yugglipuff-blog

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Goals 2020

The last time I set goals was four years ago in 2016. Time for an update.

Goals for 1 year

Try starting a consulting / advisory side business

Raise Adrian, and be in process to having another baby

Regain some sense of balance and “me” time

Find a job that is fulfilling and meaningful, rather than high paying

Establish a regular running and swimming routine

Goals for 5 years

Move homes to something more kid friendly

Raise kind, caring children

Actually get into woodworking

Travel to New Zealand and/or Peru

Goals for lifetime

Have a cohesive family with 2-3 healthy, ambitious kids and 2 dogs.

Have led a team of 500 or more to build a meaningful lasting product that has changed the world for the better.

Have helped my husband build a wild, satisfying career of his own.

Bought my parents a house

Have 3 homes around the world, including a ski lodge and beach house.

Lived in another country other than the US for at least 2 years.

Go back to school for something - philosophy or sociology or viticulture, or culinary school and design school.

Have 10 people show up at my funeral.

From the Goals 2016.

Goals for 1 year

Move to a place with a big backyard and easy access out of the bay area

Get another dog (Husky, Pomsky, Bernese, German Shepard)

Mentor a team of 3-5 PMs and build a network of PMs

Try to make a name myself in tech product in SV

Find my definition of work-life balance

Eaten at a 2+ michelin japanese restaurant

Make a decision on my hobby that involves working with my hands

Find a charity I can be passionate about, or something in wine

Decide on this kid thing, maybe actually have one

Climb another mountain, or do another 5+ day backpacking trip…or do a week long, off-the-grid retreat of some sort

Goals for 5 years

Have a kid and another dog

Have traveled to a different country at least once each year (South Africa, New Zealand, Switzerland, Iceland.

Have worked a harvest in the vineyards.

Is actively involved in at least one volunteer org or charity.

Is actively involved in a wine-related activity or organization.

Have a hobby that involves working with my hands

Can count on 10 friends who will come help me with anything

Goals for lifetime

Have a cohesive family with 2-3 healthy, ambitious kids and 2 dogs.

Have led a team of 500 or more to build a meaningful lasting product that has changed the world for the better.

Have helped my husband build a wild, satisfying career of his own.

Bought my parents a house; have 3 homes around the world, including a ski lodge and beach house.

Traveled to every major country in the world.

Lived in another country other than the US for at least 2 years.

Have gotten a PhD in something - perhaps philosophy or sociology or viticulture.

Have gone to culinary school and design school.

Have 10 people show up at my funeral.

From the Goals 2014.

Goals for 1 year

Be a senior product manager and have launched features that have made significant impact on TT’s trajectory.

Have eaten at Wakuriya and Ad Hoc (fried chicken).

Have traveled to the Philippines, China, and Costa Rica with Tom.

Finish WSET advanced level and pass the exam.

Have more than basic understanding of python, javascript, and CSS.

Have found a consistent exercise routine.

Have supported Tom in pursuing the type of work he’s passionate about.

Have helped at least 5 friends through meaningful times.

Goals for 5 years

Have a kid and a dog or cat.

Be the director of product at a post series C company.

Have traveled to a different country for each new years (istanbul, jordan, japan, turkey are on the list).

Have gone to burning man, edc, and sundance.

Have worked a harvest in the vineyards.

Is actively involved in at least one volunteer org or charity.

Is actively involved in a wine-related activity or organization.

Can make assist with making technical trade-offs and is completely comfortable around coding.

Have traveled internationally with my parents at least once

Have helped at least 10 friends through meaningful times

Goals for lifetime

Have a cohesive family with 2-3 healthy, ambitious kids and a dog and/or cat.

Have led a team of 50 or more to build a meaningful lasting product that has changed the world for the better.

Have helped my husband build a wild, satisfying career of his own.

Bought my parents a house; have 3 homes around the world, including a ski lodge and cabin next to a running creek.

Traveled to every country in the world.

Lived in another country other than the US for at least 2 years.

Have gotten a PhD in something - perhaps philosophy or sociology or viticulture.

Have gone to culinary school and design school.

Have 10 people show up at my funeral.

[yugglipuff-blog]

30 things I’m grateful for

I’m turning 30 soon. Here’s my list of 30 things I’m grateful for.

