Joshua van Aalst’s blog

This is the week that Admissions will announce their decision for my MIT Sloan application.

I haven’t been this nervous since I was 8 years old on Christmas eve wondering if I would receive the present I had so hoped for. All last week I couldn’t sleep as I was so nervous waiting for the big day to arrive (Tuesday onwards this week).

I have studied long and very hard for the GMAT exam. I have spent many many hours profiling myself, delving into my life, past, present and future and of course writing my entrance essays. I have sought out several referees and I have researched MIT thoroughly, and know it is the school for me. I have also prepared for and been interviewed by the school.

I feel so close to achieving this life long goal and starting a journey that I believe will enrich my life in so many ways. If I were to write the reasons down I would have to write a 10,000 word thesis to simply cover them all!

Yet although I feel so close I still feel so far away.

All I can do now is wait patiently…. and pray…. and hope.

Hi,

I have just upgraded the classifieds (buying n selling) section of Josh and Friends http://www.joshandfriends.com.au/classifieds/.

What makes this upgrade so special is that anyone can now sell multiple copies of an item.

Why is this useful you say? Because you can now sell event tickets or merchandise via the store on Josh and Friends and have the money paid directly into your Paypal account with NO FEES!

This is a major advantage for event promoters as other online Ticketing outlets such as Inthemix, Ticketek and Ticketmaster take 4% of ticket revenue as fees.

A big thanks must be sent to Chuck from Photopost who listened and acted on my feedback for the above feature. It is always something special, and often a rarity, when a software company listens to feedback and acts on it.

Well what are you waiting for? Go and check out the new version of the Classifieds section here now: http://www.joshandfriends.com.au/classifieds/.

Just a quick update….

I’ve been really busy as of late working primarily on my MBA application but also on a variety of other projects both personal and work related.

I’ve been swimming at least 4 times a week and am actively trying to push the 40 second mark for 50 meters freestyle. That’s with shorts on. I prefer swimming with drag for improved exercise and strength building. Hopefully this should assist me in becoming a stronger surfer . The Easter long weekend is also coming up and Sydney has finally had a run of good weather. I am definately looking forward to indulging in as much surfing as possible.

Other than the above, I have some exciting updates to the website (http://www.joshandfriends.com.au) coming. New Classifieds (Buying and Selling) software will enable promotors to sell tickets and merchandise via the website. I also have a new blog software coming for this blog which will allow me to add more categories and improve the skin. I’d like to commission a skin that is actually related to my life rather than something generic. Both of those upgrades should be happening this weekend. Within the next month though, their will be a major upgrade to the forum software which will provide a tone of Facebook/Myspace style functionality.

Also work at Macquarie Equity Markets has been incredibly busy with multiple projects coming my/my teams way. One is a particularly interesting project which I’m really looking forward to.

Lastly, but certainly not the least important, I have been trying to catch up with alot of my friends. During the course of last year I drifted away from alot of my friends. Partly due to commitments to Josh and Friends but also due to MBA application commitments. Now that at least the first item above has become more manageable I am enjoying seeing many of my friends again

Anyway thats all for me

It’s a very big week for me this week with the MBA application process, so please wish me luck!!!

Josh

Hi everyone,

I am about to print new Josh and Friends T-shirts and singlet tops. We haven’t done any promotional merchandise for a very long time and to improve on the effectiveness of last times efforts, I decided to go for designed shirts and singlets rather than traditional Josh and Friends merchandise i.e. logo printed on a plain shirt.

The designer Mark from the Need for Tees as created 4 fabulous designs that you can view here: T Shirt Designs.

To ensure I choose the design that people want I have created a poll where you can vote.

Please take a moment to follow this link and vote: CLICK HERE TO VOTE

Thanks!

Josh

Having just blogged about my journey of discovery into what drives me, I thought I’d share 5 phrases that I believe sums me up:

1) Only the best is good enough.

If you are going to do something then do it well. Their is no point watching someone else doing something really well and thinking “I would like to do that”. If you are already investing your time and money into something you may as well strive!

2) You only live once.

As the point says; You only live once. Make the most of every minute and don’t let life slip you by without attempting your goals!

3) I see great beauty in great achievement.

Their is something about achievement that drives me. I admire achievement in others even if I do not understand the medium itself e.g. photography (looks in Annie’s direction).

4) Nothing is unattainable.

If someone else can achieve something then more often than not their is no reason why you can’t also achieve that same something. Don’t throw a goal away because you perceive it to be too hard or unattainable.

5) I live to produce and not to consume.

An extension of; If you only live once make the most of it. I feel that by producing and watching others enjoy and consume my productions I am able to get added satisfaction from my life. This can be through hosting a free website community to foster the underground dance music scene or creating exciting events for people to enjoy.

So what am I going to do now that I have discovered the above? Ensure I follow my dreams

As I am simply no good at keeping secrets, the cat is out of the bag and I have applied to 3 fantastic US MBA schools.

Having recently completed my 3rd application something struck me as a little odd. A prominent component of the application is to showcase key achievements. Being someone who is driven by achievement I started to feel a little lost. Where had the year 2007 gone. Why had I achieved so many wonderful things leading up to 2007 but very little in that year itself. I’ll tell you where it went. I spent 4 to 5 months studying for the GMAT (General Management Aptitude Test entrance exam) and then 2 months focusing on my 3 applications. Other than my work in the Equity Markets group of Macquarie Bank and my swimming I had very little time left.

After initially feeling a little lost and in limbo, I realised something important. I did achieve in 2007, something very important indeed. I spent 6 months focusing on my personal aspirations. Delving in to find out what I really want and enjoy, and discovering where I need to focus my energies to get there. I now feel ready to move forward with my achievements in the knowledge that I will apply my self more efficiently.

Morale of the story: Never feel negative about donating a chunk of time to follow your dream. You never know what positives will arise.