Wow!

"Shallow men believe in luck,
Strong men believe in cause and effect"
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

We're going to London!!

What a dude! First job on campus and he's made it! And its a great job! Something he has been aspiring to since coming here.

For the past few days, it was a little stretched at home. The calls have come from all the consultancies and of course, he was thrilled about it. And me, playing the devils advocate had to keep reminding him that these are just interview calls and there's a long road ahead......and he made it!!! In fact, Booz, BCG, he's not even going for the interviews. And I'm with him in the decision - seeing the way Booz is handling the process, there's no way you want to be part of the organization. How are they in the top five??

Anyway, the ball is now in my court. He's got me to a country without work permit problems. Now I need to start searching for a job.

Am so excited...new house, new life, great city...I was so thrilled the first time we went to London - it felt like Bombay to me - I just hope I get a job soon too. Must have my CV ready by the end of the week. MUST

Its not even mid-week

I seem to have attempted a little too much heavy reading for my two papers over the last week - am totally read out. After french class, when I entered the library, I just couldn't stand the sight of it and fled back home. But, then I cant possibly keep away from books. Picked up something trivial just to relax but the book's turned out to be a little too fluffy even for my present frame of mind. It talks about the hollowness of life in New York. Frankly, I totally get it. And why? The two most artificial girls here are New Yorkers. The toothy smile and greeting which disappears before you have even finished crossing them. The 'hello darling!', the smacks in the air. Initially, I thought, there was something I was messing up on but with time has come the realisation - its them. Dont bother wasting any time with that level of...je n'ai pas un autre mot...artificiality.

Tweedledum has a series of interviews lined up over this week but frankly speaking, I don't think he has his heart there. You don't come out of an interview thinking this is not what I want to do with my life.

And 'Intermittent activator' has gotten back with a one-liner mail which basically renders the first paper redundant. I had my doubts on the subject too but since he was being supportive about it, I figured, maybe he knows something I dont. Well, it appears, he doesnt.

My poor baby

I know this is what he wanted but......

How many cases does one need to do? Is it actually a useful exercise? Why acidity? Why a headache since yesterday? And the worst - why an interview at 8 in the morning? With the equinox come and gone, day and night times are changing. When we wake up in the morning, it feels like 5 in the morning. And from now on, the days will only get smaller.....

I HAVE to go to the bank today!!

I have been planning this since last Monday. I left it then thinking I have a french class on Tuesday - might as well stop at the bank after class. Tuesday, it rained - so I thought, well, since I have to come to campus on Wednesday, I might as well do it before class. Lazy bum, me, of course, I didnt. Thursday, I forgot to get all the account numbers. Which is why I titled the blog in the morning. However, I am happy to report, I have completed my rent transfer, deposit of cheque and all the other pending tasks.

Did I mention Tweddledum is through BNP - we will stay on in Paris!!!!! I wish I could start searching for jobs and house. But, I think, I need to be patient just a little bit longer.

Also, had my first English class today. The students are a French girl and a Japanese girl . NOW it has gotten tough. With the french girl, I could ask her to speak in french when I didnt understand what she was trying to say. But with the Japanese....I have to keep asking if she is understanding. I think her status is like my french, when you know the grammar, but dont get it when people speak to you. She reads well and at a normal speed but when I speak to her, she needs me to enunciate each word seperately. Its good for me too - I will learn to speak slowly.

From next week onwards, I will take one hour of english after which the french girl will take one hour of french conversation class. Excellent!!

Mami's trip

It was an absolute pleasure to have mama-mami over this weekend. They reached on Saturday. Tweedledum and I had gone to pick them up from Orly airport and as usual, in our regular fashion, we got lost. The best, or the worst part, was that we got lost for 5 minutes on the way to the airport thanks to which mama-mami had to wait outside. But on the way back we got lost for a good half an hour, so they had to believe that we did leave on time to pick them up. Tweedledum was dropped off at school and we headed off to our forest home where we started off with the first bottle of wine. Mama's display of strength - after a couple of twists, the screw was in the cork and the handle in his hand! But, no worry...mami displayed why some marriages are perfect marriages. After scraping off the top of the cork with a knife, the rest was pushed into the bottle. The wine was then sieved through the paper kitchen towel (believe me!!!!) into three glasses. We had to finish it in one shot since the cork was inside (the excuses we search for!!). The plan was to go for a walk in the forest but some debate about politics/ social/ something of the kind started off and the next thing we knew, Tweedledum was calling for dinner.

When family visits, the safest place, is 'La Poterne' in Moret. The village is so picturesque and the food is good. Two bottles of wine was smoothly wiped off but what impressed me most was that after the crepe both mama and Tweedledum could order another round of pasta - amazing - and this was without the walk in the forest. We got back and they had another round of scotch which mama dug out of his bag (he really is something!!)

