CJC and Me

Going to the University of Florida has been the experience of a lifetime. I have met some of the best people ever, I have had some of the funnest times I think I will have have in my entire life, and I have had amazing professors who have taught me more than they will ever know.

Going to the greatest school in Florida has also provided me with the opportunity to learn and practice what I am learning in the great field of journalism. CMIR, or the Center for Media Innovation and Research, has put me in contact with amazing professors and mentors like Andy Selepak, Bridget Grogan, Mark Leeps and many more.

I have had the chance to do radio work for the WRUF-FM with amazing directors Tom Krynski and Forrest Smith where I got hands on experience like calling the station from a site and doing a phoner, doing radio interviewers with people all over Florida, and writing scripts to be read live on air.

On top of that, for two semesters I worked as a reporter for WUFT where I got to make VO-SOTs, VO-B-VOs, and Packages for the 5 and 6 o' clock news.

One of the coolest stories I got to do was literally playing with guard dogs all day that were trained to help you with pretty much anything around the house. From going opening the doors for you, to getting you food from the fridge, to even knowing how to call an ambulance if you were in a state of emergency. 

 

Some days where easier than others. I could get out on the field, conduct several interviews, get tons of b-roll, come back to the station, get multiple assignments done and still have time to spare before I watched my work air on TV. Days were hectic, scary, and had me on the edge of my seat just seconds away from tears... but everyday was a journey and a learning experience that I wouldn't give up for anything.

From my very first day in the newsroom over a year ago, where I was so nervous I cried as I walked into the building, up to today where I openingly laugh, debate, and share ideas with my peers, directors, and producers at CMIR, everyday has taught me something new about my school, the world, and myself. Being here has taught me that I am capable of so much and that nothing can deter me from what I want to do in this life, to share stories with the world.

Love you CMIR.

The Tipping Point

The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell is an insightful, engaging and surprisingly relevant book about trends and the reasons why some things stick with society and others don't.

The best summarize the book, I believe that you would have to address the Three Rules of Epidemics. I know what you may be thinking. Epidemics? What does the Black Plague have to do with trends and fads in society? Well, first of all, no, Gladwell is not talking about illness. His definition of "epidemic" are the trends, styles, and phenomenons in society. One person creates it, passes it along to another person and the next person and the next person and so on until everyone, or the majority of people are doing it or at least know about it.

The Three Rules are the Law of the Few, the Stickiness Factor and the Power of Context. The Law of of the Few means that for something to even start out, there has to be those few people who spread the word. Gladwell put these "few" into 3 categories; the connectors, mavens, and salesmen. The connectors are the people who have many ties and relationships in many different groups, these are the people who can really spread the word. Mavens are the people want to help you make an informed decisions and the salesmen are the people who know to use their persuasive skills to get you to buy something or act an certain way.

The next rule is the Stickiness Factor and that means how well whatever the trend is, is perceived by people and if it "sticks" to them. To me, this is the most important factor because no matter how much a connector or salesmen talks something up, people have to actually like it and there has to be consumers or an audience taking it in for it to last. Examples that were used were Sesame Street and Blue's Clues. These shows were tested and actually proved to have a positive effect of children's cognitive development, therefore, they stuck for years.

The final rule was the Power of Context. The Power of Context is the aspect that caused the trend to tip into popularity. One point that Gladwell that I found interesting and have heard over and over is the rule of 150. It is said that you can only handle a group of 150 and actually maintain a meaningful relationship with the people on that group. Marketers sue this rule to help spread whatever it is they are trying to sell, knowing that it will spread more easily this way.

Actually, looking back on it, it is not surprising that this book, though 15 years old, is still relevant today because the psychology of people, I feel, does not change much over time and it takes the sames tricks and methods to get people to do something or believe in something now that I am sure would get them to agree to go along with something 50, 100, or ever 200 years ago.

Checking out fellow bloggers Part 2

In my previous post, I went over the bloggers I like who keep more professional websites that would be a great substitute for a resume. Now I am going to to go over some bloggers who I just enjoy reading when I have a minute to myself.

