After Snow

I walked out from my apartment this morning with amazement: everything was white. It's not snowy today, but the remnants of yesterday's snow created perfect white scene. Beautiful.

And the sun shined. The white snow reflected the sunlight. It's winter, but it was very bright. I should have walked to my campus with my camera... Too bad i didn't wake up early.

The strategy case I read this evening was short but very interesting.Check this: http://www.gore.com/en_xx/. A company, pretty big one, with no hierarchical structure. Everyone is associate there. They're really innovative, and was established since 50s. 

Monday, Last Week in This Block

I had my first snow in my life today, hahaha finally! Winter's been almost 3 months, and it's finally snowing here in Tilburg. It's like "es puter", really white, cold, but a bit sticky - you can make a ball and throw it before it crashes.

The class was over at 7 PM. Long day, I started since 9 AM. My last professor is cute little woman :).

Got a free Financial Times with a free magazine inside. An edition for Global MBA ranking in 2012.

Ready for last week in this block

Sunday. Finish my laundry and iron my shirt. got full supply till next month. hehe

Talk with Agan on the phone. He responded really well, and we had nice chat about me having nasi goreng, and he asked directly to my wife, "agan juga mau nasi goreng", hehe.. In skype, he's always busy playing and didn't really talk to me :)

No homework, no nothing this weekend. Perfect. Went to albert heijn, the only one that opens on Sunday, and bough yoghurt, juice, chocolate, and milk. Now I'm about to read chapters for my strategy class. Should be fun.

Saturday

I love holiday. Good rest and wake up really fresh in the morning.

I cooked nasi goreng - enough for 3 meal times, hehe

Had a fun chat with wifey. Luv u much hun.

Friday, Holiday.

I talked with wifey and agan. It was on maghrib time, and Agan said: Bunda agan sholat dulu yah. Then, he went upstair (he always think that musholla is upstair) and sholat,hehe.. Smart boy. Alhamdulillah.

Done with my photograph for  US Visa. Cost me 12 euros for 2 photographs, and an additional 5 euros for the softcopy file.

It's holiday, so is tomorrow and of course Sunday :)

Asian Party

The Asian party went well. There were games (gambling, hahaha, very "asian" ?), fortunetelling based on your shio, and great music.

The food was delicious as well. I enjoy taiwanese marinated chicken made by David.

Had a good chat with my wife in skype. Miss u much hun :*

After Strategic Management Course

The presentation went well. Good.

Answer some questions in the class. However, I need to learn to construct my argument in a more structured manner.

Went to Aldi for grocery. Having spent some weeks went to Jumbo, I was just amazed by how cheap Aldi is, and the quality, well, is just acceptable, for products like meats, vegetables, cooking oil, salt, cheese. What I can't stand is only juice, milks and breads. I bought a tuna pizza, heat it in microwave, and it actually taste quiet delicious. I'll visit Aldi more often, and for products I don't like in Aldi, I'll go with Albert Heijn.

Prepare for Strategic Management Course

Finally, our group's presentation is done. Had a good time preparing it.

I just knew that in capitalist system, beside market mechanism, there is also firm mechanism or administrative mechanism to allocate resource and distribute wealth. Which one is mostly applicable depends on transaction cost vs administrative cost. This is the fundamental of a conglomerate business model.

I found that strategic management is very fascinating course. Basically, all of your management theory is useful here.

Super Regular Day

Sometimes, I'm clueless about how to write other 3 gratitudes. Particulary when it is one of the days that nothing special happens, or even worse, sh*t happens :). However, I still commit to 3 gratitudes, and surely there is ALWAYS anything to celebrate.

Like today. I bought myself a new belt, because the one that I use everday was broken. What to celebrate? I bought in Zara. I like Zara, super cheap especially in discount. I bought for only 9.95 euro and it fitted perfectly. :)

I succeed making spaghetti. 500 gr of meat and 200 gr of noodle - enough for 3 meals :)

We're having progress in Strategic Management presentation. It's kinda slow, but we're getting there.

