Assignments

I am at my fiancée’s school right now. I had to go get her some lunch because she was starving so I am doing my homework there right now.

I only have two more assignments left to do for my international business class. I have done about seven or eight the last two days. I am looking forward to see my professor’s reaction to when I turn in all the assignments.

It will feel really good to have done everything so that I will not have to do any more homework for that class again. It is a lot to read to be able to answer the questions but I really find it interesting so it is not that hard.

The stock market is really crashing again. I thought the worst part was over but it looks like it is heading for new volatile times. It will be interesting to see how the government will pay off its huge debt.

Many people fear future inflation and tax increases and I believe their fear is justified. There is simply no other way to pay off this huge debt.

I just had rice pudding. I really love it but I have not found it in any other places than my fiancée’s school. I think I should be able to buy it at a supermarket though so I will be scouting for it on my next trip to Pathmark.

I have a test coming up next week. I have not had the review yet though because there are still some things the professor needs to cover. I think I will have the review on Thursday though.

The test will cover political, environmental, and sociocultural forces in the international environment. It will probably cover more but I am not sure of the details yet. It is definitely an interesting subject though.

I have to get up at 6.15 tomorrow, which pretty much is killing me. It is very painful to get up that early but it is only twice a week so it is fairly manageable. Next quarter will definitely be better though because I start at 10.45 and 08.55 respectively.

I am doing a lot of studying this quarter and I think school is getting tougher and tougher for each year. Classes are becoming more advanced and complicated and students will definitely have to do more reading than they had to during their first quarters.

I took today's picture at Times Square. I really like Planet Hollywood. Their food is absolutely fantastic and I go there quite often as you might have noticed.

Seafood Buffet

I have not done much homework this weekend because I do not have any deadlines for next week. My fiancée and I went out to eat buffet this weekend and it was better than expected.

My fiancée and I have talked about going to a restaurant with a seafood buffet for a long time. We found a popular place close to Korea Town in Manhattan called Ichi Umi. I thought it would be a normal seafood buffet place but it was more than that.

The buffet is huge and stretches more than twenty meters. It offers everything from sushi to crab cake and they never run out of food, but refill it as soon as something is lacking. I almost tried something from everything but there is simple too much food to try for one visit.

They also have a wonderful buffet with deserts. I went there twice actually covering a full plate every time. They have cheesecake, white chocolate, fruit, and many other cakes. I will definitely go back there but I will make sure I am really hungry before going there.

Today is the 81^st Annual Academy Awards. I have never seen it live before actually because it is always really late when watching it from Sweden. I did not see that many movies last year actually and I am not sure what movies and what actors have been nominated this year.

I will still watch it though because I like the glamour and entertainment in Hollywood.

I thought I would do all the homework for my international business class today. We have about two assignments every week and I thought I could do all of it so that I would not have to do anything more for the rest of the quarter.

I did not have enough time to do everything today though. I have four more chapters to do but I think I will be able to do it next week or next weekend.

I will have to start on my term paper for finance soon. I was planning on doing some of it this weekend but I got lazy and did not do anything of it. I still have three weeks to do it though so I will not have to stress it out.

I have my cat another shower today. She was pretty calm while I did it actually and did not scratch my eyeballs out or anything. I used a cat shampoo too so she should be really clean now. She has been licking herself for about an hour now but she is okay other than that.

Today’s picture is from Ichi Umi. You cannot really see the end of the buffet, which really tells how big it is. 

I Have 30 Minutes!

I am waiting for pizza that I ordered online from Domino’s. It is time to celebrate the weekend and there is no better way of doing that.

I picked up my large print today. I am very satisfied with the result. It turned out better than I thought it would actually. I believed it would be a little too dark but the brightness is perfect. I wished it would be a little bigger though and I think my camera should be able to handle it.

I talked to my professor in finance today. I was actually going to the office to talk to one of my old accounting professors but he was not there at the time. I needed some information about filing for tax return.

My finance teacher helped me out with that and also told me to bring in the papers on Monday so that he can see exactly what I need to do. I really appreciate that kind of help. He also told me that I got an A on the test even though it said A-/B+ and that felt good to hear.

I heard that some students can be refunded for some of the tax they paid on the tuition. I am currently looking that up because that would be of great interest to me. There are actually a lot of deductibles these days because of the stimulus packages and the economy.

I saw another student getting a ticket in the subway today, which made me feel a little better about getting a ticket before. I was waiting for my fiancée and saw a girl opening the security gate to let her friend in.

There was a cop standing right next to me who started to walk towards them right afterwards. I had to go after that but it is crazy how many people the police catches everyday in the subway.

I found out what professors I will have for next quarter. I know two of the professors already, and I really like them. One is from my old college algebra class and will teach in my statistics class.

This will definitely help me understanding the material. I believe he is the best professor in math that I have ever had actually.

The other professor I will have is the one I am having now in international business. He is the funny professor that I usually mention in the blog. He will teach in my international economics class, which I am very happy about. It will definitely make the days shorter.

I took today’s picture on 6^th avenue and somewhere close to 57^th street. I have never noticed this building before actually, but I believe it is a club of some kind. The building really sticks out and I must say someone did an amazing exterior job. 

The Finance Test

I got back my finance test today and I am somewhat dissatisfied with it. I got A-/B+, which is not too bad but it is the way it was graded that made me feel disappointed.

We had to prepare an income statement and a balance sheet, which I did. For the next question you had to calculate six ratios based on the numbers you got from the income statement and balance sheet.

This meant that if you got the statements wrong or did a simple mistake in adding or subtracting the numbers, you would mess up the ratios too. I did just that. My mistake was a simple miscalculation on the balance sheet. I subtracted a number and wrote the wrong number on the next line.

I got three ratios wrong because of this even though I used the right format and calculations for the ratios. That is, I knew how to calculate the ratios and what to divide but I did not get it right since I used the numbers from the balance sheet that I had miscalculated.

I asked the professor if he could grant me credits for the ratios because I divided the right numbers. For example, I divided current assets with the current liabilities for the current ratio and did all the other ones right too.

He did not give me any credits for it though because his idea of it was that the numbers were wrong and therefore I was wrong. I can understand a small part of that but I definitely do not believe it is good way of testing students.

I believe that I proved to him that I know how the ratios are working because I calculated them right. It does not really matter what numbers I put in there as long as they are the ones from the right category.

I am still on my way to an A in finance though but I will probably have to work a little harder for the final. I will also have to start to work on the term paper because I want to do excellent work on that.

I went to have a beer with my friend after class today. We went to his place, which offers a magnificent view of downtown Manhattan. It was very interesting because we could see a snowstorm approaching from there and how it got closer and closer to us.

His apartment is on the 54^th floor so it was interesting to see the weather change like that while watching from such a viewpoint. I only have one more day in school this week and will be nice with another weekend.

I took today’s picture at Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn. I just wanted a picture on the traffic and all the lights that you see in the city. I took this one with my IPhone so the quality is not top class. 

A New Week

This weekend was very relaxing and I think I really needed it. I was very tired when I woke up this morning and I could barely keep my eyes open in my international business class.

I am not the kind of guy that falls asleep during lecture though. The professor is always entertaining and fun to listen too so that helps a lot. I am very happy that I am not having a math class at that time.

I got back my police and society test today and was able to take a look at which questions I got wrong. I was the first student to receive the test and was told that I got the highest score in class. That made me very happy.

I will hopefully get back my test in finance tomorrow. I am quite nervous about getting it back because I have no idea of what grade I will get. The teacher has not posted anything on blackboard yet.

I like when teachers post the grades online. It really helps emotionally by not making people too nervous the day they expect to get the tests back.

I went to a photo store this weekend to have a photo developed in large print format. It will be 20 by 16 inches big and the final price ended up at $35. I definitely thought it would be cheaper but I still think it is an okay price.

I am going to pick up the print tomorrow so I am very curious about the final result. I really hope the quality lives up to the price though. This print will really decide whether I will go back to this place again or not.

I have had some homework to do today. I had some finance and yesterday I had to do an assignment for my international business class. We are talking about internal rate of return and investments right now. It is very interesting but quite hard to learn.

You really have to repeat this stuff and read it over and over again to understand it. It will be interesting to hear what the professor has to say about it. We missed Monday’s class because of President’s Day but I do not think we will have a problem keeping up with the schedule.

I took today’s picture in Times Square. I went there to check out some puzzles at Toys R Us. My fiancée and I actually bought another puzzle in the same series as before. This time it is portraying Las Vegas.

The spring is really getting closer now. You can hear the birds singing in the morning and it is definitely getting warmer. I believe we have an average of around 40 degrees these days, which is not too bad for being in New York. 

A Missing Piece

It is finally weekend after one of the busiest weeks since I came to New York. I will finally have some time to celebrate Valentines Day and relax without having to think about homework.

I wrote my last blog right before I had my police and society test. I did not know if I would regret doing that instead of studying for the test but I felt, at that time that I had studied as much as I could.

It was one very intense week and I came to a point where I simply could not concentrate anymore. There is a limit to how much a person can study so I always take breaks when I start to feel that I am not focusing anymore.

The test in police and society was not that difficult for me. I felt that I knew a lot about the subject actually. I had bought a venti latte at Starbucks to keep me running and it probably helped me a little to keep me focused on the test.

My professor posted the grades yesterday and I got 96% on it. I am obviously very happy about that and it will make this weekend even more enjoyable. Hard work really pays off in the end.

