Another Day, another Quarantine

Day 36.

Extremely hard to believe that it’s been more than a full month of this quarantine stuff. And oddly enough, I’m getting used to it.  

You know the gif with the dog and everything is on fire? Yea, that’s me.

But, I do have to put a disclaimer that I am quarantined with my boyfriend, my brother and his girlfriend and my parents, so it’s like an epic Asian saga every day in our household.

So why am I writing this? Well, for my sanity and in pretending that I’m talking to a mass amount of people, I’m going to write down a few Q U A R A N T I N E  F A V O U R I T E S like I’m a Youtube Vlogger to share with you the stuff that’s CARRIED my sanity.

BACK POSTER CORRECTOR (https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07F91NB45/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1): okay this sounds so dumb, but hear me out. If you’re like me working from home, CLEARLY your posture sucks. And it’s gotten increasingly worse with this quarantine. My brother’s girlfriend used this first and then I thought “Damn she looks dumb.” Then I saw my posture in the bathroom, and thought “wow, I’m actually dumb.” So now we’re both wearing it and lookin’ like we found some newfound confidence. 10/10 would recommend, especially if all you’re doing is really sitting on a chair scrolling through cat videos.

ALLRECIPES/TASTY.COM: I know, it’s a weird one, but let’s face it. We’re all getting fat. Might as well get fat together and eat some good food while we’re at it. I took a stab at a few recipes on these two sites, and I actually am not a terrible cook! It was also great in shaving off a few hours in the day to feed a family, and it’s honestly very rewarding. So would recommend taking some time to pretend you own your own Michelin Star restaurant.

THE BODY PROJECT: With self-isolation it’s definitely hard to go outside. We do sometimes go out to get some fresh air or for a walk, but with the weather these days and the increasing threat of COVID, we’ve decided to definitely limit our time outside. So now we’re doing indoor exercises! We came across this group on Youtube – not hard at all, low impact but great to do with the family for 30 minutes. It was a great way to get my mom to actually get up and stop watching Asian dramas. There’s a lot of content on there and you will build a sweat!

IPHONE GAMES: This is legit so dumb, but maybe it’s me, but I’ve given HOURS OF MY LIFE playing IPhone Games. Some fan favourites: Delicious World and AE Mysteries. Cooking and mystery games, I love them! So yea, if you’re feeling bored, download a game, and guaranteed you will be entertained for at least a few more days.

That’s about it in my agenda, but thanks for stopping by. What are your Q U A R A N T I N E  F A V O U R I T E S?

js

 

Things I’m doing and thankful for (during quarantine)

Anyone else thought they’d be super productive and learn a lot of hobbies during this pandemic?

Anyone else also did not actually do anything and just slept and ate all day?

Yea.

That was me.

It’s been almost an entire month since this started, and I AM DONE. I’m ready to start my new life and new job, not be at home 24/7 praying the virus away.

There’s so many things that are happening right now that I think I may be slowly losing my mind, if it weren’t for the new job, a clear obsession of finishing the House TV series, and the resurgence of Diablo 2 in my house.

So here’s a post of things that I’m doing to pass the time, and well, what I should be thankful for, even in these unprecedented times.

1. Lots and lots of House. As an avid user of Netflix, Amazon Prime and Crave, there’s a lot to keep me going. I got back into House after Youtube recommended me a plague video (go figure) on Youtube, and ever since then, I’ve decided to play Doctor in my own house. “It must be Lupus!”
2. Diablo 2 – oh mama – if you were a loser child like me, then Diablo 2 was your haven. It’s only $12 for the base pack and another $12 for the Expansion. And I have to say? Worth every penny. I was going to buy Animal Crossing, but a stroll down memory lane was well worth it. You can also play with friends too – so if you’re into RPG fantasy games, would recommend you downloading this! Oh, and since the game came out 20 years ago, any of your computers would be able to play it. After this, it’s off to Starcraft 2!
3. Walking/Jogging. If you’re like me and have grown to become a potato, then it’s great to get some fresh air and walk around the neighbourhood. Of course, keep physical distancing, and limit your time outside, but it’s definitely good for the sanity. It’s also a great way to get your steps in, especially if your steps have been like mine, and borders in the 500s. A walk around my neighbourhood brings me back up to 2,000 – still pretty bad, but not AS bad.
4. Cooking! Call me Chef Boyardie up in here. Since we have so much time now, it gives us the luxury of trying new recipes each day – I actually think I’m eating even BETTER than when I did before. We’ve had Korean Pork Bone Soup, sushi, Scalloped potatos, sweet potato fries – the list goes as expansive as my waistline. But hey, I figured that if I’m getting fat, the rest of the world is too, so there is no judgement allowed in the post-apocalyptic world.

