LCD Soundsystem, 'All My Friends'
Somewhat close where somehow was stopped when something was lost.
Jardin Botanique
Weekends always promise more than they can deliver. Usually, one thinks that it will be the perfect time for indulging or working, depending on the respective needs. Unfortunately, when Monday is already on the horizon and one looks behind, the all-beautiful plans were transformed into laundry, ironing and cleaning, and you're happy if you managed to at least have a stroll & a drink in Carouge.
If that's true, what can I say? I'm happy, I've just came back from there. Now let's finish what we've started, port communities are waiting for us.
"Build your seaport in a game and learn about complex systems"
by Geertje Bekebrede, Igor Mayer
J. of Design Research (JDR), Vol. 5, No. 2, 2006
Abstract: The authors demonstrate how simulation games can be used to test and explore initial infrastructure designs before they are implemented. Games can provide important learning experiences for (future) designers and managers. The case study of a computer-supported simulation game, SIM Maasvlakte 2 (SIM MV2), uses a game whose object is to design and allocate land for the Maasvlakte 2 port area, to be built between 2006 and 2036 in the Port of Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The evaluation aimed at improving the game, examining the system complexity of the seaport, and establishing corresponding learning effects among the participants.
I found it by chance today, when I was searching for one article about port communities. It looks interesting and funny, but my curiosity goes all to knowing how realistic is the game. Considering the way the Maasvlakte 2 project is evolving in real life, a realistic game should allow two or three generations of port planners to play around during their free afternoons. Better than an end, a never-ending loop instruction would be needed!
P.S.: More information about the game can be found here.
... was an intense day or raining, thesing, intern coordination and data basing. I also had my worst pizza ever at the UN cafeteria, smiled to bad weather for the first time since I arrived and keep broking my promise according to each one of these days I'll be in bed on time.
Work is piling up and it starts to be scaring. At the same time, the idea of a 3-week final effort for finalising everything is somewhat good and makes me look forward to speeding it up. And now that the sketch is set and ready, it's just a question of writing (and one or another finding along the way). GOOOOO!!!
A mind map to help with a simplified version of my thesis. I used it to structure a small paper that should work as the treasure map.
Today I realised I only have five more weeks to finish, wrap up and put the pink ribbon on my thesis - it is due on the 24th September. Maybe I should have started to count this a bit earlier...
Today I also tried to improve my time management. From now on, I'll try to use the early minutes of my morning to sort out all the "intern coordination" stuff: answering questions, updating lists, sending notifications for events, etc. It's not that much work, but it's popping up at all time and I need some method to deal with it.
In the morning, I finished some side-work I'm doing to help my colleagues with a project for Angola. Knowing Portuguese is still handy sometimes, after all... Let's hope that people keep forgetting about that, about Angola, Brazil and all their potential - yes, because we, in Portugal, already had our time 500 years ago; and it won't come back... - and stay focused on the now-trendy Spanish and Chinese.
The rest of the day revolved around my thesis, my writings, the path to follow and the comments and guidance of my supervisor. I have my first commented draft and also advised readings to help me finding my ways. But that's for tomorrow. Tonight I know exactly where I'm going.
Good nightzzz...
Wednesday, August 8: A "professional talk" with Mr. Khalil Hamdani, Director of the Division on Investment, Technology, and Enterprise Development (DITE) of UNCTAD, and a "talk & drinks" session about corporate social responsability and principles for responsible investment.
Picnic-ing in Geneva
Weekend #6 (August 11-12): An early morning tour to the known and typical Ferney market, just across the border, and a picnic by the lake with the product of the morning incursion. Later, the fireworks of the Fêtes de Genève. Sunday was spent at home - cleaning, working, et caetera.
Wednesday, August 15: An almost-farewell Japanese dinner after a busy day at work. Time's running out of control.
