Episode Description:
This episode marks the end of Season One and the last episode of the year. I do a recap on this year as it relates to me and the podcast. (I’m sure people don’t need a recap on everything that has been going on this year.) I also talk about what to look forward to in Season Two.
Disclaimer:
Some parts of the transcript may be edited for better readability, but the content remains the same. Mostly removed duplicate words, vocal filler words, and added/removed some words for clarification.
Transcript:
Hey, everyone! This is Meliza, and I'm the talkative Introvert.
00:12
Today's episode marks the last episode of the season and the last episode of the year. I don't know when season two will start again. But if you want to stay informed, just follow me on social media. I'll also update my website. I need to put that on my to do list. I still have some work to do. I am still working on the transcripts. I think I only have half of season one up right now. Since I'm so behind on the transcripts, I ended up just hiring a guy through Fiverr to finish up the rest of it. Just because... there's just too much and I'm lazy. Fiverr is pretty awesome. It's the same place I got my album artwork from. So, I hired someone from there to basically put my friend Mia's drawing and my drawing into a digital format that works for social media and for podcasts and stuff. But yeah, there's a bunch of services, you can get on there for a fairly reasonable price too. And basically, it's just a platform for people to provide their services. It's... I don't know. I don't know how to describe it. But just check it out if you need something. I'm sure there's someone out there. There are for freelance... freelancers. Is that what they're called? Whatever. Anyways, I'm working on that. So, he's working on it. I'm not working on it. He's working on it. And then I'm going to upload this to the website once he's done. And then I need to figure out new content and schedule episodes with friends and family. So, I'm currently working on that as well. I texted a few people already. And then if you're a family member or a friend who wants to get on the show, just text me and let me know what topics you want to talk about. And we can schedule a time to do that. I'm totally open to talk about whatever. But yeah. So, this episode is kind of just a recap... A recap. I do that I don't know why. I think my sister-in-law kind of pronounces her A's weird. And I think I made fun of her once for it. And ever since then I always pronounce my 'A' like she does. I think it's just karma. But anyways. So, this episode is kind of a recap on the year, as it relates to me in the podcast, not on everything else that's going on in the world. I think everyone is pretty aware of what happened in 2020. And probably doesn't need a reminder of that.
02:57
So, this year has been pretty crazy, as you guys all know. But I did have some major milestones that I'm pretty happy about, I guess. You know, like, earlier this year, I did start a new job. And it's honestly been really great. I'm glad I took the plunge. I was at my previous job for five years or almost five years, I think. And I decided to just switch over. And it's been really great. The pandemic did make it difficult at first because I was in a new team. Obviously, that's always difficult transitioning from your old job to your new job. But honestly, it hasn't been that bad. I don't know maybe it's my introversion. But the fact that we don't physically see each other every day, really hasn't hindered our relationship building in any way. We got a new person, and we've been able to keep in touch and still feel like a cohesive team. Like I don't really miss the office. I miss a little bit. But I think if I had to make a choice between working from home and going back to the office, I definitely, for sure, would prefer working at home. I am really glad that I can do something like that. And I could still have a job even during this quarantine. And I really like my team. I think I got really fortunate to be in a good team. Because that doesn't always happen. I'm sure you guys, who are in the workforce know that you don't always get to work with the best of people. So, I think I got really lucky this year with actually being in a really great team. And then earlier this year, I went on my very first cruise, which is a lot of fun. I loved it. The thing I did hate though was that I guess we went during spring break which I didn't realize. Because it was the first week of March. Big mistake, especially if you're not into the whole rager college frat party type people, which I definitely am not. I'm pretty sure 99% of introverts are not into that. And it kind of... they did ruin it for me. And I think I would have had a more relaxing vacation if there wasn't a bunch of college bros and chicks just screaming and getting sloppy drunk and ruining it for everyone. It's kind of sad because we did talk to some of the people that work there. And apparently, they have special training for spring break. Like the staff, they're extra prepared, I guess, during spring break for all the college students. Because they get super rowdy, super sloppy drunk. And I feel kind of bad for them during spring break. But yeah, definitely would want to do a cruise again. Maybe not during spring break, though. Like, during an off season for sure. Casey actually, if you haven't listened to some of my previous episodes, but Casey has a YouTube channel, and she documents our cruise on there. So, I'll link her YouTube channel in the show notes if you want to go check that out. It's honestly fun. Whenever this pandemic is over, I highly recommend going on a cruise.
