Graduation.

FINALLY!!
I'm back!! So much has happened since I last posted. I literally had the title of my next blog "Graduation" with an introduction but never got around to finishing it. I have had the chance to do some really fun trips and would like to start keeping a record of things for myself, and I hope they are interesting enough for you to read too!

On Monday November 21, 2011.... my course finally had our graduation ceremony!! YAY. We actually recieved our results in October but it was still a nice feeling that is official. I am not really into formal ceremonies, the main reason being my last name starts with a "W" so it always takes forever for it to be my turn to stand up and walk across the stage.

The ceremony was in Royal Festival Hall which is located right near the Thames so it had an amazing view. It was nice for everyone to celebrate with our families.


Afterwards, a group of us went out to dinner to celebrate with a proper British meal, at a bistro pub called, Fire Station. I absolutely LOVE this place, everytime I have been I always seem to find something good to eat. Also they do the best "chips" (chunky french fries). They are a little bit crispy on the outside and fluffy & potatoe-y on the inside. Yum!!! I highly recommend this place for a midweek meal because it's so easy to get a table in the resturant but it's a really fun after work atmosphere.

Quarter Life Crisis, #2?

Last August, I turned 25, and I guess I can say I did experience the phenomenon of a quarter life crisis.

 I quit my job, went back to University, and moved to a new country.

If you're lucky enough to be younger than me & are curious then you should probably check out this website: http://www.esm.vt.edu/~sdross/text/quarterlifecrisis.html

I thought the whole quarter life crisis thing was a joke but apparently there is some truth to it. According to an article in the Guardian, "Being twentysomething now is scary – fighting millions of other graduates for your first job, struggling to raise a mortgage deposit and finding time to juggle all your relationships." <-- whole article


Awesome. So now I am 26, I should have everything all figured out, right?  I guess, you'll have to keep checking my posts. But... I can tell you i had a really fun 26th birthday!  Turning 26 was a much less stressful experience, even down to the party!


I keep trying to explore different parts of the city & try new restaurants but sometimes that is hard when I find one that I LOVE! For my birthday dinner my mom, my American friend Audrey & I  went to a place called Caffe Vergnano ! It is AMAZING. I have not been to Italy yet, but to me it seems really authentic. Our server was from Italy, and even the dryer in the bathroom was an Italian product. We shared a bottle of Proseco (Italian version of champagne), bruschetta, and I had seafood pasta. My favorite course was, of course, dessert & I had tiramisu. I look incredibly bloated in all my pictures we took after that but... I think it was worth it. 


Afterwards, we went to a place called The Sugar Cane in Clapham ! It was really fun, and I have not been anywhere like it in London! It is has a Tikki-Bar theme, two floors, and really yummy drinks. They actually had an amazing special of two for 1, £6 cocktails! It was a little out of the way, but it was nice not to have the Central London prices, places for everyone to sit, and skipping waiting in a long "queue" to get into the bar.  


It was an especially fun evening because a few international university friends came as well as new friends who are local Brits. It's always nice to see your friends meet & get along with your other friends. Hopefully, one day I will be somewhere where Undergrad, Post Grad, Work, High School and British friends can all be in one place, although, I am not sure everyone would be able understand each other. 

top 5 things I wish I knew before starting my Masters!

1. Do not buy the books before the first day of class

When I was in high school or in undergrad I felt like it was important to show up to class having brought all the required texts on the syllabus. The majority of professors this year, however, did not follow textbooks exactly or used a vast amount of supplemental material. One professor even said, "Do not buy that book even though it says required on the syllabus." What a waste of money. I would recommend waiting until the first class to make sure you actually need to drop the £70 at the book store. Also, the library has copies of any book so you can always borrow them

 *important note do not depend on a library text book during exams because it wont be there!

2. You can add more money to your student card online
One of the biggest dilemma's any student faces at Uni Westminster is the terrible printers. The school just doesn't have enough! On due dates there are lines out of the door! DO not wait until the last minute to print something! Most people rely on getting change and manually adding it to their cards with the machine. Guess what will happen:

It is much easier to to do it with a card online, just remember to bookmark the page when you are not in a panic because it can be tricky to find it.

 https://isls-tcs1.wmin.ac.uk/balance-uow/balanceentry.jsp

3. It is not embarrassing to ask someone their name
Coming here I have been exposed to many new names and last names. In the beginning it was hard for me to pronounce many of them. I would normally ask them to repeat it but after the first time time I was embarrassed. Guess what, if you are struggling with someone's name... someone else is most likely having a tough time too. It is slightly embarrassing in the first 5 minutes to ask them again but it is 10 million times more embarrassing when you are trying to introduce them to someone else at a later date. Asking them how to spell it can help, and if you still cant get it then give them a nickname :)

4. You NEED to practice before you give a presentation
I am pretty comfortable presenting in front of a group, and public speaking doesn't scare me the way it used to. Even when you are in a group with members that are good at speaking, make sure you schedule time to go though your presentation a minimum of 5 times. It is important to have transitions and most importantly TIMING. Professors are picky about the timing.

