A Dedication

Manage. Manage. Manage.
All we do is manage.
What is there to manage?

Time. Time. Time
All we want is more time.
But more time for what?

Decisions. Decisions. Decisions.
All we do is make choices.
Why do we need choices?

Plan. Plan. Plan
All we do is keep on planning.
But planning for what?

Work. Work. Work.
All we do is learn how to use ethics to work.
Why do we need to keep on working?

Eggs crack. Clock runs. Legos don't match.
We lost against one winning team.
But what have we gained?
Plan. Lead. Communicate.
We lost the game, what have we won?
Knowledge.

Steady and Conscientious...? Or so it says.

For this DISC assessment test, I got the results of being a S-C combination. I find this to be somewhat accurate about me, especially since I emphasize on cooperating with others to carry out the task. I am also willing to follow rules, until I want it my way.

I enjoy group work while getting things done, and it is right about me. The problem is, I am also willing to take risks, so being an S-type doesn't necessarily mean that I am resistant to it. Another thing is that I am calm and patient as we fulfill the work, but I get extremely impatient when the task isn't done yet.

Though I may or may not be calm, I am predictable and possessive over my work. I love working in situations that are controlled, steady, and consistent. I love having a steady balance while taking risks and I am eager for change, but I know that I rather work at a habitual-type place. Interestingly, being in a controlled environment also means following rules. I may not like the rules, but I tend to follow them just to be on the safe side. I guess in better words, I like to play safe.

I'm pretty satisfied with my results, because I know that I am not a dominant person, nor do I use my influence over others to get things done. I know that as long as the task is being completed, nothing else matters.

Efficient Blogging

Blogging was extremely useful for this management class. It was helpful in a sense that everyone was able to use this as a form of communication when we are outside of the classroom. Although we used blogging to communicate with each other, we never really talked inside the classroom unless we're doing groupwork. For me, I learned to talk to the people that sit around me, but I don't think I ever had any interaction with them through blogger.

This is the first and only class that required blogging as a percentage of our final grade. Honestly, I really hate writing. I've taken many classes where writing is involved and I expected this management class to have the same written assignments as well. What I was not expecting was that our written assignments would be on blogger. It was interesting because it felt more like free writing rather than something that was essay based. Blogging lightened the atmostphere of writing for this class.

Not only was blogging easy for this class, but it was easy for us to write about the topics that we were assigned. When writing a blog, we were forced to reflect and related each group activity to a theory or term. It was an effective way for us to learn and remember what Professor K had taught in class. Blogging really forced me to think back about what I had learn when I took the two exams during this semester. Blogging should definitely remain as one of the important compopnents of this course.

Though blogging may seem easy, it was extrememly tedious for me. I enjoyed writing a blog over another written assignment that other professors typically give and I really loved reading others' blogs, but I found the commenting portion really annoying. I understand that blogging serves as a communication channel for us, but it is really hard to comment about something that someone had mentioned in the blog. I'm not too expressive with my words, and I do not want the person to think that I am leaving a negative remark when that wasn't my intention. Another annoying thing about this blog is that we have to hand in a hard copy of everything. I didn't make a note of whose blog I was commenting on so I spent this week going back to every classmate's blog to find my comments.

Overall blogging was effective in expressing our thoughts about a topic and group activity, and it benefited ourselves because it serves as a great reference tool during an exam. I'm really not fond of using computer because I have to deal with it in most of my graphics classes, so I really didn't like paying attention to my blog. But I know that since this is for grading purposes, I had to check it every so often. When this class is over, I might not use this particular blog ever again, but I may create a new one my own personal journal.

Ba-da-ba-ba-baaa!

Extra Credit Assignment


Experience #1:

During one of my breaks in my Wednesday schedule, I went to meet up with my boyfriend at the NBA store on Fifth Avenue. Afterward, I had just enough time left before my next class to visit a McDonald's near the store, around Rockefeller Center.
Around this time, many people were out from work to getting their lunch, so the lines were long and the cashier registers were crowded.