06:32
And then I did reach my one-year wedding anniversary. That honestly is not that impressive. Not... that sounds mean. But I think the more impressive part of it is the fact that we've been together for 13 years. So, this year, we've reached our 13-year mark. So, I think that's more impressive than the whole one-year wedding anniversary, to be honest. Just because nothing really changed. I think the biggest thing that changed was the fact that my husband now has health insurance, because he's under mine. And that we do taxes together. So, I guess we know how much we make now. Because we didn't know how much we made before. And that's really it. Like I didn't even change my last name. We were originally going to just create a completely new last name. However, in California, you can't really do that on your marriage certificate. So, when you get married in California, you have to either take the other person's last name or you can combine it or just not change your last name at all. So, when you combine it meaning like, if it's Smith and Jones, it'll be Smones or something like that, which I think is weird. So, you can combine your last name or take on the other person's last name or do a hyphen like a Smish, Smish? Smith-Jones. But you can't make a completely new last name. That has to go through the actual name changing process, which is way more expensive. Because when you get married and you want to use your last name that's just free. That comes with the wedding certificate fee, you know. But to actually change your last name completely. I think it's like... it was going to be $500 each for us, which I mean $500 just to change your last name? Do we really need to do that? And then you have to publish it in a newspaper or some type of public journal. Or not journal. Some... I forgot. But it was something weird like that. And I was like, this is just too much work. Because you have to do that. You got to do the paperwork, you got to go to court, you got to explain why you're changing your last name. And it was just too much work, too expensive. So, we just stayed with our original names. So yeah, it hasn't really changed. I think it's kind of crazy how people change after they get married. Like I don't know if you guys heard but I've heard it plenty of times where a couple, they'll change after marriage. Like something about getting married, somehow changes the dynamic. But that's not the case for us, luckily. Because we've been together for just so long. Like it would be weird if something did change just because we decided to sign a piece of paper. But yeah, so I did reach my one year. And then I did finish paying off my college school loans. And that's one of the biggest accomplishments, I think, that I've had this year. I've sacrificed quite a bit in my 20s just so that I can pay into my school loans and get them paid off earlier. And I'm just so relieved this year. Especially this year, that I paid that off. Because that was such a big chunk of my income that was taken out. And this year has just been so crazy. And I got a new job. And then I also ended up getting a pay cut because of the pandemic. But because I was able to pay off my loan before the cut, before our pay cut, it actually didn't affect me too much. And I was just so relieved, because I literally paid it off the month before the state decided to cut everyone's pay. I was like, oh my God, thank goodness I paid that off. Because I would probably be struggling. I mean, I'd probably just end up just doing the bare minimum. And I think students, I think because of the pandemic, you don't have to pay right now is my understanding. I think all the payments deferred till January. So, I guess it'd be fine. Like, I would be fine. But it was suck having to start up again in January. So, I'm glad I paid it off.
