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		Exploding Garrmondo Weiner Interactive Swiss Army Penis
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Peter's

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Apr 29, 2010 - 09:11 AM

job offer: get!

One of the big four consultancies has an opening for its Japan desk, and I got offered the job today, which is the good news. The bad news is that it is in tax consulting (human capital). I know absolutely nothing about tax, but they say that this shouldn't be a problem. The main problems I have is that it will take a couple of years before I can really get a grip on tax legislation, and that it is often said that someone who starts in tax stays in tax, it's not exactly a career-maker. The upside is that I can still use Japanese, which has been awful lately, and that it's one of the big four, which is supposedly nice to start a career (that is if you can actually work in a discipline that is useful for other companies as well), and of course the fact that there will be a company car included in the contract.

In other news, I just got back from a weekend in Sancerre with a bunch of friends, which was great. We visited the castle of Vaux-le-Vicomte on the way home, which is easily one of the most beautiful castles in France. We also stopped by a couple of wine domaines, as that was the goal of the trip, and as usual, I ended up buying way more than I can afford. I also started my internship at a pharmaceutical company with a friend of mine, so the next months will be interesting.

(4 runes)

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[public entry #117]

Apr 14, 2010 - 12:52 PM

Traveling and real life stuff

Two weeks ago we went to Budapest on a school trip, and it was AWESOME. Despite going only for a week, it is one of the most beautiful cities I've visited. Nice historic centre, good shops, great wine and food, awesome clubs,.... . I'm definitely planning on going back in the summer, to sziget festival.

Then last week I went to Rome with the family. I've been to Italy a couple of times before, mostly the northern parts, and this was my first time in Rome so we mainly focused on all the tourist stuff. Very busy city, but I really like the way it has grown over the ages, you can see the evolution in building styles everywhere. A lot of turists though, but still very worthwile to visit, I especially liked the Pantheon. we found this great bar that had a wine list as thick as a phone book, so I spent quite some time there just looking for new things. Shopping was also originally my intent, but unfortunately my credit card couldn't match the prices

(I found the most gorgeous suit at Prada, but 2100 euros was just above my budget). I did find a nice blazer for 300, and a cool pair of sneakers though.

Next weekend I'm going to Sancerre with a couple of friends, visit some castles and some wine domaines. Because the guy who was supposed to take care of everything turned out to be an incompetent ass, I took on all the responsibility. so far everyone has agreed with my proposals, so we'll just have to wait and see what happens on the actual trip.

Final weeks of school are starting and will be busy with last assignements and a business game (which will be shitloads of fun). I've also managed to get to the last round of one of the big four consultancies, so now it's just wait and see how that turns out.

Currently Playing: Si*Se - The Chain

(1 runes)

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[public entry #116]

Mar 4, 2010 - 04:51 PM

Job interviews

So, if everything goes according to plan I'll graduate for the last time in June this year. I think it's about time that I start looking for something do to afterwards (after taking a lengthy vacation of course). I recently applied for a 2-year internship at a bank, BNP Paribas Fortis, and after a cv-screening, five assessments and a phone interview I've been invited for the testing day tomorrow. I have never been to an actual job interview in my life, so it'll be interesting.

I originally started the application to prepare myself for opportunities that I'm actually interested in, but while studying their offer it looks pretty damn interesting, so it will be quite a problem if I get accepted tomorrow

. I would really like to work in consultancy (KPMG, McKinsey or Bain), but they are notoriously difficult to get into, especially Bain, but with a good preparation it could be possible. Still, I like the actual interviews, but the entire process just takes too damn long sometimes.

(7 runes)

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[public entry #115]

Jan 4, 2010 - 05:53 PM

Best of 2009

Yes, the year ended a couple of days ago,but I'm a lazy fuck, so who cares, right?

Anyway:

Music (in no particular order)

Spoiler:

Books:

Spoiler:

Best TV show: Spooks
Just one because I don't have time to watch a lot of TV anymore (although the final season of Battlestar Galactica also deserves mentioning). This is what the Americans tried to do with 24, but failed. The complexity, the insights in intrigues, the great characters and just the entire spy drama is right up my alley. Get it as soon as you can!

