It's been a while since I've rambled

I don't know what I want to be when I grow up. Unfortunately for me, I have to figure it out relatively soon. You see, when I was a kid, I never had that one thing that I absolutely had to be. I kinda jumped around in my head from dream job to dream job. First I wanted to be a teacher, then I wanted to be a dancer, then I wanted to be a lawyer, and by the time senior year of high school came around I decided on a journalist because it gives me the freedom to do research on a lot of different things and write about them. I've always loved writing so it seemed like the logical career path for my constantly changing interests. After three years of college and many journalism classes, I'm not so sure if I made the right decision anymore.

Let's start with the obvious and inevitable: print journalism is a dying industry. With the speed and ease at which the Internet delivers news, printed newspapers and magazines are struggling at best. Although I may love to pick up a newspaper and read it and turn the actual pages and smell the fresh ink on the crisp paper, my love for printed media is not enough to save the industry. It makes sense - the Internet can deliver breaking news to anyone in any place on the planet in a matter of seconds with the click of a button. Advertisers love it because everyone is constantly online and they reach greater audiences on the web than they do in print. I get it. Just because I get it though, doesn't mean I have to like it. But I've talked about all this in an earlier post - so let's move on because I absolutely hate sounding like a stuck record, even if it is something that's on my mind 24/7. (Yes, that's right, even in my dreams I think about the Internet - how scary is that?)

So print media is dying. Ok. Big whoopdeedoo. That's not reason enough to say that journalism isn't for me - I mean, journalists are still needed to write the online articles and do all that good stuff, right? Well...yes and no. Thanks to wonderful sites such as this one, blogging has become huge. Anyone can be a blogger and write about whatever they want. Obviously I'm a fan or I wouldn't be sitting here right now on my lunch break rambling on and on, but it's making the profession of a journalist and the study of journalism obsolete. If anyone can write and be published online and deliver information to the masses for free, well, why pay for 4 years of college and spend all that time learning something that the rest of the world is already doing. I'm a student of journalism. I'm wicked scared about not being able to find a job in this economy to support myself. Yet, there are people who haven't gone to college to study journalism but are blogging and getting PAID to do it. So what am I really learning in college, because it seems to me that now journalism - both print and online - is just a silly thing to be studying.

Lucky for me I go to a great university with a superb School of Communication where they don't just teach you about your major, but they teach you about communications and media as a whole. Yes, you can specialize in journalism or public relations or advertising with your major, but you get a well-rounded, complete education where you leave knowing a little bit about a lot of different things. (At the same time, we are required to double major, with our second major being outside the School of Communication - the idea here being, "Well ok so you're a journalist and you can report and write, but what are you going to report and write about?" I picked International Studies, and I love it.) So in our communication classes we learn about reporting, writing, advertising, designing, photo editing, publishing, pitching, marketing, etc etc. Basically, they plan on sending us out into the real world with a strong base in COMMUNICATIONS and MEDIA RELATIONS. (For the record, this is all just my own, personal speculation - please don't quote UM on any of this.) After three years, I might not think that journalism is for me, but I know that the communications industry is. Ok. Phew. Phase one of "What I want to be when I grow up" complete. Now the hard part comes in by deciding what that means and what kind of a JOB I want.

So this brings me to my final point and the reason why I'm writing this incredibly and obnoxiously long post - is it better to be really good at one thing or decently good at a lot of different things in today's world? Employers want to hire experts in various fields, but job-seekers are encouraged to be proficient in various fields and subjects, which makes it harder to become an expert at any one thing. So what are we supposed to do? Become experts in lots of different fields? That seems really hard and I don't even have one field mastered, so maybe I'm screwed. Are we supposed to lie and say that we are Photoshop gurus when really we can just edit saturation levels on photos? That seems dumb - I'm not big on lying. Not to mention that we're young and still learning - isn't the whole point of working your way up the ladder to learn as you go? What good does it do me if I'm already at the top? If I'm already at the top, shouldn't this be easy?

Closing statement? Dear World: WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME? Please get back to me at your earliest convenience as I know you are currently busy with things such as Global Warming and Wars and Resource Depletion and Poverty and Hunger and 2012 is coming up so that must be stressful too, but whenever you get a free chance and remember this little bear, please do shoot me an e-mail or give me a call. Much appreciated....

