Scribbles

Aside from the intense fun I enjoyed during my vacation in Thailand and the Kingdom of Cambodia before arriving in Singapore, two particular places I visited brought me to a sobering mood. The reason I’m writing about them, is because they brought to my present a startling reminder of some of humanity’s most grisly crimes, atrocities that still go on today in different parts of the world, unattended to by the world community.

In Thailand, I went to Kanchanaburi, site of the famous Bridge over the River Kwai. On the first day, my tour group brought my reluctant self to visit the Thailand-Burma Railway Museum and its adjacent WWII memorial cemetery. The museum told the story (much like the movie) of prisoners of war from various nations who were forced to work on the railway by Japanese soldiers under the most inhumane conditions that led to massive deaths.

Next on to Cambodia, after taking the 6 hour boat ride from Siem Reap to Phnon Penh, we visited the Tuol Sleng Museum. A former school converted into a torture camp, the museum exhibited details of torture and mass genocide committed by the Khmer Rouge regime – gruesome, sobering pictures and stories of unforgivable wrong doings wrought upon human beings.

At each instance, I felt a hollowed pit of sickness in my stomach. I questioned why I was there, while on vacation, when I should theoretically be enjoying myself. But then I realized how badly I needed the reminder of the things of the past. As people, it is so easy to learn about the immoral deeds of our past, to condemn it in the classroom, and then conveniently displace the unpleasantness into the back of our minds, most of the time forgotten. Having these museums bring the ugliness right in your face imprints into the mind those brutal undeniable truths. Don’t shield yourself or your children from these memorials and museums. Learn from them, refresh your memories. With it, we can look back into history and easily identify all the repulsive parallels in the happenings of the world today. And if enough of us would be organized enough to find a common voice to speak out against these senseless repeats of the past, we can make a difference. The systematic and organized trampling on human lives has been going on from the dawn of mankind. When you see it today, don’t look the other way. Recognize it, stand up against it.

Wish you all a joyful, prosperous, and healthy new year.  I will be celebrating the traditional “nian yeh fan” (New Year's Even Dinner) with my INSEAD family in China town tonight.  Best to all of you! 

Quick update – I'm still alive.  Just been unexpectedly busy with all the work in P3.  Even though I am just loving the electives so far – interesting topics, stellar INSEAD professors – juggling group work from 5 different groups (1 for core courses, then 1+ for each elective) while adjusting to the new environment has left no time for anything else, including blogging.  But I have a long weekend coming up (Chinese New Years) so will be catching up on some overdue posts.

It just dawned on me that I never fully explained why and how I'm here.  For the uninitiated, INSEAD has two campuses, the original in Fontainebleau France, and the new one in Singapore, Asia, recently opened in 2000.  Students in each promotion must select their starting locale during the application process, and complete their first two periods of study there.  Afterwards, they decide whether or not to do campus exchange for the remaining 3 periods.  The options are Fontainebleau, Singapore, or Wharton in any combination, with the exception of Wharton being available only during P4.  This period, INSEAD experienced an record number of exchangers from Fontainebleau, numbering 269, including 3 from Wharton.

My personal reasons for being here, listed in order of importance – living in South East Asia, learning Asia's business environment, finding out the opportunities in Asia, taking advantage of the INSEAD exchange option, and dodging the cold winter of France.  Most students who exchange most likely have similar reasons.  For me, I decided to do two periods here, because a single period of 2 months is simply insufficient to reach any sense of continuity to achieve my intended goals.  That being said, there are good arguments to stay till the end, but equally good ones to finish in Fonty.  My current plan is unchanged, to return and finish INSEAD in the beautiful Fontainebleau forest.  We'll see in May.

Along with my partner in crime here I decided to take it easy tonight, especially since there's a big party tomorrow and I'm still battling my cough and various viruses.  So we thought we'd have a relaxed and decent dinner.  Going through the guides, the destination to emerge was Jumbo Seafood at the East Coast Seafood Center.  Just like that, we hopped into a cab, not knowing what we'd get into.

After a relatively long cab ride, we landed near this picturesque beach lined with various fancy yet relaxed seafood restaurants.  All of them offered an interesing mix of indoor and outdoor seating, with the outdoor section just spilling out of the covered area onto the patio.  Since today was the first time I've actually witnessed good sunshine, naturally we had to enjoy our meal outdoors.

