WOKAI LAUNCH: A benefit celebrating the power to make a difference!

So some of you may know that I've been working on this non-profit called Wokai for quite some time now. Quickly, they're focused on raising money to fund microloans to the poor in rural China - helping them lift themselves out of poverty through entrepreneurship. We've been working to put together this launch event/fundraiser on Wednesday, May 27th. We'll be having a wine/beer open bar, light hors d'oeuvres, a silent auction, and the CEO/Co-founder of Wokai will be presenting. It should be a fun party, and it's for a good cause so if you can make it, your support is much appreciated.

The event will be held at Blvd in the lower east side (on Bowery between Spring and Rivington). Take a look at the info and let me know if you have any questions about the event, Wokai, or microfinance in general. You can also browse the website or check out the blog for some light reading. Lastly, please forward this along to any friends, family, or colleagues you think might be interested. Thanks guys!!

Amy

This blog post is part of Zemanta’s “Blogging For a Cause” campaign to raise awareness and funds for worthy causes that bloggers care about.

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Please join the New York Chapter of Wokai for our Launch celebration!

Get your tickets before May 1 at the early bird rate - only $45 for a great party and a great cause

Click here for tickets: http://wokainyclaunch.eventbrite.com/

WHAT: A fundraising event celebrating the launch of Wokai’s peer-to- peer microfinance donation platform, featuring wine/beer open bar, hors d'oeuvres, a silent auction, and a presentation by Wokai Co-Founder and CEO, Casey Wilson

WHO: Over 200 socially-conscious young professionals

WHERE: BLVD - 199 Bowery (at Spring Street)

WHEN: Wednesday, May 27th from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.

WHY: In China, approximately 200 million people live on less than $1 a day, and China’s income gap is one of the most severe among developing countries worldwide. Microfinance, commonly defined as providing loans to poor people to help them start small businesses, offers one of the best solutions to global poverty. Wokai is a 501c3 non-profit organization that enables Chinese people to lift themselves from poverty. Wokai is Chinese for "I start," demonstrating our commitment to helping the impoverished help themselves. Through our website, we connect contributors worldwide with entrepreneurs in rural China to help them start small businesses. For example, a seamstress might borrow money to buy a sewing machine. This business generates stable income, which gives the seamstress and her family access to healthcare, improved housing, or perhaps most importantly, education. By empowering people to take control of their own lives, microfinance differs from the cycle of dependency created by previous methods of poverty alleviation.

RESERVATIONS: http://wokainyclaunch.eventbrite.com/

As a portion of each ticket is tax deductible, please consider requesting a matching gift from your company so that Wokai can benefit twice from your generosity. Thank you!

For additional information about Wokai, please contact us at newyork@wokai.org

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Tonsillitis!

Yep! They're swollen, they're huge and they're sort of infected. Sexy, I know. ;)

http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/tonsillitis-topic-overview

Make It Work!

Darhling! I felt I must respond to your previous post. I have definitely pondered those thoughts independent from your post (which is why we have such a WANG mind meld!). Yet recent events have caused me to revise my thinking.

Yes, the economy can ruin marriages, relationships, and the like. Yes, it can be a huge barrier in either moving forward, or moving on. But in the end, the key element in whether it works - is you. You and him/her. You, him/her and your family. We're Gen Y! Having grown up in an age where individualism, achievement and a "you can do it" attitude reigned supreme. My thesis is, it's on you. If you want it enough, you can make it happen. Examples? Cause in the end Gracie...you have to be with your family in TW, no? And as for supposed love separated by oceans? Well love is only sustainable when you try to make it work. Otherwise it's just a bunch of pretty words.

After all, my fav. CMU non-prof, Randy Pausch said "Brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want something badly enough. They are there to keep out the other people."

Love and the Economy

It is all too common to reference the state of the economy in relation to jobs found and jobs lost, but what about in relation to lovers lost and found?

It's no secret that money problems are often cited as the most common cause of failed marriages. The recent financial crisis has also seemingly had polar effects one way or another, either by forcing the couple to continue living under the same roof or by accelerating the split of a not-very-happy marriage. But my real question (well, mainly of concern) is...how is this financial meltdown affecting younger unmarried couples? In other words, how is it affecting my own and (the majority of) my friends' relationships with their significant others?

Perhaps coming back home to Taipei was inevitable but I can't help but think that if the economy were in a better state, and jobs were easier to come by, then I would still be living in NYC working a somewhat respectable job. Or I would maybe have had fewer applicants to beat out for Columbia b-school. So yes, this economy has definitely had a resounding impact on my career prospects (obvi!) but maybe less obvious is the fact that leaving NYC meant leaving someone special that I deeply cared for. Oh, and of course, all my fabulous friends in NYC =)

Similarly, the more-than-abysmal job market in Hong Kong is also keeping apart two very distant lovers..

Ex-bankers Make Soap!

I always hear endless anecdotes of ex-bankers going out and opening up their own bakery, cupcake shop, bar or yo-yos. But here's a new one - SOAP!

An ex-colleague of mine, who was a fantabulous lady banker has now since left the tax-exempt/taxable municipal housing bond world (oh so exciting) and joined the ranks of countless recession-braving career-changing entrepreneurs and opened up her own handmade boutique (oh very exciting! no sarcasm this time)!

Her new boutique offers all-natural soaps and lotions made from pure botanical. My personal fav looks to be a convenient lotion stick with a pleasant grapefruit scent (mmmm citrusy!). So this Wang's suggestion is to visit www.ZaoNaturals.com and check it out. :)

To b-school or not to b-school?

The eternal question of 20-something-year olds around the globe. And currently, a big lurking problem in this Wang's life. There's plenty of dialogue out there as to each viewpoint on this topic...but my favorite comes from the Brazen Careerist who casts pithy well-written doubts on why b-school may not be the most efficient choice for current 20-something-year-olds.

And this is sentiment then leads to follow-up discussion on the difficulties in sorting this all out via a timeline. (with the deadline at the big 3-0)

My 15 Min Morning Train Ride Thought

Long before Randy Pausch popularized the notion of CMU as a breeding ground for innovative thinking and knocking down brick walls, a young starry eyed class of 2005 sat in Gesling (that's the stadium for all you people who, like myself, never, ever dared venture to a CMU football game given the horror of it all) listening in on another grey-haired fellow imparting some droplets of wisdom. No, it wasn't our keynote speaker, who's name I forget but speech I regretfully remember as a mesh of timed pauses, 24, jack bauer and something about 'squares'.... But rather our illustrious president, Jared Cohen who spoke to Tim Friedman's concept: Globalization 3.0. Back in May 2005, he said something which always stuck with me for it's improbability, it's increduality: "this class in front of me, on average you will changes jobs seven different times and work in seven different countries"*

Yet now, nearly four years later...his predictions are surprisingly on track! As I leave my apt every morning for work, I pass by my half-sized fridge every morning out the door, on which is tacked a photo of five girls cheesing for some unknown cameraman (actually, it's most likely Llama). This morning, I actually stopped to take stock of the photo. From these five in nearly four years, have resulted seven different jobs with three distinct job changes and four different geographies: Los Angeles, New York, Tokyo & most recently Taipei... Hm. Looks like Cohen was on to something there.

Side note: So then people, if that is the case. We must prep and need on Globalization 3.0's strong infrastructure - get on skype!! Also, for those of you in need of a good webcam: I highly recommend (kick-arse Logitech 900 webcam).