These are a few of my favorite things....

In 2008 the population of Manhattan was estimated to be around 1.6 million people. Manhattan is just under 23 square miles. That's about 70,000 people per square mile. That's ridiculous. If you think the numbers are scary, imagine living in it. It's amazing that there's enough fresh air to go around for all these people!

If you've ever stood on a Times Square street corner at ANY given time you know what I'm talking about. The people rushing about from offices to lunches and meetings and subway stations... and let's not forget that they are literally running circles around the tourists that just kinda stand there in the middle staring up with their mouths wide open and their cameras pointed at the sky. Oh oh! And my absolute favorites are the ones that are posing for pictures with the lights and shiny buildings in the background and the photographer is trying to wait till there is nobody else in the frame.... .....         ......... HA.

Just by standing on a corner in Times Square having a smoke for five minutes you can see the whole world go by you. People in this city remind me of bees in a hive - buzzing and busy. The city breathes in a low humming sound scattered with car horns, sirens and people screaming obscenities. Just watching the busy-bodied people around me often winds me up and has me yearning for a bubble bath in a tub that I do not have (yet). So for this post I want to talk about some of my favorite ways to unwind in the city.


Music!

I love music. Thanks to my wonderfully diverse college friends I have been exploring and loving all different genres of music. Last year, when I was abroad, I was without music for 3 months and it nearly killed me - my iTunes broke on my computer and an mp3 player I did not have. This year I was reunited with my music but not in a portable way as when I went to a friends house with my headphones, her pet rats chew through the wires (it's ok, I still love you little ratty babies). So upon arriving to NYC and having some money to blow, I decided to indulge and treat myself to something pretty as spending money ON MYSELF is not something I do very often. VOILA! Awesomely bright and obnoxious headphones that are a permanent fixture on my bodice - on the subway, at work, walking around town. Super comfy and great sound quality - perfect for blocking out all that New York noise. (Wearing them right now, actually, and grooving to this song!)


Tea!

During the day, I'm all about my coffee. At nights, after being cracked out for 14 - 16 hours, caffeine is the last thing I want to put in my system. However, I still find something very soothing about the steam and warmth of a cup of tea at night. I discovered this tea when I was in Argentina and fell in love with it. I call it my bedtime tea and brought back what I thought would be enough tea bags (little did I know that my roommates would enjoy it as much as I do). This particular tea is made from a plant called Linden that is used in many cultures to control anxiety (although no clinical trials have confirmed its effects). Learn more here. For me, one cup of this tea and I'm out like a light and still waking up refreshed and renewed: body, mind and soul. 


Books!

Another lesson on relaxation I learned while abroad was the wonder of bookstores. During my semester abroad I did all my studying for both my midterms and my finals in the cutest little cafe/bookstore in Buenos Aires. Sure, it was a 14 block walk to get there, but it was totally worth it. Boutique del Libro had delicious deals on homemade empanadas and those super cool ladders that roll against the amazingly high walls of books. With a semi-covered patio and big comfy couches, I don't know how I still get my studying done outside of this place. It was perfect. Aside from the comfortable seating and old-fashioned feel, I've always been a book lover. I love the feel of a good thick book in my hand, the smell of an old classic novel, or the crispness of the pages of a new book by an emerging author. I wish I had more time to read - I've loved reading ever since I was a little girl (hence the thick glasses since I was a little girl). When I went to New Orleans last spring, I walked along the streets of the French Quarters and stopped in lots of little second-hand bookstores. There's something so calming and pleasant about being able to curl up on a windowsill with a cup of tea and a good book... escaping into a world far, far away....

Yoga!

I started doing a little bit of yoga this year. Like a lot of people, I carry all my stress on my upper back, right between my shoulder blades. A little bit of stretching and some good breathing exercises have made a WORLD of a difference. Not to mention the notions of peace, serenity and inner strength that lie at the root of yoga. As a young woman living and working in New York City, it never hurts to have a little bit more of those things in life. If you've never tried yoga, I say shame on you. I live by the motto of try everything once, especially if it's something that promotes and improves health of the body, mind and soul. Seriously. Try it. Just once. [oh and just a side note - the picture for this part of my post was taken on my SLR film camera on black&white film. taken by me, processed by me, printed by me. hell. yea. come on...it's my own blog, i'm allowed to toot my own horn every once in a while hehe. special thanks to stacey for letting me photograph her!]


