It is Thanksgiving. For most of my american classmates, it is time to go home and be with their folks. For me, it has always been a very quiet period when I wind down, relax and reflect. It has been this way since the past nine years, a period of time when I do some soul searching, stock taking and planning for the year to come.
The nice thing about this 4-day break is that it is near the end of the year. It is at a point in time when you can look at nearly all the things that have happened in the year and see what have you done throughout that time. And it is far enough away from Xmas and New Year when you want to be in a festive mood.
So, as I go through my to do list, sitting alone in my apartment, I enjoy the calm and quietness surrounding the otherwise noisy and bustling neighborhood. How I wish I can eat some mooncake (yes, I love mooncake although it is past mid-autumn) and have some fine tea, listening to Jay's latest hit ... 青花瓷 (Qing Hua Ci)
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Friday, November 09, 2007
Comments on recent PM speech at UMNO assembly
I was reading The Star online following on the recent convention that is going for UMNO. Two key points that the PM mentioned caught my attention.
First, it is about the end of parochialism. That statement has definitely resonated with many young Malaysians especially people of my generation who were born and raised in Malaysia. These are the people who grew up sitting in class next to your Ali, Muthu and Ah Chong and know nothing about the so-called social contract until probably when they read history in lower secondary. So, a Malaysia for all people regardless of race and religion seems to be the norm and what they had expected in their naive years. And now, hearing this coming from the PM is truly refreshing and nostalgic to a certain extent. For me personally, I have never felt marginalized by the policies of the 80's and 90's until it dawned upon me during my adolescence years ;p ... you can call that the Great Awakening. While I think this happened because of weaknesses and flaws in some of the policies (maybe a miscalculation of equivalent variation on the government side), I have always hoped they can be improved as time comes. And to hear this from the man himself is encouraging enough.
Next, one of his statements caught my attention. And this particular one, while justified in its traditional way, leaves much to desired. The PM mentioned that a few things can never be challenged. They are, among other things, religion, beliefs and practices, Malay interest and social contract. I said this statement leaves much to be desired because it just shows us how fragile still is our country's coalition after 50 years of independence. I can agree very much on religion, on beliefs, on practices - no questions asked. It is your right to practise and act in any way you wish as long as it does not encroach on other's rights. However, Malay interest and social contract, the phrase while very relevant and still practical in our current society just exposes the lack of strength and foresight in our society. If Malaysia were to truly become a country for all, it should take care of everyone's interest, regardless of race. The PM's strategy and vision on eradicating poverty best exemplifies this concept. If we target poverty action on people below a certain income level, regardless of background, all those who qualify will benefit from the policy. So, if it happens that there are more Malays or Indians who need help, then naturally and logically, they will receive the most benefits. No questions asked and there is no need to specifically guarantee any race a safety net. Because ALL Malaysians who qualify will be safeguarded. Are we ready to progress to that stage yet? I fear not. Else, the PM wouldn't have felt the need to reiterate these as basic entities. Unfortunately.
So, my challenge to all Malaysians is not what can you achieve in 2057. Rather, ask ourselves when can we truly call each other Malaysians.
Have a good weekend.
First, it is about the end of parochialism. That statement has definitely resonated with many young Malaysians especially people of my generation who were born and raised in Malaysia. These are the people who grew up sitting in class next to your Ali, Muthu and Ah Chong and know nothing about the so-called social contract until probably when they read history in lower secondary. So, a Malaysia for all people regardless of race and religion seems to be the norm and what they had expected in their naive years. And now, hearing this coming from the PM is truly refreshing and nostalgic to a certain extent. For me personally, I have never felt marginalized by the policies of the 80's and 90's until it dawned upon me during my adolescence years ;p ... you can call that the Great Awakening. While I think this happened because of weaknesses and flaws in some of the policies (maybe a miscalculation of equivalent variation on the government side), I have always hoped they can be improved as time comes. And to hear this from the man himself is encouraging enough.
