La vie en rose

2008-11-08T22:20:00.001-08:00

OK, so i've been a little slack about updating my blog. seriously, a lot has gone on in 2008.

1) i moved back to the US (for the 3rd time). leaving france was sad, but i know i'll go back. i miss sitting by the seine, reading a book in park, people watching at cafes - i miss it all really, but a chapter has closed so that a new one can begin.

2) i graduated!!! IMBA Class of 2008!! i finished my last semester at USC and officially have an international MBA... sounds much cooler that it actually is, but given the current economy i'm sure it will be an asset.

3) i got a job!! l'oreal wanted me so much in paris that they decided to help me out with getting a job in NYC! i'm currently working on the matrix brand - they make biolage shampoo if you're not familiar with them. work can be stressful at times, but i love it!

4) i moved to NYC! (obviously, since i'm working in NYC.) it's not paris, but it's pretty cool. i haven't taken any weekend trips bc i've been exploring this great city! it's huge and uber diverse. you can walk 10 blocks and be in a completely different neighborhood with it's own unique feel. not to mention, the shopping and food are fabulous!

so that's it for now. i promise i'll update more frequently. thanks for reading!

2007-12-21T10:16:00.000-08:00

Ce n'est qu'un au revoir...

Where to begin! A lot has happened since my last post. Yesterday was my last day at L'Oreal in Paris and today was my last exam. This is my last weekend in France, and everything is really starting to hit me.

When I came back to France this year, I knew that it would only be for a short time and that this would be the last time I live in France. I consciously made the decision to appreciate every moment, every glass of wine, every market, every pigeon, every metro ride. I have been given many extraordinary opportunities in my life. This year in France was my opportunity to enjoy life, learn about myself and savour my accomplishments. Since January, I have achieved the bilingual level on the French language exam, taken MBA level classes in French, received remarkably high grades in my French MBA classes, got an internship at L'Oreal, was able to see ALL of my close French friends once again, and now practically have a job offer from L'Oreal New York!!! How much better could this get!?

Although I am ecstatic about returning home to see my family and finish my MBA, I can't help but feel a bit nostalgic. A chapter of my life is closing in order to begin a new one. A large part of the last 9 years of my life has taken place in France. I've met the most amazing people who have become my best friends in the world, and those friendships will last a lifetime. At the same time, I've also learned a great deal about myself... I became a "grown-up"! The evolution towards the independent, organized, prissy and professional woman that I am today happened in France.

As I spend the next two days figuring out how to fit everything I own into 2 suitcases, I'm planning to take it easy, sit back and enjoy the view. The many breathtaking views in Paris, and the view as I look forward to my next adventures. A few of my friends are pretty sure that I'll be back in France since this is the THIRD time I've left the country "indefinitely", who knows - maybe they're right!

Time for new adventures! Ce n'est qu'un au revoir.....

2007-06-01T11:38:00.000-07:00

First month at L'Oreal

I have to turn in an executive summary about my internship, and since I have no time to write a blog entry, you get to read the paper! Enjoy!

With operations in over 130 countries, L’Oréal is the largest beauty and cosmetics company in the world. After starting in the hair-color industry in 1909, L’Oréal branched out into other beauty products and now markets over 500 brands in the cosmetics industry. Its brands are organized by the company’s four target markets, thus constituting L’Oréal’s organizational structure: mass market, professional, luxury and active. The newest brand in the Professional Products division is Mizani: high-end hair products for African and mixed heritage hair distributed uniquely in luxury salons. In the first year of its launch outside of the U.S., the brand is differentiating itself from its competition by focusing on ethnicity instead of hair type. The primary challenges for the Mizani brand are creating awareness around the special needs of African hair as well as emphasizing the need for a high-end product in a market comprised essentially of low to mid-ranged products. As the Assistant Product Manager for the Mizani brand, I am responsible for many different aspects of brand marketing including advertising, event planning and B2B customer relations.

One of the main objectives for the Mizani brand is to expand its presence in luxury salons for African and mixed-heritage hair. The challenge associated with this objective is the lack of luxury salons in the market. To boost the brand’s exposure, the marketing strategy is centered on emphasizing the professional, luxury products available in order to push the demand for high-end hair care. In order to increase customer awareness of the availability of professional products for African hair care, I am currently developing brochures to be distributed to salon owners, consumer leaflets on product information as well as advertisements published in high-end fashion magazines geared towards our target market.

