chaos EXPOSED

Swimming with Sharks

2011-12-09T15:37:00.000-05:00

Not really...but I promised that I'd post the pics of me playing hockey at The Shark Tank! Enjoy. Yes, I had to represent and wear their practice jersey.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

2011-12-06T14:55:00.000-05:00

So it's been a while again. Sigh. I don't know why I wait so long to blog, but life's been pretty exciting. Thank you Rob for reminding me this site exists. Anyway... where did I leave off? Since my efforts of tracking down Gerard Butler were in vain, I have spent more of my time playing hockey and going out with friends.

I celebrated Diwali for the first time with some Stanford Business Students,

celebrated my Grandpa's 94th birthday.

dressed up as a hockey player at work for Halloween,

went to Oregon for a conference,

Made a wish on November 11th at 11:11...

Got a haircut,

Made a double layer pumpkin cheesecake for my family on Thanksgiving (then for my coworkers).

My cousins were happy...

Had my high school 5 year reunion in downtown Palo Alto, and enjoyed it.

Celebrated my friends birthday in Los Gatos, also enjoyed it.

Put up Christmas lights... and it's been a while since I have.

Then I played ANOTHER hockey game at HP Pavilion...pics will come soon.

And that's all I have to say about that.

Yes, I used recycled paper - old resumes to be exact.

Pumpkins, Cider, & Apple Pie Gum

2011-10-27T23:58:00.000-04:00

Wow, I'm pretty good at timing my blogs out. It's been a month and a day since my last post, and honestly I've been too lazy to even open this blog to write. All I've done was travel and travel and some more travel since then. Right after the last post, I hopped back on a plane and went to Dartmouth for the first time, which, to me, was very exciting, until my traveling experience was the most horrendous situation - everything that could have gone wrong did.

This is how my day was supposed to be:
6am wake up (bad enough)
8am flight to Denver
Transfer in Denver to Boston
Transfer in Boston to Hanover, NH
Arrive at hotel at 8pm EST.

This is how my day ended up..
6am wake up
8am flight to Denver CANCELLED
Shuttle from San Jose to San Francisco
Flight from San Francisco to Boston
MISSED flight from Boston to Hanover
News of Steve Jobs passing away and a shooting near my brother's school - way to put an even greater damper on my day...sigh.
Take 3 hour shuttle from Boston to Hanover
Arrive at hotel at midnight EST.

So I traveled for 16 hours that day... at least I got paid double overtime! One of the perks of my job? Paid to sit in airports, plus overtime and all expenses included. So while I'm complaining, I really shouldn't. It just made me tired, that's all.

After the horrible day of traveling, everything went uphill from there. I was happy to see that Dartmouth has very similar characteristics to Smith, and since Smith is always so far out of the way for me to visit, Dartmouth was great for reminiscing. Hanover is a quaint town, even smaller than Northampton, with a downtown located right off of Dartmouth's "lawn".

I stayed at the Hanover Inn, which was smack between the "lawn" and downtown. Albeit it's perfect location, the hotel should be on the tv show "Most Haunted". For $369/night, I felt as though you should have PAID me to stay there. Since Dartmouth is "my" school, I have to visit once a year and you can be sure that I will never stay there again.

The career fair went off without a hitch, and I was proud of myself for being able to manage our 3 reps, and set up our booth all by myself.

Just a peek into what I do.

Give out freebies, talk about how great my company is.

And my company IS great!

Collected my Dartmouth Penant for my office!

On my way back to Boston, I took a small Cessna and had the most amazing views over New Hampshire and Boston. However, for safety, I'll probably take the bus next time, or rent a car.

Full view of the cockpit. Scary AND cool!

View of Boston harbor!

During my hectic travels to Dartmouth, Steve Jobs passed away. :( Upon my return home, my dad, brother and I passed by his home to pay homage to our old neighbor. Even though I was too afraid to say hello to him when I lived there, I regret it even more so now.

After a week of rest, I was back on a plane again. This time I traveled for 7 days, visited 3 schools, and sat at 4 airports. My timecard was in an overtime frenzy! My first stop was Harvard (Cambridge/Boston). I always LOVE visiting because my old expo friends are there to keep me company. Unfortunately, not enough Harvard computer science majors came out to the fair...c'mon Mark Zuckerberg clones, where are you?

I spent the weekend with my friends, carving pumpkins, rekindling, and reminiscing. Of course I carved a "Hello Kitty Dracula" pumpkin.

Boston is always a hoot. But I can't stay there forever... :(

My next destination was Providence, Rhode Island/Brown University. This would be my first time traversing to the smallest state in the US of A. I took the train down and found myself really bored in the city... However, we had a great turnout at Brown - lots of CS/EE students who very excited about opportunities at Oracle! Yay! That's what we want, and this is one major reason I love my job.

Trained back out and took a flight from Boston -> Chicago -> Los Angeles.

Took a Super Shuttle out of Tinseltown into ... Pasadena, yet another hush hush town. I've learned my lesson, I'm renting a car the next time I go to Caltech. I ended up walking EVERYWHERE, which was great for my body and the lack of exercise I get when I travel, but I was walking 2 miles to get from my hotel to Caltech and back. It was all worth it though for the number of amazing students I got to interact with!

Now I'm back and don't have to travel for a few months (February). So, I'm going to take this time to relax, focus on student outreach, play some hockey, go out with my friends, finally go back to church, and the like. Oh! Also stalk some actors when I can.

I was in search of Gerard Butler since he was supposed to be filming in San Mateo for his surfer film "Of Men and Mavericks", instead I got an up and coming actor - Jonny Weston, who was so sweet and wanted me to stay and watch them film, but I couldn't. Maybe when he's all famous, he'll remember the chick that wanted a photo with him when nobody knew him. One wishes.

Happy early Halloween - no clue what I'm doing or what I'm going to be.

Worldly Reunions

2011-09-26T23:23:00.002-04:00

It's Monday and I'm lying on my (death) bed, sick with the flu. I just got back on Saturday from a crazy, but great, week in Boston/Cambridge. I ran into a lot of old friends, helping to prove that this world is much smaller than we believe. I flew in on Tuesday, landed at 7pm, and headed to my $400/night hotel and had the hardest time falling asleep. I'm still in shock that my company covers such expensive lodging! I finally got my corporate card (the day before I departed, phew), and have to learn how to fill out an expense report for all the cash monies I had spent during my week there.

On Wednesday, I spent the only beautiful day indoors at the MIT career fair. This is probably where I got my first instances of sickness... I shook thousands of hands and collected hundreds of resumes, germ-tastic! Forgetting all about the usage of Purell, I rubbed my nose and eyes with my germ-ified hands. Gahh! On a happy note, I ran into a Smithie at the fair and my Beijing roommate! SO random!

The following day, I had a meeting at Harvard with the Director of Career Services. I might be going back to visit next month! Afterward I met up with my good ol' Expo friend, Kate. It had been a year since I'd seen her and it was a great reunion at Harvard Law School. I sat in on a couple of her classes, where I found "Torts" to be quite interesting, and "Citations" to be quite damning. I was pretty lost and felt like Elle Woods all afternoon. Ran into my two friends from Fudan - Christine and Dorothy in the law library. Reunions everywhere!

