kimberlymlee

[wendymartinez]

My second field assignment is about the Mad T Party stageshow at Disney’s California Adventure, and the enthusiastic fanbase it has built in person and online.

Because this story is more of an entertainment story, I decided to go with a softer lead. The beginning of my story sets the scene...

[kimberlymlee]

How exciting!  I can't wait to read your story.  It sounds really interesting.  I've never attended the Mad T Party before but I hope to someday soon!

[kimberlymlee]

The production of field assignment #2.

This time around for my field assignment, I wrote about the Make-A-Wish Foundation philanthropy project that the Beta Kappa chapter of the Chi Omega Fraternity participated in.

For those who do not know, Chi Omega Fraternity is an all-women organization on campus.

They organized a benefit dinner and multiple events throughout the week leading up to the dinner to raise funds for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

For those who do not know this either, the Make-A-Wish Foundation grants terminally ill children’s wishes.

It was great learning about what they did and how other sororities and fraternities supported the Beta Kappa chapter with their philanthropy project.  I was surprised by how much support they received from other members of the Greek life.

Compared to the first field assignment, I felt like I had more trouble writing this piece.  I think it is because I received a lot of different types of information from my sources.  In the end, I had to go back to the Make-A-Wish chair of Beta Kappa to confirm whether those facts were true.  Besides interviewing the chair of the event, I interviewed two members of Beta Kappa and a member from Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity who was heavily involved in the philanthropy project.

There was a lot of misinformation between members of the sororities and fraternities; therefore, it was hard to get the actual facts.

I was lucky enough to have the chair of the event as one of my contacts; she was very willing to speak to me regarding any details about the philanthropy project.

I learned the importance of checking facts before finalizing any story.  I would not want to publish anything that was not true.

Because I do not know many Beta Kappa members, I was able to reach out to the different people involved in the event after speaking to the Make-A-Wish chair.  She provided me with members’ contact information.  Once I was able to find the person in charge of the whole event, I was able to get in touch with multiple people involved in the philanthropy project.  Having good relationships with people is very important in the journalism world.  People are very willing to help if you ask.

[jeaninelo]

I really liked this movie. I didn’t expect it to be so funny, but it really is. Cooper and Lawrence do a really good job of playing people who are struggling. It could have been really too dramatic and possibly really depressing if they had played it differently, but they did such a good job. Part of that I’m sure is the writing.

I’ve read some reviews of the movie asking, “how can this movie be funny? These people are really struggling”. I get it, they are. But c’mon. There’s funny stuff going on here. Early in the movie Cooper’s character Patrick is running and Lawrence (Tiffany) keeps ambushing him and he goes “How do you know when I’m running?” There’s a lot of funny stuff going on in this movie. Life is funny, just because it’s a movie and story about people who are dealing with serious issues doesn’t mean it can’t be amusing. 

Chris Tucker was a surprise. First seen very early in the movie I was like, “hey! That’s Chris Tucker!” For a minute I thought maybe he had just made a cameo for some reason, but he keeps popping up in the movie and he really is funny. He’s not being the “Rush Hour” Chris Tucker. He’s just being a normal, funny, dude. I might have to buy this movie. All the acting performances are good and the story is pretty good too.

Don’t have much to say that’s bad. There were a couple continuity errors, which were only slightly distracting and oddly blatant for such a professional movie. The one story complaint I have is that Tiffany and Patrick meet early in the movie, and then its pretty clear that she’s interested in him. But, at the very beginning anyway, I kinda felt like I didn’t understand why she was interested in him. Their first encounter was so short and kind of uncomfortable. I think I would have liked maybe one more scene with them before it became obvious that she was interested. Just seemed to happen really quick, which I guess is how things happen for real sometimes. I just feel like her feelings for him were kinda unexplored. But maybe not, I don’t know. Overall I would say I really liked this movie, and would defiantly recommend it.

