a student, yet once again

STANFORD, CALIFORNIA | SCHWAB EAST SIDE, 1F è

at 8 ante monday morning, the stanford mba class of 2009 kicks of its first ever day of class.  that means today, or what remains of today, is officially my final day of summer.  how ridiculous is that.

it’s been quite the summer.  travels, diseases, photos, hotels, budget airlines, monastic communities, riverside bars, and the like.

now, it’s back to books, exams, and appointments upon appointments.

i’d say things are settling quite well here.  i’ve been fortunate enough to meet some fantastic folks who are beginning to round out my circle of friends.  they all hail from interesting backgrounds and carry such storied pasts.  and they’re sweet, funny, and most importantly of all, down to earth.  last night, i took the group on a tour of the castro after a tapas-filled dinner at cha cha cha in the mission.  it was great.  dinner and dancing, with folks i’ll see for the next two years.

tomorrow, an action-packed schedule.  program overview 8-930.  accounting 945-1115.  global context of management 1130-1.  outward bound reunion lunch 1-2.  managing groups and teams 2-5.  mandatory schwab meeting 6-7.  first day of class bbq 7-9.

and already, a ridiculous sum of articles and texts to read, a final next week to prepare for, and thousands of memories to document.  it’s moving so fast, all of a sudden and suddenly again.  so, so fast.

here we go.

first night

STANFORD, CALIFORNIA | SCHWAB RESIDENTIAL CENTER, 1F EAST SIDE è

last night was my first night here at the stanford gsb, and boy has it been insane.

it’s very different being a local and realizing that if i forget something i am only a 25 minute drive away from resolution.  my move-in has been less frantic and more seamless than those of my peers, which i’m grateful for.  on the flip side, starting school and moving into schwab–the business school’s primary apartment-like housing–has felt less monumental as it has for some of my classmates.  i’m reminded of folks like manny and bethany who, as rhode islanders, needed not travel far to move from home to school, whereas i traversed 2500 miles with three large suitcases to kickstart my undergraduate education.

regardless, it’s been quite fascinating.

in one night i’ve managed to move in virtually all pieces of my existing life, from books, DVDs, and photos, to all sorts of electronics and clothes, to kitchen items, keepsakes, and random knickknacks.  they are all, of course, strewn across the floors and shelves in a surprisingly comfortable, fully-furnished dorm room.  the space is certainly larger than my west village apartment (no surprise); i share a small kitchen area with a suitemate (ian, an ex-private equity guy who seems reasonably nice); and i am proud resident of the disability bathroom which means not only do i have a bench in my shower but also my shower is almost 2x the size of most others.  score!  the major downside of room is that i’m on the first floor, opening up to the busy courtyard, which means limited privacy and less-than-ideal natural sunlight.  something about being high just appeals to me.

socially, things have been fantastic.  i’ve met a couple more quality folks, in addition to the great group from my outward bound trip.  julia, the fellow bainie i connected with over admit weekend, and i grabbed dinner in downtown palo alto at a pasta resto, catching each other up on our summers and recent adventure stories.  our moulin rouge night turned into hours-long conversations with new friends.  and at midnight we moseyed on over to escondido village (graduate housing near schwab) for a massive gsb party that lasted well into the night.  people continue to emerge from interesting backgrounds: microsoft, avon, l’oreal, katzenbach.  it’s great.

frighteningly, we’ve already been given an assignment to complete by monday (our first day of class), and our first final (accounting) is in 2 weeks.  insane!

today, it’s all about continuing the settling in process, aside from a two-hour optional microsoft 2007 training this morning and a rafting team reunion bbq this afternoon.  later tonight there’s an outing to a local bar, which should be fun.  i’m not quite sure if my body can handle so much schmoozing, let alone the alcohol that goes with it.  but that’s what b-school largely is — one big drinkfest.

i’m looking forward to my target run today.  being back in the ‘burbs, it’s so refreshing to shop at huge supermarkets and places like target, costco, and ikea.

so be it!  here comes day two.

the start of everything

SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA | THE COLONADE HOUSE, 2F è

how i survived six days in the wilderness without a single shower, proper toilet, or roof over my head i’ll never know.  but with views like this it’s no wonder i was willing to make concessions.