Dyann Lesnever is probably one of the funniest, friendliest, coolest people I have ever had the privilege of meeting. She also keeps up a pretty cool blog, that I am totally going to plug to you right now. She mentions her job as a radio personality for 99.5 Gainesville Party, but she also has these great tid-bits of inspiration that make you want to strive for your dreams. Check her out, you won't regret it.

Another good friend of mine is Jesse Pagan. His blog rubs me in all the write (lol, I meant right, but I will be "write" there for pun's sake) places because it is about one of my very favorite topics in all the land: movies. I love movies and I could spend hours cuddled up, watching and analyzing movies of all genres. His blog keeps you in the loop about what upcoming movies are about and why you should or shouldn't check them out.

Finally, I have Elizabeth Beisel's blog. She recounts her life as a swimmer and even making it to the Olympics. You can tell by reading her posts how important swimming is to her.

Whose blogs are you always reading?

Checking out fellow bloggers

Blogging is one of the best ways to express yourself, brand yourself, and share your feelings with the world in your own way. Whether you blog about crazy things that happen to you, the kind of foods you like to eat, pop culture, or you keep a website as a portfolio, it is a great way to have all of your writings, pictures, and videos in one place.

One of my favorite bloggers is Rochelle Alleyne. She is a reporter for WUFT and her website is a great example of her keeping track of her work and displaying all of her best packages. You can really get a taste of her style and writing by taking a look at her page.

Now, I am not into sports, but being a UF Gator you are no doubt going to be hearing about basketball and football at the very least. Come football season, the crowds that come from far and wide to tailgate and celebrate UF are amazing. It is crazy to see all the support that our Gators have here. Robert Scheppke and Benjamin Bornstein both report for WUFT's sport's section, so if there were any blogs that I would read to get my fill of sports news, it would be theirs, no doubt.

What bloggers do you love?

Ashley's Bio

Hey guys!

I realize that I do have a short about me tab right on the top of my page, but here I have decided to get a little more in depth about who I am and what I love, that being fashion.

I was born in Miami, Florida and lived there until I was in 6th grade. From there, my family and I moved to Fort Lauderdale so that we could be closer to my sister's university. Much of my ideas about fashion and style come from my mom and sister. When I was younger, my mom did not allow  me to just sit in my pajamas all day, she would make sure that no more than an hour after I got up that I was fresh, clean, and dressed for company, as we usually had family or friends come to visit randomly and she wanted us to have our best foot forward. Now, it doesn't take me hours to get ready, I am pretty low maintenance as it only takes me (after showering and teeth brushing) about 5-20 minutes to put on make-up (if you read one of my prior blogs, you know that I don't even know how to use a lot of make up), but even if it's just something as little as going to the store to pick up some milk, I take a few minutes to put together a sundress and cardigan or cute shorts and an awesome pair of sandals because you never know who you are going to see.

My style sense came from my sister. I own a few pieces that are really bright and loud, but for the most part, my clothes are earthy, darker colors, with calm patterns. That way it is easier to create a variety of different looks with limited amounts of clothes. If you can't afford to have the world's biggest closet, you biggest friend is to stick to earthy color, solids, and calm patterns because when you re-wear them and style them in different way, it is easier to make it look like an entirely different piece of clothes. Like on one blog I wrote, I could easily re-wear all of those pieces of clothes in different ways because they easily go with a ton of other things. Nothing there is too busy and too crazy to wear multiple times a month. Having a closet like this, is also a huuuge budget saver!

As you know, I am all about the deals. I love finding cute clothes for low prices and some of my favorite places to shop are Sandy's, Plato's, and thrift stores in general. Not much feels better than to put together an amazing outfit from head to toe, and it costs you no more than $15.

On top of clothes, I love accessories and playing around with nail polish. Little do some people know, that sometimes it is the smallest things like a cute belt, earrings, or purse that can put an outfit together. I hope one day to be a on-air correspondent on E! where I get to talk about fashion, style and people's fashion all day. It literally would be a dream come true, so if you know Giuliana Rancic, let her know I say "Hey!"

Bahama Mama part 2

Oh hi there,

As you may have read in my previous post (which you should totally do if you haven't) I recently went on a fantastic cruise to the Bahamas this past week for my Spring Break.

