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akfanficlove · 4 years

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“So will I” - #Seblaineweek2020

Written for Seblaine Week 2020 - College

The song used it the beautiful “So will I” by the amazing Ben Platt

Check out all of my other Seblaine-stories here at AO3 :)

He stared into the flames, his body turned towards the heat that should’ve comforted him more than it did. He felt the fire warming his thighs, his hands, his face but at the same time something was choking him and there was nothing he can do. Because Sebastian was so far away. Because Blaine knew it would be hard to live on two different continents, Sebastian gone to Paris for six fucking months, Blaine staying all the way here in San Francisco.

But Sebastian had seemed to be excited when the internship was offered, and Blaine knows what an amazing opportunity it is, and he didn’t want to hold him back from something that could be changing ways for his boyfriend’s career. He knew that before. What he couldn’t have known was how hard it would actually be.

A single tear dropped, rolling down his face, over his nose, wetting the pillow his head was resting on. The song changed to „So will I“ by Ben Platt , part of a Ben-Platt-only-playlist Blaine had been listening to for basically the whole day because Ben was actually one of Sebastian’s favorite singers and sometimes when Blaine missed Sebastian as much as he did now, Ben’s voice actually helped soothing the ache in his heart. Most of time Blaine could convince himself that “it’s not that long”, that soon he’ll “hold his boyfriend’s hand again while wandering around Fisherman’s Wharf”. Sebastian would scoff when Blaine insisted that they go to the little beach in front of the chocolate factory whose name Blaine can’t really pronounce. The beach which was hardly a beach, more like a strip of sand, populated by tourists and people who work nearby, going out for their lunchbreak and a quick smoke of weed.

Besides that it was a long time and they were only halfway through the semester.

“Well, I can't fight your battles

But I sure can hold your hand and promise you

That the sky will still be up there

And the sun will always shine

The stars will keep on falling

For the ones who wish at night

The mountains won't start moving

And the rivers won't run dry

The world will always be there

And so will I.”

Ben sang and a sob rippled through Blaine’s chest.

“You say, what if things start changing?

I say, we'll be changing with them

We'll just sing a different melody

And dance at different rhythm

You say, what if I give up?

I say, that it's one thing that I'll never let you do.”

And it was exactly what Sebastian would’ve said, actually pretty close to what he really did say the night before he left for France. The night where neither of them really slept, nor talked, both of them just basking in the presence of the other. Blaine’s head on Sebastian’s chest, listening to the dull beating of Sebastian’s heart against his ribcage, the fingers of his right hand curled in the crook of the taller’s neck, tangled in Sebastian’s hair, stroking lightly. Sebastian’s left hand cradling his cheek – a little damp from silent tears – fingers lightly tugging at his curls, Sebastian’s right arm securely wrapped around his body, holding him close, holding him tight, protecting him from the daylight that is about to tear them apart. Blaine had looked up while Sebastian whispered sweet nothings against his forehead, trying to memorize every freckle on his boyfriend’s handsome face. That face that could smirk when his mouth tossed out innuendo like it’s candy, that face that frowned when he helped Nick with his French assignment because “Nick, c'est quoi ce bordel? Qu'est-ce que tu fais?” and that face that smiled brightly when Blaine finally agreed that yes, blueberry pancakes with powdery sugar taste better than chocolate (it’s only a little lie to finally end the discussion, Blaine will always be a sucker for chocolate). The face that smiles fondly after he kissed the tip of Blaine’s nose when it was could outside. Or that smiled a barely-there smile, just gently tugging at the right corner of his mouth when Blaine did something Sebastian thought was adorable but didn’t really want to show that he thought it was cute. Blaine really missed this smile.

“Even if the sky is falling

And the sun don't want to shine

If the stars we used to wish on

Disappear into the night

Well, I can move a mountain

But only by your side

Just say you'll always be there

I know you'll always be there

And so will I.”

A soft melody interrupted the silence between two songs. Blaine blinked, imprints of the flames still dancing in front of his eyes. He got up to grab his phone from the table. “Hey killer”, Sebastian’s voice softly whispered in his ear. His voice, thousands of miles away, still thick with sleep because it was like, what, 9 a.m. in France and Sebastian never liked getting up early on weekends. It was those two words that tore down the wall that Blaine had tried to keep up all day, keeping his tears and emotions in check, not allowing himself to miss so much – and now he was lost. Had no words to answer his boyfriend because the only thing that tumbled out of his mouth was a stuttering breath before he was bawling, tears streaming down his face, his hand clutching his phone close to his ear while he fell back on the couch. Two words and he was coming undone.

Sebastian on the other end of the line was silent, maybe a little confused, because his next words were soft and laced with worry as he asks: “Blaine? Blaine, hey, what’s wrong? Hello? Shh, hey, talk to me.” And Blaine wanted to answer, like, really wanted to answer, wanted to tell him to come the fuck home right fucking now and hold him like he did that last night in January, 95 days ago. But all he managed is a quiet “Seb, sometimes I miss you so much…” - his voice seemed strangled and he didn’t want this, wanted to be brave and strong because he knew it was hard for Sebastian, too, to hear Blaine complain about professors and rehearsal time and not being able to wrap his arms around his waist and kiss the frown away. He didn’t want to make it harder but here he was, crying while his barely awake boyfriend felt helpless, being on the other side of the planet.

“I really miss you, too, B – you know, I do. We both knew it wouldn’t be easy and, I mean, it’s amazing here, truly, it’s great and I really like being here, but… you know I miss you a lot and it’s harder than I ever imagined and…” Sebastian fell silent. For someone who had always been quick with his tongue, he was an utter failure at offering comfort with his words. He still remembered awkwardly patting Jeff’s back when he made him cry during Warbler practice (again) or bringing Nick a fresh mug of coffee after he got so frustrated during his French assignment that he had thrown his hands up in the air and with them all the sheets of paper (again). He also remembered his last night with Blaine, his heart filled with excitement and pain and the fear of losing Blaine while he tried to hold onto his small body as tight as he could because what else could he do?

“I know”, he heard Blaine say, his voice a little louder now. “I know and I’m so happy for you, I really am, Seb. I hope you have the time of your life and maybe next year when college is over and we’re working, we’ll go back together, and you’ll show me all your favorite places and kiss me silly under the Eiffel tower…”

“I’d really like that.”

“It’s just that right now, it’s pretty easy to feel alone –”

“Blaine…”

“and I don’t want to feel that way, I really don’t. I don’t want you to feel guilty or ruin your experience –”

“Blaine.”

“or make you feel like I don’t trust you because I do, Sebastian, I – “

“Blaine!”

Sebastian’s tone made Blaine fall silent because, great, he made it, he made his boyfriend get upset when he probably just woke up. Tears threatened to spill over once again as he listened to Sebastian’s breathing.

“I am not there with you, that’s true. But that does not mean I’m not there. I always am, I promise. I can’t promise to make the pain of me missing you and you missing me go away but I can promise that I’ll try. Call me at night when you had a bad dream and I’ll tell you bad jokes until you feel the urge to hang up just to make me stop. Call me when you had a shitty day and you just want to rant but also call me when you had an amazing day. Call me when you can’t sleep, and I swear I’ll drop everything to sing to you. You can even call me an idiot because I know it means you think I’m adorable and you love me.” Blaine snickered. “Call me, text me, send me a carrier pigeon, for all I care. We’ll both be busy sometimes and I know sometimes you think that whenever we talk it should be meaningful, but I really don’t mind the nonsense you sometimes ramble about. Nothing could make my life here better than your nonsense, to be exact.”

Blaine sniffled but now it was because he really felt the need to grasp Sebastian’s face and kiss him senseless. “Tu me manques…”, he whispered because yes, he tried to learn French for next year when he’ll be walking the streets of Paris with Sebastian (also because it sounded so sexy…) and the French term somehow was more fitting than any other language: Tu me manques – you are missing from me. Only this time, it was laced with less pain and more affection.

“Tu me manques aussi, ma biche…” Sebastian answered and the lump in Blaine’s throat that had tried to choke him disappeared, making room for a warmth that spreads from his heart through his body until it reaches his fingertips.

“Oh, and Blaine?”

“Yeah?”

“There is really no reason to be jealous. There is no one around here with an ass like yours and I spend way too much time getting your cute little ass to let you go now before I can at least touch it once more.” Blaine can hear the smirk through the phone.

“Oh, shush you, you ruined the moment, Sebastian!”

He heard Sebastian laughing on the other end of the line. 95 days done, 88 more to go.

#seblaine week 202 #seblaine #sebastian smythe #blaine anderson #sebastian x blaine #college #semester abroad #hurt #comfort #au #i miss san franciso #darren criss #grant gustin

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chaoticbeanz · 6 years

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New Crush?! (2-?)

Summary- Sometimes you can have a crush on someone you least expect.

Pairing- Peter Parker x Stark! reader

Warning- cursing (a little)

Word Count- 2770

A/N- Hope you enjoy. If you have any requests, I will do my best to try to make them happen.

Y/n knows that Spider-Man was recruited by Tony but doesn’t know it’s Peter.

The picture is of your necklace

*Thoughts in italics*

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Masterlist

~General~

School was finally done for the day and Peter couldn’t leave fast enough. As soon as he was out of the building, he went to do what he always did. Go to his favorite deli and get a sandwich. After that well, you know what he does. He changes into his suit and starts patrolling, swinging around from building to building.

“Hey Karen, got anything for me?”

“Mr. Stark has not left any messages.”, the AI in his suit replies, “How was school?”

“Eh, the same as usual.”

“Have you told Y/n how you feel yet?”, Karen asks abruptly. That threw Peter off. Sometimes he forgets that he told her about his crush and often regrets it. “What?! No Karen, I haven’t and frankly I probably never will.”, Peter continues to swing but with less enthusiasm. He hates thinking about how much he likes Y/n and will never have a chance with her. Hell, he’s never even talked to her and today he blew that opportunity when she smiled and him and he didn’t even smile back.

His thoughts were interrupted by Karen speaking again, “Why not Peter? From what you have told me about her, she would be a lucky girl to have you.”

“Thanks Karen, but let’s focus now. It’s Spidey-time not Peter-time.”

While Peter was out swinging around, Y/n was still at school. She had volunteered to help Liz Toomes with this years homecoming decorations. Since the whole incident with her father last year, kids at school treated her different when she returned to school. Acting like she knew about the whole thing. But not Y/n, she knew that Liz had nothing to do with her father’s actions and instead of being fake to her,-because she knew what that felt like-she ended up befriending her over the course of the school year. Like how MJ had befriended her.

~You~

I was walking into the gymnasium looking for Liz but could not find her. I walked up to a girl I recognized from one of my classes. “Hey Maddison, have you seen Liz?”

“Uh I think I saw her over there.”, without looking the girl had pointed across the gym. When I looked again I had found Liz painting a huge banner all by herself. That pissed me off because no one was or wanted to help her. Bunch of fucking assholes. I called out to her as I walked toward her. Liz turned her head at the sound of me. She smiled and stood greeting me with a hug.

“Happy birthday Y/n!”

“Thank you Liz”, I say as we let go of each other.

“I’m glad you came. Now I don’t have to wait to give you your present.”, she said happily as she turned to her book bag to retrieve my gift.

