Black Sunday

I went out shopping today, again. Believe it or not but some stores offer even better deals now than they did on Black Friday. In fact, it is expected that deals are to become even better with Christmas around the corner.

I bought an external hard drive online today. I saved more than $50 and only paid $55 for it. It is a 500 gigabyte Seagate drive and I really need it since my old external hard drive is getting old and I am afraid it will break down soon. I also got free shipping, which definitely made the deal more attractive since shipping usually costs $4 to $10.

I have experienced lately that many stores’ websites have been down and not working. I assume it is because of heavy traffic or at least people should hope it is because it would be a good sign of economic recovery. Actually, it could be a sign of early Christmas shopping too. We will not know until after Christmas.

My girlfriend experienced this when she wanted to buy something online two days ago. I experienced it today when I was going to buy the hard drive. I had to call them to finish the order because of technical difficulties.

The last four days have been great. I have celebrated Thanksgiving and done a lot of shopping. I did catch a cold yesterday though and I still feel a little tired. I wish I had a couple of more days off before having to go to school again but it is only three more weeks till this quarter ends so I guess I can handle it.

I finished by business plan for my small business management class today. I thought I only had the financial plan to do but I had to write a location plan and the executive summary too. I feel that the paper turned out great and I hope my professor will like it.

I have finished most of my homework for next week. I still have to complete a few assignments for my online classes though. My group in my group dynamics class is not as active as I want it to be. We only have two more weeks to finish our final project and some people are still discussing whether we should go with the topic we chose last week or not.

I am convinced we have chosen a great topic and I have already written a draft for the business plan. Some people make their lives harder without realizing it but it is definitely frustrating to work with people like that.

I have my longest break for the year after this quarter. It will last for a little more than two weeks and it will be wonderful to celebrate Christmas here in New York. I love the decoration and the New York Christmas spirit. Things definitely slow down here during the fall and winter much thanks to less tourism and the cold weather.

Black Friday

This Black Friday was disappointing. I went up at 3 AM to catch an early train to New Jersey. I was expecting more people at the mall and although it was pretty crowded for being at 5 AM in the morning, it was definitely more crowded last year. Deals were not at all that good except a few deals at stores like Best Buy that offered very cheap HDTVs.

My fiancée did buy a few things and I bought her a piece of jewelry. We went to JC Penny, Macys, and some other clothing stores. Macys had a few good deals but they offered even better deals two weeks ago.

I believe many stores had the best sales a few weeks ago. Today, they knew that a lot of people would go out to visit their stores so they simply did not force down prices that much. They also expected many people to do their Christmas shopping today and although this thought might have been exaggerated, I did see a few people buying possible Christmas gifts.

Getting up at 3 AM is definitely challenging, and I got very tired at around 7 AM. I came home around 10 AM so I spent about six hours of shopping, which is to me, pretty much. I fell asleep again when I came home and slept for four hours. I got up after that and had some lunch. An hour later, I fell asleep again for another hour. I still feel tired and almost jetlagged.

I hope that I can fall asleep later tonight and wake up like normal tomorrow morning. Anyway, I will probably not go out for Black Friday next year. It is too exhausting and I do not feel it is worth it. I got a few free items though including water bottles, snow globes, and breakfast.

I have done some homework for my online classes today. I basically only posted some responses on the discussion board. I have to work on a few more things before Tuesday next week but I do feel that I have time to relax this weekend.

My professor in managing for change also posted the grade for my group project. We got 145 out of 150, which I feel very satisfied with. Some parts of the paper were, according to me, not very well written. However, it was definitely a good paper as a whole.

As I mentioned before, I have a presentation to do together with my group on Tuesday. I have not yet started to work on the PowerPoint slides but it will not take too long to put it together. Most groups have talked about the company in their presentations and they have not focused much on the change, which we are supposed to do.

Our presentation will focus much more on what Boeing is experiencing at this moment and I feel that this is crucial when making the presentation.

I will try to eat some leftovers from last night today. There are definitely a few tasty dishes in the fridge waiting right now. I tried the pumpkin pie today and it was extremely tasty. I will also have some corn bread, turkey, and sweet potatoes. I cannot wait to have a second Thanksgiving meal.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I first want to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving. Today, people give an extra thought to things they feel thankful about. For most people, this day is one that involves spending time with family and friends while watching football on television. The Giants actually play today so a lot of New Yorker’s will probably watch tonight’s game.

I had a great meal with my girlfriend today. We had almost everything on the table including turkey, chicken, corn bread, spareribs, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin pie. I absolutely love it but I am still stuffed after eating for almost an hour.

We will try to go to bed early today because we are getting up early tomorrow to go shopping on “Black Friday.” There are amazing deals available including 54” HDTVs for less than $1000. I will probably only buy clothing but I definitely feel tempted to buy other things.

