Annual Review

2013 – The Year Ahead

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Time to start thinking about my goals for next year. After my mixed success with goal-setting for this past year, I’m going to try and make these ones as specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound (SMART) as possible. Lets go!

Need to happen:

  • Pass the HSK Level 5. I really want to have an official document that demonstrates my proficiency. I found this great website called Skritter to help me practice my Chinese and it’s going well so far. I’d like to sit for the Level 5 by December. Before that though, I hope to test the waters and sit for the Level 4 exam by June.
  • Get at least a 720 or higher on the GMAT. I’m not sure when I’ll head back to grad school, but I eventually want to earn a joint MBA/MA. Hope I can get this out of the way by June.
  • Run a half-marathon. This has been a goal for three years, and it still hasn’t happened. I’d like to run the Philly Half-Marathon next November. Before running the Half, I plan on doing a couple 5/10/15k races just to get comfortable running in a race. Relatedly, I hope to hit the gym at least once a week for strength training.
  • Blog at least once a month. In addition to this blog, which will continue be mostly a log of my ongoing projects, I’m thinking about starting another blog focused on the challenges of urbanization. Hope I can get that off the ground!
  • Go to mass at least once a month. I don’t think I’ll really have any problems getting this one done.

Want to happen:

  • Learn Python and R. Related to my coding goals from last year, but with more focus. I’d like to be competent enough to make at least one submission on Kaggle by October.
  • Dive deeper in HTML/CSS/JS. I launched a landing page earlier this fall, but quickly realized I really have no idea what I was doing. For now, that project is shelved. Hope to continue practicing by completing more modules like those on CodeAcademy or on Udemy.

2012 in Review

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Just three days left this year. Here’s my recap of this past year.

January:

Ringing in the New Year at Taipei 101!

Ringing in the New Year at Taipei 101!

Living the life of a student. I was deep in the heart of my language study program in Taiwan. Classes were challenging, but what I recall most from this month was all the fun I had enjoying my time in Taipei. Whether it was hitting the bars, exploring the parks and neighborhoods, or even just hanging out with friends from around the world, I finally felt like I was easing back into “normal” life, albeit in a foreign country. This was also the month when I was forced to leave Taiwan for Hong Kong due to an expired visa, and when my Chinese skills were put to the test when I served as essentially the translator for my groups’ adventures around Taiwan during CNY.

 

February:

Banana pratha for breakfast in Singapore.

Banana pratha for breakfast in Singapore.

 

Enjoying freedom, traveling solo, saying goodbyes. I had finally decided that I wouldn’t be doing another semester at Taida. I had already traveled around Taiwan during CNY, but made an effort to visit some additional places around the island before l departed. I also visited Singapore and Malaysia before coming back to Taiwan for my return flight to LA. I was traveling solo for most of these trips, but despite that fact I still had an amazing time. So much good food, really interesting people, and I still couldn’t believe that I was living out a lifelong dream. Having the freedom to just go is something that I’ll definitely remember from this month. That, and saying goodbye to all the people I had met in Taiwan. Hope to meet up with them some day.

 

March:
Back to the States. I spent two weeks in LA before heading back to DC. I had considered settling back down in other cities – SF, LA, NYC, and Seattle were on my shortlist – but I chose to head back to DC mainly because I felt like I left the city too soon. Coming back to DC was a great, mainly because of all the people that welcomed me back with open arms. It felt as if I had never left! Catching up and enjoying my time in DC while funemployed is what I remember most about March.

Spring time hiking at Great Falls Park

Spring time hiking at Great Falls Park.

April:

Kicking the job search into high gear. After the novelty of being back in DC had worn off, I was ready to turbo charge my search for an enjoyable job. April was the month that really tested my tolerance for uncertainty. Although I had been out of the workforce since October, it was only until April did I really feel like one of the thousands of recent college graduates (let alone millions of unemployed Americans) desperately looking for work but with no luck. I was growing anxious, but at the same time wasn’t too worried since I still had a backup plan to attend grad school or head back to Singapore.

