clarification?

on why lady gaga is such a success? from what i've heard, her pop songs sound completely run of the mill. catchy lyrics? p-p-p-p-pok nevermind... is it her outrageous fashion? all i can remember is a heavy endorsement from perez, and boom she was everywhere. in some respects, i guess i have give her props for being pretty unconventional-looking and making it so big.

on the bullshit that is an unpaid internship

i work in an industry that, since the recession, has made use of unpaid internships. it probably always has, but it has gotten really bad now. last summer i had an internship with just one semester of school under my belt, and i got a pretty fair stipend for my work. but over the spring, i held two internships where i was not even given travel expenses. technically, i paid the $4 commute to work - for free. internships are for learning about an industry, gaining experience, and for the resume. under normal economic conditions, they are also used to perhaps get a foot in the door and eventually get hired at the company. now it's a real damned if you do, damned if you don't situation. most people are willing to take these unpaid internships because there are no available paid jobs. and if they don't, there are 10 other people willing to take their place. so what are we to do, if we want to remain in this industry? it is either an unpaid internship or leaving the industry to find a paid position elsewhere. last month i felt myself getting to the end of my rope with this whole unpaid thing. i know in the past, people could have gotten hired with just one internship. i have now completed three internships and this summer, will be taking on # 4 and 5. i certainly have enough experience to warrant a paid position, but no one is willing. an internship i initially accepted under the conditions of working 2-3 days a week came back at me, wanting me to work full-time. for free. 40 hours a week, probably more, for nothing. i have witnessed first-hand how certain companies totally abuse what is already an offense. it is DISGUSTING for a 9 person design studio to have 8 interns running around. it is likewise reprehensible to have intern emails as intern1, intern2 etc, numbering into the 10s and 20s. i have about reached the end of what an intern can learn, doing intern duties. but i am stuck. and then my dear friend sent me this article, which made my blood boil.

ugh

given i don't know what the situation is like in england, but some of those comments by asswad architects really made my head explode. this unpaid shit should be illegal. i will see if a PAID position develops over the summer. if not, i really don't have any choice but to leave the industry, at least for a little while.

more confirmation on hating people

this post on desiretoinspire.net literally moved me to tears, so don't read on if you're not in that kind of mood.

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We rescued Bradley from the shelter last night, and today I took him to a neurologist.

The doctor had only sad news for Bradley...

We agreed he should go to sleep and not suffer this severe hydrocephalus. (as you can see, his head is weirdly shaped due to a lot of fluids in his head / brain).

I didn't want to let him go yet, so from the vet I took Bradley to the beach, I sat with him, played with him, and I fed him many cheeseburgers and fried chicken.

We sat there for two hours, and after that I took him to the vet's office right on the beach, and he went to sleep forever :-(

It was such a sad day... I cried like a baby for this little guy. Even now when I am typing these words, tears are coming to my eyes...

I came across these photos yesterday on Flickr member Eldad Hagar's photostream and my heart melted. Once I read that description under these photos, my heart broke (and I cried, and my sister and boyfriend cried when I sent them the link). You see, Eldad rescues and fosters dogs from local shelters and has created a non-profit animal rescue organization called "Hope For Paws". To try and keep Hope For Paws up and running, they've created a book which is for sale on their website that includes photos of the animals they've fostered, and it's only $9.95. I bought 2. It's so wonderful what they do these poor sick animals that wouldn't have a chance if left at a shelter. I was so touched by the story that I had to share it, despite the fact that it has nothing to do with design. But it does have to do with a big part of who I am, and my love for animals so I had to share this story, and I hope I can get a few people over to their site and buy a book, or 2. (P.S. I just received an email from Eldad (got me tearing up again) who mentionned that Bradley's condition could have been prevented but he was dumped at the shelter by a "backyard breeder" who didn't care enough. Bradley was blind from the pressure to his brain, and likely had the worst headache in the world. Good news though, Eldad captured 2 more stray dogs last night and they are getting the care they need).

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hagar's photostream can be found here

hope for paws

and.. it's good to know that some people out there are doing their small part.

the competition

that has been sucking away half my life

i am real, real proud of our team, a group of 5 interior designers. designing a city block. yes.

only he could look good doing this....

i hate these!!!

and what the shit are these!

my review of knock out nailpolish

girls, if only it were so easy to achieve such a striking, cool look. too bad it is not. i bought a bottle in black last weekend and immediately noticed that as soon as the polish dried (which was in minutes), cracks started to appear. cracks so deep i could see my nail underneathon some nails. totally unacceptable. i mean i wonder what kind of photoshop magic they did to create the illusion of a smooth finish?

totally lame. if they expect me to buy another $22 bottle of top coat... no thanks. the polish should function just fine on its own without investing $45 in it. i did send them an email a few days ago about it, but no response yet. so i'll take my complaint public in the means i have.

ps, the red for karen o is a lovely red but i guess i just couldn't get used to it matte.