5.Think really really carefully before you chose a dissertation topic
This one seems self explanatory. Of course, but take it a step further than choosing something that you are interested in, or have experience in. It helps to really be thorough in determining that you can find enough data, and you will be able to write the 15,000 words. Quite a few of my classmates & I decided to change topics after receiving our proposals back. This is not the end of the world but obliviously takes away time and is stressful.

Royal Wedding!!

People from back home keep asking me about Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding.  At first, I wasn't very excited. What exactly does the Royal Family do? Not a lot of Brits have been able to give me a satisfying answer. Most people simply say that the family is good for attracting tourists which is important income!

I watched the movie The King's Speech but this didn't really help either...but I did enjoy it!

But then it happened! Little by little, I have become really really interested in all things Royal Wedding related. I read all the stories, look at magazines, and am even considering getting a hat. Stores are selling memorabilia even pillows with their faces and even THESE (&%&??!!)

My fascination, I think, happened because I love Kate Middleton. I love learning about her dress (one of my friends has a friend who knows the designer!) and what she is up to now that she is about to be a Royal.

I love learning about her because there are more and more things that I like. She shops at Top Shop, at one point worked a 9-5 job, goes to the gym.... ok, I guess that's where the similarities between us end.

Richard Lowe, head of retail and wholesale at Barclays Corporate says: “Kate Middleton is expected to do for many British high street names what Michelle Obama did for J Crew in the US. Shoppers really
get inspired by these big glossy images of her in styles which are very accessible.”

I recently found out that Lifetime has made a movie about the story of William & Kate so for all of you back home who wont be able to get near Westminster Abbey can watch THIS!

Some Events

This year my uni has really encouraged us to attend as many events as possible to learn about different industries and most importantly, network.  Some of them were really interesting and fun!

Professors and our class representatives have planned several Marketing Symposiums each semester. Different speakers have come just to speak to our program!

Some pictures: (I actually got these from the blog: (http://mbsmarketingthinktank.blogspot.com/)

In the past few weeks I also attended:

Technology for Marketing and Advertising Exhibition 

We talked to different venders, and heard several different speakers. The two I enjoyed most were Boots and Acuity.

Boots is basically an equivalent CVS or a Rite Aide. They have cosmetics, pharmacy, grooming products, odds and ends like that. At home, Target actually carries "Number 7" make-up.  The Boots speaker told us all about their loyalty card program which was really interesting.

With information they collect on the cards they are able to figure out who is shopping in their stores and want they want!  They know so much they offer different specials tailored to each location.

This is the Boots ad I have seen the most:

Acuity http://www.acuity-ets.com/

is a company that specializes in eye tracking! They use glasses to follow what your eyes focus on when you look at an ad. 

Last week I attended the the  international food & drink event (IFE). One of the professors at University of Westminster had a stand promoting a beverage called fresco. I had the best time! Different vendors brought their products from literally all over the world. I made the mistake of not eating lunch before but by the end I was actually full from trying different samples.  Some pictures:

London Fashion Week

Finally, an update!

Two weeks ago I had the chance to go to a really exciting event, LFW!! It was held at Somerset House which is huge & beautiful. Here's a link to learn more about the actual building, http://www.somersethouse.org.uk/about_somerset_house/. 

 I was really impressed with all the lights & I am searching for more pictures!  

Entrance to Fashion Week:

Of course, all the important people see the real runway shows in the daytime during the week, so sadly, no celebrity sightings.  The show we saw featured 3 popular designers & one of them actually made the costumes for the movie Black Swan!! (On a side note, I really enjoyed that movie and if you haven't seen it... you should!!)

One of my favorite things that I learned about is "color blocking" which is really in! It is when you wear very bright colors that clash. Since my absolute favorite pieces in my wardrobe are LBD's this was a little new & I decided to try it! 

Models Color Blocking

ME! color block-ing on the runway

As you can see from the picture room was pretty small so we had a really good view! It was interesting to see the models. The presenter made a point to tell the audience that the designers had deliberately chosen to use models of all sizes. This was probably in response to the Size 0 Debate as fashion designers received negative attention for only using very very very thin models.  

After watching the show & seeing the women up close we all decided that we are glad we are not models. It seems very difficult and honestly, they were not as glamourous or pretty as we were expecting. After watching Victoria Secret 2011 Fashion Show I felt a little fat & depressed but in the up close & real life fashion show... I was really glad I had just eaten a huge hamburger! =)

We chose to buy "Gold tickets" which came with free gift bags! Slightly disappointing the contents were a lot of dental products but I love the actual bag :)

SOTU 2011

I watched/read the transcript of the 2011 State of the Union Address this morning. I am always struck by how the President is SO articulate. One of my favorite quotes:

‎"We are part of the American family. We believe in a country where every race and faith and point of view can be found, we are still bound together as one people; that we share common hopes and a common creed; that the dreams of a little girl in Tucson are not so different than those of our own children, and that they all deserve the chance to be fulfilled."- President Barack Obama

I MISS EVERYONE !