World War Zilch

After months and months of not publishing anything, here I am writing about a movie on a zombie-takeover. WTF, right? But this Brad 'what-the-hell-was-that-Chanel-commercial' Pitt movie about these flesh-eating, brainless monsters just opened a can of epic fails that I couldn't resist writing about. Don't get me wrong; anything with zombies are doomed to be tacky but World War Z far exceeded my expectations. Still, the film was peppered with egregious boo-boo's that were impossible to ignore...

Scene: Jerusalem
Quarantined Jerusalem fought long and hard to ward off the undead with their massive walls but everything just conveniently collapsed while Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt) was there on a visit. 1) What an unlucky bastard. 2) All this because of the refugees' loud singing. Zombie survival tip #1: no karaoke after dark.

Scene: Escaping zombie-infested Jerusalem, on board a Belarus commercial liner
Pilot handing back the phone to Gerry Lane, "Your battery's dead". Then Lane uses it later to call the UN headquarters. Either the pilot's a lying piece of shit, or the producer forgot that the phone was supposed to be dead.

Scene: Plane crash
Gerry Lane and Segen (Israeli soldier) survived a deadly plane crash. Gerry got his side pierced by a debris that should've punctured his lungs, intestines, liver or any other vital human organ. But of course, Pitt doesn't die of internal hemorrhage and manages to walk a couple of miles to the WHO headquarters in Scotland, that happens to be conveniently located near the crash site.

Scene: WHO Headquarters
Zombies were not supposed to attack the "seriously injured" and "terminally ill". They're not vampires or sharks which crave human blood. They're viruses looking for healthy human hosts. Now why are they still attacking Gerry Lane, who was severely injured in the plane crash and was supposed to be dead in the first place?

Overall, I still liked the movie. I even thought that if we were to have a Filipino version, it would be entitled "Zombinoys" and the movie would be over in 5 minutes.

Why? Are you kidding? 96 million people in the Philippines...it's an all-you-can-eat buffet! Ominominom.

MBA - Done and done.

Brief introduction: I graduated from my MBA program last December 2012. 6 months, 10 pounds and a husband later, I'm reposting an article I wrote for a business school blog I wanted to start but never really had the time to manage. Hope this information will help you with your pre-MBA research. Best of luck!


Below is the breakdown of my expenses for doing an MBA in a top institution in Madrid. The cost of GMAT preparation (books, classes, tutors, brain-enhancing pills, and so on), GMAT fees, school application fees and English proficiency testing fees were not included in the total amount.

(Amount in Euros)

Living Expenses

• Rent: 450

• Utilities (Water, Electricity, Internet): ~25

• Mobile Phone: ~300 annually. I subscribed through Studentsphone, a virtual mobile network operator recommended by the school. I subscribed to the 15-month prepaid plan. Initial cash out was 239 euros and I get billed ~7 monthly for service fees. I am not a heavy voice and SMS user. Who calls nowadays when you can Skype and WhatsApp? (and here we begin the net neutrality debate...)

• Insurance Policy: This is a requirement to get a student visa in Spain. The most basic plan costs ~70.

• Average daily expenses: 30. Now this will vary a great deal. I walk to school so I don't really  have transportation costs. I don't eat out that much and take most of my lunches and dinners at home. But even if you do, the average cost of a menu del dia (set menu of the day) is 10 euros. That includes 2 dishes and dessert/coffee. If you're really below poverty line, you can still get a sandwich and a drink for less than 5 euros.

• Books: ~150. I only bought those that I know I will read and use again in the future. There are other creative options..it's called the library.

The cost of living in Spain is relatively cheap. My budget is 1000-1500 per month (assuming a low to moderate alcohol consumption):

Duration: 15 months (13-month program + 2 months moving in and out)
Total: 15000 -22500

MBA Education
I paid partially in cash and the rest by loan from a Spanish bank affiliated with the school.
Matriculation: 57000
Student Loan Interest: 11000
Total: 68000

Total Cost of My MBA: EUR ~ 83000 - 90500

Depressing. Calculation ends here.