All it takes is one poop...

Some kid pooped in our pool on Saturday.

Apparently they left the poop there until Monday, but now it's gone, but the pool is still closed.

On a regular weekend day I bet we have over 100 people who swim in our pool. Probably about 50 on a week day. This means a lot of foregone swimming, since it's been closed for three and a half days straight! Come on people! Clean the water!!!

In other news I have had some very cleansing days this week. Monday I cleansed all the files on my computer and my INSEAD email. I felt like a new woman. I can now see my kitty on my desktop. I also tried to save my plants' lives. We'll see if it works. The plant people said they can make a house call if I'm not successful. Today I met a woman who brings neat products to Singapore - the products are made from trash. They're made from sachets and little containers of detergents and soaps. A community outside of Jakarta collects and cleans the trash, and then there are other communities in Indonesia who put the stuff together. They make wallets, bags, and similar products. They still smell like soap. Seriously cleansing. They're really fun and colorful. If you want me to buy you any of this, let me know! Super reasonable price, and really cute! (Photo is stuff with curious cats). I also got my shoes fixed for graduation. It's always a good thing to wear shoes to graduation.

Dress for graduation (tomorrow!) is "national dress." That's really cool for everyone...except boring Americans. I'm wearing a dress, because I cannot bring myself to wear a suit. I hate them.

Grad Trip to Bali

I just got back from four excellent days in Bali. The trip was so fun, with great people, and I'm super glad I went.

There were about 15 of us flying there and back together, and there were probably another 10 or so people who went to Bali on their own but were staying at the same hotel as us. It was a great group size.

Four of us went diving on Friday - two dives at Tulamben. Definitely nothing amazing, but beautiful diving. It was my first diving since March, in the Philippines, so I was reminded about how much I love it. Friday night Josh's kids showed me and Ben around a food court. Josh moved his family to Bali for the year, from KL, while he did the INSEAD program. His kids are 9, 11, and 13, and they're so cool. I was really impressed with them telling us how it goes. We then went to a beautiful bar, Ku De Ta, right on the beach. It was really nice. Saturday we thought we were going to climb a volcano, but instead we looked at it. It was beautiful, though, and we got dropped off in Ubud with enough time to go for a long walk through rice fields and villages. We then had good drinks and okay food and relaxed for hours at a restaurant in Ubud. Highlights of that night and the night before include a probability dice game that Christophe taught us. It was outstanding. Sunday a few of us walked up the beach from south of Kuta to Legian, and we shopped and taxied our way back. Was really nice.

You can click here to see pictures from the trip and my last day at INSEAD.

Today is the day for cleaning my apartment, cleaning my computer, figuring out how to not kill our plants (I'm heading over to talk to Mrs. Yeo in a few minutes), and possibly say goodbye to our friend, Susan, and her kids who are heading back to the US tomorrow.

Last Class

Last night was my last class at INSEAD. Corporate Turnarounds, until 7pm.

For college, grad school (the first time), Otzma, Pardes...pretty much all of the programs I have done, I have been ready for them to end. I was very attuned to where I was in the process, and when it was over, I was ready to move onto something new. I definitely don't feel that way with INSEAD. I feel like I spent the majority of the last ten months just trying to understand what is going on, and so much of it just passed me by. I have loved nearly all of my classes this year, and I have learned so much, and I wish I could learn more. I don't feel sick of doing work, and I could sit in classes for months more (though another exam wouldn't sit well with me). I just started getting comfortable socially (took me long enough, I guess...), and now it's all over.

There is a lot to say to reflect on this whole experience, which I will do, but for this posting, I will use the excuse that I am still in INSEAD shock - don't really understand what to do with my time now that I have some, and I really, honestly, do not understand that it's over. No more leaving at 6:45 am to beat the heat and make sure to make my 8:30 class, skinny latte first thing, reading the FT in the bar, in and out of class all day, lunch next door or across the street (I was on strike from the INSEAD cafeteria for most of this period), sitting in some break out room working on something, figuring out what I had to read for my next class, wrapping my brain around a case, or just generally talking to lots of superb people.