Amidst all the chaos with my new place, old place, new job, old job, etc – there’s a lot of things I should be thankful for:

• Family: I get to spend more time with my family – really shows the importance of having each other.
• Job: I have a job, and will continue to make an income. Again, some people are not as lucky.
• Health: Super important, everyone I know and love are healthy and we will for sure keep it that way.
• Boyfriend/Friends: We’re facetiming more often, my boyfriend is here with me, self-isolating with my family.

So yea, things do some bleak, and if you’re like me and over-stress over the littlest things, really take the time to sit back and realize what you have to be thankful for.

I hope you’re all also staying inside and saying healthy. Let’s hope this passes soon, and we can learn to love life a little more.

js

Thank you Kellogg Canada.

How and where do I even begin?

There’s so much I want to say, and wish I could’ve said more about my time here. Amidst all of the chaos and the uncertainty, one thing that remained constant during this past year and half was my admiration for the company and its people that drive the Kellogg name.

I may seem biased in this article, but I genuinely wanted to take the time to write about my experiences here at the organization and why I feel, that this is one of the best companies I’ve ever had the pleasure of working for.

I came into the CPG realm extremely new – I only had 6 months of post-graduation experience, and no real understanding of how major consumer good companies worked. At the same time, I had no idea what Shopper Marketing even was!

I have to say, that they took a chance on me, and I’m extremely glad that they did.

So, how did I get here?

Application:

Their website was extremely intuitive – I applied through the website back in September 2018, and received a prompt HR phone call with someone from the US. She was extremely personable and showed me that this organization really valued my time in taking this call. From there, I was supposed to have two interviews (one with the manager, and a separate one with the Director), but was actually given only one interview. It was great; very conversational and showed me that these were the people I really wanted to work with. I did my interview on Friday, and got the call on Monday.

Some advise? Research, research, research! I didn’t know what Shopper Marketing was until I did some online research – enough to give me context and it told me that this was something that I would value as a person that was biding their time to get into Brand. I’m glad I took this role, because it told me A LOT about the ins-and-outs of retail.

My Day-to-Days:

So, this was a whirlwind, but a weird whirlwind that I loved. In Shopper Marketing, you work with every single department in the organization: legal, demand planning, brand, sales, etc. You name it, I definitely worked with them. It taught me that collaboration is something you require immensely in order to succeed in an environment such as this. It also showed me the many different cogs and gears that get the engine going, and for that, I’m extremely thankful to have this information.

I got to be a brand planner, an analyst, a sales-person, a creative director – I wore so many different hats in this department that I truly think Shopper Marketing is a great place to start to understand exactly what type of hat-wearer, or (a person that stays as a different hat-wearer), you are.

I worked with iconic brands that I grew up with. Yea, Toucan Sam? I met him. Tony the Tiger? He’s my bud. Eggo Waffles? In my belly.

It’s enlightening to know that I got to work with brands such as these that have helped me grow to the person I am today – and that I can help realize these dreams with another kid in Canada.

The Perks:

When Kellogg’s says that culture is important, they mean it. They allow for great perks such as two WFH days a week, which really helped me as I commuted 2 hours and 3 buses just to get into the office. They also have an on-site gym that I frequented every lunch hour and after work – so even though I’m eating way too much snacks at the office, I counteract it (somewhat) at the gym. They also have Summer Hours, so you can have half-day Fridays.

 

Lastly, and I know, this sounds so cliche, but the people. I’ve been in a few organizations, but I can’t say I’ve ever met a better group of smart and amazing personalities in the office. I can be talking about the most randomest things with one colleague, and then ranting with someone else. It’s just so easy to talk to every single person in the organization and I’m thankful that they didn’t see me as ‘just the Shopper Marketing Specialist’ but an equal. I’ve felt this from my counterparts and the Kellogg Canada President himself.

So why are you leaving then, Jasmine?

I think I’m ready. You know, Kellogg’s is kind of like my Dad. In the span of 1.5 years, he’s shown me how the world works, what to expect, how to survive and dream. Now that I feel that I’m ready, I want to try to take the world on my own, without Dad’s help.

Yes, weird analogy, but to summarize – I’ve always wanted to do brand. I’ve always loved the haircare and beauty industry – and an opportunity arose to do just that.

However, you never know what the future holds. If you’re a person that’s interested in CPG and in food, Kellogg’s is a great place to grow and build a career. I’ve seen it with my own eyes.