the outward bound trip to cataract canyon to raft the white waters of the colorado river officially ended a few hours ago when i landed back at SJC–exhausted, disgusting, and thoroughly inspired.  for nearly a week i was completely removed from all forms of communication and had little more than the river’s current and our group’s manpower to traverse the 100 miles from potash (near moab) to hite junction, hitting about 30 class ii and iii rapids along the way.

it was a trip of many, many firsts:, including:

captaining a raft and yelling commands to my seven-person crew to avoid rocks and the threat of capsizing / sleeping on the raft through the night as we took rowing shifts to avoid obstacles in the dark / sleeping on sandy riverside beaches with nothing but the star-illuminated sky over our heads for five consecutive nights / cliff jumping into a side canyon river to cool off from a rocky hike / partaking in a native american inspired “river sauna” which involved setting up a sealed tent, pouring water over fire-heated stones, shedding water weight and extracting impurities, and immediately jumping into the cold waters of the coloardo right after / taking a crap in the wide open outdooors while on the “groover,” essentially, a smelly ammo can with a toilet seat on top / peeing into the river since “dilution is the solution to avoid pollution” / learning how to tie girth and trucker’s hitches / joining a “shampoo party” with the girls in the river to clean out our hair and clean off our faces / and, of course, meeting 20 of my future business school classmates amidst the canyon’s incredible scenery, jaw-dropping backdrops, and immense quiet and peace

though it is nearing 3 ante, i post now as the next few days (and weeks) promise to be all-consuming.  outward bound has been a great introduction to an unbelievable two years, and already i’ve formed a network of diverse, accomplished friends.  my teammates hail from thailand, russia, saudi arabia, hong kong, brazil, italy, spain, and well across north america, with work experiences ranging from private equity and banking to high-end fashion retailing to nonprofit management to even the US navy.  for some reason our group (one of two, each with about 20 folks) was the more integrated, and we spent nearly every night chatting until late, just yesterday taking turns going through our personal stories and relationship pasts.  it was the perfect group.

but now madness begins.  tomorrow (today), 9/12, i’ll begin the move-in process with a trip to schwab, the business school’s graduate housing complex.  i’ll spend one more night with the ‘rents before fully moving in on 9/13, when a few of us after our roughin’-and-toughin’-it excursion have planned a much-needed “spa day” complete with body scrubs, massages, and facials.  on 9/14 we’ve planned a trip to the city to dance and sing the night away.  and on 9/16, the academic year kicks off with a mandatory dinner on the eve of our first day of classes.  so much needs to happen before then.  so much it’s not even funny.

but however crammed the schedule is becoming, there’s one thing that stands reassuringly true.  i am so happy i am doing this.  it was, after so much wavering, the right decision to go back to school.  i remain steadfast in not repeating the same mistakes i made when i first entered college.  this is about living up each moment, exploring every avenue, and taking plenty more risks–academically, socially, professionally.

if business school is anything like the past week, it’s going to be one heck of a nonstop party.  throw in some learnings, some international trips, and a handful of new friends, and we’ve got perfection.

wish me luck moving in.  hope everyone’s healthy and well.

from times square to times square

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA | SHERATON IMPERIAL KUALA LUMPUR, 33F è

kuala lumpur, or “KL” as it is more affectionately known, is little more than a bustling commercial city-hub with shopping at every available corner.  though it lacked the more exotic forms of tourist attraction, it’s been a welcome transition back into urban life, where paul and i have regained appetites for movie theatres, fast food, and subway systems.

in our brief 60 hours or so we managed to hit most parts of the city, from the area around KL sentral, to central market, chinatown, and frantic pedaling street, to the countless malls near jalan sultan ismali and bintang walk (including KL plaza, piccolo galleria, lot 10, sungwei wang plaza, and–yes–even the behemoth shopping complex berjaya “times square”), to the KL convention centre, KLCC, and the petronas twin towers, to asian heritage row, campbell complex, and sogo KL and the pertama complex on the textile-heavy fringe of little india.  (we were in search of my last few required outward bound items but, unfortunately, came up empty.)

we even spent a few hours at cosmo’s world, “malaysia’s largest indoor theme park,” where for a mere 28 RM (~$8) we rode a handful of thrill and carnival-esque rides, including a respectable roller coaster twice.  also spent a good hour at the arcade, where i rediscovered my loves for bubble bobble, puzzle fighter, and 2-D airplane battle games.

