Now Starring in London...

Something Old...Something New

2008-02-09T23:31:00.000Z

The funny thing about life is how it continually throws you curve balls...just when you think you have everything figured out...BOOM...but I am getting ahead of myself...lets take a step back...

Going to Kellogg was one of the best decisions I have ever made...such a complement to LBS...it was very refreshing to be in a class with 675 people, compared with 315...to be in Evanston compared to London...All in all I made new friends, some of which I know I will have for a very long time...and made it to NYC, Miami, and LA...and then back to NYC (more on that later)....

Chicago is a city with a special place in my heart...I honestly don't think a better city exists to raise a family...that combines the great times...with a sense of balance...not too hectic...personality...character...It's a city that will be mine forever...that is for sure...

Comparing Chicago to India...now that is an exercise...For the third year in a row, I have spent New Year's with my brother...this is something that is tremendously special to me...he is my best friend and our trips keep getting better and better...Next year we have already decided on South America...hopefully Brazil can handle the Starr's...

India is a country that needs to be seen to be believed...so much grandeur...majesty...history...words cannot describe the people and countryside that will envelope you from all angles...The palaces are stunning...the temples are magical...the poverty...well...no real words to describe the poverty...With the help and assistance of good friends (Mayur and Gautam) India welcomed us with open arms and I can't wait to go back...

London is as welcoming as ever...it is great to be back and experience what I missed for four months...the people and places...my favorite restaurants...Chelsea...kebabs...it really does feel like home...and I am happy to say a home that I will be sharing with many friends in the coming months, so I am quite excited...

So...what what does the future hold? Well...back to those curve balls...seems that I can thank my brother for yet one more thing in my life...due to his day of birth I happened to meet someone really special...so...future...well...to say I am excited to see what happens is an understatement...but I promise to keep everyone in the loop...

So to everyone...here's to happiness...here's to good things happening when you least expect them...and here's to 2008, a year that I am really starting to get very excited about...

Where did the past 3 months go?

2007-12-01T01:24:00.000Z

When you do not write a blog entry for a long time, the first thing that you do when you actually do sit down and are ready to go for a shiny new entry is really think about what happened to you in the days, weeks, or in my case, even months since my last post.

Since I last put my thoughts down on paper, I can honestly say I have gone through some life changing events. As my fourth business tri-mester comes do a close, I can't help but reflect upon the amazing time I have had the past few months.

First off, my experience going on exchange has been spectacular. If you go to business school, or are considering business school...I highly recommend going on an exchange program...without hesitation. In my case, Kellogg is a perfect compliment to LBS...the two schools are unique but similar...Kellogg is about twice the size of LBS and focused more on Marketing and Strategy...while LBS is more intimate and more financially rigorous.

I have met some amazing people at Kellogg and I look forward to keeping in touch with them throughout the year, and years to come for sure. I am also looking forward to showing my new friends (about 10 of them to be exact) London...as a large Kellogg contingent is headed to LBS on exchange in semester #2. I think I have made some great friendships and learned a lot of new perspectives...but lets not make it all serious...The people at Kellogg LOVE to party as much as the people at LBS...and TUESDAY night is the night in Evanston...So whether it is $1 burgers at Bar Louie...or closing down the Keg during Halloween...I had some extremely memorable nights drinking cheap, quality American beer :)

The second best part for me the past couple of months has been living in Chicago again...Now I have not lived in Chicago since I basically left undergrad...almost 8 years ago...The city has changed a lot...but that charm that I fell in love with is still there in full effect. I think Chicago is one of the most underrated cities in the US...so I will keep trying to do my best PR effort into raising its profile. From the bars, restaurants, night life, sports teams...and most importantly...NICE PEOPLE...I would not rather life anywhere else (except maybe London :)

It has been tremendous spending time with my family...which you learn to take for granted...also travel has been great...NYC, MIAMI, LA...I made sure I racked up some frequent flier miles...While going everywhere in the world the past year, I came to a realization that travel is something that I truly love...just going to all of my favorite cities now, with my favorite restaurants...people..comfort...Without doubt, no matter where I live or reside, travel will be an essential part of my life going forward...

Where is the the future for me? Well, that is still unanswered as of now...To say I have a lot of things on my mind is an understatement...But I am thinking a lot about what is important to me going forward...I think the holiday times ahead will be perfect for some real soul searching on my part...so everyone stay tuned...I feel like big announcements will be coming your way soon...

Lastly...I am REALLY excited as well to get back to London...to be with everyone from LBS...to cheer on Chelsea...and to get back to my favorite things...including the best kebabs in the WORLD...London is such an amazing place that being away for as long as I have been gone has been pretty brutal...So my little list of things to do keeps getting BIGGER AND BIGGER...But I am sure I will be able to fit it all in...

Finally, I want to wish everyone a happy holiday season...From Thanksgiving, to Christmas to Hananakah, the holidays are my favorite time of year...This year, my brother and I will be in India...which is something that I am so excited to do, I am beyond words. Seeing the Taj Mahal has been on list for about 20 years now...so happiness and health to everyone...and lets have 2008 be even better than 2007.

A New Beginning

2007-09-30T01:04:00.001+01:00

First off, apologies for disappearing into a black hole...I had no idea how behind I would be on things and how overwhelming starting Business School again would be. I feel like it is year one all over again...I don't know anyone here...so I am being extra nice and really trying to make "friends"...no jokes please...

London ended with a BANG...in general it was a great summer...no matter what the jokes were about the weather or about how busy everyone was. The city definitely took on a different tone to it when you are working full time as opposed to being a student. I had an amazing summer and really got close to a lot of my friends outside of LBS...I have a new set of roommates which I am excited about...as well as, at least I think, experiencing London for everything it had to offer. Sadly, I don't know if I will top the ultimate way to leave though....my FIRST CHELSEA GAME...it was incredible...I also saw Prince...who was awesome...and Ave. Q---which is hilarious and I HIGHLY recommend it to everyone.

BUT...being back in Chicago now, I miss London terribly...let me sum it up to you in one sentence...Evanston (Where Kellogg is located) has 4 bars...yep...4 bars...which I have already all been to...that is something that I will NEVER get used to...perhaps the leafy, stunning campus will grow on me...perhaps the flip-fops and hot dogs will bring back a warm place in my heart...but right now...I want my South Kensington like you don't even know...

The people here are nice...the professors are excellent...but the first thing that really hit me...and still continues to hit me is the SIZE of everything...when you put all of Kellogg's programs together...you are looking at like 1200+ students...basically double the size of LBS...everywhere you go...there are people here. Every meeting is overflowing...every lecture hall is packed...I don't know how I would deal with it if I were here full time...I guess you just get used to it? On the other hand...size matters as they say...and for example...McKinsey hired 57 PEOPLE from Kellogg last year...freaking NUTS...

In terms of me...well I managed to get sick from my lovely family...so my first real blow out Chicago weekend might be a little subdued...but I am feverishly trying to get better as soon as possible. On the bright side, the CUBS...are back playoffs...a place they have not been in a LONG time. I am very excited and already thinking about how I will some how afford tickets to see them.

So...the future is open right now...I will spend the next three months throwing myself into the city...lets see how everyone in LBS is in terms of keeping in touch...and we shall see...I guess I am supposed to be making some big decisions while I am here...so far my biggest decision has been where to eat lunch on a daily basis since I have no idea where anything is....

One London Summer Down...How Many More to Go?

2007-09-09T15:11:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone...I must say that the last few weeks have really given me a lot of perception onto a year which I already thought was completely filled with perceptions and insights...

This summer I have been lucky enough to see what life is like working in a big company compared to a small company---what are the benefits and disadvantages...but also to see what finance and consulting are like...What does the future hold for me? That is still a question I am working very hard to answer...

I also have met many new people, strengthened friendships and have only really confirmed my love for London as a city...It will be tough to leave...that is for sure...

On September 21st I move to Chicago for 3-months...I am really looking forward to seeing what life will be like in Chicago after being away for so long. Basically, apart from visits here and there, I have not really lived day-in and day-out in Chicago since I was 21...I know that I have changed a tremendous amount since then and I am wondering if I will still love the city as much as I think I love it right now when all is said and done in December...

One thing that I know I will love for sure is Kellogg...I am very happy with the classes I am taking this upcoming term...and from everyone that I have met, Kellogg seems to have some really cool people on campus...Just brings back memories of when I was a kid and walked around Northwestern with awe...I am really excited to be finally walking back on that same campus, but now as a student...

Other than work---which seems to have completely engulfed my life...Let me tell you...consulting is some LONG hours...but I really like my project so far and I am flying to Geneva for a days next week, so hopefully that should be fun---I really enjoyed my first European summer despite the crap weather in London...

Just the buzz on the streets...the overflowing pubs...the quick little holiday trips...the start of football season...it has been a blast. I had a chance to kick back for a few days in Barcelona...which is NO DOUBT the Miami of Europe...The city is amazing...everything is open until 4AM...people eat dinner at 11pm which I LOVE...and the nightlife is out of control...oh yeah...did I forget to mention that the weather is ridiculous and the beaches are insane?

I am sad to say goodbye to friends for a few months...it is weird as I feel like London is home now, so it does feel strange to be leaving...but I am excited for what the future will bring in Chicago...I have many close friends which I cannot wait to see...and who knows...maybe this is finally the year the Cubs make it to the world series and I will be there to cheer them on!

But not to worry, at least I am leaving London with a bang...Hopefully if things go according to plan, in the next 10 days I will go to my first CHELSEA GAME!!! As well as go to see Ave. Q and PRINCE...

So...Goodbye London...surely not farewell...and Hello Chicago...it's been a while, but it's great to be back...

One Down...One More To Go...

2007-08-19T23:01:00.001+01:00

So the last time I wrote, it was July 1st...Today it is August 19th...The longest time that I have spent without blogging...so where to begin?

The first thing that I need to mention is just how incredibly fast time has flown by this summer. On Friday, I finished my first Summer internship at Morgan Stanley...9 weeks...GONE...like they did not even exist.

Looking back on things, this summer has been really enjoyable from tons of perspectives for me. I got a chance to see what a working summer in London is like...and ask myself...Could I really live here?

I think the answer is a resounding yes...Despite some of the worst weather in history, I still found the city to be charming when it had to be...I always had things to do...and Europe was still right around the corner...I met new friends, some of which I am confident I will know for years to come...I saw friends get married...and others have children...I guess when I stopped to look around, I realized that everyone kept moving at a very fast pace...and I had to keep up...

In terms of highlights...I would have to say that I just tried to do the same things I have been doing all year round...but in no particular order...

Pearl Jam, Orlando Bloom's In Celebration in the West End, England vs. France at Twickenham Stadium (MY FIRST RUGBY MATCH!), Arsenal vs. Inter Milan (My Long Awaited return to the Emirates and to Premier League football), LIVE EARTH, The RaceWay (Formula 1 Go-Karting at 50MPH!), Walthamstow Stadium (My first trip to see dog racing)...and last but not least, my first London country club golf experience...It was AWESOME...

But honestly...I just think the best times also sneak up on you...Like going to Maheki with two of my close friends and having the time of my life...or introducing my favorite KeBab shop to people from San Francisco, Alabama, and New York...or going to Shabbas dinner (MY FIRST ONE IN A YEAR!) and meeting new people and really seeing how warm people can be...

I have five more weeks to enjoy London before I am off to Kellogg and another new adventure...where I know I will meet more people and see more fascinating things...I guess really need to decide where I want my future to be...but luckily I have a few more more months...

Anyway...I will keep this entry short and sweet...enjoy the pictures...

WORK and RAIN...What a Combination...

2007-07-01T15:29:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone...sorry for not writing in a long time...The last three weeks have kind of been a whirlwind...so I will do my best to catch everyone up...

School finished with a flurry that grabbed me and would not let go. Finals were just annoying...they were all jam packed together which was frustrating...and this year we got this AWFUL take home Economics final which just took forever to finish...On top of that I had a language exam as well...UGH...Lets just say that I am very happy to be done with school...I hope the pictures and champagne show how I really felt!

Now...who needs a break right? One day after finals, works starts...So I am spending the summer at Morgan Stanley, on the Sales and Trading side. So far...AWESOME...I am very happy with the people, the program and everything I am learning. Now I know...it has only been two weeks...but I have already begun to hear some horror stories from other people...and thankfully I do not have any myself...so, so far, so good...

Also...something that really brightens up my day...the FOOD at work...awesome...I feel like I am working at GOOGLE...everything you can imagine...10 cooking stations...nuts...my goal is not to put on 10 pounds due to over eating this summer...

