Thought.

I was just thinking... about my weekend on Cougar Ranch.

One of the best weekends of my life. So life-changing. And I CAN'T FORGET THIS.

I can't forget the people that were there with me. I can't forget the things I felt.

I remember walking arm in arm with people. Being SO KINESTHETIC. I remember having so much adrenaline going through my veins because for once in my life, I was doing something that mattered to me because I put my HEART, BODY, and SOUL into it.

I never had this. And I had it all. Soaking my feet in the bathtub, conquering huge life issues with my brilliant roommate. We were all BRILLIANT. We all were on the same page, and I was inspired by them all.

I remember the scavenger hunt we did, and being blindfolded, and having to perform the obstacle course. That was amazing. I trusted my teammates with all of my heart. And I was in great hands. My hands were on the rope, and I didn't know how far away the next one would be. But I listened. I just trusted and went with it, not knowing all of the facts, and everything ended up okay.

This weekend was a great new beginning. It taught me how to fall in love with the world. I don't ever want to forget. Never. I can never be the person I used to be. This is my now.

Interview 3.

The third interview of the Fall semester is done. :)

It was with ExxonMobil. The largest publicly traded oil company in the world.

As I met with my Project Management team today, I couldn't help but have that in the back of my mind the entire time. I completed our Gantt chart with our full work breakdown structure and it was as beautiful as it was going to look with so many sub-points.

I left midway through 12 and had a quick lunch, straightened my hair, and did my makeup. The clothes are important but the face is too. :)

I read up more about the company on its website, and the About Us tab showed me everything I needed to know. The only downside of an interview is, the information is presented both ways in a rosy lens that does not optimally showcase the truth. If you're looking for great answers, you get them with a friend or an acquaintance, in a casual place like a restaurant or a bar. It's fun, it's laid back, and it's honest.

But I understood I was in the University Career Services area. ^_^ I was asked a large amount of behavioral questions. All of it was, and none of them asked about my failures. I was asked a lot about team work, my favorite class, my least favorite class, when I had to take initiative in a team, my proudest accomplishment in college, when I realized something was wrong in a project and what I did, my greatest strength (tough question), what my responsibilities in Chevron were, what my role in MISSO as Communications Officer was, what I liked most at Chevron, what I liked least there, and some more. I then asked questions about the way IT was structured at XOM and closed off the interview. It was good! :) I definitely felt infinitely more confident about how this interview went compared to last year's controversial one. I felt very at ease with my interviewer as well.

Very accomplished day.

*Did the Gantt chart for the team!
*Apologized to my classmate for missing a one-on-one appointment to help him out; in my haste to leave TP2 on Monday, we didn't exchange contact info so I couldn't notify him about the cancellation.
*I'm in love with the Social Network soundtrack collaboration between Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. It is so ominous and brooding. Wonderful ambient music.
*Revised my MANA essay. This is how essay writing is supposed to be in college! Time to revise!
*Got to catch up with Nicole. :) We talked about life and I sincerely hope she can handle all of that stress in her life. I learned last year that stress can control you. It's not becoming, and you feel one step away from jumping in a pool and screaming underwater. But if you balance it out with things that keep you happy and whole without feeling guilty, that's the key.
*Paid attention in my TP2 class! :D
*Appreciated the beauty of the scenery as I walked to school.
*Enjoyed a chocolate bar that I bought at Shasta's.

Library.

On a whim, I was trying to find a particular book that was recommended to me. I looked it up in the UH Library system and I couldn't find it. So, I impulsively tried to look it up on the Houston Public Library. Eureka. There was one I could put on hold, and it would notify me when it came into the 500 McKinney location! A day and a half later, I got an email notifying me! I couldn't wait to go pick it up.

Today was the day! I walked in the nice facility. It was state of the art. So I asked for help, found my book on hold, and then with the use of the machines, I scanned it and was done! The whole process was efficient and seamless. I've read reviews and apparently our library system is one to really pride ourselves on. :D It makes me really proud of Houston.

