Dragon 100 2008 Celebrating my arrival! (Hong Kong) Someone somewhere has made a terrible mistake: Somehow I have been numbered among the hundred “young Chinese leaders”. Congratulations! You have been selected as a delegate for the Dragon 100 Young Chinese Leaders Forum 2008! The Dragon 100 Young Chinese Leaders Forum 2008, will take place in Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta Region in Mainland China, 22-30 August 2008, where 100 delegates worldwide would register to our hotel in Hong Kong on 21 August 2008. (more…) Microfinancing the harmonious society One World, One Dream? (Jianwai SOHO, Beijing) When I first got to Beijing, my roommate Nick, who is a licensed tour guide, wanted to show me the central business district Guomao (国贸) where there’s been quite a bit of commercial development, such as the architecturally impressive CCTV building. One of the building complexes there is Jianwai SOHO, an upmarket mostly-expatriate residential and shopping area, where the glass-and-steel towers have rooftop gardens. Posh. (more…) How to win essay contests In imperial China, essay contests could get you a cushy bureaucrat sinecure. (Confucius Temple, Beijing) I get this question a lot from friends, even though I’m no expert on the subject - all I can write are silly short stories. It’s hard for me to find the right answer because generalizing about essay competitions isn’t terribly useful – they vary too much in their types and topics, and each has its own optimal approach. At the risk of overgeneralizing, I will limit my advice to a few principles that should be applicable to all kinds of essay contests on any topic under the sun. I draw mostly from my experiences writing for and judging. (more…) Thoughts on the St Gallen Symposium Climbing a mountain with Price Waterhouse Coopers (Mt. Santis, St Gallen) 1. An incredible experience SGS is truly the best student conference I’ve ever experienced, and I’ve been to quite a few of them. I met the most amazing people there – networking opportunities abound – including Nitin from NextBillion. Naturally Geoffrey was there charming the ladies in his bespoke suit. (more…) Return to Switzerland Part 2/Teil zwei! (St Gallen, Switzerland) It looks like I get to see the French-speaking side of Switzerland this time: On behalf of Dr. Hans Blix, it is my great pleasure to thank you for participating in the Students for A Nuclear Weapons-Free World competition. The expert Panel of Judges, chaired by The Hon. Douglas Roche, was composed of people from all regions of the world. They assessed your contribution to be outstanding and to merit one of the 15 prizes. Please accept our wholehearted congratulations! (more…) Business Today International Conference 2008 That’s a… different kind of leadership (Forbidden City, Beijing) So I get to stay at the Marriott again: CONGRATULATIONS! You have been accepted to the 34th Annual International Conference, “The Dynamics of Leadership: Transformation and Innovation in the 21st Century” held at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square, New York City from November 22nd-25th. Out of over 1,100 applicants, you have been selected to participate in our all-expenses paid affair. The applicant pool was outstanding, with over 100 schools and 30 countries being represented. The conference will be a phenomenal experience as you now have the opportunity to meet over seventy CEOs from across the United States in small seminars and explore New York City with fellow students from all over the world. Get ready to break down Harvard Business School case studies with your peers, discuss crucial topics in politics, business, and entrepreneurship, meet recruiters from top companies, and have an overall incredible experience! To give you an idea of the types of executives you will meet, I’ve attached a list of executives who have participated in our programs over the past year. (more…) Microfinance and Post-Disaster Reconstruction Is microfinance the key to saving us? (Beijing) As my internship on Chinese microfinance has begun, it is timely to consider the role that microfinance institutions are playing in the reconstruction and recovery of Sichuan. Many MFIs around the world operate in post-conflict zones and post-disaster regions (such as the 2004 Tsunami), and there are important lessons to learn from how they negotiate the challenges and risks involved. During my research I came across a Mandarin press release from an MFI in Sichuan province, the Association for Rural Development of Yilong County. I did a rough translation of it below: (more…) To-blog list The to-blog list gets longer and longer: - Tokyo trip photo essay - St. Gallen Symposium photo essay - J-drama: Hagetaka (private equity drama), Edison no Haha and Juken no Kamisama (education system), CHANGE (politics), Ryokiteki na Kanojo (remake of My Sassy Girl) - Anime: Okami to Koshinryo (renaissance economics), Macross Frontier (OMG) - Director’s screening of Blind Mountain (盲山), Dark Matter (黑暗物质) - Broadway: Avenue Q, City Opera: Candide The Great Wall of the Chinese Consulate, part 3 I finally got my visa. The Chinese do have a sense of humor: It has a graphic of the Great Wall printed on the design. Life is full of irony. The best visa I could get is a double-entry tourist L type with a maximum duration of 30 days per entry. Now my internship is likely to include a day-long bus ride to the Mongolian border and back to use the second entry. Thankfully I brought my econometrics textbook along for self-study, and I don’t think anyone would want to steal it while I’m napping unless he were some rogue social scientist. While I would love to visit UB and meet my friends there (one of which is a real life tribal princess), I hadn’t actually planned on going there this summer. Thank you Beijing, for working so hard to welcome me to the Olympics. The Great Wall of the Chinese Consulate, teil zwei After a mad eleventh-hour cramming session, I sat for my final exam in statistics. I think the worst thing to possibly think during an examination is “Please let the curve be awesome”, next to “How many points do I need to not get a D?” (As it turned out the curve was pretty good, and I got an A) I staggered out of the stats department back to my room, picked up my suitcase, and made my way to JFK. My summer of adventure and discovery had just begun, but it would not be without obstacles. (more…) Thoughts on Zettai Kareshi and Japanese gender roles Separate but equal? (Tokyo Metro) Zettai Kareshi (絶対彼氏) / Absolute Boyfriend Fuji TV Spring 2008 season I find it strange that I like Zettai Kareshi so much. Although I love the romantic comedy genre of j-dramas (as opposed to the melodramas) in general, I can’t help but be reminded of the horrible conclusion that the title is everything that I am not. I’ve only seen the first few episodes since the summer started while stuck in airports and planes without in-flight entertainment, but here are some initial thoughts on the series: (more…) The Great Wall of the Chinese Consulate Detoured to Hong Kong… (Beijing) A month or two back, when discussing summer plans, I told my friends that I was spending my summer interning with a non-profit in Beijing to pursue a research project on microfinance in China, while traveling widely. I felt proud of myself for not following the crowd of investment bankers with their summer analyst positions in the city or in Hong Kong, squandering their precious summer days and nights (and yes, weekends too) in a cubicle in downtown Central peering through arcane Mandarin spreadsheets. And then the visa situation suddenly changed, and my carefully planned summer of productive work and exciting adventures has been frozen in purgatory. (more…) Finals approach And loom over me like a Damoclean blade. All my sloth has come back to haunt me. I wonder if I will ever learn. (more…) Running and rose petals I can’t break out of the cycle. I knew that it was impossible from the start, but I convinced myself that there was a chance. And the worst thing is that even though I know the outcome, I can’t help trying anyway. And now I feel like a fool for trying. It’s just so painfully obvious. (more…) What am I doing wrong? I can’t break out of the cycle. I knew that it was impossible from the start, but I convinced myself that there was a chance. And the worst thing is that even though I know the outcome, I can’t help trying anyway. And now I feel like a fool for trying. It’s just so painfully obvious. Questions without answers If I’m so smart, why aren’t I happy? How do I change everything about me that is inadequate? If I can’t change, how can I come to accept it? To-blog list Coming soon: - Tokyo trip photo essay - J-drama: Hagetaka (Japanese private equity drama), Edison no Haha and Juken no Kamisama (Japanese education system) - Anime: Okami to Koshinryo (renaissance economics), Macross Frontier (OMG) - Director’s screening of Blind Mountain (盲山), Dark Matter (黑暗物质) - Broadway: Avenue Q, City Opera: Candide James Zumwalt on US-Japan relations Selling the American dream? (Shibuya, Tokyo) James Zumwalt, Director of the Office of Japanese Affairs at the State Department came to Columbia to give us an update on US-Japan relations, hosted by Robert Immerman-sensei at the Weatherhead Institute. He was speaking on the record, so it wasn’t really all that exciting, but there were a few gems I took away. (more…) Joel Wit on the North Korean nuclear weapons program Joel Wit, a fellow at the Center for Korean Research at Weatherhead, gave a presentation on his February “Journey to Yongbyon” (North Korean nuclear plant) with an international assessment team. It was hosted by Charles Armstrong at CKR, and Samuel Kim was there too - for a guy who’s retired he sure hangs around his old office a lot. Some interesting takeaways: (more…) Burning out And it’s not as if I’m burning all that brightly either. Discouraged Is how I feel when I look at how far I am from what I want to be. To-blog list Coming soon: - Students for Liberty Conference retrospective - Weatherhead events: Joel Wit’s Journey to Yongbyon, U.S.