The power of positivity during a quarterlife crisis

Over the past week, I've realized how negative I've become in 2008. You could say I've become a Negative Nancy. Except without the vagina...

No more.

I've been really attracted to positive upbeat people as of late. I used to be one, but a lot of external factors caused a downturn in my mood. I've tried to pinpoint it. Whether it be the economy, my job, my apartment, love life, friends, the future... all of it became really uncertain.

Traveling to Vancouver, Canada really helped me put things into perspective. It wasn't the mere act of traveling, but also who I met. I've also have absorbed a good chunk of information from the book 20 Something Manifesto: Quarterlifers Speak Out About Who They Are, What they Want and How to Get it.

Basically, I'm in quarterlife crisis mode. You know what? It's normal. Everyone goes through it, just not all at the same age.

At this point, the best solution is creating short term goals and worrying less about the long term. I've also learned I can't compare myself to others. There will always be someone better, faster, stronger, more attractive, intelligent, wealthier, etc.

I've got to focus on what makes me unique as a human. After all, I was put on this earth for a reason.

Today is the day I focus less on the bad and focus more on the good. It's not Thanksgiving quite yet, and it's okay because I don't need the calories. ;)

A Surprising Vancouver Pride Story [Updated]

Updated 8.10.08

Vancouver is probably one of the most liberal cities I've been to outside of San Francisco.

It was surprising to hear there was a fairly shocking incident at a local club/bar not too far from my hostel during Pride.

At this place called Majestic Nightclub and Lounge, in addition to Characters, a local greek restaurant, a man hit a hammer of 9 people's heads. Yes, a hammer...

Link to Story on CBC News

We saw police tape at the place after we finished dinner at Moxie's Classic Grill down the street. There was also police tape across the street at the restaurant called Characters. My friend Matt heard that it was a hammer that was involved when his other friend told him. I didn't believe it.

However, I did a Google Search this morning to see if it was true, and it indeed was.

However, it doesn't compete with the crazy Head Decapitation incident on a Greyhound Bus that has made recent Canadian news. :/

More Vancouver Thoughts

I'm still trying to find words to describe the feeling in Vancouver.

It's an interesting mix, but nothing that I can quite describe based off of prior travels. If I were to compare it to places --- I'd say it's a blend of:

• Hawaii's Beauty
• A mix between the energy in DC (small town energy buzz) and San Diego (laid back lifestyle)
  

Everything is so pretty here. The architecture isn't too striking, but some of the local buildings remind me of what you'd find in Los Angeles. The multiple skylines are similar to what you'd find in Honolulu.

I'm going to try and see a bit more of the city today. I haven't ventured too off from Downtown.

Vancouver Afternoon 1

I arrived in Vancouver 20 minutes early, around 7:45am. The flight was super easy. I got on board, put my iPod on and closed my eyes. I do remember getting water at one point, too. Seriously, It was as if the flight felt like a half an hour. I guess I passed out because the next thing I knew we were making our descent and about to land.

I got to YVR and it was super pretty inside! Loads of natural scenery, water and wood. I went through customs. I love it when they ask you why you're there. I was gonna say, 'Pride Baby!' but instead went with 'For pleasure.'

I texted Matt, my Van buddy, but I kept on getting error messages. Apparently, the texts went through every time.

Matt was kind enough to meet me at the Airport. We then made it to Downtown Vancouver and grabbed some breakfast at Cafe Luxy. It was rainy on the way to Downtown, but eventually cleared up, thankfully.

He gave me a quick tour of Vancouver's Boys Town and then we walked on over to Stanley Park. Stanley Park is sooooo beautiful! We walked in the opposite direction of the fun and interesting stuff, mainly because Matt had no clue where he was going. ;)

After a few hours of walking, picture taking, and story sharing, Matt calls his friend so we can find out where the 'Totem Poles' are. Turns out there is a Free Trolly in the summer that takes you all over Stanley Park, including the Totem poles. I loved our tour guide, Bob. We then head over to Prospect Point, which super touristy during the daytime, but apparently a local make out session at night. Haha. I love when I'm given the inside scoop. There is also a fun bridge there called Lions Gate.

