the heart asks pleasure first

Year in Summary 2018

yueni — Mon, 31 Dec 2018 07:05:34 GMT

1. What did you do in 2018 that you'd never done before?
So many things:
- Got my advanced scuba open water certification
- Resigned my job in China and had to reject the rejection of my resignation (I mean seriously now)
- Got a job in tech in Silicon Valley

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I did keep my goals for the year, which were:
- to pay off my largest student loan (completed in February)
- to find a new job in the US (completed in November)
- walk an average of 10,000 steps a day for the whole year (still to be determined)

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Steph had baby Avi early this year.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No.

5. What countries did you visit?
Thailand, Hong Kong, Macau, the US, South Korea (but only just a layover)

6. What would you like to have in 2019 that you lacked in 2018?
A significant other, I guess. Enough money to pay off my loans. Job and liveable wage stability.

7. What date from 2018 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
The first week of November, because I literally got my contract offer 1 day before I was planning to resign, anyway.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Achieving what I set out to do: aka, paying off my largest student loan, finding a new job in the US, resigning from my job in China, and relocating to the US.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Not keeping the weight I lost off. My entire focus this year has been career, so I've sort of maintained my weight, kind of, but I'm going to focus on health a little more this year, I think.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I caught the flu after returning to the US. I'm slowly recovering.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
My scuba course in Phuket.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Siv. My accountability partner who really helped to set me straight, and gave me a lot of encouragement throughout the year.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Upper management in my company, as usual. Watching them annihilate my entire department, and then be shocked when people they wanted to remain started quitting.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Student loans, rent, and plane tickets.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Getting a short term contract in Silicon Valley.

16. What song will always remind you of 2018?
《刚好遇见你》 by 李玉刚

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? Marginally happier, I guess.
ii. thinner or fatter? Neither thinner or fatter.
iii. richer or poorer? I'm less negative than I was, so yay?

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Kept a larger emergency fund. Exercised more. Lost more weight. Slept more. Travelled more.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Staying home. I wish I'd gone and travelled more and seen more of China.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?
My company shutdown for Christmas week, so I spent it moving into my new... room. Thing. Rents in Silicon Valley are expensive af.

22. Did you fall in love in 2018?
No, but I wish I did.

23. How many one-night stands?
None, I'm clearly not the type

24. What was your favorite TV program?
I didn't watch TV.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
No.

26. What was the best book you read?
The King's Avatar by Butterfly Blue aka 《全职高手》 by 蝴蝶蓝

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Two Steps From Hell. Clearly I've been living under a rock.

28. What did you want and get?
Paid off my student loan, and got a new job.

29. What did you want and not get?
A significant other

30. What was your favorite film of this year?
I didn't watch any.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 35. I was in Phuket, spending all day scuba diving for my advanced certificate.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Definitely a significant other. I miss cuddling, companionship and having somebody there to lean on.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2018?
Game industry casual, with lots of skirts and dresses. My fashion tastes are moving more and more towards the grey, black, and white minimalist colour scheme.

34. What kept you sane?
Reading, sleep, Siv.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Didn't have time to consider this.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
The craziness in international politics. The crazy way China is monitory its own citizens and the residents living there. I'm glad I left China, but not sure how I feel about being back in the USA.

37. Who did you miss?
My family.

38. Who was the best new person you met?
Jeehye, my new boss.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2018:
If I put my mind to it, and I plan things out, I can accomplish great things, one small step at a time.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
我曾经跨过山和大海也穿过人山人海
我曾经拥有着一切
转眼都飘散如烟
我曾经失落失望失掉所有方向
直到看见平凡才是唯一的答案
我曾经毁了我的一切只想永远地离开
我曾经堕入无边黑暗想挣扎无法自拔
我曾经像你像他像那野草野花
绝望着渴望着哭着笑着平凡着

我曾经跨过山和大海
也穿过人山人海
我曾经问遍整个世界
从来没得到答案

我不过像你像他像那野草野花
冥冥中这是我唯一要走的路啊
时间无言如此这般
明天已在眼前
风吹过的路依然远
你的故事讲到了哪
《平凡之路》 by 朴树

Year in Summary 2017

yueni — Fri, 29 Dec 2017 04:44:41 GMT

1. What did you do in 2017 that you'd never done before?
Traveled to Cambodia to see Angkor Wat, one of my biggest bucket list items. It was life-changing.

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Kind of. At least, I'm still on the road to doing that.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
No, but Steph's pregnant and due next month.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No.

5. What countries did you visit?
Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Macau, the US

6. What would you like to have in 2018 that you lacked in 2017?
A better political climate would be nice. Support for net neutrality, shit like that. For me personally, paying off my student loans, a significant other.

