Today is the last day of classes. I have one more class and then a midterm tonight, and then I'm off for two weeks. March 17th, St. Patrick's Day, I will be on a flight at a ridiculously early hour in the morning to fly to Florida and then to Abaco, Bahamas, to spend a week on my father's boat with two of my best friends and my family.
I can't imagine being luckier.
I wasn't tying to spread around the news of my trip to many people. I don't like to brag that I'm going on a wonderful and relaxing vacation with some of the best people imaginable. I also hate people saying "wow" and "I'm jealous," especially when their expressions and tones indicate that they are sincerely impressed. Honestly, for a while I wasn't so impressed.
I am very privileged. I don't own a lot of top-designer clothing or products, I don't like in a mansion, I don't have money dripping out of my pockets, but I am very privileged. My father loves sailing. He owns a large catamaran and is frequently taking us on sailing trips around New York and in the Caribbean. My grandparents also live on the beach on Long Island, close to the outlets but just far enough away from the bustle of normal life. In many ways, these retreats from reality keep my entire family sane. However, when something has been handed to you and you accept it without a thought (or has always been there), you sometimes lose sight on how lucky you truly are.
I'm sure that everyone can look at their own lives and see why their lucky. I originally got the idea from a post I found through a friend's blog. Their lists begin with "I'm alive!" How miraculous is that? You are alive and can do anything that you want with your life. Many people forget that.
I'm curious- in what ways are you lucky?
March 11, 2008
March 10, 2008
Switching Gears
What do I want to do? What do I want to do? What do I want to do?
This is an entrepreneurship class. Of course for this course I will be focusing on my pursuit of owning my own business... and if I were to own any business it would be a hotel. I already blogged about why I want to own a hotel-- so much to do with it, many ways to expand, and shear fun of it all-- but I have so many ideas in my head!
What about consulting? My favorite courses in my college career work very well into a career in consulting. The courses, information systems and knowledge management and innovation (taken abroad) have taught me to think critically about things and how important correct systems in place in a business in order to be successful. Of course these will be helpful in my business. You can't fix a business if you are not able to make one yourself... plus entrepreneurship is scary. So much risk. So many chances. So many way you can be rejected. Consulting is a safer bet... and similar in the level of difficulty.
Decisions, decisions.
This is an entrepreneurship class. Of course for this course I will be focusing on my pursuit of owning my own business... and if I were to own any business it would be a hotel. I already blogged about why I want to own a hotel-- so much to do with it, many ways to expand, and shear fun of it all-- but I have so many ideas in my head!
What about consulting? My favorite courses in my college career work very well into a career in consulting. The courses, information systems and knowledge management and innovation (taken abroad) have taught me to think critically about things and how important correct systems in place in a business in order to be successful. Of course these will be helpful in my business. You can't fix a business if you are not able to make one yourself... plus entrepreneurship is scary. So much risk. So many chances. So many way you can be rejected. Consulting is a safer bet... and similar in the level of difficulty.
Decisions, decisions.
March 6, 2008
Business Thesis
As a good business woman, when you see an opportunity, you jump on it, right? But how do you measure whether that opportunity is good? How do you know if it is worth it?
I was presented with the opportunity to join a program in order to do a thesis. The first part of the class is learning out to do a thesis paper (while researching and developing your topic), while the second semester is devoted in the completion of the paper. Is the expertise and the knowledge I will gain doing this paper be enough to outweigh the opportunity costs that I will have?
Its going to be a lot of work, so much time and energy... in a year when all you want to do is be with your friends for one last time before the "real world" hits. I think I'm going to do it. I want a challenge... and this is something that I may not get the opportunity to do again. I will be creating new knowledge, becoming an expert in something that I am interested in... and working with some of the best minds that Fordham has to offer. What a way to end my time here.
Its going to be a lot of work, so much time and energy... in a year when all you want to do is be with your friends for one last time before the "real world" hits. I think I'm going to do it. I want a challenge... and this is something that I may not get the opportunity to do again. I will be creating new knowledge, becoming an expert in something that I am interested in... and working with some of the best minds that Fordham has to offer. What a way to end my time here.
March 2, 2008
The interesting thing about my business is...
