The term social entrepreneurship has become increasingly popular in recent years as more universities worldwide are initialing programs that educate future social entrepreneurs and as more firms are established with business model that has positive social impacts. From Wikipedia, the term social entrepreneurship is defined as "a work of a social entrepreneur who recognizes a social problem and uses entrepreneurial principles to organize, create, and manage a venture to make social change." One pioneering organization that embodies such principle is Digital Divide Data (DDD), an IT outsourcing and digitization organization with a social mission of providing economic development to the local communities in Laos and Cambodia. For the last 3 months, it was a privilege for me to be volunteering at their office in Vientiane, Laos (which explains my absence at my blog due to my busy schedule).

On the surface, DDD functions very much like a profit-driven company. Operations are based and sales derived from digitization and data processing services that the organization provides. But to say that DDD is a commercial venture is not entirely true. Registered as a non-profit organization, DDD still depends on donations for good reason and cause. The organization continues to initiate many social-economic programs that improve the lives of the local communities, especially the disabled people. DDD established free education courses in English and other business subjects to the local communities. In a country where there is a general lack of talents, such programs do and have made large impact to the local economy. This model of balancing between both social and commercial objectives works is based out of an old Chinese proverb "Give a man a fish, feed mim for a day; teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime." DDD often provides possible employment to the students after graduation from DDD. Ultimately, the social goal for DDD is, whether a person stays or leaves the organization, he/she will undoubtedly end up as a productive contributor to his/her country economy and improving his/her life -- hence "feeding" him/her for a lifetime.

10/9/2007 11:47:47 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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It is always fun to hang out with my fellow classmates at the Thirsty Ear, an on-campus dive at MIT. Last night was no exception. I, along with a bunch of SDM'05ers and '06ers, went down to the Thirsty and partied like rock stars. I can't believe it but the place was packed last night - I mean really packed with people standing. Since it was karaoke night, I was not ashamed of letting my vocal chords run wild on the stage. My favorite moment of the night was when Nick and Sergio pulled me to the stage last night to sing with them. I was so enthralled by the singing that I snatched the mic from Sergio and did my best rendition of Bon Jovi's Livin' on a Prayer. I like nights like this. I was actually going to go home after class to catch up on some sleep after putting a few all-nighters the past few nights but I was glad that I caved in to peer pressure and spent some spirited time with my classmates.

3/17/2006 9:58:25 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

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Last night, I celebrated Brian and Eimear's birthday at a party organized by Eimear and her roommate Anna. Good fun as usual with the usual suspects and many of Anna's friend being there. Being that it was Brian's big 3-oh, I decided to do shots with him early so that I can get him drunk. Unfortunately, that plan backfired as I was doing too many shots with too many people too quickly. Needless to say I was hammered just after 11pm. For the next 6 hours, I have no recollection of what had happened - it was as if that 6 hours of my life was completely erased off my memory. I remember taking a shot of Tequila and the next thing I knew, I was waking up at 6am with the nastiest hangover.

Afterwards, Eimear, Nathan, Brian, Blanche and I went for a brunch at Renee's Cafe to recap and exchange anecdotes from last night. I was particularly amusing to listen to stories about what I did last night but without me remembering anything about them. I feel really embarrassing about the whole incident but apparently people were at least entertained and they all said that I didn't cause any mischief or grief to anyone. Oh well, at least, I am a happy drunk then. I am going to take nap now, I still feel like crap. No more senseless drinking for me, I getting too old for this.

11/20/2005 3:50:53 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

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On Thursday night, I went to the Middlesex Lounge to check it out. I have heard that this place is extremely popular with MIT graduate students, especially those who are living at the Sidney-Pacific dormitory. This place is definitely larger than the Enormous Room, 2 blocks down the street. The DJ spins good trippy house music. The Middlesex Lounge reminded me of some of the chic lounges and dance clubs that I had visited in Europe and judging from the crowd that night, I have to say that most people there are indeed from Europe.

