Inches

Every time I go to a conference and run a workshop I use the speech below. It is taken from the movie "Any given Sunday" and it features Al Pacino holding a breath taking motivational speech. I listen to this every morning I get up and any other time I need to motivate myself. Curiously it gives me a thrill everytime I listen to it, and believe me, I listened to it a thousand times. As many people send me mails asking me about that speech, I thought I might just post it on my blog. Enjoy!

A night in Zurich

Forgot my keys...back to the appartement...finally in the car...damned, 20 minutes late already...catch Thomas...catch Benedikt...catch a few bottles of alcool...drive...shit, too much traffic...talking about university projects...let's switch conversation...turn on the radio...nothing good on the radio...still too much traffic...open the window...light a cigarette...Thomas, right or left now?...Left! Ok!...Finally there...Nice place Thomas...Cut the tomatoes...Put the Whiskey in the freezer...Light another cigarette...First guest arriving...Hello my name is François...Yes Luxembourg...No, German is not my mother language...half million people...Light another cigarette...The spaghetti should be ready...Greet the other guest...let's sit down...Hold conversation...Yes Luxembourg...No, German is not my mother language...Finally eaten up...light a cigarette...switch from red wine to Whiskey Coke...conversation louder now...tell a joke...make fun of Zurich...no, bad idea!...Call a cab...Wait, wait...take some whiskey Coke for the way...Light the cigarettes...cab driver does not know the place...somehow arrive their...big queue in front of the club....jump the queue...thanks for the guestlist Thomas...big queue at the bar..Shit! No guestlist here...Order a Whiskey coke...Light a cigarette...One more whiskey! No coke...Dance...No, bad idea...Another whiskey...Danced or don't dance...Don't dance, only dance in Aiesec...Toilet...Whiskeys...Cigarette...Getting bored...Let's go...Home?...No...Kebap...Efes Pilsner...Take a cab...Keep the change...Undress...Lie down...still wear your shirt...who cares?...Good night!

Pictures from TRIX 2006 (Cluj Napoca)

I uploaded some pictures from Trix 2006 in Cluj Napoca
http://www.flickr.com/photos/33349685@N00/
http://www.bolt.com/fmuller/photo/
My recommendation: Watch them while listening to my new favourite song (thanks to Stefan)

Times of changes, decisions and good-bye's!

Right now I'm crossing a period full of changes, decisions and challenges. I'm soon leaving to Singapore for my MBA (26th of July). Again the opportunity to make new friends, live new experiences, facing new challenges. Still I have to take so many decisions about my MBA term, that I find it hard to focus on my actual studies in St Gallen. The other decision that is preventing me from sleep is the decision about my professional career. Who do I want to work for? In which country do I wanna work? What are the criterias anyway I should base my decision on? A least I made my decsion about the subject of my master thesis yesterday, and so I'm gonna research about "successful brand portfolios in the luxury & fashion industry" for the next year. And if it wasn't enough I still have to hand in 4 projects, run a SIM community development project, decide about what to do with all my belongings when I go to Singapore, make decisions about my career in AIESEC, and find a way of keeping my friends and family happy while far away from home for the fifth year in a row now. So as a comfort i keep listening to that wonderful Green Day songs these day:

Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road
Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go
So make the best of this test, and don't ask why
It's not a question, but a lesson learned in time

It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.

So take the photographs, and still frames in your mind
Hang it on a shelf in good health and good time
Tattoos of memories and dead skin on trial
For what it's worth it was worth all the while

It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.

Open letter to LC Cluj Napoca

So I'm back from Romania, with again a wole lot of wonderful memories, many new friends, inspiration and a feeling of sadness. LC Cluj Napoca features some of the most amazing people I ever met in my life. I admire these guys for their endless motivation, devotion and their postive and constructive way of dealing with any issue that may arise. LC Cluj Napoca, Poca, Poca, Number One in EUropa!

Here's the letter I wrote to LC Cluj:

Dear LC Cluj,

24 hours have gone by since I arrived back to Switzerland. These last 24 hours I found it really hard to find my way back into the very pragmatic way of Swiss living. Too many memories cross my mind, too many regrets I have about not spending more time with each of one you. TRIX was a very inspiring experience to me...very different from LPM and last year's TRIX, but amazing as well. I want to thank you for receiving me with open arms again!
Furthermore I was both inspired and amazed by the endless devotion you put into this conference and the warmth and honesty you spread. You just amzed me each second of the conference! I also send out all my best wishes to the new EB, I'm sure you guys can build something amazing in Cluj.
I hope to stay in touch with more than one of you as there is nothing better than the awareness of having true friends somewhere in this world. By the way, St Gallen is only at 1624km from Cluj, what a ridiculous distance (-;
As I mentioned in that crazy closing plenary, I hope that TRIX was not the end of my passionate love story with LC Cluj, but just another chapter in an endless story. Right now I feel like the story is still "incomplete". I'm sure life will take me to Cluj a several times more!

I thank you all for being what you are!
Forever yours,
Your friend,

François

Just a football game

Last week I was looking forward for the big showdown of the swiss football league. FC Basel (my favourite team as you might know) played FC Zurich. It was the last game of the season and basel lead by 3 points before the game. As a big football fan I expected a big moment in football history...and it turned out to be one, but in the negative sense. Until the 92th minute everything was fine...the score was 1-1 and I emotionally prepared for the championship celebration. But 20 seconds before the final whistle, everything turned into a big disaster. Filipescu (by the way, a Romanian guy) scored the 1-2 for Zurich and thereby stole away the championship from Basel in the last minute. What happened then was purely shocking: Basel fans attacked the Zurich players, beating them up and throwing fireworks at them. Zurich fans attacked the block I was sitting in, beating up whoever crossed their way. Outside the fans riots between police and fans went on for 4 hours and made over 100 injured people. The scenery was undescribable: wherever you looked around you, you saw people behaving like animals, totally out of their minds.I'm a very positive person always believing in the best of poeple...I've lost another piece of naivity that night. A little advice: come on guys, it's only football after all.