Last day of 2010

"Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard, and you're kind, amazing things will happen." - Conan O'brian 

That best sums up my year. 2010 for me will always be remembered as the year a door finally opened up for me. It's an opportunity I have been wanting for years, and I'm thrilled to just be working for a great company. I'm just hoping I can keep up this momentum into the new year. 

I'm not really one to make new year's resolutions because I can never keep them. I would always make the typical resolutions, but I think we set the standards too high that we have a hard time following through. We get discouraged and end up not keeping any of them. So I have learned to not make them, and to just live each hoping for the best and to not take anything for guaranteed. 

I was reading the Chicago Tribune last week and found this article, "20 Resolutions worth keeping." It's a list of resolutions I can definitely live by this year and thought I'd share it with you. 

1. Bake and eat a new dessert each month. 

2. One night a week, leave the dishes in the sink, the living room cluttered and the mail unsorted. Pick up a good book, and read for an hour. 

3. Start a piggy bank. 

4. Take a massage therapy class, and share your new skills. 

5. Learn what your kid/spouse/partner is listening to/reading/watching, and launch into a discussion about it. 

6. Make bread from scratch. Mix and knead and work the muscles. Play with the dough. Inhale the baking aroma. Slather warm slices with real butter and jam. Indulge. 

7. Wear more color. 

8. Schedule a monthly bubble bath. 

9. Turn off the TV, and pick up a martini once a week. Dim the lights if there are two of you. 

10. Take in a theater performance at a local fine arts venue. 

11. Find a recipe you have never tried but has always intrigued you - duck l'orange, beef Wellington, Lithuanian bacon buns. Set aside a Sunday afternoon, and make it. 

12. Apologize to someone you have hurt. 

13. Make a list of your favorite funny movies. Keep it near the TV. Buy them all if possible. Use as needed when life seems dark. 

14. Make a list of your favorite weepy movies. Keep it near the TV. Buy them all if possible. Use as needed to release a cleansing cry. 

15. Go to bed early once a week, even if you're not sleepy. 

16. Speak your mind, and confront a nagging grudge without regard for consequences and without bitterness - the way kids do. 

17. Paint the dining room deep red. 

18. Choose a topic that interested you as a kid - The Three Stooges, dinosaurs, Roberto Clemente - and learn as much as you can about it. 

19. Buy a pack of CDs or a zip drive, and back up everything on your computer that you'd cry if you'd lost. 

20. Pray, meditate or just sit quietly with no distractions or noise for 10 minutes a day. 

(Bill Daley, Wendy Donahue, Judy Hevrdejs, William Hageman, Brenda Richardson, Heidi Stevens, Shamontiel L. Vaughn) 

What will you remember the most in 2010 and what's your resolution for 2011? 

Happy New Year!

Bad Day

“The only difference between a good day and a bad day is your attitude.” - Dennis S. Brown

It took me almost two days to realize that I had a really, really bad day on Wednesday. 

I was sore all day yesterday and found a huge bruise on my elbow and it took me awhile to figure it all out. I walk a mile in downtown Chicago to get to my internship, and was walking extra careful the whole way because the sidewalks were really icy. Of course, when I was all but a block away, I wipe out on some ice. Didn't even see it coming! 

We went to an event at Navy Pier where I ended up carrying three bags of toys clear across the pier, because it was taking forever to get a cart. If you've been or never been, it's over a ten minute walk from the front doors to the festival hall near the back. Add three huge shopping bags to that, I thought my fingers were gonna fall off! And it would be my luck to have one of the bags break on me and toys all over the floor! 

Then I get a call that the I didn't get a job I interviewed for last month. The worst part of this is I knew her! She also brought her son into work that day so I pretty much end up watching me the whole time I was there doing my interview!  Don't get me wrong, I love her son, but I was there for over four hours for this interview turned babysitting. I really wasn't an ideal job, but it paid well and it was a temporary position, so even if it didn't work out I could eventually move on. But it would've been really nice to make some money, even for a few months. 

Coming home the train announcement was wrong so a whole bunch of people, including me, got off at the wrong stop! 

I think I was so tired by the end of the day, my brain couldn't process just truly how bad the day was. It needed a whole extra day just to process it all! I'm still alive, a little achy, but nonetheless still here. It was a bad day, not terrible, I've had worse. It was just a bad day. We all have them, but it's how we deal with them that makes the difference. I didn't even occur to me two days ago what a bad day I was having. Makes me realize just how much I can take and still survive. 

