1. Don’t take no for an answer. When my one of my managers at AT&T gave me a bunch of excuses for why he couldn’t help set up some networking opportunities for me while I would be in Dallas, I went out of my way to do it myself (with some encouragement from my mentor Peter). You have to be a go-getter if you want to succeed.
2. Be aware of how others perceive you! I was reminded at CAAEN Leadership Training that our cultural values influence our expectations and behavior, but that other people may have different cultural expectations and thus value your behaviors differently. I have already heard that I am “good at my work but quiet.” It doesn’t matter if this is a typical Asian stereotype; regardless, I must change it ASAP!
3. Time flies by! I’ve been at AT&T for six months now! I realized that when I earned my first vacation dates with that six month service, which I am saving for NYC :)
4. I never really saw myself doing advertising/marketing either. That’s what my friend Linda remarked when I told her my job, and I have to agree. I really like my job though, to the extent that… well, I was at Bubble and Crepe and overheard the owner confused about how her good reviews were disappearing at Yelp, and I started explaining to her the nature of online marketing, how to make websites more effective, Google AdWords, etc. (did it mostly in Mandarin to boot!). She gave me a free lychee drink haha.
5. I feel confident to succeed in the future. My manager showed my group this video in context of changes taking place at work. If you feel unprepared for the global economy after watching this Did You Know? video, make sure you work on being more global, versatile, and technologically-savvy, among other skills.
6. Things are simpler when you don’t allow socially-constructed expectations to dictate your life. Rather than find a date for Valentine’s Day, I just ignored the holiday and instead visited my friend Irene down at Stanford since she had a three-day weekend. It was so liberating to not care about this holiday that so many singles agonize over. Next time, just boycott Singles Awareness Day (or other societal expectations) and you’ll feel even better.
7. The professors at Stanford are “inspiring.” That’s the word Irene used to describe her professors there when I visited. I had good professors at UCLA, and even ones that cared, but I wouldn’t describe them as inspirational. This is not to say that I wouldn’t go to UCLA if I had to do it again (I would in a heartbeat), but rather I hope to experience professors who will inspire me as much as I inspire myself.
8. Good friends will find time for you. I experienced it twice this month: once when Shirley called me up to hang out when she was visiting her sister in SF, and another time when Ann and I finally met up after many weeks of trying. I really appreciate those demonstrations of initiative and persistence.
9. Everyone should be a good host. I have benefited from good hosts in my travels around the world, and I finally got to reciprocate when my friend KJ visited the Bay Area. I think he truly enjoyed the places that I took him to, and I had a lot of fun playing host. I appreciate my hosts even more now that I have done hosting myself.
10. I miss my UCLA friends. I’m glad KJ came because it allowed most of us to gather for a big Sproul 2-South reunion. There are a few others who I have yet to catch in my three visits to LA since moving up to the Bay Area.
11. It is possible to earn a free flight from Southwest! I finally earned one, although I did take 4 flights in the span of 5 days in February haha. I am now free to move about the country! ;)
12. Teaching 2nd graders is hard but rewarding. I taught for half a day as part of AT&T’s partnership with Junior Achievement, and that’s exactly how I felt. I knew I truly made a difference when the kids rushed at me to give me a group hug before I left. I admire people in Teach for America who are probably doing this everyday.
13. MahJong is fun and addicting! I finally learned how to play it (or at least the basic premise of the game) haha. Let’s MJ!
14. Yo-Yo Ma is good!! I started listening to his music again and it reminded me why I chose to write about his music over six years ago for my IB Music comparative world music paper.
15. Podcasts and iTunesU are free!! I really need an iPhone ASAP so I can start filling my commute time with educational material rather than radio music.
Finally, are unproductive weekends worth it? I usually do something every weekend, but I stayed home last weekend and this weekend and wasted most of my time online instead of doing more productive or social activities. Then again, I justify it as hedging my funds since I anticipate a socially-full March and thus higher spending. So, looking on the positive side…
…onto March!!