Next, one of his statements caught my attention. And this particular one, while justified in its traditional way, leaves much to desired. The PM mentioned that a few things can never be challenged. They are, among other things, religion, beliefs and practices, Malay interest and social contract. I said this statement leaves much to be desired because it just shows us how fragile still is our country's coalition after 50 years of independence. I can agree very much on religion, on beliefs, on practices - no questions asked. It is your right to practise and act in any way you wish as long as it does not encroach on other's rights. However, Malay interest and social contract, the phrase while very relevant and still practical in our current society just exposes the lack of strength and foresight in our society. If Malaysia were to truly become a country for all, it should take care of everyone's interest, regardless of race. The PM's strategy and vision on eradicating poverty best exemplifies this concept. If we target poverty action on people below a certain income level, regardless of background, all those who qualify will benefit from the policy. So, if it happens that there are more Malays or Indians who need help, then naturally and logically, they will receive the most benefits. No questions asked and there is no need to specifically guarantee any race a safety net. Because ALL Malaysians who qualify will be safeguarded. Are we ready to progress to that stage yet? I fear not. Else, the PM wouldn't have felt the need to reiterate these as basic entities. Unfortunately.
So, my challenge to all Malaysians is not what can you achieve in 2057. Rather, ask ourselves when can we truly call each other Malaysians.
Have a good weekend.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Ask not what your country can do for you ...
These now immortalized words were spoken by President Kennedy during his famous inaugural speech. Yes, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country. However, what if, you are not even given a fair chance to begin with by your own country? Many Malaysians face this dilemma. They work, toil and give their best - constantly planning on how they can best contribute to their beloved country. But in the end, they were told that they were not good enough, they were passed on for opportunities and made to feel like second class citizens.
Am I wrong to say so? When Malaysia cried out loud and reached out to her sons overseas to come back and serve, many highly qualified Malaysians went back and did just that. I, personally, know of a few who threw down everything and heeded the call. But what happened? They were only disappointed back home and regretted their decisions later. Bureaucracy, lack of meritocracy and transparency keep Malaysia being uncompetitive by any international standard. So, when Malaysia cries again, tell me ... yes, you tell me ... who will go back?
If you were to ask me what have my country done for me, I don't really know how to answer. When I was young, getting into a Malaysian boarding school on a government sponsorship was almost impossible for me as a low income, chinese boy with no connections. I took up the ASEAN scholarship and went to Singapore to do my high school. After I completed my A Levels, I applied to numerous scholarships, hoping to get one to venture overseas. However, I was told that I wasn't good enough because I didn't do my SPM and STPM. That was 1998, at the height of the Asian Financial Crisis. Persevering on, I took up a huge loan, packed my bags and headed to Carnegie Mellon. 3 tough winters at Pittsburgh taught me numerous lifelong lessons. I graduated in 2001 and stayed in the US to work. The reason being that I needed to work and repay my debt.
Now, fast forward 6 years. I have finally paid off my dues with a little savings left. At 29, I told myself that I can finally pursue what I want to do in life ... ask what I can do for my country. I quit my job in consulting and enroll at Harvard to do public admin. Many, yes, many people ask me why am I moving in a direction which many else try to get out - it is bureaucratic, political and messy. My answer remains the same. It is the passion to serve, the sense of belonging and pride to your nation.
Before starting my program at Harvard, I have been worrying again on how to pay for my 2-year program. It seems like dejavu. I looked at a few scholarships back in Malaysia, one of them being the new Yang DiPertuan Agong scholarship, which calls upon all Malaysians who have gotten entry into top universities to apply. I did just that, hoping my luck is better this time. However, it was the same story all over again. I didn't even get a chance to present my case in an interview and I didn't even know why my application was unsuccessful.
Malaysia always talks about how she wants to nurture her sons. There I was, standing over there, knocking at her door and she didn't even respond.
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/11/1/nation/19342620&sec=nation
Reading the news article, I asked myself, am I not good enough?
So, ask me again what I can do for my country ...
Am I wrong to say so? When Malaysia cried out loud and reached out to her sons overseas to come back and serve, many highly qualified Malaysians went back and did just that. I, personally, know of a few who threw down everything and heeded the call. But what happened? They were only disappointed back home and regretted their decisions later. Bureaucracy, lack of meritocracy and transparency keep Malaysia being uncompetitive by any international standard. So, when Malaysia cries again, tell me ... yes, you tell me ... who will go back?