[kimberlymlee]

I've never seen this movie but I think I will check it the next time I am looking for a movie to watch.  Thanks for the recommendation!

[kimberlymlee]

It is that time of the year again.

Recently, the weather in Southern California has been awfully dry.  Not only is the weather very dry, but also very warm.  So today I will be sharing with you all a way I cope with the heat and dry spell.

Smoothies!

I often make my own smoothies at home; I find them healthy, easy and refreshing!  My roommates often ask me for some as well.

Smoothies are probably one of the simplest things to make at home.  Although I enjoy drinking Jamba Juice smoothies, I find the ones I make at home to be healthier and more cost-effective.  Jamba Juice smoothies now cost about $5 per medium-sized drink.  I know I cannot afford that on a daily basis.  Also, Jamba Juice is known to add large amounts of sugar to its drinks.  The large amount of sugars are often found in smoothies with sorbets.  When I go there, I usually get an all-fruit smoothie.  Although it costs more than the other smoothies, I rather not drink a lot of sugar.

Smoothie making is simple.

First, I buy fresh, seasonal fruits such as strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and mangoes.  I, then, wash and cut the fruits and separately put them in tupperware containers.  When ready, I place them in the fridge until I want to make my smoothie.

In addition to my already-frozen fruits, I purchase bananas, oranges, pineapples and any other fruits I find tasty and cut them up.  Also, I purchase Simply Apple Juice and Vita Coco Coconut Water.

Let us begin!

In my blender, I add a variety of frozen fruits, add any other non-frozen fruits and add a little apple juice and coconut water.

Then, I blend until smooth.

I like my smoothies thick and not watery so depending on the initial consistency, I add more frozen fruits or ice and I blend to my liking.

It is as simple as that.  So, next time before you head to Jamba Juice, try making it on your own!  You will definitely save money.

I recently made this smoothie on a hot day.  I added frozen strawberries and mangoes.  In addition, I added a banana, some orange and apple juice.  Then, I blended it all together.

It was light, filling and refreshing.

[coolstorybon]

I’m most likely going to graduate next spring and that really freaks me out. I know that my dad is very concerned about me being a communication major. He thinks I’m never going to get a job, and that I will be cursed of becoming an unpaid intern forever. Because “that’s what they all do. They...

[kimberlymlee]

I know how the lost feeling feels like.  Don't worry about it.  Take it one step at a time.  You will figure it out soon.  What's your emphasis?  I have an emphasis in public relations and I didn't know what I wanted to do until this quarter as a junior.  I greatly appreciate my senior-level courses because they have helped me figure out what I am truly interested in.

[kimberlymlee]

Stepping out of the comfort zone.

I think turning 21 has really changed me and my mindset.  Although it has only been three weeks, I feel like I have matured even more.  I have spent a good amount of time throughout the last two week thinking about future opportunities.

In the past, I have allowed my geographic location limit the opportunities I apply for.  This is because I have always lived in Southern California. I know this area best and it is scary to think about leaving this place.  Most of my family is located in Southern California so it will be hard to leave them as well.  However, I have realized that change would be good for me.  It would good for me to experience something new while I am still young even though I feel really old.  It really does feel different when you turn 21.  There are so many responsibilities to take of.  Anyways!

With that said, I'm excited to find out what is in store for my future.

I have decided that I will take any opportunity that presents itself.

I guess this all a part of growing up.  This is definitely exciting but scary.  I am not sure what to expect but if I do not try, I may regret it someday.

I hope to someday bear good news.  I will be sure to share it with you all once the time comes.

It is important to not look back.

Who knows?  I may be in NYC, Chicago, Seattle, etc. someday! Wherever life takes me, I am sure there is a reason.  Everything will work out in the end.  Hopefully.

It will be an exciting journey.  I have always wanted to travel more as I grew older.  If I had a job or some type of opportunity to travel for free or be paid to travel, that would be even better!

Until next time!