After Stanley Park, we went to Robson St. so Matt could get a Slurpee at 7-11. The 7-11's are fairly large and quite clean. After that, I headed to my Hostel to check in. It's actually quite nice to what I'm used to with respect to Hostels. Plus, the location can't be beat!

I'm gonna nap, eat, and the do some pride festivities later. :)

Vancouver Vacay almost here

I'm pretty much done researching what I might potentially do while in Vancouver. I'll have my local buddy to help me, but I'm excited to travel again on my own.

I'll be staying at a hostel (HI Vancouver Downtown) on the West End near Davie St. It's their Gayborhood. I expect it to be bumping because it's Pride Weekend! Yay!

Here is what I came up with for ideas on what to do. I will try to wing it and be spontanous, but I'll be doing a few of these things below:

PLACES TO SEE

• Stanley Park (especially the Sea Wall) for a quick jog or stroll. Possibly the Aquarium?
• Lynn Canyon Park
• Harbour Centre Tower: The Lookout
  
• Granville Island (I'd like to check out the market and possible grab some grub?)
• Vancouver Art Gallery
• Dr. Sun Yat Sen Chinese Garden
• Museum of Anthropology

PRIDE / NIGHTLIFE

** Trip Advisor gave me some good ideas.

• Celebration of Light at English Bay (Saturday Finale Fireworks Show)
• Odyssey Night Club (Saturday)
• Pride Parade (Sunday)
• Pride Festival at Sunset Beach (Sunday)
• Celebrities (Sunday)
• Numbers (Sunday)
• 1181 - Looks like a cool 'stand and see pretty people' place. :)
  

SHOP

• Robson Street
• Yaletown
• Chinatown Night Market
• Metrotown

I'm still looking for Good Eats and Cafe's to chill at. :)

New Work Laptop

Earlier this week, I made a quick decision to get a new work laptop. My trusty, stable and mostly reliable Thinkpad T43p had run its course.

First I had to decide... Mac or PC. For all practical purposes, it doesn't make sense to get a Mac because of several known incompatibility issues with software I use. Plus, I'm planning on getting a Mac in the near future and it would be nice to have a work/home mental differentiation in computing.

From there, I had to decide portability or desktop replacement laptop. I opted for portable... the Thinkpad x61. My initial hesitation with the x61 was:

• It has a pretty small screen at 12 inches
• It lacks a CD/DVD drive
• There isn't a trackpad, only the 'nub'

After using it for 2 days, I'm super happy. The screen is a nice size and I mainly use it with an external monitor connected to a docking station. The lack of a DVD/CD drive isn't too pad because I never really use it anyways. Although, on the plus side, the docking station does have a drive. Lastly, I'm totally used to the 'nub' as a mousing device already. It's actually quite refreshing!

SCORE!

Staying in the car...

I arrived at work yesterday a little after 9am. I took a longer route, just because I wanted to finish listening to some interesting stories on NPR. They had some discussion on banning Trans Fats in California. They talked to those lobbying for the ban and also some bakers who were opposed to the ban, mainly for the reason 'we're afraid of change.'

The funny part was I arrived to my parking lot and parked right next to Nai's car. I peeked over and noticed he was still in his car, not quite doing anything.

We both eventually get out of our cars. It's because he was listening to the same NPR stuff I was. Haha.

NPR totally sucked me in!

Geez

A week from this moment I'll be in Canada. I haven't even done any planning! Ahhh!

Lovely Vancouver, I'm looking forward to you!

Random Day Off

You know, I took a semi-planned random day off of work today. No real reason.

It's what I call a sanity check day. I have a ton of vacation time, but need to get some random stuff done. Like Target runs, cleaning, relaxing and catching up on TV, etc.

For lunch, I went to Baja Fresh and got some grilled Mahi Mahi fish tacos. Those were pretty tasty! Plus, when did Baja Fresh get mango salsa? It's fantastic! I miss these things because I rarely go out to eat. (Thanks GOOG!)

When I went to the Baja Fresh, I realized there is a Nizario's Pizza in the same shopping plaza. The same Nizario's Pizza in the Castro in SF! I had no idea they had multiple locations (3 in total). It's nice to know drunken comfort food isn't too far away from my apartment, should I choose to have it (or get drunk... cause I never really drink). I have had the Castro Special (Spinach, Feta, Pesto and Chicken)... and it's tasty.