To further its establishment as a new, strong competitor amongst other high-end hair care brands, Mizani is also planning to host a stand at two upcoming exhibitions: Boucles d’Ebène and le Mondial Coiffure Beauté. The annual Boucles d’Ebène fair takes place in June and showcases African beauty in France. This will be Mizani’s first year as an exhibitor at this fair that shares the same target market. Also an annual event, le Mondial Coiffure Beauté occurs in September and is the largest worldwide tradeshow in the hair care industry. These two events will help create brand awareness and image while establishing Mizani’s position as the leader in high-end hair care for African hair. I am currently coordinating our presence at these events with internal and external contacts to design and create the stand while focusing on our marketing strategy.

While expanding its presence, Mizani is also committed to growing its existing business by cultivating current relationships with its partner salons. This month, we launched the new “Assistance Client Mizani” service in order to better serve current customers. As the representative for “Assistance Client Mizani”, I notify partner salons regularly about new product launches and any special offers by telephone and through mailings. In return, the partner salons have a personal contact at Mizani should they have any product oriented questions or be unable to reach their sales representative. In the first month, this service has received positive reviews from the salons.

My position as Assistant Product Manager at L’Oréal has already exposed me to many different facets of brand and product marketing. As part of a team of three people in the Mizani marketing department, my responsibilities are increasing exponentially as I become more familiar with the company and the brand. Overcoming the challenges associated with introducing a new, high-end brand and product line into a niche market is proving to be a very enriching marketing experience. This position is providing me with fundamental marketing and business skills that will be essential during my future career.

2007-05-04T11:50:00.000-07:00

April 2007

A lot has happened since my last post.... busy, busy, busy!

For starters, I'm finished with school! School in France is completely different than in the US. There isn't much participation in class, mainly the professor lecturing and everyone taking notes. There are no required reading materials either - you must be in class to take notes because you never know what will be on the exam. Yes, I said THE exam - there is only one exam at the end of the course and that's your final grade. I'll come back to this.

Shaun and Dave came to Paris mid-March and we had a great time. I took them on the typical Parisian tourist walk through Paris. We concluded their trip with champagne at the Eiffel Tower.

I also had a field trip to the French Supreme Court with my International Organizations class. My professor is a very accomplished lawyer in France and in the EU, so he gave us the grand tour. We were even allowed to sit in on as many court cases as we wanted. There are many courtrooms, and each one has a different purpose: minor offenses, terrorism/crimes against the state, violent crimes, etc. While I enjoyed sitting in on the terrorism case against a member of the ETA, the most memorable was the one where a guy killed his boyfriend the night before with a machete... now, my French is pretty good, but this was so far fetched that I had to ask a French girl beside me to make sure that I correctly understood.... yes, he killed his boyfriend with a machete and chopped him into several pieces.

Shortly after that, Lawrence came to France. It was such a great visit! He'd already been to Paris before, so we didn't have to do the whole tourist thing. We had a great time just wandering around, sitting at cafes and just relaxing. One day, we took the boat tour of Paris. I haven't done it in years, so it was good to see everything from the river. I took Lawrence to see my office at L'Oreal and I even got him to go to the Longchamp store with me! Don't worry, I didn't buy anything :-)

After he left, I had a week of vacation which I spent hanging out in Paris with the French Trackers. We hung out in parks and on the Seine reading books and even went to a couple movies. At the end of the vacation, I went to Madrid to catch up with the Global trackers. That was a GREAT trip! In addition to hanging out in Madrid, I got to know several of my classmates that I didn't really have a chance to hang out with in Columbia. The highlight was definitely our excursion to the weekly bullfight. Six poor bulls were slaughtered. It was a great experience, something you should do once in life.... but not twice. :-)

When I got back from Madrid, I cleaned up and got ready for my guests. A group of Global Trackers came to Paris for a vacation before starting their internships. Luckily, I didn't have classes Monday-Wednesday, so I was able to hang out with them: Lawrence, Tonisha, Paco, Lourdes, Nicole and Matt. We did the typical Parisian tour as well as a bit of shopping. I had 4 people staying at my tiny apartment, and we were surprisingly comfortable. We had dinner at my place one night, and we also did Champagne night at the Eiffel Tower. The last night of their visit, I promised myself that I would stay in and not have a late night since I had my Cultural Management exam the next day. Surprise, surprise... I didn't get home till around midnight. Lawrence stayed up to help me study a bit, then he passed out as usual. After less than 3 hours of sleep, Tonisha and Nicole got up at 5am to leave... then Matt got up to pack his bags... needless to say, I didn't catch anymore zzzzz's. I said good bye to Lawrence and went to school to get in some last minute cramming. The exam was good and bad. As I said before, exams in France are not like they are in the US. After a semester of classes, my entire grade came down to answering one question - yes, I said ONE QUESTION!! I'm so glad Lawrence helped me the night before because that's exactly what the question was on. I wrote 3 pages and started to fall asleep, so I wrapped it up and went home.

