Research Project...

My last post was talking about whether doing an MBA was worth it. Well I am on the final part of the journey ... the dreaded research project. I actually put off the last section of my MBA for the reason that I was hesitate to commit to the time and effort required to do a research project. Well I am several weeks in and unlike my individual courses, I am struggling to complete the reading prior to getting stuck in and creating my Project Proposal. My efforts have certainly not been helped by the fact I was told by an academic teacher/tutor (multiple times) that they are more lax with due dates. I prefer the hard due dates as that is what gets me focused to get stuff done.

So while I plod along (I'm writing this blog rather than reading about how to search for secondary data to use in my research) dreaming of the day that I will finally have my MBA, I think about what the future will hold for me with this degree behind me. The fact is that my employer already provided the promotion that I was looking for with the completion of the degree, so where is the incentive? Where is the drive to finish? And why is it so hard to focus on reading a book about research methodology???

Research projects ... was this someone's idea of the ultimate punishment for those seeking higher education?

MBA ... is it worth it?

I have recently commenced further studies to advance my career. After much investigation and soul-searching, I decided to undertake a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) in Marketing Management at the Australian Institute of Business (AIB). My undergraduate degree certainly did not prepare me for the time requirements and commitment needed to complete a masters. The gap between also has not helped.

So far I have enjoyed the experience. The course is focused on “experience” rather than just theoretical learning, which is what attracted me to it in the first place. I can really apply what I am learning to past experiences, and use what I am learning to make smarter decisions.

To answer the question … is an MBA worth it? Only time will truly tell, but right now I see a bright future. Shrouded a bit by many more hours spent studying, writing assignments, and exams.

Fight for equality?

I was just reading through some old posts, blogs, emails and was again caught by a post by Sara Quin from Canadian duo Tegan and Sara . I love how in very few, but impactful, words she is able to convey her outrage at a world that seems to accept misogynistic and homophobic ranting in the entertainment industry. I am not a person who believes in fairy tales, so I truly believe that there will always be a fight for equality. I just continue to hope that there are always people like Sara Quin who is willing to voice their opinions! To read the blog click here.

To camp or not to camp?

I have never been a big fan of camping. I believe it stems from a couple of horrendous camping trips I took at the end of grade 11 and 12 with my mates from high school. We did not have a lot of money and as such we took the train out to Cleveland and jumped on the boat to Stradbroke Island. Then a bus to Amity Point or maybe it was Adders Rock. I mentioned that it was horrendous so I think I can be forgiven for not actually remembering the name of where we stayed. The first year I remember that it was sandy and unpleasant in the tent and we managed to leave our food on the train in the esky (cooler). So there was starvation to deal with as well as sand, mosquitoes and sand flies. But the following year truly explains why I did not go camping for another 18 years. There was a torrential downpour with cyclonic winds! We lost one tent (it blew away) and were forced to put four people in a two-man tent. But before the night was out, our one remaining tent sprung a leak and we rushed out into the dark night hoping for some sort of rescue. Thankfully the locals were accommodating and we managed to find refuge in a house further up the road. The next day we hiked back to the port and got on the first ferry we could. I just remember that camping was something that resulted in being miserable, hungry and wet. Earlier this year I finally broke and went camping again. Apparently adult camping is a little different. I really enjoyed the experience although I was not much help with putting up the tents (or taking them down either). I probably will never be much of a camper, but I do cook a mean steak! ;p

New Experiences; Old Injuries

Well it has been quite a while since I last wrote on this Blog. I have tried a few new things this year and the end result has been a focus on external components in my life as opposed to the internal focus which has dominated my life since early 2009. I have spent some time overseas this year and those times coincided with weddings strangely enough. I have also embarked on a new personal relationship which has some unique challenges as well. And lastly, I am trying to decide if my soccer career is at an end.

This year I tried to create an income off a couple of internet set up schemes. None of them panned out, but that might have been because my commitment to them was not exactly 100%. I have also started a new personal relationship - this is quite a new experience for me and one that I struggle with on a daily basis, but more on that later. I have moved on from my previous employment after spending almost four years with the same employer. Prior to this job I was lucky to last two years with any employment due to my requirement for change (this was often a change in physical location).

