Filed under: Music
I was in New Orleans for four days, most of which I was actually working. However, my love for the city (well, at least the French Quarter area) is just as much as what I felt 4 years ago, on my visit just a couple months before Katrina. One sentence to summarize the experience: New Orleans is a different world from the rest of US. (this is the same reaction I had from my last visit).
Being in New Orleans is like travelling to the old world. It is entirely in its own world. It is slower than other US cities such as Houston, Atlanta, all those cities in East or West coast. The people, especially musicians, are more down to earth than their counterparts elsewhere in US.
I love the lazy Mississippi river. Love the creole tune. I love that for every block you walk in French Quarter, you’ll hear a different sort of music. Everywhere you go there is this upbeat sound of trombone or trumpet. Every night of those four days, my friend and I would venture into the French Quarter and go to some jazz/blues club.
And we found gold. Fritzel’s, a so called European Jazz pub, had us there for two days. I even got their CD. I can honestly say that this jazz club is the BEST that I have ever been to — in all the cities I’ve been to (SF, Chicago, HK, DC). Perhaps the jazz across these cities are not exactly comparable. (New Orlean’s jazz is the first in US, known as Dixieland Jazz). Nonetheless, I love New Orlean Jazz the best: banjo, trombone, cornet, clarinet, bass, drums, piano. Love the fedora hats.
It was a very memorable musical experience, sitting in that intimate little pub, in front of this loud, rauchy old man who kept making exclamations during the song. In this little place, all people care about is the music, not money, and not the world outside.
I remember that red-faced old man who threw a Benjamin Franklin into the bucket and requested the song “Many Mermaids” (a total impromptu). I remember how as the band played “Someday You’ll be Sorry” (written by Louis Armstrong’s wife, to Louis Armstrong), and all the old men in the audience threw up their arms during chorus to chime in.
I remember the first time I heard “St James Infirmary”, and then again the second night.
I remember the first time I heard “Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans”, and heard it again the second night.
A common word to describe the music and people I met here is “charming”. But “charming” is a little condescending. I much prefer “warm” and “passionate”, and “family-style”.
Being immersed in the jazz scene of New Orleans is a memorable, very memorable experience.
Now I am back, currently at the school library. I can’t help but relive the scene when the band played “Someday You’ll be Sorry” with that old raunchy voice yelling behind me.
On the plane back, I kept listening to this song, “Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans.” It conveys the spirit of New Orleans and its people, very well.
Filed under: Economics
Starbucks connect the poorest countries to the wealthiest countries. (linked from Urbanomics)
See a bigger and clearer picture here
Filed under: Random
I had the EXACT same dream for a second time.
This is the first time that the same dream occurred twice. Well, actually, with some changes in the details, which reflect my post-dream sentiments after the first time. But the ending and the resulting post-dream reaction are the same.
So the dream took place in high school. I was selected at the last minute to be the leading lady for a play similar to Phantom of the Opera, because the cast was impressed by my rendition of “Think of Me” (yes, I remember clearly how I was busting my voice on the wide stage) I was shocked, I was flattered. But since the performance was supposed to be moments later, I wondered how I would have time to memorize the lines.
And so on the day of performance, I ran to the backstage. Somehow my older brother was there. I was nervous.
The part about forgetting the lines was quite blurry. All I remember was the panic of not knowing the lines. I kept asking or thinking ” But I don’t know the lines!” I remember I was still frantically reading the script before I came out to the stage.
The ending is unknown. All I know is that I was panicking for not knowing the lines. (All I have is that one song which I can sing).
Filed under: Music
Since last year, I kept coming back to watching this performance of this song, by Katherine McPhee (my favorite American Idol performer next to David Cook) and Chris Botti. OHHHHH so much chemistry. As Botti puts it, Katherine has the perfect phrasing of the song. Makes me want to jump up and sing and dance. I also especially like the crescendo of the band at the first break of the song before the trumpet solo starts. What a classic!
Here are the lyrics for me to sing a long:
I’ve got you under my skin.
I’ve got you deep in the heart of me.
So deep in my heart that you’re really a part of me.
I’ve got you under my skin.
I’d tried so not to give in.
I said to myself: this affair never will go so well.
But why should I try to resist when, baby, I know so well
I’ve got you under my skin?
I’d sacrifice anything come what might
For the sake of havin’ you near
In spite of a warnin’ voice that comes in the night
And repeats, repeats in my ear:
Don’t you know, little fool, you never can win?
Use your mentality, wake up to reality.
But each time that I do just the thought of you
Makes me stop before I begin
‘Cause I’ve got you under my skin.
Filed under: Economics
Last weekend, I attended a classmate’s post-wedding celebration party. Usually in these occasions I chatted with classmates about useless, non-economic things, school gossips, or had dead-end conversations that began with the question, “How’s research?” Nothing stimulating.