When I reached the counter, I ordered the special "hamburger with exactly four pickles and the well done small french fries with no salt". Not only did the cashier lack enthusiasm for her job, but she also lacked manners. She asked me to repeat my order while rolling her eyes. Once the order was sent, she went to the deep fryer area and told the person my special request. He also rolled his eyes and sighed deeply while opening a fresh batch of frozen fries. The time it took for the burger and fries was about 12 minutes, which does not seem reasonable for such a small order, even with the special requests. By the time I received my order, I had to ask her again for the receipt, which she forgot. Two major errors: the receipt did not include the "extra pickles" and the burger itself only had HALF a sliced pickle, when i specifically asked for four and placed an emphasis with my four fingers on the NUMBER 4! Frustrated and short on time, I walked out of McDonald's and handed a homeless man my burger and fries. This experience was entirely worthless.





Experience #2:

The second time, I went to a McDonald's on Kissena Blvd in Queens with my boyfriend (again) on a Saturday night. This location was not as busy and bustling as the one near Rockefeller Center. At this time of night, the McDonald's on Kissena was pretty empty, but the drive-thru was still busy.

Once I entered, there was no line and too many open registers. I emphasized that I really needed the receipt to state "1 hamburger, four pickles; 1 small fries, no salt". The cashier smiled nervously, then looked at the cashier next to him and asked if the receipt can say four pickles, and she laughed and told him no. The he turned back and asked me if it was okay that it said "extra pickles" instead. The rest of the order came out smoothly so I began to worry that this place would make the same mistakes as the first time. When he handed me the receipt, he smiled and said that this was the weirdest order that day and it was the highlight of his night (my guess is that it was a slow night since the place was pretty empty). After he handed me the receipt with the correct information, he wen to tell the manager about my order to make sure everything comes out right, and he also checked to see if there were exactly four pickles and my fries had absolutely no salt before handing me my meal. All the employees were very confused about the order and looked around to see who the customer was, but they were all in such a good mood that they just laughed about it.

I really liked this McDonald's. Everyone was so polite and funny. However, I'm not sure if this is the right work environment for employees to get their job done, it sure is the right atmosphere for customers to enjoy their time while ordering and receiving their meal. The best part about this experience was that I didn't wait long for my order and it came out just as I asked.

What I liked about this McDonald's was that they were effective, organized, and communicated well. The cashier did not need me to repeat myself, but he wanted to be sure that the number of pickles that I requested was four and the the fries absolutely cannot have salt on it. The people in the back heard the order, and the one who made the burger completed it correctly. After the grilled meat was placed on the bottom part of the bun, the cook recounted the pickles before placing the top part of the bun on top of it. The person who did my fries pulled out a new batch of frozen fries and placed it in the deep fryer, and no, he did not add salt on it. The communication between the employees at this McDonald's was smooth because everyone understood the order and heard it again directly from the cashier.



Overall, the customer service was outstanding. I commend them on their social skills and effort in making sure that customer is satisfied. The only problem was the time that I went to McDonald's; I wonder if my impression of the restaurant would change if I went at a busier time. Another problem that I personally feel is that I don't eat McDonald's meals, unless I have no other choice (like if I was on a road trip and the service area seems to only have McDonald's or Burger King), so how can McDonald's improve on their standards so that picky eaters like me will bend to their influence? I guess the best they can do right now is letting the customers know they can request to change a menu item. One last problem I encountered was that my burger was sloppy; since I specified what to put into the burger, I figured maybe they would take the time to fix it better. Unfortunately when I unwrapped the burger, the meat was almost falling out and the pickles were stacked on top of each other rather than spread out over the meat.


Comparing the two locations that I went to, I realized that there is a difference in work ethics. The employees in the first location do not know how to treat their customers with respect. They viewed me as an abnormal customer with my requests. They only worry about their job, and not following the policy of how McDonald's serves to satisfy the customers. The second location serves to make their customers happy. Even though I prefer not to eat McDonald's, "every bite is pure joy" the second time around.

Conquered my fear, what's next?

A vision is necessary when you need to know what you have to do and how to approach that goal you want to achieve. From the video, The Power of Vision, the narrator discussed what a vision is and how it happens. He used various examples to demonstrate how a person achieves his/her vision. Like the Parthenon, did a person sit back and watch his dream happen or did he go ahead and pursue this vision?


