Roll, roll, roll.

The Aston Student's guild was at its full glory last Friday when we took off our shoes to put on skates and enjoy a Roller Disco night. While some of my bruises are still very present, I can't help mentioning the various falling that was happening all around the dancefloor.

Nevertheless, I think what most of the attendees will remember is the fact that the event was immaculately organised, a fact evident in a quick glimpse towards the packed halls. Below is my (very) modest photo diary of the event but before I go, here are a few tips for future Aston roller disco goers:

• get there early because the queues for skates collection form quite quickly;
• get there early to be able to skate on the emptier dancefloor before the speed-killing rush;
• the drunker you are the more the follow-up bruises (as seen by our rugby team)
• and last, if you feel more comfortable on a specific type of skates you do have the option to chose between quad and inline skates, so do take advantage.

HB Sis!

Here is something off topic that I think you'll like. It's the lyrics for Big Bro's new single G-day!

mic check, one, two
the big bro rap is comin' to you
don't be scared, don't be shy
it's time to party and here's why

it's G'day, G'day,G'day, mate
get some candles, pop the cake
and get the party on for Geri's sake

it's G'day, G'day, G'day, mate
don be a bore and don be a flake
and get the party on without a break

bro out!
piece!

Happy Birthday to my Lil' Sis :P

Astonbury (update)

Here a second Astonbury poster update. The guild has promised more very soon :P

Bureaucratism Update: Case Closed

For those of you who have been reading the blog regularly it is no news that I have had some troubling times last November when I applied for my permanent work permit. I was required to get one as a condition for me going back to Intel. Thus, I called the UK Border Agency and after much confusion found out what the process is and sent over my documents. They have not contacted me since then (well, ever actually).

That is until today when I received a reply to my application with my permanent work permit enclosed. So... I did wait for ages and was even doubtful of my document reaching them. They could have sent me some letter of recognition of receipt or updates. Nevertheless, they did their job and in time before my job actually starts. I guess this proves that sometimes we need to not fight bureaucracy but just follow procedure and get the stuff done.

The Countdown to Destruction (update)

As we approach the day of destruction (54 days left) I am sitting in the library and looking at the now empty Dalton. I can't help but think that although its time had come, Dalton will be greatly missed by students like me who had their first ever university experience in this soon-to-be-gone tower.

The Aston Apprentice Challenge

The Apprentice Challenge, organised by the Aston Entrepreneurs society put it all to the test last week when 13 teams competed to become the Aston Apprentice. And although the event ultimately suffered from very poor management and control, it showed great promise for future development.

The Challenge started on Wednesday when the first task was given at 8 AM in the guild. And the assignment - selling paintball tickets. Of course, there was a catch, the tickets could only be sold in groups of ten at a price equal to (or higher than) £5. With this offer circulating the Aston campus incessantly, me and my team found it incredibly difficult to find people who are not only interested but have not already got tickets to go paintballing. Nevertheless, after knocking on every door on campus (and I am talking room door, not flat door) my team managed to sell 30 tickets (or 3 packs).

The second challenge was greatly superior; with a budget of £15, the teams were given the task of purchasing 11 hard to get items, at the lowest possible price. This task put not only our negotiation skills on the table but also our feet when my team scanned every shop in Birmingham to find the cheapest bread, chicken feet and marshmallows. We had the amazing opportunity to walk into a mattress factory in search of foam and the university marketing department in search of an Aston University bracelet. By the end of the day we had all 11 items, including some great photos capturing the experience.

The last and probably most intricate task was branding our own beer. Luckily, I have had to do so much research on sales figures that finding out what is the most prospering beer (thus, the one to pick) was easy. Then we examined the psychology of the consumer as to how a beer should be named, what colour the label should be, etc. This is where having a good team comes in handy; with each one of us browsing away on our computers we got the work done in just about two hours. Finally, we made a sample bottle to present to the judges that definitely proved to be the funnest part of the challenge (especially, considering the rush one gets from sneaking in two bottles of beer in the main building).

So, just like that the Apprentice Challenge was over and done with. Congratulations to the winners! I am keen to see how the event develops next year. (areas to work on: clear guidelines, cheating control and marking scheme)

RAG Week 2 (in photos)

Unfortunately for me, I got really sick in the middle of RAG week 2 and I had to miss half of the events but, having said that, the ones I did got to were epic.

Starting with the Apocalypse Pub Crawl, the week proved to be unforgettable. In stead of writing endless lines describing the night here is the photo proof of its awesomeness:

So that was Monday, a night celebrating everything that is excessive, and probably my last uni pub crawl :(

Then came Wednesday and the Silent Disco, a truly remarkable experience, (Three DJs mixing songs on three channels that you listen to through headphones, epic!)

Strat-Man

Strat-Man has been the word on every final year student's mouth this week. (short for Strategic Management - a compulsory Business School Final Year module) With a Wednesday deadline, the library was buzzing with last minute group work and final report touches.

For those of you who do not know, every year the final year students at Aston have to write a strategic plan, on a public organisation, examining its strengths and weaknesses and suggesting a successful development path. The faculty usually chooses a company that is either in trouble, or on its way of success and has a continuous presence in the news. In 2007 the company to be examined was Amazon, in 2008 - BA, 2009 - RBS and this year - the BBC.

Thus, in the months culminating last Wednesday me and my group have been studying the BBC in and out, shows and channels, administration and management, accounts and market position. By last week we had managed to accumulate almost a hundred separate documents of different analysis. What we did not realise is how much work putting all those file together is. So, we spent four days, morning till evening, copying, pasting and editing our work to end up with one file that is withing the 7000 word limit (well, 7000 + 10% to be precise).

But finishing the reports is not the end of the adventure. There are stories passed on year after year, telling of the mythological queues that form in front of the Aston Copyshop when Strat-Man. With everyone in the business school submitting their report on the same day, the amount of printing and binding is overwhelming. Thus, me and my team sat on a stakeout in front of the Copyshop, 8 o'clock on Wednesday in waiting of the store's opening. Half an hour later we ended up with what you can see below - a 67 page, 3D graphics, customized cover, an A3 spread and 5 page references booklet that represents the most challenging piece of coursework I have had to write so far.
Lame or not, you can see the satisfied faces of my team above :P