London Adventures

The Tower of London
Even though I have already been there...twice...I loved it so much that I had to go again. We got off the tube at London Bridge where you can also find the London Dungeons and Borough Market. This exit allows you to walk across the Tower Bridge and snap some amazing pictures. I felt like this little walk along the Thames gave me a nice introduction to the Tower of London...not like when you get off at Tower Hill and you are immediately at the tower. The price for admission also includes a guided tour with one of the Beefeaters, the guards at the tower. The first two times I went I had the same tour guide and he was just entertaining both times. Our guide today was just as good and told story after story...and that was only a small portion of the history at the Tower of London. It's absolutely incredible that just one building has more history than all of the states combined. And of course we couldn't leave without seeing the crown jewels! All of those diamonds make the Hope diamond look like a joke. We ended our tour with a lunch next to the Thames. Couldn't have been a better day.

Camden Markets

This has to be one of my favorite places so far. Camden is where the artsy/hipster/alternative atmosphere of Venice Beach meet London...minus a few degrees. I was completely surprised since I expected it to be more like Borough Markets with samples of cheeses and olive oil. I was a little off with my assumptions. There's something for everyone. Antiques, trendy clothes (similar to the fashion district), drug paraphernalia, rave clothes, hand-made leather purses...EVERYTHING. And the food stands are absolutely incredible! Shannon and I chose Indian food, but the choice was hard...there were so many and they all smelled so good!! The best choice of the adventure by far was the chocolate covered waffle. And not only was some of the best food, but it was the cheapest food. You'll probably spend less than $10 on food, depending on how hungry you are of course. Camden Markets showed me a completely different side of London that I didn't even know existed.

"You sound like you're from London!"

Greetings from London!

It has been two weeks since arriving in England and I've already started getting accustomed to the English way of life. But there are some differences that have been a little overwhelming...the main difference was their lax attitude about classes. I'm studying abroad with Annenberg at City University in Clerkenwell. When we picked our classes, we were assuming it would be as structured and straight forward as USC registration. Well that wasn't the case at all. First of all, our registration was all on paper and not online. Then when we asked which classes we were supposed to show up to, they said just choose whichever. Unlike USC registration where you sign up for one discussion section and that is the one you are required to go to. All 18 of us were in a complete panic because this system was so chill.

Some new vocabulary:
Rain boots - Wellies (Wellingtons)
Trash can - bin
Dinner - tea

Tube is actually pronounced "Chube" rather than "Toobe"

So far we haven't seen too much. We're just trying to get settled into our apartment and make it more comfortable. But a few sights we've gone to are Harrods, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, and Trafalgar Square.

Last Package of the Semester with ATVN

Reporting this semester for ATVN has been quite the experience. I had my ultimate highs (my last package) as well as lows (the one before that). But overall this has been a great learning experience that has shaped a lot of what I want to do in my career.

Reporting is a hard job. A VERY HARD JOB. But at the end of the day, when a good package is done at the end of the day, there isn't another rewarding feeling. I learned a lot. The main thing I learned was how to ask questions, which originally started during my internship with George Pennacchio. I also learned that doing multiple stand ups is probably a good idea, especially when I don't know where the story is going. But at the end of the day, as long as it airs, I did my job. It may not have been fantastic, but I did my job.

It was great working with all of the executive producers and I wish them the best of luck with next semester and onwards!

Election Eve

Democratic and republican candidates were out on their last day of the campaign trail. But they weren't just swaying voters, they were encouraging people to vote.

Check out my story here.

I report every other Monday for ATVN.

It's been far too long...

I'm sorry to say that I haven't updated this blog for so long...and hopefully that will change!! My life has been consumed by school work this semester as I have been consistently doing a never-ending chain of homework. This semester, I am taking 5 real classes, which has proven to be more difficult than I possibly ever imagined. There is always something to write or a presentation to give.

Rather than making you read tons about my life, I'll give you the highlights of the semester so far!

• I was accepted to study abroad in LONDON at City University in the spring.
• ATVN asked me to be an executive producer for my senior year. Unfortunately, I'm unable to hold the position because it requires one semester of shadowing followed by two semesters of producing and I will be in London next semester. Check out my reporter bio here.
  
• My boyfriend, Joe, came to visit me from England earlier in September and I booked a flight to see him over Thanksgiving break.
• USC football hasn't been that great this season...but you can't sanction the end zone! We've still got the Trojan pride, as seen in this year's Weekender to Stanford.
• I covered Obama's visit to USC for ATVN .
• I'm a reporter and video journalist for ATVN. I report every other Monday.
• In August I finished my internship with ABC 7's George Pennacchio. Throughout the summer I attended premiers, Hollywood red carpet affairs and a movie junket. Thanks to the internship, I now know that being a reporter is a career option I want to pursue.

Other than the above, I've been just hanging out at ADPi and trying not to think about all of the work that I have. Hope everything's going great for everyone!

Life Back at USC

I know, I know, my blog has cobwebs on it. For the past month and a half back at school, my life has been consumed by recruitment, homework, and sickness. At the end of recruitment (which went really, really well by the way), I came down with a bug that just wouldn’t leave. Honestly, I was sick for just about the entire month of September, even missing the first two home football games of the season because I was just too sick to make it. But now, I’ve almost recovered (THANK GOD) and I’ll be back in complete action sometime next week.

Somewhere in between going home to get some rest and school, I found a way to keep myself busy from 10 in the a.m. til 5 or 7 p.m. I’m currently taking news writing for print and broadcast and I absolutely love the classes. I can’t tell you a specific reason why, but all I feel like I’ve found my nitch in this world. For a while last year, I felt like I may not have chosen the right major. But news writing sealed the deal.

My other classes are social psychology, Spanish for communication, yoga, physical conditioning, and guitar. Yes, the last three classes aren’t anything serious, but I had four left over units that I didn’t know what to do with. These electives are a great way for me to divert my attention from hard classes and focus on something new and fun. Guitar has been quite the challenge though. I’m not very good and being sick for a few weeks hasn’t helped my track record for practicing.

This weekend is the Weekender!!! USC invades San Francisco and I will be right there with the rest of my school. BEAT CAL!!

Summer 2009

Since the cruise with my grandma and mom, I have started my second internship with Hollywire.com and was rehired at American Eagle. So I've been pretty busy. At my internship, I write for the celebrity gossip website, which is awesome for the direction I want to head in. I love the office; everyone is chill about being late, goofing around and overall having a good time. Way different than the office of Gotham, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. 

Overall, this internship is a great opportunity for me. You can check out my posts on hollywire.com! I promise to keep you updated on interesting celebrity news...not spotted in New York this afternoon...

For this summer, getting a paying job was basically a miracle. I didn't necessarily want to return to retail, just because I'm kind of over it, but I knew AE would be the only place that I would have a sure shot at getting a job and getting good hours. And they didn't fail me! Once again, I can't complain about the amount of hours I get, nor the management. And the discount? Can you say shopping! Unfortunately, these aren't the best of times for me economically, so I must admit, I haven't put that 40% off into good use. Not to worry, my time will come.

 

As for other summer activities, I've been to and from the beach, Disneyland, and the movies. I haven't had the opportunity to visit all my friends from USC like I thought I would, but I'll see them soon enough. I never thought the day would come when I would honestly miss school, but times have changed and I want to go back more than anything. I'm looking forward to the fall!