Abridged Version of Chau

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Wed, 22 Aug 2012 00:20:14 -0400

at-le-petit-cafe: The Perks of being a Wallflower

Wed, 22 Aug 2012 00:19:08 -0400

at-le-petit-cafe:

The Perks of being a Wallflower

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Fri, 08 Jun 2012 01:07:33 -0400

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Fri, 08 Jun 2012 01:04:02 -0400

My first thought - “That’s very true.”My...

Wed, 06 Jun 2012 01:20:41 -0400

My first thought - “That’s very true.”
My second thought - “I wonder if I can make an orange peel look like that.”

amoyia:

Food For Thought

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Wed, 06 Jun 2012 01:10:59 -0400

I know I’m a bit behind but I’ve been so busy but...

Wed, 06 Jun 2012 01:03:00 -0400

I know I’m a bit behind but I’ve been so busy but I’m finally catching up on Tumblr so I can update you all on what’s been going on!

During this year’s Memorial Day weekend, I had the honor to cover North Haven’s annual Memorial Day Parade for NHTV. This is one of the largest parades held in Connecticut and not only North Haven residents come to gather in the scorching 90 degree heat to watch the 3 hour-event but it’s a mixture of the community coming together, statewide.

I was able to chase down Senator Blumenthal for a quick interview, talked to regulars who visit annually, and most importantly … the veterans that made our country the way it is today. This parade was mainly dedicated to them, with thanks for serving our country and giving us the freedom we now possess. One of the most interesting veterans caught my eye. I spent the remaining hour and a half chatting with him as sweat trickled down my forehead and chest. He, on the other hand, was fully clothed in his olive green uniform, not complaining of the heat one bit.

If I had the title and reputation of him, even I wouldn’t complain! His uniform was his logo, his symbol and what made him …him.He was a captain during World War II, and he was the most adorable 90-year old man I have ever encountered. He even called me “charismatic!” What a charming prince!

Aside from the parade, I spent my entire live coverage ad-libbing and I had a few bumps at first but eventually took off smoothly from there. I had such a great time gaining hands-on experience with field production, and instead of interning, I actually took part in it and it was the real deal. Super cool.

After the show, I was presented with two gifts: the news anchor Barbie and a Quinnipiac Alumni t-shirt. Great ending to my day.

For more info, check out the station’s site! - http://www.nhtv.com/

My 15 Tips To Survive The Real World

Sun, 20 May 2012 18:10:00 -0400

Whether you have graduated from college or grad school, you still feel the same mixtures of emotions - nervousness, uncertainty, happiness, indifferent, confused, you name it. While some continue to pursue a higher level of education, many find themselves on the midst of entering the scariest of the scariest of both worlds - The Real World.

While, I, myself recently graduated from grad school, I had my fair taste of the real world from practicing my career. I don’t have a first impression of it, but I’ve had many first impressions of it. I can certainly tell you it is not fun and games. No matter what field you engage in, you find yourself learning to develop a thick skin. You’ll receive criticism, or luckily … compliments. Don’t be scared though. Everyone all started at some point and you will too. Everything happens within time and patience.

It’s okay to make mistakes because you are not perfect but once you find yourself doing a task you feel so passionately about frequently, you gradually excel at it without you even noticing it. My biggest tip I always tell young grads on how to survive this scary world is simply this - as long as you are genuinely and strongly passionate and enthusiastic about your field/career, that’s all it takes. If you like something enough, you will do well in it and even put your all into it. No greater work ethic is better than that.

I wanted to give 10 tips to those young grads on how to tackle this world. I hope many of you will take these into consideration for these tips are something I’ve learned personally from my experience with the real world and tips from large, successful, famous individuals.

