Bikers

Governors Island opened for the public yesterday and my fiancée and I decided to visit it. Today was beautiful outside so we went there to relax, play some badminton, and have a picnic.

I really like Governors Island because it is quiet and not many people go there. There is plenty of space for everyone and it is not as noisy like Prospect Park sometimes is. Another great thing about the island is that it offers a great view. I went there last year to take pictures of Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty and they turned out great.

There was some kind of motorcycle event going on in Manhattan today. I saw hundreds of motorbikes on my way to Governors Island, all of them driving together and blocking up most traffic. I am not sure if they were touring New York together or what was going on but there were a lot of them.

I am thinking about taking Chinese classes next quarter. I really believe that it would be helpful to me if I could speak some Chinese. Many international businesses are looking for people with intercultural experience and with multi-language skills. I am currently looking into what kinds of classes are available.

I have wanted to rent a car in New York for a long time. I need to get an international drivers license first though. Many people think that the embassy or that the state can help them out, but that is incorrect.

It does not involve taking classes or registering at DMV either. What people have to do is to contact the government institution in their home country that deals with driver permits. In my case it is Vagverket in Sweden.

They are actually not doing it themselves so I have to contact an organization connected to them to do it for me. It is pretty inconvenient to do it from the United States but my parents will help me to do it so it should not be any problems.

The international drivers license is basically just a paper stating in English what kind of license it is. A foreign drivers license is valid in New York, however New York police officers are not required to understand foreign licenses, which may cause troubles if stopped. 

I will have two tests next week. One is a take-home test in statistics and the other one is management and held online as usual. I do not feel worried about any of the tests because I have time to study for them and I can keep the books next to me while answering the questions.

I took the picture today in South Manhattan where the bikers were passing and where I took the ferry to Governors Island, which by the way is free. 

Game Day

I had my test in international economics today. My preparation for the test consisted of reviewing on Tuesday and watching Champions League on Wednesday.

I had a great time with my friend while watching Barcelona beat Manchester United. I was rooting for Manchester United but I am not very into soccer so I definitely did not feel upset after the game.

At first, it was hard to find a bar with good seats available. We went to three different ones before finally arriving to a bar with big screens and seats where we could actually follow the game.

We did not want to go home after the game so we went to 230 Fifth to enjoy the view and a few more drinks. That is definitely one of my favorite places because it offers a magnificent view.

The bar is located on the 20^th floor and they also have a bar on the rooftop. It is a fantastic feeling to sit there during the summer and the environment is remarkable. While up there, people can see most of Midtown Manhattan.

It is a pretty pricy place but definitely worth the visit. A beer is $9 so most people can still afford going there.

I felt confident about the test because I had prepared a well-planned reference sheet. I thought I had most of the topics written down and I had very detailed information written down for each specific question.

The test was not difficult for me. I finished first in class actually. However, the questions were tricky and I am almost certain that most students struggled with the test. It is all about trying to find as much useful information as possible and type it down on the reference sheet.

The grades were posted later this afternoon and I got a hundred out of a hundred on the test. It was something I expected actually but it is a relief to have completed another test. This was the eighth week for the quarter and there is only three more to go. Time is moving extremely fast, which feels both good and bad.

I got my cloths I ordered from Old Navy today. Everything fit me, which feels great because it is always a hassle to return online orders. All of it looks great too and I feel good about having some new cloths to wear for the summer.

I was unfortunately only able to take one picture during the Champions League. It looks a little too dark and it is hard to see what kind of restaurant I was at. However, I wanted to post something from yesterday. 

Champions League

I will go to see the Champions League final with a friend tomorrow. We are planning to go to a bar somewhere in Midtown Manhattan and I am looking forward to it even though I am not that into soccer.

Manchester United is playing against Barcelona and I know they are both great teams regardless my lousy experience in soccer. I have a test on Thursday so I will have to be careful not partying too hard.

The truth is that I prefer to have just a few drinks and not go wild like many other fans would end up doing.

I had the review for the test today and this must be the most challenging test so far this quarter. I said a few blogs ago that it would be one of the most interesting tests and I still feel that way.

It looks like the test will cover a lot about exchange rates, the European Union, and derivatives. These subjects will come in great use later in life so I keep my eyes and ears wide open and try to grasp as much information as possible.

