Follow Your Yellow Brick Road!

Posted by Lady Mel On Tuesday, June 29, 2010 8 comments

The "You are Going Places" Award! Ray J, you should not have! Thanks hun! This award could not have come at a better time. I am a bit of a rut. Last week, I told you about my YouTube Culture and Trends Editor position dilemma. When I heard the job was filled through a Google recruiter,  I feel like I am going nothing in my life. You can take a look at my blog to get a glimpse of my bumpy road.

Since this discovery, I have been thinking quite profoundly about my future. In my mind. On the computer. Everywhere I cross. I do not know when recruiters will finally realize that I am more than a resume and interviewee. Perhaps, I am not doing enough to get their attention on my part. I just have to work a bit smarter, bolder, quicker, and harder to get what I want in life. Reinvention is a continuous cycle for me.

Despite my shortcomings, I always see the positive side at the end of the yellow brick road. Whether you are in circumstances worse and more incomprehensible than my own, if Dorothy got home with her red, glittery shoes, then you can click your heels three times hard enough to achieve your goals.

I appreciate that there are people out there like Ray-J and my social media family that are rooting for me to succeed. I am going places and with my witty charm and determination, there is no point in stopping me.

The main rule of this award was to answer the question: Where I will see myself in ten years?....Such as a vague question to begin a conversation with. What would a random person say?

Random person: Omg, I want to live in a big house out in the country with children and live happily after.

I am one of those people out there that don't have a year or 5 year plan all laid out because life is unpredictable. I do keep a weekly plan, my New Years Resolution, monthly goals, and blogging resolution, but I do not live by them each and every second of my life. Things happen that are out of my control. It is best to work your life around your goals. Have goals, not objectives; goals that are realistic and idealistic with a bit of flexibility thrown in.

So for instance, if you want to be an astronaut, you can be and there is no stopping you, but you have to understand that there are events that will be beyond our control. What if down the road a loved one passes away or a freak accident profoundly impacts the rest of your life and your goals? Did you have that listed on your 5-year plan? Think about it.


But I must answer the question. In 10 years, I would like to see myself out of my parent's house INDEFINITELY, a stable and innovative career that takes me out of my comfort zone, includes traveling of some sort, and helps me market the next generation of Internet and creative projects, an amazing NY loft, money to invest in and the opportunity to show the world that I am the baddest bitch out there. (Excuse my french! :D) And if this also counts, I sometimes imagine myself running the most influential and wealthiest company in the world and using that capital to save the world from yet another economic depression.

So where do I from here? Continue with my volunteer work, rebuild my skills and resume, network with more people, and use all my sheer power to impress the recruiters long enough to love me. And since I am a lovable, amazing Smithie with dreams and determination, I will never know what life has in store for me!

How do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years? 20 years?

Picture of the Week

Posted by Lady Mel On Saturday, June 26, 2010 4 comments

The Super Comments Award!

Posted by Lady Mel On Wednesday, June 23, 2010 0 comments

Yes, I know. I'm awesome like that. Ray J has given me another blogger's award. This time it is The Super Comments Award! I am very delighted to receive this award. I want to thank her for this award and I appreciate her geekiness. I think that when you are a part of a wider blogging community, commenting on people's blog is one way to build online relationships and leverage with other bloggers and your followers.




To continue this legacy, I want to first nominate three bloggers that have made the most comment contributions to my blog in the past several months. These three individuals are:


Johanna from The Mercurial Wife
Anhari from Insomniac Lolita
Mrs. M from Slacker Chic

Mrs. M was there from the beginning. She was actually the very first person to comment on my blog! I have also nominated every one else. Yes, you get a Super Comments Award! And you get a Super Comments Award! You guys are my honorable mentions! Even if you posted just one comment, you are still a winner. Without your support, I would be nothing. The rules for each recipient of this award are: 
  1. Thank the person who nominated you.
  2. Copy the award. Paste it in your blog.
  3. Link to the person who gave you this award.
  4. Answer the 10 questions that come with the award.
  5. Nominate of few of your favorite bloggers for the award.
The ten questions can be on Ray-J's blog. I will answer those questions on a later post, preferably this Friday because I have a lot on my plate this week and that I want to write a thoughtful response for each question. Congratulations to the nominees. I encourage more people to participate and contribute to this blog and I will do my best to produce better content for you to comment and discuss amongst yourselves. Have a nice day! :D

Bad News, Another One Bites the Dust?