That night, Kate took me to a house warming party, where outside the front door I ran into an old middle school friend (what?!) and inside I ran into a guy who went to my high school! So Harvard Law School proves that this world is infinitesimally small.
Following the housewarming party, we went to a bar for the weekly "bar review". It's some kind of law school thing for kids to unwind on a Thursday night. I had fun with Kate's law school buddies and the team of Harvard Business School Rugby boys. Yes...it was l.o.t.s. of fun... ;)

Friday for lunch, I met up with DDDu and Christine at Tory Row for lunch. Finally had a lobster roll!

On Friday night I finally got to see Tina and Phil from the Expo! It had also been a year since I last saw them both. Tina took me out to meet some of her co-workers for drinks and dinner. Then, we met up with Phil and Kate to go out to Lansdowne Pub, right next to Fenway Park. Loved the vibe and the live music that was playing.

Got home around 3am and had to shower in the dark since the electricity was out. Had to wake up at 5:30 to catch a cab to the airport.

Now I lie sickly in my bed for the past 3 days, with the feeling of razor blades in my throat. Ugh. But I still can't wait to go to Dartmouth in 2 weeks, and I'll bring Purell AND Airborne next time.

Rafting, Ziplining, Tarantulas and Corporate Offices - PURA VIDA!

2011-09-13T16:35:00.000-04:00

Greetings from my Oracle office! (This will be an extremely long post, with a plethora of photos. Be warned!)

It's lunch time and I'm taking a break to finally update my blog. Since my last post, a lot has happened. I finally made the transition to Oracle last week, and it has been amazing! While I thought my experience at Cisco was corporate, my new experience definitely tops that. I'm getting used to using "Self-service applications" to set up all my e-mail accounts, phone, laptop, etc... without having the access to phone or in-person support. Tough, I know.

Many of my friends have asked...well, what do you do? I'm a recruiting program manager (RPM) in the college recruiting department, which is the only on-site recruiting department at HQ. I work in a team with 5 other RPMs, 3 recruiting coordinators, and a handful of recruiting support staff. Together we reach out to specific colleges to find the creme de la creme of geniuses to induct into one of our company's many tech job openings. I, myself, am in charge of visiting Harvard and Dartmouth this season. I've been armed with a corporate card, have flights booked, and am ready to go!

I love my team and they have been extremely welcoming, especially my director. I feel well taken care of and have already felt the benefits of the many perks of working in corporate. Not to mention, I was given my own personal office! (I know, what!?!)

Of course I have to represent!

View from the window, overlooking Foster City and San Mateo Bridge.

But that's the "boring" part of my life. On the more adventurous note...my trip to Costa Rica was incredible! It wasn't much of a relaxing vacation since I was doing 2 to 3 rigorous activities a day, but I had the time of my life.

COSTA RICA QUEST
Day 1: Flew into San Jose and met my roomie for the trip. We took the afternoon wandering the streets of of the capital, ate some Gallo Pinto (staple of CR), and visited the National Museum. Later that night, we met the rest of our travel buddies, coming from all parts of the world - London, Canada, Australia, and of course a couple Americans :)

Costa Rica National Museum

Yum! First Costa Rican Meal.

Day 2: We headed out on the road towards La Fortuna/Arenal. After a couple of hours in a van, we hopped off to white water raft our way to La Fortuna, down the Rio Toro- a grade 3/4 river. This was probably the most exciting part of my trip. Not only did it rain, shine, downpour, rain and shine...I fell into the river! So much fun!

Rio Toro...yup.

Most of our team...plus some strangers behind me.

Can you see me in the river? My friend is holding my leg...I don't know why!

Was quite the adventure, if you ask me!

But, if you can't tell, I made it out alive! We dried off and headed to our hotel, which had the most amazing view of the active volcano, Arenal Volcano.

Day 3: While my group decided to go ATVing this day, I chose to have a more peaceful approach and went kayaking on Lake Arenal, right in front of the volcano. Later in the afternoon, I went rappelling and canyoneering, which was a first for me!

Kayaking on Lake Arenal.

The best pineapple and watermelon I've ever eaten in my life!

My first rappelling attempt. Scary!

Down a waterfall I go!

Getting completely soaked...like every other day on this trip.

Day 4: Early in the morning we headed towards Monte Verde, where the climate was much cooler - hence my rain jacket in the following photos. This was the most naturist part of my trip, including night hikes and wildlife tours. You can't forget the coffee and sugar cane tour either. Oh! or the ziplining!

A mini pineapple on our coffee tour. So cute!

Ox-cart ride. Did you know, the ox cart is the national symbol of Costa Rica? Now you know!

Making candy out of Sugar Cane.

A cute little tarantula on our night hike.

A hummingbird in it's next! The most amazing thing I've seen yet!

A sloth! Didn't even know what they looked like before.

Day 5: More nature hikes in Monteverde. Saw lots of monkeys in the forest!

Cloud Forest

So beautiful, and serene.

And then we ziplined the longest zipline in the world! 1km long!

Then I swang from a rope, like Tarzan.

Did an 11km mountain bike ride, which kicked my butt!

Day 6: Headed towards Quepos and Manuel Antonio Park.

Saw some crocodiles...

Stayed at the Hotel California...

Ate some fresh Ceviche. Probably ate ceviche 6 times during this trip!

Day 7: Spent the entire day at Manuel Antonio Park's beaches.

Pura Vida is the truth.

Enjoyed the sunset with pina coladas and our sunburns.

Day 8: Headed back to San Jose...and there we ate our final meal and said our goodbyes.

So that's my last 2 weeks in a nutshell. Next post will probably be when I get back from Boston...

More exciting news - I joined another hockey league! So I'm playing in two leagues right now, but my new league is at Sharks Ice! We played our first game last night and the rink was fantabulous. I played on the same rink the SJ Sharks practice! Woohoo! Can't really get better than that.

Til next time!

Lazy Summer Days

2011-08-13T00:50:00.003-04:00

I've gotten too lazy to write new posts. Either that, or life has been pretty boring around here. Summer has been absolutely beautiful, and my trip to Hawaii was nothing short of amazing. It was relaxing, and although it rained off and on, it was nice to spend relaxing time with my family. I got tan, learned how to surf, and ate my heart out. I think I wrote 40+ yelp reviews while I was there and surprisingly lost weight, haha. Photos below!

Some exciting news! I will be moving from Cisco to Oracle next month. My last day at Cisco is next Thursday and I'll have a two week break before starting work at Oracle. I'm the new Recruiting Program Manager, in college tech recruiting - and earned an office with a bay view & an assistant! It doesn't hurt that it's double the pay of my current job either! I hope that there is A LOT of travel, but I know there is at least SOME travel to the east coast. I'll definitely try to post after I begin my new job and show you some pics.

Also some great news, I've hit my new years resolution (for the first time?!). I have lost 25 pounds since returning from China. Unbelievable! Clothes that I was unable to fit in when I returned from China, are now falling off! Time to go shopping! It's sad, I had clothes CUSTOM MADE and I couldn't even fit in those! Now... all up for donation!

Now, I'm just anticipating my next vacation which is on August 23rd! I planned a last minute vacation to COSTA RICA! I'll be going "alone" with Gap Adventures. So, we start in San Jose and make a round trip through La Fortuna, Monte Verde, Quepos, then back. It'll be filled with white water rafting, canyoning/rappelling, ziplining, and more adventures. This 9 day trip will the ultimate precursor for my new job!

Hawaii Photos:

Green Sands Beach

Black Sands Beach

Sea Turtles!

Kilauea Volcano

Aloha!

I Need a Vacation!

