Andrew & Claudia Abroad (Oxford 2007)

Our London trip and the dean's list irony!

2007-02-03T13:08:00.000Z

Yesterday Claudia and I spent the day in London with Ava, the main reason being that I had an interview with Philips. Additionally, we wanted to obtain a passport for Ava so that we could start travelling with her outside of the UK.

My interview went well, so much so that they indicated there and then that they would like me to come to Amsterdam on the 1st and 2nd of March for the next round. I'm unsure whether it's really the best move for me but at this stage I'm not willing to close any doors. As I knew we'd be in London for the day, I also made sure that I took advantage of the opportunity to meet with two management consultancies - Bain and Booz Allen & Hamilton. These informal meetings, both with Australians that were working at each firm, were interesting as they allowed me to get more of an honest, real insight into life inside these firms. That said, I am still very much interested in management consultancy.

After quite a hectic day, Claud and I met up with Jimmy and then he suggested we head to the Dorchester for a drink. Two bottles of red later and some snacks, James' generosity surely left a large hole in his wallet but we were grateful as it was a pleasant way to while away a Friday evening.

On the bus trip back to Oxford, Claud was checking the internet and then I decided to check my emails. To my great surprise, there was an email from the MBA program manager informing me that I was one of 22 students whose academic performance in Michaelmas term warranted inclusion on the Dean's list. I was gobsmacked but at the same time quite chuffed as it is quite an honour and means that we will be invited to several dinners and events that I would otherwise not be afforded the chance to attend. All in all, we had quite a rewarding day!!

Hilary term - 1st 3 weeks

2007-02-02T13:48:00.000Z

3 weeks in and I am very happy with the way that Hilary term is progressing. Like last term, I have again been impressed by the quality of the teaching faculty. Unlike last term, where each course was core and therefore mandatory, this term we have 4 core courses (Marketing, Operations, Financial Mgt. and International Business & Global Governance) + 2 electives. I have chosen Technology & Innovation Strategy and Marketing Culture & Society. I am also attempting to audit (ie take the class but don't submit coursework) Finance II.

Each course has been enjoyable but I have particularly enjoyed MCS as it is intellectually stimulating and the subject matter is extremely varied. I will be doing a group project on Product (Red), which should also prove extremely interesting.

On the careers front, I have started to prepare more thoroughly so that I can mount a serious assault on jobs this term. The school offers the opportunity to engage in mock interviews, which I found very rewarding as it pointed out areas that I need to work on. In addition to the interview, I have had a one-on-one with the former head of recruiting at McKinsey to review my CV and cover letter. My CV was favourably received but my letter needs some work, which I thought it might. The final element of my game plan was to meet with an external consultant who helped explore my career motivations in order to try and identify the most suitable avenues for when I graduate. All in all, I found it extremely helpful.

One of the highlights of the term thus far was the opportunity to attend a speech given at the business school by Sir Martin Sorrell and then attend an intimate gathering with him and some classmates in the rector's lodging's at Exeter College. He spoke about the challenges facing the advertising industry in the coming 5 to 7 years as well as how he sees WPP needing to transform to prepare themselves for the same. A thoroughly interesting and extremely knowledgeable, intelligent guy whose presence here reminded me how fortunate I am to be at a University such as Oxford.

We had snow for the 1st time this winter on the 24th of Jan - so Finn and I made sure we got out and about. Unfortunately it didn't hang around long enough for my birthday but I nonetheless was able to enjoy a few (too many) beers with some friends to celebrate my 31st birthday on the 31st of January.

Back yard after the overnight snow fall

James, Claudia and Ava in Christ Church dining hall (aka Harry Potter Hall)

Iffley Road covered in snow

Finn on the meadow

Top Gun: The Dean's List Edition

2007-01-26T19:51:00.001Z

A different take on what it's like to be at b-school!

Back to school

2007-01-12T11:29:00.000Z

After the joy of a 3 week break, the length of which I hadn't enjoyed since my honeymoon more than 5 years ago, on Tuesday it was back to school. The week has been punctuated by a series of presentations to prepare us for our Entrepreneurship project (ours is likely to be either a Gluten free beer or a craft beer) and for our Trinity term electives. It has been good to catch up with my fellow classmates once again after their holidays and to hear their exotic stories of travels far and wide.

Although "nougth" week has not been very formal, the relaxed mood is sure to dissipate as we begin to realise the enormity of the workload that we're about to embark on this term, Hilary. We have a comparable number of courses to Michaelmas term (6) however have the added challenge of completing an Entrepreneurship project, which I will be embarking on with my classmates Ean Hernandez, Allan Vlah, Patrick Butler and Barry Neal.

I decided during the 1st part of the week to change one of my Hilary term electives, Finance II, and instead audit it and study Marketing, Culture and Society. Despite a wealth of reading material that I will need to plough through, I think I'm more likely to enjoy the study of MCS and also feel that I will still benefit from auditing Finance II (that is to say, you can sit in on the classes without the need to complete assignments or the exam!).

The difficulty of choosing electives was manifest again late this week when we sat through one and a half days of Trinity term electives. Not only are we faced with countless interesting choices, but so too must consider possible timetable clashes as well as the number of students admitted per class. I am struggling with my decision, principally because of the desire to challenge oneself, increase my knowledge and have fun whilst at the same time balancing the need to consider which of the courses will practically help me in my short and longer term career aspirations.

Whereas I initially thought entrepreneurship and social purpose courses would dominate my choices, I have been subsequently been impressed by the marketing lecturers and the subject content as well as some of the Strategy and Finance courses and then by courses such as Retailing, Business - State relations and Real Estate, each of which appeal purely because they are distinctive, different and interesting. I will no doubt have a few difficult days ahead weighing the relative pros and cons of each elective, as will my classmates I am sure.

Aside from the practical considerations of how to manage my workload, I must also embark this term on some serious career planning and searching. I have started my preparations but am convinced that this will also take a considerable amount of time. Whether I can maintain an involvement in rugby is at this stage a big question mark for me. I want to remain involved with my college, in the Bacchus wine society and to attend more of the Oxford Union speaker series than I was able last term, all of which convince me that time management will be paramount this term. The final challenge will be to orchestrate some events for the social and sports committee, like the Hawaiian night of last term (shown below). My goal is to organise a trivia night which is well attended and which provides a welcome respite from the hardships that lie ahead!

Ava's first months

2007-01-06T21:26:00.000Z

What an amazing experience Fatherhood is. I am not only in awe of how a child grows so quickly, but the speed with which women, Claudia in particular, become adept at mothering as though they were old hands.

I have been constantly amazed at how calm and collected Claud is with Ava, knowing what to do and when to do it and never losing her composure. I hope that my fathering is half as competent as then I would be doing a good job.

