The AIM Blogger

I'm very happy to share that the feature on Manual Magazine on bloggers where I'm a part of is now out on newsstands. The feature appears on the December 2008-January 2009 issue, which is dubbed as their "Blog Issue" as it focuses on blogs, social media and bloggers. Here's some photos I took of the magazine: My feature appears on page 19 and I apologize if the interview text is not readable from the photo I posted-- but it's essentially about my thoughts on social media and blogging. Do grab a copy  if you're interested in reading finely written articles on the blogging phenomenon in the the Philippines and other interesting topics. -- In addition to the photos above, I do have some thoughts on Manual Magazine's Blog issue: A Little Back Story on Manual Magazine's December 2008-January 2009 Issue Carpe diem! Memento mori!

Here's my little Christmas gift to the newly-minted MBA graduates of the Asian Institute of Management : Last December 14, 2008, we had our nice graduation ceremonies and the photos were from the official photographer's collection. Happy Holidays! :D -- Also, please don't forget to answer The AIM Blogger 2008 Reader Survey if you haven't filled it out yet. Thanks!

Take The AIM Blogger Reader Survey!   A lot of people have been asking me what I'll be doing with The AIM Blogger now that I have graduated . While I do have an idea what will happen to the blog, there have been varying opinion what the direction the blog should take now that I've moved from being a student at the Asian Institute of Management to a full-fledged alumnus. That's why I realized this is the perfect opportunity to get feedback from the readers of this blog-- the folks who have seen how this blog evolved from a simple account of day-to-day acttivities at the MBA program to a hub for students, alumni and anonymous people to discuss hot issues. I've created a brief, 6-question online survey with the intent of getting the pulse of the blog's readers. I also promise that I will share the results of the survey in this blog once it reaches around 40 responses. So, folks, here's the link to the very first reader survey for The AIM Blogger:   http://...

The Young MBA Graduates, the very first 16-month MBA class of the Asian Institute of Management , are officially now graduates. After 16 months of going through hundreds and hundreds of cases, sleepless nights , CAN Group meetings, our respective  Action Consultancy  projects, and our Management Research Reports , we graduate from one of Asia's best business schools with the title "Master in Business Administration." Yes, we earned it and he graduation day ceremony was a fitting conclusion to our stay as students in AIM. The commencement exercises were held yesterday at the SGV Auditorium at the AIM Conference Center - Manila. The members of our class arrived quite early so we ha the chance to get a lot of photo opps even before the event started. Everyone was in their stellar best, fashion-wise-- the ladies were stunning and the men were equally dashing (heck, I even wore the Filipino formal attire of Barong Tagalog for this occasion :P). A few minutes before t...

We had our graduation practice a few hours ago, and while it was not the real thing, I felt the great energy from our class, the Asian Institute of Management 's first 16-month MBA class, a.k.a. MBA 2008 (December) a.k.a. MBA 16 Cohort 1 (the last one still seems to be up on debate). We got our " sablay " or ceremonial garb that we will wear on graduation. The design of the sablay bears the school's colors (blue and green) and the school's initials written in the ancient Fililipino script. (Trivia: the University of the Philippines also uses the sablay as its graduation attire, instead of the traditional graduation cap and gown. Here's a post with more information about the sablay. ) The practice was pretty detailed. We went through the whole ceremony (without the speeches of course) and we were given specific instructions on what to do on Sunday. Student Services, Admissions and Registratio  (SSAR) head Rey Reyes was very particular about these thin...

The penultimate step in your student life is getting your clearance papers signed-off by the different units here at the Asian Institute of Management . The clearance process is like your final mini-tour of the campus since you have to go the different offices that are spread all over the campus. You'll go to accounting, the dormitory, the Information & Communications Technology (ICT) office, the library, the cashier's office, the MBA program, and the Student Services, Admissions & Registration (SSAR) office. Once you finally get a sign-off from all of them, you are as good as graduated. I finished mine early this week after I finished my Management Research Report . I saw a few of my friends yesterday who were in the process of getting cleared and, out of boredom, I joined them in their little "quest." I realized that non-locals have an easier time getting cleared because they can use the excuse that they'll be leaving the country soon. In effect, t...

We're a couple of days away from graduation, but I guess the learning experience here at the Asian Institute of Management continues. While the MBA program did try to teach us and evaluate us on theories and applications of financial, marketing, and management principles, there are principles that only life situations can test. Situation 1 : In jail, you were the manager of a pool of funds that was collected from the inmates for the group's benefit once every one is free. The group decided to organize and stage an arm-wrestling tournament. The big group planned for 15 months and implemented the tournament, and with the help of jail guards, the arm-wrestling tournament ended up as a success. However, during the event, a very expensive belt owned the leader of the big group, was lost. After paying for all relevant expenses, there were some money left from that fund. The inmates were now wondering what to do with the money--  some wanted to use it to buy tokens ...

