Generally speaking, I believe that anonymity on the web is abused. That’s why everybody knows who this blogger is. The anonymity provides a “passive-agressive” outlet, for people who rant about issues they would never dare to confront in real life. I prefer electronic communication amongst actual people.

Yet, sometimes you get brilliant stuff that raises from this anonymity. Below, copied from Howard Lindzon this exchange in Craigslist has been flying around the city and the street, because everybody finds it brutally honest and funny as hell. Basically, an allegedly beautiful woman asks advice on how to marry any high earner in NY, and she gets quite a candid response! I reproduce it below (the pictures were not on Craiglist, I put them myself) in its entirety, because I find it funny, true, and a little bit sad too.

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David Brooks (right) became one of my favorite writers after insightfully describing my personal aspirations and values in “BoBos in Paradise.” That book made me feel I belonged somewhere. At the time, 2000, I was living in Barcelona and had very very few BoBos in my network circle. Now, 2007, the percentage has multiplied, thankfully!

On his new article, he talks about “The Odyssey Years”. The theme is similar to another classical, “The Quarter Life Crisis”, with some extra insights. Highly recommended.

If you are an applicant, prospective or student, you are probably in the middle of your own Odyssey. And you are not the only one!

The Odyssey Years - New York Times
During this decade, 20-somethings go to school and take breaks from school. They live with friends and they live at home. They fall in and out of love. They try one career and then try another.

[…]

In 1960, roughly 70 percent of 30-year-olds had achieved these things [moving away from home, becoming financially independent, getting married and starting a family]. By 2000, fewer than 40 percent of 30-year-olds had done the same

The point is beautifully made, it’s all about the colour! (Ok, I am copying Fran in putting ads on my blog)

And I love the bunnies!

9-12: Analytical Marketing

14-17: Negotiations and Bargaining

18-21: Financial Statements Analysis

(and tomorrow 9-12:Finance 2)

This quarter, my Wednesdays are quite intense, with 9h of solid classes. Great learning, but it’s tricky to keep my attention on for so long.

Still, I chose it this way, and it’s great to have such fantastic classes.

If you are considering the school and want access to some fresh insight, why not try the London Business School Radio? You will hear about some of the clubs initiatives, music mixed by LBS’ resident DJ and a very funny talk show.

The intended audience are the students, so many of the references might be difficult to follow if not at school… but, still, very funny…

So on top of all the blogs, you have also the radio to follow up what is actually going in school.

I find it quite interesting how traceable and transparent is the LBS MBA from online sources. It’s interesting, isn’t it?

Actually, I have a question for my readers: Is there as much “non-brochure” life information available form other schools?

I have become a huge fan of this software: Writeroom. What does it do? Basically, it allows you to write without any distraction. When you open the software, it’s only about writing.

All other distractions disappear: background, icons, notifications, other windows, bouncing icons, etc…

It’s the author and the text! One on one typing action!

In a way, it’s like returning to WordPerfect for MS-Dos. And it’s fantastic. In an era where thousand stimuli encourage attention deficits of all sorts, this program is a godsend for good focused writing.

So if you are struggling to get the words right with that report, project or application, just go to your room!

Oh! And there is a  Windows clone too, called DarkRoom.

PS: Metaphysical bonus: It always amazes me when the top technology goes back to imitate the old. In this case, my powerful laptop with 1Gb of memory and all the bells and whistles gets software to replicate a text editor that would run in a 1985 PC.

It reminds me the first time I saw a “real sound” mobile telephone, circa 2001. You know, instead of sounding like a synthesized tune, they can reproduce WAV and MP3 sounds, like voice or noises, as ringtone. I found it fascinating, not because of the technology by itself, but because its proud owner had selected a ringtone that copied the bells in the very first telephones of a century early! What a fascinating technological oxymoron!

ROTTEN TOMATOES: 10 Reasons Why We McLove Superbad
1. We’ve all been there…high school.

Anyone who doesn’t remember high school as an awkward vortex of hormonal angst is perhaps a bit too well-adjusted for Superbad (directed by Greg Mottola, produced by Judd Apatow and Shauna Robertson), but the rest of us know exactly what Seth (Jonah Hill) and Evan (Michael Cera) are going through.

[…]

I went to watch Superbad the other day and I found it to be one of the best movie in a lot of time (probably since “The Incredibles”, but they’re difficult to compare). I couldn’t stop laughing for the whole movie. And relating to the awkwardness of high school too… I am so glad I am not a teen anymore!

If you want to revisit you teenage years, I can’t imagine any more candid and fun movie. Not suitable for grownups or children!

Which B-School is good for me? You are probably asking yourself that question. Or you are asking me and other student and alumni that question.

I was facing that conundrum two years ago and it’s frustrating: Everyone I asked from a top school kept telling me: “My school is awesome! This is fantastic! Come join us! Best decision I’ve ever made! You won’t regret!”

And I was there, thinking… “Thanks for your enthusiasm, but this is not helpful”. The answers I was looking after were comparisons: How is LBS vs Stanford? In regards to entrepreneurship? And international-wise? And how does Harvard compare to Columbia? … all looking for the ultimate answer: “Which is the best B-school for me?”

It turns out, no one can answer this sort of comparisson. And the answer is quite simple: No one I know has ever done two MBAs. Therefore, comparissons are tricky. Unless one experience it, it’s very difficult to compare. My analogy to think about choice is simple:

Top B-schools are like luxury cars: You can’t go wrong, yet all have a different character. I still have to find a luxury car driver that tells me… “You know, I don’t enjoy my car!” Regardless of brand, these are fantastic machines.

Same thing with MBA: No matter whether you go to LBS, Insead, Harvard, Stanford, or Columbia, you get a fantastic MBA. Everybody is happy with their top MBA! Fantastic MBA! Fantastic experience!

But then, you might want to get into the character of all these cars: Do I prefer a sporty BMW/Ferrari/AM ? Or a more refined Bentley/MB/etc? How flashy do I want it?

You get the idea, and the same applies to MBA programs: How international? How leadership focused? How experiential? How rigorous in teaching? How case-based (or obsessed)? Where is it located?

So the moral of the story is that top MBAs are as fantastic as top luxury cars. Relax, you can’t go wrong! Do your research and pick the one that suits you best, but you can’t do a bad choice.

Warning: This post is based in an analogy. Don’t force the analogy too far…

This post is a list of the series, please read my disclaimer: I don’t need you to apply to LBS

I discovered Henry Moore visiting Washington DC’s Smithsonian museum, four years ago, and loved it. Last Saturday, I went to Henry Moore At Kew and I had the time of my life. It’s a must-see exhibition, not only because it covers some of the most fantastic sculpture works of the XXth century, but specially because it’s SO BEAUTIFUL. Discovering the scultpures it’s just moving.

Remembering my visit, I get the goose bumps!

So if you have a couple of hours free, get there! I thoroughly recommend it!

As I mentioned in CV updating, the chore of updating CVs is boring beyond belief. I am happy I am done. And it’s available online.

My freshly updated CV