My travel plans from May - September. Starting in Raleigh, ending at HEC Paris.
Friday, February 26, 2010
travel plans
Raleigh, NC
My travel plans from May - September. Starting in Raleigh, ending at HEC Paris.
My travel plans from May - September. Starting in Raleigh, ending at HEC Paris.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Irrational exuberance
Raleigh, NC
I was so excited to receive the MBA admission offer from HEC Paris that rationality and realism went out the window and I made some over-ambitious plans. I bought the Rosetta stone software for French, level 1,2 and 3. I planned on finishing all the 3 levels by the start of the MBA program in Septemeber. All this in parallel to
-Learning Portuguese
-Working out regularly
-Drinking beer with friends on the weekends
-Upcoming travel plans to Brazil and India.
-Emptying my apartment and getting out of USA.
The HEC MBA admission offer led to some irrational exuberance and now the bubble has busted. Reality is sinking in. I will not be able to finish all the 3 level's of Rosetta stone French in time for the start of the MBA program. Language learning takes time and it is not possible to cram everything into the mind at once, like I used to do for my exams in grad school. Retention is the key to language learning and that takes it's own sweet time. I plan on not making any more plans.
I accumulated some good karma this week. I donated all my computer science books to the library at my workplace. I don't plan on getting back to programming after my MBA and hope that these books are helpful to my coworkers.
I was so excited to receive the MBA admission offer from HEC Paris that rationality and realism went out the window and I made some over-ambitious plans. I bought the Rosetta stone software for French, level 1,2 and 3. I planned on finishing all the 3 levels by the start of the MBA program in Septemeber. All this in parallel to
-Learning Portuguese
-Working out regularly
-Drinking beer with friends on the weekends
-Upcoming travel plans to Brazil and India.
-Emptying my apartment and getting out of USA.
The HEC MBA admission offer led to some irrational exuberance and now the bubble has busted. Reality is sinking in. I will not be able to finish all the 3 level's of Rosetta stone French in time for the start of the MBA program. Language learning takes time and it is not possible to cram everything into the mind at once, like I used to do for my exams in grad school. Retention is the key to language learning and that takes it's own sweet time. I plan on not making any more plans.
I accumulated some good karma this week. I donated all my computer science books to the library at my workplace. I don't plan on getting back to programming after my MBA and hope that these books are helpful to my coworkers.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Avatar effect
Raleigh, NC
I just got back from the movie Avatar at the IMAX theatre. Awesome movie with excellent visual and sound effects! On planet Pandora, the indigenous humanoids can physically feel the interconnectedness of everything living and non-living. The entire planet Pandora is like a giant organism, with 'Eywa' the underlying field of energy sustaining the balance of life.
On a deeper thought, is our planet any different? All living and non-living things on this planet are interconnected in ways we cannot comprehend or imagine. It's just that we cannot feel this interconnectedness at a physical level. Eastern philosophies have talked for ages about this interconnectedness and the all pervading life force which can be experienced through deep meditation and contemplation. Physics research on the "Unified Field Theory" is validating what eastern philosophies have been preaching for ages. I recently read a book "The Field: The Quest for the Secret Force of the Universe" by Lynne McTaggart. I highly recommend this book which details how scientific research is validating what ancient religions have been teaching.
On a tangent, I have been questioning whether we would value things in our life differently if we could feel the interconnectedness of everything living and non-living? The world around us, there is a huge distance between the cause and the effect. We are disconnected with the sources of food we eat. Sitting in a cube writing software, I am disconnected with people who will ultimately use what I develop. Politicians and leaders are disconnected from people whose lives will be affected by their decisions. Financial wizards at Wall Street are disconnected from the long term pain their actions can create. Is this disconnectedness leading to actions which result in short term gains and long term losses, whether be it in finance, environment or politics?
