FILD's New Website

This post is about a week too late and it completely slipped my mind to post about this but our company recently got a website makeover and the new site is pretty spectacular if I do say so myself. Head on over to check it out: www.fildit.com

And scroll around, check out the “about us” and the blog. There may or may not be a blog post written by yours truly: Why I Joined FILD.

Let me know what you think!

It was also our first anniversary last month...I am so slacking on this blogging thing.

It’s the Little Things

Oh dear, has it really been a month since I’ve last posted? I haven’t been able to focus too much time here, you know with the full time job and all. It’s weird that sitting at a desk for 8-9 hours a day can be exhausting but lots of days, I finish work, make a quick dinner and then crawl into bed and indulge in the latest episode of How I Met Your Mother before turning on my audiobook and drifting off to sleep. But in the 7 months (holy cow, has it really been that long??) I’ve moved down here, I really think I’m beginning to get in the groove of things.

I guess this post is a self-reflection one as much as it is one to update my blog on what I’ve been up to. In the last half a year, I’ve learned more about everything than I ever thought I would. Being in college is fantastic: it’s awesome to have your best friend just a room away. There’s always something to do any given night of the week. And loneliness wasn’t really a word I ever came by. After moving down here, I’ve had a lot of alone time, whether it be to think or run errands and tidy up my single living space or just be alone for a while. While I’d hardly call it solitary, there is a component of living with/by yourself that brings things into perspective.

Firstly, I realized that moving away from my comfort zone and from most, if not all, of my friends really makes you realize which of those relationships are in it to last. I always knew that my best friend and I would never fall apart and through these months, time has only been a reminder that we’re just as close as when we lived 50 feet away from each other. We text constantly, we drunk dial each other and tell each other about the ridiculous things we’re up to, despite the fact that we’re three hours apart and often she’s already sleeping by the time I’m heading out. My sister is another prime example. With sisters, there’s no need for me to check in and see how she’s doing, but if she ever has any trouble with anything – boys, school, life – it’s just as simple as a quick text or phone call to let her know that she always has someone by her side.

The concept of making friends comes back to haunt you. In school, you’re thrown in situations where you’re forced to have some sort of interaction even if you’re not looking for it. Whether it’s through dorm living or clubs you join or even sitting through classes you hate, you somehow always manage to find a new friend, or companion, to get you through. After starting a full time job, most of the people you see are your coworkers and meeting new people is difficult. I’m lucky that my coworker who started in October was so accommodating and friendly and offered to show me around my area, one that she happened to grow up in. She’s taken me out to meet her friends, extending her circle to accommodate me and for that I’ll always be grateful. It’s so wonderful to have found a friend in the midst of all this new grad confusion.

Yea, I didn't even bother trying to hide the fact that I screenshotted my own Snapchat. #shameless

Another thing I’m attempting to make more of an effort to do is reconnect with old friends. When I graduated high school, I was so done. I was ready to leave behind high school and all its drama and never speak to anyone again. It wasn’t that I had such a terrible time in high school but I was ready to start anew and I valued that idea of a blank slate so much. Now that time has passed, it’s a bit ridiculous to see how much time and value I placed on the smallest of things. High school me was a bit of a drama queen and definitely not as mature as I thought I was. Now that most of us are graduated and in the working world, there’s not reason that petty high school drama should be a part of that. I recently chatted with a high school classmate that I had never really been particularly close to but the amicability of our conversation gives me hope that perhaps it’s never too late to start a friendship.

Lastly, I’ve really given a lot of thought and effort to valuing more small things. I’ll treat myself to lunch or dinner on the weekends bringing along a book for a companion. I don’t mind eating alone – I do it most nights anyway, but bringing along a book reminds me of days when I used to eat lunch at home and just read away the hours. Reading has always been my comfort and books make for fantastic covers for people watching! I’ve also learned to frame everything more positively. In a business where rejection looms around many corners, it’s up to me to realize that not every candidate is a placement but that doesn’t mean each candidate isn’t fraught with opportunity. Placement or not, it’s more important to value each candidate as a person and a learning experience. That mantra alone has gotten me through more days and weeks than I thought it would.