Life in all aspects is good otherwise...I am really excited at being elected to join the Student Association of London...I get to help out clubs with sponsorship and PR...so that should be fun...

The rest of the summer should be a lot of fun...some nice concerts here and there...I will also venture out into the English country...Oxford...Bath...it's time to properly see the little island...that is if it ever stops raining...I have tried not to bitch about the weather...but it has just been BRUTAL lately...I am keeping my fingers crossed for an awesome July...

OK...Lastly...here is my BEST of LONDON as promised:

1. BEST PEOPLE WATCHING - Covent Garden - Just great...and DON'T FALL FOR THE BIKE TRICK...NO ONE EVERY GETS ACROSS!

2. BEST COOKIES - BEN COOKIES - Covent Garden / South Kensington

3. BEST KEBABS - BOSPHORUS KEBABS - South Kensington

4. BEST PUB - THE WESTBOURNE / COW - Notting Hill

5. BEST FOOD - WHOLE FOODS - High Street Kensington

6. BEST MARKET - BOROUGH MARKET

7. BEST THAI / BEST BELGIAN - BUSABA / BELGO

Stick with these things...and I promise hours of fun and quality weight gain :-)

Ok...I think thats it from me...back to work...(man...that sounds weird to write)...enjoy the picture from Hyde Park...

Crunch Time!

2007-06-13T19:48:00.000+01:00

OK...so classes for the first year of school are OVER! Yep...all that is left is 3 exams, 2 of which will be BRUTAL...then I am officially done with year one-- London Business School.

Now that I am an elder statesman for my school, I had the pleasure of volunteering to help and be responsible for the entertainment portion of the MBA 2009 Admits Weekend (which is a great weekend that MBA Programs put on for students that will be attending school next year and for students that are still considering whether they should attend).

Not wanting to pat myself on the back...I think the weekend was AMAZING. I had a blast meeting all of the new MBA 2009's who flew from all over the world...We took them drinking, out to my favorite Belgian restaurant, to a cricket match...and most importantly...we had GLEN PHILLIPS from Toad the Wet Sprocket play!! I am a huge Toad fan, so this was a great little cherry on top of an already incredible weekend. I am pleased to know that the school looks like it will be in very good hands next year.

Now in an in an attempt to continue to stay upbeat, I needed a break after Admits Weekend...and I was lucky enough to have my brother in town for 2 WEEKS! Now this is the first time the Bruce has been back since he left London in December...and the city still has not recovered.

After all of the major London spots were visited with astonishing speed and frequency, we decided that Paris needed a visit as well. But of course..not before Buasaba, an incredible play starring Harry Potter and of course Borough Market. Now, I thought Bruce was a London expert...but no...he is also a Paris expert...Suffice to say...Paris was beyond words.

Not wanting to make the majority of people extraordinarily jealous, I will just list some highlights which included in no particular order:

1. ASTONISHING WEATHER
2. Champagne Tours
3. Priceless Works of Art
4. Oysters, Crepes, Croissants, French Onion Soup and more Oysters
5. Did I mention the French Onion Soup?

After being a bit sour on Paris from my younger years...I feel like I am a converted individual...now don't get me wrong...I am not moving to France anytime soon...But I took great notes and am happy to give tours anytime... :-)

I had the time of life with Bruce...now I am deciding what the future holds...where should I live...etc. etc. and of course he has to come in and confuse me as always...

Anyway, work starts on Monday...I am not ready in the least...but hey...nothing like winging it right?

Lastly...Here are my classes that I signed up for next year at LBS...who knows right? Maybe I will become a big shot...or I will settle for little shot...but HAPPINESS HERE I COME :-)

SPR08
Brand Management
Financing the Entrepreneurial Business
Product Innovation
Strategy Dynamics
The New Rules of Strategy
The Unstoppable Growth of Branding
Venture Capital & Private Equity

SUM08
Creativity & Personal Mastery

Where has the year gone?

2007-06-04T00:12:00.000+01:00

I know that I have sounded a bit nostalgic in a few of my last posts...but I have some bad news...this post will be no different...Everyday that I look at the calender, June 16th becomes MORE AND MORE imposing...since that is the day that my first year of business school officially ends....UGH...

I just do not want to believe that one year has basically disappeared...and I guess the reason is that the year has been so incredible, I just kind of want to be stuck in it for a little bit longer...

Anyway...enough with that...I will try to look at the bright side and get really excited about the summer and the future...but before I do that, let me fill you in on an amazing past few weeks...

I have had the pleasure of a few wonderful friends coming to visit...and you know when people come to visit, you kind of get excited as well because secretly you do all of the fun stuff that your city has to offer, but look very cool doing it? Well...that is what I did...

So I want to thank Kevin and Rita for brightening up my May...The one thing that happens when you travel a lot like I have done this semester, is that you miss some of your favorite things about London...Lots of food, drinking and late nights later...My favorite city has rightly returned and the thoughts of leaving London at some point in the future seem harder and harder. With that, I decided that I will put together my own "Ed's London Best" list...so get excited as that will be in the next post...I want to make sure my list is Travel & Leisure worthy :-)

Speaking of Travel & Leisure...I recently just got back from Bologna, compliments of LBS. The school sent us to Italy to see the Ducati Motorcycle factory...We are taking an Operations Class and seeing a factory in person is like a "Super-Sized" type of field trip. None the less, Bologna is lovely...and 100% Italy...filled with cafes, little streets and that feeling of being a quaint, sleepy town. Spend a few days here ...have some gelato and a few cappuccinos and really de-stress.

Stress...funny how that leads me to the future...So, for all concerned my summer and fall schedules are in place and I am really thrilled at how everything is shaping up and coming together...so, here you go...

Internship #1 - Morgan Stanley, Sales, London - June 18th - Aug 17th

Internship #2 - Spectrum Strategy Consulting, London - Aug 20th - Sept 21st

Kellogg - Autumn Term - Sept 24th to Dec 14th

LBS - Winter Term Jan 7th...

I think I really did everything I set out to do when I started at LBS in August...I got two internships which I am really looking forward to starting...and the best part is that I do not know what the future holds...Will I fall in love with consulting? Will I do Sales in London for the next 3 years? Will I hate both and join a start-up in San Francisco? I guess that business school is ideally for situations like this...so I anxiously await my fate, and I promise to let everyone know as I figure it out myself...

I have to run, getting ready to go to Paris (I know...more tough traveling...but hey...my brother is town). Next time I promise to write about the 2009 MBA LBS class which I got to meet during Admits Weekend, and the previously mentioned "Best of London" list...

One last thing...I have FALLEN IN LOVE...yep..head over heels in LOVE...in case people want to know who has stolen my heart...her picture is below...

From Russia With Love...

2007-05-20T21:04:00.000+01:00

So this is a blog entry that I have been really excited to write, because, honestly...how often do you get to go to Russia? Personally, I have been waiting 26 years...

Anyway...here is a brief catch up and a little history on yours truly...

First off...Many people do not know this, but I was born in a city called Lvov in the country of Ukraine. That being the case, my whole life I grew up speaking Russian, and not tooting my own horn or anything, still feel like I speak it not too bad after having lived in America all of my life...

Secondly, since LBS is so ridiculously global, of course an amazing Russia trip was organized by two students. So a very, very, very bug thank you to Omar and Evgenia for taking 30 eager LBS students to Russia and bringing everyone back in one piece...

The trip started off in what I now consider to be the most beautiful city in the world, St. Petersburg. The previous title holder in my opinion was Stockholm...but St. Petersburg was just another level beyond. The city was beyond description...kind of like a fairy tale of castles, cathedrals, canals and palaces.

I hope some of the pictures do it some justice, but honestly...you have to see it to believe it. Also...St. Petersburg has "White Nights"...basically...LIGHT all of the time...one of the coolest things I have ever experienced...Walking around at 11:00PM and having it be light outside is extremely surreal...

HIGHLIGHTS
1. The City - Walk around, soak it in...stare...just breathtaking to behold. Hop on a river boat cruise and revel in history...

2. The Hermitage - To call this a museum is a joke...astonishing interiors, masterpieces hanging everywhere, go for a few hours and just get lost...

3. The Summer Palace - Just when you thought you had seen it all...this comes along and BLOWS YOU AWAY...I thought it was better than Versailles...and to really put everything away...there is an entire room made of AMBER...yep...AMBER...

The food was great, the people were friendly and the nightlife was a blast. I did not know what to expect from St. Petersburg, but I am fan forever...

Now...onto Moscow...and what a better way than by night train? I thought so...It also happened to be my birthday...6 hours, 12 bottles of vodka later and an entire train FULL of wasted students we stumble in Moscow...

WHAT A CITY...I don't know about a lot of people, but most of the pictures of Moscow that I have seen revolve only around the Red Square...so when I saw this city...I was just really impressed. It is SO BIG...Some streets have 8 LANES...

Moscow sucked everyone in and refused to let go...One night we had a fantastic dinner with everyone form the trip and new incoming LBS students for next year...I had a chance to finally meet RUSGIRL...she rocks, as does her blog...I linked to it so check it out for yourselves...

HIGHLIGHTS

1. NIGHTLIFE - BAR NONE the most stunning women I have ever seen. All of the guys on the trip still cannot get over what they saw...

2. Kremlin - As many pictures as everyone has seen, it is still more breathtaking in person. St. Basil's rivals anything I have ever come across...

3. The City - Huge, sprawling and wonderful...From Gorky Park to Nevsky Prospekt...walk, wander and witness a city transforming itself...

Long story short...Russia did not disappoint in anyway or in any form. I was with some great friends and I already cannot wait to go back. I give it my highest recommendation...

LBS...YES, I do still attend...

2007-05-14T19:02:00.000+01:00

Well...I wanted to take a well deserved blog entry to reflect upon the fact that my first year at LBS is 3 weeks from conclusion...I am in a state of disbelief...nuts right?

Anyway...Some of the stuff I have done the last 6 weeks of my life, I will 100% remember forever...and I know that I would never have been able to what I have done without LBS. Looking back, I can now say that without any doubt, LBS was the best decision I have made in a long, long, long time...

Before I sound like a complete dork, here are some of the highlights that I have enjoyed recently:

1. The chance to go on some really cool Treks where I have seen and met with companies that I never would have met with otherwise...

i.e. - Dubai, Silicon Valley

So...let me give you a sample of an incredible day on the Silicon Valley Trek...(By the way, as an aside, I decided that San Francisco is my favorite US city other than my beloved Chicago)

--Meet with the founder of HOT OR NOT.COM---Who is astonishingly candid, open, and captivating...
--Venture Capital Panel with Stanford Business School...We heard from Accel and a bunch of other cool firms...but of course FaceBook dominated the discussion...our final analysis = Accel is really smart!
--Touring the Yahoo! and Google campuses...I felt that I was in college again...it was another world that I have never seen before...FOOD EVERYWHERE!

Also..when you travel to these far off lands, you really bond with you MBA classmates more than ever...I am really happy with my new friends and all of the relationships that I have made...Despite my depression that first year is almost over, I am already looking forward to second year...which leads me into my next big LBS related announcement...

I AM GOING ON EXCHANGE AT KELLOGG!! I know it sounds funny to go on exchange to Chicago...but LBS has a great partnership program with a few select schools and I could not pass up the opportunity to see what Kellogg has to offer. So, everyone can get excited for some fun Chicago adventures from September to December...

In the meantime...I am way behind on some fun London, non-LBS related updates...Many of my friends have celebrated birthday's lately...so...roll call please...Happy Birthday: KEVIN, MAYUR, MILAN, ANIL, JAMIE, PAYTON and everyone else I probably forgot because I am AWFUL with birthdays. I also celebrated my 29th year on this earth last week...so thank you to everyone who called, wrote, or somehow communicted with me :-) But more on my B-day in my next post...

Lastly, with all of the new Chicago excitement, I'll with a fun weekend I recently had in Chicago...which included a friends, a trip to Wrigley Field, Beer Gardens, proper hot dogs, and my amazing mother's 55th Birthday!

Finally...I am beginning my official build the buzz for TRANSFORMERS campaign...it comes out July 2nd...GO SEE IT!

Talk to everyone soon...

DUBAI...or Should I Say Shangri-La

2007-04-30T19:07:00.000+01:00

I guess my first real desire to go to Dubai was about 2 years ago...I was watching some Discovery channel show where they showed, in painstaking detail by the way, the Burj Al-Arab hotel. I guess something about seeing the world’s first 7-STAR hotel piqued my curiosity...:-)

So...when LBS presented me with the opportunity to go to Dubai on a really cool job trek, how could I turn it down? You are right...I couldn’t! Also...my thinking was this...If I am to become a high profile super consultant...there are so many projects in Dubai right now...I had to really know that if I volunteered for one...could I really live in the city for 3-6 months? As you will see...the answer is 100% YES...with ease...