All in all, a very tiring end to a GREAT month! I'm gonna miss everyone next fall, I'm sure. I'll definitely try to update my blog more often to keep you guys posted. Thanks for reading!!

2007-03-08T05:40:00.000-08:00

Je suis debordee!!

I've been so busy the past few weeks! Who would have guessed that the 4-month vacation would take so much out of me!

I'm finally out of language training thanks to a French teacher who told the director that my french is too good for French classes. So now I'm enrolled in the ESCP-EAP and am taking 12 credit hours. The classes are really interesting - I'm learning so much! We don't really have homework, just projects, papers and exams at the end.

Also, I finally have an internship!! After turning down 2 offers, I've accepted a marketing position with L'Oreal in their Professional Products division launching the Mizani brand in Europe - I can't wait! In the beginning I wanted a finance position, but marketing with L'Oreal is probably one of the best internships out there! Apparently, it's pretty difficult to even get an interview with them, so I feel very honored. It is a 6-month position which means that I'll be in Paris until the end of the year.

By the way, I'm 29 years old now!! woohoo! I guess that means it's my last year in my 20's... I'm so lucky to be able to spend it in France. I celebrated my birthday with a night out with the french trackers that begun with the cheap-champagne drink-a-thon. We went to the Fifth Bar up the street, and from what I'm told, we shut the place down! Then we went to dinner on the weekend when Tara came in from Spain. It was great to see her and catch up in the imbas around the globe. It's also very comforting to chill with someone you click with.

Dawson is in town from Germany this weekend and he's leaving in the morning. I haven't really been able to hang out during the day since i have my 2 10-page papers to write this week. i do, however, make time to hang out at night (yes, i do have priorities), which generally includes a 4am walk home trying to figure out who's sleeping at my place and who's going to find their way home on the night bus or by foot.

Shaun and David will arrive in Paris on Tuesday, so I must finish my papers before then. I'll post pictures as soon as I find a camera cable.

2007-02-13T15:37:00.000-08:00

January 2007

One month into my stay in Paris, I finally received an internship offer! However, the position is in Rwanda, and I'd rather stay in Paris for a while, especially since it's been difficult getting settled in. After the career fair here in Paris, I have a couple interviews scheduled with other companies, so for the moment I'm not too worried about finding an internship by May.

Imbas at the Career Fair in Paris

Also in January, the Imbas went on a field trip to brussels to visit the European parlement. We had presentations and tours scheduled in the morning then we were free in the afternoon after lunch at an Italian restaurant. RastaRick showed us around the old part of Brussels where we bought chocolates, drank belgian beer and ate waffles. All in all, a good visit.

2007-02-13T14:31:00.000-08:00

My Apartment

Now that i'm settled in my apartment and we've already had a few "soirees", here are a few photos of my little place:

2007-02-03T07:06:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the delay....

So now that i'm all settled in my little apartment, here are a few pics:

One month into my stay in Paris, I finally received an internship offer! However, the position is in Rwanda, and I'd rather stay in Paris for a while, especially since it's been difficult getting settled in. I have interviews scheduled with other companies, so for the moment I'm not too worried about finding an internship by May.

Last week, the imbas went on a field trip to brussels to visit the European parlement. We had presentations and tours scheduled in the morning then we were free in the afternoon after lunch at an Italian restaurant. RastaRick showed us around the old part of Brussels where we bought chocolates, drank belgian beer and ate waffles. All in all, a good visit.

This weekend, I went to Clermont (again) for a farewell party. I arrived Friday night and had dinner with a couple friends. I spoke more french in Friday night than in the past MONTH since my arrival in this country! My friends agree that I need to find some frenchies to hang with in Paris so that I can speak French. It's really frustrating to be fluent in a language but forget certain words in the middle of a conversation. Saturday night i went to Fred's farewell party and hung out with all my old friends.... until 6am. Today, my head is reminding me that i'm not 20 years old anymore and it takes more than a day to recover from such debauchery. I had a blast, so it was totally worth it!