1. being healthy and having an awesome metabolism still

2. & 3. these guys in my life:

4. <4 hours drive from the ocean, vineyards, Yosemite, redwoods, and so much more

5. Himawari

6. College friends. HBS buddies.

7. My commute being <30 minutes on most days

8. Thumbtack growing ridiculously fast and me being a part of the ride

9. My parents are healthy and well.

10. Being able to afford (time and money and health) to do this: 

11. Being able to summit Mt. Rainer

12. My iPhone 5S.

13. Google docs, wifi, and Gmail existing

14. Fresh sushi a short drive away

15. My wine fridge (which is awesome!)

16. Uber ride to SFO is $15.

17. Bunny (my car)

18. Unlimited vacation days. $1250 education stipend. Conference stipend.

19. Wine. Wine country.

20. Classpass

21. Being in a time in history when AI and VR are a thing.

22. Our townhome, more specifically a front door that leads to the street

23. Awesome coworkers

24. Hella good weather.

25. Airplanes

26. My comfy king sized bed.

27. Paint nite. Color me mine.

28. Tom Sawyer Trail

29. This view.

30. Fresh flowers from Costco

[yugglipuff-blog]

Goals 2016 - an update

Goals for 1 year

Move to a place with a big backyard and easy access out of the bay area

Get another dog (Husky, Pomsky, Bernese, German Shepard)

Mentor a team of 3-5 PMs and build a network of PMs

Try to make a name myself in tech product in SV

Find my definition of work-life balance

Eaten at a 2+ michelin japanese restaurant

Make a decision on my hobby that involves working with my hands

Find a charity I can be passionate about, or something in wine

Decide on this kid thing, maybe actually have one

Climb another mountain, or do another 5+ day backpacking trip...or do a week long, off-the-grid retreat of some sort

Goals for 5 years

Have a kid and another dog

Have traveled to a different country at least once each year (South Africa, New Zealand, Switzerland, Iceland.

Have worked a harvest in the vineyards.

Is actively involved in at least one volunteer org or charity.

Is actively involved in a wine-related activity or organization.

Have a hobby that involves working with my hands

Can count on 10 friends who will come help me with anything

Goals for lifetime

Have a cohesive family with 2-3 healthy, ambitious kids and 2 dogs.

Have led a team of 500 or more to build a meaningful lasting product that has changed the world for the better.

Have helped my husband build a wild, satisfying career of his own.

Bought my parents a house; have 3 homes around the world, including a ski lodge and beach house.

Traveled to every major country in the world.

Lived in another country other than the US for at least 2 years.

Have gotten a PhD in something - perhaps philosophy or sociology or viticulture.

Have gone to culinary school and design school.

Have 10 people show up at my funeral.

From the Goals 2014.

Goals for 1 year

Be a senior product manager and have launched features that have made significant impact on TT’s trajectory.

Have eaten at Wakuriya and Ad Hoc (fried chicken).

Have traveled to the Philippines, China, and Costa Rica with Tom.

Finish WSET advanced level and pass the exam.

Have more than basic understanding of python, javascript, and CSS.

Have found a consistent exercise routine.

Have supported Tom in pursuing the type of work he’s passionate about.

Have helped at least 5 friends through meaningful times.

Goals for 5 years

Have a kid and a dog or cat.

Be the director of product at a post series C company.

Have traveled to a different country for each new years (istanbul, jordan, japan, turkey are on the list).

Have gone to burning man, edc, and sundance.

Have worked a harvest in the vineyards.

Is actively involved in at least one volunteer org or charity.

Is actively involved in a wine-related activity or organization.

Can make assist with making technical trade-offs and is completely comfortable around coding.

Have traveled internationally with my parents at least once

Have helped at least 10 friends through meaningful times

Goals for lifetime

Have a cohesive family with 2-3 healthy, ambitious kids and a dog and/or cat.

Have led a team of 50 or more to build a meaningful lasting product that has changed the world for the better.

Have helped my husband build a wild, satisfying career of his own.

Bought my parents a house; have 3 homes around the world, including a ski lodge and cabin next to a running creek.

Traveled to every country in the world.

Lived in another country other than the US for at least 2 years.