The cafeteria with a view
Thursday, August 16: The eagerly awaited lunch at WMO and the consequent disappointment due to high expectations. Not that it is bad, but I bet the view tricked many of the people who sold me this as the best cafeteria of all. But I still manage to see the machines they use to do the weather, though. Later, the intern coordinator meeting, where I was as representative of UNCTAD interns. Quiet calm, with no big frills. Me and my UNCTAD colleague decided to show how people from the right countries of Iberia - Portugal and Catalunya, respectively - enjoy meetings in bars and pubs by leaving the table to get food and drinks. It was a pity they had already finished when we returned...
The weather-makers at WMO
Friday, August 17: It was yesterday, for me. Work, lots of work. The last stop of the Cafeteria Tour, with the Red Cross Museum delivering its usual (good quality). And a this-is-it farewell dinner at a Portuguese restaurant (no, I didn't get any fee for arranging this!) and a late-night (and early morning; well, not for usual Portuguese standards) out in a club in Pâquis, dazed by being listening to kuduro in Geneva. Yah!
Weekend #7 (August 18-19): Home, sweet home.
UNHCR HQ
Today, together with some friends, I started my tour around UN cafeterias. The challenge is to find out what is the best UN-related cafeteria in Geneva and our first stage was chez Guterres.
António Guterres, also know for his nick-name Guga, is a former Portuguese Prime-Minister and the current UN High Commissioner for the Refugees. The UNHCR building, in the picture above, is not the nicest one from the outside, but the interior is something: bright, confortable, modern, it represents well a living metaphor of the different feelings of being outside or inside a home, alone or together with your people.
The gastronomic moment, even if without Mr. Guterres or Angelina around, proved to be a very decent experience. I chose a tuna steak with couscous, deliciously cooked and served with a good sauce. The set was also nice, as we stayed on the balcony, facing the sun and a small square behind the building. A good grade, for sure, but probably not enough to dethrone the cafeteria of the Red Cross Museum. Next stop: the WMO.
Fortunately, life is not only going to cafeterias: there are also restaurants; and work. Thus, the afternoon was the continuation of a busy morning and evening was the epilogue of a very busy day. Besides my own work, today I also helped some colleagues in the office with another project for which some knowledge of Portuguese is key. Yes, there are still works like this!
Thesis-wise, I issued a questionnaire and I'm praying to get some answers on time. A supervision meeting helped to keep the tram on tracks and a blind believe must guide me from now on in order to accomplish all my commitments on time. Otherwise, I must try to find a way of having 38-hour days...
Preparing questionnaires isn't easy, but getting responses on time - or getting responses at all - is even harder. Thus, one must perform some PR actions a priori, in order to assess the availability of key potential interviewees. It all went well today. Let's see how it'll be tomorrow, after the victims getting the questions in their mailboxes.
[fingers crossed]
The Celestial Sphere, Palais des Nations
The day rotated pretty much around UN/CEFACT's repository on "single windows", with me trying to read, understand, write. It was also the day of my first event as UNCTAD Intern Coordinator, a post I was recently promoted to. I know it's fancy and I must say I'm very proud of being the guy that has the power to update a mailing-list and, each Tuesday, send an e-mail to all UNCTAD interns calling for the Traditional-UNCTAD-Intern-Tuesday-Lunch. Today's lunch was a success and we even had to put tables together to fit all interns present, something usually not seen it this kind of initiatives - especially in August. Will this be the beginning of a wonderful career as a party promoter after arriving to Portugal?
The missed event of the day was a professional talk at WHO about current global health threats, epidemiology, and international health regulations. That and the football game after work. But more Tuesdays will follow - the next one will be tomorrow, as a never-ending round of talks and conferences is promised. I will let you know.
Boa noite!
Kitchen window & rue Blanche
According to UN/CEFACT, a "single window" is defined as «(...) a facility that allows parties involved in trade and transport to lodge standardized information and documents with a single entry point to fulfil all import, export, and transit-related regulatory requirements».
It is thanks to these "single windows" that most of my last days were spent in front of the computer, looking at my kitchen-single-window and missing all the buzz and sun of Geneva weekend. A short incursion to the lake on Saturday evening and that was all that I've seen from the Fêtes de Genève.
