Week 6: Dallas

Music: Let Me Think About It- Ida Coor vs Fredde Le Grand (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19WUwZYM7bM&feature=related)

Mood: Sleepy


Wow. I am exhausted. It's only 9am, and I'm getting very sleepy. I've got my green tea but I might have to move on to a coke or something to keep me awake. This weekend was pretty much amazing. On Friday, I met some interns working at an advertising company in Dallas through a UT friend who is also interning at that company. It was nice meeting some new people my age in Dallas. Saturday, I woke up pretty early (7am early, to be exact) and drove my roommate to the airport. After that, I headed to the Habitat for Humanity Dallas office where we had training all morning. I signed up to volunteer for Habitat on Saturdays to build houses, and this Sat was training for me. We learned safety, different roles, and how to use different equipment. The circular saw, how to hammer in a nail and then take it out (you really chip out the wood), and then the m-something saw. It was pretty cool using the power tools and learning about basic techniques. I think I might stick to just painting though. We'll see.



Before I went to Habitat training on Saturday, I had to grab breakfast, but I couldn't find a starbucks anywhere. The whole street (for about a mile) was lined with taquerias. I stopped by one and asked if they had breakfast tacos, and the guy shook his head NO. And I stopped to think to myself.. well, he's open at 8AM and he says he doesn't have breakfast tacos. I looked a the menu he had posted on the wall and everything was in spanish but sounded like lunch food. So then I was like, he has to have something with egg. So I started speaking to him in spanish, "Tu tienes huevos?" and he was like "si, si- huevos con chizoro (spelling)" and i was like.. sweet! and then i asked "cuanto cuesta" and then "yo quiero dos, por favor" and then i said "tu tienes agua mineral" but they didn't have that so i settled for "agua natural" And he was going to put sauce on my breakfast tacos but i asked him "es caliente?" and he said "si" so i said no thanks. It was pretty exciting that I got to order in spanish! i definately want to try again. lol.



So on Saturday, after my taqueria experience and learning at Habitat. I went out by the pool to lay out, did laundry, read a bit, and then called it an early night. I woke up on Sunday, read some more, lounged around, went to brunch with steven h, and then went to northpark mall to help steven pick out some new clothes. Obviously, i was tempted to buy things too (esp b/c Banana Republic was having a big sale), but no shopping in June means no shopping at all! So I was good. Nonetheless, I still found things I know I want... I'm eyeing some RayBans (polarized) and then a metal chain (like from Tiffany & Co... see this one: I can get it engraved with my initals and everything... I feel it looks better than a watch, but that's my opinion..) What do you think? Maybe it's more of something you'd get as a gift than buy for yourself (hint, hint... lol) You can have three letters engraved on it... (my initials are EYH, and my last name also only has 3 letters.. hint hint.. lol).

Let's see.. and then on Sunday after Northpark mall, I tried Yoga for the first time and actually liked it. It was weird b/c I couldn't keep my balance and the trainer had to keep coming over and holding me up straight to find my (what i called) "sweet spot." And let me tell you, I kept sweating!!! i don't know if you're supposed to, but during the lunge positions (idk the name) it was so hard not to shake.. it was fun though, and i know i'll be doing it again. the thing is, i hurt my knees last week b /c i had the bike seat to high during group cycling, so i'm trying to rest my knees. I hope i don't have anything wrong with me. I'll wait a bit, and then maybe go see a doctor. I skipped cycling this morning and stuck to upper body stuff today.

Well, that's all that's going on right now. I'm entering week 6 of my internship. I've pretty much mastered the work they've given me, so today, I asked for some more work. They gave me some, but I don't think it'll keep me busy enough, So i'll probably end up asking for more.

Oh, and here's an interesting article on underaged drinking from Time magazine: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1816475-1,00.html

How are your summer's going? Also, I'm going to chicago July 10 to 13th. Does anyone know how I can get some Cubs tickets? Also, what about any other cool places i should check out?