7. What date from 2016 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Not a specific date, but the week I spent in Siem Reap in Cambodia was, and is, one of the biggest highlights of my life.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Working on what is pretty much the biggest project in company history, and taking over the entire project while everybody else left, despite not getting rewarded for all my hard work.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Not keeping the weight I lost off. I'm back in weight-losing mode again, and it's a little easier this time around.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I was insanely sick and had to take a week off. Working 100 hour weeks without rest will do that to a person.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
The 3-day Angkor Wat tickets in Cambodia.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Siv. My accountability partner who really helped to set me straight, and my own for persisting in an incredibly difficult project despite a complete and utter lack of support from the team that should have been supporting me.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Upper management in my company, as usual. Being manipulated in the beginning of the year was kind of fucking annoying.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Student loans, rent, and plane tickets.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Visiting Angkor Wat.

16. What song will always remind you of 2017?
There isn't really a specific one.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? Not really ups or downs. The beginning was shit, but I'm better now.
ii. thinner or fatter? Thinner, but still working on getting thinner.
iii. richer or poorer? Still as poor as I was.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Kept a larger emergency fund. Exercised more. Lost more weight. Slept more.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Been willing to be the sacrificial goat for a shit project.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?
I went to work.

22. Did you fall in love in 2017?
No, but I wish I did.

23. How many one-night stands?
None, I'm clearly not the type

24. What was your favorite TV program?
I didn't watch TV.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
No.

26. What was the best book you read?
The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene is awesome.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Not really a discovery, more of a re-discovery, but how much I love EDM. Also, Neverland by Zendaya, and Lost Boy by Ruth B.

28. What did you want and get?
Trip to Angkor Wat

29. What did you want and not get?
A significant other

30. What was your favorite film of this year?
I didn't watch any.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 34. I probably worked overtime.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Definitely a significant other. I miss cuddling, companionship and having somebody there to lean on.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2017?
Game industry casual, with lots of skirts and dresses. My fashion tastes are moving more and more towards the grey, black, and white minimalist colour scheme.

34. What kept you sane?
Reading, sleep, Siv.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Didn't have time to consider this.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Almost every single stupid thing that comes out of Trump's mouth. He scares the ever-loving shit out of me.

37. Who did you miss?
My sister.

38. Who was the best new person you met?
The new additions to localization. Yang (who took over from me, and is amazingly capable), Monica (who is silly and optimistic, and just lovely), and Eddy and his Ma Fan clan.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2017:
Take things a day at a time.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
It's back to the basics without you now
I'm trying not to fall under
You told me I should take a look around
Lost it all and it's no wonder

How it came to be
I'm stepping out the door of you and me
I'm crossing out the eyes and what they've seen
I'm better off, I'm better off, I'm better

It's time for me to breathe
I'm gasping for the air you stole from me
I'm crossing out the eyes and what they've seen
I'm better off, I'm better off, I'm better lost

Lost by Illenium, featuring Emilie Brandt.

Year in Summary 2016

yueni — Sat, 17 Dec 2016 14:45:22 GMT

1. What did you do in 2016 that you'd never done before?
Started working in the video game industry, like, for reals. This was something I thought I'd never be able to do back in the day when I was strongly advised to drop out of computer science. Look where I am now, bitches.

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
As always, I don’t make resolutions, but one of my biggest goals of getting out of my dead-end job in Monterey has officially happened. I'm definitely a lot happier in terms of work because of the amount of autonomy I have, and also because of the fact that I am, in fact, one of the more senior people in the company (due to my work experience etc. etc.)

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes, so many people had so many babies.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No.

5. What countries did you visit?
Japan for reals this time, not because I missed my plane. It was amazing. I want to go back.
Macau, for the first time. I had a blast.
Hong Kong, multiple times.
USA (well, duh)
China, because there's where I am living now.

6. What would you like to have in 2016 that you lacked in 2015?
Last year, I said: A job I enjoyed in a major city, in China. Also. A boyfriend.
And I have a job I enjoy in a major city in China. Basically what I'm saying is, this year, I really should figure out how to get myself a significant other.

7. What date from 2016 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Not a lot of specific dates, honestly, but 2016 while an awesome year for me, was a pretty shitty year in terms of politics and world events. What with Brexit, Trump as president, Pence as US VP..., the growing conservatism of Chinese leadership, the decision in Russia to invite Chinese officials to teach them to erect an internet firewall, Aleppo, all the bullshit happening in the Middle East... Fuck 2016.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Working on what is pretty much the biggest project in company history. And pretty much knocking my part of the pie right out of the ballpark.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Not losing the weight I said I would, and not keeping up with my exercise routine.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I've been sick off and on, mostly due to stress, I think. I have a cold right now, in fact.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Plane tickets to Japan.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Siv. My accountability partner who really helped to set me straight. Jenn who invited me to Japan and we had a blast.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
The ridiculous management style (and I use the word management loosely here) of my company's C-level executives. The idiot decisions made by HR. (Why yes, there's a level 7 typhoon coming through tomorrow. But you might have to go to work, EVEN THOUGH WE ARE IN THE EYE OF THE STORM RIGHT NOW. Idiots.)

