SAA Grad Night 2013

Monday, November 4^th was SAA Grad night, an event where students would get the opportunity to interact with different people, who are working in the advertising industry in all different fields; whom once graduated from Sheridan College. It was great attending because these people gave us a lot of insight on what to expect when looking for a job, some good tips on how to go about that, and a lot of them are graduates of 2012, so they went through the same process as us graduates of this year will undergo.

The event was held at the Sheridan Student pub “The Marque”, from 6:00-9:00pm.  At the beginning of the night, students were given some time to settle in, enjoy some snacks, and chat amongst each other.  When the main event started, each graduate was seated at a single table, and groups of 2-3 students would have 10 minutes to ask whatever questions,  network with the graduates and take tips from them.  Each table was numbered, students would move to the next number up for ten minutes.  There was a break after five shifts, and then after the break, they allowed us to have 4 more shifts before the night came to an end.  This was an excellent experience because graduates told us how they got to where they are, what they did, when they started job searching, and provided us with business cards to stay in touch; should any job openings be available, they would notify us via e-mail if we’ve asked them.  Two graduates I met last night at grad night were actually hired, by attending grad night last year. The girl who hired her was present last night, as well as the girl who got hired who told us her story.

It is much appreciated by all the people who had the gratitude to put together this superb and very joyful event. It was a great way to start preparing for what is coming for us grads, and to look forward to the real world.

Some of the great tips from last night were, when looking for job postings online, don’t let the requirements such as 4 years or 3 years experience required scare you; as grads from last night informed me all the jobs they applied for had minimum 3-4 years experience, and they got the job, whether they didn’t take the job and worked elsewhere, they still got offered a job. Also, to just apply to as many places as you are interested in as possible, and to really personalize those resumes and cover letters, because it makes it that much more legible and they will feel like you actually care; chances of getting called in for an interview will be greater.

Toronto ad week 2013

Last week was ad week downtown Toronto, at different venues. I was present at the 2012 Cannes winning commercials presented by the Globe & Mail. It was at the TIFF Bell Light box, there were several different events showcasing different commercials at specific times, the ticket I had was for 12:30-2:30pm. Different commercials from all around the world were played, and many different agencies from around the world were recognized during this showcase.

The event was well organized; attendants were escorted accordingly into the theatre, and were offered free popcorn to enjoy the show.

There were a lot of humorous and well executed television commercials from different companies such as Coke Cola, Pepsi, Ford, Hyundai, and many others that don’t come to mind. Some of the best commercials that won awards were from countries such as New Zealand, Brazil, and the U.S. 

There were so many commercials played over the course of two hours, I’d have to see them for a second time to remember them exactly. Some of the funnier ones I still remember, but can’t remember exactly which company it was for, as a commercial needs to be played at least 3 times before it registers in one’s brain.

I would definitely recommend attending ad week in the years to come, for those who couldn’t attend any of the events, it was a great experience, and really entertaining; had I known it would have been that much fun, I would have tried to attend at least one more event during ad week.

Toronto Travel Show 2013

Over the weekend I volunteered at the Toronto Travel Show for two days.  Saturday I helped out from 10:00am-5:30pm.  Different resorts from different countries had booths and certain exhibitors would present what they had to offer to the people attending the show.  Countries such as Egypt, Tunis, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Cayman Islands, Turks and Caicos, The Royal Caribbean cruise line, Norwegian Cruise line, and Tauk European cruises. 

Helping the event coordinators, I handed out brochures and small bags out to people as they entered, however I was at the survey booth for the majority of the time explaining the survey. People who filled the survey out would get the chance to win a trip for two to Turks and Caicos, a 7-night stay, with a total trip value of over $6,500.00! People were really excited to sign up, and it was  a great experience interacting with people at the show, and being involved was a great opportunity to gain experience on organizing and coordinating events.

My favorite presentation was the one made by the Venetian Ridge Villas from Turks and Caicos.  The two men presented different activities and made their presentation feel like as if people were actually sitting on the beach and night and listening to what they had to say. Turks and Caicos is a great experience for water-activity lovers.  Wake-boarding, Scuba-diving, snorkeling, water-skiing, para-sailing and even boat cruising. 

Saturday was the busier day of the two, whereas Sunday was very slow compared to Sunday, and my help wasn’t needed anymore so I left the show early. Overall, the coordinators liked me, and appreciated my help, provided me with a reference letter, and offered me to help out at other events as well.

Trip to Miami/The Bahamas

In the summer of 2011, me and four of my cousins were trying to decide where to go on vacation, so my uncle offered us tickets on the Norwegian Sky cruise for 5 days.  The five of us booked our tickets to Miami, FL two days prior to boarding the cruise, so we can enjoy a little bit of the city, and one day after we would arrive back in Miami, so can relax before we have to travel right away.

We arrived in Miami, FL at noon, so we had enough time to go to the beautiful South Beach of Miami after we settled in our hotel room.  After we checked in at the hotel, we had lunch, and headed down to relax in the sun and enjoy a nice swim.

On the beach we were told to attend a party they had that same night not too far from where we were, called Nikki Beach. The party was a good time, and we met lots of tourists from different parts of the world.

The second day me and my cousins went to the shopping district on South Beach, and after spent the entire day swimming and enjoying the beautiful sand and clear water. The cruise board time was at noon, so we had to call it an early night so we can board the ship on time, and fit in breakfast before that as well.

From the moment we boarded the ship, we met lots of friendly people, and took part of different activities they had available for guests. On board there was a casino for those who were feeling lucky, a swimming pool at the upper deck, and 24-hour open buffet with food changing according to the hour of the day.

The ship took us to Freeport, The Bahamas on the first day; we spent the day on a beach there, and partied on board at night. The second day was an island that belonged to the cruiseline in the Bahamas. On the last day, we visited Nassau, Bahamas, where we met my uncles friend at the Atlantis resort on paradise island, Nassau.  We were treated very well, and received a pass for the day to enjoy the water park access and the amenities available.  From jet skiing, to snorkeling, that was my favorite part of the whole trip.  We boarded the ship, as it made its way back to Miami, FL, where we spent the whole day and came back the next day in the afternoon.

Over the course of the winter holidays, I went on a trip to Lebanon to visit family.  I was indecisive when choosing a destination to go away, however, I have not visited Lebanon since 2004, and felt like it would be good to visit family now and it would be a great refresher on my culture. 

I left Toronto on my own, and met my mother in Lebanon, as she arrived from Egypt, a few days after that, my brother came to Beirut also to visit family.  I took great advantage of my brother being there, as he and my cousins took me around to the mountains of Lebanon, and visited various different cities.

During my trip in Lebanon, I really enjoyed the food, got a refresher of what the culture there is like, and experienced many differences from which we all live in North America. Although Beirut is considered to be the “Paris” of the Middle East, it still holds its value in the Arab world.  I re-visited a tourist attraction in a city called Jeita, a very beautiful and large cave, which a river runs inside of it.  This cave has many ice looking substances sticking out of its inner walls, and like no other I have seen. 

My relatives in Lebanon are mainly in Beirut, however I have some family outside the city, which I got to visit, and view the towns and experience that as well.  Unfortunately my trip to Lebanon was limited to time, and I would have loved to stay much longer, but with recovering from jetlag and preparing for a second semester of school and scheduling some work shifts, time was limited for me. 

I had an early flight leaving Beirut, so I was up all night with my cousins and my brother at a café for most of the night, than went to eat my favorite type sweet called ‘Knafe’. I will greatly miss my relatives and friends there, and especially the food and sweets and the culture, and  view of the country being so beautiful.