Transferable Passion

I have recently come to the realization that there are certain phases of passion in your life. When your very young, you are passionate about learning and growing. Then comes friends, boys, family, sports, etc. At each moment of time in your life, there is something that you should probably be focusing on. During your junior and senior year of high school you should stop focusing so much of your time on boys and friends and start focusing on college and taking steps to get there. As I continue through life, I am sure I will transfer my passion multiple times from my career to marriage to babies to 401Ks. 

When getting to college, I became really passionate about my involvements, i.e. my sorority. During these past 3 years, I have been so passionate about this that I didn't even realize that I may have been missing opportunities in my career and social life, two things that will benefit me, even after college. After a recent disappointing moment, okay I was devastated, I had the biggest epiphany - that I was no longer supposed to be so passionate about my organization but rather on searching for an internship and securing a career.

So I realized that I was actually never really devastated about that moment, but I was more afraid of what was to come. Since I did not know what college could be without being so consumed by my sorority, I was afraid about what I would do without taking the lead there. I turned my disappointment into proactivity and have found that by taking a back seat in my sorority, I have much more exciting things to looks forward to.

Disclaimer: Being a part of my sorority and holding multiple positions has impacted my life in indescribable ways. I feel that I am a much better version of myself and my involvement there has actually prompted my epiphany. I could never thank my sorority enough.

Winter Whites

For the longest time, wearing white shoes and pants past labor day were considered major fashion faux pas. It was not until a couple years ago that all white was finally seen on the runways of Dolce & Gabbana, Valentino and Roland Mouret.  Fashion gurus around the world took the runway fashion and made it their own on the street. Of course, I do not consider myself a fashion guru, I literally just buy what looks comfortable, is easy to wash, and may resemble something I saw on Pinterest. But this past Tuesday, I dared to rock the all white look. I went for plain white jeans, a cream sweater, orange belt, nude shoes, and gold jewelry. I was considering adding a statement necklace but realized that white's beauty is in it's blandness. 

So be bold by being bland this winter.

Thank you Note Etiquette

Marshalls has a great selection of inexpensive but super cute cards. These are more fun and meant for personal thank yous. You may want to opt for something more minimal when sending professional notes.

In this technology age, we are all driven to laziness, and might I add dullness, when it comes to thanking those that have done wonderful things for us. As the world grows, people become busier and have much more important things to do than to help others. Therefore, when a person goes out of their way to help you, even if they do so unintentionally, it is  a l w a y s  best to thank them, and what better way to do so than by surprising them with an actual card. Crazy idea, right? Who sends actual thank you cards anymore? Successful and extremely well liked people, that's who.

So I have compiled a couple of dos and do nots when sending thank you notes. However, I can never stress enough that the most important aspect is to be genuine and professional, when necessary. 

Disclaimer: Since most people may feel weird and fake just writing a thank you card, fake it till you make it. The more you write, the more comfortable you will feel. Try starting off with writing thank yous to people who you are not professional dependent on like friends, family, or well known teachers. It is up to you to send them, but they will ultimately give you good practice in expressing your true feelings without going overboard.

Please Do (within 24 hours of service or gift)

1. Always greet the person by their name 

2. Thank them for their gift or service that benefitted you.

3. Explain how you were affected by the service or how you plan to use the gift.

4. Explain what they mean to you or why you are thankful for them. If you do not know them very well say something along the lines of "I'm thinking of you, and hope you're doing well."

5. Thank them, again. 

6. Close with sincerely, love, best, etc. and then sign your name.

For the Love of God, Please Do Not

1. Write 18 paragraphs about how much you adore them.

2. Ask for another service or gift.

3. Put emphasis by repeating letters or punctuations, i.e. Thank you sooo much. You are awesome!!! However, if you cannot think of a word off the top of your head, do not find a 15 letter synonym that you never knew existed to replace it. It is much better to be true to yourself and your vocabulary.

4. Write in stream of consciousness or be extremely casual (Hey! So I was just thinking about you and decided to write a thank you letter because you are awesome. I don't really know what else to say. Bye!).

