Corporate Social Responsibility

Hi all,
One of my classes, Government and Business (G-Biz) brings up some pretty interesting topics that are going on in the world. Soon, we're going to be having a class debate about Canada's Bill C-300, which I'd like to share with you all:


Bill C-300 was introduced by Liberal MP John McKay on Feb 9, 2009. It implements some recommendations from the March 2007 Final Report of the Corporate Social Responsibility Roundtables (Google it for more info!). The issue at hand is many Canadian mining companies have operations overseas, specifically in China. Now, as many will guess, some of these countries do not have as rigorous laws as ours regarding corporate social responsibility. These include unethical hiring practices, air and water pollution, etc etc.

Bill C-300 would regulate the relationship between Canadian government agencies (Export Development Canada, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, and the Canadian Pension Plan) and Canadian extractive companies (Mining, Oil, and Gas Corporations in Developing Countries). The bill would also create a formal complaint mechanism, inducting the appropriate legislature to investigate the impugned company.

The big mining companies in Canada, including Kinross Gold, HudBay Minerals, Gold Corp, Barrick Gold have lashed back out at this bill. There is also substantial opposition stating that such a bill would drive these mining companies, one of Canada's key economic drivers, to other companies. As it currently stands, the majority of their materials come from outside of Canada since this country actually has a very small amount of reserves.

Thoughts and opinions?

Full article here: http://www.miningwatch.ca/bill-c-300-corporate-accountability-activities-mining-oil-or-gas-corporations-developing-countries

Gotta love first week of school =)

Wooooo!!
You know school has really kicked in when you out again hitting up all the first-year/first-week parties around campus! This is truly one of the best things about being a student. What's our motto? We work hard and party harder!

Rumour has it that some schools have completely banned alcohol on dorms. This was a decision stemmed from some guy at Queen's Uni who drank himself to death at one of these parties, and he was in a basement all alone, passed out cold with no one there to help him.

Honestly? My view is that with the more oppression the administrations try to take upon us (ie forbid us from drinking in dorms), we're just shovelling more dirt on the issue because students can and will find a place to get drunk on a Saturday night. If they have to venture to the deepest part of the forests or basements to do it, they'll do it!!

So to all the post-secondary schools across Canada, stop forcing us to have to retreat and drink in such isolated places. At least when we're in the dorms and someone passes out in the living room, there are tons other people to help him out and call the ambulance he needs!

Research in Motion

Hey guys!
Was reading the financial press today and found out that Research in Motion, the maker of Blackberry (NASDAQ:RIMM, TSE:RIM) is down 20% overnight on horrendous quarterly report figures.

See the article here!
http://www.bnet.com/blog/technology-business/rim-earnings-sales-margins-income-8212-you-name-it-it-fell/12874

This is just an inkling, as I honestly don't have that much experience in trading stocks or technology stocks or even blackberries, but... I think this is oversold and will bounce back up tomorrow at market open! We shall see...

Stare Decisis

Hey guys,
In court class right now, Commercial Law. And we're learning about Common Law, specifically Stare Decisis (I love my latin terms...)

A bit of background: The whole idea of Stare Decisis, or the Theory of Precedent, is that the jduge MUST look to past cases with similar/identical facts from a higher/equal court level in deciding the case. In other words, "let the former decision stand".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_law

My thought to you guys is this: Does this ingrain certain traditions or customs in society, that unnecessarily get transferred down with each iteration of the law? As life and society progresses and evolves, so do our values... and so should the laws that govern our lives. What's acceptable eons ago may not be looked upon in the same manner as today...

Of course, that's not to say that there is no "readjustment" in this regard, or deviation from precedent law. Good example: "In 1896 the US Supreme Court ruled that segregated public facilities was constitutional as long as they were equal. In 1956, the Supreme Court ruled that separate but equal facilities were inherently unequal and therefore unconstitutional. In 1956, if the Supreme Court had blindly followed the principle of stare decisis, it would have ruled that segregation was permissible."


But as you can imagine, the prevalent tendency is to lean toward a former, slightly outdated ruling.
Thoughts?

First Week of School

So last week was my first week of school, and I can't say I'm more relieved. Usually summers make me just insanely bored... So by the time September rolls around, I'm dying to crack the books. This year, despite all my travels and fun, was no different!

The feeling of stepping back into that Sauder School of Business building and seeing all these people I recognize is simply amazing. It's like seeing long-lost family when I can't walk 2 steps down the hall without calling out for someone's name or someone calling me out, then standing there and catching up with them for a good 2 minutes. It's almost customary. And this ritual usually lasts for a good 2 more weeks before I finally get a chance to see everyone again and say hi.

My classes this year are incredibly well set up, if I do say so myself ^^. I've got Tuesdays and Thursdays off, with classes Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. This basically allows me to save about 4 hours' of transportation time per week, and grants me well-needed time to study or read between the days to prepare for the next class.

Courses I totally loathe: GBiz and Comm Law. Boy I just... blegh. I can see how they would be useful later on, but seriously it's so bland that I want to throw up. The textbook and readers are just blocks of text filled with unheard-of terminology, or in the case of GBiz, economic nonsense. By that I mean things that would look brilliantly logical on paper or in theory, but has very little application in the real world. That's usually what Econ tends to be...

Back from Alaska!

Hey guys!
I'll bet everyone is wondering where I've been for the last few weeks. I was on a cruise ship visiting beautiful Alaska with my family. It was a 7-day cruise through the inside passage, on Holland America's Volendam ship.

While the rooms and the facilities on this ship were a bit dated, what it lacked in that field it more than made up for with the food. They really outdid themselves! Between the Lido buffet, Canaletto Italian restaurant, Terrace Grill barbeque, Pinnacle Grill restaurant, and Rotterdam fine dining, the place was heaven. Even the buffet, which are usually notorious for poor quality food unfortunately, was top notch. From paté to roast beef, it was absolutely scrumptious and the selection was just impeccable.

And of course, beautiful, beautiful Alaska...

That was the Mendenhall Glacier that we saw in Juneau. Isn't that just freaking gorgeous? We were literally a stone's throw away from it, snapping up all the pictures my poor SD card could muster. All three ports of call, Junean, Ketchikan, Skagway, were tiny... One could easily comb through downtown in half an hour. Guess I'm used to my big city Vancouver downtown with its massive web of streets...

Of all the places, I think Skagway had the best story behind it. Skagway is the ghost town remnants of the 1896 Klondike Gold Rush. It was "run" by notorious Soapy Smith and his gang of conmen, thieves, murderers and marauders.



Next post: My first week of school =)

To the victims of Hurricane Irene...

Anyone else been keeping tab on Hurricane Irene? So glad it's slowly unwinding now... It's left millions of families and businesses powerless, along with billions of dollars in damages. The New York stock exchange almost didn't open today because of the weather, flood, and the carnage on the street. Luckily, it was just clear enough to start everything up as usual and continue operations.

And even more luckily, the damage was much less than previously estimated. My thoughts are with the peoples, families, and businesses who have been affected by this massive tormentor...

Bank of America

I'm not a very close follower of the stock markets, but wow, Bank of America stock is up almost 11% this morning! This is huge news because yesterday, the damn thing looked ready to bankrupt - that's how poor investor outlook was on the U.S. economy.

I think at some point yesterday, BAC stock was trading at less than its cash on hand. That basically means that for every $1 of stock you bought, you were holding a company with more than $1 in cash. That doesn't even include any of its buildings, and its receivables, or its businesses... All of which would increase its intrinsic value!

Anyway, this morning we're seeing a lot higher investor confidence, with the VIX index of volatility down 4%. Everything is looking at the strong Durable Goods order report for July and home prices - both better than expected. We're also seeing a lot of positive hope for the Federal Reserve speech on Friday.

Group is poised for collapse

Hey guys,
Here's a mindblowing article I read about Groupon.

http://techcrunch.com/2011/06/13/why-groupon-is-poised-for-collapse/

Essentially, Agrawal argues that Groupon operates as a loanshark, preying on other small businesses to stay afloat. They offer an enticing upfront cash payment (the principal) in exchange for large portions of the revenues (interest payments), while the company is forced to practically give away its goods (repayment).

Don't get me wrong, as a consumer I think Groupon is brilliant - who doesn't want 50 - 90% discount on meals, entertainment, goods, and services? And on the surface, it seems wonderful because it drives customers to spend more, yields clients to small businesses, etc etc etc. Unfortunately, all of that comes at the expense of the business.