But this time, I had a conversation with a finance PhD classmate which touched on two topics: Detroit and investment. This conversation long occupied my mind after the weekend. We started with talking about Detroit’s situation and my research on quality ladders within a country. Since he knows much about firm financial data, he gave me an extremely useful suggestion to look at the financial annual report filed by Intel to SEC for some clear evidence that strongly motivates my research. All the while I was unsure what I am doing is a real thing, the Intel statement gave me a kick in the arse. (I read it on Sunday; it was wonderful)
The second thing we talked about, and it still makes me think now, is investment. So I asked him if he invests, and whether he makes practical use of our knowledge from class. He said yes. I asked him, what works? He said, diversification. He said he tries to invest in every asset class which has low covariance against one another. I asked, even derivatives? he said yes. He does futures. I asked, somewhat dumbly, do you know what you are doing? He said, as a matter of factly, and quite confidently, “OF COURSE! I study finance!”
WAIT A MINUTE. Suddenly, I remember that I took asset pricing with him. In fact, we started our PhD program together. And except for the financial economics sequence, which he took and I didn’t (which is way easier than the PhD sequence of asset pricing), I wouldn’t think my education in that area and the tools we learned is any much different. I had taken the IO sequence, I had taken the empirical macro sequence. I had done the math with all that stochastic calculus shit.
And suddenly, it hit me — SHOULDN’T I be actively using my knowledge to make something useful out of it? Something useful….such as …..money?
I look at all these economics blogs written by MBAs and non-economists…and I listened to advices given by these personal finance planners whose economics education is probably half of mine, and I realized this:
I have this buried, taken-for-granted assumption that my knowledge of economics could not help me make money!
So now I ask myself: why is my evaluation of the worth of my knowledge so low? (and why some people in the society price it so highly)
Filed under: Music
Search for “Por Una Cabeza Dancing” on youtube, you’ll find many awkward, stiff wedding dances to the song which in my opinion, completely butchered the passion in the dance. If you can’t do it justice, just please don’t do it.
But then I came across the following clip, of street dances in Argentina. I thought it was the best interpretation of the song I have seen yet.
Filed under: Random
Recently I’ve been addicted to Fox’s new series, named “GLEE”. In it there is this goal driven girl named Rachel. In the latest episode, she said she wakes up every morning at 6am (to the following song), and by 6:10am she would be on her elliptical, staring at her latest goal sheet. (to the following song).
That is definition of being driven.
Ain’t nothing gonna break my stride
Nobody gonna slow me down, oh no
I got to keep on moving
Ain’t nothing gonna break my stride
I’m running in a one touch ground, oh no
I got to keep on moving
Filed under: Personal
Sometimes I realized only afterwards that I had behaved like a snob. I am indeed a big snob, because I have been surrounded by so many people of high superficial accomplishments since Berkeley. Yet, I would think they are the “high quality” people, and before I knew it, my belittlement of some people I knew in the past would slip out of my mouth. That is why my chats with my little brother put me in check.
WiftyBananaist (12:38:56 AM): I am surrounded by good looking people who are good looking and extremely smart. When I came back to LA, I saw that the guys there are not very high quality
Raymmmmond (12:39:12 AM): whats a high quality person?
WiftyBananaist (12:39:15 AM): actually, I wouldn’t say I am that high quality….but I have some standards
Raymmmmond (12:39:19 AM): -_- i must be very high quality too
WiftyBananaist (12:39:30 AM): you asked a good question
WiftyBananaist (12:39:42 AM): perhaps the people I am surrounded by aren’t that “high quality” after all.
WiftyBananaist (12:39:52 AM): high quality only in appearnace!
Raymmmmond (12:40:08 AM): good from far, but far from good
Raymmmmond (12:40:09 AM): legit people are hard to meet
Raymmmmond (12:40:21 AM): most usually fail the chillax test-_-
Raymmmmond (12:40:28 AM): buncha fakers
High or low quality? Don’t overestimate yourself! I am such a snob. In the end, it is LA which I go to when I need a shoulder to cry on! Where are my oldest and most trusted friends? All in LA?
After all the “higher” society that I had seen since college, where do I find the most real things? LA!
Where do I find myself acting and laughing without a worry? LA!
Why? I am suddenly confused.
What is important?
When I was in Berkeley, I had some friends who had taken Intermediate Microeconomics with David Card, and they had often talked about how this professor kindled their passion for economics. Curious about how this professor could inspire people around me so, I went to his talk on how to do research in economics.
At the end of his talk, I went up to him to ask a question that has been bothering me. My current research approach. This is timely because I have been struggling with my thesis proposal these weeks. My adviser has been tough on my proposal, and said, “You need to go through that struggling period.” And struggled I did.
Anyway, so I asked David Card, given a circumstance like mine (I will not bore you with details here), how would he go on. He asked the following question: “Is the observation unit an agent who maximizes?” (You see, a maestro will ask questions of such specificity). He gave the answer.
I exited the room, sort of moping.
But it was very nice to have heard him speak today. He, the guy who inspired such passion for economics for Jessica and Anderson!