May:

New job! And a wake up call. Lots of things happened this month. I was offered a job (!) doing research for a public affairs firm. Shortly after starting though, I had to head back to Hawaii for my grandma’s funeral. It was certainly unexpected, and the event was a wake up call to make sure I’m not wasting my time. Life is too fleeting to put up with nonsense.

June-August:

What a blur. This past summer was honestly probably one of the more fast-paced ones that I’ve had since leaving Hawaii 7 years ago. The learning curve for my new job was incredibly steep, and there were numerous times where I felt utterly incompetent and had no idea how I managed to land the position. I spent many of my out-of-work hours trying to get a grasp on how to effectively do my job. Despite the difficulties at work, I had a great appreciation for what I was learning and doing each day, something that in hindsight, is a rarity for someone my age to say about their job.

Endless coding. Summer was also the time that I kicked my coding aspirations into high gear. I spent many weekends and early mornings absorbing as much information as possible. Most days I was confused and had no idea how things worked, but I look back on these moments as periods of perseverance. I had no idea what I was doing, and only a general reason why I wanted to code. Regardless, I’m glad I stuck to it, no matter how slow-going my efforts were.

September-October:

In search of balance. If the summer months was a time of non-stop work, September and October were the months where I sought to achieve more balance. During these two months I traveled all over the country, heading to NYC, Philly, LA and Hawaii once again. The workload hadn’t abated, but I was getting more comfortable with figuring out how to balance work with the rest of my life.

The view of Santa Barbara, California

The view of Santa Barbara, California

November-December:

Appreciation. From a career perspective, these two months helped me realize just how far I’ve come professionally speaking. The workload has abated largely due to the addition of a new team member. Work is much more fun now that I have a decent grasp of how things work. And did I mention how fantastic the benefits are at my work!? So far I have 21 days of vacation for next year — which is ample time to go out and explore the world! Beyond work, these past couple of weeks of holiday parties and get togethers have affirmed my belief that people truly make a place more than just a temporary base. Friends (and family) really do make a place feel like home. I’m so glad that wherever I’ve been, both Taipei, DC, and even as a traveler around Southeast Asia, I’ve been so thankful for being able to share my experiences with so many people – it’s been great!

 

2012 – The Year Ahead

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One week down, 51 more to go.

I was never one to make resolutions. I think the notion of resolutions is kind of a farce. Why do I need the New Year to force me to work towards a goal? I mean, whether I wake up to another day in the middle of the year, or the first of the year, every new day brings the chance to work towards something. ANYTHING. I certainly have goals, and this year is no exception. If I accomplish them, it’d be great. If not, it’s okay. I believe that like so many things in life, it’s the journey, rather than the destination, that matters the most. Below are my goals for the year:

Professional:
–       Get into graduate school.
–       Get published in an academic journal.
–       Pass the TOCFL Master or HSK Level 5.
–       Get a policy or IR-related job or internship, preferably in DC.

Personal:
–       Learn to code.
–       Run a half-marathon.
–       Blog at least once a week.
–       Go to mass at least once a month.

2011 in Review

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The past year was definitely one to remember.

January:
Hope. For the past five years I’ve spent the holiday season back in Los Angeles. When I left for LA in December, I was disappointed that I wasn’t staying indefinitely. Even though I had been in Washington for already 6 months, I still had a tough time adjusting to life there. When I returned to Washington in January, I promised myself that I wasn’t going to let anything stop me from living a better life – no fears, no regrets, no doubts, no haters.

February:
Focused. Of the three aspects of my life that I set out to improve (spiritual, professional, and social), I recall particularly focusing on my life at work. Armed with what I had learnt the previous month, I was making strides for the first time, at least I felt, towards building up a positive name for myself at the firm. Additionally, I got involved with a pro-bono project relating to social entrepreneurship through my firm. My involvement with Ashoka fueled my curiosity to learn more about the field.