Nevertheless, there have been some places that I have made repeat purchases thanks to an introduction from Groupon. Qoola, the frozen yogurt favourite in Vancouver, immediately comes to mind. I have gone back multiple times for their regular priced product simply because it tastes delicious, and is healthier than ice cream or gelato. Granted, it does take an outstanding business to benefit from Groupon. My argument would be that not every rundown shop can post a Groupon and expect an overnight turnaround. Customers aren't going to return if the food is bad, or the perceived price-value relationship is not enough. But for the companies that are suitable for this type of marketing, then Groupon can be a major boost to traffic.

Couponing

Hey all, been away for a bit and just enjoying my summer...
Took a 3-week trip to Ottawa to visit family, and the weather is beautiful over there! Unfortunately I don't have any pictures to show you guys. But it's so much nicer than cold, cold Vancouver =(.

And I broke my favourite Ray-Bans! Those things cost me like $150, and they were new too... Damn. Guess it's time to shop for a new pair.

Anyway, updates are in order!
Recently I saw an episode of Extreme Couponing on TLC and my mind was freaking blasted. Just.. blown away. Wow. Some woman walks out with $600 worth of stuff... And she walks out with $40 of store credit in hand (yes, she got PAID to take merchandise basically). In my mind, that begs two questions...

1) What kind of store would allow that? I guess you can say that the store actually doesn't mind, because they can and will redeem all of those coupons with the manufacturer for money. At least, that's how the manager explained it - he even seemed pleased with this one avid shopper. But seriously though, she took up like an hour of the cashier's time just scanning the damn coupons. Everyone around was crowding to watch the spectacle.

2) Who the hell needs that much stuff? I caught a glimpse of her grocery bill and shopping cart... For instance, she has enough men's deordorant to last at least 4 years by my estimate and daily usage. She could feed a family of 7 for a year, solely on Pringles. And what does she do with this stuff? She stockpiles it in her goddamn basement. That's just incredible, even built racks and stuff to display her prized "trophies". I mean seriously, why not donate them to the food bank or something, to people who actually need this stuff? Instead you're going to hoard it all and let it go to waste? Just utterly incroyable.

Anyway, I would love to take up on the sport (who wouldn't want to get paid cash to get groceries?). But these people are basically full-time employed when it comes to finding coupons. That's simply the type of commitment that I can't make, and not just because I'm a student... Because I have a life. And for those kind of hours, even at minimum wage I'm sure I could pull in that kind of money working a decent job.

Alas, Canada's couponing scene is not anything like that of the US. For one thing, noone here duplicates your coupons (i.e. some US retailers will double an outsider's coupon). Another thing, is many stores don't allow you to use multiple coupons on one item. And lastly, many stores will STRAIGHT UP deny "coupon stackers" as we call them here (the except to this, I believe, is London Drugs).

Go figure.

Body Pump + P90X

Hi blogger!

To get you guys up to speed with my week, I've started a memership at Goodlife Gym to really get a boost in my workout routine. I've been doing their Body Pump classes which are hella fun =).

Basically, Body Pump is a weightlifting class that helps tone your muscles. It does all of the major weightlifting movements, like Squat, Bench, Rows, Dead, Bicep, Triceps... But it focuses on tons of reps (maybe hundreds) using light weights. The great thing is that there is a trainer leading the class, who not only corrects your form but really encourages you to keep giong and keep pushing yourself. We do each set to a music track, and we don't stop unless there's a pause/slowdown in the song (for a break), or until the song stops. So that's 5 minutes of nothing but pumping those weights, then switch tracks to target a different muscle group. And on and on for the whole hour!

Lastly, I started doing this, the P90X Ab Ripper X:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1464945638519938565

I know, I know... it's pretty intense isn't it? I want to have abs like the girls in that video! And I love how there are other vids there of people showing their results from the P90X sets... And I must say, some are quite impressive!
I'm doing the Body Combat class sometime this weekend, so i'll let you guys know how that goes...

Cultus Lake

Hey guys!
I can't quite sleep right now because I'm very excited for tomorrow - I'm going on a daytrip to Cultus Lake in BC, near Abbotsford. It's about an hour and a half drive from here. There's a huge waterpark there with tons of pants-shitting slides and rides!

And of course, I'll finally get my chance to do some tanning while I'm there. The weather has been so gloomy all this summer that I've pale as a vampire now. I just hope it's sunny tomorrow; pray for me guys! Seriously, every other city in Canada is having a massive heat wave. At the very least, they're seeing sun in the summer like they're supposed to!

Come on Mister Sun!

Katy Perry in Vancouver!

Hi all, still alive and kicking!

So Katy Perry was in town two nights ago, and fans FLOCKED to Rogers Arena to see her. I've been trying to call into the Beat (our local radio station) to win free tickets to the concert. Haha, not that I'm particularly fond of Katy Perry, but I do like a few of her songs. Not enough to make me want to buy the tickets outright... (Okay okay I'll say it, I'm just cheap. That's the student life for you!).


Here's a video of her in concert:

Funnily enough, I happen to know that Katy Perry doesn't have the strongest live singing voice. She sounds manly when she sings live. Not to belittle her talent or anything - she's still an amazing singer. It's not easy to hit those high notes! You'd have to find some of her older Live concert videos to hear what I'm talking about. No doubt she has come a long way since then, and has improved a lot!

Just thought it'd be neat to mention!

Diet and weight training update

Hello boys and girls,
Thought I'd give you guys an update on my new fitness regimen. This week I'm still 120 pounds, same as last week when I started out.... I've been keeping very consistent in my calorie counting, and it actually looks like I've been negative calories for most of my days! I'm still not seeing results though =(.

Some major changes this week that I've made include:
1) Oatmeal for breakfast
2) Salad for lunch
3) Fruits, veggies, and nuts for snack (e.g. celery, carrots, grapefruit, almonds...)
4) Low carb and low fat diet
5) Visit the gym every day to do treadmill  (10 minutes) and weight training (30 minutes)
6) Eat 5 small meals a day

Frankly, I'm completely fine with the meal plan... I've been eating like a rabbit the whole week, and I honestly don't mind having raw lettuce daily (not even salad dressing!). Usually my protein comes from chicken/turkey breast on my salad. Sometimes I treat myself with a cucumber or tomato in it.

Desserts and junk food are *almost* out of the equation, but I've already made significant cuts to those as it is! Yes, yes, once or twice I gave in to the craving... But how's a girl supposed to live otherwise? Really though, I think the most difficult part of my regimen is the gym visits. Having only recently gotten off my fat ass, I'm not in the groove of running for extended periods...

Oh well, there's always next week though!

Harry Potter

Ahhhh it's Harry Potter mania!

I can hear the collective groan from all of you guys around the world... but I love the series! I can't believe it's ending though =(.

At around 4pm yesterday I walked into Oakridge, and people were already lined up for the midnight viewing. Not to buy tickets mind you, all of the tickets were pre-purchaesd; they were lining up to get a seat in the theatre. Isn't that just incredible? Like I mean, I'm a fan and all, but... an 8 hour wait? I think I'll watch it next week...

But yeah, apparently this movie was already at $25 million in sales (domestic alone... overseas is another $44 million) before it premiered. That makes it possibly one of the biggest midnight-grossers, beating out Twilight: Eclipse. In fact, I bet it already outranked some movies' total gross before it has even been released!

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/box-office-report-midnight-shows-211346

It's well on it's way to besting the $158 million in weekend openings held by the Dark Knight. Speaking of which, I can't wait for Dark Knight Rises!

I still remember when she was yeigh tall...

Mumbai bombing - 20 dead

Hi everyone,
Sorry I didn't have a chance to post last night, came home pretty late from a day trip and I was completely pooped from driving...

I just saw the news about (another) bombing in Mumbai:
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Mumbai+rocked+three+explosions+least+feared+dead/5095880/story.html

"It is another attack on the heart of India, another attack on Mumbai," said the chief minister of the state, Prithviraj Chavan, who hinted at possible foreign involvement by saying it was a "challenge to Indian sovereignty."

The Home Ministry said at least 20 people had been killed and 113 injured, many of them seriously.

Home Minister P. Chidambaram told reporters in New Delhi that it was "a coordinated attack by terrorists," adding that "the entire city of Mumbai has been put on high alert."