I tried to go over the review questions and I have prepared a reference sheet for the day of the test. All students are allowed to bring two of them, which I believe is fair due to the high level of difficulty.

I experienced some problems with my IPod Touch lately. I called Apple and they told me that they could pick it up and repair it. That would cost me $35 so I was not in the mood to do it.

Instead, I went to the Apple store located in just South of Central Park in Manhattan. I booked an appointment for the next day to meet with an expert. When the expert was done analyzing the IPod, he came to the conclusion that I needed a new one.

The IPod was exchange with a new one without any additional fees, which made me very happy. The one I had was full of scratches and in a clearly used condition. The one I received looked brand new.

I must praise Apple for its impressive support. I am thinking about getting an extended warranty for my laptop because of it. My warranty expires in September this year and even though I have not experienced any problems with it, it would feel safer to be protected by a warranty.

Picture was taken on 5^th Avenue in Manhattan. The sky is clearly blue almost every day now and it is mostly very hot outside. The summers in New York can be pretty unpleasant because of that. 

A Weakening Dollar

My plan for today was to travel to Manhattan and visit a ship. However, I found out that the last day for visiting ships in Manhattan was yesterday so I ended up never going there. 

They had tours in Staten Island but it takes too long to get there from Brooklyn without a car so I did not want to go there. There is a ship called The Intrepid that is located in the Midtown West harbor, which people can visit any day if they missed the guided tours during Fleet Week.

I decided to go to Kings Plaza in Brooklyn for some shopping instead. I went to Modell’s, Old Navy, and a couple of other stores. I bought a few great shirts and my fiancée bought me a pair of shorts.

I am very happy with my purchases and I am eager to try the cloths I bought online from Old Navy. They should arrive late this week.

I did not get my booking confirmation for the wine tasting event yet. I really hope there has not been a mistake made because I have been looking forward to this event for a long time.

I was thinking about buying a baseball and a glove at Modell’s today. I could not find a glove that fit my hand perfectly though so I never bought it. However, I tried catching a few balls, which confirmed that I am really not good at baseball.

I prefer American football compared to baseball, and I am already looking forward for next season to start in September. I have never been to a game actually so I am going to try to get tickets for at least one game this year. I want to see The Giants, but it is pretty inconvenient to do so because their stadium is in New Jersey.

It has been extremely pleasant with one extra day off this weekend. I have not had much to do for school so I have been able to relax for most of the time. I will have to do some homework later today though but I should be able to finish it in two hours.

The dollar is weakening compared to many currencies right now. I would guess it is because the government is printing money to cover the debt, which is devaluing the dollar.

It is benefiting me because I have to transfer some money from Sweden soon. It is always hard to tell what will happen in the long-term with the dollar value but I think it will keep loosing value for a relatively long time.

There was a market on 7^th Avenue in Manhattan yesterday. There were a lot of different dishes to eat and everything smelled really good. It was incredibly crowded so I am sure business was good, at least that day. 

Old Navy

I wanted to buy some more shirts for the summer so I went to Old Navy with my fiancée yesterday. They have a large variety of cloth and there are several things that appeal to me.

What I really wanted to do was to go there and see what sizes I needed. I figured I could get a better deal if I bought everything online on the Old Navy website. The store at 34^th Street in Manhattan is huge and they certainly have almost everything in stock. However, the online store probably has more cloths and therefore a bigger selection of cloths.

I bought a lot of shirts actually and two shorts. That should give me the opportunity to wear different outfits for the rest of the summer. Exactly how many outfits I can wear based on my current closet is unknown to me, even though I should be able to calculate it using knowledge from my statistics class.

I had to install everything I bought from IKEA yesterday. I do not feel comfortable drilling in walls and I try to avoid it. However, there was no way out this time. I had to install one mirror and one wall shelf, both fairly tricky to put up.

I think it turned out very well though. I hope both objects will stay on the wall though. I feel worried about setting up too many books and heavy things on the wall shelf because I am not sure how much weight it can bear.

I tried the Domino’s Bread Bowl Pasta yesterday. I guess Jay Leno was right when he said that it is ridiculous to make things greasier and greasier. Not only does the pasta contain a lot of butter and cheese, it is also wrapped in a large piece of pizza dough.

