This is a shout out to the P2s about to get their exizzams on. You guys are [reasonably] smart. Your work ethic has been stellar all period, so no need to stress the last minute details. And, of course, you’re super super hot. Yes, even you. I pass on (yet again) the best exam advice I ever received, because I never get tired of writing it, and I know you never get tired of reading it:

From Christine “April Showers” Driscoll "Personally, when I start an exam, I like saying to my test, "You're my bitch." Try it!"

I advise that you do.

For all mis compadres who are done, or almost done, I hope you don’t get too caught up in your interviews, travels, whatevers, to take a little time over the break to reflect on how amazing our trip together has been thus far, and to focus a little energy on figuring out what amazing things we can do in the next two months. Be supportive, be funny, be as great as you’ve been so far. I think we all are feeling forced to turn our energies a little bit inward as the “real world” looms ever larger, but life (and P5) is about more than getting an offer. Jobs will come and go, and I don’t worry too much about any of us in that regard, but realize now how lucky we are to be here together. Because if you don’t, I guarantee you will even more so when you’re chained to a desk in October.

No regrets, eh? Onward and upward,

cca

Another big weekend. Nice…can’t believe it’s my last one here for a while. Not that the time flew by, I do have a sense of having been here for a while, but still…

Well, the new Rochester Park development provided its first major disappointment. If you haven’t investigated this new Singapore hotspot-hub, conveniently walking distance from school/Dover/heritage, you should. The restaurant Graze is superb, and the no.1 bar is a really nice spot for drinks…it’s a completely tranquil little hidden patch of Singapore. Its flagship restaurant, Min Jiang, however, earns a pass from me. The reviews of the food I read were fairly glowing. And it was aight..but for the price, you could eat good Chinese food for a week here. With MUCH BETTER service.

Yesterday, I called to make a 9pm booking, and was told they wouldn’t have anything until 9:30. Fine. At around 10:30 (on a Saturday night) when I was mid-entrée, a woman came over with the bill. I looked at her, confused. She said they were closing the cash register, and would I mind paying the bill now. Half a bottle of wine left, along with much of the food. I couldn’t believe it. Then I looked at the bill, and there was a $3 item listed as “Pickle”. I asked what it was, and she pointed to the dish of [untouched] nuts on the table. On a $200 dollar bill, they had decided to charge another $3 for nuts that I didn’t order. More shock. She was such a meek and demure old woman, though, and because I was there with a friend from Singapore who I didn’t really want to cause a scene in front of, that I agreed to pay the bill, thinking that would be the end of things. Nope. About 15 minutes later (still before 11pm) they began packing up all the outdoor tables and chairs, rather audibly. I just started laughing. Then, it got worse. Finished with food, but still drinking wine, someone else came over to the table and asked if he could take the light from our table, since they were closing soon. So I told him to take the light, the table, and the chairs, and we’d finish our wine on the floor. He laughed, apologized…and then took the light. Soon after, while there was still some wine (and their wine list starts at $80) to be drunk, someone came over to tell us the restaurant was closed. Unbelievable. At that point, I just wanted to get the hell out of there. So I did. The lobster noodles were good, but not THAT good. Don’t go. Seriously. Do not go. For $200 bucks, you can gorge yourself on crab 5 nights in a row at G7. And be treated about 1000 times better.

Today, after my [now] habitual brunch, I ended up walking around downtown for about 4 hours, just wandering. I ended up at the Singapore Art Museum. It’s the first museum I’ve been to here, and it’s housed in a really great building. It was also the first politically active content of any kind I’ve seen since I’ve been here. It was really refreshing. After learning yesterday about, among other things, Singapore’s immigration law which prevents immigrant domestic workers from getting pregnant (which leads, in many cases, to their being prevented from having any contact with the outside, never mind the outside world) I needed something like that to cheer me up and buoy my plans for returning. Check it out.

Well, it’s my last week in Singapore and this weekend I’m going to…….SINGAPORE! I know, I know….not that cool. But, damn, there is so much shit to get done!

I’m not going to bitch about that, however, because I have another bone to pick with the universe. I like to call it WORST_FLIGHT_EVER! Check it out:

Leave Singapore on the afternoon of the 28th. Fly for 5:45 to Delhi. 6-hour layover. Fly overnight (9+ hours) to Paris, CDG. Arrive around 6AM on the 29th. 13-HOUR LAYOVER in CDG, leave 7:15 for a 12-hour overnight flight to Johannesburg. Arrive 7:45 AM in Jozi. . I think it comes in at just shy of 48 hours. Two days in airports/airplanes. Just like that. It’s a little nutty, if you ask me, and, if you’re reading this, I’m going to assume you did.

