http://www.quitacet.net love, liberty, and economics Sun, 03 Aug 2008 03:36:06 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en 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 ... http://www.quitacet.net/2008/07/06/dragon-100-2008/ 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 ... http://www.quitacet.net/2008/07/04/microfinancing-the-harmonious-society/ 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 stories about girls. It’s hard for me to find the right answer because ... http://www.quitacet.net/2008/06/29/how-to-win-essay-contests/ 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 ... http://www.quitacet.net/2008/06/28/thoughts-on-the-st-gallen-symposium/ 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 ... http://www.quitacet.net/2008/06/19/return-to-switzerland/ 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 ... http://www.quitacet.net/2008/06/08/business-today-international-conference-2008/ 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 ... http://www.quitacet.net/2008/06/02/microfinance-and-post-disaster-reconstruction/ 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 ... http://www.quitacet.net/2008/05/26/to-blog-list/ 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. ... http://www.quitacet.net/2008/05/23/the-great-wall-of-the-chinese-consulate-part-3/ 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 ... http://www.quitacet.net/2008/05/20/the-great-wall-of-the-chinese-consulate-teil-zwei/