Happy February?!

Oh hey.  About time for an update, I guess!  By now, I have no idea if anyone even follows this anymore, but regardless, this blog is more for my personal benefit than anyone else’s.

It’s been >8 months since I’ve last blogged, and I know I’ve previously not blogged for a while and then said a lot has happened, but this time, really: a LOT has happened since last May.  I’ll try to get you up to speed…

Festa: The Eliot Alumni Ball (May 30, 2010) was beautiful.  A more intimate (~350 guests), more sophisticated version of The Fete, which is what I had been hoping for.  Two ice sculptures, a split dance floor, open bar with special drink option “The Sweet Charles”, cupcake and memory tree centerpieces, a barista in the wee hours…it all came together. Much of the credit for the event’s success goes to Sue (logistics) and Anthony (aesthetics), and thanks to the tutors for helping with set up.  Festa did have its share of compromises and unfavorable circumstances (including my biggest near-meltdown yet, oh boy, ask me in person), but ultimately, everything turned out wonderfully, and Lino and Anna received the sendoff they deserved.

Luckily, Festa withdrawal wasn’t that bad, because within a couple of weeks I fled the country for my much-anticipated personal vacation: 10 days in Paris/England, primarily for May Balls at (the other) Cambridge.  Best week of my entire year.  A red-eye to London, a weekend in Paris (my first time!) with my aunt, a quick stop back in London to catch up with an old friend, and 3 black tie events (and a garden party) in Cambridge.  So, so many good memories: crepes and falafel that I will be dreaming about for decades, hanging out with old friends, making new friends (that have since become very good ones!), bumper cars and bungee-trampolining in black tie, game-changing fireworks shows, punting down the Cam, a lazy afternoon of tea and scones at Grantchester (mmmm elderflower fizz).  From an event-standpoint, the May Balls were absolutely surreal and worth every penny (and those ticket prices required a ton of them, nearly literally!)—all-night (8pm-6am) black tie affairs, lots of food (oyster bar, chocolate fountain, cheese tent), open top-shelf bar, multiple dance floors, performances, fireworks, carnival games.  Special thanks to Urvesh for being the best host I could ever hope for.  It’s currently not looking especially promising, but I really am hoping to get back for May Week this year (especially with Laurence over there, oh heyyy).  Crossing fingers!

I then enjoyed my first summer in Boston (previously, I always fled home/abroad as soon as school was out), and minus a few uncomfortable sleepless nights (thanks oppressive humidity), it was quite nice and makes the Boston winter slightly more justifiable.  The 4^th of July fireworks show here really was fantastic (and this is after seeing 3-4 shows in England!), and an amazingly well-coordinated event; I was impressed!  I also turned 24 with an olive-free picnic in Harvard Yard the weekend before and Korean food and Berryline on the actual day.

My next event was John and Ellen’s wedding (Labor Day weekend 2010).  John was my proctor (RA) my freshman year at Harvard, and I became friends with Ellen through taking a economics/statistics class together my junior year.  Pretty crazy and funny to think that I ended up coordinating their Maine wedding, and it was an absolute blast.  Ellen paid attention to every little detail, and we pulled off a breathtaking ceremony and reception with the help of amazing family and friends.  Some photos! FYI, the favor?  Local honey in jars labeled “John <3 Ellen, meant to bee…” I know.

And now we’ve gotten to the biggest change that happened since I last blogged: in early October, I left my job in finance to pursue event-planning full-time.  It was not an easy decision in the slightest (quite honestly, a very scary one!), but after much reflection, I’ve realized that doing something I’m passionate about is very important to me.  I’m extremely fortunate to currently be in a position where I am only responsible for myself, and I’ve decided to take the leap, be completely selfish, and explore this possibility for the near-future.  I learned a lot from my year+ in finance, some about business and some about myself, and am very grateful for all the mentorship and experience I received throughout.

Since then?  Well, I spent the remainder of 2010 working on two events for Harvard’s introductory computer science course, CS50.  David, the course’s professor, and I met at a holiday party my housemates threw in 2009, and funny/fortunate how things turned out a year later.  The first event was the CS50 Hackathon (Dec. 2-3), an all-nighter event held at Microsoft’s N.E.R.D. for students to work on their final projects.  Pizza at 9pm, Chinese food at 2am, unlimited soda and Red Bull and candy…and a trip to IHOP at 6am for those still standing.  Very twilight-zoney and at times, it felt like a social experiment, and I would say it was a success!  At the very least, from a post-event survey, no one hated it .  Photos here. The second event was the CS50 Fair, CS50 students’ final project exhibit and SEAS’s flagship recruiting event.  9 tanks of helium, 1500 customized CS50 cupcakes, and 1500+ guests..it was my biggest event yet!  Photos. Both the Hackathon and the Fair were vastly different from anything I’ve previously worked on, and I enjoyed working with some old friends and making some new ones.

And now, post a leisurely 3.5 weeks home in CA for the holidays?  Back in Boston, and it’s time to get serious.  I have 3 projects I’ve decided to focus on for this spring, and I’ll detail in a future blog post.  It’s exciting, but also very daunting.  Whew, I’ll stop here.  Take care, stay warm, and talk soon!

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