Plan my work and work my plan!

The last thought in my head before I fell asleep last night and the first feeling when I woke up this morning are the same - I am actually quite a lucky person.

How so? Honestly, I have to admit that I’m not one of those positive folks who are always perky in whatever circumstances they are in. However, a combination of incidents lately really sparked my appreciation of life, in many small ways.

Blessings - work wise

1. Business travel
After a business trip to the Netherlands in the first half of September, I have successfully scheduled another two business trips for myself to Tokyo and Bangkok in November. I know this may sound weird to some people. Business trips and blessings? What do the two have in common? The thing is that I've always wanted to travel for work, so that I can expand my geographical reach and acquire cross-cultural work experience at the same time.

I am hoping to travel to Western Europe again in early 2007 but I still have to negotiate hard for that one.

2. Less Working Hours
Compared to the crazy life style in my previous job, now I work more healthy hours about 8 to 9 hours a day. The advantage is that I feel more at ease and physically fit. The drawback? The job content is not challenging at all for me.

Blessings – personal wise

1. More savings than six months ago: I made a savings plan for myself in March and since then each month I have been putting in a fixed amount of money to my MBA fund. It feels good to see the figures increasing incrementally.

2. More time for hobbies: I have learned some basic salsa steps, Spanish and done some volunteer work for a charity organization since I left the PR firm. I am planning to learn surfing as a next step and maybe visiting Angkor Wat in the first half of 2007.

3. A healthy body!

Blessings – MBA plan wise
GMAT prep course kicks off on October 20, 2006.

Because of my decision to quit the PR firm when I started this blog, I am now able to have more personal time after work. For my pursuit of an MBA, I have done quite some survey of schools and GMAT prep options since March until now. And starting from tomorrow (October 20), I will begin my GMAT prep course. The GMAT prep course will cost me Euro 400. I chose the video format over the physical class due to its flexibility. The course includes 14 weeks of tutoring, 10 tests and all study materials. I plan to sit the GMAT in February 2007, if everything goes smoothly.

I am very looking forward to starting the GMAT prep course tomorrow and get it done over with. Will keep everyone posted of my experience in combating this annoying exam.

Until next time - Jen