“First MJ with a cupcake now you. Liz, you know didn’t have to get me anything.”

“I wanted to and besides what kind of friend would I be if I didn’t get you anything.”, Liz protested.

I just shake my head and sigh. It’s not that I don’t like gifts-I love them, especially when they’re meaningful-it’s just that….well. Given who my father is, I could have anything and everything if I wanted to. If I let him, he’d spoil me rotten but I convinced him that it would only raise suspicions and all the money he could be spending on me can go to something more important. And his response is always the same, “You’re what’s most important to me in this entire universe, Y/n. And nothing will ever change that.”

“I hope you didn’t spend a lot of money Liz.”, I warn her. She turns around and hands me an envelope. “I didn’t have to.”, she smirks. I gave her a look that said really? I open the envelope and inside was what seemed to be a ticket. I take it out and read it:

Stark Wildlife Preservation charity event Friday, 28th Bronx Zoo @ 7pm

My eyes widen,”How did you get this?!” On the outside I looked shocked-well because I am- but on the inside I was panicking. This charity is my other birthday present from my dad. He knows how much I love animals. So technically it’s my charity event. How does Liz get a ticket for it!? More importantly, how am I gonna explain that I was already going without telling her the truth. I refuse to lie to her or MJ. I may be keeping my father’s name a secret but I have never lied about anything I have said about him.

“My friend Peter Parker has an internship with Tony Stark so he has access to go to events like this. He was able to ask Mr. Stark for tickets for us to go.” Odd? Dad never mentioned an internship program otherwise I would have joined to spend more time with him. I’ll have to ask him about it later.

“Us?”, was all I could get out at the moment.

“Yeah. Me you MJ and Peter’s best friend Ned. Oh and his aunt May, she’s chaperoning.” Oh god, I think I’m going to pass out. “Liz, this is amazing but I can’t accept this.” I am freaking out right now. I put the ticket back in the envelope and try to give it back to her but she refuses to take it. “You can and you will, Y/n. I know how much you love and care about animals. This is a charity for them and to top it off it’s being held at the Bronx Zoo.”

I look at the envelope. I am again reminded the kind of friend she is. Like MJ, she actually pays attention to me and doesn’t just brush me off. Her doing this for me reminds me that she cares about me. They both do.

I look at Liz and give her the biggest smile ever, “This has to be the best gift you could ever give me. Thank you.” I give her another hug then put the envelope in my messenger bag then put it next to hers. “Now. How bout we paint this huge-ass banner?” I needed a distraction right now. Well actually I need a plan. I have to talk to dad and figure this out. The idea of telling MJ and Liz so soon makes me wanna throw up. What if they don’t want to be friends with me anymore? Then I’ll truly be alone. To me, that’s worse than death. Ugh I need to get out of my own mind.

“Hey Liz, since those two guys you mentioned are also gonna be at the charity; why don’t you invite them to come to my house tonight? I mean only if they would want to, that way I can meet them beforehand.”

Liz giggles, “I’m pretty sure you’ve seen Peter and Ned around school before. They’re on the decathlon team, but yeah I can talk to them and see if they want to come.” “Cool”

We both finished the banner then headed out of the school walking separate ways. On my way home I decided to stop by my favorite bakery and get a donut-which was free because it was my birthday-to eat later. Putting my headphones on, I tune out the loud people and car horns. I wish I knew that that was gonna be a bad idea.

~Peter~

Today was a slow day. One car thief, a cat stuck in a tree...twice, and old lady asking for directions, and one attempted mugging. I’m currently sitting on the edge of a building eating my sandwich from earlier and switching out my web fluid. Because I am still in the open, I have my mask half up so I can eat. Once I was done and refilled my web shooters, my phone started ringing. The caller id said Liz Toomes. I answered it. “Hey Liz”

“Hey Peter, are you busy tonight?”

“Uh not particularly. Why?” This is weird. Liz never calls me.

“Well first off I wanna say thank you for the extra ticket for the charity. She loved it” She? I thought Liz was bringing a boyfriend. “Secondly, if your not too busy she having a small birthday celebration at her house and she invited you and Ned.” I was a little taken back. Me and Ned were being invited to hang out? “Uh sure sounds like fun. I’ll talk to Ned.”

“Oh I already called him, he said he’s coming and said I quote, ‘Tell Peter that if he doesn’t he’ll regret it.’ But I’ll text you the address. See ya.” I’d regret it? What was Ned talking about? Oh shit. I forgot to ask who was ‘she’. Oh well I guess I’ll find out when I go. My phone buzzed indicating I got a message. It was Liz and she sent a time and the address. Before I could think any farther, I heard yelling.

“Please! Help! Some one stop him!”

I pull my mask down and jump off the edge swinging toward the distress. It was a girl running after a guy who seems to be hold a bag which is probably hers. As she was gaining on him-wow she’s fast-I swing lower and just when I was gonna shoot a web at the thief, he fell over dropping the bag. Oh. Well that was easier than I anticipated. Swinging down, I landed next to the thief who was….convulsing? Like he had been shocked.

I look down at the bag. It had an embroidery patches of Stark Industries, the Avengers symbol and symbols that represented each Avenger. Next to the bag, stuff seemed to have fallen out. An envelope with the words ‘Happy Birthday’ written on it, a phone and a big book with ‘Stephen King IT’ sprawled on the cover. Could it be? No. This is just a coincidence. In the short time it took me to put the items back in the bag, I heard a voice and I froze.

“Better late than never huh Spider-Man!”

That voice, I’ve heard it before. My head snaps in the direction of the voice. Holy fuck! If I could shit a brick right now, I would. “Y/n!”, I whisper-yelled. She was the one who was getting robbed. She was now walking instead of running- there was no point of the guy was down. Even though she was catching her breath, having just sprinted to try to catch this guy, she still looked beautiful. Hair now in a ponytail though some strands had fallen due to her running, headphones resting on her neck, glasses falling ever so slowly from the thin layer of sweat that had formed. Still beautiful. Oh god she’s coming closer.

“Now’s your chance. Tell her how you feel, Peter.”, Karen tells me. “Not now Karen.”, I whisper back. I put her bag down so I can tie the thief up. As I was about to touch him, Y/n shouts, “No! Don’t touch him!” She lightly jogs over and bends down next to the guy. Her eyes scan the ground around us like she’s looking for something.

“I wouldn’t touch him, unless you wanna get shocked too. It should wear off soon though. Oh, there it is.”, she says a she picks up a small pendant that look familiar-but I can’t put my finger on it. Come on Parker, you can do this. Be cool.

~You~

There was no way I was gonna let my bag get stolen, so of course I ran after him. I shouted for someone to stop him but no one helped. This city is so fucked up. But then I remembered what my father gave me for situations like this. Or other situations should it ever happen. So I ran harder so I could get closer. And once I was I took the pendant from my necklace-which was designed to look like the arc reactor-pressed the center of it and threw it at the thief. It landed on his back and I watched as he fell over, convulsing. I stopped running-because there was no need to anymore-and tried to steady my breathing.

As I walked towards the paralyzed guy, a blur of red was seen swinging in the corner of my eye. Spider-Man. Though I’ve never meet him, I know that my dad recruited him during the time of the Accords but I don’t think he’s considered an official Avenger...yet. I watched as he swung and landed next to the thief. Seeing that his job was already done for him, he bent down and put things in my bag. I guess my stuff fell out.

“Better late than never huh Spider-Man!”, I shouted at him. He looked up in my direction. Of course I can't see his expression but I seemed like the white eyes of his mask widened. Like he was surprised. He left my bag on the floor and stepped closer to the stunned man. When I saw him reach out to the guy, I immediately yell to him. “No! Don’t touch him!”

Spider-Man stops and watches me jog to him and the man on the ground. Once I get there, I search for the pendant while telling Spider-Man why he shouldn’t touch him. After I find the pendant, I hear him speak for the first time. “What is that?”, Spider-Man asks and sounding genuinely curious. I stand up to show him it.

“An invention my father made. When activated it sends a wave of electricity through whatever its attaches to. Example being this guy, resulting in convulsion, temporary paralysis, and eventually he’ll pass out. Once the device releases the shock, it detaches itself and can't be used again.” I’m always proud of dads work.

“Wow. Your father must be a genius to be able to come up with this. It’s so small yet packs a punch.”

I look up at him-he’s only a few inches taller than me- smirking and laugh, “You have no idea.” If only he knew.

We looked at each other for a moment. I wonder what he looks like? Maybe he’s cute. He sounds like a nerd-considering how interested he was about the device.

“Uh well uh it seems like you didn’t even need my help.”, He laughs almost nervously referring to the passed out guy.

“And what if I actually did need your help and you didn't show up? What then Spider-Man? I would have lost my birthday presents.”, I smirk, crossing my arms then placing my hands on my hips. I couldn’t help but be a little sassy.

“It’s your birthday?” Oh fuck.

Realizing my mistake, I lowered my head, “I’m sorry. You weren’t supposed to know that.” Your so smart Y/n.

He bent down beside him, picked up my bag from the ground and handed it to me, “Well, happy birthday uh....”

As I took my bag, our hands brushed against each other. I looked up at him again. Did he feel that tingle? Probably not. I decided to ignore it and gave him a small smile, “Y/n and thank you Spider-Man.”

“Your welcome Y/n.”, he continues to look at me. God I wish I could see the expression on his face. “Well uh I should uh probably take this guy to the police station.”

“Oh yeah right. And I should really get home before my mother files a missing persons report.”, I joke as I place my bag on my shoulder. Spider-Man laughed then pointed at my bag, “Cool patches by the way.”

I just smile at him, “See you around Spider-Man.” I turn around and begin to walk away. Not even a few steps away I hear him speak.

“Stay outta trouble”, he says.

I turn around, walking backwards, “And what if trouble finds me?”

“Then I’ll find you.”

Whoa I was not expecting that answer. His response caused me to blush hard, hoping that I was far enough that he couldn’t tell.

Oh my god. Do I have a crush on Spider-Man?!

Part 3

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ravenclawgirrl · 3 years

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5 years after the tassel turn, where am I?

It's graduation season!

Contrary to the usual scenario during this time of the year, commencement exercises now happen virtually and gone are the days where we line up to do the most awaited march. While it may seem different now, graduations will always be a reason to celebrate.

It's been over 5 years since I earned my degree in communication. Looking back, it still feels like anew. I could still remember how as a fresh grad, everything feels exciting. I was so ecstatic to meet the world - to visit places, earn my own money and be a yuppie in my chosen industry.

Lucky are those who were already certain of where they intend to be the moment they stepped out of the graduation rites. Myself, not included.

I started my working career as a Customer Solutions Officer under the giant telco, Smart Communications Inc. Here, I became part of the most advanced digital hub of the company where I serve as a front liner catering to the needs of walk-in subscribers. My job here was to retain our customers and deliver great customer experience. Yep, totally not my line. I was also puzzled how I ended up here. Perhaps, it’s the pressure, “how come everybody else is already hitching on their first job?” My bad.

