Pictures
wtlau on flickr
Blogroll
- Angel Angie in London
- The Divine Miss N
- The Heidi Report
- Julie and Warren
- Kristen in London!
- Lau or Never
- London Business School MBA Blog
- Man. Myth. Morland.
- MaRS Blog
- Patxi @ London Business School
- Random Acts of Informacity
- RusGirl to LBS
- Solange in Alberta's Capital
- hespero
Hex Luminae - Meticulous Vandalism
- RADS Digitized
- Von's Room
- World According to -tvu
- World Sojourner: 3760
Previously
- Sporadic Posting Resumes
- Spring Term 2009
- Cambodian Guide and Driver
- Wince is still alive
- Summer time!
- Oh blog, how I've neglected you
- So what if I'm sappy?
- Overwork: the visual
- Parabéns!
- What have I been up to?
Archives
- March 2006
- April 2006
- May 2006
- June 2006
- July 2006
- August 2006
- September 2006
- October 2006
- November 2006
- December 2006
- January 2007
- February 2007
- March 2007
- April 2007
- May 2007
- June 2007
- July 2007
- August 2007
- September 2007
- October 2007
- November 2007
- December 2007
- January 2008
- March 2008
- April 2008
- May 2008
- June 2008
- July 2008
- September 2008
- January 2009
- April 2011
Site Feed
Contact
- wincentlau (hotmail.com)
Buttons
March 28, 2006
Bistro & Bakery Thuet
I had the pleasure of attending Sunday brunch hosted by London Business School this past weekend. The food was absolutely phenomenal. Every dish was a work of art. From the lox to the buttermilk pancakes, I wish I could have sampled it all. I ordered the Quiche Lorraine. I never realized that a quiche could melt in your mouth.The experience was stellar as well. The other MBA2008 candidates as well as the alumni and the associate dean were fantastic people. I was very impressed with the caliber of individuals I met at the event. London Business School would definitely be a place where I would be elevated by my peers. Hopes are that I would be able to elevate myself; I would need to do so or I would never make it there.
I have a few choices to make which will affect where I ultimately end up getting my MBA. I see two potential paths in front of me, with desirable outcomes either way. I still don't know - Richard Ivey School of Business or London Business School?
Labels: MBA
March 23, 2006
Working the Kidneys
Oh McSweeney's, I have never seen a better business model analysis.March 21, 2006
FRETFRETFRETFRET
Someone in Toronto received an admit e-mail yesterday as well. One of the ten of us in Toronto interviewed.I have to stop reading the forums.
Labels: MBA
fretfretfretfretfret
The first acceptance offer for London Business School Round 2 has popped up on the Business Week forums.Breath in.
Breath out.
Breath in.
Breath out.
Calm.
Labels: MBA
March 18, 2006
The Loft does St. Patrick's Day
Pictures are now up.Thanks go out to Winnie for manning the camera the entire night. Thanks to everyone else for getting out.
In spite of our initial uncertainty around confirmed guests, the Loft was packed. We had supplemented the mini keg with some cases of beer and other miscellaneous "green" drinks. In hindsight, we really should have gotten the actual full sized keg. It's a shame really that we didn't. Beer was calculated to a tee though - only two bottles were left this morning.
Random people showed up throughout the night. It was a throwback to undergrad keggers of yore. An amusing exchange I remember:
Wince (w): "Hi, I haven't met you yet."
Some girl (sg): "Oh Hi, my name is [I don't really remember, some girl name]. I know Adam."
w: "Oh, Adam? Like Terri and Adam?"
sg: "No, Adam [totally forgot the last name here]. He came here with Jeremy."
w (confused): "Jeremy?"
sg: "..."
w: "Uh... well... I live here."
March 17, 2006
Rare Reaction to New Drug During Trial
From MetafilterNewsfilter: The trial of a new drug to treat rheumatoid arthritis and leukaemia goes horribly wrong. 6 normally healthy volunteers have a freak reaction to the drug resulting in multiple organ failure. All 6 men are in intensive care. 4 are seriously ill while 2 remain in a critical condition. An eyewitness, fortunate to have taken only a placebo recalls the nightmare as the men around him begin to fall ill. (Direct link to comments)This event is a tragedy, it's terrible that it happened and pushes to show that more innovation is needed when it comes to drug development. It's an argument for better models for research - it's even potentially an argument for more intensive animal testing.
I'm a little incensed by the comments made on the article from metafilter though. I suppose it's the nature of the internet, but a bunch of the commenters are arguing without any basis in fact. Some comments are half-truths out of context, others are just plain wrong. There are numerous checks and balances that a drug must go through before even reaching the stage of a Phase 1 clinical trial. It's so stringent nowadays, that it's been said that Aspirin - one of the most widely used and reasonably safe medications out there - would never make it through the process. It was more than likely an allergic reaction to something in the manufacture of the drug.
Perhaps I'm just taking this too personally and I'm being a little too defensive about my industry.
