December 5, 2010

Moving onto the Next Chapter

Life seems to be passing by so quickly. How has November come and past? How is it snowing already? November has been one crazy heck of a month with lots of endings as well as new beginnings. With every beautiful story, comes an eventual ending. Since the last time I blogged, there’s been a number of milestones and changes that all make 2010 such an important year.

Convocation - October 23rd, 2010

My beautiful family – mom, godmother, dad, godbrother

My everything – Sonya, Sophia, Wen, Anitha (& missing others)

Thank you to everyone who made this such a special day. I could not have asked for a better 5 years spent at the University of Waterloo. It will always be a second home close to my heart. Thank you to all of my friends, family, coworkers and everyone else I met that made it such an incredible experience from the first day I stepped onto campus all the way to convocation. Major thank you to Teddy Chau, one of the most amazing photographers I know for helping me capture every single moment of the day, and piecing together one of the most beautiful and thoughtful gifts I have ever received.

Impact National Conference – November 12 – 13th, 2010

“Impact has been my education”. I will never ever forget that quote from the first meeting I ever sat in on Impact. Never would I have ever expected to stumble upon such an amazing organization filled with such passionate and like-minded individuals, many of whom have now become some of my closest friends. I owe so much to this organization from the sheer experience I have gained from holding all types of roles, the friendships I have built, and the supportive network around me. I am confident that no matter what road I end up taking that I will always have the strong support of all those who have been involved with Impact one way or another. Likewise, I will always do my best to give back.

Head Table Guests: Ron Tite, Sal from BDC, Michael Hyatt, Alex Shipillo, Kunal Gupta, Vino Jeyapalan

The most hardworking team of volunteers – the Impact Family

As with every good book, there’s always a final page. If it was a book that you loved, that you looked forward to reading every night, and where you were able to learn a lot from, it’s not an easy thing to put down and shelf it away. You find yourself wanting to linger, wanting to read more about their adventures and continuing the story. As much as you don’t want to put the book down, you’ll know when it’s the right time to put down the book and move onto the next chapter of your life. With graduation under my belt and my involvement with Impact winding down, I am beyond excited for all of the new opportunities to come.

There’s already a number of things that are in the works for 2011. I love the place that I am in right now and feel incredibly lucky to be working within a public relations firm housing such talented people, where I feel that I’m constantly being challenged and exposed to absolutely relevant opportunities for my career and personal development. On the side, I will continue to be actively involved in all things surrounding the organization such as helping out with our annual charitable initiative, the Little Give, where every Edelman employee dedicates 48 hours to consult a non profit organization within our local community. Earlier this year, I had given up the opportunity to participate in a self-discovery trip to China with other CBCs (Canadian Born Chinese) students, and I don’t intend on letting go of that experience next year. Finally, I plan on continuing to support Impact playing a minor role and organizing an initiative on that front – lips are sealed at the moment! On top of all of this, who knows what might happen? That’s the beauty of it all.

Thanks for reading :)

June 23, 2010

So long, Waterloo!

After a month and a bit of settling back into Toronto and moving back for good, I spent the weekend in Waterloo celebrating convocation with many of my dear friends. I’m so proud of each and every single one of them. Even though it’s already been a while since I left, I don’t think it really hit me that I’m never moving back to Waterloo again as a student until I went back this weekend. Eating my favourite veggie pad thai at the Vegetarian Fast Food Restaurant, chilling at the girl’s house, partying it up at Caesar’s, post-clubbing food at Bubbletease and finally staying one night in Ron Eydt Village, my old residence just about did it. Not sure what came over me but Bubbletease brought back way long ago memories of everything that used to take place there. Dates, parties, celebrations, the old renovations, the people that I met there, everything. I’m not one to cry much but it hit me like a ton of bricks and once it started, it wouldn’t stop.

First Year. Oh blonde hair.

I feel so fortunate to have experienced all that I did in Waterloo. I’m sure everyone will say this about their own school but it became so quickly another home away from home. Moving away to a completely brand new city with no idea of what Waterloo even looked like when I had made my choice of picking the university for the next 5 years of my life, I entered into the school with a car full of my boxes and high hopes for the future. Needless to say, I was not disappointed.

Azn Pikniq. 10 years later & still going strong.

