DomoDomo@INSEAD

We need a break!

Somebody sent this ultra-cool pic to Section 4 people.
It's also very relevant these days. I too fall asleep sometimes, albeit for brief moments and in a more discreet manner.

The reason is, final P1 exams start next week, and some projects were due this week. With or without projects, I sleep at around 2 every night, and I can't even finish all my homework. You see, with extra-curricular involvements, club activities, homework, (little) partying, the day becomes very short indeed.

So students are tired, exhausted, and they need to do crazy things. In this category, yesterday was the first DASH ever in Fontainebleau. The purpose of DASH, apart from ensuring some awareness of the School in Fonty, or adding some more fun to us, is that there is no definite purpose. The one and only purposeless thing that I will do during the whole year. DASH (in pictures hereunder) is a 5 minute-race from the Chateau to School wearing crazy costumes. Seeing the pics once again, I have realised the true purpose of DASH: to test us in a ridicule situation, in front of all the outside world!

P4s are starting to say goodbye, as some will go to Singapore for their P5. So this week also is about passing the torch in all various clubs. At the end of it, we'll be grading our current Professors. Discussing with mates, there seems to be quite a consensus on who was a God, who was awesome, and who was good. Here are the July 07 majority results, encapsulating two dimensions -Professor skills and Class value:
- God of the gods: Enrico Diecidue, UDJ
- Gods: Tim Van Zandt, Prices and Markets; Theo Vermeulen, Finance (both excellent)
- Quasi God: Michael Brimm, OB
- Biggest margin for improvement: Steven Monahan, Accounting (although he did improve a lot these latest classes)

Here's another example of people getting so overwhelmed that they need to relax doing stupid things. A log off is when somebody forgets to log off from the network, and someone else uses his/her email account to send crazy stuff...

"Subject: Finally, the truth

Dear all,
I have a confession for all of you. You the people of INSEAD are all my brothers and sisters, and I cannot hold this for long.
There is something strange going on with me. Something I do not understand. Something bizarre, yet pleasant.
I feel the feminine part of me arising.
Secretely at night I try my wife's lipstick and I think it makes me prettier. I do not know how to take it, yet it's a fact.

Thanks you for listening. Now I feel much better. I feel much relief. I feel like I just dropped a huge burden.
Kisses to all."

I think the contest is over. This logoff was terrible ;-)

Among other nice quotes of the past weeks:

"When you pay peanuts, you only get monkeys."
INSEAD alumn entrepreneur explaining his HR policy of paying above average.

"Good, but work hard."
Professor Enrico's understatement on a student's wrong answer.

"Do I miss someone out there?"
" Huh, he is sick."
"Sick of what?"
Professor Enrico checking attendence, replying to a student try to cover-up his mate.

"6"
Student caught dozing off, snap answering Professor Enrico on what Sygma was, as a Confidence Interval formula.

"It's not very intuitive to me."
Student's understatement on not understanding at all.

"The love is for the Shareholders."
Professor Vermeulen, emphasizing that shareholders value means creating entreprise value.
"The love for Shareholders has limits. First love yourself."
Same Professor, about remembering that MBAs will have to make sure first about their short-term future in their career.

"Everyone needs to scratch once in a while."
Professor Vermeulen, on mistaking a student scratching for a hand rise.

"Everything you read in the Financial Times is useless, because it's too late."
Prof. Vermeulen, on the use of information in Finance.
"If you all fish in the same pond, what do you get? A shoe, not a fish."
Prof. Vermeulen, on "Desperate PhD hypotheses, torturing the data until they speak" people who want to prove that the market always is efficient.

Labels: DASH, P1 Courses, Quotes, Social Life

posted by DomoDomo@INSEAD @ 6:03 PM