THIS SITE IS MOVING!

We are moving to 

http://www.GIRLAFTERCOLLEGE.com

Make sure you subscribe there. NO MORE POSTS will be made on this wordpress account. Please go to http://www.girlaftercollege.com

So You Want to Be a Graphic Designer?

I always admire my graphic designer friends. I just think they’re so cool. I love the idea of using new media to create visual art — an art form that is practical, useful, and influential in our modern age. Uhm, anyway… before I get all philosopher on you, here’s a video you need to watch if you’re thinking about being a Graphic Designer:

 

 

Anyone out there considering this career path? I encourage you to leave a comment with any other tips.

Shizzle You Don’t Have To Say After Graduation…

In the great trend that brings us all together, here’s something you ladies might actually relate to.

But we don’t have to feel this way! Stay tuned for Girl After College’s grand “re-opening”.

In the mean time, I humbly request you leave a comment about what you’re feeling life now that you’ve graduated (if you have yet).

How to Do Your Taxes

(img source: occupywallst.org)

Auh! It’s tax time! And it’s really not that hard to do. Am pretty tired of everyone talking about taxes like its hard, arduous, and difficult. As a girl who just graduated college, it shouldn’t be. And we can get the hang of it, don’t worry!

One of my friends, Daniel Neighbors, is a certified accountant. I asked him for help this year. Prior, I had gone to the library and grabbed every tax form and booklet they had. “Okay, so what is all this? 1040EZ, 1040A, 1040, what??”

Here’s a link that explains how to know what form to use: http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=105099,00.html

And the booklets at the library tell you exactly how to fill the forms out. If you’re like me, you’ll fill out the 1040 so we can write off our education fees and get some money back!

You can do your taxes online (for free) through this website: https://www.taxactonline.com

Two important questions for you to ask your parents if this is your first time doing taxes:

1. Do your parents claim you as a dependent?

2. Do your parents claim your school fees on their tax return?

If the answer to these are No, you can get more tax return dollars (hollah!) in the mail.

Next year, my tax return might not be so simple. I’m running a blog, freelancing, blah blah. I don’t really know what to do, but here’s a link that gives some good tips to keep in mind:

http://www.justlove.ly/2012/02/tax-tips-for-bloggers-small-business.html

P.S. Taxes are actually due (this year) April 17th.

So You Want to Go to Medical School?

I looked into becoming a medical school student. Mostly because my parents would have absolutely loved to have bragged about it. After reading comments such as “No! Don’t do it unless you REALLY want to be a doctor!” and “I switched to pharmacy school. Don’t go to medical school for the money.” I decided medical school was not for me.

Are you wondering if Medical school is really worth it? Watch this short film (30 minutes) that shows you what it’s like through all four years.

Hey girlies! Are any of you currently in medical school or applying? Shoot me a message so you can be interviewed.

What M.I.A. Teaches Me About Myself (even if she does offend Americans)

If you know me, you know that I have a healthy obsession with the rapper/artist, M.I.A. If you haven’t heard of her by now, you really live under a rock. Her most well-known stunts are her hit, Paper Planes, making the sound track to Slumdog Millionaire, and flipping the bird at the Super Bowl. If you pay a bit more attention to the news, then you might remember the controversy of her video “Born Free” which depicts the story of a fictional red-head-freckle-faced-people genocide.

A lot of people may not understand what there is to like about M.I.A. “She’s weird” “She’s rude” “Her voice is horrible” etc. But what you cannot discredit her about is the fact that her WHOLE CAREER stands for something.

M.I.A. is a Sri Lankan refugee who lives in England (which is more lenient about offensive material… flipping the bird in the UK wouldn’t get this kind of response). She began making music to give a voice to those who don’t have a voice. Specifically, her Tamil people who continuously experience genocide in Sri Lanka. Her latest single, Bad Girls, hints at the inequality happening in Saudi Arabia concerning women and their ability to drive cars. No matter how much you hate her voice or think she’s strange, you cannot deny that her guts to take a stand is admirable (even risking immigration penalties like being banned from entering the US for a bit). Which is why she’s so adored by some of your favourite rappers and musicians (“Pull up in that Tonka, color of Willy Wonka with a bad chick who came from Sri Lanka…” and let’s not forget Jay-Z’s “no one on the corner has swagga like us” sample. Oh, and of course, Madonna).

What does this have to do with my search for self-discovery? Well, something else about M.I.A. that cannot be denied is her incredible swag. I cannot define it. I cannot explain it. You just have to SEE it. Swag over-load. I watched interviews with her to maybe get a glimpse to see where all that swag comes from. Its evident that she’s just… being herself.

And I think the confidence she has to just be herself might be fueled by the fact that she’s backed up by a cause that matters. It’s easier to be yourself when you have a purpose for your life and for your goals. It’s easier to be unapologetic about who you are when you stand for something.

How do you know what you stand for, though? Stay tuned for more self-exploration insights. With that, love muffins, I leave you with this bad ass music video:

New Year’s in Africa!

Hey lovely ladies!

I’m out in Nigeria celebrating the holidays with my family. It is going to be incredibly hard for me to update this blog while I’m out here. Let me just say, it is  miracle this page even loaded right now.

I’ve been studying the GRE, reading Sailor Moon manga, day-dreaming and watching the E! channel. I’ve got a lot of new insights to share with you in 2012!

But while I’m here, let’s celebrate and dream about the past year and the coming one!

