Online University & Distance Learning MBA Courses from RDI USA

February is almost over already, and as exciting news goes, this has been a pretty tame month. Well, that is of course assuming you discount the embarrassingly large crush I seem to have developed on my baby sons paediatrician (I can't help it! The guy's a hottie!) Then there's the full-scale production the parents are putting on at my daughters kindergarten as a thank-you to the teachers (I am a jelly-fish that does magic tricks. Honestly! You can't make this stuff up!) And then of course there was the crazy woman that assaulted me in the elevator. The police are dealing with that now so I can't say anymore…

….but other than that, it`s been a quiet month!!!

I went to a party last weekend, and met some new people. They said to me “So…you have 3 kids, you live in Japan, you are working, you are at university, you were just beaten to a pulp in an elevator. Anything else we should know??!” I said to them “Welcome to the rollercoaster that is my life. Please keep your hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times, strap yourselves in and enjoy the ride!” They backed off nervously　clutching their wine glasses……!

Coursework

On the studying front things are going pretty well, despite catching an appalling cold about a week ago. I have a terrible stuffy nose, headache and sinus infection and, I swear, whenever I sniff I am making the kind of noise that a female wildebeest makes when it is mating season (saw it on Discovery Channel) so it is just as well that I am in Japan, not Africa right now or February might have been even more dramatic!!!

But my juggling of the Marketing and Finance courses is going very well. Better than my jellyfish magic, that's for sure…..

I am finding the Marketing course particularly interesting, because it is dealing with planning marketing strategies, segmentation and targeting. This is something similar to work I used to do years ago and I have always found demographics and market analysis and segmentation fascinating (I know, I know, “Geek”! Don't laugh though, we are going to inherit the earth one day), so the marketing course is proving to be very enjoyable. Finance….well, it's OK I suppose! I have been operating under the delusion for years that I like maths. I think it is a kind of unconscious strategy I have had since aged around 13 - that if I tell myself enough times that I like it and I am good at it – then it might start to happen for real??!

It IS complicated, it IS detailed, and I have no doubt, however much preparation I put in, that I am going to mess up the 24 hour paper completely! But, I am trying to prepare for this inevitability by writing up calculations on a spreadsheet, doing lots of practice on the Maths side, and keeping the written part of it separate for revision in Starbucks. I have read on the internet course forum that supporting calculations with written statements and explanations can help to gain extra marks. This is good news. So basically, even if I mess up all the calculations and come out with entirely the wrong answer, I may be able to claw back some marks with the most off-the-wall explanation of my results the examiner has ever seen. We shall see…….!

My hand-knee rocking coordination thing is still going strong, but at nearly 3 months a pattern is starting to emerge, and I am starting to be able to time my study periods around the one long nap Jay has every day, which I can almost make happen now I have discovered he loves sleeping in his pram after a walk. I don't feel yet like I am emerging from the thick fog that is newborn motherhood, but I can say the mists are starting to clear. I REALLY hope I`m not speaking too soon….!

And so it continues….

March is going to bring the applications for both the Finance and Marketing modules, Finance module revision, and the Marketing assignment itself, granny #2 who will be putting in an appearance around March 7th for a few days (god help me) followed by granny #1 who will be returning from the UK at the end of March and staying for a couple of months! Can't WAIT for that!

And on that note, there are snuffly, waking-up-like noises coming from the pram in the hall…..I think this study session has come to an end.

See you all next month!

PS – nice GMTV early morning exercise, RDI office! Particularly enjoyed Ben's routine – you got da moves, dawg! Recognised a few faces in the crowd – I think one of you moderated at my HND exams! Great to see you from all the way over here in Tokyo!

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