If you were to ask me what have my country done for me, I don't really know how to answer. When I was young, getting into a Malaysian boarding school on a government sponsorship was almost impossible for me as a low income, chinese boy with no connections. I took up the ASEAN scholarship and went to Singapore to do my high school. After I completed my A Levels, I applied to numerous scholarships, hoping to get one to venture overseas. However, I was told that I wasn't good enough because I didn't do my SPM and STPM. That was 1998, at the height of the Asian Financial Crisis. Persevering on, I took up a huge loan, packed my bags and headed to Carnegie Mellon. 3 tough winters at Pittsburgh taught me numerous lifelong lessons. I graduated in 2001 and stayed in the US to work. The reason being that I needed to work and repay my debt.
Now, fast forward 6 years. I have finally paid off my dues with a little savings left. At 29, I told myself that I can finally pursue what I want to do in life ... ask what I can do for my country. I quit my job in consulting and enroll at Harvard to do public admin. Many, yes, many people ask me why am I moving in a direction which many else try to get out - it is bureaucratic, political and messy. My answer remains the same. It is the passion to serve, the sense of belonging and pride to your nation.
Before starting my program at Harvard, I have been worrying again on how to pay for my 2-year program. It seems like dejavu. I looked at a few scholarships back in Malaysia, one of them being the new Yang DiPertuan Agong scholarship, which calls upon all Malaysians who have gotten entry into top universities to apply. I did just that, hoping my luck is better this time. However, it was the same story all over again. I didn't even get a chance to present my case in an interview and I didn't even know why my application was unsuccessful.
Malaysia always talks about how she wants to nurture her sons. There I was, standing over there, knocking at her door and she didn't even respond.
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/11/1/nation/19342620&sec=nation
Reading the news article, I asked myself, am I not good enough?
So, ask me again what I can do for my country ...
Sunday, October 07, 2007
Change
You sat there pondering. The mentor was a person whom you admire. A person who taught you the skills to survive, to fight and to live. He trained you. He adored you. He prepared you for the ultimate battle. You always believe in him, trusting what he says, listening to what he preaches. But what happens when the mentor has lost his way? You felt indebted. You can't revolt. But you can't accept that change either. Do you forget all the gratitude and fight him? Or do you step aside out of the remnants of respect you still have for him and let him pass? Will you be incarcerated as that traitor who defies his master? or will you be remembered as the disciple who stop his wayward teacher?
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
The righteous paladin falls ... rise a dark knight?
So, I can't think of a title for this blog and I decided to borrow the new theme from WoW's Wrath of the Lich King. By the way I haven't wowed for months.
Ok. The past hectic week was over. I submitted all my problem sets for this week and I survived my Advanced Micro quiz last friday. Columbus weekend is coming and this will be a nice break, with no problem sets due next week except for Advanced Quant class. So glad.
The funny thing is my life is so academically revolved nowadays. Instead of worrying on project deadlines, I worry on problem sets ... hahah ... and to be honest, problem sets give me more jitters than when I was back in the workforce. Anyway, I had dinner with the Asian Pacific American Caucus today. A bunch of nice people and I look forward to meeting them again.
An update on my election campaign. The poll results came out today and I lost. Ahhhhh ... as much as I wanted to lament on my defeat, I am happy that I ran! Yes, I knew my odds were not high going into the race with 2 Americans. Both have very organized election teams (yes! we are talking about teams here ... teams of people who were serious enough to wear suits everyday the past week when they campaigned) while all I have is myself. One of them appeals to the Democrats and the other, Republicans in my school. And along came a kampung kid from Malaysia running against them. ;p My classmates were asking me, "Are you crazy?" No, not at all when I can make a bunch of people listen to my Malaysian english. Being a public speaker is about getting the message across and I knew I did. Unfortunately, I don't know enough people yet, or I have the clout to sway the voters over. Neither a Dem nor a Rep but always that boy willing to try. My key takeaway from this experience is friends. Within 1 week, I made so many new friends, whom would have taken me significantly longer time to meet. A cause well worth it.
Ok. The past hectic week was over. I submitted all my problem sets for this week and I survived my Advanced Micro quiz last friday. Columbus weekend is coming and this will be a nice break, with no problem sets due next week except for Advanced Quant class. So glad.
The funny thing is my life is so academically revolved nowadays. Instead of worrying on project deadlines, I worry on problem sets ... hahah ... and to be honest, problem sets give me more jitters than when I was back in the workforce. Anyway, I had dinner with the Asian Pacific American Caucus today. A bunch of nice people and I look forward to meeting them again.