[meraydoughly-blog]

I went and saw The Great Gatsby on Sunday and I am not sure how I felt about it. I was so excited the second I heard they were remaking it and I would watch every trailer over and over again. I listened to the whole album before the movie even came out and loved it, but the movie just didn’t...

[kimberlymlee]

Thanks for sharing Meray!  I heard many people talking about this movie.  I'm glad I didn't pay $14 to watch it.  I think I'll wait until it becomes available at Redbox.

[kimberlymlee]

The future.

I cannot help it but think about graduation.

Since I have been taking multiple upper division and senior-level courses, majority of the people I see on a daily basis in my classes are graduating this June.  It is such an exciting time of year. However, it is somewhat a bittersweet moment as well.  I have taken multiple classes with the same people throughout the last two years and it is hard to think that we will never have another class together again.  I have gotten to know quite a few people throughout the years and I am so proud of them for finishing!  Hopefully we will all find a way to keep in touch.

Although I still have one more year to complete, I know it will fly by fast.  I only have nine more courses to complete.  Two of the classes are independent study courses (Kellogg Honors College capstone and internship).

It is hard to believe that I will be graduating from Cal Poly Pomona soon.  It feels like I just graduated from high school and I am attending my first year of college.  However, that is far from reality.

I can honestly say that I have grown so much throughout the past few years in college.  I have learned a lot about myself.

Up until recently, I had no idea who I wanted to be or what I wanted to do in the future.  Prior to entering Cal Poly Pomona, I wanted to study advertising at Art Center to become an art director.  However, due to the incredibly high costs for tuition, fees and supplies, I enrolled at Cal Poly Pomona as a communication major since I figured that was the next closest thing to advertising.  Little did I know that my future plans would change completely.

Throughout the past few weeks, my PR Management class has been discussing different career fields we could enter post graduation.  We also were assigned to interview a public relations practitioner who is currently in the field with the position we hope to have one day.

Thanks to Dr. H, I have found what I am truly interested in doing in the future.  I would like to be an investor relations officer.  After interviewing the director of investor relations at Apple, I have learned so much and I cannot wait to take the next steps toward my future.

[kingkaepernick]

As I finish up this writing assignment, I think about the great interviews I conducted. I got a really good variety of people. I interviewed three different students. The first was interesting because it was my girlfriend. It was hard for her to take me seriously but eventually she did and I got...

[kimberlymlee]

What a great topic!  Dr. H was talking about this in her PR Management class on Monday.  I was surprised by the amount of people who didn't know the switch will actually be implemented by the end of the decade.  Hopefully all of us will be done with Cal Poly Pomona by then!

[kimberlymlee]

The production of field assignment #1.

When I was thinking about possible topic ideas for my field assignment #1, I wanted to make sure that I chose a topic that was interesting and different from most people’s ideas.  I came up with two ideas.

1.  Foal watch program on campus at the W. K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Center

2.  Chi Omega, a women’s fraternity, and its annual philanthropy project:  Make-A-Wish Foundation

I discussed my potential topics with Professor Spoon and he approved both; I wrote about the foal watch program for field assignment #1 and I will be writing about the philanthropy project for field assignment #2.

First, I went on the Cal Poly Pomona website to search for anything relating to the foal watch program.  I was able to gain a good background from their website but, of course, I wanted to learn more and get some good quotes to include in my story.

Prior to contacting sources, I drafted potential questions that I wanted to ask my interviewees over the course of three days.  I did this over the course of three days because I wanted to make sure that I had ALL the questions I wanted answered written out before contacting anyone.

I knew that I wanted to interview student volunteers who are a part of the program and the program director; therefore, I drafted two sets of questions.  One for the students and one for the program director.