Right now, I envision myself accomplishing a full list of goals and spontaneous risks that I will dare to do. Some visions that I can derive from that list are:

1. work as an accomplished graphics designer, hopefully doing television commercials or billboards.
2. go on the Amazing Race.
3. buy a house for both my parents and my future family.
4. make enough money to be able to sponsor a non-profit organization, such as ASPCA or NAPAWF (I suggest you to google them), for the rest of my life. If I cannot provide this kind of support, I will volunteer my time and efforts instead.
5. work in a foreign country for a brief period of time.


In order to make these visions happen, of course I have to build up my résumé with internships and such. Then I would need to graduate, so that I can successfully work on my career. Once I become what I hope to become, I will save up my money so that I can buy those houses that I mentioned above. Another portion of my money will go towards the donations to the non-profit organizations. These organizations need us most to help create a better community. Because so many people are so self-centered in their lives, I feel the need to be the one to take action and help these organizations. Even if I cannot financially support them, I can help them by spreading awareness. Going on the Amazing Race really doesn't relate to the rest of the list, but it is something spontaneous that I would like to do. I love traveling, and I want to go everywhere that I can.


My visions are simple, but are they possible? They can be possible if I make it happen. I already have a focused path, and all I have to do is follow it and take action to accomplish those goals.





A personal goal I recently achieved:I have stage fright. I'm absolutely terrified of speaking in public.
This semester, I practiced many hours for the Baruch Asian Student Union (BASU) Variety Show, and all my hard work paid off last Friday. My sorority performed two different scenes - one is a dance scene and the second is a skit to celebrate the Chinese culture. I danced and narrated, conquering my fear.
I had this vision that I could use this show (it occurs every year) to work on my stage fright. Not only did I see myself overcoming it, I also had a different sort of vision. I imagined so many different ways we can produce these two scenes, and in the end, it worked out perfectly.
(I'm the loser on the far right, by the way.)





Visions are necessary when creating goals, and they can only be imagined if you want to do it. For me, one down, five more to go. So if you have a vision, go do it!

Taking Over the Classroom

Professor Kurpis introduced to us our new topic of the week - Decision Making. He approached this topic by giving us a new activity on Monday (March 15th). Last week, our class took our first exam, and most of us were not satisfied with the grades we got. The task was simple: come up with a solution that will satisfy 100% of the class.

In this situation, I took a compromise approach. Everyone wants to reach the same goal, getting a higher grade and making the next exam easier for each of us to take.

In the beginning, the professor allowed us to make the decision as a class, and everyone must come to a 100% agreement, and we have until 7:05 PM to make the choices. Everything was given to us, but what held us back was agreeing with each other.

Everyone yelled suggestions across the room, but what really helped was that a student had volunteered to facilitate this decision making process. She really helped mediate the situation, and without her, we would have been arguing and yelling the whole time. there were a like of people who would compete to win, and many of those who are in the avoidance approach. One student in particular wanted to collaborate into groups, but the entire class disagreed with this idea. It was funny, because Prof K told us that this method was actually better at achieving a goal.

My part as a compromiser was that I believed everyone should be equal because we all need to make the same decision before handing it to the professor. I actually agreed with almost every suggestion listed on the board. The only thing that made me a little upset was that someone in the class did not believe in an open book exam. I agree that having an open book exam is time consuming and messy, but it would be great as a reference tool. You can always take the exam, then go back to check if your answers are correct. It would work if you're prepared, which you should be for every single one of your exams.

In the end, we decided to drop the lowest of the two test grades and double the highest and leave the format of the test to the discretion of the professor. This final decision doesn't seem so bad, and it benefits everyone, including Prof K.

I'm not a leader-type of person because I don't know how to take initiative. I am what you call a follower, because I like to learn before I do something. If I don't know how to do something, I'll only just wait until I do know. Therefore, the collaborating method is the best choice for me to interact in a group to make a decision.

Humpty Dumpty, not an eggs-cellent plan

Class project: plan a design to protect your egg from break after a 10-ft fall and execute the plan.

Professor K assigned us a task to make a plan on how we will be creating this design and building it so that the egg will be protected. Before beginning, we were told that the supplies were 8 straws and 2 feet of tape and the design must show at least 50% of the egg. Another challenge is that we were not allowed to touch the materials while planning so that our team will learn to organize an effective plan. The time limit for planning was 25 minutes long, and the building process was only 10minutes.

