Good Things Come In Three's (E così va, la tre settimane)

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The Third Week

I'm exhausted, euphoric, stripped raw to the bone from hard work, and electric energy is pulsing through my veins as everyone around me is in jovial spirits- chatting and enjoying themselves. The lights are bright and flattering; casting attractive shadows over everyone's features and the spacious room around us feels a little too small with how many people are bustling in and out. This isn't a party, or a huge fete or even a lounge. This is a bookstore event, a lit, harped one and everyone is working extremely hard to make it a success. In, all honesty finding the time to write this journal entry was pretty hard considering all the work I had to do, but I kept pushing on :D

14/8/17, Monday (Action Packed)

My Monday started off with an unwelcomed surprise, but it all got sorted out and soon I was able to continue doing what I was required at work :D
I mostly spent a lot of time doing online promotional work for Carifesta and writing up emails and Campaigns to send to Animecon clients and reporters from all of the major media houses in Barbados.

15/8/17, Tuesday (The opposite of slowburn)

I hope the opposite of slowburn is a fast collision because that is exactly what this day was. A forceful shove into the reality of how hectic work can be and… I LOVE IT! It was exhilarating and also so incredibly exhausting setting up for Carifesta. The tensions were high, my mind was skipping all over the place as I had to delegate to the volunteers and do my own work and I also had to balance my energy being surrounded by such jejunus people or rather the lack of stimulating activity.

  I was so exhausted by the end of the day, from sliding in- or rather forcing-  planks into bookshelves, to cleaning everything down with sanitiser and then packing out books.

16/8/17,  Wednesday (Contemplative Motions)

 

This day was undoubtedly the most stressful in the week; I had to help reorganise the bookshelves and the way I wanted them formatted- all aesthetic and giving off a good artsy vibe- unfortunately wasn’t practical so the books had to be packed stiffly in a listing order.  This was a tad frustrating because it meant double work

I then started giving feedback on the previous year's graphics for Animecon- I also took the initiative to create some graphics myself. This was challenging as I hadn’t made any graphics before but I was vaguely familiar with the concept from my older blogging days ( I also hadn’t blogged in over two years since writing these journal entries and I have not ever written any form of journal quite like this, considering I had a fashion blog aha but I like it- it’s soothing and I like trying new things.) Anyways, I made a rough draft of a draft  and Erica liked the format so I guess I will go from there and try and think of the best way to present it.

I was able to start networking with a lady from BBC news, who for some reason I think took a shining to me and came over to talk to me despite us being at opposite ends of the room - where she was surrounded by other people! We discussed fashion, some of the arts and then we followed each other on Instagram! With her complimenting my feed. I quite liked her afro and sunglasses, they were very chic (especially with the semi plum tint mellowed out by the black frames)!

The day wounded down, pretty swiftly after that and it was soon 5' O clock and thus home time.

When I got home however, my day didn't end workwise. I did more work for DataLore and I also tried to help with a graduation plan.

17/8/17, Thursday (Warning Winds)

This day was quite busy and I was a bit tired from all of the hard work and set up that started to catch up with me from Monday-Wednesday. I can only imagine how everyone else who had to lift heavier boxes and materials than me felt and, despite this detail - I still feel really proud of myself for doing a bit of the menial work (especially since I didn’t have to due to my position and I hate doing mundane tasks usually).

Back to the meat of the matter, Erica gave me the option of going to help set up the bookstore again or to stay back in the office and work. I chose to work, because I realised that we were falling behind on a lot of stuff! Especially, Animecon matters and marketing one of our client’s books. I swiftly got to work and Ashley (a male freelancer for DataLore Ink) came back and forth during setup to keep me company. I found his name really interesting aha and he seemed like a pretty nice guy, a very stern yet grandfatherly type of energy about him as he made phone calls and spoke.