No group claimed responsibility for the attack, though suspicions initially fell on two Islamist groups that have targeted India in the past: the home-grown Indian Mujahideen and the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

3 bombs were set off within 15 minutes of each other at a middle class residential area, a wholesale gold market, and a building housing diamond traders and jewellery shops.

I can remember several bombings in India of recent history, including 2006 attack on suburban trains in Mumbai, the 2008 shooting and bombing attacks across Mumbai, the 2010 restaurant bombing in Pune, and now this.

It is just insane to hear of all these terrors and people dying, when we often take our security so deeply for granted. My heart is with the families of the victims. Godbless.

Strippers protest liquor law in Regina, Sask

Quick update:

Saw this photo on the Vancouver Sun today:

From here http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Strippers+protest+Saskatchewan+liquor+downtown+Regina/5085504/story.html?cid=hot_photo

The story is that strippers were in a downtown Regina mall getting signatures for a petition to legalize stripping where alcohol is served. Now, as interesting as that story is, I wasn't too intrigued by it... But I saw the photo and couldn't stop laughing!

What I saw was this old, fat guy sitting around at the mall, when these smoking hot strippers come up to them asking for signatures... And he can't stop staring at her body! I don't even know why it was so funny to me, it isn't that funny really... I don't know, but men are such pigs =P.

Asking a Stranger for a Favour

Hello Blogasa,

So recently I came across this article that deals with How to Ask a Near Stranger for a Favour. It's really neat and definitely very useful in the business world. I thought I'd share with you all:
http://blogs.hbr.org/silverman/2009/08/how-to-ask-a-near-stranger-for.html

Now, there's definitely a good, an okay, and a bad way to ask someone for a favour (e.g. go out for coffee with you, introduce you to someone, do something for you, etc etc). The author here definitely brings some of those points to attention. Granted, I don't agree with all of his points - not everyone is looking for personal gain, for example - so do take some of these with a grain of salt.

Also check out some of the comments under the post, readers write back in and discuss the tips he writes about. They've definitely brought up most of the criticisms I had of the letter he wrote.

Now I turn the question to you guys: Which of the changes do you agree/disagree with? How would you write such a letter?

Royal Bullshit!

Hey everyone,
Lately I've been getting pretty fed up of hearing the same thing over and over again - about the Royal Couple. A glance at the Vancouver Sun headlines tonight shows literally 80% of the links having something to do with Kate or Will:
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/index.html

Royal couple honeymoon, royal couple in Calgary stampede, royal couple in Hollywood, royal couple having sex in the back of a Canadian Air Force military jet... I'm sick and tired of it! Jesus, let this royal couple just be.

"Will and Kate star in polo match!" "Will and Kate in Los Angeles!" "Will and Kate vow to return to Canada!" Seriously, is our society today so devoid of newsworthy occurrences that we have to devote headline after headline to these absolutely platitudinous people?? Aren't there deaths by the thousands from an ongoing war in the Mid-East that could use this coverage?!

What good has this couple ever shown us beside an ostentatious display of self-pampering, unproductive vacationing, and superficial wealth? Granted, I do think Kate is extremely pretty, and the ornate attire she adorns is nothing short of astounding. Will, well... he's old and balding. But is this what we value nowadays? We fawn over the colour and style of her wedding dress, the height and make of her heels, and the freaking band and cup of her bra.

Meanwhile, on the split-second news headline stream, US is deferring millions in Pakistani Military Aid, South Sudan earns its independence, massive oil spill cover-up and scandal in China, Japan braces another earthquake... Bah, but who's counting right?

And so, my question is this:
What good has ever come of the Royal Couple?

Go ahead guys, prove me wrong.

Celebrate Vancouver 125

Hey guys!
Just got home from the Vancouver 125 festival, a celebration of Vancouver's 125th anniversary. It's a neat gathering with tons of stuff to see and do, lasting only July 8, 9, and 10. I recommend you guys to check it out if you're in the area or visiting. It's in Stanley Park, but you best take either the free shuttle service that runs from Waterfront Station, or the #19 Stanley Park bus. So it's in a quiet, remote place but is very handily accessible.

You can check out the event schedule here:
http://www.celebratevancouver125.ca/2011/06/summer-live-in-stanley-park-event-schedule/

There's a bunch of onsite activities to do during the day, and by the sounds of it they're pretty fun (I didn't go during the day so I wouldn't know). Starting around 5:00pm, different bands start to play at the two outdoor stages. Tonight's performances I saw included Mother Mother (admittedly, don't know them that much) and Kyprios. If you stay that late though, remember to bring a blanket or lawn chairs to sit on, and perhaps a jacket/blanket to cozy up in - it gets pretty cold around 8:00pm!

There's only two days left of the festival, and I'll be there tomorrow afternoon so see ya all there!

2¢ Gas Tax

Hey all,
So today I read an article in the paper that really worked me up! You can read it here:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2011/07/06/bc-translink-gas-tax.html

Basically, the idiots who run this city think that it'd be such a great idea to tack on another 2 cents to pay for the Evergreen subway line from Coquitlam to Burnaby. I suppose the thinking was, "Hey since Vancouverites are already paying more for gas than any other city in North America... 2¢ won't make a difference!"

That's on top of the 15¢ that has already been priced in by TransLink. For the record, our prices are at about $1.30 per litre (about $4.90 per gallon). Yes, I can already hear you guys thinking, what the fuck?!

Alongside the HST, the bike lanes, and the fleet of other stupid decisions this government has made... I suppose it's not that outrageous is it? Thoughts are welcome!

Calorie Counter

Quick update before I go sleep:
I've decided to keep track of my diet through the Calorie Counter from About.com. Just a quick overview of its functions, they have a comprehensive list of food items, albeit a bit lacking in restaurant menu items. If that does not suffice, you can always add in your custom food and its nutritional data according to the box.

Next, the site will fully calculate for you the approximate amount of calories or nutrients you need to achieve your goal (weight loss, gain, or maintenance). There are many other inputs as well, which is what makes this program so flexible. Under the settings area, you really get to define your current conditions and your goals to fit your own regimen. For example, it will incorporate your height/weight/age (standard), nightly sleep, starting and goal weight, target calories, body time, activity level.

On the point of activity level, it will also allow you to add different types of activity you do: Running, 6.0MPH, 35 minutes, for instance. All that will factor into your activity log, will calculates the number of calories you've burnt while also adding in the maintenance calories burnt as a function of time. Id est, by 1:00pm in the afternoon your burnt calories bar will be halfway, but by 9:00pm it'll be almost filled to indicate the amount of burning you did. This is what allows you to figure out whether you have a net calorie loss or gain!

Anyway, I recommend all of you check it out because it's so neat. Even if you're not on a diet or counting calories (which, as a side note, is extremely cumbersome!).

Back Online!

Hey guys,
After a month-and-a-half hiatus, I am finally back online! So sorry to all my dear readers for leaving you guys hanging. It got very hectic around here and I had a bunch of stuff I needed to take care of, so I thought I'd take part of the summer off to get it out of the way. Now that I'm back, an update is in order!

Deloitte Internship


This one was a ton of hard work, but I don't regret it one bit. Man, they really showed me the ropes at Deloitte, and I couldn't have asked for a better time. Everyone there at the office was incredibly welcoming and extremely willing to spend time with the interns. Over the 2 months I've gotten quite an eye opener on this field!

In all practicality though, I think this is a great career to be in - very laid back working environment, with a healthy dose of stress to keep me moving forward. I know a lot of people can't hear the word accounting with grimacing, but seriously? There is very little math involved! Most of the calculation is done by computer nowadays, so there might be a bit of data entry but that's about it for number crunching. Most of it is problem solving: How to work this out, What are the tax rules regarding that, How should we classify that on the books, What other ways can we book it more efficiently...

Anywho, not sure if there are many of you out there that are interested in this field, but if you are... Good on ya! I strongly suggest it.

Diet


That dreaded 4 letter word...

So recently I've put myself on a diet. Under all the stress lately I think I've been munching down a lot more and eating convenience [less healthy] foods. Therefore, I think I need to slim down again so I can fit my tights! But let's get it out there people, I'm not the best at dieting, and damn y'all should see my snack cupboard. Or more like snack storage silo. Seriously I could house a family of 6 in my snack cupboard - food and board.

And to get to the point, I was hoping someone could recommend me a good Protein Powder for women? I never thought I'd be taking this stuff, but I have heard that they help with the weight loss... I plan on eating 5-6 small meals a day and replacing a few of them with protein shakes. Also, it'd be great if someone could build me a meal plan...!

