Frenchies and Week-enders --- NU107 is playing really good stuff while I’m writing this Blog… there was Candle Box, now there’s the Black Crows…wonderful… Anyway, what’s on my mind lately? The French Open and my Week-end activities! This past week and a half had all been about the big clay court Grand Slam event. Justine, of course, came out the Queen – she’s just too good…very intelligent, skillful, and athletic. The Final was a bit tragic. I thought Justine’s pre-final matches with the two Russian girls were more difficult. Ms. Pierce was just lucky to get to the Final. Now, as I reflect upon all these, I realize that Tennis is a lot like work. Sometimes people get lucky and get promoted to a certain position the fast way. But if the skill, nor the intelligence is not there, or is still underdeveloped, there will always be something that will not allow people to get the grand prize. The best people will always emerge victorious; the so-so ones will get themselves defeated by a Justine. Now, am I so-so? Yes, definitely in some areas. So the best tactic to remain in the game is to find out what I am good at, and be a Justine in that area! Develop the skill, get the experience, and mix them up like Justine mixes-up her powerful back-hands with some well executed drop shots. So for me, is that going to be Strategic Finance? or Strategic Industrial Engineering? Definitely not Strategic Finance… it will not be fair to our shareholders. I just know that I will do a sloppy job in Strategic Finance, because I neither have the skills nor the passion for it. And I don’t want to do a sloppy job. I want to keep my pride. So there, decision made. Anyway, about my Week-end activities, it has been rather quiet in the past 3 weeks… quiet, meaning, I spent all of it enjoying my little home, relaxing, watching TV (mostly tennis action c/o the French Open), reading and just sitting still. My sister came over last week-end, but we did just what I would be doing without her visiting (which was all of the above). Now most people, especially my friends from Western countries would find this boring or even self-destructive (“Go get a life!”), but to be really honest, I don’t. I am really, truthfully, enjoying this! It reminds me a lot of my week-ends back home when I was a kid… my Dad, and the rest of us also, would take naps in the afternoon, have a very nice “merienda” (snack; loved those fried bananas with coffee!), play cards or board games, and just talk to each other in between. I remember feeling so contented about it, and my energies revived to take on another full week of school! Now what do all these mean? These mean that the perception that I am this outgoing, beer-drinking, party person (a perception that came with good reason of course) is not really true. I now realize that I am, at heart, really just a homebody. And there is no shame in that, only contentment. Jess, have I gone full circle? And “Into the Night…” plays on…NU107 rocks!