How do you deal with your bad days? 

Never settle

"Never settle. When you really have your heart set on something, it's better to strive for it and take opportunities and risks that will help get you there." - Unknown

This internship is keeping me very busy! But I'm loving every minute of it! 

Of course my mom is still insisting I become a nurse, like everyone else and that they have moved on but me. But have they really? Or did they just settle? 

I know for sure that my friends from high school who are now nurses did not start college thinking they would be nurses. One was in her third year of graphic design and another was in two classes away from his computer science degree, we even celebrated his graduation party! They were so close to finishing but somehow ended up in nursing. It's sad that they didn't follow through because they had a potential to be great in their original chosen field because it's what they wanted to do. The other group of friends did finish a degree in something: psychology, marketing... but couldn't find jobs so they all turned to nursing too, but they at least gave it a shot. 

Why settle? Why not follow your original passion? Did they give into the pressure from their parents? Did job security and money mean more? 

Some have honestly told me not to give in and I think are a little jealous that I'm doing something I love. I think some of them are genuinely unhappy with their decisions. Yes they have a job that pays well and yes they can support their spouse/family, but there's gotta more to life than that! I think it's awesome that they are saving lives everyday, someone's gotta do it! But not everyone is cut of for it! 

I don't know where this internship will lead me. Of course I''m hoping to get fully employed, but for right now I'm learning from a great company, meeting new people and making new contacts, and doing something that makes me happy. And after two years, that's all I can ask for right now. If this doesn't work out, I can at least say I tried and move on from it. But I won't ever look back years from now and regret not doing something or wishing I should have done this or that. I can say I actually did it!

Ever settle? Was it the right decision? 

Things are looking up

"Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish." - John Quincy Adams 

Of all the life lessons these past two years has taught me, the greatest is patience and persistence. 

I know you're told that you shouldn't sit around waiting for something to happen, that you should go out and make it happen! But sometimes it just takes a little longer for things to work out. 

Things are finally looking up on the job search. I was offered an internship at one of the company's on my dream job bucket list! I also interviewed for a part-time job so I can make some money. Looks like my multi-tasking skills are going to work! 

Because I'm still in the extremely thankful mood. I am thankful for the many, many job openings I applied for and never heard back from. I am thankful for the interviews that never turned into job offers. I am thankful for the rejections, for the jobs that I really wanted and didn't get, for sometimes wanting something so bad it sometimes hurts. I am thankful for the doors that closed so that bigger and better doors open up. 

Had it not been for all this, I wouldn't be here and wouldn't have even tried going for this amazing opportunity. 

Go after your dreams! Good things really come to those who wait!


Has being patient ever taught you anything? 

Attitude of gratitude

"Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation." - Brian Tracy 

On my first trip to Costa Rica, I met these two wonderful boys. They lived in the middle of nowhere, and had no TV, movies, video games, iPods, computers, or Internet; but they were so happy! All they had was a barrel to play with and they were content with that. They don't know there is a world of constant stimulation, of constant noise. It made me realize just how much stuff we have, how over stimulated we are, and how easily we get bored if we're not constantly being entertained. These boys live such a simple life, they were thankful to have  something to play with. Give a kid here a barrel to play with, what kind of response would you get? 

Sure there are things that I want, of course a job on the top of my list, but  I am so very grateful for everything I do have. I have my health, a warm home, food on the table, parents who don't ask for anything in return and who don't ask for rent, friends who are great support, a car that gets me around, just enough money to pay for bills, opportunities to travel, and so much more! 

I know I am incredibly blessed and wouldn't have it any other way! So this Thanksgiving be I will be thankful for what I have and stop wishing for what  I don't. I will be thankful for every opportunity because every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better! 

Happy Thanksgiving! 

What are you thankful for?

Life has its reasons

"I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go, things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they're right, you believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together." - Marilyn Monroe

As cliche as that is, I do believe that everything happens for a reason. When things are happening, especially when they are frustrating, upsetting, and sad; we question why these things are happening to us. It is hard to see beyond our present situation. It is only later, when we look back do we realize that all these things work out they way they are supposed to. If we're lucky, we also learn a few life lessons along the way.