I have to say, the Dutch Week team in SGP has done a pretty slick job. Almost too good, really. It’s been polished, pro, and sold out…but where’s that Dutch edge? Where’s the old guy passed out in the corner of the coffeeshop? Where are the hookers (don’t tell me you couldn’t find any in Singapore)? Where’s the euthanasia (cue “youth in Asia” pun……NOW!)? Where are all the drunk British tourists????? Oh, right, there they are. Sorry, nevermind. Seriously though, [funny] hats off to the team. I’m fucking impressed.

Pics from Kuala Lumpur are up…I forgot to mention (because I actually forgot about it until I dl’d a photo from my camera) that riding back on the bus, Colin and I saw what was far and away the worst traffic accident I have EVER seen. Basically, there was a jack-knifed semi, with the trailer blocking three lanes, and the cab in the median ditch, burning pretty fiercely. Stuck under the trailer was a car that must have hit it head on. None of its doors were open. Then, spilled across the median and the opposite road, was a smaller (but still big) truck, which had been hauling logs, now strewn all around the scene, which I think had been the first impact with the semi. And while lots of people stopped and watched, there were no rescue vehicles in sight, despite the fact that the truck seemed to have been burning for a while. Basically, it was absolutely horrifying. I’m not really sure why I’m writing about it, other than because of how shocked I am that I was able to forget it so quickly.

Here are some nicer pictures:

You ever have one of those days where you find yourself regressing heavily for no particular reason? I mean, even more than the INSEAD norm. Why yes, I do? How did you know?

OK, so it started this weekend in Kuala Lumpur. Our hotel had a washlet. Don’t know what a washlet is? I didn’t either. In fact, not until today. All I knew was that our toilet had several knobs that, when turned, activated various jets, which, for lack of a more scientific (or childish) description, did what you would normally call upon a paper product to do. There were two knobs, actually, one pink and one blue, with very simple glyphs on them, which didn’t seem to necessarily correspond with the color of the knob (the blue more than the pink).

Anyway, I was in the library chatting with a friend today who is half-japanese and spent a good deal of time in Japan recently, and I remembered her telling me stories about how fabulous Japanese toilets were. And so I described my Malaysian toilet. And she said “oh, a washlet.” And I said “Is that the lingo for those things?” And she replied “I think it might be a brand name, I’m not sure.” Well, it was either investigate that, or continue working on my Business Law midterm, due next week. Easy decision…

While it is difficult to pick my favorite section of the official website for TOTO’s Washlet line of “innovative bathroom products” I encourage you all to visit www.washlet.com and choose for yourself. You may also like the watch the series of Washlet movies available at the washlet demo page . A better exam-study diversion I have yet to find. And note, while I have used only one model, even though I find their website highly entertaining, I find their product highly effective, and am very curious to try a model with a remote control, hot air jets, and massaging wash features.


So, for those of you who were asking why I hadn’t written in so long, this is what you get…

OK, I clearly have some catch-up to play…. it was quite a week, and I was caught more than a little off guard. So let me start from, oh, Thursday night. Why not. First of all, I was happy to see such a warm reception to the first Singapore performance of the famed “Blue Ocean” song during Colin’s set…Jakob et al, you had have been proud to see a bar full of INSEADies, completely unaware of how ridiculous they looked screaming out a chorus that includes the word “strategy.” I loved it, and I’m pretty sure everyone else did too.

Lesson number two: white chicks need to do more live hip-hop. And, at the risk of sounding more P2 than P4, Colin probably needs to dance with his shirt off a little more often too. For those of you who haven’t had the pleasure of watching Singnpour tear up Nelly’s “Hot in Herre”…well…you may not have learned the aforementioned lessons. So just take my word for it.

The final lesson from that night, for me, was basically what makes Fontainebleau a better INSEAD experience than Singapore: going out is the most fun when it’s with a bunch of your friends. I like hitting the clubs in Singapore, for sure, and I like some of the Singaporeans that I hang with from time to time. I may also be compelled to admit that a small intimate group having a few vodkas and an Egg McMuffin at 3AM in a transvestite-prostitute bar in Orchard Towers can be amusing too. But I REALLY like seeing 50 INSEAD kids just take over a spot and cut the dance loose…the vibe is just much much stronger. I’ve had that feeling twice in Singapore…in FBL, it’s once or twice a week (and, I hope, even more in P5).