Mosquito Bites Stink

Music: Rihanna- Take a Bow
Mood: Itchy

I'm in week 4 of my internship, and it's going well so far! I'm pretty much done with training, and I'm now taking over some of the roles of the people training me. In the mornings, I compare the positions and contact the traders and the counterparties that we deal with. That usually takes up most of my morning. After lunch, I usually go in and look at the cash to make sure it’s correct. I have to book commissions and other financing expenses (this is more accounting based). Then after that, around 3 or 4, the day’s trades usually come in so I have to book them in my spreadsheet and then also book them in our accounting books. That’s pretty much my day in a nutshell.

It is sort of repetitive, but at the same time, somewhat interesting because it’s exposing me to finance. When I have down time, I read the corporate finance book I found in the company library. Right now, I’m reading up on NPV and bonds. It’s pretty cool that if I’m not doing the actual operations work, I get paid to read and to learn. Not bad, if I may say so myself. I do get drained a lot though. Since I wake up early in the morning to go to the gym, I’ve already been up for 2 hours before I’m at my desk. At least I don’t have to go the gym right after work; I don’t think I’d have the energy to do so afterwards.

Ok, so anyways, there are like mosquitoes in my apartment. It stinks. They’re so annoying, and I don’t know how to get rid of them. I have so many bites and everything. Other than that, the apartment is nice. It’s on the dirty side, but I don’t feel like cleaning so I think the dirt is just going to stay there. There’s a nice pool outside with a waterfall that is pretty relaxing to just sit by. Speaking of which, I might just go and lay out today after work. [yes, I’m at work as I type this.. I’ve got some down time before the 4’o clock trades come through.)

Also, now I volunteer at the local women’s shelter in Dallas every Tuesday from 6 to 8 after work. I had training 2 days ago and yesterday was my first day. I think I got several mosquito bites from there too. In fact, I feel one on my ear… which stinks! Lol. But yea, here’s the story behind why I decided to volunteer. I was shopping at Banana Republic (which I am addicted to, btw) and I started talking to one of the sales men who helped get a sweater I wanted. He was telling me he gets 50% off full price items and 30% off sale items. He said that I should try and apply because they were hiring like crazy and need lots of people. He gave me an application and said I could even just work on the weekends… the funny thing was that I was actually considering it… believe that… but I said NO, [1] I shouldn’t be working there to spend more money there, and [2] if I’m even considering getting a second job, I should be using that time to help others rather than splurge on myself again. So yes, now I volunteer at the women’s shelter. Yesterday, I played soccer and basketball (we played horse), and I discovered I was really bad at both. I concluded that I’m better at individual sports like running or cycling. The kids also played with chalk, and I discovered I can’t draw either… it was a very sad day in the sense that I realized I was bad at everything little kids do. Oh well, it was entertaining to play with the kids and escape the office once and a while.

This past weekend, I went and visited my friends in Austin. Oh how I miss Austin and my friends. I drove down right after work on Friday and got to Austin at like 8. We went to Mandola’s at the triangle and that was pretty taste. Afterwards, we went downtown and then topped the night at Katz’s deli with some milkshakes (except Vicki got a hot dog). Saturday was a lazy yet productive day. I woke up, grabbed breakfast, and then went to the coop to find some gifts for my brother. I ended up getting him a UT hat and then a UT athletic/track jacket that I really liked myself (too bad I can’t buy one for myself… I’m on a shopping ban until the month of July.. yes a self-instated shopping ban. My pocketbook will thank me later for that). Then I went to my Steven H’s (my dallas roommate) apartment to pick up some stuff he left behind/stuff we needed for the apt in dallas. Afterwards, we had lunch at Clay Pit (which I was craving for the past week or so). Stuffed from the clay pit buffet, i took a nap and didn’t wake up till like 6. Afterwards, we went down to Town Lake to kayak. It was my first time kayaking on town lake so that was pretty exciting. I got my pants pretty wet, as the waves were pretty rough.. they obviously weren’t real waves, but just wakes created by the wind. At one point, we got stuck in a lagoon and almost attacked by the hanging tree limps and a spiderweb.. though my friends say it was a tree disease… but that doesn’t make me feel any better. Well afterwards, since we were near Hula Hut and were planning on celebrating our friend Becca’s birthday, we put in a reservation and then went back to the apartments to change. We went back to Hula Hut and I had some salmon tacos, which I was also craving. Afterwards, we played Loaded Questions and then called it a night, as I had a long drive a head of me on Sunday. On Sunday, I woke up at like 9:30, got on the road, and made It back to dallas by 1. I had to stop for gas on the way back.. and boy, I paid the most for gas I’ve ever paid.. it cost me $60 to fill up.. about 13 gallons at 4.25 a gallon (for premium). UGH! But it was well worth the trip! I MISS Austin.