We were fortunate in receiving from Gabrielle's parents-in-law a fantastic addition to our DVD collection - Dunstan Baby Language. The interpretation of a baby's 5 different cries have proved a godsend as we now feel competent in understanding what Ava is trying to tell us and so far, from what we can tell, it's proving pretty accurate.

At 3 weeks, snug as a bug in a rug

At 3 weeks relaxing with my Gran

Spending time in the big people's bed

Meeting Kristo for the 1st time

In my 'Best in Snow' outfit - a shame it wasn't a white Christmas!

Rugged up for the cold weather - Boxing Day
Walking with Dad through the Christ Church Reserve
With Dad and Finn in the Christ Church Reserve

Spending some quality time with Mum on NYE

Kicking back in my cot - notice my smile?

Trying out for the YMCA dance troupe

Reaching out of my cot

Having fun with Mum in my room

Spending time with Mum

2007-01-06T18:48:00.000Z

Mum arrived on Christmas Day and since her arrival, she has spent some quality time getting to know her granddaughter and we've tried to ensure that her time is not exclusively spent housebound.

Although she arrived early on Christmas Day, mum's first hours with Ava were a mixture of discovery, doting and mothering:

Our 1st real outing was on the 27th when Dirk, Barbara and Saar were visiting. We had a great time visiting my college, exploring the sights of Oxford and then retiring to the Turf Tavern for a few Ales and some lunch:

The Bridge of Sighs

In the Chapel Quad at Pembroke College

From the tower of the University Church of St Mary the Virgin, overlooking All Souls College

Mum in front of the Radcliffe Camera

The 3 of us in front of the Radcliffe Camera

Our next outing was on New Year's eve day when we took a leisurely drive through the Cotwsolds, heading North East from Oxford firstly to Great Tew for lunch at a pub that Terry had 1st tried unsuccessfully to take Claudia and I to a few years back:

Outside the Falkland Arms, where we enjoyed a lovely Sunday lunch

A view of the pub in Great Tew, a small but picturesque Cotswold village

After our lunch and two quiet ales, we continued along our route heading west toward Stow-on-the-Wold, where we stopped for tea and cake in a traditional tea room. I enjoyed a lovely Treacle pudding which was the pick of our choices.

Outside the tea room in Stow-on-the-wold

After enjoying the delight of the main square in Stow, we drove on through appalling weather through a number of Cotswolds Villages: Lower and Upper Slaughter, Bourbon-on-the-water and Burford were amongst them. We returned to Oxford in readiness for our NYE celebrations with our friends at the Oxford Retreat.

On the 3rd of January Mum and I headed for Stratford-upon-Avon as Claud and I had bought Mum tickets to the Royal Shakespeare Company for Christmas.

Royal Shakespeare Company - Stratford-upon-Avon

Mum standing in the Shakespeare garden in Stratford

The Shakespeare memorial

Statue of Hamlet - part of the Shakespeare memorial

Looking across the river Avon to the Royal Shakespeare Company Theatre

Mum standing in front of some traditional Tudor Style buildings

Christmas spirit in Stratford

Mum in front of Shakespeare's birthplace

We were very fortunate to watch Judi Dench and Simon Callow in Shakespeare's The Merry Wives. The entire ensemble was outstanding and the performance was humorous, dramatic and extremely engaging. It was possibly the best theatrical performance I have seen, just eclipsing Spamalot that Claudia and I saw in New York last Christmas.

Our most recent venture was yesterday when Claudia and I drove mum to Wiltshire to the house of her friend, Di Wallis, and Di's husband John. We were treated to a lovely lunch in their +400 yr old home and afterwards took Finn for a walk through their acreage with John and their 5 dogs! Suffice to say by the time we got home last night, Finn was knackered!

Finn herding sheep under John's watch

Farmer Mac and Finn in front of the stables

Mum's next sojourn is to Paris and Flavigny on Tuesday. Until then we'll let her relax as I also return to class on Monday!

The Festive period

2007-01-01T15:19:00.000Z

Shopping for the Christmas meal has been an enjoyable feast of the senses, as you can see from the images below which show the produce on offer in the Covered Market:

Anyone fancy boar?

I hope you've ordered your Turkey

Christmas Day started early for Claudia and I. 4.45am to be precise - that's what time the alarm clock went off so that I could meet mum at Heathrow not long after her plane landed at 5am.

Our Christmas Day was very enjoyable - mum's company was a welcome addition as was Tim's and that of one of my classmates, Brian Brooks. We enjoyed a somewhat lengthy feast - starting with scrambled eggs & smoked salmon for breakfast followed throughout the day by pumpkin soup, turkey and gammon and some lovely puddings for dessert - both plum and chocolate with all of the traditional accompaniments. We consumed a selection of cheeses accompanied by Noble One and some Port during the evening to round off a gluttonous and very enjoyable day.

Waiting for the feast to be served

My first Christmas outfit

Mum meeting her granddaughter for the 1st time

Our 1st family Christmas

On Boxing Day, Luke and Sally Mann came up from London and we had a lovely lunch at the Anchor Inn in Jericho. They brought us a lovely jumpsuit for Ava - Party at my place at 2am!

The following day, Dirk, Barbara and Saar arrived from Amsterdam to visit for 2 days. It was great to see them all for the 1st time since we left Holland. We had a nice tour of Oxford and then enjoyed a lovely leg of lamb for dinner before bidding them farewell at lunch the following day.

Barbara, Saar, Dirk, Claudia, Ava and I in the Chapel Quad at Pembroke

Dirk, Barbara and Saar in front of the Bridge of Sighs (Hertford College)

Saar - ever inquisitive

Mum, Dirk and I in front of the gates of All Souls College

The Kersten family in front of the Radcliffe Camera

For New Year's eve, we had decided to stay in Oxford and fortunately, AJ and Caroline had organised for a group of us to celebrate together at the Oxford Retreat. Ava enjoyed her 1st New Year's celebration with about 20 friends and family of AJ and Caro, including some friends of ours from the MBA course - Gabe and his wife Katie, James and then later in the evening, Shelby, Brooks and Brandon.

Dinner at the Oxford Retreat

Claud, Ava and I on NYE

Katie and Gabe get accustomed to Ava

James and I on NYE

Claud, Ava and I shortly before midnight

Caroline and AJ celebrating NYE

Katie, Gabe, AJ et al on NYE

Twas the night before Christmas...(well, almost)

2006-12-23T19:43:00.000Z

Christmas eve is on the morn and so much has happened in these last weeks since Ava's arrival. She has grown incredibly that it is almost unbelievable to recount the harrowing experience of the first few hours of her life.

What's going on in the world?

"In my best Christmas outfit!"