Recently I have been very skeptical about everything I see or read. I switch on the TV and see advertisements for prescription drugs. Talk to your doctor about xyz drug. Just pop one pill a day and you will lead a better life. But wait a minute; you might die from the side effects. Every advertisement or news article I read takes me into the 'skepticism zone' and I Google to find information which proves the exact opposite of what I just read. That again validates my skepticism which makes me all the more skeptical! I hope this is a temporary phase that will pass. I don't to be a grumpy old man at 31!
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Form is empty, emptiness is form.
Raleigh, NC
I have trouble understanding the true meaning and essence of this sentence. This Buddhist expression originates from the Prajna Paramita Hridaya Sutra, commonly known as the Heart Sutra, which contains the philosophical essence of about sixhundred scrolls making up the Maha Prajna Paramita. Emptiness is a key concept in Buddhist philosophy. Thebigview.com has an excellent explanation of the concept of emptiness in the buddhist philosophy.
"What is emptiness? To understand the philosophical meaning of this term, let's look at a simple solid object, such as a cup. How is a cup empty? We usually say that a cup is empty if it does not contain any liquid or solid. This is the ordinary meaning of emptiness. But, is the cup really empty? A cup empty of liquids or solids is still full of air. To be precise, we must therefore state what the cup is empty of. Can a cup be empty of all substance? A cup in a vacuum does not contain any air, but it still contains space, light, radiation, as well as its own substance. Hence, from a physical point of view, the cup is always full of something. Yet, from the Buddhist point of view, the cup is always empty. The Buddhist understanding of emptiness is different from the physical meaning. The cup being empty means that it is devoid of inherent existence.
What is meant with non-inherent existence? Is this to say that the cup does not ultimately exist? - Not quite. - The cup exists, but like everything in this world, its existence depends on other phenomena. There is nothing in a cup that is inherent to that specific cup or to cups in general. Properties such as being hollow, spherical, cylindrical, or leak-proof are not intrinsic to cups. Other objects which are not cups have similar properties, as for example vases and glasses. The cup's properties and components are neither cups themselves nor do they imply cupness on their own. The material is not the cup. The shape is not the cup. The function is not the cup. Only all these aspects together make up the cup. Hence, we can say that for an object to be a cup we require a collection of specific conditions to exist. It depends on the combination of function, use, shape, base material, and the cup's other aspects. Only if all these conditions exist simultaneously does the mind impute cupness to the object. If one condition ceases to exist, for instance, if the cup's shape is altered by breaking it, the cup forfeits some or all of its cupness, because the object's function, its shape, as well as the imputation of cupness through perception is disrupted. The cup's existence thus depends on external circumstances. Its physical essence remains elusive.
If this is the case for a simple object, such as a cup, then it must also apply to compound things, such as cars, houses, machines, etc. A car, for example, needs a motor, wheels, axles, gears, and many other things to work. Perhaps we should consider the difference between man-made objects, such as cups, and natural phenomena, such as earth, plants, animals, and human beings. One may argue that lack of inherent existence of objects does not imply the same for natural phenomena and beings. In case of a human being, there is a body, a mind, a character, a history of actions, habits, behaviour, and other things we can draw upon to describe a person. We can even divide these characteristics further into more fundamental properties. For example, we can analyse the mind and see that there are sensations, cognition, feelings, ideas. Or, we can analyse the brain and find that there are neurons, axons, synapses, and neurotransmitters. However, none of these constituents describe the essence of the person, the mind, or the brain. Again, the essence remains elusive."
What is the essence of a person is what I struggled with while writing my MBA application essays. What is individuality? If everything we are is dependent on something else, then what makes me truly me? I took a simplistic approach to the application essays. What we do is what we are! So package everything I have done in my life so far. Education, work experience, hobbies, extra curricular activities and international experience. Present it in a set of well written essays and be done with it. While writing the essays my instinct kept telling me that though what I am writing is factually correct, it is not an accurate portrayal of my individuality. I have no clue what makes me truly me so how can I describe it in essays? For now I have accepted that truly understanding ourselves is an elusive goal.