This weekend should be fun though! We’re going to see an FC Dallas game and then see The Ars Supernova play later that night. Also, Steven K, our third roommate is finally in town so it should be fun hanging out with him as well.

Well, I think the 4 pm trades are in now. I better get off to work. But here are some kayak pictures from this past weekend! Leave me happy comments, and let me know how you’re doing.

Chaya- I’ll be in Houston August 16 to August 21. Let’s plan some rice village festivities!
Mina- Hooray for summer blogging! I’m going to be blogging in the fall while I’m abroad so watch out! I am jealous of your study abroad and can’t wait for HKG! Do you know Margaret L or Linda T? I think they went on that France abroad program too…
Melissa- how is your summer treating you? Are your office still in the FCC interviewing suites or have ya’ll moved yet?

We're actually in 2 kayaks...

Kayaking is tough work!

This is a fun photo! We're just lounging.. about to drift into the lagoon.

Dallas

Music: Ryan Adams- New York, New York (http://youtube.com/watch?v=1IhDW18rxyY)
Mood: Being Yuppy-ish

The summer has began full swing. I am no longer a sophomore, but rather, I am an upperclassman. That feels weird. This past year was amazing. I've grown a lot and really discovered a lot about myself, my friends, my passions, and maybe even my future.

I've just finished my second weekend in Dallas, and I must comment that this summer is going to be a lot more chill than last summer was. I'm rooming with two friends who are only in town Thursday through Sunday because during the week, they're traveling to the client site. That means much of the week, I'll be able to read a lot, relax, and go to the gym. Before I go on about what I've done these two weeks, I feel like I've got a lot to say about my job and what I've done so far.

My first day was May 19th so I drove up to Dallas and move in on Saturday, May 17th. The drive from Houston to Dallas was nice and soothing, except for the fact that my ipod was being moody and decided to quit working for the drive up. Good thing I was prepared and had a bunch of CDs too. Driving up to Dallas by myself, I felt so grown up, so mature. Here I was, a 19 year old, driving the 4.5 hours to Dallas by myself with my car full of things I'd need this summer. Arriving in Dallas, I met up with the people I'm subletting from, and then I began to move in by myself. Slowly, I brought everything up to the apartment and moved in. I was home. Though none of this furniture or anything is mine, it still feels like my place. I'm content. After I moved in and everything, I went off to find a Gym. I knew I needed a gym near uptown near my office. I was looking at 24hour, Golds, Ballys, and Lifetime. I went to 24hour, toured the place, and found their going rate for just the summer. The thing is, that 24hour was in downtowm, so that'd meant I'd have to drive from uptown to downtown to work out. So I went to Gold's Gym, which is literally right across the street from my office. I went in, toured the facilities, saw the hours for group cycling, and actually liked the place. The thing was, they wanted to charge me like twice as much as what 24hour was charging. So i was able to talk with the sales manager, and he was able to get me a membership for less than what 24hour was going to give me. So that Saturday after moving in, I signed my membership with Golds and even worked out that night.