In other news, I will share something important that I learned. Apparently in the back of US passports there are four pages that look exactly like all the rest of the pages, but they don't say the word "visa." I did not notice this difference. I spoke to my friend, Tamara yesterday, who is heading to India next week, and when she went to get her visas for India, she was told that she didn't have enough pages in her passport. I happened to talk to her yesterday morning at about 11:20. I looked at my passport, which I will need a visa in on my arrival in Bali tomorrow, and I didn't have any pages left. I DASHED to the US embassy, made it there a few minutes late (luckily they made an exception for me - which is SUPER not common in this country), and I picked up my passport this afternoon with extra pages. CHECK YOUR PASSPORT!!

Thai Chilies

Last night I made a Thai cabbage salad. It had little red Thai chilies in it. Usually I make sure not to touch the peppers or their seeds, but I had to finish cooking before D&R came over. In my rush, I totally touched the peppers, I manually pulled out the seeds, and I cut them into little bits for the salad. I forgot.

Then, while eating, I licked my finger, and my tongue got a SHOT of spice.

Then, the backs of my fingers (near my nails) starting hurting, like as if they were burned!

Then, I accidentally touched my cheek, below my eye. That hurt too.

I worried all night about removing my contacts, but I did it quickly and made sure not to touch my eyes - just my contacts. It was scary. Those things are dangerous. Might be a good thing to carry for self defense.

101st Day

I just finished a class called Your First 100 Days.

Basically four of us make a management team, and we buy a business. I cannot tell anything about the course, but I will say that it is the most creative course I have ever taken.

It's an intense experience of what it's like for the first 100 days of running a business.

In all, it was really fun, I loved my team of Marc, Maxim, and Ilya, and I think that the business still exists. That's a good thing.

I'm sworn to secrecy about everything else, so I can't give details.

P1 vs P5 Grading

I realized last night that grading (for me) is totally different at the beginning of INSEAD as it is at the end.

I remember I had a class in P1, and we took the final exam without getting anything back for the rest of the period - we had turned in a paper, and he didn't have a chance to grade it before we took the exam. I was really upset. I thought it was totally unfair to take an exam after not knowing where we stood.

This period I have three classes in particular where I have turned in multiple assignments (4 in one, 7 in another, and 4 in the third), and we have not gotten them back. And I really don't care what grades they have on them. I'm not even sure they're getting graded. And I REALLY don't care. It's so un-Melanie.

I have mentioned this before, but at INSEAD we have non-grade disclosure. We can't tell potential employers what grades we have, and they can't ask. If you're in the top 10%, you're on the dean's list, and if you're not, you might as well be at the bottom.

I didn't internalize that grades don't matter until recently, so I have a high GPA, but it's not high enough to make the dean's list. Basically it was just a waste of work and time. I can literally fail four of my five current classes and still graduate (they drop your lowest elective grade, and I'm taking a bunch too many credits). That's just a weird feeling.

Now if I could just finish up the LAST bits of grad school (for the last time, I hope):

• A global strategy project on the global expansion of a local waxing (like bikini waxing) compay
• A pricing strategy project in the pricing of beer in Singapore
• Your First 100 Days, which requires its own blog posting soon
• Two papers and a presentation for a communication and leadership class that just started
• One more paper for my corporate turnaround class (I don't know what it's on yet)

It's pretty cool stuff, and I honestly enjoy doing almost all of it. I'm such a dork.

Russian Chamber Orchestra

I went with Karthik to see the Russian Chamber Orchestra tonight. It was really really nice. Music, particularly when you can see them playing the instruments (not just sit in the cheap seats as I usually do) is good for my soul.

We sat in the second row, right next to the first cellist. He was unbelievable. I think I heard a harpsichord for the first time. Pretty instrument.

The director, Yuri Bashmet, is also a violist - maybe the best in the world? He was damn good. Turns out that his viola was made in 1758. He was able to conduct with his eyes when he played too. Pretty cool.

