Happy birthday dear a certain someone ...

To a certain loyal and faithful reader of my blog who works for the audience development group of the greatest Internet company in the world .....

                                 Happy Birthday!!

B-School applicants fall for third year in a row

I am a bit surprised to hear this since it seems like everyone that I know is considering an MBA.

According to Inside Higher Ed:

Applications to M.B.A. programs fell for the third year in a row, Business Week reported. Data from the Graduate Management Admission Council suggests that more M.B.A. applicants may be on the way, but perhaps not from the United States. During the first half of 2005, there was a 0.4 percent increase in volume on the GMAT, the entry test for graduate business programs, compared to the first half of 2004. But the increase was due to test-takers outside the United States, which increased by 4.8 percent. Volume in the United States fell by 1.6 percent.

 

MBA students seeking summer internships in India

Since this blog is beginning to attract a good number of readers who are my classmates at Kenan-Flagler, I might as well start posting news articles that are of interest of them.

From an article in today's New York Times:

"Mr. Maldonado and Mr. Simonsen, of Riverside, Calif., are part of a virtual invasion of India by American students. Graduate students from top schools in the United States, most from master of business administration programs, are vying for internships at India's biggest private companies. For many, outsourcing companies are the destinations of choice."

One very happy ending

A week ago tonight we had a happy hour at a bar name Carpool. I chose Carpool because seven years ago when I moved here (I really don't know why I used the word "here" since I moved last Thursday and am now at Chapel Hill) from college, Carpool was where I hung out that very first night.

The happy hour was awesome, I was there for four hours. I was about to leave at around 10 when a last minute straggler came in and I stayed for an extra half an hour just to talk to him. I didn't keep count of how many people showed up, but I was touched at how many did.

One person that showed up was a girl I have known for about six years, she graduated from UVA but we didn't know one another there. She is an attractive girl but for all the years that I have known, she's had trouble meeting guys - actually, to phrase it more accurately, she's had trouble meeting the right guy. I was glad she showed up because I have not seen her in quite a while. She was one of the first to arrive and we talked about my upcoming semester, she asked me about my exam schedule. She then asked "do you notice anything on my finger?" That was when she told me she's been dating someone she met recently and they're engaged to be married in November!

I cannot tell you how glad I was to hear that. She's an amazing Christian girl and I have prayed (just as I am sure she has) for what seems like forever that God would find someone for her. And from what she has told me about this man, a graduate of the United States Naval Academy who now owns his own business, it sounds like He matched her up with someone who's almost perfect for her.

As I was walking her out into the parking lot, I asked her "so tell me, was it worth the wait?" Her reponse was "it certainly was."

America Online to hold sweepstakes

I guess now that I am no longer an employee of America Online, I can participate in this.

Extra drinking money

I looked at my Optionslink account and found some unexcercised options from last year that were priced at $17.28. I exercised them this morning, netting me about $100 dollars. This should give me some extra drinking money for Thursday nights at East Under where they have twenty-five cent beers. I am going to need it given all the work I am going to have starting on Monday.

Time Warner trading up on Icahn rumor

I have been so busy of late that I have stopped checking my stock quotes. It wasn't until 20 minutes ago when I saw this on the news that I realized that Time Warner has recently crept past $18 a share. Apparently there is a rumor that financier Carl Icahn may be secretly buying shares in the parent company of my former employer. He has already purchased 5 million shares in March and the recent speculation has increased the price of $19 mid-September call options (that means the right to buy shares of Time Warner for $19 before mid-September).

This may be a good time for me to dump any unexercised stock options that I have.