11:06
It's done, it's over with, and I can finally enjoy my money. Because I'm pretty stingy sometimes. And I have a weird relationship with money. I think it's because I just didn't grow up with a lot of money. But I find it really, really, really hard to buy stuff for myself or not buy stuff for myself but buy expensive things for myself. Like it's a struggle when I really want something, but it's just too expensive or in my mind is too expensive. And after paying off these loans, I do have some extra money now because I'm not paying the loans, that I should really enjoy it. And I think Brandon really kind of taught me that I should just enjoy the fruits of my labor, if you will. So, I did buy myself a few things since I paid off my loan. But it's still really difficult for me. Because I don't like... I don't know, I don't like spending a lot of money on myself. It's weird. But yeah, so that's my biggest accomplishment. And then, obviously, one of the biggest milestones this year is starting this podcast. I am so happy that I did this podcast. It has been so much fun. Such a great hobby. I feel like I'm finally getting back to my creative side. For the longest time, I wasn't really, I guess, exercising my creative side of my brain. Because right after high school, you know, I went straight to college. And it was just studying and then working. Because I worked full-time. At one point in college, I also did two jobs and went to school. And then at one point, I also did two internships. I went to school full time. And it was just always work work work. And I didn't get to do any creative stuff really. And I really loved that. I originally double majored in Art and Math. But I dropped both of those because math got too... I don't know. I think it got too difficult after Calculus. And I was just wasn't into it anymore. Because then we were starting to get into Math theory. And I was like, eh? So, I dropped it. And then Art was just... I was just really frustrated with Art because I didn't feel like... I don't know, I felt really weird being graded on my art, I guess. And I thought do I even need to go to school for this? If I want to create something, I'll just create it. You know if that makes sense. I originally did a double major in those two because I originally wanted to be a teacher. But that changed real quick when I actually did teaching. And I taught at our local food bank. And so, in Sacramento, they have the Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services. So, it's not just food. Like it's not just a food bank, they actually do classes, and they do day care stuff, and they do all kinds of Family Service stuff.
14:20
And so, I taught GED there. And I taught or I tutored GED, and I taught umm... what's it called? Citizenship. So, people who are immigrants, come to America obviously, they take this class to help them prepare for their immigration test. So, it's like US history and basic English and stuff like that. And so, as much as that was very fulfilling. Like I really enjoyed doing that class and it was very heart warming and a little... I did get a little teary eyed at the end of the semester. Because my students gave me Christmas presents. You're not really supposed to take presents, but they were just like little cards, there weren't anything super big. But I did get a Christmas card, a few Christmas cards, and one Christmas Art specifically, was talking about how they were just so grateful because I was so helpful. And they're just so excited to take the immigration test and finally become an American citizen. And they didn't think they'd be able to pass the test without taking this class. And it was just very heart warming and fulfilling. And I totally get why teachers become teachers. Because teachers don't get paid all that much when they're starting off. And I don't know how it's like as they progress, but I know starting off, they don't get paid a lot. But I can see why someone wouldn't want to be a teacher. However, with that said, I did not want to be teacher after that. Because it took up so much of your time. Like teachers aren't working just the school hours. Because I had to teach at night. But then in the morning, I did all the curriculum, and I did and then prep for the class and everything. So, there's the teaching portion of it, which is like a couple hours. And then they're all for actual teachers, it's like hours. Like eight hours or a day or longer. However, I don't remember how long I was in high school. I think, is it eight hours that you're in school? Maybe less than that. Maybe seven hours. But then there's this extra time actually setting up the curriculum. And then if you're a teacher who not only does that but does extracurricular stuff. Like if you're a coach and a teacher, that's basically your life. Like I don't know how they have time for anything else, to be honest. And I was like, man, I don't think I'm equipped for this. It takes up too much of my time. It's not very financially fruitful. And it's just a lot of work, man. And I don't... I didn't really like also speaking in front of everybody. And I don't know if I can do that every single day with all eyes on me. And I just don't... I don't know. I didn't mind doing the curriculum stuff, like getting that ready and getting the packets ready and all their exercises and stuff like that. Like I put exercises together in a packet. And then they follow along with me basically. So, I didn't mind doing the behind the scenes. But being in front of everyone, I didn't like that. And that's what you do every single day for hours a day. So, I was like, eh. So anyways, that's why I dropped my Math and Art major, because I wanted to either be... well, I really wanted to be an art teacher. But I did Math just in case because I know Art teachers aren't really, like highly... in high demand. So, I did the Math thing, just in case. But I dropped those because I didn't want to be a teacher anymore. And then now I'm not even doing what I went to school for. So, it was like kind of... in a way didn't matter at the end.