Dubai is a mix of South Beach, Las Vegas and Hong Kong---the beaches are beautiful, crystal clear and filled with tons of gorgeous women. The clubs and restaurants are world class---yet---somehow I was in the Middle East...The entire time I was in Dubai I felt like I was in some kind of hazy dream...like...this couldn’t be actually possible right? The city is filled with superlatives (Now you understand why I like it so much) The world’s best hotel---biggest skyscraper---biggest mall---indoor skiing---Everything in Dubai not only has to be perfect...it has to be BIG and the best in the world. I found myself right at home :-)

(No more gratuitous beach pictures, I promise)

Luckily, I had a good buddy who came on the trek who had worked in Dubai for the past five years---He did not let us down...so for anyone who is planning a Dubai trip in the upcoming future...here is my personal list of cannot miss activities:

BURJ AL-ARAB – Why not start with the best right? This hotel dominates Dubai skyline...and no matter how long you stare at it...you want to stare at it some more...Whether it is the underwater restaurant or the sky bar or the completely mesmerizing lobby...this hotel is not be missed under any circumstances
BUDDHA BAR – For anyone who has been in Paris or NYC---Dubai does not disappoint here---I was blown away
MODINAT JUMERIAH – Like a small Bedouin Village---this hotel is beyond words---you get moved around on little gondola like boats---the Burj is in the background...and about 50 restaurants are at your beck and all---oh yeah---the best club in Dubal is here as well...TRILOGY...and even TRADER VIC’S...all the way from LA!
JUMERIAH BEACH HOTEL – Go immediately to Bar 360---located so far into the ocean that you have to ride a golf cart to get there---just beyond words---get a mojito and just try not to fall in the water
ABSOLUT SHO CHO – This is the first time I have been to a lounge sponsored by Absolut---and they did not disappoint---The sushi was awesome...the crowd was hot...from there we went next door to Boudoir---another ridiculous club
MALL OF THE EMIRATES – This is the mall with the world’s largest indoor ski resort---and by itself is the world’s 3rd biggest mall. From Harvey Nichols to a LITERAL COPY of Rodeo Drive, to the first Armani Restaurant...you will not leave disappointed

Hopefully, you have a little understanding of what the city has to now offer you...and don’t forget---spend every possible minute on the golden sand beaches...and soon you will realize that there is not enough time in the day. I was BLOWN away by Dubai...now the only question is when to go back...New Year’s anyone??

PS...Here is a picture of the group before meeting with SHELL...just so people believe me when I say that I actually went for business... :-)

ISRAEL - A Trip a Long Time in the Making...

2007-04-30T18:54:00.000+01:00

First off...Let me apologize for a longer delay than I would like since my last blog entry. I have had the good fortune of some amazing travel excursions lately...and I am quickly realizing how easy it is to ball behind on things when you are running around all over the world. Perhaps I should really think long and hard about that consulting life style I have been dreaming about...

Anyway...where we last left off...I was describing Egypt in all of its...well...non-glory...In the end, I am happy I saw Egypt...but as I said before...I will not be going back anytime soon.

Israel on the other hand...has me still speechless...and it is almost 2 weeks since I have returned. Taking one step back...I have wanted to go Israel for many, many years--All of my friends that have been have described their trips as unforgettable, so, I was eager to experience the same...sadly...stupid wars had to get in the way...

Nonetheless, I finally made it...with two of my best friends...and was gong to spend 2 weeks with my closest cousin...I was on cloud 9...

Israel is a country the size of New Jersey...but with so many different cities, ethnicities, natural wonders and things to do---that I left the planning to my cousin...I knew that being the in the country of Easter and Passover was going to be amazing...and I was not let down...

We started of our journey by going to Nazareth...nothing like seeing some of history's most treasured artifacts up close and personal...We had a rental car and literally spent the next week detoxing from Egypt---It was so great to see nature so up close and personal...

Highlights included:

The Arbell Cliffs & the Sea of Galilee
The Golan Heights and the Golan Heights Winery
The AMAZING Bed & Breakfast we stayed at...Villa Tehilla
Waterfalls, apple groves, hummus, and desserts that are just incredible
The Lebanese Border and not getting into any trouble...:-)
The Bahai Gardens in Haifa
Caesaria
Making fun of Milan and Joe for falling asleep in the back seat

The country just has a way of making you feel at home---we would go from city to city...see where the Kaballah was created, see ancient Roman ruins, see mosques and churches...I think it safe to say we really felt that we were seeing and learning more than ever. The nights were also filled with fun---I learned to really enjoy Israeli beer...we met great people from all over the world, everyone eager to share their stories with us...it was all so memorable...hopefully some of the pictures will do what we saw justice...you guys let me know...

All of this led to the highlights of the trip...the OLD CITY...we walked, mouths agape, inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher during Palm Sunday. I stood and kissed the Wailing Wall during Passover...the Old City just has to be seen to be believed. Sometimes, I had to pinch myself just to really understand just how much history I was dealing with...At the same time...it was not just about artifacts...my cousin prepared an incredible Passover Seder...I met all of her friends who are all amazing...we ate and drank well into the night---just laughing and thinking about everything we had seen...

Luckily we still had a few days left...so...what better way to spend them than to go South...I arrived at the Dead Sea thinking it would be cool...but what can I tell you...NUTS...maybe the best way to describe the feeling of not being able to sink! The water is SO salty that you literally can stand vertically...I laid on my back and just tried to soak it all in..:-) 3 hours and lots of moisturizer later (As an aside---I decided to myself that I am getting OLD...yep...OLD...so...I made an investment and purchased some high quality lotions...I figure I can take a page out of the vanity book and concentrate on looking as good as possible---:-) We arrived in Eilat on the southern tip of the country...

From Eilat we went to Jordan---and saw PETRA---now any Indiana Jones fans will remember that Indy went here in the Last Crusade---Petra is beyond words and in my opinion cooler and more impressive than the pyramids. Jordan has a peace treaty with Israel---HOW GREAT PEACE CAN BE RIGHT?---so going border to border was no problem at all...the city is carved into an ancient rock façade...I don’t really know how to describe the wonders that are inside...Hopefully a few of the pictures will inspire you all to make your way to Petra as soon as possible...I promise you will not be disappointed.

Lastly...due to our grueling schedule to date, the group decided that some quality beach time was in order. So, in one day, and 9 PASSPORT STAMPS LATER...I found myself back in Egypt...heading to the Red Sea. We went to Sinai and stayed at a really cool little beach resort about 45km south of the border between Egypt and Israel. The Red Sea is SOOOO CALM...it was great to just wake up and hear NOTHING...peace and tranquility were everywhere...as were a BOATLOAD of mosquito's---I put some of the Dead Sea mud on me...again sticking with the skin rejuvenation theme :-) Ate a ton of fresh fish, played a lot of chess, got a nice tan, and realized that my trip as at an end.

When faced with disparity...what other options exist other than alcohol? So...since our flight was leaving Tel Aviv at 6:30 AM...we decided that we must say goodbye to the country that was so good to us by staying out all night...come on...would you have it any other way?? So we hit Tel Aviv by storm...the city ROCKS...a great mix between LA and Miami---we sampled swanky open air bars...got thoroughly drunk...hugged and kissed everyone goodbye many times...and just like that...another vacation came to a close.

My final thoughts are pretty much the same as my initial ones---Israel is amazing. From top to bottom I was impressed with every facet that the country offered. I am already planning my big return trip...

Egypt...Otherwise Known as Bangkok Part 2

2007-04-09T16:56:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone...happy Passover, Easter, (Any Religious Holiday I Missed)...

Coming back from a really long trip always puts things into perspective...especially seeing parts of the world that are quite different than good old London...so...in my nascent attempts at being a burgeoning travel writer, and inspired by recent Bill Bryson addiction, I will attempt to sum up my two week middle east jaunt to the best of my abilities...so...get ready to laugh and read on...

EGYPT

First things first...Travel in the Middle East is NOT EASY...coming from a Euro-Star mind set and trans-European trains, the shocking lack of travel options in the Middle East is amazing...You would think getting from Israel to Egypt to see the Pyramids would be a piece of cake...well...not quite...

Borders, lack of infrastructure, and basically nutty people all around make travel next to impossible. Options include crazy long bus rides (After my Thai experience, no more long bus rides), no trains what so ever between countries because they all hate each other and can't cooperate across borders, or planes. Now...I know what you are thinking...Planes right? Easy...well that is what I thought. Well...an buying a ticket on Ari Egypt is A LOT easier thought than done...NO INTERNET...right? Only way is through an Egyptian travel agent...prices are NUTS...and the plane was from 1967...I was praying the whole way...This nice little introduction leads me to Egypt...

What a country...luckily I had been to Bangkok earlier this year which nicely prepared me for Cairo...Cairo has 17 Million People...YEP...17 MILLION!!! They live on top of each other, in every nook and cranny...no open space exists...and the air is SO polluted that I am sure I lost at least 1 year of life in 3 days just breathing...

Upon arrival...I knew things would be funny...I just had to adjust...VERY QUICKLY...

Here is a quick primer on Egypt...

1. You will be ripped off at every corner, opportunity, and exchange...get used to it
2. Bargain for EVERYTHING...start of at the lowest number possible and go up from there...Example - Cab to the pyramids...

"How Much"- Ed
"100 pounds" - Taxi Driver
"5 pounds" - Ed
"75 pounds" - Taxi Driver
REPEAT for 5 Minutes
FINAL FAIR - 20 pounds

It's crazy---but becomes kind of endearing at some point...the people are nice in their own weird way...and you leave the country glad that you saw it...but in no rush to return...

Highlights - Well...the pyramids rocked my world...I have been a mummy fan since I was a kid...seeing them up close...just crazy. They are so big and so impressive to behold...I barley noticed the 500 people asking if I wanted to buy a tour, post card, souvenir, camel ride, horse ride, or any other imaginable thing that could be sold...

Climbing inside the great pyramid all the way to the tomb is really something to witness...they whole time I thought it was going to collapse on me...shockingly it did not...but for the first time in my life, I met a friendly group of pagan idol worshipers that were inside the pyramid for 8 hours and refused to leave...yep...the world is one nutty place...

The rest of Cairo left something to be desired as said before...we explored, got lost, and rode around in cabs from 1950...no joke...ate a lot of hummus...had Egyptian coffee...smoked some sheesha...Basically became Egyptians for a while...even had a real Egyptian breakfast from an small, authentic little street shop...noodles, lentils, hot sauce, and a few other things I could not quite name...It was delicious...

A couple things I have to share though...Me and my buddies bought Kafiyas...those are the Arab headdresses that people wear...we wore them for the whole day and it was crazy...Also...they LOVE belly dancers in Egypt...I saw one in person and it was a blast...this woman shook in ways that I did not think were possible, all in front a 50 people eating and drinking...

It was fun...the city is nuts...the camels were great...and I won't be back any time soon...

2 Down...1 To Go...

2007-03-24T19:35:00.000Z

The fact that I have completed two semesters at LBS recently just dawned on me...partly due to the fact that I just finished my last final 2 hours ago...but hey...I am reminiscing...

I have not written about LBS in a while, so I thought I would dedicate a little time to the reason I am in London...Basically...I have 1 more semester to go and BANG year #1 is done...I just can't wrap my mind around it...where did the time go?

Anyway...Highlights of the second semester included:

1. Milk Round - In London this is what they call the job search...MAN...it was crazy, insane and just unforgettable...I am pretty thankful that I did well...I felt that I learned as much as I could have during the insanity...SO...this summer I will be doing a Sales + Trading Associate Internship at Morgan Stanley. I also will be doing a second internship at Spectrum Consulting...a really cool Media strategy consulting shop with 8 offices throughout Europe and Asia.

2. Classes - This was an interesting semester...basically took a lot of "soft skills" courses...Marketing, Organizational Behavior---but the course that I liked the best was Decision and Risk Analysis...Go figure...but...this was not the semester of classes that really blew me away...Looking forward to Summer Term...I have Strategy 2...which I am excited about...with some more of the usual Accounting and Economics...I am keeping my fingers crossed...

3. Misc. - I had some great times this semester on things that I finally had a chance to work on. In my Entrepreneurship class we had an amazing trade show...over 100 Angel investors came and checked out my prototype (That's me standing next to my bud Will, who was trying to push his cooking invention)...I also had a chance to bring Microsoft to campus...along with X-Boxes, Zunes, and lots of great speakers...it was a great night.