Thanks, love you guys and it's great to be back. Keep checking for more updates!

Personal Finance - Part I

Hey guys,
So recently I've been taking a seminar on personal finances and it's really interesting. I thought I'd share it with you guys because this is something everybody needs to know. And not just students either! There are a bunch of different tips one can use to master one's own personal finance, and I present to you Part 1 of the Personal Finance series, right here on AlphaBetaLife.

The Personal Finance Series
Part I: Take Inventory.

The first thing you need to know in order to [re]gain control of your personal finances is to understand where you stand. This can be seen as from the accounting perspective of assets and liabilities. In layman's terms, assets are everything that you own and liabilities are all your debts.

Create a simple balance sheet for yourself, much like a company does every couple months. Write down "Assets" as the heading and hammer out everything that you own on that one sheet. Have a chequing account at the Royal Bank? Then enter a line "Cash - $XXX". Own a house? "Property - $XXX". Got a GIC or buy stocks in your spare time? "Short-term Investments - $XXX". Sum this all up; this is your Total Assets.

Next, sum up all of your liabilities. So put that as a new header under your list of assets, and figure out everything you owe. Owe your friend some money that you expect to pay back? "Loan - $XXX". Credit card bill? "Accounts Payable - $XXX". You can further differentiate these based on time: The "liabilities" heading can be broken down into "current liabilities" to list everything that you expect to pay back within the year. "Non-current" would then be everything you'll pay back later than a year.

All these line items can be named whatever. So instead of "Accounts Payable" feel free to put "Credit-Card Payable" or whatnot. It's just that accountants have a set of predefined account titles that are almost universal.

Now once you have the Total Assets and Total Liabilities, subtract liabilities from assets. Congratulations, you have just found out exactly how much money you are worth. This will be very important later for Part II: Plan Ahead.

So stay tuned!

Ethics

Ethics is a huge part of accounting. We all know about the Enron scandal and countless more before it: Management committed accounting fraud. So at Deloitte, we're always on the lookout for these issues, and ethics is the top issue that we must consider.

The terrible thing about ethical code is that it is grey. There is never a right or wrong, it is usually context-dependent. Actually, there are two thoughts on ethics: absolutism and relativism (yes, we had to read this crap as part of our training). Absolutism says that killing a man is immoral and wrong in any and all circumstances. Period. Relativism says that killing a man may be justified if the man was Osama bin Laden.

Pretty straightforward stuff? Nuh uh. Let's see how you do on these questions:

Question 1: If you knew a woman who was pregnant, who had eight children already, three who were deaf, two who were blind, one mentally retarded, and she had syphilis, would you recommend that she have an abortion?
Remember your honest answer and go to question 2.
Question 2: It is time to elect the world leader, and yours is the deciding vote. Here are the facts about the three leading candidates:

• Candidate A: He associates with crooked politicians, and consults with astrologers. He's had two mistresses. He also chain smokes and drinks up to ten Martinis a day.
• Candidate B: He was ejected from office twice, sleeps until noon, used opium in college and drinks a large amounts of whisky every evening.
• Candidate C: He is a decorated war hero. He's a vegetarian, doesn't smoke, drinks an occasional beer and hasn't had any extra-marital affairs.

 The answers are below, but please think about it one more time before you peek!

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Candidate A is Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Candidate B is Sir Winston Churchill
Candidate C is Adolf Hitler

Oh, and if you recommended abortion... You just killed Beethoven. Enjoy :)

Update on Accounting Internship

Hey guys,
Just wanted to keep you up to date with my accounting internship. Well really that's all I can talk about, seeing as this is a "school" blog and school is out for 4 months so technically, this internship will be my school for the next little while =).

SO anywho, man accounting is hard work. Especially working for Deloitte... Because those guys will work ya hard. One thing I noticed is that accounting firms have TONS of paperwork to deal with. Like stacks upon stacks of paper to be filled out and stuff, and after that they still need to be filed. Now, most of the stuff is already filed by Document Management System (read more about them here) so can you imagine how difficult it must be to coordinate everything. Unfortunately as the lowly intern, I have to do a lot of the filing... =(

Luckily, that's not all they ask me to do (otherwise I wouldn't be there lol). I still get to do other fun stuff like bookkeeping (yes, us accountants consider this fun!). Debit, credit, debit credit... And so it goes. A cool thing about this position is that I get to talk to a lot of clients and see their financial situations... And damn, what situations some of these people are in.

It's rather hard to believe how people can be so out of touch with their finances... How is managing your money so difficult when that is one of the most daily used things in your life? And damn, the sheer amount of debt that people and companies take on is astounding. Like mindblowing. Given the size of the company and the money they make, you wonder how they're ever going to pay it back... But they do! No question about it. Everytime I see one with a huge debt, I show my mentor but he seems completely unphased. "Typical," was his reply.

Ah, back to work tomorrow, more stories to come!

I'm Back

Hello everyone,
I do apologize for the absence! I know a lot of you thought I just sorta went MIA... But no, I'm definitely here and going to be contributing actively to the blogosphere.

So where did I go this past week? Well I've mostly been caught up with work... Doing an internship with Deloitte, which is an accounting firm. The firm is great, tons of people work there and they're all willing to help, friendly, and knowledgeable. But that's for another time!

Another thing I've been busy with is the UBC Accounting Club. Good gosh... It's so much work! This week we had to set up a meeting for the executives, and I was in charge of booking us a room for that purpose. But it had to be in downtown, specifically the downtown Robson Square UBC campus. So I had to make like 50 calls just to get a hold of this room... Then I had to deal with the problem of getting catering and everything. Gah.

One last thing I wanted to mention is that I got snapped today! By that I mean I got caught running a yellow light on a traffic camera. It was at the intersection of Garden City and Westminster in Richmond, and I was in a rush to dinner. I also didn't think they had cameras at left turn lanes, but surely enough, snap snap. Two bright flashes.
Damn those two flashes are going to cost me about $75 each.

Letter to the government:
Dear Mister Minister.
I'm just a student damnit, stop trying to make ludicrous amounts off me!

Sincerely,
$150 Poorer

Card Magic Tricks!

Hey guys,
Just recovered from a wicked hangover this morning. Woke up at 10 in the morning with my head pounding and my eyes completely bloodshot... The night before I was out clubbing at Boss Nightclub, probably one of the more popular ones in Vancouver Downtown. Oh lord, I don't remember much but I do remember that my friends and I were seducing everyone in sight from the bartenders to the bouncers and even the cab drivers. I don't know what it was (my amazing charm, maybe?) but the driver agreed to drive 5 of us girls in one car which is apparently a HUGE no-no in Vancouver because none of the cabs (not even vans) take 5 and so all drivers know better than to break the passenger limit. It's almost like a coalition I guess, where if no one takes 5 or over, then large groups will be forced to take 2 cabs which will create more business for them? Oh well. Nothing that a tip and a kiss won't fix =)

So I'm a big fan of magic tricks. When I was small I'd learn card tricks to impress my friends. But then I got bored/lost purpose so I stopped doing it for a while... And today I got a bit nostalgic so I decided to revisit some of my favourite tricks. Turns out I forgot all of them!

This video is beautifully done. All the slights are very cleanly executed... Take a look. I loved it.

Brief intermission

Hey guys,
So just a few days ago Google/Blogger flagged my blog as spam and shut it down. Therefore, it was offline for a few days as a "brief intermission". Anyone who visited during that period will have found, to their dismay, a message proclaiming that my blog has been removed.

I logged in and discovered that both of my blogs had been deleted along with all of my posts that I put a ton of effort into...  That is not so! Indeed my blog is in full functionality and we are up and running once more. And of course, you'll note that my posts are still right here =).

There is actually a process to follow when your blog has been targetted as spam. Basically, it is an automated system that looks for red flags to suggest that you are a spammer. But if you can request a review and post on the help forums that your blog is not spam (assuming that you have no broken any of their Terms of Service or  criteria for spam) then they will reinstate your blog. The logic is that since you can make this request and post on the help forums... Clearly you must not be a bot. So you get your blog back (seriously, huh.)

Anyway, I'd just like to give you guys some tips to getting your blog back in case it ever gets deleted or locked:
1) Check your dashboard page when you log in to see if there is a link to "request a review" of your blog. If there is, then follow it and submit your request. If not, skip this step.
2) Visit the Blogger Help Forums and click Post a Question. Simply explain your situation that your blog has been shut down, and explain that you are not a spammer.
3) Wait for a response from the moderator. They will get someone (an actual human, not a bot) to check over your blog and reinstate it if appropriate.
4) Meanwhile, read over Blogger's TOS to determine whether you really did violate any terms, knowingly or unknowingly.

