The sun is shining, the flowers are blooming, the birds are chirping, and the best of all, my braces are finally taken off. What a relief!!!

4/12/2006 11:51:00 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [2]

Personal

I have always been interested in macroeconomics and its application in assessing the economy. This is why I recently registered for 15.012 - Applied Macro- and International Economics, a course that is offered in the second half of the semester at MIT. This class is being taught by Prof. Chris Foote, a senior economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston and a visiting professor at MIT Sloan. He is patient, friendly, animated, enthusiastic, and best of all, funny. He makes an otherwise dry and mechanical subject like macroeconomics interesting and even entertaining. I like the class so much that I actually taking the extra time to read about this subject outside of class. I also find that the tools that I have learned from this class have enabled me to appreciate the Economist better. This is a pretty intense half-semester course but it is a great class and it is definitely worth taking.

4/12/2006 11:44:56 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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School

I wasn't planning to run the Boston College MBA Challenge 5k Race but I eventually caved in to peer pressure and ran the race on Saturday (thanks to Serge and Nick). This year, my finishing time this year is 25:26 min (8:11 min/mile pace), way down from last year's time of 23:10 (7:26 min/mile pace). What happened? I don't know, I wasn't feeling particularly motivated to run fast or was capable of being speed demon. Nonetheless, it was a fun run along with fellow SDMers, Will, Serge, Nick, Leticia, and Jessica, and other colleagues from the Sloan MBA program.

4/10/2006 8:14:52 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [1]

Sports

I am sure some of my classmates who are readers of this blog would appreciate this blog entry (and its comments) by the value of an MBA. Thanks to Ian Lamont for the link.

There are many things that were said in the blog that affirm some of my perspectives:

• Getting a job in venture capital after graduating from B-school is very difficult.
• Whether degree reads SM in Management, MS in Management, SM in Management of Technology, or MBA, it really doesn't matter - it's all semantics. Personally, I think that the real substance is what you learn from school. Sadly, like Todd said "these days credentials and degrees are more important than knowledge."
• I couldn't agree with Chris Yeh more, the networking opportunities at top-tier universities (or B-schools) are enormous. Having access to alumni network and building relationships with a group of highly-talented people are some of the perks.

Finally, I have a few more things to add:

• Yes, brand recognition, career opportunities, people, and network are remarkable in top-tier schools. But I think that every school has its fair share of good and bad courses. I can say this because I have taken some the best classes I have ever taken as well as a fair share of horrible classes at MIT.
• Experiential learning does occur in b-schools. Try managing a large team-based term project, I find it more challenging than managing a team of professionals in a regular job (yeah, I am being facetious on this one).
• If you do end up in b-school, don't neglect to experience life beyond the confines of your classrooms. Instead of spending all your time studying or writing that term paper, budget some time to hang out with your cohort, join a club, engage in an activity, and most of all have a life. I have also noticed that most b-schools tend to be exclusive and are isolated from the rest of their campus. Reach out and get to know other students from other parts of college.
• Last but not least, as far as deciding whether to do an MBA or not, I have this to say. I think is more than just $100k and two years of opportunity cost when deciding if an MBA is right for you. Sometimes you just have to follow your gut feeling. If you feel that doing an MBA program gives you an edge and confidence in your career development, do it. If you feel that you have a great idea and wants to start a company, what are you waiting for? Start a new enterprise - Bill Gates and Steve Jobs did and look where they are now.

4/6/2006 3:32:46 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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School

Giving ordinary people the ability to create commercials seems to be the fad these days. Many companies like MasterCard, Sony, and GM are doing exactly that. Well, the rationale seems to be if consumers are creating their own dog-and-pony shows, there is no way they can avoid companies' ads, right?

Maybe not for GM. These days, GM just can't seem to get it right even with their ad campaign. GM recently started a contest where you can design an ad for their Chevy Tahoe SUV. It seems that if the consumers don't like your product, they are not going to kind with the portrayal of the product. Needless to say there are plenty of parodies created from this ad campaign. Here are some of my favorites:

• Don't Buy Me
• Funny 1 - Finally, a non-environmental commercial. You will get a good laugh on this one. My favorite by far.
• Funny 2
• Jive Turkey

Feeling inspired? Let your creativity run loose at the Chevy Apprentice Challenge.

4/4/2006 8:09:16 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Humor

With the weather going up to 60+ F yesterday, I ran Heartbreak Hill - the most fabled part of the Boston Marathon race - with Denise who will be running the Boston Marathon in 2 weeks. It was a great run.