Have gotten a PhD in something - perhaps philosophy or sociology or viticulture.

Have gone to culinary school and design school.

Have 10 people show up at my funeral.

[yugglipuff-blog]

Goals 2014.

Goals for 1 year

Be a senior product manager and have launched features that have made significant impact on TT's trajectory.

Have eaten at Wakuriya and Ad Hoc (fried chicken).

Have traveled to the Philippines, China, and Costa Rica with Tom.

Finish WSET advanced level and pass the exam.

Have more than basic understanding of python, javascript, and CSS.

Have found a consistent exercise routine.

Have supported Tom in pursuing the type of work he's passionate about.

Have helped at least 5 friends through meaningful times.

Goals for 5 years

Have a kid and a dog or cat.

Be the director of product at a post series C company.

Have traveled to a different country for each new years (istanbul, jordan, japan, turkey are on the list).

Have gone to burning man, edc, and sundance.

Have worked a harvest in the vineyards.

Is actively involved in at least one volunteer org or charity.

Is actively involved in a wine-related activity or organization.

Can make assist with making technical trade-offs and is completely comfortable around coding.

Have traveled internationally with my parents at least once

Have helped at least 10 friends through meaningful times

Goals for lifetime

Have a cohesive family with 2-3 healthy, ambitious kids and a dog and/or cat.

Have led a team of 50 or more to build a meaningful lasting product that has changed the world for the better.

Have helped my husband build a wild, satisfying career of his own.

Bought my parents a house; have 3 homes around the world, including a ski lodge and cabin next to a running creek.

Traveled to every country in the world.

Lived in another country other than the US for at least 2 years.

Have gotten a PhD in something - perhaps philosophy or sociology or viticulture.

Have gone to culinary school and design school.

Have 10 people show up at my funeral.

Step 1: http://hive.org/20s/

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A quote

"Perception can be fatal. As we perceive another, so they become. When we see a person in a certain way and expect one kind of behavior from them, that is often what we get. When we hold onto an old picture of a person, it can prevent them from growing." Metamorphosis

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(un)solicited advice for MBA admissions: part III

And finally, to wrap up, a few parting notes and resources: Putting it all together

Make sure you tell a story of what you’ve done, what you’ve learned, and where you want to go

Make a list of all the characteristics a school looks for down the rows (leadership, analytics, curiosity, etc) and parts of the application across the top. Make sure all are addressed somewhere! Traits are often found on the recommendation grids.

Start the application early. There are a few additional time-consuming parts such as the resume and the descriptions for work experience and community service. Don’t miss these chances to tell things about yourself you did not get a chance to include in the essays

Use your undergrad experiences! =) They want to know about all of you.

Interviews

There are different types of interviews. Understand how the schools conduct their processes. Factors include: alumni vs adcom, timing (before submission vs after application review), purpose of interview

There are literally millions of questions posted on the internet for MBA admissions. Go through a few, make your own list of the popular ones, and practice

Print out your resume, essays, and your recs (if you can get a copy). Review them before you walk in

Visit the school. Sit in on a class You want to have been there when you do the interview. They do ask and most do care

Run through your stories but dont have specific answers

Rehearse your answers: It doesn’t weird to talk about your future. So practice with a friend or anyone who’s willing to listen. =P

Resources

GMAT: Prefer Manhattan GMAT as prep; Use the 2 free test from mba.com (over and over to get new questions)! Use 1 prior to any prep and 1 after.

http://poetsandquants.com/

http://www.mbaadmission.com/

http://www.businessweek.com/business-schools/

http://www.accepted.com/

Best of luck!! It’s a process of learning about yourself. It does help a ton to “discover” yourself during this process!! The more you learn about what type of person you are, what skills you have, and what you want to do in the future, the more you can get out of your two years!

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(un)solicited advice for MBA admissions: part IIb

Ah, the ever so confounding problem of recommendations… Choosing you recommenders

Must haves:

Choose people who know you, what you’ve accomplished, and what you had to go through to get it done.