I went to my fiancées school after my test. They had an event over there celebrating Valentines Day. I sneaked in with a visitor’s card and was able to get my hands on some free food including hamburgers, cheese sticks, and ice cream.

There were also two guys playing old-fashioned music. They dressed up in traditional old New York cloths and the music they played was great. I really enjoyed that, especially since I was very hungry.

I just finished a puzzle that I started to put together a few weeks ago. It has 750 pieces but unfortunately, it only counts to 749 right now. The last piece is missing, which is really distressing. I did not know it was missing until I was done with the whole puzzle because it was literally the last piece I would place.

I am not sure if I can blame the factory for the missing piece because it could be my cat that ate it too. I hope I will find the piece later so that I can frame the puzzle.

I am still waiting for grade in finance to be posted. I am quite curious about what I will get. I have no clue about how the teacher corrects his tests. I have no idea what I will get on it but want an A of course.

I am going to Manhattan today. I want to check out some photo stores because I want to print a photo in large print. I photoshoped it a few days ago basically just making it black and white and regulating the colors. I think it will look great on the wall.

Today’s picture is showing my puzzle with its missing piece. It is unfortunately pretty obvious so I cannot ignore it. 

Crazy Test in Finance

The two latest days have been crazy. I studied a lot for my finance test, but I thought it would be easier than most people believed it would be. I was unfortunately wrong about that.

I felt ready to take the test when I woke up yesterday morning. I reviewed the material on the train on my way to school and I was not that nervous. I realized the test was pretty big after the professor had handed it out.

There were nine questions in essay style so I got to work as fast as I could. It took me about twenty minutes to answer the first question and that was only because it was a big question and not because I did not know what to write.

One thing that bothered me a little was that the professor talked too much during the test. He answered students’ questions out loud and announced information about different class related things about ones every twenty minutes.

I finished the test right on time after about one hour and 45 minutes. Almost everyone in the classroom was still there so everyone had a problem in finishing on time. I wish that I would have had more time because I really wanted to write more for each answer.

I think I did okay though so I am excited about getting back my test. I really hope that the professor is generous about it because he has to realize that the time was not enough. This was definitely the longest test I have ever had so I do not want to know how big the final test in finance will be.

I had to start studying for my police and society test right after the test. I have basically only had one day to study for a 230 pages test, which is totally crazy. I have not had the time to read all the chapters but I have read a few pages and looked up what we talked about on the day of the review.

I am not that nervous about this test. I am still waiting for the class to start and I will look over the outline before the test starts. There is not much more I can do about the test. I have studied as much as possible. I think I studied about five hours yesterday together with two hours on the train.

I will have to try to think logically when doing the test because there is no way that I will be able to remember all the things in the book.

I took today’s picture in midtown Manhattan. I believe it is on 51st street close to 8th avenue. I was on my way to my Swedish friend’s hotel. We had not met for three years so it was nice to see him again. I will never stop loving Manhattan. Every time you take a walk in the city is amazing.

Study Time

My two coming days will be crazy. My class had a review for the test in police and society today and the test will be on Thursday.

The test covers seven chapters, which is more than 200 pages in the textbook.  The problem is not only that I have just two days to study but also that I have a test in finance tomorrow, which really limits the time I have for studying.

I thought I would have a lot of time to study yesterday. I prepared to study for finance when I came home from school and put all my books and paperwork on my desk. Five minutes later, a friend of mine called.

I had talked to him about a month ago and he told me he would come to New York from Sweden. He is going to several places in the United States so he will only stay in New York for four days.

I had promised to meet him when he came here so I had to go to see him yesterday. It really was not suitable but I had to do it because I did not want to let him down and also, we had not met for three years.

I went out to meet him and it was nice to catch up after so many years. He and his friend wanted to see Chinatown and Soho so I took them to Canal Street in Lower Manhattan. I spent about three hours with them so I really did not have that much time to study after that.

I have reviewed the finance for a few days now and I think I know most of what the teacher expects me to know. I do not think the test will be too hard but I am preparing for the worst. I really do not want to get less than an A on this test.

This is the first test I have with this professor so it is quite hard to know what his test will look like. It will feel really good after this week because I will not have much to do over the weekend when it comes to schoolwork.

I do not have any water available in the apartment today. There was a leaking pipe that had to be fixed so there are some construction workers here trying to fix it. The pipe led to the basement so I am not affected by it more than that I cannot use water at this moment 

My cat is getting pretty big now. She is growing really fast actually and she is only about six months old. I hope she will not get too big because I think they are cuter when they are small.

I took today’s picture in Times Square last year. There is always something happening there but this is actually in the subway. The woman on the picture pretended to be a statue and stood perfectly still. She was pretty good because at first, I did not know if it was a real person or not.