I definitely enjoyed having a bit of free time and being able to think by myself and enjoy my own company (It’s good to be able to have some time alone to reflect and relax yourself and recharge) but I also enjoyed when other people came back. Actually, it's only when Jenifer and Kibwe came back that I checked my messages and found out that there was a tropical storm warning but by that time I had practically completed a full day's work. So, with consent from my boss I was encouraged  to leave and get home safely.

ALSO, Erica called me when I got home in order to make sure that I was safe and sound and that was honestly so sweet and genuine and thoughtful! The Micro Macro team also messaged everyone in the groupchat to try and ascertain if everyone was safe as well! That was pretty nice.

18/8/17, Friday (Harvey made an appearance)

Leading off from last night’s tense atmosphere of preparing for the storm, Kibwe and I were given time off from work. When Twelve O’clock came and the all clear was given- my area was flooded and so even if I wanted to, I wouldn’t have been able to go back to work or leave my house. 💚

I also noted, that Game Night was sadly cancelled because of the tropical storm 😢. After such a long and stressing week, I honestly needed a bit of a break in order to rejuvenate for Carifesta which, will begin for me on Monday. As, you can tell comparative to my other two blog entries- this week was a bit less interesting and a lot of hard work but I like my job. :D

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog #stepupwithmm and #chattelhousebarbados

Learn Hard, Play Harder?!?! (Update #2)

Although CropOver 2017 came to an end, the festival of learning hard and playing even harder emerged from the recovering brains of two ebullient CarePoint Solutions interns.

We were on the top of Mount Hillaby, especially after our training and networking session on Tuesday. However, "day does run till night catch um", and we were pushed a level down when Mr. Cold-Calling and Mrs. Negative Responses entered our festival with stubbornness and "red light offenses".

Suddenly Mr .Cold-Calling decided to join our tent of perseverance when an angelic voice said to him,"evah fool got 'e sense", and even though our semi-hyped party of two may not have gotten the responses we wanted, we made over 65 calls within hours. Unfortunately, we were a bit disappointed that the goal was not achieved, but our bosses were extremely 'shook' with the amount of calls we had made within such time.

The following day, this party took to a whole new level as we were on a Boat Ride, and despite of the boat rocking, we held on. It was time to play a bit harder and at the end of the cold calling on the second day, Mrs. Negative Responses slowly removed herself. By the end of the third day of this festival, Sparkle A and Iren had succeeded in their goals for cold calling and started to think of ways to improve. 

It was the fourth and last day of this Learn Hard, Play Harder?!?! Festival and the turning up became when Abigail started to hum a song during coding practice, and it evolved into a turn up session while working as DJ Renz kicked up the grill, with some old ones. Learn Hard,Play Harder?!?!
*This festival did not end with a sick person 😉*

Shout outs to:
CarePoint Solutions
HooNoos Barbados

#StepUpWithMM
-Ranako

El Seconde Dyad (Also read as part 2)

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The Second Week

At, the risk of sounding pretentious and entirely too self-important I decided to entitle this blog in  broken Italian; make no mistake- I'm doing this purely because it sounds cool (asethetic purposes) and not for any educational purpose whatsoever. 😂 This week was anything but dull. It kicked off with us recapping our weekend amongst ourselves and then we immediately divulged into our work. This week was definitely a step up from last week- demand wise- but I still enjoyed it, due to how rigorous some of the tasks were, the rewards were pretty well matched. To truly sum it up in one word this week was intense but anyone who gets to know me will know how much I value intensity and passion.

7/8/17, Monday (TGFV)

This was Crop Over and I enjoyed it. All work and no play, makes Jack a dull lad afterall😌

8/8/17, Tuesday (Falling into a routine)

This day started off calmly; usually I am the first person to open up the office but when I arrived Kibwe and Jenifer were sitting quietly hacking away at their computers. Swiftly we broke the silence and started talking and productively having fun, as I acquired the numbers for some potential clients for Animecon. I encouraged everyone in the office to take a personality quiz and then we compared our various results- obviously deciding for ourselves if they were accurate or not. Falling into the (new) natural pattern of routine, a debate broke out but all was forgotten and I was promptly energised and ready to start focusing on the tasks at hand! Kibwe and I, also quickly realised that as much as we liked each other, we're stark opposites especially in the way we think and our motivation for doing things. Erica and I however have a quite a few similarities, with us both being bubbly outgoing and dramatic types😉😏. I however think she's a tab more free-spirited than I am aha, (in the most amusing and entertaining way, she’s definitely a ball of energy) and as the opposite must be true according to physics- I lean more towards being an idealistic visionary with a strong will.