Tomorrow morning Mum arrives which will be great. Tonight I'm off to AJ's place to have a beer with he and his family at the Anchor and to borrow their car for a week or so. They have been extremely generous with their car as we were able to use it when Ava was born and now again they've offered it to us over the Christmas period whilst mum is here.

Last week we had a lovely evening at their place on the Friday following exams, and following pub golf! It was far more sedate than the previous day, which for me ended at around 8.30 pm after our 1pm tee off. I fared better than others, in particular Pattycake Butler who woke in a field surrounded by sheep!

Merry Christmas to all back home. Hope you're enjoying pictures and stories of our time over here.

Exams are over, let's play golf!

2006-12-15T15:04:00.000Z

11.30am. The end of our 1st set of Oxford exams. The relief is palpable but there is also a certain sense of forlornness - what to do now??

Answer - play golf. Not just any golf - PUB GOLF!

The course (in effect a pub crawl around East Oxford) had been designed by Andy Jury and he and I then determined par for each course (ranging from Guiness, alcopops, red wine etc drunk in a certain amount of sips, aka shots).

There was some early congestion on the leaderboard but at the end of the tournament the pre-tournament favourites 'The Torpedoes', resplendent in pink, reigned victorious with 3 of their fourball team going around in a perfect round of 9. Their remaining member took a two on the par 4, double jack & coke 8th hole.

Well done to organisers and victors alike!

A sedate start to the round - the 1st hole at the Cape of Good Hope

Nerves before tee-off

My 4-ball - Chris, AJ and Andy

The Torpedoes - tournament victors (James, Jesse, Tom & Pattycake)

Tom & Jesse toward the end of their round

The course was full of hazards!

The gallery heading up the 4th fairway (outside our house)

Exams.........(and celebrations)!!!

2006-12-14T13:58:00.000Z

I had a week of exam preparation following our final classes during which I tried as much as possible to assimiliate the learnings of the past term. To break up the study, I ventured to Cambridge on the Tuesday of 9th week to watch the Greyhounds win their varsity clash against Cambridge LX XV. It was a close fought encounter but we came from behind to snatch an impressive victory at their home ground, Grange road. Unfortunately, given my hernia operation two weeks previous, I was not available for selection which I had hoped would have been the case.

The following evening myself and two classmates, Jesse Moore (Canada) and Anoop Swaminath (USA) had dinner with my college Master, Giles Henderson, to discuss a possible consulting project for an Indian businessman based in Dubai who wants to establish a fund to help villages that exist below the poverty line in developing countries. It was thoroughly interesting to learn about activities in the developing world as Jesse and Anoop recounted their experiences working for CARE and The World Bank respectively. We hope to learn more in January as to whether this project might take place in India over the summer.

As for exams, I can only say that I was very happy when they had ended! It was quite unique as you are required to wear sub-fusc during exams (see images below) and it is tradition to wear a flower in your buttonhole for each exam (white for your first indicating you're a first timer, red in the last as you've been bloodied and pink in the intervening days)!

6 exams in 4 days was no easy feat, particularly as we had learned quite a lot over the course of the term. Nonetheless, I was pleased with each of the exams and am quietly confident of having done as well as I had hoped on all but Financial Reporting, which was widely viewed as being deceptively difficult (and not entirely representative of what we were told we would be examined on)!

After our exams, we decided to let our hair down, consuming champagne, beers etc immediately after the exams as the following pics illustrate.

Tom, Jesse & John celebrate the end of exams

Tom, John & I after the last exam

The Mo brigade - AJ, me, Matt, Jesse & Allan

A collection of very happy (and relieved) classmates

The Kenyans enjoying Tusker beer!

Ava's first few weeks

2006-12-11T14:25:00.000Z

Finally an entry from me, Claudia. Well Ava is nearly 3 weeks old and is an absolute angel. She has had many visitors, lots of presents, cards and happy wishes, and she is generally settling into life marvellously. She has had a 2 week visit from her Gran (my mum, Sheila) which was fabulous. Lots of cuddles, help around the house and great company and advice have made the first few weeks really lovely. Uncles James & Tim have also been to stay and deliver lots of teddy bears & pressies to their first niece. We are now on our own again until Andrew finishes his exams at the end of this week, when he will be able to take on more Dad duties.

Christmas is fast approaching with Ava's other Grandma Mary coming from Sydney, along with Tim. Not sure that Ava will know what Christmas is all about - but we will certainly enjoy spoiling her on her 1st Christmas.

Week 8 update

2006-12-01T16:40:00.000Z

It's now the end of Michaelmas term (Wk 8) and we have one week off before exams commence. Given that they will be the first exams that I have sat since 1997, I am somewhat apprehensive. Nonetheless, despite the demands of study and the obvious joy of Ava's arrival, since my last post, I managed to fit in some other extracurricular pursuits:

- I played for the Greyhounds (Oxford Uni 2nd XV) against Exeter Uni and was warmly congratulated by the coach afterwards for my game. Unfortunately I proceeded to try and jump a fence to get home quickly to save time and ended up spending 4 hours in the emergency department to have 20 stitches inserted into the palm of my right hand;
- Claudia and I attended the Pembroke black tie MCR dinner (held once every term). It was a great evening which started with pre-dinner drinks in a lovely formal hall, proceeded to a 3-course dinner and then rounded out the evening at the Living room into the wee hours. It was yet another quintessential Oxford experience;

Pre-dinner drinks in Broadgates Hall

Pre-dinner drinks with Jenny, Caio, John and Simon

At dinner with John Stanton

A view of the Dining Hall from the rear

Tass Hongskrai enjoying wine with Caio Buzzolini

Faryal Sadiq and Ashton Lee enjoying their evening

- I managed to pre-empt Ava's birth with my own medical crisis and was duly admitted to emergency and operated on as I had an umbilical hernia! The day afterwards, Claudia was admitted to hospital and Ava was born;

- Attended the business school's SAS distinguished speaker's series and was interested to learn of the Private Equity sector from Damon Buffini, Managing Director of Permira Private Equity which was extremely interesting given that I only had assumptions as to what PE firms did (buy underperforming companies, change management, institute structural changes and sell at a profit). Although my assumption was quite simplistic, the nature of the business, albeit far more complex, is not too dissimilar in terms of its profit generating modus operandi;

- Attending my 1st Bacchus (Oxford Wine Society wine tasting). I had attended a wine tasting course earlier this term which was highly informative and we had tasted some great wines. On this occasion we tasted Firesteed wines and those of Fess Parker. All of the wines that we tastes were Pinot Noir but it was amazing to see the differences between the two producers - Firesteed from Washington State (Nth West USA) and Fess Parker from California. We were given the opportunity to taste their standard gear as well as their premium ranges (selling at up to £50 per bottle) and I can tell you it was some great tasting wine, particularly the Firesteed Citation Pinot Noir which was my pick of the night;

