Find me on TUMBLR!

Not that blogger wasn't great and all but I tried out tumblr and I'm really loving it. Find me:

http://curiouschantal.tumblr.com/

I Feel Like Spiderman

I'm living a double life. I have two twitter accounts and two blogs! Fraud?

It began as just a part of an application process to grad school but I soon found out how much I truly enjoyed posting. I only wish I had more time on my hands so that I could do it more often.

When I was applying to Miami Ad School for the copywriting program, one of the assignments was to create a twitter account for a brand and to have at least 20 posts. 20 posts soon turned into 100 posts, a Facebook account and a blog and although I am no longer applying to Miami Ad School, I'm still posting. I began the account for one of my favorite clothing brands Ann Taylor Loft. I am (drum roll) LoftDoll. I use to be a manager at LOFT and although I left, I never stopped loving the clothes and what the company stands for.

I write as LoftDoll, an avid fan, who promotes the brand by letting other fans know about the latest promotions and I also give some tid bits I learned from my time working there. My friends and family know me as the local fashionista and while I don't go crazy and wear every look from the runway, I do play with accessories, bold prints and new styles that not everyone may be daring enough to wear.

I have close to 90 followers now and while adding to the bunch may take time, I'm having fun just writing and thinking of new ways to introduce LoftDoll and "her" thoughts to others.

So follow me @LoftDoll and check out LoftDoll's blog at: http://loftdoll.tumblr.com/

Post-Graduation

Seems like the second I put my cap and gown on and turned the tassel from right to left I’ve been asked the same question over and over again. “So, what’s next?”  I graduated on Monday morning and I would jokingly respond, “Usually Tuesday,” or “Lunch.”

I’m the kind of person that always has a plan, a back-up plan and the back-up plan for the back-up plan. Yes, I have a plan A, B, C, D and E.  So while I was able to answer the question well, I can’t help but think of the recent grads that have to respond, “I don’t know.”

It’s an awful question to ask really because a person can either respond in a way that will make it sound like they have everything under control or they will sound like they’re completely lost.

With the job market the way it is, most grads have to respond that they are looking for a job and everyone wishes them luck knowing the hard road ahead. My Facebook  newsfeed has become a forum for recent grads to complain about not being able to find a job. One that I found amusing was a status update reading, “Searching for jobs because they ain’t searching for me.” While humorous, a recent grad commented on his status, “Same here, you’d think a master’s degree would help but it doesn’t.”  That person did what many are doing which is to go to graduate school in hopes of  having more job opportunities with a higher degree or “waiting it out” until the job market improves.

According to USA Today, in 2010 only 44% of employers planned to hire recent college grads. It faces a decline every year so I’m sure that number is even lower now for 2011.  It is what it is so Class of 2011, let’s go out there and hunt for our dream job, or something like it.  

"Today I don't feel like doing anything,"

     "....I just want to lay in my bed." Bruno Mars knows what I'm feeling. My alarm went off at about 6:45 AM and my brain turned on about 15 minutes later. Its first thought was, "Augh, I don't want to go to class today." I then rolled over and pressed the snooze button. While I snoozed, I couldn't help but think,"At least there are only three weeks left of waking up early for class."
     My eyes then opened when I realized that if I do get into the graduate program of my dreams, I'll be doing this for the next two years. "Maybe I should re-think grad school," was my next thought, "but then I'll have to wake up early every day for work."
     After careful deliberation and a bowl of fruit loops for breakfast I came to the conclusion that my first choice is still the right choice and I'll be going to grad school this Fall (upon my acceptance to my dream school).

Should I write this in my application essay when they ask, "What made you decide to further your education with our program?"

"Well... there was this morning..."

What's in a name?

     I've heard of people changing the names of their pets but never changing the names of their children, that was until yesterday anyway. It was in the middle of my average day working the registers when in between a few beeps and a couple of, "Have a nice days," I over heard a co-worker tell a customer that her friend changed her baby's name when he was five months old. 

     I'm surprised my neck didn't snap off with how fast I turned around to say, "Are you serious?" She smiled and said, "Well it's not like the kid will ever know the difference. One day my friend decided that her baby didn't look like a Jonathan and he actually looked like a Thomas." I decided to butt out of her friend's business and ended the conversation with an "I guess so."

     I can't help but think, what happened to the letters on his wall. You know those letters in 99% of nurseries that spell out the baby's name. Where did those letters go? Did they re-use the "A" to cut costs? What about the birth certificate?

     I keep thinking, if one set of parents did this, i'm sure they're not alone. Imagine how many re-named kids there are out there! Another thought is, what if you went from a good name to a bad name? Does that mean the parents thought less of the child. 

     Imagine you start off as Ace, a name associated with winning and being skilled, to a name like Eugene, often thought of as a "nerdy" name. Names are important. I was supposed to be an Ashley, but luckily half of my hispanic family couldn't pronounce it so I became Chantal. 

ROAD TRIP

     When I was a little girl, I would watch movies like Crossroads, starring Britney Spears, and I would tell myself, "When I'm older I'm going to drive a red mustang, look like Britney Spears and have a road trip with my friends." Finally, one of them is going to come true!

     This will be the first summer I'm not taking a class, working full-time or in an internship in four years! With this new found freedom comes time to travel! My friends and I will take a road trip to who knows where. Hopefully it will be to serve as a celebration that we all got into great grad school programs (so far one of us has, two more to go). 

      North Carolina is in discussion but think of all the places in between Miami and North Carolina! The road will be long and I'm sure one of us will be cranky at more than one point but I can't wait. 

I'm Graduating. Here's the Proof

This week's excitement revolves around none other than my upcoming graduation. I purchased all of my graduation memorabilia and said cheese for a picture. In a little over a month I will have a degree! The next focus is how to decorate my cap. Yes, it's time to pull out my handy dandy hot glue gun and put something bright and shiny on my head so that I may stand out in the sea of navy blue gowns. I could do the traditional "Hi Mom!" or "We Did It!" but I'm thinking of doing something more unique. Looks like I'll be making a trip to Michaels very soon.