Don’t get down when your life takes a bad turn. Out of adversity comes challenge and often success.
Don’t brag about yourself. Let others point out your virtues, your strong points.
As you succeed, be kind to people. Thank those who help you along the way.
You create opportunities by performing, not complaining.
Be modest but self-assured.
Surround yourself with people who are smarter than you. The smarter the people, the more you can accomplish.
Be passionate about whatever you do. Care intently about your work and feel personally accountable.
You can always learn from older, wise heads who have years of experience. Age brings wisdom-not always, but often.
Like what you do. If you don’t, get out of it. Don’t waste anyone’s time.
Be fair-minded, open-minded but also learn to be skeptical. It’s a cruel world out there and not everyone is going to be as honest as you - develop your own thick skin.
Your reputation and integrity are everything. Follow through on what you say you’re going to do.
Dress and act for the position you aspire to have
All about attitude- be motivating, self-confident, optimistic, hardworking and empower others to do their best
Handle all criticism in a professional and calm manner - take it as constructive criticism and aim to do better each time.
Last, but not least - make sure you’re having fun while doing your job. If you’re not happy doing your job, something’s wrong. Happiness is everything.

The Controversies of the Misdiagnoses of Autism (Master's Project)

Fri, 18 May 2012 01:09:00 -0400

The Controversies of the Misdiagnoses of Autism (Master's Project):

*Cue the suspense music*

This here is my multimedia site I have been working on for six months. I needed to complete a capstone project as part of my requirements for being in the program in order to graduate. I stayed up until 4 a.m. multiple nights, drove all over the state every once in awhile, hid in my room most of the time, blocked myself out from the world … pretty much didn’t have a life.

It was all worth it though. I got an A on it! Basically, there has been many controversies regarding kids being diagnosed with autism. These controversies range from debates of the MMR vaccine as being the cause of the condition to doctors intentionally misdiagnosing children with the condition just so they can receive state funding.

I dug deeper to find out more about these issues. I talked to experts, interviewed two young adults who carries Asperger’s, one man banded a news package on a son and his mother, attended a 5k autism walkathon to spread awareness, wrote an article on Jenny McCarthy who dealt with this controversy, created slideshows, and much more.

I’m actually proud to show this because I worked very very hard on it and it will be something I’ll show to potential employers. So if you get a chance, feel free to take a look at an example piece of multimedia journalism.

Thank you!

Carmen

I’m finally done with grad school! I’m proud to say...

Fri, 18 May 2012 00:51:00 -0400

I’m finally done with grad school! I’m proud to say I now have an MS in Broadcast Journalism from QU. Graduation was on Mother’s Day - couldn’t get any more perfect. It was great to have my best friends and parents there on my big day and I thank them for coming.

I was so happy that day and I am sure it showed. So many pictures but yet so many goodbyes. I don’t do too well with goodbyes with people I have developed a strong bond with. It has been five days since I’ve graduated and I miss them so much already, including the school … everything about the school. Going to QU was one of the best decisions I’ve made and I’m so glad I was able to be a part of it.

Grad school was extremely different than college and I loved it much more. It certainly has changed me as a person, immensely. I’ve become a lot more laidback and it has allowed me to understand what is important and what is not, what is right and what is wrong, what should be a priority and what should not. I was constantly surrounded by people that carried such strong ambitions, accomplished such amazing goals, endured the craziest adventures, and they all felt so strongly about their careers. This eventually rubbed off on me and while I have always found myself to be very career-oriented, it has taught me to not be average.

Who would’ve known attending QU for two years would allow me to gain such clarity and gain so much change personality-wise? I’m glad it did and I’m glad I have the circle of people that have been pushing me to the right direction.I’m going to miss you QU. I wish all incoming graduates the best of luck and you guys will have the best time of your life.

"The difference between school and life? In school, you’re taught a lesson and then given a test. In..."

Fri, 18 May 2012 00:49:22 -0400

“The difference between school and life? In school, you’re taught a lesson and then given a test. In life, you’re given a test that teaches you a lesson.”

- Tom Bodett (via stephanieng1992)

"It only takes one person to change your life: you"

Fri, 11 May 2012 02:22:38 -0400

“It only takes one person to change your life: you”

Beginning Of An End

Thu, 10 May 2012 02:31:00 -0400

I’m back!

I have been fully neglecting Tumblr due to my insane past few weeks of this semester. However, there are great news - I’m done with grad school! Graduation is merely 3 days away. Unbelievable. There are so many things I can write about but I do not know where to begin at all. A lot has taken place within the past few weeks and a lot of emotions have been running through me.

