Filed under: posts | Tags: art and lit, family, John Legend, Kanye West, music, Ronald Jenkees, Shanghai, Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is coming up! From now until that time, I don’t really have any academic obligations! I’m so happy. Only my nuclear family is here in the U.S. so we tend to go to spend Thanksgiving with family friends. This year, like many years, we’re going to one of our family friend’s place in Fremont. We’ve known them forever. They used to live next to my Dad when he grew up in Shanghai and I’ve known their daughter since I was 6 or 7.
I haven’t seen these people since we went down to San Diego together last summer. It’ll be good to see old faces again. Also, my friend is getting married so it’s always fun to drink with her and her fiance and joke about how terrible their lives are going to be. 
There’s also this 8 year old girl named Bubbles whose family will also been there. She called me one day (like on a Friday) and asked if I could go over and play. Haha, I just told her I had to write a report of some kind – which confused the hell out of her 7 year old brain. Anyways, it’ll be nice to talk to her again as well. She’s really, really smart for a little kid. She understands complicated social cues already.
I won’t see the rest of my family until mid-December, but this time it’s going to be extra special as we induct new members into our family. And what a family we are – they have no idea what they are getting themselves into. I actually have two cousins getting married. One will be straight forward. 300 people. A banquet, done. The other is some small, but lavish 300,000 yuan affair on some island. This should be interesting, to say the least.
I started listening to the new Kanye album, 808s and Heartbreaks. I kinda like it. I like the beats and the background way more than the vocals. There’s something about autotuned voices that doesn’t fit right with me. Sometimes, the effect can really add something, but when it dominates the album, it gets old pretty quickly. In other musical news, “Greenlight” from John Legend’s new “Evolver” is quite excellent. I’m still waiting for someone to use Ronald Jenkee’s “disorganized fun” (see previous post).
Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
‘Tis all.
Filed under: posts | Tags: Cal, china, consulting, CSR, family, job, marriage, music, X-Files
Damn, I am writing for no good reason now. I’m just a tad bored. Crank up that music on shuffle, type away. I guess that’s a pretty nice way to write.
It’s weird – I think it has taken me four years to really get settled into Cal. I don’t think I’ve felt this kind of familiarity with a certain place for a while. I realized then when I was biking to class today. The world was just so known to me, I felt absolutely fearless. I know those little spots to sit and listen to the creek between classes. (Behind the Pelican, if you know what I’m talking about). I know to dodge those flyering people on Sproul and the quickest way to Evans.
But it’s almost time to say goodbye to the blue and gold – to my golden bears. I think I’ve settled upon recruiting for the smaller strategy firms for a start. I eventually want to move into the CSR realm, but I do believe setting a base should be accomplished first. I suppose I should take my CSR consulting class a bit more seriously. There just so many kids in there that don’t know anything about it other than the fact that it’s an opportunity to network with some firms. I shouldn’t complain. Whatever spreads the good word of CSR.
In other class news, I’m taking Finance, International Monetary Finance and American Economic History on top of the CSR class. I’m also going to be heading up a consulting team for BEACN. It’s quite a full plate, but as always, it’ll be fun. (hah).
The thing I am probably most interested in, other than jumpkicking my career, is this year’s BLAST program. It’s many of the leadership staff’s last year and I really, really want to make it a good one. We have an unappealing website, a very sad banner on sproul, a tiny budget, but DAMN do we do some great work for some good kids. Last year was memorable but I hope this year can top even that.
Everything else is ho-hum. I’m looking forward to going back to Shanghai this winter. Two of my cousins are getting married. One is from Tokyo and the closest blood relative I have to a big brother. The other is having a small, no-frills event on Bei Hai Dao. I have only met one of the wives-to-be. I was actually a bit sick in Tokyo and she took care of me. She’s very bubbly.
Otherwise life is life. Often, it takes the form of dinner watching the X-Files with my roomies. I was always too scared to watch that show as a kid, but now, it’s pretty good – if not just unsettling at moments. I wish the weather would cool down though. Biking uphill is not a fun event in 90 degree heat. I get to class looking like I’ve been playing world-class tennis in Tanzania.
Music pieces of interest:
Oh damn, I’ve resorted to putting irrelavant pieces of music on my posts. Uck.
Tis All.
