Wrapping up in 10 pictures...

I have neglected this blog for way too long and now the year is almost over and with it, the MBA... :-(

I thought I should still wrap this up with a last post so here it is: the last 4 months in 10 pictures!

Coming back from a very nice summer in Montreal and before jumping again in the madness of INSEAD I when to visit my family in Avignon and Nimes (September 1st and 2nd). Below is the enormous palace where the Pope used to live back when he was in France (notice how small people look).


Now back from Avignon, it was time to get serious and focus on the MBA. So we organized the last Shangri-La party (September 14th); the theme: Tarantino! I am sure you have recognized my imitation of Travolta in Pulp Fiction... :-)

I will let you guess for the others... Note the two new members of the house on the left, Marion and David, who are from the new promotion: July 2008!


Of course, I also had to get back into sports... Having just being nominated as one of the captains of the INSEAD Football Club, I helped organize the July 2008 Section Cup (September 22nd). I helped the E4 team to crush the competition and was able to capture my second title! (Added to the win in the December 2007 Cup)


Having been serious enough with MBA stuff, I allowed myself a little bit of relaxation... OKTOBERFEST!!! We drove to Munich on the Friday (September 28th), slept in the car because they lost our booking, and made it to the entrance of the targeted tent for 7.30 AM on Saturday. We literally fought the massive crowd to be able to get a seat and get one close to the stage. The day was as follows: sat down at 9.00 AM, ordered breakfast and beer, then lunch and beer, then snacks and beer, then beer, then dinner and beer, then beer, then left the tent just before 10.00 PM to try to find one of our own that wondered outside the tent... We drove back to Fontainebleau on the Sunday...


After a week of intense classes and recruiting activities (presentations, dinners and interviews), I visited a friend of mine in Barcelona (October 5th). He is doing his MBA at IESE, a two-year program, and I spent a good portion of my time bugging him that I started after him and would finish before... Barcelona is great, the students mostly leave in the Pedralbes area (very nice area of the city) and have endless BBQ on the rooftops of their buildings. Fantastic!

We did go clubbing one night (picture) and I wish I remembered the name of the place... :-)


The rest of October was spent studying and recruiting, fairly calm, except for one week in Montreal at the end of October for the P4/P5 break, including four days in Tremblant with my lovely girlfriend. Sorry, no pictures... ;-)

And then... SINGAPORE!!!

Actually, it began with Bali because I only spent 2 days in Singapore before we left. 15 or so of us flew there for a long weekend (November 1st to 5th)... Lots of beach time, including body-boarding, and a little bus trip to temples, a volcano, rice terasses (picture), and a monkey forest.


Having spent another full day in Singapore, I left for Toronto for more recruiting (November 7th to 11th). Tanya and I took the time to go see the Falls... Believe it or not, it was my first time! The trip was fun but a little short and I already had to fly 20 hrs back to Singapore.


I spent a full 10 days in Singapore before leaving again for Phuket and Ko Phi Phi islands (November 23rd to 26th). Beautiful beaches and landscapes!!! Below, the view upon arriving to the famous beach of Maya Bay, on the island of Phi Phi Leh, where "The Beach" was filmed... My buddy Laurent (from Montreal/now Paris) joined the group of 11 for that trip, as he visited Singapore for a week.


Spending another few days in Singapore allowed me to rest for my most recent trip: Pangkil (December 1st to 3rd). Imagine: a small private island about the size of the Olympic Stadium, rented to 40 friends, with all you can eat/drink... It was the best weekend of P5!!! As you can see on the pictures, travelling to the island was not easy: 90 min ferry from Singapore to Indonesia, 45 min bus ride, 90 min boat ride and the final 200 meters on a small zodiac to get there... But well worth it!


Having rehearsed a bit on the beach, and a lot more during the 2 days that followed, I was ready for Cabaret!!! (December 5th) This is one of the big INSEAD traditions where, at the end of each promotion, the graduating class performs on stage for everyone... It exposes those of us with talent and those of us, like me, who don/t have any... :-)

I took part in two acts, the first one is a copy of what you'll find if you click on the link below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2b-fJxzpK7s

The second act... Well let's just say I hope no pictures of that ever surface because my masculinity would suffer...

And that's the end of it!!! One more weekend and I fly to France (December 11th), will spend a few days in London, Vienna and Paris with Tanya, and will be in Montreal for the Holidays!!! I look forward to being home again... Until the next adventure...

I did promise 10 pictures and below is little number 10. It is a glimpse to what I know will be a fantastic opportunity, a great learning experience, and a whole lot of fun!!! If you've guessed/recognized, I don't have to explain more; if not, I'll tell you when we speak!


Signing off,

C-A