Positive Economy™, Knackered Body, Security Alert....Wii Wii!!!

From Thursday to Saturday last week, we had the third of the set of four IPP seminars. The topic was Positive Economy™ - economy that generates economic growth but restores ecological capital - and the lecturer happens to be an alumnus of the HEC MBA programme and the University of California, Berkeley. He has been actively promoting investment in CleanTech companies and has just started his own consultancy. The lectures were interesting, and the sessions included videos, a movie, a case study and a guest speaker. He sure did put in a lot of effort in making the whole thing very interactive but I must say he could have gone a bit deeper in the subjects we discussed. But then, he probably had a lot to cover in a very short period of time...and a very broad audience! Not to worry as we were not back in school for just the lectures...we, as in my classmates and I, had a lot of catching up to do. All in all, most of my classmates are happy with their respective IPPs but a few are desperate to get out of their companies. And, some have stayed on at HEC to do more lectures and they seem to be loving it! It was really nice to see them again...and some of us went out to Cafe Oz, a popular hunt for foreigners in Paris, for a number of B52 shots and more bonding!

On Saturday, my wife and I took our son to his grandparents' place for a short vacation for him. He certainly likes being there but I think he misses us as my wife is now back in Paris and I am back here in England. And, a conference call between the three of us every evening is not going to be enough! While I was at my in-laws', I practiced a few rounds of boxing, a few games of tennis and a few rounds of golf. It was cold, wet, and windy outside and still we managed all these...the secret is Wii. Nintendo has done a great job and even amateurs like me can win against professionals like my brother-in-law. Unless, of course, he was thinking about family peace and letting me win! I even mentioned to my wife I won't mind getting one for my 30th birthday but I don't think that is going to happen! :-) Whatever the case, I must say I have never been physically challenged this much by a game console!

And, while I was queing to get back to London on the Eurostar, we heard an announcement that they had found an unidentified package on the track on the English side of the tunnel and we were being put on a security alert. Which essentially meant no boarding for a while and the knock-on effect meant I got home at 1:30am, about two hours late. Which would have been fine if I hadn't been woken up by 6:30am by my cousins to sort out the last details of two apartments we have just invested in in the booming Indian real estate market! Let's hope I find a job soon to pay off all these mortgages and loans!

Getting into rhythm...

Hello! Helllloo! Hellloooooooooo!

Hello from this tiny little Berkshire village! So tiny, you almost know everyone...or you shut yourself out so that no one knows you...that is, except for the postman and the local corner shopkeeper, who, by the way, also runs the post office! And, if you miss the 'regular' bus service, you are in for a long walk home or work. Or, for some reason, the bus does not come. Like on Monday two weeks ago, my first day at work, when the bus showed up an hour late because the bus driver didn't know the route. The only consolation came in the form of two elderly ladies giving instructions to the driver. I bet that was his first and last day at work. I thought nothing else could beat that until two days ago - yes I know, another Monday - the bus driver didn't see me waving at him in the dark and sped off. The next bus being 90min later, I tried hitching a ride with no success until someone from work recognised me. Now, I wave my flourescent yellow jacket. No missing that one, eh? :-)

Despite all these small hiccups, I have had a fantastic start. Being prepared means I hit the ground running and, by the third day, having sorted out the admin issues, I was talking to various individuals across business units collecting information and data. Yes, I am being a bit like a consultant, who's come in with a fresh pair of eyes, plus two add-on lenses, to scrutinise current business practices and identify opportunities for synergy. Ah, there I said it, the 'prohibited' word! A word often used by management, or so they are accused of using, as a sophisticated lingua franca to describe things when they are not sure what they are describing. At least, in my case, it has a genuine meaning. You can trust me on that otherwise I won't be spending my days gathering materials and sinking in an ocean of numbers and notes. All this work has also made the days since I left Paris, armed with eight packs of noodles for dinner, go so fast that I need to slow down and absorb things in. BTW, lunch at work is sumptuous and people are friendly and helpful.

And, I am travelling to Dusseldorf, Hamburg and Chicago, not to mention frequent trips to Paris, pretty soon so no need to worry too much about missing the bus and wishing the car was here and not parked in the garage back home. So, even in this remote village, I am still holding on to my optimism...and, if need be, London is less than 30min by train. But, only if the connecting bus service has a driver who knows the route!

Au revoir mes amis...et a bientot!