14. Where did most of your money go?
Student loans, and rent.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
My bullet journal, which is an awesome way to put in structure in my usual journaling/planner ways.

16. What song will always remind you of 2016?
Don't Let Me Down by The Chainsmokers ft. Daya

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? Much, much happier. I'm out of my career rut.
ii. thinner or fatter? I think I'm a little fatter, but working on getting thinner.
iii. richer or poorer? No change. I'm earning money and paying off debt. Sure feels like I'm poorer though.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Kept a larger emergency fund. Exercised more. Lost more weight.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Sat on my ass all the time.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?
Unsure, but a group Christmas dinner is in the works.

22. Did you fall in love in 2016?
No.

23. How many one-night stands?
None, I'm clearly not the type

24. What was your favorite TV program?
I didn't watch TV, but I did watch quite a few documentaries. The Supersizers go eat... BBC series is something I'd been enjoying for a bit.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Hate takes too much energy.

26. What was the best book you read?
I don't know. I read a lot of frivolous urban fantasy/romance novels, and made absolutely no headway in my stack of self-improvement reading.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
The electic selection from the Thursday dubtrack/plug.dj music channel that work does.

28. What did you want and get?
A new job in China working in video game localization.

29. What did you want and not get?
A significant other

30. What was your favorite film of this year?
Meru by Jimmy Chin was freaking insane. I loved it.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 33. I went to work, had dinner at 木屋烧烤 with people at work, and then went home to meet up with the A/C guy to fix my A/C.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Definitely a significant other. I miss cuddling, companionship and having somebody there to lean on.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2016?
"Oh my god it is so hot right now"

34. What kept you sane?
Making new friends.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Natalie Portman obviously.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Trump's election.

37. Who did you miss?
Family and friends in the US.

38. Who was the best new person you met?
All the people at work.
Dmitry for being an amazing, crazy Russian dude.
Yong, because forever Yong.
Ring, for always having my back, and also, laugh attack.
Claire for being insanely competent and for being the gif master.
Vincent, for flipping tables.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2016:
A person can only take risks when they have a stable foundation to work off of.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
Baby I don't need dollar bills to have fun tonight
(I love cheap thrills)
~ Cheap Thrills by Sia

Year in Summary 2015

yueni — Mon, 21 Dec 2015 06:17:42 GMT

1. What did you do in 2015 that you'd never done before?
Courted a company for a year and a half (starting in summer 2014), and finally signed on a job offer to work in China in a legit, non-English-teaching position. Also, I got open water certified for scuba, and have 6 dives under my belt.

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
My goal for 2015 was "finding a new job and moving out of Monterey", and I am well on the way to making it come true!

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Loads of people are popping out babies. Loads and loads of people.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
My grandmother passed away in July. She was 95, and we were expecting it. So I'm sad, but also peaceful about it because I know she lived a full life.

5. What countries did you visit?
Indonesia to visit my grandmother and celebrate her 95th birthday in May, and also to Singapore to visit my cousins. I really couldn't afford the trip and emptied out my savings to do it, but I don't regret it at all because my grandmother passed on two months after I visited. Some things are more important than money.

6. What would you like to have in 2016 that you lacked in 2015?
Same as last year: "A job I enjoyed in a major city, in China. Also. A boyfriend." I'm getting a job. Maybe I can work on the boyfriend thing.

7. What date from 2015 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Not a specific date, but rather, 29 April to 10 May, my trip to Indonesia and Singapore.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Getting a new job, and getting scuba certified.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Not failing enough. I need to fail more so I can succeed more!

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Some minor illnesses, nothing major.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
The plane tickets and scuba fees.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Siv. My accountability partner who really encouraged me on the demoralizing road to finding a new job. My sister, who was a rockstar at organizing the Indonesia/Singapore trip.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Nobody. This year has been positive.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Student loans, rent, and building the emergency fund back up.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Indonesia and the new (upcoming) job.

16. What song will always remind you of 2015?
Fight Song by Rachel Platten

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? Happier. I am moving out of limbo. Not there yet, but working on it.
ii. thinner or fatter? Still working on getting thinner and healthier, but I'm definitely thinner.
iii. richer or poorer? Richer. Financially feel poorer, but I have less debt and a healthy emergency fund.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Travelled more and enjoyed where I stay more.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Been more creative.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?
Working.

22. Did you fall in love in 2015?
I fell back in love with life.

23. How many one-night stands?
None, I'm clearly not the type.

24. What was your favorite TV program?
I didn't really watch TV programs... just a lot of BBC documentaries on YouTube.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Hate takes too much energy.

26. What was the best book you read?
Oh god. I have a long ass list. I've been doing a ton of reading this year, but I'll stick to three amazing ones.
The Charisma Myth by Olivia Fox Cabane
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
Daring Greatly by Brene Brown

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Pentatonix totally blew my mind. I never knew a capella could be this way!