2011-06-20T12:26:00.000-04:00

Wow! It's been almost a month since I last posted. I didn't realize time could fly by so quickly. Well maybe I did, but I didn't realize that while working in the corporate world, time could fly this quickly. This past month has been more stressful than any month in my "real world" life. Since my induction into Cisco, the most challenging aspect of my position was to recruit interns! Two weeks before intern orientation, I was given two more job descriptions for summer internships. Two weeks! It takes two weeks to on-board them into the system! These two positions were the fastest positions I had filled - with a 1.5 week turnaround! Yep, I sure am proud of myself.

As for my other positions, they're kind of floating around in recruiter outer-space. I'm really eager to fill my Beijing position, because it means the sooner I get to go back to China! However, on the topic of China, I recently visited a Chinese reflexology specialist (who used to be a western doctor) and she said that China's street food messed up my intestines, mainly because the oil used in street food is "refined sewer oil". WHAT?! Gross! No wonder I was feeling pretty sick at the end of my stay in Shanghai. Also, I've lost about 15 pounds since I've moved home! So now I know why China's food made me gain 20 pounds both times I lived there. Now I only have 10 more pounds to go and I'll be "back to my normal self".

Electric guitar has been going well too. I have finally completed my first challenge - playing an ACDC song! Highway to Hell! Now I know I'm rockin' out when I can play ACDC! But, it'll be a year down the road before I feel comfortable posting any video of me playing guitar.

Hockey has been amazing! My team's record is 4 wins, 1 loss, 2 ties and this is our first season in the higher league, so its a pretty good record if I say so myself. I have yet to score, but I'm starting to feel more comfortable on the ice since it had been a year since I last played hockey (and dislocated my shoulder). I've gotten pretty lazy outside of hockey though. From 4 workouts a week to 0, hah! I'll get back to exercising this week, considering we're going to Hawaii in 12 days!

I am so ready for a vacation! Anyway, below are some new pics!

Office of Cisco's CEO.

TelePresence meeting @ Cisco.

One of my interns with the phones we use. Haha.

Our new 27" iMac!

I have some other photos I haven't uploaded yet, but I guess you'll just have to wait until next time, which will probably be after Hawaii!

Backstage Pass

2011-05-23T14:47:00.001-04:00

I thought my celeb-stalking days were far behind me when I left New York City. But, I guess once a celeb stalker, always a celeb stalker. Let me preface this story with the lovely Meetup website, www.meetup.com, and explain what a wonderful website it is to "meet-up" with like minded individuals. I registered as a member when I lived in New York and met up with some soccer players to play pick-up games on the weekend. I recently reactivated my account and joined a few groups here in the Bay Area, since I have to "re-find" some friends in the area.

I joined a group called "20-something ladies" located in the Bay Area, and the organizer had just posted a discussion about going to see a performance in San Francisco. I was immediately interested when I saw that Hugh Jackman, yes Wolverine, would be singing and dancing. Who wouldn't want to see Wolverine sing and dance? She offered to drive us to SF for the day (last Sunday) and I offered to pay for parking (used a handy dandy iPhone app to find the cheapest parking in the city - only $10!).

The performance was amazing. Hugh Jackman is so charismatic, and because it was a show about him and designed by him, he talked about whatever he wanted. He showed us pictures from his childhood, which were hilarious, and even brought an audience member (who tried to rip his shirt off while he walked through the audience) onto the stage and sat with her on the stage floor. She was so nervous and kept trying to run away! I wish I could've snapped some pictures in the theater, but as usual, it was strictly prohibited.

No worries! With patience, Cassie can always snap a pic of a celeb! From my experience in NY, I decided to wait with my new friend outside the theater (as did many others) to catch a glimpse of Hugh Jackman. To our surprise, he was much more genial than I would have imagined. He stopped and signed autographs for everyone, but my main goal was to snap a photo with him. Unfortunately, he didn't have time to take photos with everyone. So, I just took photos of him.

After I shook his hand!

His autograph.

So, Meetup.com = + and Hugh Jackman in real life = +!

Another exciting moment last week was when my good friend from high school, a photographer/staff for US Presswire, asked me to help him at the Sharks vs. Canuck playoff game. Of course I replied with glee and declared ABSOLUTELY on the top of my virtual lungs! After work on Friday, I headed towards the Shark Tank (HP Pavilion) and entered through the media entrance. Special, I know. During the game my job was to run SD cards from the photographer to the editing room after an exciting moment in the game (goal, fight, etc). Not only did I get to watch the game without paying a playoff ticket price, but I also got to attend the press conference, where I saw Todd McClellan, Joe Thornton, Patty Marleau, and Antti Niemi. On top of that, I was granted access (like a backstage pass) to the restricted areas and was able to take an elevator with some Sharks players. But since I was representing a company, I was not able to start conversation, just stare... :)

Press pass - um "access to post-game locker rooms". Why didn't I see this earlier?

Press conference. Antti Niemi, Patty Marleau, Joe Thornton.

If I am fortunate enough for the Sharks to win tomorrow's game. I will be working game 6 as well! And maybe I'll be smarter and bring my real camera to replace my cruddy iPhone camera.

That's my update for now. Oh! And go Moose hockey! My hockey team has yet to lose a game. Woot woot! And I have yet to score a goal... haha.

Smoothies and Smooth Sailing

2011-05-05T13:39:00.004-04:00

It's true, I feel like a kid again. My dad packs my lunch and makes me breakfast before I wake up and while many peers would object to living at home, I have found it quite comfortable. After living on my own for the past 5 years, in 4 different cities (including abroad), it's a nice change of pace to have someone take care of you, other than yourself. Sure, it puts a damper on my "party" life, but quite frankly, I'm over that lifestyle (at least for now). I've picked up ice hockey again, work out 4 times a week, started electric guitar lessons, as well as picked up a new language- German! Ich lerne Deutch!

This time around, living at home has been much more pleasant than I recall in high school, but then again I was a rebel teenager and had reason to sneak out in the middle of the night. Looking back on my high school years just makes me chuckle and roll my eyes at my former self. I find comfort in spending time with my family, including my brother...who seems to be gaining the teenage angst. My once angelic-faced kid brother has grown into a whiny monster! But, as his sister, I believe it is my duty to watch out for him and his grades, as well as his knowledge of pop culture! We have movie nights every weekend watching oldies such as Back to the Future, Terminator, the original Karate Kid, Star Wars, etc...

I am enjoying the smooth sailing type of life. I've been pretty carefree, considering my only worries these days are if I can fit in time to go to the gym after work and if I am able to wake up on time for work. The weather is beautiful at 80 degrees and blue skies and I get out of work at 5. Life is wonderful.

However, I would be lying if I said I didn't miss Shanghai or New York. I miss them both tremendously. My long term plan is to move back to New York, and am aiming for 2 years down the road. I can save a lot of money by living at home and pack up to move back to the Big Apple!

Now, back to drinking my smoothie my dad prepped as a morning snack. "Yum", says the 5 year old Cassie.
Ok, back to big kid work! Happy Cinco de Mayo! Give the Margarita a tryo!

Some photos of the my first hockey game back in Cali.

At the Shark Tank/HP Pavilion

The Stanley cup @ Cisco!

The Grind

2011-04-18T15:32:00.000-04:00

Hello again!