They played two songs that stood out. They played Kol Nidre, by some guy named Bruch. It was so weird to sit in Esplanade, in Singapore, and listen to Kol Nidre, played by a bunch of Russians. Totally random.

They also played a fun polka at the end. I really enjoyed the performance.

In other news Talia, Matt's last cousin is getting bat mitzva'ed RIGHT NOW! Mazal tov, Talia! Wish I could be there!!

B School Lingo

There is a totally different language spoken in the business world. I think. At least there is a totally different language spoken at B School. I think. At least there is a totally different language spoken at INSEAD.

When I came to INSEAD, I had never heard:
FMCG
M&A
P&L
BoP
ROI
JV
VC
PE

I had to ask someone about each of them. I specifically remember asking about M&A and FMCG, because it really seemed like EVERYONE knew them!

Now they're my everyday reality.

• FMCG: Fast moving consumer goods (foods, clothes, books, etc.)
• M&A: Mergers at acquisitions
• P&L: Profit and loss. Apparently if you're in charge of a P&L in your job out of b school, that's a good thing.
• BoP: Balance of Payments. Still don't really understand this one. Sorry Mihov.
• ROI: Return on investment. If you make this investment, how much more money can you make? If you make a lot more than the investment cost, that's good.
• JV: Joint venture. Sometimes it's hard to enter a new country or a new market, so you can enter with a JV, and you will then have a partner that has capabilities you don't have. They might have local knowledge, property, connections...anything really.
• VC: Venture capital. Private investors put money into a new idea or new company. They then get returns if the company or idea makes money.
  
• PE: Private equity. Private investors put money into a company. Usually this is to make changes in that company (this is NOT my expertise).
  

Becoming Memories

Next week is my last full week of classes. I then have two days of class the week of the 22nd, and I graduate the 1st of July. INSEAD is quickly becoming a closed experience.

I am currently sitting in a closed break out room, which is what we call a room that has a door, about five or six chairs, a table, an easel, a white board, and a computer. This is the room in which I studied for almost all of my exams for P1, P2, and P3. Now I'm working on a final global strategy project (which I will definitely post parts of when I'm done, because it's awesome).

In this room I super stressed about so many subjects. Most memorable is managerial accounting. My stomach was extremely upset during all exam times, so this room is purposely close to the bathroom. From this room I watched the building next door get finished and moved into. I sat here with Adile, Bala, and I spent many hours in here by myself.

Pretty crazy to think that there will be no more of those/these days. I am not looking forward to being done. At all.

My Bikram Experience

This morning I tried out Bikram Yoga. On second thought, maybe it wasn't the best day or week to do it, but it was quite an experience.

Usually when I work out, my heart rate is up, I'm tired, my muscles hurt - something like this.

This yoga was not like that, but it was really hard. Most of the positions (though I'm not doing them right at all, but still) were doable. About one half was lying on the floor. Put those two things together, and it shouldn't be so hard. But...my heart rate was actually up for a lot of the class, I thought I was going to pass out a bunch of times at the beginning (the standing up part), and for the rest of the day my body felt a little exhausted (it also could have been the three hours of sleep or the class all day effect...).

The challenge was more about staying in the room in the heat than anything else. It was a really hard mental challenge, because the door was so close, and I knew it would be so nice if I went outside, and I wouldn't feel dizzy or icky anymore. But...I stayed (Anna said at the beginning of the class that just staying in there is hard, and I didn't understand, but then I sort of saw it as a challenge). It was quite an accomplishment when I was done.

Anna and Koen are doing this for 30 days in a row. Today was 21. That's nuts.

I would like to join and do it more often, I think, but it's REALLY expensive. I think I need to negotiate the non-profit salary discount (with my new negotiation skills from b school!).

Crossing the Line

One thing that has gotten on my nerves since I moved to Singapore is how people get on and off the trains. They PUSH their way to be first, and then they proceed to stand (not walk) on the escalator. They're clearly not in a hurry. They just want to be first. When trying to get out of the train, you have to literally plow over people who stand right in front of the doors when they open. I have taken to just putting my arms up, over my chest, and walking. Sometimes I sort of walk into people, but I decided that I don't care too much. Get out of the way, right!?!

