tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-173929882011-11-23T15:22:14.578-08:00My MBA journey, current events, what I like and don't like, random thoughts and stuffs that come to mindhokidokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16626982186622535360noreply@blogger.comBlogger381100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17392988.post-1153644323955193992006-07-23T01:31:00.000-07:002006-07-23T01:45:24.010-07:00

Whoa...I only have two more weeks left before my MBA rat-race begins. I am still in Indonesia, spending my last 10 days with my family. The last time I wrote, I was still in China. Afterwards, My parents and I left for Singapore en route to Indonesia. My dad had some physical check-up in Singapore, the final verdict was he had to do his physical and speech therapist religiously. I then spent

hokidokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16626982186622535360noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17392988.post-1149504171762696262006-06-05T03:37:00.000-07:002006-06-05T07:12:30.976-07:00

For those interested in management consulting and firms other McKinsey and BCG:Marakon ConsultingNeewai, my days here are spent running from one theraphy to another accompanying my dad. I am not very impressed by the doctors here as they couldn't do much about my dad's headache. They denied that it might be the medicine that they prescribed. My mom and I decided to do a single variable test, i.e.

hokidokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16626982186622535360noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17392988.post-1148314000264675162006-05-22T08:23:00.000-07:002006-06-05T03:59:51.390-07:00

Wooww long time no blog...yeah internet access is very limited now that I am in Asia. Thankfully, I am staying in a hotel in Guangzhou now so internet access isn't a problem. Let's pick up where I left off after I quit my job1. Freaked out two days before I left upon informed that my F1 visa would be turned down if I'd ever applied for greencard which I did through my ex-employer. I sulked all

hokidokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16626982186622535360noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17392988.post-1146458206555056672006-04-30T21:19:00.000-07:002006-06-05T04:00:18.713-07:00

I truly enjoyed this past week without work though it didn't feel like I had much time sitting idle and did nothing. I used this time to network with some of Haas current student and my future classmates. Some current students from Indonesia were kind enough to have dinner with me and shared their Haas experience, it's very very insightful and I learned so much about what classes to take, to

hokidokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16626982186622535360noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17392988.post-1145593641588995942006-04-20T21:08:00.000-07:002006-06-05T04:00:48.076-07:00

And that's how it ended...sweet with bitter-sweet memories slip in between. I am talking about the conclusion of my career in semiconductor industry. I bid my co-workers adieu...went to the farewell lunch at Todai. But I am a bit dissapointed since the organizer/my ex-manager made a boo boo on the email telling people that lunch is tomorrow when it's actully today, so some of my good friends who

hokidokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16626982186622535360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17392988.post-1144913627909912772006-04-13T00:00:00.000-07:002006-06-05T04:01:14.466-07:00

As my vacation is looming, I now start sweating about where to live in August. I definetely want to live nearby campus so I don't have to drive (after all, gas price has shot up to the roof-top). My options are:1. Rent an apartment nearby campusa. Alone, expect to pay >$1000pro: privacy, all space to myself, cooking conveniencecon: $$$, not as merry as it is with roomie, unfurnishedb. Get a

hokidokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16626982186622535360noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17392988.post-1144821829956492992006-04-11T21:46:00.000-07:002006-06-05T04:01:35.116-07:00

Exactly 10 more days to go before I bid work au revoir. The hardest thing is saying goodbye to my co-workers with whom I have gone through a lot of thick and thin. I will miss those lunches, happy hour, maybe a little of the 36 non-stop work hours that we often pull when things got escalated and yes, those annual ski trip to Tahoe.As a matter of fact, we had just had our third annual ski trip to

hokidokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16626982186622535360noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17392988.post-1144306522424037642006-04-05T23:27:00.000-07:002006-06-05T04:02:06.223-07:00

Just finished reading Business as Unusual by Anita Roddick, the founder of the Body Shop. Indeed, her business and philosophy were unusual, if not outrageous to the standard of corporate world. The book showed that the Body Shop was arguably the best example of for-profit company with social responsibility blood ran within. In fact, it was or she was so into social responsibility that it got the

hokidokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16626982186622535360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17392988.post-1144190430316340012006-04-04T15:36:00.000-07:002006-06-05T04:02:29.696-07:00

Tips for women in business as featured on www.cnnfn.com, which includes technology entrepreneurship for women

hokidokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16626982186622535360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17392988.post-1144109716100752962006-04-03T17:01:00.000-07:002006-06-05T04:02:57.056-07:00

