Month: December 2013

Goodbye 2013, Hello 2014!

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It’s the final day of the year. Before I head out to ring in 2014, I’m sticking with tradition and writing my year annual review. I’ve been doing this for the past two years, inspired in large part by Chris Guillebeau’s Annual Review, who I’ve been following since 2008!

In the past two years, I wrote these reviews chronologically. You can see these here: 2012, 2011. I already covered all the travels that I did this past year in detail, but if I take a step back, I did a lot more than just traveling.  Here’s what went well, what didn’t and my goals for the coming year:

What went well?

  1. Friendships and relationships. I think overall this went extremely well. I met a ton of people through various projects, as well as felt like I grew closer to a lot of people, both in DC as well as Penn friends.

  2. Traveling and music. I had to mention this, because travel was a big part of my life this year! It’s crazy to realize that I went to so many (and some new!) places: Istanbul, Athens, Toronto, New York, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Charlottesville, Chicago, Southern California, Central California, and Las Vegas!

  3. Career experimentation. So many projects and experiences from this year: freelancing, YPFP, APCO, Flat World. I learned so much about myself, what I like, what I don’t like, what I’m willing to tolerate, and what aspects of a job are non-negotiable.

What didn’t go well?

  1. Focusing on what matters the most. I did a lot of different things throughout 2013, and struggled to see how everything was relevant and related to each other.

  2. Financially, I didn’t really save much at all this past year. I did put a pretty big dent in my student loans, but for the most part I spent a lot, particularly on food, drinks, and travels.

  3. Fitness. Although I completed my first ever half-marathon (!), I think I gave too much attention to other projects, which sacrificed a lot of my time to focus on getting more fit for much of the year.

2014 Goals:

Here’s a look at how I fared with this past year’s goals. Below is a partial list of my goals for the coming year. By the end of 2014, I’d like to say that I have:

  • Paid off the remainder of my student loans.

  • Ran a half marathon in under two hours.

  • Completed the minimum requirements of the marine corps fitness test.

  • Launched teamdone.io.

  • Attended mass at least once a month.

  • Blogged about my journeys as a marketer / researcher / traveler at least once a month.

What about you? How was your 2013, and what are your goals for 2014?

2013 Travel Highlights

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I started writing out my annual review, but realized I should probably dedicate a post just to my travel and entertainment highlights. Without a doubt, I did A LOT this past year. Hoping for more excitement in the travel/entertainment department in the new year.

Travel Highlights

  • Visited Istanbul & Athens

    • Saw the Aya Sofya, Sultanhamet Mosque, explored Istanbul

    • Ate and drank in Istanbul: apple tea, soccer game while having nargile

    • Visited the Parthenon and Acropolis

    • Witnessed demonstrations happening at the Greek Parliament

    • Drank a freddocappucino while looking at the Acropolis

    • Watched the sunset over the Aegean Sea atop a hill in Athens.

    • Ate all the delicious feta, gyros, and desserts.

  • Visited Annapolis, MD

    • Ate Maryland crab for the first time!

  • Visited NYC multiple times throughout the year

    • March for my very first Armin van Buuren concert!

    • Headed up for Memorial Day, July 4th Weekend and Labor Day Weekend to meet up with friends, including a trip to both the Jersey Shore and Long Island beaches with friends.

    • Saw my fourth broadway show ever: Newsies

  • Visited Toronto, ON

    • Saw the CN Tower

    • Went to Niagara Falls

    • Visited the largest Asian Mall in North America (Pacific Mall)

    • Visited my very first Microbrewery

    • Experienced the hostel life yet again!

    • Ate poutine and explored Toronto

    • Had the most amazing boba ever — Mango Slush!

  • Went to New Orleans, LA

    • Traveled for the first time with two of my really good friends!

    • Experienced the debauchery of Bourbon Street

    • Ate incredibly delicious food! Dat Dog, Cafe du Monde, Oysters in Biloxi, Gautreau Restaurant (foie gras, rack of lamb)

    • Went on a swamp tour and saw some alligators

    • Went to Biloxi, Mississippi and went to my very first Gulf Coast Beach

    • Visited Ward 9 (Hurricane Katrina)

  • Went to Chicago, IL

    • Explored the city with my roommate and friends

    • Went to the Sears Tower, John Hancock Observatory, Boystown

  • Went to Charlottesville, VA

    • took a day trip with friends down to Charlottesville

    • went to Monticello, hiking at Humpback Rocks, getting chicken at a random gas station, and stopping by a random restaurant for some BBQ

  • Went to Philly, PA

    • First time heading to Penn for homecoming. Made me realize just how long it’s been since I was in college.

  • Heading down the Central Coast and San Diego, CA

    • Drove over 1000 miles in my Chevy Cruze rental along PCH.

    • Visited Hearst Castle. Stunning piece of real estate!

 

Entertainment Highlights

  • Went snowboarding for the second time in my life with friends in Virginia

  • First time watching the Wizards and Capitals at the Verizon Center. Also attended several Nationals baseball games throughout the summer.

  • Saw a lot more concerts than I ever have: Andrew McMahon, National Symphony Orchestra, .fun, Tegan & Sara, Justin Timberlake, King the Kid, Alex Goot, Carly Rae Jepsen, Hot Chelle Rae, Marine Corps Presidential Band,

  • Went to the beach several times: Jersey Shore, Long Island, Rehoboth

  • Went hiking throughout the year: Shenandoah Valley, Charlottesville

  • Attended some awesome events: 2013 Presidential Inauguration, YPFP’s Affairs of State, CAPAL Ball, Embassy Walk, Washington PRIDE, YPFP Annual Retreat, summer beer and festivals, and too many YPFP speaker events to recall!

Goal Review: 2013 Recap

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Every year since 2011 I’ve taken a moment to look back on my goals for the past year and see if I was able to accomplish any of them. Here’s what my goals were for 2013:

  • Pass the HSK Level 5. Didn’t happen. Didn’t even pick up a Chinese book after the first couple days of January.

  • Get at least a 720 or higher on the GMAT. I registered to take the test back in March, then postponed it to June. I eventually lost interest and earlier this summer completely canceled taking the test.

  • Run a half-marathon. This happened! I ran my first half-marathon, the Navy-Air Force Half-Marathon, back in September. I’ve had this goal since 2010, so am really proud that I actually accomplished this goal!

  • Blog at least once a month. I started this earlier in the year, but this fell through as well.

  • Go to mass at least once a month. This happened!

  • Learn Python and R. I’ve picked up the basics, but still can’t figure out my way around without some online guidance.

  • Dive deeper into HTML/CSS/JS. Unfortunately, this didn’t happen as well.

Overall, things could’ve been better. I learned that, at least for me, not sharing goals until they’ve actually been accomplished is probably a much more powerful strategy to goal completion than sharing. Time to start rethinking how I approach how I achieve my goals.