Two years ago, I was a confused person with a BA in Communication. I was scared of my future, scared of the real world, scared of not knowing. Two years ago, I remember crying from happiness because my acceptance letter from QU arrived in the mail. I was nervous though - it was like starting over. I had to make new friends all over again, let go of the ones that I feel like I just got close to and grow up. And grow up I did. A lot, in fact. I believe going to QU was one of the best decisions I’ve made - it has helped me gain a great amount of clarity. It has given me that time to prepare myself for the big and scary world. Two years ago, I was not ready at all.

Two years later, I’m not only ready but I’ve been trying to make it happen as soon as possible. I’ve met some amazing people at QU, some that I do know are worth keeping in touch with, especially some of my professors. I can write about one who deserves his own blog entry (perhaps that’ll be my next post). Some teachers have not only acted as teachers in my classes but they’ve been mentors. Mentors about life. They’ve given me hope and inspiration and the button to keep pushing. I thank them for that. It’s not everyday you come across professionals that give free, real advice to you.

I don’t feel the same at all, personality-wise compared to when I graduated from college. Grad school meant a lot to me - maybe everyone had a different experience and doesn’t feel as strongly as me but it was a life-changing phase for me, personally. It’s taught me to gain independence, reliance on myself, the importance of being proactive, realizing what is important and what is not, real responsibilities and that life isn’t all fun and games sometimes. Every experience is how you make it out to be and I believe I made the most out of it. I’m happy to look back and think, “I wish I had the chance to stick around just a little more.”

Putting the school aspect of grad school aside, a lot has happened within those two years of my experience externally. Some friendships strengthened with certain people in my life, some friendships loosened, some were lost, some were gained, and some became strangers completely. It took me awhile to understand why it was all happening but I’ve learned to accept it as it is. They say life is a journey and indeed it is. When one door closes, another opens. Think of your life as carrying these chapters. When you finish one chapter of your life, you start another and it goes on and on. College was a chapter I closed and now it is grad school and I’ll be opening the real world chapter. Once you reach the real world chapter, you are pretty much towards the end. The end of a great beginning.

However, there was always that one thing others misunderstood. While I have given the impression as an individual that has achieved nothing but “success” and has never run into bumps in the road, is wrong. Very wrong. I have given up my entire life to get to where I am now, it’s just not an everyday thing that is mentioned. I stopped caring what people thought and just did things for myself, did things that I felt was right. I have endured numerous traumatic, personal experiences within the past two years while I was at grad school but I told myself that I would not let life win the tug-o-war. I kept moving. Accomplishments became my outlet to dealing with the personal challenges in my life. Nobody ever knew when my bad days were. I didn’t feel need to broadcast it. I preferred to handle it on my own because that’s how we all grow stronger.

I am ready for my new journey and the most important thing …. I hope to help others get to their goals. I want to give back. I want to help others succeed because I, myself, have been in their shoes and I understand the feeling. I refuse to become a reporter/anchor that walks around with her nose up high, noting every accomplishment of herself. While some may see that about me, it’s okay. As Katie Couric stated, “You can’t please everyone.” There is nothing more I want to do than guide those who need just a little push to their goal. We’ve all been there. That is why I am ending this blog entry tonight by making it known that I will say I am done with grad school, but I won’t say I’ll be done with school forever.

I’d like to eventually give back by teaching journalism to students. I want to see others succeed and I want to share my passion to those students whom I once was in their shoes just not too long ago.

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Thu, 10 May 2012 01:57:28 -0400

the-glamourous-life: lovedamagesyourhealth Holy need....

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 23:41:38 -0400

the-glamourous-life:

lovedamagesyourhealth

Holy need. I’d definitely wear these.

You ever had that one hobby you had a great passion for? Not...

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 02:30:52 -0400

You ever had that one hobby you had a great passion for? Not simply because it made you feel great, but because it was your way to simply get away from the chaos of life. That was my feelings toward yoga.

Two years ago when I was a senior at my undergrad, I was very focused on my physical image. Mainly because I did not want to fall into the “college body” and so I went running a lot as well as doing yoga at least three times a week. I felt wonderful! It gave me amazing abs, strengthened every part of muscle in my body, and it calmed me down. Meditation helped me out a great amount, you’d be surprised at much “ohm-ing” can do to you.