It's been exactly a week since I've started my new job at Cisco, and I am thoroughly enjoying it! While I am an on-site recruiter at Cisco Systems headquarters in San Jose, CA, I actually work on behalf of The EXPERTS Bench (TEB) from Georgia. So, I am more or less a consultant at Cisco, which is good because if Cisco ever decides they no longer need a marketing recruiter, I am not out of a job. :)

My training manager flew out from Georgia for 24 hours to make sure I was set up at Cisco, checking computer updates, phone set up, etc... then she flew back home the next day. Everything I have been doing at work (training) has been remote. I couldn't have asked to be at a better location/company for remote training. Cisco's WebEx has come in quite handy and I believe that remote training is actually easier than "side-by-side" training. Both the training manager and myself can access the same files and not have to fight over the mouse, keyboard, screen. We can chat over the phone, where I use my handy-dandy wireless headset. I can walk all the way to the breakroom and still be connected to my phone call.

The only thing that's been quite difficult for me is waking up at 7! I always sleep in, and during the month before work, I was waking up at 10am and sometimes even noon! Now, I have to force myself to sleep early otherwise I'll feel drained the entire day. I'm glad that we have a coffee and espresso machine, in case I do find it hard to make it through the day.

My coworkers at TEB are amazing, or so they are over the phone. And I'm extremely happy how amicable my Cisco coworkers are. This is a complete 180 from life in Shanghai. My coworkers at Moet Hennessy rarely spoke to me, and sometimes would sneer at me if I asked them a work-related question. I had forgotten how open and welcoming the American culture is! Last Friday, I contributed a few hours towards folding paper cranes for Cisco Japan, an idea spurred from one of my coworkers. During the origami bonanza, I met several marketing managers, and a few Marketing VPs. All were glad to have me on board and spending my after hours volunteering for the project.

Our 1,000 cranes, to be sent to Cisco Japan this week.

Funny thing is, all of them had visited the USA Pavilion at the Shanghai Expo! Cisco had their own pavilion at the Expo too, which is why they had all visited. What a small world!

Aside from work, my life has been pretty eventful. I started up my motorcycle again and finally learned how to change the oil and dewinterize the bike. So, I've ridden it a couple of times around town.

My first ride in California

I also started playing hockey again! My first game back in California was actually in the SHARK TANK! I was ecstatic considering I am a new addition to the Moose Hockey team !! My team's captain was able to get an hour of ice time at HP pavilion and we played on-ice right after the Sharks vs. Kings game. Although my team lost, we were all elated that we could sit in the Sharks bench, where their sweat and stank emanated from the seats. Haha.

At the Sharks vs Kings game right before my team got on the ice!

Lastly, I took up electric guitar lessons! The first song I learned was "it's been a while" by Staind. Not my favorite, but since I learned so quickly, I'm onto Baba O'reilly by The Who this week! I bought my (second) electric guitar, (since my Hello Kitty Fender was stolen from my old house...) and got a red candy-apple Fender and LOVE it! Pics will come later.

That's about it for now! Only my second week of work and I have Friday off! (I get Cisco and TEB holidays- woot for double holidays!)

Til next time-

Where's the Moet?

2011-03-22T22:33:00.000-04:00

Hardy har har. It's time for a celebration, and where's the Moet?! As posted earlier on my blog, I left my job at Moet Hennessy in Shanghai and shipped back home to California. After a week and one day, I have landed a job! That's right my friends. You're looking at the new marketing recruiter for Cisco Systems in San Jose. I'll be starting training in a couple weeks and am super excited.

While my heart still yearns to be in a big city, either NYC or Shanghai, staying at home will save me enough money to move to a big city in a couple years! While I tried to avoid moving back home, it's been lovely this past week. As I mentioned in my last post, I had never seen my new house except for the occasional video chat with my family, but I am in love! All my furniture finally fits!

Finally a bed that is comfortable too! And yup, those are signed photos of 3 Victoria's Secret angels! (Candice, Alessandra, and Miranda) and my 2 articles from Smith. Thank you Daddy for setting up my room and framing all the photos! I still have to decorate, but am too lazy to unpack. I've only unpacked my suitcases. Considering I've lived on those clothes for the past 9 months, I don't have to unpack my old clothes, right?

Well, life has been slow and easy in California this past week, but sadly it has been rainy every single day! I've spent most of my time indoors but have kept social network connected! The day I got home, I bought the iPhone 4 on the Verizon network. It had been too long without a smart phone and now my life is once again complete. The photo above was taken with the iPhone! So, in order to somehow stay connected with my friends in Shanghai, I'm back on Foursquare and rockin it! :)You'll see me a lot more on twitter too, which I find more fascinating than Facebook.

Other than poor weather, I have enjoyed the healthy option for meals! Salad, pho, salad, and did I mention salad? I am overwhelmed with how many food choices there are that I have missed out on. I'm glad to be home! Oh, I can't forget...HDTV and DVR :)

I'm sure the next time I'll have something to write, I'll have already started training. Until then... bring out the Moet Chandon!

Juju, my puppy. Tired after our celebration run around the block!

Celebration!

2011-03-08T10:05:00.005-05:00

Another year of my life has passed me by. It's an hour until my birthday here in Shanghai, and I have a nice treat planned for myself on my special day. After the last two weeks of job hunting while living in the "wrong" country, I think that tomorrow, the day of my birth, is a great day to take a break and celebrate my life. I have been so fortunate to have spent my last few birthdays with different groups of friends from all over the world. I am so lucky to have such great friends in Shanghai, who I'll spend dinner with tomorrow at a Macanese restaurant, Lisboa. It's well known for its Portuguese egg-tarts! Yum!

Other than dinner, I think I'll go get a massage, mani/pedi, and threading. Maybe a facial. It's been a while since I've pampered myself, but I'm a firm believer in incentives and rewards! I'm not too sure how I should spend my last few days in Shanghai. But to reminisce about the past, these past 9 months have been such a blessing. I've been able to live fruitfully with the greatest friends, food, and fun and I'm really sad to let it all go. Moving on is just a part of life, huh?

The job hunt is still the same since the last post. However, I'm making a few more contacts here and there even though I'm still in China and most are in California. I'm so happy for the USA Pavilion contacts who have spread all over the world since Expo, and many have proved extremely supportive in my career endeavors.

To pass the next hour until my special day, just watching The Figther and The Tourist on DVD. I'll definitely miss getting HD DVDs for 75cents before they're legitimate DVDs. Oh China, so much to be missed, yet so much to be left behind!

This past week has been both stressful and relaxing. I've been stressing myself out about job prospects back at home, and doubting myself, but know that stressing won't do much help. To enjoy my last weeks in Shanghai, I've gone to almost every dinner with my friends, we won trivia last Thursday by a landslide(!), and I finally got to go to an Infected Mushroom concert, after missing them twice the past two years!

Infected Mushroom concert at M2.

Upcoming these next few days: my birthday (yay!), trivia on Thursday (hope we win again!), a night out on Friday, Usher concert on Saturday, then California on Sunday! Packing everywhere and in between. My next post will probably be from my new home in Sunnyvale. Wish me luck!

Need experience for experience.

2011-03-03T02:46:00.009-05:00

The cycle persists, and now more than ever since the job market in the US is in such a sour state. It's been more than a few times where I encounter job listings seeking entry level candidates, but experienced entry level candidates. So, Cassie Chao is seeking an internship. Why? Because these "entry-level" positions require anywhere between 2 to 5 years of experience. I would like to ask these companies, "Do you know what entry-level means?" I don't have to ask, because it seems they have no idea. What's funny is that even some unpaid internships have outrageous demands. "Must be _____ major: non ______ majors will not be considered." Are you crazy? Not everyone knows what they want to do after college, on top of that some schools don't have _____ major!

