Congratulations, Class of 2011!

Now that we're entering graduation season, I thought that I'd take the time to dedicate a post to my fellow graduates in the Class of 2011 and to share a little bit of my experience with you.  First and foremost, I'd like to say congratulations to anyone that also graduated this spring.  I know that we've all put in a lot of time and effort into earning our diplomas and to finally have it embodied in a way that lasts a lifetime is certainly a great achievement deserving of recognition.  Hats off to you and best of luck in your life endeavors!

My family and I taking pictures after commencement.
My brother and I are tall!  Haha...

As for me...  I began my college career in the fall of 2007 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as a marketing major.  I was very much interested in consumer behavior and the power of influence.  The initial interest grew into love as I took pertinent course materials and found that not only was I creative--I was also analytical.  I feel blessed to have the capability to see and be interested in both sides of the story, and while my heart pushes me towards research and analytics, I still enjoy and appreciate the creative aspect of my chosen major.

That isn't to say that the journey was easy, however.  I had my first experience with being away from my home and my family as well as the experience of living with people that were virtually strangers.  I was opened up to a new world of different people and experiences, which I felt was especially challenging due to my quiet and reserved nature.  Academics were also a challenge as well, as I had dual involvement in honors/scholar programs that required a very demanding schedule and a great deal of work.  Also requiring a great deal of work were the extracurricular activities in which I participated and the leadership roles I held.  On top of balancing my social life, academics, and extracurricular activities, there was also the issue of work experiences.

While I held a summer internship on the boardwalk close to my house, I think my first real business experience came at the start of my current job.  It was my first time in an office setting, and never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I would be working for a huge, multinational firm this early in my life.  In spite of this, I really think I held my own and learned a lot--especially since I've been working here full-time and have been living away from home (and for a lot of the time on my own).  Although I enjoy where I am, it wasn't always easy to wake up before the sun came up, sit in up to two hours of traffic, and have to come back and take care of things like cooking and cleaning.  Moreover, it was especially hard to keep energized when I had to budget my time between work, school, friends, family, and my boyfriend.  I certainly felt as though I had been thrust unexpectedly into some type of legitimate adulthood.  As hard and as different as it was, I wouldn't exchange it for anything--it was one of my most valuable life experiences to date.

My boyfriend and I with my diploma.  Graduated with
honors, baby!  :)

But of course, I wouldn't be where I am today without the love and support of my friends and family.  I thoroughly appreciate their encouraging words and their willingness to let me reach for my dreams.  I'm sure it wasn't easy for my parents to let go of me and let me experience the world on my own for a while...and I'm sure it wasn't easy for my friends to deal with me ranting about my struggles, haha.  But I do want to say that I appreciate and love all of them from the bottom of my heart.

And of course, I appreciate all of my readers here, for supporting this dream of sharing my experiences about life, makeup, fashion, and beauty.

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Back from Europe--With Pictures!

Wow.  Would you believe that I've been home from Europe for two weeks already and I have yet to make a post?  Shame on me!  But life ended up taking the reins and as I prepare for graduation in may, the amount of things that I need to get done keep snowballing into one big, frustrating ordeal.  That's normal for any graduating senior, I suppose, but I still remain committed to updating as much as possible and sharing as much as I can of my life with you.  In any case, I'd like to thank all of the readers and everyone that wished me a good trip in Germany and France.  I had a fairly decent flight to Europe and once we got there, it was certainly a great experience!

One of the first places we went to was Hohenzollern castle, which was just absolutely gorgeous.  It sat atop a mountain that we actually needed to climb.  It was then that I realized...I am terribly out of shape!!! (I'm making strides on improving this...more to follow in the next Susan G. Komen post.)  Despite huffing and puffing all the way to the top, I found that it was definitely worth it.  The architecture was beautiful and it totally spoke to that side in me that yearns to be a princess.

