Monday, March 28, 2011

Spring Break!

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We have successfully completed the Winter quarter, and now we can enjoy a week off from classes and have a relaxing spring break! Congratulations to those who just finished their last quarter and will be graduating shortly and of course to everyone who will be graduating next month! I myself am getting very close to that moment, but I will try not to rush it anymore than I already am!

By now you should have seen all of your grades and hopefully you are happy with them! I know I am very happy with mine! Next quarter I will be taking 5 classes, so that I stay on track with graduation. It seems like the classes I am taking are going to be a lot of work, but I am up for the challenge. It's just nice to finally be able to take a breather.

As for my internship, I just received paperwork the other day from Career Services in which I need to submit a letter from the company I am interning at and then some other papers so that they can approve it. So far, I have just been working there 2 full days a week, so that I am able to keep up with my school work and work at my other job. The people there are great and willing to work with me. Once my internship class actually starts in the summer, then I will be taking on more hours so that I can fulfill my 300 credit hours. Right now, I am just getting use to their system and learning some new programs such as InDesign and Photoshop. They do a lot of graphic design to market their products and also to make brochures and things of that sort. While I won't be dealing with graphics as much, they still feel it's beneficial to learn and will be helpful to take along with me when I begin my search for a job. I have to say it's pretty awesome working in a marketing department because everything you learn about in all the different classes, comes up again when you're working within the department. The days just seem to fly by when I am there and I really do enjoy it!

I have to also take some time to express my sympathy towards those in Japan. My boyfriend and I were watching the news last night and we saw that Japan had another tsunami warning. All I could do was put my hand over my mouth because I was in such shock for them. It turns out that there was another earthquake...about 6.5 this time, and they had to issue a warning because they weren't sure what was going to happen. Luckily, two hours after they released the warning and no major waves were spotted. I just feel so sorry for these individuals. I have yet to turn on the news this morning, but I sure do hope that the radiation problems get solved and that they can begin trying to get their feet back on the ground. My heart goes out to all those families over in Japan!

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I hope everyone has an enjoyable Spring Break and see you in a week!! :)

Saturday, March 19, 2011

What a week! Time to enjoy the weekend!

My week began with celebrating my 21st birthday! YAY! And then, if my week couldn't get any more exciting, I started my internship! I kept saying, "Man, I turn 21 and my life already changes for the better!" It's just so crazy how so many new life changing things are happening and it's just really exciting for me!! So that explains why I have been missing in action this past week!

I know, I know, you want to hear ALL about the internship! Well for starters, this company has a big project they are working on that they will be taking to Chicago, so there were a lot of powerpoints to get done for approval, and just a lot of promotional things in the mix as to what would and wouldn't work! While I wasn't involved in the promotional activity talk, I worked on formatting and getting the powerpoints ready for approval since there were about 11 powerpoints that had to be put together, pictures swapped, pictures saved as different files, a lot of formatting, and just a ton of stuff that I enjoy doing. Like I said, I love creativity, so being able to take on the powerpoints was exciting for me. So I put in two full days this week, Wednesday and Friday and was able to successfully meet a deadline for all of those to be done and ready to be sent over to the boss.

It's cool to finally be working in a company where I am considered part of the marketing team and can really get involved. As I stated, I am starting REALLY early, but it's experience and will prepare me for bigger and better things, so I am really excited to be getting involved!

The Winter Quarter is about to wrap up this week, are you excited?! I know I am because now that means Spring is coming, which means nicer weather and one quarter closer till I graduate! Next quarter I am swamped with classes, but I need to have them done before my summer quarter. Busy is better than nothing, so I'll just have to deal with it fair and square!

I also got some other good news this week too, I won a $20 gift card to the bookstore for simply voting for the Berkeley Video Challenge. I was shocked when I was tagged in a post saying I won because I didn't even think twice about it. I received the gift card in the mail yesterday and now it will help with my books for the Spring quarter! YAY!

If you have finals this week, GOOD LUCK to you! Many of you may have finished up last week, but in the event that you didn't, study hard and end the quarter with a great big A!