Posted by Lady Mel On Monday, June 21, 2010 2 comments

Hey everyone. I miss the sound of the keyboard as I stroke the keys to create another amazing blog post. All last week I was busy with my volunteer work and I did not have the time or energy to write more blog posts.  I promise that this week I will write up to three blog posts. I have everything planned out there ahead of schedule. I should have written a blog post last week stating that I was on another mini break, but it is too late.

Anyhow, I have some rather bad news. On June 16th, I found this amazing job opportunity, the You Tube Culture and Trends Editor position on Linkedin.com. I was so excited because I love new media and was in the process of completing the online job application. Last night and I will never forget this. I was talking to my mom in the dining room about the job position and she was like "Honey, I hope you get it done. You never know whether or not the job won't be there anymore." I confidently stated that Google/You Tube usually have their jobs posted within a one-month time frame minimum and that I had plenty of time to apply. Turns out, this morning as I was searching Linkedin.com and Google Jobs, I learned that Google/You Tube were no longer accepting job applications...... I felt a sharp pain in the back of my head from that moment on.


So here is my dilemma. I can walk away from the accident or use this opportunity to get things done. I scheduled a Wednesday phone interview with a friend of mine at the Smith College Career Development Office to review my resume and cover letter, but I might instead have him look at my resume, so it can be ready to go when the next job opportunity comes. I will try my very best to connect with a YouTube recruiter on Linkedin so that he or she could look over my job application. I am not backing away from this opportunity. I know what it feels to be unheard and I will not allow this one position slip away from me. God, I sound like someone who is eager to confess her love to her love interest. Hollywood, do not take my idea please! When you are passionate about something, you don't let a good opportunity pass you by. Otherwise, there is nothing in life worth fighting for.

I would like you to answer these questions because I need some guidance!

Were you in a similar situation beforehand? How did you handle this situation? Were there any consequences?

Picture of the Week

Posted by Lady Mel On Friday, June 18, 2010 4 comments

Eleven are dead, why?
Millions of barrels are spilled
The hands of greed, why?

I apologize for not posting anything yesterday. I was celebrating my birthday with a close friend in the Big Apple! We spend several hours at David and Busters and shopping around Times Square yesterday! It was fun, but then I realized that you need $$ to buy things in NYC, which I did not have a lot of. This experience has motivated me to find a part-time, paying job!

On Tuesday, my department treated me to lunch at iHop and on Wednesday, my sister and I saw "Sex and the City 2" and "Get Him to the Greek" for my birthday. All interesting movies in their own special and unique way, but I will say is that P.Diddy in the latter movie was unfunny and condescending and Jonah Hill looks like a fat guinea pig. Overall, I celebrated my birthday went quite well and I hope to be more open-minded and fearless next year.


In other news.......

Last Sunday, I saw the 2010 MTV Movies Awards and I was quite disappointed. None of my predictions came true. The Twilight franchise took five awards: Best Kiss, Best Male Performance, Best Movie, Best Female Performance, and Global Superstar. I think I have had it with Twilight. I have seen the first two movies. There were less than average movies. The voting influence and power of teenie boopers and middle aged women these days is frightening to my ears. Twilight has made the MTV Movies Award a joke at a time when MTV has become a joke. Surprisingly, Ellipse is coming out on June 30th and I am not look forward to watching it.


I hate Twilight people.

However, I am looking forward to the third season of True Blood on HBO tomorrow night! I AM SO EXCITED and here is why:
  • John Manganiello's Alicide is one hot sex on a stick. Jacob who?
  • This season premieres four days after my birthday. Late birthday present!
  • The show is bringing "sexy werewolves back" on the show, unlike Underworld, The Vampire Diaries and Twilight. Alicide is probably the sexiest one of them all.
  • The growing sexual tension between Sookie and Eric. I want hot make-out scenes.
  • A possible love quadrangle between Sookie, Alicide, Bill, and Eric?
  • The actors on the show have amazing chemistry together and are trained professionals. For instance, Anna Paquin is an Academy award-winning actress, while Rutina Wesley went to Juilliard. 
  • The show is unpredictable, despite the typical love story. Remember, Maryann's dark influence over Bon Temp in season 2? She was one crazy bitch...
True Blood has it all: great actors, amazing characters, great plot developments, and it has only been two seasons so far. I just hope this season's finale was better than last season's. True Blood is on a whole another level than the Twilight franchise.


Finally, my Picture of the Week!

Happy Birthday To Me!

Posted by Lady Mel On Wednesday, June 9, 2010 3 comments

Woot! I turn 23 today! Yay for me! Off to celebrate with my sister! Tell you guys my birthday experiences later.

Before I go, this is my birthday anthem this year: Birthday by Japan's pop duo, Roundtable featuring Nino! Enjoy.