The scary part of all this is that I really liked it. It was delicious! I am sure it will not kill people unless they eat too much of it. I will try to ride my exercise bike extra much this weekend.

Tomorrow is Memorial Day. Berkeley College is closed and I like having an extra long weekend to enjoy. The day honors those American men and women who died while in the military service.

I think it is a nice way to commemorate soldiers and their families. There will be parades, barbeques, and donation events all over New York. I will probably go out to watch the parade but I have not set up any definite plans yet.

I took the picture in Brooklyn at sunset. The sky looked really beautiful this day and I wished I had been at a better place to see it. 

Fleet Week

I cleaned my apartment today. It took a long time but everything is clean now, which feels good. I have been trying to fix my fiancée’s blackberry for the rest of the day, which really has made me tired.

She bought a blackberry phone online and we could not really figure it out. We wanted to add applications but it did not go as smoothly as we wanted. When I tried to update the phone, the installation cancelled in the middle of the operation.

This blanked out the phone totally and all software was deleted. I tried to reinstall it but the blackberry did not want to connect with my computer. I thought I had broken it for a while, but I successfully reinstalled the system after several attempts of trying to do so.

I really like my iPhone and I realized today how much easier it is compared to other phones. The Apple support center is also terrific in assisting customers, which I cannot say about blackberry or t-mobile.

I will have a test next week in international economics. I think this will be the most interesting test this quarter. The test covers exchange rates, international markets, and derivatives.

We have learned a lot about option and future contracts, which I find very interesting especially since corporations use them frequently. I really think that it was an extremely important part of this course.

It is getting really hot outside. However, I think I can avoid installing the air conditioner this summer. My new apartment is definitely cooler than my old one and I have so far gotten along very well using my fan only.

It is nine days left until the Tonight Show with Conan O Brian starts again. He is taking over for Jay Leno, which is a decision I support even though I like Leno too. However, Leno will still have a show but it will be broadcasted earlier in the evening. 

This week is “Fleet Week.” It is a tradition where active military ships dock in major cities so that the crews can visit tourist attraction for a week. People can therefore visit the ships and attend various events, including guided tours on ships, military demonstrations, and air shows.

There are a lot of crewmembers walking around in the city during the week. It is nice to see actually. I might attend a tour tomorrow because I need to go to Manhattan anyway. I saw military ships when I went to Boston but it would definitely be fun to see again.

I took the picture a few days ago in Brooklyn at the Avenue U station. I like how someone painted an American flag on the fence. The train stations definitely need more art like that so they do not look too gray. 

Super Tall Antenna

I got back my history test today. As predicted, I got an A on it, which got me in a good mood for the rest of the day.

I was very busy yesterday. I had to update my resume, write a cover letter, do two take-home midterms, look for a cell phone for my fiancée, and write my blog. I was able to do everything, and I believe it was because I hate to leave things undone.

I was not quite that busy today but I still had a lot to do. I wanted to buy curtains for my apartment so I went to a local store here in Brooklyn called Telco. It is a discount store with great prices and I found it appropriate for my purpose. I found a pair of curtains that I thought looked extremely nice for being so affordable.

I bought three of them and I am very happy with the result. The room in which I installed them now almost looks like a hotel room. Unfortunately, my cat likes them too so I have to be careful making sure she will not tear them down.

I have not installed everything I bought from IKEA yet. I will try to do it tomorrow, but I need to borrow a tool from my landlord first.

I am happy that I got an A on the history test. I did not realize until I got it back that it actually had been pretty hard. My professor is using a bonus system in which he gives everyone who significantly shows improvements after the midterm and on the final extra points.

I do not think I will need those extra points but it is beneficial for many students who had a bad day on the day of the midterm. I believe many people deserve a second chance and if they are showing they really want a better grade, they should get the opportunity to get a higher one.

I framed two puzzles last weekend. I noticed today that one piece has fallen off, which bothers me a little. It is quite a hassle to remove the frame again but I cannot stand it anymore so I will probably fix it next weekend. 