I researched the W. K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Center website for a contact person and found that Kate Smith is the farm manager at the horse center.  She is also the main contact for the program.  I began the initial contact via email.  It was probably a bad idea since she never replied to my email.  After five days of no response, I decided to call her to set up either an in-person or telephone interview.  The Administrative Support Coordinator Kelly Piña picked up the telephone and informed me that Smith was not in the office.  Piña asked if there was anything she could do to help.  I informed her about my assignment and that I would like to set up an interview with Smith.  Piña said that Smith is very busy with foaling season; therefore, it is very difficult to set up a time.  She said if I emailed her my questions, she would get Smith to answer them when she was free.  Since it was not possible to set up an appointment with Smith, I reluctantly agreed.  I eventually received Smith’s responses from Piña and was able to get a few good quotes from her.

One of the downfalls of email interviews is that the interviewee may not answer all the questions.  Smith did not finish all the questions; however, Piña informed that she would send me the rest of the responses the next day.  Unfortunately, I never received the rest of the responses even after a follow-up email.  I was glad I had my important questions placed at the top as she only answered those.

Interviews via email are difficult and are not preferred because the interviewee has time to think about his or her responses.  Also, you cannot see the emotions on his or her face.  However, I was eager to get her quotes as soon as possible since the rough draft deadline was approaching quickly.

Finding student volunteers to interview was not as difficult as I thought it was going to be.  I posted a status on my Facebook asking if anyone was a participant or if they knew of any participants that would be willing to speak to me about their experience.  Luckily, I had two people respond to my post and say that they have been involved in the program for two years now.

I quickly set up interviews with them at Starbucks to talk about their experiences with the program.  The interviews went well.  I think interviewing people is one of the hardest things about journalism.  It is hard to keep up with writing down notes and listening to them.  Luckily, they were very understanding and cooperative.  Practice makes perfect.

Writing the story was not a huge problem for me.  I was really interested in the topic.  I think it is really cool that we have the foal watch program on campus.  It allows students to gain hands-on experience and stand out from other students when applying for graduate school.

I definitely had fun writing it.  Until next time!

[judydc-blog]

Today was the first day in a long time that I started running again, and boy did I get tired fast! But because of the many running applications (or “apps”) that are available on the iPhone that track distance, burned calories, GPS coordinates, etc., it makes it even easier to get back on...

[kimberlymlee]

Good luck!  It is definitely hard when you're starting out.  Once you get the hang of it, it will be worth it!

[kimberlymlee]

Places to eat in San Diego.

For those who have been following my blog and reading my posts, you all know that A and I enjoy spending as much of our time in San Diego as we can.  He came on Wednesday to visit me for a week to celebrate my birthday.  We, of course, went to San Diego for a part of the celebration.  This will be a post about the highly recommended food places to visit when you are in San Diego.

Phil's BBQ

As the name suggests, Phil's BBQ serves BBQ pork ribs, beef ribs and chicken.  They also serve a variety of side dishes.  I do not know what about the in-house-made BBQ sauce that makes it so good but it is amazing.  A and I usually order a full BBQ pork rib dinner (comes with 10-12 bones) with a small side of macaroni salad and potato salad.  We also order the amazing onion rings.  If you go there, you must try them!  This leaves plenty of leftovers for A and me to share later for snack.

Extraordinary Desserts

Extraordinary Desserts serves really cute and delicious desserts.  The desserts vary each season.  Out of all the times we have been there, our favorite is the white chocolate berry coupe.  It is not too sweet.  They also have really good cakes.  We tried the Shangri-la.  It has guava and passion fruit flavors inside with white chocolate shavings on the outside.  It was definitely tasty and worth the price!

Tacos El Gordo

You cannot go to San Diego without eating some type of authentic Mexican food.  Tacos El Gordo is the place to go for authentic Tijuana-style food.  They serve spicy pork, spicy beef, beef tongue, carne asada and many other types of tacos, burritos, sopas, quesadillas and many more.  I highly recommend their spicy pork and beef tongue tacos.  They are very tasty, authentic and cheap!  They are definitely not the same tacos you can find at Taco Bell.