March:
Determined. I remember messing up a lot on the job during this month. Regardless, I was determined to work through these mistakes and prove that I was indeed not only a competent, but also core asset to my team. My family came to visit the east coast as well during this month. Our weekend trip up to NYC, the first time in over a year that I had gone up to the city, was a much-welcomed mini-vacation.

April:
Perseverance. Four months into the year and I was already loosing steam in achieving my goals for a happier life in Washington. I knew that patience was a virtue, but I found it harder to keep trying to improve my personal and professional lives without seeing any tangible outcomes. In an effort to remind me to stay focused on my goals, I created this blog, to hold myself accountable. I also took a class at the Alliance Francaise; however, I stopped because it was moving way too slowly. After studying Chinese, I realized that despite its reputation as one of the more difficult of the Romance languages, a class was unnecessary to learn French.

May:
A turning point. I remember this month being very fun, from a social perspective. For the first time, in a long while, I was actually doing things outside of work on a regular basis. Meeting new people, going to new places, hanging out. I almost imagined that this was what life should’ve been like back in college, before I let my insecurities get the better of me. I also did my first volunteer shift for the Freer Sackler through their summer-drinks series entitled, “Asia After Dark.” I also attended my first (and only) “Team in Training” event to prepare for the Philadelphia Marathon at the end of the year.

June:
Appreciation. I made a year living in Washington this month. Professional life was going well and social life was finally developing. For the first time in a long while, I really just couldn’t believe how far my circumstances had changed over the past year. This sensation and feeling of appreciation was undoubtedly the best birthday present I could’ve asked for.

July:
Enjoyment. Professional life had not changed much. Outside of work I continued to fuel my renewed interests in international relations. I volunteered at the triennial Society of International Development’s World Congress, where I had the chance to meet some great people with similar interests, and learned the affect of China’s continued economic rise has had on reshaping the international development community. This month was also a month of firsts

August:
Ambivalence. From a professional perspective, I felt like I was in a state of suspension. Despite being at the company for over a year, and already two months since the last big project ended, I wasn’t getting staffed on any formal, long-term project; primarily ad-hoc stuff. I wasn’t growing. However, outside of work, life continued to unfold for the better. After snagging a $550 roundtrip ticket from the East Coast to Hawaii, I finally went home (the original-home) for the first time in over two years, spending 10 days in Hawaii.

September:
Contemplation. I continued my Hawaii vacation into September by doing a double-back flight from Hawaii ? Dallas ? Reagan National; Dulles ? Los Angeles, all in one day, for my trip to Los Angeles. I usually tend to go back at least 3-5 times a year, so my trip back to LA, the first of the year, felt refreshing. Back in DC, as I considered my future career goals, I vowed to once again improve the situation before considering alternatives.

October:
Afraid. Even if I was going abroad to fulfill a goal of mine, I still found the notion of unemployment, particularly given the current economic climate, completely unfeasible and utterly senseless. Although I was prepared financially to make the jump, I was afraid of the unknown. Would I be able to get a job after my time in Asia? What would employers think about my decision? Would travel/study abroad live up to my expectations? Even after I was given the option to return to my employer in Singapore post-sabbatical, I still couldn’t believe I had made such a big decision.

November:
Frenetic. Despite no longer working, November was an incredibly busy month. No time to think about my decision. It was time to execute. The two weeks leading up to Taiwan were crazy. I studied for, and took the GREs. Packed for Taiwan and shipped the rest back to LA. Worked on Generation Enterprise stuff, a non-profit that I began volunteering for remotely back in October. Said many, many goodbyes. Went hiking two weekends in a row around the DC area. Even after arriving in Taiwan, the scramble continued to find suitable housing.

December:
Anew. I was worried that coming during the holiday season was going to be a little depressing, but this past month has been far from it. It did take some time getting used to being a student again, and I contemplated (and am still contemplating) on whether to sign on for another term beginning in March, but I am relishing in the fact that I am living abroad once again. Meeting new people, experiencing new things, going to new places, it’s been a fantastic experience!