- Claudia went into labour on the day of Silican Valley comes to Oxford, which is when high profile speakers from companies such as Google, Facebook, Linkedin etc come and run workshops and plenary sessions, so unfortunately I was unable to attend but from all accounts it was a great day;

- The School and my College were fantastically supportive during the week following Ava's birth. Fortunately, I was able to attend two dinners at the college in the two weeks following her birth to thank personally my college advisor and the college master. The first of these dinners was with Owen Darbishire, a lecturer in Management studies who also doubles as my college advisor. Each student is afforded the opportunity once a year (or more if they're lucky) to dine with faculty at the high table in the Dining Hall. What does this entail you might ask? Firstly, sherry in Broadgates Hall followed by a 3-course meal at the high table (whilst everyone else has one course), accompanied by generally very good wines (I noticed a Houghton Cabernet Sauvignon 1996) and then adjourning after dessert to the Senior Common room and engaging in an Oxford tradition of 3 rounds of port, madeira or sticky wine with dried apricots and nuts and also a mandatory inhaling of snuff. It really was one of those occasions when you pinch yourself, particularly as I was seated with Biologists, Zoologists and a couple of PHD students! The second of these dinners I plan to descrive separately as it relates to a potential summer consulting project that I may embark on;

Our little principessa

2006-12-01T16:31:00.000Z

At 12.02 am last Tuesday (the 21st of November) our daughter, Ava Sophia McInerney, was born. It wasn't the easiest of entrances to the world but after some fantastic medical care at the JR Radcliffe hospital
here in Oxford, she is now home, safe & sound.

She weighed 6lbs and has a healthy head of hair! Claud is also doing well and both of the girls came home last Friday. Ava is now sleeping well, feeding vigorously and is simply a joy to be around!!

Finn seems nonplussed by his new sibling but so far has not minded the new company or expressed any signs of jealousy which is comforting. We had countless congratulations and presents from all over the world, all of which we are thankful and grateful for.

I hope to post more pictures as she grows and certainly will once Grandma Sheils arrives and is settled in for her 2-week stay.

Slack - Week 6!

2006-11-14T22:31:00.000Z

I know. it is now week 6 and my last post was week minus one! life is that hectic. the socialising has given way to hard core studying. trying to get back into student mode has been tough but rewarding. i thought approaching studies as though it were a job would be effective however i quickly learnt that far more hours were required.

so, what has transpired in the past 7 weeks? here is the a brief summary of the highlights:

met the balance of my classmates from all over the world. 216 people from 41 countries;
played my 1st (and last) match for the Blues. 20 minutes in a victory against Newbury;
have been rowing on the Isis with the college boat club (my 1st time in an eight);
continued socialising and sampling of Oxford pubs;
discovered a quality late night kebab shop (Indian style) on Cowley rd for the late night snack stop;
Attended the OUANZ (Australia & NZ society) BBQ;
Heard Michael Douglas speak at the Oxford Union - a relatively short session (40 mins) though he was quite candid in answering any question that was put to him. Touched on his early days at UC santa barbara, relationship with his father, certain of his films, catherine zeta jones and the actor with whom he would most like to appear (Jack Nicholson). He also discussed his UN role as an ambassador for happiness and particular his role in the subject area of disarmament. He was engaging, articulate, intelligent and personable. Enjoyable though slightly too short for my liking;
Fortunately my group seems to have diverse backgrounds to cover off different subject areas: Chad (US - trader); Lisa (Swedish - IT); Vaibhav (Indian - family textiles business); Ruchir (Indian - Accountant); and Diego (Argentine who worked in IT at the UN in Geneva).
Attended some careers events - amazing that although we're not even a term in there are people applying for investment banking jobs and the like. I have managed to speak to some people about management consulting & the careers service has run some valuable training on CV preparation, presentation skills & interviewing skills

Attended my 1st ever BOP (a kind of college party) at Linacre College;
Played rugby for Pembroke - like a man amongst boys. I scored a try and set up 3 more!
Went for a ramble (ie walk) in the Cotswolds countryside with the Master and graduate members of Pembroke. Very pleasant afternoon - Finn enjoyed himself immensely and then we retired to a pub in the town of Burford for a well deserved roast lunch and pint.
heard Steve Wozniak (the technical brains behind Apple and co-founder with Steve Jobs) talk at the business school
played an internal MBA class soccer tournament against the other sections -despite not having any reserves & no star player, our team work and aggression combined to deliver a well earned victory!
heard Pat House, co-founder of Siebel Systems, speak at the business school. She was passionate, engaging, intelligent and very driven. Her key message - love what you do!
etc etc

life is busy! i'll post again soon.

Matriculation

2006-10-23T08:49:00.000+01:00

Matriculation is a unique aspect of the Oxford experience. Although I am already a member of Pembroke College, not until you have matriculated are you an official member of the University of Oxford. The ceremony is one of those quintessentially "Oxford" moments. You get dressed in sub fusc (basically a dark suit, white shirt, white bow tie, gown & mortarboard) and are presented to a member of the University's governing body for acceptance to the University.

You matriculate with other 1st year members of your college, not of the business school. Our day started with a champagne brunch in our MCR, followed by a walk to the Sheldonian theatre where the formal ceremony (which rakes all of 10 minutes) actually takes place. James came up from London to join Claud and I for the weekend and he enjoyed the pomp and ceremony of it all!

It would have been nice to enjoy a few post matriculation celebratory beers however I had to dash off to play rugby! I caught up with a few of my classmates later that evening who were certainly a little worse for wear!

Claud and I in the Chapel Quad at Pembroke

Standing in front of the dining hall - Chapel Quad

In the dining hall with Florian, John & Simon
in the chapel Quad with Florian and John
Having my matriculation photograph taken

Pemrboke's new 1st year students at Matriculation
Claud and I outside the Radcliffe Camera
The evening of Matriculation at a beer festival at Oxford town hall
Standing in the Chapel Quad with the Master of Pembroke College, Mr Giles Henderson
In front of Hertford College's "Bridge of Sighs"

Oxford - Week -1

2006-10-19T19:16:00.000+01:00

Saturday was spent unsuccesfully trying to open a bank account and a mobile phone. As many people had suggested, neither is easy and we had no success in either attempt. That evening we had a lovely meal at Aziz, one of the more highly regarded Indian restaurants in the UK.

The next day we had a great lunch with James and Kristo at the Waterway in Maida Vale in London before Claud flew back to Amsterdam that evening.

As the week went on, I immersed myself in more social events as more MBA's arrived, including my first ever game of soccer on Thursday afternoon.