Here's my lowdown, folks. I am an economics major from a liberal arts college, wanted to go to Smith for the college environment, small classes, amazing alumni network, and to play for a women's ice hockey team. Was interested in business, but Smith only had economics and was initially but no longer interested in pursuing banking. I can read, write, and speak English fluently and well. Yes, I know how to research, what do you think college was, a constant dance-party? E-mail skills. Really? I'm pretty sure we're in the 21st century and if you're asking me if I know how to use email, I worry about the people who work at your company. You should be asking me what's the future of Web 3.0. I have over a year's worth of experience in three different cities (including an international city), with marketing, events, advertising, and customer service (Expo, haha!) experience.

Honestly, if you were to ask me what I want to do with my life. I would answer that I don't know. I'm interested in Human Resources AND Public Relations (and traveling the world). One I would be amazing at, the other I will struggle with but am yearning for the opportunity to even fight through to succeed. I am sincerely interested in both fields but don't want to waste my time flipping coins to choose.

I have been reaching out to my Smith alumni network for some insight in PR and many Smithies have already proved helpful agreeing to meet me upon my return to the Bay Area. My tuition is starting to pay off! Although, I know pure networking won't cut it and might not land me anywhere near a job. I will need to expand my knowledge in both PR and HR fields, probably requiring some more schooling. Here's the decision is again, what to study? Sigh. I'm at a loss for ideas. Maybe some Adobe Flash to help with my creative side?

I guess the next step for me is to start building my online portfolio. I'll keep blogging, but get ready for Chaos 2.0.

On a side not, my USAP buddies just proved tonight that American's aren't all drunken idiots. We won trivia leading the pack by 51 points (when most games have a 1 to 2 point differential), beating the reigning 7-week champions of Europeans. We may be loud, and we may be rambunctious, but they can all suck it for doubting the American 'kids'.

Team America - World Police & Winners of Bulldog Trivia!

Square One: The Hunt

2011-02-28T09:27:00.000-05:00

Here I am, back at square one: the job hunt. It's funny too because I thought I had my life all figured out. My network in Shanghai has been continuously expanding these past few months, in public relations, marketing, ... Now, I pick up and leave all of it behind? It seems that this is the way my cookie crumbles and its time to bake a new one. Question is...double fudge chocolate chip or toffee macadamia nut?

Ever since I made the rash decision to move back home, I have become obsessed with searching for jobs online. The only problem is, I have no network and I have no idea what I want to do. I'm not completely lost, but I need some serious guidance. In Shanghai, I always imagined I would go into public relations. I love a fast-paced work environment (which is why it didn't work out with Moet Hennessy) and I love having several different projects to work on at once. Not only that, I enjoy some human interaction, not like some cubicle hermit I had been (and had to be). Unfortunately, most of the PR firms are in SF and as much as everyone loves SF, I try to avoid it.

Since I am trying to save some money (for once) and live at home, commuting to SF with all the traffic would drive me insane. Not only that, I'm hearing that gas prices are skyrocketing and I'm not ready to ride my gas- efficient motorcycle on the freeway just yet (or ever). Because of my whiny, "can't wake up in the morning to commute" self, I'm looking for positions in Silicon Valley. Furthermore, because I am not a tech-genius like my parents, I won't be applying for engineering positions anytime soon. This leads me to my other passion: HR.

I see the shock on your face. Several family members and friends have asked me, "why HR"? Well honestly, because I know I'll be great at it. Coordinating interviews - I love talking to and meeting new people, easy. Coordinate event planning for internal events - been there, done that, easy. Train new hires - more talking, and taking control, awesome! Paperwork, filing, calendars, organization - I'm textbook OCD with this stuff, perfect.

So, I've narrowed it down to PR and HR, both people positions. But...now what?
I am a firm believer in creating a network, because referrals go much farther than e-applications. I'd love some suggestions on how to restart from square one.

On a side note, 9 days until my birthday, 12 days until USHER concert, and 13 days until I'm back in California! I'd love some suggestions of what to do my last 2 weeks in Shanghai!

So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, 再见！

2011-02-25T00:18:00.006-05:00

The time has come, my breaking point. I will be departing Shanghai in two weeks time. This is not a decision I am happy with nor was it made lightly, but it has come to my attention that it is necessary, especially for my mental health.

While China hasn't always treated me well, you know with the pollution, people smoking everywhere (yes, even in the office), censoring my freedom of speech (or any other substantial freedoms), people screaming on their cell phones, people shoving you out of the way so they can be first in line, coughing without cover their mouths, spitting fat loogeys by your feet, cars having the right of way, not getting a work permit, etc... but, I know that I will miss it...tremendously. Shanghai has been developing at a rapid pace for the past decade, and I can only imagine what will become of it when I return back to the US. I can only hope that along with expansion of the skyscrapers, the people will continue to develop as well. At least I can keep in touch by reading chinaSMACK without having to use a VPN. But in the end, I will always miss the hustle and bustle of this crazy city.

****
To those who desire to seek work in China, make sure that you can obtain a work permit when necessary. I, along with several other friends, have been rejected for work permits because of our lack of post-graduate experience. Without a work permit, one can face serious fines and even deportation if working without one and is caught. These past couple of years, the government has become increasingly aware of foreigners working on "F" or 'business" visas when they should have a "Z" with a work permit, and have taken action. While many expats believe that "the government won't find you", I'm not so sure I believe them. A few people in my network have already been sent back to their respective countries for cases of improper visas. Words from me to you: just be careful, this is not your country so play by their rules.
****

I am looking forward to returning to California for many reasons: my family, sunshine and blue skies, less pollution, 90% less smoking- make that 99% less, safe bike rides, my puppy, my motorcycle, healthy food, happy people, good cheese from happy cows, and I still have all the food options I had in China plus Chipotle and In 'N Out (major cravings). This is probably the greatest thing about California, such a great percentage is represented by the Asian minority (what an oxymoron) so specialty food has traversed across the Pacific into the heart of the Bay Area.

I know I will be displaced at first considering I haven't been home for over a year, and my parents moved while I have been away. So, I don't even know what my house/room looks like. Don't you hate waking up disoriented? Well I've felt that 3 times in the last year (from moving, silly!). I know I will feel pain, sorrow, and longing to come back to Shanghai since most of my happiest memories have been here, thanks to the amazing friends I have made. All I can say is thank you and I am so grateful for all the exciting adventures we have had. I will miss you all!

And...I will always think of you, China. Well, the good and the bad.

Oh China.

2011-02-23T01:02:00.002-05:00

This isn't the first time I have rolled my eyes and titled my blog post "Oh China". There are more than a handful of situations where I have had to bite my tongue and just roll my eyes to keep my frustration in. Just earlier, I waited my entire lunch break in a line at the bank to deposit my health insurance reimbursement check. It's 800HKD, which is not much but better than nothing! Once I got to the counter, the teller has no idea what to do with it. She chats with her supervisor who then tells me that I have to get it sent out to Standard Charter bank in Hong Kong then delivered back in the form of a Bank of China check. This process will take a month and half. Oh wait, there's more, I have to pay for the bank to send it out and receive it back. *Major eye roll*. I left the bank wanting to cry and scream with no resolution except to find some lunch to take back to my desk. Banking should be easy, why does this country subject its citizens to such hassle! I miss Bank of America.

