Life After College

I graduated from the University of Maryland in May 2015.  Everything changed after that; there are more responsibilities and deadlines. Syllabuses are not included.
I vividly remembered the ceremony day. The room was full of hopes, dreams and uncertainty. Everyone was laughing and hugging goodbyes, pretending everything is okay. I did not even want to go there because I felt like a failure; I was so unsure of my future. The only reason I went is because of my parents, I do not want to disappoint them.  Most of my friends already received job offers. The post-graduation survey did not help either. One thing I knew for sure, I better started blasting those resumes out cause most of the students there were just as anxious and nervous as I was.

 

Fast forward to the second week of post-graduation, I entered the “jobless crisis” mode. Literally, every job I applied to, I failed their technical interviews. I was so crushed. I tried to study and review all my materials, but my nervousness got the best of me.  At that point, I was so certain that I am going to be a homeless and live with my parents for the rest of my life. My best friend was still looking for jobs back then, but he landed on an engineering job in a matter of 3 weeks. I was so proud of him, but part of me also died a little. (Does it make me a bad person just to be jealous of my best friend? I do not know, I did tell him in a way, but there is more to that, and I do not want to go into depth for this post).

 

After applying to some 70 job applications within a two-months period, I was able to start my career as a technical assistant.  This was not my ideal job, but I was willing to take any opportunity at that point. Thankfully, I was able to meet few incredible people there. They inspire me to become a better person.  “Never compromise your own uniqueness to meet someone else standards, be your own ground, and stand up for yourself”. Company wise, it was a freak show: lots of political agendas and gossips. I am working in a new company for four months now. It is less hectic, people there are respectable, and my teammates are awesome.

 

In term of relationship, I have none. I broke up with my boyfriend after I graduated from college.  I put all my energy into work and work only. (There were few flings, but it did not go anywhere – I wished it would, but it never did). I might blog some relationship experience later on, but I am no expert, I am like an infant.

 

During these times, I have learned few things about myself and my life after college. Family support and faith are the main keys that keep me going. Without these two components, I would not survive. Every rejection letter adds a drop of disappointment in my soul, luckily, I turned to my family for support and encouragement. Believing in something that is larger than myself enables me to view life differently. It makes me feels that hard work does pay off, I just need to stay focused and hone my strengths and skills. Someone will eventually notice it.

 

This past one year and a half is a roller-coaster ride for me. With all of the craziness and loneliness, one thing I know for sure, I would not change a damn thing about my life. I am not saying this just because I am in a better place now than the day I graduated.  All those feelings, experience, lessons, and emotions make me who I am today.  Who knows what the future holds, but I am ready to face it. Enjoy the moment, accept defats, learn from them, and move on. There are the steps that I am still figuring out myself.

 

Stay blessed and Happy Monday –

 

-Being Salty

 

 

 

 

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How to stay on top of your schedule

I have a love/hate relationship with time management. Part of me knows that in order to be a responsible adult, I have to understand the art of managing my schedule. Hence why I bought a gazillion planners from Target, which to be honest, is the worst place that you can go too. If people think beauty gurus spend more money on make-up products than Target, I beg to differ. Well probably, not Canadians since Target does not exist there.

 

Anyway, I always feel accomplished when all my to-do lists are checked on my planner. Those moments makes me feel like my day has not been wasted; I contributed something good to myself or others. But here is the thing, sometimes to-do list creates a black hole in my head. It constraints me, it makes me feel like I am too structured, too “in-the-box”. And this is why I sometimes hate planning my day ahead. I want to be opened, vulnerable, and ready to take things as it is.