LASTLY...I am proud to report that I tried out and got a spot on the LBS University Challenge Team!!! For anyone who does not know what this is...basically it is like Jeopardy...for schools...YEP...I will be on TV if our team can get past round #1---I am really excited for this...lets see what happens...

OK...enough of the school stuff...I did a chance to pack in some fun stuff the last week...Most notably I saw an AMAZING play...the HISTORY BOYS...It was really eye opening and I thought also very thought provoking as well. I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone...

Now...St. Patricks Day in London is INSANE...As you saw with me and the flag...the night was incredible. It was really great to see so many Irish people out and about...Just walking from pub to pub...the life and energy in the crowds was intoxicating...the Guinness helped as well...For an unforgettable experience, some to London next year for St. Pats...I promise you won't be disappointed...

Also...I got a chance to see SHAKIRA...yep...SHAKIRA...what can I say...she rocks like crazy...She put on an exceptional show...running around, jumping, etc. She made Christina look like an amateur. My seats were amazing, so check out the pics...YEAH..I WAS THAT CLOSE!!

Lastly...Spring hit for about 1 week...I tried to enjoy every second, as it is now FREEZING...so it was great to see some of my friends outside of LBS as well...I got some golf in...and my buddy Keith came in from San Franciso (Yes that is real English Ale he is drinking)

Well I am off to my friend Kevin's birthday party tonight...It will be really nice to relax now that finals are DONE...

I want to wish everyone a happy Passover, Easter, etc. I will be in Israel and Egypt the next two weeks...so...see everyone next time, with some fun pictures in tow...

PS...Take a peek at the car of my dreams...WORDS CANNOT DESCRIBE IT RIGHT??????

The Next Step

2007-03-11T22:32:00.000Z

The last two weeks of life have been some of the most enjoyable of my time here in London. I think for the first time since I moved here in August, I really felt like a Londoner and got a chance to see what it is really like to live in Europe and be "European". Here are some of the highlights of what I have been up to lately...

I decided that I wanted to really explore London...go to the areas that make the city what it is...so Kevin and I went to the Spitalfields market (http://www.spitalfields.org.uk/)...still on my market kick if you remember the last post...So...Spitalfields is NO Borrough market...but it still had enough charm about it to make me happy...check out some of the olives on sale...

Another way to describe Spitalfields is quirky, historic, and trend-settingly modern...check out this picture of the some of the architecture...

Leaving Spitalfields you stumble onto Brick Lane...this is London's answer to the East Village...it was really interesting to be walking through these distinct neighborhoods for the first time. I felt slightly out of place...but...then that kind of changed...by the end of my little trek...I felt like I was kind of getting "it". Brick Lane is classic...some of the coolest shops I have ever seen...and the hippest 100 pound t-shirts ever...Kevin told me that they were works of "art" and that is why they were that expensive...

This leads me to my next endeavor...Living in Europe allows me to see some of the most ridiculous art exhibitions ever put on...In Europe, I feel like going to the museum is a weekly activity...so I joined the party. First up was Renoir's latest at the National Gallery...words simply do not describe it...so when it makes its way to the states, do not miss it. Just an awesome 75 painting exhibition displaying all of his landscapes...the coolest thing I learn when going to these is that many of the impressionist painters were friends with each other...just thinking about Monet and Renior painting together is simply amazing...

My cultural immersion continued with the "Face of Fashion" exhibit...Being a fashion fan...but definitely not an connoisseur...I struggle with the concept of photographs as an art form...but this exhibit swayed me a bit...some of the pictures elicited a reaction...anyway...I am open to everything...

I'll end this entry with a little taste of home...My classmates and I went to "Borscht and Tears"...yep, nothing like a Russian restaurant in the heart of Knightsbridge. Anyway...lots of vodka later...I felt like I was right at home...although my dad's borscht is 100% better...

I hope I did an OK job trying to convey what some of my day-to-day going's on have been like...I wouldn't call myself a European quite yet, but more and more London is starting to feel like home. With the pressures of school and work taking a back seat for a few weeks, London's personality has shown through with the brightest of colors. Whether it is meeting friends for dinner that flew in from all over the world (Thanks for an amazing dinner Adam!), or spending great days and nights with my best friends here (Thanks Kevin and Alexis)...I feel like I am coming into my own. I can now proudly tell you where my favorite Kebab restaurant is...my favorite cookie shop...and of course...my favorite streets...

My times of fun end on Wednesday as I am going to see the History Boys...I have wanted to see this for the longest time...but...then the gloom of FINALS will cast their shadow over me for a little bit...I still can't believe that my 2nd semester at LBS will end in less than 2 weeks...

Talk to everyone soon...

LONDON...Put Your Hands Up For This City!

2007-02-24T19:10:00.000Z

Sometimes when things are moving so fast, the old cliche goes, you forget to look around...well that is what I been guilty of the past few months...and now I can proudly saw that the cocoon has been broken...

The past 2 weeks...I dedicated to falling in love with the city that I call home...and as I figured, the city made it easy for me...so this entry will be dedicated to London...

Anyway...So I will start off with the wedding of one of my best friends...Jordan's wedding brought many old friends to London...and I decided that it was time to play tour guide and try to really show our guests what the city was about...

All of the usual places were on display, and luckily, the weather cooperated quite nicely...so...in no real order...Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park, St. Paul's, Millennium Bridge, Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Piccadilly Circus, Carnaby St., TOP SHOP, Covent Garden, BEN'S COOKIES, Trafalgar Sq., National Gallery, BAR ITALIA, Leicester Square, PAUL'S, Regent's Park, and of Course...the most important stop of all...LBS...Here is what LBS looks like for everyone who has asked...Also...Thanks to Bruce and Alex for introducing me to all of the places in Capitals...without them...my London fun would be very limited...

Anyway..it was great to finally see the city again...I fell in love all over again...and when everyone left...well...I decided that I was not done...SO...me and a group of friends went to Bourough Market...

Now a quick aside on how EUROPE differs from AMERICA...Europe has MARKETS!!! Yep...they are amazing and tons of people come and enjoy the best food, fruit, and drink stands that the city has to offer...This is how people get their groceries in Europe, and it is 100% amazing...On this day, I enjoyed the BEST brownie I have ever had...cheese from all over the world...Check out the BUFFALO Mozzarella...

Well...a weekend like this could only end one way...Thanks to my AMAZING BROTHER...I went to see the KILLERS!!! They rocked my socks off...in fact, probably the best concert that I have seen since Pearl Jam...They were amazing and I enjoyed every minute of it...check out the shots...

That's it for this week...but now that school has eased a little bit, I hope the next few entries will give everyone a little taste of what London has to offer...I will try my best to continue to go out and see the sights, and will send lots of pictures...:-)

Until next time...

Decisions, Decisions...Can't Someone Make Them For Me??

2007-02-16T18:08:00.000Z

Hey everyone...So...First of let me apologize for the really long delay in between posts...I know everyone is sick of me saying how busy I have been, etc. etc. so I will spare you guys the boring details...

The good news is that my life has officially turned the corner!! The next 3 months should in theory now be filled with smooth sailing, lots of travel, and of course...GOLF..:-)

So...to compensate for my lack of posts, I will make this one a little longer than usual...now I know people hate reading long posts (MATT, Miss N) but...that is the best solution I could come up with...

OK...first...GOOD NEWS!!!! We can all celebrate...I got 2 JOB OFFERS!!!! Yep...with awesome firms...So I am on CLOUD 9...even as I write this...but of course...with joy comes more twists and turns in the road of life as they say...so...I have 3 final rounds with some pretty cool consulting firms next week. So, you may ask...why is this idiot subjecting himself to more interviews? Well...Here is the answer...I thought B-School would give me clarity and direction for my career choices...SHOCKINGLY it has not happened...and in fact I am more confused now than ever before...

So what to do? Finance...both roles are amazing sales rotations...lots of $$$ and great firms...but consulting seems like it would really suit me as well...and don't forget that Google and Yahoo! are still lurking as well...UGH...what to do????? Well...that is what I will try to attempt to figure out in the next week or two...if anyone has any great advice to give to me...I AM WAITING..:-)

Now...onto some fun stuff to share....the picture below is BEFORE the Bears broke my heart in the Super Bowl...I look nice for 3:00AM right? So you see...people in London DO watch football...

So...Since the departure of my brother...which has left a gaping hole in my social schedule and a dearly departed companion...I started to reflect on some of my new friends that I have made in the last 6 months...YEP...it has been 6 MONTHS since I arrived in LONDON!!! As I look back, I just can't believe how lucky I have been with LBS and everyone else I have met in London...Friends like Kevin, Joe, and Milan...these are friends I know I will have for life...I can't wait to continue to have amazing adventures with them and with everyone else from this semester...

In terms of Summer time fun...I think that my internship will be 95% in London...so everyone back in the states...START MAKING SUMMER TRAVEL PLANS...I think Wimbleton will be a hot ticket...as will some amazing concerts that London has planned at the new Wembley Stadium...so I am excited to enjoy London in all of its glory this summer...

I will end this post with thoughts on yet another wedding...One of my best friends is getting married on Sunday...So, as I have witnessed practically all of my friends get married in the past few years...I am excited for all of the advice they will give me on my wedding...when it ever happens..:-) So...CONGRATULATIONS to Jordan and Emilie...

Enjoy some pictures from the bachelor party last night...Talk to everyone soon...

Stress? What stress...

2007-02-03T20:34:00.000Z

Hey everyone...Not much to really report since my last post...that is probably because the week literally disapeared in front of my eyes...I blinked and Saturday appeared...

I know everyone is sick of hearing about this already, but I don't think I have ever been this busy in my entire life...I know certain days back in NYC were crazy and when Harbinger was rocking it got pretty busy as well...but I have never gone through what I am going through now...I truly feel that when this is all said and done in 4 weeks or so, that I will be able to handle anything...BRING ON THE START-UPS!

In terms of what's going on...well...the school is submerged in paranonia...every day conversations go like this.."So...did you hear back from company X? No? Yeah...I did....I got Dinged / Accepted" I have heard some CRAZY stories...and been parts of many myslef...so here is a funny TOP LIST of what has happened to me in the past few weeks during interviews:

1. Look at the table in front of you and sell me something on it for 15 minutes. The table consisted of: a bottle of still water, a bottle of sparkling water, a bowl of grapes, and a gum wrapper. I picked the sparkling water...

2. You have 9 tennis balls and 1 scale...you can use the scale twice...the scale is like a justice scale, so to plates on each side and they will balance if they are equal weights...1 of the tennis balls is heavier than the others...which one is it?

3. 3 guys are in line, 1 behind the other...they cannot turn around. A 4th guy puts a hat on each of them, but they cannot see which hat. The 4th guy picks from 5 hats...3 Green Hats, and 2 Red Hats...He then asks #3 - What color hat do you have on? I don't know he says...He then asks #2, What color hat do you have on, I don't know he says...He then asks #1 what color hat do you have on...He says I know...So which color hat is he wearing?

These have all been courtesy of investment banks...I am going through consulting firms now...so fun from them will be next week...

I have no offers yet...but a bunch of Final round interviews coming up...so everyone keep your fingers crossed and send me some good vibes..:-)

In general, London has been amazing...weather is great and the days are sunny...so moral is up and I am counting down the minutes until I land the perfect summer gig and bring out the golf clubs again...I think my handicap now will be around 100...but hey...thats the fun of bringing it back down again...

Lastly, I will end with some funny stories from my trip to NYC last weekend...I had a blast and would like to thank Max, Heidi, Dave, Matt, Joe, and of course Bruce for an amazing weekend...I think everyone knows how much I LOVE to eat...well I got in a Barney GreenGrass and a Yama meal...Can't beat that...Here is a funny picture of me and my friend Dave at a birthday party...Don't I look great in a sombrero?

I am still a little philosophical about where I will end up this summer and after school ends...but that will be for next week...just too tired to keep writing...

Last, but 100% not least...GO BEARS!!!!! I will be cheering with every ounce I have tomorrow at 4:00AM!!!!

Save me from DROWNING...

2007-01-26T22:10:00.000Z

Hey everyone...I write this to you from my comfy window seat, American Airlines flight # 141 heading to NYC...

So the last 10 days of my life technically never occurred...I thought my first semester at LBS was busy...but that seems like a sweet dream compared to what I am going through right now...

Here is a quick recap---Internship season is in full swing...for those of you not in business school...here is what that means...310 people fight, claw, and battle their way to summer jobs...I am one of those lucky 310...so here is what I am going through on a typical day...

Classes--9-12, 2-5
Company Presentations 12:30-2, 6-7:30
Mock Interviews - 8-9, any other possible free time
Cover Letters and Applications - At least 1 hour a day...
Studying - That is a pipe dream at this point...
Social Life is Non-Existent...