Well, apparently I'm not the only one who thinks this is just annoying. The MRT has a new campaign to get people to stand to the side when people are getting off the train. There are a few parts to this campaign. One is these two famous Singaporean actors who have their pictures up on the glass of the MRT doors, and they have bubbles that say "Let me come out first" and stuff like that. I did notice that their bubbles were first filled with Singlish that made no sense to me, but after editorials on the issue in the (government run) newspaper, the (government owned) transport system has changed it to proper English. In addition to those guys, they also replaced the yellow lines that tell you where you can stand while waiting for a train with green and red lines. They are more noticeable, and it is clear that you cannot stand in the red zone. Finally, they have these ladies at the MRT stops watching to make sure all is according to plan.

Two weeks ago, before the campaign, I put my bag down while waiting for the train on the MRT platform (it's not like NYC - we can put our bags down. It's clean!). Apparently my bag was sitting on the yellow line that you can't step over to be too close to the edge of the platform. A woman came over to me and asked me to move my bag (an inch). I sort of giggled in her face. Didn't mean to, but come on!

Today, there were three minutes until the train was coming (there is a screen that tells you). I put my bag down to get out some readings, but I was stepping on the line behind which you should stand when people come off the train. The nice woman came over to me and asked me to move. I did. (I sort of giggled again). Then a woman came and stood in front of me, and she was standing on the line. The MRT nice woman came over and asked her to move. She was very sorry and jumped back as if she had done the worst thing in the world. It was such a strange reaction to me, as I think the rule is ridiculous, and she obviously didn't even think about that - just that she was breaking it.

This country loves rules. And apparently it helps employment, as they can have nice elderly ladies employed to uphold them.

The Coaster

One might think that I'm talking about someone who does no work in B School and just coasts by. I'm not. I'm talking about a coaster. Like a drink coaster.

These two kitties who are staying with us are funny. They got a coaster from our table. A blue IKEA coaster, and they became obsessed with it. Both of the kitties agree that it's the most important think in the world. I saw that they were both entranced with the coaster on one of their beds when I went in before. I got scared that they would eat and in do weird things (there has been a lot of poop on the floor lately...), so I reached in to take it out of their room, and they started screaming. The watched angrily and meowed as I took it off their bed. I thought maybe I was reading them wrong, so I put it back just to check, and they immediately started playing with it again, and when I tried to remove it again I had the same reaction. Weird. So I put it on the top of the bench in our "dining room."

I got home tonight and opened their bedroom door to let them out, and they bolted straight for the coaster. Seiku picked it up in his mouth and took it into their bedroom. When I went to see what he did with it, Cyrus was playing with it on the floor. I decided to just leave it...until one minute ago when I went to see what they're doing with it to update this posting, and it was in their food dish. While I was in there photographing the coaster in the food dish, I heard balancing on the chair at the dining room table. When I came out, I saw that Cyrus was gaining a new supply of toys by grabbing a new coaster off the dining room table! I put it back, pushed him off, but I couldn't get him away. Check out the video of him trying to get more coasters. They love coasters!

But...when I went back to check their room, I saw another poop on the floor - same spot - in the corner of the room. Any ideas of why the cat might not poop in his litter box? I do NOT like cleaning it up from the floor on a daily basis. Grody. That's why there are toilets, duh.

Longest Abode

I have lived in Singapore for almost two years. The 9th is my second anniversary.

This is the longest I have lived in one city since I was 18. That's just nuts.
1996 - 1998, 22 months in Ann Arbor
1998 - 1999, 10 months Israel
1999 - 2000, 10 months Ann Arbor
2000 - 2001, 10 months Israel
2001 - 2003, 22 months Ann Arbor
2003 - 2004, 23 months Washington, DC
2004 - 2005, 10 months Israel
2005 - 2007, 22 months New York
2007 - 2009, 24 months SINGAPORE!!!!

Who would have thunk it would be in a totally random place like Singapore? Singapore's not even random anymore! Apparently it's my home.