Step 1: Define your goals and objectives
My group definitely began with this step. We knew what we wanted to do and when our deadline was. What we needed to do was create a design that was effective in protecting the egg from breaking when we drop it on the floor. We knew we were given 25 minutes to continue working on our plan.

Step 2: Determine your resources and current status vis-à-vis objectives
We understood our supplies were limited to only 8 straws and 2 feet of tape, and the rule is to make sure that the egg is at least 50% visible. Most of us spoke about our ideas, whereas some we're just going along with whoever was speaking. Something that held us back was that a few of our group members strongly believed their design was better and they refused to see that the other ideas might work or that it might be better to incorporate all the ideas.

Step 3: Develop several alternative strategies
One idea was to was the straws all around the egg so it would cushion the fall. Another idea was to make the straws stick out of the egg so it would look like the egg is going to run away on many legs. Another idea is to create some sort of basket for the egg to fall into. All these ideas a fun and crazy, but would they work? The first idea might work. The second idea would not work because the straws are too flexible and would bend right when it hits the floor. The third idea would have worked if we had more time to create the fort.

Step 4: Make a tactical plan.
The plan that most of us decided on was the to go through with the first idea. Our flaw was that we didn't elect a leader, and everyone argued our way through the design. This step was halfway done.

Step 5: Implement the plan and evaluate results
Our group was very good at contributing ideas and building the egg contraption, but our organization was messy. We had a few designs in mind and we decided to confirm one of the designs when we get the materials. If I could, I would definitely redo this task with all the planning steps.

Mostly we failed during the 10 minutes. We had a hard time getting the quiet group members to contribute. They had to be told what to do, while the ones with the ideas wanted to go forth with his or her own plan. We went through with every step in the planning process, but it was very sloppy. We are suppose to be a team of one, and that was what we should have expressed in the beginning of the planning phase.
Overall, I had a fun experience :)

Isla del Encanto

This past August I went on vacation to Puerto Rico with some of the girls in my sorority. Before setting my foot into the beautiful island, I had plans on eating a lot of food that we don't usually eat in America. The main thing that I go for when I travel is the food.
When I arrived there, we went to a Walmart to buy some stuff to stock up for the villa. We bought a ton of Ramen and spam and eggs. I guess it's an Asian American thing to save up on money and buying easy instant noodles while on vacation. The first thing we found aside from the Ramen was a KFC and then a McDonald's and then a Wendy's. Mind you, this is 4PM and we don't see a single local food place opened. I watch a lot of the travel channel, and anywhere that Andrew Zimmern or Anthony Bourdain went to was impossible to find. I guess what I find normal is seeing a variety of different restaurants on almost every block I walk around in New York City. Also those fast food joints was not any cheaper than stocking up on the ramen. The only "local" food place we found was a small bar called Charlie's Tacos. The tacos there were amazing. It was a soft tortilla shell stuffed with chicken, pork, or beef with mashed potatoes. I had it almost every day of the week that we were there for.

Another thing about PR was that I figured everywhere would be walkable distance. It turns out that we had to road trip everywhere for about 2 hours. One night we went out to Old San Juan, but it was no different than being in Times Square. The only thing different was that the names were in Spanish, like Senor Frogs. Party life was exactly the same as NYC. We somehow came across an Asian Fusion restaurant/lounge, and I felt like I wasn't even in PR at all.

I am native born, but my background is Chinese. Going to PR with 10 other Asian girls and 2 Asian guys made us stand out as a group. I guess maybe people in PR aren't use to seeing that many Asians in one place, but we were always gaped at like zoo animals. And all I heard was "las chinitas" or "los chinos". It was kind of uncomfortable. America is so diverse that running across someone who doesn't share the same ethnic background as you isn't such an unusual thing. But aside from the awkwardness of being stared at, everyone there was really friendly, particularly street vendors.

This lady who crafted handmade leather bracelets was a really welcoming person, and she was really curious about where we're from and all that jazz.
In the picture, the bracelets looked like this before the brown polish and the buttons were added on.




The amazing rainforest, El Yunque








The Bacardi Rum Factory

Who is this Extraordinaire person?