Oh China.

There is more to this story. I've been having daily nosebleeds alongside major migraines, all of which I should go see a doctor for. I did, but disregarded the whole insurance bit because I first pay out of pocket, then 2 months later, the health insurance gives me a check, which is then followed by the above situation! What's the point of even having this health insurance, let alone a health insurance that doesn't even cover the consultation fee? The fee to see a doctor is 500RMB minimum for foreigners, then on top of that they charge hundreds for medication you don't need, and my insurance only covers 800HKD...which doesn't cover the hundreds for medication I don't need.

Oh China.

Not only did I spend an hour in a bank and accomplish nothing. I pass by my favorite sandwich shop and order my chicken laffa roll, NO RAISINS. She repeats no raisins, 不要葡萄干！When I get back to my office, what do I get? My chicken laffa roll with maybe 50+ raisins. ERG.

Oh China.

I also had the opportunity to meet my headhunter who landed me my current job so I could tell her how disappointed I am with the outcome. My job description had not matched up with anything she had told me, but then she has the audacity to ask me, "can you stay until the end of February? We guaranteed your company 3 months of your time". In all honesty, I think she gets paid at the end of my probation period. Well, its her fault for making this position sound 180 degrees different than it actually is. She even acted "shocked" when I told her what I am doing at work. Seriously, what type of marketing executive does finance and logistics/operations as the MAIN job objectives.

Oh China, I am almost over your inefficient ways and your goal to make me struggle.

Thank you Liz Lemon, for the best example of an eye-roll.

Where the hell is Cassie?

2011-02-20T10:24:00.000-05:00

My weekends have begun to fill up with activities again, even though the weather remains at a chilly 40F. More and more USAPers are returning to Shanghai, realizing there is no where else they would rather be. Yesterday, I started my day at Mr. Pancake House with some USAP ladies, welcoming Jane back to Shanghai, Kat to her new job at Groupon, and sympathizing with us who want to quit our day jobs. For a mere 28RMB, you can get a stack of 3 pancakes smothered in chocolate. Good deal? I think yes and it's a perfect way to drain your work week sorrows.

Following our delicious meal, Steph and I met up with one of the Shanghai Dolls from the previous weekend brunch and headed to Art Labor 2.0. The gallery was showcasing an artist who had taken car-exhaust and formulated a chemical "paint" substance to create beautiful works of art, painted on silk tapestry. The flyer below is an example of his work.

After spending some time at the gallery, Steph and I moseyed around French Concession, as we typically do, but I finally made the decision to get a haircut. After reading an article in Time Out Shanghai about the best (and cheaper) salons in Shanghai, I went to Hair Consultant on DongHu lu. After a hair wash with a deep scalp massage, a 10 minute cut, some blow-drying and 80RMB later, I left ecstatic about my new cut. I told the stylist to keep it long and cut away all the split ends, and this she did. Bravo Hair Consultant for not making my hair lopsided like a certain New York stylist (cough)! You will be seeing me in about six months for the same cut!

The night ensued with Steph's friend's 25th birthday house party. Enough said.

Today the highlight of my day was dancing with Matt from "Where the hell is Matt?" I had seen my friends post about him being in China on Facebook, but didn't think twice about it until my friend Gavin messaged me asking if I was going to dance with Matt. It seems the "bad dancer" who danced his way around the world was in Shanghai continuing his dancing craze! I put on my hot pink pants (hopefully to be easily spotted in the film) and headed towards the Shanghai Science and Tech Museum. It seems that we weren't the only ones crazy about dancing. Over 100 people showed up from ages 2 to 90 (yes, an old Chinese man in his wheelchair) were ready to dance with Matt.

Lucky for us USAPers we got a special dance by ourselves with him.

I also went to the Karl Lagerfeld exhibit at the Bund 18 Gallery, where all the photos taken were being sold for 28,000RMB+ and they're not even from Lagerfeld's own collection. Eep...

Now that the weekend's over, I have to go back to the ol' 9-6 tomorrow. Here is an update for said job. I'm still looking for something else I am interested in, and while I contemplated quitting on Friday, my bosses stated that I have passed my probation period and will become a permanent employee come March... uh oh. I hope to hear some better news this coming week about... Well, I will let you know.

However, I have begun another project on a volunteer basis. Another Smith alum, and a friend of mine, requested that I assist in building the foundation of a new all women's liberal arts college in Asia. How exciting! I'll be working on a market survey with a researcher in Shanghai for the next couple of months, and then reaching out to schools across Asia. I hope that something like this is much more fulfilling and rewarding than my desk job analyzing sales volume numbers. Well, if my day job won't make me happy, I'm just going to have to figure out how to be happy elsewhere.

Happy Singles Day!

2011-02-13T22:45:00.000-05:00

I'm still in shock that it's already halfway through February. Time flies, even when you're not having fun. Aside from the lack of adventure at work, I have finally broken my streak of "in-nights" watching TV. A group of my good friends from USA Pavilion got together to celebrate a friend's birthday. After a massive meal at Charmant, a Taiwanese eatery - inclusive of shaved ice - we headed to Prive, for a night of epic-ness.

Stephanie and I turned in early as the rest of the crew went to sing their hearts out at PartyWorld (a crazy after-hour KTV joint). Besides, I had a brunch bright and early the next morning with the Shanghai Dolls! For the past couple months, I have missed having lady friends. (Thank goodness Stephanie and Ashley returned from the States, and Rachel and Selina are on their way as well). Because of this need of estrogen in my life, through Googling I came across a women's expat community suitably named the Shanghai Dolls. Aside from meetups of yoga, fitness camps, brunches and book clubs, the Dolls have partnerships with local spas, fitness centers, and shops for massive discounts! I am currently pending approval for a membership card :)

After brunch with the ladies, I felt re-inspired and the meet-up reignited my passion for living in Shanghai. I'm still looking to escape my treacherous job, which has proved to be excruciatingly dull these past weeks. Thankfully, one of the Dolls sensed my eagerness to move onto bigger and better things and connected me with 3 different PR contacts in Shanghai! Yay.

And, for those who see my Facebook statuses constantly, yes, I have been interviewing with Google for a position in California, but after my interviews, I'm not so sure I will be heading back. Haha.

Only time will tell. I'll keep you posted.

Happy Singles Day for all my single ladies!

- C

1 Step Forward, 2 Steps Back

2011-02-08T06:32:00.001-05:00

Going to keep this one short.

Yeah, I was destined to fail this diet. Haha. Telling myself "no" to foods, well...it really makes me want to eat them. I think I did worse this week than a week of my normal eating. Anyhow, I did attempt to cook my own food, and half of it wasn't so bad, but the nights that I made a disgusting dinner ended up with delivery... However, I did find some healthy and somewhat cheap delivery options! Urban Soup Kitchen!

Back to work tomorrow... I'll keep you posted.

Oh. And I hate fireworks now.

New Year Resolutions

2011-01-31T08:03:00.001-05:00

You may all think that it's too late to make new year resolutions, and normally, I would agree. However, I feel that this Chinese New Year holiday has given me a second chance. I gave up on new year resolutions a long time ago, when I couldn't stick to them and ended up disappointed at the end of the year. This is the reason why I chose not to set any for myself 31 days ago. It came to my attention two days ago that I have severely gained back all my weight that I lost over the summer (perhaps due to winter hibernation eating). And although I go to the gym 3 times a week, it is for that reason I have began eating double the intake.

