End of 2011

2011 has been great - I had ton of great times and made lots of new friends and memories to carry me into the new year! Its been a great way to end the year catching up with new & old friends (from elementary school, JHS, HS college and grad school)!

This year I:

• Graduated and received my MBA
• Got my first job
• Interned at the United Nations
• Met and interviewed famous politicians, athletes and celebrities

Thanks for making 2011 so amazing, I can't wait to see what 2012 has to bring!

You Got Me!

 

Today I was supposed to meet up with Ganesh for lunch today.  We had decided to go to Ruby Tuesday for lunch.  So I went upstairs to meet him and to my surprise YI was there!!!

I was definitely not expecting to see him at all!  It was a great surprise!  I had never been surprised like that before!

Bravo boys, Bravo!

Birthday Festivities

Last night a few friends and I went out and celebrated my birthday.

I started off the night at Avra, a cute Greek restaurant in the city.  Of course I was late for my own party.  I had a great turn out of people from all different part of my lives - Marianna, Amanda, Ganesh, JM, Mike, Steve & his roomie Max.

After dinner we had some time before our 9 PM reservation at the next location, so we decided to go to Calico Jacks for some cheap drinks... where I had about oh.. 4 shots on a span of 15 minutes... (I was pretty much done drinking for the night at that point lol).

After the shots we took a cab to Brass Monkey, where we met up with everyone else.  We had two tables in our own little room like place - which was awesome!  There we met up with Massey, Paul, Vicki, Adriano, Miguel & his roomie Jason, Brian, Rocky - who I was not expecting to see, and Andrew!

  

Thanks everyone for coming out and making it a great night!

It's My Birthday!

I can't believe I'm another year older!  Where does the time go?

23 is such weird number, not only is it way past 21 - its a strange prime number...

So excited for tonight!

Here are some pictures from the celebrations at home!

 I got an snowman ice cream cake - my favorite! :)

Smarterer

I just got on Smarterer, it's pretty cool.  It tells you how knowlegable you are on a topic.  However I do think it has a mountain effect in that you start out with a low score, reach a peak then jsut go down...

Catching up with the girls

Last night the girls and I, minus Cathy went out for dinner at Press 195.

The food there was soo good!

I had an amazing drink - Raspberry Vodka with fresh strawberry lemonade.

I got the best hot press sandwich - inside it had mozzarella, tomatoes and the best maple pesto! :)

And it got even better for dessert

Underneath the massive amounts of whip cream was ice cream and the best part is the hot pressed banana bread with nutella, strawberries and bananas! :)

FSOT Results

I got my results from the FSOT today, sadly I did not make it to the next part of the process.  I needed a 154, but I only got a 145

Here is what the letter said:


To advance to the next step of the Foreign Service Officer selection process, the Qualifications
Evaluation Panel (QEP) review, applicants must have acheived a score of 154 or above on the
multiple-choice components of the FSOT and an essay score of at least 6 on a 12-point scale. Essays
were scored for those candidates who received at least a 154 or above on the multiple-choice section.

There were three parts to the multiple-choice section. You scored as follows:

Job Knowledge: 41.34
Biographic Information: 52.06
English Expression: 52.30
Multiple-Choice Total: 145.70

So close yet so far...

I guess I'll have to wait til next year to take it again...

Yale IV 2011

Just got back from a fun weekend at the Yale IV!  It was a good weekend - Silly Yale Tab Staff had me chairing all my panels... LOL.  I saw some good rounds and some not so good rounds.  Good times!

My favorite round has to be - This house believes politicians should be allowed to become lobbyists and vice versa.

The first half was terrible, but the 2nd half - two Vermont teams were really good.  The Government Member had me shedding a tear and his speech really made me love America! :)

The party was at a frat house - very Rutgers-esque and similar to any RU party, was broken up by the cops lol.

Unfortunately, the team was being lame and left early... along with the key to get back onto campus...  So... me being me and slightly out of it, attempted to climb the very large gate to get into Old Campus.  However Paul and Gabe did not think I could do it and flipped out before I could make up and over..

