2012 and the End of the World

So, if the world is going to end on December 21, 2012, my resolution would be to find a way to survive it, or stop it. That would be pretty cool to be the guy who stopped the end of the world. Think I'd be famous? I think I know what may end the world: The U.S. Government. HA HA but no seriously, they probably will. Rick Perry or Michele Bachmann would win the elections and transform into some soul eating demon and destroy the world.

Now that I have you all questioning my sanity, my real resolution.

My New Years Resolution is to be organized and assertive. The organized part is self explanatory; I need to organize all my crap, its very scattered about. I know where everything is, but I tend to forget about things because its all scattered about and somethings get tucked away in a corner. The big one is working on my Assertiveness. To explain, Assertive is the perfect balance between Passive and Aggressive. I fall into both extremes like a bi-polar person. I'm either too Passive or too Aggessive. I need to be Assertive, it makes everyone happier.

Edits: Corrected my english. I didn't know this was being graded ಠ_ಠ

My Resolution

What is your new years' resolution, and why?

Landing on a new year’s resolution is always a tough decision for me. Typically, I only pick one resolution, so that I can focus on accomplishing a single goal. In the past… I have always focused on resolutions that would increase my productivity as a person, student and athlete. This year, however, I want to focus on my academics. Growing as a person and professional are two of my main goals as I have stated before. Raising the bar for my academic standards will not only help me grow as a person, but as a professional as well. As I near closer to my senior year, I would like to raise my GPA to over a 3.5. In relation to academics, I would like to start reading more for entertainment. Lately, I have been so consumed with work and hockey that I do not have much relaxation time. And when I do, I find myself watching television or going to the gym. So, I would like to use my time more efficiently and try to improve myself.

My Resolution is...

My biggest resolution this year is to be less sedentary and to adopt a healthier lifestyle.

My second most important resolution is to become more independent and learn to rely on
myself more often.

The next biggest resolution I have is to try new and exciting things! I want to be more open-minded and of course travel more. <3

Resolutions.

In the past I've never been big on making new years resolutions, primarily because I tend to lose my motivation, or forget why they were so important by January 2nd. This year I actually have a few things I'd like to do differently in 2012, and I can start implementing most of them immediately:

• I want to remove unhealthy and negative relationships.


• Spend less time on the computer/internet and go back to reading & writing during my free time.


• Make things happen for myself instead of just expecting everything to automatically fall into place.


• Cut back on the amount of sweets I eat! (this one is going to be the hardest o_0 )

There are always several others, and I'm sure things will continue to come up throughout the year, but those are the main four I'm going to hold myself accountable for.

Hopefully This Resolution Works

My new years’ resolution for 2012 hands down has to be money management. I am usually very smart about keeping tabs on all of my expenses. Now that I live alone, I have to manage all of my bills and rent on a timely basis so I don’t fall behind. My problem has been just being lazy about tracking all of my bank account and statements. I usually tell myself I know where all my money is but the truth is I don’t check my accounts nearly enough to know exactly where everything is. This is something I have realized needs to happen sooner rather than later and with the New Year right around the corner I will get a fresh start.

New Years Resolutions!

I have a few New Years resolutions:

• to eat healthier & excercise more frequently


• to maintain positive thinking & always see the glass as half full


• to reach my goal GPA

I hope you all enjoy the holidays :)

5, 4, 3, 2, 1..HAPPY NEW YEAR!

My number one new years resolution is to be a better roommate. Over the last month I've been slacking on being tidy. It also doesn't help that my rooommate is just as bad as me!

I live with 3 girls, two of which are technically my bestfriends (I tend to switch friends alot lol). I lived alone last year, so the last few months have been hard for me! I tend to leave dishes unwashed and laundry everywhere. I always try to remind myself to pick up after myself later, but I'm always too tired from work! The roommates haven't said anything yet, but I know if I don't change my bad habits soon I'm going to be exiled (well not really). Either I need to stick to this resolution or invest in a maid ASAP.

What is your new years' resolution, and why?

The Halfway Point

The real reason I delayed my post until today was because today is exactly three months in. Our first day was September 19. So NOW I can official say I've been here for three months.

What isn't there to like? The people here are kind, funny, and hard working. The work here is challenging, fun, and not monotonous. The learning factor here at SHM is of the highest calibur and always has something new to teach you. So far, it has been a remarkable, once in a lifetime experience to work for SHM.

The next three months holds many opportunites. I look forward to the opportunities and challenges ahead of me as we enter the 2nd half of the co-op. Anything can happen now that we're no longer 'new' here.

