posts from 2008/2009 IMBA students around the world

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  1. Catching up on the past year or so 15 Jan 2012 | 9:55pm GMT
    [ Open article ] on Welcome to Dave's Journeys

    A lot has happened sense my last post, so I have created some photo albums to check out. Enjoy!

    October 2010 - December 2011 recap...


    Winter Break Vacation 2011...


    New Year's Eve 2011-2012


    North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit...
  2. Slacker in you unfolds! 10 Jan 2012 | 11:15am GMT
    [ Open article ] on Palmetto Boy

    ...I think not updating a blog talks a lot about what a SLACKER! you are.. Once you know you love writing about you..life n..crap.. better write.. stopping it for a day or two or a week is okay but not for a month..SLACKER.. I scolded myself.. hmmmm sometimes it okay to be self critical...man.. lot many things have happened in my life.. I moved to Hyderabad! Never thought I will be here.. currently working on a project for an agro industry.. taking an indian company global!! Kewl!! more than that planning to venture into green filed South American Market!! Que Bueno para mi!! Si..en uno sueno come true!! :-) anyways.. life is good.. Spent my new year in Chennai.. Attended a personality development kindaa discourse by a great guy "T.T.Rangarajan" Worth the time and money.. Started fresh... this year.. not many resolutions...but decided on Infinitheism as my way of life...


  3. Lesotho - A South African Paradise 29 Nov 2011 | 8:17am GMT
    [ Open article ] on Palmetto Boy

    I have to thank Google for an amazing Stat report. I had my first blog reader from a small landlocked country in Southern Africa - Lesotho....a paradise unknown to me all the while... A quick wiki resulted in knowing more about this Diamond based economy...I never knew that it had such a beautiful landscape....an english speaking fellow commonwealth! nation Thank You Brits! for making our travel easy...
    I was literally mesmerized by this beauty of this scenic Katse Dam Bridge.. Man.. I wanna go there sometime.. my heart started pounding with a desire to spread my wings to fly down to Lesotho.. It came as a blow to my ignorance when I came to know that there is an afri-ski resort..(SKI RESORT IN AFRICA!!!) in the mountains of Maloti..just 4.5 hours drive from Johannesburg.I am quite shocked to see that a country with such a high literacy rate suffers poor Healthcare!..HIV spread so badly in urban areas.. I love this picture of this kid covered in traditional clothing.
    Looks like Lesotho employs lot of child labor.... Man.. I love to go this country and volunteer for a month.. do my best to help them..as well look for some social entrepreneurship in this place..help these people build a better country...I would appreciate comments from you readers....any thoughts ....any ideas...any suggestions....there are lot of unknown places and people we could do something to change their life....dont forget to leave comments readers.....


  4. Crane cleansing Cow! 28 Nov 2011 | 5:03pm GMT
    [ Open article ] on Palmetto Boy

    I was just observing Crane that was picking Cows nose!!..may sound disgusting but the sight was beautiful.It looked as though this cow was getting a beauty therapy by this beautiful sleek Asian Avis! In fact the cow was cooperating to my surprise, what could be the reason? I sneaked closely to observe this natural ecological! phenomenon.. Crane helps cow to keep itself clean from insects and flies..Cow feels relieved by this action!...WoW! is it amazing..Nature helps! even when you are unable to protect yourself..Nature protects you!
    Sometimes we aren't sure about the decision we make, not sure about What Next? The reason for this uncertainty is not just fear of failure but also the fear of responsibility if Successful! It is sometimes okay to let things go! with the flow...Nature takes care of rest...I was traveling a lot last week, I was meeting new people, understanding new business...quite an exiting week... I am also happy to see last week blog status..quite a number of people are reading my blog across the world..I would recommend all the readers to go through my archive may be you might find something funny! other day my blog reader pinged me that I am turning to philosophical these days.. honestly I have no intention...all that I blog are my scrambled thoughts that are getting some shape form... Anyways..Thank you readers for your support.. I am looking for a long term project for my Palmetto Consulting. I think....I am almost in the verge of getting one.. keeping my fingers crossed...


  5. Shutting Down Finding Japan? 25 May 2011 | 2:15am GMT
    [ Open article ] on Finding Japan

    Hey everyone, long time no see. Between the earthquake, my family, moving yet again, things have been pretty hectic.

    I was contemplating, as indicated before, in shutting down the FindingJapan site entirely. But I wondered, if the site might be better served if someone else would like to take the reigns in hosting and creating content. If there is anyone that is interested in doing so, please send me an email or post a message here and we can get in touch.