I know, this sounds horrifying mom and dad, but here is my plan for the year. While the food I eat is usually of healthy substance, I do dip into the unhealthy section occasionally. So, because I am finally admitting that I am a flawed individual with a muffin-top and jello thighs that "NEED TAH GO" I am making myself two relevant new year resolutions.

1. Drink the right amount of water.
I downloaded an iPad app yesterday called "Water Me" and it's an interactive app that helps me track the amount of water I am drinking that day and the right amount for my body weight.
You want to know the sad thing? I used to drink maximum one glass of water a day, if that... Yeah a lot of people question how I'm still alive. Honestly, I don't know. I would never feel thirsty and yeah occasionally I would get a headache (assuming dehydration) but once I drank a sip of water, I was fine.

So yesterday, I began my first resolution and drank 8 glasses of water, and it was bad. I hate water, and on top of that, I had to use the bathroom 15+ times. I never realized how small my bladder was! And on top of that, my body started feeling funny, like I was high off of water! ... The upside is that I learned with the right amount of water, my liver will actually function properly and decrease the amount of fat stored. No wonder why I I've been packing on the pounds, my liver gave up!

This leads me to resolution number two.
This resolution will expose me for everything that I am, physically. Honestly, I don't really care.

2. Lose ALL the weight I gained in China (since studying abroad).
Since I moved to Shanghai, the first time (Spring 2009), I have gained a lot of weight. In a lot, I mean 20 pounds, 5 pounds give or take. Yeah, I felt I was invincible eating anything I could and as much as I could, since I never really had the problem of weight gain before. I wasn't really thinking, but I had forgotten that I wasn't doing any sports or exercising like I had at Smith or during high school (track, hockey). So the pounds smacked me in the face, or more like my tummy, butt, thighs, and then face.

Even after going back to the States for a year and playing ice hockey and going to the gym, my weight bounced around 155. There wasn't much I changed about my eating habits, except I definitely was eating less than China (and I realize this doesn't mean much now). What's worse now is that I do eat healthily, with oatmeal for breakfast, one roll of sushi (8 pieces) for lunch, and noodle soup for dinner. I stopped drinking bubble tea all the time and Krispy Kreme is far behind me (cough, I'll treat myself here and there). From this I notice that I need even more structure with what I am eating and how my food is processed. It's time I start to cook.

I have an amazing kitchen with all the amenities, including an oven (which is extremely rare appliance in China). I should be taking advantage of it. This is why Chinese New Year has given me a second chance. I will begin a diet (not a fad diet, a lifestyle change) and give myself the week of the holiday to test it out. I've never tried dieting before (maybe the "portioning" crap, but that never works) but why not. This diet doesn't ask you to eat less food, it doesn't tell you to go crazy, instead it encourages more protein throughout the day to reduce snacking. I read the book 4 Hour Body by Tim Ferriss (also author of 4 hour workweek) and was inspired to try his "Slow- Carb diet".

Trust me, I rolled my eyes when I read it, and flipped through the pages to see what bullshit he was feeding. This guy admits he is no scientist or doctor, but concluded he's an observer and a researcher.

He's listed 5 simple rules for the diet:

Rule 1: Avoid "white" carbohydrates, or anything that can be white. No bread, pasta, etc.
Rule 2: Eat the same few meals over and over again.
Rule 3: Don't drink calories.
Rule 4: Don't eat fruit, except tomatoes (if you consider it a fruit).
Rule 5: Take one day off per week and go nuts. As he calls it, "Dieters Gone Wild" (DGW) day. (Snicker bars, Krispy Kreme, bubble tea, pasta, fruit) He's admitted to eating over 6,000 calories on his DGW day. Gross and while I'll never do that, here is his reasoning for eating anything you want on this day:

"Do I really have to binge once a week?
It is important to spike caloric intake once per week. This causes a host of hormonal changes that improve fat-loss, from increasing cAMP and GMP to improving conversion of the T4 thyroid hormone to the more active T3. Everyone binges eventually on a diet, and it's better to schedule it ahead of time to limit the damage. The psychological benefits outweigh even the hormonal and metabolic benefits."

Yeah, rule 5 sounds like crap, right? But I guess you'll have to see my experiment first hand.
I figure if this doesn't work out, what have I got to lose? I'll be eating healthier anyway, which should lead to at least something! And I'll definitely look forward to my dieter's gone wild day :) Hey, there's incentive!

That's it for my physical resolutions. I have added one mental resolution too. Read at least 20 books this year. That might not seem like a lot, but for those who know me well, I'd rather watch TV. This resolution has started off well so far. I'm currently reading a couple different books (The Alchemist - started today, Tipping Point) and almost done with the Alchemist (yeah its pretty short, but cute and a NYT bestseller for 105 weeks).

I've already stoked my iPad library with books to read:
The Hunger Games trilogy
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
Three Cups of Tea
Water for Elephants
Memoirs of a Geisha
and I'm trying to find more travel novels like Eat, Pray, Love.

If any one has any suggestions, I'm all ears!

That's all for the resolutions. Going to keep them short and not simple.
Last day of work tomorrow before the holiday, and hopefully the grocery store is open so I can buy all the produce I need to get my "Slow Carb Diet" going! :)

Wish me luck! Or more like will-power!

Spring in my Step

2011-01-25T10:03:00.002-05:00

Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself, but it seems like my future has made a turn for the better. Can I say thank goodness for holidays and alcohol? Not that I'm a big drinker at all, but gatherings in China are surrounded by the presence of alcohol; or should I say that holidays in China are surrounded heavily by alcohol. Did I mention, I work for a liquor company?

The point is, tonight I made some new friends at work at our annual dinner party. I actually went up to people and conversed with them in Chinglish and have established that we actually do have things in common. Furthermore, earlier today, I asked my manager for a "status update" on my work. He answered that he has seen much improvement and I should not worry myself about my performance. Tonight, especially after some booze, he confessed that I should never have to ask about my "performance status" because no matter if I do anything wrong or right, he is there to support me.

This took me by surprise.

My higher management boss has resembled my father (Hi Dad! I know you're reading this) in some ways: a mentor, but extremely stern - and sometimes unnecessarily. While I still look up to my dad more, duh, my boss has his way of showing disappointment in people with a clear expression in his face and voice and I can tell you, I get this quite often. Sadly, I think I am still looking for approval in a childish kind of way and terrified of disappointing my boss. Perhaps tonight I have come upon a revelation where I should not feel like I am always disappointing my bosses, but instead I'm taking many burdens from them.

Like I said, maybe I'm getting ahead of myself. Only time will tell, but I pray that it only gets better from here.

Now the question is... where to go for Chinese New Year?!?!

Happy New Year...again!

2011-01-19T20:37:00.000-05:00

I realize my last post was a bit depressing, considering I got a few e-mails and messages from friends worried about my well-being. I'm doing fine, I just need to embrace the power of positive thinking. Chinese New Year is around the corner and I still have no idea what I'm doing for the paid holiday. Originally I was supposed to head up to Harbin again for the ice festival, but this time around I am not prepared for -30 degrees Celsius! I don't even have the right winter clothes for Shanghai...and it so happens to be a rare year where it actually snows!

I've been looking at some plane tickets to go to Hainan, the Hawaii of the 'East'. But of course, tickets are at an exorbitant price during CNY and it'll be extremely crowded. There are so many places to visit in China, but the weather just isn't "spring break" weather and I hate being confound within this country! I would be jet-setting back to Thailand if I could!

