Dragon Fighters

I had to go to school today because I did not receive the book required for my international trade class today. I have a quiz on the first chapter tomorrow so I had to read it. It took about an hour to do so and the chapter was pretty straight forward.

It introduces the reader to international economics and trade and talks about topics concerning globalization, outsourcing, and terrorism’s affect on international business. I feel pretty updated concerning these subjects but that does not mean the quiz will be easy.

The quiz will be asking true or false questions and I always overanalyze these kinds of tests. In my opinion, many questions cannot be answered simply by saying true or false and this is a huge disadvantage to students.

I scored another A on this week’s quizzes in my online class in professional selling. I find this class very interesting and I dedicate many hours every week to study the material in the book and what is posted online. The professor liberally posts articles and links that are helpful to our learning process and this is something that I value to a great extent.

I believe that online classes will become increasingly popular. I am considering taking more online classes next quarter because of the convenience to do so. However, I still believe that some classes cannot be taught online such as communication and presentation courses.

I have been doing a lot of reading lately. As I mentioned before, I read one chapter in my selling book today, one in my international trade book, and I have to read another chapter later today in my textbook for ethics. I find my selling book to be very interesting to read. The international trade book can be quite dull sometimes so I am honestly happy that I only have to read one chapter every week.

I have not opened my ethics book yet, but I really hope that it is an entertaining and interesting book to read. I actually have a feeling that it is a good book because ethics can be extremely attention-grabbing. However, there is a small chance that it talks too much about Aristotle and the old rules of conduct.

Something that New York is famous for is its diversity. I walked past a fire station in Chinatown a few days ago, which I found to be very unique. The gate said “Dragon Fighters,” and it obviously followed a very Chinese theme as seen on the picture. This is something that can only be found in New York and I find it quite fascinating.

A Challenging Online Class

I have enjoyed my first weekend since school started this quarter by studying professional selling. I have done three quizzes and discussed selling techniques online with my professor and classmates.

This online class is really taking up a lot of my time. However, I really love doing the assignments and discussing selling tactics. I am doing very well so far and have been able to score an A on the first week’s assignments so I have great expectations for this course so far.

There has also been posted a written assignment that is due in four weeks. I will probably start working on it tomorrow because I do not want to end up in the same situation as I did when I had finance where I struggled to finish my paper up to the very last day.

I went to IKEA today to buy some quality Swedish furniture. I had to buy an extra side table for my study room since I needed some extra space to do homework. It looks great and the table was, of course, very easy to assemble. I took a picture outside IKEA on the Swedish flag in case anyone is interested.

I will have to get used to extra long weekends now. I do not have school tomorrow, Monday because I only have classes on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s. That is very convenient but it is easy to get bored if at staying home too much. I am glad I have an online class because that will keep me occupied during those days.

Berkeley College has excellent study areas and it is quite helpful to go there on days when you do not feel motivated to study. I need to read one chapter in preparation for a test in international trade and I am still waiting for the book. If I do not receive it in the mail tomorrow I will have to go to Berkeley College to read it. The library always keeps a copy of the course-required textbook.

The required books for this quarter have been quite expensive. My book in international trade is selling for $165. I was lucky and found one, which I hope is in excellent condition, for approximately $110. People who want to save money on textbooks should go to Amazon.com and Half.com. People can also set up selling accounts on these website in case they want to sell their used textbooks.

I am not sure about how much I have saved by selling my books online. I do know, however that it exceeds $800. In many cases I actually end up making a profit on my books. I usually sell them for a higher price than what I bought them for. This can be hard to maintain though since new editions severely decreases the value of older books. That is a good reason to sell them as soon as possible.

Most professors recommend students to keep their books. It can be the start of a personal library and the books hold information that may be very useful in the future. I agree with this, however, it may be hard for some students to afford keeping all their books. Also, when it comes to accounting, marketing, and a few other areas, books simply get old and become outdated rather quickly.