March 16, 2006
Fretting
I was given advice after the my London interview that the next few weeks would be the most relaxed time of my life. I'm fortunate enough to be in the situation where I have, not only, a bird-in-the-hand, but also two-in-the-bush. My mind is set, my choice has already been made. The scramble starts when I finally get the decision.Why has this been the most tense time of my life then?
Call it the impetuousness of youth, but I'm on pins and needles here. There's a ;million things going on all around, work is busy, life is busy, and I'm just meandering around like some zombie. It's even affecting my sleep at this point.
---
Back to speaking of life being busy, we're celebrating my deep Irish roots this St. Patrick's Day with a kegger at the Loft. It's nice that Moyse, Borough and I have found the passion to start entertaining again. I don't really remember why we stopped before.All I know is that my Thanksgiving turkey is the subject of much epic poetry - even the Gods weep at its succulence.
Labels: MBA
March 14, 2006
As Subtle as a Slap in the Face
Cronenberg believes that A History of Violence was snubbed from the Oscars because it was, among other things, "too subtle" a message.I think the movie won critical acclaim because it was incredibly accessable to the masses. The symbolism was ridiculously hamfisted. We're talking symbolism that you'll find in your average Grade 10 English class, people.
Among the themes that are explored in the movie, there is the in-your-face dichotomy of Tom and Joey.
We get that Tom is kind and considerate. We see that he cares about being tender with his wife even down to how he makes love to her. Joey on the other hand is rough and gutteral and blatantly reacts that way: Even down to how he, in this case, fucks his wife.
Cronenberg (or the source material) feels the need to show this contrast to us by exposing the character to exactly the same set of situations in each persona. We're supposed to marvel at the striking contrast of the character. Agreed, the contrast underlines the conflict between the two parts - it's impossible to miss it though with the over-the-top way it's portrayed. They wave it in front of you, the word parallelism written out in three-story tall flaming letters. The only way I think it could be more blatant is if they played the movie with a split screen like in Timecode: One half devoted to Tom, the other to Joey. Or maybe if one side was done with a regular exposure, and the other was in negative. Ooh, or if they got Superman to do one and Bizarro Superman to do the other... I digress.
What really capped off the cliché for me was Tom's eventual rebirth and character resolution. This character growth was symbolized - in a literary device used since the dawn of time - by water. It would really make more sense if Tom, covered in blood, just went to the shower. He was in a house. There's probably soap and towels there. Not in this movie though. Tom needs a vast expanse of water; large enough to bear his chest, wade into its depths and wash his soul clean.
Can you blame the academy for not celebrating being spoon-fed such pablum?
March 10, 2006
Variety post
A few different thoughts today:NHL Trade deadline
Oh Oilers, how I love you.
We're really making a run for the cup this year. It's fantastic that we have a bit more stability between the pipes and a bit more of a scoring punch after these trades. Way to go, Lowe.
London Interview
Reading over the Business Week b-school forums, some people have started describing their Round 2 interview experiences. It seems like the consensus is that London's interview is different from those of other schools in very much the same way that I described it. I'm happy to see that my experience with the school hasn't just been limited to me.
London Business School is impressing me more and more. I hope London feels I would belong there.
Tuition in Ontario to be raised by up to 8%
So the tuition freeze is over in Ontario and Universities have taken it upon themselves to raise tuition by a couple hundred dollars a year. I guess it's not surprising, given that undergrad classes are purely a cash grab for most schools. There have to be more ways of funding other than squeezing students.
Universities are a nexus of knowledge. Nowhere else can I think of a situation where such a wide variety of intelligent specialists exist in such close proximity. Maybe it was because I was such a lazy student, but I don't seem to remember any real cross-disciplinary interactions from my undergrad. It would be amazing if the sociology department could find a suitable demographic in order to help pharmacology do a study on a small molecule that will eventually be marketed by the faculty of business.
Using these cross-disciplinary innovations commercially could make that particular university a much more lucritive place to be. It could create much more efficient approaches for tackling academic problems as well as creating a competitive advantage for the University. Aside from leveraging the nexus as another possible revenue stream, the potential for innovation is huge. People of varying expertise examining issues in other disciplines through their respective lenses could come up with fantastic alternatives. It would have to be possible with the tool set with which they're equipped though - an art historian would have a hell of a time using his expertise to explain why a strain of bacteria isn't streaking so well on a dish. I'm sure it's happening in a limited capacity, I wonder if there's any institution applying this in a macro capacity.
Labels: MBA
March 06, 2006
Interview deconstructed
Originally, I saw the interview as a much more personal thing. To me, it was mostly a test of systematic thinking and personal reaction when it came to an environment that might have been out of my comfort zone. It would address my perceived weaknesses. Many of my answers dealt with my reaction to new environments and my knowledge and interest in business in the face of my primarily science background. It seemed a bit surface level but nothing out of the ordinary for interviews I've had. What I didn't realize is that there is potential for much more depth gleaned from how I answered.A friend of mine gave brilliant insight into how my particular interview was positioned in the grand scheme of my application. I think that London Business School really works hard at determining whether or not the individual fits with the school. The questions really reflect that approach, as many of them were posed in such a way that allowed the school to discern where one fits along the political spectrum. Some of the topics we touched upon were around corporate social responsibility, state of the Pharmaceutical industry as well as the impact of rapid growth of China and India on markets elsewhere in the world. It's wide open for incredibly right-wing (The golden rule - he who has the gold, makes the rules) or incredibly left-wing (With great power must come great responsibility) answers.
Along that line of thought, there really is no way of messing up the London Business School interview. They say it's about fit and I think it really is. If you've made it to the interview point of the process, there's little question as to whether or not you can handle the workload or have the motivation or knowledge to succeed at the school. All of that has been taken care of with the paper part of the application. Granted, if you've misrepresented yourself initially, they'll catch you at the interview. Save that circumstance though - after the interview invite, what it really comes down to is that either your ideology matches the school's or it doesn't.
Labels: MBA
March 05, 2006
船到橋頭自然直
"The boat will naturally be straight when it crosses the bridge"Labels: Misc
Hey, that's us!
Surfing wallpapers on the Edmonton Oilers site I stumbled upon something interesting. There's a wallpaper of the entire rink at a Oilers game versus the Predators. It was the one that sister and I had seen on December 28th. It's a little grainy, but you can make out Amanda's sweater by its color as well as the woman with the Tootoo jersey sitting in front of us.
March 03, 2006
From the e-mail archives
Prepping for my interview this weekend.
I had related to a friend my experience at one of my interviews for school this year. I had considered b-school last year, but an opportunity at work opened up that I really couldn't refuse. Getting dinged from most the schools I applied to didn't make my choice that difficult either. I'll be going this year though. I think a change will do me good.
--- from January 21, 2006 ---
I had related to a friend my experience at one of my interviews for school this year. I had considered b-school last year, but an opportunity at work opened up that I really couldn't refuse. Getting dinged from most the schools I applied to didn't make my choice that difficult either. I'll be going this year though. I think a change will do me good.
--- from January 21, 2006 ---
I had an interview with Ivey. Business school again - Time to jump through those familiar hoops. I was supposed to be downtown - 1 First Canadian Place - at 7:00pm to meet with the Director of MBA Program Admissions. No worries, I thought to myself. The e-mail from two weeks ago instructed me to go to the 3rd floor of the Toronto securities commission at that time. Easy!
Thursday morning I received another e-mail from Ivey, this one instructed me to wait by the elevators on 1st floor as I would be unable to reach the 3rd floor after 6:00pm. Something about the office actually being closed. I wasn't too concerned about it.
When I arrived at First Canadian Place at 6:30, panic struck.
The building has elevators EVERYWHERE.
There was a central bank of elevators that went up to the main office tower. An unfathomable gaggle of elevators surrounded the perimeters of this massive building as well. I toured around in a vain attempt to catch my bearings. I still didn't have a clue where to go, so I approached a helpful security guard at one of the desks. I asked him if he knew where Ivey was conducting interviews or where the security commission was. He didn't know, but told me to wait in his general vicinity, as that was the main elevators were. So I waited and made eye contact with any person coming off the elevators that could possibly be an interviewer. I was looking for someone who I have never seen before, probably in a suit. EVERYONE is in a suit around there so I ended up talking to quite a few strangers and getting many odd looks.
7:00 rolls around, and no one has appeared yet. More panic. I decide that I need more help, and I noticed a security guard with a bigger desk on the other side of the building, so I boot over there to talk to him. I ask him the same questions, he doesn't know either. I mention something about the 3rd floor. This was probably the key that triggered something. He pointed me towards elevators behind the Timothy's on the other side of the building. I head in that direction.
When I get there, I noticed something that I guess I missed in my initial survey of the building. In front of me was a nice little waiting room with some nice leather chairs and a nice little sign that said that Ivey interviews would be held on the 3rd floor and that I should please wait there.
At this point it's 7:10.
Fuck.
A second after I get into the waiting room, the doors to the elevator open. My interviewer pops out and apologises for being late. The interviews have been running a bit over time. That was a bullet dodged.
The interview was reasonable for the most part. I felt like an idiot after one particular question. The guy asked me "Tell me something about yourself that I won't find on your resume". The question is such an underhand lob - it's basically "Tell me something about yourself". I drew a blank. I should have had something revelatory or something passionate at the very least, something with focus. Instead I had "Well... I have a lot of extra-curricular activities, I play hockey and... uh... rock climb and I taught kung fu." It was the worst answer ever!
I think I ended on a high note, there was reasonable rapport between the interviewer and I. There were some good conversations and I think my answers were pretty good for the most part. We'll have to see though.
Labels: MBA
March 02, 2006
T-minus 5 days
Five more days till my interview for London Business School. I'm a bit nervous about the entire thing. It's manifested itself in a way that things that worry me usually do - fretting.Patience is probably key here.
Labels: MBA
March 01, 2006
Oilers vs. Preds - December 28th, 2005
This is a pic from when last year. Sister and I were two rows behind the Nashville bench. What I remember most about the game was how excited she was about sitting so close. Next time we should probably sit further out. The Nashville coaching staff was constantly in the way and at a particular angle you would lose the play. The game was fantastic though, with the Oilers winning.