I've just read an interesting article about PMBA vs conventional MBA. PMBA stands for the Personal MBA which requires no rigorous application process nor class attendance :) Many people who don't see the value of real MBA nor think the ROI is worth it are considering DIY.With PMBA you learn by reading books and discuss them with the PMBA community. The way I see it, each program has its own pro

hokidokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16626982186622535360noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17392988.post-1144074690541515972006-04-03T07:28:00.000-07:002006-06-05T04:03:25.126-07:00

Kroll Background Screening Group has successfully completed yourBerkeley MBA verification. All of us at Berkeley look forward to seeing youduring Orientation in August.Thank you for your cooperation.Sincerely,The Berkeley MBA Admissions TeamPhew...I am a step closer to be really in at Haas. Hopefully my visa application will go smoothly as well. Meanwhile, three more weeks before I kiss work

hokidokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16626982186622535360noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17392988.post-1143649292117193272006-03-29T07:50:00.000-08:002006-06-05T04:03:55.556-07:00

I want to thank MGalBlue and AynRand2008 for adding another perspective to my take about International MBAs' difficulty in landing jobs in the US. They are right that it does boil down to each individual so companis have to be able to distinguish that. I hope in the coming years companies will be more open-minded and loosen up the "absolutely no H-1" policy.I was at Hearst Castle this weekend. I

hokidokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16626982186622535360noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17392988.post-1143071768472607352006-03-22T15:39:00.000-08:002006-06-05T04:05:25.870-07:00

Before I start, I'd like to thank those who have stopped by my blog especially my fellow MBA applicants. It's been a fantastic experience, I feet like gaining a new support network :)Now down to business....I maybe not as up to date as other techies out there but i do enjoy technology. I was excited today as I finally had time to download podcast (free on I-tunes). I downloaded all the possible

hokidokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16626982186622535360noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17392988.post-1142927424640802672006-03-20T23:31:00.000-08:002006-06-05T04:06:10.296-07:00

So i did it, I told my boss about my acceptance. To my surprise, he already knew since he got a call from Haas last week regarding my acceptance. I thanked him and complemented his superb letter of recommendation (that's what Haas adcom told me). He asked when will I leave so he could start looking for a replacement internally.Now that it's over (okay...80%), my visitation to businessweek forum

hokidokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16626982186622535360noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17392988.post-1142836998574459692006-03-19T22:19:00.000-08:002006-06-05T04:06:41.726-07:00

I have never won a jackpot before. The minute Haas adcom called to congratulate me, I felt like I've just won a jackpot. His call concluded my whole getting into b-school journey...(not counting the employment verification and getting my visa stamped)Well, I was celebrating for a few hours before I realized that choice making process is looming. I tried what the typical b-school nerds would do:

hokidokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16626982186622535360noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17392988.post-1142518191443134482006-03-16T06:04:00.000-08:002006-06-05T04:07:12.703-07:00

On behalf of the entire Wharton and Lauder community, we wish to congratulate you on your admission to the Wharton and Lauder Class of 2008. Your outstanding record of personal, professional and academic achievements has clearly distinguished you in an exceptional applicant pool. You are part of a select group of individuals invited to join the Wharton during the 125th Anniversary of Wharton’s

hokidokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16626982186622535360noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17392988.post-1142486282184944492006-03-15T21:10:00.000-08:002006-06-05T04:08:04.013-07:00

Exactly 8 hours and 50 minutes before the best b-school in the world is going to tell me if I am worth its spot....very anxious and nervous...Wharton chatroom is filled with people sharing their agony over the waiting period...I tried to conduct my usual life but I was very very distracted despite the heavy workload, juggling 2 projects and making presentation for my boss...After work, I tried to

hokidokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16626982186622535360noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17392988.post-1142320981684581082006-03-13T23:01:00.000-08:002006-06-05T04:09:48.196-07:00

Phewwww I can now said that I am totally done with the whole b-school admission process...well, not quite, now is the waiting period, Wharton in 3 days and Haas in a week. In the meantime, I can't stop analyzing what my chance of getting into Haas is. The adcom told me during SS that, they interview 22% of the applicants, 75% of interviewed appplicants will be admitted and on last round Haas

hokidokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16626982186622535360noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17392988.post-1141980237893152192006-03-10T00:31:00.000-08:002006-06-05T04:10:22.393-07:00

I was driving from my office to the lab when my phone rangme: HelloGM: Hi hokidoki, This GM, may we have a chat ??me (heart skip a beat): Hi GM, sure, what is it about ?(daarrrrn is he going to ask about my MBA and when i will leave the company)GM: Oooh not much, i just want to get an update regarding the root-cause finding that you've been working on for our Taiwan customerme (phew...): yeah,

hokidokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16626982186622535360noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17392988.post-1141710090476900362006-03-06T21:27:00.000-08:002006-06-05T04:11:04.676-07:00