I worked out in the evening and made a quick dinner from random ingredients. Just so you know, Frank's Red Hot Sauce, Grilled Chicken Breast, Brown Rice and a small sprinkle of Blue Cheese totally work! Super tasty! If only I had celery around, it would have been complete...

Back to the daily grind tomorrow. Good news is I'm going to the Giants vs. Nationals baseball game in the evening. Sweet!

Vancouver Vacay

My friend Matt from Vancouver was in town for San Francisco Pride this year a few weeks back. He was like 'I might go to Montreal Pride but it's the same weekend as Vancouver Pride.' I was like... 'Well, whatever you do, let me know! I'm down!'

So it turns out he's staying in Vancouver. So I kept my side of the bargain and I booked a semi-spontaneous trip to lovely Vancouver, BC, Canada! The plane ticket was kinda pricey, but at this point, all airline tickets are getting pricey. I booked a hostel near Davie St. to save some cash... and that way I can put it toward other stuff than a hotel room I'll never be in.

It'll be my second time to Canada, my first was Toronto last year.

I'll only be there for four days, Saturday August 2nd (arrive ~9am) to Tuesday August 5th (leave ~ 4pm). I think it will be a good quick getaway.

I'm looking forward to the natural beauty, skyline, shopping, food and of course... the boys. :)

2 is a magical number

I started working at Google on January 3rd, 2006. It seems like a billion years ago. So much has changed, but I won't even begin to compile that list.

My official start date after I converted from temp-to-full-hire and took vacation time was July 10th, 2006... so it means today is my official 2 year Googleversary!

I didn't really celebrate. My cohort who started with me on that day, Tinwin, left for Dublin earlier this week. But we'll celebrate when she gets back. Also, my old manager, Megan, started with me on that day back in July, too.

Analyzing TGIF for Organizational Behavior

So there's a cool thing Google does on a weekly basis called TGIF. According to 'The Great Place to Work Institute':

TGIF is a weekly, company-wide get-together started by Google co-founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin. While it is used as a time to welcome new employees and for senior leaders to present news about Google and Google-related events that have transpired over the previous week, the highlight of TGIF is the Question and Answer section. This section reflects the leaders' belief that employees should feel comfortable asking even the most senior members of the management team any question and that the executives should talk with employees as openly as possible. No question is off-limits. Questions from past sessions include "What are Google's growth rate projections?" and "When is Google relocating to Mars?" TGIFs are webcast to Google offices around the globe and archived for those who cannot make the meeting due to time zone or other scheduling challenges.

I'm currently winding down my Organizational Behavior MBA class. My team decided to write our final paper analyzing the cultural significance of TGIF at a variety of Google Offices in the US and abroad.

I'm really finding Organizational Behavior really interesting. It really helped to have an awesome professor like Holly Schroth from Berkeley. It's basically the psychological and sociological perspective on how corporations operate.

This class is one of the few things I've looked forward to consistently on a weekly basis. Org Behavior is something I would consider studying more in depth if I were to go back to school.

I'm really a woman, based off of the amount of yogurt I consume daily

This Current TV clip had me rolling with laughter. Enjoy!

Getting back into routines; Developing Interests

Sometimes I feel like I've lost my most passionate routines. I'm not really sure what's gone on the past 7 or so months in 2008.

I personally and professionally haven't accomplished very much (relative to 2007). It's like the feeling you have when you get a paycheck, spend it, and have nothing to show for it. Being that it's half way through 2008, it's a bit disturbing.

I think my daily and weekly routines changed when I left for Ann Arbor back in Q4 of 2007. (Which by the way, was an amazing experience)

In Ann Arbor my daily weekday routine was:

• Waking up at 8 am or so, if I didn't have a Personal Training session with Jimmy... otherwise It would be closer to 6:30am. I would leave with Kevin, my roomie, to go to work between 8:40am and 9am.
  