I am pretty disappointed with my group in my group dynamics class. Only one other person and I have been active on the discussion board this week and we only have two more weeks to finish our final project. I really do not like to work in groups when people do not care about the assignments. Also, since this is an online class, there is not much I can do in terms of talking to these people.

I have been selected to be the treasurer for the international group at Berkeley College. That means I will be responsible for the cash flow and the accounting. I am really looking forward to work with the international division and to make this group as successful as possible. We will have our first meeting on Tuesday and I am excited to meet everyone.

I have a couple of assignments that are due on Tuesday next week. I still feel that I can relax this weekend though. I also have to prepare a presentation that I will make on Tuesday together with my four other group members. Only one member and I will talk and the other ones will be responsible for the PowerPoint slides and a quiz that we will give the class at the end of the presentation.

I honestly do not like presentations but I think it is great preparation for future job responsibilities that most likely will include similar events. The fact that we have to dress up also makes everything feel more serious, and people in the class definitely look at others with more respect if they dress up for their speeches.

I watched the movie “The Proposal” tonight. It is definitely a movie I would recommend to couples. I personally really liked it because it was very easy to follow and it was constantly fun and entertaining. My girlfriend and I laughed several times. I honestly thought it was just going to be one of those other romantic comedies that feature typical events that are easy to predict. However, even though the story was very easy to predict, the movie was extremely entertaining.

Berkeley College

I would like to discuss future plans of Berkeley College that may change things quite substantially. There are currently plans to open a new campus in Brooklyn and the school will start an MBA program in a year.

This shows how dedicated Berkeley College is when it comes to growth and innovation. I feel that this is exceedingly important and, as a student, I feel encouraged to hear that the school will offer higher education after I graduate.

Many schools do not grow in size and are almost afraid of implementing change. I am proud to be part of a school that sets challenging goals and always tried to improve its implementation strategies and systems.

I finished the business plan draft for my group dynamics class today. People can really tell that Berkeley College is a business school. The reason I am saying this is that I have taken many classes like ethics, history, and group dynamics and all of them are taught from a business perspective. I believe that this is very important and this also really prepares students for their future careers.

A couple of weeks ago, I went out with two friends to play some pool and hang out. I had a great time and afterwards we went to a place called Chipotle. I would describe it as a Mexican version of Subway restaurant. The food is ordered in the same way but they serve burritos and Mexican food instead of sandwiches.

The food is absolutely great and I went there again today with a friend. Being his birthday last week, I gave him a tie and a birthday card. The tie looked really good and had it not been his birthday, I would probably have kept it myself.

Thanksgiving is coming. I have to go to work tomorrow but I will have four days of tomorrow. I am really looking forward to some vacation. I need to get some rest and turkey, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin pie will definitely help me to regain my strengths.

I will not go out late night on Black Friday. Instead, I will go to a few places that open the morning after on Friday. I will probably have to get up quite early but that is okay because I can take a nap in the afternoon. I am planning to buy headphones and maybe an external hard drive but I have not decided yet.

The group presentations in my managing for change class started today. People did okay but a few of the presentations were quite shaky. I believe it is because each group contain between five to seven people. However, all presentations were very creative with video clips, PowerPoint slides, and quizzes.

I got my test in small business management back today. I got 98 out of 100. I was uncertain about what I would get on the test because it has been two weeks since I took it. I am obviously very happy with it and I got the feeling that most students did well too.

Shopping

My girlfriend bought me new dressing pants on my birthday. I tried a couple of different brands but was not perfectly happy with any of them. That was until I tried Calvin Klein. Those pants were of totally different quality and the fit was much better. I got two CK pants because of this and I do not think I will ever buy a different brand again.

I have actually done quite a lot of shopping lately. The recession offers new great deals every week and it is good times for people who still have their job or are in college. It is actually not that bright to go shopping right now since “Black Friday” is coming this Thursday night.

“Black Friday” occurs every year on Thanksgiving. On this day, almost all businesses offer excellent discounts and there are a lot of bargains, especially in New York City and New Jersey where the tax is lower. People start shopping at midnight and stay up for the whole night. It is pretty crazy but fun at the same time.

I will probably go out together with my girlfriend. We are planning to go to New Jersey but we have not decided exactly where to go yet. Even if we knew where to go, I would not share it with people until after “Black Friday” so that I can keep all the good deals for myself.

Not only have my on-campus classes kept me busy these days. I have also been occupied with my online classes. These involve one marketing research class and one group dynamics class. I have had one test in the marketing class and I got 98 out of 100 on that test. I also have a case that I have to finish before December 1st. I also have to participate in online discussions almost every day.

