Lisa on YouTube!

Don't get too excited now...but I have a video I made for one of my marketing exams posted on YouTube. Click the link so you can watch the 5 min video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtgsX4BgaNk
Just keep in mind I filmed the whole thing on my Sony Cybershot Camera and I have never made a movie in my life, so the quality and content is not the best. If I had more than 3 days to work on it I could have done a better job. Enjoy!

A Very LONG Week...

Hi Everyone,

This was a very long week. I have been feeling under the weather and school is getting more difficult by the day. I had a nervous breakdown the other day after I received a VERY bad (and I feel was not deserved) mark on one of the exams I took last week. It was just so out of character for me and the stress of the week was made aparent when I got very upset about my bad mark. Overall though my exam scores were good. There is always room for improvement.

I have exams AGAIN this upcoming week! I feel I have a better grip on this weeks projects though, so things should turn out a bit better. I am making a video for my marketing class (very amature quality) but we have to put them up on YouTube. I will send you all the link when its done...but don't laugh because it will surely be crap seeing that I've never made a video in my life! My teacher is more concerned about getting the message across than the video quality being good.

Marangoni hosted their "Welcome to School" bash at a very swanky members-only club which they rented out for the night. There was open bar and losts of dancing and LOTS of fashion. Go to the web site if you want to check it out: http://www.thecuckooclub.com/ . I took my friend Sara as my +1 date for the night and she was astonished by the things people were wearing (or not wearing for that matter). She said that someone should make a reality TV show about the students at this school because they really are a bunch of characters...not me of course...I'm completely normal and boring!

Anyways...I'm at Starbucks right now and it is the most relaxing time I've enjoyed all week. I am sad thinking about all of the Thanksgiving festivities that will be going on this week. I was going to make a dinner for my friends, but I really don't have the money or the time to do so. I am making a point to go Christmas shopping next weekend though...it won't be the same as going out on Black Friday, but I will try my best to get into the holiday spirit. There are a lot of festivals, light displays, ice rinks and other holiday-centric activities going on around the city. I know it has been really cold in Md. lately and its not quite so cold over here, but we might (and that a big MIGHT) get some snow here this week. I'm not holding my breath, but it would be nice.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone...and eat some extra turkey and pumpkin pie for me!!!!

TTFN-

Lisa

Pictures- First pic is Me, Seema and Gabi out in Brick Lane last Friday to blow off some steam after our exams. Pic two is me and Sara at the Marangoni party @ Cuckoo Club. Last pic is of Covent Garden where I went to see a ballet at the Royal Opera House.

It's been a while! HI!

Hi everyone!
It's been a while since I have written to you all. Life was hectic this week because it was my first week of "exercises" as they call them here. Basically tests and projects due for our first grades. Up to this point I have no idea what kind of student I am because we havent gotten any grades. Next week I will be able to tell you how I did!. At the moment I am in the middle of an assignment and am very very sick of Microsoft Power Point!! It's due tomorrow so this will have been a very productive week once I'm finished.
This weekend I am making plans to take my first trip out of London!! Exciting! My friend Sara is coordinating a day trip to Bath and Stonehenge (sorry Mom, I'll go again when you come...or we can go somewhere else!) I will spend the rest of the weekend "shopping in the name of research." I swear my professors told me to go shopping...trust me, where I'm going (Bottega Veneta and Chanel) I can't afford anything anyways.
I find it amazing that there are only 5 weeks 'til Christmas! Very exciting! I cant wait to go shopping for some fabulous gifts! And I can't wait to come home and have some normal food and see all my family and friends! And I am sad to say I actually miss Nordstrom...it's wierd not working retail during the holiday season. I know you will all think I'm crazy for saying that but I really do miss the psychotic work schedule and sassy Nordstrom shoppers! I will be sure to come visit. (I miss the discount too...I spent the other night making a shopping cart on the web site filled with Half-Yeary stuff and when I was done it was like $2000!! I didnt get anything, but I got pleasure just out of making the shopping cart full! Shopping is a SICK disease!)
Side note for Nordstrom employees: Genette Diggs is coming to visit with Felicia over the next month and I will be visitng with both of them soon. I talked to Felicia yesterday and she is doing well and told me she thinks the baby is coming in the next 2 weeks!!! Even though shes not due until Dec. 4th! Shes a trooper...very tired and still finishing her semester at school. I'll let you know what happens! I'm on London baby watch!
Anyways, I have to get back to my massive Power Point. I'm going to put on another disk of FRIENDS in the background and get to work. It was fish and chips for dinner tonight...I was planning to lose a few lbs. while I was over here but I couldn't resist!

