The Secret Dancer

As kids, my parents enrolled us into karate, which is the exact opposite of what I really wanted. So college comes and I finally lived my dream of dancing. My senior year, I fell and my dreams went a different direction. It turns out that I'm just ok at ballet and not flexible at all.

Fast forward five years later to today. I miss dancing so much and I live in Orlando. A few weeks ago, I had an opportunity to take an open class with Orlando Ballet and it was love. Granted I was not able to walk or move for days afterward, but it was so nice to dance again. Next came another opportunity that I could not refuse. Finally an open set of classes that I could take and cost practically nothing. Very exciting.

While trying to get my stuff together, I realized that I gave away a lot of my favorite leotards, and apparently tights as well (who would take used tights - I do not recall).  I did have many pairs of ballet flats still sewn. It felt so nice to put the shoes on again. Not that it matters because I do not fit into the small leotards that I do have left over.

I'm apprehensive about the class. I'm much older now, and I realized from the preview class that my body cannot take the pounding that it could. But I need to do something that is fulfilling.

Oh, and I also promised my parents after I graduated that I would never dance again. So this whole thing is sorta a secret. I'll let y'all know how it goes.

Magical Dining: Rangetsu

 

September is Orlando's Magical Dining month. This is where select fancy restaurants throughout Orlando offer 3-course meals for $30.00 per person.  Some restaurants choose to feature their best cuisine, while others fare on the cheaper side. Either way, $30.00 for some of these restaurants that an average person would normally consider as a special occasion is not bad.

The restaurants that participate are all over town from Disney to Maitland and back again. In addition to wonderful food, eating for charity makes it even better. For every magical diner, restaurants donate $1.00 to the Edgewood Children's Ranch. Yay!

When I found one of my favorite restaurants on as one of the participating restaurants I knew I had to convince the family. Upon examining the Prix Fixe menu and finding my most favorite food item on there, it was go or not exist. So on short notice, we packed up the family and headed to RanGetsu. A little history: RanGetsu use to be a traditional Japanese restaurant located on I-drive. In 2010, it closed forever and I was so sad. The food was delicious and it could easily be my most favorite restaurant. I thought all was lost until 2011, when a radio commercial announced RanGetsu's rebirth in Winter Park. Now this fusiony-Japanese restaurant makes traditional Japanese food fashionable.

On RanGetsu's Magical Dining menu are some fancy fusion appetizers and desserts, but what I really went for was the Sukiyaki. There's really no way to describe this other than you cook your own thinly-sliced meat in a pot of delicious sauce at your table. The sauce just is unami - totally savory. When we were younger, my dad use to get Sukiyaki all the time. So the taste instantly brings me back to a simpler time. 

With being only $30.00 I was expecting a tiny portion, but really, it was a full portion and almost too much food. When it came time for dessert, I knew I was going to feel too full. For dessert I had Green Tea Creme Brulee. It was definitely green and unlike anything I ever tasted. I think that's why I like events like Magical Dining. You get to try things that you would never think of eating.

So Orlando residents, if you have some extra cash and you like to eat food. I highly recommend trying out a local restaurant during September.

Hosted Cardi Party!

Old Navy Style Council gave me the opportunity to host a Cardi Party for me and three guests! This was one of my first real style parties, so it had to be over the top. People who attended got a free scard, skirt, and cardigan all courtesy of Old Navy!

I chose Victoria, Samara, and Samara brought her mom along. It's a good thing we had a grown up there, because she was definitely far more stylish than the rest of us. If it weren't for Samara's mom, I would have gone with all black and white.

I scoped out the Old Navy website a few days before the party, to see what I would like. Old Navy always has cute stuff for work and play. It's always comfortable and well priced. Needless to say, I found several outfits that would suit my needs.

We arrived at the store and began shopping for cardigans. As described by Samara's mom, look for long sleeves with buttons. Immediately we were drawn to the colors and animal prints. Love animal prints, but I usually don't wear prints to work.