(6 runes)

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[public entry #114]

Dec 30, 2009 - 08:11 AM

A wine snob's book recommendation

Benjamin Wallace - The Billionaire's Vinegar

The Billionaire's Vinegar tells the story about the world's most expensive bottle of wine, a Lafitte 1787 that supposedly belonged to Thomas Jefferson and was sold for $156,000 at a Christie's auction in 1985. The bottle was offered by Hardy Rodenstock, a German who claimed to have discovered a cellar dating back to the 18th century in a demolished house in Paris. He had already shown other bottles (d'Yquem and Branne-Mouton) and allowed wine gods like Broadbent to taste them, but this was the first time that he actually auctioned one of them. The bottle appeared to be legit, but over the years Rodenstock's reputation was tarnished when he began to offer too many rare bottles (imperial bottles Petrus, despite the fact that Petrus claims that they never used imperial bottles before WW2), and more d'Yquem than the Chateau could acknowledge. Naturally this also had its repercussions on the bottles that he auctioned. There had already been claims from historians that the bottles couldn't have belonged to Jefferson, but they weren't substantial enough to cause any controversy. It wasn't until Bill Koch, who had bought Jefferson bottles for over half a million dollars, put his detectives to work that the real controversy broke lose.

This is an excellent book as it offers a lot of insights in the world of rare and old wines. People are willing to pay absolutely ridiculous amounts of money for simple bottles of wines that they'll never ever open, and this shows just how decadent that world can get (vertical tastings dressed up as a Roman emperor or re-enacting a dinner from 150 years with the exact dishes and wines served are only some examples). It also gives a detailed picture of how closed it is, how it is really an elite club exchanging 1000$ bottles as if it's nothing. This is why everyone assumes that someone who likes wine is automatically a snob that will never buy a 10$ bottle of wine. There are plenty of good wines to be found for prices that are actually reasonable, say 5$-20$ (there are very few wines that justify a price above $100 in my opinion, let alone above $500).

Getting a better understanding of fighting against fraud in wine was very interesting, as it is becoming a bigger and bigger issue. The big French châteaux are forced to develop new techniques to stay ahead of forgers, but they appear to be fighting a loosing battle if you know that there is more Lafite 1982 in China alone than there was ever produced by the Château in that year. It hasn't been until recent scandals like Rodenstock that the grand crus have been focusing on protecting their brand, but they need to put more effort in it to protect their reputation.

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[public entry #113]

Dec 1, 2009 - 05:19 PM

random stuff

Went to a spa in Vittel for the weekend with Ilse for her birthday. It was incredibly relaxing, getting all kinds of massages, nice food and just doing nothing for two days. It was exactly what we both needed since we hadn't been able to spend some time together because of our busy schedules.

School is as busy as ever, with case preparations, presentations, company receptions and hanging out with everyone when we have some spare time. The free moments are rare, but sometimes we just take some time of while other groups continue working, to take a walk in the town or relax on the roof terrace with some music and magazines (mostly tabloids, we see enough serious stuff in class already).

I organized a wine tasting for our group some weeks ago. It was a huge success, some friends helped out, and nearly everyone participated. 65 bottles of wine for 48 people, and not a drop of wine left, so that was perfect. Most of the colleagues got pretty drunk, including me, but we seriously had a blast. The MBA students have already showed interest in a similar initiative, and we'll definitely do it again sometime next semester.

I have been experiencing a bit of a cashflow problem lately, as I started working less and haven't really adjusted to a decreased budget. It doesn't help that I went completely mad with a credit card in a Filippa K store (but I did find the most beautiful coat I ever owned), and with the holidays coming up I don't foresee a lot of improvement in the next months ;_;.

Only two weeks left for the holidays, and I haven't really made any plans yet. I may be busy during the semester, but the holidays will give me some actual free time, perfect for recuperating. My parents are organizing the family Christmas party this year, and as my mum is still sick, I offered to take care of the dinner & wine, so the coming weekend will be spent deciding what to cook and what to drink.

