Inspirational Monday

The End of A Chapter

That last day at work was the longest day of my life- it seemed to take forever to get to 5:00! But I was surprised that I really did feel like I was leaving something behind. Maybe it was the gifts (I got a new Hello Kitty mug!), the card signed by everyone in the office, the hugs before I left, or just the realization that I would never have to deal with the job again, but I did feel a pang of sadness. I completly wasn't excpecting to feel this way.

But it is time for me to move on. I can't let fear of the unknown and longing for what has become familiar to me to stunt my growth in life. And although I had a very heartfelt sendoff, I can't forget what the other days on the job were like, and all the problems I was constantly having.

Big News!

I'm not sure if any of you have noticed, but I haven't been around in the blogging world as much for the past couple of weeks. I've been super busy with a lot of major life changes. The biggest of which is *drum roll* I have a new job in Baltimore!!!

That's right, not only do I get to leave my current job, but I finally get to move out of Philadelphia after being stuck her for three years after graduation!

As many of you know, I have been having some issues with my current job for the past year (such as here, here, and here) so it is a huge relief for me to finally be getting out of it for good. With my new job there are no unreliable student workers, no contact with students, no programs or career fairs, very few phone calls, and no daily appointments to make.

It was very odd to me that my supervisors were genuinely surprised when I told them that I had found another job and gave them my two weeks' notice, especially considering all that had been going on this year. I still can't believe they thought I was going to stay in this job! Since April I had pretty much stopped pretending that I even cared about my work, and I was so sure they suspected that I was looking for something else. But apparently, they were oblivious to everything!

However, when I told the other people in my office, most of them said that they saw this coming and could tell that I was ready to leave. What a stark contrast!! Just goes to show you have in-tuned bosses are to the goings on of their subordinates.

The second big thing is that now I will finally get an apartment of my own! That's right at 25 years old, I will finally have my own apartment!! I'm super excited about this because now I get to create and decorate a space that is truly mine.

I won't be around the blogsphere as much after today since I'm moving this weekend and I'll be getting settle in at work and all, but I will keep some posts going thanks to Blogger's  post scheduling feature.

Inspirational Monday

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure: Camelflage

I bought this Sally Hansen Complete Solon Manicure in Camelflage at the same time that I bought the Earl Grey color. I bought both polishes earlier this summer, so I was going for some softer, pastel colors. I liked this color because it is a good neutral that is still pretty noticeable without being bold. I put on the nail color on Monday evening, but it began to chip off by Thursday, even with two coats and a top coat.

Inspirational Monday

The Quest for the Perfect Bag

I'm not a bag addict at all (I usually carry around the same handbag for years until it falls apart, and only then will I buy another one), but since the summer, I have been giving a lot of thought to finding the best bag to use.

I bought this tote early in the summer from H&M, and have gotten a ton of complements on it. I don't usually go for light colors in bags, so I decided to shake up things a little by buying it. I like that it is big (about xin by xin), and that it is sturdy and stands up on its own. It's great over the summer when I had to carry extra shoes with me to switch into when I got to work, and for carrying any other large items (my umbrella for those sudden summer showers, folders, paperwork, light packages, etc).

The downside to this bag is that it can be a pain to carry during my morning commute on the trolley. Because it is big and stiff, it doesn't have a lot of give to it, and sticks out when I'm standing on the trolley, making it difficult for people to get past me, and for me to move past others when I need to. Since I don't carry as much with me during the fall and winter, I decided to look for a smaller bag.

Image from Forever 21 website

The first bag I came across was this faux leather satchel from Forever 21. I was pleasantly surprised by the size of the bag; I was expecting it to be a little smaller In fact this bag has ample room to carry what I need, including my up miniature umbrella and a few extras, with out having a bulky bag in the way. I also like the shape and the color. On the website, this satchel is listed as Pink, but one of the reviewers said that the color was really Nude, but when I got it, to me it looks like Blush. Basically, it's somewhere between the light pink/blush palette range. Either way, I like the color and think it is very feneimin. My only complaint is that the zipper can get a little stuck at the rounded corners of the bag, but other than that it seems to be perfect!

Image from DSW website

Next, I went to check out DSW to see if I could find a bag with bold color. Of all of my years of shopping on DSW's website, I never knew they sold handbags (silly, simple me)!  I fell in love with this Steve Madden Dale Mini satchel in red and a similar red Audrey Brooke satchel. Now, I'm not a designer hound, in fact, I've never even bought a designer bag for myself, but this time the Steve Madden satchel won out mainly because it is a Steve Madden product.

Despite this, this bag was actually a slight disappointment for me. First, it was much smaller than I expected it to be (it is actually significantly smaller than the Forever 21 bag). The color and material are nice, although it is more of a reddish coral color than just plain red, but the biggest downside to the Steve Madden satchel is that it doesn't have inner pockets for my phone, only the inside zipper pocket, but I will just have to make due for Steve Madden's sake.The inner lining is also not sown down, so it move around and comes up when you pull on it.

Inspirational Monday