The group dynamics class is particularly interesting. I have to coordinate a group project together with six other people and this is not easy, especially since I cannot see these people face-to-face. I try to participate as much as I possibly can because communication is key in making it work. The group project will hopefully turn out well.

We have to come up with a business proposal that is innovative and challenging. After brainstorming and analyzing our ideas, my group has decided to go with one of my suggestions. People came up with ideas such as spas, gyms, and health centers but the professor was not impressed by those ideas. My idea involves new technology and something very different and I think it will be a great project.

I do not want to say what it is since I take my ideas seriously. It may seem silly for me to keep these things secret but my thought is that it might turn out to be useful in the future. Also, I do not want to discover see someone using my idea without giving me credit.

Also my internship has been keeping me very busy. I work three days a week from nine to five. When I was working in Sweden as an operator in a factory, I used to think that working in an office was easy and painless. However, I have realized that it is not that glorious after all. Staring at a computer screen for hours can make you pretty tired. Although, I still enjoy working and it is definitely interesting to do something different than just studying all the time.

Summary

In my last blog I said I was going to write more blogs than I had done the last month. Well, I did not. The reason for this is a busy schedule including work, school, and other chores. My birthday was November 15th and I had a great time. I will write a couple of blogs to summarize everything that has happened the last few weeks.

My girlfriend and I went out to eat and shop on my birthday. I really enjoyed it and it was celebrated just the way I like it. We went to a place called Dinosaur Barbque. I am not misspelling barbeque. That is actually the way they spell it.

The place is purely American and they have everything from spareribs to pork on the menu. Everything is exceedingly tasty and definitely my style. The restaurant itself is decorated like an old tavern with old wood and a matching bar. They serve thirty-eight different drafts so there are a lot of goodies to choose from.

What is unfortunate about Dinosaur Barbque is that it is so far away from my home. It is located in Harlem and it takes me more than an hour to go there. It took extra time when we went there last time because it was on a Saturday with trains running local and they had shut down a few tracks due to construction.

I personally felt that it was worth going there but both my girlfriend and I were extremely hungry when we got there. We had to wait for about twenty minutes because the place was packed. Other than that, it was a pleasant experience like always.

It has been extremely busy in school. I have been working on a group project in my management for change class. My group is working on Boeing and changes they have experienced the last few years. It involves subsidies and delays and I have really enjoyed creating this paper. It is actually do tomorrow and my group has everything prepared.

We will have a presentation next week but other groups will start presenting their work tomorrow. The requirements are to speak for at least fifteen minutes but not more than twenty minutes. The presentation has to be creative and people have to dress up appropriately. That usually means jacket and tie but a shirt and dressing pants will do too.

I had a test in this management class a few weeks ago. I scored 100 out of 100 so I am very happy with that test. It covered questions concerning organizational development, models, and triggers for change. It was quite a lot to study for even though the class was thoroughly prepared for the test.

I also had a test in small business management. I am still waiting for the results to be posted but I am expected the professor to bring the results for tomorrow’s class. We are also working with a business plan and normally have one part of the plan due every week. I am working on a Laundromat business that I believe could have been profitable had the idea been implemented.

Charades

My class in managing for change was extremely entertaining yesterday. We played charades and were competing against each other in groups. My group did best and we got a total of 38 points that will be added to our final project, which is worth 200 points. It got heated and people got really loud at times. The group that did next to best only received twenty points so I am very happy with my group’s performance.

One thing that is funny about this is that we probably have the group that needs the points the least. We are almost done with the group project and I am currently working on finishing the final draft. There are a couple of things that needs to be changed and added but other than that I think we are fine. We should be done by next week.

To add some attraction to the paper, we will take it to Staples to have it bound and set up with a plastic cover. I currently have the maximum amount of points for this class so I am not worried about not getting an A in it. Also, since I received a 100 on the midterm, my final will be a take-home exam, which makes it much easier.

My birthday is on Sunday next weekend. I will go out with my girlfriend to celebrate. We are planning to go out shopping in Bay Ridge in Brooklyn. There is a Century 21 there and not as crowded as in Manhattan. I like the neighborhood and I am a little tired of the everyday shopping areas. We will also go out to eat at Dinosaur Barbque in Harlem. I really like that restaurant because it is very American and they serve excellent barbeque dishes.

Today is Veterans Day. Military personnel, veterans, and other men and women in service are honored and thanked for doing the duty. I personally feel strongly for this day and I believe it is an important day to celebrate or at least dedicate some time to think about those who give their life to protect us. Berkeley College holds a ceremony to honor student veterans and I respect that.

I am going to stay in school after my classes tomorrow. I feel that I need to do some studying and I lack motivation at home because of an always working internet connection and high definition television. I am going to try to finish a case for my online class, the final draft for the group project in managing for change, and another assignment for my group dynamics class.