Anyhow, I am starting to look into other industries to work in and have spoken to one of my bosses about it. She is actually helping me plan out my future career, since I don't think it'll be in marketing. I have lined up a few meetings this week and next week with PR & advertising firms around Shanghai and hopefully they see what I'm passionate about, since right now I'm not even too clear about what I want, I just know I want to learn more than I am now!

I'm finally going to get internet in my apartment this weekend, so my blog and Facebook will finally be updated of long overdue photos. In the meantime, help me think of where to go this 'spring break'!

Final Countdown

2010-12-29T22:57:00.000-05:00

I finally got a new VPN and can I just say that VPNs are a miracle of life when you're living in an internet prison.

Anyway, I am a working woman now, slaving my days away at my corporate cubicle facing the bathroom (at least I'm close to it!). The 36th floor of Plaza 66 stares out into the vast and hazy Shanghai skyline but unfortunately, I don't face the window to actually be able to see the sights. This first month at the new job has posed to be a challenge. While I believed I was culturally aware of life in Shanghai, work life proves much more difficult. Everyone speaks Shanghainese and my Mandarin Chinese isn't even up to par. My co-workers look at me as an outsider, even though I am ethnically Chinese. If not for the brand ambassador who was hired the same day I was, I would have no friends at work. Depressing! Even more sad, the brand ambassador is always traveling, so pretty much half the time I am alone! Such an opposite experience as New York where all my friends were at work. This has made me appreciate my friends who stayed from USA Pavilion. Although, most of them are back home for the holidays now.

My contract is for 3 years at this company and I don't know if I can stay here for much longer. I love the experience I'm gaining and my prospective career goals could be easily achieved with this experience, but China seems to want me to leave. I can't go into much detail about it now, but I sure hope I can stay (and my boss warms up to me.)

But that's enough about work, snore.
I recently moved into my new apartment off of Nanjing West road, which for those who don't know is like the 5th Avenue of New York City. I say this because all the lux brands line this street and if I can't clearly describe it... Prada is on the same floor as the 2nd floor of my office. The rest of Plaza 66 is filled with the designer brands and lux goods.

We just celebrated Christmas as well, which was my first Christmas away from family. I was so grateful that my roommate's Italian friend arrived just in time for the holidays. She taught me how to make Italian food and we cooked for 12 people on Christmas Eve. I met Chinese-Italians, an English couple, some more Italians, and another Californian. It was definitely a nice first Christmas in Shanghai, but I hope to spend next Christmas with my family.

New Year's Eve should be crazier than last year as well. The same friends from Christmas rented 2 party buses and the plan is to hop from club to club and ring in the new year.

I do have to say, 2010 has been the best year of my life. I got to live the dream in New York city staring at the Empire State building every night. Then, moved to Shanghai where I met 79 other Americans just as enthusiastic about Shanghai as I am. I had the opportunity to travel to Thailand with friends, one of my life-long dream travel destinations. Now settled in Shanghai, I'm working a corporate job in Plaza 66, living on Nanjing West road staring out to the JW Marriott and the Pearl Tower. I couldn't have asked for a more fun-filled, adventurous, constant-high year. I know I can't expect too much out of 2011 since 2010 rocked, but I am ready to continue the excitement.

Chiang Mai - land of Elephants

2010-11-07T03:16:00.000-05:00

I've been in Chiang Mai for about 2 days now and absolutely love it here. Sad thing is the number of foreign tourists is outrageous! (us included). I think I've seen more foreigners in Thailand than I've seen locals! Tourism is really a thriving industry in Thailand, and now I've got photos to prove it. (well, not at this very moment, but when I get back to China)

To update you on what Rachel and I have been up to... Bangkok was insane. We got around by tuk-tuk - a motorized wagon pretty much. There are similar ones in China, but are considered illegal there while in Thailand its one of the main types of transport. We visited the Grand Palace, the Emerald Buddha, Reclining Buddha, and Khaosan Road... First off, Thailand, even Bangkok, is CHEAP. It was one USD for each of us to get from our hostel to Grand Palace (30 minutes away). Food has been even more glorious, ranging from a few pennies to a couple dollars. Don't get me started on housing. We were spoiled in Bangkok with $10/person/day in a really swanky hostel but here in Chiang Mai, our guesthouse is $2/person/day for the daily conveniences.

Yesterday, we started our adventure trek bright and early, beginning with a 1.5 hour ride in the back of a pick up truck to the elephant ranch. We rode atop these docile elephants for an hour through the jungle, up hills, etc... Then we went on a 2 our trek to a waterfall. Definitely not feeling swimsuit ready (even more so now that I've "eaten my weight in Pad Thai" as Rachel says...truth) so we just sat on the side and enjoyed the scenery. White water rafting and bamboo rafting followed...OMG. I will just have to show you the photos...no words can describe the 'joy' we had during this adventure.

Last night we ate...(I probably had 4 dinners) at the Saturday Market which is a big open air market with food, random articles of clothing, souvenirs, you name it. I just ate...drank Thai Tea (Cha-yan) and ate more. We definitely slept well last night.

This morning we woke up bright and early to go to Thai cooking class! They brought us to the local market to pick out our veggies, spices, and other goodies. I bought a bag of Thai Tea so I can make it on my own now! We chose dishes in different categories - curry, stir-fry, appetizer, soup, and dessert. It was amazing! They would teach us one category at a time, we would cook and eat what we just made, rest, then make the next course. Now we're both just trying to relax and take it easy as we have a CRAZY day tomorrow.

Tomorrow, yet again, we will have to wake up early but this time to go Ziplining for 7 hours, on Thailand's longest ziplining course! The only time I have ziplined was off the Great Wall (pretty sweet too). But now, we're going to jungles by Chiang Rai and spending a day flying through the air with "Jungle Flight".

Tomorrow night, we'll be off to Phuket!

Sa-wat dee ka.

Pad Thai!

2010-11-04T11:47:00.001-04:00

Sorry I have kept you all out of the loop this past month. This is the first time since the last post I have been able to log onto Blogger! My VPN expired and then I had no possible way of updating.

I do have a lot to update you on, but as of now, I am in Bangkok, Thailand! After a lot of contemplating, I decided to move to Shanghai indefinitely. This being said, once I made my decision to move I began freaking out about the job search and how I would be homeless and jobless after Expo... Because of this frank decision to completely alter my life and skip out on grad school, my plans for traveling have changed as well. I am no longer backpacking through south east Asia for 5 weeks. Instead I'm taking a mini vacation of 10 days in Thailand! I figure it's better than nothing and I can use all of my savings to LIVE. The remainder of my savings can help me survive in China for about a year without a job, not that I'm planning on being jobless, but just in case! Travelling would probably have wiped out my bank account.

I'm traveling with a close friend of mine from USAP, and we're going to meet some of our other expo buddies in Chiang Mai and Phuket. I'm excited for this warm weather as Shanghai's weather went from scalding hot to freezing cold in a matter of DAYS. No joke, on September 22, first day of fall, the weather dropped 20C. We all got sick. I've lost a lot of color too...so the beaches of Thailand should fare well for me! Tan (healthy, non-sickly) Cassie back in action!

I'm glad to finally have some uncensored internet access, but I know that in 10 days, I'm going straight back to the PRC and must re-suffer the prison-esque internet. I'll try and keep you updated as much as I can on my trip!

Off to some delicious Thai food! :)

Sa-wat dee! (Goodbye in Thai)