I have trouble understanding the true meaning and essence of this sentence. This Buddhist expression originates from the Prajna Paramita Hridaya Sutra, commonly known as the Heart Sutra, which contains the philosophical essence of about sixhundred scrolls making up the Maha Prajna Paramita. Emptiness is a key concept in Buddhist philosophy. Thebigview.com has an excellent explanation of the concept of emptiness in the buddhist philosophy.
"What is emptiness? To understand the philosophical meaning of this term, let's look at a simple solid object, such as a cup. How is a cup empty? We usually say that a cup is empty if it does not contain any liquid or solid. This is the ordinary meaning of emptiness. But, is the cup really empty? A cup empty of liquids or solids is still full of air. To be precise, we must therefore state what the cup is empty of. Can a cup be empty of all substance? A cup in a vacuum does not contain any air, but it still contains space, light, radiation, as well as its own substance. Hence, from a physical point of view, the cup is always full of something. Yet, from the Buddhist point of view, the cup is always empty. The Buddhist understanding of emptiness is different from the physical meaning. The cup being empty means that it is devoid of inherent existence.
What is meant with non-inherent existence? Is this to say that the cup does not ultimately exist? - Not quite. - The cup exists, but like everything in this world, its existence depends on other phenomena. There is nothing in a cup that is inherent to that specific cup or to cups in general. Properties such as being hollow, spherical, cylindrical, or leak-proof are not intrinsic to cups. Other objects which are not cups have similar properties, as for example vases and glasses. The cup's properties and components are neither cups themselves nor do they imply cupness on their own. The material is not the cup. The shape is not the cup. The function is not the cup. Only all these aspects together make up the cup. Hence, we can say that for an object to be a cup we require a collection of specific conditions to exist. It depends on the combination of function, use, shape, base material, and the cup's other aspects. Only if all these conditions exist simultaneously does the mind impute cupness to the object. If one condition ceases to exist, for instance, if the cup's shape is altered by breaking it, the cup forfeits some or all of its cupness, because the object's function, its shape, as well as the imputation of cupness through perception is disrupted. The cup's existence thus depends on external circumstances. Its physical essence remains elusive.
If this is the case for a simple object, such as a cup, then it must also apply to compound things, such as cars, houses, machines, etc. A car, for example, needs a motor, wheels, axles, gears, and many other things to work. Perhaps we should consider the difference between man-made objects, such as cups, and natural phenomena, such as earth, plants, animals, and human beings. One may argue that lack of inherent existence of objects does not imply the same for natural phenomena and beings. In case of a human being, there is a body, a mind, a character, a history of actions, habits, behaviour, and other things we can draw upon to describe a person. We can even divide these characteristics further into more fundamental properties. For example, we can analyse the mind and see that there are sensations, cognition, feelings, ideas. Or, we can analyse the brain and find that there are neurons, axons, synapses, and neurotransmitters. However, none of these constituents describe the essence of the person, the mind, or the brain. Again, the essence remains elusive."
What is the essence of a person is what I struggled with while writing my MBA application essays. What is individuality? If everything we are is dependent on something else, then what makes me truly me? I took a simplistic approach to the application essays. What we do is what we are! So package everything I have done in my life so far. Education, work experience, hobbies, extra curricular activities and international experience. Present it in a set of well written essays and be done with it. While writing the essays my instinct kept telling me that though what I am writing is factually correct, it is not an accurate portrayal of my individuality. I have no clue what makes me truly me so how can I describe it in essays? For now I have accepted that truly understanding ourselves is an elusive goal.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Why MBA?
Raleigh, NC
Why do you want to pursue an MBA, why now and what after the MBA?