If all goes well, your blog will get reinstated and you can continue blogging! Otherwise, your last recourse is to submit an appeal, the link to which can be found with a quick search on the blogger help forums for "my blog is gone!".

Good luck, and happy blogging!

Cool Android Apps!

Hey guys,
As a proud Android owner I can say that one of my favourite pastimes is to find fun apps to install on my phone. Let's face it, Google apps is the best thing to come to cell phones since 300-bit pixel screens!

Anyway, check out these 7 Mind-Blowing Free Android Apps that are seriously as cool as they sound. I personally love Google Goggles, even though it's a bit buggy and can't recognize everything you throw at it.

I've always wanted to become an app developer and create apps that other people can use to their enjoyment... Too bad I know so little about app programming and cell phones...!

Customer relationship management

When I first saw this video on customer relationship management software, I laughed pretty hard! But if a lemonade stand run by 8 year olds can benefit from CRM, then so can you.

Customer relationship management should always be one of the top priorities of a firm. Everybody should know CRM. On the most basic level, customer relationship management is a company-wide business strategy to solidify customer satisfaction, loyalty, and advocacy. The end result is reduced costs and increased profitability.

True CRM brings together information from all data sources within an organization (and, where appropriate, outside the organization) to give a single holistic view of each customer in realtime. This allows customers facing employees in such areas as sales, customer support, and marketing to make quick yet informed decisions on everything from cross-selling and up-selling to target marketing strategies to competitive positioning tactics.

Management Information Systems

Hey guys, so I found out some of you are still a bit confused as to what Management Information Systems is! That's ok, it to me a while to grasp it as well at the beginning of my course. Here's a quick video that should make it clearer:

 

"...the combination of both business and information systems." This quote really about sums it up! I'll post the next Management Information Systems technology tomorrow, so look out for that!

 

Enterprise Resource Planning

Alright, next big Management Information System software is Enterprise Resource Planning software (or ERP software). ERP basically integrates all departments and functions throughout an organization into a single IT system. So employees can make companywide decisions by viewing companywide information on all business operations.

Confused yet? So let's say we're a manufacturing firm. We have many different departments: Manufacturing, accounting, finance, marketing/sales, and human resources. So EACH of these departments have their own management information system to keep track of all their own data. In reality, there's TONS of overlap; the accounting and manufacturing sides could be keeping track of the same data from their client orders, the finance and human resources departments could be looking at compensation so both have that data in their system. This is not efficient! Without ERP software, there is lots of redundancy, overlap, and entry and reentry.

With Enterprise resource planning systems, there is a centralized database that is the same across the company. So all finance information, all accounting information, all client data etc are inputted. There is of course one overarching format to the entries, and all the data is structured in the same way and correspond to the rest of the data. Now, whenever a department needs information (say manufacturing needs to find the address to ship to, and accounting needs to know the address to send the bill) then they can directly access the same database and look up the same information cell.

Sounds simple no? Well you'd be surprised. In 2002, FoxMeyer, a bankrupt pharmaceutical distributor, sued SAP (a popular ERP software vendor) and Andersen Consulting. The suit charged that the failure of an SAP system led to the drug distributor's collapse. Eventually, both Andersen and SAP settled to the tune of $500 million.

So yeah, it sounds like a great idea that every company should have. But it's a highly risky move! One failure could destroy the organization, as seen in the story above. In fact, it is insanely hard to implement an Enterprise Resource Planning system, and there are many easier alternatives that provide the simple requirements of ERP.

Here's a SAP commercial that doesn't really have anything to do with anything. Enjoy!

Document Management Systems

Continuing on with our series of Management Information Systems technologies that I learnt in class, our next topic is the Document management systems. The above video very neatly explains the main functions of the Document management system.

Basically the document management system takes all paper documents, files, folders etc, and scans them into the computer for storage and retrieval. Actually, the benefits are much wider than that. Some other advantages of DMS include:

• Flexible indexing
• Improved, faster, more flexible search
• Controlled and improved document distribution
• Improved security
• Disaster recovery
• No lost files
• Digital archiving
• Improved regulatory compliance

As you can see, it's a very flexible system with many benefits beyond its simplistic appearance. Many businesses are beginning to implement Document management systems in fact; doctors offices and hospitals are resorting to DMS to store all patient files, truck delivery companies are using DMS to store inspection/safety reports and forms, UPS and FedEx already have their entire DMS system set up.

Definitely something worth looking into if you run a complex business with tons of filings and forms!

Network Security Software

Here's one of the videos we watched in class which was very very interesting. Pretty soon all clothing stores are going to be run this way... Frankly, I think it takes all the joy out of shopping. I mean, yeah it removes the hassle of trying on clothes, but seriously... That's the best part!

Anyway, some of you guys expressed interest in learning more about MIS, so I thought I'd tell you guys about Network Security Software.

Basically you can think of it as a firewall or anti-virus, except for a huge network. Network Security System does more than prevent unauthorized access to your network via usernames and passwords, but it also deals with encrypting and storing data properly. In fact, network security also encompasses simple mistakes that people make that cost the company loss of data; these data loss prevention techniques are all aspects of the network security system.

This is a huge issue! In 2007, Winners had a security breach of their website. They had 45.7 million credit and debt cards stolen over half a year by hackers who managed to penetrate the network. Another 455,000 who returned merchandise without receipts were robbed of their driver's license numbers and other personal information.

Eventually, Winners was charged $12 million for the security breach. In total, it has cost Winners about $25 million to date, and countless millions lost from customers who don't have the confidence to use their credit card online or shop with Winners (they were mandated to put a security alert on the front of their webpage regarding the network security issue).

So you decide whether this network security software crap is important!

Done Exams!

Yay I'm done, I'm done and I'm as free as a bird! Now I can really enjoy my summer. Man there were some pretty nice weather over the last few weeks that I was stuck in a classroom studying. But now's the chance to go out and enjoy it!

My last exam was Management Information Systems, and I can say that it was probably the worst out of all 5 I wrote. Definitely not a good way to end the year. I'm not sure if a lot of people out there know what Management Information Systems are, so I'd like to share with you guys today.

The course basically talks about IT management software; using different technology to run a business. First it explained how to analyze the company based on threats and opportunities, then how to identify their competitive advantage and business strategy, but all that is pretty routine I think.

After that it introduces the business management software, and the types of software are endless. If you guys want, I can explain some of them which are all kind of neat (there are really cool accompanying class videos he showed us too). In the business management software side, we start talking about how we can specifically pick IT that will directly benefit our competitive advantage and our main value proposition/business strategy (which is sorta like a vision statement, but more focused).

Then it talks about how the data would be gathered, and who would use the data. Also what levels of management need the information: operational, managerial, strategic.

I probably make it sound more bland than it actually is... But it's cool! We learnt about ubiquitous computing (mobile, laptops, RFID, basically computing on-the-go), Amazon's recommendation agent (bet you didn't even realize it was there!) and Document Management System (it's more than just a scanner and folder).

Let me know if you guys wanna know more about any of these business systems, I'd be happy to write about it =).

Sorry for the inactivity!

Sorry for the inactivity guys, I've been too busy studying for exams. Still have 2 more exams to get through tomorrow. Expect a nice long post by Wednesday!

Thanks for all your support, you guys are amazing!

Security Cameras

For the Vancouverites out there who take the bus,
Does anyone notice the Security Cameras that are on some of them??

I mean, I very rarely look up at the ceiling on the bus, but when I did, I realized that big black bulbous thing is actually the black bulletproof encasing of the security camera, as found in many stores and casinos even.

You're being watched!

Time to sell those old textbooks

Hey guys, thanks for all the tips! It never occurred to me to just rent the carpet cleaning machine... That's exactly what I'll do!

Now that 3 of my exams are done, I'm already looking to get rid of my old textbooks... I know it's quick, but seriously I threw away my notes as soon as the exam was over :D. Basically every school term, I hit up Saveonbook.com and Craigslist to grab all my textbooks used, sometimes old editions, for a fraction of MSRP. Then at the end of the year, I dump the books back on SaveonBook and Craigslist and get some or all of my money back.