Frankly, I already knew how it's going to be a temporary job from the very start. But it was certainly good while it did last. I was coerced to face and serve clients of different kinds during my time here. More than that, I was trained to be more patient and compassionate towards strangers. It also taught me to practice compartmentalization to be able to function well. My first job paid really well that it allowed me to travel often and afford luxurious gadgets and alike. As a matter of fact, I could confidently say now that should I have stayed here and never left, I might now be ready to sustain my own family.

Hence, after spending over a year with the very draining mall shifts, holiday work and endless customer service, I've decided to cut my time off and quit.

My next job kicked off around Q4 of 2017. Another high-paying job, no more mall shifts and holiday duties. In this company, I've experienced living the real makati-corporate-slave-life. Long UV queues, horrible traffic etc. But this time around, I did not last longer than three months. My reasons were simple - I don't see myself growing in this kind of environment. And so, I left.

At this point, you must say that I'm privilege enough to just leave with no back-up plans. I was and I won't lie. I still felt too young to be making serious career decisions back then. It was 2018 and I was just a young and clueless 21 year old.

I've started having problems finding my next job. I became sick of attending job interviews and my heart felt really lost on where should I go. Being unsure of where I wanna be, I opened the idea of doing something I've long wanted to do - join theatre.

I remember hearing a mass that one particular Saturday night when my thoughts suddenly wandered far. I've always been a fan of the industry but I know so little about how it works. So with all the courage from my anxious heart, I took a leap of hope. I stumbled upon a musical theatre workshop offered by Repertory Philippines where I found myself enrolling very soon.

I gambled the remaining backpay of my two previous job to this workshop. Luckily, I was in good hands. Little by little, I became more aware of the industry and the possibilities. I met a handful of people who helped me understand this world I’m trying to fit in. Soon enough, another workshop from Atlantis Theatrical transpired and I saw myself enlisting again out of the littlest money left in my pocket.

To sustain myself, I've tried applying for work-from-home jobs. I've accepted writing gigs and some freelance jobs that would make money. Although I don't earn as much as a regular job, at least, it felt productive. However, It is important to acknowledge the contribution of my parents when I've come to follow my heart's desire. Without their assistance, I could not frankly sustain any of these quite decently.

Theatre then, became my home. I was truly at my happiest. It awakened my burning passion to be on stage. At this point, around three years after the tassel turn, I finally found the place where I wanna be. It took me that long, but I'm still glad I did.

Hence, it isn't really as easy as it looks. Joining around this age, getting myself a space in the industry is a challenge. Possible, but a really difficult one. Attending a handful of auditions as a neophyte didn't really become effective too soon. I've realized how I must be more well-equipped if I really discern to stay. I need more lessons and training that would help me in enhancing my skills and increasing my knowledge. After some time, I found another theatre program that would help me in this goal. University of the Philippines Diliman offers a Master of Arts in Theatre Arts.

After coursing through the module with high hopes, I've mustered the courage to work on the requirements and prayed to get in. My claim was simple - if this is for me, it will be. A month after my submission, I received my acceptance letter.

And so, I became a student once again. I literally went far for my dreams. Being a south girl all my life, QC is definitely a stranger to me. I found myself scouting dorm in Katipunan ready to live independently! At this point, most of my college batch mates are probably either receiving career promotions, purchasing their first huge investments or simply starting their own family.

Meanwhile, I've only started climbing the ladder of my dreams. But one thing's for sure, I was totally happy. I never felt the need to compare myself to anyone. We all have different timelines and I totally trust mine.

I immerse myself to more plays. I observe more people who made it. I feed my soul with anything but theatre hoping to collect inspiration from these. I make sure to make use of all my available time for the goal. I remember often reminding myself before that my stay at UP should serve me well - that I should maximize all the lesson I could get from every class, interaction or even normal conversation. True enough, my stay was worth the while.

During my first year in UP, everyday became a learning experience as I got to be more involved with the community. I've also realized how I've wanted to take on different tracks and explore promising potentials. Some of the classes gave me a preview of my desire for the academe so I could go as far as teaching skillful scholars with little to no access to mainstream theatre. A totally different story perhaps. Since then, I doubled my hard work to gain more opportunities.

In the pursuit of my dreams, I've become more independent. I learned more life hacks, became more interested in kitchen works, taught myself how to do my own show make-up and further enhanced all the skills I've got to be able to make it work.

Summer of 2019, I landed on a stage management internship with Atlantis Theatrical. My first professional theatre exposure that further ignited my burning love for this craft. I never went home empty-handed but with a pocket full of worthy learnings rather. I got to work with some of my most looked-up PH Theatre icons and each day is a different kind of ride.

Soon after finishing this internship, I was immediately offered to do a paid gig as an Assistant Stage Manager and the rest is history. This marked the start of my freelance gigs that revolved around on-site events. I get paid to do on-site coordination, logistic works and all the kinds. Along with this, I still continued attending VTRs, showing up on auditions and joining free workshops when I can. This year also kicked start my experience of performing on kiddie parties in character costumes every weekend through PWJ. On the side, I sometimes win small acting gigs for short films and student prods. I still earn a little compare to my two previous jobs but with all the experience I have in my hands at this point, I'm definitely happier.

To be in theatre meant facing multiple rejections normally. And having to undergo e so much in a short span, showing up on audition already takes a huge ball of courage. I was truly blessed to get myself a tight but really strong circle of support system that helps me all the time when things start to get rough. The process, the tiring process.

So it's not surprising that by end of 2019, I felt the need to rethink. After a year of endless auditions, finally, I got my first callback! But it was a very untimely season to get rejected again afterwards. The turn of things paved the way for me to rest a little.

The pay is not going any better and I'm running out of energy to give. The passion and hard work that I've been devoting won't solely pay my bills. Perhaps, it wasn't something I cannot simply shrug away. Because of this, my grad school performance also got affected. This pushed me to pause. I had a quick realignment and reality check. How long will I allow myself to stay in uncertainty?

It is a pretty painful decision. But come Q1 of 2020, I found myself taking a leave on my grad school and applying for a stable corporate job again. After a long while, I came searching my closet for blazers and skirts again when for years, I filled it with nothing but black production clothes and rehearsal attires. I saw myself attending another set of job interview inside meeting rooms after a ton of casting calls and audition venues.

Although, I was pretty sure it's for the best. After all, I convinced myself that it's only going to be a meaningful rest. Soon enough, I'll be back on and offstage when I can freely fund my dreams.

SMDC was my first huge corporate experience. Here, as a Marketing and Events Supervisor, I was tasked to oversee CSR projects execution around SMDC properties. With a background in Stage Management, it didn't become too difficult. My Customer Service experience also helped my job of connecting to a number of residents more handy.

During my stay with the company, I was tapped to be the official voice of the SMDC hotline. Not quite sure if it pushed through after I left but all I remember is the feeling of satisfaction to be at-least doing a little talent sharing alongside my marketing job.

Being back in a stable job that pays well, I got to save more and finally invest again. Small achievements led to another until I got the hang of it. Unfortunately, things turned sour between me and my immediate head causing me to leave the good company unexpectedly. A totally different story again but for what it's worth, I'm really glad it happened.

The pandemic hit the country and getting a job is now more difficult than it has ever been. After 8 exhausting months of working for this corporation, I've decided to rest for quite some time. two months to be exact. Until, my current job found me.

I now work as an Events Specialist at a local PR agency. With various background and a pretty diverse experience, I initially thought that I may know enough of what I'll be doing. But being in this job hastily proved me wrong - there is so much more to discover!

For some coward reasons, I never dreamed of working for an agency back in college. But the way of things brought me here pushing me to believe that I am destined to do this. My current job focuses on conceptualizing online and offline events for different brands, client servicing, sourcing suppliers and everything in between. Which is, safe to say, demands a portion of all I've learned from all the jobs I've done. Could be exhausting most times but a validation of my versatility to which I enjoyed most.

In a span of 5 years, my career trajectory came really far. From Retail, Corporate, Marketing, Freelancing, Grad School, Production and now Agency - who would've thought? Yet, I ain't even really where I desire to be. I couldn't also grasp the fact of how far my combined spontaneity and dreams have led me sometimes. 5 years after the tassel turn, one could expect a really huge win. But I'm sorry to break it - there isn't anything grand to reveal. Hence, I'm quite satisfied knowing that I continue to be a progressive student of life. Checking on where I am now, it feels fair. I may not be exactly where I wish to be, but I am who I've decided to be. I've paid so much price to be the woman I am now, thus, my most important investment.

I definitely know nothing of what the future holds. But I'm certain that we are exactly where we are meant to be. So if any reader gets to this point of my story, i hope you get to embrace the job that puts food on your table. It might not be that job yet but sooner, it'll all make sense.

Please let me know if you've read this. Makes me so much happy that I get readers. Share me your story too and I'll gladly listen! xx

#career #strugglingartist #ravenyyyywrites #careerstory

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moranmagic · 6 years

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GDS3 Essays

I didn’t think I would do this yet but everyone else is so why not. I’ve also already written a post script about what I think I did well and where I missed the mark that you can read here.

1. Introduce yourself and explain why you are a good fit for this internship. 273 words

My name is William Moran and I've been playing and thinking about games my entire life. I graduated from Ohio State University with a bachelor's degree in English and currently operate a Jimmy John's store as the general manager.

I tackle problems with a critical eye and mind—I want to analyze how the details contribute to the greater picture. What's our objective and how do the small things we do along the way affect our ability to reach it? I trained at this in college as I looked at how all parts of a text are structured in order to convey and create meaning. I use this at Jimmy John's as I set short term and long term goals and work with my team in order to make those dreams our reality. I've observed and toyed with these interactions through games played since I was a child. I understand that changing any aspect of a game will change how it plays and I care about finding out how to make changes that will make games better.

I value gaming for the unique and entertaining experience it is, the way it creates a story, and how that brings people together. Games allow us to share a positive experience, sometimes with complete strangers. Creating that experience, giving people opportunities to make meaning and build stories with each other through game play, is the more important thing I feel a game can do.

If I am selected for this internship, I will devote myself to ensuring that Magic continues to be the incredible success that brings people together by creating fun new experiences for them.

2. An evergreen mechanic is a keyword mechanic that shows up in (almost) every set. If you had to make an existing keyword mechanic evergreen, which one would you choose and why? 343 words

Skulk was considered by R&D as an evergreen mechanic contender and I know a lot of players also thought it could be a shared mechanic for blue and black. It turns out the design space for skulk isn't very big. More than that, my assessment of the mechanic is that it's an evasion mechanic and putting it in blue and black doesn't make sense—those two colors already have the most evasion in the game and don't need more. I also think they want a shared mechanic that cares about combat between creatures. But I'm not talking about a shared mechanic for blue and black here. I'm talking about how I believe skulk could be useful to a different color.

Green's only evasion mechanic is trample. While green does get the odd Charging Badger and other small creatures with trample, it makes the most sense on large creatures that have more power to trample over blockers. Green lacks an evasion mechanic that makes sense for when its smaller creatures need a way to get through. What can we do there?

I propose skulk. I would suggest using it on small green creatures for evasion. Primary in green, then secondary but very sparingly used in blue and black only if their gluttony of other evasion mechanics really don't make sense for a design. Skulk does have limited design space and while I think green can make uniquely good use of it, my suggestion can't change that limit. Shifting it to green at least puts it in a color that has yet to see it and without it being a block mechanic it can be used more sparingly here. Some prior cards could even be made as color shifted variants in green (such as a creature with skulk and deathtouch).

