Four More Years... euh... Weeks

You may now breathe easy, I have finally procured a copy of Harry Potter, and finished it, and I am a much happier, saner person for it. Unlike some, I will not try to ruin the ending for you (so no need for loud Smurf-music) but I will say that I, for one, enjoyed it tremendously. But maybe I'm just easy to please.

What concerns me today is the pre-P1 lull that seems to have settled over all of us. Gone are the months of frantic blog activity debating the merits of the different campuses, or relating the desperate search for funding, laptops, pre-reading books and a chateau-room with a view. With only four weeks to go until D-Day, an eerie quiet has descended. There appears to be nothing left of the initial excitement but a small flurry of NV postings between those wishing to partake in poker, tennis, golf or naked sky-diving in all that free time we're going to have (strangely, no one seems to have addressed the much more important question of when and where the first of the famous INSEAD parties will be, and what on earth we'll have to wear to it.)

So it seems it's not just me who feels strangely disconnected from the hectic future that awaits us. My things aren't packed, my eagerly sought-after books have been barely glanced at, and my CV remains pitifully unprepared for the first onslaught of recruiters. Maybe it's supposed to be like this, a side-effect of the sluggish summer weather, a necessary calm before the storm. I sure would like to drum up some enthusiasm again, though, if only to get myself motivated enough to start stuffing things into boxes...

Reality hits back

London was incredible (it's funny how much fonder I've grown of the city since I don't actually have to live there); three days filled with vodka cocktails, mimosa brunches, a few too many cigarettes (oops), lots of tea and an unexpected visit to an antiques show, where I was given the in-depth history of the howdah created for the Great Exhibition at Crystal Palace. Apparently a similar one was sold to an American woman last year, and she now uses it as a bed for her beloved pooch. I love that: the epitome of not taking oneself too seriously... Here's what doggie beds look like these days:

But it's back to the real world of pre-MBA life now. Pre-reading books arrived in the mail today; they are filled with bizarre mathematical equations with incomprehensible acronyms, and one of them doesn't even have any pictures. Groan. The new Harry Potter is coming out soon, though, maybe I'll read that instead (hey, you never know, quidditch could be an essential skill for INSEADers...)

Speaking of the real world, I overheard this from renowned intellect, David Hasselhoff, while zapping through the TV channels: "If our show (Baywatch) had moved there, it would have put Australia on the map."

Australians must be bummed that, because they said no to the red-suited babes, people think the big blob of land with kangaroos on it is actually New Zealand.

(and can I just say to DTLF who thought he/she was oh so clever: HA! I like my beers German, please)

London, baby!

Off to London this weekend for three days of debauchery... well, mostly catching up with friends, really. Unfortunately, instead of going from Friday to Sunday as I planned, I'll be travelling Saturday to Monday; this was the only way to nab Eurostar tickets that were even remotely affordable. It's crazy how expensive and over-booked the Eurostar has gotten over the past couple years. I remember when I first started taking it, 12 years ago - it was practically empty and I systematically was sat next to an American tourist who asked me if we were going to be able to see the fish. Those were the days of sweet innocence...

On an INSEAD note, I still haven't received the pre-reading books I was hoping to skim through on the train, I have no idea if my first deposit to secure my spot has gone through, and am still undecided as to whether I should buy a new computer (hey, if I win the Lottery or something, I'll have to do something with that extra cash). I have, however, secured a spot on the "Vestibule" and eagerly checked out all my future classmates. Also read through some old posts discussing housing (how much easier would it have been if I'd had access to this two weeks ago), admin and social events. I'm struck by how friendly and eager to help everyone seems. Wonder if this outburst of generosity and love for their fellow man will wane somewhat after the first week of school...

Merci

The purpose of this post is mostly to thank the fellow blogger who kindly sent me a copy of the welcome pack so I wouldn't feel totally left out and could get started on pre-INSEAD admin and class prep. Nice to know this is the type of school where students will make an effort to help each other out, rather than rip out key pages in library books...

Thanks to my very own Artemis (edit: thanks for catching the typo, that was supposed to be Aramis, of course), I now know that I am two weeks late to apply for the Business Foundations course, I didn't budget enough for books (having dropped my first €150 on pre-reading alone) and I need to purchase a variety of gadgets, the instruction manuals for which are longer than War and Peace (what the h&#% is reverse polish notation and why do I need it on a calculator?) And then there's that nagging feeling in the back of my head that perhaps those fancy degrees I obtained by waxing poetic on the intricacies of 16th cent. property law and other non-calculator-requiring subjects have not adequately prepared me for the challenge I am about to face. Hopefully I'll still be able to count on my fellow Mousquetaires once classes start...