15:11
But anyways. What was I getting it? Why was I talking about that? Oh, I was trying to talk about my milestone of doing the podcast. Oh, right creativity. That's what I was talking about. Sorry, long tangent. So, because of school and work and all this stuff, I've kind of just put my creativity to the side. Like I just stopped, I guess, exercising that part of my brain, like I said earlier. And doing this podcast has been really fun and really great. I know this pandemic sucks. And it's not what's ideal, and it's not what we want. But what I got out of the pandemic was the ability to start this podcast and to do a lot of my other hobbies that I didn't get to do before. And that's kind of another reason why I also like working from home. Because I save all that time, you know, I save all that time commuting, getting ready for work. Not saying don't get ready. I still get up and brush my teeth and all that stuff. But the time it takes to go to work, drive home, get ready. And all that stuff takes like a good couple of hours of my day out. And then I'm just exhausted because I also live obviously in Sacramento, as I mentioned before. And it's pretty congested here. I mean, obviously it's not like LA or something, but it's still congested. So, even if something or someplace takes 15 minutes to get ideally, it really takes like 45 minutes. Sometimes an hour if it's raining and someone. Because people in Sacramento don't know how to drive in the rain. And so, all that time saved, and all that energy saved, I can finally put it into my other hobbies. And so, I really love this podcast cuz then I started writing again. And I think I mentioned this in an earlier episode, too, but I really do love writing. And so, all my podcasts have bullet points. I basically write an outline. So, I don't write verbatim what I'm going to say. But I do write an outline. And that part of it, it's really enjoyable as well. And then doing the actual speaking part, like all of this is just... I don't say improv, but it's just me thinking out loud, basically. And I really like it too much because I like talking. That's why I'm called the talkative introvert. And one of the really great things about this podcast as well, is that my family and my friends are excited about it, too. Because I was really hesitant about sharing this with people. If you listen to, I think the episode I did with Casey, well, she's Katrina Lim is her actual name. So, I put in the podcast 'Episode Katrina'. But if you listen back to that episode, and she's like, "I can't believe you didn't tell me!" And I'm like, yeah, I didn't tell anyone because I was just really shy about it. I'm really hesitant. But once people found out and once, I started sharing it with people, they got really excited about it. And I got some of my friends and family on the episodes or on the podcasts as well. And I really loved that. And I'm really excited. I'm already texting people for season two, and they're excited about it. And I'm trying to brainstorm some ideas. And I just really love that. And those episodes are just so much fun to do. And it's something I'm excited to listen back to in the future. Because they're kind of like memory keepsakes, if you will. And a great example of why I like that I'm doing these episodes with friends and family, too, is because I think I may have briefly mentioned it, I don't remember. But my dad did pass away last year in 20... Yeah, because it's 2020. It honestly feels like he passed away a long time ago.
22:19
Because this year has just been... I don't know, it just feels so long. But he actually passed away last February. I don't really mention him a lot in my episodes, just because like... I mean, I do sometimes. But I don't really like talking about him too much, just because we didn't really have that great of a relationship. But in the bad, there's always some good. At least that's my mindset that no matter how bad something is, there's some glimpse of good in it, right? And so, my brother, he made this video of my dad for his birthday, or of his birthday. He was recording what we're doing for his birthday. A few years back, I think I might have been either in high school or in college. I don't remember. But it was like a while ago. Anyways, I totally forgot about that video completely. I forgot that my brother even had a YouTube channel at one point back when YouTube kind of first started. But I didn't see that video again until after my dad died. Because I think my brother shared it maybe or I don't remember why it came about. But I saw it again after my dad died. And it was just like a really nice memory of him. It was a good video of the good things, the good memories I had with my dad. And it was just really cool to see that, you know, just to see a little glimpse of him after, you know, he passed away. And so, that's why I really love these podcast episodes. Not saying like, maybe everyone's gonna die. And then it's just me sitting alone in my room listening to podcasts of my friends. But you never know, at the same time, you know. And it's nice