sadly, though lucky we’ve been the past month given it’s the monsoon season, much of our time in KL was accompanied by rain, which limited our outdoor adventure as well as our willingness to travel to places afar, including malacca and cameron highlands.  still, i liked my short stay here.  i just love cities where there’s a central transport hub, where everyday leisures are inexpensive ($3 for a movie!), and where giant towers crowd the skyline–although the characteristically asian sewage stench has to go.

now, our time in KL and–more broadly–in southeast asia, comes to an end.  in just a few hours, we board the KL monorail from medan tuanku to KL sentral to catch the express train to kuala lumpur international airport.  sq109 to singapore, then sq2 to san francisco.  it’s 414 post monday evening in california right now (714 ante tuesday in KL), meaning that our 725 post tuesday evening arrival into SFO will mark over twenty-four hours of total transit.  and in that window i must attempt a full transition back to american time since wednesday i depart once again for a six day outward bound trip to raft the colorado river.  (i know, i brought this logistical nightmare upon myself.)

and with the start of outward bound in just two days, my summer officially ends today.  arrive SFO 9/4, depart for GCT 9/5, river rafting through 9/12, move in to graduate student housing 9/13, commence classes 9/17.  i’m starting to feel those first day of school anxieties.  will people like me?  am i going to do well?  will i get along with my professors?  more importantly, am i sufficiently prepared for a significant new beginning–mentally, emotionally, socially?  this and more in a few weeks, i suppose.

in closing, some parting thoughts on southeast asia, though i do plan a more comprehensive recap slash tipsheet once i’m stateside and actually have some time for proper reflection.  first, it’s been absolutely amazing.  i can’t believe a month went by so quickly.  what’s phenomenal is that i often lost track of time, forgetting which day it was (“today’s monday and it’s closed on mondays?”), which in my view is a true departure from the routines of work and everyday life.  it’s been not only a vacation but an exploration of all five senses, and more satisfyingly, a wider introduction to this section of the world.  it’s also, God-thankfully, been without any major hitches.  we didn’t miss any flights, weren’t burgled, and always had a roof to sleep under.  aside from the ATM snafu in hanoi and the occasional but still rare feeling of being ripped off, i’d say our trip was virtually snag-free.

if i could rank in order most to least the countries i’d like to return to, based on my experiences there on this trip, i’d list it as: (1) indonesia, (2) malaysia, (3) laos, (4) singapore, (5) cambodia, and (6) vietnam.  by far my time in bali was the most tantalizing.  people were friendly, the air dry and breezy, the food immensely flavorful and cheap. 

but malaysia has also been surprisingly memorable, outpacing even laos in my book (paul would beg to differ).  climbing mount kinabalu in malaysian borneo was indescribable, and there are still so many places i want to explore: sipadan (one of the best diving sites in the world), sandakan (to see the orang utans!), malacca (a historic town), cameron highlands (strawberry fields, tea plantations, and gorgeous scenery, so i hear), langkawi (malaysia’s krabi), and the peninsular east coast (where old malay life is still breathing).  if i return to southeast asia, i’m probably going to explore myanmar (burma) and the phillippines first, but easily tacked on to that would be more of indonesia, malaysia, and even thailand (chiang mai to be specific).

things i would change?  first, i should have routed our return flights to san francisco from bali, to save some money on the somewhat unnecessary DPS-KUL leg.  second, although i really wanted to see hanoi and am glad i did, saving vietnam for a full-fledged trip and extending some time in laos or cambodia may have been smarter, given the visa and transportation costs.  also, and this i shall remember for life, i would have had more visa pages before leaving the states.  i’ve spent a ridiculous $60 total “bribing” immigration officials to admit me since i’ve filled all the spaces in my passport.  (i finally got some more stitched in while in denpasar.)

there’s lots more to say, but it’s time to start making a move. 

here’s to traveling the world over (something that seems to happen a lot in business school).  two days ago, paul and i spent two hours at the kinokuniya bookstore at KLCC, leafing through travel guides.  if anything this trip has reignited my wanderlust, which has been kept moderated by 60-hour work weeks and a 3 week per year vacation allowance.  now, all i can think about is where else i want to go.  egypt, colombia, switzerland, madagascar!

farewell, southeast asia.  you haven’t seen the last of me.