28. What did you want and get?
I got a new job, and because I got a new job, I could buy a new mirrorless camera! (It was what I said I would reward myself with once I got out of my dead-end job.)

29. What did you want and not get?
A boyfriend, but one thing at a time. I'm in no rush right now.

30. What was your favorite film of this year?
I didn't watch any movies.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 32. I probably went to work, but it was sandwiched between a road trip to New York with my sister, and the Indonesia/Singapore trip, so I think I did okay.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Definitely a significant other. I miss cuddling, companionship and having somebody there to lean on.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2013?
Dresses. I'm starting to dress more feminine, but low key.

34. What kept you sane?
My weekly meetings with Siv, my accountability partner. She balances me out and keeps me from freaking out. Both of us had big goals this year of finding a new job, and we both did it. I'm proud of both of us, but I know it would've been a lot harder without her cheering me on, and giving me advice.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Natalie Portman is always amazing.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Nothing, I've not been paying attention to the news. Well, I guess ISIS/Daesh is still psychotic.

37. Who did you miss?
All my friends who are around the world.

38. Who was the best new person you met?
Danny, my friend Charlene's new boyfriend.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2015:
If you can work through the dark times, there are always better times around the corner. Keep on growing.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
This is my fight song
Take back my life song
Prove I'm alright song
My power's turned on
Starting right now I'll be strong
I'll play my fight song
And I don't really care if nobody else believes
'Cause I've still got a lot of fight left in me
~ Fight Song by Rachel Platten

blogging away from LJ

yueni — Wed, 16 Dec 2015 04:56:56 GMT

I'm moving my primary blogging engine to WordPress: http://thesoundofwings.wordpress.com

I will be blogging about stories collected from my travels and my move to China (which I will be for work in January 2016).

LJ will stay friendslocked. I will be keeping this LJ for posterity, with my year in a nutshell posts still something I plan on doing every year to encapsulate my life annually.

Year in Summary 2014

yueni — Fri, 02 Jan 2015 19:11:10 GMT

1. What did you do in 2014 that you'd never done before?
Get an accountability partner. Not meet any of my goals.

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
As always, I don’t make resolutions.This year however, I do have goals to meet... like finding a new job and moving out of Monterey.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes, Stephanie, Kristine, Lisa... etc.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No.

5. What countries did you visit?
Canada... that's it. I went there to see the Niagara Falls.

6. What would you like to have in 2015 that you lacked in 2014?
A job I enjoyed in a major city, in China. Also. A boyfriend.

7. What date from 2014 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
None. It was a forgettable year.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Cutting down my student loans I guess. Oh. And getting my green card renewed.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Not finding a new job.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Really sick at the beginning of the year.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
New laptop with a solid state hard drive..

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Siv. My accountability partner who really helped to set me straight.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
My own for being so apathetic and unproductive.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Student loans, rent, and retirement savings.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Nothing.

16. What song will always remind you of 2012?
If You Could See Me Now by The Script

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? Sadder. I'm stuck in a dead-end job, and still trying to find a way out.
ii. thinner or fatter? Not sure. But I'll be walking to Mordor in 2015...
iii. richer or poorer? Richer. I'm earning money and paying off debt. Sure feels like I'm poorer though.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Been willing to take more risks.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Been less scared.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?
At my parents' place, meeting my sister's new boyfriend.

22. Did you fall in love in 2014?
No.

23. How many one-night stands?
None, I'm clearly not the type

24. What was your favorite TV program?
Castle

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Hate takes too much energy.

26. What was the best book you read?
I don't know. I read a lot of Chinese news magazines and frivolous urban fantasy/romance novels.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Don't really have one for this year.

28. What did you want and get?
A new sexy computer.

29. What did you want and not get?
A new job

30. What was your favorite film of this year?
I didn't watch any movies.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 31. I probably went to work and probably had a rush job on a translation.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Definitely a significant other. I miss cuddling, companionship and having somebody there to lean on.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2013?
Comfort. My current signature for work other than the uniform shirt, is grey skirt, black tights, grey boots.

34. What kept you sane?
Reading and good friends.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Natalie Portman for the win.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
China.

37. Who did you miss?
I miss having a boyfriend.

38. Who was the best new person you met?
Siv... though I met her in Florence 2 years ago.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2013:
Work through the setbacks.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
You can go the distance
You can run the mile
You can walk straight through hell with a smile
~ Hall of Fame by The Script feat. will.i.am

now is the time to freak out

yueni — Fri, 22 Aug 2014 01:54:37 GMT

in a random act of insanity, i agreed to take on a freelance interpreting assignment in 2.5 weeks.

