I recently received a spate of emails, the gist of which being “I don’t mind the less frequent blogs as long as they are as [insert compliment here] as the last one.” My response to this is, of course: are you sure you have the right email address?

Seriously, though, it’s nice to know there are still some good things to say, and that I still have something to contribute to all of you.

Right now, I’d like to take just a moment to acknowledge and thank all the people who have been putting in time and energy so far above the norm to make all of our lives richer and more entertaining. From the people organizing the graduation trip, to the Cabaret Committee and performers (you can’t understand how sick I am to have missed it), those making and sharing movies, or throwing amazing parties like Montmelian and Africa’s Rumble in the Jungle, to National Week (and Day!) teams, and yearbook ninjas, we are all so much richer for the time, effort, and talent that you (and the people like you I’m too tired/addled to remember) have shared with us. I will miss this spirit and energy greatly, but I hope it doesn’t go away, but merely spreads itself around the world touching many more people as it goes.

Now, I know that sounds pretty fluffy, and so, while all the above is entirely sincere and heartfelt, I want to get one rant off my chest which I’ve been meaning to unload since pre-Math week: What the fuck is the deal with the bathrooms’ abysmal odor? I can’t speak for the ladies’ rooms, but the men’s rooms, particularly those in the bar, south wing, and library, have completely surpassed even the norm for an urban bus station in terms of inexplicably foul odor. I just don’t get it….I really, honestly believe that the right student, on the wrong day, could be dissuaded from attending this school by that factor alone. I think they need to have a word with the Singapore sanitation staff to figure out a new strategy, because what we’ve got going on over here is just not cool.

Oh, and of course PLEASE WATCH, RATE, FAVORITE, SHARE, AND GENERALLY ENJOY "The Tent People of INSEAD" \

Recently, a couple of people have come to me with ideas for a blog entry (no doubt frustrated by my lackluster performance of late). Two good friends. And they were good suggestions. But they were rather personal. And I wanted to do them in a way that somehow transcends the personal aspect. And I think I’ve got it. And I’m probably wrong.

The gist is this: our relationships here are constantly evolving. While it seems like the year has flown by (and it has) by the same token it also feels like there’s a great distance between P1 and now. We feel like different people. And that continues every day.

Basically, every day here has the chance to forever alter our perceptions of INSEAD, and the way we remember this experience. And that has a lot to do with personal relationships. Your friends now are probably not the same friends you had in P1 (although some of them probably are). Your girlfriend or boyfriend or person you have a crush on is most likely different. And could change between now and graduation. In fact, it could continue to evolve even after the year’s over. And that has an extremely powerful effect of what you take away personally from INSEAD.

One of my best friends from college is someone who wasn’t even really much of a friend in college. We were friendly, but I don’t think either of us ever called each other socially once during four years of school. Out of a class of less than 600. Now we have traveled to 5 countries together. We have hung out countless times. We’ve written a book together.

I guess my point is twofold. One, think back to how you were when you got here, and how you are now. Some of the changes have happened either so rapidly, or so slowly, that you may not have noticed them. The other point is to keep everything in perspective. Just as right now many people are feeling stressed about jobs, or unsure about their future, or lonely, or unrequited. And think about how fast any of those things can change, and one day you can feel completely despondent and yearning, and the next day find your wish has been fulfilled. Things can begin as quickly as they can end, and vice versa. Feelings of loss can be eradicated as easily as those of joy.

Don’t let either the beginning or the endings distract you from the larger picture, or allow yourself to be fooled by circumstances.