11/12/2005 11:20:24 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

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Wow... women really like men who dress well. Case in point... I went out with a group of friends, which included a significant number of women, last friday to the Burren at Davis Square for a few pints. That night, I was wearing a tan suede leather blazer/jacket with a green t-shirt - a polished look of tan leather paired with an apathetic green t-shirt. The women were raving about how nice I dressed that night. The comments from them were very positive and, I have to admit, ego-boosting as well. The truth is that I bought the leather blazer from the Garment District for $5 and probably after friday a great investment. But I will definitely keep this in mind: always dress to look your best.

11/7/2005 5:14:03 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

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After living in the U.S. for almost 2 years, Lana and Chris will be leaving for their home country Australia next Wednesday. As a close friend of the couple, I stop by at a little get-together that Lana had organized last night at the International Restaurant & Pub in the financial district of Boston. Because the pub doesn't serve food after 6pm, we had decided to go to Houston's in Quincy Market for a sumptuous dinner; but the long line deterred us from eating there. I am glad that we finally ended up at Nebo, a hip, upscale pizzeria in the North End, since it gave me the chance to say hi to some SDMers who were dinning at the restaurant. It was my first time at Nebo last night and I immediately liked the place. I think Nebo is a great location for chat over a glass of wine and some antipasta dishes or gourmet pizzas - note to self, this is a great date location.

But food aside, Lana and Chris will be missed. They are the most genuine and generous couple I have ever met. I thoroughly enjoy their company during their stay in America. Fair Dinkum, I have also picked up a lot of Aussie slangs from Chris. Listening to Lana and Chris's talk about Australia last night made me want to visit Australia again. I am definitely planning to make a trip to Down Under some time soon. To Lana and Chris, have a safe trip back to home and all the best in your life in Australia.

10/22/2005 4:17:22 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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It was blast at Blanche's birthday party last night. I was also happy than Jon and Ilana came out to the party and hung out with us. Disappointedly, Bruce, Denise, and Hanri were nowhere to found at the party despite responding with an affirmative YES to the Evite. I suspect that I will be seeing less of them now that Fanny has returned home to Amsterdam.

Despite the downpour yesterday, the turnout last night was great. I met Andre who is a bartender at the Asgard, a favorite hangout for a lot of MIT students. Nice... By 12 midnight, the living room, kitchen, and balcony was packed with people. By the time we left at 2:30am, the beer in the fridge and the cooler were all gone. Thanks for inviting and happy birthday, Blanche.

10/15/2005 7:41:58 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Yesterday, I called a few people for a night out in Central Square on a whim. Only Milt and Fanny responded to my calling. We started the night with dinner at Rangzen Tibetan restaurant. I was thrilled to finally dine at Rangzen as I have heard many good things about this restaurant. Indeed, I was impressed by its Tibetan food. I also learned from last night that Rangzen serves inexpensive buffet for lunch and being halfway between my apartment and MIT, I know that I will be coming back to Rangzen for more Tibetan delights very soon.

We got a call from Blanche and Ketan after dinner who suggested that we watch "Wedding Crashers" at Loews Boston Commons. The movie was aptly suitable for Milt and I as we will be attending 2 weddings in September. Aside from the superfluous sex theme, the movie deploys the same type of humor like those of "Old School", "Anchorman", and "Meet the Parents." Overall, it was an entertaining movie to watch on a Friday night. After the movie, we went back to Central Square for a few pints at my home bar, the People's Republik. It was a good Friday night to be doing something on impulse.

8/20/2005 11:38:07 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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It has now become a tradition within my network of friends that Penang is the indispensable choice for group dinner whenever Brian is visiting Boston. So the choice of having last night's dinner at Penang was obvious as Brian is in town for the canoe trip. The turnout was decent: Eimear, Milt, Jonathan, Brian, and my sister Alisa showed up. After dinner, we went for some drinks at the People's Republik, one of my favorite bars in Cambridge for its laid-back, friendly, and unpretentious atmosphere. I am glad that I was finally able visit the People's and to have a few pints of Magic Hat, which is always on tap and served fresh, for the first time since moving to an apartment across from the bar. So Ilana may have her Warren Tavern, I got my People's.

