The Last One (1)

The name of this post is exactly same as the last episode of my favorite TV series FRIENDS. They had two parts of the last episode. I have FRIENDS DVD collection that I have watched so many times that I could even repeat the dialogs of almost any of about 250 episodes. But I have seen 'The Last One' only once and not planning to see it again. For I am like most of the people who can't take it. I guess I won't be alone when I am saying that I can't take the end of the most beautiful things that ever happen to my life may it be a nice movie, a great book, close relationship or an Oxford MBA. I knew it is going to end even before it started and I was preparing for it for long. But still it is hard.

Today I submitted the Capstone individual assignment (along with five others of friends who are not in Oxford any more). This was the last of the last things associated with my MBA. I am leaving my room located between two of the Oxford's dreaming spires at a historic and beautiful ship street in an hour. Every night I used to come back to my room, I couldn't help but had a feeling of living in a fantasy land. I wouldn't be surprised to see a Knight or a Dragon pass bye on that street. So it is like waking up from the dream now.

Nonetheless, This is the second last post on this blog. Just like FRIENDS, there will be "The Last One (2)" that I will write when I will land on a job.

I take this opportunity to thank you all for being with me throughout the year. This no doubt was the Annus Mirabilis of my life. And it wouldn't have been this much fun without you all.

I guess I have already put enough goodbye fuss on the blog past few days. So as harder as it is, I will keep it short. I still have thousands of thoughts I would like to write and many close friends and dear moments I would like to mention. But will just borrow the lyrics of LeAnn Rimes

Sometimes the time comes along

When it's time

Time to move on

You'll still be there

In everything that I do

And wherever I go I'll remember you



Good Luck all and see you around!!!

Random

• Four Oxford MBAs can not connect Wii for their life

• Eleven Oxford MBAs including a french guy took more than 10 mins to figure out which way to go for Eiffel tower at Paris Metro station

• A type A could be very considerate and good friend

• The more people try to hide a secret, the more it becomes obvious and exposed

• working in team was the most difficult part of MBA for most of us

• Almost quarter of MBA class mistook Radcliffe Camera for Bodleian Library

• British food, if there is any, is a big joke

• About 30-40 MBAs used to live in RAC and about 150 other MBAs knew the passcode to enter in RAC

• I found a caterpillar in my Sambar at Halal Munch.... most people continued eating there after they heard it.....

• I would like to know if any MBA read all, or at least 90%, of the cases given as 'essential reading'

• On an average, an Oxford MBA printed 2500-3000 pages in a year

• At Oxford-Cambridge varsity day, Marc Waychak, Oxford MBA, jumped into cold Thames at Cambridge for 70 quids bet. A Cambridge MBA jumped after him for free... just to keep the nose of 'the other place' up

• No girl, born after I did, made it to my MBA class...

Logistics

Here is some post MBA logistics.

I have one last Capstone assignment due which I need to start and finish by Monday. Four MBAs including myself have managed to get a temporary hours at the outskirts of Oxford to stay for some time while we continue our job search. Will shift there on Monday after submitting the assignment. I might apply for HSMP visa next week, which will mean that my passport will be gone for couple of months and I won't be able to travel. So won't be in India for Diwali I suppose.

Amazing how fast things change from certain to uncertain to certain and back again.

End of Course Ceremony

Stephen Chambers, the outgoing MBA director felt last year that the farewell dinner is not enough to properly say goodbye to outgoing batch. So he came out with very Oxfordie way. End of course ceremony. We, for once and all, changed our black ties from last night to white ones, put our gowns on and gathered to say good bye. Very touching speeches from faculties and students made this ceremony memorable. All the year was revisited in that small tent on that sunny afternoon. Then every student was called on stage to shake hands with the dean and director of the program to symbolise the official and proper goodbye.

This very last official MBA event marked the end of the course.

TT DN C

I guess while I am writing about things that changed, it will be interesting to write about couple of things that did not change during this year...TT DN C

Still proud vegetarian. It is hard to survive at many places here if you are vegetarian. But so far I have managed to continue surviving without killing and intend to continue this for rest of my life. Live and let live....

Still not a party person. Oxford is certainly a town of parties. Great deal of people spend great deal of money on great deal of parties and consume great deal of liquor every week end. I tried hard through out the year. But still I am too dumb to understand the rational behind getting dressed and go to dark place and jump on floor with people you don't know. No offence to people who enjoy it. In fact I envy the people who can just throw away all the rationals for a while and just enjoy the beats. Guess just not my cup of tea.

TTC Personal Management

Before I claim I changed for good, I must confess that there are people in my class who were better in personal management at the start of course then I am today. But overall I learned a great deal about time management, thinking of personal development, making relationship for future, and simply managing things in effective and less time consuming way. The time constraint had taught me to work effectively and define the priorities. Smart people will do everything possible to get the work done. But smartest one will identify the important things according to priority and will finish them in that order. Overall, I have improved a lot in past years in terms of personal management. But still long way to go.

Farewell Dinner

One last time the glasses were raised to honor the dream that we had lived for last twelve months. The friends we made, the tasks we accomplished, the fights we fought and forgot, the nights we enjoyed and every moment we spent around these dreaming spires. It was an elegant night. Beautiful tables embellished with glass cutlery, flowers, wines, star-lit like roof and all the MBAs with their friends and families in tux and night-gowns. Everyone was looking very familiar, very close and yet very distant. But all were at their best. Everyone knew they had earned an enormous amount of learning and achievements in past year and they had made friends all over the world. And yet everyone knew that hey have yet way to go and everyone wished if only they could have more time to know the most intriguing people sitting in that hall on that night. This Friday night was the most magical and sentimental night in Oxford. Unfortunately, it was the last night for those distinguished and utterly blessed group of people to be together. For it was the last dinner of Said Business School MBA class of 2007-2008. A Farewell Dinner.