I have been very busy lately and the number of blogs I write have gone down significantly. I am going to try to write more in the future but having an internship and being a full time student simultaneously is not easy.

A cold has been bothering me lately. I bought Dayquil to suppress it and it worked with limited success. My throat hurt and, unexpectedly, seconds after I drank Dayquil, my sore throat was healed. However, I still struggled with the cold. I feel better now though, and I am happy it is over.

Lion King on Broadway

I really enjoyed this weekend. I went to see Lion King on Broadway and I also travelled to Staten Island to visit the Staten Island Mall. I had never been to a Broadway Show before actually so I had no idea what to expect. I heard that the actors are of world class so I had very high expectations.

I really enjoyed the show. The costumes and scenery were fantastic. I was blown away how brilliant everything was put together and just like I expected, the acting was fantastic. I am glad I saw the Lion King because it involves a lot of costumes and great singing.

I am going to try to find tickets for another show before Christmas because I want to see more now that I know what it is like. I really recommend everyone to watch a Broadway show. It is much better than other plays around the world. For example, compared to Sweden, I found the Broadway show to be much greater.

I also had to study this weekend. I went over my group project which now is 27 pages long. I was disappointed with some people’s grammar and I had to make a few corrections. I personally feel that at this time in college, people should be more responsible when it comes to their language. I generally feel that we have a good paper though, and I think we will be well rewarded for it.

I also wrote an organizational plan for my business plan in small business management. It turned out pretty well and was not too hard to write. The professor is of great help because he gives out questions that need to be answered when writing the business plan. That way, the plan will be complete and it is easier to know how to put it together.

Yesterday, I went to Staten Island Mall. It took almost two hours to go there so it was quite agonizing to go back. The mall is pretty big and there are a lot of stores there. I did not want to buy too much because “Black Friday” is coming up in two weeks. The biggest sales of the year are offered on that day so it would be unintelligent to buy everything now.

However, I found a winter jacket that was 50% off that I bought. I feel that I made a pretty good deal actually. It was also exiting to see Staten Island. I have been there before but only at the shore right where the ferry takes people. I was in the middle of the borough this time and it is very different from the other four boroughs.

I had a test last Thursday in my managing for change class. I hope my professor will post the grades today because I am curious about how well I did. I feel that she is pretty lenient when she grades people’s papers and tests so I am not very worried about it.

I also had lunch with two friends last week. We went to Korea Town to eat, which is a place with excellent food. I had Job Chae, which basically is a dish of sweet Korean noodles. I really love it and I also had some kind of Korean pork with rise. Everything tasted great and it was nice to catch up with friends.

Halloween

Halloween was celebrated on Saturday night last weekend. I went to the parade between Spring Street and 24th Street with my girlfriend. The day started of great with beautiful weather, which unfortunately changed into rain later in the evening.

I went to Fort Greene Park in Brooklyn in the afternoon to take some pictures. The fall is really kicking in right now and the leaves are getting colorful. It feels like this happens pretty late this year but I really like taking pictures in the fall.

I was first thinking about going to Central Park but I did not have enough time. Fort Greene is definitely worth going to and I took some great pictures over there. There was also a carnival taking place that afternoon with lots of kids and parents engaging in various activities. It is exciting to see all the different costumes people come up with.

After taking pictures, I went to Korean Town with my girlfriend to have lunch. We were lucky because they closed early and we ordered our food right on time. Korean food is delicious and everyone should definitely try it. They have a lot of barbeque entrees and their side dishes are delicious.

The Halloween parade was great as usual. I was standing at 21st street at the end of the parade so I had to wait an extra hour and a half before I got the opportunity to see it. It was unfortunately raining during the whole event but people still kept their spirits up.

I tried to take good pictures but it turned out to be extremely difficult because of the huge crowd of people, the rain, and all the commotion. Although we missed a train because it was packed with people, the trains were actually running quite well this time with not too many delays.

I have been studying for a test that will take place on Thursday this weekend. I thought that it would be quite easy because the professor would post all questions online before the test. However, the questions are pretty general and not all that easy to answer. I will have to study a lot these days to learn the material so that I can get a full score on it.

It is definitely interesting though because it is about change management and how to implement change in organizations. My group is working on Boeing and what is affecting them right now. There are a lot of companies out there that are in a process of big change because of the recession and what caused it. Another group is working on GM and I am sure they have a lot to write about.

I also finished writing my marketing plan for my business idea that I came up with for my small business management class. I believe it turned out pretty well and it will be interesting to see what my professor has to say about it. Even though I failed the in-class test, which tested students whether they were the “entrepreneurial” type or not, I still feel that I have the potential to become a business owner.