Posted
8:59 AM
by Zachary (e-mail)
Spring Break!
Winter A is done, finito, stick a fork in it! It has snowed every day this week (although it's been warm, i.e. above 30) and everyone's glad, because it'll make us savor the warm weather all the more. Thailand and Costa Rica seem to be the two most popular destinations this year; I'm staying domestic, but will be getting as much sun as possible.
Posted
7:33 AM
by Zachary (e-mail)
That's the only word to describe the Kodo Drummers, a troop of musicians specializing in traditional Japanese drumming. The University Musical Society (UMS) brought them to school's Power Center for three performances this week, and I caught last night's show.
I'm not a particularly muscial guy. I don't go to many gigs or concerts. I'm not easily impressed. That's why it means something when I say that this show blew me away. It was easily one of the most impressive feats of human athleticism that I've ever seen. I've struggled to think of an analogy for what the Kodo drummers go through--two hours of sprinting? a boxing match that doesn't stop between roundss?--and have come up blank.
Picture, if you will, Japanese men, dressed only in a bandana and loincloth, crouched in front of a massive drum (at least 5 feet in diameter), arms raised above his heads, pounding with two clubs with all his might, for ten+ straight minutes, without missing a beat. Picture then, for the very next song, that same man sitting down in front of a drum that's set on its side, and, with no chair supporting him, sitting in a half sit-up position for another ten minutes, while pounding that drum with every ounce of strength. Words don't do it justice; my arms and shoulders ached just watching them.
As for the music itself, it's masculine, it's powerful, and it's insistent. To me, it's music to listen to during the morning commute, before hitting the trading floor.
As you'd expect for an ancient art form, the troop now has a (bilingual) blog up about their North American tour. If you live in Chicago, Washington, New York, and other Eastern cities, check out the tour schedule because they'll be heading east over the next month.
Posted
7:32 AM
by Zachary (e-mail)
My remaining time at the Ross School of Business is now measured in weeks (we graduate April 29) not months. This week is finals week for Winter A [7 week] courses; next week is Spring Break; and then the final 7 weeks of school. Thankfully, I didn't have any Winter A courses with final exams, so instead of studying I'm drowning in makeup work (missing two weeks of a six weeks of classes is tough).
Some topics I'd like to cover in my remaining time here (in no particular order): this term's Crisis Management course; lists of favorite/least favorite classes; LDP; things I'll miss about Ann Arbor; Spring Break; "Surviving Scrutiny"; golf courses around here; and much, much, more.
...
On a separate note, admitted students, feel free to email me if you have any questions about the school, finance at Michigan, S&T, etc. I'm too busy to be a Go Blue Rendezvous host this year, so I'd like to contribute in this way.
Posted
11:43 AM
by Zachary (e-mail)
The plans for the Ross School of Business renovations have been announced, and the architecture firm hired (the same team that worked on Wharton and Stanford). The biggest public changes to the school, in my opinion, will be a more prominent "front door" (entrance area) and the creation of a year-round "student commons" area, in the [now outdoor] space known as the portico. These, and the many other changes, will bring the school's physical plant up to the standard set by America's top business schools, which can be only be a positive for Michigan.
I look forward to returning in a couple years (as part of Deutsche Bank's recruiting team?) and being wowed by the improvements.
Posted
1:46 AM
by Zachary (e-mail)
Have some whale sushi, on me.
(This, I did try.)
You can wash it down with a piece of hamburger sushi.
(No thanks.)
...
Kidding aside, the food in Japan is great. The fresh bread you get at a f*cking Denny's (mmm, Truff Bread!) there is better than what you'll get in 90% of good restaurants in the US.
F*ck, the pre-made meals you can pick up at a 7-11 are better than what you'll get at 80% of the sit-down restaurants here in Ann Arbor (that number's more like 60% for New York, which still says a lot).
...
If for some reason you're curious what a Japanese funeral is like, this site begins to capture the experience.
...
In World Cup qualifying soccer, Japan beat North Korea 2-1 in a last second goal last Tuesday. It was all over the news there--wall to wall coverage. During one morning variety show, the hosts tried calling North Korea to find out the reaction of the people there, but were stupfied when no North Koreans seemed to know about the game. I don't know North Korean social dynamics too well, but I would guess that the threat of being starved to death in a slave labor camp for even thinking that tubmaster Kim Jong isn't a god might have something to do with their reluctance to admit a defeat. Maybe. That, plus few North Koreans have money to splurge on ESPN, after paying for their daily grass soup.
Just a thought.
...
Japan's company to watch? Live Door (ticker 4753; up 200%+ over the past 18 months). Started as a web service provider in its founder, Takafumi Horie's, dorm room. It's now grown so big that it can attempt a hostile takeover of Fuji Television. Quite an audacious move in Japan.
...
Yawn. N-H-What?
...
Getting back into the school routine after a nine day absence is tough, since the Winter A term is all but over. That is, final exams [for 7 week classes] start a week from today. Luckily, my two 7-week classes this term (negotiations and crisis management) are more centered on in-class participation, which means I don't have to worry about finals, but do have to talk my ass off in the last few class sessions.
...
Normal MBA blogging to resume after I get a good night's sleep.
Posted
12:21 PM
by Zachary (e-mail)
Due to a family emergency, I wasn't able to attend this year's Ross Business School Follies show, and I had to drop out of my role in one live skit. But the feedback I've heard has been all positive, and according to the review in the Monroe Street Journal, my work in the Apprentice video won some plaudits:
"But more than the amount of time dedicated to the production, I was impressed with how funny the show was. Some of the most memorable scenes include MBA1 Chris Martiniak molesting a printer, MBA2 Adam Nielsen's Alumni Song, the "Desperation, a new fragrance for MBA men" commercial, MBA2 Zachary Emig's portrayal of Donald Trump, and the "Prosthetic Arm for Gunners" skit."
Half the fun of doing The Follies at Michigan (where, unlike other schools, all students get a role), is the camraderies of the final week of rehearsals, and the party-like atmosphere of the shows. Unfortunately, I missed all that. But the other half of the fun is the acting in rehearsals and videotapes that runs from early January until now, and that was great. We did most of the Apprentice shooting in the third and fourth weeks of January, and it was a blast.
And yes, that is my real hair. Honest. Why does everyone keep asking?
Posted
9:14 PM
by Zachary (e-mail)
In honor of the 15th annual Asian Business Conference hosted by the Ross School of Business over the weekend:
(other Fresh Tales of Interview Calamities)
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