  
Hmm all this talk about things to do when you want to unwind has me wanting to do some of them ;)

More soon!

xx Nikki  

Flags, Fifa and Facebook

Yesterday's adventure had me frolicking about Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey with a few friends. What a GREAT idea to go now before the season really kicks in - we had perfect weather and there were hardly any lines. However, while at the park I was missing the World Cup Argentina-Nigeria game. I had asked my dad to send me text updates of the game but quickly discovered something incredible brought about by the miracle of facebook and blackberries.

Ah, yes, blackberries. I have a love-hate relationship with my crackberry. I hate how when I'm trying to escape the world of stress it becomes nearly impossible to ignore all the e-mails and text messages I recieve every three minutes via crackberry. But on rare occassions, such as the football match yesterday, it can be really convenient and helpful. The ability to check facebook on my blackberry mixed with the status updates in my newsfeed allowed me to follow the game easily.

Super cool, right? Aside from that - my newsfeed was filled with status updates about the game from all the friends I made on my semester program. Good job technology. Two points to social media.

It's amazing how easy it is to stay in touch with everything going on in this world with today's technology. Globalization isn't just something that we are reading about in textbooks or discussing in terms of political science and international relations - it's something that we are furthuring every single day.

When you update your facebook status and a friend from halfway around the world can read it and comment on it, that's part of globalization. When I write on this blog and my French roommate from Argentina reads it, that's part of globalization. When the World Cup Soccer matches are taking place in South Africa and I can get facebook updates on my blackberry about game scores and track the play-by-play of the live match online, that's globalization. The speed at which information travels from one point to another on this globe is absurd. Everyday we are sending and recieving thousands of pieces of information across the planet - and it seems so normal, so mundane, so uninteresting to us because we do it ALL THE TIME.

Maybe it's just me, but I find it astounding how much our society has come to depend on high speed internet connections and wireless mobile devices. With the release of the new iPhone and it's front-facing camera, they say that the future of communications is going to be video-calling from your phone.

With all of this new technology it's scary for us media students. We are in the middle of a transition from print media to digital media. Not only do we need to learn the basics of writing, printing and publication but now we are expected to be leaders on this new path that news delivery is taking thanks to the Internet. Working in digital media this summer has definitely opened up my eyes to the possibilities and easier access to larger audiences that the Internet readily provides. Somehow though I wish that digital media didn't exist because I still love the simplicity of picking up a newspaper or turning on the telly to watch the evening news. I'm not the biggest fan of being bombarded 24/7 with twitter updates and newsfeeds telling me about some celeb's latest breakdown.

I feel like the media sector is becoming more focused on the entertainment industry. Granted, this isn't any new knowledge - entertainment pieces will bring in a larger audience which is better for advertising revenue. Everyone knows and has known this, but it still bothers me.

Ok I'm not really sure where I'm going with this anymore - like I said, my relationship with the Internet is a love/hate one and I could probably ramble on for hours about all this so let me stop and revert to my original comment: Facebook updating me about the World Cup Soccer while I'm riding Nitro at Six Flags? That's a win in my books.... ;)

More soon!!

xx Nikki

Om nom nom nom

A city of great shoes, but also a city of great food. I've only been living in Manhattan for a couple weeks but my lack of a well equipped kitchen has had me eating out a lot. Here are a few of my favorite restaurants so far:
 

Ali Baba's Terrace
862 2nd Ave (btwn 46th and 47th)

If you're looking for some good Turkish and Mediterranean food, definitely check this place out. I went here with a Turkish friend and let him do all the ordering (which was quite possibly one of the best decisions I ever made). From seafood salad to a Cupra (whole grilled Mediterranean Dorado fish) I have to say that this meal is definitely in the top 10 meals of my life. Don't forget to sit upstairs on the terrace and try the raki (Turkish alcoholic beverage) if you dare.

Appetizers $6-$13; Entrees $16-$26
Visit their website!

