Around Campus

I procrastinated for my Trends assignment, and ended up taking a bunch of the photos on campus, so I thought I'd share them here. Just people walking around campus in the morning :)












-Olivia

Day 1: Prep time.

waiting waiting...

One of the things I love and hate about being on a break from school is not having things to do. I’m the kind of person who loves staying busy. That’s why I’m in fashion. But after a full quarter of non-stop work, this “spring break” was a much needed one. Yet here I am wondering when school will start up again. LOL. Anybody else feel the same? I mean, I got my rest, I sat around being lazy, I caught up with all my hulu shows, did all my catching up with friends, I visited the family, etc etc… now I’m out of things to do and I’m anxious to go back to school and get busy again. I know I may regret saying this later… but I WANT SCHOOL TO START AGAIN ALREADY! Let's go, FIDM!

xo.

retail therapy

little ol' small town san luis obispo in central cali just got itself a little fashion face-lift. they opened a HUGE Forever 21 store in the old Gottchalks department store. finally, something to do in SLO.

ominous clouds over fidm...

Photo taken by Kaeli D. from the Renaissance Tower.

The Unconventional (& Daring) Job Hunt

Jobless university graduate David Rowe wears a sandwich board advertising his search for employment as he walks along Fleet Street in central London.

"Rowe was facing a tough market even before the downturn. Britain has seen explosive growth in the number of university and college students, but there has not necessarily been a comparable rise in graduate-level jobs.
Twenty years ago about 17 percent of 18-30 year-olds were in tertiary education against a figure of 43 percent in 2008, according to the Department for Business Innovation and Skills. The Higher Education Statistics Agency said about 220,000 graduates joined the job market in the 2007-2008 period."

Click here to read the full article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090922/lf_nm_life/us_britain_jobseeker

...you got any spare change?

Carlos and Michelle walks home after a long day in the studio...

Carlos: I'm starving.
Michelle: Me too.... But I can't afford food right now...
Carlos: Just drink your milk.
Michelle: God, why is everything so expensive?
Carlos: Why is FIDM so expensive.

They walk by a homeless man on the corner of Flower and Pico...

Homeless man: Excuse me, you got any spare change?
Michelle: No, but do YOU have any spare change for me?!?! I'm hungry too!

Homeless man walks away.

Carlos: I'm starving.

true story.

Win Free Tickets to See Katy Perry!

INTUITION is giving away tickets to Katy Perry's Los Angeles show at the Hollywood Palladium presented by SoundsOfBuzz.com and Coca-Cola to the first 50 people that visit the Hollywood boutique beginning Wednesday, August 26th at 10 AM. The store is located at 10581 West Pico Blvd, LA 90064. For more information check out shopintuition.com or soundsofbuzz.com

That means... get off this blog and go NOW! Good Luck.

One year down...

Today marks one whole year since I moved to Los Angeles. I can’t believe it. Maybe it’s the double shot espresso I had in my coffee this morning, but the last few months went by so fast, I can’t help but feel like I’ve skipped out on some things… Has it seriously been a year? Halloween, check. Thanksgiving, check. Christmas, check. New Year’s, check. Okay… I remember going through the Holidays, vaguely, but there must be more. I turned 22? When did that happen? Why has everything become such a blur? Maybe it’s the hectic schedule of juggling five classes a quarter and a part-time job, maybe it’s the constant stress of too much to do and so little time, maybe it’s the sleep deprivation, or maybe it’s, again, that coffee kicking in making my mind move a mile a minute. Whatever it is – this year shows no sign of slowing down. Before I can catch my breath, I’ll be walking down to Staples Center to get my diploma from FIDM. Then what? One year down, one more to go… Life at FIDM in this super fast-paced Los Angeles keeps throwing me into a complete whirlwind. So, with my priorities still intact, I plan on making this year worthwhile. Not saying that events need to be life-changing, but I cannot let another year go by with no real, remarkable fulfillment.

Rate FIDM Professor

Make sure you check out http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/ when you're about to register for classes - it is definitely helpful! Find what classes you need to take, see all the available instructors, read their reviews, and get the best FIDM teachers!



Picture caption: "Although flattering, distinguising me as 'Hot' at Rate My Professor will not help your grade."

L.A. Living

One of the greatest things about moving away to a completely new city is getting the chance to start over. What can be perceived, undoubtedly by others, as the seemingly arbitrary and inconsistent of change, can in fact, be for the better. I’ll be the first to admit that moving out of my parent’s humble country home outside of little ole’ Blandinsville, Illinois, with the population of less than 1000, was hard. Here I am fresh out of high school, both enthusiastic and naïve, thinking that moving to a completely new city in a completely new state would be the change I was looking for. To my surprise, leaving and living so far away gave me the challenge I needed to grow up. Los Angeles is full of life, excitement, entertainment, and always a fast-paced surrounding of non-stop thrill. Not to say that my little modest hometown wasn't exciting, what with all the state fairs and small town gathering, it’s a ball. But here, it’s different. And by different, I mean I could be anyone I wanted to be. I could start over; I could present myself in a new way and not be impetuously judged by my past.

However, with all the hustle and bustle of the big city came the constant distraction of LA living. People who are natives of Los Angeles are probably subconsciously unapprised to this, but LA people live in their own little world. Once you’re here, nothing else exists…or so it seems.

And that was my diversion. I neglected my friends and family, I made excuses about not visiting, I purposedly forget to study, and the list continues. The time I wasted in looking my best, spending my all, and presenting what I am not, and for what? It’s a constant battle to remember to bring my nose and head from the clouds and back to reality. This isn’t me; this isn’t who I want to be. So in the past 9 months of living here, I’ve learned that the greatest thing about moving away to a completely new city is getting the chance to continue on this journey with an open mind and an open heart, all the while remembering where I come from and the very roots that make me who I am. Don't get too lost in the glitz and glam of LA, it's not worth it. I'm just saying.

when life gives you lemons...