A New Quarter

The first week in school has started and I am already getting busy. I am guessing that this will be a very eventful semester and I will definitely be more occupied than last quarter.

My first class every morning is management simulation. We have not really gotten started yet but students are all set for next week. We will use a computer application for this class and it will basically teach us how to run a business efficiently.

I have been looking forward to this class for a long time and I have great expectations. We have all been divided into teams of two and I have found a trustworthy partner to work with.

Our first task will be to take over a car dealership. Responsibilities include to manage inventory, open up new markets, and to find a profitable location for the firm. This program was actually designed for Toyota at first but has now been customized for students. It is close to reality but of course not as complex.

I was expecting to have the same professor in international trade as I had in international business and economics. I have gotten familiar with him and I see him as an excellent professor. However, there was a change in the schedule and I now have another professor.

I honestly must say that I felt skeptic about the new professor. I was prepared for a different kind of lecture and I now had to get used to something I was not prepared for. However, it turned out to be an easy transition.

I am so far very happy about my international trade professor. He is extremely experienced and he has done business in many countries. We will have quizzes almost every week, which might feel intense in the beginning but I believe I will quickly get used to it.

My last class is ethics. I am very pleased with my professor so far and he is encouraging student discussion in a very generous fashion. It is extremely interesting to talk about different ethical dilemmas and the examples he gives can be quite contradicting.

I also have one online class in professional selling. It has so far been a lot of work actually. Class discussion takes place online in a forum on Berkeley College’s online blackboard. It works extremely well and my professor has so far been very active in responding and posting assignments.

I have a lot of reading to do this quarter but I am looking forward to it. This will presumably be one of my busiest quarters even though I will only be in school for two days a week. However, I was the one picking this quarter’s classes and I did so because I am interested in the topics and I honestly think it will be fun.

Last Day in DC

It was interesting to celebrate the Fourth of July in Washington DC. I had read online that The Mall would be packed with people but I found it to be perfectly fine. I had no problems finding a space to sit down and relax.

A lot of people were waving American flags and there were a lot of activities going on. It was great to see people barbequing and spending time with their families. Many are leaving home early to find the best spot at The Mall to watch the fireworks at 9.10 PM.

I did not want to spend the whole day waiting so we visited The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. It was very interesting to see the moon landing vehicles and the airplane Charles Lindbergh used to fly across the Atlantic.

I spent most of Independence Day strolling around and contemplating other people. I really enjoyed the time and it was very different from what I experienced in New York last year.

I still feel that the fireworks in New York were better though. Watching them from Brooklyn, with the New York City skyline in the background was an amazing experience and not many places can beat that view.

My fiancée and I wanted to spend the last day shopping and relaxing. We went to Macy’s, which was much smaller than the Macy’s stores in New York. I wanted to buy Ray Ban sunglasses but the selection was tiny there. Also, the tax is higher in Washington DC so I rather buy them in New York.

My fiancée wanted to buy a perfume but they did not have that either. They only had an earlier edition, which was not of interest to us. They actually had it up for sale on their website, which is why we thought they would have it in the store. I showed them the perfume on my iPhone, which surprised them a little but they could not come up with a reason to why they did not have it.

My fiancée and I caught the four o clock bus to New York. It was almost empty when we left and I think only about five people were in it. We always sit in the front seats next to the driver so that we can see the road really clear. I guess it is the most dangerous seats but I like being able to see what is happening on the road.

I tried to use the bathroom on the bus just a few minutes ago and I can honestly say that it was not easy. The bus is turning to the right and left and there are several bumps in the road.

I think I will really miss Washington DC. It is a city with more normality than New York. It offers beautiful architecture as well as views and the people are very hospitable. The only negative thing about DC is that it is hard to find affordable restaurants close to attractions. Other than that, Washington DC is definitely a place I can see myself living in within ten years.

Segway Tour

Later on the second day in Washington DC, we also saw the reflecting pool. It really was not reflecting as much as I thought it would. It would be more fantastic if they colored the water black.