  Erica and I then made a plan, detailing the outlets we were going to visit for the day; which was to go to Booksource (the bookstore) and re-acquire the quotation to send to the government and to go to The Waterfront Cafe and have a meeting with Nadia.  Nadia is a Canadian- Jamaican children’s author of a successful book series chronicling “Malaika as she explores carnival in her native home (and in the sequel )Canada.” The plot introduces, Malaika a young black creole girl who has to suffer through poverty and manages to make the best of it. Whilst being a children’s book, it details themes of poverty, racial hostilities and optimism in the face of loneliness- all through the eyes of little girl. Nadia specialises in writing diverse books- this is a vastly growing and Caribbean dominated😏 market- which as you could guess are books staring black and other ethnic characters as they go through different experiences. It is most certainly inspiriting to see this revamp in the book market of successful lead characters, atypical from the whitewashed set that is so often displayed.

I loved the contemporary artsy feel of the restaurant! The wall to wall mirrors were also a gorgeous touch, adding to the on the pulse asethetic. I felt like, I was in a modern Indie movie, staring as an up and coming painter who was struggling for success and happiness, whilst barely making enough to sustain herself and the twelve children entrusted in her custody due to a lavish fire which took the lives of all of her family and this- This day of relaxation was how I blew our rent money. (Lol, jk my imagination does get quite over-active)

This meeting took place at lunchtime, and as much as I enjoyed it, I do believe that SEED should allow us to receive a Stipend- if our workplace is willing to give it to us. It is very financially taxing, for uncompensated interns to continue to enjoy the worklife or even survive it without any form of finances. These are some amazing oppertunties that we (the interns and especially myself) have been exposed to but it is impratical for us as young adults to be able to sustain ourselves. (I'm dipping into my life savings guys)😞😅. I don't think that we even need the money in our hand so much, but we should be reimbursed for lunch money (only to the amount we spent) and possibly transportation if we needed to take the bus or simply allowing the workplace if they indicated that they were willing to allocate petty funds to us. It is more pragmatic and needed than money allocated elsewhere. I’m honestly sorry, if I sound presumptuous but as someone experiencing how expensive it is to continue to work at maximum potential -with how expensive the cost of food, and utilities are- it is not affordable and I do not think that what I am suggesting is unreasonable considering we have put in maximum effort and in most endeavors have reaped results.😉 At this lunch meeting, I did the polite thing by not ordering a meal from the opulent and expensive menu in order to not expense the company(I must admit though, everything sounded pretty good).
On a more positive note, Kibwe and I got a semi-promotion aha we GOT NICE CONFERENCE CHAIRS, they are so comfortable and stylish. I'm channeling Miranda Priestly from The Devil Wears Prada in them.

9/8/17, Wednesday (It’s Crunch Time)

I took this day to internalise all of the lessons I learnt from Tuesday’s business meeting. At the business meeting at the cafe- Jason and Erica dived right into seducing Nadia by telling her what they could offer her and of course what impact she would have on the Caribbean (which after conquering the North American market is now her main focus). It, was quite interesting to watch them in action (they are pretty badass sharks !!)- Jason enticed her with his connections by being the national/regional rep for Scholastic. Nadia and Jason bonded over this as she has a deal with Scholastic's French Canadian branch and they seemed to hit it off pretty well! I remembered and am grateful for her giving me her publisher's contact information, after we spoke about my novel and my blog and she pretty impressed with me. She also divulged to us that Angelina Jolie (one of my heroines) is working with her publisher to produce a movie! I do believe that I have learnt the art of negotiation (though I have been told that I naturally had this skillset anyways aha). I shared my notes on what happened in detail with Erica, as I had jot down bullet points under the table as everyone spoke (it must be the lawyer in me😉😆) and Erica followed up with Nadia.

