My #1 Professional Goal This Year

So, normally I don't write about my professional life on my blog... I do, after all, have very strong feelings about keeping my personal and professional lives separate (blog stories about my work travel do NOT count!).

Today is going to simply have to be an exception to the rule.

Okay, so I received an email earlier today regarding putting together a plan outlining my goals for the upcoming year... you know, nothing out of the ordinary. Normally, I actually do like to give these some thought because... well, to be perfectly honest, because I really just like "checking things off" a list.

Seriously- do you guys keep To Do lists? Omg, they are seriously one of my favorite things EVER (yes, I'm a nerd). And not just any To Do lists... others are perfectly content just typing their lists out into Word, Notepad, iPhones, or whatever... but not me.

Nope- I definitely still "write out" my To Do lists... you know- like on paper and everything... you know- like, the old-fashioned way, if you will ;). But seriously, the self-satisfaction that can be derived from PHYSICALLY being able to strike through a handwritten To Do list... well, GOD. It has honestly GOT to be one of the best things ever (I already TOLD you- I'm a nerd, yes, I know.). In any event, physically crossing something off my To Do lists FAR supercedes the self-satisfaction derived from striking through items in a Word document or Notepad (or even deleting... I mean, what's the POINT of deleting?? What's the point of doing all your activities if you can't even SEE the physical progress you've made with your list? I mean, honestly, people- plain logic, here).

Anyway, believe it or not, this post wasn't actually intended to be about To Do lists... but I digressed (imagine that). So, as the thought of putting together my professional goals for the year sprinkled through my thoughts on my bus ride home this afternoon, my mind quickly wandered (doesn't take much, really) to creating a To Do list for my personal life as well. I'd been talking with a few of my friends about the thought of putting together a "bucket list" for this year just so I'll actually DO more stuff, but to be perfectly honest, I think I could die today and be perfectly happy. Okay, that came out a lot more morbid than it actually was meant to be- but... well, I just think life has been fairly good to me thus far. Nothing wrong with that, right? Right. God, if "life" could have a cheerleader... well- sign me UP! Hahah.

Lord, this post is all over the place. Okay, so I actually ended up creating a little list of personal things I want to accomplish in the next year but again, believe it or not, this post isn't about my personal To Do list for the year. Rather, this post is SUPPOSED to be about the ONE professional item that made it onto my personal To Do list for the year (see? Told you I'm fairly adamant about keeping my personal and professional lives separate).

The fact that this one professional item made it onto my personal To Do list clearly goes to show just how BADLY I want it. I mean, I can safely say I've never wanted something in my professional life as badly as I want this. Now, I'm sure the suspense is absolutely killing you so... without further ado... I present to you... my biggest professional goal yet...

Okay, so I work at a large company (like national/international reach), right? And periodically, they hold these firmwide video broadcasts where they provide updates on the company, upcoming events with the company, what the company's leaders have to say... sigh- I think I'm the only one who like avidly watches these things like it's a movie thriller or something. Seriously- next time one of these things is broadcast, I'm going to pop myself some popcorn (I guess it would help if I actually liked popcorn...), kick back and just relax with all the happy firm news being broadcast.

Anyway, so to be creative (I think), some of these firmwide broadcasts involve having junior staff interview various members of the company for a variety of reasons.

So that's it! That's my goal! I want to BE one of those INTERVIEWERS!!!

Hahaha... was that a total buzzkill for all of you? Oh well. But honestly, wouldn't that be the BEST role EVER?!?!?! I would take it more seriously than almost anything else I've ever taken in my professional life... after all, I see this as kind of a platform, if you will... I mean, if I'm going to be the next Oprah, I have to start SOMEwhere, right? Right. And what better platform than something that already has national REACH, RIGHT?!?!?!

You know what's funny? I feel like some of interviewers could be super nervous because, well, you're being broadcast across the country. But me? Well, I think my biggest concern would be to tame my smile a bit, so that I don't come across as... well, I don't know- too excitable/"happy-go-lucky"/"heads in the clouds"-ish. Because you KNOW I would be. ON. CLOUD. NINE. if ever I had this opportunitylasjfdlksjdf! And, I mean, even I know I'm fairly excitable on a regular basis. Can you imagine just how spirit-fingery frenzied I'd be if my #1 professional goal (EVER) actually came true?!?!?!

Trust me- this is a HIGHLY valid concern. I mean, I'm not going to lie... there are points where I'm sitting in meetings with certain coworkers that I just want to sit back, rest my chin in my palms and well, just BEAM because they make me SO HAPPY!!LKJlfkajslfdjsl! Hahahaha. I can't even imagine how that would play out if I ended up living out my dream role...

(NOW do you see why I have to be extra-conscious about maintaining a professional persona in the workplace? Like, can YOU imagine if you looked over one day and one of your coworkers was just sitting there BEAMING at you? Thank you very much.)

Anyway, you know me and that whole shamelessness thing. If I want something badly enough, shame has no bounds in my mind... as such, if you or anyone you know (coworkers or noncoworkers alike!) know of ANY avenue to become one of these interviewers... please do let me know and help make my #1 professional goal for the upcoming year come true.