Green's Giant Growth effects make pumping a skulking creature after blocks are (not) declared more of a reality. Now my 2/2 skulking bear might actually be five damage to the face if my opponent chooses not to trade with their own small utility creature.

3. If you had to remove evergreen status from a keyword mechanic that is currently evergreen, which one would you remove and why? 300 words

For me there is a hands down best answer that no other current evergreen keywords can even compete with: defender. I'd drop it.

Defender is a down side mechanic that prohibits a creature that has the mechanic from attacking. By the very nature of the mechanic, you can't use it a lot in set design. Defenders just sit there and eat damage without being able to progress the game toward an end and this simply prolong the game often without advancing the board state in a meaningful way. On the relatively few cards that use defender it would be no issue simply to write out this creature “can't attack.”

The bulk of defender designs can be classified as one of two types. The first type is 0/N creatures where they have zero power and some amount of toughness. With the ability to buff these cheaply and since they are costed knowing they can't attack, these designs absolutely need “can't attack” rules. But since you don't typically put a bulk of game play focus and rules text on a literal wall—sitting there blunting attacks doesn't make for exciting games—writing out the defender rules text on these cards won't greatly distract from other important elements.

The second type is a group of creatures designed around the idea they they lose defender. Hightide Hermit is the latest of these designs. By ditching defender and rewording he ability that causes it to be able to attack as if it didn't have defender, you can actually drop a line of rules text and the design looks cleaner to me overall. I'd word it as “Hightide Hermit can't attack unless you pay EE.” It parallels Propaganda effects and I'd really want to consider this wording even in a world where defender lives on at evergreen status.

4. You’re going to teach Magic to a stranger. What’s your strategy to have the best possible outcome? 348 words

First, let's define the best possible outcome so we know what we're hoping for: the stranger should walk away wanting to play more Magic. The best way we can get that result is for them to have fun.

When teaching a game, especially Magic, it's easy to get bogged down in the trap of explaining too much of the rules up front. Having taught a few people how to play Magic, my preferred method is to play first and explain as we go. I'll grab two of the new Planeswalker decks and give a brief hook about what they'll be doing: “You're an evil dragon mastermind and you want to make my life as miserable as possible!” Then we draw seven cards.

I like to play the very first game with our hands revealed. This lets me advise them about what to play—”Start with a land. Put it on the table in front of you.”—and if they have questions they can point to a card and ask me without feeling they're showing me information they should keep hidden. “Now you use that land to cast a spell. Turn it sideways to show you used it this turn.” Ideally they're casting a creature and soon swinging with it to attack me. Their first Magic experience is that they're really playing and I've explained the bare essentials like how lands match up with the colors of mana on costs.

They don't hear about a hundred different rules and specific game terms that would distract and overwhelm them. Perhaps most importantly, they see a narrative develop. Mighty wizards build up their forces by casting spells and increasing their power supply until one of them can tip the odds in their favor and seize the day.

I want them to enjoy the world and story of Magic they get a glimpse of through the cards. I want them to have fun trying to beat me in the game. If I can accomplish those two things then I know the answer to “Do you want to play again?” will be an emphatic “YES!”

5. What’s Magic’s greatest strength and why? 277 words

Without a doubt the best thing Magic has going for it is that game after game it still remains immensely fun. It does this by immersing the player in so many ways; the art looks cool, it's a social experience, it provides a unique challenge, there are so many ways to play it, and every game you play feels fresh and engaging.

I picked up the game back around 2006 because it looked interesting. I kept playing it because I was having fun even though I wasn't really sure my friends and I were playing it correctly. New players will come into the game out of curiosity, or because their friends play it, or because they found a sibling;s old cards in a shoebox. They'll stick with it only because they have fun with it. If they don't have fun then they'll put it down and look for something entertaining.

Players keep playing Magic because it's fun. Maybe it's the lore, or grinding tournaments, or obscure rules interactions that enable silly combos, or just spending time with friends playing a game. Whatever it is, they've found the parts of Magic that are the most fun for them. If those parts stop being fun, it's only a matter of time before they ask themselves how much longer they should indulge a hobby that stopped being as entertaining to them.

One immensely difficult aspect to continuing Magic's success is determining how all these different players, from the beginner to the veteran, enjoy the game and ensuring there's enough of that in the products released each your that they all remain happy and excited about what Magic is doing.

6. What’s Magic’s greatest weakness and why? 252 words

The answer's simple; complexity. Magic is so so so complex. It's hard to learn and harder to master. That's a big barrier to learning the game and even a barrier to continuing the game—even pros have limits as to how much complexity they can handle.

Now complexity isn't all bad. It's also a strength of Magic. The game wouldn't be as rich and rewarding as it is if it wasn't also complicated. But the trick is focusing that complexity so that there's a payoff for putting up with it. I shouldn't finish a game of Magic and feel like I just did taxes, but there can be some mentally taxing situations within the game. There can be difficult things to learn and rules to be aware of.

Ideally the complexity is fun. Tracking Storm count is just tedious bookkeeping except I know the payoff is coming and that it's me one shotting you with a Tendrils when that number gets high enough. That's the secret to making complexity work for the game; always point it toward a fun result. If the player knows a payoff is coming then the act of getting there becomes less tedious and even becomes a source of enjoyment.

The players trust that if they're doing something then there will be a reward for it. There HAS to be a reward. Point them in a direction and have it fizzle out after they've spent time and effort getting there and that's when complexity is really Magic's bane.

7. What Magic mechanic most deserves a second chance (aka which had the worst first introduction compared to its potential)? 257 words

Cipher is solid as an idea but it was executed poorly. What it did well is promise free copies of spells and require players to attack to get them. What it did poorly is hamstring development since the potential copies were unlimited, have limited design space, and use wonky wording (encode?).

I want a mechanic that still delivers free copies of spells and encourages attacking, but which can be developed better—and I'm not going to use “encode” to accomplish it, just words already commonly used in Magic. I'm calling the mechanic Spellstrike—you strike your opponent and you get spells. Think of it as Rebound meets Cipher. I'd word the reminder text something like “If you cast this from your hand, exile it on a creature you control as it resolves instead of putting it into your graveyard. After this turn, when that creature attacks, you may cast this card from exile without paying its mana cost.” This successfully navigates the failures of cipher while monopolizing its best aspects.

Because the second cast can only ever happen one time, the initial payment for the spell can almost certainly be less than what we saw for cipher (I would hope spellstrike doesn't ask 2UB for a 1/1 with flying). If triggering upon attack proved too powerful, it could be adjusted to be a combat damage to an opponent trigger as well, but my hope is that this successfully expands the design space since the mechanic now works as a combat trick and thus on instants as well as sorceries.

8. Of all the Magic expansions that you’ve played with, pick your favorite and then explain the biggest problem with it. 292 words

Eldritch Moon cranked the dial on Eldrazi to 11 when some people had had enough of them at 10. I'm not one of those people. I love Eldrazi and Shadows Over Innistrad block was such a unique blend of Emrakul and Innistrad that I fell madly in love (pun intended). That block, and Eldritch Moon specifically, is some of the best Magic I've ever experienced—from limited to constructed to the art, story, and individual cards, it all rocked! Which makes it a real shame that it came right after Battle for Zendikar block and part of the audience was burnt out on Eldrazi.

BFZ block particularly agitated people with some mechanical choices (devoid for one) that soured peoples' opinions of Eldrazi. Add into that Eldrazi are already contentious because of their specific game play previously (battle cruiser Magic and annihilator) and creatively because they look unsettling and destroy your favorite plane. People were ready to move on from Eldrazi after BFZ block and there was no better way than with the best plane ever, Innistrad. With no downtime between Elrazi catastrophes, instead the perception was that these horrors went on to destroy that plane in irreparable ways.

The lesson to take from this is to be aware of how a player's perception of “it's the same thing all over again” can link disparate mechanical elements because they share some important creative similarities. The Eldrazi of SOI block and incredibly different from the Eldrazi of BFZ block. Melding Eldrazi with horror was a spectacular move. But since the block was preceded by an Eldrazi block, all four sets were viewed almost as one mega block with shared failings when SOI block would have been better appreciated had there been some downtime between them.

9. Of all the Magic expansions that you’ve played with, pick your least favorite and then explain the best part about it. 297 words

Aether Revolts, especially draft, didn't transform the format substantially. It's not that it was bad, just that if I'm going to draft Kaladesh block, I'd rather draft triple Kaladesh instead of Kaladesh and something that feels like the set Kaladesh but isn't. What did Aether Revolt do best? Revolt!

How appropriate that the keyword mechanic that shares its name with part of the title of the set, revolt, was so dang good. I looked at revolt and though, “Seems like a remake of morbid.” And it is in part, sure. A creature dying will trigger revolt. But it's so different from morbid that it stands on its own in ways I wouldn't have guessed at first. Bouncing something back to your hand, exiling or flickering something, they all trigger revolt. I can still throw a little 1/1 against my opponent and see if they'll kill it. But I can also sac my Evolving Wilds. Let's talk about that for a moment because it highlights one of the best aspects of revolt and how it's definitely not just a morbid clone.

Typical game play with Evolving Wilds is to play it and then crack it on your opponent's next end step to search out your land, withholding the information of which land you want as long as possible while still getting it untapped to use on your next turn. But what if you need revolt active? Perhaps the best play now is to hold onto my Evolvng Wilds so I can activate revolt whenever I need to. I need to assess if the mana and fixing is more important than the revolt boost.

Any mechanic that can make me reassess a basic aspect of the game that I usually take for granted is doing some really good work.

10. You have the ability to change any one thing about Magic. What do you change and why? 282 words

I would abolish the legendary rule and make legendary simple a marker with no rules baggage.

Legendary is a negative mechanic in the rules sense—you can only control one copy of a legendary something. If you put four copies of of a legend in your deck then most of the time drawing multiple copies of that leaves you with dead cards in your hand. But on the flip side, legendary cards are usually cool and powerful cards that players will want to play even more than normal. They aren't often so powerful that a player needs to be limited to only controlling one copy at a time and the few times that is true, rules text on the specific card that recreates the legendary rule in some manner would do the trick.

Legendary creatures are things players want to play and they will be better able to play them if they can put four copies in their decks without being penalized for it with dead draws of what would otherwise be an awesome draw. Furthermore, ditching the legend rules means Magic is free to make anything a legend if it feels legendary. Why would you want to do that? Commander is such a popular format that it's snagged a dedicated yearly product slot. The best way to support that format is by printing more legendary creatures and being free to make creatures legendary especially when they will encourage a new deck archetypes in the format. If legendary is only used as a marker for cool unique creatures without rules baggage then, once again, you're free to make anything a legend if it feels legendary. Commander players around the globe will rejoice.

