Master thesis X

I just realized recently that in today’s world with the omnipresence of Facebook blogging has become obsolete. There is no interaction (apart of the possibility to leave a comment), there is no access control, and there is no large public; just to name a few flaws. So I might consider stopping this experiment after 5 years, especially as it covered my studies and this chapter of my life will as well come to an end. A few years ago, blogging was a means to give friends in other countries the possibility to see what I was up to, where I was travelling and a way to share my pictures. Today, these things are exchanged at Facebook. It’s easier, faster and without time delay. With the success of the iPhone I can stay connected all the time with over 500 people in my network. Now, I don't carry my camera all the time, because the iPhone has also a camera, and I can upload these pictures in real-time to Facebook. Besides, most of my international friends, which were the main readers here, joined Facebook as well. So I'm sorry for those that still were reading my contributions. The last 5 years were a great time! I made many friends for life, travelled to many places, did a lot of sport and besides I tried to get good grades at university. I would not want to miss a single moment of the last 5 years, as even the bad moments make you stronger and most of all, these are moments you learn a lot from. As I read through my blog, I sometimes have to smile, because of the things I wrote.. And that's good. Because it shows that I have grown and have gotten wiser. And that's it all about: Life is dynamic - So Far!

Master thesis IX

It's now September already and my internship at Givaudan is over. Which means at the same time that my studies at ETH are over. I finalized my master thesis in the last days and sent it to my professor for review. However, I'm still waiting for some results that I will get from the University of Trondheim in Norway. My work should not change too much though and as soon as I have the results and the OK from both the ETH and Givaudan, I will print the thesis and hand it in at the secretary. One could figure that this is the end. It's not! I have to hold a presentation in November which also will be graded and be part of the mark I will get for the thesis. So far, I only got positive critics, so I hope to get also a good grade for the work.
The last weeks at Givaudan I mainly spent writing, besides working on a possible publication. But unfortunately I had no time to do further experiments, so my work will not be published due to the confidentiality agreement I signed. In retrospect, it was a great time at Givaudan. I learned a lot and could gain much experience in the flavor industry and even had the opportunity to see the brand new site in Shanghai. Actually, on my last day, Givaudan announced to build a new factory in Hungary for 170 million swiss francs. However, that means that 120 people working at a site in Zurich will no longer be needed. This is sad for those employees, but Givaudan's strategy is absolutely right. There is no market growth in central Europe, the emerging markets will be in the East. That's why it's wiser to build the factory where the growth takes place instead of investing money in the old site in Kemptthal. In my opinion, Givaudan will grow further and further!
The last day I was invited by the global head of flavor delivery for lunch and we talked about my work and my career goals. They appreciated my work but were sorry they could not offer me a fulltime job position. However, they will keep me in mind for future openings.

That brings me to a new topic: What brings the future? I finished my studies and will need a job, do a PhD or even an MBA. I do not reveal what I'm gonna do, that's my secret. However, my life will change!
Back to normal life. On Monday I went to see the movie "Oscar Niemeyer - A vida é um sopro" at Arthouse Commercio in Zurich. It's a documentary about the brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, born in Rio de Janeiro in 1907, that was involved in the planing of Brazil's capital Brasilia. The movie was pretty impressing and the buildings he designed were just great! Made me want to go to Brazil some day. After that we went to eat sushi at Yooji's (St. Urbangasse 8) just around the corner at Bellevue. We talked about other architects, such as Frank L. Wright that had built the Guggenheim Museum we saw last year in New York or the fantastic Falling water house he built over a waterfall. Yesterday I've had my first day off since ages and met Thomas at ETH Hönggerberg for coffee and lunch. Right now I enjoy the morning sun after a pretty exhausting bike trip. I will enjoy the next days as much as I can because who knows what I'm doing afterwards. The next appointment is meeting Lea in Lucerne and Philip, whom I met at several consulting workshops (Monitor Group and McKinsey) at the café/lounge at Haus Konstruktiv, built by Fuhrimann/Haechler. Whatch out for more to come!