For all of those who enjoy good electro, check out my friend Dan’s awesome mixes: http://www.musicv2.com/artist/eldan . I love his deep/soulful/funky style. As the title of this post suggests, my favourite is From Geneva with Love.

I Do…Now I Don’t auctions used engagement rings:

These days, an estimated 50% of marriages end in divorce. So what happens after the divorce? What do you do with the ring? When you turn around and sell a ring, you are taking a big loss. The price you will get for the ring will be sharply discounted from what was originally paid. In most cases, you will only get 25-35% of the purchase price and that´s if you are lucky.

I Do…Now I Don’t can help solve the “what do I do with the ring?” scenario. We will help you sell your ring at the price that it deserves!!

LOL.

[via This is going to be BIG]

Last Thursday H&M released its latest designer collection by Cavalli. The sheer fan excitement is reminiscent of the iPhone launch.

The money quotes:

I love it! It’s like being a rock star and you who wear my clothes are my music, he laughed -Roberto Cavalli

Once the doors opened, belam ensued. Mary and I knew what we wanted and, along with another girl who was in line with us, we mapped out our plan. I was to get the gold sequin dresses, Mary to the red carpet print dresses, and our line buddy to the zebra print dresses. Well, I arrived at the dresses at the same time as another woman who was trying to take the entire rack of dresses! Lucky for me she didn’t remove them from the rack and I was able to get our dresses. And I was lucky enough to get the snake necklace…I’m soooo excited!!! I was even able to nab a sequin dress for a gentlemen who stood in line since 7:00 am for his wife! -”Vivicca”

I specially stood in line for 9 hrs for and also got some of the leopard lingerie (very sexy!) -”SS”

It was terrifying, like a rugby scrum -H&M sales assistant

[Thanks, Salah]

Marc Andreessen has just written what I consider the best career advice I have ever read. Those who know me well can attest that I am self-improvement junkie and read career-related stuff all the time. However, nothing compares to Marc’s posts in terms of relevance (to me) and actionability. He spares us the fluff and goes straight to the point. I usually quote interesting pieces, but in this case I think it is a worthy investment to read the whole thing:

The Pmarca Guide to Career Planning, part 0: Introduction
The Pmarca Guide to Career Planning, part 1: Opportunity
The Pmarca Guide to Career Planning, part 2: Skills and education
The Pmarca Guide to Career Planning, part 3: Where to go and why

Thanks a million, Marc!

I hope this (ex)analyst figures out what makes him happy.

From: Mauldin, Jonathan-IBD+
Sent: Sunday, September 16, 2007 7:03 AM
To: [Redacted]
Cc: [Redacted]

Subject: Sorry everyone

I’m leaving the bank now.

I’m not made to do this. If I put my mind to something as much as I do here to mindless text editing, copy and pasting, and getting yelled at for stuff other people can’t/won’t/don’t do, I would be much better off. It’s 6:43 a.m. on a Sunday, and I have at least 14 more hours of work to do today that will not be fulfilling, useful, appreciated, recognized, or paid for.

Sorry this is last minute, but it’s just not worth doing more

My blackberry is on my desk

Apparently that failed staffing request was fatal (no, not as in I’m going to kill myself, hehe, I’m just going to go enjoy life). There is no happiness here.

I took all my personal stuff. No one needs to contact me for anything (except for a drink for those of you with my personal number). I will only be at my New York address a few days longer.

Good luck y’all,

Jonathan Napier Mauldin

UBS Investment Bank
Global Healthcare Group
299 Park Avenue, 36th Floor
New York, NY 10171
(P) 212.821.5273
(F) 212.821.5482
Jonathan.Mauldin@ubs.com

From DealBreaker.

This morning Luciano Pavarotti’s manager told the AP:

The Maestro fought a long, tough battle against the pancreatic cancer which eventually took his life. In fitting with the approach that characterized his life and work, he remained positive until finally succumbing to the last stages of his illness.

Go out

Clubs are strict about their male/female ratios so avoid showing up with a bunch of guys. If you can’t get around that, be prepared to pay 50-75 YTL/person or wait in line for a while. Midnight is usually a good time to get to a club.

• Reina, Ortokoy: Stunning clubbing under the illuminated Bosphorus Bridge. You can also have dinner there earlier in the evening to avoid the hassle at the door and enjoy the view. Reserve a day or two in advance. An Istanbul must.
• Angelique, Ortokoy: Another Istanbul must. The design is perfect and the best place to feel Istanbul’s East/West contrast.
• SupperClub, Ortokoy:  Beautiful interior featuring huge white beds/sofas. Good electro house music.
• Crystal, Ortokoy:  Afterhours  club open until 6 a.m.  Deeper house music.
• Otto, Beyoglu: Perfect low-key place for drinks on an off night or before heading out to the club.

Eat

• House Café, Ortokoy: My favorite place for lunch, view doesn’t get better.
• 360, Beyoglu: Stunning views of the famous Mosques at night. Go for drinks or dinner - European cuisine.
• Saraya, Nisantisi: Excellent Turkish food in trendy neighborhood.
• Midpoint, Nisantisi: Perfect spot for a lunch break  shopping European cuisine
• Brasserie @ Beymen, Nisantisi: After Midpoint or Saraya, walk over to Brasserie for coffee, desert and premiere people-watching.
• Hamdi, Sirkeci: Turkish specialties - don’t miss the  pistachio and aubergine kebabs. Book a couple of days in advance to get a spot on the terrace.

Shop

• Nisantisi neighberhood
• Kanyon mall

Thanks to Mathias, Nada, Amina and the great friends we met in Istanbul for the recommendations above.

According to the Telegraph, Michael Douglas is returning as Gordon Gekko in a Wall Street (one of my favourite movies) sequel. I like the international twist the producers are giving to the new film:

Wall Street was New York- centric. Today the markets are much more global, hence the title of the new film, Money Never Sleeps,” says Ed Pressman, the producer of both films, as well as the likes of Reversal of Fortune, Thank You For Smoking and Conan the Barbarian. “The new film will be based in New York, in London, in the United Arab Emirates and in an Asian country.

The article also includes some of the best / most ridiculous quotes from the original film: