December 31, 2011
Today marks the last day of 2011 - just like any year, this day would come, opening all of us to a whole new year filled with excitements and hopes. Yet, the day also brings back some memories, good and bad, of the year that passed - and together with it is some mixed feelings. A bit of regrets that a year is now gone - i can no longer hold on to it, but also a bit of excitement - wonder what the new year will bring me with.
Every year is a special year for me, and I treasure every moment living in it. This year is no exception - it has been an eventful year, a year that I had to leave a few important things behind, but also welcome a few new valuable things to my life. The two things dont cancel each other out, I still feel sad for having to say goodbye to those things, but I also feel happy for having new additions in my journey. Each event, good or bad, is a treasure in its own sense to me.
Take a moment to reflect of what 2011 has been, so I can look back a few years from now, and see the journey I have been through:
1. Probably, the saddest of all in 2011 for me was the big loss of my grandfather. Not only a loss to me, but to my whole family. It's been almost a year, and I sometime still wished it was just a dream... Grandpa, I know you are now resting in peace in heaven, but please do know we all miss you dearly. Thanks for creating such a wonderful family that I can be a part of.
2. A wonderful birthday and valentine day of mine, two in one. Started with the sweetest surprises from my dearest friends at GSB at the Facebook house - they filled up our swimming pool with lots of floating lanterns for me. I told them I would love those lanterns when watching the Tangled, and they did it for me. Thanks to all my dearest friends. You know I miss you all - and so unfair most of you are doing countdown in Thailand now! But Cindy and Bunny will do countdown in the beautiful SF :).
- It's also the first birthday/valentine day that I got to celebrate in person with my then boyfriend. A bittersweet experience - as it was the first and the last, but it was a wonderful celebration we had for each other.
3. Left behind a 4+ years relationship, over Easter. No regrets for the great time we shared, and I wish you best of luck in the new journey.
4. Did some amazing trips with my best friends at GSB: Crator Lake, Catalina Island, Yosemite, Death Valley... Cant even name it. Thanks to a so bonding time we had together! It made my b-school experience sooo much more meaningful (yup, it's these time that I remembered the most, not much about classes lol)
5. After 2 years of HARD work (haha, my friends who know me will totally disagree on this, but who cares :P), I earned my two degrees. It's the concept of "buy one (degree) get one (degree) free at Stanford" lol jk. I'm grateful for the amazing opportunities I have had over the past 2 years. Feel so blessed to be a part of this wonderful instutitions, and it has changed my life, personally and professionally.
6. One of the best summers I could remember - a full 4.5 months FREE, doing nothing but recharging and spending quality time with my family, especially my nephew and niece. Happy with the family travel trips we all did together, to New York, Boston, DC, Chicago, Miami, Vegas, LA, San Francisco. Cant remember the last time I got to spend that much time with my family - it must have been 12+ years... Grateful for how lucky I was to have had that opportunity.
7. The summer also marked my new endeavor with my non-profit that my friends and I have started. A challenging but rewarding feeling, and I would trade many things to get this experience. Probably the best way to spend my free time, in a meaningful way. Thanks to all the support and efforts of all my dear friends, whom I have known for so long, or those whom I just got to know, and even some then strangers now friends. Without you all, College Sponsor (soon to be called VietSeed) wont take shape. Lets build VietSeed together, for the better of many young kids.
8. Moved to San Francisco, and started my new job. Felt strange to start working again (or seeing income again) after 2+ years. Turned out to be not-so-bad transition (at least for the income part) lol.
9. Settled down in a new apartment in the city of San Francisco - or my new home. Grateful to have a new roommate, a chance to build a bonding friendship again! Have experienced the most unforgettable Halloween weekend - an uneasy conversation with a great friend, or slightly more than that - followed by some hiccups in the apartment at night, or 12 hours later. All happened 3 weeks after I moved in to the new city, but as I looked back, things happened for a reason and for the better - and i'm glad we all sailed through the storm. Thanks for all the best support from my greatest friends during a little tough time (you know who you are!).
10. Started a little journey of something that has become more common these days for young professionals - especially in this Bay Area (nope, i cant be more specific). I'm sure this journey will bring some wonderful experience, regardless of the outcome.
----
End of reflection :). So funny how it ended up itself with 10 take-aways. I didnt know how much I would have when I started it.
Looking back to 2011, it's been an amazing journey for me, ups and downs, but eventually it made life a lot more meaningful. I obviously could not have done this journey alone - it's all surrounded by family and friends. Thanks to all for making 2011 a wonderful year for me. Especially,
- thanks to my family for always being there - give me the strengths and support that I need. And give me a home I could fall back on whenever I need.
- thanks to the facebook house, its extended family members and my forever-suppport group - you guys know you have made my gsb experience one of the best 2 years of my life.
- thanks to the College Sponsor/VietSeed family, especially to the early members and sponsors who have put in so much commitment, efforts and passion - cant thank enough for helping me build a journey. It's VietSeed that keeps me up at night, and it's definitely something I wake up to do.
- and thanks to the little community of friends, a network of support in San Francisco - you guys know you have made my transitional experience so much easier. And a new "home" in Sonoma too - thanks for that! (well, regardless of you two allowing it or not, i now call it another 'home' :p)
Leaving behind a wonderful 2011 - Ready for 2012.
Happy New Year to all!
Big hugs and Luv from San Francisco,
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Monday, September 12, 2011
The 4-week countdown
Monday September 12, 2011
For another 4 Mondays, I will be getting back to the real world - starting my new job! October 10 is the date
Am I excited for getting back to work?
Am I bored for spending the last 3 months home on vacation while most of my friends work really hard?
Those are the 2 questions I got the most whenever I meet my friends :).
Yes, I'm excited when October comes - but for a lot more reasons:
- I will be back in the Bay Area, where the weather is a killer, where I am surrounded by my very beloved friends. I realized how much I miss my friends during my short trip back to the bay area last weekend. I also realized I have grown in love with the place - and this is another "home" for me
- I will start making some money - for real - after 2 years of only spending. Always important source of happiness to see some inflow of money - i guess...
- I am half excited with the very challenging work ahead of me, yet I am also half scared of what I am getting myself into. Just a little crazy working hours and the lifestyle i think... And I worry if I have enough time to balance between my job and my non-profit... But I am ready (or so I hope).
No, I have not felt bored at all for the past 3 months on vacation. Not a tiny bit. Starting the summer, I was worried I might not know how to kill so much of my free time - reality has been a total opposite. Here's why:
- I got to spend sooo much time (i really meant it) with my amazing family. With parents. With siblings. With my nephew and my niece. I cant remember the last time I hang out that much with all of them. It's way long in the past. And now I get it back.
- Together with my team, we have made lots of meaningful progress with the non-profit I am starting. Yes, we have been so lagged behind in building an awesome business plan or so - BUT we have achieved big success in finding our 10 students - our scholarship recipients for this pilot year. The very FINE students I would say. We are blessed to have found them - and be a bit of help to them in their new journeys. Even more blessed, we have an amazing network of friends who stepped up and be our first few sponsors to our students. We have not got fully funded yet - but we are getting there. Dearest thanks to friends and supporters!!
- I designed my own schedule - I slept when I wanted, I woke up when I wanted, and I worked when I felt the need. That in itself is a total freedom
- I got to travel around a bit to see longtime friends I havent been able to catch up and to meet new amazing friends that we have become close
- And a millions more reasons why my summer has been more than just a blast.
Just a note to capture my feelings of a Monday 4 weeks away from my new journey. I think I am ready for the next journey - but yes I feel worried at the same time...
For another 4 Mondays, I will be getting back to the real world - starting my new job! October 10 is the date
Am I excited for getting back to work?
Am I bored for spending the last 3 months home on vacation while most of my friends work really hard?
Those are the 2 questions I got the most whenever I meet my friends :).
Yes, I'm excited when October comes - but for a lot more reasons:
- I will be back in the Bay Area, where the weather is a killer, where I am surrounded by my very beloved friends. I realized how much I miss my friends during my short trip back to the bay area last weekend. I also realized I have grown in love with the place - and this is another "home" for me
- I will start making some money - for real - after 2 years of only spending. Always important source of happiness to see some inflow of money - i guess...
- I am half excited with the very challenging work ahead of me, yet I am also half scared of what I am getting myself into. Just a little crazy working hours and the lifestyle i think... And I worry if I have enough time to balance between my job and my non-profit... But I am ready (or so I hope).
No, I have not felt bored at all for the past 3 months on vacation. Not a tiny bit. Starting the summer, I was worried I might not know how to kill so much of my free time - reality has been a total opposite. Here's why:
- I got to spend sooo much time (i really meant it) with my amazing family. With parents. With siblings. With my nephew and my niece. I cant remember the last time I hang out that much with all of them. It's way long in the past. And now I get it back.
- Together with my team, we have made lots of meaningful progress with the non-profit I am starting. Yes, we have been so lagged behind in building an awesome business plan or so - BUT we have achieved big success in finding our 10 students - our scholarship recipients for this pilot year. The very FINE students I would say. We are blessed to have found them - and be a bit of help to them in their new journeys. Even more blessed, we have an amazing network of friends who stepped up and be our first few sponsors to our students. We have not got fully funded yet - but we are getting there. Dearest thanks to friends and supporters!!
- I designed my own schedule - I slept when I wanted, I woke up when I wanted, and I worked when I felt the need. That in itself is a total freedom
- I got to travel around a bit to see longtime friends I havent been able to catch up and to meet new amazing friends that we have become close
- And a millions more reasons why my summer has been more than just a blast.
Just a note to capture my feelings of a Monday 4 weeks away from my new journey. I think I am ready for the next journey - but yes I feel worried at the same time...
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Last lecture 2 - by Prof Charles Lee
Continuing on the take-aways on the GSB Class 2011 - Last Lecture Series.
Disclaimer: most of what i wrote here was what were presented to us during our last lectures, and I dont plan to re-organize any of the ideas. So you might find it a bit unstructured/unorganized
Our 2nd last lecture was presented to us by Prof. Charles Lee, who in my opinion is a genius in Behavior Finance, or anything investment-related. I did not have a chance to take his class (simply just because his class is too advanced for me to understand...). Yet my few interactions with him on a personal basis left me with superior impression about him - a great person with the brightest brain, yet a very very humble personality. Lots of life wisdom (nothing finance-related, as again i would hardly understand anything finance-related) I had got from him by knowing him, and I thanked him for that.
Here come the take-aways from his last lecture (and I must admit he has gone a bit too far to give us so many philosophical advice, that I havent fully understood it all). Yet I hope at some point in my life, I can fully embrace these wisdom...
Quote (from my note)
1. What does success look like?
- Success is something that doesnt need any external validation
- Is success a good thing? Most likely the answer is Yes.
- But how about, "Is being a successful thief a good thing then"?
- In other words, success might be just contextual depending on your goal.
2. Remember you are not your resume.
- Think what is there in you that is beyond a resume
- Understand the difference between Wisdom (meta knowledge) vs Knowledge, of Moral Reasoning vs Moral Conduct
3. "The pursuit of happiness cannot be without the pursuit of virtue"
4. Prof. Lee's very dear advice to us before we embark on our new journey:
- Hold things lightly - if you know what you are called to do, just do it but hold things lightly (and my understand from his example is that so you dont just have to achieve what you set out by any mean, or learn how to let go when things dont happen the way you expected/planned. Bear in mind how i interpreted what he meant can be completely off - but this is how i resonated with his advice when hearing him talk)
- Mind the gap/the difference between Moral Reasoning and Moral Conduct. Also be aware of the gap of what we want to do and what we actually do
- "If you desire to be good, begin by believing that you are wicked" (Epictetus)
- Regardless of what happened in life, what you will eventually face is YOURSELF
- "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23)
- A blessed man is someone who found something in life more important than himself ---> this is one of my most favorite quotes from his lecture.
- We are lucky if we can find a job that we wake up every morning wanting to go to work
Unquote (from my note)
Link to Prof. Lee's bio: http://gsbapps.stanford.edu/facultyprofiles/biomain.asp?id=07921309
Disclaimer: most of what i wrote here was what were presented to us during our last lectures, and I dont plan to re-organize any of the ideas. So you might find it a bit unstructured/unorganized
Our 2nd last lecture was presented to us by Prof. Charles Lee, who in my opinion is a genius in Behavior Finance, or anything investment-related. I did not have a chance to take his class (simply just because his class is too advanced for me to understand...). Yet my few interactions with him on a personal basis left me with superior impression about him - a great person with the brightest brain, yet a very very humble personality. Lots of life wisdom (nothing finance-related, as again i would hardly understand anything finance-related) I had got from him by knowing him, and I thanked him for that.
Here come the take-aways from his last lecture (and I must admit he has gone a bit too far to give us so many philosophical advice, that I havent fully understood it all). Yet I hope at some point in my life, I can fully embrace these wisdom...
Quote (from my note)
1. What does success look like?
- Success is something that doesnt need any external validation
- Is success a good thing? Most likely the answer is Yes.
- But how about, "Is being a successful thief a good thing then"?
- In other words, success might be just contextual depending on your goal.
2. Remember you are not your resume.
- Think what is there in you that is beyond a resume
- Understand the difference between Wisdom (meta knowledge) vs Knowledge, of Moral Reasoning vs Moral Conduct
3. "The pursuit of happiness cannot be without the pursuit of virtue"
4. Prof. Lee's very dear advice to us before we embark on our new journey:
- Hold things lightly - if you know what you are called to do, just do it but hold things lightly (and my understand from his example is that so you dont just have to achieve what you set out by any mean, or learn how to let go when things dont happen the way you expected/planned. Bear in mind how i interpreted what he meant can be completely off - but this is how i resonated with his advice when hearing him talk)
- Mind the gap/the difference between Moral Reasoning and Moral Conduct. Also be aware of the gap of what we want to do and what we actually do
- "If you desire to be good, begin by believing that you are wicked" (Epictetus)
- Regardless of what happened in life, what you will eventually face is YOURSELF
- "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23)
- A blessed man is someone who found something in life more important than himself ---> this is one of my most favorite quotes from his lecture.
- We are lucky if we can find a job that we wake up every morning wanting to go to work
Unquote (from my note)
Link to Prof. Lee's bio: http://gsbapps.stanford.edu/facultyprofiles/biomain.asp?id=07921309
Sunday, July 10, 2011
First last lecture - Dont Play Small by Frank Flynn
Here comes a series of my takeaways from each of the last lecture that I mentioned in the previous post.
Starting with the 1st lecture by Prof Frank Flynn, I must embarrassedly admit that while this was my MOST favorite lecture of all (for various reasons), I did not take any note during this first session.
Some reasons why I really liked this first lecture:
- Prof Frank Flynn is an amazing amazing professor, with great sense of humor, fantastic charisma, a hard-to-beat presentation skill, and most important of all - a great inspiration for us (and for me).
- This is the very first last lecture that is organized for us, the outgoing class of 2011. Thus, we all came with very excited feeling - excited to hear what our beloved prof has to offer before we leave school, excited to see what else he can inspire us (after so much brainwash we got during the 2 years here). Needless to say, Prof Flynn succeeded beyond our expectation. This is again an embarrassing moment to admit, but I even got a tiny shed of tear walking out of the session - as i realized how much more I would miss this place, missing my amazing professors and a group of friends that have impacted me so much
Yet I didnt take any note... Reason was because, i didnt come in expecting there's any much more that I need to write down, and that I can remember it all. Proved me wrong apparently...
These are a few things I still remember on top of my head:
- The lecture theme is "Dont play small" - and this captures it all the essence of what Frank wants to leave us with. He reminded us why we all came to GSB, what matters to us, and how much we will lose and fail if we dont follow our heart to pursue our passion and do what matters most.
- There's no better time to take the risk than now when we have the least to lose (or so he said):
The risk of doing non-traditional things that we know we would love doing.
The risk of detrailing from the easy trek that most of our friends will do.
The risk of telling ourselves "let me just do this high-pay job for a couple of years, and I will follow my passion when I am successful", or "let me use this job as a stepping stone to the next thing I am passionate about". That doesnt sound like a bad plan, with the only one caveat - we never know when we are successful...
And yet, he then asked what is the biggest risk if we do fail? He said "there's not much... but the gain is plenty".
"DONT PLAY SMALL" is what he left us all with.
Here is a picture from his lecture (and if you look hard enough, you might notice it's me sitting on the floor in the front lol)
Link to Prof. Frank Flynn's profile:
http://gsbapps.stanford.edu/facultyprofiles/biomain.asp?id=78010309
Starting with the 1st lecture by Prof Frank Flynn, I must embarrassedly admit that while this was my MOST favorite lecture of all (for various reasons), I did not take any note during this first session.
Some reasons why I really liked this first lecture:
- Prof Frank Flynn is an amazing amazing professor, with great sense of humor, fantastic charisma, a hard-to-beat presentation skill, and most important of all - a great inspiration for us (and for me).
- This is the very first last lecture that is organized for us, the outgoing class of 2011. Thus, we all came with very excited feeling - excited to hear what our beloved prof has to offer before we leave school, excited to see what else he can inspire us (after so much brainwash we got during the 2 years here). Needless to say, Prof Flynn succeeded beyond our expectation. This is again an embarrassing moment to admit, but I even got a tiny shed of tear walking out of the session - as i realized how much more I would miss this place, missing my amazing professors and a group of friends that have impacted me so much
Yet I didnt take any note... Reason was because, i didnt come in expecting there's any much more that I need to write down, and that I can remember it all. Proved me wrong apparently...
These are a few things I still remember on top of my head:
- The lecture theme is "Dont play small" - and this captures it all the essence of what Frank wants to leave us with. He reminded us why we all came to GSB, what matters to us, and how much we will lose and fail if we dont follow our heart to pursue our passion and do what matters most.
- There's no better time to take the risk than now when we have the least to lose (or so he said):
The risk of doing non-traditional things that we know we would love doing.
The risk of detrailing from the easy trek that most of our friends will do.
The risk of telling ourselves "let me just do this high-pay job for a couple of years, and I will follow my passion when I am successful", or "let me use this job as a stepping stone to the next thing I am passionate about". That doesnt sound like a bad plan, with the only one caveat - we never know when we are successful...
And yet, he then asked what is the biggest risk if we do fail? He said "there's not much... but the gain is plenty".
"DONT PLAY SMALL" is what he left us all with.
Here is a picture from his lecture (and if you look hard enough, you might notice it's me sitting on the floor in the front lol)
Link to Prof. Frank Flynn's profile:
http://gsbapps.stanford.edu/facultyprofiles/biomain.asp?id=78010309
Saturday, July 9, 2011
The Last Lecture Series @ GSB
The last month at the GSB still left me with so many emotional memories. So many things happened, yet we had so little time to do everything.
Just like any other GSB classmates, I still had the FOMO (fear-of-missing-out) even at this last month, which meant despite my calendar being full (indeed it was double-booked, or triple-booked so many times), I still could not say No to many events that my friends organized. Among which, the Last Lecture Series for me were among the "must-do" (in retrospect, what else is not "must-do" anyway ^-^). So I did go to all the last lectures offered by our most favorite professors during our 2 years here. Below is the list of all 5 last lectures that I kept it here for my memories...
Frank Flynn - Prof from OB (Organizational behavior) class
(Thursday, May 12 at 6:30pm)
Charles Lee - Prof from Behavioral Finance class
(Wednesday, May 18 at 6:00pm)
Carole Robin - Prof from our most well-known GSB Touchy Feely Class (official class name is Interpersonal Dynamics)
(Thursday, May 26 at 6:30pm)
Joel Peterson - Prof from our MGE (Managing Growing Enterprise) class
(Thursday, June 2 at 6:00pm)
Irv Grousbeck - Prof from our MGE class
(Monday, June 6 at 7:00pm)
Lots of wisdom and advices for us before we all embark on the new journey and get out to the real world. Lots of encouragement for us to now follow our passion and go "move the mountains", to live the motto of the school to "change lives, change organization, change the world". Yes, it does sound very big and catchy now i reflect back, but in those emotional moments, it was still very needed for us (at least for me) to be constantly reminded of why we went to GSB, and why we are here.
This blog is the intro to all my important take-aways from each of the Last Lecture that I attended. Not all, but most of them will be part of my guiding principles in life as I lead my life forward, and I love to share with you all here, hoping that some of those takeaways will also reasonate with you.
What are the Last Lectures?
For those who are unfamiliar with the Last Lecture concept, below is a short sweet description of what it means.
Quote
Every year, the outgoing co-chairs of the Academic Committee organize the “Last Lecture” series – a compilation of lectures throughout the Spring Quarter from our favorite professors and lecturers at the GSB, exclusively for the graduating class. Often remembered as a highlight of the GSB experience, the Last Lectures feature a handful of invited speakers weekly who each leave the class with their final remarks, ranging from the most important takeaways from their classes to personal advice on how to lead a life of meaning beyond the GSB.
Unquote
Ps: Thanks so much to Moudy (our class Arbuckle Fellow) and Solomon for making this amazing last lecture series happen!
Just like any other GSB classmates, I still had the FOMO (fear-of-missing-out) even at this last month, which meant despite my calendar being full (indeed it was double-booked, or triple-booked so many times), I still could not say No to many events that my friends organized. Among which, the Last Lecture Series for me were among the "must-do" (in retrospect, what else is not "must-do" anyway ^-^). So I did go to all the last lectures offered by our most favorite professors during our 2 years here. Below is the list of all 5 last lectures that I kept it here for my memories...
Frank Flynn - Prof from OB (Organizational behavior) class
(Thursday, May 12 at 6:30pm)
Charles Lee - Prof from Behavioral Finance class
(Wednesday, May 18 at 6:00pm)
Carole Robin - Prof from our most well-known GSB Touchy Feely Class (official class name is Interpersonal Dynamics)
(Thursday, May 26 at 6:30pm)
Joel Peterson - Prof from our MGE (Managing Growing Enterprise) class
(Thursday, June 2 at 6:00pm)
Irv Grousbeck - Prof from our MGE class
(Monday, June 6 at 7:00pm)
Lots of wisdom and advices for us before we all embark on the new journey and get out to the real world. Lots of encouragement for us to now follow our passion and go "move the mountains", to live the motto of the school to "change lives, change organization, change the world". Yes, it does sound very big and catchy now i reflect back, but in those emotional moments, it was still very needed for us (at least for me) to be constantly reminded of why we went to GSB, and why we are here.
This blog is the intro to all my important take-aways from each of the Last Lecture that I attended. Not all, but most of them will be part of my guiding principles in life as I lead my life forward, and I love to share with you all here, hoping that some of those takeaways will also reasonate with you.
What are the Last Lectures?
For those who are unfamiliar with the Last Lecture concept, below is a short sweet description of what it means.
Quote
Every year, the outgoing co-chairs of the Academic Committee organize the “Last Lecture” series – a compilation of lectures throughout the Spring Quarter from our favorite professors and lecturers at the GSB, exclusively for the graduating class. Often remembered as a highlight of the GSB experience, the Last Lectures feature a handful of invited speakers weekly who each leave the class with their final remarks, ranging from the most important takeaways from their classes to personal advice on how to lead a life of meaning beyond the GSB.
Unquote
Ps: Thanks so much to Moudy (our class Arbuckle Fellow) and Solomon for making this amazing last lecture series happen!
Friday, July 8, 2011
Exercise...
So for those who know me really well, the concept of "working out" or "going to the gym" is very far from reality. It's one of the things that is always on my to-do list, and it's also one of the things that got de-prioritized very quickly. I know by heart it's such a bad thing to do, but I hardly made any progress on it...