    Hope you and all of your families are doing well. Best - Christopher

  6. The Chicago Marathon 10.10.10 2 Nov 2010 | 2:23am GMT
    [ Open article ] on Welcome to Dave's Journeys

  7. Peru pictures 26 Sep 2010 | 4:47pm GMT
    [ Open article ] on Welcome to Dave's Journeys

    Here are some pictures from Peru. Natalie and I can't say enough good things about it!

  8. Epilogue 6 - Fred and Terrance Visit Tokyo 20 Sep 2010 | 5:15am GMT
    [ Open article ] on Finding Japan

    Before Fred and Terrance left Tokyo, we managed a round-table wrap-up of the weekend’s activities. Though the weekend did not go as planned, we still had a great time and summed up the weekend’s adventures along with Fred’s thoughts on Japan after returning after 5 years for a visit.

    Listen below!

  9. Epilogue 5 - Fuji Yoshida Fire Festival 12 Sep 2010 | 11:07am GMT
    [ Open article ] on Finding Japan

    firefestival.jpg

    Recently, Linda, Fred, Terrance and I made the trek up to the base of Mount Fuji to see the Fuji Yoshida Fire Festival. This festival marks the closing of the hiking trails for Fuji-san. The carrying of the mikoshi through town along with the noise is said to try to appease the goddess of Mt. Fuji so that the mountain will not erupt. Fires are lit from the center of the city all the way to Sengen-Jinja in order to impress the goddess.

    You can read more about the Fuji Yoshida Fire Festival by reading on other sites. You can see the festival by watching this video. Enjoy!

  10. Two Job Interviews This Week 3 Jul 2010 | 4:29pm GMT
    [ Open article ] on Scott Laronge

    иконииконивикonline poker newsгеоложки проучванияCompanies are located less than a mile apart, both are in tech manufacturing, and the job responsibilities are quite similar.  Let’s hope one of these two goes well enough.

  11. The Brown Family Cookie Decorating Contest Awards, December 2009 13 Jun 2010 | 10:01pm GMT
    [ Open article ] on Uploads by sbrown3585

    This cracked me up when I looked back at it....had to share it online for the other fambly members!
    Views: 84
    1 ratings
    Time: 01:23 More in People & Blogs
  12. Mommyblog post 29 Apr 2010 | 6:21am GMT
    [ Open article ] on Scott Laronge

    матрациSo about a month ago my parents bought a new stove/oven from Sears.  It’s nice to have five functional burners that don’t need a match to start the flame, but the company forgot to include a broiler pan along with the unit.  Dad ended up calling the company twice to get one shipped off, apparently the first agent just placated us and put in a phantom order that the second couldn’t find.  And the second agent took us quite literally and shipped us the broiler pan itself, and not the grill that goes on top.

    Instead of calling to get some other runaround, we decided to visit the Sears store.  The lack of personnel on the floor was an advantage to us, as the only salesdude working was off to try to find a manager for us and help the other two couples out shopping.  While he was doing that, I was going through the floor models looking for the top half of a grill pan.  After finding one, we swapped out the half-product we were given for the full-product we should have gotten and was walking out when the salesfellow tried to flag us down and tell us a manager would be there shortly.

    Instead, we just waved him off and walked out the door before they could figure out what happened and try to get some sort of security to stop us.  I think I’m finally learning that dealing with call-center agents and just taking what I need when no one else is around to help is actually the most productive method.

  13. All That Glitters 28 Apr 2010 | 12:37am GMT
    [ Open article ] on Scott Laronge

    Long before I became a stockbroker, I was interested in the markets.  And thankfully I had a grandfather who grew up during the Great Depression and worked as an engineer.  When he retired, he focused his energies on learning the stockmarket.  He sent me a letter when I was a kid once, and I eventually photocopied it and hung it up at my cube.  It said “When you buy a stock, you buy it because you think it is going up in value.  But remember that you’re buying it from someone that doesn’t.”

    This seems to be a lesson that Senator Levin is missing due to his Goldman Sachs hearings.  This isn’t even a caveat emptor situation, there were plenty of people that thought the housing market is going up.  And trying to blame GS for finding a way to sell that product is misguided.  But that it’s a Congressional matter that someone lost money when someone else made it is absurd.  I sure as hell hope the guy that bought my first house doesn’t have some political friends, because I don’t fell like testifying why I sold my house at the peak to someone else that was willing to buy it.