Keep in mind that food is relatively cheap here.  For the 20 odd euros we each spent, we feasted on fabulously cooked seafood – two spicy craps, drunken prawns, fried yiou-tiao with cuttle fish, and my favorite veggie dish – garlic stir fried dou miao.  (And yes, I promise to bring my camera next time to show you the goodies.)  Other guests were also enjoying their meals, attested by the mounds of food and numerous bottles of wine and beer piled on their tables.  The only drawback of the night was an unexpected allergic reaction on my part to the seafood face stuffing.  It's nothing serious, but definitely a first for me to have a reaction to my favorite food.

They say this is the place for good eating, and luckily, I still have 4 months ahead to discover all Singapore has to offer. 

Finally made myself compile the stats for P2:

Compared to P1, the average has increased slightly.  Unfortunately the statistics don’t tell the entire story.  As you can see, the standard deviations and ranges have all gone up significantly compared to the last period.  P2 was for certain, much harder on me.  In many instances, I would go a few days with very little sleep (less than 4 hours), and then make up for it by a whopper of a rest, 8-hours.  As you can imagine, the constantly changing times really throws your body off balance.  Also, the slightly longer overall sleep time can also be attributed to more intense partying, as I needed longer recovery time.  Let’s hope for more consistency in P3.

Having arrived in Singapore a few days ago, I finally have the chance to post an update. The last few days have been filled with the logistics of moving to a new place, class, and socializing with new and familiar faces. All in all, typical INSEAD intensity and lack of sleep. But now, with my room organized and mental state back into academics, I feel in the groove of school again.

The last two weeks of intense vacationing in Thailand and Cambodia (stories coming soon) have caught up to me, in the form of a nasty cough. Combined with the rainy (but warm) season here, the body hasn’t been quite happy. As soon as I recover, I’ll be looking to find the right physical routine, eating right, exercising. Food here has been cheap, delicious, and extremely accessible. I just need to choose the healthier options.

The Singapore campus has amazed all of us Fonty people. The modern facilities here have impressed us. Add the fact that we are living in an urban environment, the entire feel (aside from being in Asia) contrasts sharply with Fontainebleau. Obviously I have so much more of Singapore to discover, but from what I’ve seen and been to so far, I am very satisfied by the efficiency, close proximity, and costs. For those of you back in France, I highly recommend you take out at least one period to see this place, as it adds immensely to the INSEAD experience.

P3 marks the beginning of electives. The three I have attended so far, Social Entrepreneurship, Social Psychology of Management, and Venture Opportunities and Business Models have all been of high quality, with good professors leading the interesting topics we all came to explore in an MBA program.

Feeling much more acclimated to the locale, I expect to get my schedule in order and make more time to keep everyone posted. Please get on my case if I don’t!

I did the unthinkable and succumbed to temptation. After nearly a year of going separate ways, I reconnected with my secret lover and worst enemy in Bangkok. Perhaps it was the heat, or just the novelty of a noontime rendez-vous in a foreign city where nobody would recognize me. On my transit from Phnom Penh to Singapore, during my 2 hour stopover, I hooked up with the dark seductress of fast foods, benigningly portrayed by a  smiling, harmless old man.

For less than four dollars, I enjoyed the number 5 meal – 2 pieces of hot and spicy fried chicken, large fries, mashed potatoes with gravy, and a large Pepsi cola. I feel dirty, disgusted, and satiated. Furthermore, I compared notes to my previous interludes. Here in Bangkok, two hardworking young women constantly roamed the floor, busing treys and wiping the tables to an immaculate shine. They were even surprised by my simple expression of gratitude, never expecting any “thank you’s” for performing a simple task so menial yet under-appreciated.

I hate myself, not only because I gave in, but also because I enjoyed every single moment of it. This deed won’t go unpunished over the next 4 months in urban Singapore, as I will longingly glance at the red and white signs and deny myself any more of the siren call, oh sweet evil pleasure.

Best wishes to all of you for a fantastic upcoming year.  I celebrated with a great bunch here at the world trade center plaza in Bangkok.  Tomorrow, leaving for Cambodia.  Will try to keep you posted.