So how am I doing you may ask among all of this craziness? I am holding it together...I usually never stress out...but some nights the pressure even gets to me...

Anyway...So I am on a plane flying to NYC for final rounds at a big NYC investment bank for a Sales internship...crazy right? It is about 6 years since I left NYC and the same big investment bank to try new things in life...and now things have basically come back full circle...

Some days I wonder where I would be if I had not left...lots of my friends are still at my first bank, Bank of America...they are now Vice-Presidents...wealthy..supposedly happy...some are married...no one has kids yet...so I wonder...I assume I would have been a lot better off financially and not in huge debt...:-)...but happy? Probably...but who knows...

But other than the money...what would have been different? I guess I can never really answer this question...the experiences that I have had in the last 6 years have been unforgettable in many ways...so I guess I will have to wait until I am 50...when hopefully money won't matter as much as it does currently in my life to truly find out if I made a mistake or not...

In other news...I am excited by the some upcoming visits, and some past visits that I have had recently...So thanks to Keith for coming over...I am praying that you move out here full time by the way!...and thanks to Kevin...I can't wait to see you bud...

To anyone else, here is my schedule in case you are thinking about a trip across the pond...My spring break starts March 24th until April 8th...so most likely I will not be in London during this time...Also, I will be going to RUSSIA!!!! Yep...for my birthday I decided to treat myself...LBS is having a BIG Russia trek this year and I am coming along..So I will be out of London-town from May 2nd to May 8th...Other than that, school ends June 16th...Summer plans are still up in the air...lets see where this internship season ends up...but it could be anywhere from LA to Chicago to NYC to London...who knows...

In terms of travel plans...here are some of my top destinations in case people want to plan a trip:

1. Iceland
2. Dubai
3. Golf trip (Ireland, Scotland, South of Spain/Portugal)
4. Greek Islands / Turkey / Morocco

I think that's about it...sorry for not writing for a while, but life really has kind of crazy...I know its a boring excuse, but I promise its the truth...And sorry for not having pictures lately...Honestly I have not even taken them off of my camera in forever...I will try to get to them ASAP...

OK...Wish me luck...I have 4 interviews next week...so I will try not to stress out too much...

Back In London...So...When is the Next Trip?

2007-01-13T19:03:00.000Z

The fact that 2 weeks ago I was enjoying everything that Hong Kong had to offer, literally at this point in my life seems like a decade ago. I don't know if it is because life lately has been moving at such a fast pace, or what, but mentally it seems like I never even went on vacation and I desperately want to go back!

Anyway, in the time that has passed by, I had a chance to really reminisce about my little trip to Asia, and I am confident that it will stand the test of time as one of the best rips of my life...so...hopefully...everyone is now inspired to go to Asia...and...you need to travel with me..:-)

Life in London has thrown me back into the real world very quickly. Basically, this week at LBS the MILK ROUND is occurring...so..what is the Milk Round you ask? Well...the Milk Round when about 65 companies come to LBS and tell us why we should go and work for them...Sounds great right? WRONG...

First off...when companies come to campus, people seem to morph into, how can I put, CRAZY versions of themselves...so stupid questions that would never get asked, are suddenly being asked ALL OF THE TIME...On the bright side, I now have 4 umbrellas and 6 UBS Memory Sticks (these seem to be the corporate gifts of choice this year). In terms of where I will end up? Well...first of...hopefully a company will want to hire me...if I can get past that hurdle...then...ummm...ummm...Well...that is the exact problem...I thought I had a good plan in terms of future...but...NOPE...now I am all confused again...

Well...who knows...I guess I will "Cast a Wide Net" as the phrase goes in B-School...I will let everyone know where I end up...

On a sadder note...My brother has left for NYC on Monday...I miss him already (so don't tell him so it does not go to his ego)--but we really had a great time while he was out here and I hope he comes back really soon. Of course...before he left...we had to make sure he left in style...so for his birthday (Yes I know that it was in November, but he has a way of extending things) I took him to see KYLIE MINOGUE...For someone who is about 5 feet tall...she can sure rock...I mean she was awesome...and by the end of it, I was jumping around like you wouldn't believe...

Ok...well the next few weeks, sadly, I don't think I have anything too exciting going on...so the updates might be few and far between...if I happen to land a dream job, I promise to let everyone know...and in the last bit of news, one of my best friends is getting married in one month here in London...so I am VERY excited to see everyone that is going to come on over to our little island, as well as seeing another one of my best friends tie the knot...I think I am the last single one left...

To ASIA and Back...

2007-01-04T18:00:00.000Z

So...I guess I will begin this trip diary like this...It's 2:00 AM, and the bar band starts playing Hava Nigila...yep...Hava Nigila in Bangkok...

To describe an indescribable city is tough..but I will try my best...This part of the trip update is being written during a lengthy airport delay, so I apologize if I sound a bit testy, it is only due to the fact that I am..:-)

So Bangkok...first of all, I am blown away by the sheer size of this city...I have heard that Beijing is bigger, but I can't even imagine it...in terms of mileage, has to be maybe the size of 20 Manhattan's? Maybe more...walking is impossible...pollution is rampant and the traffic is so bad that it is almost laughable to describe...getting anywhere takes at least 45 minutes..if not longer...

But...the city is undoubtedly alive...the streets buzz with life and the aromas of all of the street food fill the air...and boy do Thai people like to eat...FOOD overwhelmingly dominates everything about Bangkok...basically you are surrounded by food...

So onto some highlights...first off...The temples are amazing...it is my first time in Asia, and you do get that feeling of being in an ancient land as you walk among these huge, stunning works of art...secondly...just the experience of arguing for everything...I mean we were ripped off at every single opportunity...but I think the highlight was when we told a taxi driver to take us to a mall and he decided that we were hungry and took us to a seafood restaurant instead...classic....

Last night was a ton of fun as well...after foot massages...and Thai massages (which is not quite a massage as I needed another massage after being twisted like a pretzel for 30 minutes), we did it big time in Bangkok..KOI and BED...so that was classic...

So leaving Bangok with a kind of feeling of not too sure how to judge this city yet, it is time to really see Thailand, and head to the beaches...so with big hearts full of hope, leg 2 of the journey was set to begin...

Sadly...paradise had to wait a few days...basically, trouble started when our flight was moved, and then delayed by 4 hours...then we arrive in Surat Tani, expecting to take a 1 hour boat trip to Koh Samui, but I quickly learned how everything works in Thailand...first, a 2 hour bus trip needed to be taken, much to our surprise...then the 1 hour boat trip turned into a 2 hour boat trip...

Koh Samui had highs and lows...basically the island is HUGE...much bigger than I thought...lots of tourists, but we had some bad weather...so the days were filled with some really cool activities, like Jungle Trekking on Cables..Check out the pics!

BUT...the nights were awesome..at night all of the restaurants serve fresh seafood on the beach...really cool...great music is playing all night, and drinking is cheap and everywhere...we had a huge seafood feast and got very, very drunk in all of the bars and clubs in Chawang, Koh Samui's downtown area...

Then we headed to Koh Phangnon...The Ibiza of South East Asia...famous for its Full Moon parties...I couldn't believe it..First off, the sea was rough and I thought the ferry was going to capsize...I started praying for my life as people began to hang on for dear life...somehow we made it and I felt like I was in another world...literally a Back Packer's paradise...people from everywhere in the world flock here...tons of Israeli's, Swedes, and basically every other country you can imagine...Koh Phangnon is insane...we found a bungalow (if you can call it a bungalow) for $10 a night...and just had an amazing time...to sum up, at 4:30 AM, Bruce and I were watching people jump through a hula hoop lit on fire...yep...I will end it there...

But the fun was not over yet...we needed to get to Krabi from Koh Phangnon...so 10 VEHICLES and 12 hours later we travelled a total distance of 250 miles...yep...including 2 ferry trips, 2 mini-buses, 2 big buses, 1 tuk-tuk, and 2 cabs...we arrived in Krabi...

What can you say about Krabi? The Thailand that I have seen in all of the postcards is in fact real...today I spent the entire day gawking at beaches, riding long tail boats, and just being completely mesmerized by it all...the little tan I got does not hurt either..:-) Tomorrow we are off to Maya Bay, the location where they filmed The Beach...we got a private speed boat to take us around Phi Phi Island...so I am really, really excited for all of this...sadly, only two more days of this are on the agenda, but right now we are considering extending our stay here...we shall see what the future will bring...

Anyway...the trip is going really well so far, and I can't wait for Singapore and Hong Kong...and for the record...I think I have had some form of Pad Thai for 1 week so far, and I still LOVE IT...you can get Pad Thai here for 40-50 Bhat...that is $1.25...Crazy right?

Well...I am writing this update to everyone in a comfy seat at my desk in London...yep...as hard as it is to write, I am sadly back in London and already reminiscing on one of the best trips of my life...

Anyway...where were we...Oh Yeah...Singapore...

Well Thailand ended a lot smoother than it began...so now that Thailand is over...I want to give everyone some highlights, tips, pointers, etc. before I jump into Singapore and Hong Kong...

Top 5 Lines Heard in Thailand
1. "No alcohol served here after 2:00AM---Just Whiskey and Vodka"
2. "Are you going to dinner? If so...can I interest you in a seafood buffet and a Lady-Boy show? Please..take a look at the brochure"
3. "I guess the yellow lines in the road are just mere suggestions for you"
4. "Good Fucking Bucket...for sale here"
5. "What time does the ferry leave? 12:30" "What time does the ferry leave? 2:30" What time does the ferry leave? TOMORROW?!? -- This was the dialogue between 3 different travel operators...

Thailand is a crazy country, but also an amazing country--it basically offers everything to everyone...and I am very thankful that we got to see it practically from every angle possible...from the street food vendors in Bangkok, to hob-nobbing at KOI and BED---from partying in Koh Samui and Koh Phangnon, to travelling to Krabi by: mini-bus, bus, ferry, tuk-tuk, coach bus, ferry, and a taxi---and finally...to the paradise of Phi Phi island, Railay Beach, and the turquoise waters of the Andaman Sea---Thailand has to be experienced and I give it my highest recommendation...

Now to describe the difference between Singapore and Thailand is like night and day...but I will try my best...

Singapore was a city that I had really high hopes for...and it lived up to those hopes...first off...it is so modern, clean, and well-run that coming from Thailand, we constantly had to pinch ourselves to really believe what was happening. I cannot stress enough how clean this city is (now i realize there is a $5000 fine for spitting gum...but hey, lets not be picky here).

We stayed an a really cool modern boutique hotel (a theme from the trip--I am the new king of boutique hotels)--and just threw ourselves into the city---and here is what we found...

First off..Singapore, as described by my travel companion Jessie, basically is one big Epcot Center---there are more shopping malls per square foot than any country in the world---I seriously mean that Singapore builds malls that are literally tourist destinations, and we delightfully visited about 5 of them...In terms of history---the city has been around for a long time...over 300 years...but you would never be able to tell...some historical monuments remain, but really the biggest thing left is Raffles Hotel--literally named after the founder of the city...in fact they love Raffles so much that an entire section of Singapore is called Raffles City, which is of course another mall...

Singapore is known for one thing only when it comes to food, and that is CHILI and BLACK PEPPER CRABS---the undisputed king of this is JUMBO seafood..so of course we had to visit--I think the pictures describe the rest...the crab was so good that words do not do it justice...you MUST get this dish if you ever visit...

In terms of nightlife, the city has one of the world's most amazing clubs---ZOUK--thanks to Bruce..who somehow got us past the 3 block long line in the pouring rain---who knows how he did it...we partied the night away until 5 AM--and when we left, the club was more packed than when we got there...I have not seen anything like ZOUK since Vegas...but even then ZOUK was crazier...it was also the first time I heard a mix of THE SIGN by Ace of Base in literally 10 years...

I think Singapore did a great job of preparing us for what was next, and that is HONG KONG---the best and most accurate way to describe Hong Kong is literally the New York of Asia---I have never in my life seen 2 cities with so many similarities...but in a way...Hong Kong is even more stunning, and more unbelievable to a first-time visitor...All of us were just completely speechless at everything the city threw at us---from the skyline, to the nightlife, to the shops, and to the live chickens for sale on the street...

Yep...Live chickens for sale on the street...it is astonishing to know that 1 minute you are walking amongst Rolls-Royces and sipping champagne at the Peninsula hotel, and the next minutes you can take a cab to the sprawling markets of Hong Kong and things that you have never seen before. I implore everyone if they can to visit Hong Kong at least once---my emails and pictures cannot do it justice...