  14. OK, so it's not the end... 8 Apr 2010 | 8:36am GMT
    [ Open article ] on New Perspectives...

    I don't live in China for the time being, so it felt strange to write on a blog address called "Experiencing China." Here's where you can read all my posts, both new and old!


    http://watchorlive.blogspot.com/
  15. Aunt Net's Birthday 13 Nov 2009 | 12:00am GMT
    [ Open article ] on Uploads by sbrown3585

    Views: 69
    0 ratings
    Time: 01:01 More in Travel & Events
  16. PERHAPS THE BEST NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC VIDEO EVER 9 Jun 2009 | 3:38pm GMT
    [ Open article ] on My life in pictures


    PERHAPS THE BEST NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC VIDEO EVER
    Originally uploaded by adifromusa
    Adrian Rusu
    www.linkedin.com/in/adrianrusu
    akilliano.blogspot.com

    "3rd law of thermodynamics: things go worse under pressure."

    >
    >

    Adrian Rusu
    Moore School of Business
    University of South Carolina
    IMBA Chinese Track, Class of 2009
    adrian_rusu@moore.sc.edu
  17. PERHAPS THE BEST NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC VIDEO EVER 9 Jun 2009 | 3:38pm GMT
    [ Open article ] on My life in pictures


    PERHAPS THE BEST NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC VIDEO EVER
    Originally uploaded by adifromusa
    Adrian Rusu
    www.linkedin.com/in/adrianrusu
    akilliano.blogspot.com

    "3rd law of thermodynamics: things go worse under pressure."

    >
    >

    Adrian Rusu
    Moore School of Business
    University of South Carolina
    IMBA Chinese Track, Class of 2009
    adrian_rusu@moore.sc.edu
  18. Testing 31 May 2009 | 1:47pm GMT
    [ Open article ] on My life in a blog

    Just trying to see how this works. I am back on the blogging scene.


    These are some great tepaniakki prawn shrimps i had today. The guy was peeling them off with a knife. Wow!

    -- Post From My iPhone
  19. The End! 17 May 2009 | 4:58pm GMT
    [ Open article ] on New Perspectives...

    I've left Beijing and I don't know when I'll be back...and that is so hard to say out loud. Leaving Beijing was one of the toughest and most emotional things I've done in a long time. An intense outpouring of love from my friends made me realize how much I loved the city, the people I met there, and how I had more friends in that city than in any other single location in the world. As Rory reminded me, "Don't be sad that it's over, just be glad that it happened!" We are all made of different chapters, and they open and close with the flow of life. My Beijing chapter has just finished, but I know that China will always beckon me back and I will find time for it again and again. Thank you, thank you, thank you to China, Beijing and every person that I have grown to know and love there! I can't wait to see you all again!

    For now I am closing the "Experiencing China" blog, as I would be doing it injustice because I am no longer living there. I graduated with an International MBA degree and accepted my first job in the United States. However, it is with a global company so I will definitely be able to enjoy various cultures and seek out the new perspectives that so often drove this blog. As an ending note, I've included some of the graduation pictures. So long for now, it sure has been fun sharing life with all of you! 再见朋友们!


    These are most of my classmates that did the Chinese track of the IMBA!


    My Family (minus Kelsey)


    And my Aunt and dear friend Courtney that also trekked to Columbia to watch the graduation!
  20. End of April 2009 in Beijing 14 May 2009 | 12:31am GMT
    [ Open article ] on New Perspectives...

    The end of April in Beijing brought with it beautiful weather and fun outside! First stop: Boating with Rory and the gang!

    We got 10 people on the electric boat!

    And puttered around the lakes in Houhai, all is green in Beijing!

    It was also my last month to enjoy some of the favorite Chinese foods! This is what a typical spicy soup for Hot Pot looks like! You cook the raw meat and vegetables in the red pot, dip it in the peanut sauce in the front and enjoy! Mmmm.

    Rory's adopted Chinese family also invited us for a lovely homemade dinner!

    And last but not least...flowers! Everything started blooming so it was time to trek out to the many parks in Beijing and take pictures with the flowers!
  21. Spring into....something. 29 Mar 2009 | 5:53pm GMT
    [ Open article ] on And...I'm Out.

    The real question is how many blogs I can start with "still in limbo"? I keep thinking things can't get weirder, but they do. This week we had one person, ONE, on vacation and it was nuts at work keeping up with his work and my work. It's a scary vision of the future if one more person leaves. Unless that person is me:) Just kidding. Even though I would be excited to start something new or move somewhere new or you know, actually KNOW what my life would be like next month, I would feel awful to leave my team with all the extra work. At this point, if someone else leaves the work would be almost insurmountable.

    The lady who sits in the cube next to me got let go on friday. The mood was not what you would expect. She was ECSTATIC. She was jumping up and down and whooping. It definitely made getting let go seem like more of a reality. Anyways, the rumor is that more people are getting let go in April. scary.