Choose people who’ve seen you grow, and can compare you to others in similar positions or have gone down a similar path

Choose people who have the time and will take the time to write a good recommendation

Choose people who will write good things about you, not the negative…make sure they hold no grudges again you (obvious but a consideration)

Nice to have:

A persuasive and good writer

Seniority: Good to have if you can find it. Obviously a great rec from an influential person is better than a great rec from a less experienced professional, but quality of rec definitely comes first.

Alumni: again, quality first. But an alumni can speak to how well you fit into the school’s culture, always a plus

Experience on admit boards: they know what it takes.

Preparing your recommenders

Give the recommenders 2-3 months of lead time

There will always be a range of styles and preferences on how much you provide vs how much they generate. Get to know the styles of your recommenders early. NEVER write entire paragraphs or recs for them.

ASK what they need and provide choices if they are not sure

Most schools post questions for the recommendation so get to know those before hand and walk your recommenders through them

Good materials to give your recommenders:

The basics: timelines, questions asked, input methods

Your pitch: what is your story, what strengths do you want them to address

Your essays: this helps with #1, and avoids duplicate stories. If you’re not done, then some sort of outline is best.

Set up meetings with your recommenders over the phone or in person to talk through deadlines, expectations, what you’d like them to write about

Send reminders 1 month, 2 weeks, and 5 days before the deadline.

Other suggestions:

If you’re applying to multiple schools, each recommender should really only do 2-3 at most. It gets tiring as schools now have different formats!

Have your recommenders help you structure your applications, particularly if they’ve seen a lot of applications (e.g. partners at consulting or banking firms). 

Hand write some thank you notes and bring some chocolate!

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(un)solicited advice for MBA admissions: part IIa

Writing the essays:

Essays are the element of the application you have the most control over, and where you can really tell your story. In terms of importance, this weighs at least 60% (30% recs, 10% other)

Get the prompts early. See how they’ve changed from previous years to get a sense of a new direction for the school

Craft your story: what you’ve done, what you learned, where you are now, where you want to be in the future, how you plan to get there (and how XYZ school will help you). Make sure it is simple, logical, and interesting.

Emphasize 3-5 characteristics about you that makes you unique by bringing it up multiple times throughout your essays (avoid using analytical as one of them…). Are you people glue? A risk-taker?

Answer the question in the first few sentences. Don’t make your readers dig and search for them. The answer should be concise and to the point

Be detailed when it comes to talking about why MBA and why XYZ school. Attend events, talk with current students and alumni, have them tell you what clubs they’re in, their favorite moments, what they are looking forward to. A simple sentence that’s unique about why a school appeals to you is worth its weight in gold.

Refer essays to each other if relevant to help the flow. Not directly, but bring up the same points in different ways.

To come up with ideas: Keep a notebook to write down thoughts. Ask your friends what makes you you. Have them recount stories.

To help with writer’s block: Write in different environments. Print essays out and hand edit them.

Spell check, grammar check, keep to the word limit (+5% max), use the right school name,

Keep versions. Use dropbox so you can easily access them from any laptop, work or home

Reviewing the essays

Form a panel of 3-5 reviewers per school. after 1-2 cycles, dwindle it down to 1, at most 2 people who are the most helpful

Track changes in document, but do all review in person or via phone. Nothing beats talking through what you wanted to get across and what their comments really mean

Delete the questions when you send the essays. Have your reviewers tell you what question you were trying to answer

Less is more: Find those 2-3 people who really understand your case and story, and have the time to help you convey it.

When it comes to conflicting views, use your own judgment (my last HBS essay, 3 people hated it and told me it would never work. 2 people loved it and said it was the best they’ve read. I loved it).

Remind your reviewers of your deadlines. Proactively set up calls with them. Do NOT say “please let me know when you’ve reviewed the essays then we can set up time”. It will not happen. It should be “Here are my essays, could we chat about them in a week? how does XYZ times work for you?”

Opinions are opinions. Make sure at the end of the day, you retain your voice and your story, not a patched together version from 5 people

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(un)solicited advice for MBA admissions: part I

By popular request, I’m compiling a set of tips for MBA admissions here. I still feel that people really over-think and over-prepare for the whole process. However, there are still a good set of “should knows”. Part I: Selecting schools, Managing your time, Academics Part II: Essays and Recommendations Part III: Putting it together, interviews Disclaimer: MBA admissions advice is like relationship advice. Opinionated. Take with grain of salt. What worked for them may not work for you. Selecting schools

Do yourself a favor: choose only 3-5 schools. It just gets complicated after that. You don’t want to meaningfully date 15 girls in 6 months.