The next day was mami and my trip to Paris. Mama went off in a cab from Gare de Lyon and we headed off to the Louvre. I will describe the Louvre in a blog next week - it deserves a seperate mention. The evening was Onion soup at the Montmartre, which mami didnt seem to relish so much because of the cheese. What could I do, cant waste food, I wiped it off ;-) The day ended with a mad dash at the station. We were coolly headed for the 9:20 train as I had thought we would certainly miss the 8:27. But as luck would have it, when we got down from the M14, it was 8-22. One look at the watch and we were transformed into Olympic sprinters. Our lucky day - we made it!!

And now for yesterday. It was a beautiful day. Didnt start off too well because around 10ish when we decided to head for a walk in the forest, it started to rain. As a compromise, we thought lets drive around to the neighbouring villages. First stop, Barbizon and the village museum. They had an exposition of the Hungarian painter - Nicolai Gringescu. Lovely images and great paintings of people. The museum was an auberge where quite a few of the poor painters use to stay and now it has been converted into a museum - it does retain a bit of the air. Next stop, the chateau at Courances, after an unending drive through the forest on roads like back home. At one point, we just parked and went off for a walk in the woods. It was beautiful. Every 5 minutes we thought we were lost but just kept going along to see where we would reach. Unknowlingly, we were on the right road but on the wrong day. The chateau was closed. Arbonne, Acheres, Milly - we drove through them all. But the unchallenged hero of the day was this hill in the Foret de Trois Pignons. Am amazed with mami's stamina. She actually climbed it with me. Since we didnt know the route, it was a bit scary and we didnt want to venture too far. This is a pic from as far as we got. I certainly want to go there again.

I think the beauty of this trip was that for the first time I saw both of them away from family - grandparents, parents - it will be a really treasured memory.....

My first painting class

We bought the crayons on the trip to Giverny, which was a good 4 months ago but after all the thinking and planning, we finally ventured out for our first painting session today. The first outing was to the chateau gardens. We found a bench facing the lake and a good view of the trees. Like maestros, we searched for the perfect view of buildings, trees, lake, swans to start our oeuvre. Well, we started and then 5 minutes into the activity, Samurai and I both decided that brushes were a must. So off we trooped to Monoprix for a shopping session. Bought the brushes and cups to hold water, came back to the bench and realised, now we don't have water. So then we went in search of water. Fortunately, we were lucky enough to get access to the loos in the chateau and finally after all this hard work, we sat down and started work diligently. Imagine, we must have been so engrossed in our work that we didnt even realise it was raining all around us till it started wetting the paper we were painting on. Had to stop. We headed to Samurai's house where after multiple glasses of water, we restarted our efforts on our respective masterpieces. Before there are any high expectations, Tweedledum's reaction when he saw the beauty was - 'The last time you must have painted something similar must have been in the first standard' and honestly speaking, I cant blame him for the reaction:-)

Lunch was an extremely good salad. The best part was foie gras on Poilane bread.

Genius moments

Progressive rock describing chilli shrimps he had in Singapore: 'They are so exotic you will go into orbit at escape velocity.'

And this was Rinks the other day on a completely different subject. Very emotionally describing us mature adults- 'We want money and job and location and designation and all they want (her son) is us around and their world lights up.' So true - one just has to see his smile when she is around.

Music day

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vs8JzhpkGUY - What the world needs now

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYWpjL6AqwE - Aint no mountain high enough

Couldnt find a good one of Andrea Bocelli with Con Te Partiro

Whats up with life thesse days

Its a Monday, I've just finished yesterday's pasta, vindaloo and peas, sitting and watching Charlie's Angels in french, Tweedledum has gone for a company dinner.......The recruitment season has struck Insead. It feels like only yesterday that I was seeing the previous batch preparing for their interviews, all dressed in suits, tension writ on their faces and now its our turn. 'Are the I-Banks coming?', 'Who are you practising case studies with', 'All dressed, interview?'. After having left well paying jobs and comfortable lives, we've all come in search of a dream and now the next couple of months will decide how the next decade will pan out.

The weekend was good. First and foremost, I am sort of closer to deciding the subject for my paper on microfinance. Downloaded a couple of articles but there is a whole lot of further reading to be done. Analysing the balance sheets in FSA is also very interesting but the only problem there, is that I find Tweedledum's class really boring. Their questions are so maddeningly obvious, sometimes I wonder how the professor tolerates it.

And then we had his friends from Paris visiting. Extremely friendly guys. I had initially had reservations that they would be slightly stuck up but to the contrary Sunday just buzzed past. Though now I have to give Tweedledum even more respect for having managed his summers in Paris 'without speaking french'. Even when we stop for a cup of coffee, after some time, the jokes are in french. They don't do it purposelly, they just tend to lapse into it. And its difficult to understand this version of french because it is with slangs. No french class is going to teach you to talk like that.