to have these little keepsakes. And even if, I guess, not related to death, sorry to make it kind of morbid. But even just when we get older, and I hang out with my friends and we talk about something and we're like, "Hey, remember when we did that episode on, blah, blah, blah." And I'm like, "Yeah, we should listen to it again." Like I think... I don't know. I think that'd be kind of fun. And I just... I love having these like... I like having an archive of memories, I guess. So, that's kind of the biggest thing about this podcast too is just not only am I creating content, it's my creativity side and all that stuff, but it's also having this little memory keepsakes of my friends and my family members. And I'm really excited to someday listen to back onto it, and maybe be a little cringy. But it's okay. And then along with this podcast, I ended up actually learning a lot. And I learned a lot about introverts in general. I know I haven't been doing a whole lot of introvert episodes. If you're an avid listener, you probably realize that I started heavily on introvert topics, but then kind of started straying away a bit, and then would put one in there randomly. But I still want to do more introvert episodes. And I still have some topics in mind, I'd like to do. But I have enjoyed learning about introverts and studying up on those specific episodes, they've been really insightful. And I've actually just learned a lot more about myself in general. Because growing up, I did feel a little different. I've always thought I was kind of weird or a bit out of place amongst my family members. It's nice to know, there's a whole community out there of likeminded individuals. I really enjoy the introvert subreddits and the Instagram pages, which I only started falling because of this podcast. I didn't seek that kind of content before. But I really love the memes. And I didn't realize how much I would really enjoy those pages. And I can't believe I didn't follow them before. And I'm just now following it just because of this podcast. So, it's really great to be a part of that and to see that. Because it's just so relatable. Like these introvert meme pages are absolutely hilarious. And no one else... like, I don't know other people in my family would even understand that. But it's just so funny. They're so funny, you guys. Go check those out. And then possibly, one of my favorite things I learned about myself is my MBTI. If you haven't listened to those episodes, I am an INTJ-A.
27:10
So, there's an A and there's a T. So, A is assertive and then T is turbulent. So, I am an INTJ-Assertive. And that has been really eye opening. For me, I didn't really know what my MBTI was before. I remember taking something like it in high school, but I don't remember what the outcome was. But it really made sense of a lot of things for me. And I definitely want to do more INTJ episodes. I really enjoyed that one I did with my sister-in-law, Leah. And it's probably one of my top favorite episodes, not just personally, but it's also now my most listened to episode. It almost reached... I think it's almost at 100 downloads. And it's also just really one of my favorite episodes. Because I didn't know that there are... I didn't know there's so many people like me. I mean, okay granted, it is the rarest MBTI personality. But I don't know. I think it's like, is it 1% of the population? But even 1% of the population, that's still thousands and hundreds of thousands of people. Or millions of people, I don't know how many people there are in the world. But that's still a lot of people, even though it's the rarest one. And it's kind of crazy to know that there's so many people like you. And it's pretty cool. Because I didn't seek out that content either. And so, I do follow INTJ subreddits and Instagram pages as well. And they're just so funny. The memes are just so relatable. I can't believe there's so many other individuals just like me. Because honestly, in my circle, Leah really is the only one that is an INTJ. And that's really similar to me. Even though we're pretty different as well. Because she has an INTJ-T. So, she's turbulent. And that A and T really does make a huge difference. But we're like the closest to each other and I've never met anyone else like her or like me. So, it's really cool to see the other people who relate and who are also INTJs. And I've been watching a lot of INTJ YouTube videos as well. But I definitely want to do more episodes. I'm already talking to Leah about doing more INTJ episodes and hopefully she wants to do more. And even if she doesn't, I just want to do more of those. Because I really love that content. And clearly you guys do too. And then I started to stray away a little bit from these introvert episodes as I mentioned before, and as you guys probably noticed, if you've been listening. And I started to do more... I don't know if you want to call them opinionated episodes, but I guess that's what they are, right? Because their opinions. They're my opinions. So, if that's... I guess that's the appropriate thing to call it.