Soccer in the park with the MBA's

Beers at Copa with Ean, Barry and Juergen

Ha!Ha! bar with Christina, Daniel, Diliana, John & Eric
Beers at the Living room with MBA crowd

On Wednesday I attended some careers presentations at the business school. My notes are as follows:
Investment banking - pretty much reconfirmed that it's not my cup of tea
Management consulting - reignited a latent belief that this is perhaps the area that, other than some form of social enterprise, might satisfy my desire for intellectual stimulation, variety of tasks and projects and the opportunity to continually be challenged and improve knowledge

I joined the oxford union during the week and on Friday 29th I was privileged to be in the audience of President (General) Pervez Musharraf, leader of Pakistan. He covered off the following points in his discussion:
○ Recounted transformation of Pakistani economy during his presidency - liberalisation, privatisation, democratisation ;
○ Defended pakistani interpretation of democracy - the level that can be tolerated by the people of pakistan
○ Asserted that Pakistan partakes in war on terror due to their own steadfast belief in ridding the world of terrorism rather than being forced / coerced by the USA
○ Asserted that Pakistan were the catalysts for the end of the cold war by virtue of their defeat of soviet backed forces in Afghanistan
○ Summary: very interesting discussion, polished orator though at the same time very much self serving propaganda
President (Gen.) Pervez Musharraf @ the Oxford Union

The Oxford Union - the university's largest student society & home of Oxford debating

I attended my first rugby training session - somewhat awkward as everyone knows one another. The training went well though I am going to have to come up to speed quickly - particularly on line outs where there are approximately 30 odd line out calls!

Our first official MBA event with the team building event on Saturday running around Oxford looking for answers to a trivia based treasure hunt. It was a nice opportunity to meet more people and later that night, Claud arrived and so we attended early arrival drinks at the Pembroke MCR (very nice bunch of people - Ross, Ryan, Mia, Emily et al) claud can become an associate member of the MCR - quite cool . Afterwards we ventured to an old church hall turned into a bar called Freuds but it was quite terrible so we left pretty soon after arriving.

On Sunday we ventured to the Kings Arms and enjoyed a lovely Sunday lunch with Gabe and Katie.

Oxford - "Week -2!"

2006-10-16T08:58:00.000+01:00

I have recently discovered that Oxford has many idiosyncrasies, one of which is that the terms are not called by numbers or seasons but rather Michaelmas (term one), Hilary (term 2) and Trinity (term 3). To help guide our way through these terms we have been informed that there are 8 week terms starting, yet officially term starts in "nought" week and doesn't end until exams are completed (circa Wk 10)!

As this is the naming convention of my new home, I thought it might make sense to label my posts as such to help navigate my way through term. As the weeks progress, you can expect to read less and less of our exploits over here and that which you do read is likely to be tired, emotional or simply unintelligible.

Back to business.

I officially arrived in Oxford on Friday 22/9. Claud joined me for the weekend as we were to meet some new classmates over the weekend in addition to meeting our UK midwife team for the first time that same afternoon. After the housing issues of my last post, we have fortunately found somewhere to stay until we can move in. Fortuitously it is only a few more minutes from the town centre in the same area that we will live so it is a nice opportunity to get to know the area.

The meet & greet with the midwife went well - though they were, to our surprise, advocates of home birthing. After politely declining that route, they were very accommodating and helped provide the sort of information you're looking for when you're preparing to have a baby in a new country. Heart beat is very good and we're informed that there is a strong chance that the baby will be a boy based on the speed of the heartbeat (slow)!

That evening we journeyed to the Head of the River pub to meet with a range of new classmates - gabe and katie, barry and laura, john, pawan, andrew, daniel and juergen, ean & reba etc etc. Over the coming week I start to get to know them (and the pubs of Oxford) much better.

There is much to be made of arriving early as it allows you to settle in and find time to get to know classmates before the ensuing overload of information and opportunity that follows in nought and first week.

As the week progresses, different people jump on the incoming student forum and suggest various nights out, which are fun to attend as each night more and more people arrive. Our list of pubs to visit takes a sharp decline as we call on the likes of the bear, copa, haha, living room, kings arms, the purple turtle etc

Based on the initial impressions of my classmates, I can tell that we are going to have a great year and that I am bound to make some more great friends throughout the next 12 months.

Farewell Amsterdam

2006-09-16T20:46:00.000+01:00

We arrived home on Tuesday morning to embark on a week of packing the house up and preparing for the move. First half of the week goes off without a hitch and gradually, after countless return trips to Gamma and Praxis to buy yet more boxes, our house begins to resemble the shell that it was when we arrived 2 and a half years ago.

Each night we're up until the wee hours wrapping our fragile items in bubble wrap and making sure that everything is tightly packed and organised efficiently for the removalists. Early on Friday morning a huge removalists truck arrives and within 2 and a half hours the movers have placed our entire lives' belongings onto a truck bound for Oxford.

Unfortunately, our ecstacy that the move went off so smoothly was dealt a savage blow just two and a half hours later when we received a call from the real estate agent in Oxford informing us that the current tenants had not yet moved out and, as their contract ran until October 2nd, would be remaining in the property until that time. I'll spare you a description of my reaction and subsequent hours of pleading, begging, insulting and threatening other than to say that all of it was to no avail.

Thankfully, our movers were flexible enough to place our goods in storage (at a cost) and I managed to move my flight back a few days. As I had scheduled farewell drinks that evening, I was in no mood to stay sombre so within a short while (and courtesy of 5 or 6 Amstels) my melancholy state had evolved to a who cares type attitude.

I was extremely overwhelemed by the presence of both club mates (young and old) and friends at our drinks at vakzuid. Even more so, i was blown away by the gifts that we received - a number of baby gifts (to supplement the junior rugby guernsey and ball that the club had given me before our trip) as well as some lovely mementos from the HARM guys and gals and the coup de grace, a framed 't Gooi guernsey with a team photo from last years GF. It is moments like these that I will treasure and miss and friends such as those that I have made here that I am sure I will connect with for the remainder of my life.

Oxford awaits.

Home at last (however briefly)!

2006-09-12T20:10:00.000+01:00

We arived back in Sydney on Friday the 1st of September. As usual, the weather was amazing upon our arrival which does lead us to question why we're happy to brave the cold and wet of the nothern winter when this is considered a winters day!

The following day, my sister Gabrielle married Lyndon Higgins -the weather was fantastic, Gab looked gorgeous and the day was a great celebration as you can see from the photos. I was honoured to have been asked to be the Master of Ceremonies for the evening and thankfully, from all accounts, managed to fulfill expectations of the bride and groom.

Celebrations continued into the wee hours and i had barely enough time to sleep off my drunkenness before once again being tempted by a cold beer overlooking Sydney Harbour at a post wedding / father's day luncheon with the McInerney and Higgins families. The amaazing setting, fantastic food and wonderful company were a fitting compliment to the previous days festivities.