Know how each school brands itself and claims are its strengths. Validate them with current students/alumni.(Stanford=tech/entreprenuership, Kellogg=marketing, Wharton=finance, HBS=general/international)

Factors to consider: class size, location, style of teaching (case vs lecture), international programs, flexibility of curriculum, ranking, cost/financial aid, culture and people, type and strength of network, major recruiters

Visit, read the website, talk to current students and alumni. Think about who your mentors, favorite people at work are and what schools they were from

If you don’t personally know anyone at the schools, look up contact information for the clubs and reach out to learn more

Choose wisely: it’s a 200k+ investment in yourself  (Update post HBS - it's really $250k+)

Managing your time

Yes, it can be done in 3 months. Yes it could take 1 year. Know what type of worker your are: start with at least 1 more month than what you thought it’d take

Typically: 1-2 months GMAT; 6 weeks per school application, exponentially increasing after 4 schools.

Leave extra time to manage your recommenders. Ideally give them 3 month notice

Keep to your deadlines. If you miss one, you’ll miss all. Make sure that when you do start your application, this is priority 1 in your life.

You will not edit/start on an essay after going to the pub/lounge/dinner/club. Do it first thing when you have free time.

Round 1 and 2 are pretty much the same. Some argue that those from more traditional backgrounds should apply round 1 (fresh page, no 100 consultants/bankers admitted already).

Apply when your application is at its best: in terms of written essays and recommendations as well as your accomplishments. Wait for that promotion at work or new title in a non-profit. On the flipside…

If you’re planning to sit on the couch for the next six months then apply, dont. Do it before those 6 months. You won’t have to explain why you were so accomplished then sat there for 6 months.

Academics:

It’s a checkbox. Take the GMAT, get it done.

Be within the 80% range of the school. Aim for at least the Median.

Getting 800 will not improve your chances. Getting 600 will decrease them

GPA still matters (ugh). Have a good explanation if you have low grades

Take community college courses if you have low grades in business-related classes. This will worry the admissions about how well you may perform in class

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the dilemma of 3 months idle time

this is ridiculous. I have 3 months until harvard business school. I have a non-demanding AND well-paying job day job (my $/hr is at least 10x that of McK). I'm finally getting time to pursue my interest in art (painting and drawing) and learn tennis. AND the idle time is driving me NUTS. I should quit and stay at home, relax, and do whatever I please. Cook, travel, draw, visit friends, read, do yoga. Why NOT. But if I quit I'd have no income. I have a job that pays WELL for me to sit it out till July. there's incentives like bonuses, potential travel trips, and stock options that keep me around. The work, when there is some, is very interesting. I won't be making any money in bschool. and the $150k price tag is not cheap. I should quit because interesting work is rare and far in between. I don't feel i'm learning much and am not interested in anything I can think of to learn. (sad). I spend a ridiculous amount of time at work planning weekends, surfing the web, and bothering/annoying my other hard-working friends on gchat. I need the intellectual stimulation and discussion. But instead my mind just wanders here and there. I try to do my own side projects but can never concentrate 100% of my mind on it at any one time. It's giving me a serious case of ADD. I wonder what my coworkers think of my 10-3 days. I won't go hungry without the income. But why quit if I can read at work, I can entertain myself with today's flow of information. Heck, I could even learn something. It's just 3 months of mainly sitting on my butt. Does it matter what my current coworkers think? 3 months isn't enough time to do anything significant that'll change the world. I'd probably just be bored if I stayed at home all day anyways, and spend even more time on facebook/gchat/newsites. So why not get paid for it? Free money and free time apparently drives me nuts.This is a ridiculous problem to have. ridiculous.