The Asian Institute of Management held its Christmas Party for the students yesterday. The event was hosted by the Master in Management 2009 class. I don't know if the global financial crisis had anything to do with it, but I found the party a little glum compared to the previous events that we had. The Students' Christmas Party last year was more fun, with a more integrated theme. (If you read my post about that party, I realized I failed to get pictures from my classmates). I feel that party was able to convey the "Filipino Christmas" to the non-locals in school. Another factor why I found the party not as fun is the absence of my classmates. As I noted last week , AIM feels different because most of my classmates are no longer in campus. Last night was no different as only a handful of people from class were there in the party. Parties are really more fun when there were people from the "Core Committee" of my class present. This event also mar...

By "it," I'm referring to my Management Research Report  (MRR). Yes, it's done, revisions, teaching notes, printed copy, electronic version and all. It has been signed by my MRR advisers as well. Well... not all of my advisers yet--  Prof. Ricky Lim is out of town and will be back tomorrow, but there were instructions that I could already have my clearance papers for the MBA program processed. Speaking of my clearance papers, I started getting it processed two weeks ago. Like most schools, students must secure clearance from the various units, like the library, dormitory, accounting, etc. in order to graduate and claim the diploma. With the sign-off from the MBA program, I went to the Student Services, Admissions and Registration (SSAR) to obtain my final clearance requirements. And with that, I was done. :D To be honest, it still has not sunk in my mind that I'm virtually done with my MBA.Maybe it's because I just finished everything a couple of hours...

One of my classmates who is part of the International Student Exchange Program (ISEP) is Mark Daniel Chan. (If you've seen this name before, you might have seen it in the class honor roll ) Mark is doing his exchange at UCLA's Anderson School of Management . I had a chance to ask him a few questions about his sunny UCLA experience: The AIM Blogger (TAB) : How's life in UCLA? Mark Daniel Chan (MDC) :  I had never been to the west coast before this experience and it has been such a great thrill so far to be here. Life in UCLA is fun but expensive. My average meal expenditure is about $7, so that's roughly 320 pesos, as compared to 110 for Reyes Barbeque or 71 for a full course AIM cafeteria meal. I cooked a lot during the first two months but then I stopped doing it because I had too much to read. By the way, if y'all are ever planning to live in LA in the future, do yourselves a favor and get a car :) It's so hard to live without a car here. I've been...

I had a quick Q & A session with Jeppe Holst, one of our exchange students from Denmark and a classmate in a handful of subjects. The AIM Blogger (TAB) : Hello Jeppe! Can you tell us something about yourself? Jeppe Holst (JH) :   I study my master in Finance and Strategic Mangement at Copenhagen Business School (CBS) and as the last semester before dedicating to the thesis, I had the chance of going abroad. I love traveling and thought such an opportunity should be seized. Before leaving Denmark I was working at the financial service and business analysis department supporting the direction of the Danish train company, DSB. When I am not working or studying I love scuba diving, dancing, martial art, and a good movie! TAB : Great! Why did you choose the Asian Institute of Management for your school exchange program? JH : Many people asked me why I choose the Philippines for my exchange. More have indicated that choosing this place was based more on pleasure a...

Just a quick one: We now have winner for the Bratpack contest ! Congratulations to Mark Anthony Dela Peña for submitting the winning entry. Here's the "bag story" he submitted: My obsession with JanSport began more than 15 years ago, when the “must-have bag” was JanSport. (It still IS the must-have bag for youngsters, since JanSport has achieved the status of a classic.) My first JanSport backpack saw me through several years of adolescent hormonal upheavals. It was sturdy and durable enough to withstand the weight of my Algebra, Trigonometry, Physics and Chemistry textbooks—turturous subjects all. Carrying all the stuff I needed, my backpack was a reliable companion in out-of-town gimmicks, retreats and trips. JanSport stuck with me through thick and thin—and for that, I am always grateful!

I was in school yesterday and I noticed something... something about the people, the students in particular. For the last 16 months, I've been used to seeing the same people over and over again-- the people who I went to class with, argued with, partied with and grew with. However, the familiar faces are dwindling day by day. As you can see, most of us by now are finished with our respective MRR defense presentations . Most of the folks from the Philippines have gone home, opting to leave the dorm to finish their MRR revisions. A good number of my Indian classmates have gone back to India to look for jobs (given the financial crunch, I wouldn't blame them in not wasting any time to get employed). Probably half of the class would be here by December 14, the day when we will be having our graduation rites. It just occurred to me how the sudden absence of people you know makes a person feel that his/her time is up. If the Asian Institute of Management were a high school, t...

I've been following the "new campus" moves of the Asian Institute of Management as of late and while I said my piece a while back, there was some development that reached the media last week. I've speculated that AIM's new campus may be outside of the Metro Manila. But how about a new campus outside of the Philippines? President Francis Estrada said in an interview with Business Standard : AIM is an Asian Institute and is not just for the Philippines. We are thinking of creating campuses beyond the capital Manila and are looking at proposals to establish presence in India. My take on this is that from a strategic point of view, it's pretty sound.The Indian graduate education student market is very huge and talented and AIM had seen a big growth of Indian students since the start of the 2000's. Here's a fact: For the MBA program, the Indian population in AIM has steadily grown and if you compare the 2001 class to our class, the Indian percentage o...