I'm not sure what it is, but I think going to the gym plays a large part in my schedule (or my life for that matter). It's my outlet, my way to get away from society and just do nothing and think about nothing. So yes, the gym is an integral part of my schedule. Reason I mention that is because it's what defines my schedule more than work. (Strange, huh?) And going to the gym in uptown makes me feel even more yuppy-ish than I already am. OK, so here is my work schedule. I can be in the office as late at 8:30, and basically, I'm limited to 40 hours a week (though I wouldn't mind getting overtime. I'll have to check with my boss). Anyways, so I've made it a habit now of going to the gym in the morning. (it takes 2 weeks to develop a habit or a routine, so this third week should seal the deal in my morning gym routine). So everyday, I wake up at like 5:30 or so (meaning I go to bed by 10 or 10:30 so i can get enough sleep). I brush my teeth and change into athletic clothes, and then head off to the gym to make it there by 5:50 or 6:00. On Monday, wednesday, and friday, Gold's has group cycling (/spinning) class at 6am. Then after working out (around 7 or 7:15), I drive to my office and go up to shower. My office has showers for people who work out, so I go up, shower, and get dressed into my work clothes. (Dress is casual-- jeans and a button down or polo... and shorts on friday). So it's nice. Then, after showering (at the office.. ) I make it to my office by 7:45 (sometimes 8, depending on how long of a shower I want to take). Then I boot up my computer and grab breakfast. The office provides breakfast and lunch for employees everyday. There are like 15 types of cereals, yogurt, oatmeal, poptarts, and fresh strawberries and blueberries, coffee, tea, etc. So I grab my breakfast and eat at my desk while i'm working on my morning work. Then I grab lunch around 12 with the other interns. We usually find an open conference room and eat in there. The company provides lunch daily, so it's nice (there is always sandwich meat, salads, and baked potatoes if we don't like the main item). So with that, we usually take only 30 mins for lunch, and then I'm off to do my afternoon work. I'm usually done around 5 or 5:30. After work, I drive back home, relax a bit, make dinner, catch the 5:30 national news--- nightly news on nbc, i can't remember the name of the person-- then I watch a bit of how i met your mother, read some (i'm reading to kill a mockingbird right now), make some phone calls, and then call it a night. Sometimes, I hang out with some friends in the Dallas area, but obviously, I can't stay up too late b/c i have to wake up around 5:30.

In general, Dallas has been interesting so far. I enjoy it but it doesn't compare to Austin at all. The work I'm doing is interesting, but I just can't stand being in front of the computer all day. I think this was the same feeling i had last summer. I just don't know how I'm going to work full-time if it means i'll be in front of the computer for the rest of my life. I want to get out, interact with other people, and do something meaningful and impact-ful with my hands and mind, not just using a computer processor. So my debate continues as to what i should do upon graduation.

Oh, I am going to visit Austin this weekend! I'm pretty excited i'll get to hang out with friends who are in Austin and get some of the college feel again. I'm planning on going to Chicago in July to visit a friend and I know I want to visit Austin again in July. I'm done with my internship on August 15th (Friday), and then I fly off to Hong Kong on August 21st (Thursday). I won't be back in the States until Jan 1st, where I'll spend 5 days in san francisco before returning to Houston and then Austin for the spring semester. It's pretty exciting that I have some planned things for the summer and for hong kong, but I think what keeps me going is the unknown. Not knowing how this summer is going to be or what I'm going to do.. that's thrilling in a strange way. I suppose spontaneity is entertaining.

Well, I think I'm going to eat lunch (a sandwich).

Oh speaking of lunch and sandwiches, there's a Jason's Deli near by my place (i'm like 8 minutes south of the SMU and mockingbird station area. There's a Jason's deli there and I've been there like 3 times already in the past 2 weeks... And that place is always busy. Many of y'all know that is one of my favorite places to eat. My comfort food is a simple sandwich. Nothing makes me feel better or more relaxed than a simple sandwich (and maybe some icecream to follow). So with that Jason's there, it reaffirms my goal of one day franchising and opening up a Jason's deli! We'll see! =)

So Long and Farewell

Music: Days Go By- Keith Urban
Mood: Finished... I Think

Wow! I am finished! And it feels amazing! =) But at the same time, it's eerie that I won't be back in Austin until January. I've said good bye to a lot of my professors, coworkers, and friends, and I can't believe that I won't seen some of these people until January as well. That's so long! And there are other people who are going abroad in the spring who I probably won't see until my senior year! Ekk!