For those of you who are buying books full price, please, please stop! Every year I save several hundred dollars, guaranteed, by visiting a few "selling used textbooks online" sites. Here's a few sites that I recommend:

Books 4 Exchange
Save On Book
Craigslist
Textbook Exchange

Also, check out your university bookstore, as they usually have a day where they let you sell your old textbooks to them for cash. Even though they buy the textbooks back at like 50% of what you buy it used for... Still better than nothing.

And one more tip, even if you buy textbooks from the bookstore, buy the used ones that other people sold back! They're usually placed right next to the new textbooks, and selling at like 10-30 bucks cheaper.

Goodluck!

Carpet Cleaning

Woot! The Triple Threat has finally been defused. And I'm proud to report that I believe I did rather well on all three of those exams! Unfortunately, this didn't come without some collateral damage...

One of my friends who were studying with me in my dorm commons was hit pretty hard by the stress of multiple upcoming exams, plus I think he was coming down with a flu recently. Long story short, he couldn't keep his dinner in (we had a pretty large dinner, 3 pizzas between 4 of us plus wings and breadsticks) and puked all over the carpet. Ugh.

So now there's a huge stain in the middle of the floor where my roommates and I watch television. And you know what, we just got the carpets cleaned last month, from another incident. This is ridiculous!

Anyway, I wasn't too pleased with the carpet cleaners that we hired last time. Does anyone know a good carpet cleaning company in the Vancouver area? It has to be cheap of course, we can't afford this stuff otherwise (he's a good friend of mine I didn't hold him accountable for the carpet cleaning costs, though he volunteered). Wet cleaning preferably, dry carpet cleaning I've heard isn't very effective. Let me know if you can recommend!

Tattoo Removal

I know this is a weird topic to blog about, but during today's exam (which went pretty well!), this guy sitting in front of me had a tattoo on the back of his neck of a pair of eyes. And I thought, what a neat/terrible looking tattoo! Then I got to thinking about how he might get the tattoo removed if he wanted to in the future, because I'd be willing to put money on his removing this tattoo.

So then I realized, one of my biggest curiosities was, how does tattoo removal work? Well look no further than this video:

Neat huh? Didn't think the particles just get left there to be removed by the body... That was surprising. I also thought the white "shadow" image left after the particles get broken down were just horrid. Hope they aren't permanent, because that would suck. Oh, and I totally think the guy in this vid should've kept it.

Arf. Two exams down, three more to go!

Treadmills

Quick update:

Been at school the entire day today study for my triple threat finals. Today's exam was piece of cake... Finished in an hour and a half (don't mean to toot my horn!) Great start to the marathon. Tomorrow's is definitely going to be more challenging...

Anyway, studying Stats is driving me crazy. I'm doing past exam after past exam, and each one of course takes like 2 hours to complete. But yeah, I've done about 3 now but I'm still getting only like 60%. And that's generous. It feels like I'm going nowhere, like I'm stuck on a treadmill machine... Or an elliptical machine. I like elliptical machines. Or a rowing machine, I like those too! But they're not as active as the elliptical.

Which reminds me, I haven't been to the gym in ages! Even my boyfriend is telling me I'm getting rounder. I need to go work out a bit. I've seen some blogs about weightlifting and I might try that too. I'm dying to hit the treadmills + ellipticals at this point. Maybe this weekend... Or after exams.

Stat exam tomorrow night, wish me luck again guys!

Exam tomorrow! -- Car insurance quotes

So this week is terrible. I have exams on three consecutive days so unfortunately I won't be able to post as often. But I'll let you guys know how they go.

My first exam is tomorrow morning.

Wish me luck guys!

EDIT:

Before I head off to sleep, just want to share one last thing! This is something I learnt today, studying for one of my courses....

Those of you who have bought car insurance or gotten car insurance quotes before will understand what this is about. And for those of you who are actuaries, you'll appreciate this even more.

The big factors that go into deciding your car insurance quote or insurance premiums are the following:

Driving history.
The single biggest factor of your auto insurance. If you've crashed a bunch of times, you can forget about getting a decent discount on your insurance. On the other hand, if you have a clean record, car insurance companies LOVE to have you.

Age.
I know I know, it's not a just world. But when it comes to car insurance, it's not only unjust, its downright judgmental, stereotypical, and discriminatory. If you are under 25, you WILL be subject to higher premiums. That's just the insurance law... Sucks to be a teen or new driver because your car insurance will be through the effing roof. But don't fear, upon your 25th birthday they will send you "driving skill" as a birthday present right to your door.

Type of vehicle.
Sports cars or coupes will always cost more insurance-wise than a sedan. That's because sporty cars are much more likely to speed and collide. Newer cars also get charged more, because of the replacement costs. However, if you vehicle has safety features and alarm systems, you might get a discount. Van insurance is surprisingly the same as sedan insurance.

Location.
If you live in a bad town, the theft part of your auto insurance will cost you an arm and a leg. Urban drivers also get charged more than rural dwellers... Makes sense if you think about it, less people to hit, less cars to collide. California is an auto insurance black hole.

Type of coverage.
A lot of people skimp on their coverage to save money on their insurance policy. Some will opt for high deductibles (which is the amount you MUST pay every time you make a claim, unless the other party is 100% at fault). Others will go for reducing the total amount of coverage (there's a lower limit that you can't go below of course). Still others will choose the option of NOT covering their own car, only the other party's costs... Depends what flavour you want, what risk you can take on.


That's it for tonight, exam is in a few hours and I have to sleep. G'night!

Learn CPR!

So I realized not everyone has needs for a mass email marketing server like mail chimp... But that's okay! Hopefully that will all be useful reference information should the need actually materialize =).

SO you'll never guess what happened today. I was at school (on a Saturday, I know...) studying in Irving Barber Learning Center which is basically a big study hall with tons of chairs and tables for students to use as study space and whatnot. Great environment to concentrate in, the buzz of academic chatter is really helpful in getting the brain juice flowing and the focus down.

Anyway, some dude a couple tables down starts coughing out of the corner of my ear... Unnoticeable at first, until he starts coughing louder and louder and that's when I look up from my textbook to see what's going on. His face is crimson red and he's coughing, his hands are crossed on his neck (universal sign for choking!) and it's pretty evident there's an obstruction in his throat. I look around his area to try to figure out what could've happened, and see an open tupperware bowl full of grapes. Ah.

He keeps coughing until suddenly, no sound comes out of his throat anymore. He's wheezing at this point and unable to get any air out... Full obstruction. Luckily, another guy from a table away jumps up and offers him CPR. He starts doing J-thrusts on his abdomen to force the grape out... Pop! Shoots it across the table.

Basically everyone in the hall just witnessed a guy inches away from death... Then being rescued through CPR.

I personally took a few courses in CPR and I can't stress how useful it is. If anyone you know (god forbid) should drop down and start having a heart attack, you will be SO thankful that you spent the hundred-ish dollars to take that CPR course. In fact, it doesn't have to be a full on CPR course, most of them come in the form of a First Aid course with CPR, so it comes with general first aid treatments and stuff. Check out St. John's for the courses, they offer tons of these. I think you might even be able to find CPR course online to a similar effect; just be sure they issue the certification for it so you know it's legit. However, I advise against online CPR courses simply because there's a lot you learn from doing hands on.

I think some other places call it ACLS, or Advanced Cardiac Life Support. Should be similar to CPR though, perhaps more specialized. Some AED training courses (automated external defibrillator, basically the shock paddles that doctors shock patients with when they go into cardiac arrest) also have CPR bundled. CPR comes in a wide range of shapes and sizes, but really it's an excellent skill to have under your belt, even at the beginner's level. Accidents happen everywhere, and you need to be prepared for it... If that guy hadn't jumped up and offered CPR, we'd have had a dead student on our hands. No laughing matter.

Get trained in first aid!

Email Marketing Campaign

Welcome everyone! As you may know, I recently closed down the other blog, PuzzledYet. I felt that I wasn't able to devote enough time to my followers, plus it's tough coming up with puzzles every day to challenge you guys with! So for those of you guys who got redirected from PuzzledYet, welcome to AlphaBetaLife! Here I mostly talk about the going-ons of my life in the University of British Columbia. Hope you enjoy your stay, I appreciate your continued support =).

Today, I'd like to tell you guys about mail chimp... Seriously, this is email marketing made easy! As you guys know, I am involved with the Accounting Club which has over 700 members. This translates to a very long mailing list in order to keep every member updated with the latest news and our weekly newsletter.