Lesson #1: Get experience in the industry you want, or think you want, to work in. At the very least, talk to someone in that field, it will open your eyes. 

I had gone to school with plans on becoming a therapist. I knew I was good at listening and helping people out with their problems, but I soon found out there's much, much more involved. I learned through my first job that being a therapist wasn't really my passion and not what I should be doing. Had it not been for this job, I may have gotten into a line of work that I would be unhappy at. I will always be incredibly thankful for that learning experience. 

Lesson #2: A full-time job may not always be the answer. Sometimes an internship will be more valuable. 

When I graduated from college, I had no full-time job lined up and I was getting frustrated. However, I was able to get an internship at a radio station. That is where I found my real passion and what I wanted to do with my life. Had it not been for this internship, I would still be wondering what I should do "when I grow up." 

Lesson #3: Time with family (and friends) is the most important thing in the world. 

As I was going back and forth between my job and internship, my aunt was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. If you are familiar with ovarian cancer, you know that it is usually diagnosed in the later stages. My mom would go to Indiana, where my aunt lived, to help take care of her. While my mom was gone, sometimes for weeks at a time, I was left to help out around the house and take my sisters to school. My aunt eventually moved in with us to be closer to the family. Sadly, in less than a year she passed away, but I will be thankful for the time I got to spend with her. 

Lesson #4: Things happen when you least expect it. 

A few months after my aunt passed away, the radio station went out of business. I had stayed there for over a year, working for free, hoping to be hired as a paid employee. That just wasn't meant to be. Again, I will always be incredibly thankful for my experience there. After this happened, a coworker decided she was going back to school so I was offered her full-time position. 

Lesson #5: You are supposed to be where you are to get things accomplished.

I had always planned on getting a Master's degree and thought it would be in social work, but then that plan changed. It was after my internship I decided to get a MBA. I was hoping to get a job that would help pay for school, but again that wasn't meant to be. However, my job was very,very flexible with my schedule and worked around my classes so I could still work full-time. Who knows if I would've ever gotten the chance to go and pay for grad school had it not been for my job. 

Lesson #6: Be thankful for every experience.

More than two years later, I still don't know why I don't have a job. When I look back at the last few years of my life, I can't help but to think that it will one day happen, hopefully sooner than later. Everything seems to eventually fall into place. Sometimes it's hard to get past the "why is this happening?" phase. I know when I look back at this a few years down the road, it will all make sense, and perhaps even learn a few more life lessons. I don't see it now, but I know that everything happens for a reason. 

Ever had a time when things worked out? 

P.S. For more information on ovarian cancer or how to support please go to: www.ovarian.org

Slow Down

"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop to look around once in a while, you could miss it." - Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Today I decided to support CommuncationShutdown.org in an effort to bring more awareness for Autism, doing it for my nephew Micah. Taking the day off from social media brings me to another lesson I have slowly been learning.

That lesson is to slow down.

I am the queen of multi-tasking! We all know multi-tasking is an invaluable skill in today's workplace. But lately we've been hearing that multi-tasking may not be so good after all. - Think You're Multitasking? Think Again

I have always been one to juggle many things at one time ever since I can remember. In high school I was class president, played in the band, was in yearbook, and worked a part-time job. In college, I went to school in the mornings and worked a part-time job in the evenings. After I graduated, I worked part-time and took on an internship. Even after I got a full-time job, I eventually went back to grad school, so I worked full-time and took one class at a time. I was always on the go. I thrived at running around and always being busy.

Of course, my actual job also required me to multi-task. I could talk to three different people and do ten different things at the same time and managed to do my job effectively. It’s a great skill to have and everyone relies on you to get things done, because you can!

Lately, I have nothing but time. I've been forced into slowing down. With that time here are some of things I've enjoyed:

• Baking from scratch
• Going for a walk and really enjoy my surroundings
• Appreciating the first warm day after a long, cold winter
• Having a long lunch with a friend
• Getting a full eight hours of sleep
• Reading books I want to read
• Being a tour guide when friends come to visit
• Going to a Cubs game in the middle of the day
• Taking my camera and find inspiration
• Finding free stuff to do
• Renewing old friendships and making new friends
• Having play dates with friends' kids

In your busy life, stop and slow down once in awhile and enjoy life a little more. Unplug from the digital world and join the real world, even just for 24 hours (it can be done!). Spend some quality time with your family and friends. I promise you, you won't regret it!