So to recap finals before I depart for the summer: The Stat test on Thursday was okay. It wasn't too hard, and pretty much what I expected. I just want to know that I got my A in the class. The managerial accounting class was pretty annoying. It was harder than I expected, but nonetheless, I expect to get an A in the class as well. Hopefully, none of my professors are reading this and jinx my grades. Lol.

Today, all I really did was study spanish. I was pretty ADD and was easily distracted by the internet (following the democratic nomination process, online shopping, the usual). I woke up at like 10, started studying by 11, got lunch at like 1. And the studied spanish, memorizing vocab. words, studying the culture, and memorizing conjugations, etc. I took the test at 7 and got at around 8:30. From there, I went to the gym and stayed there until it closed (which was at 10.. which was annoying).. I feel like around finals times, I've been eating a ton.. I had a whole bottle of naked juice, ate some peanut butter ice cream, and too many resses peanut butter cups, so I really needed the gym. Plus, today, I was locked up in the honors quad studying all day so it was nice to get out and be a the gym.

Yesterday, also, after taking two finals (and especially after taking accounting) I went for a jog to the capitol. It was nice to see the capitol at night and all bright. I stayed there and did some ab work on the capitol lawn. It was slightly awkward because I was just doing crunches on the lawn while people where just strolling by. Lol.

So tomorrow, I'm spending the day finishing up my research for my professor so I hope to finish that up. Then my parents come up that evening, we'll go out to eat, they'll spend the night in a hotel and then we'll leave back for Houston Sunday morning. I'm actually excited to be back home, but it stinks because I still have a psychology final (take-home) to start (and finish) on Sunday afternoon. Then finally after that, I think I'll be done until I move up to Dallas to start my internship.

In general, I think this year has been absolutely great. I really enjoyed myself, found my niche in the business school, and really got to form better relationships with more people. It's been great blogging and sharing my experiences with all of my readers. I know I'll update over the summer and then blog while I'm abroad. So for now, so long and farewell. Have a safe summer!

Almost There

Music: Come Together- The Beatles
Mood: Getting unSick

Studying for finals is draining, especially when you're sick and want to sleep. Good thing I'm getting better and can feel the symptoms going away. I've spent the past three days studying for accounting by reviewing notes, doing practice problems, and summarizing class notes. Last night, after dinner, I reviewed for Stat quickly, and surprisingly, I didn't find it too hard at all. Hopefully I'm ready for stat too. But the game plan for today is to tackle the accounting practice test and rework some of the problems from the class notes again. Then I also want to work some of the sample exams in Stat as well as review some of the past homework for stat as well.

My spanish exam is on Friday at 7pm, and I probably won't start studying for that until Friday morning simply because I don't have time before then. What stinks is that I'm probably not going to leave Austin until Sunday morning. I have so much work to do for research, so I'm going to spend all day Saturday working on it. I think my parents will come up on Saturday evening, spend the night, we'll grab mother's day lunch on Sunday, and then head back to Houston. Then when I get home, I still have to work on a take-home exam for psychology. It doesn't look to bad, but I haven't been doing any of the reading for psychology, so that might take a while. I suppose I could do it on Sunday when I get back.

Well, I woke up today, ate breakfast, and did laundry. I'm now waiting for it to dry, so I suppose I should move onto working on accounting before the whole day escapes me.

Stuffy

Music: As Lovers Go- Dashboard Confessionals
Mood: Congested

I am getting sick, but I'm trying to hold it off until my last final next Friday. I've been taking vitamin C pills like crazy, sleeping quite a bit, and trying to relax. My eyes feel like they are about to pop out, my throat is itchy, my ears keep popping, and my nose is runny. What sticks the most is that my eyes hurt like crazy and I can barely hear because my ears are clogged. At least this week is almost done. I haven't had a crazy week like most other business students (thank goodness). I have 2 papers due on Friday (one of which I already turned in and got an A on-psychology. I wrote on evolution, homosexuality, and attraction. It was fun!) and the other paper is for philosophy. I finished the rough draft yesterday and submitted it to my professor to give feedback.

