((little fat notebook))

Pamper Me Fabulous at Terranea

laelene Post in photo blog，Tags: beauty, events, experiences, nature, pictures, sunset

02 December 2011

terranea rentals overlook the ocean and an island in the distance

A beautiful view from the small golf course at Terranea Resort.

pamper me fabulous event inside terranea resort ballroom

There were lots of vendors at the Bazaar portion of Pamper Me Fabulous. The power even went out twice!

beautiful cliffside view at terranea resort

For lunch, I took a break and strolled along the gorgeous coast.

enjoying a stroll along the cliffside at terranea resort

I was basking in the beautiful day at a fantastic location.

backside of main building of terranea resort

The lawn area was used for fitness courses, while everything else was inside that building.

cottages for rent at terranea resort overlooking ocean

This will be a future vacation spot!

seagull sitting on concrete post in ocean

The seagull had quite a nice perch, watching things like that sailboat out in the distance.

waves crash along coast line at terranea resort trail

A wonderful trail brings us down to water level to enjoy the waves.

Hmm, I wonder what kind of berry that is? Reminds me of yumberries.

Terranea Resort offers a lot of natural beauty, like this sunset over the ocean!

Birthdays and bygones

laelene Post in general blog，Tags: future, mommy, observation, work

29 November 2011

Today’s my mom’s birthday! I can’t believe a year has come and gone. I remember this time last year she wasn’t here, so we didn’t really celebrate. This year I’ll be going back to see her later in the week and hopefully we can get a nice dinner in before resting up for an early flight that she’ll need to catch. Soon, I’ll have my birthday too. My how it all flashes by!

I feel like there hasn’t been that much to pace my life by, since a work day is pretty predictable. I’m nearing two years of employment at my company and so much has changed, yet the pattern of each day makes things blend a lot more than during my school years. Within the next year or two I’ll be changing all of that though – it’s about time for a shift in my life. Going back to school will offer me a change in scenery and pace of life. I always enjoy shaking things up a bit!

For now I’ll just prepare for that next stage and marvel that in 2012, my parents will be twice my age! Has it really taken that long to get to this point? Sometimes I feel older than I am, but of course there is still so much more to grow.

The weather outside is frightful (kinda)

laelene Post in video blog，Tags: east coast, seasons, videos, weather

28 November 2011

Now that Thanksgiving is over, I’m ready to get into the holiday spirit! Now the weather on the other hand… maybe not as ready. Around Halloween it was sooo close to snowing in the D.C. area, but it ended up kind of – well, slushing instead.

Tree control

laelene Post in photo blog，Tags: behavior, humans, nature, observation, pictures, plants

26 November 2011

trees with bottoms cut off to prevent dangling branches

Ah, humans, always controlling their environments.

Over-entertained

laelene Post in general blog，Tags: behavior, experiences, opinion

25 November 2011

I spent the entire day watching episodes of Charmed and boy have I learned my lesson! It’s no good to sit/lay in front of a screen for that long, especially not when you’re watching the screen at all different angles. I’m sure it would have been better if I was sitting properly, but I would lay on my side, my belly, even my back to watch. Now I’ve got this terrible headache so it’s time to stop viewing any screen and rest my eyes.

This harkens back to the days when I would binge on episodes of Princess Pearl, a popular Chinese drama from over a decade ago. At least I watched those on a TV screen, so wasn’t so close and didn’t lay on the floor. Still, I would wrap myself up in a blanket and surround myself with food much as I did yesterday. It’s not the best way to pass a day and I’m looking forward to spending some time outside tomorrow, breathing fresh air and enjoying natural light.

Munchies

laelene Post in video blog，Tags: animals, behavior, food, videos

24 November 2011

What creature doesn’t love a good meal?

Friendly ray

laelene Post in photo blog，Tags: animals, behavior, experiences, las vegas, pictures

22 November 2011

manta ray at caesar's palace in las vegas

He was quite the social fellow!

close up of bottom of manta ray at caesar's palace in las vegas

He got right up against the glass to say hello!

Another step closer

laelene Post in mba，Tags: business school, education, future, gmat, mba

21 November 2011

I did it! I finally scheduled my GMAT exam, which brings me one step closer to getting my applications ready for b-school. It’s in just under two weeks, so I’ll definitely need to do some final prep work over the long weekend. After that, I will transfer all my energy towards applications and pump them out in a month. It all sounds daunting, but a little bit of pressure usually gives me the motivation I need to take care of business!

I’m optimistic that I can put together a profile making me a strong candidate, but the reality is that only 5-10% of applicants get in and I’m definitely on the lower end of the scale when it comes to work experience. Hopefully I can make up for that and state a good case for my qualifications. The good thing is, it wouldn’t kill me to get another year under my belt and I’m not in a huge rush to get an MBA right away, so even if I don’t get in to Harvard or Stanford (the only two I’m applying to this year), I’ll just try again next year.

Of course I’m definitely hoping I do get in for the entering class of 2012, but at least I have the luxury of more time if I need it. There is definitely a lot of experience I can still accrue with an additional year. However, I feel there are a lot of opportunities at work out of my reach without an MBA to back me up. Getting that degree would really help me over a hump in my career that otherwise may take two or three times as long to overcome.

I’m looking forward to getting the test out of the way so I can focus all my energy on my applications. If I can, I’ll definitely want to make a classroom visit too!