In terms of highlights--here we go--We had DIM SUM until it came out of our ears---I am a certified expert and can order literally any Dim Sum dish you have ever had...we found the best places, and sometimes had to wait over 1.5 hours to eat---we were the only Americans in the restaurants and communicated to the staff by pointing to dishes that people were eating at other tables...but the experience was worth it...just delicious...

New Year's was amazing..for being in a city for the first time...we did great...partied at the Peninsula, followed by a night time ride across the city in a ferry looking at the fireworks..then an awesome sushi dinner...and a rocking club for the mid-night toast...

I also had the pleasure to meet up with one of my close friends--Adam--who happened to be in the city as well...as you can tell from the picture...we had a great time...

The trip sadly came to an end, but not before one last adventure---MACAU--the Vegas, or soon to be Vegas (more like Reno right now) of Asia...1 hour on a high speed catamaran and you find yourself in Macau..our first stop of course was the WYNN---we checked out all of the sights and saw all of the old history of the island as well (it was a Portuguese colony for 350 years) Anyway--I am glad I saw Macau...here is what I will remember...

1. The 100% best buffet I have ever had---Let me just say that dinner had UNLIMITED SASHIMI---yep, I think I personally had about 5 pounds of salmon, tuna, sweet shrimp, and octopus---but don't forget crab legs, mussels, oysters, shrimp--I could go on forever...I have never seen anything like it...

2. Asians DO NOT DRINK when they gamble...we saw thousands of people playing Baccarat--drinking Orange Juice...yep Orange Juice---sometimes they had coffee or green tea---The casino felt like a crowded board room---I guess the Vegas craziness just does not translate...but it was cool nonetheless

Anyway..that is it from my little jaunt across Asia---I hope I did a good job painting a decent picture of what I saw and experienced...If anyone is going to any of these places--totally email me and I will bore you with more details and travel tips---

A final really big thank you to my brother who did an incredible job planning and coordinating a ton of aspects of this trip...I don't think the trip would have happened without him...

Happy New Year to everyone...and here is looking forward to another great semester in London...

Goodbye 2006...Hello 2007!

2006-12-10T15:46:00.000Z

Hey everybody...Well...It has been a really long time since my last update...so apologies to all...but I promise I have some really good excuses (Like attending the WORLD MUSIC AWARDS above)...also...this will be the last update of the year...I know that it is crazy to believe that the year is almost over....but this is it from 2006...so I will try to make this update the extra long, super-sized holiday special edition...and the next time I will write to everyone, it will be with a fresh new tan straight from the beaches of Thailand and the cityscape's of Singapore and Hong Kong...So, without further wait, here we go...

First off...I decided on a site to show off my pictures...it was a tough choice between all of the big sites, but after a lot of trial and error...and more errors and more errors...facebook has won out....so go to FACEBOOK.COM...register...and check out all of my pictures...but if everyone is too lazy to do this...then, just visit the blog every now and then, and check out some of the pictures I put on there...the site is http://www.edwardstarr.blogspot.com/...so now everyone has no excuses...there is more of me online than I ever thought possible...

Anyway..onto the fun stuff...

In terms of social highlights...where to begin...First off my best friend Jeff came to visit me for a week during Thanksgiving...as expected we conquered London...saw some great art..who loves RODIN here? Ate like kings, especially, and with out doubt the BEST kebabs in London...and of course partied many nights away, with average come home times coming in at 4:15 AM, but Jeff destroyed that record with a Friday night 6 AM come home...so it is safe to say that London treated him very well...I promise to try to match the level of fun we had with any other visitors...so come one and come all...

I also officially spent my first Thanksgiving away from the comforting soil of the US this year...and the shocking thing that went through my mind was how easy it was to just move on to something else...Granted, I still was with my brother and one of my closest friends...I did not miss the turkey as much as I thought I would...I do miss my family, but I guess you just have to make up for that in other ways....It was really nice to eventually get to the turkey, as on Saturday my LBS friends prepared a fantastic party for like 30 people---FULL FEAST style including turkey, stuffing, and so much wine and dessert, the apartment could have been mistaken for a convenience store...

Now on to my brother Bruce...so...with him, nothing is ever just done simple...it has to be AMAZING...so keeping this in mind, his birthday was November 29th...and we had to celebrate 3 separate times!!!...so here is a quick recap...Night 1...getting DIRRTY at the Christina Aguilera concert...Night 2...Dining at the hottest restaurant in London...HAKKASAN...it was amazing...and Night 3...an all night blowout party at Freedom...to the least, I am still recovering from Freedom...

In terms of my school...first the boring stuff, and then I will get to the fun stuff...Well...since my last update, I have now taken 4 finals...and am 95% finished with my first semester!!! I still can't believe have fast it went...but it was amazing from start to finish...Now, my mind is in 100% JOB MODE...so I am stressed, but hopeful to land that killer job...now what killer job is a better question, and what city, is an even better question...but, I am not quite ready to answer all of those questions, and hopefully in about 1 month, I will have a better idea of things...Next semester promises more fun and challenging classes, including a bunch of classes I have never taken, so I am kind of excited including Marketing and Entrepreneurship...so we shall see...

Now, an end of semester would not be an end of the semester without the annual LONDON BUSINESS SCHOOL Santa Claus Pub Crawl...so, try to imagine 500 santa clauses walking through central London from bar to bar...Yep...I am serious..and here are the pictures to prove it...safe to say that it was one of the best nights of my life, and I will remember it forever...

Outside of my little bubble...life continues to move on...In the last few weeks, two of my closest friends called me and told me that they were pregnant...so congratulations from the bottom of my heart to all of you...I have a wedding of one of my other closest friends right here in London in February...so, I guess I am just happy for everyone, and hopefully I will be doing some of these life changing events myself in due time as well...

Anyway...I want to wish everyone a happy healthy holiday season...I wish I could see everyone...but we will hopefully all get together soon...See you guys in the new year...

London #8...With a Little Bit of St. Louis

2006-11-17T17:55:00.000Z

Hello, Hello Hello---

Firstly...I would like to officially welcome everyone to my own, new, and AWESOME BLOG!!!

I am thrilled to be an official blog writer, and I will do my absolute best to try to write coherent, somewhat funny, and occasionally thought-provoking entries...all I ask is that everyone please send me lots of great comments, and spread the word to everyone else...

So...A quick look around the blog will lead everyone to all of my old London posts...This is my 8th post, and I will try to keep up the every 10 days "ish" posting style---but every now and then I may get that extra little bit of inspiration, and may post more...In terms of pictures...this is still the last piece of the puzzle that I have yet to solve...I am currently working between BLOG/FLIKR/FACEBOOK---so...hopefully within another week I will have the picture situation figured out, and I will start posting ALL of my pictures and all of my new books on a weekly basis as well...I PROMISE...

On to the fun stuff...

I have a TON to tell everyone about in this post...so strap yourselves in...

1. AT KEARNEY COMPETITION---Well...after over a month of gruelling nights, strategy sessions, and lots of coffee---my group made it to 3 team LBS finals out of an 18 field. We were thrilled...cut to more long nights and...my presentation was last week...and.......WE GOT SECOND PLACE............I was a little bummed...the judges were split 2/2 and decided to go with the other team because they felt a 'JOINT VENTURE' had an easier implementation procedure than our 'ACQUISITION' recommendation....RUBBISH, I say...but who am I to argue. The entire experience was amazing, and I learned a tremendous amount---On top of that, We made Â250...So, now AT KEARNEY is one of my top targets for a Summer Internship, and I will keep everyone informed on the entire insanity of the internship process in January....but keep your fingers crossed for me anyway...

2. The WEDDING: So I had the pleasure of attending a truly wonderful wedding this past weekend...once again, warm congratulations to Max and Heidi for a spectacular weekend, filled with fun, more fun, and a crazy amount of alcohol. I promise to post pictures ASAP so people can see how beautiful Heidi looked...and so Max does not get too jealous, I will post some pics of him as well. All in all, basically all of my friends are married and I am still single, and a loser. If anyone wants to help me solve this problem, please let me know...:-)

3. WHAT A WEEK IN LONDON---Due to the generosity of a few people, I had probably one of the best weeks of my life in terms of social activities...so...read on, and it's OK if a little bit of jealousy creeps in..:-)

*****INCUBUS***** - So my very good friend Jake hooked me up with 2 tickets to the secret Incubus show in London...They ROCKED...the crowd was insane...lets not forget that 18-year olds can drink in this great country, and thus, one of the best crowds I have seen in a LONG time....If you are an Incubus fan, check them out on this tour as they are playing with some passion...

****WORLD MUSIC AWARDS**** - Yep, that is not a type-o...My AMAZING BROTHER hooked me up with VIP passes to the awards show...so, yours truly hung with Beyonce, and Paris Hilton...and watched Enya, Andrea Boccelli and MICHAEL JACKSON have some fun on stage. The night was NUTS...I had a blast, and 100% realize that I will never do something like that again...

4. JAMES BOND---What could be more British than Bond? The entire city completely nuts about the new Bond, so of course, opening night in Leicester Square in the biggest theatre in London was a certainty for me...I did not want to let anyone down...So...my official review...BEST BOND EVER---the dialogue is amazing...probably thanks to Paul Haggis (Writer/Director of CRASH)---the opening scene has some of the sickest stunts you will see in a long time, and to top it all of, Eva Green is phenomenal. A great movie from start to finish, and I highly recommend it to all of you. I felt like a true Brit as we cheered on Bond...just timeless...

Well...I think that this entry sadly has to come to a close....As much as I don't want to, school will rear its ugly head very soon as my first FINAL is on Saturday, Nov 25th...its FINANCE no less, so I am not excited.

Lastly, Wednesday brings the arrival of my very close friend to the little island, so hopefully some tales of fun, drunkenness, and debauchery will follow in a week or two.

I wish everyone the best...and a HAPPY and HEALTHY THANKSGIVING.......

London #7

2006-11-08T04:50:00.000Z

Hey everyone...Lots of things to tell you about, so I will jump right in...

First off, one of my dearest and closest friends is getting married this weekend...so I am rapidly preparing to fly across the pond to the charming city of St. Louis to celebrate the wedding of Max and Heidi...so for those of you that know Max and Heidi, you can wish them well, and for those of you that do not, I promise to take some quality pictures of what promises to be an amazing affair...

Now...continuing on with the good news...I have 2 GREAT pieces of news to share with everyone regarding life at LBS.

1. I AM IN THE FINALS of the AT KEARNEY Case competition!! Out of the 18 teams competing at LBS, my team was one of 3 teams chosen to go to AT KEARNEY London HQ and present in front of the managing directors of the office. I present tomorrow...and I am really nervous, but keep your fingers crossed...I have a 1/3 chan

2. I was appointed UNITED STATES STUDENT AMBASSADOR for LBS!!! This was a huge honor for me, and a position that I desperately wanted. Over 105 people applied for 6 spots...so after numerous interviews, I was chosen and I am completely thrilled. I will now be really involved in the admissions process, helping new students, and working with potential students to try to get them to come to LBS. I will be attending fairs, presentations, etc. Helping build the LBS brand in the US, and meet with alumni to get their feedback on things.

So with all of the good news lately, I have been one happy camper and that has caused me to be OK with a general lack of sleep...which nicely ties into my FIRST MID-TERM---It was Economics...it was OK...I put a lot of time into it, so we shall see what grade comes out...but I feel OK about it...Now...I only have 6 WEEKS until the semester ends, which will see 3 more final exams, and 2 final papers...so life will be VERY VERY VERY hectic in December to say the least.

Other than that...let me end with some fun football stuff for everyone...I can PROUDLY say that I have now attended 2 PREMIERSHIP games---ARSENAL and MANCHESTER UNITED...here are my thoughts...

1. ARSENAL - Thanks to some absolutely wonderful friends of mine (thank you Naomi)--I was taken to my first ARSENAL game at the new Emirates stadium. To say it was tremendous would be an understatement...me and 66,000 of my closest friends--singing, screaming, and enjoying an awesome game. They tied 1-1...but it was not due to a lack of fireworks...Some thoughts...It is incredible how English fans are compared to American fans...first of all..they SING the entire time...they have at least 10 different songs/chants/etc.--they are awesome and infectious.

2. MAN U--First off, a HUGE thank you to my good friend Alexis for the tickets...and when I say tickets, that is an understatement...I am talking about PREMIER SEATS, and private dining--words cannot describe what I experienced...it was by far one of the most memorable days of my life...which leads me to OLD TRAFFORD...