My very favorite part of the trip, besides getting to spend time with my 5 best friends of course, was going to the world-famous Senior Frog's. People travel from all over to go to a Senior Frog's.

There are limited Senior Frog's around the world and it is known for being a bar in which you can truly let loose.

There are a few in the U.S. but in the Bahamas, where the drinking age is 18, you can just image how crazy things get during Spring Break.

However, on top of their amazing drinks, they also serve delicious Mexican food and they have a souvenir shop where you can buy memories to replace the ones that you will be sure to forget.

Next time you go on a vacation, check to see if there is a Frog's where you will be staying. I promise, it will be an experience like no other.

Bahama Mama

Hey guys!

So, it's around that time for us college kids... Spring Break has either just passed or this week is your Spring Break. Either way, it is pretty much the best week of your entire school year and you wish more than anything that it would last more than just 7 days... more like you wish it was 365 days.

I booked my cruise with Royal Caribbean and I must say, I think I will be cruising with them every single year.

The service was impeccable. I have never been around so many people who seemed to genuinely want to make me happy. Literally, there was a waiter or server or attendant asking if my room was ok, if I needed a drink, or food, or handing me a list of activities to partake in around every corner.

I had never been happier.

Our cruise left from Miami on Monday March 3rd, we were in Nassau the 4th, Coco Cay the 5th, Key West on the 6th, and back in Miami on the 7th. I am not sure I will ever fully disclose what occurred on those days.

To get ready for my trip, I did a bit of shopping, as seen in my previous post. Most of my shopping was done at Sandy's, one of my very favorite places to shop, but I got my bathing suit from Pacsun, and didn't mind paying more for a bigger, more supportive top since I am a bit more... well-endowed than some.

So if your break is over and you're having the Spring Break blues, I know exactly how you feel, if you are in vacation mode right now, or your vacation is coming up, take a shot for me!

New page! My resume!

Good day!

Being in college is a great experience, you get to meet people, learn so many new things, and get hands on experience with the career you will be in after you graduate!

You have to remember that as you get into more internships, make more contacts and connections, and get more references, to add them to your resume. You want your resume to be current and show off your most important skills with being too wordy and turning into a novel. I recently added my own resume to this site, so maybe you can check that out to get ideas of your own.

Overall, try to keep this in mind:
1. Keep it short.
2. Keep it fresh and updated.
3. Show off your skills.

Good luck out there!

Thrift haul: Finding great deals while staying stylish

Hello my fellow thrifters!

When it comes to fashion, style, and shopping, we all want to look our best, express ourselves, and wear clothes that we love without breaking the bank. This my friends, is what thrifting is all about. Thrifting allows you the thrill of getting a bunch of clothes and adding to your clothes, without the mall or department store prices.

To get ready for a great cruise to the Bahamas and to just get a some new clothes for our fashion forward lives, my best friend and I went to two of our favorite thrift/consignment stores yesterday: Plato's Closet and my ultimate guilty shopping pleasure, Sandy's, as seen in a previous blog posting.

Clothes-wise, here I have:

An orange chiffon dress with gold beading along the neckline that I will be wearing to one of the dinners on the cruise

A nude high low skirt that goes really well with...

A Forever21 daisy crop top

A mustard yellow high-waisted pair of shorts with a tribal printing and bow-tie belt

A black and white stripped body con dress

A sheer floral print top that will be great to wear on a beach day in the Bahamas

And my favorite piece, a Forever21 chiffon maxi dress that has a slit that comes up to my mid thigh

As for the accessories I have:

Dangling gold earrings with pink beads

A pair of nude suede wedges from Charlotte Russe

And my news favorite shoes, strappy black heels with gold beading from Carlos Santana

Looking up the shoes alone, Carlos Santana heels run from about $60 to $110 a pair. However, this entire shopping spree was under $90. Had I bought all of these pieces for their original prices, I would have spent well over $200. Can you say, deals?