Sunday!

Too much holiday can make you lazy. I woke up at 9, hehe, but I had a good rest. I also got a flu, and some rest is good, right?

I was having a good time spending sunday by reading course material. Seriously? Yes. Grant's Strategic Management textbook is awesome. It's not too thick, straight to the point, and I still got the essence of strategy. And the case book is also good. I like reading GE case in detail.

I called my wife & Agan. Heard a very funny story about what my son did on Sunday :)) Dasar agan njul-njul, hehe.. Have a good long weekend, you two! Love u...

Saturday

Done with editing my CV. Dutch style CV, 1 page international CV, and 2 pages complete CV.

Sent some applications to some companies. *finger crossed*

Start reading GE case for strategic management. Interesting case. GE is a conglomerate with various line of business, interesting to know how the CEO manage the company, since conglomerate business is not really common and a bit rare to find now. Big companies now  don't really operate in many different business.

Multinationals Dinner :)

Just had "multinational" dinner. I (err, not me but Eva who cooked, but I provide the materials) bring ketoprak and tempe goreng, which became instant hits. It ran out in 10 minutes I guess :). I enjoy steaks and grilled chicken. And pudding made by my japanese friend is delicious.

Buy grocery for next week supply. Got plenty of meat. I'm gonna make spaghetti next week.

Had a short skype chat with my son & wife before jumat praying. I really really miss them. Luv u all :*

End of the Week

It's Thursday, but yeah, this week is over :) Tomorrow I get a day off.

Have a great chit chat with my fellow Indonesian MBA student in the evening. We plan for next week oriental party...

While I'm finishing my Civ game with Catherine the Russian. :))

Things about My Current Courses

Supply Chain Management. I get insights about the more strategic-managemeng level to SCM. I learned my operation aspect in college - some very technical things, and it's good to have a bird's eye view in MBA.

Strategic Management. I am taught by second professor today. I think he's equally great as the first one. The first professor is more like a storyteller, while this professor likes a more structured approach - with framework, model, and bullet points. He's former McKinsey guy, and he shares some of his strategic consulting project.

Innovation Management. I learned from a very good professor in Innovation Management in my bachelor, but studying the course now, I can see that the subject is rapidly evolving now. You get more insights from newest journal.

Get Things Done

I'm not normally an "action" oriented people. I tend to be an abstract-conceptual person. I think a lot, like structure, and analyze - but sometimes I forget to act, hehehe.. My wife constantly demand me to be more proactive, still i need to force and moivate myself heavily to do things - particularly things I don't really like, but I have to do.

Like bureaucracy things. You know, handling administrative and paperwork, like making a new required govt document. They are just irritating, but still you need to get them done. That's why I'm super glad that today I manage to finish some paperwork.

I go to Tilburg cityhall after I booked an appointment before, and I complete my registration by submitting my legalized birth certificate & marriage certificate. The city official is very nice and efficient. I arrive at 1, meet her at 1:15 after a cup of free chocolate drink, and finish by 2:30 - and not only for registration. I also get the sponsorship/invitation letter for my family's Visa application process to the Netherlands. Great.

Second thing. I lost my bike key, and I left my bike locked (but I couldn't open) in Tilburg's station parking lot. I talk to some people in the station, the officer, bike store guy near the station, but they couldn't help. I talk to Erwin Mols, the store that I first bought the bike, and he said that he could help if I can bring my bike to his place. Wow. Only my back wheel is locked, and it's not a padlock that you tied to parking pole, so I can move and drag my bike. And I literally do so: push and drag. Sometime I lift my back wheel, and only moving the bike with front wheel. I can tell you 40 minutes of walking pushing your bike is tiring and making you sweat, even in 4 degree celcius. However, I get to the store, and have my lock open finally. Quite an achievement, huh? It cost me 41 euro, because if you drag your locked wheel, you don't get your wheel rolling, therefore the friction with the road surface damages your wheel. So I also need to change the wheel. That's ok, as long as I can ride my bike.