#gds3 #essays #mtg

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ontheperiphery · 7 years

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ticket to ride

kim taehyung x reader, college!au fluff word count: 1.8k

you’re not sure what compelled you to offer a favor to someone you barely knew

Aimlessly scrolling through social media to kill time waiting for your friend, you’re dismayed to find that you showed up at the shopping plaza so early that you had scrolled through almost all your media feed, twitter, tumblr, instagram, snapchat. You frown slightly at refreshing your more face-paced feeds like twitter, but finding little more content to consume, you reluctantly resign yourself to tapping open your last resort: facebook. Communicating with college acquaintances was important, you supposed, but just fresh out of finals, you wanted to enjoy at least a bit of your summer break without considering how everyone you knew seemed to be more successful at finding meaningful summer jobs or internships than you.

At least that’s what you told yourself but here you were scrolling through the frustrating app anyway. Like a fool.

So you sat at a shaded bench and texted your friend where to meet and scrolled past videos recommended to you via algorithm, events you may or may not be interested in attending, grad pics you at least paused on to reply with your congratulations, and hm. Taking a minute to read a little closer-

“Hey! Y/n, what’s up?”

“Oh,” you look up with surprise to greet your friend, “hey Namjoon, not much.” You ask if he wants to grab some food before shopping and conversation picks up from there. It’s not until you both are both nearly finished with your meals that you absently sip at your iced tea and ask, “Would it be weird to offer a ride to someone who needs one? If you don’t know them that well?”

“No?” Namjoon answers while snatching a fry from your tray, “you’re doing them a favor so if anything they’ll be thankful to you.”

You huff in response because that wasn’t the kind of answer you were looking for and though you shoot Namjoon an unamused glare, you wait another moment before responding in hopes that he actually had more to say.

Chewing thoughtfully he nods, “well I guess…since it’s you though, it’ll be ride of awkward or no conversation.” Namjoon pauses again, making eye contact with your still present glare.

You snort at his words.

He then hums in affirmation, “see? You’re not really one to keep a conversation going. Anyway, did someone ask you to take them somewhere?”

“I guess” you concede, “I’m not the best conversation buddy” Your eyes narrow as you swat at Namjoon’s hand attempting to sneak another one of your fries. “But I dunno. Earlier I saw someone who needs a ride to the train station and it kind of works for me because I’ll already be in the area that day and it’s on the way home…” Letting your words trail off you take another sip of your drink only to receive the discordant sound of exaggerated sipping and no more tea.

“And you just wanted to be nice?” Namjoon fills in oh so helpfully.

“Yeah.”

“Then I don’t see a problem,” Namjoon shrugs, “even if you suck at making small talk make them sit in the backseat and listen to music or something. Or maybe they’ll be talkative enough to make up for it.”

Your eyebrows still scrunch together with doubt and Namjoon takes the opportunity to swipe another french fry, although he accidentally topples your drink cup in the process. The empty clatter immediately snaps you out from your distracted consideration of Namjoons advice.

“Thanks for the input,” you mutter dryly with a fixed glare.

Namjoon only smiles sheepishly in response.

Flopping on to your bed with a huff, just about ready to fall asleep, you pull out your phone to set an alarm for the next day. You had errands to run in the morning, and thanks to Namjoon’s prompting, you sent a message offering a ride to, it turned out, a good friend of his. According to Namjoon, the kid was friendly and you had nothing to worry about, but if sound logic and good advice was enough to assuage your doubts, you probably wouldn’t still be lying wide awake contemplating the problems of tomorrow.

Eventually you fall asleep to the soft hum of your nerves calming in the silence and solitude of your room.

The next day arrives and brings a consistent stream of stress in the form of almost-mishaps. From snoozing your alarm one too many times and running out to drive to your volunteer shift without grabbing more than a granola bar, realizing you forgot your drivers license and making a detour back home to grab it on the off chance you’d need it, arriving late to deliver some stuff you were selling to make moving out easier for one of your roommates and finding that the buyer was even more late than you, nothing truly went wrong but your day was chaotic enough to have you exhausted and ready to nap for a week to make up for it.

But you didn’t have that kind of time and settled for a quick lunch as poor compensation.

Your phone lit up with a message from the person you barely knew but offered to drive to the train station. It had been a while, but you two had shared a class a few academic quarters ago and sometimes passed by each other at general body meetings or events for a mutual org. Although you don’t remember ever having a one-on-one conversation or spending time together without other mutual friends present, you resign yourself to a first for everything. Fingers metaphorically crossed as you pulled up to the agreed meeting place with your to-be-passenger, you rolled down to window and waved to the waiting figure nearby, hoping you would be recognizable.

“Oh! Hey, Y/n,” he smiled, excitement clear as the brightness in his expression, “was just about to message and make sure it was you.”

Chuckling sheepishly in response, “hey Taehyung. Yeah, I’m kind of glad you were able to notice me. Do you want your stuff in the backseat or in the trunk?” You gesture to his luggage and carry-on and briefly wonder if courtesy required you to step out of your car to greet him and help him with his stuff. But then he’s already wheeling his bags towards the trunk of your car as you push the button to open it accommodatingly to watch helplessly in the rear view mirror and hope with all of your being that you weren’t being rude.

Thankfully you remembered to also unlock the car doors and Taehyung hops into the passenger seat beside you without trouble and offers an iced tea with boba. You blink, pleasantly surprised as he gives another bright grin that somehow lights up the space around him even as the corner of his lips aren’t upturned in the way you’re used to smiles doing. And yet, his smile was incredibly endearing and happiness is contagious and the boy teases a thank you and a grateful smile from you before you even realize it.

Given that you had driven friends and roommates to the train station before and didn’t need directions, you were able to drive comfortably and popped in the straw to your drink, delighted that he chose a flavor that you enjoyed.

Taehyung only shrugs off your attempt and another thanks, upholding that, “hey, you’re actually being a big help to me, you deserve it. It’s for you.”

“Hmm I guess. Thanks, still,” you reply with a small huff and a smile.

You’re not sure if Taehyung thinks you still need convincing, but he has some way of filling up space. In conversation, in the car, from talking about his thankfulness that you were willing to brave the traffic that was inevitable from people driving home from their jobs during this time of day, how lucky he felt from not needing to call an uber or lyft which surely would’ve cost him a pretty penny in this traffic, to firmly insisting that he treat you out to a meal or something when he was back in town. He didn’t mind if you had to brake less than smoothly if other vehicles on the road drove more recklessly than you, easily continued conversation from your shorter responses, and just, had some way of making and filling space.

The both of you were animatedly talking about your pet dogs back home, sharing fond and nostalgic memories and before you realized and could transition the conversation to proper thanks and appreciation of Taehyung’s company, you had arrived at the train station and just a few seconds away from arriving at the pick-up/drop-off curb.

Facing you, Taehyung had yet to notice, “Ahhh, it’s been so long since I’ve seen Soonshim y-”

“Hey uhh,” you interrupted a little less than gracefully, softened with a smile, “I’m really sorry but we’re here.” You felt awful for cutting him off, but hoped your unease didn’t make its way into your expression.

“Oh…listen, Y/n, it was really nice of you to drive me!” Taehyung replies without missing a beat, “have a good summer break I really hope you don’t have to deal with a lot of traffic on your way home-”

You both jump a bit at a loud beep from a vehicle behind you, supposedly waiting for their turn to pull up in the drop-off zone as well and you already feel the imaginary time limit weigh on your shoulders. Your mind drifts back to the hassle of the day’s previous errands. Right. Because nothing today was allowed to go smoothly.

Your thoughts were the mental equivalent to keyboard smashing and while you regretted the forced and quick goodbyes with Taehyung and again, helpless waiting in the driver’s seat as he retrieved his bags from your trunk on his own, Taehyung tried to wave off the concern in your possibly frowny-face and gave one last beaming grin directed at you.

“Have a great summer!! Thanks again!” you hear, past the hum of outside clamor and vehicles pulling up and leaving.

Letting your mind focus instead on the traffic that never eased up on your way home and the soft hum of your favorite playlist, you tried not to think about how much lonelier it felt whenever you turned your head to your right and took unusual notice of the empty passenger seat.

Stop-and-go-traffic came and went and you grew increasingly relieved the closer and closer you got to home. It wasn’t until you safely arrived and tiredly lay down on a nest of pillows and blankets still gathered on your living room couch that you looked at your phone to notice a new message.

[5:15pm]kim taehyung: thank u again for taking me to the train station!!! HOPE YOUR DRIVE HOME IS EASY AND LIGHTER TRAFFIC THAN YOU EXPECT!! pls let me take you out sometime for food when you have time!!! or I can drop off food anytime during the school year

You smiled at Taehyung’s energy that carried over so naturally over text, and replied as promptly as you could now that you were no longer driving. It feels almost natural to continue conversation with him and you’re glad that none of your fears over the favor came to fruition.

[5:48pm]you: you’re welcome!! im back safe and sound :)

[5:48pm]you: I hope you have a safe trip as well!

[5:49pm]kim taehyung: tHANK YOU! when I get home ill tell soonshim u said hi

Attached was an image of a very cute dog and you allowed a fond laugh to express the warm happiness filling your chest.

Yeah, Taehyung sure had some way of filling space.

#bts scenarios #bts scenario #taehyung scenario #taehyung scenarios #lori writes ;v;;#happy summer y'all #hope ur all enjoying time off from school #unless u have summer classes in that case my sympathies and good luck #may good grades and free time and fun bless u

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charitywaterblog · 7 years

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Meet our Spring Interns!

This Spring, we were so honored to work with 12 amazing, talented, and ambitious interns who showed up every day with a contagious passion for changing the world. Say hello to our Spring intern dream team!

Name: Kelsey Thompson School: The King’s College Team: Marketing Hometown: Keller, Texas

Why did you want to intern at charity: water?

I wanted to get involved with a nonprofit organization and a lot of people at my school recommended charity: water!

What does a typical day in the office look like for you?

I answer a lot of questions from supporters on a multitude of different issues, assist with merchandise orders, and help out at the reception desk!

What’s your favorite part of interning at charity: water?

The people! Everyone here is so nice and the office is always planning something interesting.

What goes on in your life outside of charity: water?

Lots and lots of studying! But other than that, I love hanging out with my friends and when I’m not seeing Broadway shows, I’ve probably got the soundtracks stuck in my head.

What is your favorite place to hang out in New York?

Remedy Diner on the Lower East Side or Union Square when the weather is nice.

Where do you want to be in 15 years?

It’s kinda of a surprise to everyone, including myself.

Fun Fact: When I was young, there was a period of time in which I would not respond to Kelsey. I made my family call me “Ariel” because I loved The Little Mermaid so much.

Name: Laura Heilburn School: Auburn University Team: Key Relationships - UK Initiative Hometown: San Diego, CA

Why did you want to intern at charity: water?

Public health and preventative medicine are strong passions of mine, so to be able to join charity: water in pursuit of worldwide access to clean water is an incredible privilege. charity: water has chosen to face the water crisis head on as well as challenge pre-existing and inefficient charity models with their 100% model. I am endlessly inspired by their impact as well as the courage they provide those facing enormous obstacles of their own.

What does a typical day in the office look like for you?

Working on charity: water’s expansion to the UK means I get the wonderful opportunity to work with many different people in various departments. It has been invaluable to see the inner workings of this organization and the different roles it takes to support the mission for clean water.

What’s your favorite part of interning at charity: water?

You could not ask for a more kind and passionate group of people to work alongside, and I mean both staff and supporters. It is reassuring, especially during times like these, to see the good happening on a daily basis and to work with people who are not discouraged by the size of a problem but instead determined to do something about it.