Don't Make Me Think review

Don't make me think by Steve Krug was a very insightful, helpful, and straight to the point guide on mistakes he often sees on websites and very very simple rules that you can follow to optimize on gaining viewers and/or consumers to your page and making sure that someone who has visited your website leaves with a good impression of it, would come back, or would even recommend your website to other people. First of all, the books itself was a very easy and quick read and even though I don't see myself doing work in which i would be creating a website besides a blog, I would recommend this book because it offers very solid and helpful tips for if you were ever in the situation where you wanted to know the basics of what to do and get a nice, clean website page. The very first rule and the rule that is seen throughout the book is to keep your website simple. Someone did not come to your website to have to think about where to go and struggle with finding what they need. The internet is supposed to be easy and fast and as someone running a website, you need to understand that viewers will come to your website to get what they need and get out, end of story. The next rule I think that makes a good website, which I think directly relates tot he first rule, is to make your web page scannable. Not only is this important in a website, but as a reporter I have learned that that rule is very important in telling news as well. People do not have time to read and read and read every word and these long paragraphs. They want to quickly look somewhere, get the information they need and move on from there. Ways to make your page scannable include have a visual hierarchy on so that what is important, is right in your viewers face and easy to see and the less important stuff, is smaller and not in their way. Another step is to make sure that things that are clickable, look clickable. If something does not look like it is a button or that it will lead your viewer to something useful to them, who do you expect anyone to click on it to get to where they need to go? Also, get rid of "noise" or in other words, get rid of distraction that make your page look messy or take away from your pages' content. The last thing that I thought was really important was to make sure that your website always has a home button somewhere very easy to reach, because if your viewers get lost and they don't know how to get back to where they were, they may just end up leaving your whole website entirely. A home button gives them the chance to start fresh, start from the beginning and explore your website again. Overall, the book was a great read and had tips that I think anyone who is trying to be tech savvy should read.

Sexy Valentines Day Makeup Tutorial

                                                  



Hello!



So, as you know, Valentine's Day is right around the corner and some of you may be going on some fantastic dates! I got a date with Netflix, so this post does not even relate to me... ha...



Nevertheless, for those of you who are going to be grabbing dinner and a movie, or dessert, or a walk on the beach, or whatever else you boo has in store for you, you maybe be thinking about what you are going to wear, or how you are going to do you make up!



I found this great video by Creative Boss, who shows you how to create a beautiful smokey eye, but not with your usual black or grey... with red! I promise, it looks amazing!


Check it out and let me know if this is the look you chose for this Valentine's Day!

7 Different Eyeliners Makeup Tutorial

                                           





Hey guys!



So I found this youtuber online and not only did I think that she was hilarious, but she did a great tutorial on my favvvvorite kind of make up; eyeliner.



As seen in one of my previous posts (click here to see my previous post) besides foundation, I am generally just wearing eyeliner because accentuating your eyes, to me, is one of the best things you can do for your face, make up-wise.



Here is a video on several different ways you can use eyeliner to your advantage, I like it, so I hope you enjoy. =)

My everyday jewelry

Hey!

When it comes to accessorizing, most people automatically think of jewelry. It honestly can just be adding a cute ring, necklace, or bracelet that adds that extra pizzazz to your outfit.

I have a ton of bracelets and necklaces, all of varying styles and materials, that I will add to make more of a statement to one of my outfits, but here are four pieces that I almost always have on.

The ring that I wear is a gold ring that used to belong to my sister, who is my biggest inspiration. I know, I know, it is on my ring finger and it spells out "love" so a lot of people ask me if I am engaged/married or if it is a promise ring. No, besides my pinky fingers, my ring finger is my thinnest finger.

The gold bangle under that ring, was given to me by my oldest friend whom I have known since I was about 3 or 4. It is thin and simple, with a very subtle design. I personally love very simple jewelry so I looove that bangle.

To the right,  the bracelet with the beads and star was most recently added to my collection and is a Juicy Couture bracelet one of my first friends in college gave to me this past Christmas.

Finally, under that is a very simple bracelet that has a treble clef pendant. I used to play piano and I think treble clefs are beautiful so a firned gave this to me for my 19th birthday almost two years ago.

All of these pieces hold a lot of meaning to me, so I very very rarely take them off. What jewelry do you love?

Cute gift alert

Hello out there!

I have a friend who always gets the cutest gifts for special occasions like birthdays or Christmas and she recently gave me another adorable gift that I just had to share.

 

How cute it this?

