Impressions of Cairo
Last weekend I went on a last-minute trip to Cairo with a colleague. I literally bought the flight less than three hours before the plane left. I couldn’t be happier that I did.
The fact that Egypt is most definitely a “third world” country smacked me in the face the instant we walked out the door. Until this trip I hadn’t realized how relatively calm things are on the roads in Riyadh, how few people heckle you for cab rides as you exit the international terminal, and how by comparison, the city is clean, modern, and bright. That isn’t to say that Cairo wasn’t an incredible place to be, but more a confession that I had frankly nearly forgotten that Cairo IS, in fact, in Africa. In many ways it felt much more like Quito or Mexico City than Riyadh or Bahrain, the only other two major cities in the region I have experienced thus far.
Two other impressions of the city have really stuck with me from this trip. First, that the pyramids are literally right on the edge of town. As you cross the river Nile on the highway, you begin to see off in the distance, past the agricultural fields cultivated practically in the middle of neighborhoods, past the tall apartments in the distance, the tips of the pyramids. As you approach, you begin to realize that the neighborhoods around the pyramids run practically smack into their base. Once you reach the pyramids, however, you reach the desert, and there is very, very little to see in the distance.
The second realization was that the Nile is a HUGE river. Keep in mind that Saudi Arabia, which has deserts and a climate that looked very similar to the dunes at Giza, has no permanent rivers or lakes. By contrast, the Nile is truly massive, and allows vibrant green plant life to thrive along its banks that stands in sharp contrast to the many deteriorating buildings, dirty roadways, and deserts beyond.
On my second day in Cairo, after my colleague Magnus had already headed off to the airport to return to Saudi, I took a leisurely trip to the Egyptian Museum. While it was a mess of a museum, full to the brim with artifacts of staggering importance with little or no explanation or signage, once I found a knowledgeable guide, its secrets began to reveal themselves.
The man who led me through the place was actually an archaeologist by trade and training, and full of incredible stories of an empire that truly came to life for me when looking at the artifacts in the museum. He is actually going to be part of a National Geographic documentary on possible new cures to cancer which have been uncovered through examination of the DNA of mummies which suffered from Leukemia by had apparently lived for decades before dying of other causes.
The energy devoted to ensuring a shot at reincarnation through mummification and tombs just amazing, and the luxuries that existed for the royalty were staggering. It was incredible to see King Tutankhamen’s famous gold mask sitting rather inconspicuously in the treasures room, and to learn that one of the famous black stone sculptures (whose significance I have already forgotten) was actually carved with diamonds.
The trip was like an appetizer, and has left me with a strong desire to return to Egypt and explore more of the nation’s history through a visit to Luxor and Ramses Temple. Who knows, maybe I will find another opportunity sometime soon. Unfortunately, that seems unlikely unless my next project sends me to Africa.
For now, it’s off to Dubai on Tuesday for the total juxtaposition: a city with little history, but with a present and future built to dimensions which are almost impossible to imagination. I hope the experience is just as fascinating and rewarding.
Previous Lives: Uphill and Down in San Francisco
Today I was trying to remember the mailing address for Monitor’s office in San Francisco, and googled “Monitor Group San Francisco.” With a bit of amusement, I realized that a BusinessWeek article written about me (well, more like BY me) about a year and a half ago is the third hit that comes up.
I figure it’s worth linking to the article from here to say “yes, that’s me” and smile to think about how much has changed since then.
“Consulting is a fun job with a tough work schedule,” says this Georgetown grad, who bikes the famous hills to work each day
Mitchapalooza - Good Times with Good Friends
In just two days, I am heading back to San Francisco after more than three months living abroad. I return home having spent time in both in the dangerous, terror-stricken London, and the sunny-skied Riyadh. The occasion of this triumphant return? Mitchapalooza 2007.
The weekend involves relaxing, wine tasting, having fun in the sun, and eating great food up at the Russian River in Northern California. My friends and I take over my extended family’s cabin for two nights and take full advantage of Sonoma County and the ability to truly “escape” the city. Last year even included some great canoing and rope swinging into the river - hopefully a dry summer won’t mean water levels are so low that these are outside the realm of possibility.
Mitchapalooza 2006 was one of those great weekends when you can say for certain that you’ve had one of the best times of your life because you’ve spent the time with some of your best friends. Receiving a link to the t-shirt from ‘06 today made me remember just how great it was. A friend surprised me with the gift of 15 of these shirts for my friends and I to wear all weekend long.
Here’s to looking forward to Mitchapalooza 2007. Goofy Mitch-grin and all.
My Dream Machine: The Canon 40D
Canon announced yesterday the release of their new digital SLR, the 40D, which is the successor to the dated 20D and 30D models. It’s about time, since Nikon has had a far stronger model in the D80 for quite some time now. The 40D represents significant improvements in terms of LCD size, image density (megapixels), and quality.
Looks like I’ll be blowing a big chunk of change on a new camera - better start saving now! Given that my last vacation to Scotland generated over $200 worth of film development expenses, however, it will end up paying itself off in a couple years.
From Digital Photography Review:
Canon today introduces its latest digital SLR for advanced amateurs and semi-professionals: the EOS 40D. With a 10.1 Megapixel CMOS sensor, 6.5 frames per second burst performance, a newly developed AF system and 3.0” LCD with Live View mode, the EOS 40D makes significant advances in both performance and versatility.
Many thanks to Indranil on sending me this great news!
Day One in Saudi Arabia
My first full day in Riyadh was quite an eye opener. Having arrived last night after dark, it was the first chance I had to see the city. Our office, located on an upper floor of the architecturally fascinating and beautiful Al-Faisaliah Tower, has a sweeping view over the city below, which reflects the bright sun from its white and tan color. The desert is just visible around the edge of the city.