Tech Diva: With Facebook Comes Great Responsibility

Posted by Lady Mel On Tuesday, June 8, 2010 2 comments

A teenager's alarm clock goes off in the wee hours of the morning. She stretches and yawns as she gets up from her slumber. You would think she would go straight to the bathroom to take a shower or brush her teeth. Nope. She picks up her iPhone 3GS phone from the nightstand and checks her latest Facebook updates. Forty-five minutes has passed. She is almost ready to go to school, but before she jets out the house, she takes one last picture. This has become her morning ritual. She strikes a scandalous pose. She bears her flat bottom or cleavage, but she is a hipster and must creatively channel her Twilight, teenage appeal in front of her iPhone and onto her Facebook profile. Did I mention that she is looking for a summer job?

Facebook has come under fire lately for its new Facebook privacy changes, changes that I cannot fathom at this moment because 1.) I use Facebook daily and could be possibly deceived by Facebook's antics. 2.) I see both sides of this net neutrality/privacy controversy. I use Facebook to post blog posts, pictures, and comments, but I make sure that my actions are appropriate for everyone and don't undermine or jeopardize me from obtaining a future job or network opportunity.


Critics do not want their digital footprints to be publicized and used by Facebook or other affiliated Facebook companies. Others continue to create new accounts every day and are continuing to share their information with friends, family, and their other Facebook networks. My question is to not to ask you whether or not Facebook is a capitalist enterprise, set to monetize on your personal information. We all should know that answer.

My question to you out there using Facebook is why in the world would many of you post raunchy photos and comments about your boss when you know that Facebook and everyone with a Facebook account could read them? You as the consumer is responsible for what you say on the Internet. You do not have to use social media. You do not have to log in every second to see your friend's status change from married to single. You can delete your Facebook right now at this very moment. You can try to live a life without social media and the personalization of data. But do not blame Facebook for your inconsiderate behavior and the amount of information you reveal. That was a conscious choice.You are responsible for your online presence and reputation.

Remember the teenager I mentioned earlier? She did not get any job interviews greatly because recruiters and hiring managers googled her horrible Facebook profile and declined to interview her. Do you want to end up as her? I have two great resources for you to check out:
  • If you want to take the first steps to learning how to construct a good Facebook profile on your own terms, read this article here.
  • Also, Jim Hopkinson from the Hopkinson Report draws some great insight on how Facebook, with all the criticism it has been getting in the last several months, might become the next social fad.


What do you think about Facebook and its privacy platform? Will you delete your Facebook profile? Are there any alternative social media sites (not talking about Twitter or Linkedin) that offer readers with more privacy options than Facebook?

Picture of the Week

Posted by Lady Mel On Friday, June 4, 2010 2 comments


June Madness: Oh What A Month!

Posted by Lady Mel On Thursday, June 3, 2010 2 comments

Hey everyone! I know you guys missed me. I was enjoying my Memorial Day Weekend a little bit much. I won't kiss and tell. Anyway, I am here to get back to my current routine. I want to start this month with a question. June 9th is my 23rd birthday and I want to celebrate it the best I can. I want to celebrate it in NYC specially in Times Squares and I hear David and Busters is a cool place. What are your views of the David & Busters in Times Squares and do you know any other interesting things or places I can experience in Times Squares? I picked NYC because NJ is boring.


Here is this month's plan:


                                                                    June Plan 
1. Blog up to two times a week.
2. Write interesting and engaging blog posts.
3. Celebrate my 23rd birthday the best way possible.
4. Look for a paid, part-time internship.
5. Build my resume and skills with the volunteer opportunity I already have.
6. Build my French and Japanese language skills.
7. Lose between 5 to 10 pounds.
8. Study for Driver's License Test.
9. Reconnect with my college and high school friends.


Secondly, lets review with I did last month:


May Plan

1. Blog as least twice a week since I am volunteering now (First day was yesterday! ^_^.) 
2. Network and gain experience as a volunteer worker at the New Jersey Medical Center.
3. Make sure my skills are helpful and beneficial for the UMDNJ/NJMS communities.
3. Prove to Apple retail staffers/recruiters that I am their it-girl (Apple recruiting seminar/hiring event, and possible one-on one interview.) 
4. Go out and have fun!
5. Take pictures at the Bamboozle Music Festival and post them on blog.
5. Practice more French and Japanese.
6. Get something for mom's birthday (5/23) and Mother's Day.
7. Start saving money.
8. Make hard decisions on my own (BF and AR).
9. Study for Driver's License Test.
10. Lose between 5 to 10 pounds. (Less fatty foods, more fruits and vegetables and water)

What are your goals for this month?