tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1752491175570406887Thu, 05 Sep 2024 22:05:11 +0000OmarINSEADcoolAngelaClassesblogPREPIn RETROspectSingagrmbloptionsCookin'RACINGfamily visitmoneytalkConsultingLondonOrientation WeekPlaysThailandpoliticsHELPHKIn het NederlandsKendoworkfuturefusion is our story of an MBA journey full of challenges, adventures, parties, fun, learning; two people living in France and Singapore, making friends, enjoying life, preparing their future... this was our year at INSEAD.http://futurefusion.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Omar & Angela)Blogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1752491175570406887.post-449712435118970929Tue, 02 Sep 2008 08:33:00 +00002008-09-02T14:54:52.275+02:00blogcoolIn RETROspectINSEADOmarThe P3 break! My Chinese group mate Yuxin had invited us to come and experience China over the break. With a mixture of a few Brazilians, an American, a Brit, Yuxin and myself, we took a 7 o’clock flight to China for a packed, intense, and fantastic 8-day trip to Shanghai, Xi’an, and Beijing. The main format of the trip was perfectly in line with INSEAD tradition “culture, action, friends, food, http://futurefusion.blogspot.com/2008/09/china-trip.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Omar & Angela)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1752491175570406887.post-3049709471419099204Tue, 02 Sep 2008 08:27:00 +00002008-09-02T10:33:03.784+02:00ClassesIn RETROspectINSEADOmarJust back from Palau, I faced a week full of P3 projects coming to an end, busy negotiations building up to the Nego exam, visits to the Chinese embassy to arrange my visa and exam preparations. End of Feb meant the end of core class exams, so apart from the elective finals; on the 25th I also had an exam for Macro from 0900 to 1200, and one for Politics from 1400 to 1700. It was a long day of http://futurefusion.blogspot.com/2008/09/p3-final-exams.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Omar & Angela)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1752491175570406887.post-1611413648060455353Mon, 18 Aug 2008 09:38:00 +00002008-08-19T11:01:47.614+02:00coolIn RETROspectINSEADOmarPlaysSo we planned the trip... A bit outrageous, but the incredible chance to dive off the beautiful islands of Micronesia, in more detail the light blue waters surrounding the island of Palau in the middle of the Pacific.Wednesday February 6, first I had Macroeconomics and Politics, then I raced to Changi airport to catch my afternoon SQ flight to the Philippines. In Manila I was welcomed by Angela http://futurefusion.blogspot.com/2008/08/diving-trip-to-palau.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Omar & Angela)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1752491175570406887.post-5893881450201355621Mon, 18 Aug 2008 09:29:00 +00002008-08-18T11:33:57.525+02:00In RETROspectINSEADOmarI realized in P3 that we are privileged people.We did nice things in the past, had good careers, etc.. but we are very fortunate that we can attend a business school of such a reputation and quality as INSEAD. It's great and truly enriching to study amongst great people, and to meet so many inspiring characters.When do you get the chance to meet Ambassadors, Foreign Policy Secretaries, CEOs of http://futurefusion.blogspot.com/2008/08/privileged.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Omar & Angela)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1752491175570406887.post-4959174420884912133Mon, 18 Aug 2008 09:26:00 +00002008-08-19T11:04:21.343+02:00ClassesIn RETROspectINSEADOmarI very much enjoyed P3, with great professors like: Ilian Mihov, the master of Macro Economics who would in my opinion not have allowed the US economy to tank like it has, had he had any chance to stop it,Ethan Kapstein who showed us very antagonistic views on international relations and brought a large number of interesting and influential speakers to his International Politics class,Michael http://futurefusion.blogspot.com/2008/08/p3-academics.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Omar & Angela)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1752491175570406887.post-5492961855017128103Wed, 06 Aug 2008 09:28:00 +00002008-08-06T11:40:49.608+02:00blogOmaroptionsSingaDear readers,I'm aware of the fact that I promised to post sooner than this, but I have unfortunately not managed to keep it up. Seriously wondering whether there are still any readers left, I have nevertheless decided to post some experiences and stories from the past few months. Hence, going forward you will first get some past experiences, travels, what-we've-been-up-to's and only after we http://futurefusion.blogspot.com/2008/08/promises-promises.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Omar & Angela)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1752491175570406887.post-8663824074358773641Tue, 01 Apr 2008 16:48:00 +00002008-04-01T18:56:14.077+02:00coolOmarRACINGSoon I will post a story about a fantastic weekend in Kuala Lumpur!http://futurefusion.blogspot.com/2008/04/formula-1-in-sepang.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Omar & Angela)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1752491175570406887.post-3369785158134651895Tue, 01 Apr 2008 16:35:00 +00002008-04-01T18:38:15.219+02:00ClassesINSEADOmarPREPThis period the pressure is all on “job preparation & job hunting.” Every night 2 recruiting companies on campus, invitations for interviews, dinners, coffee chats, informal calls... but also an endless stream of application lettres writing, interview preparation, networking and DINGs (rejections)... This is P4!Apart from the job search, this period I am looking at the possibility of buying a http://futurefusion.blogspot.com/2008/04/academics-and-other-stuff-in-p4.