For the latter part of the day, Kibwe and I did an oral report to the CEO (along with the rest of the team) and she gave me her stamp of approval (she seems to like Kibwe's quiet confidence a lot!! Kudos to you Kibwe!). Erica and I bonded even more and I hope that we stay in touch even after this internship! I really like her! I also got to talk more to Jennifer-Kibwe's boss- she's very quiet but nice :D, I think she has a lot going on in her mind and I like that she's started to have one earphone off to listen to our conversations and subtly interject when she disagrees with something. As the day wound down, I had to go back to the fairly monotonous job of detailing the target market stores for Gerylin. Then it was time to go home and prep for the Carifesta meeting.

10/8/17, Thursday (I GOT PROMOTED😎!)

THIS DAY WAS BEYOND EPIC! WOW, how do I even begin to detail this, there are no words that fully exemplify how happy I was on Thursday. First thing, first I got to do my favourite thing, dress up in a pretty dress and go on an excursion to the mall! It was actually for Carifesta and I was allowed access into a confidential meeting furthermore- Erica consulted her mum and I was given the position as Assistant Consultant for DataLore INK at Carifesta! This was a huge deal (which I’ll further go into), mainly because all of the other Assistant Consultants at Carifesta are literally more than twice my age!!!

Erica, prepped me for this prominent meeting and as we walked in and were seated, I got more information on how significant Carifesta really was! It is an arts (fine arts specifically) festival which is rotated amongst various fine arts festivals. It's held every two years and this is the first time in decades that Barbados is hosting it.

Sidebar:I made sure that I also upped my social media game of Chattel House's new Instagram as well as upping their promotion! (I soon will be revealing my social media goal for the business 😉😏 ).

During this meeting, Erica and I got familiar with the layout, got invited for an insiders only tour of Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre and met our team of volunteers. Erica monopolised the conversation with her chirpy babble and soon everyone was all caught up with what they were expected to do. Erica, let everyone feel at ease and know that they had the right to be assertive whilst also telling them concisely that she was the boss and I was her second lol. It was rather amusing because ¾  of the team was older than me and fairly successful in their own right (I must admit, I quite like being in charge though aha😆😏😉). Then we all got offered a snack and refreshments and I met up with one of the mentors from SEED- Allison Millington and believe it or not, we have the same position and level of authority as Assistant Consultants!!! She was very sweet and friendly and we exchanged contact information (so I guess I did learn a thing or two from the training session on networking💭😃).

11/8/17, Friday (Winding Down with the Work Load Going Up)

Friday was a relaxing day, quiet yet very demanding. Erica tried really hard to help shoulder the burden of the montonous task of working on a new list of books (This one being 1000 books long 😡😖) but I knew she had more important things to do (in preparation for Carifesta) and that it was my duty so I requested that I take over. (Man, was that a decision lol) At the end of the day though, it all got done and whilst typing I started talking to everyone, to speed up the process (this worked as I forgot how bored I was lol) and soon everyone was chiming in and playing games and debating and it was pretty lit. Then when everyone double checked their work, we played two games!! Then we worked some more (after hours because we are dedicated :D) then we went home. All in all, it was a good week. I'm sorry that I was unable to make the talent show but I showed my support by viewing the stories on Instagram and watching another intern's live video. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog and thank you for these exciting opportunities SEED #stepupwithmm indeed!! and #chattelhousebarbados

Fixation

Fixation

fikˈsāSH(ə)n

Noun

An obsessive interest in or feeling about someone or something.