Third thing. After a hard day which I can handle very well, I think I deserve celebration. So I buy a new Zara winter coat, a more formal one  so I can use for interview or formal visit to companies here :). The bonus is, after all the day, in the evening I can still finish my SCM case.

Very memorable day.

Done (Well, Almost) with Every Task

I'm done with editing my CV, including Dutch-style CV. You know, Dutch CV is slightly different than "international" CV. It's more concise, no boasting, effective, and efficient. To some, it might be considered boring. But hey, you get all the required info in a single page.

100% done with my Ford's case on Supply Chain. Looking at other groups, I'm very grateful with this group because I think we did well. In addition to that, I think this group is amazing: we work well and we laugh well, hehe

SCM "the Goal" novel summary submission is postponed until next monday. Well, I'm 90% done, but it's good to have a few days, so I can work on other things (like CV and sending application). Next case on SCM is only 2 question, the professor change his mind realizing our work load. Super.

Amsterdam!

Finally get a chance (after about 4 months here) to go to Amsterdam (and not just Schipol) and enjoy the walk in the city. I visit Madame Tussaud museum, sex museum (!!), and red light district (!!!). Very good "cultural" experience, no?

I meet Miftah, and I finally get my residence permit & bank card back!

I take many pictures with famous personality in Tussaud :p. I'll upload them to facebook :))

Saturday!

I wake up and enjoy a few turns of Civilization. At the end of the day, I become the most powerful civ in my land, eliminating Alexander, Napoleon and Elizabeth! :))

Buy groceries for next week supply and cook rendang! The rendang is fairly delicious :)

Finish the 2nd case at 6:30 PM. And my friend lend me his Ovichipkaart, so I don't have to queue in front of train ticket box, just go and swipe, hehe..

Life's good. Ready for sunday trip to Ams.

Friday Holiday

I get no class this Friday, yayy! I wake up at 8:30 and have a great rest. It's especially important because a mount of work is waiting :)

I talk with my wife, Ibu and kak Wendi. My family from Palembang is in my home in Jakarta. I'm happy to hear that they're all in good healthy conditions and Agan is having a good time with bang Andra (they're never stop playing all day!). I also ask my family sends me a prayer - you know, to get a great internship and job later. *fingers crossed*

My group works on 3 question of 7 questions in our second case study. The third question is hard one, but yeah we'll see bright spot. I personally have done (well, 90%) of my individual task. Tomorrow and Sunday will be a tough day,but it'll be fun. Let's get all these stuffs done! :)

End of My First Week in Block 3

Super regular day, but there is always something to celebrate, no?

So.. Make an appointment with Miftah to meet on Sunday in Amsterdam. Glad to meet long-time friend and to have all my once-lost cards back!

My first week in block 3 is over. I get a holiday tomorrow, and am alone now. Have plenty time to think and reflect. Good.

And it's clear night sky in Tilburg. After dark and windy days, I can enjoy watching the stars now :)

Straight A, Go for a Beer, and Free Printer

Finally the last mark that we all anticipate is coming! Financial Reporting and Analysis. I get 8 or A-. Well, I feel content, especially considering that I get a very bad mark for group's task (6.75) and class participation (6). My final exam's mark is 8.7, and it helps a lot!
So, I end this block with straight A. Investment analysis, Organizational Behaviour & Team Dynamic, Economics, and Financial Analysis. All A. In term of mark, these results are slightly better than first block ( I got one B+ in last block). So far, of 8 course subjects, I get all A with only B+. Very good and inline with my expectation :).

My group goes for a beer with our SCM professor. Very short chit chat, but I get some infos about the NL job market, and what to expect. Of course I don't drink, but free chocolate with cream isn't bad either :)

Finally, I and Eva go to Maria's apartment, an Indonesian exhange student in Tilburg who will go back to Indonesia. She sold almost everything she had purchased here, and I get free printer! It's lexmark printer with scanner function. Really happy for that! :))

Yeah, I am a cheapskate who always looovvvee all the free things ;p

Done with My First Paper

Just few quick notes.

