I’m a .com

A Diploma to Adorn My Wall

I was one of few lucky people to get their diploma a week after the graduation ceremony. I know that it’s only a baccalaureate but based on the amount of time and effort it took I’m extremely proud of it. Having said that, it only took me 6 months to frame it and another month to hang it, LOL. I also finally hung Ketty’s picture in my bedroom and the frames Paul gave me for my birthday.

I Want to Be a CPA in New York

I’ve been meaning to share the fact that I’m preparing to sit for the CPA exam and have been waiting for the right moment to do so. I moved to NY in pursuit of personal and professional prosperity. Some people hinted that I should be careful because I like going out so much, especially in NYC, and that I may give in to fun. I was talking to Beccam on the phone last night and I came to the realization that I stuck to the pursuit of my professional development. I’m still enjoying life and going out.

About the CPA exam.
It is a big ordeal! I knew, for years, that it’s considered one of the most difficult professional examinations; and I though I was prepared but alas - NO - I wasn’t.

In order to get licensed by the state as a Certified Public Accountant one has to first meet the educational requirement. In Massachusetts and most other states the requirement is awfully though. One needs to have a total of 150 credit hours of higher education in order to qualify. A Bachelor Degree only provides 120 credit hours. In other words, for the rest of 30 credit hours needed, one would be ¾ into a Masters Degree. With this in mind, and the fact that in NY, till the middle of 2009, one can still be legible to sit for the exam with Undergraduate degree in accounting, it was a no-brainer step to take. I verified the requirements and without much additional thought I signed up for the Becker CPA review course.

Here I’m now, working like crazy, studying for one of the four parts of the CPA exam, BEC that is, and trying to maintain a personal life.
I’m planning on setting up a separate page devoted to CPA licensure.

Christmas Decorations and the City

The American Stock Exchange.

Beccam gave me yet another fabulous idea for my blog - to take some pix of the City during the holiday season. To my disappointment, I have to go and seek them. I spent most weekends in Chelsea/downtown Manhattan and there aren’t any conspicuous and elaborate decorations. The picture above I just took; the beautiful Christmas tree is located in front of the American Stock Exchange. I’m planing on going down 5th Ave to see if there is anything more impressive.

Menorahs and Christmas Trees

I suppose the US gave up on implementing Spanish as a second official language. There was an uproar about that a couple of years ago but it faded away. The December holidays are a different matter. While living on the Cape I used to listen to Stephanie and Dan on the radio talking about the school system and how ti’s no longer appropriate to say Merry Christmas around Christmas time because it’s politically insensitive to people who aren’t Christian.
Living in New York presents me with a “reality” of happy compromise. As depicted below, the Menorah and the Christmas tree peacefully reside, in a close proximity of each other, in the lobby of my work building. That is the biggest Menorah I’ve ever seen in my life and not that there is any room for competition but notice the size of the Christmas Tree…