While we did a few touristy things while in Germany, we did visit quite a few businesses and we went to places where we could observe International Marketing (that's what the trip was for, after all!).  One such place was the outlet town of Metzingen.  It was a very beautiful set of outlets with high-quality stores like Burberry, Ralph Lauren, Puma, and Hugo Boss.  Despite being an outlet town, however, everything was still much too expensive for me and I ended up window shopping.  It was still a good experience--and I saved my wallet some, too!  Another place we visited was Reutlingen University, where we had a lecture and got to see the way that German universities operate.  For those of you that enjoy a good "brewski," I am pleased to announce that we did go to a German brewery!  It was named Berg Brewery and we got to do our own little beer tasting there as a class.  We also had an authentic German dinner in which I finally figured out what a schnitzel was!

Another highlight of the trip was the Mercedes Factory and Museum.  I don't know much about cars, but I do appreciate good design and quality engineering.  I was surprised to see a lot of Mercedes cars were used as police cars, tour buses, freight trucks, and more.  I was also surprised to see that the Pope Mobile was a Mercedes, too!  Out of all the cars in the museum, I think my favorites were probably the convertibles.  One of my biggest "fantasies," so to speak, comes right out of those old movies.  There's nothing I'd love more than to have a dashing gentleman waiting in front of my house in a convertible, ready to pick me up and ride into the countryside.  Let me also add in that a stylish scarf around my hair and big sunglasses are also necessary!  But in all seriousness...not only were the cars amazing, but the design of the actual building itself was dazzling as well and very modern!  Overall, it was a good experience to see where these cars got their start and how they evolved through the years.  I had a similar experience on my last day in Germany, when we went to the Porsche museum.

I'm not really sure how much of this is evident in the posts that I make, but I would probably consider myself a very traditional person.  It's probably not a surprise that the quaint little town of Rothenburg found a special place in my heart.  A city that was once ravaged by war, Rothenburg, it was able to rebuild and rise once more.  The architecture here was stunning and if there was one place I visited where I would choose to live full-time, it would be here.  From my research, Rothenburg served as inspiration for the setting of the Disney movie Pinnochio and was the setting of scenes in the film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (not that I've watched it--I just heard about it!).

It was in Rothenburg that I had my first mini schneeballen, a dessert made of fried dough.  Although everything in the bakery looked delicious (it's Europe, after all...how could it not?), I decided to go with the mini-schneeballen.  The particular kind I decided to try (and the one featured in the picture!) is of the cinnamon-sugar variety.  Other varieties that were available were nut, chocolate, and powdered sugar.  I suppose what I would compare it to is kind of like a donut hole (in terms of available flavors), except on the crunchy side!  I determined that the mini schneeballen wasn't for me, but it wasn't bad at all!

After taking care of business in Germany, we went to France.  The picture on the left is of the Arc de Triomphe, which we visited on our first night in Paris.  It was breathtaking at night!  Though you'd think that after nearly keeling over climbing the mountain to Hohenzollern, I would give up on climbing, I decided to be a trooper and stick it out.  I ended up climbing to the top and I'm really glad that I did.  From the top of the Arc de Triomphe was an astounding view of the entirety of Paris.  Though I ended up going a lot of different places throughout the rest of my stay in Paris, I think that by far, my favorite pictures were taken here, that night, at the Arc de Triomphe.

This picture is of the city street, branching out from the Arc de Triomphe.  What I really liked about our trip to Paris was that we were given a 3-day metro pass for our weekend there.  With that pass, we were able to go see the all of the tourist destinations in which we were interested as well as go poking around the city.  Though I'm not fluent in French (my experience spans four years of French education courses in high school...I am now a senior in college), I was surprised at how much came back to me and how well we were able to navigate and get around the city. 

While I only featured a few pictures here on the blog, I did visit a lot of tourist attractions.  I was able to make it to the Eiffel Tower, the Moulin Rouge, the Louvre, Montmarte, the Basilica of the Sacre Coeur, the Notre Dame de Paris, and the Saint Denis Basilica.  My general feeling is that I saw a lot and not enough at the same time.  A weekend was definitely not enough to accomplish all that I wanted to accomplish, and I am definitely looking forward to going back to Paris and seeing all these things again. 

While we were able to visit a lot of tourist attractions on our own, the entire class went to visit Crown, Cork, & Seal, a company responsible for metal packaging.  It's actually the industry leader and you probably would never know.  It manufactures containers for a lot of things from beverages to cleaning products to watches to wine to even cosmetics.  Who knew?  It was definitely interesting to see things from their perspective.

