Carol Tran

The 2nd ChicMeetsGeek™ Event

Carol — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 17:27:00 +0000

With a large support from the San Francisco and Silicon Valley community, ChicMeetsGeek™ is gearing up for a second event on February 4, 2010 in San Francisco. Stay tuned for more details! Updates can be found at the following sites:

If you have any suggestions, or questions regarding ChicMeetsGeek™, please make a comment below.

The Launch of ChicMeetsGeek™

Carol — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 11:30:53 +0000

On November 5, 2009, ChicMeetsGeek™ presented the San Francisco Opera Bravo Club’s fall celebration at the ultra-chic geek Automattic Lounge at Pier 38 in San Francisco. Over 350 attendees enjoyed beautiful views of the Bay, hosted cocktails, appetizers, and a unique opportunity to mix and mingle with the movers and shakers from both the chic and geek crowds of San Francisco Opera and Silicon Valley tech.

The geek speakers that attended were:

Matt Mullenweg – Founder of Automattic & WordPress
Randi Zuckerberg – Facebook
Daniel Kraft – NASA Astronaut Selection Finalist, TED speaker, & F-16 Squadron Flight Surgeon
David Weekly – Founder of PB Works and Hacker Dojo
Edith Yeung – Founder of BizTechDay

The chic speakers were:

Damon Dunn – Former NFL Football Player of the Dallas Cowboys
Terry Disley – Mick Jagger‘s Legendary Jazz Musician
Mattin Noblia – Top Chef Las Vegas Reality Star
Irina Blok – ABC’s Shark Tank Reality Star
Maurice Ramirez – Chief Photography of MTV Networks

There were a variety of entertainment that evening that had the guests tapping their foot and their mouths dropped in awe. The geek and chic speakers kicked off the program by inspiring the audience with their background and accomplishments. Things got a little spicy when attendees were dancing to the tunes of the chic jazz performance by Terry Disley and his band. Soon after, a salsa routine was performed by Lina Egutkina and Edwin Banegas, two geeks in the tech industry. Their seductive moves mesmerized the audience. Photographers and video bloggers flashed their lights left and right. The night couldn’t get any better until a stunning wrap-up performance by Randi Zuckerberg, the honorary chic geek guest of the evening, and her a cappella group, the Curious Blend, sang beautiful tunes that left the attendees smiling by the end of the night.

The event was a huge success with about a 100 out of 350 young professionals registered to become a San Francisco Opera Bravo member. In addition, we raised thousands of dollars that evening. Most of the attendees at the event have never attended a SF Opera performance or a Bravo social gathering. As a result of ChicMeetsGeek™, the SF Opera Bravo Club, the non-profit beneficiary of the event, reached an audience it was unable to do so before.

Below are a few photos taken at the November 5th launch event by the talented photographer Maurice Ramirez.

My Mid-Year’s Resolutions

Carol — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 07:49:47 +0000

Every year I make New Year’s resolutions and only achieved about a handful on the list of a million things I want to do. My list was over-ambitious. I had no defined method of measuring my progress and lacked the ability to motivate myself past 3 months into the year. It dawned on me that if I checked in with my personal trainer every month to have him measure my weight, muscle mass, and body fat percentage, why couldn’t I hold myself accountable for the goals listed in my New Year’s resolutions? It was in 2004 that I changed my system. I checked in with myself quarterly to (1) measure my progress, (2) review what was accomplished, and (3) revise on how it can be realistically achieved and measured. By mid-year, I would delete or add goals that were made in the New Year.

It’s roughly the mark of my mid-year check in. Looking back at the start of 2009, I made a lot of progress and learned a tremendous amount in the past 6 months.

My Two General Themes for 2009:
1. Achieve by doing more, not less of something.
2. Take more risks by trying something new each month.

My Mid-Year’s Resolutions (in no particular order):
1. Continue to increase my efficiency and productivity by decreasing my email to a single or double-digit number.

This is probably the hardest one on my list, but I am pretty proud that I made significant changes to my email habits since the beginning of this year.

2. Continue to mentor more college and grad students

I would not be where I am today if it were not for my mentors. Of course, I always had the guidance and support from my parents and, without a doubt, they are a huge factor to my success today. However, to be mentored by someone, who carries different experiences than your environment, is quite powerful. I am very passionate about giving back my time to college and graduate students and guiding them to reach their potential.

3. Devote more time to spend one-on-one with friends or individuals who I would like to get to know better.

I am a big believer that building strong relationships, personal or business, require time and trust. Although there is not enough time in the world to have one-on-one hangouts or meetings with everyone I know or meet, there is nothing, including technology, that could develop the strong bond when you spend time to get to know someone in person.

4. Read and blog at least 2 books, not related or required by work, per month.

I used to be a ferocious reader, but lately, I have been reading books related to or required by work, or simply, just online news & blogs. Of course, nothing is wrong with that. However, I feel that I haven’t given my brain the daily vitamin dose of books “I” enjoy reading. I will share a list of books I have or will read in a future blog entry.

5. Hike Half Dome

I like to hike, but this Half Dome will definitely be a big feat for me. It’s a strenuous 12-hour hike with a rock climb at the end. Did I mention there are bears and bugs?!

6. Blog more….and often

I normally have my thoughts written privately and shared with a few selected friends. This year I thought it would be interesting to receive feedback from others not within my circle.

7. Write and snail mail handwritten notes/care packages to family & friends each month.

Although technology has made our life a bit simpler, it made us lose the personal touch of connecting with someone. A little surprise from the mailman always brings a smile to someone’s face, regardless how addicted they are in checking their emails.

I’ll revisit my Mid-Year’s Resolutions in the next 3-4 months. In addition, I’ll list the things I’ve actually accomplished for the year and compare it against my original New Year’s Resolutions.

The Impact and Value of Friendships

Carol — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 09:13:29 +0000

I recently read an article that challenged me to reflect on what friendships really meant to me and how it has impacted my growth over the years. I believe friendship involves mutual knowledge, esteem, and affection. Friends will welcome each other’s company and exhibit loyalty towards each other, often to the point of putting the other’s interests before one’s own. Their tastes will be similar and may converge, and they will share enjoyable activities. They will also engage in mutually helping behavior, such as exchange of advice and the sharing of hardship. A friend is someone who may often demonstrate reciprocating and reflective behaviors, and oftentimes, a friend may display different qualities that help the other grow and discover more about themselves. With all that said, friendship is nothing more than a friend demonstrating the consistent tendency to desire what is best for you.

As you get older, you have fewer friends and more acquaintances. You see with experienced eyes. You tend to expect more from your friends, perhaps you expect too much. Nevertheless, you should reserve judgment and forgive, but most of all, you move on. You outgrow many things during the course of a lifetime and take many detours. During the course of your journey, you make new friends and exchange your special gifts with them.

I reflected on the people who have crossed my path and appreciated every connection I have made in my life, even if some of the connections may have been brief. Human beings are not static creatures. As such, you constantly evolve for the better, and sometimes, for the worse. I’m always self-searching to constantly evolve to a better person. I try to surround myself with good people that I can grow and learn from. My friends are amazing and unique in their own way. They have taught me so many things about myself, and in return, I know I have impacted them equally.

I have come a long way from being that shy girl with glasses who grew up knowing nothing more than her academic books. At the same time, I know I still have quite a journey ahead of me. I don’t know exactly where it will take me, but I am less fearful than I was 5 years ago. I accept failure, discomfort, and the unknown. This is when I grow the most. I believe the health of my friendships is a direct indicator to the success of my career, as well as my personal well-being. I thank the individuals who came into my life. Without them, I would not be where I am today.