I guess I had tried to come up with a meaningful post since my friend reminded me that I haven’t updated my blog in a while but what ended up happening was a massive word dump instead. I guess I’ve just had a lot to be grateful for lately and until I began to write it all down, I didn’t realize how much of it there was. As I read back on some of my previous posts, I realize that I only wrote when something of importance happened or something that I had already documented with Instagram or Twitter or something. Some days don’t need an Instagram filter, but they’re just as good and just as important to remember.

What is an IRA?

Being grown up means managing your money. Getting a steady paycheck is definitely a perk of being at a full time job but it’s so hard not to spend it all on a Forever 21 shopping spree or that one really cute pair of boots. Luckily, Reddit offers some pretty good advice when it comes to things I should be doing in my 20s, one of which is opening an IRA.

Reddit offers up a surprising (or maybe not so surprising) amount of very solid advice. r/askreddit is one of my favorite subreddits to read and I’m always learning a ton of life advice, or reading some interesting stories. The askreddit question that spawned this post was something along the lines of “What should I do in my 20s that will help me out later on in life?” One answer was to open an IRA.

So what exactly is an IRA? Lucky for me, my dad has a great grip on these financial shenanigans and he was able to sit down and explain it pretty clearly to me. Unfortunately, my memory is neither eidetic or without fault so even after our hour long discussion, some of the details are still a bit hazy. Cue Wikipedia + Google.

And IRA is an Individual Retirement Account. From what I understand (meaning what I’ve deduced from my Internet research), there are two types of prominent IRAs: a traditional IRA and a Roth IRA. What’s the difference?

A Traditional IRA: A traditional IRA can be opened by anyone employed and there’s a yearly cap of $5500 a year (goes up for inflation every year). When you put the money in, it’s not taxed. Instead, the money is taxed whenever you decide to take it out. Because most taxpayers expect to be in a lower tax bracket when they retire, it’s sometimes advantageous to those who are starting their IRAs later and are making a higher income.

A Roth IRA: The main difference between a traditional IRA and a Roth IRA is when the money is taxed. With a Roth IRA, the money is taxed right as you put it in. So you’re putting slightly less in at the beginning but when you take out the money, it won’t be taxed again. Personally, this is the choice I’m planning on going with because my taxes are low right now. My first job out of college means I don’t have a spectacular income and therefore, lower taxes.

So there you have it, the main difference between the two and one of the things to do while you’re still in your twenties. This post has been sitting here for ages and it’s finally written up. I really need to get on this blogging thing again.

Books #7-9

I haven’t been keeping up with my blogging lately – in fact I have an IRA post that has been sitting on my Word document that I haven’t finished writing but I have been keeping up with my 22 Before 23 List. In fact, since I’ve had a little time on my hands, I’ve been catching up on reading tons of books. And since I haven’t been keeping up with my blogging, I thought I’d just compile them into one post.

Book #7: Ella Enchanted
Does this count because I’ve read it before in the 6th grade or something? Eh, why not. While I was in Austin for Thanksgiving, Ella Enchanted was on TV and I remembered the movie being way worse than the book. But I couldn’t remember what was different. So I picked up the book and reread it. The book was WAY better.

Book #8: Give and Take
I had to read this book for work as part of our work book club, though we call it “enrichment” instead of book club since that was sort of an old-timey connotation. “Give and Take” is written by Adam Grant, the youngest tenured professor at Wharton. He categorizes people into three types: givers, matchers, and takers. He then goes on to explain why each has its own merits but ultimately those who are “self-focused, otherish givers” are most successful. I think my feelings on the book are somewhat mixed. Some parts I honestly felt like, “Duh, people who give back obviously get more out of life.” And though he does give plenty of examples of givers that have become very successful, it got a little repetitive. I think “Give and Take” probably merits its own blog post but that will have to wait for another day.