An update on my election campaign. The poll results came out today and I lost. Ahhhhh ... as much as I wanted to lament on my defeat, I am happy that I ran! Yes, I knew my odds were not high going into the race with 2 Americans. Both have very organized election teams (yes! we are talking about teams here ... teams of people who were serious enough to wear suits everyday the past week when they campaigned) while all I have is myself. One of them appeals to the Democrats and the other, Republicans in my school. And along came a kampung kid from Malaysia running against them. ;p My classmates were asking me, "Are you crazy?" No, not at all when I can make a bunch of people listen to my Malaysian english. Being a public speaker is about getting the message across and I knew I did. Unfortunately, I don't know enough people yet, or I have the clout to sway the voters over. Neither a Dem nor a Rep but always that boy willing to try. My key takeaway from this experience is friends. Within 1 week, I made so many new friends, whom would have taken me significantly longer time to meet. A cause well worth it.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Getting some time to rest
I haven't been having much time to rest. Everyday passes so fast and my output level is increasing more and more to keep up with it. So, yesterday, I did my first quiz this semester. The course being tested was Microecon. I was anticipating something very tough like those in previous years but this time it turned out reasonable. I was relieved as I think I can kind of handle the questions. Since I was busy running my election campaign, I hardly had time to study. I pretty much spent like 6 hours reading through Consumer Theory. My classmates and the year 2s thought I was crazy to be running an election during this time and during my first year in the program. Anyway, the campaign is almost over and the quiz is over.
So, yesterday, I finally had some time to unwind and I just couldn't bring myself to start working on the 3 problem sets that are lining up for next week! I had a great time talking to the Mid Career folks during Beer and Volleyball in afternoon. At night I went to 2 parties. The first was my class party. It was pretty fun with some of my friends performing American Pie and 月亮代表我的心 yeah. The next party I went to was this Mid-Autumn celebration with the China Caucus in my school. Met many students from East Asia within my school, HLS and HBS. And at around 11 pm, I went over to my friend's birthday celebration at Daedalus Lounge. Had a couple of drinks and I headed back home to call it a night.
So, yesterday, I finally had some time to unwind and I just couldn't bring myself to start working on the 3 problem sets that are lining up for next week! I had a great time talking to the Mid Career folks during Beer and Volleyball in afternoon. At night I went to 2 parties. The first was my class party. It was pretty fun with some of my friends performing American Pie and 月亮代表我的心 yeah. The next party I went to was this Mid-Autumn celebration with the China Caucus in my school. Met many students from East Asia within my school, HLS and HBS. And at around 11 pm, I went over to my friend's birthday celebration at Daedalus Lounge. Had a couple of drinks and I headed back home to call it a night.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Speech and debate video
Yesterday, I gave my speech to my schoolmates. I am glad that the election committee recorded this video because I really don't know how I did in my public speaking. And now I can play it back and evaluate my strengths and weaknesses ... a good way to improve ;p
Anyway, here it is. It is 1.13 hour long. My speech starts at around 9 min 55 sec.
http://ksgvideo.harvard.edu:8080/ramgen/kssg20070926election.rm
Edit: After reviewing my own video, I can't help but notice a few things:
- I think I need to smile more when I speak in a serious tone, else I look intimidating and unfriendly ... hahah ... which is obviously not the case, if you know me personally. And smiling matters a lot in winning over people's hearts
- I am glad that my speech didn't consist any "uhm"s, "err"s and "ahh"s. However, I need to further analyze this by a longer public speech next time as this was too short. Only 2 minutes of talk time.
- Also, because of the time constraint, I didn't prepare a draft. I think it has good and bad points. Good point is that it makes the speech and presentation more natural and smooth. Bad point is that I don't have something to refer to for information and content. Most people there brought their draft along and can be seen reading from it at times.
Anyway, here it is. It is 1.13 hour long. My speech starts at around 9 min 55 sec.
http://ksgvideo.harvard.edu:8080/ramgen/kssg20070926election.rm
Edit: After reviewing my own video, I can't help but notice a few things:
- I think I need to smile more when I speak in a serious tone, else I look intimidating and unfriendly ... hahah ... which is obviously not the case, if you know me personally. And smiling matters a lot in winning over people's hearts
- I am glad that my speech didn't consist any "uhm"s, "err"s and "ahh"s. However, I need to further analyze this by a longer public speech next time as this was too short. Only 2 minutes of talk time.