I’ll never forget Kellogg’s and my experience here. Even as I’m writing this, it doesn’t even feel real to me that I will be leaving behind a great organization and fellow friends. It’s frightening.

But I feel ready. And excited. And nervous.

Thank you Kellogg Canada for helping me shape who I am today. I’m internally grateful to have this as a page of my life – and I look forward to a new one.

Your friendly neighbourhood ex-Shopper Marketing Specialist,

js

Quarantining – My Day-to-Day

I remember thinking to myself a few weeks ago, “I wish I can just relax and chill for a few weeks”.

Well guys.

This was not what I was wishing for.

It’s been absolutely surreal these past few weeks. I remember thinking a little over a week ago, that this was so far away – that the outbreaks were increasing on the other side of the world, but Toronto would be untouched.

Oh Jasmine, how wrong you were.

Well, it’s now currently the official Day 4 of self-isolation, and I might be slowly losing my sanity (and my stocks, rip).

Amidst the chaos that is currently going on in my mind (which, I will talk about another day) – I think we’re doing our best so far from a governmental response. A huge shout out to all of the remarkable people that are still working on the front lines during this time.

Keep washing your hands and self-isolating.

Now, what am I doing? Well, we have 6 people in the house now – my parents, my brother, his girlfriend, myself and my boyfriend. So at least, it’s sort of a mini party in our own house?

We’ve only gone out to get coffees, extra groceries, and the most vital, alcohol (shoutout to the LCBO/Beer Store employees!).

So, what does our day-to-day look like, and how are we coping during this time?

8:30 – 9:00AM: Read the news, cry, and get ready to go to my office.

9:01AM: The office is my table beside my bed. So, start grinding and working!

9:30 – 9:45AM: Getting coffee from Starbucks, making sure to wear a mask and bring hand sanitizer. Shoutout to the Starbucks workers that are working!

9:45 – 5:00PM: Keep working away while I still am at Kellogg’s.

5:00 – 6:30PM: Trying to work out, going out for a run or doing home exercises.

6:30 – 7:00PM: Bonding with family time

7:00 – 7:30PM: Prepare dinner

7:30 – 8:30PM: Dinner/bonding with family

8:30 – 10:30PM: We downloaded A LOT of games – so we’ve been playing Minecraft for the past few nights. Now we’re onto Gang Beasts and other PS4/Switch games.

All in all, it’s important to stay calm and to spend time with the family. I think this may be a good time to remind ourselves to take a break and just appreciate the things we have.

Hope you all stay safe, and hope this situation clears up soon!

js

It begins, again.

Hello there. My name is Jasmine, and who am I?

Well, the person that has been SEVERELY neglecting this blog post. So why am I starting this back up again?

1. Definitely need some type of outlet.
2. More interesting stuff has happened to me.
3. And people that I didn’t think were interested in this blog, actually wanted to know more about it.

I took the time to read my old posts, and I have to say, it’s nice hearing my own thoughts 2+ years ago and how different I’ve become from there. That being said, I’m still the lame, goofy oddball, but with a full time job and horrendous commute.

As to #1:

Well, I think it’s important to not talk someone’s ear off about all the misgivings and weird ideas you have in your head. I think this place is a great way to show my personality and the things that I’m randomly thinking of. And hey, if I can be as elderly as a raisin and be able to look back at this blog, I think that’s pretty neat.

As to #2:

Can’t really say yet, but watch out for April – got some NEWS FOR YOU!!! Life-changing news. Huge. Bigly. Really.

As to #3:

Also can’t say, but you know, bigly news in April.

 

So yea, just an update on things I’ve done since my last post wayyyyyy in the yonder of April 2018.

• Started at Kellogg’s – wild ride, but super fun! Been there for almost 1.5 years now. Crazy to see that time has FLEW like someone’s wig.
• Got to go on vacations! Went to Palm Springs with my mom, then LA with my boyfriend, then Antigua (10/10, shoutout to St. James Club) with my boyfriend and his family, and a cruise trip in January with my family.
• Started vlogging! If you don’t follow me on Instagram (@shekit), please do (she said quietly and desperately)
• I HELD A SLOTH AND MONKEY!
• & some more stuff, but I’ll keep that on the DL for now. 😉

 

That’s it! Again, will try to update (once in a blue moon), but definitely feels good to start writing all of thoughts in my head here. 🙂

 

Ciao!

js

“What have I been up to. Part 2”

Hi everyone!

First off, I want to apologize to past Jasmine that was way too hopeful that I could keep this up. I’m not going to lie, there were instances where I was like “oh damn, I should probably update this blog” and then I promptly went to ignore all of that.