I noticed that some cars here in New York have huge antennas. I saw one a few days ago with an antenna probably reaching six feet. I have no idea why they use an antenna that tall but they sure must have a great reception. I posted a picture of the car I saw just in case you are curious.

I am doing all my homework in the small room in my apartment nowadays. The curtains, pictures, and the sofa has transformed this room to something much more hospitable than before and it is now a pleasure to do homework again. 

IKEA

I went to IKEA this weekend. I have wanted to go there for a long time so it was nice to experience it again. I decided to have lunch there and ordered Swedish meatballs. It was a delicious meal even though the meatballs probably were frozen.

The reason I went to IKEA was because I wanted to buy a sofa bed, a side table, a wall shelf, and a curtain rod. I got all that I wanted and I got everything for a great price. The sofa bed was only $149, which is amazing compared to the price of other sofas around New York.

I had to assemble it myself but it was definitely worth it. The quality is surprisingly good relative to the price and it is of perfect size. I also bought some frames so that I could put up a photo that I took and some other pictures.

The apartment definitely looks better now and it feels more hospitable. I installed the curtain rod but the curtains I have are unfortunately too narrow so they do not cover my windows enough.

I will go to buy curtains later this week when I find time to do so. My landlord is incredibly helpful and I feel very lucky to have found an apartment like this. He helped me to transport everything I bought from IKEA back to my apartment.

I cannot imagine delivering everything myself. I was, at first, planning to take the bus to New Jersey and carry everything back home using the subway. I do have a trolley and a cart that I could have used but it would still be an overload of stuff to move.

I ordered a new exercise bike from Modell’s this weekend. I have a box to ship my old bike back now because of my trip to IKEA. I ordered the same bike again and it will hopefully not break this time.

I have not received my test result for my midterm in history yet. I am guessing that I will receive it tomorrow though. I am not sure if I did good or bad but I have a feeling that I will get an A.

I want to take some more pictures and develop them so that I can put them up on the wall. My apartment is definitely lacking that and I think it would make it more homely here.

I did two tests today. My professor in management posted a quiz on blackboard that I had to do. I got an A on it and it was not terribly difficult. I had to read the book and focus on the questions but that comes with every test.

My second test today was in statistics. I have answered all questions and I feel good about it. My professor gave out great handouts and I took many notes from the class, which really helped me for the test.

I took the picture in lower Manhattan close to Washington Park. It is a friendly place and it is nice to see the kids play basketball. There are a lot of basketball courts in New York and it is nice to see that they are not empty.  

Contemporary American History Test

I had a test in history today. It was not very difficult but I think people had to be careful when considering how to answer the questions.

My processor had recommended the length for each answer for every question. He was usually asking for two to five sentences, which was not a problem. The questions were very specific and students had to find the exact right answer to be able to answer them.

The test was open book and open notes like I explained before. However, it would be difficult to find all the answers in the book without preparing for the test. I prepared myself for the test, but I did not spend that much time doing so much thanks to my complete notes. 

The test covered American foreign policy in 1939 to 1960. One question dealt with the role of women during the post war years and another one asked a specific question about Eisenhower.

I was amazed that the test consisted of only seven questions. We have talked about so much during these first six weeks that it almost seemed incomplete with only seven questions on the test. 

However, we had limited time to do the test and a bigger test would simple take too long to finish. I like essay tests actually because it give students the chance to explain their answers.

I went to the Career Center at Berkeley College yesterday. They will help me find an internship for the summer. Students that need internships for credits will be helped first of course but that does not mean that I will not get a satisfying internship.

I have a few other ideas that I am trying to execute right now and I feel hopeful in finding an internship for the summer.

I have to take an online test to become qualified for registration of online classes. I have not finished it yet because I experienced a problem on blackboard yesterday. I have contacted two of the professors though and I am waiting for them to respond.

I have a take-home test in math to do over the weekend. I like what we are doing in class right now actually even though my general conception of math is moderately negative. We are talking about probability and the counting principle. Most of it makes sense to me so far, which is the reason I enjoy it.

I wanted to post a picture of the New York Stock Exchange today. This is usually what people see when they visit New York as tourists. The big American flag has become a symbol of Wall Street, and I am very fascinated by the size of it. 

I Need To Change My Schedule

I think I will make a few changes on my schedule for next quarter. I want to have three days available for work in case I get an internship so I am trying to switch a few classes.