What goes on in your life outside of charity: water?

Outside of charity: water I make a living as a graphic designer. If I’m not working on any projects you can find me snapping some photos, strumming my guitar, or scheming up a new adventure.

What is your favorite place to hang out in New York?

I love to be wherever the music is. From subway stations and Washington Square Park to Carnegie Hall, this city is filled with so many talented musicians! (I’ve skipped many a train just to hear another tune).

Where do you want to be in 15 years?

I have a forecast of about 3 months right now, but please introduce me to someone with a 15-year plan, I could learn a thing or two!

Name: Shaikh Moin School: Fordham University Team: Water Programs Hometown: Jamaica Estates, NY

Why did you want to intern at charity: water?

I had a friend who interned at charity: water last semester and the work that she did was so impactful. I was really inspired by her to apply and get involved in helping solve the global water crisis.

What does a typical day in the office look like for you?

It varies so much! Recently, I have been working on researching potential partners for new grants. In the past I’ve helped Anna with Monitoring and Evaluation or Water Program Officer’s with photo review.

What’s your favorite part of interning at charity: water?

Beer and Pizza! I love the workplace environment here.

What goes on in your life outside of charity: water?

I love spending time with my friends and exploring NYC. Typically that means going to concerts or trying new restaurants.

What is your favorite place to hang out in New York?

Mugz’s Bar and Grill

Where do you want to be in 15 years?

Professionally, I see myself working in humanitarian aid or medicine, ideally somehow combining the two.

Fun Fact: I somehow have chipped a tooth every year for the past 6 years.

Name: Emily Manser School: New York University Team: Key Relationships Hometown: Hanover, MA

Why did you want to intern at charity: water?

The moment I heard about charity: water I knew it was an organization I wanted to be a part of, being able to intern here has been a dream come true.

What does a typical day in the office look like for you?

Every day here at charity: water is different - whether I’m circulating the office, asking for signatures on Jerry Cans, sending birthday gifts to our Well Members, or putting together The Well Newsletter, I am always keeping busy.

What’s your favorite part of interning at charity: water?

I have always wanted to work for a nonprofit and being able to start my experience at an org with the mission and values like charity: water has been amazing. I wouldn’t want it any other way.

What goes on in your life outside of charity: water?

As a college freshman, my schoolwork keeps me plenty busy when I’m not in the office.

What is your favorite place to hang out in New York?

I love spending time in Washington Square Park during the week but on the weekends you can find me exploring the entire city.

Where do you want to be in 15 years?

I would love to continue working in the nonprofit sector, maybe even start one of my own someday.

Fun Fact: I was born and grew up in Switzerland before moving to Massachusetts, so I am always craving Swiss chocolate!

Name: Ashley Echols School: University of Washington Team: Key Relationships Hometown: Waco, TX

Why did you want to intern at charity: water?

I studied abroad a few years ago in Bhutan where I did research on how water resource infrastructure affected villages socioeconomically and fell in love with water. I then pursued a masters in environmental engineering with a focus in water resources. Upon moving to NYC, I started researching water nonprofits and loved the model and ideals of charity: water.

What does a typical day in the office look like for you?

I’m usually working on completion reports and drinking copious amounts of coffee.

What’s your favorite part of interning at charity: water?

I love being a part of an organization where the people are all so passionate about what they do. There are such positive vibes around the office and everyone’s upbeat spirits are so infectious.

What goes on in your life outside of charity: water?

When I’m not at charity: water, I’m usually spending time with friends, going on spontaneous road trips, or hunting the next best donut.

What is your favorite place to hang out in New York?

Royal Palms Shuffleboard Club in Gowanus

Where do you want to be in 15 years?

I hope to be working in international development in the WASH sector, traveling the world, and surrounding myself with good people. I also hope there are puppies involved.

Fun Fact: I have held security clearances for both the US and British governments.

Name: Cristina Gnecco School: NYU Team: Key Relationships Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia, and Bogota, Colombia

Why did you want to intern at charity: water?

To contribute to the end of extreme poverty by helping people gain access to clean water! It’s really challenging to find organizations doing truly amazing work that have the funding models and attitude necessary to make impactful change. After researching hundreds of organizations, I fell in love with charity: water’s innovative model and amazing (yellow!) brand.

What does a typical day in the office look like for you?

Coming in and catching up with the other interns and team members about the day’s tasks over snacks and giant mason jars full of water. This usually includes sending fun gifts and thank you’s to our amazing supporters, researching new potential donors, and helping out with any events that are coming up. Lots of spreadsheets and research!

What’s your favorite part of interning at charity: water?

Everyone works hard and plays hard which creates an exciting and productive atmosphere that’s fun to be a part of. It’s the kind of job that you look forward to going to on a Friday (or on Monday or Wednesday or any day for that matter), but especially Friday because we have beer and pizza at 5pm.

What goes on in your life outside of charity: water?

I love to run, boogie around the town, pet dogs, and take naps.

What is your favorite place to hang out in New York?

Any sunny spot with trees and grass!

Where do you want to be in 15 years?

I’ve always wanted to be an astronaut but I’m too short. Hopefully, I’ll be making a meaningful impactful change, with my family, friends, and dog somewhere on Earth instead. Maybe Colombia?

Fun Fact: I hiked the Incan trail and got food poisoning the day I arrived at Macchu Pichu. I threw up all over the ruins!

Name: Michael Martinez School: The King’s College Team: Brand Partnerships Hometown: Highlands Ranch, Colorado

Why did you want to intern at charity: water?

I wanted to intern at charity: water because I believe deeply in its mission and wanted to devote my time to something bigger than myself. It was important for me to find an internship that would help me develop tangible career skills in fundraising and marketing and one where I could be around kind and talented people. With that in mind, charity: water was the obvious choice. This place is filled with some of the most amazing and sincere people I have ever met. The energy here is contagious and it’s amazing to be surrounded by a group of people who have dedicated their careers to solving the water crisis. From the second i stepped into the offices, I knew that I wanted to be an intern here and I haven’t looked back.

What does a typical day in the office look like for you?

I like to get an early start on my day here in the office and get to the emails waiting for me each morning. I typically am researching case studies and contracts with brand partners, updating our partner's contacts across platforms, tracking social media content from our partnerships, updating Keynote presentations, writing thank you’s, sending Jerry Cans to our friends across the world, and learning as much as I possibly can. For lunch, I always stop by the bakery downstairs, grab a sandwich, and catch a few minutes of my favorite podcast at the moment.

What’s your favorite part of interning at charity: water?

My favorite part of interning at charity: water is the people. The staff cares so deeply for their work and for each other. Laughter fills the hallways here and I know that anyone I come across would grab a cup of coffee with me in a second. It’s so much fun to be here.

What goes on in your life outside of charity: water?

Outside of charity: water, I am serving as my college’s Student Body President which keeps me pretty busy. Beyond that, I try to catch a comedy show or two in the Village, explore new restaurants with friends, read, or just enjoy the simple things.

What is your favorite place to hang out in New York?

That’s a TOUGH question and it changes all the time, but right now, I’d have to say Governor’s Island.

Where do you want to be in 15 years?

In 15 years I hope to be a better guy than I am today, doing something that I love, married with kids, living in NYC/DC/Boston/Denver, and making some sort of difference in the lives of others. I don’t know much more than that, but ask me again in 15.

Fun Fact: If you’re ever in Arizona, you can still see my face on a billboard that’s been up for 10 years now. I don’t know why they haven’t taken it down, but I hope it stays up forever.

Name: Jennifer O’Neil School: Auburn University Team: Key Relationships Hometown: Birmingham, AL

Why did you want to intern at charity: water?

My freshman year of college, I was in a leadership program that supported the clean water crisis. I had never heard of the water crisis before that! But it struck a cord with about 10 of us freshmen, so we started the first organization on campus dedicated to the water crisis called Auburn for Water. Over the next three years, the water crisis became my passion! When I found out I could graduate a semester early, I was gung-ho on interning with charity: water after graduation and living out my dream in New York City. I wanted to learn everything about the operations of a nonprofit and how charity: water has been so successful in bringing clean water to those living without. And here I am! Happy as a clam.

What does a typical day in the office look like for you?

Number one order of business is grabbing a cup of coffee. Then I do a lot of work helping my supervisor, Brady (shoutout to her sweet soul), on donor research, inputting information into our new CRM system, or sending swag to our awesome supporters. Also, giving tours of the office and helping out with events we host in New York.

What’s your favorite part of interning at charity: water?

Everything! Seriously, everything. I fall more in love with charity: water each day.

What goes on in your life outside of charity: water?

I am constantly living to podcasts, exploring New York for yummy desserts, or working at Anthropologie.

What is your favorite place to hang out in New York?

Washington Square Park, specifically to people/squirrel watch.

Where do you want to be in 15 years?

Working as a pediatric physical therapist in a city where there’s plenty of good food.

Fun Fact: I love giraffes and Italian greyhounds.

Name: Sarah Nelson School: Fordham University Team: Key Relationships Hometown: Atlanta, GA

Why did you want to intern at charity: water?

I’ve been fascinated by their 100% model and always loved the idea of something as simple as clean water changing an entire community.

What does a typical day in the office look like for you?

I always start my day with a cup of coffee and checking in with my (awesome) supervisor Maria. Then, I’m typically either updating Salesforce and spreadsheets or working on creating impact reports and projects to let our amazing donors know how much they mean to charity: water. I also help make sure our presentation materials are up-to-date.

What’s your favorite part of interning at charity: water?

I absolutely love my KR team and the family atmosphere here. It’s so great to come to work every day with people who love what they do and each other.

What goes on in your life outside of charity: water?

You can usually find me hanging out with my roommate or friends at one of our favorite restaurants in Hell’s Kitchen or nannying around the city.

What is your favorite place to hang out in New York?

Central Park’s Conservatory Garden in the Spring to see the gorgeous flowers.

Where do you want to be in 15 years?

I hope to be working on mental health programming for refugees.

Fun Fact: I am starting my Masters in War and Psychiatry at King’s College London this Fall!

Name: Natalie Tussing School: Fordham University Team: Water Programs Hometown: Baltimore, Maryland

Why did you want to intern at charity: water?

I heard about it from a family friend that had visited the office. She raved about it and so I went on the website and read all about what they do. I watched YouTube videos of Scott speaking and was hooked. I always wanted to be a part of an NGO like charity: water that is highly organized, well-known and successful so I applied!

What does a typical day in the office look like for you?

A typical day in the office usually involved utilizing charity: water’s grants management database for uploading invoice documents for specific projects and completing photo reviews of projects as well. I also help the water programs team with travel arrangements to the field (visa requirements), help to create presentations and keep records up to date.

What’s your favorite part of interning at charity: water?

I love the snacks and pizza on Fridays, but my most favorite part would have to be all the valuable information I am learning about how charity: water works and what it is like working with a team.

What goes on in your life outside of charity: water?

Outside of charity: water I am finishing up my last semester at Fordham University (Rose Hill Campus). I graduate in May! I also love finding new restaurants and delis in The Bronx Little Italy area (where I live), as well as visit the Botanical Gardens and do yoga.

What is your favorite place to hang out in New York?