Halfway Done

Wow. I cannot believe it's already been three months! The craziest thing is, although its flown by, it almost feels like i've been here longer. I guess I feel so comfortable now that three months sounds like no time at all. I have gotten to do even more than I expected thus far, and I know that there are only more growth and learning opportunities to come with the rest of my time here.

I continue to look forward to getting more involved with SHM and hopefully even with other departments (outside of M&M). I would hate to leave here knowing I didn't reach my full potential, or at least produce the best work I'm capable of. I know I've improved in nearly every area since starting, and I don't ever want to become complacent. In the latter half of my time here I'd like to try new things, new projects, and learn as much as I can, so that when I'm at my next position, wherever that may be, I can carry things I've learned at SHM with me.

BLOG POST #12

So it's mid-December, which means you have all been here for about three months. This means you're halfway finished your co-op with us!!

How has it been so far? What are you looking forward to in the next three months?

Having completed nearly three months of co-op at SHM, I have grown significantly as a professional. Thanks to a great marketing team and supervisor, it has been a smooth transition from class to work. Becoming acclimated to the new environment, work load, schedule, and specific tasks are difficult adjustments to make for most college students. However, SHM ensures that we (the MA’s) feel comfortable and capable of contributing in any way possible. Improving as a professional and a person were two of my goals at large coming into my internship. And I truly believe that I have done my best, thus far. As far as experience goes, I feel that I have gained some valuable knowledge regarding web marketing that is critical for my contemporary and future.

As far as the next three months... I plan to stay on track, continuing to strive for success and improvement. Having already expanded my marketing knowledge into the critical areas of the web, I look to grow stronger in that specific capacity. Web marketing is a part of marketing that I enjoy and is an integral piece of a company’s success.

Is the cup half empty or half full?!

Co-oping here at SHM is HALF FULL!! What can I say, positivity is the way to go! We all can say we each have gained a great deal of experience in such a short period of time. It's exciting to know that my resume is going to be jammed packed with experience by the time our internship is over. SHM has been such a great experience professionally and personally. Fortunately, the ride is not over.

I'm excited to see what projects are thrown my way with HM12 coming up. The M/As already had a chance to partake in the design of the HM12 notebook! It was fun to work on a project together. (It's been awhile!) Hopefully, in the next few weeks, after the holidays, the M/As will get a chance to collaborate again. =]

..Winding Down..

I can't believe we are already half way through this experience. Honestly, when you think about a six month co-op you see it as a long time. I mean it's half a year. It blows my mind that we have worked a quarter of the year already. I love it here and I love that I get to work on things that are interesting without constantly being assigned busy work. This is a unique experience because we aren't just treated like the interns and that's a good thing because we will have more knowledge than other college students who had the "typical" intern experience.

I've learned so much already; I'm looking forward to growing even more as a person in the last three months here at SHM; As it was mentioned at Interview 101 companies will probably ask us about our transferrable skills when we get out of college.We have gained real experience but we've also developed transferrable skills along the way. Therefore we are ahead of the game!

Time Flies

The past 3 months has gone by so fast. It feels like we all just started at SHM. When I look back to when we first started I’ve realized how much work and experience I’ve gained in the past few months. I could probably walk away today and still have a very credible resume from my experience here at SHM. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here at the office. My work so far has been interesting and enjoyable. I really like my position because I am always working on different projects around the office and through different departments which has given me insight on the whole company. I am definitely looking forward to the next 3 months I have left here. Having done so many different projects, I am curious to see what I’ll be working on in the near future with HM12 right around the corner.

61 days down, 74 days to go

I cannot believe that we are already half way done! I feel like I just started yesterday. I have really loved every second here. The atmosphere is great. Everyone is so nice and friendly all the time and I am so comfortable working here. I look forward to it every day. I like that every day is different. I never know what tasks I will be doing because it changes from day to day and that really keeps me interested. In addition, because of how many different tasks I have done, I have been able to learn so much that I will be able to apply to my nursing career. A lot of the things I have learned, I feel like I probably wouldn't have learned working anywhere else. I also like that I am able to be a part of a company that is really making such a huge difference in healthcare and patient care. Overall, it's been a really unique job experience (obviously in the best way!) and I look forward to learning everything I can and enjoying every second of the next three months here at SHM. :)

Halfway

Happy Monday everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend.

So it's mid-December, which means you have all been here for about three months. This means you're halfway finished your co-op with us!!
How has it been so far? What are you looking forward to in the next three months?