My french classes start once again from tomorrow. At the end of the day, its the only place I seem to speak french.

Busy weekend for the grey cells

I'm really screwing up my system - there is no control over how much I eat and how much I exercise. To take the latter first, I have found a soft copy of the XBX exercise system, which I have started plus there is yoga plus there is the walk in the forest. I keep discovering beautiful, new routes and now I want to include all of them in my everyday routine. I do keep coming across some tracks where I am a little scared to venture alone but I'll get some company to go with me. A couple of days back I tried to find the forest track behind the house. Went out quite bravely and then actually saw a snake across the path!!! Is it even possible to imagine how petrified I was! But then fortunately, yesterday, as part of my discover new routes program, I have found the track from the forest which leads back home. So, now I have my 5km stretch. Its just that I dont want to stick to one route but keep discovering new ones.

And then on the eating front, look at today. Forgot to have breakfast and lunch. Was to have headed back home by 4-30 but finally got back at 9. Meeting Ocean Waves and then had to pick up shy person from the hospital - I realised I was hungry only when I got home. And, of course, since then I have been eating non-stop, a chapatti, grilled chicken, bananas, oranges, yoghurt and no idea how many slices of cake and biscuits. Have made up for the whole day in one meal. It was the same yesterday. For breakfast and lunch combined, I had two bananas and two oranges. Very healthy but then when I reached the tea party that the P1s had thrown, I have no count of the number of cake pieces, cookies and tarts I ended up having (the portuguese cookies were unbelievably delicious). Once again got home at 9. Tomorrow should be a nice peaceful day at home - finish with clothes, vacuuming home, sleeping, baking...the works. I want Tweedledum to have clean, well ironed shirts for the coming week. The poor darling is working so hard. Wish I could help him in some way.

Also, though I dont have to, I would like to do a project for the elective that I am auditing. This means I have lots of reading to do over the weekend. There is a financial assignment and Ihave to start reading about capital markets and microfinance funds once again.

I haven't used the camera in a long time - it needs to come out once again. I think I'll take it for my walk tomorrow.

Education

Just realised the effect of technology changes on one of the lines of work least thought of - teaching. When I was in school, the teacher droned on in a monotonous sort of a way and we kept writing down whatever he or she said, that is whenever we were awake enough to listen. Half the time you even missed something important being said because you were busy coping the notes from the blackboard.

Now welcome to the new age. For starters, they give powerpoint presentations, which in itself helps to better explain and simplify whatever you have read in the book, concisely. If that is not sufficient, when you don't understand something, they dont write on the board. They use projectors and write on transparencies, which are then photocopied and circulated to the class. Least I forget, the copies of the presentation are, of course, distributed to the class right at the beginning.

Even in the teaching methodology, providing examples for each point being made help so much in having it stick in the head.

After having audited a couple of the classes, sometimes I feel like I would love to do another MBA. But then, I know that, at this point in time, while I want a career, I will still follow Tweedledum to the end of the world at the cost of the negative impact on my career. Then, why put in so much of a struggle once again. The point is, I'll keep moaning and whining but still I really want to be with him rather than earning a fabulous figure and dreaming myself to sleep on how I'll spend it with him come vacations, and when we do get the time to spend it, he'll be wishing he was with someone else....

Food controller needed

I know I have only four months left in France, but I wish someone could convince me that the French are not cooking all the pain au raisins in this country for me. How I love the taste...just cant seem to get enough of it. I thought if I have them for breakfast, lunch and dinner, I'll get sick of the taste. Tried. Failed. I still love them and now I have an additonal 2 kilos of body weight craving for more.

Im so tired, my mind is on the brink

I am putting on oodles and oodles of weight as a result of which the body has started needing more sleep, which of course I am not getting. It was a nice day - met interesting people, had interesting conversations, and of course good food. We started the day with the Fonty walk for the new girls. With about eight baby prams, you can imagine the progress was pathetically slow. Also, everyone had a different agenda. So, when we reached the open market, I just let them go off on their own and explore while Columbus and I went off to eat Choucettes. When they got back we still had time on our hands and decided to go to the park. The fun part was that instead of the park we turned into the gardens, which even I saw for the first time. This place is never endingly beautiful . The new girls practically finished off entire rolls clicking pictures. After dropping them at Pizza Pazza, we went off for crepes. Opting out of cheese and into only sugear, I went straight to the desert and had a Crepe Pina Colada.....ahhhhh!!! Believe it or not, the conversation went on and on and on and we were actually sitting there till 4. Got back in time for auditing one of the sessions, which by the way, is extremely useful.

After a lot of hitches and even driving back to Bourron, we found ourselves once again in fonty to celebrate shy person's birthday. So dinner was also interesting - salad, but with loads of mayonnaise and chicken. And this ended with Creme Caramel....I have decided not to think about what I am eating this year, or whatever's remaining of the year. I can always join a gym but this food I will never get again.....