A special post!

It has been fifteen months since dawn and I am quite pleased that I have come this far. This is a special post! This is my hundredth post! When I first started writing, I was not sure if I could continue blogging during the busy periods of the MBA course but I was sure that I would try my best. I wanted my blog to be a log of my personal journey through the HEC MBA program. And, I wanted it to be different, telling a story of its own, of balancing life as a born-again student, a father, a husband, and an amateur property developer! Of course, my MBA journey may be different because I have corporate sponsorship and my wife works here but these only help to make my journey unique! So, here I am, fifteen months after starting this blog and almost a year after uprooting ourselves from England, posting my hundredth post! What are the golden rules of doing an MBA, you ask. Here are my ten golden tips!

1. Be open-minded - We all come to the program with our own pre-conceptions, opinions and ideas but the best way is to start with a blank slate and let the MBA experience fill it with all the great things one can learn.
2. Don't underestimate - Whether it be your work, or your classmates, never underestimate. Always assume that we all have unique qualities that make us special and respect that!
3. Participate - MBA is about learning by sharing so participate in class discussions and group activities. Don't just sit quietly when you have the chance to make a good contribution!
4. Personality vs Intellect - I have often wondered if we get so engrossed in performing well in exams that we forget to show our personality.
5. Listen - Something I personally need to work on but true also for a lot of other MBA students.
6. Hard work - There is no escaping from this one. Be prepared to work hard if you want your certificate gilded.
7. Mediocre But Arrogant - Please try not to fall in this category. Be prepared to eat humble pie once in a while, and be prepared to be surprised.
8. Plan - Plan and talk through things and anticipate changes so that you are ready to re/act. If you have a family, this is even more crucial.
9. Know your roots - As my teacher once said, fly as high as you can, but never let your feet off the ground!
10. Be positive - We all screw up at least once. The strength lies in being able to stand up and move forward graciously.

And, before you go, I have some good news. A new member of the family is going to join us in time for my graduation - a perfect graduation gift for me! :-) So, here we go, I have to work hard to ensure, come June 2008, I am not another Johnny Foreigner, PhD, MBA, father, husband, and unemployed! With that, I have told you a bit more about myself and, maybe, I will tell more if I reach my two hundredth post! Until then, keep reading and commenting; I have partly kept on blogging as I know a lot of you out there from various parts of the world visit my blog regularly. Merci beaucoup! :-)

As the world spins, we tread along...

Bonjour world! We are back from our short break...and, as always, we drove for miles and miles. Excuser moi, we are in France, kilometers and kilometers. We saw the bridge and what a magnificient sight it was to be standing underneath one of its gigantic pillars and looking up. There is such a photo in the album from the trip and you will know what I mean when you have seen it. We crossed the bridge too but it was so cloudy we saw nothing except for the fog lights at the rear end of the car in the front! I guess we just have to plan a holiday in the Med to cross the bridge again! :-)

From the bridge, we headed to Micropolis, world of insects (i.e. they have a head, a thorax and an abdomen), built in homage to Jean-Henri Fabre, founder of modern entomology. It was a great experience for our son who enjoyed the animated metal creatures preparing and dancing during the insect carnival! As for us, hmm...it was worth a visit! I did really like the tropical butterflies chambre though and am thinking of setting up an educational praying-mantis or stick insect farm, in a large glass box, for my son. Maybe, the glass box will be too restrictive for the prayer. Ah well, we shall see...

We also drove around viewing the gorges, the mountains and the valleys, all covered in a cornucopia of beautiful autumn colours...my basic writing skills won't do justice trying to describe the view so all I can say is go there and see it for yourself. You won't regret it! :-) From the heights of the world's tallest bridge, we went down to the caves of Dargilan, aslo called the Pink Caves, observing mother nature's artwork in the form of gigantic Stalactite and Stalagmite formations, some as old as 500,000 years. And, as like I did when climbing the 320 steps to the dome of the Sistine Chapel, I had to carry the boy, a lot heavier today, around the cave. My back is still recovering! :-)

One of the things I liked was that all the hotels had Wifi which means I could keep in touch with the world searching for an internship! Yes, I know, I was supposed to be on a break with my family...actually, internet in the room was great as we could explore the area virtually and plan our days before getting in the car. Nonetheless, I did have a sneak preview of my emails and, the good news is, I think I have found an internship. It will mean returning back to England but the opportunity is to work directly for a VP of a 250 billion dollar company! Can't tell you more about the project but it sounds like a great opportunity and I am hoping it will be a wonderful experience and a sharp learning curve. Now, where's that IPP form to sign and submit before the company changes its mind? :-) So long...

Millau Pictures

Enjoy the pictures and I will upload more as we explore around...