The rest of the week was an enjoyable melange of family catch ups - including meeting our nephew Thomas (or Tommy) for the 1st time and smothering him with love, socialising with friends, taking care of certain administrative chores and enjoying countless fine meals and lovely beverages.

Catching up with friends at the Commodore

Although Sam had only given birth a few weeks prior, she very generously and selflessly organised a surprise baby shower for Claudia on the following Saturday which was well attended by friends and family alike.

The following morning we took great delight in celebrating Thomas' christening and then retreating to Sam & Eden's for a feast. Unfortunately, though it was a great day it was quite emotional for the girls that evening as we were to leave the next day. More waterworks were in evidence the next day at Kingsford Smith as we departed on QF001 for Amsterdam though our extended stay means that all of you back home now have a reason to come and visit Claud, Finn, me and junior burger (whatever sex he or she may be)!

Back online

2006-09-01T12:51:00.000+01:00

The last month or so has been fairly hectic as we've navigated the move from Amsterdam to Oxford and in the process we've said our goodbyes (on countless occasions), enjoyed a holiday in Thailand, been back to Sydney for my sister's wedding and then returned to Amsterdam in time to pack the house up into boxes and waved goodbye to our home of 2 and a half years.

The best way to capture what has transpired is through images, so here you go:

The official graduation building at the University of Groningen

Part of my farewell to Holland was a trip with Dirk and Friso to Groningen, a town in the north of the Netherlands where most of our close Dutch friends went to University together. They all played rugby together and I even managed to make a guest appearance for the old boys team a couple of times. We had a pretty big night and felt the worse for it the next day but it was great to have a boys night and we managed to catch up with Chris Verhoef and Tom Hart whilst we were in town.

The following week was my last at work. I finished up at Douwe Egberts after 7 years and though it was strange to leave such familiarity, the prospects of the next year are so exciting that I don't feel too sentimental about the past. We had a lovely farewell dinner with my close colleagues and I was given a very generous send off with some lovely gifts, including 2 new Senseo coffee machines and some lovely photographic images of Amsterdam to reflect on our time in the Netherlands.

The next day, we boarded our Qantas flight to Bangkok for a week in the Sun at the Evason resort at Hua Hin. The staff were friendly, the weather warm and sunny and the days long and relaxing - the perfect tonic to unwind before heading home for a week of catching up with friends and family.

After lazing about by the pool, we had a complete afront to the senses when we arrived in Bangkok where the humidity, heat and polution were overwhelming. Our time in Bangkok was characterised by some great meals, including a standout meal at Celadon and some interesting shopping at the night bazaar. Our cultural void was filled by a morning visit to the Royal Palace and Wat Pho. We had a great time!

Finn goes under the knife (and comes out the other side)

2006-08-08T18:54:00.000+01:00

For the past 8 weeks Finn has been hobbling. Not a painful hobble but rather a nuisance that gets worse with over exertion and remains in spite of a number of visits to the vet and the administering of countless drugs.

We first thought a tick may have become embedded in his left rear foot. After I couldn't get what I thought was the tick out of his foot, we took him to the vet. They in turn dug a whole in his paw and claimed that they had partially removed something but that the remainder would fall out in the coming days.

'If he doesn't get better, come back and see us in a week or so'. We did.

They then took x-rays and hypothesised that he was suffering from an early onset of arthrosis. Not good news for a Labrador at any age but more so for one not yet even 3 (his birthday is 23rd of August for those that are interested). He was prescribed a course of anti inflammatory drugs as well as something to ease the joint pain. We were asked to come back 3 weeks later to report on the progress.

We duly returned to inform the vet that there had been little to no improvement in his movement. Somewhat alarmed at this lack of progress, the vet informed us that he was seeking a second opinion and that we should see an orthopedic surgeon to 'rule out that he hasn't done something to his cruciate ligament'. That was just over 2 weeks ago.

On Thursday we visited the surgeon and within 40 minutes of prodding, poking and manipulating each of his 3 'healthy' joints, the moment he started on the 4th we each knew that something was not right. Ruptured cruciate ligament was the diagnosis - surgery necessary. Cost Â900! Yippee. Just what we need at this point in time let alone what a 3 year old Lab wants to hear just before his birthday!

We booked him in there and then and yesterday he had his operation. Although the surgeon declared it a success (neither of hismeniscuss were affected), the sight of our unconscious little boy lying prone on the bed with his tongue hanging limp and with dodgy shaved patches all over his body was enough to bring tears to the eye. His moaning andwhimperingg continued until the wee hours of this morning, though thankfully this morning he was considerably better. He is now house bound for 3 weeks and still after that can only be outside 4 times a day for between 5-15 minutes per time.

Here's how he looked last night - hopefully the healing process is fast and successful.

Finding a new home in Oxford

2006-08-08T16:15:00.000+01:00

In preparation for our move to Oxford, last weekend we flew across to London, jumped in our hire car and navigated our way toward the city of dreaming spires to try and find our new home. Before recounting our weekend, I need to set the background.

I spent countless hours last week perusing the internet and talking with countless real estate agents to try and find unfurnished 2-3 bedroom houses that would fit within our budget and be dog friendly. No easy task! Of the 30 or so properties that fulfilled the first 2 criteria I inevitably came unstuck when I mentioned Finn. No regard for his placid nature or respect for others' property - just flat out no's. And when they didn't know, the estate agents would suggest they contact the owner and get back to me. Now in my mind, this should mean that within one business day I would hear back. Not in this part of the world - I would give them 2 days and when I would call back you'd have to go through the same rigmarole with someone else because the person that I had spoken with only worked 3 days a week or hadn't had sufficient time to enquire yet.

In spite of these frustrations, by the end of the week we had 6 properties to visit and so we drove toward Oxford full of optimism and promise. The first property that we saw wasn't too bad though we both hoped that things would get better. They didn't. Our 2nd inspection was a 3 bedroom property some distance from the centre, newly refurbished but in a shoddy, cut costs wherever possible kind of way. The 1st bedroom was one we deemed would be suitable for the baby but when that turned out to be the biggest, we were ready to run, particularly as they were asking 1000 pounds a month for it.

We drove back toward the city centre to see our 3rd property at 11am. This was was a 3 bedroom Victorian terrace in East Oxford currently occupied by 3 male students. The estate agent apologised for the mess on at least 3 separate occasions and was at pains to reassure us that the landlord would re-carpet the lounge room and re-floor the dining room. Beneath the mess that the students had created, we could see that this could be a great place for a 12 month stay. 2 bedrooms upstairs with the 3rd, big enough to fit the spare bed and a desk, downstairs so that I could have some respite when necessary. Even better, the back yard was sizeable enough that Finn could have a play area, we could place our BBQ and outdoor furniture there and it had a shed for storage. Although the property was advertised at 1200 pounds a month, the estate agent seemed to think we might be able to negotiate down. Did I mention that Bullingdon rd is perpendicular to where the OURFC playing field is??