The Cottage

Last but not least, The Cottage is one of A and my favorite places to eat brunch.  I would recommend ordering the crab benedict, stuffed French toast with strawberries and bananas on top and the white chocolate berry bread pudding.  There is always some kind of line going on during the weekend so be sure to get there early.  If you have to wait, it is definitely worth it.

I hope some of you get a chance to try one or two places on this list.  If I could, I would drive there every weekend!  San Diego definitely has some of the most delicious food choices.  If you like Asian food, I would not recommend moving to San Diego since it is rare to find a Chinese restaurant in San Diego!

I hope to some day move to San Diego.  I would not only be moving there for the food but also the sites.  It is so beautiful there!  Plus, the weather is pretty much amazing all the time.  I will write a post about top places to visit in San Diego some time soon.

Until next time, I hope you enjoy the food photos!

[judydc-blog]

In “Sweet Home Alabama,” Reese Witherspoon’s character gets arrested by the sheriff’s department in Pigeon Creek, Alabama (see photo above).

In real life, Reese Witherspoon and her husband Jim Toth were both arrested on Friday following a traffic stop in Atlanta. Jim was arrested on a DUI...

[kimberlymlee]

I'm glad she didn't make any excuses.  It is important to be honest and open to the public.  Although this incident may have hurt her reputation a bit.  Her stakeholders will find a way to forgive her and carry on.

Thanks for sharing!

[kimberlymlee]

The places we go.

Some of you commented on one of my previous posts about my past vacation spots and asked if I could give some tips about getting a trip started. So here it is. When I was younger, most of the trips my family and I went on were organized by my mom. She would book our trips through a travel agency because of the convenience. I know what most of you are thinking... "Isn't it more expensive to go through a travel agent?" This is true. However, there's a secret! My mom would call the travel agent, a family friend, and tell her that our family of five wants to go on a cruise and would provide her with the dates that we were available on. However, my mom would tell her that we don't have to go anywhere unless there was a good deal. Our travel agent understood what my mom meant--don't call us unless she finds a really good deal. One day, we received a call from our travel agent informing us that Celebrity Cruise Line to Alaska was have a last minute flash sale. The sale was to sell the last minute cancellations that the cruise line received throughout the past few days; the company wanted to have as many staterooms occupied as possible. For this reason, the rooms were priced incredibly cheap. My mom informed our travel agent that we would be interested if she was able to book us a room. Surely enough, our travel agent was able to get us an amazing deal. A seven day cruise to Alaska cost is $800 per person including round trip airfare to Seattle (the port where we departed from) and back. I also wanted to mention that our stateroom had an ocean view. Many of you may not be familiar with cruises and cruise bookings; therefore, the price of the trip may seem very costly to many of you. Actually, we were getting a great deal. Most cruises range well over $1000 per person for an inside stateroom (no windows that makes the rooms very claustrophobic). Please keep in mind that the total costs include all-inclusive five star rating meals and activities on the ship. In addition, the costs include the taxes and gratuity fees. The trip to Alaska was basically amazing.

Here's a picture of my sister and I when we were on a cruise to Cabo San Lucas (since I don't have a picture from our Alaska cruise on this computer). Nowadays when I book a trip on my own with my friends, I use Orbitz, Travelocity, Hotels.com, Kayak, etc. I compare prices and subscribe to their emails. Often times, they will email customers codes to get additional discounts. It is important to monitor the hotel prices. They often fluctuate; therefore, it is important to check the prices daily. I usually begin monitoring the prices at least two months before my intended travel dates. Starting early allows you to catch discount codes. It is important to make sure you know the cancellation policies on the hotels you book. I usually try to find ones that have no penalties if I cancel. In this case, if I find a better deal elsewhere, I would cancel my existing reservation. I wanted to mention that Orbitz has the price assurance deal. Basically, if another person books the same type of room as you did for a cheaper price, Orbitz will credit you the difference. I think that's a pretty good deal. That way you don't have to worry about monitoring the deals on a daily basis. I hope this helps. Let me know if you use any other strategies to book vacations. Until next time!