Tomorrow, I've got the listening part of my spanish final exam, which I cannot really prepare for except by studying vocab words from the whole semester. I really don't want to take that part tomorrow because I'm just ready to relax for this week before the studying ensues. I'm taking three finals-- statistics, accounting, and spanish, and I'm not really worried about any of them. I just need to put the time and the energy into cracking open the books, but at this point, I don't feel like do that because I'm congested.

Also, for my research, I've got a lot of tabulation and coding to do to ender the data into excel. I did two groups (6 people) the other night and it took me 30 minutes. I've got 39 more groups (that's 117 more people). It's going to be slow going and eye-straining, but hey, it's fun (I suppose).

Besides that, I didn't realize that today is the last class for most of the seniors. That's an extremely scary thought. I cannot imagine graduating and never coming back to UT. Being done with classes (forever, almost), working full-time, surviving on your own-- That's scary. I'm already intimidated and scared with the fact that after I leave Austin on next Saturday, I won't be back for the next 8 months unless I visit during the summer, which I have promised friends I would. I still haven't finalized my study abroad stuff yet, though. I need to buy my tickets, work out my visa, still register for HKUST classes, and iron out course equivalences. All my classes should work out, and if they don't, I've already crossed the Rubicon. I'll deal with it in January. So yes, I am apprehensive about studying abroad. I'm scared, and I'm already feeling homesick. As I walk around campus, I think to myself, I'm going to miss this! (And I'm not even graduating!) But then again, I think to myself about HKUST, being in Asia, being away for 6 months in another country, the friends I'll make, and the experiences I'll have. It'll be amazing!!! =)

Lastly, I should mention my excitement about the summer before I run off to philosophy class. The company sent me a little note the other day wishing me well on my finals and included a starbucks gift card. That was a nice little gesture. I'm pretty stoked about working, but I really don't know anything about what I'm doing, so I'm scared I'll mess up. But i'm sure the company will guide me and help me out if I don't understand. I'll be with a lot of friends in Dallas this summer as well, so I'm excited about that. I start on May 19th, so I've only got one week in Houston before I have to move up. Ahh, it seems so quick.

Oh, and one last thing-- Online shopping is addictive. I have one pair of casual loafers that are arriving today, and I just ordered a pair of casual flip-flops which come in on Friday, so I'm excited. I tell you, when you're sick, it's so much fun and uplifting to invest in retail therapy. =)

Craziness

Music: the vacuum in the background
Mood: tired

It appears that my past couple of weeks of life-loving have come to an end. This last week of school has taken its took and caused me to overeat, undersleep, and write papers, study, and meet in groups like crazy. It's quite unfortunate. I have this theory about Sundays. If sundays are gloomy and gross, the week will be horrible. This sunday, Green Means Go was scheduled for 8am but it was rained out by a horrible downpour. The rest of the day was all right, a bit overcast and chilly.

Sunday afternoon, I finished my paper for psychology and did some research for my philosophy paper. I'm currently working on my philosophy paper and it's slow going. I'm really sick of the class and know I'm going to make an A so there are no worries. I'm just ready to be done though. In Spanish, I had a final interview on monday, which went badly because i swear I misconjucated all the verbs in the wrong tense. I've got the final listening part on friday which is 20% of my final exam grade. In accounting, my group presented today and that was pretty exciting! We did amazing (so I thought) but we still have to get the written proposal done. In STAT, we're just doing group presentations and we've got a cumulative final for that.

Overall, I'm ready to be done. I actually leave on May 10th, start my internship May 19th, finish on August 15th, and then head off to hong kong on August 21st and I won't be back from HKG until January. I'm actually really scared. After May 10th, I won't seen Austin for the next months unless I come back down over the summer to visit, which I'm sure I will (hopefully). The thing is, I'm ready for classes to be done. I'm ready to get my 4.0 and run off for the summer, but I'm not ready to say good bye to Austin, to campus, or to my friends. I feel like I've just started to warm up to Austin more so than last year, and I'm not ready to part yet. It just seems so quick.

Literally two weeks and I'm GONE. Scary, huh? In the meanwhile, I've got tons of work to do! Good luck to everyone on their finals. We're on the home-stretch! =)

ok, back to my boring philosophy paper now! Yaya!