Probably the New York Botanical Gardens, it is right across the street from my school.

Where do you want to be in 15 years?

Hopefully settling down and starting a family while creating my own yoga practice and studio.

Fun Fact: My geography is impeccable.

Name: Salisha Allard-Blaisdell School: Rutgers University Team: Office Operations Hometown: Grenada, West Indies

Why did you want to intern at charity: water?

Having been born and raised in poverty for the first 18 years of my life, I have matured into a very service-oriented individual whose life is dedicated to serving others. I have been the recipient of many acts of service, some great, some small and have made it my life’s mission to serve and positively impact the life of others in whatever way I can. Upon my MPA completion in May ‘16, my Dad (who only became my Dad 7 years ago through legal adoption in California), who currently serves as the VP of Smile Generation, forwarded me one of his emails from charity: water and told me to look into the organization. Within of minutes of reading about charity: water, I felt so drawn not only because my Dad and his company LOVE charity: water, but because charity: water’s mission hit home for me.

What does a typical day in the office look like for you?

My day in the office varies. I come in the office three days a week and each day has its specific roles that I will repeat. But generally, I ensure the office remains in a safe, and inviting atmosphere. Thus, I purchase office supplies, replace light bulbs and try to ensure that our dedicated staff has both sweet and healthy snacks to munch on when they finally look away from their computers to take a few minutes break.

What’s your favorite part of interning at charity: water?

My favorite part about interning at charity: water is getting this noble opportunity to work with dedicated men and women who are literally saving the lives of others (who at one point were just like me). There is such a strong spirit of love and unity here. I look forward to coming here each day. I admire how diligently the people work to make such an enormous impact on the lives of so many women, children, and their families.

What goes on in your life outside of charity: water?

Outside of charity: water, I spend my time serving others. I currently volunteer with the American Cancer Society as the Road to Recovery Coordinator. I go out into various communities (hospitals, malls, etc) and recruit volunteer drivers whose roles are to take cancer patients, who have no other means of transportation, to and from their cancer treatments. In addition, I serve as the Young Women President in my ward (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints/Mormons) and get to work with girls age 12-18. Lastly, but definitely not least, I enjoy taking my precious 4 year old daughter to the park to ride her bike and give her lots of kisses while I express my love for her.

What is your favorite place to hang out in New York?

Central Park area. It’s such a beautiful scene, lots of nice places to eat and spend time with family.

Where do you want to be in 15 years?

In fifteen years, I want to see myself working as an executive administrator in the Public Sector (most likely healthcare related). I hope to have purchased my first home, and celebrated at least my 3rd or 4th anniversary of the establishment of my orphanage in Grenada.

Fun Fact: Although I learned to read at age 12, both at my undergraduate and graduate level, I was selected as one of the top students to represent my schools on a national level. Once with presenting my own writing at the National Undergraduate Literature conference, 2011, and then teaming up with three other Rutgers students to compete at NASPA Stimulation completion, 2015.

Name: Kavya Ravishankar School: New York University Team: Key Relationships Hometown: Canton, OH

Why did you want to intern at charity: water?

I immediately fell in love with the mission and work at charity: water when I learned about the organization and wanted to get involved as soon as I could. I had the opportunity to help out at our VR event at Brookfield Place which really showed me how well the team was able to inspire others including me.

What does a typical day in the office look like for you?

I spend a lot of my time doing donor research. Also, I get to help our amazing supporters learn more about sponsoring water projects.

What’s your favorite part of interning at charity: water?

I love starting off the week with Bagels on Monday morning. The whole team comes together to hear updates at the office and get excited for the week.

What goes on in your life outside of charity: water?

I’m usually going on a run, at yoga, or exploring the many bookstores in the city. Archestratus Books + Foods in Greenpoint is filled with cookbooks and I definitely spend way too much time looking for new recipes and cooking up yummy meals for my friends.

What is your favorite place to hang out in New York?

Prospect Park when the sun is out and the birds are singing. I have a mild obsession with dinosaurs and I get far too excited knowing that the birds that walk amongst us now are their descendants. The park is an awesome place to bird watch!

Where do you want to be in 15 years?

I want to continue pursuing my passion for empowering others.

Fun Fact: I have my private pilot's license and want to fly around the world one day.

#charitywater #interns #internship #meet the interns

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2020laxteentour · 4 years

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Day Two (San Diego visit)

On this Tuesday, July 21 I sit back reminiscing about the things we were able to endure today. Early we were able to go to the area around Nipsey Hustle’s The Marathon and clean, not for him or the people but for the community. Most importantly for me today is the fact that it’s my brother’s birthday, and for him I made it to L.A. and lived it up. He would’ve been 21 today. He was the one who was supposed to be here in L.A., not just on this trip but to live here. That was one thing he wanted to be able to do but didn’t have the time on this earth to do so. I’ve always loved you Wanye and I’ll continue to do so, remember that. This trip has given me the opportunity continue to live out his dreams and wishes. Until next time L.A. -Bobby H.

Even the "slower" days are jam packed here. We managed to go from LA to San Diego and everywhere between. The most striking thing to see is how everyone is responding to the ongoing pandemic differently. Going from one city to literally the next town over can mean a huge difference in the amount of people you see wearing masks and social distancing. It's really a tossup for what you're going to see. We all have our masks on, though, and that's what's important. -Malachi W.

Today was a little more relaxed. We were given the opportunity to explore the beaches of San Diego. I would love to come to the beaches every weekend. US San Diego is a very nice campus. We had great seafood by the beach. The owners made you feel that they appreciated your business. Tonight we stopped by the Staple Center. And checked out the mural of Kobe and GiGi! Finally, ended the night with a In and Out burger. Today was a good day! -Pamela G.

Today we explored a different part of California by venturing to a few of its beaches. But rather than gazing upon the waves I watched and overlooked the people. From the pier you could see thousands of people there swimming, laughing, and playing almost as if there isn’t a global pandemic going on. They seemed unbothered by this fact and went on with, for some, vacation and others everyday life. While at one of the beaches me and the other volunteers stopped and played volleyball with a family who appeared to be Cali locals. They were very welcoming and thankful for the company. Great day overall and welcoming the next. -Bobby H.

Today was a very laid back day. San Diego was not what I expected at all, it was actually very fun. I loved getting out and enjoying new people. Going from beach to beach and seeing how much they differ but really so close together was really cool and I just look forward to new adventures tomorrow. -Bascia P.

I got to try swordfish today and it was super good! UC San Diego is HUGE with a ......very interesting mascot statue and the beaches, piers, and mountains were beautiful. I really love the climate because it's not humid and muggy. I really like California and I'm excited to see what tomorrow brings. -Essence H.

What an eventful day! The weather was amazing, which was a plus for our visit to UC San Diego. The school was huge, almost 2,000 acres! Great architecture, I didn't see a lot of diversity but then again I feel this might be just COVID impact. San Diego has a little different vibe than Beverly Hills and Oceanside, however still breathtaking. I enjoyed the walk around the beach and the fresh seafood. Thank you for a great day Dr. Mike. -Rania A.

Our second day in LA. It was a day of viewing the different cities and many different beaches, I dipped my feet in water! I was able to see the huge campus of UC San Diego and and my favorite part was seeing the architecture on the campus. Although we mostly went sight seeing, I learned a lot about the community’s and the roots that they have made in LA. -Marcus R.

San Diego is filled with pretty beaches and meaningful landmarks. I watched our teenagers engage in a game of volleyball with the locals on the beach and without ever meeting each other before this day, they exchanged smiles, laughter, and fun with one another. I noticed the disparities of the beaches in the hills and the one in the "valley"; beaches in the hills had an array of dining places, plenty of extracurricular activities, and space. The beach in the valley had a local ice cream truck, hard sand, and I didn't see any eateries around. The college tours are always interesting to see how the teens will respond to it, how by just being on the campus sparks an interest in them and makes them curious about what college life would be like; it even made me think about continuing my own educational path, so I'm very appreciative for this opportunity. -Patrice C.

Today was a very beautiful and relaxing day. The time I spent at San Diego Harbor was the best because of the adventure my small group and I went on towards the Cheesecake Factory. Everyone that saw us chimed in and shared their laughter as well. San Diego and Oceanside are two amazing cities full of peaceful yet stunning scenery that would put any mind at ease. The two cities complement each other yet contrast at the same time in regards to architectural design and vibes. I must say these two cities are definitely different from Los Angeles and the traffic is so much more manageable for drivers. Even though I have friends from San Diego, I am more familiar with Oceanside as I spent some time there as a part of my retreat for my Community Programs Office internship during my freshman year. However, the internship and our retreats were full of labor and teamwork just like the volunteer activities with WeCCAAN. -Kristen L.

Today was just a huge reminder of why I love California so much. We visited several beaches. I love the Oceanside beach the best. It had this restaurant that was good I would love to go back too. San Diego was also cool just for me to explore more of California’s nice areas. -Noah L.

The main focus of today which was San Diego was very different from the rest of LA. What I noticed is that there is a different ethnic group which was Hispanic, I could tell because the houses and street names and obviously the people we saw. We also walked around and seeing the San Diego pier was a beautiful and amazing sight to see. -Jordan B.

As we explored the city of San Diego I was able to explore and get new insight about different landmarks and beaches that the city had. When we explored the Oceanside Pier I was able to see the diversity in people and cultures all in one place. Alongside seeing how diverse the area was I also got to see how some feed themselves through the method of fishing. When we toured the beautiful UCSD Campus, I was able to see a potential college that I could put in my list and also compare it to another college we previously toured, UCLA. As we continue our journey on the tour this year I hope to get more knowledge on the state of California and see more often talked about cities. -Roderick T.

Today was a success, I went to a lot of beaches and got to explore different houses near different beaches. In San Diego there were a lot of fun good places to eat I learned that in San Diego people don’t believe in Corona they were hundreds of people on the beach. I also learned that there are still some homeless people in these Wealthy counties. I don’t see why people have the money to buy all these foreign and exotic cars. Overall today was fun and I got to meet new people and combine with a different cultural environment. -Zion M.

I went to a beach in San Diego and there wasn't a lot of people without masks but I wasn't concerned about it. We toured UC San Diego But there isn't as many people as UCLA. The San Diego beach was super packed. The San Diego harbor is cool and all but there's not as many exotic cars like in LA. I really like the beach and it was fun and the water was super cold. -Jamil B.

Oceanside Pier. Vista Viewpoint. UC San Diego. Being on the other side of the country is surreal. I had to put my feet in the water to say... I’d touched the Pacific Ocean. Watching Jamil experience this and take it all in, is a joy in itself. He has memories to share with others of his WeCCAAN trip to California. The mountains are so beautiful. One of my favorite parts of these tours is the college tours. Who knows where I would have been had I had this opportunity as a teen--UC schools, Cal State schools? Note: I learned that the Vietnam War is not called a war but the Vietnam Conflict because there wasn’t a defined winner or loser. Each year on the day of our volunteering, Dr. Mike greets us with “Good Morning Vietnam”. He gave us a brief history of it and reminded us that those brave soldiers were just as young as some of our teens. Definitely something to think about, especially worth the social climate we have today. Also, can you imagine living somewhere with only 5 days of rain a year??? -TeShania B.