If you are to spend your entire life doing something, it should be something you love. Happy people are those who enjoy their jobs, and enjoying your job when you're an entrepreneur is especially important.
I am probably unlike a lot of people who go into entrepreneurship. I love businesses. I say that in the most dorky way possible. I am not over interested in any particular type of business in general, but more interested in the different parts of businesses and how they interact. I would love to speak to CEOs and ask them what makes their businesses successful. What attracts me to becoming an entrepreneur is that I would be able to build something from the start and build it into a successful, smoothly run business- something that I can look at and say, "I helped make that."
So you may ask why I choose the hospitality field. Can I blame Gilmore Girls? I'm just joking. I have two main reasons why I would like to own a hotel: versatility and fun.
I enjoy researching and the prospect of owning a hotel because there is so much that you can do with it. I have talked to different friends of mine, all with very different majors, and we joke around how they all could help out. My best friend joked about owning a day spa. Guess what- a day spa would be great attached to my hotel. I love basketball; if I wanted I could have my own court. If I wanted to learn horseback riding, a stable and a horse would fit in easily if I owned a smaller inn with lots of land.
Yes, all of these add-ons would change my prospective hotel. They would affect location, and dealing with friends is hard to do in business. But they're options, and I love options. I would hate to be told that I could not do something with my business. Hotels vary so much these days that I could possibly get away with anything (tasteful and marketed in the correct manner). I can change and expand as much as I'd like. My job will never be stagnant.
Second is my fascination with designing. I enjoy looking into real estate or even building houses and rooms myself. Making rooms and architecture delightful and comfortable to live in is fun for me. Making a place for other people to visit and sleep would be very stressful and hard, because every one's tastes are very different, but I will find a versatile way to suit the needs of most people staying.
I'm not looking to own a bare-minimum inn (although it may have to start lower-end). I want to provide my customers with a quality experience in a friendly and luxurious atmosphere. Decorating and formulating different ideas to keep customers happy will be a creative and enjoyable experience for me.
I am probably unlike a lot of people who go into entrepreneurship. I love businesses. I say that in the most dorky way possible. I am not over interested in any particular type of business in general, but more interested in the different parts of businesses and how they interact. I would love to speak to CEOs and ask them what makes their businesses successful. What attracts me to becoming an entrepreneur is that I would be able to build something from the start and build it into a successful, smoothly run business- something that I can look at and say, "I helped make that."
So you may ask why I choose the hospitality field. Can I blame Gilmore Girls? I'm just joking. I have two main reasons why I would like to own a hotel: versatility and fun.
I enjoy researching and the prospect of owning a hotel because there is so much that you can do with it. I have talked to different friends of mine, all with very different majors, and we joke around how they all could help out. My best friend joked about owning a day spa. Guess what- a day spa would be great attached to my hotel. I love basketball; if I wanted I could have my own court. If I wanted to learn horseback riding, a stable and a horse would fit in easily if I owned a smaller inn with lots of land.
Yes, all of these add-ons would change my prospective hotel. They would affect location, and dealing with friends is hard to do in business. But they're options, and I love options. I would hate to be told that I could not do something with my business. Hotels vary so much these days that I could possibly get away with anything (tasteful and marketed in the correct manner). I can change and expand as much as I'd like. My job will never be stagnant.
Second is my fascination with designing. I enjoy looking into real estate or even building houses and rooms myself. Making rooms and architecture delightful and comfortable to live in is fun for me. Making a place for other people to visit and sleep would be very stressful and hard, because every one's tastes are very different, but I will find a versatile way to suit the needs of most people staying.
I'm not looking to own a bare-minimum inn (although it may have to start lower-end). I want to provide my customers with a quality experience in a friendly and luxurious atmosphere. Decorating and formulating different ideas to keep customers happy will be a creative and enjoyable experience for me.
February 29, 2008
Be Interesting! and BLOG!
So now I'm averaging about three posts a month. Not bad for a beginner... right?
Apparently wrong.
Russell Davies "teaches" us that you should be doing so much more blogging (and other creative activities) in his blog post, "How to be Interesting." There are two main theories associated with it- Be interested and share with others. Easy enough, right?