Well I am off to go pack and then I am headed to Atlantic City bright and early Sunday morning! YAY! Have a GREAT weekend everyone!

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Time to Change Your Clocks This Weekend: Spring Ahead, Fall Back!

Yes, that’s right! That dreaded time of the year where we lose an hour of sleep is here again! Although it only takes about a week to get use to it, it’s still a big pain to adjust to!

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Let me ask you this though: Have you ever wondered what the history behind Daylight Saving Time is? Believe it or not, daylight savings time was established in the United States during a very important event in society known as World War I. This was implemented to save energy for war production by taking advantage of the later hours of daylight which occurs between the months of April and October. The government also required the states to observe this particular time change during World War II as well. After the war and even the time in-between, the states had a choice to decide if they wanted to observe Daylight Saving Time of not. By 1966, Congress passed the Uniform Time Act, which standardized the length of daylight savings time.

Since that time, Daylight Saving Time has actually been extended four weeks longer due to the passing of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 which extended the length by four weeks. It begins the second Sunday of March and ends the first Sunday of November, in which we then set the clocks back and enjoy that extra hour of sleep again! The point of extending the length of the event by four weeks was with hopes that it would save 10,000 barrels of oil each day through reduced use of power by businesses in the daylight hours. Unfortunately, there is really no way to determine if there is any energy being saved based on the length of the event.

So while most of us observe Daylight Saving Time, there are a select few who don’t, which include Arizona, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, and American Samoa. The reasoning is because they are closer to the equator and the days are way more consistent in length throughout the year.

It’s a very interesting event to learn about, and now you walk away knowing a little bit more about the event that we observe! So remember, this weekend clocks move forward by one hour! Yes, you can all sigh now!

So on to some exciting news! I went for my internship interview the other day and it was a success! I will be starting as early as next week! Yes, I know, I'm pushing it now! I am really looking forward to it and will be involved in a big project with the marketing department, so it will be right up my alley! Although I will be starting earlier, it will give me a lot of experience and give me time to start exploring new and exciting things. I will not be there full time, so I will be able to still keep my current job and have the time to complete all my school work, which is a good thing! It's all about time management now and also learning new things! Reality is setting in, that's for sure! It's a new chapter in my life, so time to take it all in!

Another exciting thing in life is my birthday on Monday! The big 21st birthday! 21 and already getting a big girl job!! Happy Early Birthday to me!

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I hope everyone enjoys the rest of their week, enjoys their weekend, and remember, you lose an hour of sleep, so don't be too discouraged! I did warn you all! :)






Sunday, March 6, 2011

How's It Going??

It's hard to believe that in 2 weeks our quarter will be complete! Bring it on Week 10! I have some pretty exciting news to start off my week! Tomorrow I will be going in for my first internship interview. Yes, it is a little early for me, but this company would like to bring me on board a little earlier and I couldn't be more excited! This will also give me the chance to start working within my major, which is marketing, and I can start gaining some experience for my future jobs. Fingers crossed that my nerves don't get the best of me! So far so good though!

For those of you wondering about the internship process, I contacted Career Services to double check and make sure that I could indeed begin earlier. The thing is, even though I am starting it earlier, I need to make sure that it runs until the end of my summer quarter, which is when I will be enrolled in the internship class. I am unable to participate in the class until it is my actual time to do the internship. To my knowledge, you need to obtain 300 credit hours at your place of interning over the course of 12 weeks. The internship needs to also be in line with your major. You don't want to just intern anywhere. You want to make sure you can take what you have been learning and apply it to your job.

I will keep everyone posted on how everything goes. I am so excited and nervous at the same time, but this is the start to my future! Tomorrow I put my skills to the test in the interview area and give it my all!

So as we approach the end of the quarter, I like to remind everyone to stay on top of their work and if you need tutoring, please contact the Academic Support Center and seek tutoring! They are ALWAYS there for you, and they can really benefit you in the long run, so check it out!

I hope everyone had a great weekend and look out for my updated information about my internship! Fingers crossed! :)