Ooooh myyy Gooood...I have been invited to Haas Super Saturday for interview, finally after waiting for more than a month. I was screaming out loud in me when i saw an email "Berkeley MBA Interview Invitation"Wish me luck !!

hokidokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16626982186622535360noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17392988.post-1141411060218951092006-03-03T10:21:00.000-08:002006-06-05T04:13:03.413-07:00

I don't know if I should categorize myself as an aspiring applicant or simply a gunner. Here are the top five things gunner or the self-called aspiring MBA will do on a daily basis while waiting for interview invite1.Visit www.admissions411.com to check how many applicants have gotten interview, when the number has grown compared to that of previous day, he/she goes to step 22. Visit

hokidokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16626982186622535360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17392988.post-1141268204664116662006-03-01T18:53:00.000-08:002006-06-05T04:14:03.673-07:00

Here are two things that fascinated my friend Gene on his first trip to Taiwan: the street full of motorcycles and the SARS mask

hokidokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16626982186622535360noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17392988.post-1141267774485709402006-03-01T18:24:00.000-08:002006-06-05T04:14:42.053-07:00

Finally...it's over, I am done with interview unless Haas wants me to (sigh...still no news)It was raining hard yesterday morning so I thought I headed to San Francisco 2 hours before the interview just to avoid traffic jam. Luckily I made the right decision to take I-280 instead of 101, I cruised smoothly and got there an hour early.Anyhow, my interviewer was really nice, he used to work in the

hokidokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16626982186622535360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17392988.post-1141111861121287442006-02-27T23:10:00.000-08:002006-06-05T04:15:05.526-07:00

Yeah it's monday, a bit mad and weather was so bad, it's been raining even till now and will continue throughout the week. Work was not so hectic but kind of crazy in a sense that I had to fight my way to get some equipment time for my experiement, it's just impossible since your boss didn't see it as a high priority for now.Anyhow, I called Haas today to make sure they had my application since I

hokidokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16626982186622535360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17392988.post-1141021444320151332006-02-26T21:46:00.000-08:002006-06-05T04:15:36.593-07:00

This weekend was fun, I went to watch Tina Show live in Oakland. For those who don't know Tina Kim, she is a Korean-American stand up comedian and yes she's definetely funnier than Margaret Cho (in my humble opinion). My friend, Steve was her acquiantance so we, who got in early and sat in a front row, got to remind her to tell some of the jokes.Like most other stand-up comedian I've ever watched

hokidokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16626982186622535360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17392988.post-1140513555133111822006-02-21T00:22:00.000-08:002006-06-05T04:16:18.800-07:00

Ok, maybe I haven't shared enough of the pain I have gone through in applying to b-school, here is the chronological list of my adventures:January 2005Made up my mind to go for MBA for numerous reasons:- Engineering job didn't stir me passionately- I was interested in management consulting after reading the nuts and bolts of this career through publication from www.vault.com- Widen my horizon and

hokidokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16626982186622535360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17392988.post-1140501760222278122006-02-20T21:43:00.000-08:002006-06-05T04:18:11.863-07:00

Finally....I will be flying home tomorrow, it's been an adventurous weekend in Taiwan or should I say mind-boggling. After the long troubleshooting, I thought I am done but noooo they don't let you off the hook so soon. The customer called us at midnight for two nights in a row because of a burst of problem which was settled after some simple troubleshooting. Ohhh gosh, now I am scared of hearing

hokidokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16626982186622535360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17392988.post-1140335123886962372006-02-18T23:22:00.000-08:002006-06-05T04:19:11.460-07:00

Arrgggh it's been very tiring, I went back to work again at 6 pm and didn't came out until 9 AM in the morning but I think we'd fixed the problem. The shameful things though, the customer shot down my troubleshooting plan, demanded to talk to my boss at midnight or 8 AM PST, and provided some ideas for us to try which.......WORKED, ahhhrgggg shame...shame....On my way back to hotel I was thinking

hokidokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16626982186622535360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17392988.post-1140231779032567462006-02-17T18:38:00.000-08:002006-06-05T04:20:13.773-07:00

