http://www.quitacet.net wandering the wide world in search of wonders Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:28:28 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en (Kaesong city) The socialist market economy in action. I was the last of the tour group to board the train to Pyongyang at Sinuiju, and all the cabins were full, except for a cabin of mostly middle-aged Chinese men. Across from my seat was my Chinese roommate for the tour, a ... http://www.quitacet.net/2010/02/28/pyongyang-diaries-the-people/ (Beijing) It's been a fun ride My final semester, in full quant gear. It's time to man up and math up. If I have to get out of school, I'm going out with a bang, not a whimper. Required: POLS C3998x-C3999y Senior Honors Seminar. A two-term seminar for students writing the senior ... http://www.quitacet.net/2010/01/14/spring-2010-courses/ (Sun Yat-sen memorial, Zhongshan) Cigarettes in vending machines, probably not such a great idea. There is a graceless human tendency to wish upon others the ills visited upon oneself. Instead of pointing successors towards short cuts, you relish seeing them clambering through identical hoops. The author of this particularly insightful observation ... http://www.quitacet.net/2009/12/29/soliciting-unwanted-advice/ (Dongdaemun, Seoul) Where does my future lie? Dear qui tacet: Thank you for your interest in Boutique Consulting Firm. After reviewing your qualifications and our present requirements, we regret that we will not be pursuing your application further at this time. Our decision only reflects an attempt to match the talents ... http://www.quitacet.net/2009/10/24/not-the-world%e2%80%99s-greatest-rejection-letter/ (Chifeng city, Inner Mongolia) Senior year. Gotta work like a dog. The penultimate semester of my undergrad days. Minimum number of classes, maximum attention to each. POLS C3998x-C3999y Senior Honors Seminar. The Senior Honors Seminar is designed to help students majoring in political science write a full-length, scholarly paper that ... http://www.quitacet.net/2009/09/27/fall-2009-courses/ (Balinyouqi town, Chifeng prefecture, Inner Mongolia) So more people can hear her story... Congratulations! In the face of a very difficult selection process, one of your photos was selected to be included in the Weatherhead East Asian Institute and Columbia University's Photography Society's upcoming exhibition. This is a strong testimony to ... http://www.quitacet.net/2009/09/19/sewing-and-reaping/ (Hong Kong IFC. View from RED Bar) It's a long way up, and a long way down. Congratulations! I'm happy to say that we've finished reading through all 1500+ applications, and your name has come out on top. You should all be extremely proud of your accomplishment, as this ... http://www.quitacet.net/2009/08/29/business-today-part-3/ (Sheung Wan, Hong Kong island) Names matter. Those of my readers from Singapore or familiar with its customs should be aware of a particular social institution known as, among other similar names, the ‘government scholarship’. However, this term is highly misleading, not only to foreign observers but also many Singaporeans, as ... http://www.quitacet.net/2009/08/12/of-government-scholarships-and-signing-bonuses/ (Taipei) Competition is a necessary but sometimes insufficient condition for quality. Two years ago around this time, shortly after my stint at a DC think-tank and a public policy summer camp, I wrote my first op-ed on higher education subsidies in Singapore, and it got some attention from legislators and published ... http://www.quitacet.net/2009/07/22/means-testing-and-extending-the-undergraduate-tuition-grant-scheme/ (Pyongyang subway) Everyone takes the subway, even KPA soldiers! Or maybe there really is an underground bunker there. They were the first to greet us at Sinuiju. That is, after the KPA soldiers had inspected our documents, presented by the mainland tour guide. It was a printout of tour passengers, ... http://www.quitacet.net/2009/07/16/pyongyang-diaries-the-guides/