In other news, all of the imbas have moved out of the residence fondly known as "hell". We all have toilets with a door and our own personal shower! To some, this may be considered a luxury.... however, to others its a necessity. Classes are going ok at the moment. I'm not really learning any french, but the subjects are interesting. Plus I get to correct Josh when he says stuff in French like ''i'm doing my lover" instead of "i'm doing my MBA". :-)

Josh doing a little dance, cleaning up champagne!

2007-01-06T15:52:00.000-08:00

PARIS....

Ok, so after having lived in France for 4 years, I kinda know what to expect by now. However, nothing could have prepared me for a 5th floor bedroom that's smaller than my bathroom, no toilet and having to run down 5 flights of stairs to shower and go to the bathroom... not exactly what i had anticipated.
so i changed rooms and now have a toilet, no door - just a toilet. a friend stopped by on his way to Spain and stopped up said toilet... fun times on new year's eve...
Once we found a plunger and realized that we could not defeat the beast, we headed out to Sacre-Coeur / Mont Martre to stand on the steps at the highest point in Paris and check out the city on New Years Eve. Needless to say, it was beautiful! We had a blast checking out the fireworks across the city and making friends from all over the world. After recovering from the champagne overdose, we went to Clermont-Ferrand to hang out with my friends for a few days. Emily and Jason went skiing in Super Besse and had a great time. My friends in Clermont were amazing and greeted my USC friends with copious bottles of champagne and home-cooked 5-course french meals! They loved it - and I love those frenchies!

I had a moment of stress when I felt as though people were taking advantage of my generosity and expecting me to help and do whatever they said... I enjoy helping others, but "please" and "thank you" are much appreciated. Also, don't tell me how to speak French.... especially if you can't speak it!

We start school on Wednesday so i'll let you know how it goes.

2006-12-19T09:00:00.000-08:00

Looking past tomorrow
Wow, what a whirlwind ride it's been! Six months of studying, headaches, late nights, good times, bad times, good grades, bad grades, great professors, crazy administration, visa pictures, tailgates, costume parties, homoskedasticity, shake your faith, birkman, I could go on for days....

It's been crazy indeed, but what was the result? Have we actually learned anything?Have we changed since July?

After being out of school for 6 years, returning to one of the most intensive MBA programs in the country was without a doubt a shocker. I've realized that working in the real world has given me an amazing work ethic. I'm able to study non-stop, and sometimes I actually enjoy it! Having three projects and 2 exams in 1 week will teach anyone how to effectively manage time.

Working in an international environment in a foreign country taught me to adapt to other cultures. Going to school with 100 different people from 13 different countries has taught me patience. I've realized that I can learn so much from others around me. Not only those with outrageous experience, but I learned patience from those who've asked me for help or advice. Everyone is so different, some people have never worked, others have worked for 20 years, some have never left the country, others have already completed 2 tours in Iraq, some only speak english, others speak 6 languages. Occupations range from student to army Major, investment banker to school teacher. I have learned that I'm a lot smarter than I thought, and I have amazing life experience for a soon-to-be-29 year-old.

Have I changed? I've never been one to think, "one day, that will be me", simply because I believe that I should be who I want to be TODAY. Over the past 6 months, I've realized that I really am the person I want to be. I am 100% dedicated to my work as well as having fun and enjoying the moment. During this whirlwind known as the "IMBA core", I feel like I've helped others realize that there is more to life than work and making the grade.

Now that I don't have an exam, project or quiz to study for, I can finally start planning my life beyond tomorrow. The next step for the Imba first years is language training and internships. After spending Christmas with the family, I'll once again be shipping off to the city of love where I'll attend the ESCP-EAP for language training then try to find an awesome internship.

The adventure continues, and I'll have my remaining 91 classmates to enjoy the the ride with. Good luck to all of you imba's and keep in touch!

2006-10-11T10:29:00.000-07:00

Who we are...