- Also, because of the time constraint, I didn't prepare a draft. I think it has good and bad points. Good point is that it makes the speech and presentation more natural and smooth. Bad point is that I don't have something to refer to for information and content. Most people there brought their draft along and can be seen reading from it at times.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
D.NG for EVP
I officially declared my candidacy to run for EVP of the Kennedy School Student Government. I have to say I am excited. To campaign and run for the election just like the American Presidential election, although in a much smaller scale, is an experience I think I will enjoy.
Tomorrow, I will make my campaign speech at the Forum to the student body. Victory or defeat, we will see. But I bet, it will be fun. Here is my letter to school seeking support:
Dear friends,
What attracts you to KSG?
For me, it is the people. The great people I meet, interact and connect with make a big difference to my experience. And that means you.
My name is David Ng and I am running for the Executive VP in KSSG. Having significant leadership experience, I had successfully led teams to accomplishing goals and delivering measurable results. Outside of work, I was actively involved as co-chair of a social forum, project leader for a volunteering organization and I also enjoyed socializing.
I strongly envision and strive for a tight community across all programs – whether you are in MPP, MPA, MC, PHD or MPAID – we are one student body, we are KSG. I also aim to improve access to crucial resources, resources that you and I care about, resources that you know will make a difference to your experience at KSG, like better library hours, café selection and financial aids. More importantly, as EVP, I will support the President and VPs to enable them to perform their duties as a team. I believe in commitment and I promise to deliver.
So, my dear friends … let us not just dream our dreams. Join me in making KSG the best place for us to learn, grow and have fun. Work with me towards our goals.
Vote for D.NG!
Best regards,
David Ng
Tomorrow, I will make my campaign speech at the Forum to the student body. Victory or defeat, we will see. But I bet, it will be fun. Here is my letter to school seeking support:
Dear friends,
What attracts you to KSG?
For me, it is the people. The great people I meet, interact and connect with make a big difference to my experience. And that means you.
My name is David Ng and I am running for the Executive VP in KSSG. Having significant leadership experience, I had successfully led teams to accomplishing goals and delivering measurable results. Outside of work, I was actively involved as co-chair of a social forum, project leader for a volunteering organization and I also enjoyed socializing.
I strongly envision and strive for a tight community across all programs – whether you are in MPP, MPA, MC, PHD or MPAID – we are one student body, we are KSG. I also aim to improve access to crucial resources, resources that you and I care about, resources that you know will make a difference to your experience at KSG, like better library hours, café selection and financial aids. More importantly, as EVP, I will support the President and VPs to enable them to perform their duties as a team. I believe in commitment and I promise to deliver.
So, my dear friends … let us not just dream our dreams. Join me in making KSG the best place for us to learn, grow and have fun. Work with me towards our goals.
Vote for D.NG!
Best regards,
David Ng
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Hound dog
You ain't nothin' but a hound dog
cryin' all the time.
You ain't nothin' but a hound dog
cryin' all the time.
Well, you ain't never caught a rabbit
and you ain't no friend of mine.
Ya, they said you was high classed,
well, that was just a lie.
Ya, they said you was high classed,
well, that was just a lie.
You ain't never caught a rabbit
and you ain't no friend of mine.
cryin' all the time.
You ain't nothin' but a hound dog
cryin' all the time.
Well, you ain't never caught a rabbit
and you ain't no friend of mine.
Ya, they said you was high classed,
well, that was just a lie.
Ya, they said you was high classed,
well, that was just a lie.
You ain't never caught a rabbit
and you ain't no friend of mine.
Mid-Autumn
Went to an early celebration yesterday night for mid-autumn at MIT. It was hosted by Harvard, BU and MIT TSA. The place was pretty packed, I would put the estimate at about 150 people. Met a couple of guys from the Taiwanese government. They are quite interesting to talk to, given their experience in US and back in Taiwan. I probably speak more mandarin yesterday than the past month in Cambridge. And I am glad that I was able to hold my conversation ;p
I was hoping to bump into my friend, Sybor, who is an ardent Taiwanese fan from MIT. But, unfortunately, he wasn't there. He probably had better things to do. However, I did spot Malcoln, another friend who is currently training to be a corporate leader at Sloan. It was definitely a very relaxing dinner/night given the amount of things I had been doing last week.