Book #9: The Fault in Our Stars
Cue the water works. This book has been on my to-read list for a long, long time. I’ve read “Looking for Alaska” and I do enjoy John Green, but for some reason, I just haven’t gotten around to reading his books. But that’s going to change! “The Fault in Our Stars” is a heart-breaking book, but John Green manages to capture the words of a 16-year-old, cancer-ridden girl so poignantly. He doesn’t set out to write a happy ending YA book, but instead one that’s truthful and has a lot of self-referencing. It makes me wonder, is John Green a mirror of Peter Van Houten, the author in “The Fault in Our Stars?” I haven’t done extensive research on the book, but I think there’s a lot of to be unearthed through his writing. Anyway, I finished this book on Christmas Eve and it made me feel that much more grateful that I had my family around me with everyone happy and healthy.

So there we have it, that’s three books since my last post, which was about three weeks ago. I think that’s pretty good progress on my 20 books before I turn 23. The next few books I’m looking to tackle are going to be doozies. I’m going to read “The Gunslinger” by Stephen King, attempt “The Fellowship of the Ring” (I know, I know, how can I not have read these books already), and “Why We Broke Up), by Lemony Snicket. That last book I started after “The Fault in our Stars” but honestly, I had an emotional night after John Green’s novel so I needed a break from all the waterworks. Anyway, here’s my quick book update, I may try to finish up that IRA post that I’ve had sitting on this document for a while now…

Lessons Candy Crush Has Taught Me

We all have that one friend that whips out her phone during any down time and stares intently at the screen crushing candies until she inevitable runs out of lives and then starts asking you to send them to her. In some circles, it’s two people that send each other lives. In some circles, it’s that one friend that keeps telling you to start playing Candy Crush because it’s “the best game ever! No really, try it!” Some of us might even be that (girl)friend that installed it on her man’s phone just so she could send herself live (may or may not have been guilty of this in the past). But what can we make of this Candy Crush phase? Here are a few lessons this addicting game has taught me?

1) Think ahead – as you progress in the levels, it’s less about just moving around the candies and more about planning ahead. What you do during one move can affect the board later on and come back and bite you. Planning ahead can save you grief later on and thinking about how your actions can affect things down the road.

2) Sometimes you just get lucky – no matter how strategic you are, sometimes you just need a little luck. Sometime the board is stacked in your favor, sometimes you just happen to do the right thing at the right time. Luck isn’t something you should count on but if it plays into your hand, don’t question it. just let it happen.

3) Patience, patience, patience – things don’t always happen on the first try. Or even the fifth try. Or even the 234748365 try. Just be patient. If things were always easy, we would never feel a sense of accomplishment when we finished something hard. Patience helps us learn the ethics of hard work and it keeps us hungry.

4) Take a break – after a week or two of being stuck on the same level, sometimes I feel like throwing my phone (on my bed so it doesn’t break, let’s not get crazy) and screaming at the world. At that point, it’s time to take a break. Like everything else in life (work, relationships, math, cooking), sometimes you just need to step back and take a break from it all. Sometimes we put on our concentration caps so we can focus but sometimes that cap becomes tunnel vision and we’re unable to see past our box. Taking a break and stepping away from it all gives us a chance to regroup and our brains a chance to think about something else. I find that after a break, 15 minutes or a full night’s rest, the level doesn’t seem so challenging anymore.

5) Rely on your friends – Candy Crush is really a social game. Granted it’s not Survivor or anything like that, but it helps to have some friends on your side. Whether it be to ask for extra lives, a little advice on a particularly hard level, or just to provide a little friendly competition, having friends is a plus. Also, you need your friends for support (and tickets). Without them, you’d lead a lonely existence and be a hermit.

6) Sometimes, shit happens – sometimes, no matter what you do, everything explodes and you’re left with shit on the board. It happens. Just like luck happens, shit also happens. There’s nothing to do but shake it off and move on. Those stupid hurricanes wreak havoc on everything and all you can do is grimace, curse a little, and move on.

So there it is: life lessons from Candy Crush. What else has this colorful, addicting game taught you?