For the past year or so I've been in charge of sending this newsletter out, and I've been using mail chimp to maintain the mailing list and mass email. We need to use it because gmail and the likes won't let you send out mass email marketing campaigns.

There are many benefits to using mail chimp. It certainly provides for VERY affordable email marketing, especially for not-for-profit student organizations like ours. Mail chimp describes themselves as an email marketing company, and they basically handle all your email listing needs.

As far as email marketing solutions, mail chimp is a pretty sweet deal. For a list of our size, it's still only around $15 per month (for 500-1000 subscribers) and rest assured it's worth it. They also have some Pay-As-You-Go plans as well. Adding emails to the list is insanely easy, and can be done by copying and pasting straight off an excel document or any list you have.

They offer you some great templates for sending emails, to make them look professional or whatnot. You can build them directly there, or use your own if you have one. It has a bunch of analytics software for you to check how your email campaign is running; testing to increase open rates; inbox inspector; iphone compatibility; facebook integration, and tons more. It's extremely feature risk, and that's only a few I've named.

So yeah, if you guys need a mass emailing solution, I highly recommend mail chimp. Granted, I haven't used any other vendor... But I don't plan to either =)

Think i'm becoming bipolar.

Oh man, I've been cooped up all day indoors cramming away for three back-to-back exams next week and I think I'm showing symptoms of bipolar disorder...

Quick search of bipolar symptoms on google reveals that during the manic phase of bipolar disorder, one exhibits such signs and symptoms:

Feeling unusually high and optimistic or extremely irritable
Yup, I've been feeling terrible and biting everyone around me one second... Then jumping around on a crazed energy high euphora the next. Gulping down freaking energy drinks by the galloon.

Unrealistic, grandiose beliefs about one's abilities or powers
Seriously? I think that it's possible to even get a passing mark on all three exams. If that's not an unrealistic belief, I don't know what is.

Sleeping very little, but feeling extremely energetic
Haven't slept a wink.... And I'm still bouncing up the walls from the inactivity. That could be from the caffeine though.

Talking so rapidly that others can't keep up
Hmmmmthisoneisnttrueidontthinkbecauseithinkimtalkingrelativelyslowlystillrightamiaminoproblemshererightthisisntasymptomimexhibitingyes?

Racing thoughts; jumping quickly from one idea to the next
My brain is just a flurry right now! Can't seem to keep my mind on one idea.

Highly distractable, unable to concentrate
Oh yeah, no doubt about this one. It also explains why I'm on here blogging right now. In fact, I have so little concen-

Delusions and hallucinations
Well.. No, not quite yet, but this would be cool =).

So there you have it guys, I am currently exhibiting almost all signs and symptoms of the manic phase of bipolar disorder. Heightened energy, creativity, euphoria... You name it. Gonna go cry to myself now.

Statistics

So my first exam coming up next week is Business Statistics. Statistically speaking, I'm gonna fail!

I just can't get a grasp on how to read the statistical analysis computer printout from the statistical analysis softwares. ANOVA or something like that? They basically give you a table with a bunch of numbers (coefficients, standard error, t-test, p-value) and you have to interpret them. Damned if I know how to do that.

Just now I spent 2 hours working out what the difference between lurking variable and confounding variables are... Even wiki says they're the same! Argh. Then came the gruellingly devilish Experimental Design section. Basically, factors are separated into levels of which different combinations are combined in a treatment. These are then controlled by the levels and factor, and replicated to repeat observations at each treatment. Some subjects are blocked for the factors that might affect response but are uncontrollable. This is called the blocking factor but their levels are called blocks.

You all already know what image is coming up next...

If anyone can tutor me in stats over the internet, please, please drop me a message.

Business Writing and Technical Writing

Having taken a few business writing courses and technical writing courses as part of my degree requirement, I can tell you that business writing is something that everyone takes for granted or under-emphasizes. Believe me, it's a lot harder than you think... If you're a writer, you would definitely know what I'm saying. Or maybe you just have The Gift and you don't need to pay attention to the writing, I don't know. In any case, all University students at least should be able to benefit from this post, as I'll give you some tips on how to write more effectively for a business/formal setting.

Laser Hair Removal

Wow, it definitely sucks to hear so many of you guys with bad credit card experiences!

So anyway, I was sitting in MIS class today chatting with a friend of mine on Google, when the topic came up about Laser Hair Removal. She basically told me that he's interested in getting laser hair removal therapy. Now I know what you all are thinking - "What the hell, laser hair removal? Does that even flipping work?"

She wants to get it done on her... erm pubic region, and without getting too graphic here, it's not even anything bad to be honest. The whole point of her getting laser hair removal was to avoid having to shave all the time and yada yada.

From what I understand, Laser Hair Removal takes many many sessions and because of the time between treatments, can actually be a fairly drawn out process. To me this sounds like a huge money grab... Especially since these places charge per treatment.

At this point, I'm just trying to find ways to convince her otherwise because of the potential side effects... Skin cancer, rash, abrasive dermatological hypersensitivity (okay I admit I knew nothing about this stuff so I had to make it up). But still! A quick search on the web revealed that you would expect all of the easily foreseeable side effects.

Anyway, I'm still trying to convince her out of it, and get her to just shave her pubes regularly like everyone else does. It's a bit embarrassing, really (it's a girl thing I guess). SO anyone out there with experience doing laser hair removal surgery? Perhaps some good reasons why she shouldn't do it?

...Or even convince me otherwise that it's a safe procedure and worth the effort/money!

Zero Interest Credit Card

As a student, I'm always trying to save. And as a student, every penny helps. That's why I spent hours and hours scouring different credit card companies for a good rewards card.

First of all, I am very picky. I need some or all of the following features:
1) Cash-back
2) No annual fee
3) Low interest rate, if possible zero percent interest

Now, I hear a lot of people deciding about Visa vs Mastercard. In this day and age, that is not a deciding factor! Both are ubiquitous with merchants; where there's one, there's bound to be the other (although buying olympic tickets were a notable exception for Visa). Plus, what's stopping you from getting one of each?

I'll explain why I need each of these features.
Cash back: Getting 1% on every purchase adds up. Therefore, I pay for EVERYTHING with the card and hold minimal cash. $1.50 coffee? Throw it on the card. $0.50 stamp? Throw it on the card. With a monthly $500 balance, I get back a couple bucks per month which is nice.

No annual fee: This one is just silly. I'm not a consistent enough or rich enough user that I can make use of this. Most often paid cards will give you premium benefits like better rewards/cash back or lower interest rates. But you'd need to spend a crapload for it to pay off.

Low interest rate or zero interest rate: If I ever miss a bill, I need to be able to know that I can make the minimum payment and NOT get shot in the leg for holding a balance. Most cards charge you 20% which is just stupidly ridiculously high. The best I've seen are 11%, some perhaps even lower. If you are a student or someone else with a Part Time job or uncertain job, then make sure you have a good interest rate on your credit card! It will come in immensely helpful during those months you find yourself out of work.

AND finally, the juicy part, the solution:
Enter MBNA SmartCash Credit Card.
It gives 1% on all purchases, 3% on groceries and gas; and for the first 2 or 3 months, you get an extra 2% on groceries and gas (yes, 5% in total!). Great cash back for buying gas which is through the roof lately, as well as shopping for groceries which are always a necessity when living on your own.
Interest rate, I admit, is terrible (20%) but I think the smart cash makes up for it. Oh, and of course, no annual fee.

I encourage everyone to check it out and sign up for this card simply because it has the best reward out there right now. HOWEVER, I have no experience with their customer service so I can't comment on that. And with credit cards or financials, good CS can be a godsend.

Let there be light / Cramming tips

Hey guys, thanks for your caring comments. I released the blindfolds today, so to speak, and everything is still kind of blurry but I can see! Need to do regular checkups with the surgeon but it's going along very well.

Other than that, unfortunately not much to update you guys about in regards to University life. Exams are quickly creeping up so it's that season again... Cramming season. And damn, that's the worst season of the year. They say for a student there are only two seasons... Cramming season, and July ;)

Anyway, I know a lot of you guys are also facing upcoming crunch time, so I thought I'd give you guys some tips on how to cram effectively:

1) Be well nourished.

