Catching up on blogging!

In this period, I’ve started studying Spanish. It’s quite painless. I was put in the “Indian” class, and being French (and having studied Spanish before) gives me an edge.

Philipp, my roommate, was Beijing during the break, and brought back a very nice set of Callaway X18 for me. It’s complete, with the Big Bertha, 3 and 5 wood, 3 iron to sand wedge, a Callaway putter and a White Hot 2-ball putter. It also came with the Callaway Leather tour bag, and a travel bag on wheels. It even came with a Callaway hat! Total price: U$150!!!! That’s less than just the bag in North America!! They are either excellent imitations, or product overruns that the manufacturer sells in “alternate” outlets…

Last Friday, I played golf in the afternoon with five other INSEAD participants. I shot a decent 50 on the challenging 9-hole course about 5 minutes away from where I live. We then had a few drinks at the clubhouse, and discovered that there is a squash court on site. Saturday, I studied a lot, went rollerblading, and have a fun BBQ at Dover. On Sunday, I studied some more and played squash with Tapan. He completely demolished me, as he’s an excellent player. Great workout, however!

On Monday, I wrote the Macroeconomics exemption exam. I’m guessing I will receive the results this week. It will be very tight. I will either just pass it or just fail it. If I pass, I will be exempted from the course, and will be able to choose an extra elective. On Wednesday night, I played soccer with INSEAD participants. There is a lot of talent here! I don’t have spiked shoes, so it’s not helping me whatsoever. I have a good time and it’s good exercise, so I enjoyed it very much.

Thursday, there was a small career fair at school. I spoke to a few employers, and walked away feeling quite good about my profile. Friday morning, I participated in an alumni-targeted conference on finding the right salesperson. It was very interesting, and a good networking opportunity. Friday afternoon, I played golf again with Glyn from Ireland and Randy from the US. We had a good time, but I played terribly. Friday night, 9 of us went out for dinner at the Japanese BBQ in Holland Village. We then went to Suntec City for some drinks, and tried out the world’s strongest drink: 190 proof/95%. It was disgusting. When the lights came on, we jumped in another cab to go to Chyme’s Insomnia. There was a live band and it was a very good time. I headed home quite late.

Saturday, I studied a lot in the morning and rollerbladed to Holland Village for lunch. I tried out the famous Courvoisier Cognac XO Crab soup. It was pretty good, but not sensational. In the afternoon, I went to school to help out at the “Open Day” for students coming in January. I answered many questions about the program and life at INSEAD. Saturday night, I went to Glyn’s for a small BBQ of about 20 people. We then went to Clarke Quay to watch the England-Australia rugby game, and I learned a lot about rugby, knackers and hooligans. It’s shameful to report that I had a McChicken in the Mercedes taxi on the way back with Chad and Marcella, good friends from Montreal.

Yesterday, I studied during the day and had dinner at Holland Village with my rollerblades. I had some very decent Mexican food. After, I caught up with some friends at KM8, listed as one of the world’s best bars. It’s on Sentosa Island, right on the beach front, and has an “Ibiza” feel to it. There’s a pool, it’s right on the beach, and they play chilled-out music. We ordered some Sarong Fly drinks. They come in a vodka bottle with a nozzle on top. It’s a mix of lemon juice, gin and vodka. It tastes like lemonade and is very refreshing. KM8 is a very cool place! Genta, Tapan and I returned to my place to watch some videos, and Leo came by a bit later. He had spent the weekend diving in Dayang.