...i hadn't read the speaker list properly, or i might have... declined out of fear.

i will be interpreting for an ambassador. and the secretary-general of an international forum. and various governmental and corporate luminaries.

simultaneously.

i am so fucked.

so yes, reason #1254123 why i am not around.

wtf lj stop hacking my flist

yueni — Mon, 19 May 2014 03:28:57 GMT

i am pissed at lj because my flist now automatically defaults to 10 entries per page.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU. I WANT 30 ENTRIES GDI.

i hate you lj. you and your newfangled stupid changes. give me my 30 entries per friendspage load.

2014 thus far is uneventful

yueni — Fri, 28 Mar 2014 03:15:52 GMT

thus far this year, my contributions to my life are:
- teaching MA level students (just finished mid-terms advising)
- still looking for work in China, fml.
- still waiting for a renewed green card to be mailed to me
- still doing pro-bono translation work for a legal project that is gaining much traction in the field
- still working for my shitty company that is making life hell for us (i need a new fucking job)
- still freelancing as a translator even though i haven't had the time to pick up more work
- just got back into manga/anime recently, and have also added light novels to the mix
- just started learning japanese; learned that knowing chinese and english makes learning japanese frighteningly easy and difficult.
- kanji is a piece of cake
- katakana is killing my ass
- also finding much disgruntlement with japanese particles
- have no time to blog or play video games, am not much with the happy
- spent time paying down my student loans like gangbusters now that my credit card debt is fully cleared
- taking a course in financial analysis from tsinghua university on edx.org in chinese

to summarise: 3 jobs; 1 job search; 1 language learning; 1 finance course; 1 loan being speedily paid down; lots of japanese words; lots of anime/manga/light novels

p.s. in awesome news, the interpreter for michelle obama + the daughters + the mother in china this past week was my professor. i am very very proud. she is amazing. the end.

year in summary

yueni — Wed, 25 Dec 2013 18:40:19 GMT

1. What did you do in 2013 that you'd never done before?
Teach at a graduate school; go to Ireland.

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
As always, I don’t make resolutions.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes, loads of people.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
A good college friend miscarried. That kind of sucked.

5. What countries did you visit?
Switzerland, France, Ireland. I was still in Europe in January.

6. What would you like to have in 2014 that you lacked in 2012?
A job I enjoyed in a major city, preferably in China. Also. A boyfriend.

7. What date from 2013 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
January 10-ish, the date I left Switzerland. It was the end of a short chapter and the beginning of a new one.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
You might think that it would be holding down three jobs, and becoming adjunct faculty, but it really is paying off my credit card debt and consistently going above and beyond what I needed to do to pay down my student loans.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Finding a new job.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Not really.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
My station wagon.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
All my co-workers, who are amazing and brilliant people, and who brighten my days at work.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Middle and upper management at my company who need to all stop being so disconnected from wtf their company actually does.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Student loan and credit card debt.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Nothing, really. I'm working on finding something to be really, really, really excited about.

16. What song will always remind you of 2012?
Hall of Fame by The Script feat. will.i.am

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? Sadder. I'm stuck in a dead-end job, and still trying to find a way out.
ii. thinner or fatter? Not sure. I've been see-sawing up and down this whole year, but I've started a workout regimen, got muscles, and people are telling me I"m getting thinner.
iii. richer or poorer? Richer. I'm earning money and paying off debt.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Same as last year: Been more proactive and been willing to take more risks. Been more disciplined. Practised interpreting more.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Procrastinating.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?
At my parents' place. I promised to fly up for Christmas, and I've even gotten the plane tickets already.

22. Did you fall in love in 2013?
No, but I would like to.

23. How many one-night stands?
None, I'm clearly not the type

24. What was your favorite TV program?
Castle, Master Chef Junior, Almost Human

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Hate takes too much energy.

26. What was the best book you read?
I don't know. I read a lot of Chinese news magazines and frivolous urban fantasy/romance novels.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Don't really have one for this year.

28. What did you want and get?
Financial stability

29. What did you want and not get?
A new job

30. What was your favorite film of this year?
I didn't watch any movies.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 30. I probably went to work and probably had a rush job on a translation.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Definitely a significant other. I miss cuddling, companionship and having somebody there to lean on.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2013?
Started out well dressed for work, but now it's just whatever I can get on the quickest. My current signature for work (which apparently is being copied by some of my co-workers), other than the uniform shirt, is black skirt, black tights, grey boots.

34. What kept you sane?
Reading and good friends.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Natalie Portman for the win.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Syria.

37. Who did you miss?
I miss having a boyfriend.

38. Who was the best new person you met?
Jennifer. One of my co-workers. The sweetest girl ever.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2013:
Setbacks are normal. Being disappointed is normal. Work through it.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
You can go the distance
You can run the mile
You can walk straight through hell with a smile
~ Hall of Fame by The Script feat. will.i.am

drive by life update

yueni — Wed, 16 Oct 2013 04:25:28 GMT

I am so exhausted right now, largely because I am holding down not one, not two, but three jobs. Yes, that's right. I'm a medical interpreter (FT job), an adjunct professor of translation & interpretation, and also a freelance translator.