But, now that I’m sitting at a Freshii, re-evaluating my life choices, I figured today is a good time to get back into the rhythm. So,

Jasmine, what on earth have you been up to?

So, my last update was in November (yay a solid 6 months later, I’m giving ya’ll an update). What happened then? Well, my transition to Kellogg’s, mainly. AND WHAT ELSE?

Nothing.

Yea, hard to believe 6 months past and, well, nothing really changed. Not anything note-worthy anyway. But like I said, I’m going to have dig to keep you guys entertained. Har Har.

But yes, work. So, when I first started this role, I was actually hired contract. So the whole shabang – no benefits, no paid vacation (outside of % pay) and stuff like that. In the beginning, I didn’t mind especially being with a huge organization like where I am. Now, I can say that I’ve been accepted as full time! TO THE DENTIST I GO!!!!

Outside of work, I’ve been with my boyfriend of 9 months now. Surprised he’s still here – guess I didn’t scare him……………………………..yet. (jk, maybe).

What else? It’s vacation time in 23 days! I CANNOT WAIT. I feel like I need a good solid 2 years of vacation with the amount of grey hairs that I accumulated in the past few months. But, yes, I’ll post updates on what exactly I’m going to be doing. I’m delving into vlogging more, but pretty excited to head on out.

Other than that, not too much. (Wow I’m so boring). I’ll post random tidbits of random stuff, but other than that, I won’t be as frequent as I was when I first started. (more active on Insta, trying to get that sponsorship $$$$$$$$$$).

 

Thanks everyone! See you soon!

js

Thank you MESA.

“You’re worthless. You won’t amount to anything. You shouldn’t even be here.”

 

These were the thoughts I had going into university. And these were the things that I felt would deter me from ever really succeeding in university.

But then I met MESA. And I know this sounds super sappy, but I really do want to pay homage to an organization that made me feel so welcomed, and to the people that really made sure I was a part of the team.

I started out as a teeny beeny Social Events Associate, thankful that out of hundreds of applications they liked me how many streetlights answer that I completely butchered. I remember sitting there, thinking that damn they are SERIOUS (shoutout to Kenny and Brittany’s RBF). I even remember prepping and amping myself up in the Student Centre bathroom (I do this before every interview tbh). From then on, I remember thinking how grateful I was that people still believed in me, even though I couldn’t believe in myself.

During the MVP orientation day, I also remembered the MESA 1415 speech, where Vivekan spoke of how to inspire others and to really make a difference in my first year. From then on, I wanted to be able to be that change for people to. There, I decided I wanted to work towards becoming the MESA President in my final year. This goal didn’t necessarily just stem from first year. No, this began when I was in Grade 6. I was shy, awkward, and tall and of course the forefront of Shrek jokes (haha so funny la). I remember going into my Grade 7 Orientation and thinking I was tired of feeling so alone and faceless, and then, the Grade 8 President at the time made another speech, telling us again we weren’t just Grade 6 students. We were being welcomed. And this is why I planned to become Grade 8 President then onto SAC President, and finally to MESA.

I can’t lie, somewhere down the line I lost my path. I started to become a part of this to make other students feel welcomed, but somewhere down high school, it began to just feel like a popularity item, a way to solidify my social status amongst other people. High school ultimately told me that if you were a shitty person, it will come back to you. And it did.

That’s why UofT really made me think back on these perspectives, and MESA in itself made me think it’s okay to change, as long as you’re changing for the better. This was what I was taught in my first year, and I’m forever grateful to Luxshiani, Kenny, and Brittany for taking that chance on me. You three really set my career in motion for MESA.

During my second year, I was again the lucky few to be a part of MESA as an Events Director. It was one of the best years I’ve ever been a part of, because I got to take on so much more responsibilities. It taught me that I wasn’t just a first year now, so many people are counting on me to pull through these flagship events, and to me that was bare motivation. I didn’t want to disappoint such great people that had put their time and effort to make sure my events succeeded. A huge shoutout to Kenny and William for being my rocks and always hyping me to be more, do more and achieve more.

As VP of Development and Growth it taught me that an organization isn’t just all roses and flowers. It’s tough. This role had so many ups and downs and really helped me ground myself that it wasn’t just a school organization. You’re representing yourself as a brand to external students and to corporations. It helped me realize that there’s so much more you have to be careful of, how to sustain long term growth, and how to motivate your team to do the same things Kenny and William taught me just in the previous years.

Lastly, Presidency.