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Omar & Angela)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1752491175570406887.post-1425396330846251682Tue, 01 Apr 2008 16:31:00 +00002008-04-01T18:38:51.905+02:00ClassesINSEADOmar... so what have we been up to in the last few months? I’ve not been the most faithful blogger, that’s for sure! For this I apologize,deeply. I guess that since the trip to HK at the end of January, I got caught up in all the projects and group work as well as all my classes, and electives... Period 3:We all thought that after P2, P3 in Singapore was going to be a breeze... nothing could have http://futurefusion.blogspot.com/2008/04/after-silence.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Omar & Angela)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1752491175570406887.post-2731026856400459800Sun, 27 Jan 2008 09:51:00 +00002008-01-27T13:43:35.932+01:00AngelacoolHKThis weekend we stayed in Singapore and just relaxed. Last weekend we went to Hong Kong. An old friend of Omar (Dave) was visiting family and friends at that time, and we decided to meet up with him. Dave introduced us to some friends who live in Hong Kong, and he also showed us around Kowloon on Saturday. I took Friday off to go early and had a flight at 8 in the morning. To my surprise I could http://futurefusion.blogspot.com/2008/01/weekend-in-hong-kong.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Omar & Angela)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1752491175570406887.post-5442580619204332290Sun, 13 Jan 2008 16:19:00 +00002008-01-13T17:40:46.643+01:00ClassescoolgrmblINSEADOmarpoliticsSingaClasses in P3 are amazing. "Venture Opportunities" is so interesting and challenging that you wish you had more time to spend on this elective. "Negotiations" is fun, very active, and you can already see how much you will learn. "Intl Politics" is taught by one of the best professors in the field, and the course is full of controversial topics and debate. For the "Intl Development Project" I'm http://futurefusion.blogspot.com/2008/01/singapore-is-great.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Omar & Angela)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1752491175570406887.post-4560545067373477677Mon, 07 Jan 2008 17:16:00 +00002008-01-07T18:31:40.118+01:00AngelaSingaworkThe 2nd of January marked the start of my 6 month contract in Singapore, and was my first working day after having had a 4.5 month holiday. I think the fact that I had worked in Singapore before in 2005 and that I new the MRT, and how to get there made it easy to start working again. The office has not changed much except for the people. There were many new faces, also in audit where I work. http://futurefusion.blogspot.com/2008/01/singapore.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Omar & Angela)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1752491175570406887.post-746454745000986147Mon, 07 Jan 2008 17:07:00 +00002008-01-07T18:15:49.778+01:00AngelacoolThailandOur stay at home was short, but we had a great time with friends and family. After exactly one week it was time to pack our bags again for our flights to Asia. By now a week has passed since we arrived in Singapore. Well, technically we arrived on Saturday the 30th of December but we stayed only 2 hours because we took a direct flight to Bangkok to celebrate New Years Eve with Insead friends Li http://futurefusion.blogspot.com/2008/01/bangkok-new-years-eve.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Omar & Angela)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1752491175570406887.post-5703085899882492667Tue, 25 Dec 2007 18:05:00 +00002007-12-26T12:57:04.737+01:00Angelablogcoolfamily visitINSEADOmarSingaThailandThe end of 2007 is nearing! P1 and P2 are over, the P2 exams are done, we cleared out of our room in Villa Foch, we had a bunch of goodbye parties in Fonty, and we're home for Christmas. The anticipation of going to Singapore is fantastic, we so much look forward to the nice weather, the Asian friendliness, the great food, and the many fun weekend trips that I know we will do. Oh, another http://futurefusion.blogspot.com/2007/12/merry-christmas-everyone.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Omar & Angela)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1752491175570406887.post-4249996023022309254Tue, 11 Dec 2007 00:34:00 +00002007-12-11T23:26:13.309+01:00blogINSEADOmarUnbelievable, P2 is almost over. As I'm studying Finance, Accounting and maybe later tonight, ehm this morning, ehm whatever, POM, I realize that tomorrow will be my last day of class in Fontainebleau for a while and maybe forever!!!?!Wednesday we'll have a day off so we can study... but Thursday the P2 exams will start. This period has been insane. The amount of casework, group assignments, http://futurefusion.blogspot.com/2007/12/skyrocketing-forward-in-time.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Omar & Angela)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1752491175570406887.post-6718486271076470809Mon, 10 Dec 2007 09:21:00 +00002007-12-10T10:24:40.925+01:00AngelaINSEADOmarThe notorious Russian Party… Instead of hosting a national Russian week, the Russians organized a whole day filled with Russian culture. In the morning everybody could enjoy blini’s with salmon caviar, meat or cheese, during the day there was Russian music played in the bar area, in the late afternoon there were even Russian movies, and at 10pm we had the fantastic party.The party was great and http://futurefusion.blogspot.com/2007/12/russian-party.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Omar & Angela)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1752491175570406887.post-5383242657823663785Mon, 10 Dec 2007 08:39:00 +00002007-12-11T23:28:15.531+01:00AngelaWe had another Dutch delegation visiting Fontainebleau shortly after my uncle’s trip. My sister Jolanda and her boyfriend Patrick arrived closely followed by 4 dear friends Sidney, MarLoes, Govert and Marcella. We spent the afternoon eating crepes and visiting the shops of Fontainebleau. For the evening we decided to take advantage of the fact that Paris is only an hour away, so we went to http://futurefusion.blogspot.com/2007/12/paris-social-life.