In my case that fixation right now is CoffeeCup, a software used to make responsive websites. A software I’ve never encountered but have to master in order to complete the tasks asked of me. A software that has little online resources that can be used for assistance which leaves me to figure out the inner workings. And finally, a software that I underestimated. It may sound like I am having a tough time but you’d be surprised how much University students end up learning on their own, we always figure it out and it has heightened my interest in research. Having a fixation is detrimental to anyone, this I know, yet I can’t ever seem to let anything go before I completely solve it. Fixation has been one of my biggest obstacle in life, getting too caught up with one thing making anything else temporarily irrelevant. So of course I came home and just had to get the software on my personal machine. And even though it was my free time I have been continuously trying to figure out more and more, so far so good.

Monday I arrived at Pangroove Elegant Events by eight when I wasn’t expected until nine, I knew exactly where to go but yet I was still lost. I got there and the administrative assistant, Emi, showed me how to use an accounting software she uses for her daily tasks although she mentioned that accounting wouldn’t be my focus but since I also do accounting she decided to show me a few things. Eventually I was allowed to go to my desk and look through the website that I will be creating a whole new layout for and came up with ideas of what I want it to look like and that was my day, planning. I like to do and plan as I do, it’s very hard for me to map out and then follow that map so I got into contact with the owner of the business, David Hutchinson, to figure out the recommended software and that’s when I first heard the name ‘Coffeecup’. Mr. Hutchinson had told me to plan it out until next week but who am I kidding, I needed to start using the programme. I later sent him what I was able to do, being that I am very new to the software, and he was very impressed by what I was able to do and that I decided to start instead of waiting until next week as he told me to. My progress in such a short time showed him how capable I am of managing myself and the software. As the days went by I slowly started to figure out some more advanced features and was able to make changes to my previous work and do some very difficult things which I’m proud to have achieved. Things I couldn’t figure out how to do when I first encountered the programme I have accomplished through trial and error, like a mobile navigation that actually worked. By the fourth day there I got a visit from Mr. Hutchinson and was introduced to one of his clients as the intern that would be doing his website and he later told me that I was doing a great job and that I could use this work to market myself. In all of this, I am learning something new and that is very valuable. ‘CoffeeCup’ is an obstacle to overcome and I am very surprised and proud to have gotten this far in just one week as I was told I’ve learned how to do a lot in a very short time, I guess fixation has a good side to it among all of the bad it can bring. 

Embarking on Success (The First Week)

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The First Week

There are no words, that fully encompass or exemplify how amazing the placement at DataLore Inc was for me! On our first week, Kibwe and I explored the complex within the safety range of the compound; including the courtyard, the cafeteria and the dance studio and of course our offices and desks that were allocated to us. Kibwe and I, were swiftly embraced into the work culture at DataLore and welcomed with open arms- we started with speaking to the staff that works on location and met our immediate bosses, which for me was Erica, the Brand Manager and Public Relations and Marketing Executive! (Sidebar, she was awesome, very inspiring, intelligent and quick minded as well as young and well cultured and we swiftly bonded)💕💕. After our integration, Kibwe and I had a private meeting with the CEO - Beverly Smith- Hinkson Business BA , Diploma in Business Studies, Business Admin and Life Member of the International Association of Business Leaders and Premier of Who’s who’s as well as the Project Director of CSERS -where she decided whether we would be a good fit with her organisation or not and placed us in different departments, along with giving us a mentor. My mentor as mentioned before was Erica Hinkson (Beverly's daughter and the head of the media and marketing department); Jenifer Millar was my partner's - Kibwe's - mentor and she is the head of the IT department. We were given a quick motivational pep talk on how to succeed in the world of business and work, along with pragmatic examples and encouraged to prove our worth to our bosses- this was something that Kibwe and I strived to do being surrounded by such playful and high qualified intellectuals.