There’s so many things I want to say and I just don’t know how to phrase it. Was it a perfect year? No. Did I want to get everything that I wanted to do for this year? Also no. But what I’m thankful for is the fact that I got to bring a team in with me that has hopefully learned all of the things I’ve learned in the past three years I’ve had with MESA. I also hope it brought new friendships and perspectives as it did for me. But most importantly, I hope it made them feel like they were a part of something bigger, that they got value. As long as I made some small impact in their lives under my leadership, I will be happy to know that I did make a change.

And for those reading this and not in MESA; get involved. I can’t say this enough. I came in thinking I had nothing and that my past would follow me into university. But all of these things washed away when I met so many great people that believed in what I could do. It brought me lifelong friends I would have never known if I wasn’t in a school Association.

Cherish these university years. Now that I’m graduated, I’ll be working full time now as an Assistant Media Strategist at Touche Media. It’s an exciting time, but I know that the same motivation and aspirations I’ve had will continue well beyond my university career.

And now that I’m officially done, this closes off my university blogging now. It’s time for what comes after.

js

what’s next?

I tend to think of life in separate stages.

1. Your childhood, where everything was jolly and good, and you didn’t have a care in the world. Your only biggest concern was where to put the Barbie in the house, or when your Mom was going to let you eat dessert before dinner.
2. School age, where you know you’re going to be studying, and you know you got elementary, then middle, then high school, then university. Life is certain, you’re growing, and you know you’re preparing for the next chapter.

Except, now that I’m finally just a month away from the next chapter, it scares me. I used to always know what I was going to be doing next year. It was always, “Yeah, I’m going to be back at UTSC studying and dying blah blah blah.” But now that I’m graduating, I don’t know, and that truly scares me. 

And it’s not just the fact that I don’t know what is next in store for me, but the fact that there is now a 50+ year gap of my next ‘stage’, where I will just be working for the next 50+ years until the next stage, which is retirement.

What am I going to do? Where am I going to go? Am I going to get married and have kids? Are they stages in itself?

These are questions I’ve been having for the past 4 months, as I slowly come to terms to the fact that I won’t be at UTSC anymore. I won’t have Student Council or MESA or Professors or Exams. And although I’m relieved, I am scared.

So, this is an homage to all the other people in the same boat as I am. I’m scared, you might be scared, but this is just a reminder that you are not alone.

Thanks for hearing my thoughts; and I really needed to get this out of my system.

Let’s hope for the better, yeah?

js

february – tv show list

If you were wondering where I’ve been for the past month, I honestly can tell you I’ve been doing such amazing, productive things….

WATCHING TV SHOWS.

In any case, while I lavish in my own misery of ‘productivity’ I wanted to share with you the shows I started binging in an unhealthy fashion.

1. NEW GIRL (romantic comedy): My friend told me give it a try and would you look at that, Netflix has all the seasons up. I’ve always heard good thing about New Girl, but I didn’t really know fully what to expect. HOWEVER, I’m now 3 seasons in and I only began a week ago, so I can honestly tell you that this show is so funny, it hurts. My favourite character? Schmidt, HANDS. DOWN.
2. ALTERED CARBON: Also on Netflix, if you like the whole dystopian, ‘you don’t die you just go into another body’ concept, this is the one for you! The main actor, Joel, is yum. Be careful though, because you will see some nudity.
3. KAMISAMA HAJIMEMASHITA (romantic comedy anime): Okay honestly, tried to get my friend into it, and she wasn’t a fan (you’re a hater Jess), but it’s honestly so cute and made me question my entire existence for a whole week. I would only recommend if you watch anime frequently, or else it just doesn’t make any sense and looks extremely extra (which… it is).
4. THE GOOD PLACE (love Kristen Bell, and funny): This is such a light-hearted show (also on Netflix), I actually am in love with it. I technically watched this in January, but I highly recommend it just because it’s such a good-natured show. It’s also really funny and talks about ‘the after-life’.
5. VIOLET EVERGARDEN (beautifully animated-anime): This one is a bit on the boring side, but if you really appreciate cinematics, I think you’ll enjoy this anime. It’s about this girl named Violet that used to be a human weapon, but now is trying to fit in the regular world. Also romantic (ish?), but really feels good in the soul.

Note, all of these guys (except for Kamisama) is on Netflix. You’re welcome. And if you don’t have Netflix? I’m so sorry for your loss.

You guys got any shows you want to recommend me? Link me up!

Until then, I’m going to go back to my happy place.

js

tip

We’re constantly being told what we should do and what we shouldn’t do, what we should look like vs. not tolerate, and how we need to act.

Just be true to yourself, it’s a lot less stressful to be yourself than to keep appearances.

js