The Blogger Plans His Pre-MBA Holiday in Amsterdam

A careful analysis of my Blog stats has led me to the conclusion that I need to spice things up to attract more readers. So like any clever marketer, I decided that this post will include mention of both sex and drugs– but all in good taste.

I have booked 4 nights at a hotel in Amsterdam at the end of August, to charge my batteries for the year ahead. The picture you see above, is NOT the hotel where I will be staying. But I swear that it’s a 100% real photo of another hotel in Amsterdam. I believe the contraption above the bed is called a ”Sling”, but I have no idea how it’s used. I presume it’s one of those ”If you have to ask, then…” type deals.  As a first-time visitor, my jaunt to Amsterdam will include requisite visits to the Red Light District and the (World Famous?) Coffee Houses, where marijuana is de-criminalized. But alas, no Sling for me.  In truth, I expect Amsterdam to be no less a tourist trap than other places I’ve visited: Mayan Temples in Mexico, Egyptian Pyramids in Giza, Disney World, or Las Vegas. In fairness though, compared to Las Vegas, Amsterdam wins hands down in the debauchery department. “Bling! Bling! They’ve Got Sling!” 

At a certain point all vacations cross the line into the realm of “I’ve seen enough[Churches, Mosques, Museums, Galleries, Casinos, etc.]” My time-tested remedy in such situations is to re-connect with nature… spend a day in a park, rent a boat and go sailing, or just sit in a coffee shop with a book (preferably not pre-MBA readings!).

One of my best vacation experiences occurred last September while visiting Istanbul. We escaped the stifling tourist rackets in the Taksim Square area and made our way across town to Levent, a delightful upper middle class business and residential area full of fantastic restaurants and cafes.  This excursion exposed me a modern side of Turkey that I might otherwise have missed. I hope that I will have a chance in Amsterdam to stray off the beaten-path.

The Blogger Ponders When (and How) to Leave His Job

I’ll let you in on a secret… I haven’t yet given notice to my employer that I will be leaving to attend INSEAD in fall. When I applied to INSEAD and needed Letters of Recommendation, I decided not to approach my direct supervisor, the company’s Chief Financial Officer. I wanted to keep my plans quiet so I carefully chose non-executive managers who do not directly supervise me. These mid-level managers provided excellent references, as evidenced by my being accepted.

I have several reasons for not sharing my plans. Under the terms of my employment agreement, I am only obligated to provide 30 days’ advance notice. I have rationalized to myself that if the company felt it needed more time to replace me, then it would have insisted on a longer notice period in my contract. After all, the company drafted the contract and had the upper hand in negotiating its terms. If the company was going to fire me, they wouldn’t provide me with more than 30 days’ notice, so why should I go out of my way to give them a longer notice period, when I quit?

The business culture in the Middle Eastern country where I work places a heavy emphasis on avoiding ‘being a sucker’, where ’sucker’ encompasses a wide range of behaviour that includes yielding anything without attaining a commensurate advantage. Using this rationale, I would be a ’sucker’ if I gave more than 30 days’ notice! My lack of sentimentalism is further influenced by my surreptitious knowledge that on at least 2 occasions I was placed on (and then removed from) the 86 List. As in all Start-Ups, staff turnover in my company is very high and targeted assassinations are a regular occurrence. I chalk up my survival skills in this environment to my careful political maneuvering and most importantly, the trust I built in key managers who were willing to stand up for me in the 11th hour. I imagine that such skills will serve me well in investment banking or consulting where “Up or Out” policies are de rigueur. (I don’t suppose I can boast about my acheivement in future job interviews–  managing to not be fired in a high pressure Start-Up is probably taboo ground, although it shouldn’t be!)

But I digress… my primary reason for not sharing my plans with my company is a fear of changing the work dynamic with my bosses . If they know that I’m leaving at the end of summer, I fear that they will stop assigning me new projects, and shut me out of the loop. Why bother taking me seriously if I ain’t sticking around? Obviously I could just opt to coast and letting my boss know that I have one foot out the door, could help reduce my current workload. On the other hand, the corollary of a light workload is exposing myself to the risk that they will ask me to leave early. If my company wanted to save on payroll, it would be easy to target the guy who is planning to leave in 3 months in any event.

And so for the moment I keep my plans on the down low. I won’t go out kicking and screaming, or perp-walk escorted out the building by hired security. I will simply unceremoniously follow the terms of my contract and without fanfare or sentimentality, give my 30 days’ heads-up.

The Blogger Goes Long on PetroChina (NYSE ADR:PTR) and Gains This Week

I’ve been long on PetroChina for a while now. It had a big run up in winter to $142.60, but has suffered from: 1) The drop in oil prices in Q1 2007; 2) The failed recent disinvestment campaign; and 3) Fears of an overheated Chinese stock market. This week the stock jumped as high as $129.11.  I’m kicking myself for not acquiring more at $112.14 last week! 

I should probably not be taking any risks with my savings given that I need to use the money for my year at INSEAD, but I can’t help but translating each incremental gain in my stock portfolio into INSEAD expenses. (eg. “Wow that $1 dollar share increase will cover a whole month’s rent in Fontainbleau OR a flight to Singapore for P3″).

The Blogger Tries and Fails (Twice) To Open a Bank Account in Fontainebleau, France

At the moment I am spinning in circles in a Hades-like Catch 22 known as the French banking system. In order to rent an apartment in France, my landlord-to-be has requested some bureaucratic certificate-thingy which banks bestow on those who open new accounts.  But in order to obtain this certificate-thingy, I need to open an account by sending  a request to the bank along with copies of my passport and (you guessed it) another certificate-thingy.  The (second) certificate-thingy is called an “Attestation” and is sold by INSEAD for 4,500 Euros!

In an effort to help new students, INSEAD provided a list of all the banks in Fontainebleau. Last week I sat on the sofa in my living room and read aloud the name of each bank on the list using my cheesiest over-the-top French accent, and I asked my partner to choose the coolest sounding name. We settled on BNP-Paribas, and so I drafted my best Google Translate-assisted French e-mail (see above picture) to one Mr. Chafik Hafsi, allegedly the new accounts contact person at BNP in Fontainebleau. The first e-mail bounced back because the BNP e-mail server did not trust the ISP of my company’s Middle Eastern mail server. I re-tried using my other e-mail account, but he never responded. When I called his phone number, he never answered.

Deciding it was time to teach him a lesson, I went to the second “coolest sounding” bank on the list: LCL- Le Credit Lyonnais. I managed to speak to the Credit Lyonnais bank clerk on the phone and I was convinced that I would have my account open within a day.  I had already constructed a fantasy scenario for myself… I would march into my local bank this weekend wearing a (genuine) Lacoste shirt and beret and holding a meter-long baguette and I would transfer my rent money to LCL in Fonty: “Madam, would you please effect a wire transfer to the Credit Lyonnais in Fontainebleau, France”.  But as fate would have it, the banks in Fontainebleau are closed every Monday, and the clerk in charge of opening accounts at the Credit Lyonnais has suddenly disappeared and gone on holiday until the weekend.

….  if only I could find that phone number to Chafik at BNP …