So Old Trafford is in Manchester and is like the Fenway Park / Wrigley Field of football stadiums...it seats 78,000 delirious fans, who live, breath, and eat Manchester United---The team is ON FIRE this year and they won 3-0---The songs were nuts...and you can imagine riding a jam packed train with drunk and cheering Man U fans...it was everything I thought it would be...In terms of game play...CHRISTIANO RONALDO is absolutely incredible to watch...his goal was ridiculous and had to be seen to be believed...just amazing...

OK...last update of the email, I will see my tech expert best bud Josh on Thursday while in the states, so I can promise everyone that hopefully by this weekend my BLOG will be up with all of my pictures, thoughts, comments, etc. It should be awesome and I hope everyone likes it...

I think that's it for now...

London #6...With a Little bit of NYC

2006-10-26T04:46:00.000+01:00

Hey guys and gals---I am currently sitting in NYC with a little bit of free time before a meeting, and I thought to myself, what better to do than write everyone...so here goes, in no particular order..:-)

2 Weekends ago I went on my first "Thames River Boat Cruise"...the weather was amazing...the sights were tremendous and overall I had a wonderful time. This leads me to write about two very interesting myths about London that I want to dispel while I have a moment...

MYTH #1

WEATHER---So the conventional belief is that London weather sucks. This could not be further from the truth...So i have been in London for two months and have enjoyed some tremendous weather. In fact, as I talked to my mother mother today who mentioned that Chicago experienced its first snow fall the other day....while I was playing golf in lovely sunny weather and a short sleeve polo shirt...I have had to use the umbrella a few times...but now that I think about it, no more so than in NYC...

So here is the basic London weather primer---About 5% warmer on average than NYC with less wind, but slightly more rain..I would rather be warmer...I don't know about you...It's still no LA...but then again, what is...

MYTH #2

FOOD---Lots of people complain about the food in London...I think they are delusional....In general I eat out about 5 times a week, so i sample a wide variety of food..and here is the big update that everyone is waiting for..the food is AWESOME....in terms of cuisines, you can eat anything that you can dream of, and if you dream of Indian, then you are truly in heaven...I have eaten every type of cuisine imaginable and have enjoyed every meal i have had...I have also been lucky enough to hit some really nice spots (Thank you Adam, Matt, Bruce, Jordan) and the food is on par with NYC...

This leads me nicely to NYC---I am in town for a few days on a big NYC Investment Banking LBS trek...we are visiting 6 banks in 3 days...so far the trip has been amazing, as had been Max's couch---but the more time I spend in London and NYC, the more different the cities seem to me. At the end of the day, London is just more livable---it does not have those SKY scrapes looming over every block...no jack hammers, no sirens---just more of a n easier way to go about things and enjoy..almost like Chicago in a sort of way with nicer weather, and more multi-cultural. But---I do have to hand it to NYC in terms of SUSHI...It destroys LA, Chicago, and London--I truly feel the no city has better sushi than NYC, and my incredible meal at YAMA last night (Thanks Heidi..-:) was the final nail in the coffin to that fact...

Last but not least...Last weekend I was lucky enough to head off to Dublin for a weekend of fun (probably my last fun weekend until semester ends in December)--Going to Dublin solidified why I went to LBS...I was able to stay with a friend of mine from Dublin in her amazing house, 10 minutes from the city center---she invited 8 people along, and we just had the times of our lives---
Shockingly, it did not rain at all..I drank enough Guinness to satisfy even my deepest desires (by the way, the Guinness brewery tour is incredible and has to be seen to be believed). We went up to the coast, walked on the seaside, saw BONO's house (i took a picture in front of his gate..:-)

It just felt great to be really enjoying Europe with close friends, etc. I truly feel that when I am done with LBS, I will have a couch to crash on in every country that I could possibly want to ever visit..

School is moving along at a frenetic pace--Mid-Terms are coming up!!! I feel my daily limits in terms of time/sleep have been stretched to the absolute limits..but somehow I am still going...The good news is my team and I completed the AT KEARNEY Case competition..hopefully we will be one of the top 3 at LBS and we will move on the European Semi-Finals---Everyone keep your fingers crossed for me!!

Ok...I have to run to another meeting..but I will try to write again soon--highlights everyone can look forward to are: Jordan's big Halloween party, my first PREMIERSHIP GAME!!! I am going to see Arsenal play on Saturday...and my first mid-term.

One last thing...the blog is ALMOST ALMOST ALMOST done...so that will be up soon--then I promise everyone PICTURES of EVERYTHING will be up...i know you guys want to see them...so just be a little bit more patient and they will be there soon...

London #5 and a Small Soccer Primer

2006-10-15T06:16:00.000+01:00

I am proud to announce that I have my first official American visitor...Jeff is coming over Thanksgiving...so I will send out a nice update of our exploits to all back home. Jordan's wedding is in Feb, so I am excited to a lot of you then as well.

In terms of me, the crazy thing is that I can't possibly include everything that is going on in my life...I think that is best kept secret to business school...and Robb, Achi, Jeff--my MBA mates back in the states at Kellogg, MIT, and Harvard can attest to---Basically, MBA Schools try to make your life as busy as possible...throwing about 1000 things at you on a daily basis...clubs, speakers, events, networking sessions, class, study groups---not even mentioning trying to have a social life or live in LONDON...to try to mimic a hectic business schedule..basically trying to make us all world class decision makers---so we shall see...I am trying my best to stay afloat as time flies by so fast that I constantly lose track of what day it is.

My next big announcement is that I am in the process of setting up a blog. Now...I am not that good, in fact, not good at all..so it is taking a long time...so Josh or Amy...perhaps you can lend me a hand...but my goal is to try to update the blog and you guys can then just pop on the blog, instead of my boring you with these emails. I will keep everyone posted on the progress of the blog and when it will go live...hopefully not too long from now, maybe another week?

In terms of LBS--here is what i have done lately...Went to a consulting panel with about 10 consultants from BCG, Booz, McKinsey, Bain, LEK, Marakon, etc. They all spoke for hours trying to convince us why consulting is the best career choice..and IT WORKED...i think at this point that consulting is my top choice...especially if I can get the LA office at Bain and do some cool Media consulting?...we shall see....if anyone thinks consulting will be the biggest mistake i have ever made...PLEASE chime in...More on the consulting front, that AT KEARNEY competition I wrote about a few emails ago is under way...we are trying to tackle the tele-communications industry...if anyone is specialist...also PLEASE let me know...We meet with the heads of AT KEARNEY London next week and interview them...I am excited!!

I am also now a proud statistical regression expert...Hopefully the teacher agrees and I can get my first official A at LBS. Now I am knee deep in Finance, Strategy, Accounting, Ethics, and Economics---so about as boring as you can get with a ton of work...but the professors are honestly world class---shockingly a subject like finance is interesting...we shall see if this continues.

On the social side, tonight LBS has its biggest party of the year, TATOO--a world and cultural extravaganza---our dean gave her final address this morning...she is leaving to become the top political advisor to Hillary Clinton for her 2008 Presidential Campaign. We get a new dean in 2 weeks and it is rumored to be the CEO and President of BP..which I think would be cool...Next weekend I am off on my next EURO trek...I am off to Dublin...I promise to have a pint of GUINNESS for each and every one of you..whether I make it back in one piece or not...well that is another story.

I am also proud to report that I have officially played my first round of golf in proper BRITISH weather conditions...basically rain, rain and more rain...Now...we won't comment on scores, but hey...that is not the important stuff. I also joined the LBS Ultimate Frisbee team...which is AWESOME...and the football team. Shockingly I have lost like 10/15 pounds since i have got here, and really feel like I am in somewhat good shape...DESPITE all of the drinking..:-)

Anyway..that is it for now...I hope everyone is doing well...and anyone who is on the fence about getting an MBA...Personally, I could not give it a higher recommendation. Without doubt it has been the best decision I have ever made...every day just gets better and better...now I could whine and moan if I dont get that dream job...but for now I shall be optimistic...

Now...some people have asked, and I thought why not...so below is a quick primer on FOOTBALL...(Alex and Dave and Boris..let me know what you think)---people who could care less about Soccer...don't read on....

FOOTBALL PRIMER as written by me...:-)

So, since i have not done this yet...I thought I would write about the game that captivates Europe, England, and the world--Football or Soccer--
It's fair to say that I consider myself a fan of the beautiful game--so I was extremely excited to come to the world class home of football and immerse myself in it...

So far, so good...It's amazing how much football is actually played--how the different styles permeate the games, etc. So...I think soccer can be compared to best to NFL...But..unlike the NFL..they don't play soccer only once a week...literally...there are games 4 DAYS a WEEK...Every Saturday and Sunday there are Premier League games...also...games from every league in Europe...Germany, Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, etc. Now...Don't forget about the Champion's League---Played every Wednesday and Thursday---AND....lets not forget about EURO 2008---

Not for everyone that does not know..Euro is the next biggest tournament after the World Cup--Basically it goes like this:

1. World Cup - Every 4 Years
2. Euro - Every 4 Years--Only European Countries are allowed to play
3. Champions League - The top clubs from every league play
4. Uefa Cup - The next teams play
5. League Championships

So...bascially...at the end of the day...try to imagine NFL or College football games of the biggest magnitude playing at all times...A footballer's heaven...Every paper has pages and pages on football...basically in about 1 month...you can become a full expert...so now being an expert...here are my feelings after 2 months of League and Euro football:

Euro - After England's 0-0 tie...I have decided that national football is not nearly as interesting as League football...maybe it is because the games mean so much more, etc.--But teams refuse to take chances...The speed is not there..I don't know..I just don't like it nearly as much..

In terms of England--1. Wayne Rooney is OVER RATED--I have seen him in a lot of games now..and he just has not not done anything to impress me. People keep saying give him time...but I don't know...I think England's best player honestly does not exist--what I mean by that is everyone on England is good---but no one is amazing...the team lacks a leader to inspire them and hence the lackluster results...and to top it all of the new manager refuses to play or to even add David Beckham to the squad...to tell me the Beckham is not one of the top 23 footballers in England is ridiculous.

In terms of league ball---far and away the best player in the premiership is the guy i have written about before...Didier Drogba--The guy is amazing in every level...he is hungry for the ball...decisive, physical, can pass as well as shoot--just spectacular to watch. And unlike national games, league games are amazing to watch---so much more fast paced, lots of scoring, shots all the time...just awesome. Another one of my favorite players is Christiano Renaldo---I know I know--a lot of people are unhappy with him for what he did in the world cup--but watching him is simply mesmerizing...He has skills coming out of every pore in his body---he is selfish beyond a doubt..but if he grows into that and learns to be a better passer...watch out Ronaldhino...

Anyway..hope I did not prattle on too long about football..just wanted to give everyone a little primer on everyone here talks about at all times. As Scotland just shockingly beat France 1-0, A huge smile went on my face..I have had enough of the French...

England also is in an uproar after the PATHETIC 2-nil loss in Croatia---We shall see...but thankfully league ball is back and Man U is losing as we speak to WIGAN of all teams...Who knows how that shall turn out...

Be well everyone...

London #4

2006-10-02T06:19:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone...Hope things are well with everybody...Sorry it's been a while, but things have gotten a little hectic back here...so this update will have to be a little short, but hey...I will try my best.

First off again---I got a lot of phone #'s, but a lot of you still have not sent me your #'s...so, i guess if you want me to ever call you again...please send me your #'s...:-)

Next...lots of people have been asking me my schedule in terms of when I will be around, etc. so here it is....

Thanksgiving...LONDON/UK
Christmas/New Years....BANGKOK, SINGAPORE, HONG KONG
Spring Break - I get off from March 23rd to April 10th...I am planning a trip, but it is not yet set...i am thinking Israel and Egypt..
Summer--Undetermined due to internship, but most likely Chicago or NYC depending on job....
OCT-NOV-DEC - Study abroad at Chicago or Kellogg

Ok...enough with the housekeeping...PORTUGAL was incredible...I will try to get my pictures together for next time...but I have officially fallen in love with the South...the beaches were mesmerizing and Lisbon was a wonderful surprise as well. I highly recommend all of you head out there if you can...especially during the "season" which is June to Sept.--you will not be disappointed...

My next trip is to Dublin on Oct. 20th---I have made some great friends at LBS from Dublin, so I will get the official Irish tour of Dublin...so as long as the Guinness is not nutty, I will send some pics of Ireland in a few weeks as well.

Tomorrow is the OFFICIAL NUTTY period of business school. I start 5 new classes and advanced Russian...yes...by November I will be officially reading and writing in my mother tongue...so everyone watch out! The AT Kearney case competition is also getting into gear, as well as all of the clubs, and companies are already starting to visit campus....i have like every hour mapped out for the next month...so i will try my best to hang on for the ride...

