Monday 11/27, marks the beginning of 3rd last week of school, and thus concluding my master degree – a long anticipated day personally. I’m finally reaching the end of the tunnel.

With all the homeworks needing to finish and group projects also, this will be a busy week. And due to a group meeting, I have to cancel my piano lesson again this week. I’m pretty bumped by this – I’ve had to call off lessons so often lately (well, a few of the lessons were called off by my instructor…)

Knowing where I will be staying and working in the recent future makes me feel a little more secure. However, for a better future, it’s obvious that I need to find different things to try outside of my regular work to accomplish, be it more investing, starting a biz, freelance…who knows. I’m also talking to different people about their views/plans/ideas and reading more books/online and plan to read a lot more once I’m out of school. Objective, learn all I can. There are just too many possibilities out there. I have to find something that works for me, works for my style.

I bought and dropped off a balloon for a friend’s birthday, and later I got a call from someone who sounded so happy. This reminds me how small thoughts go a long way to generate so much happiness for people around us and the great feeling of giving than receiving :)

Oh yeah, I’m pondering if I should add “diaper changing” as a skill on my resume now…heh

Despite all the hecticness lately, things finally are starting to calm down. A new sense of reassurance is reached as the decision is made to stay in the area after graduation. In a way, I’m very glad because of family (esp. my sister and little Alinda) and friends in this area, though I did feel compelled to go somewhere, afraid I may get too comfortable, all the while believing change is what makes one better. However, it’s okay because I believe it all lies in my mind and the strength of the mind empowers us to bring changes upon ourselves no matter where/what we do. We just have to make use of our minds – we are what we believe. Anyways, no deep talk today… I’m on break :P

So what have I done on this thanksgiving day?

I went to see Casino Royale with a group of friends. A decent typical Bond movie I’d say, but just a tad bit too long…there are several parts in the last half hours when I thought it’s ending already but not. Overall, still a movie worth watching, including the fact that the bond girl, Eva Green, is quite gorgeous (I should be thankful for this? hehe).

At night I got to eat with the whole family, which hasn’t for a long time, so it’s pretty special. Parents came over and cooked. The food was delicious, which is something to be thankful for becuase I noticed their cooking has evolved for the worse from their many years living in Michigan. Several times I felt I’d I rahter eat my own cooking.

Besides those, it’s the usual, a bit of work/hw, spend time w/ the baby, piano, read…

ps. Tofu, hope you have a good time in town. Glad you get to come home for break, look forward to seeing you during winter break :)

I left last Thursday for my interview with Goldman Sachs in New York City on Friday. However, my flight arrived at Newark Liberty International Airport and as a result, my hotel was the Double Tree hotel in Elizabeth, NJ, with which I was informed by friends and fellow airplane passengers to not roam around outside or else… I may be on the headline next day.

On Friday monring, I had to get up at 6am to get ready to catch my taxi to the city for interview at 8am. Actually, I had a hard time sleeping in the extravagant king size bed. On to the taxi, I soon came to the realization that my driver speaks little to no English, and on top of it, he does not know the way to where I need to go! (Am I glad I allocated enough time buffer for these situations or what…) To make it easy, I basically told him, “Go New York City!” first. After we arrive into the city, I held my laptop right next to him with the map to guide him to my destination. In the end I arrived on time, but it was still quite a fright, especially since I had to sit in traffic a long time wondering if we’ll ever find our way.

The GS interview process was quite interesting TOO, as we’re given the destinations/buildings of where we will have interviews with the different groups, and we have to get ourselves there. So I had 3 rounds: NYC –> Jersey City –> NYC. Quite an experience. Before the interview, I wasn’t sure what would be the characteristics of these interviews, therefore I did not prepare/study, except read up on the 3 groups of my interviews. They turned out to be mostly technical. Despite that, I was quite pleased with my performance. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for an offer. *Contemplation about moving to New York* Hmmm…

I stayed the weekend with my friend Mengmeng in New Jersey, and we toured parts of New York City. Please see gallery. We took the bus to the city, walked around a bit, and then took the ferry near Battery Park to visit the Statue of Liberty. But liberty, do we really have liberty in this country anyways. And “Liberty”, it’s so subjective anyways… just as “faireness”, just as “justice”

After that, we traveled on foot from the pier at Battery Park to 48th street, where we had dinner of Szechuan food. During the walking expenditure, we hit many of the small towns, like Chinatown, little Italy, K-town… it was quite a bit of distance that we walked, haha.

NYC is a big city…to travel on foot :P I find the subway a bit confusing based on my one time experience of using it. The bus routes also, because they changed/mixed up the bus’ arrival gates at different times of days. Maybe I just have to get used to it, if I live there… which is a possibility now… It’s funny, I was saying things like maybe I’ll go work in Chicago or New York before, and how it’s becoming more concrete.. We do become what we say and think ourselves

NYC, I don’t like it, I don’t hate. It bears some resemblance to Hong Kong, the people, the style.

For now, I have to say I’m glad to be home, in Mountain View. Got some HW to catch up on now. Oh yeah, I’m glad my niece waited for me to be around for her coming :P

Many points in life we just arrive at situation where there are so many things going on and you don’t know which to deal with. Stress, frustration, exhaustion… that make us very uncomfortable. Do you choose to deal with it or simply find an easy way out. In the end, it comes down to the question of whether you are willing to do things that you are uncomfortable with. I ask myself that…

Aye, yes, I’m willing.

I may have this lazy side of me, but I will not settle for less.

(I’m self-hypnotizing myself with this: to hang on for a little bit, with work, school, and a whole bunch of interviews these days, while keeping up w/ my weight training and piano practice.)