I never knew how much time it took to be interesting. I thought that my quirks were good enough tools. However, I suppose these are rules for how the uninteresting becomes interesting.
I think that many of the suggestions he makes is very interesting. A lot of it has to do with getting out into the world and seeing what others take for granted. I believe that taking a camera with you everywhere you go and photographing something each day would be a great idea. With a camera in my hand, I feel transformed and I tend to see the beauty in what I used to think mundane.
The magazine suggestion is interesting as well. Everyone knows that it is good to be a well-rounded person, but the more you learn and discover, the more you have to talk to people about. The better you connect to a person the more they like you (and perhaps think you're interesting). Besides, there is so much in this world that you will never see and never learn if you didn't put in a bit of effort, and how much time does it take to read a magazine? An hour maybe? Great to do on any commute. You might even find a new interest or passion.
These are only two suggestions that I thought I would comment about, but there are others that are equally interesting. The funny thing is, everything comes back to suggestion number 2: Blog. Share. Get your point of view out there. Even if no one is reading it, writing it on paper makes substance to your thoughts. They are put down in an orderly manner (sometimes) and are made more clear than if you just kept them in your head. It is also good practice in conversing. The more you write, the easier it will be to talk... perhaps even about something that you written. And wouldn't it be cool if someone subscribed to your blog? People who actually care about what you say. Now, that's nice.
Apparently wrong.
Russell Davies "teaches" us that you should be doing so much more blogging (and other creative activities) in his blog post, "How to be Interesting." There are two main theories associated with it- Be interested and share with others. Easy enough, right?
I never knew how much time it took to be interesting. I thought that my quirks were good enough tools. However, I suppose these are rules for how the uninteresting becomes interesting.
I think that many of the suggestions he makes is very interesting. A lot of it has to do with getting out into the world and seeing what others take for granted. I believe that taking a camera with you everywhere you go and photographing something each day would be a great idea. With a camera in my hand, I feel transformed and I tend to see the beauty in what I used to think mundane.
The magazine suggestion is interesting as well. Everyone knows that it is good to be a well-rounded person, but the more you learn and discover, the more you have to talk to people about. The better you connect to a person the more they like you (and perhaps think you're interesting). Besides, there is so much in this world that you will never see and never learn if you didn't put in a bit of effort, and how much time does it take to read a magazine? An hour maybe? Great to do on any commute. You might even find a new interest or passion.
These are only two suggestions that I thought I would comment about, but there are others that are equally interesting. The funny thing is, everything comes back to suggestion number 2: Blog. Share. Get your point of view out there. Even if no one is reading it, writing it on paper makes substance to your thoughts. They are put down in an orderly manner (sometimes) and are made more clear than if you just kept them in your head. It is also good practice in conversing. The more you write, the easier it will be to talk... perhaps even about something that you written. And wouldn't it be cool if someone subscribed to your blog? People who actually care about what you say. Now, that's nice.
February 20, 2008
The Tipping Point
Almost more interesting than The Tipping Point, by Malcolm Gladwell's ideas would be the discussions that I have found that surrounded it. I first received my copy from Amazon about a month ago, and it immediately struck me as familiar. I started to read and I knew that I never read the book before, because the concept of a tipping point was very new to me, however I could not shake that I have seen it before. What I thought was that I had it at home and I wasted my money.
Well, it turns out that I did have the book at home, or practically, but I would not call the book a waste of money. I spotted it this summer in my sister's apartment. It seemed interesting to me, but I never picked it up. I asked it about it the last time I was home. She told me that she thought the facts were really interesting and we entered in a discussion. My friend Amy was with me, thought she mostly observed the conversation.
I went back and continued to read. I have since starting the book I have referenced it a few times in conversation. My sister is responsible for over 200 people in her Team In Training group for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society and she informed me that according to research that people are not comfortable in groups of more than 150 people. After 150, communication breaks down. She uses that as the reason she is having difficulties. I've actually have had discussions with my friends on who the connector of the group is. (In college, I think there are a bunch of different connectors. You are constantly meeting different people through different groups/organizations. However, my friend Sara turns out to be a big connector.) Also, I was thinking about those people who know tons of information and try to share it with the world. Their main reason for sharing information is to help, but their information is so well researched that you take their advice almost 100% of the time. I have one of those people in my family. My grandpa is always researching, especially about technology and medical advances, and whatever he sends you, you should look into. He is usually right. Things he has been talking about 10 years ago are now common day. He just has a knack and the research to know what works.