The summer (if nothing else i achieved, then this is it!) marks a significant change for me. Believe it or not, I have finally made it to the gym starting last week. And I have also determined I will do more of that for the next 3 months when i'm here in Houston (it's always nice to make a bigger promise to continue that for the next year, or 10 years - but I also try to be realistic)!
Couple of reasons why it took me so long to finally do the simple thing that almost everybody else do without even thinking about it:
- I have so much free time here, and going to the gym makes me feel my time has been used more productively (or so I assume)
- My sister is going there everyday, and she is "forcing" me to go - or put it other way, she's a big inspiration for me to follow.
- I hope to gain some weight before I get back to the real job, which I know will consume a lot of my energy. So this extra-weight i can gain during my summer is super critical in case I have to lose weight when I start working.
- And of course, that gives me a great excuse to write my blog, and brag about this with all my friends who have never put faith in me that I can do this!
Now many more people know I have started doing this - a more reason for me to keep stay committed :).
Wish me luck!!
The summer (if nothing else i achieved, then this is it!) marks a significant change for me. Believe it or not, I have finally made it to the gym starting last week. And I have also determined I will do more of that for the next 3 months when i'm here in Houston (it's always nice to make a bigger promise to continue that for the next year, or 10 years - but I also try to be realistic)!
Couple of reasons why it took me so long to finally do the simple thing that almost everybody else do without even thinking about it:
- I have so much free time here, and going to the gym makes me feel my time has been used more productively (or so I assume)
- My sister is going there everyday, and she is "forcing" me to go - or put it other way, she's a big inspiration for me to follow.
- I hope to gain some weight before I get back to the real job, which I know will consume a lot of my energy. So this extra-weight i can gain during my summer is super critical in case I have to lose weight when I start working.
- And of course, that gives me a great excuse to write my blog, and brag about this with all my friends who have never put faith in me that I can do this!
Now many more people know I have started doing this - a more reason for me to keep stay committed :).
Wish me luck!!
Sunday, June 26, 2011
My nephew turning 4
It's my nephew Donald 4-year-old's birthday today! And he was so excited for this day to come. He talked about it for at least a week before it, and thus he has been listening to us more, as we "threatened" him not to host his birthday party if he's not behaving. It's magic - it worked for most of the time :)
Yesterday, my family and I went to 5 different supermarkets (yeah, you read it right - it's FIVE) to buy food and stuff for the party. We need certain things at certain place, and those places don't overlap. And so we run from places to places for 5 hours. It's crazy - but it seems we had fun.
In this big chaotic cooking, I also stepped up and contributed a bit. I tried to cook Italian seafood soup (Zuppa di Pesce) for the very first time. My previous roommate (mommy Pink) cooked it before, and I loved it - so i gave it a try. This is the recipe I followed:
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/zuppa-di-pesce.html
I also cooked the Grilled Salmon (Sue Harman’s Salmon Marinade) that I got the recipe from my gsb classmate Kevin. Absolutely loved it, and my family/guests liked it too.
I bought my nephew a Cars 2 luggage from Disney store - now he can travel to new places with his favorite suitcase. I personally loved it too, and wouldn't mind carrying it for my business travel later on, except i might look like an idiot. So I dropped that idea :)
http://www.amazon.com/Rolling-Backpack-Lightining-Mcqueen-School/dp/B0040549EY/ref=pd_sbs_a_16
Now time to sleep, and a new week starts tomorrow.
Happy birthday to you, Donald!
Yesterday, my family and I went to 5 different supermarkets (yeah, you read it right - it's FIVE) to buy food and stuff for the party. We need certain things at certain place, and those places don't overlap. And so we run from places to places for 5 hours. It's crazy - but it seems we had fun.
In this big chaotic cooking, I also stepped up and contributed a bit. I tried to cook Italian seafood soup (Zuppa di Pesce) for the very first time. My previous roommate (mommy Pink) cooked it before, and I loved it - so i gave it a try. This is the recipe I followed:
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/zuppa-di-pesce.html
I also cooked the Grilled Salmon (Sue Harman’s Salmon Marinade) that I got the recipe from my gsb classmate Kevin. Absolutely loved it, and my family/guests liked it too.