So what did I learn overall?

• I love architecture.
• I'd love to learn  more about photography.
• I need to get in more of my pictures.  I was behind the camera almost the entire time!  I need to document that I was actually at these places!
• Pain au chocolat is absolutely DELICIOUS and I will miss having it for breakfast every day...although it's probably a good thing I'm not having it every day, haha.
• European chocolate is WIN.
• Europe is super fun!  :)

If you've got any other questions or comments, please feel free to leave them here and I'll be happy to answer!

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Au Revoir & Auf Wiedersehen! Mellie Goes to Europe

Yes, that's right!  By the time you have read this blog post, I will probably be on a plane to Europe.

For those of you that don't already know, I will be traveling abroad for the next few days with an International Marketing course at my school.  We'll be going to Germany and France to see various companies and observe marketing in different cultures.  Since I haven't been to Europe before (only Asia!), I thought it would be a great opportunity to experience something new for a change.

While it spells out great opportunity for me, it means that I more than likely will be absent from the Internet--but don't fret!  I've got a few posts scheduled for my time away and I'm definitely planning on making a post summarizing my trip (complete with pictures!) shortly after I get back.

Thanks again for being the wonderful readers you are.  I'm going to miss you all--without you, this blog would be nothing!

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Because Everyone Deserves a Lifetime ®




A picture of me with my late grandmother,
Avelina Antonia Vibar-Provido (1930-1991).

  I thought I'd take the time to update you guys on my progress for Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure.  I'm happy to announce that I believe I surpassed the goal that I had set for myself last month.  I had hoped to raise at least $250 by the end of February and I ended up raising $270, with $60 on the way!  It may seem like a small gain, but I'm already at 12% of my goal and I've got a few months left to make a splash and raise the remainder of it.  For anyone interested in checking it out, see my page at http://the3day.org/goto/meganpalos.

I guess what I wanted to talk about was the picture that I have been using on my participant website and on each of my posts here.  As the caption indicates, it's a picture of my late grandmother and me.  Unfortunately, she was diagnosed with a very advanced stage of breast cancer when I was still a toddler and passed away shortly after.  In doing this, some people have asked me:  "Why have a picture of someone you hardly even knew on your site?  Why are you walking for this person?  Why is it so important for you?"

I really do think that's a valid question.  I was but a child when she passed, but something that was very inspiring to me was one of the slogans of the organization:  "Because Everyone Deserves a Lifetime."  Aside from the pictures we took together and the VHS home videos, I don't have many memories of her.  I remember playing out in the snow and her hands painstakingly peeling grapes for me because, for some strange reason, I hated grape skins.  I know that she loved me with the unique love that a grandparent has for their grandchild and I know that I loved her with all of the affection of an innocent child.

It all seems like it was cut too short, however.  Just as I came into the world and my eyes were opened, she departed and hers were closed.  Images and memories that I hold near and dear to me now...how many more could we have had together had she not succumbed to the illness?  That's something I'll never know, but I know a lot of people have been affected by this illness and I hope that in doing this walk, that's something I can help to change.

One of the things that I love about this event is that all of the proceeds are put towards breast cancer research and community programs.  It also strives to decrease breast cancer incidence and mortality within the next decade.  I think it's so important to spread awareness and actively pursue a cure and more effective treatment for this illness that seems to have affected everyone.  Although the goal seems like a lofty concept, no one got anywhere by not believing.  The dollars that have gone towards this cause have already helped:  While attending a Get Started meeting for the event, the meeting leader stated that when she first started getting involved in the cause, the statistic was that 1 in 7 women is diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime.  Because of the effort put towards this cause, the statistic has increased to 1 in 8.

While I am just one person, I firmly believe that one person is all it takes to stand up, work for change, and truly make a difference.

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60 Miles in 3 Days...Can I Do It?

A picture of me with my late grandmother,
Avelina Antonia Vibar-Provido (1930-1991).

Those of you that follow my private Twitter account (@VelociMellie) or my Facebook might know that I have decided to take on a challenge--I decided to sign up for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure™, taking place in October in Philadelphia.