First thing that comes to you mind: Who in the world calls herself an extraordinaire?! Is she really that gassed up in her head?

To begin, my name is Caren C. Obviously, I'm a student in Prof. K's MGT 3120 class. This marks my third year at Baruch. I'm a junior, and I'm 20. I earned my place at Baruch as a SEEK student. SEEK helps students with poor grades and in need of financial aid. Easily said, in high school, I was dumb and poor.
Since I'm in the SEEK program, I had to start my freshman year early. I began summer 2007 with a class and some math tutoring sessions. I had no idea that ANT1001 was a real class and I ended up beginning my real freshman year with a low GPA :(

As my freshman year progressed, I searched for what would interest me. What can I make my major become? What is there to do on campus to brighten up my time between classes?
In the beginning I hated sororities more than anything. I hated the fact that catty girls could be so fake and dramatic while calling each other Sisters. This particular sorority named Kappa Phi Lambda had rushed me prior to my freshman year, and it continued to rush me until the spring semester. If you don't know, "rush" is a process in which girls want to get to know the sorority and its members, and might potentially become a part of them. (learn more at http://baruch.kappaphilambda.org/)
That spring, I made my decision. After seeing and meeting most of the Sisters, I realized that my stereotype on them was entirely different. They actually do philanthropic activities and are on campus to spread cultural awareness - things the I enjoy doing. So I went through the process and became one of the Sisters.
I'm really not a witty person. The name I came up with for this blog, Extraordinaire, is really my sorority's Sister name (most of you know this as pledge name or nickname, etc). In other words, I really cannot come up with a clever enough name for my blog.

Ever since my freshman year, I knew I was going to major in business, particularly accounting. After interning at a firm, I found out... I really hate math. I was never good at it. You can ask me what is 9x9, and it'll take me a whole lifetime to remember that the answer is 81. Thank god for smart phones with built in calculators.

Now I'm sitting here, stuck figuring out what I want to make my future career. At the moment, my major is Business Communications with Graphics Communications Specialization. I deal with artwork, mainly on computers. Ironically enough, I repel technology. I visit the Sprint store on a weekly basis because my HTC Touch Pro feels a little anti-Caren. I swapped it in for a Samsung Intrepid recently, and I have no idea how to manage this phone. So this assignment is actually kind of amusing to me, being that I don't know how to work a lot of things on a computer. Blogger is so similar to Xanga, and I never knew how to work that. It took me forever to know how to write a post!

Aside from my life at Baruch, I really enjoy going out with a people for bubble tea, frozen yogurt, ice cream, and more. In fact, I really love dim sum, but I would never wake up on a Sunday morning for it. I like taking a lot of morning classes because I rely on my dad to wake me up. Not only that, I hitch a ride off him since he works midtown anyway.
I'm generally a very nice person, but I don't like taking crap from people. I'll give a person up to three before I snap. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a mean person either. I'm superstitious - I believe in karma, and what goes around, comes around - therefore I will never hurt you :)
More about me... hmm... I have a cat.
She is the most ferocious furball I have ever seen. Trust me, you don't want to meet her. I am accident-prone. I recently did a slip&slide down half a flight of stairs and now I have injuries on my back and arms. I spill things - I carry a Tide-to-go pen. I also tend to walk into doors or trip over air, so please don't laugh :(

I love watching the food network and the travel channel. Oh, I actually met Anthony Bourdain once! I've attended Catholic school up until my junior year in high school. I don't believe in Valentine's Day because it's so commercial; but I wouldn't mind being lavished with gifts heheh. I'm a little OCD. I clean stains until I come to a realization that it will not go away. I absolutely despise germs. I have stage fright. One day, I will join PETA. My favorite book is The Giver. I can watch the Lion King over and over again without being sick of it. Im not talented, but I love kareoke. I love traveling, I'll go anywhere every chance I get. I'm easily distracted, and my attention span is the size of a teaspoon. I hate going on computers unless I really have to. I enjoy community service, really, I do.

I donate my time and my efforts in fundraising money for philanthropic causes, and my sorority helps bring me to these sort of events. So we will be having a bake sale some time next week. Be sure to stop by! It'll be on the second floor of the Vertical Campus building. See you all there!