Unfortunately, ever since I went into grad school, schoolwork took over my life and I had to watch the progression of dust build up on my lime green yoga mat as it sat in its lonely corner. I had to put it on hold for awhile and I wasn’t happy about that but I knew I had much more important things to focus on which was doing well in school.

Fortunately, I’ll be graduating next month and I already told myself that I will be back on the yoga grind. The thought of it gets me so excited. It’s a great feeling to get back into a hobby that you once loved so much (and still do). While many may think I’ll be back to a stress-free life once I’m done with school forever, it is actually the opposite.

The stress of sending out my stuff every week, the stress of waiting to hear back, the suspense of it all will drive me nuts. Plus, I am such an impatient person. I will need something to occupy this running mind of mine and I think yoga will assist me in enduring that process. It’s really the only thing that will calm me down in terms of me helping myself mentally.

Anyways - everytime I look at this photo, I get some inspiration to jump back into it and get those abs back. I will have no excuse come mid-May so let’s do this!

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Tue, 24 Apr 2012 02:03:52 -0400

The FJP: What's the Future of Journalism Education?

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 02:03:13 -0400

The FJP: What's the Future of Journalism Education?:

futurejournalismproject:

Related to our last post, I’m sharing this message from Poynter:

Roger Ailes, the Fox News chairman and CEO, in a speech at the University of North Carolina recently, told journalism students they should change their major. “If you’re going into journalism if you care, then you’re…

Another one of my favorite looks. Classy and feminine. Great way...

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 14:58:00 -0400

Another one of my favorite looks. Classy and feminine. Great way to show one’s figure without too much skin. Loose, but fitted pink pencil skirt to go with the Easter green colored cardigan is a great complement.

I like how she folded her sleeves out, instead of rolling them up. Not a fan of the shoes, I’d wear heels and I don’t know if I like print to go with this outfit but it works for her. The pearl necklace and bracelets/watch is a great way to accessorize it up without overdoing it. I personally wouldn’t wear that chunk of bracelets. Instead, I’d just wear one accessory on the left wrist but it’s all how you want to dress up. A good outfit contributes to one’s confidence.

All in all - great Spring outfit.

Flustered Mind

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 01:58:00 -0400

Tumblr:

Today was a day where I knew I had to write a long blog entry. I was waiting for this moment since this morning. It was planned to be a really long day today & it was indeed. In fact, this month has been the most stressful month of all. Mentally, physically and emotionally exhausting. A lot of thinking has been done lately but today’s occurrences allowed me to realize certain things about the real world & the journey that I will soon endure. Hope you’re ready for this - storytime.

Today was Quinnipiac’s Comm Career Fair and now, here’s the thing, I never go to those things because they never benefit me & I always found companies that attend mainly go there to advertise themselves, and not genuinely wanting to look for students to hire. After much contemplation, a friend and I ended up going mainly because TV stations (only the big ones in the state) were going to be there & we both carry the same desire to be TV reporters. We dressed the part, had our resumes and reels neatly in our hands and went. Of course we knew the stations there weren’t going to hire us, we are aware of what it takes to start off in being a TV reporter.

As we are browsing, it was clear that some employers did not want to be there due to their disinterested tone and actions; they simply just encouraged us to take the freebies. Sure, who doesn’t like free stuff? But that’s not why I went. I went in search of opportunities. Did they give me any? Nevertheless, their interest? Nope. Don’t get me wrong, some did & I appreciated that. After browsing all the tables we were interested in, I developed a trend in my head. All I kept hearing was either, “not hiring, no internships for now, and freelance.” Dear God, I hate those words. Basically, they’re a no go. As expected. But my friend and I had to just chat for a good 10 minutes sharing our awful experience.

What a career fair letdown. This is why I don’t go. We both left feeling hopeless, frustrated, upset, worried, you name it. Career fairs are supposed to be a positive thing, but instead - it brought our confidence level down to a negative zero. We both drove home zoning out, she cried to her mom, I shed tears in the car because a rush of emotions just came at me. Note that I absolutely almost never cry but this, for some reason, hit me hard. You’re probably sitting there thinking that I am absolutely foolish or crying over something petty. It’s tough to explain.