These are the common questions all business schools ask in their MBA admission essays. I did not have an answer to any of these when I first thought of getting an MBA. All I knew was what I did not want. After 8 years of cranking out computer code, I lost the passion for programming. I cannot imagine doing the same thing 10 years from now. Programming used to excite me. During my undergrad and grad school, I spent endless hours in the computer lab, writing all sorts of programs in pascal, C, C++, Java and what not. Every time the program compiled and executed, I was elated. The prospects of getting on the plane to USA, making the big bucks and enjoying the standard of living in a developed country was enticing, and writing software was the ticket to it all. Just had to learn to punch the right keys and I would be on the way!
Growing up in Hyderabad, India, where every street corner has a "computer training center", I had seen plane loads of people around me get degrees in computer science, take the GRE, TOEFL, board the flight to the USA for grad school and go on to work in the tech industry after graduation. Dot-com fever was at its high, there was huge demand for techies in the US. The guy selling suitcases a few blocks from my house was making a killing. Business had never been so good.
Four years into my career I asked myself the question, who cares about all the complex sort and search functions I write? It's so embedded in layers of software, no one is going to know who wrote it and what for. That's when I decided to do user interface development. Writing graphical user interfaces (GUI - gooey) that people can actually use without losing their sanity was fulfilling. This was no escape from programming though. GUI development was just a different kind of programming. So this got old too. I started researching roles which I could grow into and how. An MBA would give me the flexibility to change careers and locations. It would shake the status quo, break the routine and make life a little more interesting.
Next step was to put together a concrete plan which I could write about in the essays. A plan that is feasible, doable and believable. Besides the plan I wanted to present different aspects of my personality in the essays. What followed were months of intense self analysis, putting all my life experiences under a microscope, questioning myself as to what drives me and what makes me tick and who am I as a person. In UNIX operating system, "whoami" is a command which returns the username you logged into system with. I was searching for a "whoami" command in real life. Looking back I think I took the MBA application essay questions a little too seriously. I wonder how much I gained from all that self introspection. Thinking of programming, dot com fever etc, I came across this video which is very amusing.
Why do you want to pursue an MBA, why now and what after the MBA?
These are the common questions all business schools ask in their MBA admission essays. I did not have an answer to any of these when I first thought of getting an MBA. All I knew was what I did not want. After 8 years of cranking out computer code, I lost the passion for programming. I cannot imagine doing the same thing 10 years from now. Programming used to excite me. During my undergrad and grad school, I spent endless hours in the computer lab, writing all sorts of programs in pascal, C, C++, Java and what not. Every time the program compiled and executed, I was elated. The prospects of getting on the plane to USA, making the big bucks and enjoying the standard of living in a developed country was enticing, and writing software was the ticket to it all. Just had to learn to punch the right keys and I would be on the way!
Growing up in Hyderabad, India, where every street corner has a "computer training center", I had seen plane loads of people around me get degrees in computer science, take the GRE, TOEFL, board the flight to the USA for grad school and go on to work in the tech industry after graduation. Dot-com fever was at its high, there was huge demand for techies in the US. The guy selling suitcases a few blocks from my house was making a killing. Business had never been so good.
Four years into my career I asked myself the question, who cares about all the complex sort and search functions I write? It's so embedded in layers of software, no one is going to know who wrote it and what for. That's when I decided to do user interface development. Writing graphical user interfaces (GUI - gooey) that people can actually use without losing their sanity was fulfilling. This was no escape from programming though. GUI development was just a different kind of programming. So this got old too. I started researching roles which I could grow into and how. An MBA would give me the flexibility to change careers and locations. It would shake the status quo, break the routine and make life a little more interesting.
Next step was to put together a concrete plan which I could write about in the essays. A plan that is feasible, doable and believable. Besides the plan I wanted to present different aspects of my personality in the essays. What followed were months of intense self analysis, putting all my life experiences under a microscope, questioning myself as to what drives me and what makes me tick and who am I as a person. In UNIX operating system, "whoami" is a command which returns the username you logged into system with. I was searching for a "whoami" command in real life. Looking back I think I took the MBA application essay questions a little too seriously. I wonder how much I gained from all that self introspection. Thinking of programming, dot com fever etc, I came across this video which is very amusing.
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