I went out to the east coast for the weekend and on Saturday, it was raining or sleeting all day.  At times, it almost got cold enough for us to get some snow down in the DC/VA area.  Almost.  I hear that more northern parts did get snow, and quite a bit, and I’ve got to say I’m a bit jealous.  I was hoping for some snow to enjoy here as well.  While I’d all but forgotten the experience of getting into a cold car and trying to defrost the windows while warming up, I do miss snow.  Nobody said I had to miss all the unpleasant experiences that come with it, right?

My selective memory allowed me to remember a brisk walk with snow crunching under my feet.  Pretty positive memory.  It allowed me to remember building snowthings and catching snowflakes with my tongue.  Very positive memory.  It did not, however, allow me to remember the bitterness of a freezing cold car.  Not so positive memory.  Well, that’s how it goes I guess.  After so many years removed from this kind of life, I chose to focus on the things I did like about it rather than that which was less desirable.  Nevertheless, with all the pros and cons trying to weigh each other out, I still wouldn’t mind moving back to more volatile climates for awhile.  It’d make me appreciate LA even more when I returned, right?

I’ve been working on getting the motivation to properly study for the GMAT and prepare my applications.  It’s really hard, since once you get out of a groove, it’s really hard to get back into it.  I’ve been out of school for nearly three years now (yikes!) and it’s been awhile since I’ve really had to study for anything.  I was doing well when I took my GMAT course earlier in the year, but since that ended, I’ve been halfhearted with my attempts at studying.  I really need to buckle down though, so I can get the score I want and feel confident with my applications.

How do I get that momentum going again though?  I’ve tried arranging study sessions with friends that keep falling through, and I keep reminding myself, but every time I should, I just want to unwind after a long day.  Even on the weekends I get tired and would rather be lazy than productive.  Maybe it’s because I don’t feel the pressure just yet.  I do tend to work pretty well with a deadline looming or something making my work more urgent.  I think I’ll outline a plan and start counting the time I have left before everything is due.  With concrete numbers in my head, I might just have to tighten the reins and get my act together.

So much has changed at work in the past couple of weeks – the call center people moved to a new office, a couple of people left, and we had some major changes with an important client I work with. It feels like a season of change or maybe even growing pains that we are experiencing and the office is a lot quieter now! I’m reminded of when I first started, when there were just about a dozen of us.

I am also the only full-time girl left in the office again. It can definitely get lonely at times and the constant ESPN playing on our TVs is a reminder of the disparity in gender. I don’t usually mind though, since I’m used to environments dominated by men… JROTC & ROTC, film crews, and the financial industry, to name a few. In fact, not too far into the future I will be at yet another one: business school!

Overall it’s the sudden drop lack of talking in the office and the extra empty space that has changed the vibe, so I’m looking forward to a good bonding session at the upcoming company social this week. The tide seems to have changed around here, ushering a new era for us! I think that may also mean a shift in my focus at work, so hopefully that turns into plenty of learning and growth.

Ever get impatient with life? Sometimes I just want to get on to the next stage and get that MBA, finally live with Panda, and be married. I look forward to the future a lot and I’ve been anticipating it for years! At the same time, I know that life as it is now has its own perks and I shouldn’t lose sight of all that I have now. While I kind of want a fast-forward button to press, I still value all that I get to live out today.

Still, sometimes it’s nice to think about all these great future plans, isn’t it? This seems especially true as I start to see more and more of my peers moving on to the next stages of their lives, getting more education, settling down, and starting a family. Every now and then I can’t wait to go to business school and then move in with Panda and start our little family, kids, cats, and all. But I guess life comes as we’re easy and I’m definitely not ready to get marked or have kids yet, much as I look forward to when that part of my life comes.

For now I’ll try to take better advantage of the things I can do more easily now – explore my passions, travel some more, and maybe even move somewhere new!

Recently I’ve found my work experience to be very valuable for a lot of people. Or at least they seem extremely interested in learning more about the details of what I do… I guess doing online work is pretty pertinent to everyone.

It’s really interesting to see how much I do know and have learned! I guess I didn’t realize the depth of my knowledge base until people started asking detailed questions about all aspects of what I do. What’s also great is that our company has such a broad scope that we end up doing a lot of things.

Having a general knowledge of how marketing works in the online world is a useful asset that I’m sure will serve me well in many future endeavors. I’m glad I stumbled upon this industry and have seen many facets of the business. Who knew that a Craigslist listing could get me so far!