All-in-all I believe that The Tipping Point is a very thought provoking book. Its not only one of those books that you look smart if you mention in an interview, but a book that is easy enough to remember in order to use it in your daily life, as well as a way to think about life. For anyone who has not yet picked up the book, you should. It was the best $10 that I have spent in "textbooks."
Well, it turns out that I did have the book at home, or practically, but I would not call the book a waste of money. I spotted it this summer in my sister's apartment. It seemed interesting to me, but I never picked it up. I asked it about it the last time I was home. She told me that she thought the facts were really interesting and we entered in a discussion. My friend Amy was with me, thought she mostly observed the conversation.
I went back and continued to read. I have since starting the book I have referenced it a few times in conversation. My sister is responsible for over 200 people in her Team In Training group for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society and she informed me that according to research that people are not comfortable in groups of more than 150 people. After 150, communication breaks down. She uses that as the reason she is having difficulties. I've actually have had discussions with my friends on who the connector of the group is. (In college, I think there are a bunch of different connectors. You are constantly meeting different people through different groups/organizations. However, my friend Sara turns out to be a big connector.) Also, I was thinking about those people who know tons of information and try to share it with the world. Their main reason for sharing information is to help, but their information is so well researched that you take their advice almost 100% of the time. I have one of those people in my family. My grandpa is always researching, especially about technology and medical advances, and whatever he sends you, you should look into. He is usually right. Things he has been talking about 10 years ago are now common day. He just has a knack and the research to know what works.
All-in-all I believe that The Tipping Point is a very thought provoking book. Its not only one of those books that you look smart if you mention in an interview, but a book that is easy enough to remember in order to use it in your daily life, as well as a way to think about life. For anyone who has not yet picked up the book, you should. It was the best $10 that I have spent in "textbooks."
February 12, 2008
Sick Days for College Students?
What should one do while they are sick?
I guess the best answer would be to get better, pronto. But sometimes you just cannot shake that cold, or that illness that is more than a cold. And then what do you do?
Well, I am sick. If you saw me right now you would know. I might as well be walking around campus with this neon sign over my head screaming, "Approach at your own risk." What is worse is that not only am I exhausted, I also have to sound like a frog if I attempt to speak. Believe me, its quite impressive during class participation. I am the new Kermet.
I would stay in bed and eat soup all day, watch cheezy movies and sleep... however, my life does not stop because I'm sick. I'm searching for a job, hopefully one in which will gain me experience in the hospitality industry, as well as applying for internships. I can't give up a week or more of my time "getting better" when my financial situation is not improving and the deadlines for internships are breathing down my neck. Honestly, I believe the stress of it all is just making me feel worse.
So, I'm doing the best that I can. I am still going to my 8:30 class even when I want to break my alarm for waking me up. I am going to bed early (though it's still not enough). And I'm doing research and homework when I can. I suppose that is all I can do for now.
I guess the best answer would be to get better, pronto. But sometimes you just cannot shake that cold, or that illness that is more than a cold. And then what do you do?
Well, I am sick. If you saw me right now you would know. I might as well be walking around campus with this neon sign over my head screaming, "Approach at your own risk." What is worse is that not only am I exhausted, I also have to sound like a frog if I attempt to speak. Believe me, its quite impressive during class participation. I am the new Kermet.
I would stay in bed and eat soup all day, watch cheezy movies and sleep... however, my life does not stop because I'm sick. I'm searching for a job, hopefully one in which will gain me experience in the hospitality industry, as well as applying for internships. I can't give up a week or more of my time "getting better" when my financial situation is not improving and the deadlines for internships are breathing down my neck. Honestly, I believe the stress of it all is just making me feel worse.
So, I'm doing the best that I can. I am still going to my 8:30 class even when I want to break my alarm for waking me up. I am going to bed early (though it's still not enough). And I'm doing research and homework when I can. I suppose that is all I can do for now.
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