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  1. Muhammad Yunus speaks at Columbia

    Inner Mongolia grandpa and grandson
    (Balinyouqi town, Inner Mongolia) One of his indirect beneficiaries?

    One of the best things about going to an ivy school is the chance to listen to world leaders that come to campus quite frequently. Recently, Muhammad Yunus came to talk about the Grameen Bank and his new book on ‘creating a world without poverty’, and I managed to get into the lecture theatre before it completely filled up. I got one of the last few available seats, and there were hundreds of people in line outside (including a Bangladeshi friend) that were quite upset about the seating capacity. Here are my notes from his speech:

    Continued…

    Posted in Business, Development, Other Asia.

    1 comment

    By qui tacet – January 31, 2009

  2. Counterfeiting and the Renminbi

    Beijing counterfeit rmb notice
    (Beijing) Trans: Warning: If we discover counterfeit bills, the police will deal with you!!!

    Before going to China, I had considered acquiring RMB from the banks in New York, but decided that the exchange rate would have been poorer since the supply of RMB here would have been very limited. So I brought a stack of US dollars to China with the expectation that I would exchange it there. But when I arrived at Beijing’s terminal 3, I found that the moneychangers there were offering a terrible rate, so I resolved to go out into the city and find a better one.

    Continued…

    Posted in China Trip, Development, Economics.

    1 comment

    By qui tacet – January 28, 2009

  3. The Creative Arts Program and the Culture of Success

    Hong Kong tutoring agency ad
    (Hong Kong tutoring agency ad) No tutors can compensate for a lack of personal motivation.

    My little cousin recently received her O-level grades, which were disappointing to say the least. I wasn’t close to her, but I did try my best to make a difference: I emphasized the importance of attending a good JC and getting grades at least good enough to ensure admission to the highly subsidized local universities, if not secure a taxpayer-funded ride to the Ivy schools. I even gave her my extensive collection of college admissions guides – yes, I was that insane about it.

    Continued…

    Posted in Bildungsroman, Education, Singapore.

    4 comments

    By qui tacet – January 22, 2009

  4. Stories from my Grandmothers

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    (Sun Yat-Sen memorial – Zhongshan, Guangdong) Searching for my heritage… Trans: All that is under heaven belongs to the people.

    While in Singapore I had the chance to visit my grandmothers, who I hadn’t seen for a long while. It was during my study of modern Chinese history last year that I realized I knew very little about my grandparents’ past. There is so much of local history that I never learned, because I had opted for a more Western-centric curriculum during A-levels. I suppose I had been more interested in the future back then, but it was partly due to the generational language barrier. After a summer in China my Mandarin has much improved, though not as much as I would have liked it to, but sufficient for most purposes. So I decided to ask about their past.

    Continued…

    Posted in China, Singapore.

    1 comment

    By qui tacet – January 18, 2009

  5. Finance status hierarchy, Singapore style

    hong kong new territories
    (Hong Kong new territories) HDBs are actually pretty nice in comparison.

    While in Singapore, I met a friend (local grad) who had recently got a job at a bank, which is quite impressive in this economic climate. However, she does not like it very much, and is looking for a better one – good luck. When I asked her why, she gave me this analogy: “IBD is Orchard Road, PWM is Bukit Timah, and retail banking is HDB.” I guess the prestige-consciousness and status hierarchy of the financial industry has been localized, though I suppose PE isn’t on the radar yet.

    Posted in Business, Singapore.

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    By qui tacet – January 15, 2009

  6. Game theory and the Beijing subway

    IMG_1935
    (Beijing subway) Lost in an ocean of people…

    Despite the frequent exhortations of station attendants to “先下后上” (let passengers get off before you board) and to respect “中华人民传统美德” (traditional Chinese values), taking the Beijing subway at peak hours is like an epic battle.

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    Posted in China Trip, Economics.

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    By qui tacet – January 5, 2009

  7. Beijing’s dogs and the one child policy

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    (Beijing) Nick loves dogs!

    Despite the ‘one dog policy’, Beijingers still have a lot of dogs. There must be at least a million small dogs in the city – maybe there are more dogs than kids. I walk by dozens every day on my way to work, and usually none of them are leashed. They just roam around while the owner walks behind. You have to be careful because they leave plenty of deposits everywhere (surprising for their size), and dog owners don’t seem to pick up after.

    Continued…

    Posted in China Trip, Development.

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    By qui tacet – January 3, 2009

  8. Pyongyang Diaries: Why I went

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    (Arirang Mass Games, Pyongyang) I wonder what they thought seeing all these fat Chinese tourists.

    I try to avoid telling my Korean friends in school that I went to the North, because they always look at me strangely and ask why I would ever want to go there. I don’t blame them – some have family histories and bad memories of the place. The immediate assumption is that I’m some kind of sick tourist that delights in seeing the suffering of others, or worse, that I perpetuate it. But that couldn’t be further from the truth.

    Continued…

    Posted in Development, Korea - Pyongyang Diaries, Politics.

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    By qui tacet – January 1, 2009