Time always goes by so quickly...

POST

What is the best gift you've ever given?

The best gift I’ve ever given would probably be a book. For Christmas one year, I got my mom a book For One More Day by Mitch Albom. My mom liked it so much that she started to cry and to see that she liked it that much meant a lot to me. It was neccisarily the most expensive gift, but it was the best gift I’ve ever given.

What is the best gift you've ever received?

The best gift I’ve ever received (obviously not the cheap cologne your girlfriend got you in high school) would probably be a drum set. When I was younger, I would ask for a drum set every year and I would never get one. Until one Christmas I finally got one and I was the happiest I’ve ever been. That definitely made my holiday for me.

Christmas Gifts

Almost Late, as usual.

So, the best gift I've ever given? Hmm... It would have to be the collectors edition of the movie "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" for my mother. I know it doesn't sound like much, but this is my mothers absolute most favorite movie of all time. She was very, VERY happy.

The Best gift I've ever received would easily be the first game console I ever received. It was a Nintendo 64 along with a couple games. It became my biggest hobby and my addiction. I still remember it like it was yesterday...

Presents!

It's hard for me to peg one gift as the absolute best that I've ever received. There are several that come to mind, but I think it's a tie between a few trips I've been on recently. Most years, my mom gives me a vacation of some sort as my main birthday gift. She is constantly trying to think of new places to go and new ways to surprise me. On my 17th birthday, she became particuarly creative. I went through the rest of my presents, saving her signature 5 foot tall bag, usually full of clothes, for last. Upon opening it, there was a large gift basket containing a variety of random items, which I am tempted to refer to as junk. Boxes and boxes of chocolates, cookies, suntan lotion, flipflops, various beach items, a beach bag organizer, Hawaii hats and tshirts, sunglasses, etc. I noticed a trend, but I was too confused by the weirdness to really analyze it. Well when I finally got to the bottom of the gift basket, there was a small rectangular strip of paper which I presumed was trash. My mother nonchalantly walked over, "You should probably pick that up." I flipped over the little flimsy strip of paper which ended up being a plane ticket to Honolulu. Hawaii was one of the most amazing places I've ever visited, and definitely a pretty amazing birthday gift.

I think the best gift I've ever given is probably up for debate by the recipient. Last year I gave my mom a limited edition Michael Kors watch, which was really gorgeous if I may say so. This year I bought her a sattelite radio system for her car in addition to a few smaller, but not necessarily cheaper, items. I'm not sure if either of those are really that great, but for the budget of an 18-year-old, it isn't too shabby!

16 Days Till Xmas

The best gift I have ever given was probably to one of my friends last year. It was my friend’s birthday in April so a few of us decided to stay the weekend in Toronto since he was legal to drink the night we got there. For a gift besides drinks, the rest of us split up the cost of the hotel and covered it for him since it was his birthday. So considering how crazy of a weekend it turned out to be I would say that was the best gift I’ve ever given someone, or a gift that someone has enjoyed the most.

As for the best gift I have ever received, it would hands down be my graduation present from my grandma. My gift was the keys to her house in Puerto Vallarta to head down there any time for a vacation. So that next spring break which is the best for weather I took a couple of people down there for 2 weeks. I’ve been there at least 10 times as a kid and wouldn’t want to be anywhere else during the spring. I think that will be a very hard gift to top by anyone who I get gifts from for a while.

XMAS CHEER

I received the best gift Spring 2010 from my boyfriend of two and a half years; the gift he gave me is an 18 carot necklace that I still wear everyday. My parents have given me some pretty great gifts when I was younger but this is my most recent example that comes to mind. It came at a time when I didn't expect it so that made it even more special.!



The best gift I have ever given thus far are tickets to the Trey Songz concert (jan 2010) and a leather jacket to my boyfriend for a Christmas gift! I know that doesn't seem like much but this year my siblings and I are planning to pull money together to send my parents on a trip. We wanted to send them to NYC since my dad hasn't been there yet but they would rather go to Vegas again or somewhere in the Carribean so that's my best gift in progress!

This is a fun one!

Best gift i've ever given...hmm...i'm a pretty awesome gift giver if i do say so myself..haha, but I think the best was probably either a surprise party (i've given 3) or concert tickets (i've given jingle ball, rascal flatts, flyers, and nickelback).