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Random thoughts on Peru trip

1. Thank you weather God for perfect weather. Fully appreciate the warm sun after drenching rain, no fog at the Sungate at Maccu Picchu at 5am, sunny weather for Macau salt licks in the rainforest, barely missing thunderstorms, etc etc 2. New found appreciation for showers, especially hot ones, and clean toilets 3. It’s amazing to be able to walk around without 100% Deet and not get mosquito bites 4. Peruvians eat a lot of potatoes and rice. with a lot of salt 5. Guinea pig is crunchy and chewy, but not that great 6. There’s a place on Earth where you literally feel like you are close to the gods and can touch the stars: Lake Titicaca. 7. Alcapas are adorable animals 8. Lima is a fascinating city with an incredibly beautiful coast line 9. Stomach problems are common for visitors 10. Pisco sours are delicious and strong, perfect combination 11. Capabarras (huge pig sized cousin of guinea pig) are hilarious

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Corporate culture at its best

it’s been 2 months since the last update and I’ve transitioned now to what most people would call a “9-5 office job”, the type of work that inspires Dilbert and Office Space, and the engine for a majority of the GDP creation. I’m excited to explore this new world of internal corporate strategy…and slightly worried: 1. my on-boarding process has been sad to a point that it’s comical, at least in comparison to the consulting world. Okay, this may seem like a normal process to most people, but let’s just say McK had all these ready to go day 1. Here’s what I can gleam/remember with the help of my 10 remedy requests: 7/6: day 1. Have badge + laptop + email + cube. IT proclaims that exchange working on the first day is “a miracle, and miracles do happen sometimes” 7/8: remote access VPN granted; receive think-cell, the lifesaver for ppts (!!) 7/9: webex, the main communication vehicle, installed 7/13: receive the “welcome to cisco” email from HR asking to confirm my manager; get first monitor and keyboard 7/14: badge works now for cafe purchases (YAY!!); receive office phone (YAY i can make calls!!) 7/15: confirm with HR that I am indeed getting paid 7/19: procurement system finally decides that I’m allowed to contact suppliers 7/26: receive stapler, tape, white board (which does not hang), and binder clips 7/28: 21 days after I started my job, I finally get corporate mail/calendar on my iphone. 2. While still being project based, the level of thought and work put into each project definitely differs dramatically. I am not about to complain about leaving work at 5pm, some times I wonder if things are moving a little to “quickly” and “hand wavy” 3. Commute on 101 will drive me nuts in a stick shift. 1st gear…second…OOO THIRD..and back to first. repeat. Hello Mountain View.

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48 hours in Seoul...

- Girls like flowers, and it's not about quantity, it's about decorated quality. The girls who walk around with them have a proud look, the others not so much - Girls all wear heels, wear eye makeup, and look like actresses out of a Korean drama; Korean guys all have similar haircuts and like to hold purses for their girls - mmmmm $5 yummy kimchi fried rice. mmm korean BBQ...mmm... - taxis are cheap with $2.4 start - If I lived in Seoul, I would spend A LOT of money on clothes and shop all the time. I would also look for a rich boyfriend to let me spend. There's so much pretty clothes and things here. o.O I spent a lot of money on clothes today...and plan to spend more tomorrow - Shopping is/should be a national sport, just like in Singapore - I dont understand how the girls can wear such high heels...but they do look good! - Seoul's mountains and rivers provides a nice sanctuary from the city - I'm a cheap drunk in Seoul...$2 plum wine will do - You can hear Chinese, Japanese, and English very often everywhere

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o so close...

Hm, it's been quite a while since the last update. My need to capture my thoughts in writing has generally decreased as I have gotten somewhat even more lazy (if that's possible) and more accustomed to life in Beijing. I suppose that after 2 month I've finally settled into a sort of a routine.

This past weekend I spent in Nanjing, spending time with my grandma walking around parks, with my grandpa at morning grocery markets, and with my aunt/uncle selecting sinks/faucets/towel racks/dining room lights at an ultrabig interior design store (<3).>

And of course there was lots of yummy food and lots of eating. =) My fav was this lobster place where they make these small crawfish in all different flavors. mmmmMMmm.

Then a week of work, where the project is wrapping up and hence I was able to find time to go shopping, visit sights, and grab dinners with friends. (yay). I finally had the infamous beijing lamb hotpot...would not mind going back. =) I also discovered that there's actually a lot of shops right behind my hotel, including massage places and shops with cheap "name brand" clothing. Figures.

Spending this weekend in Seoul for the korean BBQ then one more week as a McKinsey consultant!! (O.O)