8/9/2005 4:22:14 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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What an eventful weekend it has been. I finally started my summer this weekend by going on a canoeing trip with my buddies to Saco River, Maine. Our presence at Saco River this weekend coincides with the first weekend of August - the busiest weekend for canoeing and a time known for excessive partying on and along Saco River. Nonetheless, we all had an awesome time canoeing, camping, and drinking. It was especially fun tying the canoes together and drifting them down the river while we drank and engaged in water shoots with other canoeists in the area. Of course, nothing beats sitting around the campfire in a cool summer night till the wee hours looking at the fire and enjoying one another's company. Overall, a great trip. Eimear, thank you for organizing this (again). Unfortunately, I have to keep this blog entry short as I need to get my bearing together to start studying for my accounting final tomorrow.

8/7/2005 10:38:00 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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I went to yet another LFM/SDM social event at the Cambridge candle pin bowling alley where I met more cool LFM students like Brian and Jackie. I played a round of candle pin bowling with Dinesh, Shiv, Evans, and Evan's significant other. The turnout was decent but nonetheless fun. Big thanks to Uday for organizing it.

After bowling, Ilana expressed interest in going to the post party that I have been advertising on the SDM email circulation. The party is 1 of the 2 parties that Paul throws every year, one in the summer and the other during the week before X'mas. His party is always cool and fun. However, it is Paul's summer party that is definitely the party to attend. There's plenty of company and it features a series live music performances at the backyard by his musician housemates and friends. They even provided a few kegs of beet for all their guests. I drove Ilana from the bowling alley to Paul's party and started drinking at 8:30pm, just when the band was starting to play. Only Dave and Matti from the SDM cohort showed up later at the party. The usual suspects from my non-SDM friends like Denise, Angela, Eimear, Camille, Blanche, Ketan, Jesse, Squibby, Milt, Joe, etc showed up at the party. It was great catching up with them as I have not had the chance to socialize with them because of my busy summer schedule. Also, since I have not hung out with sister since childhood, it was a little weird to see my sister getting hit on by guys at the party. I seriously have no idea how to react to that. Nonetheless, the company was great and I had a really good time. Thanks Paul.

I am actually quite drunk right now and need to wake up by 7:30am tomorrow to go canoeing with some of the people at the party. I don't even know if I have even written a coherent blog entry. Neverminid, I need to get some shut-eyes now. So good night...

8/6/2005 1:49:09 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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I went to a schmoozing event for LFM, SDM, and SF students at the Enormous Room earlier this evening. It was a causal social event organized by one of the Sloan Fellows for the purpose of meeting people from three academic programs at MIT Sloan. Other than being affiliated with the MIT Sloan brand name and being at MIT for the summer semester, we really don't interact much together other than perhaps meeting one another at the hallway. Thanks to the organizer. This was a good idea of meeting other cool students at Sloan.

Starving for food, Ilana, John Haj., and I went down to Green Street Grill - another fine establishment - where John treated us for a sumptuous meal. Thanks John. We then went to another MIT party where we met more cool people from Aero/Astrospace graduate students. The highlight of the party was the exchange of anecdotes between SDMers and Aerospace students on Prof. Crawley. Overall, a fun night. We should do this more often to meet more people in other parts of MIT.

7/29/2005 11:33:14 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Sometimes I don't even understand me. As if the stress wasn't enough for me after moving my apartment and that I still have 3/4 of my stuff still unpacked, I decided to host a BBQ at my old place for over 35 people yesterday!!! I am friggin' nuts. I got ZERO study done over the long weekend. But you know what, it is well worth it. Like they say, it builds character. In any case, the BBQ at my old place was a huge success. Over 35 people, mostly from the SDM cohort and their better halves, showed up. It's good to finally hang out with Rajeev, Srini, Binoy, and Alex socially.