5. Address more than one person. -> Each letter should be specific to just one individual.

6. Send gifts to professionals. It can be overwhelming, offensive, and sometimes counter productive.

It is one of my New Years' goals to send more Thank You notes and so I am beginning with thanking those that have helped me throughout the year. I am breaking the general rule of sending the note no more than 24 hours after, BUT better late than never?

Bangin Changes

         

2014 was the year of fringe. Many celebrities and businesswomen have added bangs to create a more unique, funky look. Even the first lady jumped on the bandwagon and rocked it. I feel that the beginning of the year is a great opportunity to try something new with your look, which exactly what I did. It took ten minutes (literally 10) and just $10 to get just my bangs cut earlier this morning and I could not be happier with the final outcome. It is a major difference that encourages me to change more things this upcoming year, like drink more water, be more active, find an internship, etc.  So when making your New Years' Resolutions this year, consider starting with a new cut.

After Holiday Joy

Tis the season to be jolly .... and to get great deals. Other than Black Friday, post-Christmas sales are the best of the year. Every store stocks up on their merchandise for the expected Holiday shopping. Once the 26th of December hits, they have to clearance the surplus of inventory they have, including the new stuff. Try shopping at stores your eye adores but have always stayed away from because of your wallet: you will finally be able to get those great items for a price within your budget.

When shopping at the mall: I recommend going alone as it allows you to take your time finding the items that best fit your closet and your budget. I find that it is therapeutic and fashionably cleansing. When alone, you allow yourself to be drawn to new items which ultimately changes your style. So go grab an iced mocha Starbucks chai tea latte, my favorite, (insert stereotypical white girl joke here), and shop your heart, not your wallet, away.

When shopping online: For those that are not fond of crowds or just must rather spend their holiday money in pajamas while laying on the couch, shop online. Many times, it is even better since all of the shops' inventories are available online. Although you will not get the items right away, shipping is usually free. So if you are willing to wait a couple days for that amazing 75% jacket you have been eyeing, definitely shop online.

........................................................................Enjoy..............................................................................

Braless Productivity

After all the first day back at school jitters are gone, I, and every other college student, count down the days until Winter Break. We expect there to be an influx of parties, hangouts, and new romances which we plan to juggle along with a lot of sleep. However, once break, and the cold front, comes, we end up snuggling up on the couch binge eating and rewatching our favorite shows on Netflix. I am completely guilty of this. The most productive thing I have done was create this blog, and I even did that while sitting on the couch and eating an entire bag of tortilla chips. Although it is nice to just sit back and take a well-deserved rest, you can easily fall into a slump of laziness, i.e. me right now. So below are a couple of things that you can do to feel productive without the need to put on a bra or proper pants.

Paint your nails a festive color.

Youtube hair tutorials and try them out.

Throw away the gift bags and wrap some presents.

Cook or bake something new.
(I saw this picture on Pinterest and had to make it - delicious!)

...Or better yet, try making a smoothie!

(like this one)

Take some future Instagram selfies and think of corresponding captions.

(My friend Ashley is particularly fond of this one)

Even though these may not be the most pressing matters in your life, they will get you up and moving which will prompt more productivity. It's all about baby steps (especially on Mondays)...

Happy (Almost) New Year

Have you ever felt satisfied at the end of the year because you completed all of your New Year's resolutions? Yeah, me neither. 

Hi, I'm Alexandria Pipitone and I am a serial to do list maker but equally a serial procrastinator, which is why I am starting this blog a week shy of the new year. For years of being a devout blog reader and youtube viewer, I knew it was time to make others as happy as those bloggers and youtubers have made me. This blog has been on my resolutions list since I started college. Now, almost 4 years later, I finally feel that I am ready. If I created this blog when the lightbulb first went off, it would have been filled with myspace-esc pictures of me in Abercrombie couture and whiney posts about how annoying my friend is for not having me in her profile picture. From my experiences and many failures, both personally and socially, I have grown to realize that life is not about complaining or gossiping but rather appreciating the good moments, even when they are clouded by the worst. 

So welcome to what I hope to be equal parts uplifting, realistic, and hilarious (You all can be the judge of my jokes, but I think I am pretty funny). So relax, take a look around, and enjoy.