Best gift i've ever gotten...another hard one...probably plane tickets to visit my family in florida or the tickets i got from my boyfriend for my birthday to see The Lion King on broadway (THIS SUNDAY...SO EXCITED! ). I'm a hardcore theater buff and I have wanted to see this show for.ever. can't waitttt.

p.s. this has nothing to do with the question, but I watched the CMA Christmas Special this weekend...even if you aren't a fan of country music, it totally puts you in the best mood and gets you so excited for the holidays :)

Giving Tree

The best gift i was ever given was a trip to Paris. For my 16th birthday I was given the choice of either having a huge sweet 16 party or a trip to France. Of course I chose the latter! I went with my adventurous (and CRAZY!!) aunt for over a week. It was one of the best times of my life.

Looking back at the best gift I've given makes me cringe. I gave my ex-boyfriend of almost 3 years a diamond braile dog tag. It spelled out love in braile diamonds. Fortuanately, I had it engraved on the back, so if he ever wears it, it will be awkward haha.

Holidays around the corner

Hi Everyone

It's going to be another fun week - but don't worry, we're getting back to the serious stuff soon!

What is the best gift you've ever given?
What is the best gift you've ever received?

The best gift I've ever given is probably a baby grand piano...there was even a huge bow on top.
Best gift I've ever received was probably my graduation trip to Niagara Falls from Andrew.

Thanksgiving and the entire family

The biggest tradition in my family is thanksgivings dinner at our house. My house has everyone in my extended family in it for thanksgiving. Christmas and Easter are always at different houses every year as it is on a rotation. My mother was smart and got us out of this rotation by volunteering to always have thanksgiving at our house. You may think this was a bad idea but it was a hell of a lot easier to cook stuff rather than have toys, clothing, and money going everywhere during gift exchanges.

So, when I say everyone, I mean everyone. all of my aunts/uncles, all of my cousins, all of my parents aunts/uncles, and all of my grandparents and some family friends. This totals to about 50-60 people in my house for one HUGE Thanksgiving dinner. It is always, always an incredible tradition and holiday where literally everyone that is related to me gets together for what is widely considered a bigger family holiday then christmas. (at least, in the U.S.)

This year, however, the first in at least 10-15 years, was the first year we did not follow this tradition. this is because of future events and thus was spent with just my mothers side of the family at her sisters house. Now, just because it was a vastly smaller group of people, it still felt like thanksgiving and everything was equally as great as its been in the past. And even though I can't wait till next thanksgiving when we're back in the full swing of things, I will admit that the change of pace was welcome.

A Little Late

Completely forgot about this last week so here we go. As far as traditions, my favorite has to be laying on my couch all day watching football and not having to move until dinner is ready. Personally that has to be the greatest thing about thanksgiving in my opinion. Other than that I lucked out this year because we switch off either eating at my cousins or at my house. My cousins happen to live directly across the street but I still found it nice not having to leave my house for an entire day. Eating is a passion of mine so obviously thanksgiving is a great holiday in my eyes. Besides the food and relaxation its nice to see family that comes over after dinner to catch up over the past year. Thanksgiving is definitely a great holiday.

happy unthanksgiving

So out of the what it seems millions of holidays, Thanksgiving is the holiday I loathe the most. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE food, but this food is worth waiting for. If Thanksgiving had hamburgers, it might be a different story. It boggles me why families will spend hours in the kitchen to cook a meal that I feel is gross. Plus, this lovely holiday leaves me with few options, as well, to curve my hunger after the meal. Thanksgiving closes down almost every food place and store! In short, I guess you could say my Thanksgiving tradition is to scurry to my room after the meal is over to sulk. (jk..but seriously)

Happy Thanksgiving!

What are some of your favorite family traditions during Thanksgiving? What do you look forward to the most?

Thanksgiving is definitely one of my favorite holidays. For me, it’s #2 in my power rankings behind Christmas. Anyway, Thanksgiving is such a great holiday because of the traditional value it holds. Bringing family together and eating a ridiculously unnecessary meal is what it is all about. I particularly like Thanksgiving because of that reason. However, I do have some Wallace family traditions. On the morning of Thanksgiving, my neighborhood gets together and plays a big game of football called the “Turkey Bowl.” Me, my dad and two younger brothers have played since I can remember and will continue that this year. Sticking to the category of sports, each Thanksgiving night Ridley plays Interboro (our rival highschool) in ice hockey at a local rink. It’s typically the biggest game of the year and is always a packed house. I played in this game for the 4 years I was in high school, so I try to go to that every year to see how our team is doing. Moving on to the meal (what I look forward to the most), we always have turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, etc. My favorite dish is probably either broccoli casserole or baked mac and cheese.