I watched both seasons of Who Do You Think You Are?, which chronicles the journeys that celebrities take while tracking down their family histories.  One thing that stuck with me is that so often, they would find parallels in their ancestors’ lives and their own.  That made me think about how a certain trait can get passed down many generations, not necessarily just genetically, but behaviorally.  After all, the environment you grow up in greatly affects the environment you will create as a parent and I believe that a lot of those childhood influences stay with you for life.

Whether it’s an adventurous spirit or a strong foundation in faith, it’s more than just a genetic component.  It’s pretty cool how much of ourselves we can see in our pasts.  It makes me think of what imprint I will leave for future generations of my family.  I’m sure a certain stubbornness and inquisitiveness will shine through, and hopefully a fair share of entrepreneurialism or at least enterprising efforts as well!  I wonder if my willingness to be the exception and stand out will be shared over generations.  I am confident that education will be strong in our family.  I certainly expect post-graduate degrees!

I’d like to see what I can find out about my own ancestry and if there are hints about the type of people I came from.  I don’t know the quality of the records in China, since a lot was probably lost or destroyed over the years, but I can start with what my parents and grandparents remember.  It would be nice to know what I came from.  Were my ancient relatives scholars or farmers?  Were they poor or well-to-do?  Could I even have a connection to a historical figure or royalty?  Who knows!  I’m curious to find out.

I’d also be interested in doing a DNA test someday, to show me a breakdown of my ethnic heritage.  As far as I know, I’m pretty much all Chinese, though part of that originates from the Mongols.  That’s pretty normal in Northern China, since the Mongols invaded back in the day and became the new “Chinese.”  Who knows, maybe some Mongolian ancestry was also mixed with Russian or Eastern European?  There’s just a wealth of information that I am interested in finding out and I hope that future generations are just as interested as well.

One more day stands in the way between me and the long-awaited cat adoption!  I can’t wait.  I’ve tried not to overthink things this week, since many of the cats I saw last weekend looked like they were on the fast train to adoption.  The kittens in particular were very popular, of course, but I was happy to see that some of the more grown cats were getting a good amount of attention too.  I’m totally ready to spend all morning Saturday petting all the cats and also pairing them up to make sure they can get along with each other.

At first when my mom talked about getting an older one and younger one, I was thinking a baby and an older cat, but my mom is skeptical of the little ones since they are so small they could easily get hurt or lost under/in something.  While I really like them, I do know that they get adopted very easily, and part of the point of our adoption is to take ones that might get put down if not adopted soon enough.  I figure I can always go for a young little one when Panda and I start our own household, so I definitely want to pay more attention to the 1- and 2-year-olds.

I have a feeling both cats will probably be black or at least part black, since it seems those are the ones that aren’t as popular.  Is it a superstitious thing?  Are Americans really that prejudiced against black cats?  Or maybe there is some sort of personality trait that tends to do with those types of cats that makes them less friendly?  I did notice that my red tabby (orange stripey cat) was the friendliest of the ones we’ve had, and the black ones were more aloof and/or quirky.  But hey, quirky is still loveable!  And there were definitely plenty of cats who liked being pet, which is what I love to do.

Haha, I’ve been watching Millionaire Matchmaker and I just realized that the way I’m thinking about cats is very logical, with plenty of reasoning weighing into my decision, which is kind of like what the matchmaker does for her clients.  They come in with grandiose ideas of what type of person they can land, and she gives them a dollop of reality to whip them into shape and make them realize what is realistic and what is not.  I am open to giving up the kitten idea because it makes more sense of someone living my lifestyle and at my stage of life to focus on the more grown cats.  I don’t have time to baby a little creature, but I will have that opportunity in the future!

Rather than go for the “hottie pa-tottie” as they call them (aka the kittens), I will focus more towards the good fit.  I need cats that can take care of themselves, but enjoy my company when I am able to see them.  I just hope I don’t fall in love with a teeny little thing that looks at me adorably and fits into my hands so comfortably!  But hey, even if that happens, the good thing is we’ll still get a mature cat who can help with the duty of teaching the young one.