Currently Playing: Editors - Papillon

(0 runes)

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[public entry #112]

Nov 19, 2009 - 04:02 PM

The European Union's first president...

is the Belgian prime minister, Herman van Rompuy. Although he is a good politician, this means that the EU will not be able to take a firm stance on the international scene, as he is the type of person who values the peace between all the member states more than actual leadership. For Belgium, it also means that we will get yet another new prime minister (third one in as many years), which will probably be Yves Leterme, the previous prime minister who resigned because he tried to influence the judicial system, after he spent two years plunging the country in political chaos that only managed to make Belgium seem even more stupid and laughable than it already is in the eyes of the rest of the world.

(3 runes)

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[public entry #111]

Nov 4, 2009 - 06:08 PM

Who would you chose?

You're walking past a river, and see two people drowning. You can only save one of them. The person on the left, you will love for the rest of your life, but he/she will never ever love you. The person on the right is in love with you, but you have no feelings or will never develop feelings for him/her. Who do you save?

It's a classic dilemma that has been told countless times, but it always seems to lead to lengthy discussions. I still haven't figured out who I'd choose.

Currently Playing: Basement Jaxx - Raindrops

(17 runes)

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[public entry #110]

Sep 27, 2009 - 04:41 AM

Busy busy busy

So, I started school again three weeks ago. I signed up for a general management program at a local business school for the next year, and it appears to become a busy year. Bad enough that I already started three weeks before every other student in Belgium, I already have my first tests next week! Granted, the courses up until now are not entirely new to me (Statistics, Accounting, Economics and Psychology), but they aren't exactly a walk in the park either.

I spent nearly all my days at school, since I have classes 9-6, and most of my time afterwards working on joint projects or having a much-needed drink in the bar. This week was especially difficult, meeting the alumni on Monday evening followed by getting completely wasted at a friend's pub, Tuesday evening was spent with the girlfriend, which was a nice change of pace. Wednesday we had our first job event, Meet the Corporates. The business partners of the school (AB-Inbev, Deloitte, L'Oreal, Ernst & Young, ...) introduced themselves to us at a rather decadent reception followed again by going out with a mate who just got back from vacation. Thursday evening was spent in the wine class that I take with some friends (four hours of drinking without having time for a bite to eat), and yet another walk on the town. I finally crashed on Friday only to recuperate before working on Saturday.

Despite it being a lot of fun, I already know that I won't be able to keep up this pace, combining school, a girlfriend, a job and hanging out, but I can't bring myself to stop, I just can't say no to people, a seriously lack of self-discipline that will surely come to kick me in back in the ass later on I'm afraid.

How has the rest of GFF been lately?

(1 runes)

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[public entry #109]

Aug 27, 2009 - 08:12 AM

Back from vacation (picture entry)

We had a great time. We started out in Marseille, which is actually a really filthy city, so we only stayed there for a day, to head out to the Chateau d’If (of Count of Monte Cristo fame). We did have fun strolling through the harbour, checking out the gigantic sailing yachts, and enjoying delicious sea food, bouillabaisse and my personal favourite, pissaladiere.

We went on to Cassis, which might very well be the most beautiful town on the French coast. Lovely atmosphere, great food and an awesome beach (where I spent two days asleep xD). We rented a boat to explore the Calanques, something that I had already done years ago, but is still absolutely beautiful.

After that, we decided to take on some touristic stuff, so we took off to Les Baux de Provence, an old castle town in the mountains, that offered a stunning view of the Provence, as you could see all the way to Marseille. I always like exploring old stuff, so we really had a blast that day. We also went to the Cathedral d’Images, an old quarry that is used to project art. It was an impressive show, with works from Picasso projected on the old walls, so if you ever happen to be in the Provence, it’s worth a visit.

Finally, we visited Avignon, to see the Papal palace. It was a lot bigger than I expected, but it was great, really worth a detour. After a quick stop in Chateauneuf-du-Pape (were I discovered an awesome wine for only 10 euros a bottle, even though it could easily beat Grand Cru domains that go for the double, triple price even), the final detour before driving back home was Orange, because Ilse absolutely wanted to see the old Roman Theatre, one of the most well preserved roman buildings in Western Europe. All in all, it was quite the active vacation, but because we could relax and take our time for everything, I feel pretty damn good and am eager to start school next week.

[1]

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[public entry #108]

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