The Studio

As everyone's New Year and New Year's resolution blog posts go up, I consider why I haven't written mine yet. 2007 was a weird year...it was kind of like a transition year for me, though I couldn't tell you what it was a transition from or to. 2007 was supposed to be my goof off year, it was supposed to be a fun year, a year of travel; I think it was marginally successful at being that.

In 2007, I traveled to Viet Nam, Cozumel, and Puerto Vallarta. There were lots of weddings and engagements. Lots of new and old friends, too. But, 2007 wasn't all fun and games. There were lots of break ups among friends. There was a lof of being tired for no apparent reason. There was a lot of putting myself out there, waaaaay out there, to no avail.

2007 was, however, a year of progress for The Vietnamese American Scholarship Foundation, but it was also a year of delayed goals. Scratch that, it was a year that inspires me to try harder to make the foundation grow. And it will, if only by sheer will alone. In my lifetime, VASF will grow to be a multi-million dollar endowment. I just don't quite know how yet.

2008 will be a productive year I hope, I'm excited by the prospects. I hope 2008 doesn't disappoint. Here's what's on tap:

On the personal front, I hope to:

1. be more physically active. I'm thinking hitting up the gym/go to sports 3 times a week. The cardio kickboxing class sure sounds fun.
2. spend less money. I'm doing ok in this department, but could always do better. I think the key is to cook and eat at home more.
3. read more. My queue is ridiculously long right now. Maybe by the end of 2008, I'll have read all the books that I own. That is, assuming Tiff and I can refrain from going into the bookstore every time we eat on Castro.
4. go to New York and get my hair cut while I'm there
5. get more sleep
6. take my vitamins with more regularity

On the career front, I hope to:

1. do a 6 stint in Africa on a non-profit consulting assignment
2. go to Chicago for training
3. not get paid out for my vacation
4. make progress on that reach goal

For the foundation, well, I hope many things. I'm not going to hold back cuz you never know what you can get until you ask for it. Plus, I think I've got some stellar help, so it's time to reach for the sky. In 2008, I hope VASF will be able to:

1. hold a successful 5th Anniversary event
2. put out the first newsletter
3. raise the first $100K for the endowment
4. add two new scholarships to be offered in 2009
5. extend scholarships to cover all of Texas and offer some in NorCal

I don't think I'm hoping for too much, but I do expect 2008 to be a productive year. I wish all of you the best this year. May we have more time to enjoy each other's company.