The Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I

will be the prime reason for me to fly to NY.

Because:

There are depths of emotion in even the mildest man or women that would, if the universe worked as it ought, set the skies on fire and boil the oceans until the sand beneath them turned to glass.

Klimt is the one for me.

For now.

(I know that this blog looks bleak and unloved. No I am not dead. Expect a post that contains value sometime this week)

And someone needs to tell Cal's Japanese professors that stuffing chapters in our throats isn't going to work.

I didn't learn English that way.

(at least they're nice, but not enough to justify 5 hours of Japanese everyday)

Is a College Degree Really Necessary?

A: "Why are you a die-hard Haas fanatic? If you are that good, you don't need it! Look at Gates and Jobs! They didn't have a degree!"

B: "Google up the salary compensation chart, having a degree makes all the difference."

What do you think?

Mull over it for a few days, I'll insert my two cents soon.

Meanwhile.....

Have a nice one!

Why I Do the Things that I Do

I don't think that I am narcissistic, but it might be fun to know that the person who is writing this is not a total psycho.

However boring I am

Why Berkeley?

I can afford it.

This is critical, because I haven’t seen an Ivy that is worth
its ticket-price. I would feel guilty studying there, I would
have no life as I would feel obliged to pay my parents back;
I would constantly be haunting Mckinsey’s or Goldman Sach’s
recruiters because I need to pay off this debt.

Cal has the best value for its money.

Did you know that 36 our departments (undergrad and grad) are ranked
#1 in the nation?

Tied with Harvard

Better Football

Some people go to Yale to meet interesting new people; I can
do it just fine.

* I was an international student, not qualified for scholarship+aid.

Major?

Decisions Headache

Architecture

Grandpa was an architect/civil engineer/inventor/linguist/physics
professor.
Do I sound jealous? Why yes I do….

We used to build little trebuchets when I was little, 3 feet tall

Can fling a stone 50 yards long

Cal’s wonderful program was more technical than creative

I should have known something when the ugliest building in
Cal is the Architecture Building

They have NO reason.

Molecular and Cellular Biology

So naturally I gravitated to the major with the prettiest building

Liked it. That is the problem.

I didn’t love it.

I liked serving people and interacting with them but....

Did a Surgery Internship, saw A LOT of surgeries in 2 weeks
and decided that I liked talking to the people more than going
to Med School.

Can’t justify the residency, no matter how much they pay me.

Oh, try not to motorbike, one patient was carted in with her
leg bone splintered into 5 pieces.

Business

Because I love people

And in almost 20 years, haven’t got sick of them yet.

Am fascinated by Private Equities, Venture Capitals, Consulting,
M&A, IPOs, Startups, Accounting, Finance, Web 2.0, stock
investing, brokerage services, hotel management and
in general anything goes!

But most of all, I am fascinated by people. Everyone has so much
to offer, and I love listening to them.

The janitor in Golden Bear Café who has a four year old daughter
and is bussing tables 20 hours a week while trying to get that psychology
degree so he can be a professor.

The gung ho investment banker who entered because he accrued too

much debt during his highflying college years and need that 6 digit salary

The Iowa-born African American who is absolutely fascinated by Chinese
culture and longs to teach in Tibet

The linguistic professor who translates an archaic Turkish dead language

for a living while saving up money for that Romanian Trip

The Debate Champion and influential lawyer who quit because
his conscious can’t take it anymore and now happily wakes up
at 5am in the every morning for 20 years, enlightening
High School students on the finer points of Art History.

Who did you miss while you're grocery shopping today?

When not in school?

I inhale books

and

I hit the gym everyday for at most an hour



















I don’t do this

Clubs?

Leadership Symposium, Eggster.Org, Freshman Sophomore
Business Club, Circle K (Kiwanis), Koinonia

Shortcomings?

Trivial: I spend more on my friends and family than I do on myself.
Not necessary a bad thing, but sometimes I need to learn that my
paycheck should go towards something that I wanted.

Serious: I often take on more than I can handle; fleeting
interest in mundane things, impatience (HUGE problem).

And oh, I loathe quitting. And yes, that is a problem.

And many many more that I am not aware of. It is out
there, people just need to tell me that.

I’ll bribe you...or bake you cookies!

Pieces of me

Made in China, Property of Singapore, Inherently curious, Babbles 2.5
languages (Spanish…it’s embarrassing), Art History Buff, Techie Nerd,

Two Instruments, Food Network, Yo Yo Ma Fanatic,

Klimt devotee, Dad’s family = Engineering, Mom’s =
lawyers and politicians

Don’t you just love family gatherings?

Future Ambitions?

I am not in debt, so I don’t feel obliged to haunt down Bain or Google's

recruiters.

Makes me open to more ideas….was thinking of Private Equity
and Venture Capital because it is people oriented and you build
relationships with successful people.

But web 2.0 and startups draws me in like a kid to candy.

I also like accounting and finance because they are the
backbone to business.

And Sales because it is one of the hardest fields and I
have so much respect for them (not the dishonest ones).

Marketing lets me into the minds of people.

And Consulting lets you in on the inner-working of every field.

You see where I am going with this?

I don’t know

what i am going to do for life.

All I know is that I will try everything because
20 years from now I will regret the things I've
never done more than the things I have.

I want to live a life with no regrets

I’ll be doing something that I love

And that I’ll be good at it.

You learn something new every day....

Did you know that Diet Mountain Dew


has more caffeine per mg than your average cuppa java?

And apparently


A healthy part of your daily diet?

Welcome to:


Guess who isn't sleeping tonight?

:)

DeSean Jackson.....

Makes me want to do this.

45 - 31

Fierce!

