Admittedly, it has been a tad frustrating for me that some people just don’t take MBA seriously.

“The school has a grade non-disclosure agreement,” one year 2 student stated a matter-of-factly. “Hence, employers cannot really get your grades without your consent. Given this, you don’t really need to worry about your grades so long as you pass all your subjects.”

Yes, I do agree that everyone has their own motivations for getting an MBA. For example, my motivation is to get the technical knowledge that otherwise, would’ve been too expensive and too time-consuming to do if I was still working. Networking and life experiences, I have and still will always get it while working. However, once you’ve been pigeon-holed to a certain role, your learning curve stifles after a time.

However, I’ve realized that not a lot of people share the same purpose. Many come to MBA to career switch: from engineering to finance, from marketing to consultancy, and as follows.

I respect that. I like people with purpose. I like people who have a clear idea on where they want to go, even though they’re unsure yet of the specifics.

There are some motivations that I do not understand though.

For example, the motivation of dating and networking in Lan Kwai Fong. I don’t really get that.

We have a handful of women who go off to LKF on the weekday. I think this is fine per se, but if you do this on a weekly basis every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, then you really wonder if they’re here in Hong Kong for an education, or for something else.

It bothers me even further when I hear that some of these women had been sleeping around. I really think that it’s okay to do whatever you want, but it’s a bit of an issue when people are thinking that women in Asia are easy to get and female MBArs are no exception.

The fact that we’re getting an MBA means that we value our identities more than getting a boyfriend, or getting a relationship at whatever cost. This means that we’re saying that there’s more to us than our bodies, and we can get where we want without spreading our legs.

A woman is only worth what she dictates she is worth. Once you are branded as used goods, and someone that’s been targeted already and mission accomplished, you reduce your value. And the fact that people are grouping women the same way based on association can sometimes be troubling.

Trader tells me not to be bothered. “You are there for an education,” he said. “Don’t worry about what other people think.”

However, I am bothered, if not a bit.

I do not like it if white boys think that Asian women are easy to get. That it only takes a few drinks at LKF to bring you home. And to assume that it’s okay to be friends and pretend as if nothing’s happened.

Excuse me, but I do think that sleeping with someone still does have value. Not that I’m closed minded about it, but if you do, please do so with someone who actually cares about you, and not someone who is after you because you’re another notch in the bedpost.

Anyway, it’s just a bit frustrating that an MBA is being wasted on people who don’t really take an MBA seriously. Play is play and work is work. It’s not very good if people don’t take you seriously because of what you do outside class.

Okay, off my soapbox. Peace out!