After months of working with colleagues connected only via conference call, it is refreshing to have a team of coworkers here to call my team. Since we will live, work, eat, and travel together over the next three months, there will be plenty of opportunity for me to get tired of them, but right now, I couldn’t be happier with the guys who are here.
Ironically, the first time in my consulting career in which I have had to wear a suit to work every day is in a climate where it rarely drops below 105 degrees F during the day. Even tonight, while I sit and write this, it is nearly 95 degrees. Of course, life here exists in the form of short jaunt from one air conditioned building to another, so it almost doesn’t matter.
And heck, after three months enduring London’s wettest summer on record, seeing a forecast that looks like this simply makes you smile:
For Your Reading List: Why Smart People Make Big Money Mistakes
I had a fabulous lunch today with my former coworker and friend, Andre Medeiros. Our conversation turned to investing and he recommended a book, Why Smart People Make Big Money Mistakes — And How to Correct Them by Gary Belsky and Thomas Gilarch. Both he and his wife Christine vouch for the book’s readability, so I think I might just pick up a copy next time I find myself in a bookstore.
Editorial Review from Amazon.com:
Why do so many otherwise rational individuals make irrational decisions when it comes to money? Financial journalist Gary Belsky and Cornell University psychology professor Thomas Gilovich contend the answers can be found–and the deficiencies remedied–with help from a relatively new science called behavioral economics. Still largely unknown outside academic circles, the field can be traced to research on the impact of rewards and punishments on human judgment and decision- making that first were undertaken at Jerusalem’s Hebrew University some 30 years ago. In Why Smart People Make Big Money Mistakes , Belsky and Gilovich update this pioneering work and show readers how to understand exactly why they invest, spend, and save as they do. More importantly, using examples that everyone can identify with and language that anyone can understand, the authors offer dozens of workable suggestions that can help readers manage their money better. “We believe that by identifying the psychological causes behind many types of financial decisions,” they write, “you can effectively change your behavior in ways that will ultimately put more money in your pocket and help you keep more of what you already have.”
Most Popular Halloween Costumer, 2007? Sub-prime Lender
Jordan White, a Georgetown buddy with unrealized genius, just wished me a safe time in the Middle East. “Have fun and stay safe. And for God’s sake stay away from sub-prime lenders :)”
Which made me think: can I dress up as a subprime lender for Halloween this year? What on earth would I wear?
And more importantly, do they celebrate Halloween in Saudi Arabia?
For other ridiculous finance related Halloween costumes, check this out.
Count Down to Riyadh
It’s Friday and on Monday morning, I am off to Riyadh for a three month assignment with work. It will be my first time in the region, but I am excited for what I am sure will prove to be a truly memorable experience.
I will be living on a compound with my fellow Monitor consultants, traveling frequently to different parts of the country, and enjoying the opportunity to see different cities in the region on the weekends (Thur and Fri… crazy).
Look here for updates on what it’s like living there.
Dans Le Noir: Eating Blind
I had dinner yesterday with five friends at Dans Le Noir here in London. What a phenomenal dinner concept. Diners are led into a pitch black room and experience dining in total, utter darkness while being served by blind waiters and waitresses.
The French cuisine was good, but probably only worth about half the cost of dinner, which came out to a pricey £40 per head. The experience, however, was so unique that I was happy to pay the premium.
See a review of the restaurant at London Eating.
Welcome to The Intrepid Mr. Fox
The Intrepid Mr. Fox is the home of my personal weblog. While I post to this site from time to time, I am devoting most of my energy to developing The Strategy Fox, a professional blog focusing on topics that are important to me and upon which I would like to focus my career.
I know that I am about 5 years late in joining the bandwagon, but I have come to realize the value of a public forum for the sharing of ideas, thoughts, opinions, and insights. Equally important, is learning what you, my friends, colleagues, family, and readers, have to say about them.
While The Strategy Fox is intended to represent the professional and public sides of my life, The Intrepid Mr. Fox is about my personal life. It is a site that I do not suspect many people other than my close friends and family will have much interest in, and the content will be created with that in mind.
Neither site will completely replace my Facebook profile, where I share photos with friends, favorite books, movies, and the like.
Contents of The Strategy Fox:
- Entrepreneurship: My greatest professional interest at the moment, I want to learn as much as I can about startups, entrepreneurship, Venture Capital and the like. As I learn, I want to share my thoughts, insights, and a Best Of for others interested in following my footsteps
- Business Strategy: Not entirely unrelated from the first, in this section I intend to share thoughts about how existing businesses operate, including what they are doing right and what they are doing wrong. I am a management strategy consultant at the Monitor Group, where my day revolves frequently around these issues.
- Society, Cities and Governance: Another area of great interest to me is how our lives are impacted through the communities we live in, and how those cities are governed and managed. In this section I hope to explore interesting policies and initiatives, particularly those which represent the way I feel things “ought to be.”
Contents of The Intrepid Mr. Fox:
- The Good Life: Restaurant, book, and movie reviews. Random thoughts about things I have enjoyed and would like to share with others.
- Travel Log: I am an avid traveler and as such have many exciting stories and adventures to share. When I have time, I hope to post the best of them here.
- Photography Portfolio: As an amateur photographer, I enjoy sharing the best of my photos with a wide audience. This site will host my “official” portfolio. Snapshots and the like will remain limited to Facebook.
- Welcome to The Intrepid Mr. Fox
Welcome to the personal weblog of Mitchell W. Fox, a management strategy consultant in Sydney, Australia.The Intrepid Mr. Fox is about my personal life and adventures. It focuses on three main topics: The Good Life (things I enjoy in my leisure time), Travel, and my thoughts and ideas about the world around us.