Creative sparks, extracurricular interests, internet finds, life updates, and anything else that might be milling in my head. Subscribe to my Posts or by e-mail for updates. If you'd like to read about my study abroad experience in Rome, Italy, try the La Vita Bella tag!
The inspiration for this portfolio is a brick-and-mortar (or in my case, probably plaster and peeling paint?) art gallery. I was going to go with something that scrolls left and right as if you are walking through, but it felt so... constrained... contrived... limiting. For a portfolio piece, I really wanted something that showcased both my technical knowledge and graphic skill. So I broke out of the shell a bit with this one and made an original mashup of some leading web technologies combined with my own need for an easy-to-edit showcase of my creative work.
Try resizing your browser window and see what happens. Also try dragging some of the artwork around.
Now for some technical mumbo-jumbo. Rather than a lightbox for image enlargements, I used a mid-size image to start. I kept it simple and linked to the image's Flickr page which also allows commenting, favoriting, viewing full size etc. for further interaction with the same number of mouse clicks. The page uses Flickr's API to pull my most interesting images from my photostream (JSON), then gets their title and puts it in the little caption area. The rest is some CSS and jQuery magic. The result is I always have an updated, interesting portfolio page which saves me precious time and energy!!! The downside is that with JavaScript disabled there isn't much to see. Note to self: come up with a creative static portfolio asap.
A few words for Temple's Fox School of Business students: get to know and use the Center for Student Professional Development (CSPD). To see why I say this and to read even more advice from others, check out the following page on their website where I was recently featured!
On this page, I describe some of the things that the CSPD did for me in my undergrad career which ultimately led me to my current post-graduate position as a Junior Product Manager:
I never thought I'd write a coming-of-age piece for a job application. Somehow, that's exactly what happened when I applied for a position with a well-known ad agency in NYC.
Suzie has been a character of mine since I was a kid. I used to create PowerPoint animations of her battling monsters and flying across the city after discovering the software on my parent's computer. You couldn't have told me that Word Art and Smart Art were meant for business presentations.
Over the years, I have sketched, written about, and modified this little girl, but I never thought she would grow up this way. Late one Sunday night, I was taken by surprise when these words started manifesting through the keyboard. My very own fingers were telling me that Suzie is a doll, representing a young girl who realizes it's time to grow up but is not quite sure she wants to let go.
I did get an interview from the agency after this, although I didn't end up with the position. I am happy to say, though, that I was offered a wonderful position with the company I've interned for since last September. I'm very happy that everything has worked out and excited for this new chapter in my life, although I guess a part of me wonders what that might mean for the little heroine from my youth...
Suzie leaped across the rooftop, flailing her arms beneath a long green cape and landing precisely on the building opposite, the silky “S” stitched into her leotard glimmering in the sunset. She dared look behind her to stare in the face of her enemy: a plastic headless Barbie doll named Midge.
“Susan, get down here and help set the table for dinner,” mother interrupted from the bottom of the stairway, “It’s almost 6 o’clock already.”
“Mom, it’s Sue,” Susan yelled back. “I’m thirteen years old now!” she huffed, shoving Midge and Suzie Doll behind her dresser in one corner of her bedroom before hurrying down the stairs.
We got an early start in order to get to Kissimmee at a decent hour. Our 2 1/2 hour drive from West Palm Beach consisted of more girl talk, plenty of karaoke, and GPS directions. When we arrived at the condo where my family was staying, we headed to the main pool for a barbecue and some more Cupid Shuffle (Sharon and I couldn't resist)...
Then we started on the Cosmopolitans, and did some sunbathing.
We headed back to the condo for dinner in the early evening, chatted for a bit, then said goodbye to Crystal and Sharon, who had to get back to their real lives. Sharon just got hired at a law firm in D.C., and Crystal had to work the next day as well. But my vacation was just getting started.
Very early rise for EPCOT in Disney World, where the International Flower & Garden Festival was taking place. We were delighted by topiaries and beautiful flowers all day long.
We got there just after the park opened and headed to Soaring, a simulated flight over California, complete with the smell of oranges while passing over orange groves, and other fun surprises.
Next, we ventured over to Test Track where, after the ride, a GM representative offered to mail dad some information on the latest Cadillac (backhanded compliment?).
Arriving at Mission: SPACE, I convinced my sister to take the "more intense" trip to Mars with me, for which she claimed I owed her a consolation prize later.
Mom and dad rode the green "less intense" version.
Sister and I also picked up some of our favorite astronaut ice cream in the gift shop on our way out.
Then sister and I made a quick visit to Innoventions, always one of my favorites. Inside Innoventions West, we became the stars of our own video game, which you can play here!
Venturing into the countries, mom, sis and I stopped for some lunch in France and met Princess Aurora (my favorite princess)!
After France, we had a rendez-vous (hehe) with the grandmas and dad, and one of the Photo Pass employees took a beautiful picture with my camera of the whole group of us.