College Spending Problem

#1: “Hey Daddy….oh yea Daddy, of course the books here are expensive. Yea, I kinda need another grand.

#2: Arches eyebrow

#1: *Pause and listen*. "Great! Thanks Daddy, I love you."

#2: "I take that he doesn’t know of your shopping problem."

#1: "And he never will."

- Berkeley Bookstore, MLK Building.

Parents often complain about their kids spend like there is no tomorrow.

And why shouldn't they?

Its not their money.

So how do you make them view the money as the "'family stash?".

Stay Tuned.

(Yes, I will actually answer this question, and the "how to deal with women" one too)

Don't Fake it In College

Hello Freshmen (for all you 1st years out there....others, ignore me)!

School starts on Monday, and you might want to know that...

College isn't and extended version of High School, don't try to impress someone.

You have all the time in the world to do that.

Don’t bury your face in books either.

This is the time to find your goals, your friends, your insecurities, yourself.

These four years someone else is paying (if you’re lucky) for your opportunity to think about the rest of your life.

Use it well.

Because what is going to come after college?

God willing, it will be a high-paying job

A stressful job

And then you’ll always try to impress your boss, trying to establish yourself as a professional.

By the time you did, you’ll have kids and a mortgage.

So stop trying to impress someone. Start living your life.

Stop trying to attain the unattainable and comparing with everyone else.

If only I can get into Haas

Yale Law

Harvard Med School

UPenn MBA

That Perfect Job.

If only I can get a boyfriend/girlfriend/wife/husband

Oh wait…that would be the start of your troubles.

I Disappeared off the Face of the Planet

because I was dealing with

THIS

Nothing screams "Welcome Back" quite like it.

There was no place to even put down

Sexy

much less muster enough sitting room to blog.

So how did I get myself into this

lovely debacle?

A friend took over my spot during the summer and I flied back early to settle down before the new wave of Freshpops take over the city.

Well, there is no use disassembling my 70lb luggage until friend cleans the area out so I did the only thing a sane person would do...

Somebody has got to suffer

Nay, I'm not that mean.

After sparring with random people, I took it out on myself via Pilates.

Effectively kicking my own hiney.

Only to realize when I limped back that I have to face

This

Roomies....

You WIN

*Note: I love my friends. I really do. Every single one of them. Especially the ones who teaches me important life virtues like.....patience.

I Promise to Be Interesting!

Some of you might know me as The Girl Who Wanted to Play Golf

Other simply know me as the masochist who took way too many classes last semester.

Either way, I'll be happy to entertain you.

My desire to golf put me in touch with a few kind hearted golfers whose responses really brought a shine into my life. The responses are honest and creative and everything in between.

There are those that tried to pet me in the head and say "Hon, you have no idea what you are getting yourself into". Sir I know...but try telling my brain that.

Others tried to get me to play tennis with them.

Sawree...I already have way to many tennis partners on my speed dial. A occasional wack or two is agreeable...or you can try the Hearst Court Thursday or Saturday evening and look for the girl who likes to make people run.

That’s my partner.

"Hey! That was a cheap shot!"
"99 cents special baaaaby"

Some are generous enough to take me shopping with them for "cute golf attire". Thanks! But I don't even go shopping with my friends. My mother is more honest.

Picture this:

"Dani, does this dress make me look fat?"
"Of course not! You look like a million bucks!"

But my mom favors the British.

"Mommy, does this dress make me look fat?"
"Sweetheart, you look like a million pounds!"

And then there are the rare few and between that took pity on me. Some even offered to start right away when I get back to Cal.

I thank you, I thank you, and I thank you.

As time pass, I promise to strive to be more of a golfer and less of a gopher.

I promise to make your contributions worth your while, soon enough you'll have a full fledge hacking partner with you.

There are a few that wanted to help, perhaps taken by my desperateness. And then came to their senses and go "why am I doing this? For all I know she might be a serial killer"

I promise that I am not. I don't have time for that stuff. I don't even know why I am starting this blog when I am cramming way too many courses and barely hang on to sleep.

But I do know that many of you are having it worse than me.

And a little entertainment goes a lonnnnnnnng way

So if you think that this worth it, give me a shout out by clicking on that tantalizing button underneath. Comment away, I'll try to get back to all of you. Understand that it will take time, but I'll try.

For those who are media shy, email me at joannablogging@gmail.com

I'll still get back to you...eventually.

So let’s recap, my name is Joanna. A Cal Bear who is taking on golf while updating this blog (once or twice a week) with funny golf stories or my daily life in Cal. Mostly about my life in Cal. That and my culinary conquests.

Yes, stick to this blog and I'll guide you through midterms and hangovers.

And yes, Stanford students are welcome too.


Really, we're a friendly lot.

I ask of nothing more than a simple comment to know that I am entertaining you.

This makes this worthwhile.

Oh, for those who are worried about being posted here if you are already associated with me, worry not. I highly respect everyone's privacy and will ASK before posting anything about you.

For those who are worried about my sanity / willingness to let people into my life because I'll get stalked....well....

I genuinely believe that most people you'll meet in life are good people, as long as you let them be. Or at least this is what I hope, for I don't want to live in a world that I can't pretend I believe in.

So anyone is welcomed: golfers, gofers, college slaves, alumni, those who aspire to attend college, worried parents who want a glimpse into college life other than stalking your kids on myspace. The occasional day laborer.

Welcome aboard.


Oh before I go, if anyone is interested to put a face to this lunatic, this is me when I was 8.


Didn't change much, use your imagination.

* Oh yes, guys who are confused as to how to answer the "does this make me look fat" question, stick around. First I got my final to deal with.