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Omar & Angela)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1752491175570406887.post-4017687278093678988Mon, 10 Dec 2007 08:16:00 +00002007-12-10T09:25:18.624+01:00Angelafamily visitA few weekends ago we welcomed my uncle Henk and his girlfriend Jeannette in Fontainebleau. They booked a weekend to Paris and visited us in Fontainebleau. This was a good opportunity to explore a little bit of Fontainebleau’s famous forest. There are many places to park your car and start walking or cycling and we took one of them close to one of the spots overlooking the gorge. There is a long http://futurefusion.blogspot.com/2007/12/nature-calling.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Omar & Angela)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1752491175570406887.post-1413163097873025966Sun, 09 Dec 2007 17:50:00 +00002007-12-11T23:30:17.040+01:00blogINSEADOmarAs many of you may have noticed, and some of you kindly reminded us, we have been offline too long... sorry about that!In my last post I defied the professors to show us how tough they are. Foolish me quickly discovered that they had prepared a lot for us to chew on, and even more for us to digest... the pace in P2 was extremely high, since day one. P1 was very very busy, P2 is almost over but http://futurefusion.blogspot.com/2007/12/its-been-too-long.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Omar & Angela)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1752491175570406887.post-586721299047112197Sun, 04 Nov 2007 22:55:00 +00002007-12-04T21:36:50.138+01:00INSEADOmarMere minutes after the P1 exams were over, the whole J08 class erupted in a fullblown party mood. As gloomy, concentrated, focused-to-the-bone, and overstretchingly fanatic everybody had been right before the exams; all tension disappeared as if a giant Bacardi cocktail shaker had suddenly switched on DJ Giorgos' Mojito tune. Our house transformed into Fonty's party central. We had Luiz making http://futurefusion.blogspot.com/2007/11/smiles-and-tears.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Omar & Angela)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1752491175570406887.post-4970867251458569214Wed, 17 Oct 2007 00:14:00 +00002007-10-18T09:29:34.468+02:00ClassesINSEADOmarI'm so glad that I'm writing this blog together with Angela... in these hectic times, she is the one who keeps the blog alive.It's amazing how busy one can be, from early morning to very late. Papers, tests, preparation, lectures, and then there are the exams next week. The whole campus looks like a 24h study factory. There are people asleep over their books in cubicles at any time of day or http://futurefusion.blogspot.com/2007/10/academic-mumblings.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Omar & Angela)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1752491175570406887.post-8241835823995377151Tue, 16 Oct 2007 22:49:00 +00002007-10-18T09:25:27.016+02:00coolINSEADOmarSingaGreat news for us: the final outcome of the school's exchange decisions is out: I've got confirmation of my exchange to Singapore for P3,P4, and P5. Singapore has a smaller campus than Fonty. This year there was so much demand for campus exchange in P3, that INSEAD had to waitlist many people after a lottery. This means that many students have not got their request fulfilled (yet) to transfer to http://futurefusion.blogspot.com/2007/10/singapore.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Omar & Angela)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1752491175570406887.post-3371088213448539853Sat, 13 Oct 2007 19:49:00 +00002007-10-14T01:17:28.273+02:00AngelaCookin'coolINSEADLast week was filled with parties and events that caused everybody to get as little sleep as possible. It was fun but also very tiring. It started with Nuit Blanche in Paris, last Saturday. Several housemates and us went to Paris, parked our car in the easiest parking space and took the metro to Opera to have a Japanese dinner. Apparantly (I did not know) there are several streets with very nice http://futurefusion.blogspot.com/2007/10/parties-lebanese-week.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Omar & Angela)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1752491175570406887.post-3655325160175366675Sun, 30 Sep 2007 08:03:00 +00002007-09-30T10:39:04.027+02:00family visitThis weekend Angela's parents came over to visit from the Netherlands. They brought lots of delicious things we cannot buy over here like drop (liquorice) and appelkruimeltaart (apple crumble pie). Because all hotels in Fontainebleau were full they decided to book a room in a hotel close to Melun which turned out to be a very good hotel, despite the blue painting in the corridors. Because Omar http://futurefusion.blogspot.com/2007/09/visiting-tourists-spots.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Omar & Angela)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1752491175570406887.post-8902390621136830576Wed, 26 Sep 2007 22:40:00 +00002007-09-27T01:35:44.973+02:00AngelacoolOmarLast weekend my class- and groupmate Yuxin went to New York for some urgent business. With a little time left he offered to bring me back something, if I needed anything from the States.With the dollar exchange rate at € 1.41 I decided to take a gamble and asked him to buy us: an iPhone... Of course we all know that Apple has the iPhones locked and coupled to a 2 year AT&T contract for 60$ a http://futurefusion.blogspot.com/2007/09/yuxin-rules.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Omar & Angela)2