Today, there will be another dinner get together with people from MSA and SSA of Harvard and MIT. I am not sure if I will go but I do hope to make some time for it. Let's see if I can solve my Mundell-Fleming in time for the event.
I was hoping to bump into my friend, Sybor, who is an ardent Taiwanese fan from MIT. But, unfortunately, he wasn't there. He probably had better things to do. However, I did spot Malcoln, another friend who is currently training to be a corporate leader at Sloan. It was definitely a very relaxing dinner/night given the amount of things I had been doing last week.
Today, there will be another dinner get together with people from MSA and SSA of Harvard and MIT. I am not sure if I will go but I do hope to make some time for it. Let's see if I can solve my Mundell-Fleming in time for the event.
Friday, September 21, 2007
Been a busy week
Things are just picking up at the exponential here.
My typical day starts at 8. Review for homework due for the day. Do my readings for all classes. Get to school by 10. No excuses for being late as we stick closely to being on time. (Honor code) Class starts, participate, participate, participate. Class ends. Go to lunch seminar. Learn about current issues of the day. Why the best practice in US won't work in Africa? Question to ponder upon. Next class begins. Decision analysis. Bayes, mutually exclusive, collectively exhaustive, risk aversion, psychology traps ... all things we care about when we make decisions. Right or wrong? Then, case study begins. Today we discuss Networked Enterprise. Producer aggregation, private equity, distribution channels in India. EVP of a bank provides an insight into what they are investing on. Class ends at 6pm. Is my study group meeting up tonight? Time to head to the Forum.
Afterall, that plays a big role in life at KSG. Like for today, secret service, campus police, the Forum is all dressed up. Hmm ... wonder who speaks today? Vuk Jeremic, Foreign Minister of Serbia ... our class alum from '03. Every week, for a few days a week, the Forum comes alive at 6pm. Next week, we have the President of Senegal.
My typical day starts at 8. Review for homework due for the day. Do my readings for all classes. Get to school by 10. No excuses for being late as we stick closely to being on time. (Honor code) Class starts, participate, participate, participate. Class ends. Go to lunch seminar. Learn about current issues of the day. Why the best practice in US won't work in Africa? Question to ponder upon. Next class begins. Decision analysis. Bayes, mutually exclusive, collectively exhaustive, risk aversion, psychology traps ... all things we care about when we make decisions. Right or wrong? Then, case study begins. Today we discuss Networked Enterprise. Producer aggregation, private equity, distribution channels in India. EVP of a bank provides an insight into what they are investing on. Class ends at 6pm. Is my study group meeting up tonight? Time to head to the Forum.
Afterall, that plays a big role in life at KSG. Like for today, secret service, campus police, the Forum is all dressed up. Hmm ... wonder who speaks today? Vuk Jeremic, Foreign Minister of Serbia ... our class alum from '03. Every week, for a few days a week, the Forum comes alive at 6pm. Next week, we have the President of Senegal.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Brazil vs Mexico
I went out for a match yesterday night with some friends to watch Brazil play against Mexico in the Gillette stadium in south Boston. It was crazy as the stadium was packed. Yes! Full house. The entire place was colored in yellow and green ... well more yellow than green actually. The traffic was so bad that it took us nearly 3 hours to get there. When I arrived, there was only 30 min left in the game and the score was 1-1. However, yes, however, Brazil scored 2 more goals in the last 30 minutes. It was well worth the trip. Then, post game, people were just fucking crazy. They were dancing and parading around the stadium. We, of course, joined in the fun. Kind of like samba. The Boston police officers were having a tough time controlling the crowd. I did take some photos with my phone camera and I will upload it once I fix my bluetooth connection on my laptop. And on my way back, I was stuck in the traffic again for another 3 hours. But I wasn't complaining ... well, not when you were not driving and you had the companion of 2 lovely Bulgarian girls in the back seat ;p
Monday, September 10, 2007
Doing things at a different level
Today I finally had my first lecture in Macroecon. The topics and materials presented just blow me away ...