My next little piece of info is one that I wouldn’t normally include in this, because, well, it just seems boring on its own, but in the context of my last post is too fucking funny. I have another interview with the aforementioned cosmetics company. Yep, that’s right. Apparently they shared my frustration with the video link and decided I ought to stop by in the flesh. And I’m A-Ok with that. I want to thank Miss April (aka the Boston Flash) for giving me the extra little boost that may have made the difference between frustrated with the video link, and just “not interested.”

So, rather interestingly (to me anyway) I’m writing this looking out of a train window on a rainy Malaysian jungle, about midway between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. This trip should kick ass, though I have no evidence to support that. I just have a feeling…

Will let you know, of course, with pictures.

After mentioning it in at least two posts, I suppose it should come as no surprise that so many people want to know how my interview went. OK, fine. I’ll tell you. But promise not to laugh. Good luck with that.

So, full disclosure now: the interview was with a large cosmetics company. I did not apply to them. They, apparently based on my CV (hopefully not based on a Google search….see www.chrisangell.com) invited me to their corporate presentation. Needless to say, I skipped that and went to Pangkil Island (in fact, I didn’t even see the invitation until later, due to its 5MB attachment). Consequently, they invited me to interview. I accepted. At first, I didn’t have a very strong opinion about the company, but then I went to their website and found out they own my favorite personal care/whatever company. So I was mildly into the prospect. I spoke to my one friend [formerly] at this firm, and pissed her off, since it was the first email I’d sent since leaving France and so I was accused of using her only as a job contact. Anyway.

So they book me for a Friday afternoon interview (which in Singapore might as well be Saturday morning). I was instructed that there was no need to send a CV or letter of motivation, given that I had been pre-selected. So I figured they saw something they liked and wanted to use the interview to know more about that, and to find out what else I’m into/about, and what thoughts I have about the job which they will bring up at the interview (the position I was interviewing for was listed as “ALL POSITIONS WORLDWIDE.” Nice…

It was a video interview, which didn’t have me terribly excited, but what choice did I have? I accepted, and began vigorously preparing. I read Vogue. I read Elle. I read InStyle. I read FEMALE (SGP based). I read 20 different fashion and cosmetics blogs. I poured over the company's (very very slow) website. For hours. And hours. If there is one thing that is stressed over and over it is that they value people, creativity, and diversity.

So, based on all this, I went in expecting someone who was familiar with my CV, and was looking for examples of creativity, personality, and familiarity and appreciation of diversity, as well as some interest/familiarity with their industry. With maybe a few random questions thrown in to show me that they are also curious and creative, and something to show me how much they do, in fact, value people.

How to put this gently…..? Not even fucking close. Ok, maybe that’s not fair. I mean, they were under no obligation to meet my expectations for the interview. But I don’t think my expectations were unreasonable. I’ll give the facts, you decide. Whatever the case, I readily acknowledge that neither of us handled the situation perfectly.

So, I’m sitting in the room at 3:50, waiting for my 4:00 interview. At 4:15, after staring at an empty chair on television for 25 minutes, I called Career Services to see what was going on. They informed me that the woman was tied up in live interviews, and would be with me shortly. At 4:35, she arrived, and apologized for just getting in, as the traffic out of Paris was so bad. Hmmmmmm…… Someone isn’t telling the whole truth here. Then, while not even looking at me, flipping through a pile of papers, she says “Why don’t you take me through your CV?” HUH? So, perhaps less professionally than the situation called for, I replied, “Are you kidding?” I mean, for a company to say they value people, and actively select someone to be interviewed at the very end of the week, show up 35 minutes late for dubious reasons, and then not even have an idea of who they are talking to??? I was not impressed. Basically, it was down hill from there, as I felt like I was being given the interview that should have preceded the interview I was expecting. I guess with 53,000 employees, I should have anticipated this, but I thought that INSEAD held their on campus recruiters to fairly high standards. I had gone to great lengths to hold up my end of the bargain, and felt completely disrespected.

So THAT’S how my interview went. Thanks for asking.