A small silver necklace with a pearl-like bead and pendant with the ASL, or American Sign Language sign for I love you. I took sign language for 2 years so I often sign to songs around my friends and sign I love to them as well, so this gift was totally fitting to my personality and a really great find!

I do not know where she found this exact piece, but another gret place to find jewelry is Etsy. Here is the link:

http://www.etsy.com/browse/jewelry?ref=hp_so_h 

Have a great day!

Out on the town... with a chill.

Hello!

So, last night a few friends and I decided to go out to help a friend of mine celebrate her 21st birthday. It was a Tuesday, and just about everyone around here knows that 101 Downtown Techno Tuesday is the place to be.

Only problem was, it was a bit chilly out, with the low being about 45 degrees!

It felt more in the fifties so it wasn't too bad, but it was still is a bit cold for your usual club attire.

 

In my opinion, the best thing that you can do when it gets a bit cold out, but you still want o enjoy a night out with your friends is to:

1. Find cute ways to layer up.

or

2.  Take advantage of tights!

I, the girl on the far left, decided to layer up by just adding a fitted blazer to my outfit. I have on a cream and pink crop top with a black body con skirt and tan heels. Just by adding the blazer, I warmed myself up and added a new element to the outfit that made it look more complete. Leslie and Katy, the two girls on the right, took advantage of tights by pairing them with fitted shorts and a skirt that also added warmth while also styling up an outfit that was already cute before.

Keep in mind, that once you get into whatever club or bar, you are going to, it will get really warm, really fast, so try to just not layer up with a parka... unless of course, you are partying in the North Pole with some polar bears.

My Fav Products: Eyeliner

Hello!

Now, I will be the first to admit that I am not the most makeup savy girl. All I use is foundation, mascara, eyeliner, and/or eyeshadow and I only generally use one color eyeshadow, some kind of gold-ish color. I don't know how to use all those fancy brushes, I do all my makeup shopping at Publix or Target.. not Sephora, and it takes up no more than 10 minutes to get ready for anything from a casual lunch date to a wedding.

However, despite the fact that I really have no idea what I am doing, I do get compliments on my makeup, and the only reason for that has to be that the product is a good, reliable one.

 

Generally, all I wear during the day is eyeliner and at night, I will just add on some mascara or eyeshadow. Since I rely so heavily on eyeliner, I have been through a few and the one that I love the most and has never done me wrong is CoverGirl's LineExact Defining Eyeliner.

Depending on where you get it, it runs from $5 to $7, and I like to get it in very black, for a more striking look but it also comes in grey and brown.

I use it almost everyday and it lasts for hours. I am sure if I used a primer that it would last all day long, but alas, I am not a makeup expert. It's thin felt-tip makes it easy to apply and easy to get a very thin line is that is what you are going for.

If you have already found an eyeliner that works for you, than be my guest and keep on using it, but if you haven't yet, give this one a try! You never know, you may love it as much as I do!

OOTD: 1/22/14

Hey guys and gals!

Ok, I am sure that most of you know, but just to be sure, OOTD means "outfit of the day" and since I am a day late (my apologizes) this is my outfit of the day for Tuesday, the 22nd here in good ol' Gainesville.

Yesterday had a high of 69 degrees Fahrenheit with a low of 47 degrees Fahrenheit. I was out when it was a bit on the warmer end so that explains why I am in shorts. Also, my legs tend to have a higher resistance to the cold, so for the most part, here in Florida as long as my arms, feet, and hands are warm I will probably be in shorts, a dress, or a skirt.

  

So yesterday I was only out for short while, but I still like to put together a decent outfit because you never know who you may run into.

It was a bit cold out, with dark clouds scattering the sky so I almost went all black and grey to reflect the weather. However, I instead chose to add a a flash of red to spice up the outfit. So as you can see, 

-loose fitting black high waisted shorts

-a red tank top

-black scarf

-black flats

-light grey sweater

The most expensive part of this outfit was the scarf. I can't remember how much it was, but I got it at a department store so you just take a guess.

I could have worn just a white tank top, but imagine how less visually pleasing that would have been compared to this vibrant red one. Just remember, it is really easy to spruce up any outfit, not matter how casual!