Then we went to the scarf section. The scarves are so pretty and so soft. In Florida, scarves serve no other purpose than for fashion. The scarf I picked out reminded me of a peacock. It will be a great accessory for my office (which is also an icebox).

Finally, we went to the skirt section. I was looking for a nice work skirt. After debating quite a bit. I went with a black and white striped skirt. Sadly, I also realized that I am not a XS anymore. Still, the skirts were jersey knit, so they were super comfortable. I know I will feel cute and confident in it.

After a round in the dressing room, we all were ready to hit up additional accessories. I bought another tank top. Samara bought another dress. Victoria bought some pants and tops for work. Paying for these items is always my favorite part. Partly, because I have to explain time and time again about crowdtap.com and mostly because I get to watch the amount due go from $100.00 to like $10.00. Win!

We took some fun pictures outside the store trying to jump at the same time. Impossible, but funny anyway. Thanks Crowdtap and Old Navy for a great time!

5 Tips for a professional looking LinkedIn profile

I've been hitting the market looking for an internship. When I started sending applications and emails, the hits on my LinkedIn page spiked. Using the 'Who's viewed your profile' feature, you can see who is viewing your profile. I definitely attracted the crowd that I was hoping for. So here are some tips for a successful LinkedIn profile.

1. Have a professional photo - Last semester, one of my professors connected with me and suggested I have a professional photo rather than a good pretty photo of me. She said to save the smiling fun photos for Facebook. So I put on my jacket and collared shirt and took a nice professional photo. I was instantly impressed with how professional and how much older I looked.
   
2. Updated work experience and education - Just like an electronic resume, you should always have this portion updated. When people search for you, they will see your last or current role. A good description of each job can help future employers decide if the skills you already have will fit their needs.
   
3.  Accurate specialties - LinkedIn allows you to add skill specialties to your profile, making you easier to search. Again, this helps people looking at your profile determine what skills you already have.
   
4. Summary - This is like the objective section on a resume. I am not a fan of having this on a resume because this information should be included with a cover letter, but since it is the Internet, you might as well have this section filled out.
   
5. Recommendations - These are always a nice addition to any profile, so people know that you're telling the truth. Much like a References List, Recommendations are other people's opinion about you. If someone recommends you, be sure to recommend them back. It's nice.

I hope this helps.  Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn.com!

Blow me one last kiss

I've sort of dropped off the radar again. It's not for lack of trying, but I'm about to begin an insane semester. I know that I ask too much of myself. I know I ask too much of the people who like to be around me to tolerate my behavior. As a dolphin living in a human world, it is difficult for me to share my emotions. I often bottle them up. I snap at idleness. I hate when people have time to do things that they want to do like travel or sleep. I judge people harshly. I am frustrated by my studies and not making enough progress with the LSAT, which remains my bad boyfriend. I think that not allowing myself to break is negatively impacting everything else.

One of my mantras, which I found on Twitter is "You are enough. It's incredible how enough you are." At first, I was confused by this statement. Enough of what? Who is enough? It all makes sense when you think about all the stuff we do daily. It's not just that we wake up, but that we do things for other people. We worry about not getting ahead or not achieving a certain goal. To me this quote means to be content. There really is no sense in worrying too much, because what will be will be. If it's right it will happen, if not, something else will come along. No matter what, you will carry on. You don't have a choice really. What is the alternative?

I recently went on a crazy exploration into astrology. As some of you may know, I am VERY Aquarius and it complements my Aries moon sign.  I looked up which jobs work best towards certain zodiac signs.  For Aquarians, the best jobs are things that help people, but allow the Aquarian to act independently.  Jobs that are creative are also good. Nowhere close is lawyer, but writer is in the realm of possibility. Now I'm not going to base any real decisions off stars, but it's interesting to ponder anyway.

In other news, I'm very excited to start my Internship. :-)