My Favorite Christmas Songs Translated Into Japanese and Back to English Using Google Translator

1. Midnight Came to Clear
2. I want a real Christmas for a good tan
3. I was home for Christmas
4. RITORUDORAMABOI (the little Drummer Boy)
5. It is the first to look a lot like Christmas
6. Leave the Manger
7. Quiet Night
8. Chestnuts roasting by shooting
9. Merry紳士TA you God Rest
10. Yourself, Little Merry Christmas

I got this idea from a website sometime this summer but can't remember where. Merry Christmas!

Dual Coding Theory

Dual coding theory is can be used in many types of commercials. I believe this theory is very important to advertising because it appeals directly to the senses. When something is tied to memory, it can be easily remembered.

One company that uses this theory effectively is Olive Garden. Their commercials always feature pictures of their dishes, which initially appeal to the eyes. After the picture is in the viewer's head, he begins to recall the flavor and aroma the dish.

Another company that implements this theory is Ikea. In Ikea's commercials, they present many bright patterns and textures which give their relatively cheap products visual appeal. People can remember these products better because the colorful images remain in their memory longer than those of other, more mundane furniture commercials.

Group Work

This is definitely not my first group project since I have been at Clemson, so this was not a great learning experience for me. I can say that this was one of the better situations I have had because we did not wait until the last minute, and everyone pulled his weight. The only real problems experienced by our group was a group member's failure to show up for meetings. Luckily, it was not too much of a burden on our group to pick up his slack.
Miscommunications were also not a big issue, but this was mainly because we worked in advance. If someone forgot to do something or did something wrong, there was always plenty of time to fix the problem. The thing that worked best for our group was allowing one person to put everything together. That way, everything was uniform as far as style and formatting. Our group was also very flexible with each other's ideas.
One thing I liked about my group, though a little odd, is that we are all from different areas of the country. I was the only person in my group who was from South Carolina, much less the south. It was an interesting experience for me because I was able to work with people whose paths I never would have crossed. This was one of the best group work experiences I have had in college.

Another Free Blog

It is about 11:30 on Sunday night, and I just remembered this blog. I thought I had forgotten to write last week but remembered that my mock interview reflection was the entry. I have a big test tomorrow in accounting. I am studying really hard for it, even though it feels pretty useless. We have six tests and a final in this class, so I do have room to improve on bad grades. However, I am watching my grades drop about three or four points on each test. I would like to see this progression stop. This is one of those classes that leaves you feeling stupid even though you know the contents of your notes and the book backwards and forwards. Nonetheless, I am not trying to be a downer. Although, I have another equally as difficult test later this week.

I am trying to look forward to the weekend when I plan on going to the beach with some friends. It will definitely be a nice break from this week of school! This weekend, though, was not all filled with studying. We had a Halloween party at my apartment on Friday night, and it was a big hit! I will include a picture of my costume, but the best costume of the night was my friend Alison who dressed up as an acid trip. It was hilarious but totally fitting to her personality.

PS. This totally not my personality, just posing for a picture!

Mock Interview Reflection

I did my mock interview for the Masters of Real Estate Development program at Clemson. This is definitely an option for after college because it is a subject that greatly interests me, and I would love to be a tiger for as long as possible. I was really confident going into my mock interview. I think this was because I knew it wasnt real so it was easier for me to relax. I thought that my answers were pretty good, but I did tend to spout out just whatever came to the top of my head. Being put on the spot, does seem to induce some "word vomit", but I don't think that was too much of a problem. I think this is a common problem among people being intereviewed.

I recieved some good feedback that I will remember for future interviews. For example, I learned to really show that I've done my research on the program/job by mentioning specifics that truly interest me. I also realized how I could take my seemingly unrelated job experiences and actually relate them to how I might handle situations and tasks on the job. I thought this was a helpful experience, and I hope to take what I have learned from this mock interview and use it to increase my confidence in future interviews.

Presentation reflections

One presentation that stands out in my mind was Stacy's presentation about Boulder, Colorado. The part that was most effective was the pictures. I enjoyed the beautiful scenery and laughed at the picture of 420.

Another presentation I really enjoyed was the one about the history of the bathing suit. I thought it was such an interesting topic, and I knew very little about it beforehand. I also appreciated this presentation because it wasn't too long either. Those presentations that were long lost my interest quickly.

Free Blog

I finally got into the system today. This blog is 2 days late, but at least I finally got to it. You might think that I would have something wonderful to write because I've had 2 extra days to think about it. However, I still have no idea what to write. With nothing else to write, I'm just go to report on the 18 pictures above my desk.

1. Dave and I are watching the first Clemson baseball game of the season. For me, opening day is bigger than the first day of football.
2. A group of friends and I decided to get all dressed up last semester at the end of exam week and treat ourselves to a nice dinner at The Melting Pot in Greenville, financed by money from selling back textbooks.
3. I was dying my roommate's hair purple... a result of a random late night trip to Walmart.
4. The girls from the dinner at Melting Pot are standing under a sign that says "Forget love, I'd rather fall in chocolate."
5. Death Valley on the snow day last year
6. Baseball tailgating
7. A jumping in mid-air shot after a baseball game
8. A picture with the little girl I babysit
9. Three of my friends are making a a pyramid on a trip to the mountains with the bluest skies I've ever seen in the background!
10. Ashley and I are gutting out a house in New Orleans after Katrina.
11. A night of ice skating in Greenville with an old friend and a new friend
12. My best friend from high school and I after graduation in our caps and gowns
13. There are about 13 of us posing for a picture on the futon for my roomate's birthday.
14. A sign from a trip to the mountains that says, "Leave flowers for others to enjoy"
15. An old friend and I are at the beach about a week before we leave to go to college.
16. I am with two friends before our first game as Clemson students. We've had classes together since kindergarten.
17. A picture with my friend who is like a big sister to me... We are both only children.
18. My group with our homeowner on my first trip to New Orleans after Katrina.