There is already one class that I have planned to switch, which is an art class. The other class I have that day is intercultural communication, which I was looking forward to but it is a class I do not have to take. 

I can reschedule that class for next quarter instead if I want to. I am thinking about taking professional selling online and one extra class in the morning on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

The class I probably will take is management simulation. I have heard great things about it and I think it would be a very interesting class to take. I have a friend who took it and he recommended me to do so too.

Apparently, students work with a computer program in attempt to raise as much capital as possible. It sounds challenging, but I think I would learn a lot from it. I need to talk to the academic advisors tomorrow and ask them if the classes are still available.

I will have three tests this week, but it is definitely not as bad as it sounds. My first test is in history, which is on Thursday. The second test is a take-home test in statistics and I will have the whole weekend to do it. My third test is in management, and it will be posted online. Just like my second test, I have the weekend to finish it.

I definitely do not feel stressed about it. I feel well prepared for the math and I believe I have a great professor. The management is not very hard either especially because I have enough time to study the material in the book before taking the test. The history might be challenging, but I think I have sufficient notes to make up for it.

I am thinking about meeting up with some photographers. The international division at Berkeley College recommends international students to network as much as possible and I really agree with this.

I was provided the website meetup.com and it looks like a promising page. I have not yet organized anything but I am thinking about it. It would definitely be an advantage for me if I could build some more connections with people.

I took today’s picture in Central Park last winter. Central Park is a beautiful place no matter what time of day you go there. As you can see in the picture, South Central Park offers a spectacular view of Midtown Manhattan. 

Maintenance

Tonight is the last episode of Celebrity Apprentice, which I am strongly looking forward too. I have never seen the ordinary apprentice without celebrities but I think I would like that more actually.

However, the show definitely offers some great entertainment and gives people a perspective of how the life as a businessman can be. Celebrities definitely have an advantage though because of their wealthy connections, which is the reason I think I would prefer the ordinary show.

My landlord came to my apartment today to seal the joint that caused rainwater to leak in. He mainly focused on the outside of the apartment and I hope that it will be enough. He also helped me to fix a few other things and it feels good to have it done.

I think I need to go to IKEA soon. I have not been there in a long time and I want to by a curtain and some Swedish groceries. I am not sure if they lowered their prices because of the recession but it would certainly be appreciated.

I did some homework today. I had to type down my notes from my history class, which takes a few hours every weekend. I think I have all the notes that I need for my midterm typed down now and I believe they will be extremely helpful.

I have written down a lot of what the professor said and I believe my notes are as complete as they could be. It will be interesting to see what the test will look like. He said he would ask seven questions, which sounds pretty modest compared to how much we have talked about so far.

I also did my homework for international economics today. The book is not easy at all actually. I really had to study the material to be able to answer the questions. Also, I do not know what I would do without the Internet.

I want to buy some new shirts for the summer. I think I will go to Old Navy to do so since I like their casual style. I would not wear their cloths at a workplace but it is comfortable to wear on weekends and such.

I am going to return my exercise bike. I need to find a box first because Modell’s refuses to send me one, which I find extremely disappointing. I think I will call them tomorrow and ask if they can send me a new bike first and let me use the box for that one, but I doubt they will help me with that.

I took today’s picture at 5^th Avenue in Manhattan. Tourists are definitely getting more and more common this time of year and it is getting harder to navigate on the sidewalks. Even though tourists can be quite frustrating some times, it is nice to see that some people can still afford travelling and buying souvenirs, which is good for the city and its businesses. 

White Elephant Sales

I was not as lucky as I was hoping to be when it came to my possible internship. I gave my professor’s acquaintance a call yesterday and he was helpful. However, due to the struggling economy, all he could do was to refer me to the department of human resources.

I am far away from giving up though. I have many cards left in the deck and am optimistic in finding something that I will highly admire working with. I will notify my professor about the situation and he told me that he would help me out if the first one did not lead to anything.

I will also visit Berkeley College’s career center on Monday. They are extremely professional when it comes to finding work for students. I was told that 100% of students graduating last quarter found a job. This was accomplished much thanks to the career center.