In return... well, I will be eternally grateful (I may have a bad memory, but I NEVER forget about people who help me out) and bake you treats.  That should totally suffice, right?

The Oprah Finale Taping + An Unexpected Today Show Interview = one of the most memorable days of my life

the last couple of days have been an absolute whirlwind- to say the very least.

so there i was, going about my usual sunday routine, when out of the clear blue i got an email from the oprah show indicating that i was selected to be part of a one-time Standing Room Only audience for the taping of her final show to air on Wednesday, May 25!!

um. i was shellshocked (under-statement) because i have no idea how/why they got my name. well, whatever, no time to QUESTION IT. i got right on replying exactly 52 minutes after receiving the initial email and was confirmed to be on the show shortly thereafter.

i had no idea WHAT to expect, but i was picturing it to somewhat resemble the chaos that can only have been like my experience at the Oprah show when she shut down michigan avenue (refer to http://maliyacular.blogspot.com/2009/10/oprah-gone-ghetto-fabulous-just.html for... well, an experience like no other, if you will).

i was SO pleasantly surprised to realize that the crowds standing in line this morning were SO THE OPPOSITE. everyone was so HAPPY and so NICE and just so GRATEFUL TO BE THERE! it can only be described as a delightful start to the day, really.

and you better believe that there were all KINDS of newscamera crews ready and waiting to document the spectacle that could only be oprah's final taping. so there were all these ladies being interviewed and i was impatiently standing there, waiting for MY turn to be interviewed (love that camera, you know it! hahahaha). well, whatever- i ended up just pretty much asking one of the roving reporters if she needed someone to interview and she said yes! i was delighted to share my wisdom/insight/excitement/etc etc with the world. HA. so there i was, trying to exude my overexcitement (today would be like me on a normal day x 100) in a slightly contained fashion (composure is my middle name)...

at the end of the interview, i asked who the reporter was with. she gave me a slightly funny look (i dont know, was i supposed to know her?) and she was like "nbc" and i was like "oh! okay" and she gave me another slightly questioning look before she clarified "we're with the today show".

and. well, i think someone picked my jaw up off the ground at that point.

of course the one reporter that i decide to accost isn't one of the local news stations... it just happens to be the TODAY SHOW!!! weeeelkjdsfl! i was giddy. but MAN, that camera is DECEIVING! you really DO feel like you are just having a simple one-on-one chat with the reporter... when in fact, your footage may be blasted for all the world to SEE!!!

so, we finally get into the oprah studio and GOD the EXCITEMENT WAS RIDICULOUS!! i couldnt STAND IT!!! and Standing Room Only turned out to be PRETTY DAMN SOLID!!!! we were in this balcony-type area that had been opened up to allow some more of oprah's fans into the studio for her last taping EVER. anyway, so we were all standing like in the top corner, looking down on oprah's stage. (im the indian girl wearing a springtime green dress! find me on tv!)

it. was. phenom.

and oprah. MY GOD. she looks unreal. she looks EXACTLY like she does on TV (even better than on TV, in fact!) and her last show was done with such grace and poise... everything that would emblemize The Oprah herself. i dont want to go into too much detail, because im STILL not sure what im allowed to publicly say versus not before it airs tomorrow, but i was so happy just to be in the presence of such GREATNESS. un-believable.

also in the audience were gayle, stedman, maria shriver, bob greene, and tyler perry (among others)!

well, okay, so then we all leave the taping (it was REALLY sad, but i have to say, a bit anti-climactic), and there are all KINDS of reporters ready and waiting. and so, who do i run into but my new best friend, that today show correspondent?!?!?! it was so funny, she actually came up and was like "hey! remember me?!" and i was like "UMM... i cant believe you remember ME!" hahahah. anyway, so we chat informally for a little bit, and it turns out her name is Mara Schiavocampo. per googling her a bit later i realize... yeah, she's like an emmy award winning journalist.

awesome, christie. way to do your research and all that. sigh.

so ANYWAY, she totally asked for me to do a follow up interview to the show's taping and ummmm... you think you have to tell me TWICE?! i even jokingly mentioned how much i LOVE that CAMERA! hahahaha. shameless, i know. but again, since i didnt really know how much of the oprah taping should remain confidential since it was so hyped up as being a huge secret, i feel like i came across as rather vague and not super coherent. oprah privacy supporter to the very end. big fat SIGH.

anyway, mara was SO nice so im happy i got to meet her, albeit rather briefly. but then it was funny, because i was walking down the sidewalk and of course, i see another reporter and i shamelessly bound on up and am like "oh! do you need people to interview??" and he was like "yeah! but we need to interview this lady first, so just hang tight"... so i hung tight for like two minutes, after which i tactfully pulled one of them aside and was like "excuse me, who are you with?" and they were like "inside edition". and... well, after that, i just flounced off. hahaha. such a tv snob, i KNOW. but in my DEFENSE, i was more concerned about how they would potentially "edit" my interview to their liking... whereas with the today show, i feel a bit more comfortable with their "editing" tactics... hello, if you cant trust people like meredith vieira and matt lauer, who CAN you trust?? hahaha

so. in conclusion. another day for the books, my friends. i canNOT believe that today actually happened. there really is something to be said about karmic forces, because my ability to FINALLY get tickets to the oprah show (her LAST SHOW, no doubt) was nothing but good luck... no, scratch that... good KARMA just coming right back full circle (learned that from the oprah herself, just today!).

thank you, oprah! thank you, mara schiavocampo!! thank you, thank you, thank you for making this one of the most memorable days ever!

hmm. after all this, watch me not be on tv at ALL tomorrow. haha. sigh. oh well. it's all about the experience, right? well...

