Prices in Pittsburgh

Prices are not so high in Pittsburgh.
For example, I usually buy my lunch from food trucks which are parked in the Carnegie Mellon campus. The price range is from $3.5 to $4.5.
I sometimes bring lunch I made at home. There are refrigerators and microwaves in Tepper School, so I bring frozen rice and some side dishes into the refrigerators and microwave them to eat.

English, English, English

Everyday, I feel that my English ability is awful. I really want to develop my English. How can I do so? Some classmates advised me several ways of improving English ability. I will try those. I strongly hope to improve my English.

A lot of things going on

I have been about three weeks since I posted the previous blog comment.
To be honest, I don't have time to write a comment for my blog.
But it is better than nothing, so I will try to keep writing even if the renewal frequency is very low.

Looking back the events 3 weeks so far, I have experienced a lot of things.

- I got sick in bed (stomack flu)
I feel keenly that to be healty is the most important.

- Many quizzes (mini-tests), homework and assignments
2 on line quizzes (mini-tests) for the class of Probability
2 on line quizzes for the class of optimization
2 homework for the class of Financial Accouting
5 assignments for the Writing class
1 team assignment for the class of Probability
1 team assignment for the class of Optimization

- Mid-term tests
3 mid-term tests so far (Optimization, Probability and Managing Organization)

I found that even in this extremely busy situation, I need to get enough sleep, nutrious food and adequate exercise. That is the key to develop sustainable study.

Campus Photo

Here is a campus photo.

First week of Mini1 finished

First week of Mini1 fineshed. Tepper School divided one year to 4 mini semesters, so there are 4 classes (Mini1-Mini4). I had 5 classes in Mini1, which are all mandatry. Classes are indicated below.

Mon: 1.Optimization and Decision Making 2.Financial Accounting
Tue: 1.Probability and Decision Making 2.Managing Organization 3.Wriging and Decision Making

Wed: 1.Optimization and Decision Making 2.Financial Accounting
Thu: 1.Probability and Decision Making 2.Managing Organization 3.Wriging and Decision Making
(1.8:30-10:20 2.10:30-12:20 3.15:30-17:20)

The contents of the classes are indicated in the below address.
http://student-3k.tepper.cmu.edu/workingschedule/default.aspx

As was said by many people, Mini1 is rigorous program. I have to study allmost all the time to keep up with and to prepre for the classes. I found that work load fluctuates much in a week. So I had better even out the fluctuations so that I don't sit up late before the busy days, which are Tuesday and Thursday in my case.

Ethics Lunch

Today, there was an Ethics Lunch. In the session, the guy who was once a CEO of a small company came to give a lecture for the students. He manupulated the financial statements, which was found by regulations later. He was arrested and is scheduled for sentencing in Federal court in September.

The guy said that possiblilities to be guilty are everywhere in the workplace. We have to have a vigilant against it. The situation surrounding us is not the reason to do illegal things. For example, a very influencial CEO tells me to do manupulate the financial statements and most of my colleague allow to do so, that is no an excuse of the manupulation. We always need to keep our better self separated from working environment. And it is not an option but a duty to report illegal things. Blink them is also guilty.

This lecture moved me very much. First, such kind of lectures are rarely held in Japan. Second, it is true that many and tiny illigal things are happening in many workplace like manupulating financial statements, copying softwares without enough licenses and so on. Those thing are passing by and forgotten easily if they are not found by authority. But, if they are found once, every piece of tiny thing are checked. In the guy's case, all of the e-mails and memos were checked. And his family life was broken.

The last comment he said in the lecture sticks in my head. "If you become a CEO, remember my lecture ten years later and stop doing illegal things in the hectic working conditions, I am happy."