[kimberlymlee]

Guest speaker: Doug Spoon

My Reporting II class tonight had the pleasure of having Doug Spoon, editor of Menifee 24/7 and lecturer at Cal Poly Pomona, as a guest speaker tonight.  Spoon is also the advisor of the Cal Poly Pomona student paper, The Poly Post.

  He discussed about his 35 years experience as a daily newspaper writer for the San Gabriel Tribune and Pasadena Star News as a sports columnist and sports editor.

  At the time, he primarily reported on baseball, basketball, hockey and football games because he was interested in those sports.  More specifically, he reported on the Dodgers, Lakers, Kings and USC Trojans.  Although he enjoyed writing about sports, he sometimes was asked to report on racecar events.  He found that it was more challenging to write about racecar events because he was not as interested in the sport.  However, that just means that it required him to do more research before writing his stories.

  Spoon warned students that journalism is not as glamorous as many people believe it is.  Although he was at the Dodgers game when they went to the playoffs, he missed the epic home run that won the game.

  Spoon emphasized the importance of learning how to multitask.  He forces his students to learn how to use social media, shoot photos and videos while reporting on a story.  The reason is that all journalists in the field today have to adapt to the ever-evolving world of technology.

  Spoon suggests that students take all the opportunities they can get to write.  Students should begin by starting their own blog.  Students can also volunteer to write articles for a school newspaper or publication.  This way, they can gain more experience writing.  As it is often said, practice makes perfect.

  I’m glad Spoon was able to join our class today.  He was able to share tips with students regarding what students should do in order to stand out from other students when competing for jobs.

[meraydoughly-blog]

This past summer I had the opportunity to go on a Contiki trip with a few of my girlfriends. It was the most fun I have ever had in my life. I have always dreamed of traveling around Europe, but I never thought I would be able to do it in my 20s; I’ve always said “you need a lot of money...

[kimberlymlee]

How amazing!  It sounds like you girls had a great time.  I've never heard of Contiki but I'm glad you were able to share your experience with us.  I always thought that trips to Europe required a lot of money as well.  I will definitely look into Contiki!

[kimberlymlee]

Before you continue reading my blog post for the week, please watch the video that I have posted above.  It'll only take three minutes and 28 seconds.  You will not regret it. I guarantee it!

Isn't he adorable?  It is true.  I believe everybody needs a pep talk once in a while.  It does not matter whom it comes from.  Each of us needs a bit of encouragement once in a while.  Without it, we would be lost.

I know I would be.  Sometimes (or most of the time) things do not work out the way we want them to and we get discouraged.  However, it is important to remember that there will be other opportunities or chances for us to get what we want.

Do you know anybody who has the perfect life but you don't think they deserve it because you know for a fact that you work so much harder than him/her?

I do.

Life is not fair sometimes.  People have different fates.  Some people are lucky enough that they do not have to work a day in their lives for anything they want.  Instead, everything is served on a silver platter for them.

We should not be discouraged.  We must work that much harder to get what we want.  It will also be that much more rewarding at the end.  You will know you deserved it.  Whatever it may be.

Do not settle for anything less than you deserve.  Make a change.  Make a difference.

I am not sure why I am blogging about this topic this week.  I guess it is because I have been feeling discouraged lately.  When I do, I always rewatch this video to remind myself that I am great.  I can achieve my goals.  I cannot let anyone tell me otherwise.

For those who do not know me, I am the type of person who goes above and beyond to get my tasks completed.  So it is heartaching to be told by someone that it was not enough.  It does not need to be directly told to me for it to hurt.

I guess the only things that can be done now is to learn from the experience and move forward.  Be confident and tell yourself that you can do it.

Do not be afraid to take a break and take the time to reflect.  My mini getaway to celebrate my birthday in less than two weeks will be my chance to do so.

What are some ways you deal with discouragement?