Last MPPR 850 Post: Channeling My Inner Carrie

What a great semester it’s been! I have learned so much in a short amount of time. I am so glad we had the opportunity to blog. I always contemplated actually starting one and was secretly eager and excited that it was a requirement for the Social Media course. As a devoted Sex and The City fan, I always thought of how fun it would be to be Carrie for the day and write about my adventures, highs and lows and  random inspirations. This class has allowed me to channel my inner Carrie and has encouraged me to be expressive, creative and adventurous.

I enjoyed that we were given the freedom to choose our topics and to write about things that we were truly passionate about. In my Communication Planning class, one our guest speakers Eric, Creative Director of Mad Genius, said that one way to channel your creativity is to get closer to something that interests you and that you're passionate about. I enjoy being able to share my personal interests with others, especially in an academic setting, where this can otherwise be limited. 

My biggest challenge was finding time. I found that I really couldn’t plan my posts as many experienced bloggers do. The ideas just sort of came to me randomly. I did find that once I started writing, even if it was at 12 midnight, I was on a roll and couldn’t stop until I got everything out.  The same goes for anything though, the more you do it, the better you become at it. 

I would definitely like to continue blogging after the semester is done. My goal is to write more frequently and allot some time every couple of days to write and get my thoughts out. How my blog develops will be interesting, especially without having guidance on a given topic or answering a particular question. I believe this newfound hobby will help me grow both personally and professionally. It will also force me to be aware and stay on top of social media trends which are key, especially working in the Communications field. 

Thank you MPPR 850 for a great class! I hope you’ll continue to part of the Gold Rush ;) 

Response Post #6: Royal Wedding

It's hard not to be drawn into the Royal Madness circulating around next week's wedding extravaganza. Millions of people around the world are anxiously awaiting for William & Kate to tie the knot. People.com has devoted a whole page to the Royals and there has been so much chatter about Kate's wedding dress. On All About The Wow Factor's Royal Wedding post, Gina poses a number of interesting questions: 

Gina: My question(s) to you all is: Would you want your wedding to be like the royal wedding? Are you not interested in the wedding because their budget is endless and not realistic for the average person?  Do you think their is too much hype on the wedding and takes away from the importance of a wedding? (Not true.)

For the beloved prince and princess to be, a lavish affair is more than appropriate. Personally, I would want my wedding to be more intimate. Whenever I think of an elaborate wedding, I always remember the scene from the Sex and The City movie when Big tells Carrie that their wedding was becoming a circus. Though he was a jerk in the movie, it showed how a union of two people ended up being a production or spectacle for others. I don't think this is the case for every elaborate wedding but I do feel that sometimes people can be over-the-top and get caught up in the frenzy. Their endless budget makes me more interested just because it's a rarity. I can't lie, I am a fan of Kate-- I love her elegance. And, as Celebrity Wedding Planner David Tutera says, even though they will be following tradition, it'll be exciting to see how her style is incorporated into the wedding. One more week!

Response Post #5: RTR- When It's Smarter To Rent Than Buy

In Feliz Is Her Name's recent blog post, she talks about her love of weddings and how exciting but daunting it can be to find the perfect ensemble. I was just recently a bridesmaid in a winter wedding and thought it was incredibly smart for the bride to have us all wear black dresses. Why? Because it was practical and unlike a lot of my other dresses, I will most likely wear it again. Sad but true, a bad habit that I've been slowly trying to break-- buying intricate, printed pieces instead of classic staples that can be worn any kind of way.

Last week, my boyfriend and I celebrated our 3 year anniversary. In January, we made the Final Four of George Mason University Sweetheart 16 Contest and won a night's stay at the Mason Inn. We decided to take advantage and have a mini- staycation. I started searching for a dress 3 weeks before! I knew it had to be special but didn't want to splurge on something I would only wear once. My friend Emily suggested Rent The Runway a couple months back. I loved the idea of being able to wear top notch, high fashion dresses from Dolce & Gabbana, Herve Leger and Vera Wang all for an affordable price, however, I feared that they would arrive and look horrible on me. I had been eyeing a blue Herve dress and a black and white Tibi dress for a good couple of weeks until finally, I got in contact with a fit specialist. I was surprised yet impressed at how helpful and responsive they were as I asked question after question.