Reflection on Resumes and Cover Letters

I found this week's blog assignment to be particularly difficult because all the articles i found seemed to say the same things I've heard over and over again about resume writing. I read this article about what to do and what not to do when emailing recruiters because this was probably the most relevent topic to me at this stage in my career.

The article explained many of the same things the book did about avoiding Instant Messaging jargon and getting to the point of the email. The article also reccomended the direct method and avoiding being cute. I have already begun to follow its advice by sticking to a simple email address that does not contain any words that may turn away an employer. Examples given by the article of an email address that should not be used was "slackerboy" or "sexgoddess."

One helpful hint I found was that knowing a lot about a position is very important to employers. The article said applicants should match part of the job description to their skills to show how much they know about the positon as well as their qualifications.

The article suggested that, if attaching a cover letter, there should be a short note in the email. That is, if you don't feel that the email is a sufficent enough cover letter. I believe that the email should serve as the cover letter because I feel that there is really no need to say the same thing twice.

This article was very informative and contained a lot of good information. However, I didn't really feel like it was incredibly helpful because it did not really tell me anything I didnt' know already.

Interviewing

Interviews are probably the scariest part of a career. A serious fear of mine is totally blowing an interview for a job I really want. I read this article about interview blunders which seemed to offer some good advice. The biggest problem I think I would have from the list would be lack of knowledge about the company or position. I would not have the problems of over confidence or talking too much because those have never been characteristics of mine.

I was surprised to read that an unkempt appearence was a common problem in the professional world. I thought that that would be rare. However, I have heard of one instance recently where someone showed up for a professional interview in cut offs and a t shirt and was asked to leave after a few minutes.

One thing I found hard to deal with would be trying not to appear overly confident. There's a fine line between trying to impress the person interviewing you and being to cocky about your knowledge or qualifications for the position.

All in all, I was not surpised to see many of these blunders on this list. However, I don't feel that many of these things will be a problem for me. I just hope I'm not being too confident!

Ten Years from Now

Ten years from now, I will be about 30. Wow. It's hard to imagine what it will be like to not be a kid anymore. By then, I will have graduated from Clemson University and be working in my chosen profession. Now what is my chosen profession? Ha, that's a question I've been asking myself for years. For now, there are two options in the forefront of my mind. The first option is to follow my major and work as a financial planner either for a large company or individual clients. The second option would be something in the field of real estate. Real estate has always interested me and I wanted to be an architect when I was younger. I realized that I no longer wanted to be an architect when I found out how much work was involved in college. I knew I did not want a major that would consume so much of my time.

I would like to do something to do with real estate whether it be development or sales. I am considering a Master's program at Clemson in Real Estate Development if I can swing the finances and all else falls into place. The only problem with this plan is that I am sooooo sick of school.

Other than my career, I hope to be married before age 30. Because I am in a serious relationship right now, much of the big decisions coming up in my life depend on where he goes because he is older than me. However, he is in complete support of me doing whatever I want, and he does not want to hold me back.

Because we better be married by then, I hope to have had at least one kid with the intention of having more. As an only child, I feel that it is my life duty to ensure that my first child has a sibling so that family reunions can be bigger and that no child of mine will be spoiled.

For fun, I would like to have a small circle of girlfriends as well as a group of friends shared by my husband and me. Hopefully, we'll be close enough to Clemson to attend a few football games and maybe a baseball game or two. I would like to be active in a church as well as serving my community through volunteer work.

I think I've covered all the bases. Oh, and 20 years from now, I would like to drive a minivan and be a soccer mom.

Web 2.0

The title of this video means that we are dependent on machines just as they are dependent on us. We are all well aware of how much we use computers and cell phones and iPods, but the video brought up an interesting point. These machines are dependent on us as well. When we tell the computer to do something, it is learning from us, thus increasing its capabilities. I had never really thought about that until now.

The knowledge of Web 2.0 can really benefit people going into the workforce. Knowing the capabilities of the web can improve interaction and business. Email and instant messaging can be more efficent than telephone and face-to-face conversations, while a good website can increase business and save time. The knowledge that form and content can be seperated for the first time can also benefit a company by making it easier for clients to find what they need. I think all of this can be said for those already in the workforce, though many have difficulty understand a word processor much less complicated code.

When the video says we have to rethink everything, I think it means that we have to rethink how we present everything to others and how it will affect them and ourselves. We have to be aware of how it will affect our company as well as clients. We must be conscious of the messages we are sending through our writings and design to the rest of the world.

First Post

Hi, my name is Katie, and I am a junior in Financial Management. I'm from Irmo. I love Clemson, Clemson sports, working with kids, and swimming. Swimming was pretty much my life until senior year of high school. I've had a job every summer since I was fourteen at the YMCA teaching swimming lessons and lifeguarding. I don't swim anymore, but I sometimes miss it. I am usually very shy until I feel comfortable with my surroundings. I love the TV show, Gilmore Girls and can quote entire episodes on mute. I cannot go a day without coffee. I'm active in my church, Clemson UMC, and it's student ministry, Clemson Wesley Foundation. I am also a brother of Alpha Kappa Psi, the professional business fraternity at Clemson. People tell me I'm pretty laid back, but I think I can be rather tense. I really like helping people, so hopefully I'll have some kind of job that will be related to that. That's pretty much it.

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