 

Ok enough of my rumblings, this post is about sharing my tips of how to stay on top of your scheduling game cause it is not fun, but it is mandatory to keep your life in check so here are we go:

1. Make realistic plans
   Yes, my friends, realistic plans are the key. Do not set high expectations on what you can accomplish on a day. I have been there and done that. Trust me, it sure made you feel good, but you will not have enough energy to start the next day. Consistency will lead to good productivity. Always add extra 30 minutes to everything you need to do.  For example, I usually spend 2 hours on grocery shopping every two weeks, but I always block my day for 2:30 hours so that it won’t overlap my other task.  This technique will leave you the room to breath, to enjoy the moments, rather than rushing off to finish the next task on your list. Not all tasks will be completed on time. We need to accept it, and be flexible of when to change it.
2. Review your schedule the evening before
   What is the point of writing on your planner if you never look at it again? Treat your planner (in whatever form it is) as your  second mobile device, check it frequently. I highly recommend that you guys check it the night before so you can get a better understanding of how your day will look like. Depend on how much work you have for tomorrow, this can ruin your evening. I still encourage you to review it; we can not escape those tasks, either we have to do it now or later.

 

 

Ok, that is all I have for today, I hope these two key points can help some of you plan your schedule better. If you have a secretary who keep all your schedules, kudo to you. The rest of you, thank you for reading my post and have an awesome day.

 

Stay Blessed and Happy Wednesday

 

 

-Being Salty

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My fellow Americans,

 

My fellow Americans,

Like some Americans today, I was shocked, stunned, and numb.  For a moment, I felt like I can’t breathe; the worst possible scenario happened. Donald Trump won.  First, I would like to congratulate his teams for all the hard work they have done for him, and all his supporters who exercised their rights to vote.  Second, I would like to thank our Americans out there who did not protest or act in violence. Like Michelle Obama said, “when they go low, we go higher.”

 

No matter what we believe in, this is America, our democracy has not died yet. Yes, we are more divided than ever before. Yes, this election validate that we have issues that we need to work on.

 

I am at a point, where I respect America’s decision, and we must come forward as one if we want to survive and become the nation of freedom. I truly hope (and pray) that Mr. Donald Trump, President-Elect, will lead us to right path (or at least do not take America backward).

 

Sincerely,

 

Being Salty

 

Miracle

OH MY GHAWD…. I got hired (for different company, of course)!!! And the salary/position is way better than my previous company! Is this real life?!?!?!

Okay so I was let go on last week of September 2016, I spent the next week searching for jobs like a madman. I received few interviews last week, and one of them actually offered me a decent compensation, and I accepted it with a heartbeat.  I already started working for them since Monday.

This is crazy, I can’t believe it, I did not stay unemployed for too long. The first thing I did after I signed the agreement form?I freaking UPDATED my social media sites (Facebook and Linkedin) to show my ex-company’s workers what I am capable of. But honestly, I am just too happy to even feel anything right now!

I am so thankful to have the opportunity to meet few people in my ex-company. They inspire me to be a better person and show me that being young does not mean that you are inexperience or not good enough for your job. Good things come to those who wait (and work hard for it), and I truly believe it.

For those who is reading this post, I wish you the best! If you are in the same position as me (I hope you are not), please do not give up hopes. Things will get better; once the rain stops, the sun will shine.

And of course, I am still a little bit salty about my previous workplace,

Oh well, life goes on.

 

Good night,

 

Being Salty

Waking up <– the most hardest thing to do in the morning (when you do not know what else to do for that day)

Yes, I could not get up earlier in the morning. And no, it is not because I am feeling too “lazy”, or I do not get “enough sleep”.  I LACK MOTIVATION. My basic morning routine is the same: waking up, brushing my teeth, breakfast, jogging, and searching for jobs. there is nothing new to look forward to beside job rejections if that counts. I try, I do really try, to motivate myself more and keep telling that soon I will find a suitable job, but time is the luxury that I do not have. I am not broke yet, but if this keeps going till October, then I might be. That’s it for today, I am writing this to let people know; y’all not alone with this “post-graduate” crisis. Here are some of the pictures that I took this morning. I hope this will cheer you up a litter bit 🙂

Those steps are not good for running. just saying…

Flowers everywhere ❤

Peace for now,

Salty