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emegareva · 7 years

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Back; to the future.

In the mood for a thought-full post. It’s amazing how the past four years of university life has shaped me - my thoughts and character. It’s amazing how I went into all the random stuffs, meeting new people that became really good friends, and how I become.

4.5 years ago.

Before I entered the College of Alice and Peter Tan, I went for Eusoff Hall camp. I was accepted into Eusoff, but “chickened out” the day before I’m supposed to check-in to the hall, and applied for CAPT. I did that because I’m privileged to be a recipient of the NUS scholarship, and I realized that FASS helps me to pay for my first two years of stay in CAPT but not for my stay in hall. Therefore, to make economical sense, there is a huge incentive to switch to a newer and zero-cost residential college experience.

4 years ago.

One semester came, one semester (almost) passed. I saw the call to apply for a seemingly “prestigious” programme called the CTPCLP. I needed a testimonial from a professor who knows me well. The only professor who kind of know me at the personal level was the master of the CAPT, because I was a student of her module. She agreed to help me write a testimonial, only after a visit to her office where she wants to ensure I know what I am signing myself up for.

That was my first time in the Master’s office. It’s like a kid being called in to the principal office. A bit nervous. But at the same time confident and ready to tell her why I want to apply for CTPCLP. She told me that my involvement in the CTPCLP is going to cause me to split my focus between CAPT and the CTPCLP and I may not be able to contribute as much to CAPT anymore. I told her I will manage. I will make sure I commit well to both.

She said okay, and she wrote my testimonial.

3.5 years ago.

I already had some inkling about NOC. I think I had some idea about social entrepreneurship. I was eyeing on NOC India because it had a “social” element to it. Yet I also understand that the 6-months programme meant that it was a LOA and no modules will be clocked during that period.

I started to plan my modules ahead. I took 6 modules in my second university semester. Just in case. Just in case I take an LOA for an experience. I don’t want to graduate late. I don’t want.

A chance came for me to visit India. CAPT’s first-ever STEER India. 2 weeks. I succumbed to food poisoning towards the end of the 2 weeks, which continued upon my return to Sg. The trip was good. It was eye-opening. But I treasure my meat - I don’t like eating pasty and veggie stuffs.

I know I won’t apply for NOC India; that was just two weeks, what will I become in 6 months?

3 years ago.

I took the module, “Social Entrepreneurship”. It was fun. It was experiential. It was mind-opening. I scored a B-. I S/Ued it. But most importantly, I told myself

“If I had an idea, the guts, and the money, I’ll want to try starting up a social enterprise”

The seed was planted.

3 years ago.

I saw an advertisement calling for participants for the “Film For Good” documentary filming course by Skillseed, in one of the IRO’s email. It caught my interest because I want to learn, hands-on, to film a documentary. I asked around if any friends would like to sign up with me because there’s a discount if two persons signed up together.

Weeks passed. No one was keen. My heart tells me to go ahead alone.

“Make new friends”

I signed up. I went for the programme.

That was when I learnt about Skillseed and met Huijia, I learnt about Project Give Pray Love and met Jeanine, I met Anderson, and a group of friends I would never have met if I never followed my heart.

2.5 years ago.

It’s my second semester as the Hub Coordinator for the MC Hub in the CTPCLP. It’s my second year as the head of the photography in CAPT. I took 7 modules - including a capstone project. Just in case - just in case I really take an LOA to do something. I never know.

I applied for summer internships. Psychology-related ones. HPB, Mindef, hometeam, etc. There were no positive replies.

I went for the career fair, hoping to look for internships. There I saw the NOC booth.

“Application extended by one day just for this career fair!!”

I asked them about the programmes, but at the back of my mind I had already known what their programmes are about - because I researched. I asked them if I can do an internship with social enterprises. The spokesperson said I can try, but no guarantees.

I was delighted. I quickly went back to CAPT and submitted my application within a few hours.

Application Essay for ILEAD (now NOCSG):

I had a few encounters with people who are entrepreneurs, especially social entrepreneurs, due to a module and programme I went through last year. I took MNO3330 Social Entrepreneurship, and there were many guest sharing session on the work that these social entrepreneurs do. The major project for this module was to come up with a social entrepreneurship proposal, and I got to experience the ideation process to come up with a business proposal that could impact society. Last December, I took part in a programme organized by Project Skillseed, a social enterprise that organizes courses for youths to learn skills that could impact society, and I enjoyed that programme a lot. Through talking to the founder of Project Skillseed, who is open to sharing her experiences and listening to ideas from the participants of Project Skillseed’s programmes, I got to understand more about their motivation behind setting up the enterprise, and how they leverage on every resources and ideas which their employees and participants of their programmes have.

I told my friends that if I had the guts and the resources, I want to be a social entrepreneur. My entrepreneurial aspiration is to come up with a working business model that could help integrate people who are discriminated or disadvantaged in society, to assimilate into mainstream society. I think that ILEAD will be a good first step for me to take, to experience what it is like to work in a startup. I enjoy experiential learning, and I think ILEAD provides me with that opportunity – I would be able to apply what I learn from the TR modules during the work attachment. It will be a meaningful and enriching experience for me :)

2 years ago.

I’m an intern of Skillseed! Did I tell you that I was making a choice between Bettr Barista and Skillseed? I went for the interview with Skillseed first, and then Bettr Barista. Skillseed needed me to give my reply before Bettr Barista could give me their offer. After some considerations, I chose to go with Skillseed and politely declined Bettr Barista - I never got to know if they had wanted me to be their intern or not.

Through my internship in Skillseed, I got to know many many many awesome people.

Yin Zhou, Geylang Adventures.

Debra and Ryan, Society Staples.

Hannah, Engineering Good.

People from The Impact Hub.

Yee Hui, Xin Er, Pey Ling, Hema - my awesome colleagues and friends.

Teachers and students from a chinese school - participants of my “flagship” course I created for Skillseed, with the theme of “Social Innovation”.

And my awesome boss - Huijia :)

The trip to Silicon Valley was great.

My travel buddy, a long-lost-but-found friend, Jeremy, was a good companion :) well, most of the time.

1.5 years ago.

I packed my luggage and left for Amsterdam.

It’s crazy. The first day I touched down, it was cold. very cold. And then at night it rained. And I was hungry. The Singaporeans, we met up for dinner. A miserable one at best, at the Amsterdam Central.

Here, I learnt to drink coffee. More than that. I appreciated coffee. I observed how people interact with each other through coffee. I liked how mothers bring their kids out to cafes while they chat over coffee. I liked how each and every cafe has their unique feel to them. I took the SCAE barista foundation course.

I was inspired to learn more and share what I’ve experienced.

1.5 years ago.

University of Amsterdam. Emotions class. This was where my thesis’ proposal was born. If not for this class, I would not have the time during summer to craft a proposal.

I had four skype sessions during my whole stay in Amsterdam. Four conversations which were quite important.

1. Okay, this isn’t important.. cuz it was a casual chat with Glen hahah.

2. A meeting with my thesis professor :) she accepted me in as her “last” thesis student. I was thrilled.

3. A meeting with Master of CAPT :) It was to discuss how I can further contribute back to CAPT when I return, and my return to CAPT is based on what I can give back to the college. I was granted a space back in this community :)

4. A meeting, and many more meetings, with Adrian. My interview with UNFRAMED, which began my internship and relationship with another awesome boss in my life so far - Larry.

Skillseed gave me the chance to see how a social enterprise work.

UNFRAMED gave me the chance to see how interconnected and vibrant the social enterprise scene is.

1 year ago.

CAPT Coffee Interest Group was born. I was a mediocre in coffee. What I had was some knowledge but lots of ideas. I needed to execute it. And I followed Nike’s motto

Just do it.

I took the opportunity to get the grant to do a pop-up within NUS, brewing free coffee during the NUS World Food Week. I reached out to Naiise, and we held our first public pop-up during Christmas. I reached out to APSN Tanglin school, and we donated our earnings to them.

I got to know the people behind The Coffee Roaster, The Tiny Roaster, Tionghoe Specialty Coffee, Highlander Coffee, Knockhouse Supply Co., Compound Coffee, A.R.C Coffee, and of course not forgetting - Le’clair.

By participating in a random coffee roasting workshop, I got to know Raymond - the guy behind RRFC, and someone whom I still keep in close contact with :) And then there’s Chris from Bicycle Barista who was open to teach me a few things about doing coffee pop-ups :)

My interest group co-head and I, we went to Yunnan. Met the legendary Tim Heinze, who is heading Hani Coffee, spearheading many coffee research and writing many articles for coffee magazines such as Fresh Cup.

.5 year ago.

Anderson and I pitched in the SMU Social Startup Challenge.

We created our first pitch deck over a sleepless night. We made new friends and gained mentorship from a friend-turned-mentor who wish to see us succeed.

I continued to try coffees from around the world, from different roasters: Perk, Hook, Burlap. Dockyard Coffee - his mistake of mailing it to my billing rather than mailing address was my greatest gain, as he contacted me to apologize via whatsapp, and later he introduced me to a group of other home roasters and home baristas where I learn all the tips and tricks of coffee roasting and brewing and sharing and listening in to very very geeky coffee stuffs.

I’ve not yet met any of them in real life LOL.

Anderson and I pitched, again, in the Young Social Entrepreneur Workshop by SIF. We made more new friends. We refined our business idea. We became more confident and held stronger conviction in what we are doing.

Today

Things are taking off really quickly. Sometimes idea just popped into the mind and I know i need to act on them.

I signed up for a course to teach me how to work with adolescents and adults with special needs in the workplace - I’m waiting for SSI to approve my application.

I wrote in an email to SG Enable to ask them about training grant and possibility of leveraging on their expertise - today I received a call from them and was urged to write in a proposal before their grant call closes.

The APSN teachers were following up on our previous meet up with them and they said the principal gave the go-ahead to conduct classes for their students.

Master of CAPT wrote back to invite us to write in a formal proposal for us to use the college’s empty cafe space for our business use - after a few weeks of discussion and consultation with the student body.

What’s ahead?

I’ve pitched my business idea to many people, but the most important person I’ve perhaps not yet convinced is my dad. Between the two of us, I think we are playing the implicit game of persuasion - me trying to show him my intention of doing a coffee business by inviting him to my pitch (my family supported me during the SMU social startup challenge) and visiting cafes in SG; him trying to tell me how difficult running a business is and sharing with me how he thinks pursuing further education is a wise choice when the job market is bad now.

Deep in my heart I respect my parents. I respect my dad for what he has sacrificed for the family. In fact, I look up to him as an entrepreneur himself, back in the past. And I’m banking on the hope that because he knows what it is like to be an entrepreneur, he will give me that support.

Besides, I’m not just running a coffee business - it is a social business I’m doing. If not for the social impact aspect, I’m better off doing something else. I would work for a social enterprise. I could work for a non-profit. I would seek for a job with purpose because I recognize the privilege I am enjoying and how there’s so much ills in the society to be tackled...

Mr Lee Junior spoke during one of the YSE workshops. His words, ringing in my head. “Parents don’t need you to pay them back their money. What do they want? They want you to make them proud.”

I’m not sure if this is sound advice, but I surely hope to gain the support from my family :)

#life #reflections #thooughts

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