No, i am not sharing about the technology...I've had enough of this and don't feel like sharing it with other people plus it's not allowed (you know...nondisclosure agreement). I just want to bitch about how my weekend was ruined by this industry...well it's actually not that bad if only I had not planned to spend my weekend in Taipei,It was thursday evening and I was on my way back from Taichung

hokidokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16626982186622535360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17392988.post-1139956317827276542006-02-14T14:17:00.000-08:002006-06-05T04:21:18.140-07:00

Happy Vday...does FTD.com deliver overseas?Well, it's not so bad spending vday alone here in Taiwan...I got my girls here, believe it or not there're so many single and succeesful 30 something women in Taiwan. They love their lives and are not in a hurry to get married...so open minded huh considering this is Asia...I didn't do much for Vday coz i was sick...it's must be the shabu shabu that i

hokidokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16626982186622535360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17392988.post-1139612251465985582006-02-10T14:39:00.000-08:002006-06-05T04:23:37.026-07:00

This jetlag is not so bad, i went to bed at 9.30 pm after big dinner with Juli and Silvia...woke up at 1 am (arrggghhh it was 9 am in California, too early to check my email for news from Haas ) watched some TV and hit the sack again at 1.30 am, slept...slept....slept.... then 5.30 am i woke up again....watch a little of Everybody Loves Raymond (the one with Deb went to jail for DUI)The

hokidokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16626982186622535360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17392988.post-1139529455524329732006-02-09T15:42:00.000-08:002006-06-05T04:24:31.733-07:00

I am glad that i've got wharton interview over with, it's such a relief...the interviewer is the local alumni and she's very nice and helped me relax. she mostly asked standard question1. career progression, why mba, why wharton2. who is the prominent figure i admire and why? this is rather tough, i wasn't prepared for thisother than that she shared with me her experience, she was telling me how

hokidokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16626982186622535360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17392988.post-1138806056785842262006-02-01T06:44:00.000-08:002006-06-05T04:26:36.800-07:00

After millions and millions of click on my inbox I finally got an invite from Wharton, it's Wharton...I mean WHARTON...it's hugeeeee.... I almost drove myself nuts waiting for this good news. I checked my email religiously, actively checking the student2student to see updates from other students and of course pray...A lot of people out there have been anxiously waiting as well, some of them even

hokidokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16626982186622535360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17392988.post-1138695279424548802006-01-31T00:04:00.000-08:002006-06-05T04:28:54.616-07:00

My merchandises are flying off the shelf. Now that i know for sure i will go to b-school, I am selling my books and dvd to earn some money and to get rid off those stuffs that have been colleting dust.At first I was skeptical about how well all these books and dvd would sell(ranging from christianity to finance and passion of the christ to Disney's beauty and the beast). To my surprise, those

hokidokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16626982186622535360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17392988.post-1138694534485238892006-01-30T23:47:00.000-08:002006-06-05T04:29:33.490-07:00

Wowww, it's been more than 3 months since i wrote, lots had happened, some good and some bad...good news: I got into UCLA and Michigan yaaaayyyyyyyyyyy (well, after spending almost $700 getting my essays evaluated) , can you believe it? As a matter of fact, I got an early decision from UCLA, it was December 9th...just a regular day at work, i was staring at my excel spreadsheet when suddenly my

hokidokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16626982186622535360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17392988.post-1129869959768819492005-10-20T21:31:00.000-07:002006-06-05T04:29:57.723-07:00

I have 10 days before the deadline for michigan and ucla come up, i probably should submit it at least 2 days before just to avoid the online jam...writing the essays is getting drier and drier, i just want to submit those damn thing and move on with my life...the 2nd round application....arrrrrggghhhh wat a painmeanwhile, i have been putting my life on hold for a while because of this thing. It

hokidokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16626982186622535360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17392988.post-1128670376042768952005-10-07T00:14:00.000-07:002006-06-05T04:30:25.726-07:00

Clock is ticking but unfortunately i have to defer my wharton application to second round. My corny essays just won't make the cut. Yeah, i guess i better wait. My eccentric coworker, Vincent had a look at my essays and he went "what the heck are u writing, u sound like britney spears" Jesus...i thought i could do better than that but hey it was a valuable critique so i should thank him for not

hokidokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16626982186622535360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17392988.post-1128326456408705252005-10-03T00:12:00.000-07:002006-06-05T04:30:57.053-07:00

I am not very good with keeping journal...I wish I were a disclipine and good writer. Fortunately, thanks to the technology of weblogging, I was inspired after reading so many interesting stories from weblogs out there so i thought this may help me keep a journal.At this point,I am in the middle of applying to b-school...I made up my mind January of this year after 3 years agonizing over not

hokidokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16626982186622535360noreply@blogger.com1