... at least 8 years. this library, however, is the same one i visited as an undergrad - and it hasn't changed a bit in 10 years. the change machine and copier are still in the same spot, there are still only 12 computers and the 60's decor is still the same, even down to the disgustingly questionable stains on the green and orange striped polyester loveseat... scary.

i ran into a friend who had the same idea of studying at the library, but i was reluctant to sit with him. afterall, my goal was to work - not socialize. he invited me to join him, so i quickly established the rules - no talking, just reading. to my surprise, it worked very well. it was better than being home alone with a myriad of distractions, plus i completed my work.

this morning i hit the "off" button instead of snooze, which means that i didn't get up until 7:12. however, since i prepared my lunch last nightand my bookbag, i was ok.

i have a quiz in social responsibility on thursday, and i have not read any of the chapters. i take that back, i started reading chapter one before school started, but then i gave up. so technically, i only have 4.5 chapters to read by thursday.... studying at the library worked well last night, maybe i'll try it tonight.

so it's monday...

i think my yellow stress/needs are becoming more obvious everyday. my DA professor seems to be very anti - structure. the syllabus is nonexistant, he doesn't explain what he does in class, and to top it all off, today's class was EXACTLY like last class - practically word-for-word!!! what is the point? granted, maybe he, too, had a rough weekend and wasn't ready to prepare new material to teach.... but he should've CANCELLED class!! (can you tell that this irks me?) it's pure inefficency....

other than that, today is my first day in my grad assistant position in the mktg department. i've met a few professors as well as the head of the department and, well, that's it.... i've been AIMing with my friend a few floors above me. thank god for modern technology.

it's the first day of the week and i already feel as though i need a massage. my shoulders are so tense... too much web surfing during DA maybe...

so it's monday...

 

a friend suggested making a blog as a novel way of recording daily events, so I'm going to give it a try.
as a break from studying, i spoke to my brother and my parents today for a long time. it was a great excuse not to read the assignment for my GSM class, but it was really cool to be able to talk to my family. i told my brother about things that are going on in school, the different people i've met and the interesting things i'm learning outside the classroom.

i did manage to finish my reading assignment before trivia night at Delaney's. the Pimpin' IMBA's totally rocked! following last week's debut performance of an honourable 35 points, we totally kicked butt this week with 52 points and a tie for second place! hopefully, next week i'll be able to say that the IMBA's dominated with a 1st place victory...

must get to bed now, not much sleep this weekend and i've got to get up early...