I can't wait to read a lot of books. I basically finished the book I was reading. It was about female sexuality which I find to be a fascinating topic. The book was called Sexual Fluidity: Understanding Women's Love and Desire. Firstly, there is significantly more research on men's sexuality, so I wanted to find a book based in research about the findings on female sexuality. I remember reading a synopsis, and I had to get my hands on it. Essentially I was reeled in by the thought that females described a phenomenon of being attracted to the person, and not the gender. The author calls it sexual fluidity, and it has many anecdotes about women that have been heterosexual their whole lives and fall for a woman, or vice versa, or a strange blend of the two. I also read about a case where it brought into question one's gender identity and consequently her gender was changed to match the inner feelings. It opened up a whole pandora's box of questions for me, and it allowed me to question the assumptions I've made about attraction. So this book is a great foundation for some wonderful discussions.

Here are some other highlights of Tuesday!

*The weather was certainly beautiful I have to note.
*Talked with my step mom about visiting her and my dad. It was great to hear the happiness in her voice when she talked to me. I'm very grateful to have 4 parents. Also, I appreciated the food they packed for me on Saturday. Very sweet. :)
*I got to watch TV for a few minutes with my brother.
*I talked on the phone with my best friend for 30 minutes and made lots of fun jokes. I get to see him in 2 weeks! Hooray!
*I finished my 5 page essay. It's actually 7 pages. :D I'm so proud of myself.

Interview 2.

Second interview of the Fall also went well! I felt much more confident and I think I did a great job conveying my skills and experiences. I wove my way through my resume when asked about myself, and then she asked about a huge obstacle I faced, and I smiled and talked about one of my proudest UNICEF achievements. I interviewed with a retail company looking for an executive trainee in IT. They have a 10 week rotation program where I will spend my time in every piece of the puzzle, meaning the distribution center, a store shadowing a manager, etc, so I can best understand the company. The salary was a bit under what I'm expecting, I must admit. I asked what projects I would be signing on to if I am eventually hired. She mentioned an E-commerce project and a POS project. I let her know of my exposure to both, which I think is something she'll highly remember. She also asked about my plans after graduation, and if I intend to work in a non-profit. I said, no, it may be something I'll come back to, but for now, I want to work in industry where I can focus and learn better by having a limited scope. It's far too common to wear a dozen hats and to be spread thin. I definitely will contribute financially to the social causes I believe in, knowing how much of an impact it has. She was very personable and I had a great time talking to my HR interviewer. I left the room at 10:39am.

Some other additional happy moments today were definitely:
*Giving my team mate an appreciation gift of Ferrero Rocher chocolates.
*Getting some Facebook love from people I just met. That birthday party paid a lot of dividends in brightening my week.
*Getting a breakfast taco invite from my buddy Jayvin. We went to Tacos a Go-Go after a long day of school, and I got to take photos inside (satiated my photo taking fix) and the bacon/egg/potato taco really hit the spot. WOW!
*Supportive texts from my friends Alan, Jeremy, and Catherine. They are like my cheerleaders.
*Excitement about food with my new friend Adam.
*Catching the first episode of the new season of Dexter!
*Hilarious text exchange with my best friend, Kyle, about the Mil lab. :)

Good day. I intend to follow on my promises to do TP2 practicing! Hopefully Dreamweaver will make my life easier! ^_^

Viv's Birthday.

Fantastic night filled with old friends, new friends, lots of love, singing, dancing, and bottles and bottles of apple sake.

From 11-4am we sang songs of old and new. The highlights: Telephone, My Humps, Burn, Larger than Life, As Long as You Love Me, Toxic, Hollaback Girl, My Heart Will Go On, Coming Clean, Complicated, Girlfriend, and RIDIN' SOLO!

I forgot some of these amazing and beautiful songs. I even got my dancing fix fulfilled. :)

A quote I like says, "Nothing can make you feel something as quickly as music."

I sincerely hope Vivian had a great birthday. Everyone's 21 should be magical. Mine certainly was. The venue was very cute too! The room we booked was huge and stylish, it even played the actual music video in the background most of the time. There were stars that lit up in the ceiling, and the bar outside had very trendy design. The bar lit up and changed colors and was made out of white plastic and plexiglass. Very modern.

I met a lot of new people, and I really just had a great time. I needed this night, after a very tough day thinking about the dynamic I'm going to eventually settle into with my parents. I don't like how last week panned out, so there's a lot to think about.

But I take it one day at a time, and hope to spread feelings of joy to people I am surrounded by.

Clothing.

As of late, I've been utterly bombarded with compliments on how great I look and how professional I appear.

:) Of course it makes me feel good.

But really, it's an extension of some smaller goals I've been setting. It's all part of my master plan of Project GYST.

