Ninth workshop and post-holiday routine

in

So it turns out I spent a little bit too much money during holidays (oops) and I now need to think of new ways to save money again. Therefore I plan to cook my own meals and cancel my gym membership. That would probably put my savings back on track!

However, meal prep is def more work than it seems - there are lots of planning and logistics going on! Like during nights when you plan to be productive with book reading/blog writing, you find out you run out of rice and have to make a trip to the supermarket. Or you realize you dont have time to go back home tomorrow to cook but you only have leftovers left for 2 more meals. And also after I finish making dinner, eat it, wash the dishes and do all the chores, I am so exhausted that I am no longer productive. Ughh!!

I find that it is mostly because I sit in my bed a lot of the time, and then the next thing I know is when I wake up in the morning… today I try to avoid my bed before bed time and sit in a chair. So far, it works and I am still writing this blog! Sometimes, all it takes is some determination and a change of environment.

So far for the weekly thoughts, now back to ballet!

On Monday, we did a lot of rond de jumbe, did some tendu, pique, and ended with an exercise of the second port de bras.

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Eighth workshop and holiday rituals

in

So… its officially holiday season! What have you all been busy with?

I had a relaxing four day weekend cooking at home… making chicken soup, meatballs, steamed pork ribs, wonton, and matcha swiss rolls! Going back to cooking is surprisingly satisfying, since everything you cook is exactly what you want to eat, and you just get very happy after a big meal you made yourself. It’s a very different feeling from having to go with whatever is on the menu at a restaurant or whatever is available at the Citarella hot bar (which is what I’ve been eating for many months). Cooking makes you feel like you are actually taking care of yourself!

Unfortunately, cooking had never been my priority over the past few months, as I was always so crazed about getting so many things done - learn new things, go to dance classes, go to the gym, go to museums, meet friends, read books…that I rarely have time to slow down and actually relax. I kind of overburdened myself a little bit, trying to accomplish everything. The holiday season is a good time to slow down, and have the peace of mind to enjoy not doing anything. You know, living in a fast-paced and career-oriented city such as New York can make you lose sight of such a little but important thing , which is that sometimes, doing nothing is ok!

Today is also our seventh workshop ( I didnt get to post about our sixth workshop and class was canceled on Monday due to a snow storm). So I will write everything I learned in the two workshops in below. After a week and a half’s break from ballet, it is definitely awesome to be back to class, listening to live piano while stretching on the floor and also learn to connect with your body and emotions through moving and dancing (:

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Sixth workshop and a "fashionable" weekend

in

This weekend I took a class at the Fashion Institute of Technology called “How to think like your CFO“. It was taught by the former SVP of Finance/CFO at Calvin Klein, and we got to analyze financial statements of fashion companies and tell the story behind the numbers. It was very interesting - we analyzed a company that was changing its business model from just being a cashmere wholesaler to opening retail stores and establishing a private label business. We even saw a spreadsheet of a merchandise planner, and learned how finance people use sales data to make decisions on which segment of business to invest in and expand. In the past few weeks I have been listening to the earnings call of Tapestry and ASOS and was reading their equity research reports in my free time, but I was frustrated in picking up what’s important among a sea of numbers. After the class, I feel like I now finally understand how to analyze the KPIs in fashion.

It’s a very refreshing experience, as it recently occurred to me that I want to do corporate finance at a fashion company. I’ve been reading Business of Fashion and visiting the clothing stores I read about in my free time since this summer, but this weekend signifies the first step I took to do something about it and actually evaluate this interest as a potential career path. I am so glad I did it, despite having second thoughts and fierce debate in my mind about whether I should go the week prior. I’ve always loved fashion - it’s been a source for me to express myself emotionally, and sometimes a great piece of clothing/accessory would really make my day and make me feel different. I really hope to contribute my efforts to running a successful fashion brand that speaks to the customers and give them the joy of expression that they need in their day-to-day life. Anyhow, though, I still haven’t applied for a job in the retail industry yet, part of it is because I think it’s too soon to leave my current job, and also part of it is because I now do more and more data analytics in my current job that I think would be pretty transferable to my future job in retail/finance. So no rush, but hopefully I can keep this going and if I haven’t changed my mind, make the switch - perhaps after 2 years?

Ok, now back to ballet! Today we did tendu/plie in the first position, second position and third position, and we also did a lot of plie - releve.

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