And of course some of my fav people who I had not seen in a while came/did not expect to see were at the IV, including Ellie, JJ, Michael and Andrew!

All in all - great weekend!

Big Bronx Complete!!!

IT'S OVER!!!!!!!!!!!!

Housing went pretty well for the most part, people knew what they had to do, who to pick up, etc.  There was a small mishap, but it was easily solved with a girl on standby.  Thank goodness she stayed!

FSOT

Today I took the FSOT, it was ok... There were a bunch of tricky questions - So while I didn't study as much as I would've liked... the ones I was confused about were things I would not have known or studied anyways.

For instance, something to the effect of "What African tribes caused the Rwanda genocide?"  The answer was Hutu and Tutsis.

Then there were questions like "what is babelfish used for?" and "what the iron curtain symbolize?"

And a bunch of random things like that.

The essay question was basically to what extent can we enfringe on privacy rights for national security.

The test was so fast, I was in and out in just 3 hours.

Just got a call from Susan from the Jamba Juice Local Ambassador program - so excited for the program!!!

2 days til the FSOT

Today I had my in-person interview with SWIFT with the Global Head of Partner Management.  I was also supposed to meet with the head of HR, but he didn't make it to the meeting...  And he was the one we were planning around... it looks like we will do a phone follow up interview.

I think the interview went well though... and if I get the position, I could possibly be going to Brussels!!!

After the interview, I met up with Adge and got a white hot chocolate cupcake from CRUMBS!!! :)

My next week just went from completely free to study for the FSOT to completely booked.  Based on the events of yesterday and two phone calls today, this is how next week looks for me..

Monday - PWM CFO of Merrill Lynch

Tuesday - SWIFT in person interview

Wednesday - Jamba Juice Local Ambassador Call

Thursday - Foreign Office Test

Friday/Sat - Possibly going to judge at Harvard...  I think I might pass though

Then Columbus Day weekend!!!  I could really use a beach day this weekend, any takers?

I guess I should probably actually start cramming for the FSOT now...

Night out at Tiro a Segno & Crimson

Matt, one of my old friends from GBA, invited me and a few others out to Tiro a Segno last night!  As he explained it Tiro a Segno is the oldest Italian Club on the Western Hemisphere with a rifle range in the basement for shooting.

He invited me, his roommate Casey. Giselle (from GBA) and her husband.

Giselle walked in saying she had a big surprise for us...

We met up and ordered drinks, sadly she and her husband said they couldnt... turned out that GISELLE IS PREGNANT!!!  :)

The club was very classy and had a classy old school vibe, with big nice chairs, carpeted floors etc.  It was really nice.  We started off in the reception area with some drinks, followed by a very extensive dinner in the main room.  I had calamari, truffle ravioli, strip steak and a strawberry moose cake!!!  There was sooooo much food, but boy was it AMAZING!!!

After dinner we headed downstairs to the shooting range, where we shot some 22 mm rilfes!!! Tons of fun!!!  We then went upstairs and played a game of pool then headed out to some bars.

By the end of the night we ended up at Crimson.  It's a pretty nice and very large venue, it wasn't too bad, except for the fact that they were only playing Polish music... which isn't quite my cup of tea...

Great night out on the town!

Columbia Parli Tournament

This past Friday/Saturday I was judging at Columbia.

It was definitely a blast from the past with all the high school debaters now joining the college parli debate circuit (APDA).

I saw Abhi who went to my HS AFTER I graduated, Thurm who I had judged throughout his HS career and Andrew, used to coach at Bronx who I finally convinced to join the circuit!

I also met the new Fordham novices, they seem like a good crowd now.  I think Fordham is heading toward the right track - old school, fun Fordham again!  Which makes me super happy!!! I wont go into too much detail, but those who spoke to me know my take on the team...

Between Round 2 & 3, Lily kicked off the first "Women's Initative" mixer event, which was great!  It was nice for all the girls to be in a room together to talk about girl power, but idk it was weird that it was segregated - not a big fan of that... kind of defeats the purpose to some extent...  But good in theory.

