Crackberries and their managers - London II

A guy friend once described all the cities he lived in with the nature of women he knew - If Paris was a woman, she would be this untouchable beauty that everyone wants to have, you do too, but you do not really want to live with. Barcelona, would be a great lover, fun and exciting, yet you also know that you don't have to be faithful to her and it is okay. Madrid would be a good friend, nice to talk to, and she is always ready to go out drinking with you. And London? London is a whore, you just need to pay wherever you go and whatever you do!

So London, the city where a one way subway ride is 3 pounds which equals 4.5 euros or 6 US Dollars or 45 Chinese Yuan; to pray at Westminster Abby costs 10 pounds which equals 15 euros or 20 us dollars or 150 Chinese Yuan, most people here exist for the existence of money.

I watched more financial news over the weekend than the past 5 years combined.

At diner tables, I am surrounded by investment bankers, stock brokers, fund managers and fund of fund managers.

Today the real symbol of being in the business is not the three piece suite nor the Rolex watch nor the convertible Porsche, it is a little handheld device called BLUEBERRY. As everyone sat down the table, everyone set down his or her blueberry on the table and it is considered acceptable to check the market during dinner or conversation. So as not to feel being left out, I also set down a little box of Kleenex which I bought on a recent trip to China, the little box is very nifty and high tech but very pink. To make it convincing, I keep turning it over looking at it and then turning it back and putting it back on the table next to my elegant forks and knives. Finally, an Indian looking fund manager asked what I was looking at.

Ana: This is a new device called STRAWBERRY. It is especially designed for women who do not understand numbers. You can send unlimited messages but never receive any messages at all. Microsoft put them out on the test market with limited editions just this month.

Indian Fund Manager: Brilliant! Let me see it!

Ana silently: Swell! He believes me…

I later learned that he manages an Asian fund which is worth at least a couple of billion euros. I really hope that he is not the kind that also has a Pilipino house cleaner with whom he sleeps at night.