Napoleon's Glance

One of the favorite electives my husband took in his Columbia MBA's first year was "Napoleon's Glance". He kind of lectured me, everyday when he arrived home. Not only because he loved the subject and he agrees mostly with every line of thought of the teacher (Mr. William Duggan), but also, because he expected me to see my life more like they do.

Mr. Duggan believes in a new way of doing and thinking about strategy. Not only strategy in business, but also strategy for one's life.

I am kind of pesimistic person, especially when the subject discussed concerns me. This new line of thought, carefully gathered in the book "Napoleon's Glance" gives the main lines to live a happy life. Not only it explains how to be succesful in business, how to be able to detect the opportunities that life gives us, how to seize them... but also how to be hopeful and not worried about aspect that we cannot control.

I am trying to really work on that. The botton line regarding what I want to change in myself is: If there's something in the future that worries you, ACT, do something to avoid it, to control it, to overcome it... and if you really cannot do anything to avoid it, control it, overcome it... don't loose your time worrying. If you can do something, do it and stop worrying; and if you cannot do anything, stop worrying anyway, the worries won't make any good.

Given the time, I may not being clear enough. I'll give it several more thoughts and write again about it.

Lies about Executives' Education

The intrepid reporter from TheStreet.com, Herb Greenberg announced some "mistakes" in several executives' resumes.

For example, Bausch & Lomb CEO Ronald Zarrella claimed an MBA from New York University's Stern School of Business, while he never obtained such a post-graduate program in any university.

Veritas Software CFO Kenneth Lonchar, claimed a degree from Arizona State University and an MBA from Stanford. However all he actually has is an undergraduate degree from Idaho State University.

Why do executives lie about their education? I mean, is it really worth it? This humillation their are suffering now for their lies, is worth the time they managed to ware their masks? I don't know!

I don't think I never lied about my education. In fact, when I was preparing my MBA application, I must say that I was tempted to add some courses I never took, some social work I never did, some languages I don't speak... But, I just had to think about it one sec, to realize that the benefits I could get from lying are not worth the humillation I could get when someone discovered the truth. Besides, I would allways have in my mind that I had lied.

It's not about the people who might find out that I was lying, its about myself, knowing that I've lied. How could I look myself in the mirror and be proud of what I'm seeing?

However, the facts are the facts! People usually lie in their resumés!

BTW: Check this site out: www.cartoonstock.com/ directory/l/lies.asp

NYU-Stern Admission: Essay 3: Describe yourself!

One of the things that I am most proud of to this point in my professional career, is My Admission in NYU- Stern MBA program. I am sure that there are tons of brilliant, special and successful people who sent their applications and didn't have the same luck I had. Just a couple of words for them: Hang in there! Believe in yourselves! Don't give up!

I am sure that there was a combination of factors what made the Admissions Committee decide to accept me. However, I am sure that the photo-album I sent in order to answer the first essay, "Describe yourself", played a big role.

I divided it in three parts:

1. Who and How am I?: To answer this, I thought that the best thing to do would be asking my friends and family to describe me, and that's what I did and what I wrote down in the album.
2. The most important people in my life and my role-models
3. The Most Significant days of my life

I think that the final work was pretty good, cause it trasmits who I am, what I care for and where I'm heading. I'd love to have done two and to have kept a copy of it... At least I took pictures of it before sending it!

Here are some some shots of it...

FACE TIME: New passwords are faces

Can't remeber passwords? Try to remember faces!

Passfaces is a company that just designed the perfect way of never forgetting your password! We'll just have to remember faces.

That's a great idea for those who have the so-called photographic memory. For those who don't have it... you'll have to keep on trying to remember DKL99s8jB como password ;-)

Read the full article here, it's really interesting.

By the way: A message for someone who'll understand it => When using this system, it's necessary to differenciate between Jennifer Garner (Daredevil) and Piper Perabo (Coyote ugly).

NYU - Stern Business School...

... I'm coming! On July 2006, I'll be starting my MBA program in New York University - Stern Business School!!!!

I am terribly excited! The Business School is great, the studen body so far is amazing, the teachers are wonderful, the program is the one that fits better my future goals and... what can I say about its location??? One of the best places in Manhattan.

I can't wait to start!!!

Downtown, Down to earth, Down to business!

http://reflectweb.reflectsystems.com/getContent.aspx?WCID=9cfdf09e-5e81-48e1-9d54-7cccea64ecd7

http://reflectweb.reflectsystems.com/getcontent.aspx?WCID=bb8f6654-c50c-4705-b002-b26022227a83

The Constant Gardener

This weekend, after my husband left to Spain, I decided to watch "The Constant Gardener" and I loved it. Though it made me miss him even more...

It's not the typical protest film, though it explains the moral dilemma faced by pharmaceutical companies, governmental institutions, non-profit organizations... while working in countries like Africa. It makes you wanna do something, reveal against the system, fight against injustice... help those people who are living an awful life just because they were born in the wrong place.

It's not the typical love story, though it shows the puresness of love, the meaning of loving someone "rotten", how protective love can be... speechless! It's a kind of love that is so real but at the same time so perfect, so profound that I can hardly describe it with words.

It's not the typical hollywood-oscar nominated film with a perfect filmation. Sometimes it seems like someones is really living the story and recording it with his/her personal camera. However it gets to transmit passion, closeness, credibility and a huge dosis of reality.

I highly recommend it!

The Art of folding T-Shirs

After a couple of months working in ZARA and learning how to properly fold t-shirts, pants, sweaters... I must say that the Japanese method is kind of faster thant the Galician one ;-)

Check this video out to learn how to make a perfect fold in just 3 seconds!

http://www.danger-island.com/~dav/video/misc/folding.mpeg

Is it true?

You're only as smart as you appear!!!
Check this article out...

Adoption in China

After watching the documentary The Dying Room by BBC in 1995, I made the decision of adopting a Chinese girl in the future. I am sure that anyone who sees this documentary will feel the same way that I do. Take a look at whats happening in China!