Lucyland excerpt time!!

per the request of a couple of people, not to mention the recommendation of an agent from one of my writing workshops, i've decided to take the initiative to actively advertise my novel (moreso than i already do, let's be honest here) by posting an excerpt of it here... i mean, really, it reads like a blog anyway. here is the very beginning (the VERY beginning. sigh. it seems like it was so long ago!!) of... well, Lucyland. (okay, so it's a working title...)

“I want to move to California.” I still remember the utmost longing associated with that thought process on my flight home from my summer in Europe.

While most of my fellow classmates at Columbia University decided to stick around the Big Ap for our program’s mandatory summer practicum, saving the world one non-governmental organization at a time, I decided to venture abroad to do an internship in Geneva, Switzerland. These summer practicums are seemingly designed to provide students with a better sense of their intended career paths and a more enlightened outlook on life. That’s what I thought… before actually embarking on mine.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I absolutely adored my summer at the World Health Organization. But I just couldn’t ever imagine working for a nonprofit organization for the rest of my life. I mean, where was the bottom line? The income statements? Where was the structural organization? This is the problem when an idealistic girl (excuse me, young woman) decides to try to mix and match an Accounting undergraduate degree with a Public Health graduate degree.

I know, right? Oxy-flipping-moron.

I remember talking to my friends who had come back from internships at big, bad consulting firms in Manhattan and loving the fast pace, the interesting work, and let’s face it, the hefty paychecks. But I also couldn’t help but remember my last summer in New York… and the joys that only humidity, non-air-conditioned six-story walk up apartments, and overcrowded subway systems could bring.

Seriously?

Maybe I’m just being a spoiled Midwestern girl, highly accustomed to space and air-conditioning and, quite frankly, the ability to drive to a Target and park in a spacious parking lot. But I also don’t think that hoping that a mouse doesn’t scurry through my apartment or daydreaming that my closet of a room will someday NOT cost $1450 a month is a sign of a healthy outlook on life. I mean, the mere effort that it takes to live in New York…

Sigh.

This is why my internship abroad changed my outlook on my young adult life. I realized that living in a big city doesn’t necessarily require living in complete discomf-

Okay. I know, I know. It was Geneva. Do its citizens know of any discomfort? Please. Switzerland itself is based on neutrality, for heaven’s sake. So, point taken, I realize that Geneva is kind of a utopian extreme. However, more to the point, more than a few of my fellow interns were also from all over the state of California and I honestly have never witnessed such state pride. I mean, the state pride that I had from going to Big Ten Ohio State University didn’t even come close to the pride and love that my Californian friends would tout for their state. It was during this summer that I realized just how true was the stereotype that most individuals who live in California never actually leave California.

And why should they? To this Midwestern gal, California sounded about as perfect as life could come by in the good ol’ United States. And so came about my little nugget of hope at a future life in California, a highly undiscovered, utopian terrain for my adventurous little self.

I remember announcing this thought (with great gusto, let’s be honest) to my parents, who already thought I had moved far enough away from the grand home state when I moved to New York. But California?

They merely scoffed. How many California recruiters actually come to New York? What a waste of time, my parents would say. Understandably too, as most students who are at Columbia actually do want to stay in Manhattan… despite the rats hurry scurrying amongst the overcrowded subway system’s tracks, the sidewalks overcrowding with garbage due to the lack of New York alleys (I mean, please. Once you find space for alleys, you let me know), the ever-permeating scent of nothing less than urine in the train stations…

Yeah, I’m not speaking from experience at all. Nor am I bitter in the least.

Clearly.

With those reservations still in the back of my mind, however, I conceded to my parents’ initial reservations and resigned myself to looking for jobs in New York. I mean, I am whimsical to a point, but when it comes down to it, practicality always gets the better of me.

But then, fate intervened.

Did a tall, dark, and handsome man sweep me off my feet and whisk me off to his homeland of San Francisco? Ha. I wish! Oh, and believe you me, I wished a lot. Did I win the lottery and decide to settle down on the West Coast, resting on my million-dollar laurels for the rest of my life? Right.

Rather, I met Summer, a fellow classmate who was from California and had such infectious enthusiasm about her previous job that I couldn’t help but get swept up in the excitement. I mean, her name was Summer- how does that not scream California goodness to the world? And of all places, would you look at that? Her former job was in San Francisco!

Now if that’s not fate, I simply just don’t know what is. One day I was wishing I could move there; the next, I meet someone who not only used to work there, but was readily willing to provide me with contact information for that company.

There was no way I was letting this go so easily. After all, you can’t mess with fate, can you?