2011: Celebrating the good times!

• I graduated from university with two degrees! This is awesome because now, I really feel like “Ok, my life will be EXACTLY what I make it and more if I keep the faith! No one can tell me who’s standards to meet. No one can tell me deadlines to do anything anymore. It’s up to me and my faith.” Not to mention to get a degree in philosophy has been a childhood dream of mine.
• I committed to starting this blog!
• For the first time ever, I had a reason to read those “relationship” blogs
• I got my community garden for youth off the ground.
• I’ve committed to becoming a nutritionist and getting my Master’s. Everyday, I get another sign that this is the path for me. I get so excited every time I hear someone’s story and think “OMG, I could HELP YOU like no one ever has before. I just need to be certified and deepen my knowledge/experience.”

2012: Goals and Desires arriving!

• Launch officially girlaftercollege.com
• Perform  a dance piece every other month (even if it’s just on youtube)
• Get paid to be a fitness instructor
• Get paid to be an SAT and GRE tutor (btw, as I study for this stuff — more and more I am so happy I was a Math and Philosophy major! Hah!)
• Apply and get into UTSW (nutrition school — it’s a medical school with a nutrition department)
• Move out of my parents’ house! And get a dog

*sigh* There are probably so many other things that I’m leaving out, but as they come to me, I’ll keep note in my personal writings. But how are you chicitas?? How are you going to celebrate your 2011 and dream for your 2012?

Success is not via Copy

I was reading the September (2011) issue of Glamour and felt very inspired. It was a fantastic issue filled with beautiful, successful women. It had great advice for women in regards to the double standards we face (its easier for men to get paid more than it is for women), too. There was a segment where certain women talked about their yearly salary. One of them was a nutritionist. I quickly googled her on my phone (because I want to be a nutritionist, too). I wanted to see what her business was like so I could get some ideas. Her bio indicates she got a Master’s degree. I thought “Okay, good. I’m getting one, too. I’m on the right track.”  But after going through her site, I was turned off. There was nothing else there that inspired me at all (except for the fact that she’s an entreprenuer). I thought “I don’t actually want to  be like her.”

I have a bad habit of seeing someone who is doing something I want to be doing and then trying to copy them. I think “If I want their success, I need to do what they do.” Which is true to a certain extent. Heavy emphasis on “certain extent”. There are some principles that you should try to learn, understand, and integrate into your life. But you don’t have to follow the same plan as anyone else but yours.

This is a concept I am trying to hammer into my brain. It calls for trusting myself. I calls for outing my fear of “not being capable”. Releasing that particular fear (that I just recently finally discovered I had) has been an ornery task. I try to think to myself about all the women that I admire — that I see as success or that I perceive as being happy. They’re driven, creative, loving, hard-working and they express themselves. Those are pretty much the only patterns I could see. I realize that there is NO ONE PATH to success. But because of my fear of not being capable, I constantly am seeking one. Even though I know from Tim Ferris (4-Hour Work Week), Ramit Sethi (I Will Teach You To be Rich) and even Marie Forleo that trusting in yourself, hard work, and testing (like — actually tracking your results and moving on from there) things out will get you far. Copying someone else usually leads to failure or unsustainable success.

What do you do to release fear and develop more trust in yourself (& your higher power)?

P.S. Oscar Wilde is one of my childhood inspirations. His work opened my eyes to how not-boring English class could be.

Stuff You Should Know: Carry These in Your Hand Luggage

Well, we call it “hand luggage”. You could say carry on luggage. What other synonyms are there? Anyway, who’s excited! You might be traveling to “refresh” yourself after graduation or you’re traveling home to the folks. I always felt scattered at the airport. I didn’t know what to put in my hand luggage and purse. Hopefully, this helps!

In Your Purse

– Keep your important documents: passport, ID, cards, and cash

– Keep your medications in here, as well

– You can only carry 3 small liquids (placed in a ziplock bag) into the terminal. I think hand sanitizer, moisturizer, and toothpaste is a good pick. I think all of these can give temporary relief to any minor skin irritation or beauty disaster.

– Chapstick! (I absolutely love EOS thanks to a friend’s recommendation. A review later)

– a handy book, cellphone, and camera (and any other fancy tiny gadget you love)

In Your Hand Luggage

– A spare outfit (including underwear and shoes)

– a blanket (I prefer my snuggie, lol)

– face clothes or towels

– blow dryers, flat irons, & other electronics

– Laptop and heavier books

– Other heavy items — they don’t weigh carry on bags, so this could help you save some cash if you thought you needed an extra bag.

Have a fun and safe vacation! I can’t wait to share beautiful insights and photos from the motherland. A retreat — a physical escape from the life you’ve grown accustomed to — can put you in a new mind frame. It can open your mind to ideas, possibilities and understandings you didn’t have before. So enjoy each moment of your travels and share what you’ve realized.

Let me know if I left anything out, too. What are your favourite must-have for airplane traveling?

Secret Splurge: the Salted Caramel Mocha

I don’t usually endorse Starbucks coffee because drinking their flavoured coffee daily is just absolutely a bad idea for your body! But every now and then, you deserve the splurge!

I recommend the salted caramel mocha. This item is not found on the menu, but it is probably the most delicious drink I’ve ever had at Starbucks. With a sweet dessert, it makes for a small treat before you get your Christmas gifts. Activate a (free) Starbucks membership card to replace milk with soy milk for free (otherwise its 60 cents extra).