This past weekend, I had brunch in five points with a friend who also lived in France for a while. We sat outdoors (en terrace) to enjoy the beautiful, crisp fall weather and reminisced of the good ol' days sitting "en terrace" in France. Meeting a kindred spirit who understands is a rare and treasured gift. Living abroad is an experience like no other: learning the culture, how to fit in, daily routine, etc. Once you understand it, it changes you. Ok, it won't change your fundamental beliefs, but it changes the way you view things and gives you a deeper appreciation for things/ways that are different from your own. The experience of living abroad is so trivial - you simply go to another country and get on with your life - yet what you learn along the way becomes a part of who you are.

"Who we are" is not just a conglomeration of where we've been, but also of where we're from. I have a passion for international travel and love living abroad although I am very family oriented and would love to be close to my parents and brother. If you look at "where I'm from", you can understand the dichotomy: I am the child of 2 immigrants who sought a better life in an exciting, new country. I am very proud of my parents, but I, too, have a taste for an international life.

So "who I am" is definitely a product of "where I've been" and "where I'm from".... Make the most of your experiences, at home or abroad, and share them with others. Learning about others is the best way to understand them.

2006-09-04T12:46:00.000-07:00

The Wedding...

This weekend, I went home for my best friend's wedding.... no, not the movie. Allison and I have been best friends since we were 4 years old.... almost 25 years!! and this past weekend, she tied the knot with her beau.

There is so much preparation for a wedding. As maid of honor, I had a lot to do for the wedding. On Friday, we had the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. And of course, all-day saturday was spent on the actual event: bridal breakfast, hair salon, getting dressed, pictures, ceremony, reception, clean-up... makes you wonder if the 30 minute ceremony is worth all the hassle.

No matter what your beliefs are on marriage, it is a great opportunity to see people that you haven't seen in a while and reconnect with old friends. I also got to hang out with my parents whom I don't get to see as often as I would like. I saw some people I haven't seen in 10 years who were constantly telling me "you're so beautiful. your dress is so pretty.... blah, blah". anyway, the compliments were nice whether or not they were sincere.

So now that I have more bridemaids dresses than I care to count and am running low on single friends, I have a pretty good idea of what my ideal wedding should be like. Don't worry, I'm not one of those girls who has her entire wedding already planned. It's just that now I know what I want and don't want at my big day. I want to be able to enjoy my day with my friends and family without worrying about the formalities. Some details such as flowers, color scheme,and decorations are not as important to me as they may be to others.

Getting married is an event that is very special to the 2 people who are about to make a life-changing commitment, and the happiness should be shared by the 2 sets of family and friends coming together.

2006-08-23T11:38:00.000-07:00

THINGS I PLAN TO DO WHEN I GET MY SPARE TIME BACK.... IN 2 YEARS

when i finally get my imba, i will make up for all of the spare time i've been lacking. i plan to.....

1. sleep: one day i will not have to set my alarm clock, oh joyous day! if i'm really lucky, i won't have to take a nap at 3pm because i will still be in bed! wow... just imagine, sleeping whenever you want to, and getting more and 6 consecutive hours.... seems like a dream!

2. wash my car: the sap from the tree i park under is turning my baby blue car a curious shade of brown. it's disgusting. must do something about that.

3. visit my parents: i thought that only being an hour and a half away from my parents, i would be able to see them on the weekends... not true! it's practically like living in france! one day, i'm gonna go home and eat dinner with them like we planned....

4. make my bed: ok, i know - why make your bed if you're just gonna sleep in it later? but you have to admit, it is kinda nice getting into a bed that's been made. i did that a couple times back in the day when i had spare time...

5. have people over for dinner: this differs from "inviting people over for dinner". inviting is easy, actually having the time to cook and spend a couple hours with people... not so easy... if i've already invited you but haven't followed through, i'll see you in 2008.

6. do my nails: used to do this all the time. used to have them done professionally. lack of time + lack of money = bad nails

7. go for a drink: this falls into the "have people over" category.

8. play golf: i learned how to play in france. it was great.... back when i had money and time... the good ol' days

9. finish that sudoku book: used to do it every night before bed. now i just go to bed...

10. keep in touch: i'm usually really good about keeping in touch, but lately i've been pretty delinquent.... sorry about that....

by the way, this blog was NOT written during my spare time. :-)

2006-08-12T11:28:00.000-07:00

Delaney's McFly Concert

Here are a few pics from last night... the "postable" ones. If you'd like to see more, I can send you a link.

