April 25, 2011

CNW Day 25

My deepest apologies!

I was home for the weekend and my Mom reminded me that I have not been writing my daily blog post. While it was nice to know that someone is actually reading, I already knew that she was the only one...but I will write just to make her smile.

The fact that I have not been as dedicated to my personal posts should be a good thing, because it means that I have been busy! After the first couple weeks at CNW I got into a rhythm, and was so busy doing work that I did not have time for personal endeavors while on the job.

It is not week six, and I have completed my 200 hours of placement! What I am doing now is above and beyond the call of duty, as CNW has been more than supportive of my job search, and allowed me to leave work early (or come in late) several times over my placement. I consider these last few days a big THANK YOU to them for being so understanding, and giving me a truly valuable placement experience. During my last few days I will be writing my final blog post, and making sure that all the projects I have been working on are passed along to Amanda so she can follow-through and finish what I was not allowed to.

Tasks for today:
- White paper blog outlines
- Final blog post***
- Excel spreadsheets

Personal tasks:
- Nail down cover letter for Kingston dream job
- Apply to bookmarked jobs found on Keys and SLC Job Board
- Follow-up with interview request from KCCU
- Research attendees of Dinner Series tomorrow night
- Try not to think of home
- FEEL BETTER

Sadly I will admit that I am a big "pussy" and have been home sick for the past couple weeks. The first week was an adventure, the second was getting settled, and then after that I feel like I have been enjoying the experience of living in Toronto less and less. :( I am not a 'big city' girl - much as I would like to think so. I just want to go home to Kingston, because I miss my Mom, John, Blake, and Midnight.

April 11, 2011

CNW Day 16

Hello All,

Okay okay, so I am a little behind in my posts!
Please don't be mad, pretty please!

Consider it a positive sign that I do not have time to write grammatically incorrect blog posts that no one reads (except you Mom). Luckly I have been keeping very busy both at work and outside of work. I had a lovely weekend in Toronto celebrating a birthday (mmmm cake), and relaxing. I was not excited to come back, as I am starting to miss my room, my bed, my Mommy and all of my friends. Fear not...I will rise above, and continue to move forward.

Currently I am chasing a couple leads for internships (paid and unpaid), and jobs. I had a very good interview this morning with a lovely woman who I wish all the best. She has created an amazing product that will help millions (if she can effectively get the word out). I am hoping that she chooses me to help her climb the ladder to success, but if not, I am still rooting for her. I have entered step one (of four) in the selection process for my DREAM internship. This is the kind of opportunity that one hopes and dreams of, but never really expects to come true. I have been checking my e-mail constantly all day long hoping to receive further communication from them, but I have nothing to report yet. This is the company that I have wanted to work for ever since I first learned of their existance, and I consider it an honor to have even come this far. At the very least they read my application and thought I was worth a shot (and that's something).

As for paying job interviews...I think I have one this week! Again, I am not going to say where it is because I don't want to a) jynx it or b) encourage competition, but it's a pretty big deal and I am already doing research on the company to make sure I know my stuff. The position is not quite where I thought I would end up, but it's a huge company with lots of opportunity for advancement over time. Let's just say this would be a SWEET job to get, especially right out of college.

Hmmm...I am not sure what else to talk about. I did make it to the gym this evening, and am going to stay true to the routine of going right after work. I find that if I get home and relax for too long I loose the motivation to go, and end up being a lazy bum. Hahaha. I have an awards ceremony to attend this weekend and would like to be able to fit into the dress I hav worn for the past two years (yeah, that's right ladies...same dress THREE years in a row).

Ta ta for now,
- Mandi

Ps: It is 9:13pm, and my eyes hurt. I am going to look this over/edit tomorrow morning, but I have to post it in case Mom comes to read it. Ha.

April 05, 2011

CNW Day Twelve

Yo yo players,
What is good in the hood?

I cannot believe today is April 5th already, I remember starting third year in September and wondering where the heck I was going to end up on placement...and being scared to death of trying to find a job. Guess what? It's all good! I am doing placement with an awesome company, and am working with amazing people. *smiles*

Today was all over the place, and I did my first wave of organization. Yes...I am an extremely organized individual, but sometimes I like to not only be able to SEE things, I like to be able to touch them. With that in mind I went through all the quotes I have been receiving for various upcoming CNW events and PRINTED them. Yes, I wasted paper...but now I can actually look at them all side-by-side and not have to got through the hundreds of e-mails I have sent in the past two weeks. Other than that I wrote speaking notes for the CNW Breakfast with the Media event (April 15th). It was fun, and will be even MORE fun to hear someone else say my words. :D

Here was my CNW to-do list for the day:
- Proof read survey
- Edit May events calendar info/add new events
- Follow-up with Ace Awards flower arrangements
- Work on weekly blog post
- Finish events outline
- Print ALL quotes for ALL events
- Write Breakfast with the Media speaking notes for MC

Here was my personal to-do list of the day:
- TWEET (for me and Paw+Paw)
- Track shipping of portfolio, and make sure it is delivered safely
- Apply for Account Coordinator position (re: Kathy's Facebook post)
- Apply for new LinkedIn job posting
- Vote for spirit of the Greg's Award
- Gear up for AdLounge Dinner Series interview tomorrow

The reason I do not say exactly which jobs I apply for is because of COMPETITION. If they job is being advertised like crazy then I can assume lots of people are applying, but otherwise I might as well not give people the information (and possibly raise my chances of at least getting an interview). You think I am mean? Well, I am one of the nicest people on the planet, and for once I have been told by EVERYONE that I need to put myself first and go for it...so that is exactly what I am trying to do. :D

Please cross your fingers for me (that mean you Mom) tomorrow at 1pm. I will be sitting in my interview, and doing my best to impress the Boost Agents so I can move on to the next phase. I will do some research tonight, and begin tomorrow with a lovely early-morning workout.

Ta ta for now my darlings,
- Mandi

April 04, 2011

CNW Day Eleven

Word To Ma Hommies,

I know that I am missing "CNW Day Ten", but that was Friday and I was too busy to post. I figured there would be no point in writing a post now, as it would be submitted on today's date. Instead I will just talk about today, and the many interesting tasks I have completed. I feel like I have a good system worked out, and am completing tasks in a reasonable amount of time. Sadly today is a gloomy Monday, and that is exactly how I am feeling! I tried to start my day off with a smile, but it didn't make it all the way to the office...and all I want to do is go home and go to bed.

CNW List for the Day:
- Flower arrangements for the Ace Awards
- Decide/create signature cocktail for Ace Awards
- Follow-up with breakfast/party quotes from last week
- Finish writing event outline
- Start another blog post
- Edit event calender info for all events in April

Personal List for the Day:
- Set up job interview time
- Look into Facebook landing pages for Paw+Paw
- Tweet (all day)
- Personal blog post
- Continue job search
- GO TO THE GYM!!!

I am now at the start of week three, and am starting to feel drained. Despite going to be early every night, and literally sitting on my a** all day, I feel tired. I have no idea why, because I was go-go-go during school (all day, everyday) and never felt like this. The last thing I want to do is go to the gym when I am off, but unless I want to continue to gain weight I need to suck it up.

Any suggestions on how to keep energy levels up when I am sitting at a desk from 9am-5pm everyday? I eat a good breakfast, lunch, dinner and go to bed really early. If this is a preview of what the rest of my life is going to be like...I am discouraged.

*Please let me win the lottery!*

Ta ta for now lovelies,
- Mandi