After spending some time in the Washington Monument area, we walked to Pennsylvania Avenue. There are plenty of interesting buildings there including, the White House, The Ronald Reagan Building, and the Federal Trade Commission.

We did not go to the White House this day but we saw many buildings of interest on our way to The Capitol. My fiancée and I also saw the president convoy. We saw the president limousine surrounded by police cars, which was interesting.

The Capitol building is fantastic and incredibly beautiful. We took several pictures there and there were also several tourists surrounding us. We stayed at the Capitol for a few hours and listened to a rehearsal for a concert nearby. The actual concert was going to take place on the fourth of July.

On our way back to the hotel we visited the Botanic Garden. It was closed but people were still allowed to go to the garden outside the green house. It was nothing unique but the weather was beautiful so it was a nice experience.

We visited the White House the next day. It was spectacular to see it and I was very excited about it. We took a few great pictures there but we knew we would come back the same day because I had booked a Segway Tour.

We wanted to go to the aquarium after our visit at the White House but while we were waiting in line there was a guy coming out saying it was not better than a pet store. We left the line after that and went to have a coffee at Starbucks instead.

We both were nervous about the Segway Tour. My fiancée and I saw other people on the tour the same day and it did not look very easy to maneuver the vehicle. We got even more nervous when our group started to try it out.

Segways are maneuvered by using gravity. If you stand on your toes leaning forward, the Segway moves forward and so on. Both my fiancée and I had some troubles getting used to it but after about 15 minutes we felt comfortable on it.

The Segway tour was one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had on a tour. After getting used to it, it is extremely fun to drive it. People on the streets look amazed and many ask where they can take the tour. I definitely recommend doing it if it is available in the city you are visiting.

I felt really tired in my legs after the two-hour tour so we went back to the hotel after having a few hot dogs and some ice cream. A Segway costs bout $5,000 and I can see myself buying one in the future.

An Eventful Second Day in D.C.

My plan for the second day in D.C. was to get up early so that we could get tickets for The Bureau of Engraving and Printing, which is where the government is printing money. They are probably very busy right now so it would have been interesting to visit it.

Unfortunately, because of an extremely comfortable hotel bed, we did not get up very early. We were at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing at about 11 AM and all tickets had been sold out.

This was a minor disappointment but we had many other plans for the day. Next to it is the Holocaust museum, which was a place a wanted to visit. I had great expectations for this museum and my fiancée and I got tickets for the main exhibition.

The tickets we got were for the 1 PM exhibition so we had two hours to spend. We decided to visit the Washington Monument and The World War Two Memorial, both attractions being nearby the Holocaust Museum.

We also tried D.C. hot dogs costing $3 each. That is 300% more expensive than in New York so it felt pretty tempting not to buy it. However, we were hungry and as we have learned from being in Washington DC, it is not easy to find good and affordable food there.

The Washington Monument is a quite astonishing structure. It is very tall and people are actually allowed to go to the top of it, which I did not know. However, people who want tickets need to get in line early in the morning, which is why I never went up there. Usually I have no problem getting up early, however, I am on vacation and I really do not want to get up earlier than 9 AM these days.

Ones at the Washington Monument, people can also see The Capitol. The monument is actually located on a hill, which is why the view is so great. We walked to The World War Two Memorial after spending almost an hour at the Washington Monument.

It only takes about ten minutes to walk to the memorial. The architecture is beautiful and it is nice to see kids dipping their feet in the fountain. We also saw the Lincoln Memorial from there but we decided not to go there that day because then we would not have time to go back to the museum.

The Holocaust Museum was unfortunately not that impressive. I have heard great things about it but I was honestly disappointed. Some rooms are interesting but the main exhibition basically consists of pictures and videos. I was expecting more than that. However, it is a nice tribute to those who suffered or lost their lives in World War Two.

After a lot of walking, we went to Hard Rock Café. I had the ribs and my fiancée had the duo combo platter. I always like to go to Hard Rock Café to eat on my vacation. They offer great food and it is definitely a fun environment to be in.