I bought my nephew a Cars 2 luggage from Disney store - now he can travel to new places with his favorite suitcase. I personally loved it too, and wouldn't mind carrying it for my business travel later on, except i might look like an idiot. So I dropped that idea :)
http://www.amazon.com/Rolling-Backpack-Lightining-Mcqueen-School/dp/B0040549EY/ref=pd_sbs_a_16
Now time to sleep, and a new week starts tomorrow.
Happy birthday to you, Donald!
Friday, June 24, 2011
The summer post-GSB
This blog is the start of my summer journey.
Like many of us who just graduated from the 2-year long MBA program, I struggled with the decision what to do for the whole summer. Either sign up for another summer internship and get another great (or so I hope) experience before I start my full time job. Or just ask to start my full time job earlier (and yes, the big PLUS is so I can start seeing more inflow to my bank account after years of only deficit). Or I can make a big traveling plan to all corners of the world (like so many of my gsb friends did). Or just simply do nothing...
I sorta picked the last one. As I talked to so many friends and people who were in the same boat with me many years ago, the consistent advice I got was that "when is the next time you have such a long break for yourself?" "forget about work - you will have your whole life ahead to do work", or many other advices along the same line. Surely there are advices on the opposite side as well, but I only remember what I wanted to hear, and these advices definitely stick more with me (or with my lazy nature).
And here I am, in Houston, deciding to spend all my summer months here with my family. I know I know - there are no good reasons to be in this crazily hot weather (average is about 95 F degree, or equivalent of about 35-37 C degree), plus the very humid weather. Yet, my family is here, so are my amazing nephew and my niece.
I also decided to spend this entire summer to work on a non-profit start-up that I have been very determined to make it happen. Another blog I will explain more what I am trying to work on, but in short it's a non-profit that focuses at providing sponsorship for underserved Vietnamese students to go to college in Vietnam. There is probably not better time for me to work on this than now - and so I decided to work on it full time for the next 3 months before I embark on a very busy work schedule again in October.
Summer has been great - I hardly go out during the day given how hot it can get here. But I have great time enjoying myself - and you wont believe, but time does fly by much faster than I thought. I have anticipated a much more painful time of not knowing how to fill my 24 hours a day, but it has proven me wrong. Before I realize, the whole day has gone.
Like many of us who just graduated from the 2-year long MBA program, I struggled with the decision what to do for the whole summer. Either sign up for another summer internship and get another great (or so I hope) experience before I start my full time job. Or just ask to start my full time job earlier (and yes, the big PLUS is so I can start seeing more inflow to my bank account after years of only deficit). Or I can make a big traveling plan to all corners of the world (like so many of my gsb friends did). Or just simply do nothing...
I sorta picked the last one. As I talked to so many friends and people who were in the same boat with me many years ago, the consistent advice I got was that "when is the next time you have such a long break for yourself?" "forget about work - you will have your whole life ahead to do work", or many other advices along the same line. Surely there are advices on the opposite side as well, but I only remember what I wanted to hear, and these advices definitely stick more with me (or with my lazy nature).
And here I am, in Houston, deciding to spend all my summer months here with my family. I know I know - there are no good reasons to be in this crazily hot weather (average is about 95 F degree, or equivalent of about 35-37 C degree), plus the very humid weather. Yet, my family is here, so are my amazing nephew and my niece.
I also decided to spend this entire summer to work on a non-profit start-up that I have been very determined to make it happen. Another blog I will explain more what I am trying to work on, but in short it's a non-profit that focuses at providing sponsorship for underserved Vietnamese students to go to college in Vietnam. There is probably not better time for me to work on this than now - and so I decided to work on it full time for the next 3 months before I embark on a very busy work schedule again in October.
Summer has been great - I hardly go out during the day given how hot it can get here. But I have great time enjoying myself - and you wont believe, but time does fly by much faster than I thought. I have anticipated a much more painful time of not knowing how to fill my 24 hours a day, but it has proven me wrong. Before I realize, the whole day has gone.
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