Four days later, my dresses (you can pick 2 sizes at no additional cost!) had arrived. I ended up choosing the High Tea Tibi dress  and was delightfully pleased! It felt like Christmas came early. I paired it with RJ Graziano's Dress Me Up necklace, which I also rented. I enjoyed the evening in this lovely dress without any worries, especially purchasing the $5 insurance. The return process was incredibly easy especially because they provide you a pre-paid envelope to slip the dress in. No need to dry clean, just drop it in the mail box and you're done!

After such a great first experience, I am excited to use RTR for future special events. The brilliant concept coupled with high quality pieces and great customer service make RTR a must for fashionistas.

Kudos to Mason Inn for being pet friendly!

Response Post #4: Sick Days

I could definitely relate to Danielle Benjamin's blog post on sick days. She poses the question "Sick days- love 'em or hate 'em?" and brings up a good point: Are sick days truly used for recovery or a way to catch up on the miscellaneous things we've been putting off or just haven't had time to get to? I would honestly prefer to save these days for out of town vacations or when I have solid plans. 

I mentioned in a previous post that I've been trying to master the "art of doing nothing." While I think this is necessary to maintain one's wellbeing and let's face it- sanity, it is difficult for me to do. A couple weeks ago, I was debating on whether or not to take a couple days off before starting my new job. I questioned if I needed only a couple days or a full week. As much as a full week would have excited me back in high school or even as an undergrad, for some reason, I couldn't imagine not working for that long. Even though I knew finals were approaching and could use the time to catch up on schoolwork and to "relax," I opted for only a couple days off. It's nice to do nothing but I feel my best when I'm on the go. This reminded me of the time when I was told to go home and "recover" when fighting an awful cold. I guess the meds weren't working and I found myself wide awake, bored out of my mind, trying to find something good on TV. After only a day, I was eager to get back to work.

In her post, Danielle says "Lazy days don’t frequent my life very often because I’ve just got too much on my plate for that. So I think in the back of my mind, I’m always secretly hoping that I’ll feel better right away so that I can go do laundry or run an errand or clean my room… something productive!"

That's exactly how I am. Kind of weird. Maybe it's part of growing up? I still want to be able to master "the art of doing nothing" but on most days I find myself being more like "I'll sleep when I'm dead." I guess for now, I'll settle for being in between.

Response Post #3: Be Jeweled

After reading Miss Major Substance's blog post about jewelry, I felt compelled to respond to it since I am a jewelry-lover myself. My theory is, the gaudier, the better! I know tons of women go nuts over diamonds and carats but I've always preferred more fun, funky jewelry that you can mix and match. This is probably because every time I've gotten something fairly expensive as a gift, I always end up losing them (terrible, I know). Do you all remember that episode of the Housewives of Beverly Hills when Taylor Armstrong dropped $60K on her daughter's 4th birthday and bought Hello Kitty diamond necklaces for all her friends? Insane! I honestly couldn't imagine spending that kind of loot even if I had it. 

In college, I went through a Juicy Couture phase and was obsessed with collecting their charms. I hardly ever wear them anymore but still love their cutesy studs. 

Speaking of studs, Kate Spade also has a few on my wish list like these Sea Glass earrings.  I like the glamourous but simplistic feel of these studs and how they could compliment any outfit, whether it's for work or going out (plus, turtles are good luck!). 

Although I love perusing Juicy and Kate Spade, my favorite, favorite, favorite place to buy jewelry is Forever 21. Their jewelry is versatile, fun and best of all, inexpensive. You can find the coolest pieces for $3-$15. I have gotten tons of compliments on pieces from Forever 21 and love seeing people's reactions when I tell them where it's from and how much I paid for them. My fashion philosophy is: it's not about how much it is or where you got it from, it's how you wear it! I'm a fan of mixing designer pieces with bargains. 

2010 14th Annual Prism Awards: 

Dress- Forever 21 $40 

Earrings- Forever 21 $6 (!!!)

Bracelet- Forever 21 $10 (!!!) 

Shoes- Jessica Simpson $60

Funny story about this night. The event was held at The Beverly Hills Hotel. I walked into the bathroom to fix my makeup and a girl said to me "I love your dress! Where is it from?" I told her it was from Forever 21. She then gasped (I'm serious, she gasped) and said to me "Oh my god, don't say that out loud! Tell people you got it from Saks or something!" I shook my head and told her to have a good night.