Miss You ALL!!
TTFN
Lisa

Quick Update

Hi All...

Just wanted to pop on here for a minute and give a quick status update. I have been very busy with school work lately and still do not have internet at home; so when I am at school I spend all my time working and stealing their wireless connection.
With that being said, nothing much is new. We have a working phone connection in our house now, but no phone....we should have the internet installed in the next 2 weeks (fingers crossed).
I was excited yesterday to be hearing about the US election from a different perspective. There is a lot of media coverage on it over here. I got the official result of Obama's win at 4 am this morning via text from Paul (thanks babe, I was sleeping!!)
I have exams and several projects due next week so I am spending a lot of free time working on those.
Thats all for now...I'm gunna get some Subway on the way home because I am tired of cooking everynight. I wish we had a microwave and then having dinner wouldnt be such a process!!

Oh, I forgot the best part!!!! We have a working TV (but no cable, just to play DVD's) AND we have all 10 seasons of FRIENDS! I think that should last us until Christmas break and then I will bring all the seasons of Sex and the City from home!! And yes, we are very content with that situation.

TTFN
Lisa

P.s. The pictures above are from my excursions out on Halloween. I didn't dress us b/c I didnt have enough time to get myself together, but I had a good idea...Seema and I were going to go as Michelle Obama and Cindy McCain. If we hadn't thought of the idea the night before it would have been perfect beacuse the party we went to there was a John McCain and a Sarah Palin!

London Living

So I oficially moved into my "flat" on Saturday...whoo! After a very long journey to Ikea and back (a 6+ hour feat) I was able to get settled in and try to make the new place feel like home. I have posted some pictures below, albeit a bit boring, this is where I am living. For those who wish to know the addres, send me an email and I will give it to you! I live in East London in an area called Bow. It is a 4-stop tube ride to school, or if I so wish, a 2.5 mile walk (maybe when the weather is a bit nicer).

I cant say much exciting has happened thus-far. We have no TV or Internet at our place, so I have to wait until I am at school to use the computer. I managed to slip my DVD of The Devil Wears Prada into my suitcase before I left and over the course of 24 hours we managed to watch it twice! We also had an "exhilerating" (more like exhausting) trip to Tesco's (a Wal-Mart-esq shopping center with groceries). So much for living on $25/day! Everyday there seems to be new living expenses popping up. I have spent SO much money and I dont even have any great fashion to show for it! However, that is all about to change because I found the perfect LBD (little black dress) at Harrods and I think it is going to be my spluge for making it though the last few weeks unscathed (well almost, minus the few emotional scars, I'm doing okay)!

I am still loving my classes and I am being a very dedicated student. It is my goal to graduate with honors from my program, which I've heard from my teachers, is a very hard thing to do!

Time to go home now and make some dinner and relax. There is always more work to be done!

TTFN-

Leeeza

Exciting Things Happening

SOOOOOOOOOO.......Lots of things have changed in the last few days. At the moment I have moved temporary residences, from Felicia's house outside of London, to Sara's house closer to school. My housing situation (in which I was supposed to move this past Saturday fell through...I really feel the whole thing was cursed). Not to worry though because something MUCH better has come along. Me and my roommates-to-be (including a new 4th person from Marangoni) found a FAB-U-LOUS 4 bedroom place that is all-around BETTER! I wont go in to details now, but when I post pictures you will be able to see.

School began yesterday where I had an Orientation and then started actual classes today. So far it has been AMAZING and I am very excited for what is to come! I have only taken two classes so far, but I have 5 more this week. Thus far it has been mostly logistical stuff like assignments and procedures etc, but the course I am in is EXACTLY what I am interested in. Somehow is doesn't even feel like school...I mean who wouldn't love to sit around and talk about fashion all day? (I know I don't mind). I have also learned that I will be working at London Fashion Week in February!! Last year the students in the Fashion Promotion Masters got to pitch an AD campaign to Marc Jacobs!!...we will get to do something similar this year but for a different design house...AMAZING! There will be lots of industry professionals who will come to give lecture and we will also be taking a few trips around London to visit companies and agencies and such.