I had the pleasure of staying with Clara Friday night - so of course I had an awesome night.  I <3 that girl!!!

The team rented out a frat house for the party which was pretty sweet to say the least.  I paried a bit w/ Eric, who I thought hated me... I guess he doesnt! :)  And it was just good to finally see him in a different light - other than that debater from Scarsdale - lol.

On Saturday I stayed til semis and FINALLY got to judge and see Coulter (part of Harvard Lion King) debate!  He was fabulous!  Sadly I had to drop Clara/Mark to them though :(

Happy to say that Andrew/Sam won the Novice division and Coulter/Loomis won the entire tournament!

Congrats! :)

FSOT

I decided to take the FSOT, looks like I'll be taking it in 2 weeks on October 6.  Wish me luck!

MTVu VJ On-Camera Interview

Today I had my on-camera interview for a VJ position with MTVu!!!  This has been my dream job since like 7th grade.. yes, back in the days of Cason Daly and TRL

I think the interview went well?  I mean its really up to the producers and if they like me.  I just hope that the fact that I'm out of school doesn't harm my chances - I mean I'm still only 22, even if I do have an MBA...

So everyone wants to know what the process is like...

Application Process
So I sent in my resume and a photo to MTVu last week and got a call yesterday.

Phone Interview/Screening
The call was a short phone interview asking me questions like - what are your favorite types of music, favorite band, etc.

Then they asked me to send a few more pictures to get a better idea of what I looked like.  Before I could even decide what pictures to send in, I got a call from her boss asking me to come in for a camera interview the next day (today)!!!

I was sent some cues, things you'd see on cue cards, to look over.  Pretty straight forward stuff.

On-Camera Interview
At the interview, I got there a tad early, then he came out and brough tme to this room - which was essentially an office w/ empty walls, but had the complete set up w/ a desk and everything, except there was a camera facing the wall.

For the on-camera interview, the producer started off filming a conversation type interview , where I was answering questions - boy did I learn some interesting things while being interviewed.  Then I did the cues, which went somewhat well, it only took me like 1.5 times to run through them.  I just hope I didn't speak too quickly as I tend to do when I get nervous.

The filming was very quick, it was supposed to start at 3 PM and I was out by 3:15 PM.

Fingers crossed to see how it all goes!

We Rememeber 9/11

Never Forget

Today marks the 10th anniversary of the 9-11 attacks.

The memorial site down at the WTC finally opened up to the public and they had some moments of silence and a big memorial at the site.

I can't believe its been 10 years!  That just seems bizarre, aIso can't believe it took that long to finish the memorial and the new buildings aren't done yet!

Regardless...

My heart and best goes out to all the victims and their families and I want to thank all of the first responders and military who are out there doing what they do best for America!

Fashion's Night Out 2011

Tonight, now technically last night, I went out to Fashion's Night out with the usual crew, Ashley, Becky and Amanda!!!

We started off in Soho at Billabong, then moved around from there.  Betsey Johnson had the cutest dresses!!!

Next we went to DVF where Diane Von Furstenberg made an appearance!!!  She then proceeded to spray me and the girls with her new line of perfume! lol  

Next was Roxy where Amanda and I took part in the casting call and we got VIP status! :)

Spring Street, right outside "Dash" was a complete and utter madhouse!!!

There were a tons of people waiting to meet/see the Kardashians and Pauly D

After the madness Marianna and I went to Tribeca Grand and got some drinks w/ her friends.

Tony Hawk Vert Jam

Today marked the kickoff of the Quiksilver Pro with the Tony Hawk Vert Jam.  Some of the best riders had come out to skate, including Tony Hawk, Mitchie Brusco, Sandro Dias, Elliot Sloan and Steve Berra.  The event was great!

 At one point Tony and Mitchie were skating on the half-pipe at the same time!!!

Tony even got the FDNY boat to play a role in the event!

 After the event I got to meet some of the skateboarders!

 Sadly Tony left in a minivan, many of the fans were sad, especially this one little boy who was about to start crying :'(

Unemployed yet another day...  I got a call fro Michele from Sagence Group, apparently they liked me, but didn't think I had proper background for the job.