I stock up on them. or i throw them back.

sure it’ll be nice to make lemonade… but has life provided the sugar, the water, the ice, or the pitcher too?

how about when life hits you with a “sorry, due to some financial predicament, you can no longer finish your schooling at FIDM”?

what the hell am I to do with that?

if you're not super...

you're only a pretty face.

check out make me a supermodel on the bravo network wednesday night.

housewives recap.

tuesday night, real housewives of new york is back.
you should've seen kelly and bethany going at it. to say that there's major drama... would be an understatement.

K asked B to meet her at a bar, and when K showed up half an hour late, all hell broke loose. it was a trainwreck, and so high school. but i couldn't stop watching. i was hoping to see someone throw the first punch.... or get b%#&* slapped.

then mario and ramona went at it with simon and alex. i stopped listening, it was nonsense.

fyi: ramona graduated from FIT and was a buyer for macy's, calvin klein, and french connection! i have to admit, because i'm looking towards that same career path, i was quite impressed with crazy lady. but i'm more impressed to hear that kelly went to columbia university! kudos.

where was LuAnn??

some memorable quotes:

"Who is she?" "Evidently she's madonna." - Bethany

"Put a brar on" - Jill

"We're not friends! You're here and I'm here." - Kelly

"I'm not famous enough for you to pay attention to." - Bethany

"Take your little toys and go home. Your 15 seconds of fame is over." - Mario
"Wayne! What are you shaking his hand for? Kick his ass!" - Jill

the fidm bag

The FIDM tote bag has become the ultimate trademark look on campus. Most of us carry it. It was free, it fits all of our books, and it identifies us to this remarkable school. As fashion students, the oversize-tote bag has become the ideal carrier for the “stuff” we cart around all day, however, that amount of stuff comes with its heavy load.

Until they make bags that fly, I refuse to buy the black rolling tote bag. So.... on with the shoulder and back aches!

CSI

The other day I caught the episode of CSI "Turn, Turn, Turn" with Taylor Swift... and I got to say that I'm really sad Gil Grissom is no longer with the team. :( He was my favorite. At least, Catherine (MarG-don't-call-me-Marge) Willows is still there. She is my hero.

Back to Taylor - She actually didn't do half bad at acting. Given, her job was to be the dead girl.

"Our kids couldn't read."

I recommend: "Our School: The Inspiring Story of Two Teachers, One Big Idea, and the School that Beat the Odds."

This is a book on my high school, the very school that brought my dreams to life. The strict dress code, 9-5 school hours, tutorial sessions, and college readiness classes are only portions of the school's criterion in comparsion to the school's tremendous success. Located in the heart of downtown, San Jose—Downtown College Preparatory Charter High School (DCP) seeks to reach out to one target audience—the neglected urban minority students from low-income neighborhoods. And the mission is clear: to prepare those students not only for college but to thrive while in college.

Many DCP students arrive with a reading and math skills below average and the school's primary objective is to teach them above and beyond that. An interesting chapter that I came across while reading was our founders, Jennifer Andaluz and Greg Lippman, reflecting 4 years later, "Our kids couldn't read." It was a hard look at reality. But that didn't stop them and this means starting at the very basics. "We didn't understand how time-consuming remediation is. We are going to require all juniors and seniors to take AP classes. But by not having remediation in place at the beginning, we set them up for failure," says Andaluz.

Another interesting chapter is "The Shortest Basketball Team in America". I take personal pride in this chapter because the story is about my first year on the basketball team. Renaming my name to "Neary", the story follows my basketball team into an exciting basketball season and the game against EPA. However, the upset lost against them wasn't the moral of the story. What drew everyone's attention was our "Uncommon Hoop Dreams"—another story about our boy's team. On the basketball team, or any sport teams for that matter, we are "student-athletes". Student comes before athlete. This emphasize to put education at the fore-front is key. It inspired me to work harder so I can do what I love. This means maintaining above 3.5 GPA every semester, every year.

Looking beyond this, the motivation behind this basketball team drove us to many victories later in the season. After 3 years as a beginner team, we finally landed a spot at CCS (central coast section) in division 5. I remember so many years ago, my coach (also then Principal/co-founder, Greg Lippman) telling us, "Go out there, do your best, shoot the ball! I don't care if we miss a thousand shots or lose by a million points, we're all going to college!" And I remember sarcastically thinking, "Wow coach, way to motivate us." Well, he was right. In 2004, DCP graduated its first graduating class, sending 100% of their graduates to 4-year colleges or universities. And the tradition followed each year after that…2005, 2006, 2007…

Spotted: Front Row at Badgley Mischka

New York Housewives: Ex-model Kelly Killoren Bensimon with crazy-eyed Ramona Singer at Fashion Week... New BFF's? This is like a trainwreck waiting to happen.

...on visitors.

fidm is like a live museum. visitors from all over the country schedule tours to see the school and as students are studying at the library, working at the annex, or just mingling around on campus... the visitors stare and point like we're some kind of rare animal living in our natural habitat.

'preview day' for prospective high school students last thursday was the craziest. i thought the circus came to town. i walked by the fidm store and people were flooding out the door. i didn't even get in the door at the fidm cafe to get my morning bagel. i barely made it to class on time because the elevators were packed with little people. i'm glad fidm puts on these events, but c'mon...do it when it's not rush hour. we're busy students. get out of our way, we have things to do. i'm known for throwing tomatoes ... these kids were lucky they got by me without some coming their way.

FIDM LIFE launches a YOUTUBE account!

Check out our YouTube channel for updates, live footages, and random acts of good ol' fun silliness. www.youtube.com/thefidmlife