Men doing what men do best: eating and drinking

A bit a head banging

2006-08-10T08:14:00.000-07:00

Why Grad School is like Kindergarten....

enrolling in grad school is a choice and decision not made haphazardly. it is a professional decision made based on previous education, work experience and future career plans (or lack there of). we get an MBA to become more analytical, think more strategically or gain other qualities neccessary in upper level management. most of these people are highly intelligent and very motivated to become better managers or better people in general. however, i'm starting to realize that somewhere along the way, grad school is not at all like the corporate world - grad school is like kindergarten.

as a working professional, my breakfast was a cup of coffee and croissant i picked up on the walk to work. in grad school, i eat cereal or oatmeal and milk. i remember when my parents made my breakfast, and i had cereal and oatmeal... they fed me some line like "you need to have a good breakfast or you'll be hungry before lunch." oddly enough, i find myself saying that! i had applejacks, a banana and milk this morning so that i could make it till lunch... just like mom said.

lunch is also changing. at work, i would either try to squeeze in 10 minutes to eat lunch at anytime between 12pm - 2.30pm... whenever i had a free moment. now, since i ate that balanced breakfast, i can make it to lunch without snacking - but i MUST EAT BY 12:30PM!! if not, i turn into a whiny little 5 year old.... not pretty.

my sleep patterns have also reverted since the beginning of grad school. with my work schedule as a professional, i could go to bed at anytime as long as i woke up in time for work the next day. if i didn't get much sleep, i could make it up the following night. not so in grad school! 8 hours of sleep per day are essential. this is usually accomplished by supplementing the 5 hour average nightly shut eye with an afternoon nap around 2 or 3pm. too bad i don't have one of those blue, folding nap mats like in kindergarten.

in addition to various habits, social interaction also changes. hanging out with coworkers during the week often included having a few drinks and maybe dinner. in grad school, we are more prone to hang out with friends and play games... granted some of these games may include alcohol, they are, nonetheless, group games ... trivia at the bar, beer pong...

i'm sure there are other similarities between grad school and kindergarten, but it is now 12:30 pm, and i need to eat before the whiny 5-year old comes out.... i'll come back to this topic later.

2006-08-02T20:25:00.000-07:00

it's wednesday, hump day, the middle of the week. by looking at this week's schedule, it would be quite logical to assume that this could be the WORST WEEK EVER:

wednesday: decision analysis exam
thursday: mondavi paper due
friday: AIDS paper due and financial accounting test

i studied my brains out last night, and took the DA test this morning. at the moment, i can't really judge how well (or not so well) i did on the quiz. the one thing i'm sure of is that it's OVER. i actually feel pretty relaxed about it... or maybe my brain is fried and i'm no longer capable of making decisions without a decision tree....
today i finished the mondavi paper and have nearly completed the AIDS paper. it won't take long to complete, and then i'll study all night tomorrow for accounting.

this week was supposed to be the WORST WEEK EVER, but it hasn't been that bad. i have really learned and changed a lot since undergrad. i don't (always) wait until the last minute to do things anymore, and i'm pretty concerned about getting good grades - what a major change in 10 years! today, one of my friends told me that she wishes she could have my time management skills - what a confidence booster! someone who actually thinks that they can learn something from me... we have so many intelligent people in the IMBA program who have had many exciting and enriching business and life experiences that i feel like i have to give 110% in order to keep up and succeed like they do. now i realize, i have it in me - i just have to use it.

2006-07-29T19:31:00.000-07:00

once again, i'm not going home for the weekend since i have so much work to do. my main goal for this weekend is to read a case study on AIDS in africa and begin writing a paper on it which is due at the end of the week. i miss my family and our weekly sunday dinner, but i really need to focus on school at the moment.

the more i read the assigned case studies, the more i realize that i made the right choice by going back to school. in strategic mgmt, we read cases on large corporations and study their structure and strategy. it is really enlightening to see how these companies function. after working for a large multi-national company and experiencing firsthand the daily routine from the lowest levels of production to the highest level of executive strategy meetings and CEO dinners, i now have the opportunity to understand how it is done in other companies. the case studies offer us practical insight in management without having to read a boring textbook.

in our globalization and corporate responsibility class, the cases reaffirm my desire to get into the field of economic development. i've been in the corporate world and realized that the ultimate goal was to make money for the company. although my past professional experiences were very rich, i now know that the ultimate goal of my 40+ hours a week should be to make a difference in the world. i've been researching socially responsible companies and organizations to find an internship for next year and have come across a few that are really exceptional. the one that amazes me the most is Planet Finance. this NGO provides microloans to small businesses in developping countries. an example of a small business that would benefit from a microloan would be a woman in thailand who raises chickens and sells the eggs at a market. planet finance would grant her a loan for $80 which would help her rent a stand at the market for a year in order to increase her business. what an amazing concept!! why didn't i think of something like that?

anyway, i've said all of this simply to say that i'm very happy with my decision to go into econ development. it may not be an industry that pays a lot, but i will definitely be a richer person for doing it.