Nothing sucks worth than having hunger pangs or thirst interrupt your studying. In fact, more often than not, getting food or drink is just another procrastination technique. So bring food with you, but don't stock up too much on sugar and caffeine (this will drive you nuts and the subsequent crash will be spectacular). Bring a cool refreshing sports drink like Gatorade or Powerade, something with minerals in it (not friggn red bull, if you can help it). Eat lots of fruits and vegetables, say a salad. Bring healthy junk like oatmeal and energy bars. Don't eat too much in the very beginning! Just hold off the munchies for the first several hours.

2) Set the mood.

Get rid of ALL distractions from your environment. Change into something comfortable, but not PJ's and slippers (this sets the mood for sleep, terrible idea!). Another terrible idea is studying on your bed, just doesnt' work. If it's cold, turn up the heat and or throw on a sweater. Study at a well lit, cleared table away from the TV and computer (use the computer only if you really need it for downloading documents; it's too easy to get distracted on it). Your chair needs to upright, non-mushy. Music is good, but fast or upbeat with no lyrics. Try classical if you've used it in the past, but this often puts people to sleep.

3) Draw an outline.

Set an outline that maps out every 15 to 30 minutes of your studying. I.e. 10:00pm read chapter 1, 10:15 answer chapter 1 questions, 10:30 do supplementary problems. Finishing faster than the allotted time will serve as a motivator, but don't go "hey, I finished early so I can browse the web with the extra 5 minutes!" Nononononono. Finish early, give yourself more time on the next one. If you are late already, push yourself to finish quicker, or set more realistic guidelines. If you can't do it, move on. Furthermore, the outline will help you recall your info during the exam.

4) Don't stress!

Seriously, relax! Cramming is reality! If you stress out and start doubting that you can finish it, then you enter the mentality that you actually won't finish and it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. If you have the outline, there's no reason why you shouldn't be able to stick to it and finish on time. Stick with it, work diligently. This takes a TON of self discipline so you'll need to work on it.

Best of luck guys! And as always, let me know how your exams go!

And the medical bills are sky high!

Hey guys, thanks for the kind wishes!

Just went through the surgery this afternoon and everything went swimmingly. Racked up some huge medical bills, so to speak. Thank god for medical insurance I guess...

My eyes are hypersensitive to light right now though so I actually got a friend of mine to transcribe this post. Couldn't keep away from my blogfans =).

Anyway, I'll just be chilllaxing at home with patches over my eyes for the next little while, though docs say they should be coming off in a matter of days. No rush though I say. I'm having the time of my life, just listening to music and whatnot...

I'd like to share a song with you that absolutely touched my heart. Chris Medina - What Are Words. Also watch his performance on American Idol, it's heartbreaking...You'll see!

Cheers.

Laser Eye Surgery

Hey guys,
So I will be receiving laser eye surgery over the next few days! I'm probably more enthusiastic about it than I should be, but I have acute myopia and my glasses are thick enough to stop bullets. Soooo, after I get the laser eye surgery (or otherwise known as LASIK) I'll be able to see without any glasses or contacts! Sweet deal!

I looked around for cheap laser eye clinics but unfortunately there's not a lot around this city. As a student I'm a bit tight on cash but I didn't want to go for the cheapest ones because these are my eyes we're dealing with after all... There are definitely more LASIK MD's in the states, but I couldn't afford to fly down just to do this operation.

Anyway, at the hospital/laser eye center, I'll have my laptop with me so I'll keep y'all updated!

Student loans

Here's a great tip I got from an investment banker once:

If you're a student, take out as much of a student loan as possible. Leverage yourself to the hilt!

Reminder, this is not a bank loan or a mortgage loan or some kind of equity loan or secured loan!!! This is a student loan. From the Government of Canada (I'm sure the US has their student loan system too). Why the loan, you ask? Well two reasons.

1) Student loans have ZERO INTEREST until you graduate. And even then you get very very low interest rates. What you can do is pull out the loan, stick it in a 4 year GIC with high interest rates. By the time you pay back the 50 grand or so you own, you'll be several thousand richer... no joke!

2) College loan consolidation. Let me say it again, college loan consolidation. It might also take on the name of "student debt consolidation" or "educational loan consolidation" or "personal student loan consolidation". You guys get the picture. Basically, college loan consolidation allows you to combine your student loans into one master loan, which significantly reduces the monthly payments you have to make. In some instances, by over 50%! If you want the mechanics, you'll have to look online. But paying a fraction of a percentage point for my loan is a pretty sweet deal.

Just one caveat, be careful about how you spend it! I would advocate sticking it in a GIC. It's safe, you get high returns, etc etc. Do NOT go on a flippin spending spree because that is not free money. Seriously. You need to pay it back eventually.

Students, check it out for yourself. Might as well exploit the government funding because sooner or later you'll be paying it back in taxes!

Update on Culinary Schools

Just thought I'd update everyone on my situation right now with switching schools (possibly)...

I looked up some more culinary schools so I had more choices. Even though I said I wanted to go to a culinary school in california, I thought I'd check out some other ones just to keep my options open (and, of course, discover the world... who doesn't like that???)

1) Culinary Schools in Chicago
There's le cordon bleu college of culinary arts in Chicago... Looks pretty neat, I like what they're doing but they're just a college?? I'm worried that have a big effect when employers see my degree...

2) Culinary Schools in Texas
Here there's a few, but notable ones are Texas culinary academy and the art institute of Dallas. Both I think are reputable schools. But I don't know if I really want to go to Texas... No offense to my Texan readers! It's just not really on my radar haha.

3) Culinary Schools in Virginia
The culinary institute of virginia! One of my top choices right now. Great program here, so I've heard. And I've always wanted to live on the East coast!

4) Culinary Schools in Florida
Ah, beautiful Florida. I would love to live here, let alone attend culinary school in Florida. The international art institute and le cordon bleu both have a campus here.

5) Culinary Schools in Pennsylvania
A quick search for trade schools in PA will pull up the International Culinary school. I think I just like PA because of its proximity to DC and NY. Can go there for weekend roadtrip lol =).

And the search continues!

Laptop Rentals

Recently I've been looking into laptop rentals for the many presentations that I do (I don't actually have one of my own). A quick Google search revealed several places that I could rent a laptop around the Vancouver area... My needs aren't very sophisticated, just need a small laptop printer (no need for portable printers or gaming laptops or tablet laptops or none of that) with minimal software requirements.

It's too bad that there are no good student discounts on laptops, or notebook computers for sale, or I would totally just buy one for myself. I know the bookstore at UBC has a discount for Macs, but I'm not in the market for a Mac. So I think my best solution right now is to rent a notebook and just use it for the short period of time I need for the presentations. I requested some quick quotes from the rental companies so I'm waiting on them to get back to me.

Browsing around, there's tons of other useful stuff I can rent too, like LCD projector rentals, presentation equipment, projector and projection screens, LCD monitors, plasma televisions, desktop computers, and even photocopiers (lol!). I can think of like 30 different occasions when I wished I owned a photocopier.

In fact, a photocopier is probably one of the very first things I'll buy for my home when I settle in my career and earn a steady income salary. I guess that makes me a nerd huh?

Project Management Programs

Thanks for all the input guys! Didn't know so many of you were so knowledgeable in Law School stuff and Culinary Arts Schools. Anyway, 2nd year Accounting students have several big project presentations coming up within the next few days (why am I blogging and not working on it? ah!) and I thought I'd take a moment to tell you guys about project management programs because I think all university students could use project management training.

Project management programs teach you the art of managing several projects at the same time. What is project management? Well Wiki defines it as:

 "Program management or programme management is the process of managing several related projects, often with the intention of improving an organization's performance. In practice and in its aims it is often closely related to systems engineering and industrial engineering."

So project management is usually applied in an organizational work setting, and involves learning about how to do multiple projects at once effectievly and efficiently. I took a project management program offered by the VSB in seminar format, but there are course formats or stuff like that too, whichever appeals to you.

Many organizations encourage their employees to take it because they know the benefits of this skill. In fact, your workplace might even be willing to subsidize it too -- check it out!

Anyway, my point is that project management is far more applicable to students than it is to working adults. If you think about it, students use it all the bloody time! I've had several times where I was loaded with 4 or even 5 projects due within the week.

During my project management program, I learnt how to organize my schedule, time management, and most importantly how to structure my projects so that they are applicable to each other and somehow correlated so that you can "double dip" that work. By that I mean using the work or ideas in both projects and in essence killing two birds with one stone.

Give it a shot, let me know what you think of project management programs. I've had great experience in these programs and just wanted to share this handy university tip with all of you so you can excel in your academics. Good luck!