As I've been working over time this week for my FT job, I have now put in more than 30 hours of work working... and it's only Tuesday. Fuck me.

Maybe a more substantive update later...

Hall of Fame by The Script (feat. will.i.am)

yueni — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 03:17:45 GMT

Yeah, you can be the greatest
You can be the best
You can be the King Kong banging on your chest

You could beat the world
You could beat the war
You could talk to God, go banging on his door

You can throw your hands up
You can beat the clock (yeah)
You can move a mountain
You can break rocks
You can be a master
Don't wait for luck
Dedicate yourself and you gon' find yourself

Standing in the hall of fame (yeah)
And the world's gonna know your name (yeah)
'Cause you burn with the brightest flame (yeah)
And the world's gonna know your name (yeah)
And you'll be on the walls of the hall of fame

You can go the distance
You can run the mile
You can walk straight through hell with a smile

You could be the hero
You could get the gold
Breaking all the records they thought never could be broke

Yeah, do it for your people
Do it for your pride
How you ever gonna know if you never even try?

Do it for your country
Do it for your name
'Cause there's gonna be a day...

When you're standing in the hall of fame (yeah)
And the world's gonna know your name (yeah)
'Cause you burn with the brightest flame (yeah)
And the world's gonna know your name (yeah)
And you'll be on the walls of the hall of fame

Be a champion, be a champion, be a champion, be a champion
On the walls of the hall of fame

Be students
Be teachers
Be politicians
Be preachers
(Yeah)

Be believers
Be leaders
Be astronauts
Be champions
Be truth seekers

Be students
Be teachers
Be politicians
Be preachers

Be believers
Be leaders
Be astronauts
Be champions

Standing in the hall of fame (yeah, yeah, yeah)
And the world's gonna know your name (yeah, yeah, yeah)
'Cause you burn with the brightest flame (yeah, yeah, yeah)
And the world's gonna know your name (yeah, yeah, yeah)
And you'll be on the walls of the hall of fame

(You can be a champion)
You could be the greatest
(You can be a champion)
You can be the best
(You can be a champion)
You can be the King Kong banging on your chest

(You can be a champion)
You could beat the world
(You can be a champion)
You could beat the war
(You can be a champion)
You could talk to God, go banging on his door

(You can be a champion)
You can throw your hands up
(You can be a champion)
You can beat the clock
(You can be a champion)
You can move a mountain
(You can be a champion)
You can break rocks

(You can be a champion)
You can be a master
(You can be a champion)
Don't wait for luck
(You can be a champion)
Dedicate yourself and you gonna find yourself
(You can be a champion)

Standing in the hall of fame

the weird life

yueni — Fri, 31 May 2013 13:45:40 GMT

It's been forever since I've posted in here. Most of my friends aren't on here any more. They've all picked up, moved on. I don't have a ton of time to LJ anymore either.

Life's changed so much since I started. At that time, I hadn't even a college degree yet; now, I have my MA. At that time I was unhappy and living with my parents. Since then, I've moved out, lived on the West Coast, lived on the East Coast, lived in China, lived in Europe... I could never have predicted any of this.

I've lived an enviable life thus far, and I plan to keep on doing so.

Posted via m.livejournal.com.

can i turn in my grown up card? i just wanna be a kid again

yueni — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 05:44:15 GMT

This is what has happened over the past 2.5 weeks since I have returned from Geneva:

January 20: arrive back in California
January 25: was informed of possible interpreter position by old classmate; send recruiter an email
January 28: receive phone call from recruiter in the afternoon; recruiter acts like I've already gotten the position even though I've not even passed the interpreting test yet
January 29: attempt (and fail) to memorize 22 pages of medical terminology
January 30: spend 2 hours in a pseudo-interview with another interpreter about my fail bilingual medical terminology; take interpreting test; pass said test
January 31: schedule meeting the next day to drive 3 hours to new location to sign contract; frantically look for housing on Craigslist
February 01: sign work contract; look at housing; find housing; leave deposit; round trip drive time = 8 hours thanks to rush hour traffic
February 02: look for car; find one potential, set up pre-purchase inspection with mechanic
February 03: continue looking for car just in case car 1 is unsuitable; find car 2, set up pre-purchase inspection with another mechanic
February 04: pre-purchase inspections of 2 cars (located 1 hour apart); car 1 has massive frame problems; put deposit down on car 2
February 05: purchase car 2; take car 2 to mechanic to change timing belt kit; registration with DMV; start online training for new job
February 06: more online training with new job; settle car insurance; receive freelance work request, deadline = TOMORROW; mock up rate sheet & invoice

I pick up my car on February 08, and move on February 09.

I don't want to be a grown up any more. =__=

4.5 months

yueni — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 08:38:49 GMT

it's been great. i leave geneva tomorrow. first to ireland (dublin for 3 days), then to miami (woo wedding!) and finally back to california.

thank you europe for taking care of me. thank you world, for letting me glimpse your secrets.