2006-07-27T08:28:00.000-07:00

yesterday, i spent most of the day studying - can you believe it? it was pretty crazy and against my nature. i did, however, take a 1 hour break to watch "so you think you can dance?"... a much needed break without thinking about about corporate and social responsibility.

so i took the test this morning, and i think that stressing out so much yesterday has caught up with me. i just feel totally overwhelmed. i'm going to take a break and go to the pool today to clear my head a bit. balancing school work is hard enough, but balancing school and personal life is an extreme sport. i feel like i have so much to do that i can't even think about a social life, and when i do think about it, it gets really complicated.

guys honestly have no idea what goes on in a girls head. they are clueless to any clues girls exude. they can't see the gray area - it's either friendship or relationship - they think there is no in between. THERE IS! well, at least, there can be. the balance between school and personal life would be SO much easier if guys could understand that...

2006-07-25T10:28:00.000-07:00

once again, i found myself in yellow stress last evening as my printer ran out of ink. not to worry, i walked to school to print out my 50 pages of reading. this actually turned out to be a good thing, since i ended up doing my reading at the library away from distractions. for those of you who know me, yes - i said "the library". i think it may have been my first trip to a library in.... at least 8 years. this library, however, is the same one i visited as an undergrad - and it hasn't changed a bit in 10 years. the change machine and copier are still in the same spot, there are still only 12 computers and the 60's decor is still the same, even down to the disgustingly questionable stains on the green and orange striped polyester loveseat... scary.

i ran into a friend who had the same idea of studying at the library, but i was reluctant to sit with him. afterall, my goal was to work - not socialize. he invited me to join him, so i quickly established the rules - no talking, just reading. to my surprise, it worked very well. it was better than being home alone with a myriad of distractions, plus i completed my work.

this morning i hit the "off" button instead of snooze, which means that i didn't get up until 7:12. however, since i prepared my lunch last nightand my bookbag, i was ok.

i have a quiz in social responsibility on thursday, and i have not read any of the chapters. i take that back, i started reading chapter one before school started, but then i gave up. so technically, i only have 4.5 chapters to read by thursday.... studying at the library worked well last night, maybe i'll try it tonight.

2006-07-24T11:25:00.000-07:00

so it's monday...

i think my yellow stress/needs are becoming more obvious everyday. my DA professor seems to be very anti - structure. the syllabus is nonexistant, he doesn't explain what he does in class, and to top it all off, today's class was EXACTLY like last class - practically word-for-word!!! what is the point? granted, maybe he, too, had a rough weekend and wasn't ready to prepare new material to teach.... but he should've CANCELLED class!! (can you tell that this irks me?) it's pure inefficency....

other than that, today is my first day in my grad assistant position in the mktg department. i've met a few professors as well as the head of the department and, well, that's it.... i've been AIMing with my friend a few floors above me. thank god for modern technology.

it's the first day of the week and i already feel as though i need a massage. my shoulders are so tense... too much web surfing during DA maybe...

so it's monday...

2006-07-23T21:23:00.000-07:00

2006-07-23T20:39:00.000-07:00

a friend suggested making a blog as a novel way of recording daily events, so I'm going to give it a try.
as a break from studying, i spoke to my brother and my parents today for a long time. it was a great excuse not to read the assignment for my GSM class, but it was really cool to be able to talk to my family. i told my brother about things that are going on in school, the different people i've met and the interesting things i'm learning outside the classroom.

i did manage to finish my reading assignment before trivia night at Delaney's. the Pimpin' IMBA's totally rocked! following last week's debut performance of an honourable 35 points, we totally kicked butt this week with 52 points and a tie for second place! hopefully, next week i'll be able to say that the IMBA's dominated with a 1st place victory...

must get to bed now, not much sleep this weekend and i've got to get up early...