30:21
But anyways, those are more... they're more personal. A kind of umm... I was a little worried about doing those because it's kind of makes me a little more vulnerable. Because it's more of me. And it's not... it's less of me looking up or googling articles about introverts. And it's more of just me expressing how I feel or think about something. Which obviously is just always tricky, because you're opening yourself up to the public, and really letting the listeners into your brain. Which is really scary because my brain is kind of a scary place. But I've realized that I just really enjoy those more. I have more to say. And I just have more thoughts on it. And I don't have to go and research stuff necessarily. Because they're my own opinions on certain things. And so those are more like my 'Body dysmorphia & Me' episode, my 'I'm very tired' episode and my latest, which is the 'Social media cleanse' episode. And I really enjoyed doing those. And I enjoyed writing the outlines for those a lot. Well, the 'I'm very tired' episode was just more me just talking. But the other ones, the other two it was definitely just more me. It's more like... more in my brain if you will. So, you got a better glimpse of my thoughts in those episodes. And I really enjoyed those. And I remember mentioning in an early episode that I wanted to stray away from controversial content. But what I learned is that no matter how hard you try; you'll probably still offend someone. That's just the nature of things. That's why I was a little scared of doing these more opinionated episodes. Because I didn't want to offend anyone or upset anyone. But everyone knows that that's just life. That's just how things are. And it's not really fun anymore when you have to tiptoe around certain subjects, especially if you're like really passionate about a certain subject. It's nice to just be able to freely speak on something. And so, I will still keep in mind people's feelings and their thoughts and whatever. Like I'll still be respectful towards people. Because that's just kind of who I am anyways. But I think I'm going to be more open about doing the more opinionated ones just because they're just more fun. And it's nice to just voice those thoughts because I don't get to share that. And that's kind of one of the things I talk about, right? About why I want to start the podcasts. Because my voice gets stuck in the background. But yet, on my own podcast, I'm kind of silencing my own voice because I'm scared of what people are going to think about me. So, I need to just not care or not care as much, I guess, I should say. I think I should still probably care a little bit. I don't know. That's just my personal opinion. I should care just a tad bit at least, but not care so much that it's no longer fun. And then I'm like tiptoeing around stuff. But I'm not gonna go into politics too much, and religion. Because I know those at least, are very, very tricky subjects. And I don't know if I'm quite comfortable to talk about that. Even though I did mention already what my political affiliation is. That's still different because I didn't necessarily go into exactly what I believe. Because just because you're libertarian or Democrat or Republican or whatever you are, doesn't mean you 100% agree with everything in that party. It's just what you most aligned with, right? So, I don't know if I'll get into politics or anything like that. I'm not sure. I'm not that big into it. Like I care enough because it does affect me, and it affects my loved ones and all that stuff. Like I do still vote even on off... err not off elections. I don't want to call them that, but nonpresidential elections, and I still do look into the props that are getting passed in my local government and stuff like that. So, but like there's plenty of political podcasts out there. I don't really want to turn into one. I'm just gonna stick to whatever subjects I feel like talking about. And I'm Just going to be truthful and honest and genuine with my content as possible. And honestly, if people don't like that, that's totally fine. There's plenty of other podcasts out there for them. There's literally thousands. I'm sure there's one for everyone.
35:19
So, things to look forward to in season two are more introvert episodes, more INTJ episodes and more episodes with my friends and family, maybe even new people. Any friends and family if you want to get on just text me. Who knows? Maybe I'll get more people involved. I did mention, I think, in an episode once that I'm cool with inviting strangers on, but I don't know if I am cool with that. Cuz I think so, oh someone did reach out. And then I was like, ah, I'm not sure yet. I don't know if I'm comfortable yet. Cuz it's still kind of weird. Even though I'm not going to actually meet them in person. It's just going to be a zoom call or something. I'm just... that makes me nervous. So, I don't know yet. I haven't figured that out. But yeah, just more episodes with people more opinion-based episodes. I hope you guys like that. If you don't, again, there's plenty of other ones or you can listen to my other episodes. And yeah, just more episodes and me blabbing on.
36:24
So, this is a wrap for season one and for 2020. Thanks for listening to that little recap of mine. Thanks to everyone who listened to my podcast so far. Thanks for sticking it out. And dealing with this newbie on this new... on this podcast platform. I hope you'll be here for season two. I'll let you guys know when that happens. And for those who celebrate the winter's holidays, Merry Christmas. Happy Hanukkah. Why not Hanukkah already ended, but Happy Hanukkah. Happy belated, I guess. Happy Kwanzaa or Happy Monday in case you don't celebrate anything. And Happy New Year's you guys hope you guys have a fun and safe New Year's Eve. And goodbye to 2020. Thanks so much. If you want to stay up to date on the podcast, follow me on social media. I am on Facebook and on Instagram. You can also check out my website at thetalkativeintrovertpodcast.com. All the information will be on there as well as in the show notes. Thanks so much. And I'll talk to you guys in 2021.
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