Friday, August 24, 2012

So it's been a little over a week and so far I LOVE MY JOB! It might not be exactly what I want to do but I am not only gaining confidence when it comes to talking to strangers, but also I've met some of the nicest co-workers and supervisors I could have imagined! I thought the reason why I could end up staying there was getting too comfortable with the job, but I think if I do, the reason would be because of the people I work with. They are extremely nice and helpful. It's like we are one team. (Haha) Bringing me back to my 'Iolani roots. Anyways, I'm pretty sure I caught on to everything pretty quickly, and if I'm not sure about anything, I'm not afraid to ask.

I had my first customer that I think will stick in my head for the rest of my life, but my supervisor was really nice about it. She even asked if I was okay after! And that's all that really mattered to me. I know that sometimes I won't be able to make a customer happy, but as long as my coworkers and supervisors still look at me in a positive light, then I'll be okay :)

I'm glad I am starting out with this job (minus the three other jobs I had during high school/college times) because it has taught me so much and I really feel like I'm doing my duties to get to where I want to be in the end. My feet were killing me in the beginning but after a week, they are fine!

Hard work will pay off!

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Real World: Frustration

Coming home from college was one of the best and most natural feelings. In the back of my mind, I sometimes wish that I had stayed on the mainland or gone off to a foreign country in hopes of finding opportunities that would aid me in reaching my full potential as a designer, or whatever I am meant to be. (I'm actually glad I didn't--at least for the summer-- because I got to spend time with my Popo-grandma- before she passed.) Anyways, I've recently been hired to work at a retail store, and although I am so glad to work for the company, I have become extremely frustrated. It's just hard to be in a place that doesn't seem to motivate me like I was in high school, where I grew to strive for challenge. It's hard to be surrounded by people who don't share the same drive and level of knowledge as me. I am not trying to put people down, because I know that I was lucky to have the education I got and that that doesn't make me a better person or anything. I guess what intensifies this frustration is seeing everyone else that I know get jobs or internships that are huge breaks in their desired careers. I just feel like everyone is moving forward and I am moving backwards. I feel like I am wasting all of my parents' money and sacrifices. I am scared of getting stuck or too comfortable. I feel like I could/should do so much more.

But I am trying to believe that not everyone's pace/path to success is not the same. This job is not a waste of my time--I never thought that-- because it will actually help me a lot with getting out of my shell, which is something I really need to achieve in order to succeed. I love the company not only because of what they sell (haha), but also in everything they stand for. Being a locally owned company, it might actually help me a lot. I ultimately want to have my own local company, so seeing how they work in order to keep up with the other bigger companies is really intriguing and helpful. They are so ethical and really treat their customers with the utmost respect. This company really shows me that going out into the real world while keeping my morals and being successful is possible. So maybe I just need to look for/at things that I can get from this experience that will help me in the future. I just need to stay positive and moving forward. I have to believe that everything happens for a reason and will eventually fall into place.

Remember: Always remember the bigger picture.

*Disclaimer: I am in no way implying that I think I am better or superior to anyone. I know and am thankful that I was blessed with parents who did everything they could to make sure I got an excellent education.

Friday, August 10, 2012

Hello, World!


ALL ABOUT ME--STEPH!

I am a local girl, born and raised on the island of Oahu, Hawaii.

I recently graduated from the University of San Francisco with a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in design. Being fresh out of college, I am very open-minded in where I want my design skills to take me. I've always dreamed of having a local company of my own that produced t-shirts, stickers, etc. But there are so many jobs that require the artistic eye that I am really just open to anything related to art. I hope that throughout my career I get my feet wet in a wide variety of art-related tasks.

As an over-thinking and self-reflective person, I am always trying to be the best person I can be. I stand strong to my morals and what I think is ethical. I guess you could say I like to be as "real" as possible. My friends and family are my world, which without I would not be here today. My heart's desire is to make a difference in people's lives by giving them hope or influence them. If I were to save someone's life (not necessarily a literal save--although I am a certified lifeguard), I would have served my life's purpose.

In a nutshell of a length paragraph (haha), this is my life: people, candidness, relationships, swimming, ART (drawing, painting, photography, scrapbooking, crafts, uhm design), yoga, hula, coconut verbena lime lotion, Kealii Reichel, Snoopy, romance, Gilmore Girls, OTH, F.R.I.E.N.D.S, NCIS, water, cake batter ice cream from Cold Stone, Cafe Laufer's Chinese chicken salad, South Shore Grill's chicken burrito, mostly all fruits, bread (my weakness), milk products (before I became lactose, dang you Asian genes!), God, HE>i, math, straight hair, the occasional days when my wavy hair decides to look decent, natural, Futura, gardenia,       ...to be continued.