Our 4th and 5th properties were in the Jericho area. During our previous visit we both agreed that this is where we would ideally like to live. It is a leafy area not dissimilar to Paddington and has, on a small scale, a nice array of cafes and restaurants as well as a couple of nice looking pubs. We thought it would be out of our price range however were surprised to find 2 properties within our budget. The first property looked great from outside however on the inside you'd struggle to swing a cat. One down, one to go.

The other property certainly had size on its side and location. Unfortunately, the decor hadn't escaped the 70's and it looked as though the kitchen hadn't been upgraded since then either. Nonetheless, it was deemed a satisfactory back up.

We weren't due to see the final property until the following morning so during the afternoon we ventured into the centre, did some shopping and then visited my college, Pembroke. We took some happy snaps, wondered around and then jumped in the car and drove out of town to find the Trout Inn at Woodstock.

After some searching, we eventually found it and it was well worth the search. A lovely old, rambling Cotswold style building set beside a lock and river it was heaving at 3pm on a Saturday afternoon. As the weather was lovely, the extensive outdoor terrace held ravenous crowd who delighted in downing various beverages and what looked like quality meals. I settled for pimms & lemonade (I was in Oxford for christ's sake) but had a back up beer in case it wasn't too my liking. Claud, in her pregnant state, had to settle for a straight up lemonade. I can tell you that the pimms was actually quite tasty and I'm sure that I could comfortably get into the habit of imbibing a few of those next summer.

After we finished our drinks, we headed to our B&B and had a quick kip before dinner at another lovely pub, the Fishes in North Hincksey village, a place we stumbled across last time we visited and enjoyed an equally fine meal then as we did on this occasion.

At 10.30 on Sunday we visited our final property and were pleasantly surprised to find a lovely 2 bedroom terrace in the same general vicinity as our preferred property from the previous day (though perhaps a further kilometre from the centre). Although only a 2 bedder, it was airy and had been freshly painted and also had a sizeable rear garden. As the 895 pounds was negotiable, it was our definitely # 2 in case we couldn't get the price of Bullingdon rd down.

Before driving to London for Terry and Vanessa's farewell we caught up with another Aussie, Doug Waller, and his girlfriend Tory, for a cup of coffee. Doug is finishing his MBA at Oxford and had just completed his summer consulting project for Nokia which took him to Casablanca, Johannesburg and Dubai. We had a good chat about the ins and outs of the year, the merits of playing rugby there and what life in Oxford would be like. After leaving Doug and Tory we both agreed that the next year will be a cracker.

It only took an hour to reach the White Horse where we were able to catch up with Terry, Ness and Josephine for a few hours before we had to dash to Heathrow. They're heading back to Sydney after 4 or 5 years in London. Strange that we'll see them again in a few weeks when we're back home! Apart from Terry, we were able to catch up with Yabba, Sharpy and Phil Hodge and their respective partners.

Although we were pretty wrecked by the time we got home that night, we were both convinced that the weekend had been well spent and that we had achieved a lot.

On Monday I phoned the real estate agent and put in an offer for the property in Bullingdon road. Later in the day the agent came back with a counter offer which I subsequently refused but indicated that I was willing to pay 12 months in advance rather than 9 months that we had previously offered. About 2 hours ago I received the call that I had hoped for - we got the property! And at a price 200 pounds less a month that what they had asked for. Although it is at the upper end of our budget, it's less than we were prepared to pay and it's exactly what we had hoped for (probably even better). So tonight, the stars are in our favour. We now have a study/guest room downstairs so visitors can feel comfortable knowing that the little mac (or junior burger as Kato has christened the little one) shouldn't be too much of a disturbance.

Images of our new life in Oxford

2006-08-08T08:26:00.000+01:00

Our new home
70 Bullingdon Road OX4 1QL

Finn's play area

Our new kitchen

The bright blue bathroom!

Claud in the Chapel Quad at Pembroke

Max in the Chapel Quad at Pembroke College

Summer rugby in Stockholm

2006-08-02T10:14:00.000+01:00

10's rugby in Stockholm. What better reason to visit the Swedish capital, particularly as neither Claud or I had been before. I was invited to play for the Dutch Exiles with a few guys from our club, a couple from other clubs in Holland and then the rest made up of guys playing in the UK.

We had a strong squad but lacked pace. In the end, we managed to make the quarter finals of the cup (the top tier) but were knocked out by 3 tries to 1. Whilst it was disappointing to lose it nonetheless meant that Claudia and I had all of Sunday afternoon and most of Monday to explore Stockholm and the archipelago.

The city is as attractive as we had been told it would be. Similarly, the beauty of the women was an equally compelling sight to behold. Claud obviously felt right at home!

Here are some of the snaps that document the weekend - we had a couple of great nights out with the boys in the team and some of the partners, we enjoyed great weather and we were able to combine the historic sights of the old town with the natural beauty of the islands that comprise the archipelago. All in all, a great weekend.

For anyone visiting, a special tip is head to the Bronco Bar for one of the better steaks I have eaten (up there with Peter Lueger in Brooklyn and my own AC Butcher King Island Sirloin's on the barby back home).

Here's a snapshot of what went on:

Dinner at the Victoria

The team meets for the 1st time

Heading for the try line

Views of Stockholm

2006-08-01T08:55:00.000+01:00

Hawaiian shirts and Sulus on the 2nd night

The girls give the players some support

Quarter final action - unfortunately we lost

Analysing what went wrong

The early exit meant we could see some of the archipelago

In front of the royal palace

Willows and Me enjoying Sunday night in Stockholm

The night is still young!

Summer heat wave

2006-07-27T13:27:00.000+01:00

The summer heat wave continues without abate here in Europe. What we Aussies would call a standard summer has thrown the continent into a spin. A colleague remarked the other day that it has never been this hot for such a prolonged period in the Netherlands and that temperatures in excess of 35 degrees are seldom seen.

This year is the first in twenty or so where there has been two heat waves (defined as 3 consecutive days > 30 degrees) in one month for 20 odd years. In fact, the temperatures recorded during these past weeks are some of the highest ever recorded.

What does this mean for day to day life? People rushing for the terraces come mid afternoon, people sunning themselves at every opportunity and of course, countless cold beers. We have taken advantage of the fantastic weather with visits to some of the city beaches (more like bars on sand), walks in the park and the occasional trip on the boat which is a fantastic way to catch up with friends and pass time.