I was an Econ major in college and did Intermediate Macroecon. So I had this idea that I can somewhat relate my knowledge from the past and smooth out my venture in this course. But I am wrong, I think. This semester alone, we are going to dissect Marshall-Lerner, Mundell-Fleming, Seignorage, Salter-Swan, forex theory and mechanism, capital mobility, PPP, Dutch Disease, intertemporal trade, IRP, pricing models, speculative attack models, boom-bust, sudden stop, forecasting, portfolio theory, debt dynamics and etc etc etc.
We are going to read Romer, Frankel and Obstfeld. Besides the textbooks, we are going to read about or more than 25 econ papers ...
I hope I suvive ;p ... after the lecture, one of my classmates came to me and asked rather worriedly, "Do you get what he was talking about just now?" My reply, "I was equally overwhelmed."
... and oh yeah, right before it ended, the prof. added that next semester, in our Adv. Macroecon II (yes there is a part 2), we will be going back to the basics to derive from the first principles ... so here comes all our partial differential equations and calculus.
I was an Econ major in college and did Intermediate Macroecon. So I had this idea that I can somewhat relate my knowledge from the past and smooth out my venture in this course. But I am wrong, I think. This semester alone, we are going to dissect Marshall-Lerner, Mundell-Fleming, Seignorage, Salter-Swan, forex theory and mechanism, capital mobility, PPP, Dutch Disease, intertemporal trade, IRP, pricing models, speculative attack models, boom-bust, sudden stop, forecasting, portfolio theory, debt dynamics and etc etc etc.
We are going to read Romer, Frankel and Obstfeld. Besides the textbooks, we are going to read about or more than 25 econ papers ...
I hope I suvive ;p ... after the lecture, one of my classmates came to me and asked rather worriedly, "Do you get what he was talking about just now?" My reply, "I was equally overwhelmed."
... and oh yeah, right before it ended, the prof. added that next semester, in our Adv. Macroecon II (yes there is a part 2), we will be going back to the basics to derive from the first principles ... so here comes all our partial differential equations and calculus.
Fall session begins
Classes officially start today. I will be taking Advanced Microeconomics, Advanced Macroeconomics, Advanced Quantitative Methods, Management in a Development Context and Case Workshop. I am looking forward to them because it has been quite a while since I was last engaged in an intellectual setting. So I hope they can stimulate my mind a bit and also impart new ideas to me. In the same time, I am not sure how well I will fare in these courses. Of them all, Advanced Micro and Advanced Macro are taught at PHD level (which explains why I need to get my ass over to Cambridge 3 weeks earlier and attend math camp). Thus they might form the biggest challenge since I barely remember my undergraduate econs ;p
We will see.
We will see.
Saturday, September 08, 2007
An afternoon with Vinay Rai
2 days ago, an Indian philantropist came to the Kennedy school to give a speech. His name is Vinay Rai and he was a corporate figure prior to his current activities. While I found his speech informative, the part that really caught my attention is the question and answer sesson. Not so much because it was interactive but rather, his answers were more insightful as he began to draw from specific, personal experiences.
Key takeaways I got from that session:
1. If you plan to startup in a consumer market, go to one like India, where you actually have many first time buyers. As their income grow, they yearn for more goods and choices.
2. If you want to raise fund for your business, have a sound plan ready and pitch to investors here. But be ready to enter the emerging markets and grow fast.
Key takeaways I got from that session:
1. If you plan to startup in a consumer market, go to one like India, where you actually have many first time buyers. As their income grow, they yearn for more goods and choices.
2. If you want to raise fund for your business, have a sound plan ready and pitch to investors here. But be ready to enter the emerging markets and grow fast.
Harvard Square and Boston
I have recently relocated to Boston or more precisely to Harvard Square in Cambridge. After being in the workforce for 6 years, it is a little tough to go back to school. Again, after 6 years of Californian sunshine, I kind of dread the Boston winters. However, I see this experience as an opportunity to look at things from a totally different perspective. Having been in the private sector, I was trained to maximize profits. As we all know, the primary purpose of a corporation is to return the best possible values to its shareholders. However, I am taking on an opposite stance now. In the next 2 years, my mind will focus on how to create and optimize public goods to deliver the maximum benefit to society. And I shall seek the meaning in life ;p
After a 2 year hiatus, this blog will start to grow again ... and remember to support my efforts. Donate to my education fund if you have a penny or 2 to spare =)
After a 2 year hiatus, this blog will start to grow again ... and remember to support my efforts. Donate to my education fund if you have a penny or 2 to spare =)
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