These numbers would be significant in a growing economy. In a contracting economy, the numbers are purely spectacular.

I went to my fiancée’s school today. They had some sort of barbeque celebration day. The food was fantastic and it was fun to see a few familiar faces. The event was unfortunately held inside because they were expecting to see some rain.

Talking about rain, my landlord will fix the leak in my apartment today. The window has not leaked since the first night it happened, which I feel very good about. However, the weather has not been that severe even though there has been some rain.

I think the problem can be fixed by sealing the leak with some silicon. It should not be too much of a hassle actually. I think the bigger work would have to be done on the outside of the apartment. As of today, the joint will only be fixed from the outside, which is perfectly fine by me.

A lot of people in Brooklyn are having white elephant sales today. I noticed the same thing two weeks ago actually and I guess it is because people want to get rid of old stuff for the summer. It can be quite fun to walk around and see what is on sale. Everything from flags to crystals can be found actually.

I am going to ride my exercise bike today. I have been eaten too unhealthy lately and I really feel that I want to get some exercise. I hope the belt will not fall off again. However, I know how to easily put it back on now.

I have a midterm in contemporary American history next Thursday. It will be open book and open notes for the exam and I believe I have terrific notes prepared. I really do not think it will be a problem for me to do well on the test.

Today’s picture is from today. It portrays one out of many selling some of his belongings. It is hopefully because he is tired of his old stuff and not because of the struggling economy.

A Possible Internship

Today, I was expecting my professor to give me a name and a company for which I could do my internship. As promised, he gave me the name of one of his connections and I will call him tomorrow.

I really hope this will lead somewhere, but my professor also promised me that he would assist me in case of a negative response.  I am looking for an unpaid position at the moment, which should give me an advantage against paid interns.

There was a storm in Brooklyn last night. It was not extremely windy but the rain poured down aggressively. I was just preparing to go to bed when I heard a dripping sound from inside my apartment. 

I later discovered that water was leaking in from my bedroom window. It was not the actual window that was leaking but the joint between the window and the wall. I went down to my landlord right after noticing it and he promised to fix it as soon as the weather turned better. 

I was nervous during the night that the leak would get worse. However, I stashed up some towels close to the leak and everything seems okay so far. I really hope the weather will turn better and sunnier as soon as possible though because I do not want to have to worry about it.

I really like Thursdays. Ugly Betty, Grey’s Anatomy, and Southland are all on TV so I try to relax every Thursday evening. I do not watch TV much actually but it is nice to do so sometimes and especially after one week of hard work.

I did not attend the workshop today. I was hoping I could go out for lunch with a friend before going there because I finished at 12.00 PM and the workshop took place at 3.30. I was not in the mood to hang around and wait for it so I went home instead and ran some errands.

I tried the grilled chicken at KFC today. It is definitely healthier than the fried chicken and it is not as greasy. However, the taste was very similar to the grilled chicken people can buy at supermarkets and I really think that people can save money without scarifying taste by going there instead.

I took today’s picture last summer. It is definitely an inspiration to walk on Wall Street. The buildings, the people, and the life at Wall Street really are different than the rest of Manhattan. 

Workshop

I went to an international employment workshop today. I had a great time there and I learned a few tips about how to talk to future employers about my immigration status.

The workshop was customized for international students and prepared by the international division at Berkeley College. I was surprised how few students showed up for the presentation, but my guess is that most student leave school earlier than 3.30.

There is another workshop tomorrow that is similar to this one so it is not too late to go there. I am not sure I can attend tomorrow’s workshop but I will try to make it work with my schedule.

I bought two books at Barnes and Noble today. My friend and mentor recommended it to me and I really think I will enjoy reading them. The first book is called The Virtue of Selfishness and the second one is called Atlas Shrugged. Both books are written by Ayn Rand, which I believe is a great author.

The guy in the bookstore, surprisingly, told me he did not like it. This surprised me since my experience is that salespeople should try to promote their products, not talk negative about them.

I can understand if he does not agree with certain aspects of what the author is saying but he totally rejected the book and claimed that it was badly written. I started to read The Virtue of Selfishness today and I am already extremely caught up in it.

One thing I like about The Virtue of Selfishness is that it is easy to read but it still describes the concepts very well. I believe it has less than 200 pages so no one has to worry about not being able to finish the book.