Do you need to slow down?

Happy(?) 2 Years!

"Today is life - the only life you are sure of. Make the most of today. Get interested in something. Shake yourself awake. Develop a hobby. Let the winds of enthusiasm sweep through you. Live today with gusto." - Dale Carnegie

A friend recently posted this on Facebook - If you were unemployed for 2 years and have a decent money account with no commitments (children and single), what would you be doing those years. Glad to know I’m not the only one going through this! This is how I have been making the most of my days and how I spent the last two years:

Traveling

Oct. 2008 - Vegas

Two years ago I finished my last class towards a MBA and a few days later was my last day at the job I've been at for almost seven years. The next day I went to Vegas to celebrate. I also had a job interview and was hired on the spot. Training started a few days later but my flight home was the next day. Besides, I was not prepared to make that move yet.

One of my only pictures from this trip because my camera decided to die on me.

Dec. 2008 - LA

I had friends getting married in the LA area and found a pretty good last minute deal so off to California I went.

Sitting by a pool for a spa day in Dec! No complaints from me!

Jan. 2009 - Costa Rica

My parents have fallen in love with Costa Rica and decided to buy some property. My sister and I were lucky enough to join my dad to check out the land they were buying.

The house on the property

June 2009 - SF

Another friend was getting married, this time in San Jose. Got to spend a few days hitting up all the tourist spots in San Francisco with my family before the wedding.

Everywhere you look...

June 2009 - Costa Rica

Yes, I was able to Costa Rica twice! This second time was for a mission trip. Had a medical and dental clinic, as well as a kid's crafts area, where I was most of the week. Thought I would remember at least some of my Spanish... that didn't happen!

Kid's craft area

Sept. 2009 - Philippines

My sister had a summer internship in the Philippines, so I went to "pick" her up. Stayed for three weeks and did so much! I wasn't ready to leave yet, and even considered looking for a job here.

The chocolate hills in Bohol

Mar. 2010 - Baltimore

The first adventures of 2010 began visiting friends who live near Baltimore. Since we've been there a few times, our friends take us to new places to explore.

Ellicott City, MD

Apr. 2010 - Columbus

My friends were attending a seminar in Columbus and invited me to go since I still wasn't working. I had never been, so I went along for the ride and got to explore the city.

Short North, Art District

July 2010 - NY

I usually try to travel around my birthday so I can celebrate in another city. This year I was fortunate enough to find a cheap last minute flight. Since this was my first time I tried to hit up the tourist spots.

Rockefeller Center

Oct. 2010 - Aruba

My cousin decided to have a destination wedding. My mom sent me to represent our family!

Baby Beach

And in between a number of long weekends or day trips around the Midwest -Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Missouri.

Developing Hobbies:

Baking

I've always been more of a baker than a cook. I find it somewhat therapeutic frosting a cupcake. I'm not creative enough to make my own recipes but I am excellent at following directions!

Pumpkin Gooey Cupcakes

Photography

I've also always loved taking pictures. Last year I got my first DSLR. Still trying to figure it out, and hoping to take a class very soon.

Making extra cash:

Babysitting

I think it's a huge compliment when parents’ trust me with their kids. It's not easy to find someone you can trust to care for your kids, so I think it's great when I get asked to babysit, and I don’t mind it at all. It's also great to be able to "borrow" these kids but at the end of the day it’s nice when they go home to their parents!

It’s actually been suggested to me to open a daycare… We shall see…

Volunteering:

Mission trip - As mentioned earlier, I was able to go on a mission trip to Costa Rica.

Got to play and color with the kids all week!

Typhoon Ondoy - When I was in the Philippines, a typhoon hit the main island pretty badly. We were on another island at the time and missed the storm. We took one day and visited Marakina, one of the hardest hit cities, to pass out some relief goods.

Marakina

Ignite Fest - I have always loved going to concerts. If I can volunteer and spend a whole two days at a concert, I am there.

Ignite Fest 2010

It may not seem like much, you may think I'm not spending enough time looking for a job. I figure it's only about 100 days out of 730 days. After two years there is only so much you can do, and you start to find other ways to keep entertained and fill your days. Besides, it's these little things that keep me going, helps the time to go by, and helps me to stay positive. I will continue to look for a job, but I’m not going to sit around! I’m going to make the most of this time I am given and live my life with gusto!