We all watched "Off Kilter," a Celtic rock band outside Canada. I even got a picture onstage after the show :-p
Just passing through, we saw the Beetles in the UK, watched the "Impressions de France" film, then caught part of a parade. I snapped this cute shot of sis:
Next up: China, for our favorite: The Dragon Legends Acrobats (we actually watched it twice it was so good).
We even watched the world pass us by between Germany and China, as Disney set up the firework display for later that night.
After a full day, we enjoyed an entertaining dinner at the Biergarten Restaurant in Germany. I tasted all four of the beers and then danced the Polka with grandma...
On our way out, I spotted Snow White and Prince Charming. At first, I wanted to meet Prince Charming but the line was too long so I stood to the side and caught a few (utterly) candid shots.
Somehow we ended up back at China for some gift shopping and a second acrobat show, which we had a prime location for viewing this time. We also watched the "Reflections of China" film before staking out a spot for the "IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth" fireworks.
My view of the water was partially hidden by another guest for most of the show, but this photo came out kind of cute (if you don't realize that the girl wearing the ears is actually about my age).
On our way out of the park, we were all mesmerized by how thousands of guests could leave in such a bottleneck without so much as a push or a shove. I think the NJ Department of Transportation could use some Imagineers. (The things you notice when you get older, huh?) Or maybe some big, gloved Mickey hands waving the traffic on with a smile :-D
Back at the condo, I enjoyed a quick dip in the hot tub before bed.
Day 6
I love the way Magic Kingdom is its own private destination, accessible to the public only after a monorail or a ferry ride. It makes the whole day feel like such a departure from reality.
The first sign was a few little princesses who had visited the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique - a place where parents spend tons of money for their daughters to get all dolled up (wonderful marketing concept)! Despite the cookie-cutter princess ideal, I thought the little girls we spotted throughout the day looked very cute. Also, the Disney Photo Pass (another great concept) ensured some great shots in front of Cinderella's Castle.
We began our day a little later and started off at a leisurely pace with the Tomorrowland Transit Authority.
Then we hopped in line for Stitch's Great Escape, formerly the ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter (that I loved). I was a bit disappointed that, rather than an entirely revamped attraction, Disney tried to tone down the scare factor by using a fluffy, funny character Stitch (from Lilo & Stitch) in place of an evil alien, but with the same storyline. This was somehow supposed to make the loud noises, total darkness, and painful shoulder braces more bearable for younger children, but I'm pretty sure all it did was cause more screaming children who will be scarred for life and fewer entertained adults. Even if I had never been on the ExtraTERRORestrial ride, I think something would have still felt very non-Disney about the way this was all thrown together.
Moving on to another attraction that had been revamped since my last visit, Space Mountain was next on the list. We were happy to have Fast Pass for this one, but the lines wouldn't have been so bad with their newly-added video games along the queue. Rickety and thrilling as ever, dad emerged from the ride with a wind-blown hairdo. Stopped for a bite at Cosmic Ray's Starlight Café, then got on Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin where we battled Emperor Zurg to determine who would buy the next round of drinks.
Venturing out of Tomorrowland, we set the grandmas in a shady spot to enjoy a parade while we rode Splash Mountain, a ride that never changes and always delights! With only a little time before our dinner reservation, we met back up with the grandmas and ventured onto the Jungle Cruise, then enjoyed our family-style dinner at the Liberty Tree Tavern. Delicious and filling.
Next was Pirates of the Caribbean. We boarded our ship and floated through a dark tunnel as sis joked, "and here comes the drop!" Little did we know - there actually is a 14-foot drop which surprised us all! We waved hello to Johnny (Captain Jack Sparrow) and the other pirates, then waved goodbye as the ride came to a quick conclusion.
As dusk approached, we rode my sister's favorite "it's a small world" (and the tune would not leave our heads for the rest of the night).
Mom, sis and I took a spin on the Mad Hatter's teacups.
As the crowd thinned and guests took their places for the evening firework display, we got right on Snow Whites's Adventures. There was an equally short wait for a new show called Mickey's PhilharMagic, a 4D musical show with Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse which I absolutely loved (but I love everything 3D and 4D is even better).
We slowly made our way through the crowds on our way out of the park, enjoying the lights of Cindrella's castle and along Main Street USA.
Dad had the idea to take the ferry back to the car, and we caught the Wishes Nighttime Spectacular fireworks as we arrived on the shore opposite the Magic Kingdom. A truly magical end to the night!
Day 7
Woke up a little late (no rush on a rainy day) then headed to Downtown Disney for some serious gift shopping. We also had an early dinner at Planet Hollywood where I discovered a new favorite mixed drink called Gorillas in the Mist:
¾ oz. Malibu Coconut Rum
¾ oz. Bailey’s Irish Cream
¾ oz.Kahlua
¾ oz. Banana Liqueur
1 ½ oz.Ice Cream
½ Banana
Next, we entered the West Side Arena for Cirque du Soleil's La Nouba - front row - I almost got run over by a bicycle (or so it seemed)! I had no idea what to expect but it was an amazing and exciting show.
After that, sis and I walked through Pleasure Island and met up with the family back at Ghirardelli's chocolate shop, which you could smell from miles away, mmmm. We ate outside next to the water.