I really feel that the exposure and experiences of this program will be far greater than any internship or work experience I have endured thus far. I will be exposed to all aspects of promoting fashion whether it is from hosting events, to producing shows, to seeing ad campaigns transform from beginning to end.

Anyways, it looks like we should be moving in to our new home sometime Friday...God-willing! But so far everything has worked out beautifully no matter that I had to endure emotional Hell over the last two weeks to get here.

Thanks for all the support and well-wishes.

TTFN-

Leeeza

STRESS AND RELEASE

STRESS: 

Things on the housing front still moving very slowly. We keep running into issues. I spent 3 hours with the Estate agent and one of my other roommates on Friday trying to deal with things. When we left their office yesterday at 6 PM we had signed a lease and were told we could move in today. I can tell you now that I am NOT moved in and am still staying at Felicias until Monday (fingers crossed). I got a call today at 2 PM while I was shopping for pillows to take to my new house and it was Theo our agent saying there were problems and that we couldn't move in until Monday. (There is so much more to the story but I won't bore you will all the details). I am worried that things will not work out and I will be left to find my own place...

RELEASE:

After I left the agents office last night I headed over to meet a friend-of-a-friend from the States. Sara is a college friend of Krista (my friend from high school) and is now living in London with her boyfriend. She invited me over for dinner and some wine to de-stress. I was in a mood to go out and apparently Sara knows all the right people in London because we wound up at the same club that Prince William and Paris Hilton were at the night before called Whisky Mist in Kensington . It was surreal seeing all of these "beautiful people" at the club. It was an amazing experience from the awesome music to the papparazzi outside the club!

It was a great way to wind down and have some fun since I got here! 

My hangover is still lingering at this point and I'm dying to have some good Fish and Chips which is something I have yet to do!!

I am probably going to go meet up with the roommates tomorrow to have discussion about our living situation.  

School starts Monday at 10 AM and I can't wait to get things started!

Thats all for now...more updates to come!

TTFN-

Leeeza

Out and About

I spent the better part of 6 hours today wandering around East London and charting about 6 miles on foot. Most of this was due to the fact the I couldn't quite figure out how to use the bus system...so I just kept walking!! I took 1 hour on the tube this morning to make my way to the area I will be living in (hopefully).

The housing situation is STILL a mess...we were waiting to hear whether a 4th roommate was going to join our house (a 4 bedroom). I found out this evening that she does not want in and thus now we can not afford the 4br. I wont bore you all with details, but we have moved on to a plan "B" and I am traveling back into East London tomorrow to meet with an estate agent to view a 3br. Keep your fingers crossed!! School starts Monday and I can't crash with Felicia forever!!

It was nice to finally be walking around and seeing all the sights and sounds of London...I haven't seen any of the typical London sites like Big Ben, yet, so for the time being the city just looks and feels like New York. 

I'm gunna' put my feet up for now and turn on some BBC (the REAL stuff...none of that BBC-America crap!)

TTFN-

Leeeza

Departure and Arrival

Well...I made it over here in one piece...almost! When I got to the baggage check at BWI they told me it was $165 for every checked bag over 2...I had 4!! So I decided to leave one behind, but that happened to be my bag full of shoes! I have 2 pair to last me until my mom can send them over. I will have to make due. So far I'm not off to a very cheap start...I'm out $165 and I have no shoes to show for it! 

In the meantime I managed to drag my 200 lbs. of luggage out of Heathrow and successfully made it to my friend Felicia's house in West London. The main thing I accomplished today was staving off the jet-lag and getting a cell phone!! 

Tomorrow I plan on venturing into the more major parts of the city. I want to check out the neighborhood I will be living in called Bow. I will probably pop by the school as well to see how things are going. 

I will be moving into my flat with 3 other roommates on Saturday so that will be fun to finally get settled somewhere. 

Going to bed for now...its 11:30 pm here and I'm trying to get my body adjusted. 

TTFN-

Leeeza