If you had no job for two years and had enough money to stay afloat, what would you do?

More musings on time

"The follies which a man regrets most in his life are those which he didn't commit when he had the opportunity." - Helen Rowland

Wow, time does really fly by when you're having fun! Another month is almost done. But for me it's just not another month or another day, but today is my two years of being unemployed! In my last post I asked, what am I doing with the time I'm given? Here is my attempt to answer that...

This job search can be frustrating at times, but I have learned to take each day one day at a time because tomorrow is never really guaranteed to anyone. I wholeheartedly believe that the right job will come along. All I can do is keep applying, networking, interviewing, and applying some more. But in the mean time I will enjoy the time I am given and try not to waste the days away. I will make the most of every opportunity given to me and live my life with no regrets.

Here is what I did in the past six weeks:

 

In mid-September I was lucky enough to have two friends visit, one from the Philippines and one from Honduras. My friend from Honduras has never been this far north so it was fun to show her all of Chicago. My other friend from the Philippines has been here numerous times but it was still fun to find things she hasn't done yet.

So tour guide, I was for two weeks. We started off wandering the city of Chicago. It's been years since I've been up the Sears (will always be Sears) Tower, and was finally able to see and go on the ledge that is 103 stories up. I know I'm a little bit biased, but the views from up there on a clear day are just stunning!

View of Lake Michigan from the 103rd floor

We walked towards Buckingham Fountain and I finally found the eye!

The Eye on State St.

Went up along the lake shore to Millennium Park, then to State St., and finally the obligatory deep dish pizza at Giordano's.

The Bean in Millennium Park

Went to Oak Brook and ended up meeting a Victoria Secret model.

Erin Heatherton

Got free tickets to Drury Lane and watched the musical Hot Mikado. 

Watched Easy A on a Thursday afternoon and got the whole theater to ourselves! 

Introduced them to premade cookie dough. Who knew that was an American thing? Are we really that lazy here? 

Won tickets to the Cubs vs. Cards game!

Wrigley Field

Did the all American fall ritual of apple picking, hay rides, pumpkin farms, apple cider and apple doughnuts.

Golden Delicious at Kuiper's Family Farm

Went to Naperville for Kernel Fabyan's popcorn (I find better than Garrett's) and Joy Yee's bubble tea. 

After all that, I had a few days to pack and I was off to Aruba for nine days my cousin's wedding!

Sunset at Palm Beach

When I got back, I had a few days to plan a surprise party for my parents' birthday and make a diaper cake for a baby shower, which I'm pretty good at making now!

So really work just does not fit into my schedule right now! Just kidding! Had I been working, I wouldn't have the time to do all this. But trust me, I would much rather be working, I know it's crazy, but I miss structure and the pressures and challenges of a job.

If you were given the opportunity, what would you do with your free time?

It happens in a blink

"Time is free, but it's priceless. You can't own it, but you can use it. You can't keep it, but you can spend it. Once you've lost it you can never get it back." - Harvey MacKay

Wow, where did September go? And better question, Why am I awake at 4:30 AM?! So this (very) early morning Time is on my mind. Having too much time or lack of it. Where does the time go? I've become an expert at pretending I'm busy. I honestly don't know what I do all day. What am I doing with the time I'm given?

I think I have answers but I'll get to it when I'm fully awake and functioning. To hold you over, I'm leaving you with this song that right now I can't get out of my head. What do you think of it?

Blink by Revive

Teach me to number my days

And count every moment before it slips away

Taking all the colors before they fade to gray

I don't want to miss even just a second more of this

It happens in a blink

It happens in a flash

It happens in the time it takes to look back

I try to hold on tight, but there's no stopping time

What is it I've done with my life

It happens in a blink (2x)

When it's all said and done

No on remembers how far we have run

The only thing that matters is how we have loved

I don't want to miss even just a second more of this

It happens in a blink

It happens in a flash

It happens in the time it takes to look back

I try to hold on tight, but there's no stopping time

What is it I've done with my life

It happens in a blink (x4)

Slow down, slow down

Before today becomes our yesterday

Slow down, slow down

Before you turn around and it's too late

It happens in a blink

It happens in a flash

It happens in the time it takes to look back

I try to hold on tight, but there's no stopping time

What is it I've done with my life

It happens in a blink (x4)