I've decide to join McCombs!

I've decided to join McCombs business school at UT-Austin.
I'm really excited now for a new life in Austin.
But I have a lot of things to do before moving next month.

Applying for F-1 visa, looking for an apartment in Austin, etc.

I need to decide which apartment to live by tomorrow.
Calm residence or Downtown residence.
Which is better for me?

Application Status

McCombs : Accepted
Kelley : Accepted
Wharton : Dinged
NYU : Waitlist w/o interview
Duke : Waitlist w/o interview
Tepper : Waitlist w/ interview
Purdue : Accepted --> Declined

Invitation from Kelley

I received an interview invitation from Kelley Business School!

I passed the first step.

I should prepare for the interview intensively because time is limited!

Happy New Year from Tokyo

The new year has just started!

This year, I plan to study abroad.

Now I'm preparing for it.

TOEFL

Finally, I got 100 in TOEFL. This year, I took more than 15 times until now. It was really a long way.

I have several more chances. I want to get 105!

goal, purpose

Not failure, but low aim, is a crime.

- James Russell Lowell

The secret of success is constancy to purpose.

- Benjamin Disraeli

The most important thing must be to hold and keep high aim.
It is easy to say, but difficult to do.

GMAT - 3rd try

Total 690

Q 50
V 34

cf. 1st Total 620(Q48, V27), 2nd Total(Q49, V27)

It's a good score for me. I won't take GMAT any more!

the greatest mistake

The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one.

- Elbert Hubbard

If you fear you will make mistakes, you would fail to do that. It's not easy for me to get rid of fear when I do something, but I should,

Weed

And what is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not been discovered.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

There are many weeds in the world. And some of them might be precious. It is the same as we talk about people. An ordinary person might be an extraordinary person. He or she is ordinary just because no one has not realized that he or she has a special feature.

Reunion

I went to a reunion party of my university. It was a tenth anniversary since our graduation. I met many people there. I can't remember some people well even now, but it brought back many memories. I felt somewhat nostalgic.

Next party will be held in five years. I'm looking forward to meeting them again!

Second try - GMAT

Total 640 (20 points improved)

V 27 (the same score as that of the first try)
Q 49 (one point improved)

I got 20 more points than before, but I wanted to get more!!!
I need to take GMAT again next month.

Difficulty is

Difficulty is, for the most part, the daughter of idleness.

- Samuel Johnson

Yew, that's true. But it's also true that getting over idleness is very difficult. So I should try hard to conquer it.

Life's failure

Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.

- Thomas A.Edison

I was encouraged by this words. When I give up, I can get nothing. But if I do not give up, I might be able to get something important.

Now I'm in a very severe situation. My TOEFL score is still below my goal. And the application deadlines are getting closer. Every day I feel much anxiety.

Sometimes I feel that I want to run away from this situation, although I hate to think like that.

I think it is very important time for me. All I have to do is keep trying hard until I reach to success.

Typhoon

Because of the typhoon, trains didn't move in the morning yesterday. So I had to ride on buses to reach my office. It took one more hour than usual.

Japan has a lot of natural disaster, such as earthquakes, typhoons, and so on. One of my co-worker from China is surprised at these disasters. According to him, Beijing doesn't suffer earthquakes or typhoons.

In that sense, this is Japan.

Fighters clinch Pacific League Title

My favorite baseball team, Fighters finally clinched Pacific League Title of 2009 on October 6. This is the third time in four years. I'm very excited with the result. Before the opening game of this year, Fighters was said to be fifth rank in six teams. It was sure that Fighters has fewer star players. But the result is quite different. Fighters got Pacific League Title.

Game does not end. Climax series, which means play-off, starts soon before Japan Series. I believe Fighters will won again.

Faraway Libera

When I was in barber today, I happened to listen to this song on TV. Very beautiful song, isn't it? They must be talented!

The girl who silenced the world for 5 minutes

Her speech is simple and nothing special, but powerful enough to persuade us.

future

Which is the image of my future?

It is sure that I'd like to have brighter one. No one want a future like an arid land.
However, it is true that there are many obstacles in front of us to get a bright future. Someone might deceive me. Or I might make some mistakes. Or I might become serious sick. In that sense, I can't predict my future correctly.

Still, I want to have a bright future. To achieve this, what should I do? First, I should make a goal clearly. And then, I should plan what to do. That must be a tough way. But it's worth a try. In other words, without trying, I will regret it.

Falling love makes us more creative

This is a very interesting research!!!

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=does-falling-in-love-make

When you are in love, you think things more creative. According to the article, there are several experiments that support this theory.

I'm looking forward to hearing this following researches report soon!

refresh

I haven't played tennis these 5 weeks because I go to a library or prep school every weekend. But I realize that without playing tennis, I can't concentrate on studying well. Also, the lower back or the knees are starting to pain as if they want to do some exercise.

Although I take part in a yoga lesson almost every week, it is not enough for my body. Actually, after playing tennis, I felt refreshed. And I can concentrate on studying, maybe.

Tomorrow is Monday. That means another stressful week starts soon. But I'll manage to do that, because I played tennis today.