For those of you that are unfamiliar with the walk, it entails walking 60 miles (roughly the distance between Atlantic City, NJ and Philadelphia, PA) over the course of three days and camping out each night with thousands of other men and women fighting for the same cause.  The net proceeds from this event are invested in breast cancer research and community programs with the hope of decreasing breast cancer incidence and mortality in the next decade.

As someone that has had various friends and family members affected by this illness, it was really important to me to be a part of it.  At the present time, 1 in 8 women are diagnosed with breast cancer.  When you think about it, that really could be anyone.  It's not just an illness that mostly older women get, either--more and more younger women around my age and even men are being diagnosed.   I just feel that it is so important to work towards improving treatment, finding a cure, and aiding in detection and prevention.

I attended a Get Started meeting in the city last Wednesday and it was certainly an emotional experience for me.  Suddenly the things I complain about seemed so small and inconsequential.  For example, some days I wake up tired or I don't feel like going to work or class.  But you know what?  I'm sure someone with cancer didn't feel like having the illness, but it happened.  And I'm sure that chemotherapy and other treatments are no walk in the park, but they endure it.  It is really touching to hear about people with illnesses that don't let it ruin their lives and it is really motivating to see the fighting spirit that is in each one of us.  60 miles in just three days is hard, but it's just a couple steps compared to the journey that cancer patients and survivors have to make.

I have currently committed to raise at least $2,300 in donations by the day of the walk.  At the moment, I haven't gotten much response, but I'm hoping that by the end of February, I can have at least $250 in there to get me going!  I'm determined to meet my goal at the least and exceeding it would be a dream come true.

While I do have financial goals involved in this race, I also have some physical goals attached to it.  60 miles in three days certainly did not sound like an easy task.  Since the race is in October, I thought I'd use the long time in between as an opportunity to train and prepare myself.  It's not "just walking"--it's involves stamina and endurance.  I'm proud to say that I'm eating much better than I did last year and I am also getting lots of regular exercise.  At the end of January, I had dropped nearly 15 pounds!  It's exciting to see my endurance build and I know that if I keep my way on this path, I should be able to last through these 60 miles.

I'm really looking forward to this walk and I hope all of you don't mind me talking about it every once in a while, haha.  I'm looking to make one post at the end of each month with my progress.  If you're interested in participating, please visit http://www.the3day.org/site/PageServer?pagename=homepage for more information.  If you're feeling gracious and would like to make a donation or would like to see the personal page I have set up, please get in contact with me and I can provide more details.  Thanks for reading the post and joining me on this journey!

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Back in Business!

Hello, everyone, and welcome back to my blog!  I'm sure most of you that followed my previous blog, Princess Mellie's Look Book, are wondering what happened.  Well, to make a long story short, a lot!  Life started taking the reins and I had to take a little break.  I'm back, however, and if you're still willing to read up, I'd love to have you as visitors.

Some of you are probably asking about the name.  Why LMFAO?  Why such a strange name?  It catches attention, that's for sure, but I thought that as an acronym, it encompassed everything that I was hoping a personal blog would convey--discussions about my life, makeup, fashion, and other beauty-related topics.  Furthermore, nothing brightens up a day like a warm smile and a deep, hearty laugh.

I'm hoping that I'll be able to keep up with this much better than I have in the past--I'm determined to, actually.  This year is one to accomplish my goals and I will see to it that I make regular posts throughout the duration of 2011 (and into the future!).

While we're on the topic of goals, I'd also like to mention that I'm currently in the process of finishing my last semester as a marketing undergrad.  I'm working to finish up my classes--including an International Marketing course that will have me traveling to Germany and France!  As I prepare to make my way out, I am also looking at either getting my first job or continuing my education with an MS in Marketing Research.

Many of you that follow me on Twitter or followed my previous blog probably already know that for the past couple months, I've been working a full-time internship with SAP.  That kept me extremely busy last semester, especially with the commute that sometimes took me up to 2 hours one way!  Additionally, I also picked up a gig as a contributor to a marketing website.  Although I'm only working part-time this semester and I'm still busy with school and life in general, I have a little bit more time to devote to making posts here.

So we'll see where this takes us!  I've got a lot of fun and informative posts coming up, so hopefully you stick around to see them.  Please let me know if there's anything else you'd like to see or anything like that and I'll try my best to work towards it!

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