Day 8
Dad and I went for a morning walk through the condo complex, and so I could see the sparkling new Welcome Center. There is so much new development there. We headed back just in time for the rain and pretty much vegged out for the rest of the day with some Cards and Cosmos. Isn't that what vacation is for, anyway?
Day 9
Saturday was spent by the pool sunbathing and doing some reading. Mom and dad did a swamp tour, for real. Then we all had dinner in Celebration at Colombia Restaurant with a truly delicious assortment of tapas and entrees. We went home full and hit the hay early.
Day 10
Early rise for the airport. Goodbye, Florida! It was a long trip home and we had been worried that our flight might be canceled because of the weather. We arrived to flooding and road closures, but at least we arrived. When I got back to campus, I had a marathon group meeting in the Tech Center which kept me on campus until about 1:30 am - back to reality, I suppose...
Flight took off and landed just fine. Other than being stuck in the middle seat, my flying partners were both nice and didn't smell, snore, or shuffle, so it wasn't a bad ride.
Met up with Crystal and Brian no problem, right at 7:30 as planned. Sharon unfortunately had a different situation and her flight plus baggage claim took an hour longer. We found a "cell phone waiting lot" near the airport (they think of everything huh?) while waiting for her call, then headed right to Chili's for much-needed dinner. Note: Brian said he wasn't that hungry because he'd munched on some cocktail peanuts while playing Call of Duty earlier, but everyone else was starving. And of course drinks -- they were buy one, get one free which the waitress gave to us all at once, making us look like total lushes with 8 drinks on the table!
Went home, took the tour, met the dogs...
We then proceeded to turn UNO into a drinking game! All special cards (draw 2, skip, etc.) mean the person to your left drinks; wild everyone drinks. Brian was taking shots of grape flavored vodka, Crystal peach schnapps, Sharon and I straight Smirnoff (50% abv) because "it's vacation" so why not? We're champs. We stopped after one hand and thought everyone handled their alcohol very well, until Brian got out of bed at 5 am and threw up "because of the peanuts" he had eaten earlier in the night. Yeah, right...
Day 2
Saturday morning I slept in for the first time in a while. When I woke up I was pleased to find that Brian had brewed a pot of coffee and I drank that with waffles for breakfast before getting dressed, going out for smoothies, and then relaxing at the spa with the girls.
We all got pedicures and then hit the mall in such typical Jersey girl fashion that I felt like I was home except that everything was so much fancier and cleaner. Even the Shell station looked nice.
The mall was huge. Crystal told us there were 3 Starbucks within that very mall and the Victoria's Secret was the biggest I'd ever been in. I did buy a new bra there even though customer service was terrible, then went to MAC where I played with some eye shadows and then bought a beautiful turquoise shade called Steamy Frost.
Finally, we stopped at Hallmark to buy a birthday card for one of Brian's (male) coworkers whose party we were going to later, and picked out a ridiculous zebra print card with pink on the inside for Sharon and I to give. Crystal settled on something a bit more standard. Went home, got ready for a long night, and headed to the party around 7 pm. We were greeted by some very welcoming and warm individuals who offered us pizza and snacks and immediately broke the ice with - get this - party games! I love party games!
We played "How well do you know Matt?" (Sharon and I didn't do too bad, considering we didn't) and "Fluffy Bunny" which was hilarious. You have to shove marshmallows in your mouth, one at a time, and try to say the phrase, "fluffy bunny." It's not only hard to stuff them in your cheeks but to prevent them from coming back out when you laugh at everyone else!
After the party wound down, we headed downtown to Dr. Feelgood's. Unfortunately we got there after 11pm and had to pay the $10 cover (grr), but the rest of the night was a great, typical Spring Break evening. By the end of the night, we were on a first-name basis with the bartender, had each taken a shot from the shot girl, did the Cupid Shuffle in line for the restroom, helped a bachelorette complete her scavenger hunt, danced on the crowded tiny stage, avoided some creepy white-haired man and met some cool guys from Hershey, PA and Tennessee, and danced all night thanks to the fresh oxygen they somehow pump into the club (for real).
After all of this, I actually managed to wake up before noon, and before Sharon, the following day.
Day 3
Even though it was winter for Crystal, Sharon and I were dying to get to the beach, so we put on our bikinis and drove to nearby Jupiter, which was quite breezy by the ocean but sunny enough. Crystal kept her hoodie on.
After the beach, we hit up Publix, the supermarket in FL, for some sandwiches. Everything was much slower there and relaxed compared to supermarkets in the tri-state area. Then stopped at CVS to pick up some hair dye for me. After lunch, Sharon helped me with my hair while Crystal and Brian did their food shopping for the week. When they got back, we girls ended up getting into a long discussion about race and immigration and culture and plenty of other deep topics. Before we knew it, Brian had prepared and was serving us dinner - what a guy!
After dinner and plenty of wine, Brian and Crystal said nighty-night, while Sharon and I watched the Rocky Horror Picture Show, which I had never seen before, then headed to bed ourselves for an early rise the next morning.
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