A new subscriber asked me the other day about the repercussions (positive and negative) of writing this blog, and of having a readership with whom I am also personally connected (i.e. the same people who read this are the people who I see more or less daily). He also asked if I ever felt like I used the blog to manipulate my audience for my own benefit.

They are good questions, not necessarily easy questions, and, especially as we had just finished a highly indulgent (and boozy) Four Seasons brunch, it was a little more than I could chew at that moment. So now I’ll give it a shot.

It’s true that a lot of bloggers write anonymously, and, even truer, we generally don’t know whether they’re writing anonymously or not. I, in general, cannot really hide (this does not apply to the 4 people who read this on the web of course…) So I suppose this blog is unique in that way. A very limited audience, but in many ways, perhaps much greater personal exposure. If I had thought about that when I started, maybe I would have done things differently, but this whole project’s genesis was very organic and unintentional, and by the time any of these things really occurred to me, the momentum was such that there was little I could do about them…and hence, I rode the inertia, and just kept writing what comes into my mind with [most likely too] little regard for the consequences.

It doesn’t bother me per say that most people know a hell of a lot more about my life than I do about theirs. It would be nice if readers who enjoyed or connected to certain pieces for personal reasons felt more comfortable (or motivated) to share that with me, but at the end of the day I don’t do this because I expect anything in return. What does bother me (as I’ve been known to lament) is when I see someone for the first time in a while, and express interest in “catching up” and they say, “Oh, I know all about what you’ve been up to.” Well….ok. First of all: maybe not. And second of all: how the fuck does that help me? Me wanting to catch up is me being SELFISH. I want to know about YOU more than I want you to know about ME.

As for the question about using this blog to manipulate people’s perceptions of me: I wish. If I was smarter/more conniving, it’s true I probably could have milked this a bit. But the thing about that is then it becomes something completely different. Then, instead of writing what’s on my mind, and having this be a record of my thoughts and an honest account, it becomes a tool. I like looking back on old posts, and I like having this archive to remember my time here, and remember myself. If I were to manipulate what I write to serve any other goals, I would lose all of that, and the long-term value of this as a historical and personal portrait is much greater than any short-term personal gains I may be able to extract.

Thanks for asking.

Kind of a slow news day, as they say. Spent too much time doing bullshit errands downtown and got caught in the rain. Looking forward (?) to a weekend in Singapore, necessitated by my Friday interview and Saturday class (I know, I know: READ THE SCHEDULE BEFORE BIDDING). Well, I can take the money I save by not traveling and use it to…I don’t know…drink? Take a cab? Something awesome, anyway.

Pics from the ‘Nam are up. Here are a few, you know where to find the rest.






Well, I found out my interview in video conference, which is a shame. Someone told me it was better, because I didn’t have to shower or wear pants. It’s nice to know that my presence, charisma, and up-close-and-personal appearance can be valued less than a day in Singapore without showering (huh?!?) and dropping trou in a breakout room (ok fine, AGAIN). I guess that’s really all there is to say.

Some nice replies concerning helping out with interviews. I’ll share a few to round out the picture. Funnily, got an email from the person I had contacted (how he figured out who I was talking about I’ll never know) who said that it hadn’t crossed his mind either, which made me feel like less of a dolt. Anyway, here’s what you guys had to say:

“…Although XXX did not get the interview for the same company, XXX is the main industry he is focusing on and he is much more committed and motivated than me. Yet, he shared his perspective with me and listened to my selling points and made comments on them. I think this is real friendship from a real great person. As I said before, we have to be careful in making sure not to ask too much from our friends but I think people are very much happy and ready to help each other.”

The last line is very well taken, but it is difficult, sometimes, to figure out exactly where the boundary is.

“not helping is passable - though there are prob more than 1 spot for each office and by working together you both get one instead of both failing (negotiation n all that pie issue). but what really is bad are all those people who don't know what they want to do applying to every company under the sun and getting a stack of interviews. or people that just want "interview experience" but have no intention of accepting an offer. we all know that the interview selection process has a large random element (I used to interview people just cause they were cute) and these selfish wishy-washers are taking up interview spots (and perhaps job offers) from people that may desperately want to work for that company. this is really what's bad. we need a crackdown.”

Yes….maybe….I guess if I knew exactly what I wanted to do, I could agree more, but the point is a good one.

Finally, the best comment I’ve ever gotten:

“Amazing, your picture is so good that is worth printing and putting on your wheels….”

Thanks! Good night!