Week #12: Confessions of a Restaurant Junkie

I've always had an appreciation for good food. Growing up in a Filipino home, I was always used to having elaborate dinners full of traditional dishes such as adobo (stew made with pork or chicken), lechon (a roasted full pig), lumpia (vegetable or meat eggrolls) and pancit (noodle dish). Meals were always served with white rice whether it was breakfast, lunch or dinner. My diet has changed a bit since living with my family but luckily, they live nearby so I still have access to this delicious food (since I am still trying to perfect these recipes!)

As I mentioned in a previous post, it would be wise to plan your meals for the week to avoid overspending at restaurants. I have tried to be a little more strategic, for example, making two dishes on Sunday and eating that for dinner throughout the week or buying a bulk of greens and making my own salads for lunch. Along with this strategy comes the best part, eating out on the weekend! This can be a dangerous habit but it just gives you more incentive to hit the gym the next day.

My favorite food has always been sushi but I tend to stick to my favorite place, Sushi Jin, just because I'd rather not waste money trying to find a place to top it! A couple months ago, I went through an Italian phase especially after eating at Acqua al 2 in Capitol Hill. Lately, I've been in a French phase and have been dying to go back to Lyon Hall in Clarendon. My friend Samantha and I tried it a few weeks ago and the food was absolutely delicious. I ordered the Diver Scallops (see below) with saffron couscous, fennel, lemon puree and Taggiasca Olives. Absolutely to die for!


Back to my notion of things being exciting when you can spread the word, Shirky says not only do we consume media but we also like to produce it ("Look at what I made!") and share it ("Look at what I found!"). I decided to create a "Food Diaries" album on my Facebook page. I'll be adding it to the Gold Rushed Facebook page soon, in hopes of attracting fellow foodies. Similar to the concept of "homophily," which Shirky also discusses, if I am able to engage my friends (who share the same interests and love to eat), I will have a better chance of engaging their friends as well. "Like with like."

Here are a couple pictures I have added so far:

Diver Scallops- Lyon Hall, Clarendon 

Grilled Branzino- Ozzie's, Fairfax

Hot Stone Bowl- Hama Sushi, Herndon 

Slow Roasted Prime Rib Queen Cut- Boxwoods at the Mason Inn 

Fellow foodies, what are your recommendations for good restaurants? Leave a comment below!

Week #10: Lady With a Mean Punch

One of the things I like to do in my free time is work out. I don’t do it so much to “lose weight” but more as a stress release. Just as Allison Gittings mentioned in her Chameleon blog, I will feel completely unproductive if I don’t get a work out in and will be in a funky mood all day. As many people would experience, the gym can become boring after a while especially after going on the same machines over and over. Working out was especially easy when I lived on campus at Mason because the fitness/acquatic center was literally across from my dorm. I would take pilates classes, run around the circle and then do some cardio at the gym.


Now, my workout routine is a little different. Last January, I signed up for LA Boxing. Boxing was definitely outside of my comfort zone but I wanted to challenge myself and do something completely unexpected. Growing up, I wasn’t involved in sports. Instead, I danced and competed in pageants. So you can imagine how surprised people were when I told them I joined this new gym.

If you’re local to DC, then you’ve heard the commercial with Sarah from Hot 99.5 about “handling your bizz-nass” LOL. It sounded like fun and games at first but not even midway into my first class, I felt like I wanted to die. There were about 30 people, ages 10-40 with a surprising large number of females. Strong, fierce females! The workout lasts an hour and consist of a rigorous warm up, ab and leg exercises, high-energy combination punches and kicks (if you’re in the kickboxing class) and then a cool down session. The next day, I literally (literally!) couldn’t walk. But, even though this workout had caused me so much pain (but a good pain), I became hooked. No pain, no gain, right? It’s an awesome workout for anyone but especially women who like to burn calories and also learn to defend themselves. 

Pro Boxer/Instructor Jennifer Salinas Training Session 

I admit that I’ve been a slacker and haven’t been going as much as I should, especially during the winter months. But, with the sun peaking in, I know it’s time to step it up. Aside from being a great stress relief, one of the things that keep me going when working out, especially in class, is the music. Here are a couple songs from my “Get Ready for Summer” playlist:

**Some songs NSFW**