I am making some great friends out here, which is great as well...I was a little bit worried of course when I first came out..but I have found that everyone has been really nice...and the fact that it has only been about 6 weeks, and i already feel that I can visit half of the world and call someone who i know there is extraordinarily comforting...I am anxious for what the rest of the year will bring, but I welcome it with open arms. People are already talking about a trip to Russia, and possibly Brazil...we shall see...

All right...this one like I said is a little short...and, this is a little late, but Happy New Year to all of my Jewish brethren...and tomorrow is Yom Kippur...so if anyone is fasting, have a nice fast...

Talk to you guys later...

London #3

2006-09-20T06:20:00.000+01:00

Hey guys and gals... Life in the good old UK has kept on rolling along at a frenetic pace...so I will try to keep everyone as up to date as I can....

As always, first things first...

Some really bad news--I let my brother use my RAZR and he broke it...so, i lost EVERYONE'S phone #'s---everything...home, work, etc. etc. etc. So, PLEASE send me basically all of your information--that would be awesome...

Secondly...and nothing pleases me more, some people are starting to plan some awesome London trips to visit a certain someone, so let me give everyone the low down on my schedule and how to get here.

I live in a 3 bedroom, 2 bath apt, and 1 person can COMFORTABLY stay on my huge leather couch. 2 people could also manage, but it would be tight...and if you are a girl, then I also am happy to share my queen bed..:-) In terms of where to fly, here is the airport breakdown by distance to my flat---Heathrow, Gatwick, Stanstead, Luton--and don't forget Dublin is only 30 minutes away by air, so that flight could work as well. I have already seen $400 flights from basically anywhere in the US from United until March..I feel like they will only get cheaper and may bottom out at $300...so come one and come all....

Finally -- I have internet!! YAY!!! So, for everyone who is interested my AOL IM is edwardo starr and my Skype name is edwardstarr. I have the fancy video camera, so if you guys want, you can gaze into my eyes when we chat. EVERYONE GET SKYPE so we can chat for free....

OK...onto the fun stuff...I finally figured out how to properly send pictures, apologies to everyone for my pathetic attempt last time--so following this email will be some pics from what I am talking about. So the highlight of the past week has undoubtedly been ROBBIE WILLIAMS. So, he is like the biggest thing in the world here..he played to 70,000 for 5 NIGHTS!?!?! I was lucky enough to get tix (bring on all of the Robbie jokes--he rocks)--Check out the pics--the stage was better than what I saw for the Rolling Stones.

Also, the STARRS have arrived in London--so I have been trying to keep up with my brother and act as a proper tour guide...I am preparing for all of you..:-) Anyway, we have had a blast here so far and the weather has been amazing...Check out some cool shots from around London. We are also going to PORTUGAL this weekend!!! I am so excited as I have never been, and its still like 85 there, so I plan on doing some proper beach activities...I will try to take some great pics and send them on the next email.

In terms of LBS---Me and a team of 3 other people have entered the AT KEARNEY world-wide case-study competition. Schools include MIT, COLUMBIA, KELLOGG, INSEAD, etc. So I will keep everyone abreast of my progress---3 teams out of 20 get picked from LBS to go onto the next round. Winner gets $12,000 and a job offer--so hey, who knows...Also, I am embroiled in Business Statistics---so don't be jealous of my currently as I struggle with the joys of Regression analysis...I am making some great friends out here..really cool people that I am getting along with and I look forward to introducing guys to when you come and visit.

In the mean time, my BEARS are 2-0--YEAH!!! I went to the Sports Cafe here on opening day and it was a MADHOUSE---I was wearing my new bears jersey courtesy of Jason Hornik and was among at least 20 other Bears fans. In regards to my other team, CHELSEA had a HUGE win in the Champions league and against Liverpool las weekend. The squad is doing well and they have a player named Didier Drogba who is simply astounding to watch on the pitch...i am also the proud owner of a brand new Chelsea jersey courtesy of gregory and jane.

Anyway--it's getting late here..so I hope everyone is doing well...I will try to update everyone next week when I get back from Portugal.

Miss you all...

London #2

2006-09-09T06:21:00.000+01:00

Hope everyone is doing well...the fact that a week has passed since my last email is somewhat shocking to me in every possible way--i thought time would fly by while I was here, but literally, I feel like I am in some kind of vortex. Next week marks my 1 MONTH!!!! London anniversary...somehow, it still has not registered.

Anyway, enough with the embellishment, let me update everyone on whats been going on. I got lots of positive responses to my last email--which means everyone really liked what I sent out, or you guys are just lying to me since I am so far away...so here is try #2...

First of course, some more quick housekeeping...

INTERNET--As with everything in London, getting this into my flat has proved to be a ridiculously challenging endeavour, but, I have good news for everyone--as of today, I am expected to receive internet in my flat on Tuesday---So...everyone asking me why I can't chat on google, Skype, AOL, Apple I-chat, etc. etc. etc. there is your answer. I can use the net at my school, but they have a firewall set up for all of these instant messaging services...so don't worry...we will be chatting away to every one's annoyance really soon--Tuesday is the big day.

Now---here are the fun developments---

I saw my first official Cycling race...don't ask why, but cycling is CRAZY popular in Europe, so i decided to go to the TOUR OF BRITAIN...not quite the Tour De France, but I thought I would go watch my first official bicycle race--I was blown away by how fast these guys are flying by...in fact so fast, i was barely even to get a picture. Another thing that is shocking, is that like thousands of people crowd the streets to cheer the cyclists on---not quite what you see in America...so perhaps, next year I will be in the streets of Paris screaming my lungs out at the doped up cyclists, but we shall see.

Next, here are some pic's of various touristy stuff I did in the last email and some new stuff from this email. Basically a quick rundown--You have--

The TATE MODERN--best museum in London

Regent's Park - 1 block from my flat and gorgeous

Camden Town - Like the East Village of London--thousands of people go every weekend for 'market'--pretty cool stuff

Notting Hill - The book shop where Hugh Grant worked (I know it's cheesy but sue me)

Notting Hill Carnival - this is what I wrote about last week - There were 1 million people there that day...

St. Paul's Cathedral - Pretty self explanatory, but you gotta see it

Finally - LBS had a really cool orientation week this week--and they took us to Lord's Cricket Ground (Basically the Yankee Stadium of Cricket) - Now, I know football season started yesterday, and you will all make fun of me for liking cricket, but I LIKE CRICKET--something about the vests--anyway--The worldwide president of Proctor and Gamble gave us a very inspiring speech, and then we took a tour or Lord's - so here are some shots of me in the stadium.

Other than that, life has been amazing--Most of you know my good friend Jordan has officially moved to London as well, and his apartment is STUNNING--so I included a pic of a view from his Floor to Ceiling glass windows--i think a bunch of people are coming out in Feb. for his wedding--so prepare to be amazed.

School has started to get into full swing--but like i said earlier..i am (at least right now) still really energized to be in class and loving the lectures so far--now business statistics starts next week, so i will hold off on my grumbling until then---

Lastly, the Starr family is coming to visit me and Bruce next weekend--so my update might be a little late, but i promise we will make up for it with everything that bruce has lined up for me next week...I think we have quite an ambitious schedule to say the least.

Well, I will sign off now---GO BEARS

The First Big London Update

2006-09-01T19:22:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone... I arrived on the little island on August 17th, and have not stopped have a blast since--I will do my best to try to catch everyone up in the most non-boring way that I can imagine---I also am considering a blog, as they seem to be the rage...but who knows...

First--some housekeeping details--

Mobile - I sent this out already, but in case you need it again: 0780-914-0005 -- If call from the US, dial like this: 011-44-780-914-0005

Address: I have a great flat with 2 really cool roommates--1 from UCLA and one from Michigan--Our place is great..1 block from school..3 bedroom, 2 bath--and a killer leather couch with an awesome chaise lounge---guests are welcome and encouraged--

Edward Starr

150 Clarence Gate Gardens

Glentworth Street

Marylebone

London

NW1 6AP

Communication: OK--this seems to be the biggest hurdle for many, so this have done a bunch of research and experiments and here are the results--first off, a little refresher course on the time difference (JAKE--this is for you!)

If you live in NYC or East Coast - I am 5hrs AHEAD

If you live in Chicago - 6hrs AHEAD

If you live in LA - 8hrs AHEAD

I know some people are like, what an asshole writing this stuff, but you would be surprised by some of the calls that i have gotten at all hours of the night...

So, here are the best ways to chat:

1. Most traditional - Buy a phone card--best site is http://www.enjoyprepaid.com/ - I found that this site has amazing rates, and for $20, you can talk to me for like 5 hrs--

2. Internet methods - For this, you have to have a dedicated broadband connection--

A: SKYPE - go to www.skype.com --- set up an account---if we are both online at the same time, we literally can talk for free. You need either a SYKPE internet phone, a headset, or a laptop with a microphone---both easy options and work really well.

B: SKYPE OUT - Same type of thing, but this is for when I am not online and you want to call my mobile, then you can deposit like $10, and we can talk for like 10 hours...really cheap rates

C: JAHJAH - http://www.jajah.com -- This is a really cool option---If you become a member of this, then we can talk for free, unlimited amount of time, and unlike SKYPE, you dont need a headset, etc. This is the most convenient I think for everyone, and I have not been able to find a catch yet---basically, all you need is a good internet connection----

3. EMAIL - Still fun to receive now and then...:-)

OK..so now the boring stuff is out of the way--here is the fun stuff---

London is the best city in the world, and I am sticking to that until I die...:-)---Its been 2 weeks, and despite the fact the the $ and the £ are at all time highs, EVERYTHING is twice as expensive as it is back in the states, the city is still without description---I know a lot of you have been here, and some have not---but just walking through the winding streets, parks, nightlife, and pubs---I don't know...I get the excite of NYC, without the bursting noise, people, and crowds---I get the beauty of Chicago or San Fran--it's tough to describe, but I hope all of you can find some time to visit in the next 2 yrs and we can explore the city together and everyone can decide for themselves.

I have had some great times since I have arrived--my first 10 days involved a lot of crap that you must deal with whenever you arrive somewhere, but luckily things worked out quite well and within a week I had a great flat, a UK bank account, a flashy new mobile phone and about 20 new friends. So far, I have tried to keep the touristy activities to a somewhat minimum, as I am a true Londoner now--but I still had to make my way to the Tate Modern, which has to be seen to be believed, and have strolled through Hyde Park and Regents Park(which by the way is about 1 block from my flat--so imagine living 1 block from central park, and you can understand how happy I am.

For the next email, I will try to email some fun pictures of my escapades so far--but other highlights have included Notting Hill (I of course took a picture next to the famous bookshop, but sadly Julia Roberts was no where to be found, the London CARNIVAL--2 Million people, debauchery, and just an amazing time--and of course, I had to hit Asia De Cuba and try a £13 martini--YEP, that a $26 dollar drink for those of you counting at home. But its just been so much fun as i have gone out literally every night since i have been here.

The pubs are awesome--I have decided to adapt CHELSEA as my official London football team (i tell people i did this because I am just supporting my Russian heritage by supporting their Russian owner, and the fact that Andrii Shevchenko is amazing) and watching a Premiership match in a pub is truly an experience that I hope all of you share with me when you visit--trust me, you will not forget it. I have not decided what I will do when American Football season starts next week---BUT---the thing that has surprised me the most is just how quickly I have literally forgotten about everything 'American'--I have not seen a Tv show, watched a sporting event, etc. since i have been here--and honestly, i don't miss it at all---

My brother just arrived yesterday--in case you guys did not know, Bruce is studying abroad for his final semester at NYU in London--we have already started to have a blast and i think these next four months will go down in history as the best of my life, and hopefully his as well---on tap is: Robbie Williams, Justin Timberlake, Kylie Minogue, a 3 week New years Thailand Asia trip, Portugal, and nightly London debauchery--I promise to keep everyone abreast of everything, and i will try my best to keep up with Bruce, but I can't promise anything...:-)

Now...let me at least mention school---So, I am currently in the orientation period, and if you can believe it, I actually have class tomorrow!! How European----but here are the details...311 people, 87 Americans--and 59 different countries if you are keeping track at home...everyone has a real thirst for life if you will, perhaps that is the not best term, but hey, i can be cliche---people have run iron man triathlons, made it Everest base camp, literally travelled the world--so I feel slightly inadequate---so I am trying really hard to impress them with my bad jokes and funny stories about my Hollywood glory days---

Well---I am getting tired of typing, and I am sure everyone is tired of reading...I will try to do these type of things maybe every other week...who knows...but I will try my best...

Cheers everyone....