These smaller plans included taking the time to do the little things, like putting away my clothes every day so it's much easier to find (so simple but effective), clearing my closet of clothes I don't wear anymore, and getting in the habit of taking care of my clothes better. No matter the amount I spent on my clothes (sometimes a heck of a lot), in my haste to get from one task to the next, it may have been forgotten for ages in a pile. On that note, I'll make my 2nd trip to Goodwill soon to donate some of my clothes.

In addition, I love looking clean and professional. Everyone deserves to look like a million bucks, and I've heard some people say, "I just don't like the way it strips you of that individuality, you know, the uniformity of business attire." To that I would say, business attire can constrict you if you let it, but there are many many ways to be creative, fun, playful, classy, and professional, all in one.

And that's the beauty of it. To maybe have a ruffled black blouse and a pencil skirt with a silk scarf to make it really fun and chic. Or having statement shoes to distinguish an outfit. Or accessories such as jewelry can make all of the difference, while the clothes can be supplementary. Also, with clothes, the universe opens up to so many possibilities when you consider texture, fabric, length, cut, the fitting, tailoring options, layering, etc.

Fashion is not homogenous. This is my style, and it may have been influenced by the fact that I am a business major and I've worked in a corporate environment, but there's nothing quite like having a skirt suit on with fabulous heels and feeling this electric power in your veins. Of course, one would never wear an outfit like this without proper hair and makeup, so when you project yourself into the world, how can anything bring you down? The answer: nothing.

Career Fair.

The day was outrageously productive.

I'm always proud when I go to these events, because you are essentially putting yourself on the line and trying to achieve real results. With a conversation, it could turn into an application that stands out, to a successful interview, to your foot in the door of a company you could stay at for ages.

That's one of the dreams.

I've been to more than 5 career/internship fairs over the course of my stay at UH and I must say, it's definitely something I have a handle on now. I feel like a pro, and I'm confident that I have my workflow down. Blouse, skirt/slacks, and professional jacket, check. Heels, check. At least 20 copies of my resume and my portfolio with a notepad to write down notes as I go, check. And lastly, in my brain, do I have an idea of what I want to ask each company I talk to? Check.

So with this focus in mind, I talked to over 10 companies this Friday.

Some were great prospects, some were not, but I felt that I achieved a great milestone in the grand scheme of things.

*Cameron - apply online and look at information on the USB.
*Williams - potential internship possibilities - full-time too, and great laid-back culture.
*Access Sciences Corporation - 25th year doing business - they will get back to me - consulting with information management which I find interesting - they worked on GIL3!
*Chevron - Charron explained the re-org and I feel much more comforted. I feel like I have a huge advantage if anyone does get back on with IT. I'll have to wait a few more weeks.
*ConocoPhillips - Not looking for IT but Jessica will speak with me about Protiviti soon.
*ExxonMobil - talked with Aaron who told me about their push from Lotus Notes to Exchange. They still use 2003 office. Conservative culture, but centralization means there's a process for everything. My exposure with SharePoint will serve me well.
*Quorum - spoke with Barry who says the hours can be insane, but says he's learned a lot. They hire from a large variety of majors to get a wider perspective.
*Sequent Energy - Parks directed me to mention the CIOs name, so hopefully, I can hear something back.
*Hitachi - I was asked why I want to work with Hitachi and some other probing questions that caught me off guard. Hopefully it reflected well.

Not to mention, my resume is on the MISSO CD so all of my efforts will be showcased SOMEHOW. :)

Talking to Charron in particular has done a great deal in easing my mind. I hugged her and she explained that the ROM just finished and the next few weeks will be wrapping up the structure reorganization. Then I should hear back to see if there's a place for me. I'm really hopeful knowing that there's not a deadlock but really, there's a process going on and I'm a part of it. I know the timeline, and it really puts my mind at ease. She grabbed my arms at one point and said if we offer you something, I WANT YOU TO TAKE IT! I said, trust me, I want to take it. :)

It was a great day, that ended with me catching up with Barry, and we had a long discussion on impermanence and giving people a chance. Maybe I'll take that advice. I have high standards and I know it. If there is anyone I'm interested in, I'll give it the shot it deserves. Also, regarding impermanence, I believe in eternal love, but I also believe that things change. You should simply treat every expression of commitment as a commitment. If the person within that commitment decides to break it, then so be it. But if one is married or in a relationship, I vow to operate in a way that respects that integrity.