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!

At war...and now heading for peace and tranquility

Well, well, well! Hasn't it been a while since I posted my milestone message! I may have stopped for a while but the world certainly hasn't; someone's come back from the dead, HEC Paris is yet again the top business school in Europe, and we have also "received the largest single donation to a French business school from an individual donor"! Only last week, we were discussing how the notion of giving back to one's alma mater does not exist in France in quite the same way as in the US. Hopefully, many will follow in Mr Destzet's footstep and fill HEC's coffer with so much dough that we can just buy our way to world domination! And, yet again, I had a guerre with the bureaucracy at the prefecture, albeit a different one, for my Titre de Sejour. If the bureaucrat sitting on the other side is not content, you are out! So, I queued and stood in the cold for three consecutive days. My wife and son also joined me on the second day...and still we were turned away for we did not have an optional tax document - of course, we don't because we have not lived here long enough but the bureaucrat was not interested in that! Success did come on the third day after repeated haggling and following a chat with a 'friendlier, more senior' bureaucrat. C'mon, Sarkozy, please do something!

That done, I am now at peace and can go on my annual pilgrimage with my son, starting next week! I am also hoping to visit one of the sites of my sponsoring company during this travel so that I can include the findings in my IPP report. We shall see...I am just looking forward to be on the move, on holiday, again! :-) And, as many are going away on exchange and internships during PP2, it is slowly beginning to sink in that we are now at the end of our time at HEC together as one big group of students. From now, we follow the paths defined by our individual goals and, except for graduation day, it is unlikely we will all be together ever again. That is a sad thought but, as always, life goes on and we move on knowing that we have had the experience of a lifetime. And, I wish my dear friends the very best.

I am back...14142 miles later!

Sawatdee Khrab! Was it amazing or what? India is a familiar location for me but Thailand just never stopped amazing me! When I saw the network of roads from air, I knew Thailand was going to be very different from what I had visualised. Bangkok is highly developed which, for unknown reasons, surprised me! The airport was just like any other other airport in western Europe or the US, if not better. Even the English announcement on Thai Air had an American accent. Despite this development, the Thais are still very friendly people and ever ready to help a lost citizen. I say citizen because I was always confused for a tall Thai with people often initiating discussions in Thai! Well, at least until I utter my first few words. :-) As soon as I landed, I took a taxi straight to my friend's apartment in Sukhumvit Suite and, following a quick shower and change of clothes (BKK was 33°C), I headed out for the river front. I then took a boat to the Golden Mount stop followed by a few hours of walking visiting various temples and historical sites. I returned to the apartment in what has become the symbol of Thailand, a Tuk-Tuk (autoriksaw in India). On the second day, I took the SkyTrain to Siam centre, in the heart of the city for a walk about and then a motorcycle taxi to the Oriental Pier. From there, I headed up north, along with a zillion other tourists, on a boat to Thien Pier to visit Wat Po, the temple of the reclining Buddha. I visited so many temples in Thailand I would hope that my sins have been cleared! Walking through China town and Little India, I went past the Statue of Rama I at the Phra Buddha Yodfa Memorial Bridge and then right up to the top of the Golden Mount - if you are in Bangkok, you ought to as the view is just breathtaking - before walking back to Siam centre. Got long legs so might as well make the best use of them. In the afternoon, I headed back to the centre and stayed there until late evening watching a concert/fashion show right by Siam Paragon mall. In all this time, my travel guide was a free map from the Amex counter at Bangkok International Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK).

Early next morning, I flew to Chiang Mai to spend a couple of days with my cousin and his family (the lady at the check-in counter seemed rather surprised when I asked if Chiang Mai was north or south of Bangkok but I had done no preparation at all for this trip!). My sister-in-law showed me around on the first day and took me shopping at the local Sunday market and then the night market - as a Thai speaker, she did most of the bargaining! If there is anything you want, you will most probably find it in Thailand. I promised that I will buy nothing on this trip but the temptation of 'cheap' goods was just too much - I ended up buying quite a bit for my family, and a laptop for myself. C'mon, I will need a brand new laptop for HEC Paris, right? :-) On the second day, I walked around Chiang Mai and, after lunch, we headed up to Wat Phra Borommathat Doi Suthep, the temple on top of a hill over-looking Chiang Mai. Another sin cleared.

Overall, I really enjoyed my time in Thailand - the buddhist temples, the people, the general environment, the sites, and most of all, the food. I could live out there, if only I can convince my wife to follow suit. :-) Now, enjoy the pictures from Thailand!