Wednesday, January 31, 2007

The Beauty of Creation


Photographer: Amy Hays

Monday, January 29, 2007

Politicians are so funny!!!

You gota hand it to the politicians to make you laugh during their wild Question Period!

Tories and Liberals trade barbs over environment
Last Updated: Monday, January 29, 2007 10:02 PM ET
CBC News

"...Baird said the Tories are the first government to come forward with a notice of intent to regulate industry. He also mocked the Liberals' past plans to deal with environmental challenges. He said they amounted to a "$50 million talk fest," a proposal to spend $5 billion in "hot air credits" in Russia and lastly "buy a dog, name it Kyoto and call it a day" — a reference to Dion's dog Kyoto."

Saturday, January 27, 2007

Skoll Forum

The Skoll Forum is the most prestigious international Social Entrepreneur event held yearly in Oxford. This year they are featuring top social innovators such as Muhammad Yunus, Jeroo Bilimoria, Bill Drayton etc etc.

I have been planning to go and received the info email on Thursday. When I checked the website again on Friday, IT WAS FULL :(

How is it possible that 650 seats were sold within 24 hours? Can anyone spare me a seat please??

Women v Men

Here is some Behavioural Finance lesson for you on a bright and sunny (but cold) Saturday afternoon.

  • Men trade more than women
  • Men are more aggressive traders
  • Men are overconfident traders

In conclusion: Women traders perform better than men traders

p.s. these are proven facts

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Bohooo...

Have you ever started an assignment on the day it is due?

Well, I have never ever until this day. It feels awful, trust me :(

Thursday, January 18, 2007

A New Semester

A new semester it is, yet my last. I had envisioned my last semester to be more relaxing considering I am not taking my usual full load of five courses, but instead only four. I had thought that it would be breezy, sunny and a very relaxing semester. How wrong was I! Okay, so maybe I am taking only four courses, but my schedule sucks big time that I get so tired. In case you are wondering, I am taking two night classes. Yes, in my all four years of education, I never had a night class until now, BOOM! two night classes! My body is still adjusting to the afternoon and nights where I'm in class instead of my usual chirpy early morning/afternoon ones.

Anyways, in case you are still curious, I took 48 hours to decide which course to drop. :( but I dropped the African Politics considering it ain't all that practical really.

Courses I am taking:

BLAW 428: Environmental Law
ORGA 488: Corporate Social Responsibility and Social Entrepreneurship
FIN 416: Advanced Portfolio Investment
ECON 213: Economics of Developing Countries


I'm really enjoying the courses and the prof though I am ALREADY behind my readings. Now, how did that happen? Life is business as usual: busy. Still very involved with the Navigators Ministry and really ya know, prepping for Bible Studies this year is taking more time than I had expected, but it is all well worth it seeing the girls growing in the Lord :) Eonfire's taking some of my time too, and yeah, *roll eyes* I hate to talk/gossip about people but I wish those who have committed themselves to a position will use due diligence in performing their responsibilities. Mmmm, job search has stopped for two weeks since I have been back to school. That's not a good thing really, I need to be consistent in it. Anyways, pray for me ya?

On a bright side, the -40c blizzard has left E-town, and it is bright and sunny this morning :) In addition, I have been keeping up with my New Year's Resolution. I'll cross my fingers and hope that I will continue to do so.

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

How cool is that?

Did you know that UK appointed the world's first Minister for Corporate Social Responsibility in March 2000???

Thursday, January 04, 2007

Decisions.

School is starting next week, and for the life of me, I can't decide which course to drop!!

You see, I have two more precious options and I want to take three, but naturally I can't.

The options are:

1) Economics of Developing Countries
2) African Politics
3) Corporate Social Responsibility & Social Entrepreneurship

More econs will definitely help me in my career. Ok, so maybe African Politics is useless to me, but I had begged the prof to take me in because I didn't have two pre-reqs and just when she agreed, CSR & SE was offered. Sigh. I am really seriously thinking of doing SRI (Socially Responsible Investing) as my career, and this course will help quite a bit as a starting point. For the CSR course to be offered at the UOA, it is actually quite a miracle because very few business school cares about issues like that. And you know what, only six, yes, SIX students are registered in the course.

So anyways, I can't decide which course to drop. Please help...

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

Life Oh Life, Oh Life...