2012 in a nutshell

yueni — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 21:37:31 GMT

1. What did you do in 2012 that you'd never done before?
Live and work in Europe. Get my master’s. Work for a UN agency.

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
As always, I don’t make resolutions.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Loads of people. These past few years have been rife with babies.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No.

5. What countries did you visit?
Oh dear god. A lot: China, US, Germany, Switzerland, France, Italy, England, Spain, Japan, plus I'm going to stop by Ireland on the way back...

6. What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012?
Steady, reliable income. Financial security, a financial safety net, enough income to pay off my student loan in under 5 years... preferably a lot fewer years. Like. One year would be ideal. Also. A boyfriend.

7. What date from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
A lot of people might think that my graduation date looms large in my mind, but really, it was June 14, when I started my new life of nomadism in China.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Working as a translator and getting paid to be one.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Failing at managing my finances

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Mostly colds and such.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Plane tickets to China and Switzerland, and also plane and train tickets all over Europe.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
All my classmates who are doing amazing things now; Kathryn, my research partner in Yunnan for putting up with me in close quarters for 8 long weeks; my sister for letting me mooch off her.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
My research advisor for being a complete idiot douchebag, and who should never be allowed near an email account ever. I mean really. I had to diffuse a flare-up of his making by myself? Having me be the one stuck in the middle of this fight? Really? I thought he was supposed to be the experienced adult.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Tuition, rent and plane tickets.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Travelling all over the world this year. I am still excited about it.

16. What song will always remind you of 2012?
The Christina Grimmie and Sam Tsui cover of Just a Dream by Nelly

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? Happier. Much, much happier. I’m doing what I want with my life.
ii. thinner or fatter? I think I’ve lost a little weight. I did put on a ton during the last semester of grad school, but I promptly lost it all while tromping through the backwoods of China. However, I’ve still got about 10-15lbs to lose...
iii. richer or poorer? I don’t know. I’m definitely earning more money, but I’ve also spent a lot as well. So I guess I’d consider it a wash.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Been more proactive and been willing to take more risks. Been more disciplined. Practised interpreting more.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Slacking.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?
Probably in Geneva with my landlady.

22. Did you fall in love in 2012?
No, but I think I will work on that in 2013.

23. How many one-night stands?
None, I'm clearly not the type

24. What was your favorite TV program?
Castle

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Hate takes too much energy.

26. What was the best book you read?
亲爱的安德烈 by 龙应台

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Youtube artists: Christina Grimmie, Sam Tsui, Tiffany Alvord, The Piano Guys

28. What did you want and get?
Adventure and travel

29. What did you want and not get?
The contract with WIPO

30. What was your favorite film of this year?
Skyfall was fucking brilliant. Also enjoyed The Avengers.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Turned 29. I had class, and went out to lunch with a classmate.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
I'd like a significant other. I miss cuddling, companionship and having somebody there to lean on.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
I'm trying to come up with one. Right now it's using up whatever clothes I have left.

34. What kept you sane?
A rigid practice schedule, Skype & gmail chats with Jason, reading, living out fantasies in my mind, travel, and good friends.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I still like Natalie Portman. Ben Whishaw was particularly yummy as Q in Skyfall. So was Daniel Craig.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
China trying to expand their borders by making a passport statement. Really China. Really.

37. Who did you miss?
I miss having a boyfriend.

38. Who was the best new person you met?
David, one of my colleagues here at WIPO. He's hilarious.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012:
Failure is normal. It's what happens after failure that makes a person. I need to pick myself up and move on.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
And I was thinkin' about you, thinkin' about me.
Thinkin' about us, what we gonna be?
Open my eyes; it was only just a dream.
~ Christina Grimmie & Sam Tsui Just A Dream (Nelly cover)

lj anniversary

yueni — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 21:30:19 GMT

In Geneva, fellowship winding to a close. Have travelled to: Germany, France, Italy.

Now trying to figure out what to do once all this is over.

sick & in kunming

yueni — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 01:39:31 GMT

So much has happened since I last posted. Our research has mostly ended, and we're working on our final report. However, right now, I am sick though back in Kunming, China.

So instead, I leave you a picture of a place I went to that was one valley away from Tibet called Feilaisi 飞来寺.

chilling in china

yueni — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 16:46:20 GMT

Still in Lijiang on unreliable internet. The Asus service center here basically replaced my entire harddrive, and reinstalled Windows 7 for me... in Chinese. =____= At least I mostly understand wtf is going on. I'm going to have to reinstall it in English when I return to the US. Seriously. Fuck my life.

It's not like I don't understand what's going on in Chinese on my computer, but I'd really just prefer it in English. Plus because it's in Chinese, Chrome and a bunch of other programs on my computer default to Chinese. Super annoying!