I’m so excited!  My mom just told me this weekend that we can officially get a cat again!  And not only that, we can get two!  It’s something I only dared dream about lately, and I have certainly been pining for some feline friendship.  It’s been a couple of years and I think I’m starting to feel a lack of companionship now that I am living on my own, no longer surrounded by college buddies and textbooks keeping me busy all the time.  While I really enjoy being able to put work away once I leave and spend the night unwinding, it would be so much nicer if I had a pet, even if only on the weekends, to spend time playing with.

Awhile back, we had discussed how we could make raising a cat work, between the traveling my parents do and the uncertainty of where I will end up in the coming years.  I reasoned that my job and life now is pretty stable, and my mom is around enough that we could pull it off.  My apartment allows pets, so bringing a cat wouldn’t be a problem and my apartmentmate doesn’t mind since I’d keep the litter box in my own bathroom.  With those ducks in order, it really just came down to my mom getting final approval from my dad.

My mom volunteers at a shelter when she has time, and there are often older cats that people don’t want to adopt.  We’d be more than happy to take one of them home and away from the threat of being put down.  My dad, on the other hand, wants a kitten or younger cat, so my parents actually decided to get one of each!  I’m totally thrilled and I can’t wait to go to the shelter with my mom to find our future pets.  It has been awhile since our last cat died and I have been telling Panda how important it is for me to have at least one cat in the future.  I’m so glad I won’t have to wait as long as I feared I might.

Today Panda and I finalized plans for me to go out to DC again and I’m really excited!  This time it will be a long weekend for the 4th of July and I’ve been told the fireworks at the National Mall are fantastic, so I definitely plan on going to check it out.  Ultimately I’m just really looking forward to having a little vacation and traveling a bit.  I miss the east coast and the weather out there, especially since LA has been brisk most days and we’ve barely had a summer day in the past two years.  I’ve almost forgotten what a 90+ degree day is like.

I’d actually like to have a thunderstorm during one of the days I’m there.  It’s been so long since there’s been a torrential downpour with lightning brightening the sky.  There’s something very comforting about staying inside, dry and warm, as the world outside  blows around and everything gets wet.  That’s my favorite time to curl up with a book, blanket, and hot drink.  It’s been so long since I’ve read a book!  I tried to get back into it awhile ago and borrowed one from the local library, but I ended up returning it a few weeks later after only getting through a few pages.  I don’t really have the patience for a lot of books now.  Perhaps I should get around to listening to the audiobooks I have that have yet to be completed.

But I digress.  As I was saying, I’m looking forward to returning to the eastern side of the country and I’m actually looking forward to living there again at some point.  I think that Panda’s long-term future will be there, even if in the short term he takes some opportunities to work elsewhere.  As much as LA has to offer, I’ve been here long enough that I’m ready for a change again.  For now the best I can do is little spurts of vacations out there, but in a few years I’d like to go to school out there for my MBA and then live there after graduating.  I may be the only one who enjoys humid, hot weather!  :-P

Much of my job entails independent work, with a bit of guidance from my supervisor.  With a lot of changes coming to the company as of late, I’ve seen most of my coworkers hopping in and out of meetings and it makes me a bit nostalgic for an opportunity to have meetings as well.  Additionally, Panda has found that he is often attending meetings for his job.  Suddenly I find myself sitting there alone, wishing I had more meetings to participate in.

I don’t get much interaction with my coworkers in terms of sharing ideas for what I’m working on, so it seems I’ve been compensating by engaging them in conversation, period.  That ranges from a random observation to just asking if they’ll be joining everyone for lunch today.  I don’t mean to distract them from their work, but I figure it’s a brief enough encounter that it can be a quick break in the midst of all their work.  Or so I hope.  Perhaps I am just an unwelcome distraction that they can’t bear to ignore or wave away.

I hope that in the future there will be a chance for me to work more in a team environment, exchanging ideas throughout the day with a collaborator.  My supervisor is great, but I feel like I should only go to him after I’ve thought through some things so he can make a final decision or help guide me.  But while I’m in that thinking process, I’d like to have someone, a counterpart, who is a team member at my level.  Then we can bounce ideas off each other before taking them to our supervisor (versus me having internal conversations with myself…).  Plus, sometimes there are issues that I just don’t know who to ask, so maybe this person could be there to help me think through that as well.

Even though I am an independent learner and I love my space, I wish I had a more consistent teamwork component to my work.  It’s a nice change of pace from the usual “sitting at my desk typing away” pattern of work.  While we do have a weekly meeting now, I think it’d be nice to have more small meetings too, or even just informal ones.