I can barely believe that 2006 is gone and over with and we are on the third day of the New Year. I wonder what 2007 will bring for me. Though I am uncertain of where I will be and what I will be doing after grad, one thing for sure is that a chapter of my life will be closed, and another opened.

On the dawn of New Year's, I woke up thinking that I want to make something out of myself. The only problem is that I am not sure what that 'something' really is. It can be a variety of things. Who knows, maybe it's becoming an apple farmer's wife with a thriving apple business, or being a social worker in Africa, starting a foundation or something really cool. Then other times I think, is it realistic to do something 'cool' and meaningful with your life? Many people I know just graduate, get into the working force and let work possess them until they have financial stability, which often is at the age near retirement. I am not trying to say that getting a job and working for the rest of your life is boring, because that is what the majority of the population do. And, it may be what I may do as well. But really, is there a possibility, maybe just a slight possibility that we may be able to do what we are passionate about in a meaningful way?

Then again, how do you find out what your ultimate goal is? I have many people asking me what I really really want to do in life. Although I am quite a driven person whom I would like to think have some direction, I actually have absolutely no idea. What is my end goal? Seriously, I can't crack my head to think of one. On a spiritual basis, I know what my end goal is, and I will work towards that. I want to end well for God, and a huge part of it is in the missions field. I would like to say that I want to bring that into my working environment as well -- being a shining light for God and making a difference in the lives of my colleagues. (That is if I am not called to full time ministry. Of which, I also have no idea as of yet). But, seriously, my end-goal isn't to become a CEO (unlike some of my peers) or to start up a business. Arghh. All I know is that I have many passions, and it's all intermingled into one huge bunch through politics, economics, global events, non-profit, CSR, SE and such. Ok, just so maybe I have thought about a dream job before, if that is at all relevant here. Mmm, don't laugh, but it is along the line of managing my own socially responsible mutual fund/catering to investors who are socially responsible, or being the head of the CSR department in an MNC (ok, most MNC DON'T have CSR departments, btw) or hmmm...start and manage my own foundation?
Anyways, see...that is why it is called a DREAM JOB, because jobs like that don't quite exist.

Anyways, sorry about my rant, it is just because I am beginning to look for a job and all these questions are zooming in my head. I feel like there is a fish caught up in my brain-tank swimming a merry-go-round. But don't fret my dear readers, I do have some small idea of what I want to do, and right now I am looking towards the financial industry. Ok, btw, for you non-business people, the financial industry is huge, with FI, Investments/Money Market/Capital Market, Insurance, Real Estate etc.

So...

Actually, there are quite a number of theories out there as to what to do when you grad. Some are along the lines of work for the Company in the industry you want to thrive in and work your way up. Another which I am more fond of was a tip given by my friend Jamie who said that it is no use trying to find the dream job as a fresh grad because sometimes we do not know what exactly we want to do, which industry we want to be in. If a good opportunity comes, we may as well take it. I think I will go along with her advice because it makes the most sense. Or maybe, it is just because I do not know what I want to make out of myself. Do you know what you want to make out of yourself?

Monday, January 01, 2007

Something we all need.

We know, of course, how central the forgiveness of our sins is to salvation. We preach it, we believe in it. We see that first repentance and surrener to Christ as a glorious moment. We also accept that having come to the Lord, we must continue to purify our lives. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9. But in talking with many believers, I get the impression that most of us consider the on-going repentance of the saved as a not-so-glorious experience. A sort of sad necessity.

Sin grieves God. We must not down-play the seriousness of it in the life of a believer. But we must come to terms with the fact that God's Grace is GREATER THAN ALL OUR SINS. Repentance is one of the Christian's highest privileges. A repentant Christian focuses on God's mercy and God's grace. Any moment in our lives when we bask in God's mercy and grace is our highest moment. Higher than when we feel smug in our decent performance and cannot think of anything we need to confess.

Whenever we fail -- and fail we will, the Spirit of God will work on us and bring us to the foot of the cross where Jesus carried our failures. That is potentially a glorious moment. For we could at that moment accept God's abundant Mercy and Grace and go forth with nothing to boast of except Christ Himself, or else we struggle with our shame, focussing on that as well as our track record. We fail because we have shifted our attention from Grace and Mercy. One who draws on God's Mercy and Grace is quick to repent, but also slow to sin.


Mutua Mahiaini

Happy New Year ya all!

Any New Year's Resolution ya all? I have a few!