Here are some snaps of our latest cruise on the canals:

Claudia, Finn & I aboard HARM

Claud, Finn & Jan Joost

The crew chilling out

Pembroke it is

2006-06-30T13:34:00.000+01:00

Today I received the news that I had been waiting on for the past 2 weeks - confirmation of my college acceptance. Part of the Oxford experience is that you must be a member of a college. As an undergraduate, it is where the bulk of your learning is conducted. For graduates, the learning role is diminished as you are generally taught and instructed by your graduate body in their specific facilities (ie. for me, the Said Business School).

I feel fortunate at having been accepted to Pembroke as quite some colleges had already reached their quota of MBA students. I chose Pembroke for a number of reasons, not least because of its reputation as being a fine sporting college. In addition, I wanted to attend a college that has a diverse student body consisting of grads and undergrads, preferably an older college with some history and a lively Middle Common room ("MCR") - a term referring both to the graduate student body as well as the physical space where that same group are able to congregate.

Having reviewed a number of college prospectuses and also having explored the various MCR sites, Pembroke struck me as a supportive community where there is a healthy balance of academic rigour and extracurricular pursuits. It was also interesting (and somewhat humbling) to learn that Pembroke could count amongst its former scholars Samuel Johnson and could recall JRR Tolkein as a former master who wrote The Hobbit whilst in residence there.

The Pembroke MCR also appears to have an international mix of students and a lively social calendar. I credit current student Stephanie Solywoda with the following 1st hand observation as expressed on the MCR website, "I think that Pembroke has all the benefits of an old Oxford-style stone college with the added benefits of being a small, friendly, forward-thinking community".

I am certainly looking forward to being part of the incoming graduate class there.

Beaten but far from disgraced

2006-06-21T13:20:00.000+01:00

Last Sunday Claudia, James, Luke and I were fortunate enough to see the Socceroos go up against the might of the #1 world ranked Brazilian soccer team. Though our unfancied band of journeymen and not yeard heard ofs were the outsiders, they performed with aplomb and were it not for a severe pounding from the officiating referee, we might have scraped through for a draw. As it was, the 2 to 1 penalty count and the class of the Brazilians won through in the end, 2-0.

It was a great weekend of drinking, eating as much pork as you could throw a stick at and of being proudly and overtly patriotic. It was a long drive for a weekend though well worth it. It's a shame we didn't manage to knock the world champs out, but we didn't make the world stand up and take notice of Australian football. Well done lads.

Post game commiserations

2006-05-07T16:15:00.000+01:00

Another one bites the dust

2006-05-07T16:01:00.000+01:00

Fortune favours the brave, and though bravado was present in patches, unfortunately so too were disorientation, handling errors and a lack of confidence at key stages.

When it all boiled down, we lost. 14-11. Unfortunately for me it means another grand final loss to chalk up beside the colts final we lost when I was playing at Sydney Uni as well as the 3 grand final losses at Old Ignatians.

I warned the team that I may be a bad luck omen but we were convinced that this would be the year to break my run of grand final heartbreaks. Alas, it was not to be.

In spite of losing, I was honoured to have been asked to lead the team after my efforts in the semi final despite the return of our previously injured regular captain. My emotions were sparked after the game when it dawned on me that this was my last game at 't Gooi before leaving at the end of the summer for Oxford.

I have many fond memories of the club, not the least the many friends that i have made and the joy of improving my own level of playing standard. I will have fond memories of the manner in which our club, appearing in their 1st ever grand final in their 73 years of existence, dealt with the loss.

We returned to the club house to be greeted by between 60-80 supporters and a big band as we disemnarked from the coach. They then proceeded to lead a march back to the club whereupon we found another couple of hundred supporters, two long tables of catering and a plentiful supply of beer.

We stayed drinking well into the evening, recounting the near misses, mistakes and 'if only' recollections of the game. Despite our loss, the one departing thought I will take with me is of the unique spirit and environment of Rugby Club 't Gooi and the privilege I have had being a part of such a club for the past 2 and a half years .

Oxford beckons, farewell Amsterdam

2006-05-05T10:00:00.000+01:00

Due to my lethargy, tales of recent developments appear with quite some delay. I attended my Oxford interview on April 28 having decided at the end of 2005 that my desire to undertake post-graduate study was more intense than my desire to continue working with Sara Lee. I had flagged in my performance review in November than an MBA was on the cards though at that point in time was undecided between commencing in 2006 or 2007.

I had been confident with my application to the Said Business School at Oxford University as it was the only school to which I ended up applying and hence my preparations were suitably thorough. Nonetheless, I was quietly relieved when invited to attend the interview session.

I arrived in Oxford at around 10am having taken the day off work and flown across early in the morning. The day was well organised and consisted of the interview itself, a plenary discussion with current students, the opportunity to sit in on a lecture, a presentation from the careers team, a tour of the school and lunch with current students, prospective students and academic staff.

The day re-confirmed my desire to attend Oxford - the diversity of students and backgrounds, the quality of teaching staff, the intimacy of the school and the surrounds of Oxford all conspire to create quite an invigorating atmosphere. I must say that I had been surprised by the brevity of my interview and afterwards was questioning whether it had been due to my strong candidacy or whether they made up their minds quickly that I did not merit a place on the program.

Over the ensuing week I was a nervous wreck, not knowing which was the decision might go. Fortunately before the week was out I had cause to celebrate - I was offered a place at Oxford University. Very soon thereafter I handed in my resignation, met with surprise, disappointment but thankfully also support.

Koninijnedag!

2006-04-30T12:51:00.000+01:00

Or Queen's day in English. Words (and even images for that matter) do not do it justice. My best effort at describing this day of drunken, debaucherous nationalism is if you were to combine Anzac Day, New Year's eve and Australia Day into one day of celebration and then multiply it by 10. It is the one day that the Dutch really let themselves go and the fervent celebration is marked by a sea of orange, flea markets in the suburbs on street sidewalks and in parks and one huge party in the centre of Amsterdam with music on every corner, bars filled and then boats jostling with one another for position on the canals.

This year was our 3rd and every time we tell people who plan to visit us in Amsterdam - make sure it's the weekend of 30 April as that is when all hell breaks loose. This year it was Anna & Kristo Breheny joining James and we had a blast. Harm (our boat) was full to the breaches and towards the end of the day we had to offload people when water started to come precariously close to the edges.

If you plan to visit Amsterdam in the coming years - base your trip around April 30!

At home in Holland

2006-04-21T14:57:00.000+01:00

Welcome

2006-04-21T14:23:00.000+01:00

I have been intrigued lately by the sheer number of blogs on the internet and thought it about time that someone working in marketing should adopt this trend. Far from being an early adopter, I guess I can clearly be labelled a laggard in this respect.

Nonetheless, I hope that those of you wishing to follow our lives over here in Amsterdam (and possibly other locations in the not too distant future) may find this a nice way to keep in touch with what it is we're up to.

ciao for now.
Andrew & Claudia