I’m already 50/50 confidence level wise when it comes to getting my first job and I was doing okay until the fair. I know I should never let one stupid fair ruin the faith in myself but seriously - damn. I’ve always known what I was capable of, everyone does. I got annoyed at myself for wasting time just going because I shouldn’t have went and it just took the worst out of me. No one there knew what I was capable of. They saw me as some undergrad student (mostly undergrads there) looking to get some small experience as an internship or some random job non-related to what I actually want to do. Dude … no. I’m done with that stage. I’m at the stage where I’m ready for that camera to be stuffed in my face.

Long story short (even though this is getting long), I vented to my mom and again, this woman always says the most simple and wisest things. It’s like ‘why couldn’t I think of that?’ She told me that while I’m pissed at myself for going, she knew that if I didn’t go, I would’ve been bothered by it. So either way, I can’t win. She also said that what I experienced today is nothing compared to what I will experience in the real world as I travel through my journey. “Your journey is just going to get harder.” That’s a terrible statement to hear, but ironically, she is 110% correct again. No journey is easy, I mean … hello! It’s the real world, get with it Carmen.

She told me that all the big names - Katie Couric, Brian Williams, Diane Sawyer all probably started with a crappy job but they sucked it up, their endurance and sticking with it got them where they are now. It’ll be gloomy and awful at first and there will be plenty of days where I wish I should’ve just been a librarian but what makes every individual rare is the one that stuck it out no matter how hard it got. She also asked me if I want to work super hard and have made it this far to just give up at the end. That made me think. Of course I don’t want to. And of course, she gives me her famous line of, “Well, there you go.” I hate it when she’s right. But I love it at the same time.

So yes, I’ve been in this weird funk for the past few weeks and I figured out why. It’s merely because I know I have three weeks remaining. What will I do after I have my master’s in my hand? Am I going to wake up and a news director will hire me? No, I wish it was that easy. Grad school was chapter 1. And working hard to find that job on my own is chapter 2. I’m just worried. That’s really all it is. I’m constantly in search of reassurance. I need someone to tell me that it’ll be okay. I’m usually the positive one, I’m always the one telling people to never lose faith, but for once, I lose it once in awhile.

But I guess that’s a part of life. The ambiguity, the uncertainty - it’s something I’m probably supposed to cherish. How can I expect others to be confident in me when I’m not confident in myself? We’re not meant to know what’s to happen next, things don’t always come with a map, sometimes you just have to live in the present and let life takes its course. Everything will happen the way they’re supposed to happen. It may not be tomorrow or the following day or next week, but it’ll happen. I just have to keep telling myself that. Yes, this is me giving myself a pep talk, kind of silly.

So I spent a good 3 hours soaking in my sorrow today, sipping a large iced coffee with extra sugar, and consuming the best bagel with cream cheese with hopes that it’ll make my sorrow go away. Emo much? Didn’t help, but something else did. A good friend of mine at QU listened to me vent and we always have amazing conversations and she said to me, “Just in case you didn’t know, I actually look up to you. You inspire me. I have so much respect for how enthusiastic you are about journalism. You may not know how good you are at what you do, but you are and you need to recognize that now.” That woke me up. I was like, ‘Hold up a sec … me? Inspire someone? Yeah, right.’

Okay, I snapped out of the whole negative Nancy deal and gave myself a reality check. After she said that to me, it is pure confirmation that I clearly am doing a few things: A) I’m my worst critic; too hard on myself B) underestimate myself and C) Apparently tend to be blind to what I’m good at. I’m writing this with all honest intentions. For me, in this weird head of mine, I see it as me doing what I enjoy and being completely oblivious to my level of skill at it. I just … do it. Am I making any sense?

I’m done ranting. I hate ranting. I usually keep it all up & deal with it on my mind but this was too mind-boggling. Tomorrow is a new day. It will be a better day. I will be painting my nails with my new nail polish colors and eating Buffalo Wild Wings for the first time with my best friend. Can’t get any better than that.

Hope everyone has a great weekend! And I just wrote a novel. Chau! (Ciao)