I then went to follow up w/ Steve from AllianceBernstein and he said: 

"I’m ok.  I apologize for someone not getting back to you.  The job has been filled.  Thanks for your time and interest.  Best of luck."

I guess I will keep on looking...

So things are starting to look positive.

I love how things just come in spurs.

Yesterday I had two phone calls saying that the companies are interested in having me come in possibly next week for in person interviews, and one call today to start the interview process with another company! :)

Guest Bartending Debut

I made my bartending debut last night at Fashion 40 Lounge!

It was a lot of fun, I got to mix a variety of drinks which was really fun and a decent chunk of people from different parts of my life came out!

The most surprising was Nigel, Yi-Jin and Jayati, I hadn't seen most of them since HS, so that was really nice to see them and catch up!

I even managed to make $86?! :)

NBC Page Program Interview

Today I had my final round paneled interview for the NBC Page program!

There were 5 of us, all girls, and the panel - the Page Program Manager, Page Program Coordinator and Page Program Intern.  Two of the girls were from Syracuse University, one from NYU, the other from Pepperdine and me from Fordham.

The interview consisted of of 3 parts:
Part 1: Group Interview
This part was surprisingly short, they only asked us 1 question:  What is the biggest risk you've taken and what did you learn from it?

Part 2: Individual Interview
This part was short as well, about 15 minutes.  They asked me to tell them about my different internships and why I wanted to be a page and why NBC.

Part 3: Personal Presentaitons
Each of us gave 2 minute presentations about ourselves.  While singing and dancing was not allowed, the usage of creativity and props was highly encouraged.  I had brought a TON of props - the cap from my cap & gown, a notebook, voice recorder, debate timer, a CD and most importantly my scientific calculator (which I don't think Natasha has seen before, based on her facial expression, lol).

Not surprisingly, all of the girls at the interview were very qualified and really wanted the job.  And surprisingly, I was the only MBA grad there, and probably the oldest one there!  All in all, the interview was very laid back and a lot of fun!

Worse Interview Everrr

I had the worst interview everrr today.

This was a round 2, and the 3 of 3 people I had to met.  I was supposed to see her the first time I went, but she left early that day, so I had to go in just to see her.  Everything was going well with the interview, she was asking me about past work experiences, and things like that.

Then she asked me a really hard analytical question: How many stations are there in the subway station.  Unsure, I simply said 150 stations, then changed my answer to 15 lines imes 16 stations.  She then said, what about the stations that multiple train stations stop at.  Needless to say with the complexity of the train stations, I was stumped and it showed. Eventually I came up to the answer of 160 stations.

Her follow up question, after only 1 question outside of the who are you questions was "do you have any questions for me?"  Meaning that the interview was over...  She then proceeded to ask me, why should/shouldn't we hire you?"  and "Let me walk you to the door."

The entire interview took about 30 mins of the usual alotted 60 minute interviews... Needless to say, it the interview went poorly and I bombed the interview.

Post Grad Celebrations

 

I can't believe that I finally graduated from GRAD SCHOOL last night!  I can now say that I'm an MBA Grad at 22, how insane is that?  I'm not even 22 1/2 yet - lol. Last night was bitter sweet, it's nice to finally be done with school, but sad that school's over - for a while at least...

 The ceremony was held at Lincoln Center, and it was short and to the point, 1.5 hours max.  However it was not the same, no throwing of caps at the end :(  which I totally called the dean out on afterwards!

After the ceremony, GBA held a nice reception for us at our Lincoln Center campus.  It was actually really nice and OMG the chocolate strawberries!!! YUM!  Marianna ended up coming out to the reception and I bumped into BoMa as well as my many other GBA friends new and old! :)

After the reception, a bunch of us headed to the Hudson Hotel.  The first thing I heard is - the dean is sitting in between the two bushes and buying drinks!  SKETCHY right?  But alas, it wasn't apparently it was like mini section separated by trees lol.  But wow, I was drinking at the dean at the Hudson Hotel!  He bought us drinks and even offered me a job at GBA! :)

Great night, I'm going to miss you all!