31/7/17, Monday (Gasping Resources)

On our first day, after being welcomed and becoming familiar with the work organisation and background, our bosses delegated tasks to us. I worked on filtering and editing, uploading and branding the photographs to the official websites of DataLore. I familiarised the team, with several hacks and tips that made my blog successful and caused it to trend and we used these techniques on their brands to a very dynamic and immediate response! On Monday, I mostly worked on visibility and creating unique captions, titles and beautiful and vibrant photo stills. I spent three hours editing and re-uploading photographs and then we broke down the tasks for the duration of my stay there.

1/8/17, Tuesday (Young Ambition)

Even though this was Emancipation day, I took the initiative to start an Instagram account for one of the major brands in their company and I began to promote it on my own social media to give it a boost.

2/8/17, Wednesday (Working HARD)

This day was extremely productive for me and a bit frustrating but I was able to accomplish all of my tasks (including the tedious ones)😌.I was entrusted with the tasks of adjusting and presenting a google spreadsheet which consisted of; The ISBN serial numbers, Title of the book, Author and the Genre, The Quantity and the Price- this list was essentially an index of all of the books on file (5,000) and it took a full seven hours to properly write up and detail this list meticulously. I was encouraged to have fun and break between this task as it would be strenuous (to an extent). After finally finishing that, I worked with Erica in compiling a google docs list for Carifesta and re-adjusting the organisational chart which delegated tasks and broke it down into bite size modules. Erica, also stressed the point of being organised, productive and efficient in business and I can safely say that, DataLore INC does not waste any resources. I also really enjoyed discovering the atmosphere at this new workplace, which was very laid back and relaxed, with a chill, intellectually stimulated environment. Where you could be playful, girly and still be taken seriously and state your ideas and opinions and have a hearty fruitful, intelligent debate. No one here discounted me for my age and I found that refreshing.

3/8/17, Thursday (Out and About/Girls Having Fun)

I went shopping with the business today! In order to prepare for this fun expedition, Erica and I had to re-update the price list we created on Wednesday to fax to the government as DataLore is partnering with them in hosting Carifesta. When, the time came for us to go for our drive shopping ,I acted as an assistant writing up the price lists and pitching creative ideas to help with Carifesta bookstore which DataLore is managing. Erica, gave sisterly advice on being organised, becoming your own muse, owning and accepting responsibility for your actions in becoming a mature individual and thinking with your head screwed on. Again, the message of proving myself as an asset to the work culture rang true and, Erica assured me that I was doing a very good job and later on publicly praised me at work. Kibwe also excelled in finishing creating a complicated programme for his boss which we all acknowledged gleefully.

 After this a PR lady came ,Geralyn- an authoress and children’s illustrator who was a former business woman- and I was allowed to sit in on their meeting. This meeting turned out to be a promotion session, in creating a book plan and marketing proposal for Animecon. Animecon, is the largest comic con convention in the Caribbean and DataLore participates in it. Both Kibwe and I were invited to attend, even after our internships were completed for pay (yayyy aha)😆.I was allowed and furthermore encouraged, to contribute my thoughts and ideas towards their business and they jotted down my ideas for consideration and Erica praised me for being observant and having a knack with people and knowing what they want and being naturally gifted at marketing. After more input, I retired to my desk to finish off more work and chat with some of my colleagues.

4/8/17, Friday

As engaging and informative as this week was, I was pretty happy to be able to unwind with the weekend and was glad to receive a notification that, through the new Instagram I created Barnes and Nobles’s Massachusetts’s branch began following Chattel House’s account (a brand of DataLore). I then went to Erica and we made a social media plan and a goal which I hope to blog about when we meet our target (watch out for great things😜). I also got my work colleagues to contribute towards Funtastic Funmania, along with my individual promotion of that event.

For the rest of the day, I mostly worked on activities for Carifesta's bookstore and lounge (which you will be hearing more about) and Kibwe and I are expected to work that event and have the opportunity to network with some of the major brands and business players in the Caribbean and even international brands and this is an experience I am immensely grateful for and looking forward to in order to further myself. All in all this week was very fun and productive, I worked very hard and put in a great amount of effort and I feel as if I am working towards a very fruitful goal in the grand scheme of things. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog, much love xoxo