-Japan Relations with State Dept. Director of Japanese Affairs, Thailand update with Bjorn Dressel - Tokyo trip photo essay - Dyna’s visit to Columbia - J-drama: Hagetaka (Japanese private equity drama), Edison no Haha and Juken no Kamisama (Japanese education system) - Anime: Okami to Koshinryo (renaissance economics), Macross Frontier (OMG) - Director’s screening of Blind Mountain (盲山), Dark Matter (黑暗物质) - Broadway: Avenue Q - City Opera: Candide GSGLP, IHS, China Synergy These days I have come to accept that disappointment is a part of life and I should get used to rejection. You win some, you lose some. But it really sucks to have lost the important one. (more…) Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and the Lion King Thanks to the scholars program, I was able to see two Broadway shows: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and the Lion King. (more…) Christopher Hill visits Columbia Chris Hill, the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs and the head of the US delegation to the six party talks was invited to Columbia by WEAI to talk. I was not the only undergraduate present, but the room was largely graduate students and press. I sat in between mainland Chinese graduate students and this lady from a Taiwanese wire service. There were five or six television cameras at the back. (more…) Expectations and inclinations (updated) When a friend and I were discussing summer plans and how it seemed like everyone had some kind of financial services job except me, a part of me justified my “you don’t run with the crowd/ you find your own way” with this: it seems so selfish to focus on my personal happiness when I have a responsibility to do so much more. Like save the world. It was only later that it occurred to me that perhaps I’m the selfish one for simply pursuing my own intellectual interests, when my peers pursue lucrative careers not out of greed but a sense of responsibility to support their families in an increasingly uncertain future. (more…) Transactionary friendship (Shibuya, Tokyo) In our commoditized society, what is the price of friendship? X: What do you think of Y? Me: Sometimes I worry that Y only cares for people insofar as it advances Y’s interests. That once I have nothing to offer, our friendship will come to an end. X: That’s funny… because Y said the exact same thing about you. It was hard to say yes to the pretty girls who otherwise ignored me except when they wanted something: lecture notes, answers to problem sets, advice about this or that. I felt cheap for being so easily bought by a smile, but I gave in anyway. It sometimes seems like many of my so-called ‘friends’ are only interested in me because I have something to offer them. (more…) The Perversion of Diversity (Eden Center, Arlington VA - a.k.a. last remaining territory of the old South Vietnam republic) America needs more culinary diversity. How do you define diversity? There is no logical end to diversity, since there are an infinite number of criteria by which people differ, but some definitions are more important than others in achieving some degree of proportional representation of whichever constituencies are defined. Some definitions are broadly accepted as bad or problematic definitions: ethnicity. Some definitions are difficult to employ in practice: means-tested income. Some definitions depend on the winds of fashion and political correctness: gender, sexual orientation. Some definitions are somehow very unpopular: political orientation. Some definitions are absurd in one aspect but are perfectly acceptable in another. I focus on one particular definition, which seems legitimate: diversity of worldview. (more…) I’m Sorry, I Love You - Between Of One Year The long-awaited animated special of my all-time favorite k-drama MiSa (미안하다, 사랑한다 / Mianhada, Saranghanda) has finally been released on DVD. I want it so bad. Going to St Gallen I’m going to Switzerland. On behalf of the International Students’ Committee (ISC), we would like to cordially thank you for your excellent contribution to this year’s St. Gallen Wings of Excellence Award. We are very delighted about the challenge you have undertaken when working on the topic “Global Capitalism - Local Values”. In the past few weeks the jury has thoroughly evaluated the around 1,000 entries in order to choose those 200 students who will be invited to the 38th St. Gallen Symposium. (more…)