Have my SCM game (the Beer game) today with my team. And we finish at the first place! Great!

Because we win the game, we get an invitation from the professor to have beers (real one!), hehehe..

And finish our first paper in SCM.

Really love my team. Easy to work with all of them and I can see we can achieve many great things together.

First Class in Block 3

OK, here are 3 gratitudes for today.

Block 3 is officially started today, with Operation & Supply Chain Management and Strategic Management subject. I find two professors teaching the subjects are super. Both have hands-on experience as well as theoretical knowledge. The SCM professor gets almost 30 years experience in operation. He started as an engineer working with robot & automation, then he did PhD in Industrial Engineering. He worked closely with some companies for solving some operation & supply chain issues. Meanwhile, the strategy professor is also a veteran. He taught mostly executives in Executive Education & Executive MBA program. He is not used to teach full time MBA program - but that's a good thing. His approach is very practical, yet it is academically sound. Both professor really enlightens and inspires me to learn. Great learning experience.

Second thing. Strategic management is made simple by my professor. You will not be lost in all the strategic jargons & management trends (you name it: SWOT, Judo strategy, the 7S, McKinsey model, et cetera), but you'll get really the essence.Strategy is about choices, and you make decisions based on the what, who and how. In the core there is a "why" - vision. He doesn't like the term "vision". The word is heavily abused and becomes meaningless nowadays. But he says that vision, the why, consists of 3 elements: core purpose (your raison d'etre), core values (guides to your behaviour, and he emphasized that you *must* make them *explicit*) and ambition statement (your big hairy audacious goals). All of this is to pursue one purpose: sustainable competitive advantage. Simple, yet very profound.

Third thing. My group discuss SCM case study, and we start to write. We talk about some ideas how to tackle each questions, and I think we're done for the intro part and question no 1. We still have one more evening. We'll finish it by tomorrow.

Lazy Sunday, With A Very Promising End

Ok, it's sunday. So I wake up, turn on the computer, and continue playing Catherine the Russian ruler in Civ 5, hehe. It turns out to be bad: I get the weakest military army on the game with regard to many cities I have or large areas I occupy, so the strongest civilization (the Ottoman, that is), says that my land will be a very good addition to his. The Thai & Brit follow and declare war to Catherine. I'm screwed. Save my game, load from autosave to fix some turns - but still they declare war in whatever scenario I try. Then I just decide to quit. Why it's a gratitude? Well, it stops my addiction to the game. I lose my appetite to continue or restart my game. I just stop. Thankfully, class will begin tomorrow and I have a bunch of readings. That's a good thing I don't find the game is interesting at my current stage :)

Second thing. I have skype convo with my wife. She looks fresh and pretty, having her hair cut. :) Am glad to hear she had a good time with my son (he was sleeping when I had the convo, it's 8 pm in Indonesia). 

Last one. I just had my first subject-related discussion with my team. It's awesome. The discussion runs really smooth: everyone speaks and understand. We reach conclusion easily. No stupid question or statement that becomes hurdles of discussion's progress. No endless debate about trivial thing. All my group members are bright - and great minds think alike, hehe.. Super. I think it'll be a really promising group.

Off for today. GTG to sleep. Alhamdulillah :)

Saturday Before Class Begins

It's a regular Saturday,with no homeworks or all those hassles, that I almost do nothing :p But of course there are always anythings to celebrate.

Like today. I have skype conversation with my wife & my son. I watch my son when he just wakes up from his nap - I always love his look when he just gets up - very cute. And I imagine I also feel his unique odor - you know, the smell of baby's sweat.Oh how I miss them!

I spend almost whole morning playing Civilization 5 :). And I have a great game as Catherine, the Russian ruler. Russian civilization gets a bonus on natural resources & production, I get many silvers, golds and irons, and is located in the mountain region.

My friends, Eva & Lita come and bring me food!! I don't have to cook today. :) Thanks Eva & Lita :)

That's it for today. Alhamdulillah.