We were going to Lugu lake this weekend... Unfortunately, there was a 5.5 magnitude earthquake nearby. In the interest of personal safety, we cancelled that trip. Can't actually read the western news here as I don't have a VPN, so I can't link to those news sources.

Heading up to Tiger Leaping Gorge in the next couple days, and Shangri-la next week.

computer died

yueni — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 13:48:29 GMT

In Lijiang, on my partner's computer because my computer died. fml. Sent it to the repair shop. Hopefully it will work.

Heading out to the villages tomorrow. Wish me luck!

the beginning of my transition period

yueni — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 00:59:39 GMT

In Kunming, Yunnan province, China right now. Got in insanely early this morning. I'm a little jet-lagged still.

Will be meeting my partner later today. Yay, adventure!

life after school

yueni — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 00:24:21 GMT

So I've finally graduated, and I'm waiting around in this no-man's land of semi-employment, by which I mean that I have to things lined up:

June through early August: microcredit research in China
September through November: patent translation fellowship at WIPO in Geneva

Meanwhile I'm so paralyzed by unchoice and being in this in-between phase that... I can't seem to get anything done, even though there are a ton of things I need to do.

surrounded by legal dictionaries...

yueni — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 02:33:28 GMT

... in two languages, fml.

I'm not even a lawyer. >__< This is what happens when I agree to help Stanford Law School with a translation project. *headdesks*

Even worse. This is all voluntary. Why do I do this to myself?!

有些人……真是！

yueni — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 16:41:06 GMT

有些人简直就是个四，除了二还是二，减去二还是二，真是二上加二，去掉一个二还有一个二，而且是二的二倍。

100 foods to eat before you die

yueni — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 04:02:28 GMT

How many have I eaten...?

1. Abalone (I loooove abalone!)
2. Absinthe (regret not trying this when I was in Germany)
3. Alligator
4. Baba Ghanoush
5. Bagel & Lox (uh, what is lox?)
6. Baklava (Baklava is to die for. srsly.)
7. BBQ Ribs
8. Bellini
9. Birds Nest Soup
10. Biscuits & Gravy
11. Black Pudding
12. Black Truffle
13. Borscht (this is freaking amazing, too)
14. Calamari
15. Carp
16. Caviar
17. Cheese Fondue
18. Chicken & Waffles (o__o really??? together?)
19. Chicken Tikka Masala
20. Chile Relleno
21. Chitlins
22. Churros (not a fan, but I've had 'em)
23. Clam Chowder (living where I do... if I'd never had it, it'd be sacrilege)
24. Cognac
25. Crab Cakes
26. Crickets
27. Currywurst (best. thing. ever.)
28. Dandelion Wine
29. Dulce De Leche (does it count if it's in ice cream?)
30. Durian (I could make a freaking meal out of this)
31. Eel
32. Eggs Benedict
33. Fish Tacos
34. Foie Gras
35. Fresh Spring Rolls
36. Fried Catfish
37. Fried Green Tomatoes
38. Fried Plantain
39. Frito Pie
40. Frogs' Legs (I miss the restaurant near my house that had it in Singapore)
41. Fugu
42. Funnel Cake
43. Gazpacho
44. Goat (If you've been to China, you've probably had goat)
45. Goat's Milk (does it count if you've eaten goat cheese?)
46. Goulash
47. Gumbo
48. Haggis (I really want to try this)
49. Head Cheese (I adore this stuff)
50. Heirloom Tomatoes (They're just too expensive on a cheapo student budget)
51. Honeycomb
52. Hostess Fruit Pie
53. Huevos Rancheros (best. breakfast. ever.)
54. Jerk Chicken
55. Kangaroo (I've been dying to try this)
56. Key Lime Pie
57. Kobe Beef
58. Lassi
59. Lobster
60. Mimosa
61. Moon Pie
62. Morel Mushrooms
63. Nettle Tea
64. Octopus
65. Oxtail Soup
66. Paella
67. Paneer
68. Pastrami on Rye
69. Pavlova
70. Phaal
71. Philly Cheese Steak
72. Pho (freaking. amazing. I should go to the pho place some time this week...)
73. Pineapple & Cottage Cheese
74. Pistachio Ice Cream
75. Po' Boy
76. Pocky
77. Polenta
78. Prickly Pear
79. Rabbit Stew (I really want to try this)
80. Raw Oysters
81. Root Beer Float
82. S'mores
83. Sauerkraut
84. Sea Urchin
85. Shark
86. Snail
87. Snake (I don't think I've actually had this. Sadly.)
88. Soft Shell Crab
89. Som Tam (so. amazing. srsly.)
90. Spaetzle
91. Spam
92. Squirrel
93. Steak Tartare
94. Sweet Potato Fries
95. Sweetbreads
96. Tom Yum
97. Umeboshi
98. Venison
99. Wasabi Peas
100. Zucchini Flowers

Total: 56.
Verdict: Clearly, I need to eat more.