    The good news is I may have convinced my boss to let me move to either Dallas or DC and continue doing my current job. He has to figure out if it's legal for me to work at a verizon office if I'm technically working for both verizon and alltel. The other good news is I'm having lots of interviews with verizon for other positions, so hopefully one of those will come to fruition soon.

    In non-work related news, my 10 mile cherry blossom run is next week! I get to go to DC and visit with my friends natallie and kate whom I love to death. It should be really fun minus the body beating I'm going to take at the race. I think I'm ready though. Then, after that I work for a few days and then leave to go visit the Lequires and see their beautiful new baby and play at the beach in charleston. It should definitely be a great time!
  22. In limbo - still 23 Feb 2009 | 12:51am GMT
    [ Open article ] on And...I'm Out.

    Who knew that my life would be in limbo for the entire time I've lived here?

    It's really interesting to be on the inside of a merger. I randomly took a class in grad school about mergers and aquisitions. We analyzed completed mergers and labeled them successful or unsuccessful and decided whether "synergies" were acheived. I never thought I would be on the other side as an employee. It's absolutely insane. Every single day is different. Some days I have nothing to do and I get two emails, but other days I am running around trying to get info for verizon and run the alltel side of the business. My media content team went from 12 to 5. Everyone has left and it feels like a ghost town on my floor. Friends who used to work next to me have been divested, moved to another building and no longer have access to my building. I have to be careful about what I say. I am classified as a shared resource which means I work for alltel and verizon. I can't tell verizon about alltel info and I can't tell alltel about verizon info. It gets really complicated when you have alltel, shared and verizon employees all in the same meeting.

    The worst part is I have no new information besides that I am now a verizon employee and my benefits are changing. I still have no idea when or if my job is going away. I have heard everything from may to september to you'll be an employee forever if I have my way. It's incredibly disheartening. How are you supposed to plan your life? How do you even sign a lease? make vacation plans? know how much you need to save? How do you establish relationships if you're leaving?

    As I said before, people are dropping like flies. Members of my team are now handling the jobs of three people when they were already super busy with the one position. My boss is leaving, her boss left already, and my new boss lives and works in dallas. So who do I even report to right now? It has been difficult to engage our counterparts at Verizon, but it seems to be coming together finally. Emails are getting answered and phone calls have been set up.

    The good news is my fear has grown into apathy. I have accepted that I don't know my future at all. I'm trying to just take it day by day.
  23. Write Chinese, 写中文 18 Feb 2009 | 5:14am GMT
    [ Open article ] on My life in a blog


    我今天发现了，我的博客有几个月没有写最新的信息了。对我博友来说，可能只有一个或者两个人，真不好意思。今天我们班的老师强迫我们写一篇文章，放在我博客上。真好...她给我一个好机会：继续跟大家谈谈我最新的历险记。我现在打算每周写一篇。

    是这样，你们已经理解：不是我没经历过新的情况，就是安排时间的问题。

    我现在在新加坡，是新加坡国家大学的交换学生。我准备今年五月底毕业南卡罗莱纳大学的MBA。还差几个月，我还没决定我以后要做什么。我不紧张，慢慢来。。。

    It's been a while since I last wrote a Chinese or blog entry. I planned to start again, but somehow I never found the right time, resources or inspiration. When I had inspiration, I didn't have time and so on... Today, our Chinese professor pushed us into keeping a blog in Chinese. I though this is a good chance to get back into the blogging mood so here I am. Sorry to all the readers out there, one or two of them, who still read this... I am back and plan to write once a week at least.

    Latest news: I'm in Singapore, exchange student at NUS, bound to graduate from USC in May with an IMBA degree. Still unsure where the period after May will take me, but I am not worried as I know something good is going to happen.

    Please excuse my broken Chinese or English for that matter.
  24. Video- Food market Phuket 19 Jan 2009 | 7:18am GMT
    [ Open article ] on Uploads by sbrown3585

    A brief walk-through of the Phuket Town Night Market in Thailand. I just enjoyed the colorfulness and the variety of each stall!
    Views: 1588
    4 ratings
    Time: 02:41 More in Travel & Events
  25. At Aunt Fay's Request... 15 Dec 2008 | 11:22am GMT
    [ Open article ] on And...I'm Out.

    So, apparently some people (at least within my family) actually read my blog and at aunt fay's request, I am going to start blogging again....starting NOW.

    This has been a crazy six months. I graduated in may, moved the dog and my stuff to little rock, started a new job, made new friends, got adult furniture, learned new things, the usual life changing ridiculousness. Of course as my luck goes, three days after I started working it was announced to everyone's surprise that we were getting bought. That kicked off a whirlwind of emotions and very few actual answers. I have heard a dozen different dates, but it seems now that Verizon has the financing to move forward and that the date of the merger close should be sometime in january.

