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.

Goal Reviews: Q2 ’13

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A lot has happened since I’ve last updated. Let’s see how I’m progressing on my 2013 goals:

  • HSK: no progress.
  • GMAT: no progress.
  • Half-marathon: Finally signed up for one later this year, but have only loosely stuck to my running schedule.
  • Blog monthly: I have a bunch of unfinished drafts, but haven’t posted any.
  • Attend mass monthly: the only goal that I’ve been able to maintain all year!
So clearly I haven’t maintained focus on most of my goals. After keeping a log of my goals for the past two years, I’ve realized that goals, like everything else, are often subject to change. During the past couple of months, I’ve spent a lot of my time: 
  • Day job. It’s been a hectic couple of months, but I’m glad that I’m at a place where I’m still being challenged on an almost daily basis.
  • Freelancing. I finished my engagement with the Philippine-based foundation several months ago. Haven’t worked on anything else since then, but hoping to gradually build up a client base.
  • YPFP. It’s been a series of transitions and growing pains since I’ve began volunteering with YPFP. At times, I’ve questioned my involvement. Overall though, I truly believe in the organization, and I know I (as well as everyone on staff) can accomplish great things. Now it’s just finding the time, resources, accountability and motivation to ensure things get executed!
That covers it from a professional perspective. Now, for the fun stuff! 
  • Paid off a student loan! Still quite a ways to go, but progress is progress!
  • Traveling. Went on several road trips (Southern California, New York), visited a couple new cities (Toronto, New Orleans), and have gone to the beach several times this summer (Jersey Shore, Long Island).
  • Concerts. Have a slew of concerts lined up over the next couple of weeks through October, including my favorites: Justin Timberlake and Electric Zoo.
Overall, it’s been an exhausting past couple of months. There are some things that I wish I could be doing more of, like catching up on my reading list, bringing my business idea to life and sleeping, but I can honestly say that these past few months have been incredibly rewarding and fulfilling in a way that I haven’t felt in years. That, I think, is a good thing! 

Goal Reviews: Q1 ’13

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Time certainly goes by fast when there’s so much going on! Let’s see how I’ve stacked up against my 2013 goals:

  • HSK: I haven’t cracked open any Chinese textbook so far this year.
  • GMAT: I bought some Manhattan GMAT prep books in January. Only completed the first of 10 prep books.
  • Half-marathon: I maintained a loosely defined schedule for the first two months, running at least twice a week, but stopped training. I’ve yet to sign up for a half-marathon this year.
  • Blog monthly: I failed to keep this one up too! Completely missed posting anything last month!
  • Attend mass monthly: So far so good!
So clearly I haven’t gotten around following through on my goals for the year so far. This, I believe, is in large part due to a couple new commitments that I never would’ve even though could happen just four months ago. Here’s what has been going on:
  • Freelancing for a social impact organization: Since February, I’ve been freelancing for a Philippine-based foundation, an opportunity I discovered through a contact via StartingBloc! As a Filipino, working with this organization is particularly meaningful for me. So far the experience has been one of growth, most specifically on figuring out how to manage client expectations.
  • Volunteering for YPFP: Since late January, I’ve been volunteering with YPFP, a DC-based non-profit that seeks to build the foreign policy leaders of the future through knowledge, skills, exposure and relationships. I’m a volunteer on their marketing team, where I’ve been able to use the skills I’ve learned at CEB and APCO to execute on a variety of recommendations. As this position is much more formal and professional in nature than the freelancing opportunity, so far this experience has been one that’s tested my time management skills, as well as figuring out how to coordinate and execute on cross-silo projects within a primarily virtual, volunteer-based organization.
Both these commitments, as well as increasingly more work and responsibilities at APCO, have tested and pushed me out of my comfort zone in so many ways, which I am truly grateful for. Here’s to another productive and rewarding next three months!