Over the last 5 years …. I learned how to cram all night before a midterm/exam and pass. I learned how to assemble IKEA furniture – comes with a lot of practice. I learned how to speak French fluently by studying and traveling in Paris, France. I learned how to make new friends quickly. I learned that some friendships are not meant to stay forever. I learned how to be independent, to a certain extent. I learned how important it was to get involved in extracurricular activities (special thanks to all those who made CASA & Impact possible). I learned how lucky I was to have surrounded myself with a strong support system - my girls. I learned how much effort maintaining friendships can be once you move away, but how rewarding it is when you do – my AznPikniq. 10 years and still going strong <3. I learned how to get over a death of a family member - RIP Grandpa. I learned how to move on from the death of one of my closest family members – we miss you everyday Mimi. I learned how to dance, and oh boy did we dance. Willy bounce & Ballin’! I learned how to be a leader. I learned how to work in a corporate environment. I learned about entrepreneurship. I learned how to direct a fashion show. I learned how to get over a broken heart. Most of all, I learned how to open my heart and love my friends, family, boys, coworkers.

My support system. <3

I would never give up the experience that I had living, studying, partying, laughing, crying, working in Waterloo for anything in the world. It will always be a part of me.

January 5, 2010

A Fresh Start

What a way to start off the brand new year. A great night with close friends, good times spent in good company. When I think about what’s to come in 2010, half of me wants to scream into a pillow, while the other half is so excited and jumping on the bed for all the things to come. I may have bit off more than I feel like I can chew at the moment, but I somehow always find a way. As Roy Ash, co founder of Litton Industries said:

“An entrepreneur tends to bite off a little more than he can chew hoping he’ll quickly learn how to chew it.”

Having settled into my last term of my undergraduate degree at the University of Waterloo, I am overcome with bittersweet feelings. Living in residence once again feels a little odd but at the same time a bit reminiscent. Thinking back to the past 5 years of university, I can’t explain how different each and every term has been. I walked into my first year living at REV, excited by everything that’s happening, staying up studying or partying in the late hours of the night, meeting so many new people, getting involved with different organizations, having fun, that’s what it was all about. Second year, moving off campus to live with friends seemed like such a big deal, dealing with more responsibilities, learning roommate etiquette (sometimes the hard way). Third year, was an unbelievable European fantasy come true spending 8 months abroad in Paris, France. Practicing one of the most beautiful languages in the world, traveling to new countries every weekend, sightseeing, hosting friends from back home, it was something I will never ever forget. Fourth year was a tough one. School was getting more demanding, friends were busy with own priorities, relationships. The job hunt was on. Took on a much larger role within Impact, promoting youth entrepreneurship. Introduced to social media and learning how to use it for professional development and job opportunities. Finding my niche and an area of expertise. Had my first speaking engagement with League of Kickass. First time as a radio guest on Career Buzz, talking about the importance of youth entrepreneurship. Experiencing death for the first time in my life, having to say goodbye to two very special people and learning how to cope with the loss. 2009 was all about learning how to grow up, really fast.

I wonder what 2010 will bring? As graduation is coming up ahead, can’t help but wonder where everyone will end up. What opportunities are out there that are waiting for me? I truly believe that everything happens for a reason. There is a reason why I am not a Samsung Mobile Explorer for the 2010 olympics. There must be bigger opportunities that are waiting for me to find them.

One thing that I was really surprised to discover this year during the 2009 holidays, was how much I was in need for quality time with family and friends. The two weeks of holidays never have felt so good, to just take a break from life and spend time with people that I care for and love the most. I had a very special birthday this year and want to thank everyone so much who was a part of it, from those who sent me a quick note via facebook, twitter, email, bday cards, to all the delightful surprises of a huge basket with all my favourite things, to an ice cream cake at my dinner, to the nutcracker ballet, to the vegan meal paired with a night out at the movies, to watching avatar with my family in Imax 3D who haven’t seen a movie since the Titanic.

If I could make a quick prediction of 2010, I think this will be by far one of my most challenging, but rewarding years. It will be the beginning of my dream career pursuit (or the making of my own career ;) ), leading Impact Entrepreneurship Group to continue firing up the entrepreneurial spirit amongst youth in Canada, staying connected with all my friends from university as we move on to different jobs, cities, etc.

Let’s see a year from now! Bring it 2010, I’m ready for ya :)