This year was also highlighted by weddings in foreign countries. I first travelled to Las Vegas for the wedding of a member of my Canadian Family. They are not blood relatives but when I lived in Canada they treated me as family so there was no way I was going to miss attending the wedding. Besides I had never been to Vegas before so was super excited to be going. I also decided that I was not just going to go to Vegas, but would take the time to explore California and Nevada. So I landed in Los Angeles (LA) and proceeded to travel north to San Francisco along the coast road (Pacific Coast Highway). It was beautiful and well worth the visit. The road trip also took me to Yosemite National Park, South Lake Tahoe, Mammoth Lakes and through Death Valley before arriving in Las Vegas for the wedding. I slipped in a side trip to Valley of Fire State Park which was absolutely remarkable. The red rock was so vivid with the blue desert sky. After the wedding I continued to head east into Arizona so that I could spend a bit of time visiting the Grand Canyon. I managed to photograph both the sunset and sunrise at two different points. Truly was an amazing experience. I also spent part of one day hiking down the South Kaibab Trail. I returned to Las Vegas for my friend’s birthday before heading on to San Diego and back to LA. A great trip although one that was affected by a newly developing personal relationship (but again more on that later).

Next on the agenda was a trip to Fiji for my brother’s wedding. We went to a fabulous resort called Shangri La. I had an absolutely lovely time and wish that I had gone for longer. The only moment of panic was finding out an hour before the reception that I had to step into the role of MC (Mistress of Ceremonies) because my sister, who was to perform these duties, had fallen ill. I managed the task thanks to a few wines and a couple of glasses of Bacardi and coke! :D

After almost five years in singlehood which proceeded my last tragic long term relationship, this year has seen me embark on a new one. I decided on complete honesty this time around, to the point of perhaps brutal truth, to ensure that there were no surprises later on. So far this appears to be working well for me. Being the kind of person that likes to know everything about everything, it is always disconcerting when other people enter the equation and the equation no longer appears to work. ;p But I think this time around I have found a far more suitable companion who is able to deal exceptionally well with my eccentricities and baggage. I am only hoping that I too find a way to cope with all the baggage (and I do not mean this in a negative way at all) that my partner brings into the relationship. I am very pleased with how things have proceeded to date and am looking forward to a very bright future indeed.

Another season of outdoor soccer has come to a close – we were defeated in the semi-final on penalties – and I am again thinking about hanging up the boots. My knee has again plagued me this season although it is hard to say if things are getting worse or staying consistent - as in consistently bad. I will no doubt put off the decision until next January/February when preseason starts up. In the meantime, I will start training for triathlons again and will hopefully manage more than last year (mostly due to injury). At this point I would be happy to finish at least four races in the upcoming season.

Poll: People's Choice: Which novel should have won Canada Reads 2011?

Click on the following link and have your say! Poll: People's Choice: Which novel should have won Canada Reads 2011?

I must admit that I love the fact the fact that Essex County by Jeff Lemire is polling first and by some margin at this stage. The wonderful defence by Sara Quin, from Tegan and Sara (www.teganandsara.com), plus the awesome comments on the final Q&A by Jian Ghomeshi have really gotten this novel "air time". Let's hope that all those votes turn into sales and this really kick starts the genre to being more widely accepted as novels.  The public seems keen!

Of course this poll may just be the result of members of an over eager board (www.saraandtegan.com) supporting Sara Quin, but somehow this blogger does not think so.  Far too many comments and responses seem to have been voiced concerning the novel Essex County and the fact that it truly is an exceptional read means that I would love other people to appreciate the beauty.

I lived in Canada for three years, and this novel is essentially the novel of Canadians as far as I am concerned.

And the winner is ...

I will no doubt blog about this in more detail and more eloquently once I have had some sleep - it is 3am at the moment - but I wanted to get it out there while it was still fresh in my mind.  An event like Canada Reads (http://www.cbc.ca/books/canadareads/) is an awesome idea and should be promoted around the world.

Australia has appalling literacy levels, yet we also have a number of exceptional novelists. Why are we not promoting them? Well this is me promoting them by asking you to check out this link to AbeBooks (http://www.abebooks.com/docs/Community/Featured/australian-authors.shtml) which details a list of the top twenty Australian authors plus a quick review of the work of five authors that have really capture the attention of the public.  I may not totally agree with the entire list but there are a number of authors that I love on that list!  Of course, like Canada, we have adopted a few authors that may not have been born in Australia but call it home (like J.M. Coetzee).  I love his books and would recommend them to anyone to pick up and read! In fact I actively do this at work and have converted a number of casual readers to his novels.

Well time for bed ... after three nights waking up in the middle of the night to watch a debate about books and reading, I am in desperate need of sleep for work tomorrow! But no doubt I will blog more about reading, literacy, novels, and authors in the weeks to come.  I will certainly be contacting the ABC and promoting the idea that they do something similar to Canada Reads (because if they do already, it is not very well promoted to the public)!