Coincidence or not, today was the day I manage to write more at work. Let's keep it moving.
Time's running by and work must be done - this was the main conclusion of today's meeting with my supervisor. I presented what I've done till now and expressed my main ideas and concerns. The goal for the next two weeks is having a decent first draft of the literature review. We noted that, given the areas already covered in the literature, the data available, and the time constraint, probably the best methodology will be to work two or three case studies: one with a PCS already implemented, other of a port in the implementation phase, and another with a port still to implement it. The bad new is that the most wanted efficiency improvement analysis is difficult to perform, which doesn't recommend a quantitative approach for now. The most logical relation between ICT and efficiency would be in waiting times, but data with the appropriate detail would be hard to find. It was decided that, nevertheless the time constraint, further analysis is needed before issuing any questionnaire or conducting interviews with port stakeholders.
Work apart, Tuesdays are the usually intern's lunch day and I got the chance to meet some new people and pre-arrange a weekend trip. This is one of the advantages of being old and having an European driving licence, something that rent-a-car companies like and allows for some benefits in intern's pockets. The day was only complete after a small birthday celebration at the office. Happy birthday, partner!
A meeting with the supervisor is the best way to start the week and to dissipate some clouds that were threatening the clear skies of the project. Unfortunately, it hadn't the same effect on the actual weather of Geneva, which is now suggesting a turn back to its rainy mood.
Work-wise, the day was not very productive, but at least served to get valuable insights for the ongoing research. The goal now is to start writing and forgetting about the so-searched thesis structure that has been haunting me. Learn about and investigate the problem first, hypothesis and methodology will show up with a vengeance after. I hope.
Weekend, finally. Not that I have a lot to complain about today. The major highlight was this morning's "professional talk" with Mr. Marek Belka, the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). Under the organization of the UNING - UN Intern Network of Geneva, the session was destined to interns only and proved to be a very interesting initiative. I will make sure I won't miss any of the forthcoming.
The meeting took almost all morning, which meant that I was only able to work on the thesis during the afternoon. And the progresses weren't much; or, at least, didn't look much, as everything I keep doing: hours of reading and always going back home with the feeling that no advances are being made. Probably I should start writing - something.
The bulk of the afternoon was spent with a recent article about the impacts of electronic commerce on the strategic management of container shipping companies. Not bad, but not that relevant, either. I also search for some literature on IT and transaction costs (good ol' Coase, always present!) and browsed through some data I had requested from HQ back in Portugal.
The history wouldn't be complete if I didn't mention that the weather is fine, at last, and that the white mountains popped-up for the first time since I arrived in Geneva. With a scenery like this, time passes me by faster at the scenic cafés and cafeterias of the Palais.
Have a nice weekend!
My time today was completely wasted and I almost regret started this daily reports. No progress whatsoever in my work, a sense of frustration and still lots of doubts. One of those what-am-I-doing-here-?, my-topic-is-rubbish-and-I-want-to-change-it day.
Today I decided that I should keep a log of my daily tasks, in order to assess my own productivity and research route. I'll try to do it and to transform these notes into a true journal of my research, but I don't promise anything. I guess that boredom and lack of time will hit me hard and all the plan will be called off.
The day was pretty much like the previous ones, with me still looking for a road towards the Graal. I read two articles, started another, had a look at an Excel database and, in-between, went to try the much praised Red Cross restaurant, which, it must be said, is up to its fame. Cosier than the cafeteria at the Palais des Nations, the food is delicious and prepared right in front of us. My vegetarian crepe was perfect and the stewed beef was even better. The only drawback of the day was the failed attempt to buy tickets to a sold-out concert of Tori Amos in the Montreaux Jazz Festival. I won't comment on the rain.
Monday, the day for supervision meetings. Today I presented a draft with the outline of the proposed research. It was no fancy at all, just a scheme to help me thinking the path ahead. My supervisor gave me his comments and input and I proceed with my readings.
PS: It's nice walking by the lake, in the park, after work.