Feeling exceptionally hungry after the run, I suggested going to Michael's Delicatessen at Coolidge Corner for food. I have never eaten at Michael's before but I have heard positive reviews of the place with some people telling me that the deli sandwiches here resemble to the those that one finds in New York City. I ordered a Michael's Special (I think) which is consists of roast beef, beef brisket, and horseradish sauce sandwiched between 2 breads. The sandwich was gargantuan but I easily finish it in one serving. It was delicious.

4/2/2006 1:52:20 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-04:00)

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Personal

Yesterday's interview with Tom Friedman on radio program Fresh Air with Terry Gross was excellent. It was one of the most thought-provoking (yet rational) views I have heard on foreign affairs and policies in recent months. Friedman talked about foreign affairs ranging from the recent Palestinian and Israeli elections, Iran, war in Iraq, and American energy policy. Definitely worth listening if you care about what is going on around the world. You can still listen to the interview here.

4/1/2006 12:01:24 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

Comments [4]

Radio

Good news. After serving 1 1/2 year sentence of wearing the dental braces, I was finally told by my orthodontist last week that the braces will be taken off on April 12. I can't wait. Wearing dental braces can be unbearably uncomfortable and annoying. I have always been photo-phobic but my fear of picture taking intensified after I had the dental braces put on. I dared not open my lips whenever I have my picture taken. But this is trivial compared to the annoyance of getting food scraps stuck in the braces - perhaps one of the most vexing experience. But the most painful experience is having my 4 perfectly functioning teeth removed a month prior to putting on the braces. I am one of these people with huge teeth but tiny jaw - the wonders of heredity. The teeth were getting overcrowded and started to protrude. So 4 molars have to be removed to make room for the front teeth to move to the back of the jaw. I remember that my first visit to the oral surgeon wasn't too bad since I really didn't know what to expect. I was hoping that the oral surgeon could removed all 4 teeth in a day so that I didn't have to come back again; but no such luck as he said that I need at least 1 side of my mouth to chew. Knowing what to expect, there was a lot more hesitance on the second visit a week later. The sensation of getting my teeth pulled still haunts me to this day.

So why did I put on dental bracers? One word: vanity. Yep, that was price I pay for vanity... The good news is that I am finally taking it out.

3/27/2006 10:32:03 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

Comments [4]

Personal

This semester, I am taking a course entitled 15.655 - Law, Technology, and Policy class (known henceforth as the law class). The course provides an introduction to the rudimentary concepts of the American legal framework and key legal philosophies. It also examines the interface between law, technology, and public policy; especially how law can be used as a competing paradigm besides science and economics to promote social justice, wealth distribution, economic sustainability, and environmental sensibility. This class is turning out slightly better than I had initially expected. A lot of the things that were discussed in class were not only pretty thought-provoking but encourage me to think in a different way that I normally won't.

Like last week, we were introduced on the concept of precautionary principle. The essence of precautionary principle is the idea that if there is reasonable suspicion of harm under an uncertain and irreversible context, then inaction may pose a risk of harm. To advert harm, a precautionary action or a less risky alternative must then be taken. In deciding how to apply precautionary principle, one may use risk assessment or cost-benefit analysis, which factors in both opportunity cost of not acting, and the option value of waiting for further information before acting (wikipedia). So far we have used the precautionary principle on the assessment of technology, policy, and law, all which may have some indication of possible detrimental impact or even harm on society; however, I can't help but to think if precautionary principle can also be applied to war?

3/19/2006 8:02:37 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

Comments [1]

School

My thesis is a vehicle for me to make a strong statement of my research results; but before I can present my research, I first have to ask a good question that corresponds to a problem that is worth solving. I am interested in doing a thesis on a subject that straddles between innovation, entrepreneurship, and market dynamics in the private sector with industrial policies and nation competitiveness in the public sector. I am currently in the phase of my thesis proposal that demands deep contemplation and supplementary research. The bottom line is that I need to frame a proper question for my thesis.

As it stands now, I plan to synthesize a framework with guidance from my thesis advisor, Prof. Utterback, to determine how much (or less) government policy intervention is needed to foster innovations in the high-technology industry. I will probably develop a case study on the evolution of the semiconductor industry supplement my thesis research. I know the topic is still very vague and broad, I hope to narrow it down in the next two weeks. While my thesis proposal is not progressing at the pace that I had planned, I do think that this stage of my thesis is perhaps the most important as it defines my thesis.

3/18/2006 11:21:04 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

Comments [2]

School