Spice Market 

403 West 13th Street (on the corner of 9th Ave)

My parents live right across the Hudson in the Jersey suburbs and frequent the city for dinners with friends. This is one of their finds. The best way to enjoy a meal at Spice Market is to go with a group and order a bunch of different things to share. The restaurant features common Asian dishes presented with new twists. Everything I ate was delicious but the highlights for me were the Ginger Margaritas and the Kumquat Cheesecake (drool).

Appetizers $9-$15; Entrees $10-$35
Visit their website!

Noodle Bar
172 Orchard Street (Orchard and Stanton)

This place is just down the street from where I live. They have the best noodles and rice dishes on the block FOR SURE. It's cheaper than a lot of other noodle places I've been to and the food is STELLAR. They also offer some locally bottled non-alcoholic beverages like a Lemon-peel-ginger-root-fizzy-drink. Mmm. Also, some of the waiters are super cute. Hehe ;) A great alternative to the noodle shops in Chinatown.


Appetizers $4-$8; Entrees $6-$12
Visit their website!



I'm really glad I ate my lunch before writing this post, although writing this did leave me wishing I had gone to one of these places during my break instead of the corner deli. Oh well...Thank god for dinner, I always say!

More coming soon!


xx Nikki

Covet not thy neighbors pumps...

Walking around this city is starting to become a health hazard for me and my neck. There are too many awesome shoes in this city. (Sorry gentlemen, I am still a woman and my one true love will always be footwear.)

I don't even know where these women get there shoes from or how they walk in some of them, but I have to admit: I. LOVE. IT. From shiny ballet flats to skyscraper heels, I want more. Nay, I need more. I feel like a crack addict.

The other day I was heading down my building in the elevator with my best friend and we were both deep in conversation. We stopped at a floor and two girls got on the lift, also deep in conversation. All of a sudden one of the girls says to the other "I love your shoes" and me and my friend instantly stopped talking and looked down. (She did have fabulous shoes, by the way). And then we all laughed.

I have to admit that one of the things that I admire most about New York women is that no matter how much or how little money they are making, they all have fabulous style. I will even admit that I am trying to up my stylish-ness and put-together-ness. In Miami it was so easy for me to roll out of bed and head out for the day. Make-up was a foreign concept to me unless it was after 11pm. Here in New York I find myself way more conscious of the way I look and I suppose it's a good thing; I suppose it's a part of growing up. I suppose I should, after all, look like a grown up.

Growing up scares me :\

xx Nikki

Welcome to the Entertainment Industry

All my life, I've never really cared about the world of celebrities or reality shows or awards ceremonies. I've always found them to be silly. I know maybe 5 actresses and 5 actors by name and face and please don't ask me if X and Y are still together because I'll probably just say "Who and who?"

For these reasons I find it extremely wild that this summer I am interning at MTV Networks and working with the International Department on projects regarding their primetime shows and music/movie awards. If learning more about digital media wasn't enough of a challenge for this summer, I am now finding myself trying to catch up and keep up with the celeb lives. I find myself actually reading tabloids (and yes I still find them freakin hilarious and absurd, but definitely more relevant) and I'm not sure if its a change I like or not. Everyday at work we are sent out a blast email containing all the entertainment headlines for the day. And everyday I read through, select the most ridiculous one, and share it with my friends on facebook.

TODAY'S PICK OF THE DAY:

HOMOPHOBIC NEWS.

Christian Newswire, a homophobic public relations company, has issued a press release blaming Ellen DeGeneres sexual orientation for the decline in American Idol’s ratings this season. While ratings for the hit singing competition did in fact decline this year, the show still consistently beat out all other TV programs on the nights it aired.

 This brings me to another point: the use of the internet. There are a lot of things about the Internet that I hate but working with digital media here in New York this summer has made me have a greater understanding and appreciation for the use of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter in the media industry. I had never understood the concept of Twitter, much less why anyone would want to use it obsessively to update a status, until I actually started seeing it being applied in the entertainment industry. Especially with the management of foreign sectors! I'm hoping to learn more about these aspects this summer because, as much as I may hate to say this, the world is relying increasingly on these outlets and the Internet to deliver information.

Okee dokee. Lunch break is over. Back to work I go!!
Stay tuned for more updates from your Little Bear in the Big Apple!

xxx Nikki