    Initially, the idea of merging was scary and it will never be ideal, especially in light of our economic status and rampant layoffs across the country. But, after you've mulled over your impending doom and joblessness for six months, you start to come up with a life plan. I don't know if I'll have a job with Verizon, I don't know if I'll lose my job in Little Rock (although it seems pretty likely), I don't even know when anything will actually occur or when I'll even know what my future will be. Yikes! That is the part I'm trying not to dwell on. The good news is that I'm educated and mobile and I have to think that things will be ok. I have a good job right now and a little time to save up for possible joblessness. I have decided that if I do lose my job, I will pick a new place to live and find a temp agency and work until I find something permanent. Franklin may have to adjust his taste for stuffed animals and doggy day care, but other than that, I think we'll be alright.

    The sad part is that I really love the people I work with and I truly enjoy my job. It's interesting and challenging and I have a boss that cares about her workers. I've been impressed with how willing everyone at work has been to help each other out. We pass around job postings and trade contacts, offer reccommendations and send out resumes. It remains a good atmosphere to work in and it is only slightly annoying when teams that are not as busy as mine hold fooseball tournaments by the elevators. It is nice, afterall, to have the option of playing fooseball, pacman and asteroids, if you ever need a break from work.

    The next month should definitely be interesting. I'm heading to the remote carribean island of Bequia to celebrate my Mom's recent graduation/departure from the grueling hell that is working and going to school at the same time. It will be great to spend time with my family and explore a new part of the world. I will keep you updated on the merger and my state of mind throughout the transition and the next phases of my life. I do know that everything will be ok, no matter what happens. At this point, my sanity remains intact - hooray!
  26. Linux on the iPhone 29 Nov 2008 | 4:55am GMT
    [ Open article ] on My life in a blog

    I was just doing my regular internet browsing today when I ran into a cool video about the iPhone. This very smart guy was able to run a Linux kernel on the iPhone 3g, by changing the bootloader and sending in commands from his old-school keyboard. Very interesting video, check it out here: http://www.vimeo.com/2373142.
    Maybe one day, we will have this:


    Happy belateed Thanksgiving to everyone!
  27. 9 Nov 2008 | 6:20am GMT
    [ Open article ] on La vie en rose


    OK, so i've been a little slack about updating my blog. seriously, a lot has gone on in 2008.


    1) i moved back to the US (for the 3rd time). leaving france was sad, but i know i'll go back. i miss sitting by the seine, reading a book in park, people watching at cafes - i miss it all really, but a chapter has closed so that a new one can begin.


    2) i graduated!!! IMBA Class of 2008!! i finished my last semester at USC and officially have an international MBA... sounds much cooler that it actually is, but given the current economy i'm sure it will be an asset.


    3) i got a job!! l'oreal wanted me so much in paris that they decided to help me out with getting a job in NYC! i'm currently working on the matrix brand - they make biolage shampoo if you're not familiar with them. work can be stressful at times, but i love it!


    4) i moved to NYC! (obviously, since i'm working in NYC.) it's not paris, but it's pretty cool. i haven't taken any weekend trips bc i've been exploring this great city! it's huge and uber diverse. you can walk 10 blocks and be in a completely different neighborhood with it's own unique feel. not to mention, the shopping and food are fabulous!




    so that's it for now. i promise i'll update more frequently. thanks for reading!
  28. Earthquake in Southwest China 13 May 2008 | 5:58am GMT
    [ Open article ] on CHINA IS CALLING

    As many of you have already heard and read, there was a devastating Earthquake in Southwest China Monday afternoon. The epicenter of the quake was in Sichuan province but a smaller tremor was felt all the way up here in Beijing. It was a very strange sensation as I felt myself subtly begin to sway. As we stood up to figure out what was going on, it was clear that the whole building was swaying. We quickly left the building and waited outside. Eventually, we were sent home. All in all it was a very minor disruption here in Beijing, but of course, down south in Sichuan, people are experiencing extreme devastation. Just one week earlier, I was traveling in that region with my dad and stepmom. And it is disheartening to be reminded how everything can change in an instant. My thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by the quake.
  29. Bull 1 Horse 0.JPG 9 May 2008 | 11:14pm GMT
    [ Open article ] on IMBA Photo Group Pool

    Laronge has added a photo to the pool:

    Bull 1 Horse 0.JPG

  30. Duel.JPG 9 May 2008 | 11:06pm GMT
    [ Open article ] on IMBA Photo Group Pool

    Laronge has added a photo to the pool:

    Duel.JPG