First Day in Washington DC

I arrived late in Washington DC because of the exploding tire. However, I still had time to do everything I had planned to do and it was a very eventful day.

My first stop was Georgetown. I really did not have a clue about what to expect from the neighborhood but my fiancée had told me that it was a beautiful area. She turned out to be right and I think the right word to describe it would be cute.

There are plenty of small shops, stores, and restaurants. The shopping is popular but not spectacular, especially compared to New York. We spent about one to two hours there, mostly by walking around and exploring.

The hotel was great. It was a little too far away from the downtown area but the subway was only ten minutes away so I did not complain about it. I would usually be looking forward to the king-sized bed but I did not this time since I have my own one now.

After visiting Georgetown, we took the train to Arlington. I wanted to visit Pentagon and the Arlington Cemetery. The Pentagon is astonishingly big. I almost got in trouble because I missed a “no photography” sign.

As soon as I raised my camera to snap a picture of Pentagon, an alarm sounded and two guards came out from a huge gate and told me to put the camera away. They were actually not too aggressive and just warned me that the police could confiscate my camera if they saw me trying to take a picture.

I did not take any pictures at Pentagon for this reason. However, there is a September 11 memorial just next to Pentagon where people are allowed to take pictures, so I did. It is actually a very beautiful memorial with water reflecting several monuments portraying the wing of an airplane.

After our Pentagon visit, we travelled to the cemetery just one subway stop away from Pentagon. It is quite amazing how big the cemetery is. The tombs are perfectly lined up honoring those who served the country and sometimes their families.

I did not go all the way to the top but I walked quite far. They have one-hour trolley tours costing only $7. However, I wanted to walk because I thought it would be less binding and easier to take pictures.

We were pretty hungry on our way home and found an American diner called Johnny Rockets. It looked like an old traditional American diner with pictures of old coke advertisements and jukebox machines. The food was not spectacular but the environment made the stay worthwhile.

An Exploding Tire!

My trip to Washington DC has come to a start and there have been a few surprises on the road already. It was tough to get up this morning at 4 AM but I managed to get my things together and leave on time.

I am currently stranded on the highway waiting for someone to fix a tire that exploded a few minutes ago. I am glad the bus did not crash or flip over. I am starting to question the safety on the Chinatown buses but at least it is cheap.

There was also another incident this morning when we had just left New York City and were driving through the New Jersey turnpike. The driver apparently got too close to the wall and lost one of his rear view mirrors.

The state police was very helpful and instructed us to stay in the bus. The reason we cannot leave the bus is because if another car gets a flat tire, it might spin out of control and kill someone. That is actually exactly how the state trooper put it. He also signaled to other cars so that no one would hit us from behind. I believe I have about another three hours to Washington DC but the trip has been pretty exciting so far.

This bus will also make a quick stop in Philadelphia, which I am looking forward to. I have never been there so it will be interesting to see what it looks like. I want to go there some day to visit Hershey Park, which is said to be a fun place.

I have plans to go to Georgetown in Washington DC today and I will also visit Pentagon and the Arlington cemetery if I have time. I am very curious about the hotel that I am staying at because it was actually picked out randomly by the travel website I used. It looks very nice on the pictures and it is supposed to be a 3.5 star hotel. However, some websites have marked it as a 4 star hotel so I am sure I will be satisfied with the service.

I am looking in the rear view mirror right now, watching the repairman fix our tire. It can be an extremely dangerous job especially on the highway since the cars are passing by really close to the bus.

I think I might be pretty lucky with the weather in Washington DC. It has been forecasted to be sunny all days except today and the temperature will stay around 85F. It would be wonderful if the forecast turns out to be true. The weather on my trip to Boston was basically cloudy every day and it can have a depressing effect on you sometimes.

The tire has been changed now and we will be moving shortly. I am finally getting closer to Washington DC again. I have great expectations from this trip and I am certain that I will have a great time there, especially on the Fourth of July.