Perhaps a diplomatic death trap, I was behaving like a dictator ordering people what to bring before the BBQ event. To make matter worse, I overestimated the amount of food to bring. Ooops(GRIN) ... Needless to say, we had a good variety of food ranging from Kebobs (compliments of Jeanne) to Spare Ribs (my creation) and as always, it was still gluttony at the Chow's.

After the BBQ, the crowd strolled down, in their own separate groups, to the Charles River to watch the fireworks. The people whom I was with were able to find a good spot in the middle of Harvard Bridge (Mass Ave) to catch a good view of the spectacular firework.

7/5/2005 10:40:52 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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This is the second week into the SDM summer semester. So far, with 5 classes this semester (yes, I am insane), I finding no time for anything else. I was literally passed out last night from a 16 hours day of work/school. I planned on completing my Systems Engineering homework today but I just wasn’t motivated to do it. Being absolutely unmotivated to do school work, I called a few friends to invite them over for a cookout at my deck and thence to watch Howl's Moving Castle, a movie by Hayao Miyazaki of Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke fame.

6/18/2005 9:20:39 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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I have had plans to go to Montreal with some friends over July 4th but I decided against the idea since my summer course load at MIT is more demanding than I had previously anticipated. Therefore, I will stay in town for the entire July 4th weekend, something that I have done for many years. As a consequence of this decision, Yoav and Ilana asked if I would volunteer my deck to host the first SDM barbeque cookout. With self-serving reasons not only to show off my deck but also my culinary prowess, I agreed to host the cookout on July 4th. Even better, Brian called me 2 nights ago to invite me to a Red Sox game on July 1st for free. Score!!! See, staying in town on July 4th weekend isn’t that bad after all.

6/17/2005 11:25:57 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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After a week of inactivity in the first Sloan Trading Competition, I finally made my first trade on Monday. So far, I am not doing too badly. With $1 million virtual money available, I made over $20k in 3 days. Of course, this is fantasy money, right. However, the number 1 ranked team in the competition has made a whopping $750k in less than 2 weeks. Wow!!!

On other fantasy news, Yoav just invited me to play in the NCAA tournament pool with other classmates. Oh yeah, I will be trash talking all the way to championship.

3/10/2005 12:21:05 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

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Now that I have started school and didn't have the time to organize social activities for the gang, Milt took over the helm in organizing a dinner with the Hudson's and friends from 217, both parties whom we have not hung out for a while. We had great Irish fare at the Phoenix Landing where we met up with Michelle and Paul. With the exception of Paul and the Hudson's, we continued the night as participants ofan ongoing pub crawl event that a friend of ours had organized. We were joined by some SDMers and their significant others - Dave, Britney, Patty, Chris, Matt, Spiros, Ilana, and Eve. In all, it was good to hang out with old and new friends in one night.

2/20/2005 2:59:09 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

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Thanks go out to the following people who reminded me that I am a year older now: Blanche, Brian, Bruce, Eimear, Fanny, Hanri, Karine, Matt, Mike, Milt, and Wacek.

I got a good treat from the crowd at Bombay Club and later Redline at Harvard Square, Cambridge last night.

So my thoughts on getting 1 year older? I have really tried not to think about my age since my 30th birthday. To me, it's just another day, REALLY. Man of my age should be living the suburbs, taking junior to the minor, mowing the lawn, and taking that 8 hour road trip with the family to visit the in-laws. Nope, I think mentally I am still going 25 - yeah I have going 25 for almost a decade now. I am slowly realizing that I am not really 25 despite my mental state and behavior. Well, I don't run as fast as I did when I was 25. It certainly hurts a lot more now than it did 9 years ago. So slow down and stop breaking my body.

2/6/2005 1:24:30 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

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