• Get to work, make breakfast, chat with Brit and John for a bit, then tackle my email inbox.
• My day was usually scattered with scheduled and impromptu meetings.
• Lunch was usually around noon. Brit and I would usually make our usual salads and either have a desk lunch or take out some time to have lunch with each other or Ann Arbor folk.
• I'd usually ping Kevin to ask when he'd be ready to leave work... usually around 6pm or so. If he had plans, I'd usually stay a bit later or run errands.
• If it was a 'work out day,' I'd head over to Gold's Gym off of Ann Arbor-Saline Rd.
• I'd stay for about an hour, doing cardio and some machine/weights. I'd occasionally run into co-workers or familiar faces at the gym. If I was up for it, I'd end my workout in the Sauna and occasionally chat with someone new. It might be a professor at U of M or a local.
• After a workout, I'd decide whether or not to make dinner (if I had something) or grab something nearby. Working in a regional office was a bit different because Google usually doesn't serve dinner.
• I'd end my weekday evening watching TV with Kev, read a magazine or catch up on personal email. I watched less TV because I didn't have a DVR.
  
• I usually liked to fall asleep watching local news because it was something different and I got to learn about Michigan.

On A Weekly or Semi-Weekly Basis in Ann Arbor:

• I'd explore Downtown Ann Arbor or a different part of Michigan.
• I'd try a new restaurant or frequent a regular favorite.
• I'd go on a weekend trip (Chicago, Toronto, DC, etc.) or meet with friends in A2.
• I'd go out clubbing to a new place.
• I'd try to make a local Google(r) thrown event such as a pub crawl, activity or birthday party.
• I'd make a shopping trip to Meijer, Trader Joes or Whole Foods. (I LOVED MEIJER!)
• I'd watch Desperate Housewives with Kevin on Sundays.
• I'd get to work late on Wednesday just so I could chat with the housekeeper Carol. She usually arrived at 9am on the spot. Chatting with her for 15 minutes made my week. She was an amazing woman!
• I'd BLOG! (and edit photos)
• I'd clean up, even though I had a housekeeper.

Now my daily routine in the Bay Area is sorta out of whack. I haven't worked out as regularly with Nai as I once did. I'm letting my DVR fill-up. I'm leaving magazines un-read. I'm not uploading photos nearly as much. I'm not blogging.

What I can say is that I'm trying to get back on focusing on myself again (my original 2008 manta). I want to develop some sort of interests and extra-curricular activities.

Thoughts on current and new interests:

• I'm gonna start limiting clubbing to once a month or special occasions. (birthdays, etc.) Once I got back to the Bay Area, clubbing was pretty much the only consistent thing I did on a weekend --- at least one day a week. It wasn't uncommon for me to be in SF 3 days in a row (Fri-Sun). The good things is that I meant new friends and acquaintances this way. It was also how I figured I'd meet guys for dates.
• I want to start reading... books. Whether they be self-help, fiction, non-fiction, etc. I bought a bunch of books on Amazon last month. I got through a couple, but I want to read more... and consistently.
• I want to explore the outdoors a bit more. Whether it be hiking, biking, running, etc. I have started to run outside on occasion and went on a hike last weekend.
• Attend more things 'arts related.' Whether it be dance, theater, concerts, etc. I bought some concert tickets and have been to a few dance performances recently.
• Want to spend time with friends I really care about. Playing 'Cranium' with Nai and Audrey last weekend reminded me how doing simple things, with those you love and care about, is more gratifying than looking at eye-candy at a club in SF.
• Take up a sport. I really think Tennis is high up on my list. Also, after meeting with Shiun a few weeks ago, he reminded me how team sports, like Softball, help you build another base of close friends.
• I want to start watching movies again. This is where I get to experience things outside my comfort zone and have my eyes opened to new experiences. Being from LA, I used to watch movies all the time. I have a ton of un-opened movies and TV DVDs waiting to be watched!
• Get out and learn how to use my camera... and how to edit photos properly. I've been really good about bringing my DSLR out on excursions, but the more I do it, the better practice I'll get!
• Continue to work out... regularly.
• Start volunteering. I'm a mentor at work... but I want to do more. Volunteering at Alemany Farms through Google Serve opened my eyes on how much out there you can do for others.
• Travel! Explore! Taking a nice hiking excursion with Peter in Saratoga last weekend reminded me how much of the Bay Area I have yet to experience. Weekend trips in the Bay are a must!

It's a start... now I must execute!

Happy Canada Day!