Atlas Shrugged is definitely thicker and I believe it has more than 1,000 pages. I found this book in the fiction department but there is definitely more to this book than just plain fiction. It is extremely up to date when it comes to the economic crisis even though it was first published in 1957.

It describes economic possibilities and can be related to the current financial crisis. I believe The Wall Street Journal has a few articles about this book and I would recommend it even though I have not read it yet.

I had dinner at a Chinese Restaurant in Brooklyn today. I went with my fiancée and two of her friends. I really enjoyed the time and it was nice to get away from my studies for a while.

I wanted to post a picture portraying Manhattan today. Silver cars selling everything from hot dogs to pretzels are very common in New York. I really like places like this because they usually offer food for a decent price. However, they can be pretty expensive at tourist locations so people better be careful. 

Fare Hike

I am currently looking for an internship and I think I made some progress today. I talked to one of my professors and he promised to help me.

He has many acquaintances and I really think that he can help me get my career to move in the right direction. He will give me the phone number to at least one of his connections and I will go from there.

It definitely helps that I have a 4.0 GPA and therefore also an A in all of his classes. I am not celebrating yet though and I am sure that I have some hard work in front of me.

I will use Berkeley College if my professor’s connections will not help. Berkeley has a terrific placement program and they will help students even though the internship will not earn them any credits.

We were watching a documentary in my international economics class today. It was called “Inside the Meltdown,” and I definitely recommend it. It describes what went wrong and how the economy went into recession.

I think it is possible to find the video online for free but I am not sure. It is a pretty fresh documentary and it really explains the situation in a comprehensible way. It focuses on the Federal Reserve, but it also talks about AIG, Lehman Brothers, and Bear Stearns.

The weather has been very gray lately and I must admit it dampens everyone’s enthusiasm and good mood.

I got back my first math test yesterday. I got 100% on, which feels extra good since there has been some trouble with this class. We have limited time left and we are supposed to have three more tests. The professor told us that he is considering giving out take-home quizzes instead, which will make everything much more convenient.

I have started to plan on what to do next break. I am thinking about going to Florida, which would be extremely fun because I have never been in the South before. I am not sure of what will happen yet though because I might do an internship at that time.

There is talk about a fare hike in New York right now. The bad economy has triggered losses for the MTA and they apparently needs to increase the fare for subway riders. They were at first talking about a $22 increase for a monthly unlimited-ride card but it seems like they will not increase it that much anymore.

It is really frustrating when they increase the fare. Students do not have that much money and it definitely affects many. I thought it was appropriate to post a picture of the subway because of this.

Busy Week!

I have not written my blog in a long time and it is definitely time to so. I have been a little busy lately because of school but everything has turned out very well.

I had a test in international economics last week and I did great on it. I got the top score together with six others in my class. The average seemed to be pretty high actually but the test was not that easy.

I also had an online test in management. I had the whole weekend to do it so it was not stressful at all. There was no time limit during the test so I could take my time and read the book.

I got 95 out of 100 on the test and I am of course happy with that. I only got one question wrong but I do not know which question that was. I thought I had everything right but I obviously did not.  I am not sure how I can find out which question I got wrong but I will ask my professor later this week.

My exercise bike broke again after using it just one time after that I had fixed it last time. It really tires me but I will definitely send it back this time. I need to find a big box to put it in though because I threw away the original package.

I am really interested in finding an internship right now. I have been in contact with a few departments in my school and they can help me if I want them to. I will talk to one of my professors about it first though because he promised me that he could help me out.

I would like to work at an international firm’s marketing department. I want to do more than what I have been doing so far when it comes to working and I really think I will have time to do an internship and still be able to study fulltime.

I registered for next quarter last Friday. I will take international trade, ethics, and intercultural communication. I accidentally registered for an art class but I will try to change it. I thought it was a history class at first, which was the reason I chose it.

I might change one class to international finance depending on who is teaching it. It is not a required course for me but I think I will take it as a free elective in the future. I really think it would be useful for me in the future.

I took today’s picture in Boston. I still miss the city and its beautiful architecture. I would definitely like to live there for some time but I think I would start missing New York after a while.